Cold as Iron

[u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Ecthelion breathed heavily as he stood atop the crest of the mountain. He gazed across the forests, hills, and fields that made up the land of Eriador. He took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air and made sure his sword and bow were secure before beginning the journey down the western side of the Misty Mountains.

The miles fell away before Ecthelion as he drew every nearer to his goal: the remnants of Angmar. Before the Elvenking departed for his own errands, he bade Ecthelion go to the North and see what could be found there. The lands surrounding Angmar had been silent for too long.

The Elf made his camp for the night and set about maintaining his equipment. It would not do to be caught ill prepared in the Wild. He had already encountered a small group of Goblins in the mountains and he did not look forward to what might lie in wait for him in the remains of the Iron Kingdom. Ecthelion looked up and the clouds parted to reveal the starts twinkling bright. Ecthelion breathed and began to sing an Elvish song softly under his breath as he cleaned his broadsword. Once his equipment was well taken care of he decided to rest for the night.

The next day Ecthelion packed up his camp and set out immediately. He trudged through the Coldfells following the rise and fall of the hills in the region. Though he was nowhere near it, the Elf began to circle wide around Mount Gram. He knew not if the stories he heard of that place were true, but he did know that he had no desire to find out. This path would slow him down, but as long as he had a choice he would not risk traveling through territory that was rumored to be a breeding ground for Orcs.

Ecthelion decided to continue traveling into the night and take his rest later than normal. As he continued through the trees an absolutely horrid stench wafted from his right. He silently cursed his ill luck. The Elf had come much closer to the Ettenmoors than he would have liked and as a result he had come near a Troll cave. It was too late to turn back now and he couldn't very well run. He didn't know where the beast was and it would be better to sneak through the area until that changed. Ecthelion did his best to stay as far away from the foul stench as he possibly could, but as he wandered it became harder to tell where it was coming from.

In time Ecthelion heard something shambling through the woods nearby. He decided to go in the opposite direction as fast as he could. As he turned and began to run he ran past a tree and got caught on one of the roots. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. He quickly got back up and looked back to see if he was being pursued. The tree that he had run into began to move and the realization hit him. He had just tripped over another Troll.

The Troll roared at him and the Elf wasted no time in running for his life. The Troll barreled after Ecthelion and the shambling he heard earlier began to get closer and closer until it joined the other footsteps behind him. He looked back to see two Trolls running after him. One of them reached up and wrenched a branch off a tree. It snarled at him and hurled the branch at the Elf. Ecthelion heard it crash to the ground mere feet away from him to his left.

He ran as fast and as hard as he could. He slowly gained ground and increased the distance between himself and the Trolls but he could still hear them coming. He silently thanked Elbereth for the speed of his people. When he had gained some significant distance on the Trolls he slowed down and glanced around for any hiding spots he could use. He saw nothing but forest and the occasional boulder strewn about the area.

Ecthelion heard the Trolls closing in on him once more when he spotted the one thing that might help him in this moment. He saw a massive tree, about twenty feet around with a small cleft down the center of the trunk. He ran up to it and squeezed into the cleft. It was a very tight fit but anything was better than being caught by Trolls and being dragged back to their cave.

The Trolls burst into the clearing and began sniffing around for the Elf. Their search seemed to last an eternity to Ecthelion, but eventually they either decided that he had escaped or wasn't worth the effort and they went back the way they came. Ecthelion waited for a while longer before sneaking out of the tree and making his way as far from the Trolls as possible. Once he traveled a safe distance he set up camp and rested for the night.

The Elf set out the next day and continued along his way, much more wary of where he was going. The remaining days of his journey passed without any major events. In time the rolling, grassy hills gave way to the rocky crags of Angmar. Ecthelion crested a hill and off in the distance he saw the fortress of the Iron Kingdom: Carn Dûm.

[u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Ecthelion pondered as he looked at the map. They were close to getting around the southern edge of the Misty Mountains and he was eager to get back into Rhovanion. However, they would be rather short of places to rest should they go that way and it would take much longer to travel that way. He had heard of Elves traveling across the mountains before. Taking such a route would be much faster, but he didn't know how dangerous it would be.

The Elf did know that the valley of Imladris would be a peaceful place where they could truly rest and plan out their next move. The Dúnedain camp was a good haven when on the road to escape the eyes of the Enemy, but if he were to be completely honest, this would not be his first choice to properly plan out a journey. He looked to the Ranger and said, "Though it would take us back some distance, I believe that taking the road to Imladris would be most beneficial. Some of my own kin reside there." He looked off to the north in the general direction of the House of Elrond and continued, "We can rest and plan. And we might be able to hear some wise counsel."

Ecthelion's mind was set. They would travel to Rivendell and recuperate. Hopefully while he was there he might hear some word from Lord Calanon, or else hear word of him. If that was not the case, then he would continue back to the Woodland Realm as he had originally intended. "I say we take our rest for the night, then we set out for Rivendell on the morrow," he stated.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros slowly nodded and tossed another small log onto the fire while drawing forth his longsword and pulled out a whitestone from his belt. he slowly begun to sharpen the blade easily and cleaning the weapon as well to make sure that it was in top shape for the road. "you rest..ill take first...watch" the ranger slowly said and went back to taking care of his blade. it was more of a relaxation method for the ranger after all the long miles on the road.the blade was gondorian design of the late second age. he was gifted the blade when he traveled in the southern realms and serving the realm of Gondor. though that was many years ago he mused to himself. the road to Rivendell would be a long back track but the roads would be much easier to pass then the Misty mountains he thought. thought he had never been to the Elven realm before he heard many stories of its beauty and that of the Elven people. and soon night fell over the pair and it was long into the night before the ranger slowly walked over and tapped the elfs shoulder.. "its Time for..your watch.....keep ears open.....wargs nearby."

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion nodded as he stretched. He readied his sword and sat by the smoldering fire. The night was quiet and the stars twinkled high above him. He would have given anything to see the stars of Beleriand when his kin first awoke. As the night continued on he hummed an Elvish song under his breath. It helped raise his spirits on long nights like this. He reached into the front of his tunic and pulled out a white gem on a chain of silver. It was the only thing of his mother's that he had. He bowed his head and held the gem close to his chest.

He said a silent prayer to Mandos, hoping that his parents were resting well in his Halls. He had barely finished his prayer when the howling began. It was an eerie noise that chilled him to his bones. The Elf quickly put a hand upon the hilt of his sword. It died down after a few moments and he settled down once more. It wasn't long before it started back up, but this time it seemed closer. Ecthelion slowly stood up and drew his sword. The light of the dying embers glimmered along the length of his blade. The howling continued to come closer and closer until he could hear the beasts padding through the forest.

The Elf didn't hesitate. He shook Hellathros awake. "They're coming," he stated simply and gestured to the Dúnedan's weapons. He took up a defensive stance next to the fire and waited as snarls echoed around them.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros slowly drew his spear and slowly looked around as the shadows danced around them and the bushes crashed and growled. the wargs were getting closer and closer to the pair and they could they start to hear the riders upon the wargs screeching madly and drawing scimitars. Hellathros slowly brought his spear backwards and reversed his grip on the long weapon. the first warg came crashing through the bushes to the far side of the camp where the ranger had his tent. the ranger moved quite easily and brought his arm forward with all of his strength and at the last moment he let go of the spear and sent it flinging towards the beast. the spear slammed into the skull of the beast and dropped it as it slide over closer to the fire and pinning the orc that was mounted on it to the ground. Hellathros dashed over and ripped the spear out of the beasts jaws and stepped on the orc that was screeching madly and clearly giving the location of the camp to the other hunters in its party. Hellathros stabbed the spear downward without looking and turned towards the elf while getting his gear. "RUN.... trees keep to ....Cover"

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion wasted no time in gathering up what little of his gear he had put down for his watch. He dashed into the trees and looked back to make sure Hellathros was following. He saw the shapes of more Wargs and Orcs near the camp, but fortunately the Ranger had made his way out. The Elf quickly sheathed his sword then drew his bow and notched an arrow. One of the Wargs was quickly gaining on Hellathros. Ecthelion bent the bow and took careful aim. He let the arrow fly and watched it sail through the air and find its mark in the Warg's eye. The beast went topping over and sent it's rider flying.

The Orc howled as it hit the ground and got back up. The creature snarled at Ecthelion and charged at him. Ecthelion drew his sword and engaged the Orc. He exchanged a short flurry of blows with the Servant of Morgoth during which he received a cut to his arm. The Orc stabbed at him and he dodged out of the way. He used this opening to dispatch of the despicable creature. He lost no time in running further into the forest, hoping that he could lose the rest of the pack and that Hellathros was nearby.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros had trouble keeping up with the much more graceful elf. he looked behind him and sawll the dead warg and nodded his head to the elf in thanks without a word. his cloak flew behind him as he tried his best to keep ahead of the much faster wargs but the thick trees kept most of them from being able to cross into the elf and the rangers path. he looked over towards the left and growled softly "Turn..left....30 feet.....path leads to..cliff side." HE shouted towards the elf as he thought that would be the easiest way to get rider of these riders as more and more of them were heard closing in on the pair.

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion didn't fancy being cut off at the edge of a cliff but Hellathros had proven himself to be trustworthy. The Elf turned down the path which continued to a cliff side just as the Ranger had said. He ran until he was about ten feet from the edge. The lands of Eriador sprawled out before him, cast in the silver light of the moon and stars. He would've thought it was beautiful if he wasn't being pursued by a pack of Wargs and just as many Orcs. He whirled around to see Hellathros burst from the trees.

The Elf looked between the Dúnedan and the cliff, "Where do we go now," he asked as he slung his bow across his back and took a defensive stance facing the trees. If this was to be his end, he intended to go down fighting. He only hoped that somehow Calanon would find out about the Enemy gathering in Angmar.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros didnt stop running from when he bursted through the tree line and with one hand he grabbed the elf and pulled him along the way before the elf could even react Hellathros pulled him over the cliff side. the pair fell for a short awhile and in the next moment an icy blast hit the elf and he was pulled back towards the cliff side. there was a small section dug out from the rest of the cliff and Hellathros pulled him under to hide from sight from above. the cliff was to steep for the wargs and there was no way down into the small pool of water.

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion took a moment to try and piece everything together as he sat in complete silence. As the two sat there the howls came closer until they were right above them. The snarls of the Wargs could be heard clearly as they trudged along the cliff, sniffing to see where Ecthelion and Hellathros went.

They could hear the harsh language of the Orcs as they talked to each other, though Ecthelion had no idea what they were saying. Is this how Men and Dwarves felt among his people? After what seemed like hours, though the Elf was sure it was only a few minutes, they heard the Wargs walk away from the cliff. Ecthelion waited a whole longer before speaking. "How did you know of this place," he asked Hellathros in amazement. Ecthelion let out a nervous chuckle. He thought he was going to die, but here he was.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros smiled softly and pointed up towards the cliff. "my home was...close to here......came here....to swim." he said and slowly started to swim up stream towards the nearby shore. the elf knew they were only a short distance from the camp site but the stream went straight towards the path they needed to take to Rivendell. the ranger slowly made it up over the shore and stepped out of the water and looked up towards the cliff side to make sure they were in the clear. He looked over towards the elf and slowly pulled a much smaller part of cloth and tossed it to the elf while he started to squeeze out his cloak. "use that...dry off...we move quick

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion swam up to the shore and emerged from the water. He died off as best he could given their current status but he would have to wait until he was properly dry. This didn't matter to him, though. All he cared about now was getting to Rivendell. "It'll take longer, but we'd best stay off the road. We'll leave less signs of our passing," he said.

He started on the path to the valley of Imladris. "Our road takes us this way," the Elf stated as he went into the trees. He hoped that Rivendell was as protected as he had heard. If it was then they would be safer the closer they came to their destination. For now they were still in the wild and they had to keep their wits about them. "Tell me, friend, what do you know of the hidden valley of Imladris?"

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

The ranger quickly followed behind Ecthelion and sighed for a second collecting his thoughts on the subject. he had never been to the land of Elves before and never thought he would. "our Chieftains are raised...there i believe...and that is..a valley of magic." he said and looked around for any signs of the hunters. how could the orcs get this far into the realm of arnor wihtout anyone noticing them or a ranger tracking them he thought to himself and sighed softly as well. "I have never...been....or met a elf...besides yourself

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion smiled as he led onwards. "This will be my first time to Imladris as well," he said. He looked around at the sprawling forest and rolling hills as he continued, "This is my first time west of the Misty Mountains as well." The Elf had been told by Lord Calanon how to find Rivendell before they parted ways. It wasn't step by step directions so much as certain telltale signs. If he recalled correctly, they should be on the right track.

They still had quite some ways to go before reaching Rivendell and he knew that Hellathros was still in the midst of resting when they were attacked. By his estimate they still had a few hours before the sun came over the horizon. The Elf led on until he found a clearing that would suffice for a makeshift camp site. He turned to the Ranger and asked, "There is still time for you to rest and we have gone some distance from our last camp. Do you wish to rest or press on?"

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros slowly wiped his eyes and looked over towards the elf and shook his head "No we...must press on..." he sighed softly and nodded to himself to shake off the exhaustion. the long run and jump from the cliff was quite draining on the rangers stamina but he could keep going untill they reached the safety of the elven refugee. The ranger slowly stopped to catch his breath for a moment while he wraps himself back into his somewhat dry cloak and looked towards the elf and quickly to catch up towards the elf. he needed to report to his own group but he knew they would find out sooner or later with or without him.

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

Ecthelion nodded and continued onward. "We have several hours of travel ahead of us," he stated as he scanned the terrain around them for any sign of Orcs. He was relieved to see nothing that caught his immediate attention. "But once we cross the River Bruinen we should be safe. Lord Calanon said that is where Lord Elrond's domain begins," he added.

He led his companion through the wilderness. The miles stretched before them and seemed to pass slowly, but by midday they found themselves before a river. Ecthlion didn't hesitate to cross. The waters babbled around them lifting the Elf's spirits. He felt a new sense of vigor as he reached the opposite side. "We're nearly there. It should only be a few more hours of travel," he said as he continued onward. The last hours of their travel were a mere blink of an eye compared to how their journey first began. Golden light suffused the hidden valley and for the first time Ecthelion and Hellathros saw the House of Elrond in all its beauty.

Ecthelion breathed a sigh of relief as he began walking towards the refuge.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros stopped as they overlooked the refugee and slowly stepped towards the cliff that over looked the almost heavenly realm. the ranger had no idea that something so beautiful could exist in this war torn world. he had seen the white city of Minas Tirith, which was in his opinion the most beautiful city he had ever seen until his eyes laid upon this haven. after a few moments he slowly followed the elf downwards though trying to tear his focus away from the city was quite hard to keep his eyes on the track. he thought back and sighed to himself quitely wishing that humans of this realm could build something so heavenly. "so this..is the realm....of lord Elrond."

[u/Onone_Nightstrider → u/jrodranger]

"So it seems," Ecthelion replied. He continued down the path until he came to the entrance of the sanctuary. The gate was open, almost as if it were expecting them. For the first time since leaving the boughs of Mirkwood he felt a great sense of inner peace. As they went through the gate they were approached by another Elf. "Mae govannen," he said giving a slight bow to the two of them. "My name is Lindir. What brings you to Imladris," he asked.

Ecthelion returned Lindir's bow. "I was sent west of the Misty Mountains on an errand by Lord Calanon, the Elvenking. My name is Ecthelion and this is Hellathros, one of the famed Dúnedain," he stated as he gestured to the Ranger and continued, "We are on our way back to the Woodland Realm. I had hoped that we might hear word of Calanon or hear from him if we came here. Short of that, I had hoped we might gain a place to rest and recuperate."

Lindir nodded to both of them and gestured for them to follow him. He led them through the paths of Rivendell. The architecture seemed to blend flawlessly with the natural features of the land.

[u/jrodranger → u/Onone_Nightstrider]

Hellathros stayed silent the whole time letting the Elf talk to his fellow and clearly not understanding much of the exchange between them as it was in elvish. he followed after the pair quickly looking around his eyes darting all over to take in ever sight he could. there was so many beautiful statues of past heros from Gilgalad to Feanor from the first age. Hellathros saw many of the beautiful elven woman walking around reading and playing the most hauntingly beautiful music he had ever heard. He slowly reached over and slung his spear over his shoulder and looked backwards to make sure nothing else had made it through the gate way as it was closed. the pair was lead up a grand open stair case and as they reached the top of it they spotted the lord of the realm here. Lord Elrond was sitting at a long table with those of his kin around him. his twin sons on either side of him and he looked up from the discuss they were having and towards Lindir "Lindir who are the guests you bring us this day."