In a burst of energy, Emerald jumped up and dashed back into the palace interior, then down the halls and across the bridgeway until reaching the room in which her father and brothers were meeting. Ignoring the soldier stationed outside in order to prevent disruption, she threw the door open and leapt inside. Immediately everyone froze and looked at her, but she ignored this and ran to Beven.
"Emmy, what--"
"I remember. Beven, I remember the poem!" she cried, breathing hard.
Beven's eyes grew and he asked, "The poem...from your dream?"
"Yes!" Emerald nodded, smiling with excitement. Beven's face mimicked hers and he jumped up.
"Father, may I be excused?" he asked, something that was incredibly spontaneous and completely unlike him.
King Orwig gave both his children odd looks and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
"We can't explain right now, but we will," Beven promised. King Orwig nodded, so Beven grabbed Emerald's hand and dragged her out of the room. He was behaving much more irrationally than he had in years as they both ran to the library and then to Beven's desk.
For a couple minutes they just sat there, out of breath. Then it was like they were two totally different people from moments before. Beven calmly retrieved the papers from the desk, got a pen and inkwell, while Emerald wiped the hair out of her face and massaged her shoulder that she must have slept wrong on.
When Beven was ready, he instructed, "Tell me everything."
"Well, it was the meeting dream, and it was the same it always is. Except this time, when that voice started chanting at the end, I put the ring on again, and it fit this time."
"And the poem?"
"Right." She recited it, word for word to him:
in Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsels taken,
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand,
for Isildur's Bane shall waken,
and the Halfling forth shall stand."
Beven wrote rapidly to get it all down, then reread it and asked, "Okay, I can figure out some of it. The sword that was broken is Ilsidur's father's sword, in the Last Alliance battle. Imladris is another name for Rivendell. The token...that would be the ring you see, I guess."
"You don't think...do you remember the Ring of Power? You know, the whole story surrounding it?" Beven nodded. "You don't think...Isuldur's Bane: could it be the Ring of Power?"
Beven was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking very hard, then commented, "Emerald, do you realize what this could mean if it is the Ring of Power?" Emerald nodded, but Beven continued, "Emerald, if this is it, then you're seeing something that hasn't happened yet. This...this meeting hasn't taken place yet, but it obviously will take place if there's a threat. Or at least it needs to."
"So...if I'm seeing it before it takes place...then I'm suppose to make it take place?"
"Or it will without your help, but--"
"There was something else," she interrupted.
Beven quit talking and prodded, "Yes?"
"Before, I was ignored. It was like I was invisible. But when I put the ring on, everyone stopped talking and looked at me. I tried to say something, but nothing would come out. Some man stood up and said, 'Speak naught of about what you know naught about.' Then the leader of the meeting-"
"Who was the leader?"
Emerald thought for a moment, then answered, "Elrond. It was Lord Elrond of Rivendell."
"So this takes place in Rivendell, for sure."
"He whispered something to me."
"What did he say?"
"It was another poem." Beven nodded and waited for her to continue, so she did, "I don't remember all of it, though. Just the first verse:
But Be brave, little one
For as sure as flowers bloom,
The battle's just begun."
"That doesn't really tell us a lot," Beven commented. "Except what we've already sort of inferred. Something terrible is happening."
"So what do we do about it?"
Beven finished writing it down, then set the pen down and clasped his hands together. He sighed and rested his forehead on them, then looked sideways at his baby sister.
"I wonder that you're the one all wrapped up in this."
Emerald shrugged, but copied his action by resting her chin in her hand, "I'm not necessarily tied up in it all. I just know that this is going to happen. Maybe..." She stopped for a moment. "When I was a little girl, I would have said that maybe someone was trying to tell someone, and I was the only one that would listen."
"And now?"
Emerald smiled sardonically, "You aren't going to tell me I'm still a little girl?"
"Right now, I'm hoping you're more adult than I am," he laughed. "Or at least braver. Emmy...Emmy, I don't think you realize how big this is. I don't realize how big this is!"
"Okay, so it's big. What do we do about it?"
Beven sighed again and looked at her, "I...I guess we need to get you to Rivendell."
"Why?"
"Well, we need to tell someone!"
"Yeah, but do you really think Papa is just going to let me leave? He's never let me leave this kingdom, he sure isn't now if we tell him that Sauron is threatening Middle Earth."
"Unless he already knows."
"He doesn't know," Emerald argued. "No, if he hasn't said anything about it to you, then he doesn't know. If this meeting hasn't taken place yet, then probably very few people know."
Beven nodded, "Yes, but we need to get you there. You recognized Lord Elrond; anybody else?"
"That ranger--"
"That tells the good stories. Yes," Beven interrupted. "Anybody else?"
Emerald shook her head, "There were some Elves, and more men, and dwarves, and a wizard, and a hobbit."
Beven looked at what he'd written down, then repeated himself, "Yes, we need to get you to Rivendell. The only question is how."
ILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILKILILILILIL
Getting King Orwig's permission for Emerald to venture to Rivendell didn't prove nearly so difficult as she and Bevin had feared, though not from their own doing. It was, in fact, Emerald's own mother who cast her from the nest.
For some time, Beven and Emerald were both lost in thought concerning what needed to be done. Whoever was sending the dreams to Emerald had failed to convey a clear message as to when she needed to leave, which was causing some confusion.
As for the kingdom, things were getting gradually worse. Another attack had occurred, this one killing two armed guards --they were the first two members of the kingdom to be killed in a skirmish since The Last Alliance. The entire kingdom was devastated because of it; for two weeks not a note of music was heard, no feasts or celebrations were to be had, and everything just took on such a glum atmosphere that King Orwig began to worry for the people's survival. He called for a large funeral and day of mourning, then ordered that the best way to remember the fallen heros was by continuing living the life they had died defending. The people grudgingly agreed.
That didn't end the threat of orcs, though, and the kingdom grew tragically accustomed to watching and listening every single step they took for any sign of the foul creatures. Emerald herself was quite naive, sheltered in her palace, but the citizens' moral dropped drastically because of it. Safe behind guarded walls, in a family of strong men, Emerald heard only a mild mention of the death, and saw none of the extreme effects it had on her kingdom, but the people would never forget it.
All in all, it was an extremely hard time for the kingdom, and things were in such upheaval that Emerald and Beven hardly had the time nor heart to broach the subject of the doom of Middle Earth with their father. They conversed with each other about it in secret, pouring over anything they could find in their library about the One Ring, and closely scrutinized maps for the safest route to Rivendell.
King Orwig was occupied in body, mind, and spirit with affairs of the kingdom. He was a splendid ruler, and truly cared for all his people as if they were his own family. So intent on searching for a way to protect his people was he, that he failed to notice the hint of worry in every step his daughter took.
But his wife noticed it. The worry wasn't blatantly evident, probably explaining why it bypassed Orwig, and nobody except the mother would ever have notice the shadow. Lilwen worried, though, and could wait no longer than three weeks and two days before finally cornering her only daughter in a courtyard.
"Emerald?"
Emerald looked over her shoulder, then stopped, seeing it was her mother. With all the politeness she'd been trained in, she responded, "Yes?" despite the annoyance at Lilwen for disrupting her rush to the library. The ring was being strange again.
Lilwen hurried to stand beside her, then asked, "What are you up to, little one?"
"Pardon?"
Taking Emerald's arm, she slowly began guiding her to a bench and whispered, "Your father doesn't see it, nor your brothers, nor any of the servants around you, but I've noticed a slight shadow. What troubles you?"
Emerald gave her mother a hesitant glance. The thought of telling her mother about the ring and the dreams and all had never crossed her mind, actually. It wasn't that the two weren't close, but Emerald sort of felt like it was all a little too childish to concern an adult with. Then again, she and Beven were discovering that it wasn't all so much a game.
Giving her mother a serious look, she asked, "What would you say if I told you I've got a sign?"
"Got a sign..." Lilwen mused, which piqued Emerald.
"Don't do that, Mama," she insisted, shaking her head. "You always do that: talking down to me."
"I don't talk down to you," Lilwen argued. "It's just, when you say you've got a sign."
"I have! You can ask Beven," Emerald argued, then shook her head.
Lilwen sighed and squeezed her daughter's hand, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I believe you. Tell me about your sign." Emerald looked unconvinced. "Honestly. Tell me everything." She still wasn't entirely positive about doing so, but her mother's urging proved to be enough poking at the wine bag to make it burst, so that Emerald suddenly felt she absolutely must tell someone.
"Do you remember that night a long, long, loooong time ago when...oh, you probably don't. Well, a long time ago, me and Tegryn and Hergest found a sign in my room."
"Yes?"
"It was this puddle..." and she launched into details of that memorable night. Lilwen listened, not really believing it, until Emerald slipped the chain and ring off her neck and handed it to her mother. While the queen studied the piece of jewelry, Emerald explained about the dreams. When she mentioned the poem, Lilwen's head jerked up.
"Recite that again, Emerald," she asked, so Emerald did so. "Oh, dear. Oh, dear, oh, dear."
"What, Mama?" Emerald asked, a shudder running through at her mother's sudden seriousness. There wasn't any playful teasing in her face anymore.
"Show me these things you and Beven have written down," Lilwen instructed. Emerald nodded, took the ring back, and quickly led the way to the library, where Beven was sitting in the window, drawing his ideal trail on a map.
"Mother? What is it?"
Words are needless here. For the next hour, the three poured over the books, Lilwen merely listening and asking a question here or there as Beven and Emerald explained all they had figured out about anything at all.
When finally Beven sat back and shrugged, "And that's all we know," Lilwen looked with concern at both her children, knitting her hands in her lap like a nervous elven-child. At Emerald's and Beven's curious looks, she stated simply, "Wait here," then rose and left the library, returning several minutes later with a book in her hand.
The book itself didn't look to be anything special on the outside. A ratty leather cover, stained and scratched with bent corners, held together a good two inches of worn paper, yet it was still relatively small. Lilwen handed it to Emerald, who in turn ran her fingers gently over the front cover and the words etched in gold. In the center read "Hir Sidh," or "find peace." Underneath that was, "Han Natha," "It will be."
"Open it," Lilwen urged, sitting back as Beven and Emerald both leaned in. The front page was a jumble of writing, about seeing what was around you, and knowing the hearts of those around you, and keeping your friends close but you enemies closer. Just a bunch of advice for life, as Beven put it.
The surprise came on the next page, where "Emerald" was written in fancy script across the top, and underneath was her birth announcement. The page and several after it went on to give accounts of birthdays, day to day adventures, parties, and anything else that could be constructed as important in the life of Emerald. It even had mention of the dreams, and the night she'd seen the puddle, and finding the emerald ring.
Emerald looked up at her mother in surprise and asked, "You already knew about the ring?" Lilwen shook her head that she hadn't, leaned over, and turned the page.
Next was the same thing on Beven, then Tegryn, and Hergest, and Auryn, and Gildas. It even had accounts of King Orwig and Queen Lilwen.
Emerald looked at her mother curiously and asked, "What is this?" She stopped flipping the pages once reaching her mother's.
"You'd only been with us little over three years," Lilwen explained, looking fondly at Emerald, "when I took you to Lond Daer. You were giggly and cheerful and wanted to roam all over the place, but I refused to let you, like any good mother would with their baby. I'd only turned my head for a second, and you were gone.
"I was worried sick, and looked all over for you, and finally found you. You were sitting in this rickety little wooden boat, floating tied up to a small pier. Just sitting there, in that boat. When I walked over, you looked up and laughed and smiled. In that boat was a sword and a book."
"This book?" Beven guessed. Lilwen nodded.
"Yes, that book. When I opened it, I found the same thing as you, except the accounts of each life weren't as long, since not as much time had elapsed, of course. I've kept that book, and have been able to see those accounts just appear on their own accord."
Beven flipped back to Emerald's pages, and pointed out, "It talks about her getting the ring, and having the dreams, though, so why didn't you already know?"
"That wasn't in there," Lilwen shrugged. "It's odd, though. The book has only ever told things that have already occured. Not things that are happening, or things that will happen, but things that have already come to pass. I found something last night that doesn't make sense, though. Or, at least, it didn't until I talked to you two."
She leaned foward and flipped the pages once more, to the page after the account of her own life. It was blank save for one excerpt at the top, which she nodded to Emerald to read.
It was written in the plain tongue, unlike everything else, "24 Yàvië: Emerald leaves for Rivendell."
Beven chuckled slightly and stated, "Well, I guess that solves our confusion, Emmy. I don't think it could be any plainer than that."
Emerald wasn't so assured, though, and questioned, "Who left the book?"
"I don't know; there was nobody around. I always figured you just picked it up somewhere."
"And carried it to a boat, and got into the boat, with a sword, all by myself, when I was three?" Lilwen shrugged, though agreed it didn't make much sense. "What happened to the sword?"
Lilwen gave a half-smile, getting wrapped up in this all as well, and added to the whole mystery, "It got taken to Rivendell."
Emerald groaned, covered her face in her hands, and whined, "My head hurts!" and returned from her momentary flash of seriousness to the take-everything-lightly, life-is-grand Emerald everyone knew.
Beven took a different approach and asked, his mother, "How can we convince Father to let Emmy go to Rivendell? She has to go."
With a mischevious smile, a stab of youth returning to the age-worn queen, Lilwen assured them, "Leave that to me."