Talking to Arwen

"I had never seen an eagle with four legs."

"Me neither."

Upon hearing the comments from the elves, as if he understood their language, Calinor began to squawk in dissatisfaction while flapping his wings.

"This little one is called Calinor. He's not an eagle, but a Griffin, although you could say he's a distant relative of eagles, but much more powerful," I explained as I introduced him to everyone present. In response, Calinor puffed up his chest, trying to appear more majestic.

'How strange, this specimen is still very small. Could he be related to Gwaihir and Landroval?' Celebrían looked closely at Calinor with many doubts.

"Can I pet him?" Arwen asked me eagerly, while gazing at Calinor.

However, when Calinor noticed that people around him were getting closer, he started to get uneasy. I realized this and had to decline.

"Calinor doesn't like being touched."

"I understand," Arwen responded, a bit disappointed.

"Alright, it's best if we all get some rest now, so we'll be in better shape for tomorrow," Celebrían commented.

Everyone nodded and began to head to their campsites to rest. Although I wouldn't deny that I'd like to continue talking to Arwen, I didn't want it to happen with so many people around. It would seem odd since we had just met.

However, I wasn't too worried about it. I had plenty of time to get to know her better. Besides, I had many qualities that could make her become interested in me, so there was no need to rush things.

Moreover, I mustn't forget to keep practicing. In order to be with her and prevent her from having the same fate as in the original story, I didn't want her to give up her family for me and experience the bitterness of mortality.

"Come, daughter," Celebrían whispered as Arwen nodded and returned to her.

So, a few hours passed, and almost everyone was asleep. I sent Calinor to his resting place, then perched on a rock to begin meditating.

[Ding... A new day has passed. Would you like to log in?]

"Yes, log in."

[Ding... Congratulations, host, for acquiring the 'Passive Skill - Shield' and 'Thunder Field.']"

[Shield: a defensive ability that provides passive and permanent protection against mental or spiritual attacks. It can also be used for physical defense, but not passively.]

[Thunder Field: The host creates a field where the surroundings are all affected by thunder, immobilizing them or killing them directly. (As the practice advances, this power becomes more malleable, and the usage distance increases.)]

"It seems like I've had some really good things today," I thought happily as I felt a lot of information flooding into my head.

A few more hours passed until I heard some footsteps approaching. When I opened my eyes, I realized it was Arwen, who seemed to have gone for a walk on this starry night.

"Lady Arwen, is there a problem?" I asked, with a friendly smile on my face.

"No, it's just that I couldn't fall asleep," she replied, averting her gaze.

"Oh..." There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke again.

"If that's the case, why don't you come and keep me company? We can spend some time together."

"Alright," she replied, and I noticed a subtle blush on her cheeks, almost imperceptible.

She walked to a nearby seat next to me, and together we began to admire the wonderful landscape before us.

"This place is beautiful," she commented, looking around. "Your home is truly unique."

"I'm glad you appreciate it. I've spent years taking care of it and protecting it, so it's very rewarding to see that you like it too," I replied with a warm smile, proud of my home.

"Thank you again for saving me and the others," Arwen continued, her voice full of sincerity.

"You really shouldn't thank me. I just did what I thought was right, and besides, it's not a bad thing to save someone as lovely as you," I said, looking into her eyes, causing her to blush and look away.

For a while, there was another silence because she felt quite embarrassed by what I had said. I was a bit surprised by her reaction, but then I remembered that in this world, people don't usually express themselves so directly, so I decided to change the subject.

"Earlier, you mentioned that you like stories and tales. Could you tell me one? I haven't ventured far from this place, so I don't know much about what's out there."

"Oh... Of course," she said, looking at the sky as if contemplating which story to tell.

"Then... have you heard the story of Beren and Lúthien?"

"Beren and Lúthien?" Upon hearing those names, I remembered that they were a couple, one human and the other the daughter of an elf and a Maia. But I pretended not to know and encouraged her to tell me the story.

"This story is real and happened many years ago... Beren was the last survivor of a group of men led by his father, Barahir..."

And so, under the knowing gaze of the stars, I immersed myself in her tale, like a shipwrecked sailor captivated by the melody of a siren. Time faded away, leaving me enveloped in her sweet voice, while her beauty radiated in the night like a glow.

"...And so, Manwe offered Lúthien two choices: the first, she could leave the Halls of Mandos and live for eternity in the Undying Lands, or the second, a mortal life alongside Beren, returning together to Middle-earth. Lúthien chose the second option, a mortal life with her beloved Beren, renouncing her own immortality."

When she finished telling her story and realized that my gaze hadn't left her, her face blushed again, and we locked eyes once more. This lasted until she couldn't take it any longer and turned her face to look in another direction.

"I really liked your story," I commented, trying to restart the conversation.

But my plan didn't succeed as she simply nodded her head without daring to look at me. I could only smile ironically.

"I think it's late, so I'll go rest," she said as she got up.

"Goodnight, and I hope you get some rest. It's getting late," I commented as I watched her walk towards her resting place.

When I realized she had left, I couldn't help but feel the pounding of my heart. As a person from a modern world, I had an idea of what was happening.

I couldn't help but smile ironically because it was embarrassing to feel something like this after just meeting someone once. But I didn't blame myself; I knew that anyone would be in the same situation when meeting someone as beautiful as her.

What I didn't know was that when Arwen had walked far enough, she leaned against a nearby tree and patted her chest to try to calm her racing heart.

A few minutes after she had calmed her heartbeats, she decided to enter her tent again to rest. However, just as she was about to lie down, a voice surprised her.

"I see you're back. How was your conversation with Anaraviel?" Celebrían asked, with a small smile on her face.

"Mama, why are you awake?" Arwen asked in panic, her blush returning to her face.

"How can I sleep when my daughter sneaks out of the tent to meet a boy she just met?" Her mother replied, looking at her daughter embarrassed.

On the other hand, I continued meditating, absorbing thunder-affinity energy, to begin practicing the new ability I had acquired today.

The rest of the night passed without any other significant events.

As dawn approached, the first sounds inside the mountain began to be heard as people woke up. Some were dismantling their tents, and others were cooking provisions they had stored for the journey.

By a little before noon, everyone was outside the mountains, ready to say their goodbyes.

"Thank you very much for all the help you've given us. We'll be eternally grateful, and I hope to see you soon in Rivendell," Celebrían commented, giving a small glance at her daughter, who couldn't help but lower her gaze.

Upon hearing her and seeing these small actions, I couldn't help but realize that what she was saying had a double meaning, which made me smile shyly.

"I'm very happy to have been able to help you, so I assure you that no thanks are necessary. As for visiting Rivendell, I plan to do it as soon as the sun breaks through the dense winter clouds to awaken the dormant land. Then, when the flowers bloom, and life is reborn in every plant, I'll come to visit."

After letting them know I would visit them soon, I saw a small spark in Arwen's eyes. I took the opportunity to pull out a small scroll and gave it to her.

"What's this?" Arwen asked, doubtful.

"I call this a spatial scroll. You just need to put a drop of your blood on it to be able to use it. The space inside it is about the size of a medium-sized room. I've also left several books with stories inside, which you might enjoy," I explained while describing how it worked.

Without paying much attention to the reactions of those around, as I was more interested in other things, Celebrian and the other guards were already fascinated by the spatial seal. After finishing explaining how it worked, Celebrian quickly spoke to me.

"Lord Anaraviel, by any chance, are there more of these scrolls?"

"Of course, there are, but not many, because they're not easy to make. However, one of my reasons for going to Rivendell is to sell some," I replied calmly.

I obviously wouldn't tell them the whole truth because I wasn't so foolish as to openly distribute them to everyone. I would sell them to specific individuals at a high value, and their number would be very limited. I would also place some unique restrictions on them so that no one except the owner of the spatial scroll could open them, except for me.

Upon hearing my response, Celebrian breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I would sell them to them.

After that, we finally said our goodbyes, and Arwen, her mother, and their group of guards started their journey to Rivendell again. As for me, I boarded my flying sword and rose into the sky to follow them and make sure they arrived safely home.

I also wanted to learn the way to Rivendell, even though I had the map, it would be much easier for me to know the way directly.

I spent a few hours traveling until, at some point, they met another group of elves who seemed to be waiting for them halfway. This group was led by two young elves who had great similarities.

"They should be Elladan and Elrohir, Arwen's older brothers," I thought as I followed them in the sky.

After a few more hours of travel, they finally arrived at Elrond's grand house, which was located in an isolated and rugged valley in the easternmost part of Eriador, at the foot of the Misty Mountains.

I could see that the house and the valley were protected by elven enchantments that made the rivers rise and repel invaders.

"This should be the power of the ring that Elrond is guarding, which should be called Vilya if I'm not mistaken," I whispered as I observed the place.

When I finally saw the group of elves being received by a man whom I assumed was Elrond, and there were no problems on their journey, I decided not to stay any longer and returned to my mountain. I figured that someone must be waiting for me there, hungry.

What I didn't know was that as I turned and left, Elrond noticed something and looked in the direction where I had been. Celebrian and Arwen did the same to see a small line quickly moving across the sky.

"What are they looking at?" Elrohir asked, confused, as he looked at the sky with doubts on his face.

"It seems someone was watching them on their way back," Celebrían said, while glancing at her daughter, who was still looking at the sky in the direction I had gone, clutching the scroll I had given her tightly.

"What do you mean?" Elrohir asked, even more confused.

"It seems they have several things to tell me," Elrond commented calmly as he led everyone inside his house so they could rest and tell him what had happened. He had been quite worried during this time.

----------------------------------------------------------

Note: I realized that although I have some advanced chapters, this is much more complicated than I thought, thank you all for your good comments :)