The Light in the Darkness

Chapter 1: The Curse of Shasta the Light

Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new story, the Light in the Darkness!

As a child, I grew up with Lord of the Rings and in my childhood imagination, I always paired Frodo with an imaginary character by the name of Neera. There were never any female characters within the Fellowship and so I have decided to change that.

I always wanted to write their love story and now I have the ability to share it with the world in the form of Fanfiction. I always wanted to bring this world that I had imagined in my head as a child and add more amazing women characters to one of my most favorite books and movies growing up.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own The Lord of the Rings franchise. I only own the story, Lin and Neera who tells the story.

Elves carry the burden of immortality. My Grandfather once said that a hundred years is but the mere blink in the life of an Elf. Middle Earth may grow old and change with time, but not for us. Such endure a fate of immortality. To live eternally, observing those who are mortal fades away and passes on.

Elves were the wisest and most skilled of all creatures of Middle Earth. There were practically nothing Elves were incapable of achieving. My Grandfather has often said we are the proudest creation of the entire Middle Earth.

Elves are also capable of the deepest forms of love. More than any other creature. Elves mate for life. That love is enough to make them strong and weak all at the very same time. Only one person shall ever be theirs.

For Elves, our everlasting life becomes even more difficult if you fall in love with someone outside of the Elven race, like a mortal man or woman. It is often looked down upon if an Elf does this and is often said that it cannot be done. For a mortal and an immortal cannot live their lives together forever. Yet over the years, many have defied this rule.

As a result of one who defied this rule, it began three thousand years of a lineage of pain, heartbreak, betrayal, and everything else you could possibly imagine.

One woman's irrational love damned and cursed an entire lineage for over three thousand years.

It was known in legend as the curse of Shasta the Light.

Sauron placed this curse upon my family after he was destroyed during the last battle of the War of the Alliance. His body may have been destroyed in battle, but his spirit endured. Consumed with hatred and malice, he cursed the woman who helped destroy him.

The long line of my family's lineage was placed under a long and unbearable curse by Sauron, the Dark Lord of all evil.

It happened three- thousand years ago during the cosmic battle for the fate of the world.

The rise of Sauron was one that could not be stopped. Once he forged the Ring of Power, he became more terrifying than anyone could have imagined. It was frightening how much power Sauron and the Ring had when they were united as one. One could not exist without the other. Separate, they were treacherous. As one, they were unstoppable. It was known that Sauron could easily bring about the end of Middle Earth as soon as he waved his hand.

He lay siege to the lands of Middle Earth, destroying and burning it to the ground.

He caused an age of darkness and despair to fall over the people of Middle Earth, terrifying them into submission.

Yet despite these fears, there were several who resisted Sauron's power and refused to give into the darkness.

They refused to give in to him, and so they marched forward in an alliance of men and elves towards Mordor to oppose Sauron and his evil treachery.

The one Ring that would surely bring about the end of our beloved Middle Earth as soon as he waved his hand.

A last alliance of men and elves forged together towards Mordor to put an end to Sauron and the Ring.

Among these people was the first woman of my family to have her life taken by Sauron's curse.

She was an Elf of the Woodland Realm, daughter of the King. Her name was Shasta.

She was renown for her beauty and skill in battle. With a long silver dagger at her side and her renown skills in archery, she was unstoppable. She was a strong, proud, beautiful Elven princess. She was truly the pride of the Woodland Realm. It is known that Elves are skilled warriors, but she took her skill to the next level. She was gifted. She possessed an ability that was unlike any Elven warrior that came before her. She was blessed with the ability of light. Each time she shot an arrow, a piercing gold and purifying light would be released from them. A gold and pure light that could dispel any evil.

Because of this ability, she became known as Shasta the Light.

These arrows she possessed were called the Arrows of Light. None but the Princess Shasta were able to use these arrows. With the power of such light, none were able to challenge Shasta and successfully defeat her. None understood how Shasta was able to create such a unique ability.

Many said a drop of light fell from the Heavens and landed on Shasta and blessed her with this gift. Others said she was not really an Elf, but rather a demon or wizard in disguise. But the reality is that Shasta developed the technique on her own. She wasn't born of magic or had been born lucky. The truth was that she was just unlike any that came before her. No one had ever been able to figure out how she was so blessed to have this ability. She never told a living soul how the light was given to her. More powerful and more determined than any Elf. She was the pride of the Kingdom. More powerful and stronger than any that came before her.

She was supposed to take this power of hers and use it to defeat Sauron forever. The light had purification magic that would banish and purify any form of evil. It was the only weapon the alliance had to subdue Sauron enough to separate him from the Ring and defeat him. She was in line to go down in history as the most powerful and wise ruler that the kingdom had ever known.

Until the day she met the love of her life. A man of Minas Tirith.

It was she and her lover, a mortal man, that was responsible for destroying Sauron and bringing about the end of his treachery.

The son of the king, Isildur.

They had fallen in love during her visits to the White City of Minas Tirith with her father to discuss war plans with the King of Gondor. Although it was against the wishes of her father and her people to be with a mortal man, Shasta defied his orders and accepted Isildur's courtship and later, his proposal of marriage.

They were about to set a date for their wedding when it was time for the alliance of men and elves to set forward to Mordor to stop Sauron once and for all.

While his father was hesitant to accept the union, he eventually came around and accepted them. His son's happiness meant more to him than his legacy. Shasta's father couldn't disown her for her decision, no matter how much he wanted to. She meant too much to the cause.

Shasta didn't care what they thought. She loved Isildur more than anyone else in her life and she knew that after the war, she would leave Mirkwood and come be with him. She would give up her immortality for him and so she did.

But despite their plans to marry, they knew they needed to fight to ensure their life together.

They knew they would probably not return from the battle. They wanted to go off to war as husband and wife.

And so, with that in mind, they said their vows with Isildur's father as a witness and went off to war.

For a while, it seemed like victory was at hand.

Until Sauron finally entered the battle and killed Isildur's father the king, as well as many others.

Isildur and Shasta then stepped forward to try to defend King Elendil, but it was too late. It was in this moment that Isildur took up his father's sword to try to together they defeated Sauron the Destroyer. Isildur's sword was destroyed by Sauron and in a last-minute effort to save him, Shasta shot an arrow of light into Sauron's back, paralyzing him. This caused an opening for Isildur, who cut the Ring of Power from Sauron's hand, destroying him.

Sauron, the enemy of the free people of Middle Earth, was defeated.

But sadly, it was not the end as he placed a dreadful curse upon them.

While it would affect Isildur as well, it was designed to utterly destroy Shasta.

Despite all of her faults, her love for Isildur was true.

Sauron saw that and used it against her.

She would die for the sake of that true love of hers.

If not for her, Isildur would not have been able to cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron knew that the Ring would destroy Isildur, but that there was no guarantee that Shasta would ever perish. And so, he used the last of his power to damn her and her line for all eternity.

Sauron's voice spoke in her head. He ripped her heart in half, keeping one in her body and placing the other half within Isildur.

You forsake yourself for the love of a mortal man. Your foolish love shall be the end of you, Shasta the Light.

No blade or arrow of man, woman, or creature shall ever harm you. Only the one that shares your heart and yourself will be the ones that will end your life.

Until my Ring is destroyed within the fires of Mt. Doom, your children and your children's children will die for the sake of your foolish love. Their destined ones, as yours will soon, will cause them great love and great pain. Upon first sight with that person, their fate will become the same as yours. One by one they will fall into darkness and madness for love as you have done. They will find their chosen half and they will die for their sake, just as you will.

Upon the birth of your first child, your blood will seep from you and begin your agony, killing you. Your children will suffer as you will suffer soon. You will die either from giving life to another or from the madness of your grief.

That is the sentence.

Go now and die in the way I have intended for you.

And thus, upon his defeat, Sauron still had the final laugh in the end.

Complete invincibility of the entire body at the price of the complete vulnerability of the heart.

The curse was a cruel punishment. The women of the line would die either from the birth of a child or their own grief driving them mad. The men of the line would die from their own madness. By placing half of their heart in the body of another, it ensured more emotional pain for the descendant. The entwining of the hearts is what my father called it. Where you can feel the pain of your beloved as if it was your own pain.

It is a burden that no person should ever have to bear.

This was the beginning of the end for Isildur and Shasta.

In an attempt to protect Shasta from the curse, Isildur informed her that he would not seek to have any children with her. This would completely break Shasta's heart.

Due to the influence of the ring of power, Isildur grew dark and distant, almost hard to reach. They grew resentful of the other as Isildur refused to destroy the Ring of Power. He even took another bride to continue his own bloodline, something that hurt her even more. Isildur had a chance Shasta watched the man she loved turn into a monster. All Isildur had to do was destroy the Ring to protect his bride, but he refused. He had already been lost to the darkness and as Sauron had said, she would suffer in grief as a result of losing her love. The one that she had given her life and immortality for had abandoned her.

Her people and her father had abandoned her, as well. She was alone and lost. Upon losing Isildur to the Ring, the thing that cursed her and caused her pain, she grew mad. She even wished death upon Isildur and Isildur on her. What once was happy and mutually in love couple had been forgotten. In its place were two people who had been driven mad and beyond incapable of returning to the way things were before.

All Shasta wished was for the Ring to disappear.

She got her heart's wish, but in the form of losing Isildur.

As thus, after Isildur was murdered, in her grief, she completely lost her mind.

She had many affairs to try to silence her grief. Doing such a reckless thing caused her to become pregnant. She was so far gone at that point that many believed that she had no idea what was happening to her. She would give birth to her son and in turn, died in agony. As Sauron said, in childbirth, the blood seeped from her and destroyed her. As the blood seeped to the floor, it signaled the beginning of a long lifetime of death and despair. She died in the worst pain that had befallen her. She died alone and mad, just as Sauron had cursed her.
Shasta was destroyed as she was the first woman of our line to have the curse thrust upon her.

Killed by her love for Isildur.

It is the price that must be paid for having invincibility of the entire body. Complete protection of the body in exchange for the complete vulnerability of the heart. Shasta died because of her grief and madness over the loss of her beloved. Her final moments were of utter agony and madness. The spirit of Sauron had got exactly what he wanted: thousands of years of blood and madness because of the woman who destroyed him.

After Shasta left this world, her son was taken away to be raised by her father. Thus, the curse came and went through many families, causing them to fall apart again and again.

Her legacy was once Shasta the Light. Now it is merely Shasta the Cursed. A woman of such power and promise reduced to nothing but a woman whose selfish love damned her legacy and her line. Her father while never the same after learning of her death, never spoke of her fondly. He just viewed her son with cold eyes and as a product of her foolish actions.

None managed to survive it. As Sauron said, the women would die upon bringing a child into the world or by madness, and the men would die from their grief.

The line was heavily feared for their prowess in battle, but more because of the terrible fate that awaited them. As the descendants were invincible, they were the ideal partner to have on the battlefield. For the wars and battles that proceeded after Sauron's defeat, they were unstoppable.

The power of light that Shasta had been known for had passed to each descendant.

After many years, the curse finally happened to my father. Legolas, son of Thranduil the King of the Woodland Realm and my mother, Vista.

Upon first looking into each other eyes, Father said that he knew that he was meant to be hers. My mother knew as well that this was the person that shared her heart. My mother was not of a high class so she was not an ideal person for my father to marry. My father is the Crown Prince of the Woodland Realm and as such, the King did not approve of my father's feelings. My mother also warned my father of her circumstances. Even though she returned his love, she didn't want to make him suffer. She couldn't offer him eternity or a union without pain because of her destiny. She wanted my father to be happy and she knew he wouldn't be happy with someone like her. Someone that had only been brought into the world to die. If my father stayed with her, he would likely die as well upon losing her. When she died, he would be heartbroken and would have to continue on without her.

But my father was as determined and persistent with my mother as he was on the field of battle. He understood all of the potential consequences and still didn't give up. He declared that he would rather spend this life with her than to live his life without ever having her. He understood that they wouldn't have forever, but….

Even if it's a couple of years, days, or even this time now, I want to stay by your side. I will make every second matter. I would gladly endure a lifetime of heartbreak if it meant spending time with you.

Stunned, my father said that upon him saying that Vista broke into tears. He took her into his arms and they shared their first kiss.

They both understood the consequences of them spending their lives together. They both understood what would happen if they decided to have a life together. But they still chose to be together despite everything. He didn't care about his father's disapproval or the fact that she would be taken away from him. He just wanted her at his side.

He then asked her to marry him and she accepted. They had a private ceremony away from the watchful eyes of the King with Mother's guardian as their witness.

They spent many happy years together after they married.

Then it came to a tragic end when my mother discovered she was pregnant.

While there was the option for my mother to not have the child, in an act of courage, she decided against it. She told my father that he needed to have someone with him when she passed away from this world. It had always been her wish to have a child, despite it resulting in her death.

She had lived her life knowing she would eventually die. She made my father promise her to live on. She knew he would be devastated upon her departure, so she begged him not to be sad. She told him he needed to be strong for their child.
So many before me had never been there for their children. Once their destined one dies, they slowly follow them into the next world.
Her last wish was that even though his grief of losing her, he would live on and be the greatest father to their child. Above all, she asked him to try to be happy.

Knowing their time together was short, they spent every moment they could together. Until the fated day came that took my mother away forever. My mother had given birth to twin girls, my sister and me. She had held us for a few moments before she proceeded to die peacefully in my father's arms.

As expected, my father was completely broken after my mother's death. He told me that there were days where he wouldn't even leave their room. For so long, he was inconsolable. He told us that while he still was madly in love with our mother and missed her dearly, he was able to live on because of us. Despite my father's intense grief of losing my mother, he kept his promise to her and decided to live on. It was her final wish and as much as it hurt, he knew he couldn't break his promise to her. He would continue to live on for her. She had been abandoned by her father. She didn't want my sister and I to suffer the same. So my father chose to bravely endure the pain alone and give us the father we so desperately needed.

It was something no person affected by the curse had ever attempted before. My father somehow managed to do it. He endured all the despair on his own in memory of his beloved wife.

Before she passed away, Father and Mother had decided to name us Lin and Neera depending on our personalities as Father would raise us.

Lin, for fierce strength, stubbornness, magic, and spirit, and Neera for determination, wisdom, love, and compassion.

As a few months went on, it became certain which daughter would be which.

My sister was then named Lin, the name my mother wanted. Then I was named Neera, the name my father picked out for me.

He was the best father that anyone could ever ask for and raised my sister and me well. He trained us in the ways of fighting, hunting, and of course, archery.

Our father was one of the kingdom's best fighters and he deemed it that his daughters be the same.

While I took after my father, my sister took after my mother more.

My mother was an orphan. She was abandoned by her grief-stricken father in the depths of Mirkwood after her mother had died. Like so many that came before him, her father had ended his life in grief after her mother died at the hands of the curse.
She was taken in by the wandering wizard, whose name was Gandalf the Grey.
He raised my mother for many years before giving her back to her people. My father told me that she considered Gandalf to be her one and true father. Even though he was not her father by blood, it was of no concern of hers. Because he had saved her and took her in as his own when her real father abandoned her, he was her father. They never lost that bond that they had maintained during their years together.

While he was saddened at the loss of my mother, like my father, his grief was lightened at meeting my sister and me.

We never called Gandalf by his first name because to us, he was the equivalent of a grandfather and so, we always called him Grandfather. Like our mother, even though he was not family by blood, he was still family. He was the only father our mother had ever known. He was our grandfather now and forever.

While I took after my father in his form of fighting, my sister took after Gandalf in learning the ways of magic as my mother did when she was with him.

The descendants born into the line of Shasta that was affected by the curse were identified by a mark of the Eye of Sauron on their arm, but also by their ability to use the arrows of light. For generations, the arrows of light had passed down to each descendant of Shasta at the wish of her son. There had never been twins born in the line of Shasta before us, so it was uncertain how her powers and skill would be passed on.

My sister was born with the same ability of magic as our mother. During my mother's time with Grandfather, he discovered her abilities to use magic just as he did. As he raised her, he taught her how to develop her powers and abilities. It was another reason that so many Elves in Mirkwood kept their distance away from her. She used this ability in battle with my father, despite not being skilled in using the weapons he used. Whenever Grandfather came to visit us, he would always take a good amount of time to practice magic with her. While Lin knew how to defend herself without magic, it became clear that she was gifted, as our mother was.

As for myself, I gained Shasta's powers of light and was granted the arrows of light. My father trained me to be his equal in battle, or at least, a level below his equal. I trained myself as hard as I possibly could. No, ten times harder than that. I had my father train me harder than he had ever trained anyone before. I became his second in command in his battalions. My father and I shared a bond as father and daughter and as companions on the battlefield.

Despite the King's constant disapproval of our existence, Father never paid him any mind. We had grown up into strong and powerful women. He often said that our mother would be so proud of us.

Then came the tragic day when everything changed.

We were informed of the tragic curse when we were old enough to understand.
The reality that we were brought into this world simply to die for the sake of love.

I was devastated knowing that my mother had left this world just for my own existence.

My sister was never the same after the day we learned the truth. Her face turned cold and her eyes turned steely. She became incredibly paranoid and overprotective. In our youth, we had often traveled to other places like Rivendell and other forests. But after we learned the truth, she forced us to stay She vowed to protect us from the curse. She and I both feared what would happen to our father if anything happened to us.

My sister became determined to protect us from the curse in the only way she could see fit: to have neither one of us fall in love and suffer the way our parents did. The only way she could think of doing that was for neither of us to ever leave Mirkwood.

Days turned into years. Years turned into centuries and my sister always kept us isolated from the outside world to protect us. She was determined to prevent us from ever falling in love and succumbing to the curse that has plagued and destroyed our family. We had seen how much suffering our father endured every day due to our mother being gone. There was no telling what would happen to him if we were to die and leave him, as well. It killed me to know that we could never leave Mirkwood again.

My sister's actions turned me as cold and unfeeling as her. I placed barriers around my heart that I made sure would never come undone. Despite the fact that my sister's actions were suffocating and irritating, I knew that she was right. Despite everything, despite my yearning for the outside world, I knew as the years went on, I would eventually be thankful for my sister's paranoia. I couldn't ever allow Father to suffer that pain ever again. If it meant staying in Mirkwood for the rest of eternity, then I would just have to be content with that.

Or at least, that's what I told myself.

She told me time and time again that I could never fall in love.

To which I said back that if it was one thing I was absolutely certain of, it was that I would never fall in love.

That's what I thought until I found it in the form of a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and favorite! I love feedback and knowing that I have supporters, which in turn give me the motivation to write more chapters!

Until next time!

Kagomehater4ever