Return to Valinor

Carantaliel stumbled behind her captor as he pulled her along through the forest. Tellonnion had set a grueling pace, which in other days the Elven princess would have eagerly matched. Yet, she had no wish to follow this creature now, and she had her children to think of…

“No…” Carantaliel told herself. “I mustn’t allow him to know about them. He will try to use them against me.”

“Are you tiring, melethnín?” Tellonnion sneered. “Shall we stop to catch our breath?”

“As you wish,” she answered proudly, not wishing him to see her weakness.

He was not fooled by her false bravado, “You are out of shape, Cara. What sort of activity have you pursued to keep you busy? Don’t tell my you have resorted to embroidery and baking to pass the time here in Valinor?”

“I would remind you that you roused me from my marriage bed, Tellonnion,” she replied icily. “I’ve had plenty of strenuous activity already this day.”

Her smugness incensed him. Pulling her violently closer, he growled, “Do not speak to me of that halfling-runt! You have given him what should have been mine to take!”

Carantaliel blinked slowly and she stepped back from him though his grip was painful on her forearm. “I was right not to give in to you so impetuously,” she answered evenly. “You were selfish then and that has grown into a rapaciousness that I can not fathom now.”

He approached her again, this time slowly and dangerously. “You did not seem to mind it at the time.”

“I was blind to your faults then,” she backed away, but he continued to advance on her. “I didn’t believe you capable of such evil.” He backed her up against a tree. “But I know better now.”

His eyes bored into her, taking in every feature hungrily. Carantaliel could no longer discern any definite color in what had once been a pair of sparkling blue eyes. They were now cold and dead. She tried to endure his leering stare, but felt too exposed. He might read too much in her and she finally looked away from him.

“Indeed,” he finally said smoothly. “And just what do you know, cormamin?”

She shuddered at the endearment, the word sounding profane coming from his repulsive mouth. How he had made it over the Sea to the Undying Lands in this depraved state was a mystery to her.

Swallowing hard the Elven princess steeled herself to look at him again. “I know what it is that you did. I’ve seen it. It is an unforgivable betrayal.”

Tellonnion looked disconcerted for a brief moment, but quickly recovered to say, “You saw nothing!”

“Not then, no,” she said quietly. “Nor even before I left for Valinor. I mourned your loss greatly…” Her smile was rueful and fleeting, “You would have been moved.”

As she again tried to move away from his closeness, he pressed nearer sniffing her body like a hungry predator. “Finish it, Cara. What do you think you saw?”

“Secret meetings… with orc-filth… bartering to abduct and then ransom off Celebrían to my grandfather. How could you?” The hurt in her eyes would have moved anyone else, but not a servant of the Dark Lord. “Celebrían trusted and respected you. And my mother… alas for Novannoniel! Surely she did not deserve her fate either, Tellonnion!”

The sinister creature was confounded at her words, “You cannot know all this! I made certain you were otherwise engaged!” His stare was threatening. “You are too curious. I knew you could ruin everything. How did you know?”

With all the calm she could muster, Carantaliel pushed him out of her face and answered, “You forget that Lord Elrond has the gift of foresight. A gift that has been occasionally accorded to me.”

“So Elrond knows all this as well?”

“If he does he did not tell me. Nor have I told anyone else,” she answered. “I thought it merely a nightmare, a manifestation of my grief for you. I understand now.”

“Do you?” he sneered as he roughly stroked the curve of her neck, following the chain of her pendant to the white gemstone resting uneasily on her breast. “Well, we’ll see about that. What’s this pretty thing, melethnín?”

When he touched the pearly stone, Carantaliel felt a wave of dizziness and she shuddered with revulsion. Quickly the Elven princess reclaimed it from him to clasp it tightly. “It was a gift from… from… the Evenstar!” she said lamely.

Finding a small chink in her armor, Tellonnion regained his composure and mocked, “The Evenstar, you say? Are you sure it isn’t from your stunted little excuse for a husband?” His prisoner was stonily silent, but he knew that he once again had the upper hand. “That’s all right, Cara. You can keep your little trinket… for now.” Coldly he pulled her away from the tree and announced, “Break time is over!”


Frodo paced the lawn anxiously as he awaited word from Aldananeth, his friends watching him with taut wonder. Since his mysterious return the hobbit seemed not only healed, but he was stronger and more confident than they had ever seen him. A heroic fire was kindled passionately in his azure eyes and they understood his search for Carantaliel was the urgent purpose that sparked this change.
Yet, they did not know all. Frodo remained largely silent about his plans. In truth he did not know exactly what those plans entailed, only that when the Entwife told him where he could find his beloved and her captor he would go after them.

He answered their questions about his disappearance with brief replies, omitting his conversation with Yavanna almost entirely. Frodo still rather wondered if it had all been a dream, except that his leg was healed and the sword Tarfinion was now strapped behind his slim shoulders.

Children… He knew now that Carantaliel had tried to tell him she was with child, but with children? Her father, Elladan, was a twin, which was rare in the Elven world. Yavanna had called her Carantaliel Tarsulëwen… the Morningstar. Was there a greater purpose in their joining than he understood?

Frankly, he did not care. Frodo was tired of being the pawn of Fate. All he really wanted was to have Carantaliel back and to be happy with her and watch their children grow in a land without worry. After all that he had been through… after all that he had done… was that too much to ask?

Angry, he stopped pacing and set his shoulders, willing Aldananeth to return with news of Carantaliel as he stared fiercely into the dense forest.

“Frodo,” said Gandalf patiently, “she will come when she comes. You should rest…”

“You don’t understand!” he growled helplessly. “Cara needs me… the children need me!”

The wizard did not seem surprised at his response, nor did Galadriel nor even Fimbelis. However, Elrond and Figwit both were startled by the revelation.

“Frodo,” entreated Elrond urgently. “Frodo, what are you talking about? Children?”

Galadriel answered, “What he says is true, my lord. Cara came to me some days ago to confirm her suspicions. She will bear twins… if Frodo is successful in reclaiming her from Tellonnion.” The elflady’s usual serenity was greatly disturbed, “I fear they are all in much peril until they can be found.”

With tightly wound composure, Frodo turned to Galadriel and said, “My lady, I am determined to find them. Is there anything you can do to help me now?”

Suddenly the hobbit staggered and shuddered with revulsion. Frodo kept his feet, though Figwit reached out to steady him. “What’s wrong, mellon nin?” the elflord asked.

“I’m all right,” Frodo answered and gently shrugged off his grasp. “The feeling has passed.” He thought hard a moment, trying to discern what had just happened. Finally he said, “He touched her… I felt it. She was repulsed by him. How did this happen? How could someone she loved so much turn into such a vile creature?”

Compassionately, Galadriel replied, “Frodo, you must know the answer to that question better than any of us. The thirst for power is a wicked corrupter, and there are other evils in the world besides the One Ring to stimulate that thirst.”

He understood instantly, but refused to dwell on the agonies of the past. It was his future that concerned him now. “I will not wait any longer,” he stated. “Perhaps I will meet Aldananeth along the way.”

“I will go with you, mellon nin,” announced Figwit. Frodo started to shake his head in protest, but the elflord stayed him. “I may be a courtier, but I did not live in the valley of Rivendell without good purpose. I have learned woodcraft in my long years and I will not let you wander the unknown forest alone.”

“Very well,” answered Frodo, seeing the prudence in his friend’s argument. “But understand this… Tellonnion is mine!”

As Figwit acknowledged this statement with a grave nod, Elrond sighed deeply. “I am going too.”

They all looked at him with astonishment and Frodo said, “My lord, this is unnecessary…”

“I must go!” the elflord’s voice suddenly throbbed with barely reined in passion. “My own children are lost to me, Frodo! Arwen can no longer take the ship to Valinor, and my sons… the likelihood of my sons sailing into the West now grows dimmer with each passing year. Cara is the closest thing to a daughter that I have left! Would you deny me this chance to save her from this doom?”

Frodo was taken back by the wrath of his plea. Again he could not argue with Elrond’s demand and gave him grim nod. Then with an eyebrow raised in question, the hobbit turned to Gandalf.

“Well, you don’t think you’re going to leave me behind, do you?” the wizard asked.

Unable to help from smiling just a little, Frodo replied, “All right, all right. I can see I’m outnumbered. My lady,” he turned to Galadriel, “what about you and Fimbelis? Will you be joining us as well?”

Galadriel smiled briefly, “No, Frodo. I can see you have all the companions you need for now. To answer your earlier question of me, I do not know what I may do to help you at present. However, know this. When that opportunity arrives, I will be with you as surely as if I were at your side.” Lightly she touched his cheek then saluted it with a soft kiss. “There is still hope, mellon nin.”

Blinking back tears, he whispered, “Thank you for that. Tenna telwan, arwenamin .”

“Tenna san , Frodo Baggins,” she replied.

Fimbelis stood by, looking rather forlorn and helpless, and Frodo went to her, “Fimbelis, I would ask you a favor before I go.”

“Anything, Frodo!” she replied, happy that she might do something to help.

“Bilbo has no idea of what has gone on here tonight,” he said. “Would you go to him and explain where I have gone? He will be angry that I left with no word, but it can’t be helped. There is no time…”

“I will take care of it, Frodo. And I will be his companion until you return, never fear.”

“You are a sweet friend, Fimbelis. Thank you.”

Having regained some measure of composure once again, Elrond turned to Galadriel and said, “Celebrían will need to be told as well. I have no idea what my wife will feel at my absence, but I would ask you to tell her that I go to find Cara as much for her as I do for myself. I want us to be a family again more now than ever.”

“I know, dear friend,” she murmured and kissed his lean cheek. “May the grace of the Valar watch over you all…”

In the meantime, Figwit drew Fimbelis aside for a brief moment.

“Fimbelis, I know I have much to do to make up for my boorishness, but would it be too much to ask for a kind word before I go? I do not know…”

More than a kind word, the elfmaid wrapped her arms around his proud neck and kissed him ardently. Figwit was quick to respond, drawing her closer into his embrace then holding her a long moment after she laid her head on his shoulder with a shuddering sigh.

“Come back to me, Figwit,” she whispered.

“Now that I know I have you to come back to, cormamin, I will not fail,” he answered.

The wizard had his own conversations to take care of as well, and spent some moments speaking with Shadowfax and Thorondil.

Finally, he returned to the group and said to Frodo, “Dear boy, Shadowfax says the time to go is now if we are not going to wait for Aldananeth. Soon it will be dark and that is no time to start such a journey.”

Adjusting Tarfinion more comfortably between his shoulders, Frodo then nodded briefly and said, “Then follow me.”


-end of Chapter Twenty-