Discovering another World, Part 2
Title: Discovering another World, Part 2
Author: Amber
Beta: Red
Fandom: LOTR/Avatar: The Air Bender cartoon.
Artist: Mangacrack
Link to Art: http://archiveofourown.org/works/344948
Rating/Type: FPS/AU/R
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel, Celeborn, Eönwë, Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Toph
Disclaimer: All the major characters belong to either Tolkien or Nickelodeon.
Summary: After a party gets out of hand, four from Valinor discover they have been transported to another world where they are caught up in the politics and war.
Note 1: I am using Fiondil’s idea that Eönwë is Eru’s Oathkeeper in this Fic.
Note 2: This story was written for Alex’s Big Bang Challenge coming in at 30,995.
Chapter 3:
Glorfindel cursed as he tried to reach the cuts and burns on his upper back. He was not hurt badly, but it was awkward and he was having trouble tending it himself. He felt a cool cloth press upon the cut and looked back to see Katara helping him. Nodding his thanks as Katara continued to clean him up, he thought back over the last several days. He was surprised and relieved that they had all made it. There had been several moments when he had not thought that any of them would. He and Celeborn had been stupid to think that retrieving Elrond and Eönwë would take only carefuuntl planning. He could not believe they had been so arrogant as to believe they could do it themselves. If it had not been for the children, none of them would have survived.
He and Celeborn had infiltrated the prison without detection and ease, but had not counted on the other prisoners turning on them. The alarm has been raised as they carried the unconscious forms of their friends from their cells. They had released the Avatar as well to help them and that had ended up being the deciding factor to their escape. The Avatar had released his friends and with their abilities, they had escaped the prison and hidden out in the city il they could escape into the hills two nights later.
Celeborn was busy treating what he could of Eönwë’s back while he watched over Elrond. For a while they had not believed that Elrond would make it. He had been flogged until the bone shown through in most places on his back. Eight of his ribs had been broken from the force of the whip after being exposed. It would take Elrond a long time to heal physically. Assessing his mental stated would have to wait until after he could remain conscious for a while.
As for Eönwë, his injuries were very serious but not as bad as Elrond’s. It was almost as if he had not been whipped as viciously. It was either that or his lesser injuries were a result of his being a Maia. He only had had four broken ribs and only a few places where the bone clearly showed on his back. Infection was the major worry physically now for both he and Elrond. While Eönwë was healing quite quickly from the flogging, he had retreated into himself and that worried them. The shocking brutality of the beatings on top of the attempted raping of the mind had stunned him, as well as the disregard for life. None had considered that the Maia would not know how to react to such brutal treatment. Fighting amongst the higher orders of Eru’s children must be different indeed if such treatment came as a shock. It would explain why none of Morgoth’s followers were ever considered for redemption if such brutality changed them so much. Glorfindel would need to speak with him soon after he awakened or they would run the risk of there being permanent mental damage from Eönwë’s treatment. He shuddered to think of the herald at his full strength as these people’s enemy. The destruction he could bring at his full potential was unimaginable.
Celeborn checked the cleaning job Katara was doing after he treated the other children’s injuries. He himself had only sustained some minor cuts and burns. He would heal quickly as would Glorfindel. After applying a healing salve, he told Glorfindel to get some sleep. He would take the first watch as he wanted to keep a close eye on Elrond. Celeborn flinched and sighed when Glorfindel told him of his fears about Eönwë. That was another issue they would have to deal with soon but thankfully not tonight. He settled near the entrance of the cave they had chosen to hide in and wondered what his wife was doing. He was reminded of the silence in their bond as he tried to reach out for comfort and received no response.
Across the universe in Arda, Galadriel held her daughter as she felt the plea for comfort from her husband. She had already realized that the bond only traveled one way and she had no way to respond. She and Celebrían had been brought to Loríen by Olorin three days past when they had been overwhelmed by the emotions coming from their mates. Irmo had placed them in a special pavilion and given them Maian attendants to see to their needs. Celebrían had collapsed after being overcome by intense waves of pain not her own. The sudden silence in the bond with Elrond made her fear for both her daughter and son-in-law. She had been angry at them when they disappeared but now she just wanted them safe and back home, including the arrogant herald. She knew that Eönwë would not let the others be harmed if he could prevent it.
High on the mountain top of Taniquetil, Varda tried to calm a weeping Maia the best she could as the rage, pain, and confusion from her mate overcame her. It had been hard on Eönwë’s mate to accept that part of his spirit was always locked away from her due to his charge as Eru’s Oathkeeper. His distraction as his duties took more and more of his spirit had left a rift between them that Varda was not sure could be overcome until his duty was fulfilled after the breaking of Arda if it ended them of which she was not sure. She was glad to see that great love was still there but distressed that this latest happening might part them until the end.
Manwë could only watch from across the room in sadness and guilt as he remembered when he had pleaded with Ilúvator to teach the four reckless friends a lesson they would not forget. His plea had been answered but he knew not why their bonds to their mates had not been totally severed upon leaving Arda. He had pleaded for the bonds to be severed totally while the four were gone when he learned of the distress being caused but his request had fallen on deaf ears. He racked his brain trying to figure out what lessons was being taught to whom by leaving the one way bonds in tact. He was only beginning to realize the lessons he himself was to learn.
“How soon before we can move them?” Glorfindel asked Celeborn several days later as he moved to the cave entrance to relieve him from his watch.
“They are both running fevers,” he explained. “I would not move either of them any time soon.”
“We cannot stay here,” Glorfindel said as he settled. “It isn’t safe. They will come after us and we are not that well hidden.”
“Is anywhere here safe?” Celeborn asked before going and catching a few hours rest himself.
Shortly after the sun rose, Aang rose and prepared a light meal from the few supplies they had managed to bring with them. After eating his small bowl, he took a portion to the golden being standing watch by the entrance. He waited until Glorfindel had finished his bowl before passing a canteen of water to him. When he had retrieved the canteen he returned to his friends who were waking.
It was several hours later before anyone approached the golden being again. It seemed as if Aang had been nominated after a quick conference.
“Who are you?” Aang asked quietly as he contemplated the being before him. “You are not of here and you are not like us.”
“No we are not,” came the quiet response as Glorfindel contemplated how much to tell this Avatar. “Our home is far away. Coming here was rather a shock to us.”
“Then why are you here?” Aang inquired as he found he trusted this being.
“We believe we are here to help you,” came the quiet response. “My name is Glorfindel by the way. The silver haired one is Celeborn.”
“And the others?” Toph asked as the others came to join them.
“The older looking one is named Elrond,” Celeborn told them as he came up behind them. Then he smirked. “The younger looking one is called Eönwë. Despite their looks, Elrond is actually the youngest of us all while Eönwë is the oldest.”
“What are you? Zuko asked defensively. “I have seen your ears and watched your actions. You are not human.”
Celeborn and Glorfindel communicated silently between themselves before Glorfindel finally answered the question. They would not refer to Eönwë’s origins unless they had too.
“Our race has several names,” he began. “We are commonly called elves, or the firstborn. Our home is called Arda.”
“Never heard of it,” came the quick response from the other boy, Sokka.
The elves laughed as this one reminded them of young, reckless elflings.
“No, I don’t imagine you have.” Celeborn said with a smile.
“If this is not your home, then why were you sent here to help?” Aang asked.
“We do not know,” Glorfindel answered thinking it would not do to explain that this was probably punishment for corrupting Eönwë. That would raise more questions then it answered and he still remembered the type of embarrassing questions young ones could ask.
Seeing that all of the children were around them, Celeborn decided to head off one potential problem before it happened.
“Until we tell you otherwise, it would be better if you stayed away from Eönwë for now,” he told the young ones.
“After the beating they took, I doubt either one will be awake any time soon,” Katara said.
“We are a very hardy race,” Glorfindel said quietly. “Eönwë will probably wake some time tomorrow if not later today. We asked you to stay away so we can assess his reaction to what was done to him. He comes from a place where such brutality is not common. We don’t want him lashing out at you if he is angry.”
“That we can understand,” Aang said as he tried to decipher what wasn’t being said. “Where do we go from here?”
“We will need someplace where we can all hide,” Celeborn answered. “Our friends need time to heal and recover.”
“We were hoping you knew of someplace we could go,” Glorfindel prompted.
“We will talk among ourselves,” Zuko said distrustfully as they all walked away.
“Give it time,” Celeborn said when he saw Glorfindel’s frown.
“We don’t have time,” he snapped back. “We need to move and soon. This Fire Lord will not give up looking for us. If he has realized even an inkling of the power carried by Elrond or Eönwë, he will want them under his control. If he cannot achieve that, then he will try and destroy them. The sooner they heal and we are able to do whatever we are here for, the better.”
“What bothers you so much?” Celeborn asked. He had known the blonde for ages and knew there would be a reason behind this edginess.
“Did you have a chance to see the Fire Lord’s daughter during the attack?” he asked.
“No, I was too busy with Elrond. Why?” Celeborn wanted to know.
“She could be Zuko’s twin,” was the careful answer. Then Glorfindel turned away and went back into the cave. “I am going to check on Eönwë.”
The next afternoon Glorfindel sat beside Eönwë for several hours before he finally began to stir. A quick assessment let him feel the rage building in the herald as he slowly came to. As soon as he deemed him able enough to understand him, he moved around to his head and began whispering soothing thoughts into his ear in an effort to keep him calm. When he saw that he was awake, he helped him sit up enough to drink from a water skin before laying him back down. He became worried when Eönwë would not look him in the eye or answer his questions. Finally, taking a chance, he placed his hand on Eönwë’s cheek and gently raised his head. Seeing the confusion and anger there, he knew he had to talk with him soon before everything spiraled out of control. Placing his hand on the herald’s forehead, he used all of his strength to push him into a deep healing sleep that would hopefully last for several days.
When Eönwë finally woke two days later, Celeborn gave him some water and fed him a bowl of broth before calling Glorfindel over.
“Can you rise?” Glorfindel asked gently as Eönwë glared at him.
Seeing a small nod, Glorfindel helped him to rise and guided him outside to sit on a boulder to the left of the opening where they could speak without being overheard. Celeborn realized what he was doing and let it be know that he would keep the others away and in the cave for as long as necessary. He knew that if they could not help Eönwë put what had happened to him into prospective, then they might all die from the consequences. He silently cursed Eru for placing them in this position, and then thanked him for taking some of Eönwë’s powers away. If the Maia had been at full capacity, he would have attacked instead of enduring the whipping and Elrond might have been killed. Then while praying for Glorfindel to succeed, he asked what they had done that was so bad to have been sent here in the first place because he did not even want to place himself in this position again.
It took Glorfindel several hours to help Eönwë put some of what had happened into some form of prospective he could deal with. Finally seeing a weary understanding in the herald’s eyes, he fed him the small bowl of food Celeborn had brought and helped him back into the cave. The children watched in awe as he knelt down beside Elrond and let a golden glow envelope his hand as he held it on Elrond’s head. Then he crossed to his own pallet with help and promptly fell asleep. He did not wake for three days.
On the day Eönwë again awakened, towards nightfall, Aang approached Celeborn and signaled that he wished to speak with him. While the children realized they were in this together, they had maintained their distance.
“One of us will keep watch tonight,” he started. “Neither of you have had much sleep, and we are able.”
“We do not require as much sleep as you young ones do and our senses are better,” Celeborn explained gently. “I think it better if we keep the watch for now.”
“There is an abandoned city, containing an air temple, that we might be able to hide in for a while,” Aang told him. “Our only problem will be getting there for it is very far.”
“Do you know the way from here?” Eönwë said as he came up behind him. Seeing Celeborn’s inquiring look, he explained. “I think I can transfer all of us there a few at a time.”
“Are you sure, I thought your powers were diminished significantly?” Celeborn asked in Sindarin so that Aang could not understand them.
“I will be strong enough to try it soon,” he answered. “Glorfindel is right, we cannot stay here. I caught a trend of the Fire Lord’s thoughts before he began trying to rape our minds. He thinks he can turn me to his side if he destroys Elrond. I will not let that happen.”
“What of your injuries?” Celeborn asked him as he tried to assess one far beyond him.
Eönwë just stared out beyond them into the darkness for a few minutes before answering. “I am healing well physically. I can do this but it will leave me exhausted in my diminished state.”
Glorfindel had come up behind them and listened to the exchange. He was worried about his friend but realized that the comfort he needed was beyond their ability to provide. Only Ilúvator would be able to set things right in Eönwë’s world again. He pulled the Maia into a gentle hug while letting Celeborn know he would see to him.
“I will take over the watch from you in a short while,” he told Celeborn. “Elrond’s bandages will need changed again and you do need some sleep. You also need to sleep and heal more Eönwë, especially if we are to try moving any time soon.”
“I will tonight for we will have to move tomorrow, they are coming,” was all the Maia answered as he returned to his pallet to sleep.
“Think well your choice of destination Aang,” Celeborn told the Avatar. “If you cannot give direct, detailed instructions on its location, then have a back up place we can go to temporarily. It matters not where but the further from here the better it would be. Go, you need to sleep and I need to attend to my son-in-law.”
Aang was confused from the conversation but he trusted these strange beings, even Eönwë, the angry one. As he made his way back to his pallet, he saw that Zuko was not asleep but watching Eönwë. He knew that Zuko did not trust these beings and that he was also shaken by the way his father had disposed of him as if he did not matter anymore. He hoped he would not cause trouble tomorrow when they moved.
The next morning, they could see the Fire Lords troops from the entrance of the cave. They all watched silently as Elrond was wrapped securely for travel and helped pack up the few belongings they had managed to bring with them.
“Is everything ready?” Eönwë said as he came to stand before Aang. Seeing that it was, he turned his attention to the Avatar. “Can you give me clear directions to this city you speak of?”
Seeing Aang’s answering nod, Eönwë gain permission before placing his hand on the boy’s head and looking into his mind. When he was sure he could find the city he retreated.
“I can get us there,” he told Glorfindel and Celeborn. “I will take Aang and Celeborn first so they can set up some sort of camp, then the other children. I will take Glorfindel and Elrond last.”
“Are you sure you are strong enough to do this?” Celeborn asked in worry knowing that Eönwë was not physically healed himself to say nothing of his mental state.
“We have no choice, they approach,” came the answer they dreaded. Turning to the children he tried to explain what would happen. “I have the ability to transfer us to another place a few at a time. You will not be hurt but must trust me. You will feel disorientation but it will pass. Come.”
Aang nodded his head and entered Eönwë’s arms followed by Celeborn. The others gasped in shock as they disappeared in a flash of light and started to panic.
“It is alright children, he is just moving through space a different way,” Glorfindel said in an attempt to calm them while watching Zuko’s reaction. When he saw that the boy was not surprised by what had happened he asked, “You have seen this before?”
“The one who last visited my father did that. Are you the same as he?” he asked.
“Yes and no is the only way I can answer that,” the blonde said as Eönwë appeared again. “I have not the time to explain further. Go, and we will talk later.”
Toph walked right up to Eönwë while Zuko approached warily. Finally Eönwë reached out and grabbed the boy before disappearing again. Katara helped Glorfindel ready Elrond before she and her brother left with Eönwë. When he appeared again, he was clearly exhausted,
“You are weak,” Glorfindel said as he gave the Maia a drink from the remaining canteen. They could both hear the sound of approaching men. “Would it be easier for you to take Elrond alone?”
“There is no time, they are coming,” Eönwë answered. “We will make it, come.”
Before Glorfindel lifted Elrond and walked into Eönwë’s arms he placed his hand over the herald’s heart and sent him as much of his energy as he could while still remaining able to take care of his Lord and friend. He felt the disorientation of movement and then they were standing beside a fountain. Glorfindel shoved Elrond into Celeborn’s arms as he turned to catch Eönwë when he collapsed.
Chapter 4:
“Stubborn Maia,” they all heard him say as he laid Eönwë down on a pallet and checked him over. Seeing that he was just exhausted, he covered him and helped Celeborn settle Elrond. He then signaled that he was going to do a recognizance of the area.
As Glorfindel searched out the city he was impressed by its beauty. He was fascinated when he realized that the city or temple as he suspected the whole complex was, hung upside down. It intrigued him that the only way to the city was over the cliff wall. It would make for easier defense but left them with few escape routes if attacked. He hoped there impromptu disappearance gave them the time needed for Elrond and Eönwë to heal enough to sustain them until they returned home.
As he made his way back to the others, he heard noises in a small side room. He quietly entered and seized a man sitting in front of a small fire. He immobilizing him with some rope he saw in the corner before throwing the man over his shoulder and returning to the house they had settled in.
“I found this man on one of the lower levels,” he said as he threw him on the floor.
“Iroh,” Zuko said as he rushed to the man’s side. “He is my uncle. What have you done to him?”
“He will wake soon, I have not hurt him,” Glorfindel answered. When he saw that Zuko intended to untie the man he stopped him. “The ropes stay.”
When Zuko whirled on him Glorfindel let his inner light flare. He watched silently as the children banded together in fear against the far wall before allowing himself to return to normal.
“Do not think to make that mistake again boy,” he said with a deadly menace. “None of us wanted to be here but we are. We will help you do what must be done but it will be on our terms. You are nothing but inept children to us, so don’t push it.”
“Glorfindel, enough,” came Celeborn’s quiet ordered as he pulled the blonde away. Pushing a bag into his hands, he defused the situation further. “We need food, go.”
“What are you?” Toph asked without fear.
“We are elves like I said,” Celeborn said gently as he realized that they had gone beyond not telling the children more.
“He isn’t like you others, is he?” Sokka asked as he pointed to were Eönwë laid. “I can feel that there is a difference.”
“Who is the man?” Celeborn asked ignoring Sokka for a minute.
“He is my uncle Iroh. He is my mother’s brother,” Zuko said as he went to his side.
“He has helped us before,” Katara supplied. “We can trust him. He is an outlaw from the Fire Nation, like us.”
“And Zuko?” he asked remembering Glorfindel’s comment. “Who is he?”
“He is the Fire Lord’s son,” Toph answered. “His father disowned him and made him an outlaw unless he delivered Aang to him. He chose Zuko’s twin sister, Azula, to replace him as heir. Iroh got him to acknowledge his true feelings and he ultimately joined us.”
“Aang defeated the Fire Lord five years ago and took away his powers,” Katara said realizing that more needed to be said. “Azula, Zuko’s sister, was put into the prison as was their father. Somehow, his powers were returned and he broke out. He gathered his forces again and attacked. Aang’s powers were destroyed and we were all taken captive and thrown into the prison where you found us. Iroh was the only one to escape.”
Celeborn made a decision then that he knew would be unpopular with his comrades. He untied Iroh and helped him to sit up as he came around.
“You must forgive Glorfindel,” he said by way of explaining Glorfindel’s conduct. “He has been charged with seeing to Elrond’s security and welfare for thousands of years. When Elrond took the decision away and let himself be captured, Glorfindel blamed himself. He will be overprotective for quite a while but will calm down some soon. Do not make the mistake of challenging him again Zuko, you will not win.”
“He doesn’t do a good job as a bodyguard does he?” Zuko said smugly.
“He does when Elrond lets him,” Eönwë said as he rose and joined Celeborn.
“You should be asleep,” Celeborn censored him.
“You make too much racket,” he replied.
“From the man who sang the Dwarven drinking song at full volume in the middle of the night six weeks ago,” Celeborn couldn’t help but reply.
“Is that all the longer it has been,” Eönwë asked in surprise. “It seems longer. Zuko, Glorfindel is the best warrior of their race. None here could defeat him in a straight fight. Evil is known to flee from him in fear.”
“You said their race,” Iroh asked shrewdly. “You do not include yourself.”
I am not an elf although I am able to wear the form of one when I want,” Eönwë answered as he tried to decide how much to tell. After a minute of silence, he began to explain. “I am what is known to their people as a Maia. My true form is not physical but spiritual. My kind is the second type created by God. We were created to help the senior creations, the Valar, with creating and maintaining everything. We were also created to serve and watch over God’s children, the firstborn, or elves if you will, and the second born, or humans.”
“If I understand what you are saying, I believe our name for you would be a Lesser Lord of some sort,” Iroh replied as he thought about what he was being told. “Our stories say nothing about a race of elves or firstborn though.”
“Do you have legends or tales of a magical folk who live among the trees and other fauna?” Celeborn asked them.
“You mean like the stories of the fairies?” Sokka and Toph asked together.
Eönwë smiled and laughed as Celeborn rolled his eyes.
“Yes like your fairies,” Eönwë answered. “But if I am correct, the fairies in your stories do not interact with you.
Seeing the confusion in Celeborn’s eyes at his response, Eönwë knew he had to give an explanation.
“Celeborn, there are other occupied worlds both within and without Ea,” he began gently. “On most others, it is the Maiar who are the fairies of legend. Only on Arda have the firstborn ever existed. The Maiar have patterned their fairy’s behaviors on what they felt instinctively it should be. It turns out that the behaviors are similar to how the firstborn commune in peace with nature. We know not why Eru placed the firstborn only on Arda, within the circles of the world, while the second born go beyond.”
“Are these then descendants of the Second born of Arda?” he asked. “Are any of these Arwen and Estel’s descendants?”
“We are not given that information but I do not think Eru would place Elrond in that kind of a situation knowing the pain it would cause him,” came the careful reply. “This race is also far older than the Secord born you know. I suspect they are closer to your own people’s age.”
“You said that you were brought here to help us?” Aang asked after he thought about what they had been told. “Why?”
Eönwë and Celeborn looked at each other wondering how much to tell them. Glorfindel, who had been listening to the conversation for quite some, came forward and dumped the brace of rabbits that he had caught on the floor as well as a bag of vegetables.
“Tell them the truth,” he ordered before he set about cleaning the rabbits. Katara picked up the bag and began to prepare the vegetables as Sokka set up a fire and spits for the rabbits.
“We believe that our being sent here resulted as punishment for some rather wild and reckless behavior we indulged in,” came Celeborn’s careful comment as he watched Glorfindel.
“It is probably seen as punishment for me also for being willing to go along with you guys instead of censoring you,” Eönwë injected. “But I also believe that Eru took advantage of the situation to solve the problems with the Avatar here rather than wait for another generation to be born.”
“Please tell me that this is not another evolution of our growth,” Elrond whispered from his pallet. “I really do not think I like being a galactic problem solver.”
“Elrond,” his friends cried as they rushed to his side. The others watched in amazement as they could not believe that he would be conscious with the injuries he carried. Most of them did not think he would live let alone wake.
“Here, take a drink,” Celeborn told him as he lifted a cup to his mouth. “Do you want something for the pain?”
Elrond gently nodded his head as Glorfindel came over and placed a kiss on his head.
“Don’t you ever go somewhere without me again,” he mumbled through his tightening throat. “I cannot protect you if I am not there, and you still attract trouble like no one I have ever seen.”
Eönwë clasped Elrond’s other hand and looked into his eyes. When he looked away in embarrassment, Elrond called to him mentally.
‘It will be alright,’ he told him. ‘Eru is trying to teach us something. It is up to us to decipher what. Are the oaths you record still coming?’
At Eönwë’s nod, he continued. ‘Then we are meant to be here for now and all is well.’
Eönwë just stared at him for a minute before nodding. Then he rose and walked outside to the balcony. As he looked out over the city, he marveled at Elrond’s complete trust in Eru. He admitted to himself that he had lost some of that trust as his duties as Oathkeeper had increased. He had let the oaths he was recording taint his opinions of the children, and himself. He had withdrawn himself and had not surrendered his concerns to Eru.
‘Forgive me,’ he begged Eru and he also gave thanks for Elrond and his complete trust. He could learn much from the Peredhel if given the chance. He sent a final question to Eru before going back inside. ‘Do your lessons have to be so painful thought?’
The group resided in the city of air for six months as Elrond healed. As he stayed awake longer, Elrond was able to help Eönwë deal with the emotional aftermath of the flogging they had both undergone. They became very close as did the relationship between all four of those from Arda become close and tight. Glorfindel and Celeborn sparred everyday to sharpen and keep up their skills. It was only a few weeks before they were both back to the proficiency they had acquired during their time in Arda-Marred. The children and Iroh would sit and watch in awe as the two of them fought. They marveled at how they moved so fast that you could see nothing but a concentrated blur. Then the two of them began to teach the children different methods of combat to enhance their natural skills knowing they might be needed in the upcoming fight.
Once Eönwë had been proclaimed physically healed, he and Glorfindel would spar. Their fights at first scared the children and Iroh, but soon they became accustom to the display. Iroh and the children were shocked when they learned that what they were seeing was not even close to the two’s full power and strength. Eönwë began to test the different benders as to what they could and could not do as well as question what others of their kind could do. He was able to sooth Katara’s unease of her blood bending ability by teaching her how to use it to heal. All that he learned he would discuss with Elrond in the periods that he was awake while the other two elves listened in.
They had been residing in the city for four months when Elrond rose for the first time. They were all amazed that his back had healed with minimal scarring that Eönwë claimed would clear up in a few months. He took his time rebuilding his strength as he taught the children healing in their spare time. He also asked pointed questions about their bending abilities as well as Sokka’s ability to sense when to help them in any way he could. He could sense the younger one’s feelings of deficiency and helped him to understand that he had his own powers but that they lay in a different area. Celeborn picked up on the lessons explaining how of the four of them, he was the only one without special powers but how he was an important member of their team in that he knew instinctively when one of the others needed help of some kind.
Then came the day that Elrond deemed himself healed and picked up a sword instead of just watching. Iroh was amazed that he had healed so well so soon, and Elrond had given him a discourse on Elvin healing abilities. Iroh passed on this information to the children in terms they could understand and they were envious. They watched as Elrond would spend hours going through practice forms to build up his strength. Glorfindel had mapped out a running course knowing it would do all of them good to build up their stamina and Elrond made daily use of it. At the end of the fifth month, Glorfindel began sparring with Elrond after he completed his forms. He soon grew strong again and could fight at his prior abilities. After a particular strenuous session of sparring with Eönwë one day, those from Arda looked at each other and decided the time had come. Tomorrow they would approach Iroh and tell them it was time for them to learn element bending from their charges.
Chapter 5:
Eönwë checked on Elrond the next morning after they had broken their fast.
“Are you sure you want to try this now?” he inquired. “We can wait to begin.”
“No we can not,” came Elrond’s response. “The longer we are here the more we change destinies, not just ours either. The knowledge of our existence has changed these children. The more we interact with the people here the more our presence changes every thing. Besides, you do not trust them.”
“I need not trust them to accomplish what must be done,” Eönwë snapped as he turned his back and began to walk away. He stopped after only a few steps and sighed as he looked skyward. “This is hard on me. I am not used to being limited so. Even when I was incarnated during the War of Wrath, and afterwards while teaching your brother’s people, I did not have the limits I do now. My duties as Oathkeeper were also curtailed until after I returned and had time to heal and adjust. My other duties were carried out by others while I was gone or held until I returned.”
“And that is not the case here?” Elrond asked.
“No,” came the exhausted response. “My mind is constantly bombarded by the information coming from Arda and the other worlds, and some of my other duties take parts of my mind away also. Even my spouse was finding it hard to help me as I am not allowed to share these burdens with others. I find it distracting at times and that could be dangerous in this situation.”
“Dangerous for you, us, or them?” he asked. “And what do you mean by other worlds?”
“All of us. It is why I am not insisting on being the Avatar. It would be easier for me but I am afraid of the consequences if I become distracted at the wrong time,” he quietly admitted. “As for your other question, did you truly believe that Arda was the only occupied world Eru created? That is a rather arrogant attitude for the first born to have. Or course, you share it with the second born.”
“Sometimes admitting when you cannot do something, regardless of the reason, is the better path. It takes a stronger person to know his limitations and act upon them accordingly,” Elrond counseled. “I will be fine. And truthfully, I never really thought about there being other occupied worlds. It is not something that many of our kind contemplate.”
“You should listen to your own advice some time,” Celeborn told Elrond as he came up to them and hugged his son-in-law. “You’re probably as bad as he is.”
Elrond and Eönwë just smiled at each other before breaking out laughing. Then they decide to quit stalling. It was time to place themselves in the hands of these children.
While their offer to learn and train from the children in order to help the Avatar delighted the group, they were unsure of how to proceed. Iroh decided that the best way to start their training was by testing what they could already do. He and the children were surprised by Eönwë and Elrond’s abilities but unsettled as well.
“You are not bending the elements,” Iroh told them. “Your control is different and that might give you the edge you need to defeat the Fire Phoenix. Eönwë, you should be the one we train as Avatar since you already have a mastery of the elements.”
“No,” Eönwë told them before walking away.
“I will be the Avatar,” Elrond injected quietly. When Iroh tried to object he was cut off. “Eönwë will only step into my place if I fail. This has already been decided between us. We have reasons we cannot explain to you. You will just have to trust us.”
“It is their decision. They did not have to help us at all,” Aang said to stop the others when they tried to object. Turning to Elrond and Eönwë he addressed them. “I think it would be better if we taught you to bend the elements like we do.”
“They could hold off and use their natural powers if they cannot defeat the Phoenix any other way,” Zuko put in as he stepped forward for the first time. “I know that the one who trained my father only trained him in our fashion. He picked up a few other things on his own from watching the one training him, but they seemed to not want him to learn too much of their way.”
“Your father?” Glorfindel asked as he came to stand before the boy. He had not been in the room when Zuko’s past had been explained.
“Yes,” came the shamed answer. “You need have no worry of me. He disowned me long ago. It was with great joy that he disposed me as Fire Lord Crown Prince and imprisoned me. He would have eventually had me executed in the square as an example.”
“And the girl?” Glorfindel asked.
“My twin Azuka,” he answered quietly.
Elrond’s head shot up in alarm at this announcement and he rushed forward and grabbed Zuko. “How close are the two of you connected?”
“I do not understand,” Zuko said as he tried to pull away.
“I also am one half of a set of twins,” Elrond explained. “I know quite intimately what can be gleamed from twin bonds. How close are or were you and your sister?”
“We were rarely separate until my father intervened between us nine years ago,” Zuko answered with an echo of pain in his voice. “He pitted us against each other to win his love and to choose his heir.”
“Did you sever your bond?” Celeborn asked him as he came up behind him.
“What?” he asked startled. “I do not understand.”
Eönwë came forward and grabbed Zuko by the back of the head and held him as he forced him to look into his eyes. After a few minutes, he released him and pushed him away.
“The bond is still in place,” Eönwë told the others. “That is how they are tracking us. Our time here is limited.”
“Can the bond be broken?” Elrond asked.
“Their bond is not like you and Elros’s,” Eönwë said as he thought about it. “Twin bonds among most are only severed upon death. You two were a special case.”
“How much time?” Glorfindel wanted to know as he studied Zuko in dislike.
Eönwë closed his eyes and reached out his senses. “We might have two weeks before they become too close for comfort. They know where we are.”
“Then we learn what we can in that time,” Elrond said as he made up his mind. He missed his family and wanted to return home.
Elrond and Glorfindel went with Aang, Iroh, and Zuko while Celeborn and Eönwë left for other rooms with Katara and Tolph. It took them several days to master how to control the first element they each tried, but after figuring it out the others came easier. By the end of the first week both Elrond and Eönwë had mastered bending two elements.
The next several days, Iroh and Aang taught Eönwë who picked up the lessons quickly. Elrond had no trouble learning to control water but still had trouble with earth bending by the end of the week. Realizing they were running out of time, Aang decided to teach them together for their last lesson as Elrond continued to work on his earth bending.
“Now you must learn to achieve the Avatar state and use all four elements together instinctively,” Aang explained. “To do this, you must learn to let go of everything. All of your ties to another for any reason must be severed.”
Elrond and Eönwë looked at each other and wondered if it was possible. The bonds they shared with their mates were actually a part of them. To release this was to sever the bond. They both also had bonds tying them to Arda and the duty of serving the Valar from their Maian blood. Furthermore, they had a bond to Ilúvator, as his creations, to serve him. Neither would sever that bond for any reason even if they could sever the others. They began to understand that they may not be able to do this and would need to find another way.
Celeborn and Glorfindel had been listening in on the lesson and both realized the problems involved.
“They cannot do this,” Glorfindel told Celeborn. “It will destroy who they fundamentally are.”
“Neither will give up their bonds to Eru even if they give up all else,” Celeborn said stating the obvious. But then Celeborn had another thought.
“What if this is a test for them?” he asked.
“How so?” Glorfindel inquired intrigued.
“Maybe we are asking the wrong questions,” he answered. “Maybe the real question is how much they are willing to sacrifice, for what, and to whom?”
“And if that is the case,” Glorfindel said. “What does that say about the two of us? Or how are we connected, if we are?”
Neither was comfortable with where their thoughts were headed and they resolved to talk to the others in private after the lesson. They were running out of time and this had to be addressed. They also needed to decide where to go when they left in the next two days.
Elrond and Eönwë were able to sever the first two ties to their inner selves as Aang taught them fairly easily. It was when he asked them to sever their ties to their homes that their problems began. Both had been taught from their earliest times that they were tied to the fate of Arda. It was Celeborn who finally helped them overcome this obstacle when he made the observation that they were both being silly; they were not obviously in Arda now which meant they were beyond the tie. Elrond and Eönwë just looked at each other and rolled their eyes when the truth was brought to their attention. They overcame that barrier seconds later much to their embarrassment.
“To achieve the avatar state you must overcome two final obstacles,” Aang said as he watched the two settle back down after taking refreshment. “First, you must sever your connection to those whom you hold dear. There is a dependency that comes with your feelings for another. You must be able to sever this or you will not truly achieve the Avatar state.”
“I cannot do this,” Elrond said as he rose and walked several steps away. He knew that he was tied closely to his wife and to sever the bond would damage not only him but her also.
Eönwë watched from his seat on the floor as Aang tried to convince Elrond that he must do this or all was lost. Searching inside himself, Eönwë was not so sure that he could sever his connection to his spouse either. He had waited for a very long time before she was revealed to him, and he clung to her even here where he could not feel her. He knew it was worse for Elrond as he had already experienced loosing his wife once before.
“Aang,” Eönwë called. “You need to understand that what you have asked us to do is different than what you had to do. Our bonds to those we care the most about, our mates, actually become part of us, of who we are. To sever them leaves us damaged, and at a severe disadvantage. We may not be able to do what you ask of us. We need time to think about this first and rest.”
“You both have done enough for today,” Celeborn called. “Glorfindel has prepared a hot bath for you. Come I will show you where.”
Aang made to follow and try to help convince them they could do this but Iroh stopped him.
“They are different than us,” he tried to explain. “I sense that what you ask of them may not be achievable. Leave them for a time to talk among them selves. Come and eat then you must rest also.”
Glorfindel let Elrond and Eönwë relax and rest in the hot water as Celeborn prepared them a dinner of fruits and vegetables. Finally when he deemed them relaxed enough he explained what he and Celeborn suspected about this all being a series of tests.
“But to what purpose?” Elrond exclaimed.
Eönwë stayed silent as he thought deeply before answering.
“I suspect you are correct in your assumptions,” he began as Celeborn placed plates of food before them all. “The Ainur have known for a long time that Arda was not the only inhabited world in Ea or beyond. “When we created the planets, we created life in many forms. It is not unreasonable for some of that life to have evolved into sentient beings. Also, we have learned that Eru created other children and put them on other planets inside of Ea for us to oversee.”
“And following that thought,” Glorfindel mumbled around eating an apple, “Melkor’s taint is spread out among these other planets.”
“While you are correct, it is not necessarily Melkor’s taint alone,” Eönwë corrected as he finished eating. “He was not the only one on the first level of the Ainur to go bad. He was not even the first. And not all who fell are connected to him, there are rouge Ainur out there. It would not be surprising to learn that some of the others have penetrated Ea and visited these planets.”
“But returning to our observation,” Celeborn said, “can you two sever yourselves completely from everything?”
“The total separation that the Avatar demands cannot come from me,” Eönwë answered. “It includes the separation from Eru, if I understand correctly what we are trying to achieve, and I will not do that. I cannot do that; it is inherent to what I am.”
Elrond nodded in agreement as did the others.
“I also choose not to do it,” Elrond added. “I made my choice long ago to submit myself to whatever Eru asked of me making me just as much his servant. I will not change that now.”
“I guess that leaves us in a bind then as I will not abandon my bonds to Eru either,” Glorfindel commented.
“So what do we do if none of us are willing to do what it takes to become the Avatar?” Celeborn asked as he let them know that he pledged himself to Eru also.
“I know not,” Eönwë answered. “Let us rest for the night. We must discuss moving tomorrow with the others.”
Nodding in agreement, they retired to the rooms set aside for them without rejoining the others.
Author: Amber
Beta: Red
Fandom: LOTR/Avatar: The Air Bender cartoon.
Artist: Mangacrack
Link to Art: http://archiveofourown.org/works/344948
Rating/Type: FPS/AU/R
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel, Celeborn, Eönwë, Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Toph
Disclaimer: All the major characters belong to either Tolkien or Nickelodeon.
Summary: After a party gets out of hand, four from Valinor discover they have been transported to another world where they are caught up in the politics and war.
Note 1: I am using Fiondil’s idea that Eönwë is Eru’s Oathkeeper in this Fic.
Note 2: This story was written for Alex’s Big Bang Challenge coming in at 30,995.
Chapter 3:
Glorfindel cursed as he tried to reach the cuts and burns on his upper back. He was not hurt badly, but it was awkward and he was having trouble tending it himself. He felt a cool cloth press upon the cut and looked back to see Katara helping him. Nodding his thanks as Katara continued to clean him up, he thought back over the last several days. He was surprised and relieved that they had all made it. There had been several moments when he had not thought that any of them would. He and Celeborn had been stupid to think that retrieving Elrond and Eönwë would take only carefuuntl planning. He could not believe they had been so arrogant as to believe they could do it themselves. If it had not been for the children, none of them would have survived.
He and Celeborn had infiltrated the prison without detection and ease, but had not counted on the other prisoners turning on them. The alarm has been raised as they carried the unconscious forms of their friends from their cells. They had released the Avatar as well to help them and that had ended up being the deciding factor to their escape. The Avatar had released his friends and with their abilities, they had escaped the prison and hidden out in the city il they could escape into the hills two nights later.
Celeborn was busy treating what he could of Eönwë’s back while he watched over Elrond. For a while they had not believed that Elrond would make it. He had been flogged until the bone shown through in most places on his back. Eight of his ribs had been broken from the force of the whip after being exposed. It would take Elrond a long time to heal physically. Assessing his mental stated would have to wait until after he could remain conscious for a while.
As for Eönwë, his injuries were very serious but not as bad as Elrond’s. It was almost as if he had not been whipped as viciously. It was either that or his lesser injuries were a result of his being a Maia. He only had had four broken ribs and only a few places where the bone clearly showed on his back. Infection was the major worry physically now for both he and Elrond. While Eönwë was healing quite quickly from the flogging, he had retreated into himself and that worried them. The shocking brutality of the beatings on top of the attempted raping of the mind had stunned him, as well as the disregard for life. None had considered that the Maia would not know how to react to such brutal treatment. Fighting amongst the higher orders of Eru’s children must be different indeed if such treatment came as a shock. It would explain why none of Morgoth’s followers were ever considered for redemption if such brutality changed them so much. Glorfindel would need to speak with him soon after he awakened or they would run the risk of there being permanent mental damage from Eönwë’s treatment. He shuddered to think of the herald at his full strength as these people’s enemy. The destruction he could bring at his full potential was unimaginable.
Celeborn checked the cleaning job Katara was doing after he treated the other children’s injuries. He himself had only sustained some minor cuts and burns. He would heal quickly as would Glorfindel. After applying a healing salve, he told Glorfindel to get some sleep. He would take the first watch as he wanted to keep a close eye on Elrond. Celeborn flinched and sighed when Glorfindel told him of his fears about Eönwë. That was another issue they would have to deal with soon but thankfully not tonight. He settled near the entrance of the cave they had chosen to hide in and wondered what his wife was doing. He was reminded of the silence in their bond as he tried to reach out for comfort and received no response.
Across the universe in Arda, Galadriel held her daughter as she felt the plea for comfort from her husband. She had already realized that the bond only traveled one way and she had no way to respond. She and Celebrían had been brought to Loríen by Olorin three days past when they had been overwhelmed by the emotions coming from their mates. Irmo had placed them in a special pavilion and given them Maian attendants to see to their needs. Celebrían had collapsed after being overcome by intense waves of pain not her own. The sudden silence in the bond with Elrond made her fear for both her daughter and son-in-law. She had been angry at them when they disappeared but now she just wanted them safe and back home, including the arrogant herald. She knew that Eönwë would not let the others be harmed if he could prevent it.
High on the mountain top of Taniquetil, Varda tried to calm a weeping Maia the best she could as the rage, pain, and confusion from her mate overcame her. It had been hard on Eönwë’s mate to accept that part of his spirit was always locked away from her due to his charge as Eru’s Oathkeeper. His distraction as his duties took more and more of his spirit had left a rift between them that Varda was not sure could be overcome until his duty was fulfilled after the breaking of Arda if it ended them of which she was not sure. She was glad to see that great love was still there but distressed that this latest happening might part them until the end.
Manwë could only watch from across the room in sadness and guilt as he remembered when he had pleaded with Ilúvator to teach the four reckless friends a lesson they would not forget. His plea had been answered but he knew not why their bonds to their mates had not been totally severed upon leaving Arda. He had pleaded for the bonds to be severed totally while the four were gone when he learned of the distress being caused but his request had fallen on deaf ears. He racked his brain trying to figure out what lessons was being taught to whom by leaving the one way bonds in tact. He was only beginning to realize the lessons he himself was to learn.
“How soon before we can move them?” Glorfindel asked Celeborn several days later as he moved to the cave entrance to relieve him from his watch.
“They are both running fevers,” he explained. “I would not move either of them any time soon.”
“We cannot stay here,” Glorfindel said as he settled. “It isn’t safe. They will come after us and we are not that well hidden.”
“Is anywhere here safe?” Celeborn asked before going and catching a few hours rest himself.
Shortly after the sun rose, Aang rose and prepared a light meal from the few supplies they had managed to bring with them. After eating his small bowl, he took a portion to the golden being standing watch by the entrance. He waited until Glorfindel had finished his bowl before passing a canteen of water to him. When he had retrieved the canteen he returned to his friends who were waking.
It was several hours later before anyone approached the golden being again. It seemed as if Aang had been nominated after a quick conference.
“Who are you?” Aang asked quietly as he contemplated the being before him. “You are not of here and you are not like us.”
“No we are not,” came the quiet response as Glorfindel contemplated how much to tell this Avatar. “Our home is far away. Coming here was rather a shock to us.”
“Then why are you here?” Aang inquired as he found he trusted this being.
“We believe we are here to help you,” came the quiet response. “My name is Glorfindel by the way. The silver haired one is Celeborn.”
“And the others?” Toph asked as the others came to join them.
“The older looking one is named Elrond,” Celeborn told them as he came up behind them. Then he smirked. “The younger looking one is called Eönwë. Despite their looks, Elrond is actually the youngest of us all while Eönwë is the oldest.”
“What are you? Zuko asked defensively. “I have seen your ears and watched your actions. You are not human.”
Celeborn and Glorfindel communicated silently between themselves before Glorfindel finally answered the question. They would not refer to Eönwë’s origins unless they had too.
“Our race has several names,” he began. “We are commonly called elves, or the firstborn. Our home is called Arda.”
“Never heard of it,” came the quick response from the other boy, Sokka.
The elves laughed as this one reminded them of young, reckless elflings.
“No, I don’t imagine you have.” Celeborn said with a smile.
“If this is not your home, then why were you sent here to help?” Aang asked.
“We do not know,” Glorfindel answered thinking it would not do to explain that this was probably punishment for corrupting Eönwë. That would raise more questions then it answered and he still remembered the type of embarrassing questions young ones could ask.
Seeing that all of the children were around them, Celeborn decided to head off one potential problem before it happened.
“Until we tell you otherwise, it would be better if you stayed away from Eönwë for now,” he told the young ones.
“After the beating they took, I doubt either one will be awake any time soon,” Katara said.
“We are a very hardy race,” Glorfindel said quietly. “Eönwë will probably wake some time tomorrow if not later today. We asked you to stay away so we can assess his reaction to what was done to him. He comes from a place where such brutality is not common. We don’t want him lashing out at you if he is angry.”
“That we can understand,” Aang said as he tried to decipher what wasn’t being said. “Where do we go from here?”
“We will need someplace where we can all hide,” Celeborn answered. “Our friends need time to heal and recover.”
“We were hoping you knew of someplace we could go,” Glorfindel prompted.
“We will talk among ourselves,” Zuko said distrustfully as they all walked away.
“Give it time,” Celeborn said when he saw Glorfindel’s frown.
“We don’t have time,” he snapped back. “We need to move and soon. This Fire Lord will not give up looking for us. If he has realized even an inkling of the power carried by Elrond or Eönwë, he will want them under his control. If he cannot achieve that, then he will try and destroy them. The sooner they heal and we are able to do whatever we are here for, the better.”
“What bothers you so much?” Celeborn asked. He had known the blonde for ages and knew there would be a reason behind this edginess.
“Did you have a chance to see the Fire Lord’s daughter during the attack?” he asked.
“No, I was too busy with Elrond. Why?” Celeborn wanted to know.
“She could be Zuko’s twin,” was the careful answer. Then Glorfindel turned away and went back into the cave. “I am going to check on Eönwë.”
The next afternoon Glorfindel sat beside Eönwë for several hours before he finally began to stir. A quick assessment let him feel the rage building in the herald as he slowly came to. As soon as he deemed him able enough to understand him, he moved around to his head and began whispering soothing thoughts into his ear in an effort to keep him calm. When he saw that he was awake, he helped him sit up enough to drink from a water skin before laying him back down. He became worried when Eönwë would not look him in the eye or answer his questions. Finally, taking a chance, he placed his hand on Eönwë’s cheek and gently raised his head. Seeing the confusion and anger there, he knew he had to talk with him soon before everything spiraled out of control. Placing his hand on the herald’s forehead, he used all of his strength to push him into a deep healing sleep that would hopefully last for several days.
When Eönwë finally woke two days later, Celeborn gave him some water and fed him a bowl of broth before calling Glorfindel over.
“Can you rise?” Glorfindel asked gently as Eönwë glared at him.
Seeing a small nod, Glorfindel helped him to rise and guided him outside to sit on a boulder to the left of the opening where they could speak without being overheard. Celeborn realized what he was doing and let it be know that he would keep the others away and in the cave for as long as necessary. He knew that if they could not help Eönwë put what had happened to him into prospective, then they might all die from the consequences. He silently cursed Eru for placing them in this position, and then thanked him for taking some of Eönwë’s powers away. If the Maia had been at full capacity, he would have attacked instead of enduring the whipping and Elrond might have been killed. Then while praying for Glorfindel to succeed, he asked what they had done that was so bad to have been sent here in the first place because he did not even want to place himself in this position again.
It took Glorfindel several hours to help Eönwë put some of what had happened into some form of prospective he could deal with. Finally seeing a weary understanding in the herald’s eyes, he fed him the small bowl of food Celeborn had brought and helped him back into the cave. The children watched in awe as he knelt down beside Elrond and let a golden glow envelope his hand as he held it on Elrond’s head. Then he crossed to his own pallet with help and promptly fell asleep. He did not wake for three days.
On the day Eönwë again awakened, towards nightfall, Aang approached Celeborn and signaled that he wished to speak with him. While the children realized they were in this together, they had maintained their distance.
“One of us will keep watch tonight,” he started. “Neither of you have had much sleep, and we are able.”
“We do not require as much sleep as you young ones do and our senses are better,” Celeborn explained gently. “I think it better if we keep the watch for now.”
“There is an abandoned city, containing an air temple, that we might be able to hide in for a while,” Aang told him. “Our only problem will be getting there for it is very far.”
“Do you know the way from here?” Eönwë said as he came up behind him. Seeing Celeborn’s inquiring look, he explained. “I think I can transfer all of us there a few at a time.”
“Are you sure, I thought your powers were diminished significantly?” Celeborn asked in Sindarin so that Aang could not understand them.
“I will be strong enough to try it soon,” he answered. “Glorfindel is right, we cannot stay here. I caught a trend of the Fire Lord’s thoughts before he began trying to rape our minds. He thinks he can turn me to his side if he destroys Elrond. I will not let that happen.”
“What of your injuries?” Celeborn asked him as he tried to assess one far beyond him.
Eönwë just stared out beyond them into the darkness for a few minutes before answering. “I am healing well physically. I can do this but it will leave me exhausted in my diminished state.”
Glorfindel had come up behind them and listened to the exchange. He was worried about his friend but realized that the comfort he needed was beyond their ability to provide. Only Ilúvator would be able to set things right in Eönwë’s world again. He pulled the Maia into a gentle hug while letting Celeborn know he would see to him.
“I will take over the watch from you in a short while,” he told Celeborn. “Elrond’s bandages will need changed again and you do need some sleep. You also need to sleep and heal more Eönwë, especially if we are to try moving any time soon.”
“I will tonight for we will have to move tomorrow, they are coming,” was all the Maia answered as he returned to his pallet to sleep.
“Think well your choice of destination Aang,” Celeborn told the Avatar. “If you cannot give direct, detailed instructions on its location, then have a back up place we can go to temporarily. It matters not where but the further from here the better it would be. Go, you need to sleep and I need to attend to my son-in-law.”
Aang was confused from the conversation but he trusted these strange beings, even Eönwë, the angry one. As he made his way back to his pallet, he saw that Zuko was not asleep but watching Eönwë. He knew that Zuko did not trust these beings and that he was also shaken by the way his father had disposed of him as if he did not matter anymore. He hoped he would not cause trouble tomorrow when they moved.
The next morning, they could see the Fire Lords troops from the entrance of the cave. They all watched silently as Elrond was wrapped securely for travel and helped pack up the few belongings they had managed to bring with them.
“Is everything ready?” Eönwë said as he came to stand before Aang. Seeing that it was, he turned his attention to the Avatar. “Can you give me clear directions to this city you speak of?”
Seeing Aang’s answering nod, Eönwë gain permission before placing his hand on the boy’s head and looking into his mind. When he was sure he could find the city he retreated.
“I can get us there,” he told Glorfindel and Celeborn. “I will take Aang and Celeborn first so they can set up some sort of camp, then the other children. I will take Glorfindel and Elrond last.”
“Are you sure you are strong enough to do this?” Celeborn asked in worry knowing that Eönwë was not physically healed himself to say nothing of his mental state.
“We have no choice, they approach,” came the answer they dreaded. Turning to the children he tried to explain what would happen. “I have the ability to transfer us to another place a few at a time. You will not be hurt but must trust me. You will feel disorientation but it will pass. Come.”
Aang nodded his head and entered Eönwë’s arms followed by Celeborn. The others gasped in shock as they disappeared in a flash of light and started to panic.
“It is alright children, he is just moving through space a different way,” Glorfindel said in an attempt to calm them while watching Zuko’s reaction. When he saw that the boy was not surprised by what had happened he asked, “You have seen this before?”
“The one who last visited my father did that. Are you the same as he?” he asked.
“Yes and no is the only way I can answer that,” the blonde said as Eönwë appeared again. “I have not the time to explain further. Go, and we will talk later.”
Toph walked right up to Eönwë while Zuko approached warily. Finally Eönwë reached out and grabbed the boy before disappearing again. Katara helped Glorfindel ready Elrond before she and her brother left with Eönwë. When he appeared again, he was clearly exhausted,
“You are weak,” Glorfindel said as he gave the Maia a drink from the remaining canteen. They could both hear the sound of approaching men. “Would it be easier for you to take Elrond alone?”
“There is no time, they are coming,” Eönwë answered. “We will make it, come.”
Before Glorfindel lifted Elrond and walked into Eönwë’s arms he placed his hand over the herald’s heart and sent him as much of his energy as he could while still remaining able to take care of his Lord and friend. He felt the disorientation of movement and then they were standing beside a fountain. Glorfindel shoved Elrond into Celeborn’s arms as he turned to catch Eönwë when he collapsed.
Chapter 4:
“Stubborn Maia,” they all heard him say as he laid Eönwë down on a pallet and checked him over. Seeing that he was just exhausted, he covered him and helped Celeborn settle Elrond. He then signaled that he was going to do a recognizance of the area.
As Glorfindel searched out the city he was impressed by its beauty. He was fascinated when he realized that the city or temple as he suspected the whole complex was, hung upside down. It intrigued him that the only way to the city was over the cliff wall. It would make for easier defense but left them with few escape routes if attacked. He hoped there impromptu disappearance gave them the time needed for Elrond and Eönwë to heal enough to sustain them until they returned home.
As he made his way back to the others, he heard noises in a small side room. He quietly entered and seized a man sitting in front of a small fire. He immobilizing him with some rope he saw in the corner before throwing the man over his shoulder and returning to the house they had settled in.
“I found this man on one of the lower levels,” he said as he threw him on the floor.
“Iroh,” Zuko said as he rushed to the man’s side. “He is my uncle. What have you done to him?”
“He will wake soon, I have not hurt him,” Glorfindel answered. When he saw that Zuko intended to untie the man he stopped him. “The ropes stay.”
When Zuko whirled on him Glorfindel let his inner light flare. He watched silently as the children banded together in fear against the far wall before allowing himself to return to normal.
“Do not think to make that mistake again boy,” he said with a deadly menace. “None of us wanted to be here but we are. We will help you do what must be done but it will be on our terms. You are nothing but inept children to us, so don’t push it.”
“Glorfindel, enough,” came Celeborn’s quiet ordered as he pulled the blonde away. Pushing a bag into his hands, he defused the situation further. “We need food, go.”
“What are you?” Toph asked without fear.
“We are elves like I said,” Celeborn said gently as he realized that they had gone beyond not telling the children more.
“He isn’t like you others, is he?” Sokka asked as he pointed to were Eönwë laid. “I can feel that there is a difference.”
“Who is the man?” Celeborn asked ignoring Sokka for a minute.
“He is my uncle Iroh. He is my mother’s brother,” Zuko said as he went to his side.
“He has helped us before,” Katara supplied. “We can trust him. He is an outlaw from the Fire Nation, like us.”
“And Zuko?” he asked remembering Glorfindel’s comment. “Who is he?”
“He is the Fire Lord’s son,” Toph answered. “His father disowned him and made him an outlaw unless he delivered Aang to him. He chose Zuko’s twin sister, Azula, to replace him as heir. Iroh got him to acknowledge his true feelings and he ultimately joined us.”
“Aang defeated the Fire Lord five years ago and took away his powers,” Katara said realizing that more needed to be said. “Azula, Zuko’s sister, was put into the prison as was their father. Somehow, his powers were returned and he broke out. He gathered his forces again and attacked. Aang’s powers were destroyed and we were all taken captive and thrown into the prison where you found us. Iroh was the only one to escape.”
Celeborn made a decision then that he knew would be unpopular with his comrades. He untied Iroh and helped him to sit up as he came around.
“You must forgive Glorfindel,” he said by way of explaining Glorfindel’s conduct. “He has been charged with seeing to Elrond’s security and welfare for thousands of years. When Elrond took the decision away and let himself be captured, Glorfindel blamed himself. He will be overprotective for quite a while but will calm down some soon. Do not make the mistake of challenging him again Zuko, you will not win.”
“He doesn’t do a good job as a bodyguard does he?” Zuko said smugly.
“He does when Elrond lets him,” Eönwë said as he rose and joined Celeborn.
“You should be asleep,” Celeborn censored him.
“You make too much racket,” he replied.
“From the man who sang the Dwarven drinking song at full volume in the middle of the night six weeks ago,” Celeborn couldn’t help but reply.
“Is that all the longer it has been,” Eönwë asked in surprise. “It seems longer. Zuko, Glorfindel is the best warrior of their race. None here could defeat him in a straight fight. Evil is known to flee from him in fear.”
“You said their race,” Iroh asked shrewdly. “You do not include yourself.”
I am not an elf although I am able to wear the form of one when I want,” Eönwë answered as he tried to decide how much to tell. After a minute of silence, he began to explain. “I am what is known to their people as a Maia. My true form is not physical but spiritual. My kind is the second type created by God. We were created to help the senior creations, the Valar, with creating and maintaining everything. We were also created to serve and watch over God’s children, the firstborn, or elves if you will, and the second born, or humans.”
“If I understand what you are saying, I believe our name for you would be a Lesser Lord of some sort,” Iroh replied as he thought about what he was being told. “Our stories say nothing about a race of elves or firstborn though.”
“Do you have legends or tales of a magical folk who live among the trees and other fauna?” Celeborn asked them.
“You mean like the stories of the fairies?” Sokka and Toph asked together.
Eönwë smiled and laughed as Celeborn rolled his eyes.
“Yes like your fairies,” Eönwë answered. “But if I am correct, the fairies in your stories do not interact with you.
Seeing the confusion in Celeborn’s eyes at his response, Eönwë knew he had to give an explanation.
“Celeborn, there are other occupied worlds both within and without Ea,” he began gently. “On most others, it is the Maiar who are the fairies of legend. Only on Arda have the firstborn ever existed. The Maiar have patterned their fairy’s behaviors on what they felt instinctively it should be. It turns out that the behaviors are similar to how the firstborn commune in peace with nature. We know not why Eru placed the firstborn only on Arda, within the circles of the world, while the second born go beyond.”
“Are these then descendants of the Second born of Arda?” he asked. “Are any of these Arwen and Estel’s descendants?”
“We are not given that information but I do not think Eru would place Elrond in that kind of a situation knowing the pain it would cause him,” came the careful reply. “This race is also far older than the Secord born you know. I suspect they are closer to your own people’s age.”
“You said that you were brought here to help us?” Aang asked after he thought about what they had been told. “Why?”
Eönwë and Celeborn looked at each other wondering how much to tell them. Glorfindel, who had been listening to the conversation for quite some, came forward and dumped the brace of rabbits that he had caught on the floor as well as a bag of vegetables.
“Tell them the truth,” he ordered before he set about cleaning the rabbits. Katara picked up the bag and began to prepare the vegetables as Sokka set up a fire and spits for the rabbits.
“We believe that our being sent here resulted as punishment for some rather wild and reckless behavior we indulged in,” came Celeborn’s careful comment as he watched Glorfindel.
“It is probably seen as punishment for me also for being willing to go along with you guys instead of censoring you,” Eönwë injected. “But I also believe that Eru took advantage of the situation to solve the problems with the Avatar here rather than wait for another generation to be born.”
“Please tell me that this is not another evolution of our growth,” Elrond whispered from his pallet. “I really do not think I like being a galactic problem solver.”
“Elrond,” his friends cried as they rushed to his side. The others watched in amazement as they could not believe that he would be conscious with the injuries he carried. Most of them did not think he would live let alone wake.
“Here, take a drink,” Celeborn told him as he lifted a cup to his mouth. “Do you want something for the pain?”
Elrond gently nodded his head as Glorfindel came over and placed a kiss on his head.
“Don’t you ever go somewhere without me again,” he mumbled through his tightening throat. “I cannot protect you if I am not there, and you still attract trouble like no one I have ever seen.”
Eönwë clasped Elrond’s other hand and looked into his eyes. When he looked away in embarrassment, Elrond called to him mentally.
‘It will be alright,’ he told him. ‘Eru is trying to teach us something. It is up to us to decipher what. Are the oaths you record still coming?’
At Eönwë’s nod, he continued. ‘Then we are meant to be here for now and all is well.’
Eönwë just stared at him for a minute before nodding. Then he rose and walked outside to the balcony. As he looked out over the city, he marveled at Elrond’s complete trust in Eru. He admitted to himself that he had lost some of that trust as his duties as Oathkeeper had increased. He had let the oaths he was recording taint his opinions of the children, and himself. He had withdrawn himself and had not surrendered his concerns to Eru.
‘Forgive me,’ he begged Eru and he also gave thanks for Elrond and his complete trust. He could learn much from the Peredhel if given the chance. He sent a final question to Eru before going back inside. ‘Do your lessons have to be so painful thought?’
The group resided in the city of air for six months as Elrond healed. As he stayed awake longer, Elrond was able to help Eönwë deal with the emotional aftermath of the flogging they had both undergone. They became very close as did the relationship between all four of those from Arda become close and tight. Glorfindel and Celeborn sparred everyday to sharpen and keep up their skills. It was only a few weeks before they were both back to the proficiency they had acquired during their time in Arda-Marred. The children and Iroh would sit and watch in awe as the two of them fought. They marveled at how they moved so fast that you could see nothing but a concentrated blur. Then the two of them began to teach the children different methods of combat to enhance their natural skills knowing they might be needed in the upcoming fight.
Once Eönwë had been proclaimed physically healed, he and Glorfindel would spar. Their fights at first scared the children and Iroh, but soon they became accustom to the display. Iroh and the children were shocked when they learned that what they were seeing was not even close to the two’s full power and strength. Eönwë began to test the different benders as to what they could and could not do as well as question what others of their kind could do. He was able to sooth Katara’s unease of her blood bending ability by teaching her how to use it to heal. All that he learned he would discuss with Elrond in the periods that he was awake while the other two elves listened in.
They had been residing in the city for four months when Elrond rose for the first time. They were all amazed that his back had healed with minimal scarring that Eönwë claimed would clear up in a few months. He took his time rebuilding his strength as he taught the children healing in their spare time. He also asked pointed questions about their bending abilities as well as Sokka’s ability to sense when to help them in any way he could. He could sense the younger one’s feelings of deficiency and helped him to understand that he had his own powers but that they lay in a different area. Celeborn picked up on the lessons explaining how of the four of them, he was the only one without special powers but how he was an important member of their team in that he knew instinctively when one of the others needed help of some kind.
Then came the day that Elrond deemed himself healed and picked up a sword instead of just watching. Iroh was amazed that he had healed so well so soon, and Elrond had given him a discourse on Elvin healing abilities. Iroh passed on this information to the children in terms they could understand and they were envious. They watched as Elrond would spend hours going through practice forms to build up his strength. Glorfindel had mapped out a running course knowing it would do all of them good to build up their stamina and Elrond made daily use of it. At the end of the fifth month, Glorfindel began sparring with Elrond after he completed his forms. He soon grew strong again and could fight at his prior abilities. After a particular strenuous session of sparring with Eönwë one day, those from Arda looked at each other and decided the time had come. Tomorrow they would approach Iroh and tell them it was time for them to learn element bending from their charges.
Chapter 5:
Eönwë checked on Elrond the next morning after they had broken their fast.
“Are you sure you want to try this now?” he inquired. “We can wait to begin.”
“No we can not,” came Elrond’s response. “The longer we are here the more we change destinies, not just ours either. The knowledge of our existence has changed these children. The more we interact with the people here the more our presence changes every thing. Besides, you do not trust them.”
“I need not trust them to accomplish what must be done,” Eönwë snapped as he turned his back and began to walk away. He stopped after only a few steps and sighed as he looked skyward. “This is hard on me. I am not used to being limited so. Even when I was incarnated during the War of Wrath, and afterwards while teaching your brother’s people, I did not have the limits I do now. My duties as Oathkeeper were also curtailed until after I returned and had time to heal and adjust. My other duties were carried out by others while I was gone or held until I returned.”
“And that is not the case here?” Elrond asked.
“No,” came the exhausted response. “My mind is constantly bombarded by the information coming from Arda and the other worlds, and some of my other duties take parts of my mind away also. Even my spouse was finding it hard to help me as I am not allowed to share these burdens with others. I find it distracting at times and that could be dangerous in this situation.”
“Dangerous for you, us, or them?” he asked. “And what do you mean by other worlds?”
“All of us. It is why I am not insisting on being the Avatar. It would be easier for me but I am afraid of the consequences if I become distracted at the wrong time,” he quietly admitted. “As for your other question, did you truly believe that Arda was the only occupied world Eru created? That is a rather arrogant attitude for the first born to have. Or course, you share it with the second born.”
“Sometimes admitting when you cannot do something, regardless of the reason, is the better path. It takes a stronger person to know his limitations and act upon them accordingly,” Elrond counseled. “I will be fine. And truthfully, I never really thought about there being other occupied worlds. It is not something that many of our kind contemplate.”
“You should listen to your own advice some time,” Celeborn told Elrond as he came up to them and hugged his son-in-law. “You’re probably as bad as he is.”
Elrond and Eönwë just smiled at each other before breaking out laughing. Then they decide to quit stalling. It was time to place themselves in the hands of these children.
While their offer to learn and train from the children in order to help the Avatar delighted the group, they were unsure of how to proceed. Iroh decided that the best way to start their training was by testing what they could already do. He and the children were surprised by Eönwë and Elrond’s abilities but unsettled as well.
“You are not bending the elements,” Iroh told them. “Your control is different and that might give you the edge you need to defeat the Fire Phoenix. Eönwë, you should be the one we train as Avatar since you already have a mastery of the elements.”
“No,” Eönwë told them before walking away.
“I will be the Avatar,” Elrond injected quietly. When Iroh tried to object he was cut off. “Eönwë will only step into my place if I fail. This has already been decided between us. We have reasons we cannot explain to you. You will just have to trust us.”
“It is their decision. They did not have to help us at all,” Aang said to stop the others when they tried to object. Turning to Elrond and Eönwë he addressed them. “I think it would be better if we taught you to bend the elements like we do.”
“They could hold off and use their natural powers if they cannot defeat the Phoenix any other way,” Zuko put in as he stepped forward for the first time. “I know that the one who trained my father only trained him in our fashion. He picked up a few other things on his own from watching the one training him, but they seemed to not want him to learn too much of their way.”
“Your father?” Glorfindel asked as he came to stand before the boy. He had not been in the room when Zuko’s past had been explained.
“Yes,” came the shamed answer. “You need have no worry of me. He disowned me long ago. It was with great joy that he disposed me as Fire Lord Crown Prince and imprisoned me. He would have eventually had me executed in the square as an example.”
“And the girl?” Glorfindel asked.
“My twin Azuka,” he answered quietly.
Elrond’s head shot up in alarm at this announcement and he rushed forward and grabbed Zuko. “How close are the two of you connected?”
“I do not understand,” Zuko said as he tried to pull away.
“I also am one half of a set of twins,” Elrond explained. “I know quite intimately what can be gleamed from twin bonds. How close are or were you and your sister?”
“We were rarely separate until my father intervened between us nine years ago,” Zuko answered with an echo of pain in his voice. “He pitted us against each other to win his love and to choose his heir.”
“Did you sever your bond?” Celeborn asked him as he came up behind him.
“What?” he asked startled. “I do not understand.”
Eönwë came forward and grabbed Zuko by the back of the head and held him as he forced him to look into his eyes. After a few minutes, he released him and pushed him away.
“The bond is still in place,” Eönwë told the others. “That is how they are tracking us. Our time here is limited.”
“Can the bond be broken?” Elrond asked.
“Their bond is not like you and Elros’s,” Eönwë said as he thought about it. “Twin bonds among most are only severed upon death. You two were a special case.”
“How much time?” Glorfindel wanted to know as he studied Zuko in dislike.
Eönwë closed his eyes and reached out his senses. “We might have two weeks before they become too close for comfort. They know where we are.”
“Then we learn what we can in that time,” Elrond said as he made up his mind. He missed his family and wanted to return home.
Elrond and Glorfindel went with Aang, Iroh, and Zuko while Celeborn and Eönwë left for other rooms with Katara and Tolph. It took them several days to master how to control the first element they each tried, but after figuring it out the others came easier. By the end of the first week both Elrond and Eönwë had mastered bending two elements.
The next several days, Iroh and Aang taught Eönwë who picked up the lessons quickly. Elrond had no trouble learning to control water but still had trouble with earth bending by the end of the week. Realizing they were running out of time, Aang decided to teach them together for their last lesson as Elrond continued to work on his earth bending.
“Now you must learn to achieve the Avatar state and use all four elements together instinctively,” Aang explained. “To do this, you must learn to let go of everything. All of your ties to another for any reason must be severed.”
Elrond and Eönwë looked at each other and wondered if it was possible. The bonds they shared with their mates were actually a part of them. To release this was to sever the bond. They both also had bonds tying them to Arda and the duty of serving the Valar from their Maian blood. Furthermore, they had a bond to Ilúvator, as his creations, to serve him. Neither would sever that bond for any reason even if they could sever the others. They began to understand that they may not be able to do this and would need to find another way.
Celeborn and Glorfindel had been listening in on the lesson and both realized the problems involved.
“They cannot do this,” Glorfindel told Celeborn. “It will destroy who they fundamentally are.”
“Neither will give up their bonds to Eru even if they give up all else,” Celeborn said stating the obvious. But then Celeborn had another thought.
“What if this is a test for them?” he asked.
“How so?” Glorfindel inquired intrigued.
“Maybe we are asking the wrong questions,” he answered. “Maybe the real question is how much they are willing to sacrifice, for what, and to whom?”
“And if that is the case,” Glorfindel said. “What does that say about the two of us? Or how are we connected, if we are?”
Neither was comfortable with where their thoughts were headed and they resolved to talk to the others in private after the lesson. They were running out of time and this had to be addressed. They also needed to decide where to go when they left in the next two days.
Elrond and Eönwë were able to sever the first two ties to their inner selves as Aang taught them fairly easily. It was when he asked them to sever their ties to their homes that their problems began. Both had been taught from their earliest times that they were tied to the fate of Arda. It was Celeborn who finally helped them overcome this obstacle when he made the observation that they were both being silly; they were not obviously in Arda now which meant they were beyond the tie. Elrond and Eönwë just looked at each other and rolled their eyes when the truth was brought to their attention. They overcame that barrier seconds later much to their embarrassment.
“To achieve the avatar state you must overcome two final obstacles,” Aang said as he watched the two settle back down after taking refreshment. “First, you must sever your connection to those whom you hold dear. There is a dependency that comes with your feelings for another. You must be able to sever this or you will not truly achieve the Avatar state.”
“I cannot do this,” Elrond said as he rose and walked several steps away. He knew that he was tied closely to his wife and to sever the bond would damage not only him but her also.
Eönwë watched from his seat on the floor as Aang tried to convince Elrond that he must do this or all was lost. Searching inside himself, Eönwë was not so sure that he could sever his connection to his spouse either. He had waited for a very long time before she was revealed to him, and he clung to her even here where he could not feel her. He knew it was worse for Elrond as he had already experienced loosing his wife once before.
“Aang,” Eönwë called. “You need to understand that what you have asked us to do is different than what you had to do. Our bonds to those we care the most about, our mates, actually become part of us, of who we are. To sever them leaves us damaged, and at a severe disadvantage. We may not be able to do what you ask of us. We need time to think about this first and rest.”
“You both have done enough for today,” Celeborn called. “Glorfindel has prepared a hot bath for you. Come I will show you where.”
Aang made to follow and try to help convince them they could do this but Iroh stopped him.
“They are different than us,” he tried to explain. “I sense that what you ask of them may not be achievable. Leave them for a time to talk among them selves. Come and eat then you must rest also.”
Glorfindel let Elrond and Eönwë relax and rest in the hot water as Celeborn prepared them a dinner of fruits and vegetables. Finally when he deemed them relaxed enough he explained what he and Celeborn suspected about this all being a series of tests.
“But to what purpose?” Elrond exclaimed.
Eönwë stayed silent as he thought deeply before answering.
“I suspect you are correct in your assumptions,” he began as Celeborn placed plates of food before them all. “The Ainur have known for a long time that Arda was not the only inhabited world in Ea or beyond. “When we created the planets, we created life in many forms. It is not unreasonable for some of that life to have evolved into sentient beings. Also, we have learned that Eru created other children and put them on other planets inside of Ea for us to oversee.”
“And following that thought,” Glorfindel mumbled around eating an apple, “Melkor’s taint is spread out among these other planets.”
“While you are correct, it is not necessarily Melkor’s taint alone,” Eönwë corrected as he finished eating. “He was not the only one on the first level of the Ainur to go bad. He was not even the first. And not all who fell are connected to him, there are rouge Ainur out there. It would not be surprising to learn that some of the others have penetrated Ea and visited these planets.”
“But returning to our observation,” Celeborn said, “can you two sever yourselves completely from everything?”
“The total separation that the Avatar demands cannot come from me,” Eönwë answered. “It includes the separation from Eru, if I understand correctly what we are trying to achieve, and I will not do that. I cannot do that; it is inherent to what I am.”
Elrond nodded in agreement as did the others.
“I also choose not to do it,” Elrond added. “I made my choice long ago to submit myself to whatever Eru asked of me making me just as much his servant. I will not change that now.”
“I guess that leaves us in a bind then as I will not abandon my bonds to Eru either,” Glorfindel commented.
“So what do we do if none of us are willing to do what it takes to become the Avatar?” Celeborn asked as he let them know that he pledged himself to Eru also.
“I know not,” Eönwë answered. “Let us rest for the night. We must discuss moving tomorrow with the others.”
Nodding in agreement, they retired to the rooms set aside for them without rejoining the others.