Chapter 1

Rights of LOTR belong solely to JRR TOLKIEN. Anything you recognize is not mine. Enjoy the story.

from: The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter: The Bridge of Khazad-dum, (in the mines of Moria, page 420.):

"They are coming! Cried Legolas.

"We cannot get out! Said Gimli.

"Trapped," cried Gandalf, "Why did I delay?"

"Oh, but I am so glad you did delay, Gandalf," rippled a voice so melodic against the crashing of the orc drums. "I was dreaming of meeting you again."

The east door that was ajar gave the wizard and his company a glimpse of a foyer barred by a tall, thick woman with silvered black hair tangled with ringlets of mithril. Her body was draped in moss trailing from her shoulders to the spider webs that adorned her feet. A smile lit her face and the lips whispered in a tantalizing dare, "Follow me to safety, or spur me, as did Balin, and meet your deaths in the mines of Moria."

Gandalf, stunned, took a step back, his eyes widened as if to dispel the vision before him. The figure swayed toward him, letting her scent trickle through his nostrils like bruised linden- leaves. He regained his senses. "Follow her," he ordered.

When the last of the company slid through the door, the woman sealed it with a thought and it disappeared into darkness and the drums were heard no more. She walked slowly, so that each footfall left a mist of silver quivering where only stone had lain before. "Step only where she steps," cautioned Gandalf.

"Who is she?" whispered Pippin.

"You mean, more like, what is she?" Merry replied.

"Aye," said Legolas, "she appears to possess more magic than Gandalf. We seem to be rid of the orcs."

They tagged after her until all came upon another door that opened upon her laugh, and they entered a room warmed by a cooking stove and pillows upon pillows piled into hills upon a golden woven rug. "Let me get you some ale." She said, and retreated to a back hall.

"Quite good luck to meet one of your friends here," said Boromir to Gandalf as the big man settled into several clouds of cotton that accommodated his girth. Gandalf shot him a stern look.

"Be still! He said. "We are not out of danger yet."

Gandalf sank into a fold of thick velvet embroidered with random knots. His eyes began to weep and his hands shook. None had ever seen Gandalf so disturbed.

"What is it?" said Aragorn with alarm for his friend.

"I thought she had gone to the Havens," Gandalf cried. "Beyond my reach. Yet, here she is, the Dark Lady, in middle earth, to thwart me or support me in my greatest trial!"

Legolas drew an arrow into his bow. "I have heard of a dark lady to whom legend charged with the murder of the fair Tinuviel, the foremother of the Elf Lords in the days of the Great Enemy when Sauron of Mordor was just a servant. Elrond is of that lineage and hunted the Dark Lady when middle earth was young, but she fled and was never heard of again. Could this be the same creature? Has she hidden all these years undetected in the mines of Moria?"

"If she is an enemy of Elrond, let us take care of her now," shouted Gimli and readied his ax.

Gandalf's lament turned to anger. "Cease your hostility! She is not hiding, but banished to the mines by the Council. We wizards judged her harshly, yet we did not deem her crimes sufficiently evil to warrant death." He looked reproachfully at Gimli, "Who are you to exact it?"

To Legolas, he said, "Elrond is blinded by vengeance, not only for Tinuviel, but for Celebrian, his wife, tormented and killed by Orcs in the Dark Lady's service. She denies any knowledge, but we all know she was present at the killing, because she rescued Arwen who was ripped from her mother's belly when Celebrian expired. Elrond judges without knowing the whole story. Nor do I claim to know it. The Dark Lady may have caused Celebrian's death, but she saved the child. Only the Dark Lady knows what really happened and refused to say it. So she was banished until she confessed. Until the truth is revealed, we must treat the Dark Lady with the kindness she has shown us. I only ask that you remain wary. Keep our quest silent!"

"She seems fair to me," said Frodo softly. "I don't think we should call this woman the Dark Lady, surely she has a name."

Gandalf stared at Frodo with eyes turned misty. "Elle, the Dark Lady, is no mere woman, but a witch who wielded more power than most wizards. With a deep sigh, he added "…and to whom most wizards desired. I swooned at her feet an age ago, and now that I know she lives, feel a great yearning coming upon me. Though man, elf and dwarf do not feel it, we wizards are drawn to the residue of power that seeps from her spirit."

"If her powers were so strong, how is it that wizards were able to imprison her?" asked Pippin.

"She was strong," repeated Gandalf the Grey. "Emerald Elle we called her. When her power was in full regale her eyes shone bright green with little stars dancing between them. The Council decided no one creature should wield such magic and we sought to share it amongst ourselves for the common good. It was Elle's husband's trickery with the unwitting aid of Luthien that persuaded Elle into surrendering her powers into…Gandalf hesitated and then whispered …into a vessel that could be harnessed by

all of us."

"The ring," guessed Frodo as he pulled it out from his shirt. It twirled ordinary in the air as a mere trinket.

"Yes, the ring, her ring, her wedding ring. Sauron was her husband."

"Sauron's wife! In our midst!" Gimli shouted. "Are the Orcs in her service? Is that why she can keep the Orcs at bay? Gandalf we must capture her and hold her for ransom!"

"Perhaps, that is what Balin planned to do, and died for it." Gandalf replied. "No one knows Elle's heart. There lies the danger. The council must know about this new magic she performs, one that appears to exceed mine. We must coax her to accompany us, so that we may judge how much her magic has grown.

Boromir gave a sideglance to Aragorn, " Or keep her close to him…" Aragorn eyes shifted to Gandalf who after deciding to take Elle with them stopped his shaking and tears. This witch poised a new threat to accomplishing their quest, by distracting their leader.

Elle returned with glasses foaming with ale and floating in a circle like a halo about her head. The stern faces of the fellowship relaxed at her easy smile showcasing infectious delight in their presence. "I rarely have visitors, or should I even say, never?"

She laughed and the sound lightened their hearts toward her. Her magic flung each glass to a nearby table without spilling a drop of the ale. From her hands tumbled mushrooms and onions wrapped in bread coated with honey mustard so sweet, the aroma awakened their bellies and with renewed appetite began to eat.

After their third round of ales, Elle said, "Now, tell me Gandalf, has the council concluded I am a murderous traitor, or have they sent you to free me from my banishment?"

"The council has not thought of you at all, Elle." Gandalf replied sadly. "Even I thought you had gone to the Havens for I no longer felt your shadow."

"And you forgot me?" Elle asked.

"I never forgot you, Elle. I only thought you were gone." His grey eyes met the emerald glare and he sighed at the coldness he found there.

Elle cast her eyes down to her hands clasping a flute. "Eat and drink," she commanded, "I wish my dwelling to be filled with gladness. I am among good company for yet a little while. Let me enjoy it!"

While the fellowship continued their repast, Elle pressed her lips close to the fife and with a deep breath vibrated the reed until a trill of singing birds seemed to fill the air. The sound was so sweet and so reminiscent of the songbirds in Rivendell that Legolas could not help but look about to see if there were one or two hiding in the crevices.

Grimli was totaling absorbed in his ale, appreciating the distinctive dwarf brew that was a legacy to Balin's lineage, while the hobbits sprawled on the cushions in clumsy comfort, devouring mushrooms.

Boromir and Aragorn continued to eye the dark lady suspiciously, once or twice directing their gaze to each other in a puzzled question of how to proceed next in getting themselves free from the mines. Only Gandalf had his eyes closed, his countenance one of content, making the men uneasy. They could hear Gandalf murmuring a word or two to fill in the pauses between the chirping that strung together said:

"Haven't you heard…of the bird…called Memory?

It flies away…when I beg…company…

It returns home…when my love…crowds me.

Come to me…little bird…my Memory…

Vigilant…in my hour of need."

"This is a trap." Aragorn whispered to Boromir, "The Dark Lady is lulling us into a pretense of safety. Gandalf appears under a spell. We are not safe here."

Boromir nodded. "I agree, but like Frodo, I do not think she wishes to harm us. She seems only to want company. Elle must be very lonely among Orcs."

"No. She had Balin, and his company. Now, Balin and all his kindred are dead." Aragorn stood up noisily, putting an end to the flute's magic. "What say you, Grimli? Are you to ask Elle why Balin would not accept her protection from the Orcs?"

Grimli drained his cup and stared at the musician, recognizing the fact that he should have asked that question almost immediately and shamed that he did not. Elle got up and retrieved a soapstone box carved with intricate scrolls of dwarf design and handed it to the dwarf. "Balin crafted this box for me. Do you not recognize his coat of arms? He gave it to me after I helped him rescue the item inside. Open it."

Grimli opened the box and inside laid a twisted band of metal. It was blackened as if melted in a fire and resembled a hollow ball no bigger than his thumb. "What is it?" He asked.

"Mithril, cursed with the evil that dwells in these mines. An ancient evil that even Sauron or the Great Enemy could not master." She replied.

Puzzled, Frodo peered over Grimli's shoulder. "How can this be mithril. Mithril is shiny and silver. Bilbo said nothing could destroy it." He tugged at his shirt, as he was saying it, fingering the ringlet vest Bilbo gave him.

Gandalf stirred from his recline with keen interest in his eyes. "Grimli, lift it up for all to see." When it was lifted to the light, the metal smoked a frosty mist and Gandalf recognized it. "Balin sought this to make him king of Moria, for lore said it lay beneath these rock." He explained to his friends. Through its use, he sought to validate his kingship of this place forever. Although its shape is destroyed and with it its power, this is the last of the dwarf rings forged by Sauron. It has been found."

"Yes," said Elle. "I was the map to Balin's quest because I was drawn to its power. I led Balin to that which guarded it, an evil I will not speak of, but Gandalf knows all wizards fear it. While Balin's army distracted the evil, I searched in stealth for the ring and found it and gave it freely to Balin. Many dwarfs are piled high in death so that Balin could possess it. I gave it to Balin so that he would wield it for good. Alas! My memory of the treachery from Elrond's kindred had faded and the ring twisted his mind and Balin used it to torment the orcs that had caused me no harm. When the Orcs came to attack him, I told him to give it back to me. Or I would take it by force. If he gave it to me, I would save him and his people, if I took it from him, it would cost the lives of all. Balin did not believe me. He sought to destroy me with its power and we struggled. In desperation, I sought the aid of the evil below and Balin met his death. This remnant of metal is the last remaining dwarf ring, forged by Sauron, and destroyed by me."

"So this is from which you obtained your new magic," Gandalf said.

In answer, Elle blinked an eye and the metal disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Keep the box, Grimli, as a memento of your friend."

"You murdered Balin," he growled, his dwarf hair bristling with anger and his ax posed a second time in her direction.

Legolas came to his friend's side, charged with a new hatred for the dark lady. "And you talk of Elrond's line as traitors. Elrond and his family are honored among all elves, including me, and what you say, I consider insult!"

Elle lashed back. "Balin was performing evil, and an evil older than he, stopped him. I will speak of Balin no more, nor will I pain myself with excuses for Tinuviel and Elrond's wife, Celebrian. I am done with dwarf and elf's injured prides. I stand alone, wrongly punished for deeds forced upon me to thwart those who attack me in pairs for their diseased amusement." I refuse to be branded again as a murderer, a traitor, or what else wizard, elf, or…dwarf, call me. Our time of commune is over, I will show you the way out." Elle reached out her hand and pushed the air until a door opened on to a stone bridge. "Take this and keep turning left. You will be at the end of the mountain in half a day's time."

"I can not leave you here, " Gandalf said. "The council must know of your new powers and in what way you intend to use them. Surely you know the Dark Shadow emerged as the Eye. All wizards can feel the shadow. In time, the Eye will feel your presence. How will you protect yourself against Sauron, all alone? The concealment charms that kept you hidden will not protect you much longer. Come with me. Come leave this prison. You are of my memoires and together with our powers; we can save this middle earth and overcome the evil that torments you. 'Come to me…little bird…my Memory…vigilant…in my hour of need.' I will protect you."

"And will you protect me from the wrath of your friends, Gandalf. Elle snarled her lip in reaction to Legolas and Grimli's distaste for her. Will you protect me not only from Sauron, but also from the High Lord Elrond who despises me and seeks my death?

Gandalf weighed her question carefully, knowing how protecting her may alienate Elrond's friendship forever. A burden of deep sadness bowed his back. In a voice brought low and deep to a whisper, he declared, "Yes, I will use my powers to protect you from all, including Elrond. Now, come to me, little bird."