The early years of my life were lived in peace and happiness, and I was as carefree an Elf-child as any other. Under my father’s guidance, I developed a deep love of lore, learning all that he knew of the creation of Arda, the Awakening of the Elves, and the Years of the Trees. From my mother, I acquired a love of plants and herbs and growing things. This happiness was not to last, and the End of the First Age changed the shape of my life. Although my father had been a peaceful Elf, content with his tales and books of lore, he was called upon to fight, and before he marched to war, he sent my mother and me away from Beleriand, fearing for our safety. We fled to Ossiriand and lived there in relative safety until Meldon returned to Ossiriand from the War, grievously wounded. Ettelewen was able to heal my father’s bodily wounds, but his peaceful spirit never fully recovered from the strains of war. Only a few centuries into the new Age, my parents sailed into the West, to seek the bliss of the Undying Lands. Part of me wished to go with them, and yet I stayed here in Arda, for somehow it was not yet my time to depart.

Throughout the Second Age, I traveled throughout Arda, seeking a home that recalled the happiness of Beleriand. Without my parents, I felt utterly alone. At first I sought peace in Numenor, under the rule of Elros Half-Elven. I lived happily among the Men of Numenor for many centuries, and they seemed to hold me in high regard, on account of the lore I had learned from my parents. Yet as the centuries passed, those around me grew old and died, while I stayed young and Elven-fair. Eventually, I could no longer endure to live with Death, and once again took up my journeys. From Numenor I went to Eregion, and lived among my father’s Noldor kin. Free from any reminders of Death and Decay, the years passed swiftly for me. I turned my thoughts from knowledge of lore to knowledge of smithcraft. From the Elves of Eregion, I learned to forge weapons of both might and beauty, and how to wield the swords I fashioned. It was in the forges of Eregion that I crafted the blade Velegron, which I carry with me to this day. Although many Elves developed friendships with the Dwarves of Khazad-Dum, I held myself aloof, unwilling to again attach myself to those who would some day die. When war broke out between the Elves and Sauron, I put my new skill to use, and Velegron tasted blood for the first time. Many of those I had come to hold dear were lost in the battles, and Eregion no longer held much happiness for me. Too much around me served as a reminder of those who had been killed, and I took up my travels yet again, only a handful of decades after the war had ended. Sick of war and bloodshed, I longed to return to my lore and peaceful work with plants and herbs. Many long years I traveled alone, studying the growing things all over Arda, and finally my path brought me to Imladris. I dwelt there some three hundred years, spending most of my days in the Hall of Fire, heedless of the world about me. In the years that followed, I made many journeys to far distant lands, always thirsting for greater knowledge, but always remembered Rivendell with great fondness, and returned there often.

When the Last Alliance made its stand against Sauron, I took up Velegron once again, with great reluctance, and aided in the defeat of the Dark Lord. I did not emerge from this battle as easily as from the last, but sustained grievous injury at the hands of the Orcs. I did not return to Rivendell after my healing was complete, but sought refuge in Lothlorien, of whose beauties I had heard much. Here, at last, I found a home that brought back the happy memories of Beleriand. Finally able to banish much of the longing and loneliness which had plagued me since the departure of my parents into the West, I made Lothlorien my home, pledging my loyalty to the Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, and have resided here amid the mallorn trees ever since.

Only in the Golden Wood have I been able to banish the shyness brought on by years of solitary travel, and now, when I take up my blade, it is with pride, as a member of the Lorien Guard. I still journeys to other lands, constantly seeking knowledge and lore, yet I travel now with a light heart, knowing I have a home in Lothlorien to which I can always return and find peace.