Welcome back! hope everyone had a fantastic NEW YEAR!S hears chapter 4 for ya hope you enjoy it. And as always don't forget to Review let me know what you think..Ill except slimy faces at this point. :)
Chapter 4
Liana wandered down the long hallways of Rivendell. Snow swept across the cold marble floors from the open archways to the outside. Oddly enough, even though the snow would sweep over the marble floors like waves of the ocean sweeping onto shore, the snow never gathered inside. Statues and tapestries lined the walls forever sealing elven history in moments of time. Her hands lightly graced the delicate etchings and carvings as she wondered from room to room.
Liana had been having problems sleeping in a bed, as she normally took to the trees and slept sprawled out on a branch up in the air. It always seemed to give her a feeling of freedom and comfort, a feeling of safety up off the ground. So she was frequently finding herself wandering around the hallways of Rivendell at all hours of the night, when things seemed to be at their quietest. Thought over the long years of her life she had become more attuned to requiring less and less sleep.
Night after night she often found herself drawn to the large round room located just over Lord Elrond's study. There were two murals on the walls in this room, one depicting when Isildur cut the ring free from Sauron, freeing the world of his evil grasp for a time. The other was of two young hobbits in the fires of Mount Doom tossing the ring into the fire pit to destroy it and rid the world of the evil it held for good. There was also a stone carving of a young woman, who was holding an empty alter. Liana knew that at one time the shards of Narsil had rested there. But since the swords reforging, the alter had remained empty. She let her hand drift over the soft fabric that rested over the top of the alter. She could feel the power that was once kept here, the residue it left behind.
"I believe the power of the elves goes much deeper than you would have people believe." She said as Lord Elrond interned the room. She let her hand drop from the alter as she turned to face him.
"Why is it you think that Lady Liana?" His eyes softly fixed on her, he moved over to where she was standing in front of the alter.
"The power left behind by the shards of Narsil. Even after so many years, I can still feel the strength the blade held, even in its broken form. To be able to craft something like that…" Her words trailed off as she caught the look in lord Elrond's eyes. She knew she was right, there was more to the elves than they let people know. Much like her, they kept a part of them hidden from the world.
"You are up late this evening, were you unable to sleep?" Lord Elrond said smoothly changing the subject.
"I am not accustomed to the softness your beds have to offer, it is not that it's unpleasant, it is just…different." Her eyes greeting his.
Walking over to a bench up against the far wall, he motioned for Liana to come and sit with him. "Many things are different here than what you are used to. Here you do not need to fear what you are, nor do not need to hide in this mortal form," his hand grasping her mortal fingers. "If you stay here in Rivendell you will not have to be alone anymore. All elves here would gladly welcome you to stay with us."
Liana looked up at him. He was offering her a home, a place to belong, to be safe, to finally rest without having to look over her shoulder. Something she admitted to herself that she wanted. She didn't want to be alone forever.
The elves had been nothing but kind to her, and even though at first she was distrusting of their kindness, she found that now she was more open to what they had to offer. She was starting to trust again.
Lord Elrond patted the top of her hand lightly, "Come the sun rises, shall we go see what's been prepared for breakfast?"
Liana looked out into the courtyard. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. It was snowing again, but a soft snow that melted before it hit the ground. Warm rays of pink moved over the bushes melting the eyes tubs that encased them in the night.
Liana rose to her feet the same time as Lord Elrond and the two made their way down the long hallways towards the dining hall. Aside from a scattered few elves the dining hall was empty. Most had yet to start their day. Lord Elrond led her to a long table where he sat down across from her.
Liana was nibbling at the breads and cheeses already on the table when two elves came and sat down, one on either side of her. Looking at them Liana noticed they both had long black hair that went to the middle of their back with one single braid down the middle. Both of them where very similar to one another and both had a striking resemblance to Lord Elrond.
"So we hear you're this great dog demon," the elf on the left said and he turned and grinned at Liana.
Lord Elrond suddenly choked on the food he was chewing. He knew his sons had a knack of getting into trouble, but right now they were poking a lion that had been back into a corner.
Liana just looked at the two of them. She could feel herself tensing up.
"Liana let me introduce you to my sons Elladan and Elrohir," Lord Elrond said as he tried to break the tension in the air. "Forgive them for they do don't know the reach of their ignorance."
"I noticed the family resemblance," she said as she turned back towards Lord Elrond. It was taking everything in her power to keep her cool and not throw the young elf to her left across the room.
"We would greatly like to see this other side of you that we have heard about." The elf to the right stated as he leaned over towards her.
"Elladan and Elrohir, I'm sure there are other things you need to be attending to." Lord Elrond eyes were narrowed in annoyance as he motioned for his sons to leave.
In one swift motion Liana shifted forms as she stood from the table. 'No time like the present', she thought to herself as she loomed over the sitting twins. Her ears were set out sideways and flattened indicating she was just short of being pissed off, placing a clawed hand on the table between them and proceeding to dig her claws into the soft wood of the table. Elladan and Elrohir, swallowed hard at the creature that was now standing before them. She loomed over them like a wolf protecting its young her tail twitching with annoyance.
"Your powers of perception are nothing short of divine, master elf," she said sarcastically through clenched teeth, fingers digging further into the soft wood of the table. "It would be in your best interest to stay on the good side of this dog demon." With a low growl of warning in their direction she walked off out of the dining hall, heading back towards her room a small satisfactory grin on her face. If she was going to live amongst the elves then they were going to have to learn to live with her and what she was.
She was not going to let fear rule her life any longer. It was time she embraced what she was instead of hiding it away from the world.
Well that's it for this chapter hop you all enjoyed it! and for the love of EVERYTHING review!
Le nathlam hí
