When Pareth last spoke to Legolas, he was disturbed and quite concerned about the fate of his people, the Wood-Elves of Mirkwood, for he had received word from his father, Thranduil, that Mirkwood was over-run with all manner of evil creatures and that many forces had been dispatched by Sauron to Dol Guldur.

Pareth felt she couldn’t let Legolas down for she had promised that she would do her part to see that the Elves were protected with the help of her companions, but as the days turned to weeks, and the battles in Mirkwood raged on and on, it was clear that Sauron wanted to destroy all the Elves in Mirkwood and in Lothlorien, for the sheer number of the enemy forces was too great for the small band of warriors.

So Pareth met with the Malledhrim forces in Mirkwood and they formed a strong alliance, for the Elves had seen first hand how loyal and steadfast Pareth and her companions were in their aid to protect Lothlorien and the Silvan Elves of Northern Mirkwood. In the days and nights ahead, they formed many skirmishes and were for the most part successful in their battles, though many elves were seriously injured, and some were killed. For the most part, Pareth and her companions were unharmed, though they were often weary, too weary to even eat most nights.

And still, the battles were far from over. For many more enemies were dispatched to Dol Guldur, and three of the Nazgûl had been dispatched by Sauron to occupy the fortresses there. The Nazgûl’s presence in Dol Guldur filled the Elves with terror, for terror was their chief weapon, and yet despite their fear, the Malledhrim organized attacks on three major areas of Dol Goldur: in the Sword Halls, the Warg Pens, and in Sammath Gûl.

And it was in Sammath Gûl where Pareth nearly was killed. She was rescued by an ally who saw her fall and came to her aid just in time. She was gently carried out of Dol Guldur and taken to nearby Helethir, where she was tended by Elves and recovered in a few days. Pareth would eventually return to Sammath Gûl and this time she and her companions would finally defeat Gorothúl, the evil Angmarim sorcerer, at the request of Bori, a most hardy dwarf of Moria. But that is a story for another time…

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Pareth was last seen in the south-eastern part of Mirkwood – in a nasty place called Sad Doldur. There were evil men from Angmar – sorcerers who would conjur up evil spirits, and Pareth had slain many, for the place was crawling with the enemy, and Lothlorien’s safety was at risk.

For the Witch King of Angmar, Sauron’s captain, was in command here, and the Witch King’s mission was to defeat the power of the Elves through the elimination of the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn and the ultimate destruction of Lothlorien. Alas, Lothlorien was beset from all sides! Orcs from Moria had fouled the Nimrodel’s waters to the west, and from the east Sauron’s greatest servant unleashed his staggering forces in Mirkwood.

But the enemies in Mirkwood were not prepared for the sheer number of the many Free Peoples who stood together to defend Lothlorien, and all the lands west and east of it. Scores and scores of good fighters were banding together to defeat evil.

Yes, even Pareth was prepared to fight her way to the very gates of Mordor if she had to, to protect her people and all those free peoples she had come to love: the hobbits from the Shire and Breeland, the good men and women from all corners of Middle Earth, the dwarves of the Blue Mountain and Moria, and the Elves.

Every time Pareth slew another Angmarim, she thought of beautiful Lothlorien, and all those wonderful Elves, who taught her a lot and who treated her with kindness and respect. When she grew weary of battle, she ate Lothlorien waybread and drank pure water, and she was able to carry on hunting the hunters, killing them before they killed her. And the Malledhrim taught her the lay of the land in Mirkwood, so she knew where every enemy encampment was and there were many! War had come to Mirkwood and the battles had just begun.

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Many months ago, Tearose stayed in Rivendell at the invitation of Lord Elrond and she was sent to a room in the Last Homely House, where she was introduced to Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, two young hobbits who were accompanying a small group eastward on a mission of the utmost secrecy.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Meriadoc and Pippin”, Tearose was polite but very curious about the young hobbits who seemed oblivious to any danger that they would encounter on their journey.

“Oh please, Tea, I’m Merry, and this is Pippin. All our friends call us those names, so you may as well also.” Merry was chuckling and had a michievous look about him. “Look, Pippin, she has an amazing crossbow. Will you look at that!”

Pippin and Merry spent some time examining Tearose’s weapons and they were more and more curious about her and what she had been up to. Tearose was very careful about what she said as Lord Elrond told her to keep quiet about recent happenings west of Rivendell.

For Lord Elrond did not wish to jeopardize the quest even though at first he had serious misgivings about sending Merry and Pippin. Elrond believed that if the hobbits knew that trouble had already started in the Shire, they would likely abandon the quest. And who could blame them?

The Shire was their beloved home, and Tearose would one day fight alongside Merry and Pippin to protect it, though she didn’t know it at the time. Until then, she kept a diary and wrote down every single detail of any suspicious visitor that she became aware of. Soon she forgot her injuries and all the horrors she had endured thus far, and focused on her quiet vigil in the Shire – listening, watching, waiting. And wondering when she would see Merry and Pippin again.

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