The sound of the river Anduin was especially strong that morning. Its waters bold, tumbling over stone and root as if stirred by something deeper than the current. I had been tending to Radagast’s garden before dawn when the wild birds arrived in a flurry of wings, disturbed and anxious, their songs …

In the secluded heart of Mirkwood, beneath the sheltering branches of ancient trees, stood the peaceful elven haven of Ithilgalen. Here lived Rhovaniel Gilvellon’s family, renowned scholars and custodians of knowledge. Her father, Faerondir, was a Loremaster whose calm wisdom and compassionate heart …

One evening beneath a sky ablaze with stars, Celethir, my brother, noticed me lost in thought, gazing upwards from the balcony of our home in Ithilgalen. He joined me quietly, sensing my growing concern about the spreading darkness of Mirkwood. He placed a reassuring hand gently upon my shoulder and …