[Mattius]

The sun was now over head and the snow on the ground began to melt a little. Endereth led the company with Mattius. Being a Ranger she had almost instinctive tracking ability. The many hours of marching had led them to the hilly region of the Tower Hills. Rothalle called them all to say that the hobbit was starting to stir somewhat. They halted on the northside of the hills. They were around a days march from the Shire and they all knew that by then it may be too late.

Rothalle and Radagast tended to the hobbit while Endereth, Calentoliel and Mattius sat a few feet away.
"Mattius," Endereth started dying to know the answer to a question that had been burning inside her for the whole day, "why do you call yourself 'Man-Elf' and Child of Lorien but Man of Gondor'?" For a few moments he was silent and all that could be heard was Radagast and Rothalle talking in whispers a few feet away. He finally spoke,
"It is a painful story, probably just as bad as your own." Mattius looked long at Endereth.
"You do not need to tell it then, if you do not wish." The Noldorian elf spoke.
"Well," Mattius began, "I suppose we may be travelling together for some time and you must both learn my history at some point or other so I will tell you."
"Okay then, if your sure," said Calentoliel. Mattius took a swig of his water and screwed on the top. He wrapped his cloak tighter, the sun was out but it was bitterly cold.
"It began ten years before the War of the Ring. In that year I was born in the Golden Woods of Lothlorien." Endereth smiled at hearing the name of her home. "On the first anniversairy of my birth my parents were sent by the Lady Galadriel to Rivendell with a message for Elrond. My parents wished to take me with them to show their new child to the elves of Rivendell and, of course, Master Elrond himself." Mattius tightened his cloak more. "But on the High Pass of the Misty Mountains they were attacked. Killed. My father fought bravely but fell protecting his child. Their bodies feel from the mountain road to the rocky bottom and were never found." He paused for a moment to collect himself. "By chance there were two more people taking that pass that day; young couple from Bree were moving to Minas Tirith. They saw," at this point Mattius looked at the two elves, "the Beast." Mattius bowed his head again before continuing. "They found me and took me for their own. They had no children and I later found out that they could not by some witch-craft. I was raised in Gondor as a normal boy would be, never told of my true past." Endereth and Calentoliel were beginning to understand now. "When I was ten years old Sauron unleashed his army on the White City and both my mother and father went to war. I was forbidden by my father but I managed to escape and fought on the fields. I saw terible things there that day. Orcs, Ringwraiths and worst of all I saw my parents killed. I somehow survived and after the battle a small band of elves from Lorien found me un-concious and near death. They took me to Lorien and soon discovered who I really was. I was ordered to live in the woods till I was eighteen and then I could choose to live how I wished. Of course I enjoyed it at first but after Galadriel left to cross the sea, the days began to wear on and I longed for the openess of Middle Earth. When I was finally eighteen and allowed to leave I dedicated my life to find the thing that had killed my true Elvish parents. I found it in the Misty Mountains not far from where it killed my parents. The vile thing was sleeping contnet, a black mass of horror snoring in the cracks of rock. It fled at the sight of my face, and my father's sword Angmarth; Iron Doom. I have been chasing it for almost a year now but it seems it has re-found its strength and now wants to be the hunter itself." Mattius sat back hoping his quick life story had made as much sense as possible to the two elves. Endereth and Calentoliel were most surprised that Mattius had showed next to no signs of emotion. Endereth knew herself that if she had been telling her own story of how she came to be hunting the beast she would have broken down.
"Your nineteen years have seen much Mattius and you have answered many of my questions young man." Mattius began to speak but was cut off by a bright young hobbit voice piping a few feet away.
"I'm so hungry!"
"It seems our little hobbit friend has finally woken up!" Spoke Radagast.

[ September 16, 2002: Message edited by: Mattius ]