Prince of a Life of Darkness by Lira_of_Imladris

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Chapter 1 - The Beginning

It all begins to change for Neithan

Neithan ran to where his brothers lay on the grass of the gardens of Menegroth. Neithan was an elf who’d just passed his majority. He had been taken in by Dior and Nimloth, the parents of Elwing, Eluréd and Elurín when they’d found him in the gardens, abandoned. Neithan’s hair was black and his eyes were grey. Many times, Nimloth had said that he reminded her of someone she knew but who it was, no one knew.

Aside from Eluréd and Elurín, Neithan’s best friend was an elf a few years older than him, Maeglin. He didn’t know why, but the elf had always seemed very familiar, as if Neithan had met him the day he was born but never seen him again. Maeglin had gotten Neithan into trouble several times but Neithan didn’t mind, he enjoyed it to some extent. Neithan had always loved spending time with his friend but now they seemed to be drifting apart as Maeglin began to prepare to leave Menegroth to live somewhere else. Maeglin had recently lost his mother and he and his father were now leaving before Eöl – Maeglin’s father – was executed for murder.

Neithan ran to his brothers before they stood and caught him. Eluréd smiled before he and Neithan tackled Elurín to the ground. The brothers collapsed on the ground and fought playfully before their sister interrupted.

“Do you three have no pride?” Elwing asked.

“We gain our pride other ways muinthel; we do not need to be formal to gain it.” Elurín answered. Elwing shook her head before she walked off to find her friends.

“Does that ever annoy you how she does that?” Neithan asked, looking to each of his brothers in turn. They nodded in perfect unison, Neithan laughed; he never got sick of his twin brothers making fools of themselves like that.

“What?” Eluréd asked as his youngest brother began to roll around on the ground laughing like a maniac.

“You two did it again!” Neithan exclaimed as his laughter subsided. The twins groaned before Dior came up.

“Do you not have something else to do? Eluréd, Elurín?” Dior asked suggestively. The three brothers looked up at their fathers and shook their heads.

“I do not believe so.” Eluréd answered. Dior smiled before he placed a hand on Eluréd’s shoulder.

“Do you not have exams next week?” Dior asked as he leaned closer to his sons. Elurín and Eluréd froze before they ran off. Neithan laughed before he looked up at his father. “How have you been Neithan?”

“I have been fine Adar, what about you?” Neithan asked in response.

“I have had a lot on my mind ion nîn and I fear something bad is to happen in the next few months.” Dior answered as he and Neithan began to walk through the gardens of Menegroth.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Neithan asked.

“I take it you have heard of Fëanor; well . . . his sons are headed this way.” Dior answered. “I think they are coming for the Silmaril.”

“But that means . . . no, we cannot leave!” Neithan cried, anguish flooding his voice.

“We are not leaving ion nîn, not yet anyway.” Dior replied. “Although, I think I shall send you and your siblings away until the sons of Fëanor have passed.”

“NO! I’m staying with you!” Neithan protested. Dior placed a hand on his son’s shoulder before he looked deep into Neithan’s dark eyes.

“You cannot stay here Neithan, not if there is a battle to be had.” Dior said calmly. “I cannot lose my son.”

“But I am not your son!” Neithan exclaimed. “I overheard the twins talking the other day; they were talking about how you have been trying to track down my parents.”

“Oh Neithan,” Dior sighed as he embraced his son but Neithan pushed him away with a ferocity Dior had never witnessed in the boy.

“KEEP AWAY FROM ME! Just . . . leave me alone.” Neithan exclaimed angrily before he ran off. Dior sighed again before he returned to his study; he needed time to think about what he would do with Neithan now that the boy wouldn’t listen to him.

* * *

“If only I knew who my parents were,” Neithan said to himself as he wandered alongside the Esgalduin, pondering about his life and how much of it could’ve been misled. Neithan eventually sat down when he came to one of his favourite trees, a rowan tree.

“Neithan, is that you?” someone called. Neithan looked around to find his other best friends, Ranyaneth and Belaithlen. Neithan smiled as his friends sat down on either side of him.

“Your father told us what happened,” Ranyaneth whispered.

“He’s not my father! Someone else is,” Neithan replied, correcting her.

“Would you like some company?” Belaithlen asked.

“Maybe, I do not know anymore. I suddenly feel . . . hollow, like something big is missing.” Neithan answered, trying to explain the feeling he’d acquired from the argument with his father.

“Well, you do not know who your family is, maybe that is why.” Belaithlen suggested. “Maybe we should go and find them, if we can manage to leave.”

“Could we leave with Maeglin?” Neithan suggested. “He is leaving with his father soon; we could leave with them and just go our own way when we figure out where we are going.”

“That is not a bad idea actually.” Ranyaneth replied. At that moment, a shower of arrows flew towards the three friends. Belaithlen threw himself in front of his friends before three arrows pierced his flesh, causing the eldest friend to scream in agony. Belaithlen fell onto Ranyaneth’s lap and began to groan as agony washed over him. Neithan glanced at his friend for a split second before he unsheathed Belaithlen’s dagger and ran towards the bushes where the arrows had come.

“NEITHAN! DON’T!” Ranyaneth called but the elf paid no attention to her. As Neithan walked into the bushes, he heard the sound of several bows being strung and pulled back before they were all aimed at him. Neithan looked around to see six elves standing around him, their arrows pointed at him.

“Do you think to fight us boy?!” one of them asked, the one who seemed to be the leader. “We are the sons of Fëanor and unless you are a resident of Menegroth, we have no business with you.”

“I do not reside in Menegroth any longer, people there have betrayed me.” Neithan replied.

“What is your name elf?” the first elf asked.

“Neithan, I do not know my heritage for I have been lied to by Dior for the past hundred years.” Neithan answered. “Would you care to tell me your own names?”

“I am Maglor, the second eldest and these are my younger brothers, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod and Amras. We have come for the Silmaril that the king here holds from us. It is an oath we made alongside our other brother, Maedhros and our father who was killed by Gothmog, a minion of Morgoth.” Maglor answered.

“Would you consider allowing me to join you?” Neithan asked as dark thoughts arousing in his young mind.

“Can you fight?” one of the others, Caranthir asked.

“I can but not with a mere dagger.” Neithan answered.

“What if I were to lend you my bow? Can I trust you with it?” Maglor asked.

“I will guard it with my life Maglor, son of Fëanor.” Neithan promised before the elf handed him his bow and quiver.

“Neithan? Are you there?” Ranyaneth called as she clambered through the bushes. Neithan turned and yelled for Ranyaneth to run in the other direction and take Belaithlen back to Menegroth but he was too late. An arrow whistled through the air before it seemed to lodge itself in Ranyaneth’s back. She fell to the ground and Neithan saw an arrow protruding from her back, an arrow of the warriors of Menegroth.

As Ranyaneth fell to the ground, Neithan suddenly felt a darkness overtake his mind, grief, pain and anger at the same time. As he watched Ranyaneth’s blood pour onto the grass, Neithan felt his legs give way to his weight before he fell but never hit the ground. He didn’t know it but it was beginning and he hadn’t done a thing.

End chapter 1

Chapter End Notes

The reason Maedhros isn't there is beause he's somewhere else and i'll introduce him later in the story. Thanks for reading - Li

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