When you are gone

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except Alkaearwen who was my own idea.
Not making any money from the story either.

Chapter One.
 
It has been many days since he left. I have not counted although I do know
that the leaves turned from their bright green into a golden red and then brown
and fell from the trees. I know now the wind carries a chill that I can not
feel and has begun to rain often which means that spring is in full swing.
 
I feel the change approaching, I have felt the change coming for many years
now. This change saddens me and brings me joy at the same time.
 
At last there shall be a peace in the earth but it will come at a cost. This
is not all that saddens me; the one I am bonded to has gone to fight the evil
that approaches to destroy our lands.
 
I miss him so, although a few months are nothing in our life time but I am
concerned. Our people are leaving this land my family included and they wish
for me to leave although it will not be for a while I will have to make a choice
to stay here for him or to go with my family.
 
I sit up in bed and look at the surroundings; my chamber faces the lake of
our land. Surrounding the lake and my home is our forest, I say our but that
includes all of my kind.
 
I stand and walk to the edge of the chambers and look out onto the lake, the
icy blue water gently rocking against the shores of the bank. The lonely looking
trees on the edge of the bank, which have lost their leafs many days ago swaying
slightly from the force of the wind.
 
I look to my side as the wind blows taking out the candle light in my room.
I look to the large rock on the side of the shore where we used to sit as children
telling stories during the day or looking at the stars at night.
 
Sighing I turn and lay back on the couch I use as my bed, I look at the ceiling hichhich has a painting of Lothlorien and the Lady of the light. I can hear the
Elves in the forest singing, it’s a sad song. They sing of a fellowship
which has gone to her, the Lady and that there is little hope as the fellowship
is breaking. Then I hear of one member falling into darkness in Khazad-dûm,
it was Gandalf.
 
This news brings sadness to me, but my heart tells me that this is not the
end. I have been in this world long enough and have seen enough to know this
is not the end.
 
My heart wonders how long this shall last, how long until I see him again;
whether I would see him again. Although at first I did not wish to be mated
with him as it was to join our two kinds together, over the years we had grown
to love each other dearly. Now I wished I had the chance to see him again, to
tell him how I felt
 
Although in my heart I am sure he knew it, but it is not the same as hearing
it from the person. He had never said he loved me but I am sure he did. After
all not many people can spend almost 500 years together and not love them, to
some extent.
 
I rise from the couch and head towards the chamber connected to this and change
into a day dress, it's my favourite. It is white dress, the corset section has
a beautiful inter twinned pattern on it in silver which is larger at my chest
and as it goes to the skirt section it gets smaller. The skirt itself is just
loose and falls all the way down to my feet. I tie three small braids into my
hair, one from the left, one in the middle and one on the right side of my head.
I pull them back and tie them together at the back of my head leaving the rest
of my wavy brown hair to fall down to the small of my back.
 
I leave my chamber area and head towards the eating area in the house, my parents
are there already but by the looks of it have already finished eating and are
just talking.
"Good Morning Alka" my father spoke as I entered the room.
"Good Morning Father, Mother" I nod and sit at the opposite end of
the table. This felt strange, they rarely saw each other let alone sit at the
same table and eat. But since Legolas had been called to go to Rivendell they
had started spending time together, something was going on, something that they
were not willing to let me know yet. I felt this something was to do with why
Legolas left and this feeling of dread and darkness I felt from the Earth, but
I was not going to let them know I felt it as well.
 
I picked up some fruit from the bowel on the table and placed them on my plate
and started to eat each one slowly while looking out of the window, the window
was very interesting. Especially as it was obvious my parents did not wish to
speak infront of me. I am 500 years old and yet they still treat me like a child
sometimes, funny it was more the behaviour men would have not Elves.
 
"Please excuse me and your father we have some business to contend with"
my mother spoke and stood my father following lead, I just nodded and scowled
their way as the left the room. I wonder what is going on, the elders in recent
years have been more secretive about things keeping information from the younger
Elves. Legolas normally got included in the information being the Prince but
even he would not tell me what was going on. I sometimes really hated being
one of the younger Elves.
 
After finishing breakfast, I headed towards tibraibrary to read some scrolls
for the day. The day passed really quickly and before I knew it the wind picked
up and was blowing free leafs into the library. One hitting me arcoss the face,
I picked up the leaf and threw it to the side and scrolled up the paper and
put it back onto it's shelf and headed towards the dinning room my parents were
not back yet. I wonder where they are?
 
Shaking my head I headed out of the house and down the slope towards the water
side. I lift my dress up to my knees and sit on the water side dipping my feet
into the lake. I sat there watching at the sunset over the trees, the blood
red, orange and yellow blending into each other beautifully casting dark shadows
over the forest. But the dark shadows were moving, shadows of the sun do not
move, something deep inside of me told me something was wrong. I have to move.
Now thought.
 
I picked myself up and headed quickly back towards the house, my parents were
there I could hear them talking in the dinning room with someone. I went to
open the door but I heard people enter the house, I turned to see who had followed
me in. Elves in battle uniform, ok something was definatly going on. I turned
back and headed into the dinning room.
 
"Alka, quickly can you go to your room. Pick up essential items
and come straight back here" my father instructed. I looked to
my side seeing Elrond standing there.
"Father what is going on" by this time I was starting to worry, this
nagging feeling I had felt all day was true.
"Mordor's armies are heading this way, we do not have enough to fight it.
We must move now and go to Rivendell where your people will be safe" Elrond
instructed. I knew that Elrond would not instruct this unless he thought it
was true, Mordor's army must be large if he did not believe we could hold off
an attack as we had done in the past.
 
Turning quickly I headed to my room collecting a few items andffinffing them
into a bag and headed back to my parents.
"Right, we must leave now" Elrond spoke We followed my father and
Elrond out of the back of the house to where the others of our woods were, all
of which were on horseback It seems my father had spoken to the rest before
speaking to me about it. I watched as my father and Elrond mounted their horses
and they started to ride towards the forest as everyone else.
 
I walked to where my mother was with her and my horse we both mounted our horses
and followed the others to the forest, but stopped at the edge of the woods
to look back upon my house. Or what was once my house I had lived here for many
years and now we had to leave due to the evil that was taking over the world.
My heart was sad, not for just leaving my house but for my love and althose
in the same position as us. Turning back I continued to ride with the others
towards Rivendell, though I did not have it in me to sing so I rode on listening
to the others sing.
 
We continued to ride north, I never spoke much to anyone just kept looking
around us. I was rather nervous for some reason, although I could not place
my finger on it why I was nervous. People kept speaking to my father asking
him questions on what we were going to do once we got to Rivendell. After a
few hours of riding we stopped for the night to rest taking shelter in the trees
luckily for us not all the trees loose their leafs in winter, men taking turns
in keeping watch for enemies approaching.
 
I climbed up the tree I was sharing with my family and Elrond, I lay on my
own branch while my mother and father managed to find one that took both of
them. I lay back looking up at the stars wondering if we would survive this.
More to the question would we survive the night.
I lay there listening to the others in my tree sleep and to those in other trees
whispering conversations between each other until sleep finally took hold of
me which I was pretty glad of with the day I have had.
 
I woke in the middle of the night, I looked towards where the soldier men were
keeping watch none of them seemed alarmed at all. I slowly climbed down the
tree quietly and headed towards one of the trees with soldiers in and climbed
up it.
"Good evening Lady Alka" one soldier spoke
"Good evening, is there any news?" I questioned.
Another soldier replied "We saw some Orcs pass by but changed their direction,
so we believe they are no longer following us but are heading towards the land
of men, perhaps Rohan".
I thought sadly of this, if we were to move because of the number of Orcs would
men really stand a chance against them when they failed before?
"Thank you" I replied and climbed back down the tree and back to my
family, and up our tree again. This time I decided not to sleep, not that I
would be able to if I wanted to. I sat looking at my mother asleep, she looked
so peaceful her long blonde hair falling over her face. I closed my eyes thinking
of the people of Rohan and wondering if they would survive.


"Do not let your heart worry Alkaearwen" I heard Elrond whisper. I
opened my eyes and looked up at him. I climbed up onto his branch.
"What is it you know of Lord Elrond" he frowned slightly at my question.
"Your heart worries for men, as well as a certain Elf. Your heart need
not worry. The fellowship, including Legolas and Gandalf entered Rohan some
days ago and have headed to Helm's Deep with the people of Rohan and their King."
This news brought my joy and sadness I knew Legolas was alive, but would he
survive a war as great as th


"Why are we here? Why are we not going to help?" I questioned.
"The troubles of men are not our concern anymore" I nodded in reply,
although I did not agree with this view. I climbed back onto my branch and lay
there until the break of dawn when the rest of the Elves started to stir and
get up to continue with our travels.