After the meal had ended, the Lady wordlessly lead me down a winding stairway, down to the forest floor. There we came upon a garden, but it was no ordinary garden. No trees grew there, and the sky was opened up like a tapestry of the constellations, bathing the garden in a white light. A small waterfall issued out of a cliff nearby, and the water that cascaded from it shimmered with starlight. The waterfall poured into a stream that ran along the forest floor, and next to the stream was what appeared to be a pedestal.

Galadriel walked gracefully to the pedestal, and retrieved a silver bowl from beside it.

"This is my Mirror. Few have looked upon it, and you are among the first Men to do so."

I stared wordlessly as she filled the basin in the pedestal with water from the stream, letting the bowl pour until it was barely a trickle. The water in the pedestal was still.

"Go ahead, look into it."

"Now that I am here, I'm not so sure I want to," I said as I took a step backward. Doubt was plaguing my mind as to what I would see.

"Not all that you see in the Mirror will come to pass. Only that which you let take place." She tilted her head slightly, looking at me expectantly.

I slowly walked toward the Mirror, trying to fight the voice of doubt in my head. What if everything I saw was bad? Were the options I saw the only ones?

I came to the Mirror and leaned forward, my hands shaking as I rested them upon it. I looked into the water, and only saw my own reflection.

"Does that mean something?" I said, looking up at Galadriel. She merely gestured back at the Mirror, a mysterious smile on her face.

As I looked again the water seemed to shimmer, then as I took a deep breath in surprise I saw the hot desert sun of my homeland. Two carts traveled along a winding desert road, and several people were accompanying them. One held a whip, while two others cowered before him. As my perspective changed I saw with growing horror that the man holding the whip was an older version of myself, and the two others were Hadar and a red-haired woman that I didn't recognize. I noticed a tattoo on my hand that hadn't been there before... A tattoo of an Eye.

I saw black shapes on the horizon, steadily getting closer. As they approached I saw that they were orcs, bearing similar tattoos to the one I bore. One of them handed the older version of me a bag, which clinked with the sound of gold coins. Three other orcs grabbed Hadar and the woman, and Hadar screamed at me as they dragged him away. I could hear nothing, but I could read his lips:

"Why did you betray us???"

I stepped back from the mirror in shock, breathing heavily.

"Look again." This time Galadriel's words sounded like a command. I reluctantly obeyed.
This time I was taken to a land barren of trees, or shrubs, or even the sun. The sky was red, and black clouds obscured what little light that may have shone through. A long line of people in chains traveled along a similar road to the one in the previous vision. But at the head of the dismal procession was a man... No, not a man but a creature, riding a monstrous black horse. The creature wore an ancient helm upon his head, that I only barely recognized. It was the helm of Khamul, the greatest of our kings who had long ago fallen to shadow. As the line moved past I recognized many of the prisoners; Hadar, Brand, Caledorn, even Lord Khanar. But at the end of the line was me.

I, or this future me, was barely distinguishable. I had been beaten beyond recognition, and my head was slumped defeatedly downwards. As I watched two Men grabbed me and carried me away from the rest of the prisoners. They brought me before a figure that was so evil that I trembled in my boots. I knew without a doubt that this was the Lord of the Rings, the One who wished to dominate all.

He pointed towards a door marked "insurrectionists", and I was cast inside. Though my perspective didn't enter the room, in my head I could hear screaming, and sounds of torment worse than any I had ever heard.

I fell to my knees, putting my hands over my face as the screaming faded. When I looked up I realized where I was, and tried to gain my composure. Galadriel walked over and helped me to my feet, and took my hand in hers.

"I ask that you look once more. You may refuse, and I would not hold it against you. But this last time will be different than the others."

Her words, along with her reassuring smile, gave me the confidence to return to the mirror. I gripped the edges, waiting for the worst.

This time I was taken to a hilltop, and it seemed that it was in the midst of a battle, or at the beginning of one. I stood in command of a vast army of horsemen, fierce bare-chested men with swirling tattoos covering their bodies. Hadar smiled triumphantly at my side, and the elf Caledorn looked ahead stoically. A lone mountain stood ahead of us, blocking our passage north. Great birds flew overhead, and as I looked into the valley below I saw burning. Two armies faced each other there. One cheered at our arrival, while cries of despair could be heard from the other. I rallied my men and we charged down the hill, and the enemy fled from our wrath. The scene changed suddenly, to a great tower collapsing.

Then a coronation in a white city. But before I could find myself in the crowd, the Mirror darkened, until I could only see my own reflection.

I looked up from the Mirror, unsure of what I had seen. Galadriel came to my side.

"Those are but three of the possibilities of your future. There are many more."

"Can I look and see more?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"Perhaps, but it is highly unusual that you saw your future three times in a row. Often it is the past that is seen, or the present in faraway lands. Regardless, those three are the only paths I have foreseen."

Her words seemed foreboding, and a shiver went down my spine. Three choices, and only one ended well, if even that one did.

"What of the third? How does it end?" I asked.

Galadriel's eyes rose to meet mine. "It will end well for some, but others may have to sacrifice for the outcome to come to pass. Do not ask more for I know not more. Even if I did, you would have to make your choice alone. I cannot make it for you."

"What choice would you make if you could?"

"I would choose what is right. Though you know not what you must do, I can aid you in this, should you accept my council."

I narrowed my eyes in determination.
"Tell me what I must do."

Galadriel narrowed her eyes. "Claim your throne. Join the Free Peoples, and make a stand."

===============================

I stayed at Caras Galadhon for nearly a month before I was prepared for the journey. During my stay five assassins had attempted to enter Lorien at different times, only to be slain by the ever vigilant Marchwardens. Upon examination of their belongings, it was found that all five wore a similar pendant: one shaped like a crescent moon. The words of Hadar came back to me when I saw them:

"Have you heard of the Order of the Moon?"

On that night that seemed so long ago, the Order had been a subject of humor. Now, I knew that they were without a doubt real. And they were after me.

The previous morning Galadriel's scouts had reported that the borders were safe, so now was the best time to depart, before more of them came. I was reluctant to leave, for I had grown fond of the elves. I had become particularly close to an elf(or an elleth, as I learned female elves were called) named Caledwen. When we had first met we exchanged stories of our homelands, and she seemed eager to learn more about the "mysterious" lands in the East. As a result, we spent much time together, often strolling through Lothlorien's many gardens and talking for hours on end.

Through these conversations, I inadvertently learned that she was somehow related to Caledorn, though she was reluctant to say more. The few times that Caledorn came to Lothlorien he only stayed for a short time, and only to relay one message or another to the Lady. He didn't visit Caledwen, so I assumed that whatever relationship they had was somehow strained.

He had, however, come to talk to me once, to relay what news he had learned of the happenings in the East.

Evidently Khanar, as well as five other lords, had formed a coalition of rebels, and were planning the overthrow of the current Loke-Khan. This didn't come as a surprise to me, for I had been asked to join this coalition myself. What was surprising was that they were backed by Mordor. The Dark Lord seemed to think that the current Khan wasn't loyal enough... A thought that Khanar was quick to take advantage of.

This news complicated things significantly, and because of this we held a meeting.

"Caledorn brings news that could be beneficial to you, or very dangerous," Celeborn said slowly. Caledorn stood nearby with his arms crossed, stoically looking back and forth between the Elven lord and I. We had gathered in Caras Galadhon's map room, and I leaned forward over the map, pointing to Morgothrone.

"The Loke-Khan is at his weakest now. Khanar leads most of Rhun's army, and the lords that are with him are powerful players as well. Lord Bruk, for example, rules the lands in the south of Rhun from Runakesh. Most of our commerce flows through there, so without Lord Bruk the Khan has no resources. They can keep him from hiring mercenaries, or getting weapons for that matter. Chieftain Getrauk commands the Balcoth. They are primitive, but numerous. They control much of Rhun's agriculture. That means that they can also starve the Khan out. Lord Dengesh rules the fortress of Redoir. That place is impenetrable. If they hole up there nobody could force them out, at least not without a massive army.

And lastly... Chieftain Ramil." At this I smiled slightly. "My brother. This is the only good thing about this revolt. If he's rebelling he won't have the support of the Khan that we were expecting. On the negative side, he has the support of the coalition. However, this opens up several new options..." I leaned back, letting Celeborn process the information I had given him.

"Do you think the Khan would help you?" Celeborn said after a moment.

"Perhaps. Either way, he won't openly oppose me anymore. If Ramil is an enemy of his, he'll be happy to see him out of the way."

Caledorn suddenly spoke out. "The Order serves the Khan. Their assistance would be invaluable."

My eyes widened in shock. "You can't mean that... They were the ones who tried to kill me!"

"I managed to infiltrate their ranks by posing as one of the assassins that was killed on our border. They were under the impression that the order to kill you came directly from the Khan. They were incensed when they found out it wasn't, let me tell you." At this I caught a slight twinkle in the mysterious elf's emerald eyes.

"That doesn't change things. They won't help someone they were ordered to kill."

"On the contrary. They held nothing against you, and would just as gladly work for you, I'm sure. They are highly detached from their contracts, so they have no malice or ill will toward you."

"But they serve the Khan..." I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Exactly. Gain the trust of the Khan, and you gain the trust of the Order. It's simple really." He shrugged.

The realization hit me. "You're right, it is! I just need to help the Khan fight the coalition, and I'll have his men at my disposal. But if the coalition is backed by Mordor, it's doubtful even such an alliance as that can defeat them."

"Contact your friends. Hire mercenaries. Do whatever it takes."

I sighed as the full weight of my quest fell upon me.

Celeborn cleared his throat. "It will be far from easy... But if you accomplish this, it could be the salvation of Middle Earth."

"Very well. I set out at first light tomorrow. Are you with me?" I turned to face Caledorn.

"I hadn't planned on accompanying you, but now I see the urgency of your quest. I'm with you to the end, Prince Rukil." To my surprise, he bowed.

Celeborn saw the surprise on my face. "You are a prince. And though you may not realize it, you are a leader as well."

I could think of no words to say in response, so I merely nodded. I now knew the importance of my task.

The meeting ended and I went back to my flet. As I looked around at the now familiar room I realized it would most likely be the last day I would spend here. If I was successful, I would be a ruler and would have no need to return. If I failed... Well, I didn't want to think about that.
Either way though, I did know one thing: my life was changing yet again, and this time I couldn't tell whether it was for the better or for the worse.