Title: The Dragon and the Ring
Author: Maeglin Yedi ([email protected])
Website: http://forever-rebel.net/maeglinyedi/
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The Dragon and the Ring 5
By Maeglin Yedi
“Glorfindel, I have to say that you have shown a side of yourself today that I have never seen before,” Lord Elrond said as he closed the door of his private chambers behind them.
“Forgive me, Elrond, if I have offended you in any way. It was never my intention to do so,” Glorfindel said and lowered his gaze. Elrond placed a hand on his shoulder and his face that was filled with anger just minutes before was now only showing concern.
“You have not offended me, Glorfindel. But I worry. What is it that makes Beliar’s presence here so personal for you?” he asked in a soft voice and Glorfindel looked up at him.
“I do not think that I can speak about it. Not after so long,” he whispered and Elrond squeezed his shoulder gently.
“Please my dear friend. It worries me to see you like this. Give yourself the chance to share this pain that you carry in your heart.” the Elven Lord said and Glorfindel thought for a moment. When Beliar had used him so many years ago he had been too ashamed to tell anyone. But now, after such a long time, the secret had grown so much that it was too big for him to carry alone.
“Many years ago, during one of our battles against the forces of Mordor, I was taken prisoner,” Glorfindel said in a soft voice and Elrond looked surprised but let the other Elf continue his story.
“Just for a little while but Beliar came to me... and... used me,” Glorfindel whispered and Elrond shut his eyes for a moment, trying to comprehend what his friend was telling him.
“Go on,” Elrond said and tried to give the Elf in front of him a reassuring smile.
“He used me in a... private way,” Glorfindel whispered and tried to find the words to tell the Elven Lord what had really happened.
“He used you against your will?” Elrond asked and Glorfindel shook his head.
“Nay, he did not for my body betrayed me,” he whispered and stared at the floor again.
“I am glad your body betrayed you, my dear friend,” Elrond said and Glorfindel looked at him surprised.
“You surely know what happens to our kind when we are taken completely against our will, don’t you,” the Elven Lord said and Glorfindel blinked. He had never thought about it in such a way, always feeling too guilty about having enjoyed the enemy’s touch.
“I believe you have a point there, Elrond,” he said to the Elven Lord and Elrond smiled.
Glorfindel let out a relieved sigh now that he finally had shared the secret he had kept to himself for so long.
“This information will not leave this room. Now we must talk about what part Beliar can play in the future of the Ring,” Elrond said and again Glorfindel looked surprised.
“My Lord, I mean no disrespect, but Beliar is evil. He will not fight at our side in this war,” the golden haired Elf said and Elrond shook his head.
“Beliar is not evil. He was merely raised that way. And he possesses something we can use to our advantage,” Elrond said and Glorfindel frowned.
“And what might that be, my Lord?”
“Hate, Glorfindel,” Elrond said. “Beliar hates Sauron more than anything in this world. He even hates him enough to swallow his own pride and come to us for help. We may not be able to trust him fully but we can use the hate he feels.”
Glorfindel let the words sink in and slowly nodded his head.
“I believe that you are right, Elrond. But it will be hard to use him when we cannot trust him,” Glorfindel said and Elrond smiled.
“We only need to trust the feelings he has for his former master,” the Elven Lord said and almost grinned.
“All right. We will do just that. But I worry for the Prince of Mirkwood. I saw Beliar look at him in a certain manner. A manner not fit for the young prince,” Glorfindel said and Elrond tapped the other Elf on his shoulder.
“Dear Glorfindel. Legolas perhaps seems young to you but he is an adult Elf with experience in every part of life. He can take care of himself and make decisions that will be best for him,” Elrond said and Glorfindel again nodded.
“I must ask you not to harm Beliar, even if he taunts you and you can be certain that he will do just that. Remember that you are an Elven Lord and please behave in such a way around him,” Elrond said and Glorfindel pursed his lips for a second.
“I promise not to hurt him, unless he proves to be an immediate threat to anyone else,” the golden haired Elf said in earnest and Elrond gave him a grateful smile.
“All is well then. I ask of you to collect Beliar for dinner tonight just after sunset. And remember, behave yourself,” Elrond said and turned around.
Glorfindel swallowed but did not dare to go against the will of the Elven Lord.
“I will see you tonight, Elrond,” he said and made his way out of the private chambers.
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Beliar was standing in front of the closed window of his chamber, thinking about his arrival in Rivendell.
He hadn’t been thrown into a dungeon or had an arrow strike him down so considering the circumstances he knew that everything was going well. But still he did not feel very pleased. It had taken him a great deal of strength to come here and ask refuge at his former enemy’s home. But part of him was pleased that the Elven Lord had at least welcomed him into his home and had given him his own chamber, even if there were two guards posted outside his door.
Now Beliar had to think about what he was going to do. What he could do with all these Elves obviously keeping a close eye on him. For now he decided to rest and recover from the journey he had made. He stared out of the window at nothing in particular and tried to clear his mind.
A sudden knock on the door startled him but he didn’t turn around. He expected it to be Lord Elrond or perhaps even Glorfindel wanting some sort of revenge. He was too tired to worry about that now and really wanted to be left alone.
“May I come in?” he heard a soft and familiar voice coming from the doorway and he quickly turned around.
On the doorstep of his chamber stood the enchanting Elf he had met only an hour before.
Beliar felt throat go dry and had to clear it before he could speak.
“Sure Legolas. You can come in. But please do close the door behind you. I do not wish the guards outside to hear anything that you will want to say to me,” he said and Legolas smiled and closed the door.
Beliar stared at the blond haired Elf and Legolas slowly made his way over to the Dark Elf. When he was standing only two feet away he spoke.
“So are you really a Dark Elf, Beliar?”
The Dark One looked at him with a smile.
“Yes, but I am just as dark as you are, Legolas. Are you too young to know anything about our history? There are no Light Elves left in Middle Earth,” Beliar told him and Legolas frowned slightly offended.
“I am not young, Beliar. It will only take a few more summers before I will be three thousand years old,” Legolas said and Beliar grinned.
“That would still be young compared to me,” the Dark One said and Legolas shook his head.
“Perhaps I chose the wrong words. Are you really the Dark One all the legends speak about?” Legolas asked Beliar.
“I go by many names. But yes, the Dark Elf or the Dark One your legends speak about would be referring to me,” Beliar said and Legolas stared at him.
“I must say that it is quite an experience to meet the one that had so many of us frightened when we were only children. My father used to mention you in my bedtime stories,” Legolas said and Beliar laughed.
“I feel rather flattered, knowing that the stories of me were frightening enough to scare small Elven-children,” he said and Legolas laughed as well.
“So, are you really a Prince, Legolas?” Beliar asked him and Legolas looked at him.
“Yes, I am. I am the son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood,” the blond haired Elf said and Beliar smiled at him.
“I believe this is the first time that I meet a Royal Elf and not want to strike him down with my sword,” Beliar said and Legolas chuckled.
“I guess that would be compliment,” he said and Beliar softened his voice.
“You can take my words anyway you like to take them, Legolas.”
Legolas lowered his gaze and wondered why he felt his cheeks flush. He was interested in this Dark Elf, of whom he had heard stories throughout his whole life. But it surprised him that Beliar could affect him in such a personal way only by saying a few words to him. He felt awkward standing so close to the other Elf but he couldn’t resist looking up again.
He stared into the deep brown eyes that were studying him and before he knew what he was doing he spoke about the confusion he was feeling right now.
“Your eyes speak to me, Beliar. I can see such pain in there, even if you try to hide it with your pride and strength. But I can still see it. The pain that fills your heart,” he whispered and Beliar was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t expected the Elven Prince to speak to him in such a personal manner.
“What heart?” he finally said sarcastically but Legolas only smiled at him.
“Perhaps the heart you think you have lost in Mordor,” he whispered and Beliar pursed his lips.
“I did not loose my heart, Legolas. It was taken from me a long time ago. And therefore I do not own it anymore,” Beliar said but Legolas continued to smile.
“I do believe that you do not posses your own heart at this moment, Beliar. But I know that it wasn’t taken from you. You merely lost it inside of yourself,” Legolas whispered and Beliar looked stunned.
“You only have to look for it and you will find it again. My home, Mirkwood, is a very dark place. But even under the densest part of the forest can you find traces of sunlight,” the Elven Prince said. “It is just a matter of wind moving the leaves for the sun to shine through.”
Beliar snorted and looked at the fair creature in front of him.
“Your words are as beautiful as you are, my Prince. But I believe that they are wasted on me,” he said and Legolas again smiled at him.
“I believe they are not wasted. You just need to hear them and let them move your leaves, Beliar,” Legolas said and turned around.
Beliar stared at him as Legolas opened the door. The Prince turned around once more and softly spoke.
“I will see you tonight, Dark One”
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Legolas walked into the library, determined to learn as much about the Dark Elf as possible. He did not understand why he had spoken to Beliar in such a personal manner and that worried him. Never before had Legolas lost control over his own mouth in a conversation with another Elf but now he had to admit to himself that Beliar made him behave in a way that was new for him. Beliar threw him off guard, threw his mind off guard. And Legolas wanted to find out how an Elf was able to do that to him.
He walked past the many books that the library held and read their titles, looking for something about the history of Beliar. He was so caught up in his search that he did not hear the other man enter the large room.
“Are you looking for anything in particular, Legolas?” Gandalf asked him and Legolas spun around on his feet and looked at the old wizard.
“I’m not sure,” he said and Gandalf smiled.
“Then may I make a suggestion?” the wizard said and Legolas nodded.
“I believe that you want to learn about the Dark One, is it not?” Gandalf said and sat down on one of the large chairs in the middle of the library.
Legolas sighed and walked over to his old friend.
“Yes Gandalf, I wish to learn something about Beliar. Who is he?” the Elf said and sat down in a chair next to Gandalf.
The old wizard took out his pipe and lit it. Legolas stared at him and felt slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to learn about the history of The Dragon. Gandalf looked at him and smiled again.
“I can tell you what I know about Beliar but I must also tell you that even my knowledge is limited. The stories that tell the Dark One’s tale are old and no one knows for sure what is true or not,” Gandalf said and Legolas nodded.
“Please tell me what you know,” he said and the old wizard exhaled the smoke from his pipe slowly before he began to speak.
“I am sure that you know the tale of Lúthien and Beren,” Gandalf said and Legolas sat back in his chair and nodded.
“Lúthien, daughter of Thingol and Melian the Maia met Beren, a mortal man and they fell in love. Thingol did not approve of their love and sent Beren out to collect a Silmaril from Melkor’s crown. Your people refer to Melkor as Morgoth. Lúthien however, was worried for the safety of her beloved and followed him. They disguised themselves and made their way to Morgoth himself. Lúthien shed her disguise and offered to dance for Morgoth. She cast a sleeping spell on him and Beren was able to take a Silmaril from his crown. However, on their way out Beren’s hand was bit off and he lost the Silmaril.
Afterwards, Beren died and Lúthien exchanged her own immortality for the return of her beloved. Lúthien and Beren lived for another forty years on Tol Galen before they both faded away.”
“What does this have to do with Beliar?” Legolas asked and the old wizard shook his head.
“Patience, my friend. Now, what most of us don’t know is that when Lúthien danced for Morgoth, he became obsessed with her beauty. Ever since he saw her form he wanted to have her, to own her. The story goes that Lúthien did not loose her immortality when Beren came back and that she did not fade away after the forty years they spend together. Instead, Morgoth took her.”
Legolas listened with his mouth opened. The wizard smoked his pipe for a few minutes before he continued.
“With her beloved gone and Morgoth having captured her Lúthien slowly became insane. After several years she gave in to Morgoth’s offers and swore her allegiance to him.”
“Lúthien is Beliar’s mother!” Legolas piped out and Gandalf nodded his head.
“Yes, Prince of Mirkwood, it is believed that it is Lúthien who gave birth to the Dark One.”
“But who is his father?” Legolas wanted to know. He felt his head spin with all the information Gandalf was giving him.
“Ah, now that is one of the best kept secrets in the whole of Middle Earth I’m afraid. Some say it was an unknown Elf that Lúthien seduced to give Morgoth a child. And some say that it was Morgoth himself that bedded Lúthien,” Gandalf said slowly.
Legolas stared at the floor. Beliar the son of Lúthien and Morgoth? That was something he had never expected to hear.
“Legolas, do not look so worried. Like I said before, no one knows exactly what happened to Lúthien after Morgoth took her. Beliar might be the only one with all the answers and I doubt it that even he knows everything about his past. He was raised first by Morgoth and later by Sauron. We can only guess what those Dark Lords told him about his heritage,” Gandalf said and softly tapped Legolas on his arm.
“It is quite unbelievable,” Legolas said and suddenly he realized something.
“Gandalf, if Beliar is Lúthien’s son, then he is related to...”
Before he could finish Gandalf spoke.
“Elrond. Yes, he is related to him for Elrond is Lúthien’s great grand son.”
Legolas stared at his own feet and thought about everything Gandalf had told him. Beliar was the son of Lúthien. And possibly the son of Morgoth himself. How could such an evil creature affect him? How could such an evil creature make Legolas speak about the feelings he held in his heart?
“Legolas, I will leave you to be on your own now. If you ever wish to speak about this, know that I will be there for you,” Gandalf said and stood up.
“Thank you,” Legolas whispered and the old wizard walked out of the library, leaving a very confused Elf behind.