A/N: I'm back! With yet another story for the Rhiadrieal stories, now a
trilogy with a companion book. REVIEW! It tells me if I should continue
to write this or not.
~*Sky Magic*~
Disclaimer: (For once I remember…) I own Mith, the Wyr, maybe a few other characters yet to come and the plot. This gets into sort of an alternate universe (even more of one) so if you don't like that. Bye-bye.
Chapter One
Aragorn crouched in the rain under a large oak tree, examining the trail of his quarry. The forest was eerie enough without the rain and thick mist. The ground was muddy and slick beneath his booted feed. He cursed the rain, it would only make the tricky creature harder to find. He ran his fingers through a mane of thick black hair, and stood with a sigh. Elbereth it is dark! he thought.
At the touch of steel on his neck, he stiffened, he had heard nothing. "What do you think Mith? Foe or friend?" a soft female voice behind him said.
Aragorn cursed his luck, he did not need this delay, and slowly turned to face his attacker. He looked down into storm blue eyes. It was an elf, female. One hand kept the sword pressed lightly to his neck as the other strayed up to her face to brush several damp strands of black hair. The faint glow of gold green eyes by her side brought his attention down to the creature that stood next to her. It was a wolf. He stared, mesmerized, as the wolf made a smooth transformation into a woman. Fur melted away into skin, ears shifted position, the tail disappeared, her back legs strengthen and lengthened. The woman stepped forward and the elf slowly removed her sword from where it had been pressing.
Golden *wolf* eyes caught and held his own gray ones. The woman, Mith the elf had called her, walked closer to him until there were a few scarce inches between them. She reached out a pale hand towards hi face. Mith hesitated just before touching his face gently with calloused fingers.
At her touch the hairs on the back of his neck rose. She stared intently into his eyes, searching. Aragorn noticed the faint red brown flecks in her eyes. "So this is Aragorn, son of Arathorn," Mith said thoughtfully, removing her hand from his cheek.
"Aragorn?" the elf demanded, cutting in. "Ada's foster son? My sister's…well…uh…um…" she was cut off by Mith's cough.
"Rhiadrieal, you are making a fool of yourself," Mith said dryly. She turned to Aragorn, who stood, still surprised and transfixed. How did they know his name? "Stop gawping youngling, it will do you no good," she commented.
"I am not young!" Aragorn insisted. "How do you know who I am?"
"I would recognize one of the Dúnedain anywhere," Mith commented. "To me, you are young."
"Arwen would send her love, if she knew I was meeting you that is," Rhiadrieal said. "What are you tracking? I think we may have that in common," she said surprising Aragorn even more.
"A thing called Gollum," he replied.
"Is it the manlike creature? He is small though, closer to the size of a hobbit. He has sharp teeth and huge eyes. Mith and I followed him for a while back. He was almost constantly muttering to himself," Rhiadrieal asked.
"Yes."
"We were going back to tell the King Thranduil about him, he could be a threat and we saw you a day or so back, we followed you and it seemed you were following a trail of some sort, the one we were following," Mith said.
"I could show you where we lost him, if you like," Rhiadrieal offered. "Mith can go back, I do have a horse."
"It would be nice," Aragorn admitted, going by foot was tiring.
Rhiadrieal whistled shrilly, causing Aragorn to wince and Mith to cover her ears. "Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. A chestnut horse trotted through the brush, coming to a stop in front of Rhiadrieal. "Hullo Star Fire," Rhiadrieal said to the stallion. "He's been following close by, just a warning, but he's still in training." Rhiadrieal mounted and then motioned for Aragorn to mount behind her.
"I'd like to see your definition of well trained," Aragorn said dryly. He eyed the stallion, it wasn't that big.
Rhiadrieal laughed and then said, "He's stronger than he looks."
"If you're sure," Aragorn said and then mounted.
Mith waved as Rhiadrieal and Aragorn galloped off. She turned away and shifted to wolf form, she had a message to deliver.
***
Rhiadrieal pulled Star Fire to a halt in near a small stream. "This is where we left," she commented. "Good luck, the thing is shadowed."
"This is a fine horse you have," Aragorn commented, patting Star Fire.
"His dam is my mare. His great-great-great-great-grandsire was one of the finest stallions I ever trained. I do not know if I will keep him, I may sell him or give him away. It is most likely that I will take him to Imladris next time I visit," Rhiadrieal said. "I see you don't have a horse, most Rangers do have horses, unless I am mistaken."
Aragorn sighed; he had lost his last horse to a hunting accident. "Most rangers. I managed to lose mine while hunting."
"I see, you know Legolas, do you not? I believe he mentioned something about you," Rhiadrieal said.
"We've met," Aragorn replied.
"Legolas seems to think that you two are friends," Rhiadrieal replied, leaning forward and putting a hand on Star Fire's neck, calming him. The horse had been fidgeting, something Rhiadrieal was attempting to cure him of.
"You could say that," Aragorn admitted.
"Come visit us in the castle, I could see about getting you a decent horse," Rhiadrieal said.
"I'll think about it," Aragorn replied and smiled at Rhiadrieal. "Thank you."
"I must catch up with Mith, good hunting," she said and turned Star Fire.
***
Rhiadrieal bit back a gasp as she dipped a foot into the faintly steaming water, it was much hotter than she thought it would be. She had eventually given the very annoyed, upset and worried Legolas an explanation that satisfied him and was allowed to take a bath. She gently massaged shampoo through her hair, enjoying the pleasant smell of herbs. She rinsed her hair in the clear water and then washed it again. She scrubbed her body clean, she hated being dirty.
Dressed in a light blue dress she found Legolas in one of the libraries. "Doing research?" she asked.
"No, just reading because I feel like it," he replied.
"It would surprise me if you were doing research, there's nothing you need to research, is there?" she asked.
"Nothing," Legolas replied. "You really should not go running off after odd creatures without telling someone."
"I did, I told Mith," Rhiadrieal replied stubbornly.
"That's not what I meant!" Legolas replied.
"What did you mean then?"
"You know what I meant!"
"I don't think I do," Rhiadrieal said innocently.
"By the Valar-" Legolas started but was silenced when Rhiadrieal kissed him.
"You do know that I'm just teasing you?" she asked, grinning wickedly.
"Yes but it's not funny!" Legolas replied.
"Maybe not to you," Rhiadrieal said and sat down beside him. "But to me, it is hilarious."
"Think about it from my point of view, I have a lovely, loving wife who teases me at any chance she gets. How would that make you feel?" he asked and kissed Rhiadrieal.
"I'll never have a wife silly!" Rhiadrieal replied.
"That's it!" Legolas said and slammed the book shut. He stood up, and carefully picked Rhiadrieal up carrying her in his arms.
"Put me down!" she commanded, half-heartedly.
"What if I don't want to? I don't think you want me to either," Legolas whispered in her ear and then kissed her.
"Fine!" Rhiadrieal said and crossed her arms in a mock pout. Legolas laughed and kissed her again. "I do believe I have legs and can walk," Rhiadrieal said dryly.
"Do you really want me to put you down? Besides, we're already at our rooms," Legolas replied evilly. Once inside, Legolas lay Rhiadrieal on the bed and flopped down beside her. "I really was worried about you," Legolas replied.
"You shouldn't have been, I can take care of myself," Rhiadrieal replied. "Besides, Mith was with me, you know her. Loyal to the end."
"That doesn't mean that I don't worry," Legolas replied. Rhiadrieal gave no answer put to kiss him and then snuggle closer to him, closing her eyes.
~*Sky Magic*~
Disclaimer: (For once I remember…) I own Mith, the Wyr, maybe a few other characters yet to come and the plot. This gets into sort of an alternate universe (even more of one) so if you don't like that. Bye-bye.
Chapter One
Aragorn crouched in the rain under a large oak tree, examining the trail of his quarry. The forest was eerie enough without the rain and thick mist. The ground was muddy and slick beneath his booted feed. He cursed the rain, it would only make the tricky creature harder to find. He ran his fingers through a mane of thick black hair, and stood with a sigh. Elbereth it is dark! he thought.
At the touch of steel on his neck, he stiffened, he had heard nothing. "What do you think Mith? Foe or friend?" a soft female voice behind him said.
Aragorn cursed his luck, he did not need this delay, and slowly turned to face his attacker. He looked down into storm blue eyes. It was an elf, female. One hand kept the sword pressed lightly to his neck as the other strayed up to her face to brush several damp strands of black hair. The faint glow of gold green eyes by her side brought his attention down to the creature that stood next to her. It was a wolf. He stared, mesmerized, as the wolf made a smooth transformation into a woman. Fur melted away into skin, ears shifted position, the tail disappeared, her back legs strengthen and lengthened. The woman stepped forward and the elf slowly removed her sword from where it had been pressing.
Golden *wolf* eyes caught and held his own gray ones. The woman, Mith the elf had called her, walked closer to him until there were a few scarce inches between them. She reached out a pale hand towards hi face. Mith hesitated just before touching his face gently with calloused fingers.
At her touch the hairs on the back of his neck rose. She stared intently into his eyes, searching. Aragorn noticed the faint red brown flecks in her eyes. "So this is Aragorn, son of Arathorn," Mith said thoughtfully, removing her hand from his cheek.
"Aragorn?" the elf demanded, cutting in. "Ada's foster son? My sister's…well…uh…um…" she was cut off by Mith's cough.
"Rhiadrieal, you are making a fool of yourself," Mith said dryly. She turned to Aragorn, who stood, still surprised and transfixed. How did they know his name? "Stop gawping youngling, it will do you no good," she commented.
"I am not young!" Aragorn insisted. "How do you know who I am?"
"I would recognize one of the Dúnedain anywhere," Mith commented. "To me, you are young."
"Arwen would send her love, if she knew I was meeting you that is," Rhiadrieal said. "What are you tracking? I think we may have that in common," she said surprising Aragorn even more.
"A thing called Gollum," he replied.
"Is it the manlike creature? He is small though, closer to the size of a hobbit. He has sharp teeth and huge eyes. Mith and I followed him for a while back. He was almost constantly muttering to himself," Rhiadrieal asked.
"Yes."
"We were going back to tell the King Thranduil about him, he could be a threat and we saw you a day or so back, we followed you and it seemed you were following a trail of some sort, the one we were following," Mith said.
"I could show you where we lost him, if you like," Rhiadrieal offered. "Mith can go back, I do have a horse."
"It would be nice," Aragorn admitted, going by foot was tiring.
Rhiadrieal whistled shrilly, causing Aragorn to wince and Mith to cover her ears. "Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. A chestnut horse trotted through the brush, coming to a stop in front of Rhiadrieal. "Hullo Star Fire," Rhiadrieal said to the stallion. "He's been following close by, just a warning, but he's still in training." Rhiadrieal mounted and then motioned for Aragorn to mount behind her.
"I'd like to see your definition of well trained," Aragorn said dryly. He eyed the stallion, it wasn't that big.
Rhiadrieal laughed and then said, "He's stronger than he looks."
"If you're sure," Aragorn said and then mounted.
Mith waved as Rhiadrieal and Aragorn galloped off. She turned away and shifted to wolf form, she had a message to deliver.
***
Rhiadrieal pulled Star Fire to a halt in near a small stream. "This is where we left," she commented. "Good luck, the thing is shadowed."
"This is a fine horse you have," Aragorn commented, patting Star Fire.
"His dam is my mare. His great-great-great-great-grandsire was one of the finest stallions I ever trained. I do not know if I will keep him, I may sell him or give him away. It is most likely that I will take him to Imladris next time I visit," Rhiadrieal said. "I see you don't have a horse, most Rangers do have horses, unless I am mistaken."
Aragorn sighed; he had lost his last horse to a hunting accident. "Most rangers. I managed to lose mine while hunting."
"I see, you know Legolas, do you not? I believe he mentioned something about you," Rhiadrieal said.
"We've met," Aragorn replied.
"Legolas seems to think that you two are friends," Rhiadrieal replied, leaning forward and putting a hand on Star Fire's neck, calming him. The horse had been fidgeting, something Rhiadrieal was attempting to cure him of.
"You could say that," Aragorn admitted.
"Come visit us in the castle, I could see about getting you a decent horse," Rhiadrieal said.
"I'll think about it," Aragorn replied and smiled at Rhiadrieal. "Thank you."
"I must catch up with Mith, good hunting," she said and turned Star Fire.
***
Rhiadrieal bit back a gasp as she dipped a foot into the faintly steaming water, it was much hotter than she thought it would be. She had eventually given the very annoyed, upset and worried Legolas an explanation that satisfied him and was allowed to take a bath. She gently massaged shampoo through her hair, enjoying the pleasant smell of herbs. She rinsed her hair in the clear water and then washed it again. She scrubbed her body clean, she hated being dirty.
Dressed in a light blue dress she found Legolas in one of the libraries. "Doing research?" she asked.
"No, just reading because I feel like it," he replied.
"It would surprise me if you were doing research, there's nothing you need to research, is there?" she asked.
"Nothing," Legolas replied. "You really should not go running off after odd creatures without telling someone."
"I did, I told Mith," Rhiadrieal replied stubbornly.
"That's not what I meant!" Legolas replied.
"What did you mean then?"
"You know what I meant!"
"I don't think I do," Rhiadrieal said innocently.
"By the Valar-" Legolas started but was silenced when Rhiadrieal kissed him.
"You do know that I'm just teasing you?" she asked, grinning wickedly.
"Yes but it's not funny!" Legolas replied.
"Maybe not to you," Rhiadrieal said and sat down beside him. "But to me, it is hilarious."
"Think about it from my point of view, I have a lovely, loving wife who teases me at any chance she gets. How would that make you feel?" he asked and kissed Rhiadrieal.
"I'll never have a wife silly!" Rhiadrieal replied.
"That's it!" Legolas said and slammed the book shut. He stood up, and carefully picked Rhiadrieal up carrying her in his arms.
"Put me down!" she commanded, half-heartedly.
"What if I don't want to? I don't think you want me to either," Legolas whispered in her ear and then kissed her.
"Fine!" Rhiadrieal said and crossed her arms in a mock pout. Legolas laughed and kissed her again. "I do believe I have legs and can walk," Rhiadrieal said dryly.
"Do you really want me to put you down? Besides, we're already at our rooms," Legolas replied evilly. Once inside, Legolas lay Rhiadrieal on the bed and flopped down beside her. "I really was worried about you," Legolas replied.
"You shouldn't have been, I can take care of myself," Rhiadrieal replied. "Besides, Mith was with me, you know her. Loyal to the end."
"That doesn't mean that I don't worry," Legolas replied. Rhiadrieal gave no answer put to kiss him and then snuggle closer to him, closing her eyes.