Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Perfect survivor	By : Nuredhel Category: +Third Age > General Views: 1679 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien, and i do not earn any money from this work of fiction, it is solely written for entertainment and not for profit at all.I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien,

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter two:
There is no dungeon deep enough

Like a blade forged by fire
Bent hammered and bent once more
A strong mind needs resistance
To become so much more than before
The elves did not move until the man with the long blond hair took a step forward, he said something and the warriors moved forward but with obvious fear. They had her at swords point but she knew that all she had to do was to shout boo and they would scatter like leaves in the wind. The blond elf was clad in better equipment than the others and he had something about him which told her he was someone of importance. He swallowed and looked very nervous but he bowed his head and tried to be polite. “I am prince Legolas of Mirkwood, to whom do I have the honor of speaking?”
Damn, he spoke English or at least something very much like it, it sounded a bit old fashioned but she did understand him rather easily.
He had a very pleasant voice but it was shaking and she could see the fear in his eyes. He was brave, she liked that. And he looked good too but appeared to be rather young, she preferred men with natural authority. She put her hands on her hips, the elves surrounded her completely and she heard them gasp. They had not been able to see the back of her properly until now and with only a pair of tights on her tail was very apparent. She had cut a hole in her pants to make room for it, normally she would always wear very baggy clothes or skirts to hide it. She took a swing around, just to show it off, she enjoyed the puzzled expressions on their faces. The blond elf gasped and she grinned. Her tail was both her pride and her curse, without it she could almost be mistaken for a normal human being.
“Pleased to meet you, I am known as Hrafna, and as I am sure you have realized by now, I am not of your world”
Legolas swallowed again, this female of whatever species she was had killed more than thirty orcs in the time it would take them to run from one side of the glade to the other. Was she a friend or a foe? He had a strong suspicion that she would have killed them all in the blink of an eye if she had been hostile, but perhaps she was just pretending to be friendly. The enemy can use a lot of tricks. She was impressive and he could see by her proud stance that she was unafraid, no wonder, he had never encountered anything this deadly, spiders and orcs included.
She smiled at them. “I have a bag of things, it is left over by those big trees with the red leaves, it’s in the ferns. I would very much appreciate if someone could go get it.”
Legolas nodded and one of the warriors left the others and ran off. Hrafna just stood there, relaxed and at ease, he tried to determine what she was. Her scent was unlike anything he ever had encountered and he felt his heart beat fast. Could he bring her back home safely? Every trespasser within the forest had to be brought before the king but what if this was a trap? What if she wanted just that, so she could kill his father? They had no arrows left and swords against this thing? That would be just plain suicide. He felt how dry his mouth had gone, what was he to do?
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Could I please be allowed to get rid of all this blood? It stinks!”
He stared at her, her arms were very defined and muscular, she was in fact a bit taller than him and that made him feel insecure right away. But she was indeed covered in orc blood and he felt that his men would be a little more at ease if she was clean. “I will let you take a bath in the river if you answer my questions? Where are you from, what are you and why did you help us?”
Hrafna shrugged. “Sounds fair to me, I come from a place known as earth, Since you are elves I guess that this is middle earth right? We have tales and stories about your world. I helped you because first of all the trees asked me to help you and second of all, I do not like to see an unfair fight. And you seem to be the nice guys, at least that was what the trees told me.”
Legolas gasped. “You can speak with the trees?!”
She nodded, there was a sudden rustle of the leaves of the nearby trees and Legolas felt a wave of gentle acceptance from the forest, it was glad she was there. He had eyes wide as saucers, only the very few had that gift, the forest obviously welcomed her. She sighed and grinned again. “As to what I am, my race is known as the hulder and we are a legend to the humans of our world, just as your race is.”
Legolas took a quick decision, the trees would never have welcomed an evil creature, they would not have been fooled by any tricks of the darkness. She had to be a friend after all. “You have answered my questions, follow me.”
He walked towards a small stream close by and she followed, the warrior who had left returned with a funny looking contraption, it did not weigh much and it had straps and things attached to it. She grabbed it and grinned, he stared at the thing, it did obviously not contain any dangers. There was no room for weapons within it. The stream was not very big but very fast flowing and the water was freezing cold. “You may bathe if you wish but I warn you, it is very cold.”
She just grinned again, her smile was pretty but it was a bit too wide, as if her mouth somehow was able to stretch itself more than normal. She pulled those weird boots off and then she pulled the strange tight pants off to and was left with some undergarments that did not leave much for imagination. Legolas could see that some of his men blushed and he felt a bit intrigued by her. She was muscular as a well-trained warrior and did not seem to have an ounce of fat on her and still she had very nice feminine shapes. She just jumped into the river and went under, he stared into the clear water and saw that she was standing on the bottom, scrubbing herself. He cocked his head, how long was she going to stay under? He was starting to get worried but she showed no signs of drowning and he started to realize how truly different this creature was.
Suddenly she just shot out of the water and stood on the bank next to him, dripping wet and grinning. she was pale white from the cold but her skin turned red within seconds and he could feel the heat coming from her. She was dry in less than a minute and she shook her head and let her hands glide through her long thick hair. It was black and a bit curly but it had a strange red shine in it and it appeared to be just as soft and silky as an elf’s. Hrafna opened her back pack, took out an elastic band and tied her hair together on top of her head, then she took out a set of dry clothes including underwear. She turned and sighed, looked at the elves. “Sorry guys, but I must ask you to turn around unless you of course have the habit of watching females getting undressed.”
Legolas signaled the others to turn around but he did not want to take his eyes of her, he did not completely trust her just yet. She just shrugged and showed no signs of being shy, she just pulled of her bra and panties and stood there naked. Legolas felt how his ears turned red and he had to look away after all, she was so freakin perfect, a small waist and rounded hips, long shapely legs and a pair of very nice breasts with stiff nipples. When she turned a bit he could see the elegant curve her back formed together with her muscular yet shapely butt and he swallowed and had to think about something else. She looked like nothing he had ever seen, her wide shoulders and powerful body did not make her look masculine at all, she had such a long elegant neck and the face with high cheekbones and perfect skin was almost elf like. But he had never met an elleth who looked this sensual. He studied her face in detail as she got redressed, her chin was a bit pointy and it made her face triangular in shape, her eyes were slant and almond shaped and rather big and they had a strange color he only could describe as hazel brown mixed with specks of gold.
She put on some weird looking garments, they looked very soft and he looked at the other garments in the bag with curiosity. They looked thick and warm and she made a grimace. “It was winter where I came from, those are clothes for surviving in the snowy mountains. “
He felt a bit confused, she too spoke a sort of Westron but her accent was strange and it was obviously not her native tongue, he could hear it. “Are you from a mountain country? Is this earth place like middle earth?”
She got her boots back on, they looked silly since they were made from walking through thick snow and had straps on them to attach equipment for ice climbing and skis. “The country I came from has a lot of mountains yes, it is called Norway and it is where my kin has lived for a long time. I guess our world on the whole looks a little like yours some places and some places not so much so.”
He saw that she put her bag on her back and attached it, she tilted her head. “Well, mister, or should I call you your highness? I am ready to go, I guess you have a home here somewhere? “
He nodded. “I will have to bring you before my father, it is the law. Anyone who enters our woods has to answer to him.”
She sighed. “Fair enough, then take me to see him.”
Legolas felt a bit insecure still. “That name of yours, what does it mean?”
She shrugged. “She-raven, it is an old name, it has followed my family for generations.”
He felt curious. “How did you end up here by the way?”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a second. “I died, and I woke up here yesterday.”
He turned his head in disbelief. “You did what?! What could possibly kill you? Are there creatures terrible enough to slay someone like you where you are from?”
She smiled, looked a little mischievous for a second. “Nature can kill anything your highness, even one of us. It was an avalanche, I could have survived even that if I had time to prepare my body for it but it happened too fast, being crushed underneath several meters of wet snow can kill even one of us, at least as long as we are willing to die. “
He frowned. “You were willing to die? Why?”
She shrugged again. “I was tired, tired of my entire life. I had no life actually, I was existing instead of living. My race is hidden, we cannot expose ourselves and so I cannot have close friends or relationships. I just accepted that my time had come, but it obviously hadn’t. “
Legolas was a bit shocked by the lack of emotion within her voice, she talked of death as if she was discussing the weather.
They walked through the forest with speed and they got to where their horses were gracing, the group had been looking for a nest of spiders when the orcs suddenly showed up and attacked and he sighed and knew that this would make his father very worried. Orcs had never ventured this deep into the forest before. The horses saw their masters and neighed, the three dead elves were placed on the back of one of the horses and Legolas nodded towards one of the horses who now were without a rider. “Can you ride? This is a very steady horse but he is strong”
She just grinned and before he knew it she was on the horse. “Ah, there are saddles hidden in the forest?”
She grinned again. “I do not need one, I have never liked those things.”
She bent forward and whispered something into the horses ear and he whinnied and pawed the ground, eager to go. She obviously had a special connection with animals. One more reason to trust her. The elves got onto their own horses and Legolas saw that she was as one with her horse. She petted it and her eyes were shining. “I will call him Hrimfaksi, if that is alright.”
Legolas raised an eyebrow. “That is ok with me, what does that mean? “
She smiled. “The one with frost in his mane”
Legolas gave her a crooked grin. “It fits him.”
They rode hard through the woods and Legolas felt a bit nervous, he had no idea of how his father would react to this female and the news of the orcs. He knew that his father was very unpredictable and he had become more gloomy and introverted than before of lately. The stress of ruling the realm and keeping everybody safe was taking its toll of him. He was worried about him, in spite of his flaws and flaring temper Thranduil was a very good ruler and it was not his fault that he had problems showing emotions. Legolas knew that almost everybody he had loved in the past had died and now he obviously thought that telling someone how he felt somehow doomed them. They would make it back to the palace in a few hours and he admired how this strange female rode as if she was some sort of centaur. He felt a strange feeling when looking at her, in his world elves were the superior race, faster stronger and better than humans in almost any way. Now he had met a representative of a race which was probably superior even to his own and it made him feel a little weird, almost small somehow.
They arrived at the palace just before the sun sank beneath the horizon and the guards at the gates stared at the three dead elves and the strange female with shock in their eyes. Hrafna was staring at the structure with narrow eyes, it appeared to be a palace built within a smaller mountain and she had never been too fond of caves, she had been on missions to rescue people who ventured too far into caves too, and all too often rescue had become body extraction. But these were not ordinary caves, they were not dark and scary at all but filled with light and very beautiful. They stopped in a sort of courtyard with stables and storage rooms and Hrafna jumped down from Hrimfaksi and petted the horse on the neck. In a small corral she saw a rather peculiar sight, it was a giant elk and she recognized the species as a type of animal which went extinct during the last ice age. The animal stared at her with huge soft brown eyes and it made a strange noise. It stretched its huge antlered head towards her and tried to lick her hand. She smiled and took a few steps closer to it, the elk nuzzled her and she scratched its soft fur. Legolas was staring with a startled expression on his face. His father’s elk normally never allowed anyone to touch it and now it was almost begging this woman to scratch him?
Legolas nodded at one of the guards. “Go to my father, tell him we encountered a group of orcs and that three of us have been killed. We would have been killed to the last ellon if not this female had saved us, we owe her our lives.”
The guard bowed and left and Legolas sighed and turned towards Hrafna, she was speaking to the elk in a language he did not understand but it was apparently something soothing. The elk looked very pleased. “My lady, we have to go, I have sent a guard to inform my father that we are coming and he does not like to wait. “
Hrafna nodded and petted the elk one last time, the other elves there stared at her, they did not seem hostile but a bit shocked. They saw her tail and her unusual physique and wondered what she was, she could almost read their minds. She knew she had to appear as a friend and no threat. She could of course defend herself but she had no wish to harm these lovely beings. She followed Legolas into the very structure and they went along corridors and bridges and she saw that every shape was inspired by nature and very elegant. Finally they approached the throne room and Hrafna was genuinely impressed, it spoke of both power and splendor and she suspected that these elves liked to display their strength.
The throne was on top of a long flight of stairs and adorned with antlers, no doubt these were woodland realms and she lifted her gaze to take a look at Legolas father, the king of these elves. Hrafna was a bit shocked, she had almost anticipated this elf to look at least a little older than his son but he was just so goddamn perfect. Hot damn, now we are talking, this is gonna get interesting. Her inner voice was impressed, she had never seen anyone with such an aura of confident power and arrogance. He was tall, in fact one of the tallest men she had ever seen and he walked down from the throne with a haughty expression. He had long legs and wide shoulders and good God, he was beautiful. Hrafna was very sensitive though, he felt insecure, she could almost smell it. He did not show it at all but he was shocked by her presence. No wonder, she was something he probably never had encountered before. Legolas bowed his head. “Adar, this is the lady the guard told you about, she saved her lives, and the trees welcomed her. Your elk too by the way.”
Thranduil threw his son a glance filled with disbelief and confusion but his face was as usual calm and rather emotionless when he turned towards the woman. Hrafna thought that he could have been a great poker player, he had the right poker face. She noticed that the two elves seemed to communicate but not with words, she had read somewhere that elves were capable of speaking through telepathy. Legolas was obviously explaining everything to his father and she saw that the king had gotten a rather peculiar expression within those ice blue eyes. She just stood there smiling and he started to walk around her in a circle, he was watching her the way someone is looking at a horse at an auction and she grinned inwardly and sent him her most innocent smile. Suddenly she felt a strange chill run down her spine and she tilted her head, so, he was trying to take a peek at her thoughts and memories? Fine, she blocked her mind completely and just let a few memories remain unshielded. They were not the kind you share with others unless you want to embarrass them, she had seen her fair share of dirty movies and she let some scenes go on replay within her head. She sniggered when she saw that confused expression within the elf’s eyes, not only had she discovered what he tried to do, she had thrown him completely off balance too. There was something akin to reluctant respect within his eyes and he was blushing too. Legolas stared at his father, he did not know what was going on, why was his father blushing? He never did that?
Hrafna grinned. “If you try to read my mind beware that you’ll find more than you’ve hoped for, a lot more. You are not the only one capable of playing the mind reading game you see.”
Thranduil backed off a few steps, he stared at the female with even more disbelief. What his son had told him had shocked him, this creature was physically superior to an elf, she could not possibly be stronger than them also in this? She stared straight at him, did not lower her eyes towards the floor and he felt both offended and intrigued. She was respectful but she did not try to suck up to him or show fake submission. He kind of liked that, she was obviously very honest. He had never seen anything like her, she had killed a whole troop of orcs on her own? That was indeed very impressive and he felt a strange feeling when he looked at her. He had to make her stay there, a warrior like her could be more than valuable but he had to make her understand that he was the king there and that she should submit to that fact. Her face told nothing of her emotions, her eyes were cool and calm but he could see that the tip of her tail was swinging slowly in a steady relaxed rhythm. Her eyes were not the windows to her soul, her tail was, good to know.
He took a deep breath. “I hear from my son that you are a friend of the forest. However I am not sure if I can trust you, not yet. I am unable to determine whether or not I should have you placed in the dungeons until I know more of your background and intentions.”
She just smiled. “You could of course try to place me in your dungeons, but believe me, I would be out of there rather fast and you would have to repair everything, I bet a good dungeon is rather expensive to build right?”
He frowned. “Our dungeons are very solid, with steel bars and mighty locks.”
She just shook her head. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
She grabbed onto the rail which ran along the top of the stairs, it was made from metal and very solid. With just a flick of her wrist she had completely changed the shape of it and the elf swallowed and could not believe what he just had seen. That was impossible!
“See? No dungeons my friend, there is no dungeon within this world or any other which can hold me. I can get to wherever I wish whenever I wish to.”
Thranduil sighed. So much for that plan, he could not scare her in any way, then what? He had to be absolutely sure that she was no threat. Trying to catch her would not work, he did not want to risk the lives of his soldiers. Well, there is always the carrot left if the whip doesn’t work. He tried to think fast. “Right, if you are willing to swear that you have no evil intent I will let you have a room here, but there will be guards keeping an eye on you until further notice.”
She just nodded. “I have absolutely no intentions of harming anyone, I can easily swear that.”
The tall elf heard the sincere tone of her voice but he had learned to never trust anyone too early. He gestured towards two of the guards. “You may show this lady to the rooms next to mine”
Legolas tried not to look at Hrafna, he knew that those rooms often was used by his father to keep an eye on people, he had spells thrown over them which allowed him to spy on their inhabitants without being seen. “You will find those rooms very comfortable, I will make sure that you have some clothes too. You cannot run around wearing that”
She lifted an eyebrow but kept her smile, just nodded.
The king continued. “There will be dinner served later tonight, I will be very glad if you can find it in your heart to join us?”
Hrafna wasn’t hungry at all, but she bowed her head and smiled. “That will be an honor your majesty.”
She had good manners after all, he had a strong suspicion that this female was far from being a barbarian, she had something about her which told him that she had plenty of knowledge and he was getting a bit curious about this alien world she claimed she was from. She followed the two guards, they looked as if they were both curious about her and a bit scared too and she tried to look as harmless as she could. The guards stopped in front of a huge door with beautiful carvings and she smiled. “Thank you, I have no idea where the dinner will be served, could you help me?”
The two guards nodded. “We will stay here and guard you, we will accompany you to the dinner.”
She smiled and nodded, opened the door. She was in awe of the rooms, so huge and filled with light and wonderful colors. She had a big bedroom with a huge and soft bed, several closets and a bathroom with a small pool, something which had to be some kind of toilet and lots of jars which had to contain the elven equivalent of shampoo and conditioner. She also had a smaller room which had to be some sort of living room, it had several soft chairs and a sort of sofa and she had a feeling that this elven king was trying to make her loosen up and forget about being on guard. She was no idiot and she just shook her head and decided to take a bath. She was as honest as she could be, perhaps she could convince him of her true nature at dinner.
She was standing there caught in her own thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door, an elven female entered followed by several more, they carried clothes in their arms and she could see that they wore a sort of uniform. They had to be servants and she did notice that all of these females were slender and elegant, they looked a little like models, not much curves on any of them. She was proud to say that she looked far more womanly than these creatures. They stuffed the closets with clothes and she noticed the half curious and half timid glances they were throwing her. She sighed, when they were done she entered the bathroom and got her clothes off. She would have to wear skirts, or else she would be as visible and easy to notice as a black sheep in a herd of white ones. She was so used to blend in with the crowd she did it even now, never do anything which makes you stand out in the crowd.
She took a long bath, washed herself carefully and enjoyed the feeling of the warm water. She washed her hair thoroughly, there had still been remains of orc blood within it and she cringed at the smell. She got out of the water and dried off with one of the soft towels, she had a wry smile on her face, she was being given the special treatment and she was a little unsure if it was because she had saved the prince’s life or if it was because his father wanted to keep an close eye on her. She had used a soap which smelled like wild roses and washed her hair with a shampoo with the same scent, she wanted to appear well groomed and behaved. She picked out a very lovely dress in light green and amethyst and it followed her curves perfectly. She grinned to herself, she could look amazing if she wanted to and this time she did not think that it was such a bad thing. She combed through her long hair and allowed it to flow freely, it reached her hips and was both thick and shiny, she had always been proud of it.
That king had been trying to intimidate her, then flatter her and she knew how to play the game, she had done it numerous times before. She was no ordinary dimwit and she had used her looks and special gifts before to twist men around her little finger. She wondered if it would work on an elf? After all, her race had a reputation for being irresistible to men and she would not mind it at all if that gorgeous creature tried to flirt with her. It was not likely that he would but she would not have any problems accepting any advances from his royal majesty. Perhaps he was married? She had seen no signs of a queen anywhere and she had no idea of how these creatures lived and what types of social rules they lived by. She would have to watch and learn. She took a twirl in front of a mirror, she did look great and she felt that her self-confidence grew a bit again. With her good looks confirmed she put on a pair of shoes which were placed there, they did fit rather well but they were a bit big. She had tiny feet for someone her size and that was due to the fact that her ankles worked more like the hocks of an animal than the ankles of a human being. Her feet were narrow and wider at the front, almost paw like. She never wore sandals but here it would not matter that much.
She was more than ready to meet the king once more, she was calm and knew how to deal with both questions and accusations. She could be as innocent as anyone if she wanted to or play hardened and tough, it all depended on the situation. The two guards stared at her when she opened the door, she just winked at them. “Careful there guys, it is not very flattering when your jaws hit your chest!”
Both looked a bit perplexed and did not appear to understand what she said, she just shrugged and followed them through the maze of stairs, corridors and halls. They stopped by a door which opened into a rather small but cozy looking room, this had to be the private dining room for the royal family and she grimaced, she had to remember everything she could of etiquette. The table in the middle of the room was ready for three and as she stood there staring at the elegant and probably insanely expensive furniture and cutlery another door opened and the king and his son entered. They both had changed their clothes as well and looked elegant although a bit more relaxed than earlier in the day. They stopped and stared at her and she could see the flabbergasted expression within the kings eyes. She had looked like a wild thing when she arrived, now she looked ethereal and elegant and exquisitely beautiful. The long black hair shone and they did not fail to see the red color which seemed to lay over the blackness. Thranduil tried to keep his usual mask of calm but it was impossible. This creature appeared to be like a chameleon, shifting from one extreme to the other within the blink of an eye. Legolas stared too, he blushed and remembered what he had seen in the woods.
Hrafna curtsied and Thranduil hesitated for a second before he smiled and gestured for her to sit down. She did and the two elves sat down too, a servant came forth and started to fill their glasses with wine, Thranduil had ordered for his strongest wine to be served, he wanted to see if this female perhaps would tell him some more if she got drunk. The liquid was very deceptive, it tasted of sweet berries and people usually never realized how strong it was before it was too late. It could loosen just about anybody’s tongue.
Hrafna saw that her chalice was filled to the top and she hid her smirk, she knew what he was playing at. Getting her drunk? That would never happen, she was immune to alcohol as she was to any other substance of its kind. But she could of course see how he reacted when she didn’t react, it could be rather precious to watch. She took a careful sip of the wine, it was very good, in fact it was the best she’d ever tasted but she could taste how strong it was. This could burn the hairs of a horse. Her inner voice was a bit sarcastic. The elves appeared to be very relaxed but she could smell some degree of nervousness in the air, she just pretended to be unaware of this and kept a meek smile on her lips. Thranduil gestured for the servants to bring the food and she was surprised to see that it was some meat mixed with a lot of vegetables and herbs. She had really suspected that these creatures were vegetarians. The food smelled just great and she started to eat when the two did, she wasn’t hungry but she felt like she had to eat just a little not to look ungrateful. Thranduil tilted his head, she had excellent manners and he was becoming more and more sure that she was brought there for some reason. The Valar had something to do with this he was sure and he desperately wanted to know what but he suspected that she was clueless. At least she appeared to be.
“So, my son told me you are from another world, and that you are of a hidden people? Would you care to tell me more? I find the concept a bit confusing. Why would someone like you hide?”
Hrafna took a sip of the wine, as if to strengthen herself. “The reason is a complex one your majesty, but I can tell you the short version. In my world there are only humans and they are frightened of everything which is different from themselves, I am sure the humans within this realm are no different?”
Thranduil nodded and his eyes were narrow. “But you are so strong? Why not rule them, they are surely unable to beat your kin?”
Hrafna sighed. “Well, we are superior to them in most ways yes, but we are few and always have been. We are not a race which breeds well, and we are different than humans in one specific way that gives them the upper hand I am afraid. We do not enjoy killing, we prefer not to. Oh we can surely take lives if we have to but we do not attack. It is not in our blood, well, not in the blood of the majority of our race anyway.”
Thranduil frowned. “You fought well today, and you did not enjoy it?”
She grinned. “I did, but those orcs were evil creatures, humans are seldom evil, they are just misguided stupid and scared. “
The elf almost laughed. “I must agree with you on that.”
She took another sip of the wine. “In the old days when superstition and religion ruled the lives of ordinary people some saw us as the spawn of the devil, they tried to exterminate us and they almost succeeded too. To them we were not human and therefore it was their right to kill us.”
Thranduil swallowed, his eyes were a bit revealing for anyone with the keen eyes of her kind, his pupils dilated just a tiny bit when he heard something he found shocking.
“And your kin did not defend themselves?!”
The shock was apparent in his voice and she shrugged. “Oh they tried but our best defense is to just leave, be gone. We hid in the wilderness and the woods and lived our lives away from mankind but we could not leave them completely behind and soon there were no more wilderness. Now we hide within the legends and myths, we use them to our advantage. Nobody wants to believe the person who claims to have seen someone like me. They will think that the person is mad.”
He was thinking about what she said. “You said your kin couldn’t leave the humans behind completely, why? You are most surely capable of fending for yourselves?”
Hrafna could feel herself blush a little. “Yes, but we need humans to reproduce”
The elf suddenly looked very puzzled. “What? Why?”
She grinned. “Like I told you, we are few. We were never meant to be a whole race but fate took a strange turn, anyhow, we are a one gender race. We consist of only females.”
The elf looked both a bit intrigued and disgusted. “How is that possible?”
She shrugged. “To explain that would take a long time, but we need human males to mate with. If we give birth to a girl she will be as her mother, if we have son he will be almost a copy of his dad. “
Thranduil had an expression of confusion within the iceblue eyes. “So, you pick yourself some human to mate with? What if that person isn’t interested? “
Hrafna sighed. “Let’s just say that we have our methods to ensure that they cooperate. This practice is one of the reasons why we were hated in the old days, the religion forbade people to…eh…mate…for pleasure, it was just for procreation and should not be enjoyed. And our ways were seen as evil, we were the devils temptresses, trying to make men forget about their God. The religion at the time was very negative towards women, also the human females.”
The elf cringed. “Sounds like a most terrible attitude.”
He tilted his head. “So you live hidden among the humans, and your world is different from ours. I can understand that. What I cannot understand is why you are so strong? The gods of your world must have been very clever when they created your race.”
Hrafna put down her chalice, it was empty but she was not even tipsy. She grinned to herself. “The ones who created us were seen as Gods, but they were not. They were flesh and blood, just very advanced in technology and knowledge. But even they made mistakes, fatal ones in fact.”
Legolas was listening to this strange creature with a feeling of listening to fairytales, these things were too unbelievable to be true and yet they were. He just felt it. He could see that his father was just as fascinated as himself and it was no wonder. This was something completely new.
Thranduil was leaning a little forward. “I believe that, what did they do?”
Hrafna was holding up her chalice and the servant was there right away, refilled it. She gave the man a gentle smile before she took another sip of the wine. The elven king had noticed that she didn’t react to the wine by now and he was a little disappointed.
“They were trying to help the humans of my world unite and become wiser and more advanced than they were. They wanted to share their own knowledge and technology with this in their eyes underdeveloped race. They themselves came from a different star system, they had developed the ability to travel among the stars and seek out new planets to inhabit.”
The two elves were staring at her. “Other stars?”
Hrafna grinned at their expressions. “Yes, all stars are suns, some have inhabitable worlds circling around them, other planets. The distances are so vast the humans of my planet yet are unable to do what these creatures did. Anyhow, they were on the right track when something went very wrong.”
Thranduil swallowed hard, he had a very hard time believing what she just said. All stars are suns? But something about the information felt just right. Legolas was listening to her story with huge eyes, he looked very young and also very fascinated. Thranduil had to smile a little, he had seen that expression on his son before, when he was just an elfling. But it had been gone for so long now and seeing it again actually felt good. “You say they made a bad mistake, how could that happen when they were that wise?”
Hrafna shrugged. “They were over confident, thought they could play with mother nature without facing the consequences. Nobody can do that, the humans of my world have done that for ages and now they are starting to realize that they have made huge mistakes too. But the one the creatures of the ancient times did was grotesque. They mixed different species in order to create new ones, more suitable for their uses. And so they created my race, and it became their undoing.”
Thranduil was staring at her, he looked as if he was a bit shocked but also interested. “They could not control their own creations?”
Hrafna raised her chalice in a salute. “Absolutely right, they created just two beings, my first foremothers. They were not designed to be able to reproduce, they were going to be the perfect body guards for a mad king who’s reign was needed. They had to use that man as their puppet, as their tool. They spoke through him, lead the people through him. A king can never appear to be weak or flawed in any way and those times were rough, if the people knew of his madness they would be at his throat like a pack of wolves. So the creatures from that faraway world created these two women to guard him, nobody expected a female to be dangerous at all, women were seen as little more than cattle back then, something you could buy and sell and treat just the way you wanted to.”
She could see how shocked this information made him, no ellon would ever hurt an elleth, they would rather fall onto their own swords than even consider something that terrible. “Believe it or not, in my world that attitude is still normal within some cultures, if I told you of all the terrible things that are done to women in my world you would become sick. Anyhow, they had created the perfect soldier, the ultimate survivor A creature which was superior in every way and they were so sure of their own success. They did not think about the fact that even a slave has a will of its own. The two women found themselves men and ran off with them, the kingdom crumbled and fell and the creatures lost everything. Mankind is still barbarians in many ways, because of their mistake.”
The king just stared at her, it was a story of hubris and one he could relate to in some ways. “Then what happened?”
Hrafna grimaced. “The two became a small tribe over the time, the people moved north and slowly we became a race. But we were feared and thought of with suspicion although we also were sought after. We are stronger than a human and can work harder than any others, some saw us as angels, others as demons. Today we are more known for being seductive than anything else.”
The king grinned, seductive in deed, he knew what those curves would do with mortal men. “Are all of you just like you?”
Hrafna pushed her plate away, she felt stuffed. The food was excellent but she had eaten more than usual. “No, there is actually three varieties of my race. Some are short and very curvy with blond hair and often blue eyes. The other version is mine, tall and slender with black hair. But both versions have that red shine in our hair, and the tail. And then we have the third version which is very rare and…feared. “
Thranduil cocked his head. “Feared?”
He emptied his own chalice and discovered that he enjoyed this, talking to her, It was so different from what he usually did.
Hrafna nodded. “Yes, they are the grey ones, the red you see in my hair is switched with a grey shine, and they eyes are often yellow. They are feared because their souls are different from ours. My race has morals, we know what is wrong or right, we are not animals. But the grey ones are…different!”
She shuddered and grimaced and the elf saw it. “How? Are they evil?”
Hrafna shook her head. “No, oh no, but they follow their impulses like an animal would, they do not feel doubt or guilt. If they feel threatened they will kill first and ask questions later. They are few, and rightfully so.”
Thranduil just stared at her. “Where they another mistake done by the creatures?”
Hrafna sighed. “No, they were created by fate I guess. A girl of my race was held as a slave by her own father, he was a Viking lord. The Vikings were a warrior people, very fierce and brave. They respected only strength and ruled the oceans for centuries. Her father treated her well and was planning on pronouncing her as his heir in spite of the fact that her mother was a slave. But then he suddenly died and his nephew claimed his entire estate as his. The girl included, he raped her and abused her and she ran off and joined a pack of wolves. She was gone for years and when she showed up again she brought the pack with her, they killed everybody within the nephews household, including his pregnant wife. Then she fled and years after she reappeared in a different country. She had a child with her, a girl. None who saw her had any doubt about the nature of that child’s sire.”
Thranduil did not understand, she could see it and she sighed and closed her eyes. “It is disgusting but true, the girl’s father was the alpha male of the wolf pack. She was the first of the grey ones, they are wolves on two legs. “
The elf gasped and stared at her, his eyes were huge and filled with both shock and disbelief and Hrafna made a sad grin. “The grey ones sometimes give birth to sons who also carry the tail and the rest of our specialized physique but those children are always killed the moment they are born. They are monsters, the animal and the human cannot coexist within a male, they become unstable and dangerous and terrible. They are ulfheidne, werewolves. “
Legolas was pale and Thranduil swallowed. “That is horrible, and the mothers agree on this?”
His voice did shiver and she made a small and sad nod. “Yes, they have no choice, it is very rare mind you, of a thousand sons born one may be born like that. But of course, it is their worst fear and so they do not produce many offspring”
The elf sighed. “This is very hard to believe but it makes sense somehow. But how were your people created in the first place? “
Hrafna grimaced again, how do you explain gene splicing and DNA to an elf living in a country where you still fought with swords and rode horses? “It is hard to explain my lord, but the creatures had the ability to extract the very essence of every living creature and mix it with the essence of others and change the result until they had what they wanted. They used many species to create mine, some were not of earth at all.”
He shivered, he was in fact looking at a chimera, a monster. But no monster could look so beautiful and have so much soul, or could they?
“So, what species did they use, to create yours?”
Hrafna sighed. “I do not know, and I am honest believe me. I know I have the eyes of a hawk, the nose of a wolf and the ears of an owl. I can jump like a cat, run for days and control my body completely. The tales tell of a creature from a different world which was greatly feared, they used it to ensure that the species they created would consist of only females. Other than that I have no idea. They were clever but too smart for their own good I think.”
The elf swallowed hard. “But you do have a soul? You think and feel like all other intelligent creatures?”
She nodded. “Yes, we are perhaps more emphatic than humans, we are more sensitive and we love deeper and hate harder than them too. Our feelings are like free flames, they may burn but they keep us warm”
She grinned and stretched her arms in front of her, studied her hands. “We are fortunate in some ways, cursed in others. It is just the way it is.”
Legolas frowned. “Well, I have never seen anyone fight the way you did, you were truly amazing.”
She nodded towards him. “We were designed to survive no matter what, it’s our truth and all that we are. To fight is a part of that.”
Thranduil sighed and looked at her, he thought he could imagine an army consisting of creatures like her and the thought made him shiver. With a thousand warriors like that no place would be safe.
“You say your race are capable of the same feelings as all others, have you ever opened your heart to someone? You seem to be a bit…cynical.”
Hrafna snorted and grinned. “Yes, I am cynical. I have seen too much to remain naïve and filled with hopes based on foolish dreams. I have loved but it has never been anything but painful and laden with grief. No humans are really strong enough to cope with someone like me, we are too feisty and refuse to bow for anything or anyone.”
Thranduil suddenly got a strange thought, he just could not contain it. “Hrafna, how old are you?”
She waved a finger at him in a strict and yet mocking gesture. “My lord, one should never ask a lady for her age, but since it is you, I am about a hundred years old.”
He cocked his head, stared at her incredulously. “So your race lives longer than humans?”
She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Yes, we heal any injury, even those caused by time. But we can choose to live our lives the same way as humans do. Most prefer it that way, but we have a few who have lived for almost as long as our race has existed.”
She could in fact live forever, like an elf. He had no idea as to why but the thought made him relieved.
He looked at her and she met his gaze, nodded slowly. He felt it, she allowed him access to her mind and he sought it carefully and gently. What he saw made him cringe and lean back into his chair, so much fear and pain and sorrow. She was a very melancholic creature, but she had an honesty and strength within he never had encountered before. And her light, it was so pure, so untainted. It had a fierce liveliness to it, something which reminded him of Greenwood when it was in its prime. It created a sort of hunger within him, a longing for something he had thought lost a long time ago, hope! She reminded him of himself when he was younger, when he had thought that nothing was impossible. He had grown weary over the years, tired of the relentless onslaught of darkness and evil, again and again like waves crushing against a ragged shoreline. So there could still exist something which could cause him wonder and awe, and capture his imagination. He did not understand much of what he saw in her mind but he knew one thing for sure, she was no threat to him or his people. She was in some ways more like an elf than most elves were. Her love for nature was adamant and stronger than the foundations of Arda. And she was stubborn passionate and a really wild one, he sort of liked that.
He nodded towards her. “I can see that you are right, you told me the truth. You are no threat to my people or my realm.”

So, what do you think? Will she become a valuable ally to the elves of Mirkwood, will she perhaps become even more than that?
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Perfect survivor