Darkness slowly crept over the vales and fields of the land of Eriador as the sun bid adieu to yet another day, lighting up the world in a hue of orange and gold before slowly plunging into a sea of black. Even as the soft, inky shadows of Night crept over the village, lights began to appear from the buildings that lined the streets, glittering like soft stars as the nocturnal side of the town began to wake. A tinkling sound was heard as the first pearls of rain dropped on the leaves, like the glassy clinking of a champagne flute, clear and lifting. The skies roared in satisfaction as trickles of liquid hit the ground with increasing force, tears of the downcast heavens to wash clean this tarnished world.

It was on such a day that the white hooded stranger made their appearance in the village of Bree, navigating around people with acute precision and ignoring the suspicious looks the villagers were giving them. Strangers were a lot who were not welcomed at Bree, and the intricately carved dagger at the newcomer's side along with their silent, measured footfalls did little to deter suspicions. If the stranger sensed this, they showed no reaction, not stopping till they stood before a tall building. An illuminated sign hung over the main door, a fat pony reared on its hind legs.

They opened the door to be greeted by the sound of laughter and shouting. The common room was lit up by the light of the fireplace at one side, which was constantly being tended. A group of short, squinty-eyed men were talking amongst themselves in a corner, while several dwarves were busy downing their drinks and laughing their hearts out. Several hobbits and Men lounged around the bar engrossed in what seemed to be an animated discussion.

A short, red faced Man approached the stranger with a warm smile, wiping his stained hands on his apron. "Good evening master, how can I help you?"

"A room if you please, good sir, but a drink, before that," the stranger's voice was kind, and if the innkeeper was surprised at the feminine tone, he did not let it show. "Aye, good miss, right this way! Cob, oi Cob!" A short, stout hobbit poked out his head from the pantry door, a half-eaten apple in his hand. "Stop raiding that pantry, and get the lady a drink!"

The stranger opted to go to the common room, drawing several curious glances as they sat at a table at one side of the room. They pulled back their hood, freeing curls of golden-brown hair that flowed down the shoulders and a pair of golden amber eyes set in an almond-toned face, a face young in years but aged in wisdom. Those eyes, which seemed to comprehend the mysteries of the world now roved around the room, the many figures appearing as white outlines in their vision.

Thordoriel leaned back on assessing no immediate threat. A sigh escaped her as her fingers drummed on the wooden table.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Annúminas was still a few days away. She wondered about the reason behind Elendil's urgent summons. No reason was given, and she was unsure that the troubling news of the South had already reached him.

Only a few weeks ago she had been in the land of Harad, posing as a slave-trader come to inspect specimens of the West that had been captured in skirmishes with Gondor. It was smooth-sailing until all had gone haywire with his arrival. The Sword of Sauron had come to deliver a message on his master's behalf, and any of the Haradrim chieftains who were quick to pull rank were quick to meet his blade. It was not his cruelty that had instilled fear in Thordoriel, but the emotionless manner in which he administered it.

Upon learning that the Sword intended to bring the captured Westrons to Númenor as sacrifices to Melkor, Thordoriel had acted prematurely to free the captives, resulting in a few casualties and a generous bounty being placed on her head. Elendil's summons had arrived when she was near southern Ithilien, and then began her journey to Annúminas.

The sound of singing broke her away from her thoughts, and Thordoriel returned to the present to find two tipsy dwarves dancing on a table with mugs of ale in their hands:

Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!

Everyone else joined in, catching the mood:

Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!

Everyone cheered as the song ended, and the dwarves bowed and downed their drinks, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. One of the dwarves looked around, and their eyes fell on the quiet woman sitting at one side of the room. "You, lassie, have not partook in the song," he hopped off the table with a grin. "How about a drink to cheer you up?"

"How about a drinking game?" a young hobbit exclaimed, and everyone voiced their assent.

Thordoriel shook her head, smiling. "I am afraid you would lose terribly against me, Master dwarf."

"Ye hear that lads!" The dwarf hollered in amusement. "The lass thinks she will win!" The dwarves roared in laughter. "I accept your challenge, lassie! Last one standing gets a free meal and room!"

"No pauses. No refills," a Man said, handing Thordoriel a pint. "And no regurgitation!" The dwarf exclaimed.

"Very well. Get ready to pay, Master dwarf!" Thordoriel's lips curled upwards in a grin before she downed her drink in a single gulp. The dwarf did likewise, and reached for his second.

The game continued, neither showing any sign of stopping soon. The pile of empty mugs on the table was increasing, until finally the dwarf let out a huge belch and fell face-first on the table, unconscious. Thordoriel looked smug, and raised her pint in the air before the crowd broke into cheers.

"Game over."

He saw life.

The images materialized slowly, like numerous bubbles surfacing from the darkness of an abyss.

Turin felt the heat on his skin, and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He found himself upon a small hill that overlooked the capital city of Armenelos. The sun shine brightly upon the golden domes and white-tiled roofs of the city that spread out below him. Nimloth, the White Tree, stood proudly in the courtyard beside the King's palace with its white bark and its flowers as pink as rose leaves, a piece of Valinor itself in the highest kingdom of Men. Beyond the City of Kings, the river Siril curved gently, hazy and golden in the summer light.

This was his home, Númenor, abode of the Dúnedain, the Kings from over the Sea, the paradise of Men. He exhaled in content.

He saw death.

Suddenly, everything changed. The horizon darkened. At first, he thought it was a storm. Then he realized a tidal wave of darkness was rolling across the lands, turning the skin of the earth inside out.

When the dust settled, Turin found himself in the middle of a battlefield. Countless bodies were strewn on the ground as far as he could see, mangled bodies writhing in agony. The stench of death almost choked him, as the mournful cries of the dying echoed throughout the land.

The Siril was flowing swiftly, stained crimson red with blood against the dark shadow that consumed the Sun. Mesmerising tongues of fire engulfed the palace, and even with the distance the heat of the flames seared into his skin. Watchtowers crashed down and barracks disintegrated. The gleaming spires and monuments in Armenelos crumbled to dust. Families ran. Children cried out in terror. The screams of hundreds of innocents caught in the midst of the chaos was deafening, and then silenced.

The White Tree was burning, the black smoke reaching up to meet the dark sky. Meneltarma, the holy mountain devoted to Eru Ilúvatar, exploded with the crack of thunder and flash of lightning, spewing fire and ash, engulfing the tombs of the Kings.

A mixture of terror, adrenaline and gut-wrenching anxiety courses through Turin's veins as he turned his head. In the middle of the battlefield stood a dark figure - the silhouette of a man taller than all of Númenor, adorned in black and gold, a crown upon his head and a ring as bright as a wheel of fire on his finger. A cold voice emanated from the figure as the flaming wheel shone brighter, blinding Turin:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

There was a flash of light, followed by an ear-shattering bang so loud that Turin thought his eardrums had been stredded. A burst of heat seared his flesh as he began to vibrate intensely, and in a sudden rush of thunder, he exploded into a million shards of light.

Turin bolted awake with a scream. He found himself back in his bed in Fornost, wet with sweat as he struggled to control his breathing. With an almost superhuman effort he stopped shaking, his wide eyes focussing on the familiar wall of his room. The first light of dawn filtered in through the window, the pale light falling on his blanched face.

Even as his breaths started to even out, Turin trembled in apprehension, fearing that the worst had yet to come.

Characters introduced in this chapter:
Thordoriel by dr0wning_in_w0rds
Turin Volerion by @me

So, this is the first chapter. It may be a bit meh, but hopefully that won't continue in the later ones. Feel free to point out any errors.