Tyrlylth – Mistress of the Blade.
CHAPTER ONE
The atmosphere was thick as a lone orc wailed and cried as he ran across the landscape under the nearly full red moon that was covered by the dark grey looming clouds. His heart thumped drastically out of beat to the flying hooves that chased him as he escaped the wraith of death as the onyx shadow raced after him. Splotches of orc blood were splattered over his face and his ruined armour but he did not know who did it because, to him, his attacker was invisible. He bravely glanced behind him, stumbling in the process; he saw nothing but the sound of the beating hooves and they were getting much closer. He looked back in front but it was all over, he was too late, too slow, and that night he was slain. As the clouds moved to one side the dim moonlight shone down onto the landscape, revealing the onyx shadow; a huge black stallion, as black as night, reared up in victory as the darkly cloaked slim figure raised her crystal, snow white sword up to the moon, the orc blood slithering down the blade making parts of it fade into the blackened background. At first glance one would believe the pair to be a ringwraith but the horse was much bigger, heavier and stronger than those that the ringwraiths ride and also as the figure upon the horse spoke, the voice was as light as the blowing breeze.
"Come Narreanea, we ride to Moria" the rider spoke to the onyx steed making it bellow out a loud neigh before bolting off, the figures falling back into the darkness of the night.
Days flew by and by the time the figure was drawing close to Moria a small group of nine were noticed in the distance, making the figure slow down its almighty steed, Narreanea. The figure put her hood down, her features viewable in the dying sunshine. Long rugged raven hair fell over her shoulders and under her cloak while bright, blue wise eyes stared out into the distance, analysing the crowd up ahead. Her pale skin seemed to match the crystal white sword that she had cleaned the night before after beheading the final orc that she had been tracking down. The figure, now that she was off her horse, was quite small in height, only reaching five foot four but her figure was average but well-muscled up. She knelt her twenty year old looking figure down, fingering the ground with her small soft hands before standing, swinging herself on the stallion once more.
"Come, we can catch them up by nightfall though I know not how to approach them" she spoke to her horse before urging it forward, raising her hood up in the process. The female and her stallion, Narreanea, kept up with the small group up ahead yet she kept her distance so not even an elf could hear her stallion's footsteps. Soon the day was drawing to an end and she could see the mob was setting up for camp, making her force her horse into some overgrown bushes. She skilfully swung herself off Narreanea, giving him a swift kiss on the nose before removing the saddlebag and backpack off his back.
"It is time for you to leave me, Sacred to the Night, let your journey in the wild be safe for I shall need you in a few months' time" the woman said to the stallion making him nod before nibbling her fingers in love but deep within his soulless eyes concern and worry were seen in them.
"Worry not, Narreanea, they will not harm me for Gandalf the Grey travels with them" the woman spoke before patting the stallion that tilted his head to the side, understanding her words perfectly. Narreanea gave a soft whine in farewell before carefully darting off into the wild, never to be seen by another soul until he was reunited with his mistress.
"Time for action" the woman muttered, chucking her backpack and saddlebag into the bushes before standing herself on a nearby boulder, the nearly full moon glaring down at her; she noted to herself that the full moon would be out tomorrow. As she stood there she felt as if she was being watched, yes, she knew that feeling well. The camp that stood at least a mile away was silent but she dared not to turn around and look at them. Instead she removed her long, daunting onyx cloak revealing light blue clothing underneath that challenged her blue eyes. She quickly threw the cloak in the bushes (so that the group didn't think she was a ringwraith) before standing tall and gazing off into the distance. She could now feel several sets of eyes on her; the nine walkers had noticed her, good. Ever so slowly she turned her body around to face the camp before gazing over at them, raising a thin black eyebrow at them. Ever so softly she let out a whistling bird note and soon another one was heard from the camp. She kept still as three approached her; an elf clad in green, a mortal clad in black and finally a wizard clad in grey.
"Greetings" the woman called out, standing still as the mortal pulled out a long blade while the elf swung out his bow and arrow. The wizard, however, merely chuckled, gesturing the two to lower their weapons, which they did with confused expressions.
"So you did come then" the wizard spoke as he stood only a few feet away, an unnoticeable grin on his face. The female nodded to the wizard, lightly jumping off the boulder and skipping over to the bush where her items were, picking them all up, remembering to put her cloak back on.
"Well aren't you going to offer a lonely woman a fire to sit by?" the woman asked with a grin making the wizard chuckle again, beckoning her to follow him as he turned to walk back to camp. The elf and the mortal, both as confused as the other, trailed behind the grey wizard while gripping their weapons; the woman, noticing the looks she received, decided that they both had trust issues and ignored them.
The woman along with the three entered the small camp, the other companions shooting out of their seats and grabbing their weapons. The woman, whom was watching the four small hobbits intently, brightly grinned at them and decided that they were extremely cute.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce me or do I have to put up with weapons directed at me all night?" the woman playfully said, dramatically eyeing up the mortal with lighter features whom glared at her in hatred. The wizard sighed before setting his staff to the side, leaning it against a boulder, before sitting on a stray log; while he did this the woman shrugged off her backpack and saddlebags making the rest of the companions gaze at her in confusion.
"Everybody, this is Corlia, an old companion of mine. I am to assume you know everybody here Corlia?" the wizard said and she briskly nodded, glancing at everybody.
"You are lucky you are still undiscovered, Saruman had sent a small army after you after catching you on the mountains" Corlia, the woman, told them making the hobbits eyes go the size of frying pans and the mortal man with lighter features, Boromir, to shudder with sudden panic.
"How far are they from us? Have they followed you?" the other mortal man with darker features, Aragorn, quickly questioned, his hand gripping his sword.
"Nay they are dead" spoke the elf, Legolas, whom Corlia had trouble keeping her eyes off for the elves were always perfect in their looks. The group were silent, confused on how Legolas would know.
"I smell the blood on the wind" he continued on after a dramatic silence. Corlia carefully sniffed her cloak, near enough throwing up at the smell of it.
"Actually that could be my cloak" she told him, taking it off and chucking it next to her backpack and saddlebags. The dwarf, Gimli, laughed at her making her glance at him, furrowing her brows together for she couldn't decide if his beard was brown or ginger; she'd have to check in the morning.
"So Gandalf, I am to assume that you travel to Moria?" Corlia asked he and the wizard gravely nodded and Corlia stiffened, knowing that dwelled under the mountains. By the blank looks on the other companions' faces she guessed that none of them knew what lingered in the dark…
"I shall join you then" she told him making Boromir, Aragorn, Legolas and even Gimli choke out refusals for different reasons.
"Silence!" Gandalf commanded, making them all silent at once but Boromir stood, pointing at Corlia.
"But she is a woman, we cannot afford to try and protect another! This journey is too dangerous!" Boromir gravely said making everyone hum in agreement but Corlia laughed at this, clutching her side as she tried controlling it. Finally she recovered herself, wiping away a tear as she gazed at the completely baffled group.
"You do not know who I am, do you?" she asked them and all of them shook their heads, all except Gandalf and Merry, whose eyes were wide.
"I know you!" Merry squeaked making Pippin send him a questioning look.
"You…You're that war hero woman! They call you Tyrlylth, don't they?" Merry exclaimed while leaping up and down as I grinned at him.
"You know, I like you already" Corlia told him confirming the statement. Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn and the hobbits kept silent as realisation dawned at them but Boromir, who was still lost, spoke.
"Tyrlylth? I have never heard of that name before…" he said with question lingering in his voice but this time Gimli spoke, a new look sparkling in his eyes.
"It means 'Mistress of the Blade' for she beholds Tyarel. If you say who you are is true then show us Tyarel" he spoke in his gruff voice making Corlia pull out Tyarel from its sheath, the glimmering snow white blade sparkling under the moonlight. Everyone gasped but still Boromir didn't understand making Merry hiss in annoyance.
"Basically she's some cool war hero from the First Age onwards and she is well known to everyone! Well, except you obviously, but she's a hero and, and, and…" Merry quickly said, stuttering as Corlia placed a hand on his shoulder to quiet him down.
"Worry not, Merry, the less who know the easier life is" Corlia said to Merry making a sad expression fall onto his face.
"If you really wish to tell Boromir the story then leave it until tomorrow, it shall give you something to talk about while walking instead of moaning about how much your feet hurt" Corlia told him with a fake stern expression before giving Gandalf an exhausted look, which he understood.
"I believe it is time we rested, we leave bright an early in the morning" he told the group and he soon pulled out his bedroll, dozing off to sleep. Corlia grinned at the wizard as he slept defenceless but she knew only too well that he was far from defenceless… With that thought she pulled out her own bedroll and placed it to the edge of the camp, knowing full well that the 'fellowship' wouldn't be too comfortable with a stranger sleeping too close to them and also she didn't exactly trust them… yet. With a few huffs of annoyance at the buzzing flies and a glare or two at a spider that crawled closer to the fire Corlia finally fell asleep, falling into memories and nightmares.
