King Estel paced the floor of his bedroom chamber. In long strides his
strong legs ate up the floor of the chamber. Back and forth he paced but it
did no good to suppress his worries. The rumors. The killings. Were they
true? Tonight he would find the answers to these questions, though he did
not yet know it. After tonight all his questions would be answered and his
fears would be multiplied. He sat down upon the edge of his bed and pulled
out a great flask of brandy. He placed his lips to the brim and took a
large swig of it. Shaking his head, his mind cleared. Once again he
understood his situation and he again began to feel helpless. Little did he
know that help would soon arrive.
The doors to his chamber opened, and moonlight shone through them. It enveloped the form of a tall cloaked being, but who it was Estel could not tell.
Estel gazed at the creature. It was not man, no. Was it elven? No, it could not be. The elves had long since disappeared from the likes of this land, and yet...
'Mani naa lle?' (What are you?) inquired Estel. 'Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?' (Do you speak elvish?)
'Uma, ni ná elda' (yes, I am elven) replied the elf
'Eldalie hyarya sina ndor an qua' (elves left this land long ago.) 'Ya naa lle, ar' mankoi naa lee sinome?' (who are you, and why are you here?) In response to this question the elf reached his hands up to the hood of his cloak. He removed the hood and slowly walked forward. His face was not visible, but his hair was. His golden mane flew behind him as he tread forward. Estel shakingly picked up his lantern and held it to the immortal's face.
'N'uma... ta il deanam...' (no... it is not possible...) Estel looked into the eyes of the immortal. Clear sapphire blue eyes...
'Legolas...' The immortal smiled...
'Lle naa n'alaquel...' (you are returned...) The elf embraced the man and stepped away.
'Mankoi... Sut...' (why... how...) 'Lle hyarya sina ndor yassen i' caire. Lle
hyarya ilfirin ndore' (You left this land with the boats. You left to the immortal lands...) Legolas pulled away
'Uma, Amin n'alaque' (Yes, I am returned.) 'Aragorn, amin ele ta! Amin ele sen!' (Aragorn, I have seen it! I have seen them!) Aragorn stared gravely at the prince.
'N'uma... n'uma' (no...no) Legolas met his gaze. His clear blue eyes now cold and empty.
'Aragorn, ta anwa. Ta n'uma risa. Huine au' talant. Ron teli.' (Aragorn, it is real. It is no lie. Darkness has again fallen. They are coming...)
It was 10:00 in the morning. A warm Saturday morning. Gaia squinted at the sunlight poured into her eyes. Her head was pounding fiercely. She turned over and let her ebony hair spill over her face. Then slowly- very slowly- her hazy blue-gray eyes began to creak open, emitting more light into them. She began to groan. What ungodly hour was it? She dragged her self out of bed and some how was able to get herself into the shower. She cursed as the freezing water hit her in the face. The hot water wasn't running again. Damn. She shivered as she climbed out of the shower in to a navy blue towel. Not even bothering to take the time to dry her hair, she pulled on a large gray v neck t-shirt and a pair of old tor n Levi's jeans. She messily pulled her hair back into a red scrunchie and made her way into the kitchen.
Coffee; black coffee was her current must have. She lazily pulled out a coffee pot and a can of Folgers Coffee. She filled the coffee pot with hot water and poured in the ground beans, first stopping to deeply inhale the rich hazelnut aroma. She must have poured in enough ground coffee beans for about 4 people. Gaia liked it strong. While waiting for the coffee to finish she ran her fingers through her wet hair, almost trying to comb it, but instead she simply yanked some of it out of the scrunchie. Placing her fingers on her temples, she slowly began to rub them in small circles. Round and round she moved her fingers, pressing harder and harder each time. Inhaling deeply though her nose she realized the coffee must have been finished by now. She poured the dark liquid into a red clay mug and took a deep mouthful of it. She felt the warm liquid hit her throat and burn. It burnt all the way down, but she was awake now. She felt the energy rise through her; power. She looked down in to the mug; she could see her reflection in the heated mixture. How ever, looking back wasn't the face she knew. Now that she looked closer, it wasn't her face at all. No, ebony hair and blue-gray eyes were there, her pale skin too, but it wasn't her face. She shook her head and tried to clear it. The face was gone but the memory was still imprinted into her brain.
She lay awake in her bed through the night, deeply immersed in her thoughts. The face; it kept coming back in to her mind. It was like a rubber band. Now matter how Gaia tried to stretch and stretch it away from herself, it kept coming back to her; snapping at her suddenly. It was as though she felt trapped in her mind. She could not escape her thoughts. Gaia had always felt different. There was something strange about her, this she knew. She felt like something was missing; something was missing from her life, but she knew not what it was. She needed it. Oh yes she needed it; she craved for it. She felt it at her fingertips. She would reach for it, but she could not grasp it. It was like a splinter in her brain. She could not ignore it, no matter how hard she tried. She felt helpless. Gaia felt as though 'it' was something that she could bleed to death upon, for 'it' was killing her... but she knew not what the 'it' was. With these last thoughts she allowed her self to fall into deep slumber.
She fell into a dream. She wasn't part of the dream, she observed it; gazed at it. Love; there was love in this dream. She felt love when she watched it. She was watching a mother and her child. She bent down and gently picked up her child. She swung her through the air. The mother... it was the woman's face. The woman with long ebony hair and misty blue-gray eyes, like her own... but different. This woman, Gaia realized, was unlike any woman she had ever seen before. Her skin was fair. Like Gaia's skin, but fairer; ivory. It was pale, like a washed out cloth. Yet her eyes stood out. Her eyes were blue-gray and misty; with long dark lashes they were intriguing. Her hair swayed upon her, the long dark curls reaching down to rest upon her waist. Her ears were unlike anything Gaia had seen before. They pointed away from her body, toward the sky, pointed at the tip. Her body was clothed in an elegant pale blue gown. From her shoulder down the cloth turned into a fine lace. Sequins decorated the dress along the seams. Fine detail of tiny flowers was weaved upon the dress. She looked beautiful in it...she was beautiful. She could not be human, no, she was far too stunning. The woman held her child to her and began to cry softly. Gaia wandered over to the woman to take a closer look. The child was pale, whiter than his mother. A small trickle of blood was dried upon the side of his mouth. In his mother's arms his body was limp. Suddenly something caught Gaia's eye, a glint of sliver. The child wore a necklace. It was of fine silver in the shape of a woman with silver wings. Light seemed to burn inside of it. The light began to fade as the mother placed her child upon the ground. She removed the stunning necklace from her son and glided over to Gaia. She held out her hand with the jewel inside it. Stunned, Gaia gingerly removed the necklace from her hand and placed it around her own neck. The woman smiled as the light inside of the necklace grew bright again. It was shimmering; glowing. Perhaps this would be the light that then woke Gaia from her sleep.
Aragorn had shown Legolas to the large empty chamber for the night. As the king slept, multiple questions rose in his head. Legolas had told him that they were indeed coming, confirming his greatest fears. How ever, Arwen had left to prevent this from happening. Arwen had left him to go and save Gondor, save all of Middle Earth from destruction. Only Arwen could have helped them, for she had the power of the elves, and the Evenstar blood. The light of the Evenstar had more power than any of his people had known. Elvish blood, Arwen's blood worked it. Aragorn felt a tear trickle down his face. Arwen had taken his only son with her. He kept his hopes up though. He told himself again and again that they would return though but, after many months, he hopes had begun to dwindle. Aragorn lay awake, absorbed in his thoughts. He did not hear the pit-pat of light feet upon the long stone hall way or the opening of the immense stone doors to his inner chambers. Legolas pushed him gently on the shoulder and pulled him out of his daze. Aragorn rolled himself onto the edge of his bed and swung his legs off the edge. The tall immortal stood above him and leaned forward slightly. Aragorn looked up at Legolas's face. It was trouble; worried. Legolas took a deep breath. He began to speak to Aragorn, falling out of his own tongue.
"Aragorn, I have lied to you. I have not shared all truths with you." Aragorn made eye contact with the prince. A deep stab went into his heart. His deepest fears began to rise. Yes they were coming, but there was the possibility to stop them. Arwen would do it somehow, but if something had happened to Arwen...
"Allow me to start from the beginning. Aragorn, I left the immortal lands along with Gimli. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. All I knew was what Lord Elrond had told us there: that we must return to Middle Earth, and save our companions. We then saw them in the forests. There are many of them. Tens of thousands. These creatures, they are hideous. They breathe toxic fumes, Aragorn. You...you cannot escape them. When they decide to kill you, they kill you... You cannot survive against them. No number of men or elves alike could defeat these creatures. They are said to have sprung from Sauron's ashes themselves. T-They killed Gimli. He lay there dying, and I...I knew not what to say. I am Elven kind. Even after this war for middle earth, I still was not accustomed to loss. I cried. Aragorn, never have I cried before. It is strange. Salty liquid streams from your eyes, obscuring you vision. They form on their own, whether you wish them to or not." The immortal stood there, frowning slightly. His eyes were pressed together in sad frustration. Aragorn stared at him, not wanting to believe that his companion lay dead. Legolas took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.
"Aragorn... Arwen is dead, and your son... I-I found them, lying together. Arwen lay upon the ground, c-clutching your son." He paused and lifted his eyes to meet that of the King's. His eyes were round, staring in shock.
"She was smiling. I-I buried them, together." He paused again. Aragorn's eyes became glossy; they shimmered. "I...the- the Evenstar was nowhere in sight..." A tear ran down the side of the King's face; a single tear. Legolas reached his hand out slowly and carefully. He reached his hand out to Aragorn's shoulder as if to grasp it. Estel grasped his hand and pulled it toward his chest. Aragorn held it there. He did not cry, or let any noise escape him. He simply held the immortal's hand to him, as if releasing the pain into it. They were coming. The Evenstar was gone. Arwen and his son lay dead; the blood of the Evenstar, mislaid.
Gaia had been lost in a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night. Waking up, she rolled over and groaned. She had not yet opened her eyes, but she could tell that something was indeed different. The light stung her unopened eyes painfully. Shouldn't the blinds have blocked out most of the harsh sun? She rolled over, as if to pull a pillow over her head to block out the intruding sun, but there was no pillow to be found. She forced her eyes open. She held her breath as she looked around her. She lay upon an empty field. In the distance she could see mountains, and a rounded city. She placed her hand over her forehead to block out the sun; giving her a better view of the city in the distance. It looked at though it was carved into the mountain itself. It was made of a shining white stone; the light glimmered and reflected off of it. Looking down she found herself in a pale shimmering blue gown. This was the dress that the woman had been wearing in her dream... but hadn't it only been that? A dream? A glow came from between her breasts. She attentively placed her fingers into the front of her dress, pushing the strands of lace aside. She wrapped her fingers around a small amulet and carefully pulled it from her dress. She quickly inhaled again and pulled the amulet closer to her face, squinting her eyes to look closer. There was no doubt about it. This was the same necklace from her dream. Perhaps Gaia had found out what the 'it' was after all.
To be continued...
The doors to his chamber opened, and moonlight shone through them. It enveloped the form of a tall cloaked being, but who it was Estel could not tell.
Estel gazed at the creature. It was not man, no. Was it elven? No, it could not be. The elves had long since disappeared from the likes of this land, and yet...
'Mani naa lle?' (What are you?) inquired Estel. 'Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?' (Do you speak elvish?)
'Uma, ni ná elda' (yes, I am elven) replied the elf
'Eldalie hyarya sina ndor an qua' (elves left this land long ago.) 'Ya naa lle, ar' mankoi naa lee sinome?' (who are you, and why are you here?) In response to this question the elf reached his hands up to the hood of his cloak. He removed the hood and slowly walked forward. His face was not visible, but his hair was. His golden mane flew behind him as he tread forward. Estel shakingly picked up his lantern and held it to the immortal's face.
'N'uma... ta il deanam...' (no... it is not possible...) Estel looked into the eyes of the immortal. Clear sapphire blue eyes...
'Legolas...' The immortal smiled...
'Lle naa n'alaquel...' (you are returned...) The elf embraced the man and stepped away.
'Mankoi... Sut...' (why... how...) 'Lle hyarya sina ndor yassen i' caire. Lle
hyarya ilfirin ndore' (You left this land with the boats. You left to the immortal lands...) Legolas pulled away
'Uma, Amin n'alaque' (Yes, I am returned.) 'Aragorn, amin ele ta! Amin ele sen!' (Aragorn, I have seen it! I have seen them!) Aragorn stared gravely at the prince.
'N'uma... n'uma' (no...no) Legolas met his gaze. His clear blue eyes now cold and empty.
'Aragorn, ta anwa. Ta n'uma risa. Huine au' talant. Ron teli.' (Aragorn, it is real. It is no lie. Darkness has again fallen. They are coming...)
It was 10:00 in the morning. A warm Saturday morning. Gaia squinted at the sunlight poured into her eyes. Her head was pounding fiercely. She turned over and let her ebony hair spill over her face. Then slowly- very slowly- her hazy blue-gray eyes began to creak open, emitting more light into them. She began to groan. What ungodly hour was it? She dragged her self out of bed and some how was able to get herself into the shower. She cursed as the freezing water hit her in the face. The hot water wasn't running again. Damn. She shivered as she climbed out of the shower in to a navy blue towel. Not even bothering to take the time to dry her hair, she pulled on a large gray v neck t-shirt and a pair of old tor n Levi's jeans. She messily pulled her hair back into a red scrunchie and made her way into the kitchen.
Coffee; black coffee was her current must have. She lazily pulled out a coffee pot and a can of Folgers Coffee. She filled the coffee pot with hot water and poured in the ground beans, first stopping to deeply inhale the rich hazelnut aroma. She must have poured in enough ground coffee beans for about 4 people. Gaia liked it strong. While waiting for the coffee to finish she ran her fingers through her wet hair, almost trying to comb it, but instead she simply yanked some of it out of the scrunchie. Placing her fingers on her temples, she slowly began to rub them in small circles. Round and round she moved her fingers, pressing harder and harder each time. Inhaling deeply though her nose she realized the coffee must have been finished by now. She poured the dark liquid into a red clay mug and took a deep mouthful of it. She felt the warm liquid hit her throat and burn. It burnt all the way down, but she was awake now. She felt the energy rise through her; power. She looked down in to the mug; she could see her reflection in the heated mixture. How ever, looking back wasn't the face she knew. Now that she looked closer, it wasn't her face at all. No, ebony hair and blue-gray eyes were there, her pale skin too, but it wasn't her face. She shook her head and tried to clear it. The face was gone but the memory was still imprinted into her brain.
She lay awake in her bed through the night, deeply immersed in her thoughts. The face; it kept coming back in to her mind. It was like a rubber band. Now matter how Gaia tried to stretch and stretch it away from herself, it kept coming back to her; snapping at her suddenly. It was as though she felt trapped in her mind. She could not escape her thoughts. Gaia had always felt different. There was something strange about her, this she knew. She felt like something was missing; something was missing from her life, but she knew not what it was. She needed it. Oh yes she needed it; she craved for it. She felt it at her fingertips. She would reach for it, but she could not grasp it. It was like a splinter in her brain. She could not ignore it, no matter how hard she tried. She felt helpless. Gaia felt as though 'it' was something that she could bleed to death upon, for 'it' was killing her... but she knew not what the 'it' was. With these last thoughts she allowed her self to fall into deep slumber.
She fell into a dream. She wasn't part of the dream, she observed it; gazed at it. Love; there was love in this dream. She felt love when she watched it. She was watching a mother and her child. She bent down and gently picked up her child. She swung her through the air. The mother... it was the woman's face. The woman with long ebony hair and misty blue-gray eyes, like her own... but different. This woman, Gaia realized, was unlike any woman she had ever seen before. Her skin was fair. Like Gaia's skin, but fairer; ivory. It was pale, like a washed out cloth. Yet her eyes stood out. Her eyes were blue-gray and misty; with long dark lashes they were intriguing. Her hair swayed upon her, the long dark curls reaching down to rest upon her waist. Her ears were unlike anything Gaia had seen before. They pointed away from her body, toward the sky, pointed at the tip. Her body was clothed in an elegant pale blue gown. From her shoulder down the cloth turned into a fine lace. Sequins decorated the dress along the seams. Fine detail of tiny flowers was weaved upon the dress. She looked beautiful in it...she was beautiful. She could not be human, no, she was far too stunning. The woman held her child to her and began to cry softly. Gaia wandered over to the woman to take a closer look. The child was pale, whiter than his mother. A small trickle of blood was dried upon the side of his mouth. In his mother's arms his body was limp. Suddenly something caught Gaia's eye, a glint of sliver. The child wore a necklace. It was of fine silver in the shape of a woman with silver wings. Light seemed to burn inside of it. The light began to fade as the mother placed her child upon the ground. She removed the stunning necklace from her son and glided over to Gaia. She held out her hand with the jewel inside it. Stunned, Gaia gingerly removed the necklace from her hand and placed it around her own neck. The woman smiled as the light inside of the necklace grew bright again. It was shimmering; glowing. Perhaps this would be the light that then woke Gaia from her sleep.
Aragorn had shown Legolas to the large empty chamber for the night. As the king slept, multiple questions rose in his head. Legolas had told him that they were indeed coming, confirming his greatest fears. How ever, Arwen had left to prevent this from happening. Arwen had left him to go and save Gondor, save all of Middle Earth from destruction. Only Arwen could have helped them, for she had the power of the elves, and the Evenstar blood. The light of the Evenstar had more power than any of his people had known. Elvish blood, Arwen's blood worked it. Aragorn felt a tear trickle down his face. Arwen had taken his only son with her. He kept his hopes up though. He told himself again and again that they would return though but, after many months, he hopes had begun to dwindle. Aragorn lay awake, absorbed in his thoughts. He did not hear the pit-pat of light feet upon the long stone hall way or the opening of the immense stone doors to his inner chambers. Legolas pushed him gently on the shoulder and pulled him out of his daze. Aragorn rolled himself onto the edge of his bed and swung his legs off the edge. The tall immortal stood above him and leaned forward slightly. Aragorn looked up at Legolas's face. It was trouble; worried. Legolas took a deep breath. He began to speak to Aragorn, falling out of his own tongue.
"Aragorn, I have lied to you. I have not shared all truths with you." Aragorn made eye contact with the prince. A deep stab went into his heart. His deepest fears began to rise. Yes they were coming, but there was the possibility to stop them. Arwen would do it somehow, but if something had happened to Arwen...
"Allow me to start from the beginning. Aragorn, I left the immortal lands along with Gimli. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. All I knew was what Lord Elrond had told us there: that we must return to Middle Earth, and save our companions. We then saw them in the forests. There are many of them. Tens of thousands. These creatures, they are hideous. They breathe toxic fumes, Aragorn. You...you cannot escape them. When they decide to kill you, they kill you... You cannot survive against them. No number of men or elves alike could defeat these creatures. They are said to have sprung from Sauron's ashes themselves. T-They killed Gimli. He lay there dying, and I...I knew not what to say. I am Elven kind. Even after this war for middle earth, I still was not accustomed to loss. I cried. Aragorn, never have I cried before. It is strange. Salty liquid streams from your eyes, obscuring you vision. They form on their own, whether you wish them to or not." The immortal stood there, frowning slightly. His eyes were pressed together in sad frustration. Aragorn stared at him, not wanting to believe that his companion lay dead. Legolas took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.
"Aragorn... Arwen is dead, and your son... I-I found them, lying together. Arwen lay upon the ground, c-clutching your son." He paused and lifted his eyes to meet that of the King's. His eyes were round, staring in shock.
"She was smiling. I-I buried them, together." He paused again. Aragorn's eyes became glossy; they shimmered. "I...the- the Evenstar was nowhere in sight..." A tear ran down the side of the King's face; a single tear. Legolas reached his hand out slowly and carefully. He reached his hand out to Aragorn's shoulder as if to grasp it. Estel grasped his hand and pulled it toward his chest. Aragorn held it there. He did not cry, or let any noise escape him. He simply held the immortal's hand to him, as if releasing the pain into it. They were coming. The Evenstar was gone. Arwen and his son lay dead; the blood of the Evenstar, mislaid.
Gaia had been lost in a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night. Waking up, she rolled over and groaned. She had not yet opened her eyes, but she could tell that something was indeed different. The light stung her unopened eyes painfully. Shouldn't the blinds have blocked out most of the harsh sun? She rolled over, as if to pull a pillow over her head to block out the intruding sun, but there was no pillow to be found. She forced her eyes open. She held her breath as she looked around her. She lay upon an empty field. In the distance she could see mountains, and a rounded city. She placed her hand over her forehead to block out the sun; giving her a better view of the city in the distance. It looked at though it was carved into the mountain itself. It was made of a shining white stone; the light glimmered and reflected off of it. Looking down she found herself in a pale shimmering blue gown. This was the dress that the woman had been wearing in her dream... but hadn't it only been that? A dream? A glow came from between her breasts. She attentively placed her fingers into the front of her dress, pushing the strands of lace aside. She wrapped her fingers around a small amulet and carefully pulled it from her dress. She quickly inhaled again and pulled the amulet closer to her face, squinting her eyes to look closer. There was no doubt about it. This was the same necklace from her dream. Perhaps Gaia had found out what the 'it' was after all.
To be continued...