Borrowed Time
O1
Pant. Pant. Pain. The urge to fight and escape never leaves her, but she is a prisoner and there is no escape unless they willingly release her.
The candles flickered, the flames casting shadows on the walls danced. The man kneeling before them was oblivious. His mind set on sole concentration for the task at hand.
Pant. Pain. Gasp. The woman wants to grasp her abdomenn double over and just cry. Instead she bites down on her lip and stops the sobs threatening to choke her from bursting through her cracked lips.
His hands are both raised to meet at the front of his chest in a sign of prayer, the palms pressed together. A frown creases his bald brow and he mumbles incoherent words.
Sweat trickles down the sides of her face, sticking matted strands of hair to her cheeks and forehead. Her hands are pinned above her head. Her wrists ache from the vice hold of the man abusing her.
In chants he pleads with forces wielding powers far greater than his own to grant what he begs for in low tones. The temple around him is empty except for two others kneeling further back also whispering.
His breathing is becoming ragged, he must be almost done. She tells herself, trying to grasp the last threads of her courage. Telling herself it will all be over soon, finding whatever comfort this gives her.
The heatless men have taken another woman guardian and dragged her into their world of corruption, her purity will be taken from her in the most brutal way and they willl break her ties with the temple. To weaken the power that lies within her, to destroy the bonds she's woven with the spirits she seeks to serve and protect.
She clenches her teeth, setting her jaw and glares up at the concrete ceiling. Her captors weight presses down on top of her, she can feel the heat coming off his torso and his sweat mixes with her own. 'Almost done, almost done, almost done.'
The men are praying for her again, praying that her strength will not shatter, that she will come out alive.
She will remain loyal to the end.
{ } { } { }
Zєrαℓєnα
A young woman stands at the edge of a cliff, her sky coloured eyes revereted downwards. Behind her, two monks watch. The same men who have served as her teachers for the past 25 years of her life.
"Zera." Hinku, the tallest of the two, beckons for her to come. She looks back over her shoulder and gives a slow nod. With great reluctance she doesn't bother to hide, she turns and follows them back towards to the ivory coloured temple. Her cream silk dress brings out her fair complexion and flutters in the faint breeze. She steals another backwards glance again at the sun, so big and red. A shrill cry breaks through the serene moment, her heart jerks at the sound. She halts abruptly, the sound ringing in her ears. Spinning on the balls of her feet she sprints in the direction the noise came. "Zera! Zeralena!"
The city below holds a buzz of horrid excitement. The citizens are in a flurry, packing together whatever items they can in a rush to leave. The population will be evacuate Adaugeo, travelling north to Dissimulo and there seek refuge away from possible invasion from the dark forces. There, defences are strong. There, they will wait to either aid allies or fight for their own lives.
Zeralena's footing was light as she swerved around the crowds of people and swept through the narrow streets, acutely aware of the stares and whispers. She found the distressed. A child, seperated from his parents. She scooped down and cradled the toddler. Talking in soothing mumurs, she headed back to the main street. Turning towards the centre of Adaugeo, to the great golden column towering over the surrounding buildings. Their governing figures met regularly inside its circular walls, with the royal family of Adaugeo having chambers in the higher levels.
"Rhype!" A woman rushed forwards to meet them. "Thank the heavens! M'lady Zerelena, bless you!" The blonde haired lady nodded, handing the sniffling boy over with a faint smile. Her eyes fall on the superb piece of architecture once more before taking to the streets again. The people who saw her gave dipped their heads in acknowledgement and she offers the same awkward smile. Strangers to her, but her face is imprinted in their minds. She is regarded with mixed feelings, they view her kindly but at the same time apprehensively. She belonged to the aristocracy but not in the same sense of her cousins; her position is not as rooted in the depths of her blood. And this they all know.
"Zera!" She twisted round to find Hinku and Jip running towards her. "We are late!" Jip snapped, bending over to gasp for breath. She bit back an amused chuckle, he is not one for regular exercise.
"I am aware of our schedule but I can not ignore a infant. You know that." She flashed a grin and Hinku chortled despite his attempts to suppress it. Jip recovered and, grumbling a few words, proceeded to lead the other two back towards the waiting party.
"You have not changed as much as I thought, Zeralena." She was forced to a halt again, she knew that voice. A little to the right her eyes fell on the speaker. She's never been so happy since she learned of the evacuation.
"I am pleased to hear it. Old friend." She laughed, hurriedly making her way over to him. The aging man chuckled, welcoming the hug she embraced him with. "It has been a while Gandalf, what adventures have you been on since your last visit?" He smiled down his nose again, taking the time to examine her. She had matured into quite the young woman and stood before him, proud and dignified. As your mother would have wanted you to be. She watched the remorse touch his eyes and frowned, but it was gone again in the next second.
"Many, many my dear girl. However, that must wait."
{ } { } { }
"It has been found." She repeated, staring at the man riding parallel to her through the woodlands. Previously, the forest had brought her comfort. Now her insides tingled with caution and her eyes would frequently travel to either side searching the trees that had once made her feel secure.
"Yes." He had reiterated the history surrounding the one ring. She had been blessed with a quick wit and had already arrived at the conclusion for his explanation. As usual she was decisive and incredibly observent.
"I see. So, if we know that would mean so do others. I would suspect that it would stretch to further than the represatives of Rivendell." He looked up, his gaze meeting her's square on and with an intensity that startled her.
"Precisely. The ring will have to be destroyed, without any form of a doubt Lord Elrond will assemble a select group for this quest. Zeralena, you agreed to help me without truly knowing what I required from you and for this poor trick I apologize. But I need your assistance greatly. I will, however, understand if you turn back now." His eyes switched to the road and he waited in silence for her answer. There was a pause, whilst she collected her thoughts.
"Of this team I can predict that their reactions will not be as keen as your own. I am female Gandalf, they will not like that. The elves will tolerate me, but the dwarves and men will be less inviting." He twisted round in the saddle to look back at her, a questioning expression etched on his features.
"Have you had a vision?" She blinked, taken back, before a grin curved the corners of her lips upwards. She shook her head, a hand running through the mane of her mare.
"No, but when so much is at risk one race will not solely be able to take on the burden. The dwarves have too much pride to allow elves to take on the task alone and they likewise, whilst men... men are men. The last vision I had was four days gone, in my dream I saw us as we are now, and my city leaving without me. I did not know why."
By dawn Gandalf and his companion had reached Rivendell to be greeted by the waiting Lord Elrond. Their horses drew to a halt as he swept across the courtyard with the elvish elegance she envied. He seemed surprised to see Zera but appeared pleased nonetheless, dipping his head he murmured her name in formal acknowledgement, a small smile on his lips. Zera slid out of the saddle and landed softly on the cobbled ground to mimic his polite gesture.
"The ring bearer was in dire condition when he arrived here. Arwen barely managed to bring him to me in time, but he is now well and resting. His companions have also arrived with Aragorn." She turned, raising her eyebrows as Gandalf chuckled.
"I see. So the heir to Gondor found the hobbits." Hobbits. She glanced about herself, she had not stepped into the Elvish outpost since she was a child. She took the time to enjoy its splendour, it was even more magnificant than she remembered.
"Lady Zeralena. I shall have quarters drawn up for you and Amilia will be taken to a stable, please do rest." Amelia being the horse her grandfather had gave her for her fourteenth birthday.
"Many thanks Lord Elrond, it is a pleasure to be in Rivendell again."
She kissed her horse's black muzzle, stroking her neck in appreciation and promising to return later with a treat.
Her accomodation was spacious, it was the same room that she had stayed in on her past visits. She smiled fondly at the beautiful chamber, she had many pleasant memories of Rivendell. She stepped into the assigned quarters and sighed delightfully. Her bags were waiting for her, placed neatly beside the four poster bed.
"You have changed, Zeralena." She whipped round, in the doorway stood a dark haired elvish woman. For a while they simply stood and stared at each other before errupting into delighted laughter and rushing into the other's arms. Arwen placed a kiss on her friend's forehead, stepping back to examine the younger woman more closely. "You have grown into quite the lady. And a very beautiful one at that." A spot of colour tainted the blonde's cheeks.
"I am but a shadow in your light." She admonished. "But I thank you nonetheless." The elf rolled her eyes, a smile decorating her features.
"You are too modest, Zera. But it brings me pleasure to see you are still hold an unselfish heart." They laughed again but were interrupted by the blare of a horn. Swiftly, they moved to the balcony.
"They have arrived." Arwen spoke softly, their merriment diminishing as they shared a sideways glance. A sense of dread replaced their previous joy, and hung over the duo in it's own depressive weight. The ring was evil, and as long as it remained in tact it's power would spread. Neither were ignorant of the increasing risk. Below they watched figures appear, representatives of the leading powers of Middle Earth. They left the room in silence, their arms linked together. Descending the stairway with smooth steps they went their seperate ways at the bottom. Snatching up her hand, Arwen gave it a firm squeeze, then disappeared down a corridor to the right. Zera watched her go then spun on the balls of her feet and strode out into the open air to seek out Gandalf.
'Zeralena...' She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breathe. A sudden burning sensation in her gut caused her to release it sharply, one hand gripped onto the stone railing of the half wall beside her whilst the other clutched the fabric of her dress covering the heated spot. A blinding flash of light distorted her vision before several images at once surged through her head. 'Zeralena, you must be wary.' Forests burned, the smoke choking the air and polluting her lungs. Children and parents screamed, grasping frantically onto one and other as they fled from perusers. Monsters tortured people, elves, dwarves, all were imprisoned. Chaos. Murder. 'The power of the ring is great and the forces that search for it are stronger than any have imagened.' Death.
She gasped for air, her eyes snapping open. She was back in Rivedell.
"Zera." A hand took her shoulder and spun her around. Gandalf peered into her frightened eyes and surveyed her pale complexion. "What did you see?"
"Distruction, Gandalf. That has never happened before, I only see things in my dreams. What does it mean?" The older man studied her closely, slowly taking a step back as her heart hammered against her chest. He was choosing his words carefully. That made her uneasy. He turned away, processing the information and glancing occasionally back at her. She steadied her breathing and attempted to reign in her composure. When she was calm, he spoke again.
"It means, m'lady Zeralena, that your power is growing. The gifts you were blessed with are ready for you to mould them to their full potential, the question is will you?" There was a stretched silence. She tried to process his announcement, shifting uncomfortably and averting her gaze downwards. It fell on a golden sundial, its extravagant design displayed proudly on an elevated platform. "The vision I can not fully understand. There are a number of possible answers. The one we must cling to is that it is not definite but is what will happen should the ring fall into the wrong hands. If the Council does not act appropriately." She nodded weakly, swallowing with some difficulty.
Gandalf excused himself to attend the meet a short while after. She remained where she was, her thoughts in disorder. She would be in the same spot two hours later when Arwen came to find her. She sat watching a single leaf flooting down onto the same sundial. She had continued to study it for the duration, it was curiously soothing.
"You are wishing you could borrow time, Zeralena. What will come will come and what has past has past." Her blue eyes met the elf's and a rueful smile crept onto her lips at her words. Her worries could not be waved away as simply as that.
"I know Arwen, but sometimes borrowed time is so appealing." She sighed, her attention once again straying back to the golden decoration. With borrowed time, I can make mistakes because I can correct them...
"It is indeed Zeralena. But now is not the time to ponder over such things, you have been summoned. They have arrived at a decision, there will be a fellowship and Gandalf had ensured you are to be part of it." Zera could feel her scrutiny but made no comment. She rose, brushing her attire and straightening her posture. She gave a brief nod and walked back into the cool shade.
"You should have attended Zera, regardless of what the dwarves or men would have thought." Amongst the elves females were not degraded as they were with other races but she would still face some disapproval from Arwen's brethen. She had not been raised in the same regards as their race. She would be a burden. The elf snatched a quick glance of Zeralena. She displayed no readable emotion. With engrained grace, she stepped into the Council's meeting place.
"Members of the Fellowship, I introduce to you, Zeralena of Adaugeo. Granddaughter to King Andric of Semper." One by one she greeted each member. Aragorn, heir to Gondor's throne and lover of Arwen. She knew him well enough to be more than an acquittance but not enough to be considered a friend. Boromir son of the current stewart of Gondor, he was polite but she read the prejudice in his gaze. Gimili, son of Gloin, a dwarf he stood appreciating her appearance (and was poor at hiding it) yet still grumbled distaste about her inclusion. Sam, Merry and Pippin friends of Frodo the ring barer all hobbits from 'The Shire'. They voiced no complaints and with a warm relief their smiles told her they were more than happy to be in her company. Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood an elf, she had crossed paths with him once before but they had never been formally introduced and had it not been for the fact he looked exactly the same as he did then, she would not have remembered him. Neither had any inclination of the relationship they would create or the bonds which would tie their hearts together.
Bare with me it will become clear why Zeralena is close to Arwen and Gandalf etc. soon enough. Constructive criticism only please.