Chapter 9: First Step
'Why do some people always insist on butting in?'
High in the trees in the heart of the wood, one irritated red-head couldn't help but wonder.
The one elf that actually seemed nice was currently laying down in the center of the room.
"Is it me? Do I not have a trustworthy face?"
"Whoever you are, you will open this door! RIGHT NOW!"
"Ah, shut up!" she snapped. "You all can stay out there. I'm doing well enough without all of you crowding this place!"
The wound on Celebrían's thigh that she had healed the previous night had closed successfully, but to Fae's consternation, the area was becoming a frightening shade of dark purple.
'Fragments from the arrow,' she thought, soft trickles of golden light spilling from her hands into Celebrían's leg. The orcs that they had encountered had truly abominable weapons, made of crudely beaten iron, some even being sharpened stone. It wasn't inconceivable to think that tiny chunks may have broken off when the arrow hit bone.
Whatever poison that was still in her body was spreading, evidenced by the way the veins near the wound were starting to turn black. And to make matters worse, with every little movement, Celebrían gasped, as if even the touch of the polished table was causing her pain.
'It's been a while since I've met a potion that inflames the nerves. Where did they get it, I wonder?'
A poison like that was not one that you could simply stumble on. Fae had explored quite a bit of Tamriel in her time, and it was a truly rare day when she encountered a plant or animal that had a toxin with the same effects.
Ah. Only one thing left to do then.
Keeping her right hand on Celebrían's leg, Fae gathered magic of a different sort into her left, ending up with a glowing purple dagger. Without hesitation, she drew it across the wound, opening up a long cut.
The elven woman thrashed around with a pained yell while the crimson-haired woman held her down, having dispelled the conjured weapon.
"Easy, girl," she said softly. "I know it hurts, but I'll be done soon. Just hold on."
Putting a hand to the bleeding wound while her other held the whimpering woman still, Fae reached into the wellspring of magical energy she had accumulated over the years, forcing it to obey her will.
A dark liquid began to seep out of the cut, gathered by the magic she was using, until there was barely any left.
Then, Fae's magic took on a different color and purpose, using her skill as both a magician and a potion-maker to seek out and purge the last vestiges of it. Then she felt for the small fragments of the arrowhead that still remained.
'Iron... I can work with that.'
The Transmute spell was one of the first of the Alteration tree she'd ever learned. Though this time, transforming the metal into gold was a bad idea.
Instead, using her years of experience in influencing her own magic away from the standard, she transformed every single fragment, as well as any minuscule amount of poison left, into water.
In higher quantities, water in the bloodstream could damage the body, but the amount Fae had turned would barely amount to a drop. Eventually it would just re-circulate throughout Celebrían's body. And since she had no idea how any anti-poisons or healing potions she'd made in her world would affect the elf, she simply decided to play it safe.
She knew, at least, that the elves here did drink water.
With the rest of the poison gone, Fae raised her hands and charged a healing spell in both hands. Celebrían's wound was looking less better, but the damage was still visible. Shunting extra power into her spell, she pressed her hands to Celebrían's thigh.
Slowly, the injury disappeared, leaving smooth, unmarked skin in its wake.
"Ha! And Fae triumphs again!" the red-head crowed, grinning wildly.
Then she happened to remember where exactly her hands were touching, and flinched away. It would be just her luck for the silver-haired elf to wake up with Fae's hands still on her upper thigh.
'I'd like to think I'm not so presumptuous,' she thought.
Then, whatever fledgling excitement and happiness that had been forming in Fae's heart dimmed as she remembered exactly where she was, and who was still banging on the door.
So without further ado, she melted the small bar of ice she'd been using to bolt the door shut.
Coincidentally, several elves on the other side had been banging into the door with their shoulders, trying to force it open. And is just so happened to be at the moment several of them charged at once, she removed her makeshift lock.
Fae put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at the bunch of normally-agile elves who were sprawled on the ground in a groaning pile.
"No need to fall over yourselves. I'm not that pretty."
Lord Celeborn, who had been waiting for his subordinates to break through the door, raised a lofty eyebrow as he considered the woman before him.
She was tall, he realized. Perhaps even as tall as his wife, with auburn hair that fell to her shoulders. One twinkling green eye held his gaze, while the other was covered by a strip of black cloth. The most eye-catching thing about her clothes was the large blood-stain on the left side of her tunic.
He narrowed his eyes by a fraction. This woman would start answering questions very soon.
"I see you didn't follow my advice," she said, distracting him from his thoughts. Whoever was still prodding her mental shields was getting more curious by the minute. To be honest, it was kinda cute.
"...Follow me," he said imperiously, turning around with a swish of his robes.
Fae had to hold in a smile. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
Slipping a hand under Celebrían's knees and another around her shoulders, she gently picked up the sleeping woman and followed the lord out.
Several of the surrounding elves nearly protested when she did so, but couldn't seem to think of anything to say. Instead, in what was becoming the recurring theme of the day, they simply followed along.
Since no one was talking, it gave Fae time to admire the scenery.
The Mallorn trees were tall enough that the ground was a fair distance away when she looked down. They were also, without fail, completely rigid, which probably helped when they were building all of the tree-houses. Glowing lights hung all around, slowly turning from gold to silver as the daylight vanished. Exquisitely carved wooden arches and stairs wove their way around the canopy, looking less like a child's project and more like a civilization's capitol.
And if Fae was perfectly honest with herself, she was quite impressed.
Finally coming to the top of a long staircase that wrapped around the tallest tree around, she continued following the elvish lord. And as she got closer, a small shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.
Someone with a quite a lot of magical power was dwelling around here.
Celeborn came to a stop at the foot of a wide staircase and turned around, finally noticing who she was carrying.
"What are you doing?" he asked, frowning.
She glanced at him confusedly. "You asked me to follow you."
"Then why are you still carrying my daughter?"
"I need to make sure that she recovers, and I wasn't going to leave her behind."
He opened his mouth to say something, but was swiftly interrupted.
"Enough, husband. Introduce our guest."
Both of them looked up, and Fae's jaw dropped.
'Well... at least now I know where Celebrían gets her looks from.'
The woman striding down the stairs was almost beyond description. Tall, dressed in a gown of the purest white. Flowing golden hair, wreathed with a circlet of the same silvery metal as the one crowning her daughter. Frosty blue eyes that stared at Fae as if she were a bug for this woman's consideration.
Without waiting for her husband to answer, Lady Galadriel continued walking down the stairs. "It has been a long time since we have had visitors to our realm, far longer since they have dared to enter without our permission. The last one did not enjoy his time with us at all."
Fae raised an eyebrow and responded without hesitation. "I'm sure it's also been a long time since you've met any 'intruder' with the same circumstances as me."
Celeborn and several elves who had followed behind them narrowed their eyes at the not-quite-respectful tone.
Galadriel, on the other hand, didn't even blink, simply stopped a few stairs above where the red-haired woman was standing. "It is against our laws to violate our borders. You have given us great insult by doing so."
"...Just as you have given me insult by assuming that my life is yours do to with as you wish," Fae replied, no longer feeling quite so amused.
Spotting a few elves in the background setting up a table, the heroine of Tamriel turned away and walked over, gently setting Celebrían down on it.
If the Lady of Lorien was insulted by the casual dismissal, she didn't show it. Every other elf present, however, was a different story.
One, the captain of the original patrol Fae had encountered, stepped forward a little, his hand itching to go for a weapon. "You dare..." Several elves seemed like they wanted to follow his example.
Before any of them could move, Celeborn held up a hand. "Peace. There will be no fighting while my daughter is present."
Most stepped back, suitably chastened. The leader, however, didn't back down. "But my Lord, she could an enemy! How do we know it was not this woman who injured Lady Celebrían in the first place?"
"We are about to find out," Galadriel said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Every eye in the place turned to where Celebrían was laying. As the elf started to stir, Fae reached over and poked her in the forehead. "Wakey wakey." And before anyone could give cries of outrage, the silver-haired woman did just that.
Blearily opening her eyes, the first thing to swim into focus was Fae's smiling face. "Morning, sleepyhead. Have a nice nap?"
An ear-splitting screech of "FAE!" followed a moment later as Celebrían fully awoke and promptly pounced on the woman with a huge hug.
"By-the-Valar-do-you-have-any-idea-how-worried-I-was-and-don't-ever-do-that-again-and-oh-it's-so-good-to-see-you!" the elf babbled as she squeezed the taller woman with all the strength in her lithe body.
Blinking a few times as she struggled to process that, Fae patted the smaller woman on the back a few times. "It's, ah, good to see you too. And not to change the subject or anything, but there are a few people who I think you'll want to see."
Stepping back in preparation to berate the woman again, Celebrían was halted in her thoughts by a lofty voice.
"Little one..."
Turning around and beholding her mother and father, she barely paused for a moment before she rushed around the table and ran to meet them.
Leaping and throwing an arm around both her parents, the elven woman felt such a astonishing surge of relief that tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.
"I sensed something was wrong once the sun fell," Galadriel whispered into her ear. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"That you are unharmed gladdens me as well, my daughter," Celeborn said a bit louder.
Giving them both a squeeze, Celebrían stepped back a little and gave a weak smile. "We were set upon by Orcs in the dead of night. They killed my escort and dragged me away, and were it not for this woman, I may not be speaking to you now."
A stir ran through the crowd at her story.
Several mutters of "Beasts..." and "Savages..." were heard and did not go unnoticed by the red-haired woman.
Looking around at the platform they stood on, Fae finally noticed something that had been subconsciously bothering her for a while.
"There is a criminal lack of guardrails around here, you know?"
A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. They've helped a lot in getting through this funk I was in.
Hope you enjoyed, and see ya later!
