Tittle: I Lhathron
Author: the earth guide
Rating: PG-13ish heading to R
Disclaimer:I don't own anything written by Tolkien
(blah blah blah). I write strictly for my own
enjoyment (blah blah blah). I do claim any
original characters created by me (blah!).
Warnings: Het sex in future chapters, I will post
a warning for those
Pairing(s): Legolas/OHFC , OHFC/OMC
Timeline: AU, approx.. 2500 Fourth Age
Beta: This portion was originally betaed by
Cristine. I have lost my beta
Summary: Humans have seriously dropped the ball. Middle-earth is in a state of chaos. The other races have vanished and the elves that didn't leave for the West are in denial and have sequestered themselves (not that it matters cause everyone thinks they are a myth anyway) in the forests. Now a new threat is growing in Middle-earth.
Author's Note: I am sooooooo sorry to the two or three people who actually read my story! I had a ton of life changes that simply did not leave time to work on this story. Plus I had terrible writer's block that I am still working through. In fact, if anyone want to beta and chat about this story with me – I am totally open to suggestions. At any rate, I am reposting and changing some of the structure and story line.
Middle-earth
Hassana
Ilorin sat crossed legged on a low wooden stool. The intricately carved piece was said to be from the last ancient tree that grew on the plains of Hassana. It was sacred, like everything else in the room. She stared downward at the green glazed tiles of the floor. Like the stool, the surface of the floor was adorned with the seven sacred symbols of Hassana, swirled patterns. These symbols were also etched into the smooth adobe walls and the stained glass of the high, arched ceiling.
Ilorin forced her attention back to the voices of the council sitting in judgment before her. Her time as a novice had come to a close. This day the most senior councilors the wisest people in the Temple, were to decide her fate; Acceptance or Release. She shifted slightly on the hard seat of the stool.
Finally, Ilorin heard the sonorous voice of the seventh and final councilor, Eshira. "Ilorin, I must admit, I had my doubts when you first petitioned for entrance to the novitiate. A child from a family of Mages as powerful as yours has never joined the Temple Amani. Frankly, I did not believe you could overcome the arrogance of your class. We have all been surprised and proud of the changes that have taken place in you, Ilorin. You have become a person of merit who truly understands the spirit of our teachings."
Ilorin relaxed imperceptibly. Thus far the council had had nothing but positive things to say about her.
"However," continued councilor Eshira, "our teachings, our way of life, concern balancing the forces and energies of nature through our individual beings. You have worked hard toward cultivating that ability with some small degree of success. But, Ilorin, when the elders read your aura they divined a fundamental imbalance in your spirit-nature. That imbalance will keep you from progressing much further. We do not understand how or why this is so, nor can we correct it. Perhaps something magical is the cause given your parentage but..." she paused and a tone of sorrow entered her voice, "it pains me to say this but, your path does not lie with us."
Ilorin looked into the lean brown face of councilor Eshira, whose wide black eyes were glistening with unshed tears. A cold wave washed over Ilorin and at that moment life lost its sense of reality. Her shocked gaze scanned the other six members of the council. Their faces held the same sorrow as councilor Eshira's. Absurdly, Ilorin found herself thinking of how soft their deep purple robes looked in the glowing mid-afternoon sunlight that streamed through the large windows.
"Ilorin Sahafatra Bahati, please stand," said the council in unison. Ilorin unfolded her legs, wobbling slightly as she placed her bare feet on the cool tiles. "It is the will of this council that you be released from all obligation of the Temple Amani. May the will of the Gods and the power of the Universe guide thee well in your journey though life."
With that final pronouncement, the seven members of the council stood and joined hands. One note, strong, clear and full of profound melancholy rang from councilor Eshira. Slowly, the voices of each council member joined, one by one, intertwining to produce a poignant melody, which made tears slide down Ilorin's cheeks.
She turned from the council and slowly, as if in a dream, walked through the arched doorway of the council room. Ilorin knew what would happen next, the thing that every novice feared. A pack would be waiting for her outside the dorm where her room had been. In it would be the small number of personal items each novice was encouraged to keep, a pouch of gold coins and camping supplies. Other than that, she would pass through the temple gates with nothing but the clothes she wore. Along the way, each person who lived within the temple walls, from the youngest child to the oldest monk, would sing the Song of Release until the gates closed behind her.
Ilorin sat near the fire of her small, lonely camp watching the flames dancing against the night-darkened plains of Hassana. The song of the Temple residents still rang in her ears. She absent-mindedly fingered the crystal on the bracelet of her right arm. The shock and numbness she felt immediately after the council was wearing away, its place being overtaken by fear and despair. She had nowhere left to go. The Mage class felt it a mark of shame for one of their own to join the Temple. Ilorin had been banished from her family's home for her petition to become a novice.
She sighed and wondered if she had gambled foolishly. Ilorin poked at the fire with a stick. No, she decided, she had made the right choice. Even if it had meant the loss of her family and class. Six years ago when another council -- a Mage council -- had declared her magically blind, her only options had been a loveless marriage or solitary exile on a distant family estate. Neither of those option were worth the experiences she'd had within the Temple walls. Even now, with no home, no purpose and no immediate prospects, she still had her freedom.
Ilorin looked up at the expansive sky overhead with its twinkling stars and felt an inner core of resolve harden. She would survive this. She would find a place in this life and it would be of her own choosing. Just then, from the corner of her eye she saw a small pinpoint of light suspended in the air. As it grew and expanded, Ilorin gasped in astonishment at what unfolded before her. In the span of time between two heartbeats she made a decision. Grabbing her pack Ilorin stepped toward the light.
-Thanks for reading this far
the earth guide