Winds of the East
I do not own Lord of the Rings, or any works of Tolkien.
Summary: A young man, Kazûl, was a novice in the temple of the Blue Gods in the East. However, dark forces threaten not only his home, but the whole of Middle Earth. He is given a perilous mission to journey into an unfamiliar land to warn Middle Earth before it is too late. AU.
ONE: A STRANGE ENCOUNTER
Kazûl felt the sweat linger on his neck, breathing heavily from exertion. He drained a few drops from his water-skin, savouring the feeling of the cool dew upon his lips. The wind clipped at his robes, which were now stained the same red colour as the sand below his feet.
He stood upon the cliff edge that cut the land like a knife. Below, smoke and fire crackled from what had been his home.
He could not, he would not think about that now.
X
The temple of the Blue God existed in the midst of the green, pale flickering lake separate from the rest of Rhudavon. A single, narrow pathway led from temple to the Courtyard of the Gods, where all the other major and minor temples were located.
It was made of great overlapping green stones, like the scales of a fish. In the harsh sun, it constantly glimmered and shimmered, so much so that the temple itself looked like a fish swimming in water.
The Blue God's realm was water, and all that encompassed the workings required to maintain Rhudavon's water. Its' priests wore garments of blue, long robes with sashes of their sect: whether they were teachers, healers or builders. Rarer still were the robes of the Mages, with their sashes of pure white.
Kazûl had never seen a Mage, and he had been a Novice for nearly three years. All novices and priests were taught small Magiks, of course, like spells for lighting, spells of healing and spells of protection.
Kazûl wore robes of cream that were too short for his, tall thin frame. The blue sash tied haphazardly around waist signified that he was a Senior Novice. As a Senior Novice, it was his role to ring the bell before dawn to signal a new day.
The bell was located high within the temple, up several winding spiral staircases with no torches to light the way. Kazûl had become used to feeling his way upwards, until shafts of what Kazûl liked to call in his own mind 'dawn-light.' Up here, in the highest rafters was the Bell of Dawn, a large bronze shaped bell that had a deep echoing voice that could be heard throughout Rhudavon.
His fingers touched the familiar patterns on the wall; telling him that he was nought but one more flight to the top. Already shafts of greyish light were splayed across the wall.
He squinted; there was one of the servants with a brush in his hand, sweeping the wooden slats of the spiral staircase. Dust flew up into the air as the servant swept. The servant was bent over, his back curved and his fingers knarled.
Kazûl approached him, slowly, not wanting to frighten the old man.
"Are you alright?"
The servant suddenly looked up, and bowed, two hands flat on his thighs as was customary. His broom clattered onto the steps below.
Kazûl returned the bow as best as he could in the cramped stairwell. He picked up the broom and handed it gently to the old man.
"Are you going to the top?" he asked.
The servant only nodded, his long grey hair hiding his face.
"Then at least let me help you."
Once more the servant bowed towards Kazûl, but said nothing. Kazûl took the older man's arm and helped him, step by step up towards the rafters as the dawn-light turned brighter and brighter still. They came at last to top of the tower. Here, the bell awaited him to be rung.
"Here," Kazûl handed the servant his water-skin. "Why don't you rest a moment?" He gestured for the servant to sit.
The older man took a deep gulp from the water skin, propping himself against one of the thick walls.
Kazûl turned towards the bell, feeling the thrum of the Magik underneath his fingers and the cool touch of the metal. He pictured the image of the bell ringing within his mind, concentrating his will on that single purpose, and directed it through his fingers into the metal of the bell itself.
The bell glowed for a moment and swung, voicing a great sonorous ring that filled the entire tower.
Kazûl turned; looking downwards onto the Courtyard of the Gods, for their bells would begin to toll as well, a great cacophony of sound that would awaken the whole city. He leaned over the railing, feeling the fresh Western wind upon his face.
Their temple was always the first to ring, then temple of the Sun God, whose bell had a tinkling, joyful ring. Next would be the temple of Blood, whose God ruled over warfare and battles. After the Blood Temple, would be the Lidless God; so called for the ever watchful Eye of their God.
The last bell was always the temple of Death, whose voice cut through all the rest. Kazûl shivered as the last echoes of its' song faded away.
"I ought to be getting on-" he began, but stopped for there was none in the room but him.
Where the servant had sat, there was no one there. He scanned once more the room and the stairwell, but there was no sign of the servant.
Perhaps it was his imagination?
He ran quickly down the spiral staircase, two steps at a time, but there was no indication that the servant had ever been there.
Authors Note: Rhudavon is of my own creation, however it is based upon Tolkien's writings. It is located within the East, upon the Lake of Rhun and is a fictional city, perhaps the capital of a Eastern Empire.
Some of the Eastern Gods described above have their Western counterparts:
The Blue God-Ulmo, god of the sea, waters and river.
The Blood God- Tulkas, god of war and hunting.
The Lidless God-Sauron, the Dark Lord.
Thank you and please R&R,
TOBI