The Hobbit | Chapter fifteen.

The dwarves weren't very happy with the food they got, there wasn't any meat and Ori was a little bit sad because he wasn't the kind of dwarf that liked green food, but after after much insistence he finally ate a green leaf. The elves were playing music and the dwarves started with drinking beer and wine. Lord Elrond, Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin and Balin had left the room and after an hour, Bilbo, Thorin and Balin came back without Gandalf and Elrond. The dwarves were still busy with partying when Lindir came to me. "My Lady?" - "Yes, Lindir?" - "Lord Elrond asked me to come and get you. There are some people that wanted to talk with you." - "Who?" - "You'll see. Will you please follow me?" I nodded and followed him upstairs into the castle. "Lady Harper is here my Lord." I stepped inside and saw Lord Elrond, Gandalf, a woman and an older man. I bow for them and waited until they said something. Elrond and Gandalf looked at each other. “She has the right to know.” Said Galadriël. “The right to know what?” I asked carefully. “Your history.” said Saruman – “Harper, I think you already discovered that you’re not a normal human." said Galadriël. I nodded and looked to Gandalf. He smiled weakly but after that Elrond started to speak: "We have to go back in history, a long long time ago. In the first age of Middle-Earth there were the first elves. Most of the elves started a journey to settle themselves down in the land of the Valar. But for your history it is important that we tell you everything about one elves group in particular. The woodelves.” - “The woodelves never reached the Valar, they decided at some point to stop the journey and settled themselves down in the west side of Mirkwood. At the east side of Mirkwood there lived another group. They weren’t elves, humans, hobbits, dwarves or any other creature. It was a folk that not lived in other places in Middle-Earth. They grew out of one specific flower that only grew at the northern and east side of Mirkwood. The Athredil, it was a white flower and like already told, it could only grew in the east and a little bit in the north side of the wood. There were also dark flowers – The Ovanes - , but luckily for us they were in the minority. Once a year the flowers grew so fast that they changed into living creatures, the Fairies of Mirkwood. The fairies and the woodelves lived for a long time in peace with each other. The fairies had magical powers and each fairy had a quality, you could say that they were at some point stronger than normal elves. They ruled over day and night, good weather or bad weather, and so much more. You could also subdivide the fairies in two groups. One group possessed over black magic and the other group had the kind of magic that you have, the good magic.” explained Saruman. “In the second era there was a realm of the Sindar and the woodelves established in the south of Mirkwood by King Oropher – father of Thranduil. At the end of the second era, the fairies noticed that there weren’t a lot of Athredils in the wood. That meant, no new fairies with the good magic, what would lead to extinction of those fairies. Queen Fauna Foxcone knew that something bad would happen. Slowly they felt the influence of Sauron in the wood, just like the woodelves. More and more good elves died during the battles against Sauron and the black elves grew in number. Finally Sauron got killed. In the beginning of the third era, the woodelves were obliged to leave the south of Mirkwood because they still felt some influence from the dark Lord, so they took the northern part of Mirkwood – property of the fairies. Queen Fauna was furious and went to King Oropher. But he wouldn’t leave, he wouldn’t risk the lives of his folk, so he stayed there and build a new kingdom. More and more Athredils died because of the new kingdom. Queen Fauna was despaired. She went back to King Oropher and asked for help, she told him what would happen with the flowers - and also with her folk - if he kept on extending his kingdom. Again, he wouldn’t listen. Oropher knew that those fairy powers were stronger than the physical strength from his woodelves. So for him it was a good thing that the fairies died. At one day Oropher had a plan, if his folk and the fairies would reproduce he would be the king of a folk stronger than any other folk in Middle-Earth, Queen Fauna was against that idea, because the only thing she felt for Oropher was hate. Because of him there weren’t enough flowers and the fairies were too few in number to reproduce that fast. At that moment she knew that the fairies were lost. Queen Fauna died during a battle against her own black fairies. She has never reproduced, so there wasn’t a new heir of the throne. What happened with the other fairies is a riddle.” said Saruman. "Right now, we have an indication that says that Sauron is still active in Dol Guldur. Radagast found a weapon in Mirkwood, coming from Dol Guldur. There are spiders who are ruling over the wood, Orcs that destroy every living creature." - "But what happened with the black fairies?" I asked. "Most of the fairies are a part of Dol Guldur. There aren't many left and they can't reproduce because there were only women who grew out of the Ovanes and it’s been a long time since we saw an ovane growing in the woods.” explained Saruman. "And do you know nothing about the other fairies?" I asked. “There is a saying that the last fairies mingled themselves with the humans in Dale and Laketown. Because of their transformations they looked like normal humans. The fairies must closed a pact with each other, because no one in Dale or Laketown discovered once a fairy. You are the first living proof that fairies still exists. But after Smaug destroyed Dale, I’m not really sure how many fairies are left. Luckily the powers get passed from parents to child. The fairies and the elves could compile their powers to destroy Sauron forever.” said Galadriël. “But how about my mother? She always told me she’s was living in Dale with her sister and her mother for a lifetime.” – “Your grandmother can be one of those fairies that left Mirkwood. That’s something you’ll never know. But you know where you come from and you know what you’re worth. “ said Galadriël. “If you ever needs help, just know that we’re here for you.” she said while laying her hand on my shoulder. “Go with the dwarfs, you’re the only one that can protect them during their quest.” she said while looking into my eyes, without moving her lips. I nodded slightly and stood up. “Thank you for being honest with me. I really appreciate it. Would you please excuse me. I just want to be alone right now.” – “You’re free my lady.” said Elrond. I thanked them and ran to the river.