The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began,

Now far ahead the road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say…

I softly sang the words of the song as I passed beneath the golden-leafed trees. All around me the crisp leaves fluttered slowly to the ground, coming silently to rest on the ground which was already littered with gold and bronze colours. I breathed in the icy autumnal air and sighed. Winter was close; I could tell by the way the cold air nipped at the tips of my fingers. I looked up and smiled as the familiar stone gateway came into view. I threw back the hood of my cloak as I walked through the arch and stared around the beautiful courtyard. A light breeze caught my dark brown hair and blew it across my face. Tucking a few strands behind my ear, I walked forward until out of the corner of my eye, I saw him walking across the courtyard towards me.

“Suilaid, hir Elrond.” (Greetings, Lord Elrond.) I murmured, bowing low as a sign of respect.

“Le suilon, Rana.” (I greet thee, Rana.) He replied. I felt his fingertips lightly touch my chin and tilt my face upwards, until my eyes met his. I couldn’t help but grin broadly as he smiled. I stood up straight and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

“It has been too long.” I sighed happily. “I’m glad to be back.”

I pulled back from the embrace and smiled.

“I am glad also; you have been missed these past few years.” He said.

“I must ask, why did you summon me here?” I enquired curiously.

“All will become clear soon.” Elrond replied mysteriously, “For now, you should rest. You will find your room and all your possessions exactly how you left them.”

“Hannon le, but I would rather take a short walk, I have missed these woods.” I looked around at the area, carpeted in fallen leaves.

“As you wish, for now, Namárië”

“Farewell.” I softly echoed his reply in the Western tongue as he turned and glided away.

I gazed around the deserted courtyard. It hadn’t changed since I had first laid eyes on it, save for the ever changing seasons. It was autumn then too, when I had first arrived. I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to travel back to that day, the day when I first arrived in Rivendell.

*** Flashback ***

I allowed my father to lead me by the hand through the ancient stone archway. I did not know where we were going, every time I asked, he avoided answering me. As we stepped into the large courtyard, my breath was taken away by the beauty of the place we had arrived in. I yearned to break from my fathers grasp so I could explore, but he held my hand tightly, preventing escape. In his other hand were the reins of his horse. We had ridden for several days and nights to reach this place. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a tall man appeared and walked up to my father. His walk was graceful, as if his feet barely touched the ground. He wordlessly took the horse’s reins and led it away from us. As he left, his long, dark hair was caught in a gust of wind and for a brief second, I was able to see his strange, angular ears.

“Father? Father was that an elf?” I asked quietly, seeming to understand that I should not raise my voice in this peaceful place.

“Yes.” He murmured, as if I had dragged him out of deep thought. He looked down at me. “Rana, I must go speak with an old friend of mine, promise me you will stay here. Do not leave this courtyard.” He commanded me. I nodded as he released my hand and walked off, disappearing beneath a small archway. I walked over to a small stone bench that stood not far from me.

I brushed away a few crinkled leaves before sitting down with a sigh. Absentmindedly, I gazed around me, inspecting every nook and cranny from where I sat. I was curious child. My father had often told me that. I almost jumped when I noticed the boy sitting across the courtyard from me, reading from a large, leather-bound book. He looked a few years older than I was and he had dark brown hair, slightly darker than mine, which fell into his eyes as he read. However, I couldn’t see his eyes, as they were hidden by his hair. It didn’t seem like he had noticed me, but after a minute or so, he glanced up at me and met my eyes with a curious, piercing, grey gaze. I quickly looked away, not wanting him to know that I had been staring. I casually swung my legs as I sat – they did not quite reach the ground- waiting for him to return to his book. He was reading again when I next dared to look up, so I began watching him again. Once again, he looked up at me and I dropped my gaze instantly. We continued like this for some time, every time our eyes met I would look away, but I was beginning to run out of things to pretend to look at, and each time I dropped my gaze I could feel him staring intently at me. During a particularly long pause, I heard him close his book quietly and stand up. I presumed that my staring was distracting him from his book and he was going elsewhere to read. I felt a little sad, yet I wasn’t sure why. I sighed quietly and waited for his footfalls to die away, but to my surprise they seemed to get louder, as if he was walking towards me instead of away from me. His footsteps stopped in front of me, and I slowly looked up at him. He looked down at me curiously and I stared back, unable to speak.

“Iston le?” He said after a few seconds. I stared back at him blankly.

“Heniach nin?” His words were different this time, but I still didn’t understand what he was saying. I had never been taught Elvish. My father told me that my mother used to speak it, but after she died he saw no reason for me to learn it. My mother died a few days after I was born.

I blinked up at the boy with a bewildered expression plastered across my face until he spoke again.

“I apologise, I did not realise that you didn’t speak Elvish.” He said softly, sitting down beside me. I smiled shyly and dropped my gaze to the floor. “What is your name?” He asked.

“Rana.” I replied quietly. “What’s yours?”

“My name is Estel. It means ‘hope’ in Elvish.” He murmured, with a hint of pride in his voice. Estel was the first word I ever learnt in Elvish.

“Really? I wish my name meant something…” I mumbled.

“It does mean something.” He shyly said. I glanced up curiously, noticing a faint blush on his cheeks. “It means ‘wanderer’ in Elvish.” He stammered. That was the second word I ever learnt in Elvish. I frowned and kicked a few leaves.

“That’s a strange meaning…” I muttered, slightly annoyed that my name seemed insignificant beside the boy called ‘hope’.

“I like it…” He whispered. We were quiet for a while then, until he asked me another question. “What age are you?”

“Seven and a half.” I replied proudly.

“I’m twelve.” He murmured, seeming a little smug that he was a lot older than I was. I would have made some remark, if I had not heard my name being called from across the courtyard. I looked up and saw my father walking towards us with a tall man that I did not recognise. He had long, dark hair and was wearing long robes of natural colours; he smiled as they approached us.

“Welcome to Rivendell, Rana.” The tall man spoke softly. Now that he was closer I could tell he was an elf. I nodded respectfully and looked at my father.

“Rana, this is Lord Elrond. He has agreed to let you stay here for a while.” He said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Why? Where are you going?” I cried, standing and walking over to my father. He crouched down on one knee and placed both his hands on my shoulders.

“I have to go away for a while, you will be safe here.” He murmured.

“Why couldn’t I stay at the village?” I asked.

“It’s not safe there anymore. I will return for you when it is safe again. I promise.” With that, he kissed my forehead, stood up and turned around. He bowed to Lord Elrond and walked to the entrance, where his horse was standing waiting for him. He mounted quickly and rode out the gate at a full gallop. That was the last time I ever saw my father.

Lord Elrond turned to me.

“I see you have already met Estel.” He then turned to the boy sitting beside me. “Will you find her a room?” He asked, Estel stood, nodded, and bowed, before taking my hand in his and leading me through an archway on the other side of the courtyard. I cast a wistful glance over my shoulder at the now-deserted courtyard.

One week later, word came to Rivendell that my father and the rest of the Dúnedain were riding into battle against a large clan of orcs. Three days after that, I heard that my father had been struck down by an arrow.

I spent the rest of my childhood in Rivendell.

***End of Flashback***

I sighed and opened my eyes, blinking in the late afternoon sun. That was a long time ago, but every detail of that day to me is still clear, as if it happened only yesterday. I turned to one of the stone benches standing in the courtyard, almost half-expecting to see a young boy, sitting reading to himself. Of course, there was no one there. I turned away and walked through a small archway, leading to one of the more forested areas. I knew exactly where I wanted to go. The trek only took me a few minutes, and I smiled to myself as I found myself standing in front of one of the largest waterfalls in Rivendell. I walked right up to it; until the spray splashed my face, and all I had to do was reach out before my fingers were immersed in the icy water. I breathed in deeply, remembering. I counted quietly under my breath;

“One… Two…Three!” On three, I leapt forward through the falling water and tumbled into the small, hidden cave that lay beyond. Our secret cave.

I shook off the chilling droplets of water that clung to my hair and grinned. I scrambled to my feet and ran my fingertips along the dewy cave walls. It hadn’t changed at all. I found a small, familiar boulder and sat on it.

I wondered if he ever thought about this place… Or ever thought about me.

I sat immersed in my thoughts, unaware of the passing time. I only looked up when I thought I heard a voice outside.

“One…”

Wait… That was a voice!

“Two…”

I couldn’t be…

“Three!”

A light spray of water hit my face as a large shape barrelled through the screen of water. I leapt to my feet and stared. I watched as he stood up straight and shook the droplets of water from his hair, my jaw dropped.It couldn’t be…

We stared at each other for an impossibly long moment before I broke the silence…

“Aragorn?”