Chapter 4

In the late afternoon hours in the Gardens of Life sequestered deep within the protective walls of the city of Arborlon three beings appeared out of a blinding light. Slightly disoriented all three took self-checks before searching their surroundings. Rain fell steadily around them.

"Terrin? Dalhier," ever the quickest to adapt, Ariel took note of her two friends, curious as to how they arrived as well. "Are you both well?"

"Ariel? Yes I am fine, though more than a little confused," Dalhier allowed a small smile as his eyes darted around the garden surprised to find no one coming to meet them.

"No doubt those bloody wizards had something to do with this," Terrin grumbled as he wiped rainwater from his face. Somewhat baffled at their apparel he questioned them. "Since when did either of you join the warriors of your realms?"

"What are you talking abo…" Ariel looked down to discover that she indeed wore the grey uniform of the Wardens. Startled she turned to Dalhier who also gapped in wonder at the brown and blue uniform of the Imladris Guards he now donned.

"When did…"

"I do not know," she shook her head pausing to consider her other friend. "Apparently you joined the Greenwood guard."

"No I haven't," Terrin protested only to have it die on his tongue as he took in the typical green attire of the warriors of Greenwood. "What is going on?"

"If we calm down and think on this we will figure it out," Dalhier sighed heavily. Much like his element he had always proved the steadfast and rational member of their little trio. "You also heard the voice did you not? It called me the Warrior of Earth. You two?"

"Water."

"Fire."

"And it said we were called to our destiny, so obviously we are here because of our powers," he deducted.

"But why are we dressed as warriors of the realms we live in? We are not warriors for those realms. If anything would we not be wearing the garb of our stations in the East," Terrin frowned.

"Unless we are meant to represent Elves and not Men," Ariel pointed out. "Though if the wizards are behind this why did they not just drop by our homes and simply ask for our help. And why have us of all people to represent the three Elven realms?"

"I don't think they are the ones behind this," Dalhier frowned in thought.

"You are correct," the deep tenor startled all three elves. Turning to the source of the voice they found themselves staring at an extremely tall man. He stood well over six feet tall, his spare, lean frame covered by black robes. His face was worn and lined from age and experience; his eyes showed a strength and power that clearly stated he was not weak. He looked even bigger given that he stood on a small hill, a tree with silver bark and blood red leaves standing majestically behind him. In his hands he carried a staff made of the same silver wood.

All three elves took defensive positions, ready to call on their power at a moments notice.

"Who are you," Terrin demanded.

"I am Allanon, Druid of the Four Lands," he tilted his head almost mockingly. "And you, Terrin of Greenwood, Ariel of Lothlorien and Dalhier of Imladris, have been brought to Arborlon, city of the Elves, in the time of their greatest need."

The trio shared looks, their tension easing slightly though they remained cautious. Terrin and Ariel looked to Dalhier to speak for them, neither sure they could act appropriately diplomatic in this situation.

"We have never heard of Arborlon, or the Four Lands," he started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "So one might assume that we are no longer in our world?"

"Correct," the man looked somewhat pleased at their grasp of the situation.

"And what exactly do the Elves of this world face that it would require our assistance," he continued somewhat skeptical.

"That is not a conversation for such an open area," the druid advised. "Come, I must speak with the King, and there you will get your answers."

He moved down the hill sweeping past them without even a second look to verify they followed him. Deciding their best bet to finding answers lay with the Druid they fell into step behind him. The tall man led them through the gardens past a set of black gates guarded by warriors in rather ornate armor. The stares they received equaled the ones they returned. From what little they could make out of the guards' features they were elves, if one could judge on their ears, however they greatly resembled the race of Man.

No words passed within the small group as they reached what looked like a set of large window-doors. In what seemed a combination of wind and rain the doors blew open allowing them entrance into the room beyond. Deciding to let the Druid take center stage the three hung back in the shadows listening, Dalhier gently closing the doors to keep further water from trailing in onto the stone floors.

"Allanon! What have you done," a cry of disbelief met their ears, soon followed by another equally horrified voice.

"The Ellcrys! Druid, you have cut a branch from the living tree!"

Ariel turned to her friends mouthing her question. 'The staff?' Only to receive shrugs in response.

"No, Eventine," the druid spoke softly, though their sharp hearing let them catch every word. "Not cut. Not harmed her who is the life of this land. Never that."

"But the staff…"

Ariel sent a triumphant look at her friends only to receive one smirk and an eye roll for her effort.

"Not cut," again the larger man stated. "Look closely now."

They watched as he held the staff out and two men, no elves, came into view. The older of the two was taller than a man, yet not nearly as tall as the Elves of Arda. He reached a few inches over six feet if that. With long blackish-grey hair and striking blue eyes, he reminded them strongly of an aged Elrond. Dalhier particularly looked taken aback by the resemblance. The other was slightly shorter, though lean and strong with sharp features and dirty blond hair cropped short and spiked. Both had slanted brows and pointed ears, marking them as elves.

"Then how…" the elder of the two spoke, which led the three to conclude he was Eventine.

"The staff was given to me, King of the Elves," the Druid's voice turned cold, bringing with it a feeling of dread. "Given by her, given that it might be carried against the enemies who threaten her people and their land. Here then is magic that will give strength to the Elven army, power to withstand the evil that lives within the Demon hordes. This staff shall be our talisman-the right hand of the Ellcrys, carried forth when the armies meet to do battle."

Ariel, Dalhier and Terrin all exchanged worried glances. Armies were one thing, but demon hordes were a completely different matter all together. The Druid continued explaining how he went to the tree seeking aid for the elves and how she gave a piece of herself so that her people might be protected. A rather noble gesture to be sure, yet they wondered how they came into the picture.

"It is the weapon that I sought. It is the talisman that will protect the Elves against the black sorcery of the Demon hordes." They did not like the sound of that. "As long as they bear the staff, the power that lives within the Ellcrys shall watch over them and work to keep them safe." He paused, as if for dramatic effect.

Terrin looked at the other two rolling his eyes and mouthing 'wizards', bringing smirks to their faces.

"But that is not all," his tone caught their attention anew and they straightened in apprehension. "She also called out to powers none here can begin to comprehend. In doing so she invoked…The Debt."

"The Debt," the younger elf frowned not recognizing the term.

"I am not surprised that you do not know of it Prince Ander. I myself did not know of its existence," the Druid smiled thinly. "It was created by the First Druid, Galaphile. During his tenor as a Druid he was called upon one night by powers that watched over our world and many others. They requested from him a great magical item that would assist the Elves of another world, in another time, in defeating a great foe. In return these powers promised that when the time came, when the Four Lands faced a foe so great, they would fulfill their debt and send magic to their aid. A magic equal to that which was given. It was not said how this magic would arrive or in what form, but the Druids that watched over the land would know it. Galaphile fulfilled his end of the bargain; he told no one save two others of this Debt. The King of the Silver River and the Ellcrys. In her wisdom the Ellcrys deemed now the time to call in that favor."

"So what magic was sent," Eventine quarried. "A talisman to match the power of the staff? What?"

"Not what Elf King," at that moment the Druid stepped to the side allowing the two elves a view of the three visitors. "Who."

Eventine and his son Ander stared in awe at the three beings that stood framed by the window-doors, their forms tall and lean, a soft glow emanating from each of them enhancing their youthful looks and beauty. For they truly were beautiful, like stars come down to earth. Looking closer they noted the arched brows and delicately pointed ears.

"Elves," Eventine breathed in wonder.

"This is Eventine, King of the Elves here in the Four lands, and his son, Prince Ander," Allanon introduced. "This is Terrin of Greenwood, Ariel of Lothlorien and Dalhier of Imladris; they are Elves of Arda, also known as Middle Earth. They hold powers their own brethren do not, for they were gifted with such in preparation for this time."

"How do you know so much about us," Terrin questioned suddenly. "Since you did not even know of this Debt before we arrived."

"The Ellcrys," came the simple obvious answer.

"But," Eventine sputtered upon examining the trio further. "They are children!"

"Begging your pardon my Lord, but we are well past our majority," Ariel refuted. "We are all a decade or two over twenty five…"

"So you are thirty-five to forty-five years old," the king scoffed interrupting her. "That my lady is hard to believe."

"And you would be right not to believe that," she nodded. "For I do not mean we are decade or so over twenty-five YEARS. We are in fact a decade or so over twenty-five HUNDRED years."

Ander gaped at the girl, not worried about decorum for once as even his own father looked flabbergasted. "Twenty-five hundred," he stuttered.

"Yes Lord Prince," Dalhier flashed them a soothing smile. "I am not sure about the elves of your world, but in our world elves may be killed from suffering a mortal wound or profound grief, otherwise we are immortal."

"Immortal," Eventine practically squeaked. "How is that possible?"

"We do not know," Terrin shrugged. "We are actually quite young in comparison to most of our race. However it is the way of Elves in our world. Though the Druid is correct. The three of us carry…gifts that our other brethren do not, or if they did it has long since vanished."

"What gift is that," the king inquired, eyes shining with curiosity.

"I wield power over earth and rock, Ariel wields power over water and Terrin controls fire," Dalhier explained, walking over to a small potted plant waving his hand over it and calling the dirt to him, molding it to his will. "We have defensive and offensive attacks, though some possess more offensive tactics than not," he shot a wry look at Terrin who simply shrugged indifferently. "We will not be able to be your sole weapons," he warned, continuing on. "We too have our limits, but we can provide you with power you apparently do not have."

"Though we would like to hear more about these Demon hordes we are supposed to face," Ariel crossed her arms stubbornly, one eyebrow raised defiantly at the druid. "As much as I enjoy a good fight, I prefer to know about my enemy instead of walking into a skirmish blind."

Acknowledging her words Allanon quickly explained the situation. The Ellcrys, the tree they saw in the garden, was a creature of magic, employed to create and uphold the Forbidding. A wall of pure magic that locked the demons out of this world. Sadly the great tree was dying, and with its death the Forbidding would fall. He spoke of the demons that had already crossed through, killing many elves. He spoke of the girl Amberle and her charge to find the Bloodfire as well as her protector Wil Ohmsford. In the meantime the Elven Army would have to march out to meet the horde if they hoped to stall it long enough to give that group time.

Silence met his words as the three elves from Arda processed the information. Finally Ariel spoke.

"Even with us here, from what you say, we will not be able to defeat this foe, only delay it," she bit her lip in thought. "We also do not know the strength of these demons and what they can withstand. I only hope we will be able to offer your forces some strength and relief against this enemy. For as Dalhier said, you will not be able to rely on our magic alone."

"And we will not," Allanon nodded knowingly. "You speak wisely, for one should never depend on magic alone. However, I believe with your help we may be able to do more damage to the enemy then originally anticipated."

"You three are truly alright with battling for a race of Elves not your own, in a fight, not your own after being pulled into world that is also not your own," Ander queried softly, somewhat humbled by their willingness to help in such a situation. "I admit I am most awed that you have not rebelled against such demands, when you knew nothing of this debt, nor do you have anything to gain."

"The debt matters not," Terrin waved the younger elf off, leaning lazily against the wall. "Though it has been some time since the three of us have seen war, there was a time that we lived life battle to battle. One thing remained a common fact. Those we fought with stood against a terrible foe that threatened their way of life with evil intentions. Whether tyranny, slavery, or in this case complete annihilation. All that matters is that we are needed, and we have the ability to fight where others cannot. So we will fight simple as that."

"And we will welcome your help with open arms," Eventine smiled truly for the first time in days.

"Then hear me," Allanon's eyes shifted to the king. "The rains will end this night. Does the army stand ready?"

Eventine nodded.

"Then we march at dawn. We must move quickly now."

"But where are we marching to," the king asked immediately. "Have you discovered where the break will come?"

"I have," the Druid nodded, eyes glistening. "The Ellcrys told me. She senses the demons massing at a single point within the Forbidding, senses herself weakening where they gather. She knows it is there that the Forbidding will fail first. The rent has been made once already by the ones that crossed through to slay the Chosen. The breach was closed but the wound was not healed. It weakens steadily straining with the force that pushes against it. The Demons are summoned to that place by the one who commands them, and who wields the power of sorcery so near my own. He is called the Dagda Mor. With his aid, the breach will be forced once again, and this time it will not be closed."

The weight of those words fell on all of the elves in the room.

"But we will be waiting for them." His hand tightened on the staff in determination. "We will be waiting. We will catch them while they are newly crossed and disorganized. We will close off their passage to Arborlon for as long as we are able. We will give Amberle the time she needs to find the Bloodfire and return."

Wordlessly he beckoned them all towards the table gathering one of the fallen maps and placing it squarely on the worktable. "The break will come here."

One lone finger pointed to the broad expanse of the Hoare Flats.