Okay, to everyone reading my other story, I'M STILL WORKING ON IT! This just came to me when I listened to 'Battle Dawn' and it wouldn't go away.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you recognize, no elves, not places, and not songs(Used as dialect). The only things I do own are the characters you do not recognize! See how easy that is?
P.S. Is this any better nosmaeth? I tried to use the suggestions that you gave to me... and here it is! If it is, Thank you!
P.P.S. OKAY, second time I've revised this. Okay no actually it's not; I've done it multiple times but… I think this is definitely better! For those of you who threatened me with Santa Claus if I didn't write anymore *you know who you are!* I'm still working on my other story AND thinking of continuing this one. And I still have to hunt down my muse and rescue my imagination! Soooo ENJOY!
Battle Dawn
In the year 2620 of the Third Age a party of strange beings travel from the Grey Mountains to the Iron Hills. The leader; a lithe young woman her olive-skinned arms bare to the northern winds.
Under a mid-night dark hood lie eyes that of an eagle. Round and ever watchful, the color of mid-night black and the fire flames of violet. Her cheekbones are high, her forehead rigid with dark arched brows. Her white hair twisted into a tight plait, her full rosy lips into a scowl, for the cold of the northern wind probes even her tested endurance. Her head turns here and there with the quickness of a bird. Long, strong fingers on one hand hold the reins to her horse, the fingers of the other hand grasp the hilt of a sword lightly.
The horse she rides; a black stead, long lean legs with white hooves, a white neck and head, with the quickness of both a warrior horse and of a predatory bird, eyes of an eagle, the same color as its master's. The others of the party the same, the likeliness of a bird of prey yet human and horse.
They travel swiftly, heavily armed, towards where their home lies in the trees, the same as the elves of Lothlórien, in talans high up in the tops of the foliage. They ride across the plains swiftly, as if they are flying, a flock soaring to their destination. The sun is red, blood-red. They ride quicker, harder; they have not the time to lose. They must reach the hills before it is too late.
A screech breaks the silence they ride in, a screech of a bird calling for help. "We must hurry!" The leader shouts as they reach the foot of the hills. They make it to the scene in time to find her herald before she dies. "Daya!" She screams as she jumps from her stead and runs to the other young woman lying on the ground in a puddle of her own blood. "Who has done this to you?" She asks as she looks at her herald's broken body.
"The… captain…" The herald, Daya, gasps out as she struggles to breath. Her body is cut and slashed; her face sliced, brow furrowed in pain, her feather like hair stained red, bones in her body broken.
"Altair, come quickly!" The leader yells towards the party of travelers. A young man hurries towards them.
"What has happened?" He asks the woman as he kneels opposite her, above Daya. He looks over his friend's body and feels the anger at whoever has done this to her surge through his body.
"That captain." Elaine hisses. She removes her cloak and lays it on the ground next to Daya. "Help me put her on this." She says. The two slowly lift their friend off the ground and shift her on the dark cloak, the dark blue getting darker with her blood.
"We must get her to the elves. We do not have the healers to treat her at this time." Altair says through gritted teeth as Elaine wraps Daya tightly in the now red cloak.
"It is too far. We would have to go along the foot of the Grey Mountains, along the foot of the Misty Mountains, then through the Misty Mountains just to get to Rivendell. Nay, it would take too long." Elaine says, looking at Altair.
"We do not have a choice." He hisses at her. "She needs the healing skills of lord Elrond. Are you forgetting what we are? How our horses can make it faster than the elven or the beasts of the Rohirrim can travel." He questions her.
"Help me to get her on my horse." Elaine says after she thinks a moment. "Ripa, come!" She shouts to her horse.
Elaine and Altair place Daya upon Ripa, side-saddle. After Daya is settled, Elaine climbs up behind her and grabs the reins. "Fly ahead to Rivendell. Have the elves meet us halfway." Elaine commands Altair before she kicks Ripa into a full gallop.
They race against time towards Rivendell. They ride across the plains of the north towards the Grey Mountains. They guide their horses to go with the wind, 'tis faster that way. Elaine leads them to Rivendell, for days they travel on. With barely any stops they make it to the pass of Caradhras, where there awaits a host of elves.
The leader heads towards them on his horse. On either side of the leader are two identical elves, younger versions of the leader. They do not exchange words; Elaine passes Daya over towards this elf, who takes her, nods, and turns his horse back towards Rivendell; Elaine and her people follow them.
In two days time, they reach Imladris. As they go through the gates of Imladris, many elves stop and look at them. Elaine jumps from Ripa and follows lord Elrond when a blonde elf tries to stop her. "You must wait here." He says holding up his hand.
"I must go with her." Elaine says, looking over the elf. "Let me pass, please." She says.
The leader elf yells towards the blonde elf. (Let her pass, Glorfindel.) The elf let's her pass and she follows swiftly after the leader, aware of many eyes on her. She feels piercing gazes on her, she turns her head quickly and her gaze locks on the pair of twins, a young female elf with dark hair, and two older elves; the female with golden blonde hair and the male with silver hair.
She follows Lord Elrond, into a white room just as he lays Daya on the white bed; her blood quickly stains the bed as he un-wraps the cloak. "It is best if you leave my lady." He says.
"Will she be alright?" As she looks at Daya's pale face then back to his.
"I know not at this time." He says as without looking up.
Elaine walks out of the room and sits on a bench outside the room. From down the hall she can hear the sound of multiple feet walking towards her. She doesn't look as five elves walk towards her. They do not say a word as they sit next to and across from her. Everything is silent as they sit and wait. Why they are here is beyond Elaine, but she can feel their intense gazes staring at her. She knows what they can see, white hair, round black and violet eyes, slightly hooked nose, dark arched brows, ridged forehead, the face of a bald eagle.
She looks at one of the elf twins and studies him. He is obviously younger than Lord Elrond, probably his son. Dark hair blows in the wind, intense blue/grey eyes study her, his brows furrowed as he watches her. A noise comes from the window, causing Elaine to quickly turn her head, startling the young elf. On the window seal is a red-tailed hawk.
"What is it Fulcan?" She asks turning to face the hawk.
"My lady," He says formally to her, "We have found the captain who assaulted Daya." He says moving his head; he glances at the elves uncomfortably.
"Where is he?" She asks with venom lacing her voice. Power that looks like black spider webs strain from her body as she clenches her hands into fists.
"Calm my lady, you must control your anger or you won't control your power. The man is heading towards a town of Bree." Fulcan says soothingly.
She relaxes her fists and the spidery power goes away as she sighs. "I want a guard of your best warriors to follow him. Once Daya's fate is decided I will come and take care of him." She says to the hawk.
"As you command, give Daya my best wishes once she awakens." He says before flying off.
"My lady; who is this captain that attacked her?" The elder ellon asks.
"He came to my kingdom seeking a place of rest, my father allowed him to stay in the palace for a time. One day turned into a week and a week turned to a month. For one whole year he dwelt in our castle, everyday he would follow Daya around, watching her every move. She came to me one day, complaining of him stalking her. I thought nothing of it, just a young man fancying a young woman. Finally, I saw in his eyes his true nature, and then while I was searching for him one of my captains shed light on the situation. I confronted him after that…" Elaine trails off looking out the window.
"What did your captain tell you?" One of the twins asks.
"And what happened when you confronted him?" The other asks.
"We found out his true intentions." She replies still looking out the window.
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Elaine walks swiftly down the corridors, passing servants and noblemen alike. Turning the corner she nearly collides with one of her men. "Altair, where is that captain?" She asks him.
"He is on the training grounds my lady." Once he tells her; Elaine starts heading in the opposite direction. Altair reaches out and lays a hand on her arm, "You are going to confront him." He says matter-of-factly. "Are you not?" He asks at her look.
"Do you seek to stop me?" She asks glaring at him.
"My lady I was coming to find you…" Altair trails off.
"Yes, what is it? "Elaine asks him.
"One of our maids was found beyond the palace walls, dead." He says quietly.
"What do you mean dead?" Elaine demands.
"She appears as if she has been tortured. This dagger was found still embedded in her body." Altair says pulling out a dagger, "The very same dagger on the belt of one captain who is currently on our training ground." He says
"And now, he has been following Daya." Elaine replies.
"I believe he has been following Daya before that. The maid was just a means to satisfy his thirst for blood." Altair says quietly as a young stable boy passes.
"Come, gather your men, I will meet you in the training yard. We will get to the bottom of this once and for all." Elaine says walking towards the grounds as Altair turns to a falcon and flies away.
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"Captain, I wish to speak with you." Elaine says walking towards the man as Altair and his men stand off to the side.
"May I help you my lady?" He asks.
"That remains to be seen." She says glaring at him.
"Have I done something wrong?" He questions looking at the men then at her.
"You tell me, is there something you have done?" Elaine asks circling him.
"I have done nothing." He replies.
"Tell me, what have you done with my maid?" Elaine asks plainly.
"I know not of which you speak." He says.
"Perhaps I was not clear enough, why did you torture my maid?" Elaine demands.
"Of what cause are these outrageous accusations?" The captain asks.
"My men have found her body with your dagger embedded in her abdomen!" She shouts, leaning into his personal space.
"She was but a maid, Daya is a herald yet, not only is a herald is she my lady?" He asks with a vile smirk on his face. "She is your sister, is she not? What fornication has your father committed?" He asks laughing evilly.
"How dare you, Altair lock him up!" Elaine demands.
Altair and two of his men grab the man before he can think of moving and shove him away. Elaine looks towards another of her warriors and tells him, "Tell Daya to wait for me in my chambers. I must speak with my father." She says before walking away, towards the west wing of the palace.
"During the audience with my father it was decided that we will go to where this captain came from and decide what to do with the man. My people may not be completely human but we still are not inhuman enough to kill a man, no matter the consequence, no matter how much my father and I both desired it. We were to counsel with the man's ruler and seek a fit punishment then have them take him away. While 20 of my men and I were away the captain one way or another broke out of his cell and made his way to my sister and took her. My father sent word to us and we returned home, to find my sister wounded thusly." Elaine explains as she paces the corridor.
"Of what race are you my lady?" The twin that she was studying before asks, drawing her attention towards him.
"We are people of the birds or Aewen in your tongue." She says looking at him.
"We have heard of your people, but I had thought you were a myth." He says in awe, staring at her.
"Many people believe elves are myths." Elaine replies in a cool voice, watching him watch her.
"Elladan, it is most impolite to stare." The young female elf says to him.
"Now I know what his name is," She says gesturing towards the male elf, "But what of your names?" She asks.
"I am Arwen, Elladan's younger sister, this is Elrohir; Elladan's younger twin, and these are our grandparents, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn." The elleth replies smiling at her.
"Is it true that you can turn into a bird?" Elladan asks excitedly.
Elaine looks at him and says, "Yes, the warriors and royals turn into birds of prey; eagles, hawks, falcon, owls; while our citizens can turn into regular birds. For example, I can turn into a bald eagle." Elaine explains to the elves.
"Can you show us?" Arwen asks just as excitedly as her older brother.
Elaine takes a deep breath and concentrates. Her arms turn into wings and shrink as her hair turns into feathers and her body turns into that of an eagle. Her head is white while her body is a mix of black and brown. She sits on the seat in which she was sitting in and then goes on Arwen's lap.
"This is incredible!" The other twin, Elrohir, exclaims.
Elaine hops back to her seat and turns back to a human. "Yes, it is helpful sometimes." She says as she sits down.
Everyone is quiet and just sits in silence until a blood curdling scream echoes throughout the halls followed by an ear-piercing cry. Elaine freezes in her seat with wide eyes, another shriek repeats followed by screeching causing a falcon to come in the window and Elaine to jump up.
The Falcon turns into a young man looking worried. "What is happening?" He asks Elaine, looking at the young woman.
"It's Daya; I know not what's happening." She says anxiously as she starts to pace.
"Would you mind telling us what happened?" Lady Galadriel asks as she stands and places a placating hand on the younger woman's arm.
"We do not know! By the time we got to her she was already… injured!" Elaine exclaims sorrowfully as she stops pacing.
"You are close to her." Lord Celeborn says as a statement as he watches her.
"She is my herald, my friend, and my sister , half may she be, she is still my sister." Elaine says after a moment's hesitation. She says with a sigh, running her hand through her white hair and stares between Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.
"We will not judge you child." Lord Celeborn says. "What your father may or may not have done does not reflect on the children.
"She's stopped screaming." Altair says looking at Elaine. She looks at him and then towards the closed-door, she then drops into her seat and puts her head into her hands.
"I want you to apprehend that man, for however long it takes for Daya to recover." She says in her deadly voice; her head still in her hands.
"Aye." He replies turning back into a falcon and flying out the window.
Hours later…
Elaine is sitting on her chair with her head lolling against the back of the seat waiting for Lord Elrond to finish with Daya. The twins sit having a conversation between each other, while Arwen talks with Lord Celeborn. Lady Galadriel has gone into the room to help Lord Elrond a couple of hours ago. Suddenly the door opens and Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel step out of the room. If Elaine was able to gain the will to stand she would but instead just sits up.
"How is she?" She asks, looking between the two elves.
"At the moment she will be fine. She just needs rest." Lord Elrond says looking at the young woman. "She has lost a substantial amount of blood, the wound on her head was deep, we were able to cleanse it and wrap it, and we will need to wait until she awakens to know about her mental state. The wounds on her arms and legs were not as profound as we had thought, there was however the chance of infection. She was stabbed in the stomach with a blade, what we assumed was a dagger. The blade penetrated three inches. She woke up when we were cleaning the wound." Elrond explains.
"At least she will not suffer the complete fate of my mother." Elaine says then asks, "She'll be in good health then?"
"As I have said, we will need to wait pending she wakes again." Elrond says then looks around everyone. "I think it is best if everyone were to rest for the night. Come Lady Eagle, I will show you to your room." He says as he turning away.
"Pardon me my lord but there is something I wish to attend." Elaine says standing up.
After Lord Elrond looks at her questioningly she says, "My men have caught the one who did that to my sister. I wish to deal with him." She says.
"And where is he?" He asks looking at her still.
"They are just outside of Rivendell." She replies staring defiantly at him, as he raises his eyebrows.
"Very well, I will not deny you this, for if it was a family member of mine that got attacked I would do the same as you." Lord Elrond says before walking away followed by Lord Celeborn, the twins and Arwen. Lady Galadriel looks at Elaine, nods her head then follows.
Elaine walks into the room in which Daya rests towards the bed. She runs her hand over the bandage wrapped around her sister's head. "I wish nothing more than to kill that man." Elaine says to the quiet room. "For so long have I protected you, yet I could not do so from this. I would give anything to take away the pain and the nightmares you are sure to have. But, alas, I cannot." She says as a tear trails a path down her cheek. "I will do what is right, I shall not kill him. I love you my friend, my sister, my heart." She whispers before quietly leaving.
Elaine turns into her Bald Eagle form and flies away. She soars towards where three falcons circle high in the air, a beacon for Elaine to find them. She lands in the clearing and walks towards where dozens of Aewen warrior's wait for her.
"Elaine you must contain your anger, or you won't control your power, but Valar! How long you've waited just to see this very hour!" Altair says as Elaine walks towards where they are holding the man in the clearing.
"It's just as well I'm not the one who calls the storm of fire, because I would turn this forest floor into his funeral pyre!" Elaine hisses looking at the man.
"The elders all say you must not hate, but I will not pretend, I will not say I do not approve for I would do the same." Altair says standing next to her.
"I saw the wreck you made of her, my Herald and my friend, just so you know she is not dead. But the scars you left in her flesh and soul will be so slow to fade, oh, would I had your coward heart beneath my naked blade!" She says as the human before her cowers.
Elaine turns and walks around the man as two of the warriors lay him on the ground. She looks towards her warriors and shouts at the man as black spidery webs of power shoot from her body, the power palpable to not only the ones in the area but the elves in Imladris, "My crown is on my brow, my naked blade within my hand. My army like an eager hound lies waiting my command. With how you tortured, killed and lied revealed to them this day. By all the stars that ever shone, by all the gods, known and unknown, For Herald Daya and my Queen's Own. I swear that you will pay!" She then plunges a long dagger into the ground next to him, causing him to scream in fright.
"I must control my fury or let slip all that I've sought, but vengeance would not be enough for all the grief you've wrought. Valar grant this day you fall beneath the steel of me and mine, and drink full deeply of defeat, that cold and bitter wine." She hisses at him, before standing. "What I wouldn't give to plunge this dagger into your chest and end you miserable life, but what good does that do me? The only satisfaction I would get would last but a minute then fade. But the satisfaction that I get from letting you live is that you failed what you set out to do. Daya, the young woman who you tried to kill, is alive." She shouts at him, causing him to gasp. "If I ever see you anywhere near my home I will kill you." She says before walking away, aware of not only the man's eyes but pairs of unknown elven eyes on her.
Tell me what ya'll think!
Song(s):
Mercedes Lackey - Battle Dawn