webnovel

Telling stories.

"How is everyone doing?" I asked as I watched the guards trying to tend to their wounds with some bandages.

"We're fine, and I'd like to thank you on behalf of the elves of Rivendell. My name is Celebrían," Celebrian replied, bowing courteously.

"Thank you so much for saving us. My name is Arwen," she added, echoing her mother's gratitude and introducing herself.

"I never thought you would be from Rivendell. Nice to meet you. And there's no need to thank me; I just did what I believed was right," I replied calmly. After pausing for a moment, I looked at the group of elven guards surrounding us. There were about 40 of them, and since Rivendell was still quite a distance away, it was evident that they would need to camp outside. An idea struck me.

"It seems many of you are injured, and there's still a long way to go to reach Rivendell. If you wish, you can follow me to a safe place to spend the night and recover in peace."

When they all heard me, a glimmer of joy appeared on their faces, but no one said anything, as they could only obey their captain or the lady. After some thought, Celebrían looked at her guards to assess their condition, and with her daughter's pleading gaze, she had no choice but to accept.

"I would appreciate that very much," she said.

Upon hearing her acceptance, we were all happy, including myself, as this would give me a chance to get to know Arwen better.

"Then follow me," I said, heading in the direction of my mountain. I had the courage to do so because elves, in general, have a good reputation, and I also knew of Arwen from the movies and believed in her and her mother's character. Not to mention that the guards protecting them must be close to Elrond, as he wouldn't let them care for his wife and daughter otherwise.

"How did you encounter a group of Orcs?" I asked curiously, as they weren't so common in this area.

"Some time ago, we were returning from visiting relatives in Lorien. On the way back, after crossing the mountains, we encountered this group of Orcs who pursued us relentlessly for nearly two days," Arwen explained.

"Those two relatives must be your grandmother Galadriel and her husband Celeborn; it seems they are now living in the forest of Lorien." commented in his heart.

"Then, I'm glad I found you in time," I replied with a smile.

"Excuse me, how should we address you?" Miriel asked.

"Oh, it seems I haven't introduced myself properly. You can call me Anaraviel," I said, while bowing courteously.

"...," there was a brief silence around, as my name was a bit unusual.

"Your name..." Celebrían furrowed her brow, as they clearly understood the meaning of my name and didn't know how to react.

Seeing their reactions, I simply smiled. "Regarding the meaning of my name, I'm well aware of it, as I chose it myself. As for why, it's simple. Just as it means, I don't have a proper name, and I never have. That's why I decided to call myself this. Now, if in the future, I come across a name that truly means something to me or that I like, I'll change it."

I continued as we walked. "Did your parents not give you a name?" There was a murmur among the soldiers following us, causing both Celebrían and Miriel to furrow their brows.

"Please, don't mind my subordinates," Miriel apologized hastily.

"Don't worry; it's a common question," I replied calmly. "As for them, it's simply because I never met them. The only person who took care of me when I was young also didn't give me a name. Moreover, they also died when I was little, so the topic was never addressed."

After speaking, I felt content, as I had already thought of a story about my identity in case someone asked me in the future. There was a brief awkward silence around, but I decided to ignore it, as we were about to reach my mountain. What I didn't know was that there was a hint of sadness in Arwen's eyes; it seemed my story had touched her.

"We've arrived," I said, drawing everyone's attention to the large mountain in front of us, which looked as ordinary as any other mountain, except it was the largest in the vicinity.

"Is this it?" Miriel asked hesitantly.

"You'll know when you get up there," I replied with a smile, then continued ahead, starting to climb the stairs. After seeing me walk, they hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to follow, with some doubts in their hearts.

But as they ascended the first step, they all felt as if they had passed through a thin layer of air, which was the protective barrier of the place. They were then left in awe of the beautiful surroundings. Various plants illuminated the path, with little fireflies flying around, casting a soft glow all around.

"What a beautiful place," Arwen whispered, mesmerized by the scenery in front of her.

"I feel like my wounds are slowly healing," one of the Elves commented in amazement.

This caught everyone's attention, and they carefully checked their bodies, noticing their injuries healing gradually.

"Ma'am, this is..." Miriel wanted to say something but was too astonished to find the right words.

Celebrían and Arwen were equally surprised because they were well aware that very few people in this world could use "Magic," and all such individuals were known for wielding the Rings of Power. This fact put Celebrían on alert, and she became more attentive to her surroundings.

"We should start climbing so you can settle in and rest," I suggested, snapping them out of their trance. Afterward, all the guards continued up the stairs with more confidence, marveling at the surroundings. This place truly resembled a fairy tale setting.

Finally, we reached the top of the staircase, where a large area filled with glowing trees and plants awaited. I gathered everyone to set up their tents.

After about an hour, all the tents were ready, and I called all the wounded individuals to a specific area, where I controlled the vital spiritual power around to help heal them more quickly. Once again, this astonished those around us, as they had never seen anyone do such things in the world. Arwen, Celebrían, and Miriel were particularly surprised, understanding the significance of such potent healing power and how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. Therefore, both Miriel and Celebrían decided internally to stay vigilant and try to establish a good relationship, although they had a feeling it wouldn't be necessary to be on guard.

Arwen, on the other hand, simply observed my actions without thinking too deeply about them.

When they saw that they were healed, everyone was so amazed that they stared dumbfounded at their recovered bodies. Then, one by one, they started to thank me, to which I simply returned the greetings.

"All right, now that everyone is feeling better, how about we have something to eat?" I suggested. I asked everyone for help in gathering some fruits from the trees surrounding us, as they bore fruits from my previous world. I also set up tables and chairs so that everyone could sit comfortably.

Gradually, the atmosphere relaxed, and the earlier astonishment began to fade. We washed and peeled the fruits, and by the time we all sat down, there was a wide variety of wild fruits on the table, each with different flavors and colors.

There were kiwis, green and red apples, watermelons, mandarins, grapes, bananas, pineapples, oranges, and more.

"What a sweet taste."

"I've never tasted fruit so delicious."

There were various comments about the novel fruits they were trying, but it was normal since such food had never existed in this world before. Everyone, including Celebrían, Miriel, and Arwen, enjoyed these fruits.

"I'm glad you liked them," I responded while enjoying a delicious watermelon.

The dinner continued merrily for a while, and from time to time, I could feel Arwen discreetly watching me. I couldn't help but feel very happy.

"I need to find a way to start a conversation. How hard can it be?"

"Come on, think. What should I ask?"

I thought for a while without finding a clear solution, so I decided to keep it simple and gradually extend the conversation.

"And, Miss Arwen, do you have any hobbies?"

"Well... I like to read, so I spend a lot of time doing that," she replied, stumbling slightly at the beginning.

"What a short response, doesn't give me much room to maneuver. Does she not like me? No, I don't think so, I would notice that," I thought, then looked for other ways to continue the conversation.

"Do you have any type of book preference?" I asked.

"I don't have many preferences, but I could say I like stories," Arwen replied.

"That's true. Arwen has always liked all kinds of stories since she was a child, whether it's love stories or ancient tales," Celebrían commented with a sly smile, standing beside her daughter.

"Mother, what are you talking about?" Arwen blushed and panicked.

"Bingo," I thought, as I came up with a great idea.

"Oh, have you heard the story of Jax and the Moon's Theft?" I said with a tone of uncertainty, while inwardly thanking Patrick Rothfuss for creating this story and myself for having read it in my past life.

"Jax and the Moon's Theft?" Arwen whispered as she tried to remember if she had ever heard of it.

"No, I've never heard of it," she commented, looking at me with a lot of curiosity, while her mother also gazed at me with the same curiosity, as she hadn't heard it either.

"Then let me tell you..." I said with a calm voice, perfect for setting the story's mood.

"Once upon a time, a long time ago and far away from here, there was a boy named Jax who fell in love with the moon."

"Jax was a strange boy, a serious boy, a solitary boy. He lived in an old house at the end of a broken road. Anyone who saw Jax realized that he wasn't like other children. He never played, never ran around causing a ruckus, and never laughed."

"– What can you expect from a child who lives alone in a broken house at the end of a broken road – people would say..."

Time passed, and I didn't even notice that in the place where we shared the meal, only my voice could be heard, as everyone else was immersed in listening to 'my story.'

I could see how Arwen's emotions changed as the story unfolded, sometimes she was happy, and other times she was saddened, depending on the situation.

"...that's why Jax can have the moon to himself for a while, but she always escapes him, leaves Jax's broken mansion, and returns to our world. Nevertheless, he has a piece of her name, and that's why she must always come back to his side."

When I finished speaking, I decided to stay silent for a while, allowing everyone to fully savor the story, just as I did the first time I read it. I must say it's a beautiful story, even if I'm not a big fan of this kind of thing. I was quite impressed, to the point of having memorized it completely.

"What a beautiful story," Arwen whispered, still lost in thought.

Until the sound of a cawing awakened everyone in the place, and a small white speck was rapidly approaching where I was.

"It seems you've woken up," I said as I stroked its head, then gave it an apple to eat.

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

Note 1: thanks to everyone who has left me comments that they are liking the story, likewise, what they have left a review despite the fact that we have only a few chapters, makes me very happy.

Note 2: I have noticed that when translating by AI a large number of words are lost, just translating more than 200 words have been lost, which is incredible. Also, the dialogues or emotions cannot be expressed very well sometimes, and I don't know what to do with the latter.

Next chapter