Disclaimer: I do not own any Tolkien characters or places, or elvish words. My thanks goes out yet again to the contributors to the encyclopaedia on CoE (Council of Elrond), as well as those who helped with the language dictionary and name finder sections; it is a most helpful resource! Thank you to the language database contributors; I have no idea what I would do without you all! And lastly, Cenor needs my thanks for helping me figure out torture methods.
Elvish words to know: Meleth means love, iell is a form of daughter, ion is son, ionath is sons, & Namarië means farewell.
Celebrían prepared to swing onto the back of her horse, Anthien. Elrond caught her before she mounted. "I'll miss you, Meleth." He kissed her soundly on the lips, not caring that their twin sons Elladan and Elrohir watched on, slightly embarrassed.
"I know, Meleth. I shall return before you know it!" She gave him one last tender caress and mounted her horse and their sons followed her. Lothlórien, their destination, was where her parents Celeborn and Galadriel dwelled. It had been years since thy saw each other and she was going to visit them for a few months. Besides that, Arwen lived in the beautiful wooded kingdom with her grandparents and her mother needed some quality time with her daughter. She missed her old home, even though her life with Elrond in Rivendell had been more than satisfactory. It truly had become her home and she hated to leave, especially since her husband would not be at her side. Yes, Elladan and Elrohir would care for her in the next few months, along with the three guards Elrond insisted on, but it was not the same as having her true love at her side. Yet she knew the Ruler of Rivendell could not leave for an extended period of time, not with goblins and other foul creatures threatening to invade their sweet and exclusive dwelling place.
Celebrían glanced back and waved one last time as the lone figure faded into the distance. Hoping their trip would have no disasters, she looked ahead on the trail but detected nothing.
A few weeks later, they finally arrived in Lothlórien after a long yet uneventful trip. Celeborn and Galadriel greeted their only child with a tender embrace, then hugged their precious grandsons. "It is so good to see you again! I've missed you, my child," the Lady of Lothlórien crooned tenderly. "And my, how you boys have matured now! You look so much like your father."
"Naneth!" Arwen approached and embraced her mother. "I missed you."
"And I missed you, my iell."
The twins also hugged their sister. Then, the family climbed up the many tiers of the elevated kingdom to get the guests situated.
It is so good to be back! Celebrían sighed happily to herself. How she had missed her gorgeous home! Her blonde locks gently flowed in the soft breeze and shone in the light that had just started to fade away into soft hues of pink, yellow, and orange. Her parents updated her on the events that had gone on, which really was not much in these past few centuries, thankfully.
When the visit was up, Celeborn, Galadriel, and Arwen hugged Celebrían, Elladan, and Elrohir one last time. "Namarië, my loves!" they bid each other farewell. The trio mounted their horses and rode away towards Rivendell. The guards had returned to Rivendell shortly after seeing the family arrived safely, so three men from Lothlórien would escort the company back to their home; one cannot be too careful when traversing the Misty Mountains. As much as she had enjoyed her visit, Celebrían missed her husband desperately and became more anxious as each day passed to be by his side once again. They travelled for several days, then the unfortunate happened. The Redhorn Pass, nearer to Lothlórien, was one of the best ways to cross the Misty Mountains. That is why the company chose to use it to get back home to Rivendell, wishing to spend the least amount of time trying to blaze their way through the rugged terrain. However, goblins and other foul creatures had been moving into the caves beneath the tree-covered peaks for some time and had formed quite a dwelling place under there. These nasty beings do not like the sunlight, so when the sun went down and the elves pressed on a bit further, they attacked. The guards, Elladan, and Elrohir fought bravely to protect Celebrían. There were many severed heads and mortally stabbed bodies littering the ground when they finally pushed them back into their hole in the ground. Yet while the menfolk were busy, a small group of orcs had come under the cover of the night and captured Celebrían, toting her unceremoniously to their stinky caves. Her two sons looked around as they finished their skirmish and just caught a glimpse of their foes taking the Lady of Rivendell away.
"Naneth!" Elladan cried, and Elrohir followed his gaze to where to orcs had disappeared underground. The twins and guards quickly formed a small circle to discuss their rescue plan. "Orcs and goblins are foul creatures and like to torture their foes, getting all the information they can before killing them. It is imperative that we rescue Naneth as soon as possible, not only for her sake but also for the safety of our dear home. I suggest we look around and try to get the lay of the land and tunnels underneath, then, since there a five of us, Elrohir and I can team together on one side, and you three on the other, then go in for the attack." Elladan quickly took charge as the eldest twin, and the other elves submitted to his expert leadership.
"What if there are too many orcs for us? I know the five of us are experienced warriors and could probably take on ten times as many goblins as we are, but there is the possibility of something going wrong," Elrohir, the skeptical twin, pointed out.
"Then we shall fight to the best of our ability. Ada will have our heads if we don't at least try to save Naneth. I, for one, would rather die fighting to save Naneth then go home and face Ada's wrath. He can be scarier than five score of orcs!" Although both twins had a good relationship with their father, they both realized Elrond's anger was a force that could not be reckoned with. Returning home without his beloved would practically be a death sentence. "Remember, be careful and our goal is to save Naneth, not to go on an orc-killing rampage. Any that we manage to kill are just good news for us, an added bonus. Now, to arms!" With that, the five elves prepared for a daring rescue.
Meanwhile, Celebrían had been forced down into the goblin tunnels. The darkness was so black and evil that even with the torch the head orc held, she could barely see her hand in front of her face. The whole place felt oppressive, smelling of mould, unwashed bodies, and stale blood. The air, cold and dank, chilled her body to the depths of her soul. In fact, her body weakened against her will and her captors ended up having to carry her because she kept on stumbling and lagging behind. Their Black Speech grated her soul, the foul language unspoken in the nice elven kingdoms, even though she knew a bit of it and gathered her situation was quite dire indeed.
After travelling for what felt like hours, when in actuality it was probably no more than 30 minutes, they took the Lady of Rivendell to a small torture chamber. Suddenly, her strength renewed in her and she fought valiantly against her captors. "Let me go! What did I ever do to you?" she demanded forcefully. Normally a quiet and subdued elf, her anger at being captured and worry over her family made her brave. However, the goblins did not see things this way.
They laughed at her, taunting her. "You are going to help us infiltrate Rivendell, pretty one." An orc touched her face, and she slapped him. Then she remembered the small dagger she kept hidden in her dress. Slowly she brought it out and swung out, stabbing the offensive creature and killing it. Unfortunately, that angered his companions and they wrestled with the riled elf. There were too many for her to fight off and they succeeded in taking her weapon away, then promptly tied her up tightly. The ropes cut into her wrists, chafing them to the point they bled profusely. Their black fingers had cut into her as she struggled against them, leaving huge scratches on her arms. "I will never tell you a thing about my home. Kill me if you want, but I will never tell." Her resolve was firm; her home was more important than her life. After all, she was only one elf, but if their enemies were to ever find their cozy home, many of her kinfolk would die. Thus she concluded it would be better for just one elf to pass away.
"We will make you talk yet, stinky elf. That no-good husband of yours won't ever find you here, so you might as well give up." The orcs, adamant as she was, prepared to torture the information out of her. First, they put the Boot on her. They tightened it so much that she lost the feeling in her leg, feeling as though small insects crawled through her veins. She cried out in pain, but her captors laughed, then apparently got bored and decided to try something else. They poked and prodded her with tiny little rapiers, drawing more blood. "No! I will never tell you anything! Please, just kill me now!" she cried, finding the pain excruciating. She had never undergone anything like this and the oppressive blackness and evil of the nasty whole threatened to overwhelm her entire being.
The orcs laughed at her manically. After some discussion in the hideous Black Speech, they unceremoniously dragged her to another room, her legs scraping against the rough stone floor, which caused her bruised limbs to throb even more intensely. A huge tub of water awaited her, and they repeatedly held her underneath until she felt her lungs would burst from her. Every time she emerged coughing, choking, and gasping for precious air, the raucous laughter of her captors greeted her, grating into the depths of her soul. The cold shiver that came into her heart grew worse with every passing minute, and she wondered how much she would have to go through before they would finally kill her. She never considered that death could be a blessing until this point in her life. Her love for her husband and children flashed before her as she recalled all the wonderful times they had experienced together. Finally, when her body threatened to give out on her from all their torture, they took her back to the first room and chained her to the wall. Her already chafed and bleeding wrists felt better when the cool metal clanged against them, pinning her hands near her shoulders. A large and hideous goblin with a huge head and black teeth sneered at her. "You are mine at last, smelly elf woman!" He tried to kiss her, but in one last burst of energy she kneed him in the groin. He doubled over in pain and as soon as he recovered stabbed his dagger into her side and wrenched it out again. While he somehow hit no vital organs, it seemed as though her body had just had a dark and evil spirit unwillingly poured within her veins. A deep chill settled over her, working its way into the deepest depths of her innermost being.
"No! Please, just kill me now!" Celebrían shrieked, the pain almost unbearable as blood poured from her side and threatened to make her lose consciousness.