A/ N: If you all are wondering, I reposted this chapter because after some advice from a fellow writer, I decided that a little revision was in order. There are no changes in my plotline but a little more "fleshing out" of some of the characters. Many thanks to Aralinn and your wonderful advice!
A/N:February 6, 2013- I must apologize for an egregious error on my part. Something was just not sitting right with me about my heroine's name! I would research and research and could not find out why until I found a reliable Quenya dictionary. "Hodoer" is not Tolkein elvish. At all! I am horrified and embarassed and must beg all my readers pardon! Her name is Tára now, which still means "wise." Once again, I apologize and grovel at my reader's feet. Beware the fallacies of the internet! Now, on with the story!
A great Uruk aimed its bow at Tára, a demonic rage distorting the beast's face. The arrow left the knock of the bow so quickly that Tára could barely see the black shaft piercing her heart. She looked down at her chest only to find that no arrow protruded from her body. A sharp gasp behind Tára caused her to turn. Boromir stood in front of her, an arrow in his chest. The man seemed to look straight through Tára. He suddenly lunged forward, striking down uruks as easily as cutting young saplings. Tára then saw Merry and Pippin behind Boromir. The young hobbits were frozen in horror.
A shrill whistle sounded like wind through the trees. The impact of another black arrow drove Boromir to a stop. Tára ran forward, reaching out to the man. Her hand slid through him as if it were mist.
A third arrow struck Boromir, driving the man to his knees. With a cry, Merry and Pippin charged forward. Their efforts were stopped short as the uruks grabbed the hobbits, heaving them away with ease. Footsteps sounded ominously behind Tára. She turned to face an uruk, only to have the creature walk through her. Tears streamed down Tára's face as she watched the uruk draw back his bow, aiming the barb of the arrow at Boromir's forehead.
"Forgive me." The man said quietly.
"Boromir!" Tára yelled, jerking upright. Sweat drenched her body and her breath came in rapid bursts. From the window in her room, she could the faint glow of sunrise. She stumbled out of bed, splashing water on her face from the pitcher on the washstand. The cool water stung the tender skin of her wounds but Tára did not notice. Tomorrow. Boromir would fall tomorrow. Tára dug through the chest of clothes the elves had supplied, relieved to find dark grey hose and a matching tunic. She dressed quickly in the travel garb, thankful that the elves had managed to save her black cloak and boots. Tára could only think of one person that could be able to help her: Legil-Galad. Strapping her sword to her waist, Tára left her room quickly, looking for the elven lord.
"Thranduil, she bears the blade." Legil-Galad said, watching the astonishment wash over his brother's face.
"Are you certain? The Valar chose a human?" Thranduil paced in front of his ornate writing desk. Legil-Galad had come to him before sunrise. His sibling had been keeping his knowledge a secret and now felt that he had to tell Thranduil.
"It was never said that the 'Bringer of Light' would be of the elven race. Ilúvatar has the power to choose whatever being he wishes."
"I know, brother, though we have been thinking that way for so long that the possibility was ruled out." Thranduil stopped pacing, staring at is brother. "Do you think she will be able to put herself to the task?"
"I think she will be able to complete any task that is given her." Legil-Galad said.
An urgent knock on the study door silenced both elves.
"Legil-Galad? Are you in there?"
Both elven lords looked at each other in surprise. Legil-Galad opened the door, revealing Tára. The young woman looked as if she had not slept well. He then noticed that Tára was dressed in traveling clothes.
"Where are you going?" Legil-Galad asked a stern note in his voice.
"Forgive me." Tára said breathlessly, nodding at Thranduil. "I am sorry, Legil-Galad, but I need to leave now." Tára looked at Legil-Galad, silently pleading with the elf.
"Tára, your body may be healing but your mind is not. It would be foolish to thrust yourself into danger when something like what happened yesterday could happen again. I have seen it time and again in many of my soldiers and it takes time to heal." Legil-Galad said, a shadow coming over his face.
"Please, I must go." Tára said, her voice cracking a little in desperation.
Legil-Galad looked at Tára and then back to Thranduil. The elven king looked away from his brother and then met Legil-Galad's eyes again.
"Get her what she needs, for I doubt that she would stop if we did not." the elven king declared, smiling slightly.
"Thank you my lord!" Tára said, turning away from the door immediately.
"Brother?" Legil-Galad looked at the king, slightly annoyed.
"If she is the One, she cannot be stopped." Thranduil merely said in explanation.
"I'm going with her." Legil-Galad said quickly. He looked to his brother, surprised to see that he was still smiling.
"I had a feeling that you would not stay in my realm forever. I feel the Valar have always had a strong hand in your life, my brother." Thranduil's smiled faded slightly. The elven king walked forward, placing a hand on Legil-Galad's shoulder. "Go with the youngling. If she is the Light Bringer, she will need a protector close at hand."
"The only being that will be able to bear you with the speed that you desire would be an eagle..." Legil-Galad said, having caught up with Tára in the hall.
"Swiftwing! You could call Swiftwing! Legolas made him promise something and I doubt that promise was fulfilled." Tára spoke rapidly over her shoulder at Legil-Galad, not noticing that he was ushering her towards his chambers. When they stopped outside the elf's door Tára stopped speaking.
"I need to only gather a few things and then I will be ready to go."
"You are coming with me?" Tára looked at the elf with a gleam of hope in her eyes.
"Believe me when I say that I am loath to have you out of my sight." With those words, Legil-Galad slipped into his chamber. He looked at the rooms that had been his home for millennia. It was time to say farewell, a thought that both thrilled and unnerved the elf. A small voice in the back of his head asked Legil-Galad if he had finally lost his mind. The elf did not need to think twice to answer his subconscious question. If given another chance to accompany Tára, he would still go. As for madness? That was yet to be seen.
With a grim sigh, Legil-Galad put together a pack of provisions. Once the pack was finished, Legil-Galad walked through his modest chamber, running his hands over various objects. The weapon rack he had carved when he first came to live in his brother's kingdom. A small wooden bird a young Legolas had carved for him when Legil-Galad was himself a young elf, visiting his brother in Greenwood for the first time. The scenes of the ocean and his former home in Lindon he had painted upon the walls with his own hands. He said farewell to each thing, moving to the trunk at the foot of his bed. Opening the large trunk, Legil-Galad took out his cloak. A delicate piece of silk caught the elf's eye. Legil-Galad picked up the smooth fabric, holding it to his face. The smell of the sea and wild flowers had long since faded though Legil-Galad could almost imagine the scent that long had reminded him of Hisimé. With a start, Legil-Galad realized that his heart did not ache as it once had at the reminder of his lost love. Sighing once again, Legil-Galad placed the silk back in the trunk, gently closing the lid. Legil-Galad could hear Tára in the hall, shuffling her feet anxiously. The elf clasped his cloak about his neck and shouldered his pack. The last item he took was his sword. With one final look, Legil-Galad left his chamber, shutting the door with a gentle click.
"Do you need to stop at your chambers for anything?" Legil-Galad asked as they began to walk. Tára shook her head to the negative, a preoccupied look in her eye. The pair was soon in the clearing of the palace courtyard. Tára squinted against the sunlight, not noticing that Legil-Galad spoke to one of the elven guards that surrounded the courtyard. A shrill whistle shot through the air, causing Tára to jump. Legil-Galad looked at Tára and smiled, though to the young woman, the expression looked strained.
"Legil-Galad, are you alright?" Tára asked, doubt starting to seep into her resolve. Legil-Galad turned to reply, though he was interrupted by a shout.
"An eagle comes, my lord." An elven guard called from his post. Seconds after the call, Tára saw a great shadow moving over the trees, eventually stopping before Legil-Galad. Looking up, Tára saw an eagle alight on the smooth stone of the palace courtyard.
"I see you have healed the youngling as well." the eagle spoke to Legil-Galad.
"Yes, she has healed well, Swiftwing though now we have need of your services." Legil-Galad looked back and smiled slightly at Tára, whose face had lit up at the mention of the eagle's name.
"What ever your request, I would be loath to decline." Swiftwing said, looking at Tára with one golden eye.
"We need you to bear us to Amon Hen with due haste." Tára said to the eagle, Legil-Galad's unease momentarily forgotten.
Something deep down inside Legil-Galad told him that he would not see his brother's kingdom again. The gift of foresight was not strong with him but something told the elf that his future would be full, very full. Though he was leaving what had been his home for many years, he could not deny that something about Tára drew him to her. That pull seemed to dull any pain Legil-Galad felt with leaving his brother's realm.
They had flown on Swiftwing for a full day, landing when the sun began to set. Swiftwing was able to carry the two but at the cost of his speed. Tára had reluctantly agreed to stop for the night, though she seemed as taut as a bowstring.
"What is bothering the wise-one?" Swiftwing asked Legil-Galad once Tára had fallen asleep.
"Truthfully, I am not sure. She would reveal only little to me." Legil-Galad sighed causing Swiftwing to cock a curious eye at the elf.
"You are reading too much into my words friend." Legil-Galad answered the eagle, though the question was not spoken. "She may be wise in the things of this world, but her heart is still young."
"She pines for that man of the Stone-city?" Swiftwing asked as he settled onto the ground. "With her battle scars, she should not worry or want for a life-mate." The eagle added.
"I'm not sure if you are right or wrong my young friend." Legil-Galad answered, not wanting to confirm the eagle's assumptions.
On the opposite side of the fire, Tára listened to the elf and eagle's conversation while a tear traced a path down her scarred cheek.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli sat in their elven boats. They floated in the gentle chop of the lake Nan Hithoel. The trio looked to the falls of Rauros. Boromir's funeral boat floated smoothly towards the falls. Just as the boat crested the edge of the water, Legolas looked up sharply. A shadow passed over them, though it moved so quickly that the elf's companions seemed not to notice.
"It cannot be." Legolas' eyes followed the shadow, a strange look in his eyes.
"Look!" Gimli pointed a glove finger towards the falls. Just as the funeral boat disappeared, a great eagle dove out of the sky, its golden wings tucked close to its body. Before the great bird disappeared behind the falls, Legolas caught a glimpse of a fluttering black cloak next to a head of golden hair.
Tára hung on with all her might as Swiftwing dove towards the foot of the falls. The mist clung to Tára's face as she scanned the river. A silver boat soon floated out of the churning water, driven by the swift current. Swiftwing leveled out, gliding only inches above the water. Tára could not resist moving forward as the eagle flew over the elven boat, matching its speed.
"Go to him, for you will not rest well until you have said goodbye." Legil-Galad said quietly, removing his arm from around Tára's shoulders. Tára looked to her elven friend and then scooted forward to the edge of the eagle's wing. Tára leaned down trailing her fingers in the water. Boromir, peaceful and noble lay in the boat beneath her. He seemed to be encased in liquid crystal. Tára looked into Boromir's still face, the peaceful expression chilling her to the bone. Kissing her fingers, Tára placed her hand into the water, touching Boromir's cheek lightly.
"You are forgiven, friend." Tára said as Swiftwing pulled away from the water. Tára felt strong arms pull her back onto a safe place on Swiftwing's back. Legil-Galad kept his arm around Tára tightly, his heart troubled by the young woman's lack of tears.
Tára sat silently, starring at the flames of the small campfire. Her heart felt a mixture of grief and relief, though the grief felt stronger. Though she knew it would happen Tára wished she could have made a difference, done something to change Boromir. Tára inwardly cursed the evil of the Ring. She had read the accounts of the Ring war hundreds of times but now that she was seeing it in the flesh, it made anger burn within her. Tára looked up to the starry sky, trying to breath past the knot in her chest. In her heart, Tára knew that she had to decide her course. The occurrence of those thoughts brought more troubled feelings to Tára than seeing Boromir's lifeless body. If she truly was the Valar's messenger, why had they not shown her what to do? Why were they leaving her to find her way along blindly? Tára sighed and returned her gaze to the fire.
Legil-Galad watched Tára closely. A change had come over the young woman. He had hoped that the sight of the gondorian's body would resolve her turbulent emotions. It seemed to have the opposite effect on Tára, for she seemed to brood about something since the moment they landed for the night.
"What are you thinking, Tára?" Legil-Galad asked. Tára looked at the elf for a moment then shrugged.
"I think my course lies in the direction of Rohan." Tára said quietly.
"To Rohan? What purpose would you have there?"
Tára looked deeper into the flames and spoke without looking at her elven companion.
"I want to wait for my companions at Edoras."
Earlier, Tára had told Legil-Galad the most pertinent events that were happening in Middle Earth. Things pertaining to future events Tára did not elaborate on. She explained the current state of the Kingdom of the Horse lords though did not tell Legil-Galad about Gandalf's return or Théoden's healing.
"If what you told me is true, Edoras will not welcome us kindly unless the corrupt counselor is driven away. Your companions from the golden wood may not reach Edoras when you expect."
"When I said wait at Edoras, I actually meant hide." Tára's mouth quirked in a slightly cynical smile though the expression disappeared quickly. "It seems to be the only choice I have since the Valar have not shown me where to go." Tára's hard tone of voice caused Legil-Galad to study her for a moment. When the young woman would not meet his eyes, Legil-Galad spoke again.
"How do you propose to get there, for I doubt Swiftwing will want to carry us everywhere we go."
"You intend to stay with me?" Tára's dark mood lifted a little at Legil-Galad's words.
"I told you when we left my brother's realm that I was loath to let you out of my sight. I still feel that way." Tára looked at Legil-Galad when he said this, her expression unfathomable to the elf.
"Do not worry how we will get to Edoras for I feel that Swiftwing has yet to fulfill his promise to Legolas."
Legil-Galad sat silently across from Tára. The young woman had fallen silent hours earlier, though she did not sleep. The elf sighed. It was as if a great storm was nearing the edges of his heart, some foreboding of coming evil. He could tell Tára was angry though he decided that now was not the time to ask what was causing her dark mood. A sound broke Legil-Galad from his thoughts. Tára had drawn her sword and was holding the weapon on her lap.
"Tára..." Legil-Galad called the young woman's name. His breath caught when he saw Tára's eyes. Her eyes were the most piercing blue the elf had ever seen. They seemed to glow with a white flame. The elf then noticed Tára's exposed hands. They glowed a faint luminescent blue.
"What is it?" Tára looked at the elf quizzically.
"Look at your hands." Legil-Galad said quietly, watching Tára intently. Tára lifted her hands up to her face slowly.
"How can this be?" Tára looked at her hands as if they were something horrible. She removed the vambraces she wore, rolling up her sleeves. Her arms glowed as well with the same luminescent blue.
"What am I going to do? I can't walk among humans if I am glowing! I..."
"Tára." Legil-Galad said brusquely. The elf softened his tone when Tára looked at him with alarm.
"You will be fine. Look at me, my skin glows in the starlight." Legil-Galad rolled up his own sleeve, showing Tára that his skin did indeed glow, though not with the same intensity as Tára. Legil-Galad looked at Tára, noticing that her eyes hardened dangerously. The elf quickly changed the subject.
"We will go to Edoras as you have said. I trust what you have said, so we will wait for your companions there." Legil-Galad was relieved when Tára nodded her head to the affirmative, her eyes softening some.
"Rest now, for it is only a few hours until sunrise." Legil-Galad said, hoping that he sounded surer than he felt.
Swiftwing returned at sunrise as he had promised. Legil-Galad and Tára had been ready for the great bird, so they were able to set off quickly. They had now been flying for a few hours.
"We will need to disguise ourselves if we are to even gain entry to Edoras. Neither you or I are clothed so that we might fit in."
"We do not posses any other clothes save for the one on our backs." Legil-Galad said, looking at Tára. The young woman beside him did not seem to hear what the elf had said. Her eyes were focused on a spot on the horizon.
"Smoke," Tára said. "Swiftwing, fly towards the smoke!" Tára scooted forward as the eagle increased his speed.
The outskirts of the village came into view, and soon, Tára found that she could barely breathe, for the smoke blew into their faces. Swiftwing dove below the black cloud, landing lightly on the ground. Tára slid off the eagles back, drawing her sword. Legil-Galad followed her, unsheathing his sword as well.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Tára called. Around the pair flames crackled, eating away at houses and barns. Legil-Galad stepped in front of Tára, walking farther into the town.
"Who goes there?"
Legil-Galad whirled around to face the source of the sound. What met them was the blood and grime smeared face of a woman, peering out of the doors of what seemed to be a cellar. Tára and Legil-Galad approached the woman, though they kept their weapons drawn.
"Please, we need help." The woman spoke, gesturing down into the cellar.
"What happened here?" Legil-Galad asked. The woman seemed to visibly quail at Legil-Galad's voice. Tára looked behind Legil-Galad to see what had caused the woman's distress. In the distance, a group of wild men and Uruks burst out of a barn at the opposite end of the village. The wild men of the group, laughed amongst themselves, their clothes and faces smeared with gore. Tára's blood ran cold when she saw that two men in the middle of the group were dragging a young woman away from the burning barn. The young woman struggled against her captors, though she froze when she noticed the ring of uruks around the men.
"They have Beyhild!" the woman shrieked in rohirric, reaching out to grab Tára's arm. Tára stepped away, instead motioning the woman to return to the cellar. Legil-Galad looked at Tára questioningly. The elf instantly knew what Tára wanted to do. When the cellar door was bolted securely, Tára walked out into the middle of the town. The group of men and uruks was no more than a bowshot away from Tára and Legil-Galad when they noticed the pair. A raucous laughter drifted from the group.
"So, the village wants to fight us now. It is a shame that we wasted our talent on you earlier." A large Wildman spoke from the head of the group.
"You will trouble this village no longer and you will not harm the girl." Tára spoke loudly, motioning at the woman the wild men still held.
Without warning, the high-pitched whistle of an arrow sounded over the crackle of the nearby flames. Legil-Galad watched in wonder as Tára dodged the projectile deftly. An enraged cry rang from the offending group. Tára took her battle stance as the Wildmen rushed forward. Legil-Galad watched with growing apprehension, noticing that the uruks stayed behind the Wildmen, as if they waited for something. Legil-Galad lunged forward as the first Wildman raised his weapon. The Wildman fell without so much as a cry. Tára and Legil-Galad dispatched all of the Wildmen in a matter of minutes. The only sound that Tára heard was the crackle of the flames and the clinking of metal as the uruks shifted in expectation. One of the uruks now held the woman from the barn. The beast smirked at Tára when she began to move his direction. As if from far away, Tára heard her name.
"Tára!"
Tára spun around as Legil-Galad yelled, a broad uruk blade sailing past her face. With a backwards thrust, Tára drove her sword through the beast.
Before they knew it, the foul creatures surrounded Tára and Legil-Galad. Legil-Galad was soon separated from Tára. To the elf's alarm, the majority of the uruks seemed intent on Tára's demise. Legil-Galad's head jerked backwards as an elbow hit him in the face, causing the elf to see stars. The uruk responsible for the blow was already swinging his counter attack. Legil-Galad rolled below the uruk's blade, slicing at the creature's midsection. Legil-Galad fought towards Tára, slicing down every uruk in his path. With a mighty swing, Legil-Galad felled the final uruk. The elf turned, his chest heaving, to find Tára pulling her sword out of an uruk on the ground. The creature still clutched the arm of the young rohirric woman. She struggled away from the uruk's death-grip, looking at Tára with fear.
"Tára, are you hurt?" Legil-Galad asked, laying a hand on the young woman's shoulder. To the elf's surprise, Tára jerked at his touch, spinning around to face Legil-Galad. Tára's eyes sent a chill down the elf's spine. They had not changed from the night before but now they shone with an unearthly light. The young woman's expression changed instantly when she saw Legil-Galad. Reaching up, Tára wiped blood away from Legil-Galad's mouth.
"You are hurt." Tára's concerned gaze caused a strange reaction in the elf. Legil-Galad caught Tára's hand in his, wiping the remainder of the blood away with his own hands.
"I will be fine," Legil-Galad said, studying Tára. Tára looked into the elf's eyes, seeing almost instantly Legil-Galad's concern, and for a heartbeat, another emotion Tára could not put her finger on. Legil-Galad turned away suddenly. Tára shook her head, finally hearing the weeping of many people. The surviving villagers now crept out of their hiding places. Surprisingly, most were women. A matronly woman detached herself from the main group, walking with a limp towards Tára.
"We are in your debt, Elf blade." The woman said, speaking to Tára.
"You owe me little, though I am honored by your trust." Tára answered, looking away from the stares of the villagers.
"You have the scars of a warrior for one so young." The woman said quietly, studying Tára. Tára turned towards the woman, ignoring her comment.
"All we ask then is one night of respite and a change of clothes for both of us." Tára said, earning a surprised look from the woman.
"Your request will be honored." The spokeswoman replied. Tára nodded her approval, looking around. Her eyes found Legil-Galad's quickly. The elf only looked at her, the same indescribable emotion in his eyes. With a sigh, Tára looked away from the elf.
"Let's put these fires out." Tára said, walking to a scorched rain barrel. With some relief, Tára threw herself into her work, driving her tumultuous thoughts away for the moment.
Only a few houses were salvageable. The consensus of the villagers was that they would head to the safety of Helm's Deep. Tára marveled at the villager's unflagging trust in the ancient stronghold, though she kept her thoughts to herself.
Legil-Galad had taken the task of removing the bodies of the slain uruks and Wildmen from the center of the town. The villagers had refused to allow the bodies to be burned in the fire of their homes, so now the elf tended the gruesome blaze on the edge of the village. Tára wandered out to see how Legil-Galad was doing. Dodging the foul pillar of smoke, Tára found herself on the opposite side of the blaze. To her surprise, the elf was nowhere near the fire. Legil-Galad stood on the edge of a bluff, looking towards the setting sun. Tára took a moment to observe the elf. The wind stirred Legil-Galad's hair, causing the golden mass to catch the rays of the setting sun. In the fading light, Tára thought that she had never seen anything so beautiful. The elf turned, ending Tára's contemplation. Tára looked away quickly, embarrassed to have been caught staring.
"Tára," Legil-Galad moved towards the young woman, genuinely glad to see her.
Tára looked up, shocked by the grime that coated Legil-Galad's face, compared to the scene she had witnessed moments before. The elf must have noticed her reaction for he stopped before Tára and smiled self-consciously.
"I was just coming to see how you were doing. I am of no further need to the villagers now." Tára said, walking to where Legil-Galad had previously stood. Tára suddenly felt the weariness of the day settle on her. Sitting down, Tára shivered as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Legil-Galad sat down next to Tára.
"Are you truly all right?" Legil-Galad asked, turning a little to look at the young woman at his side. She had her chin in her hand and her eyes were almost shut.
"I am tired, Legil-Galad, though I don't want to go back." Tára said quietly. She turned to the elf, seeing the question in his eyes. "The people call me 'Elf-blade' and 'warrior.' I don't like it."
"Why is that?" Legil-Galad asked, surprised when Tára's look turned to anger.
"Because I'm only those things because of the Valar! I have done nothing on my own! I am only a great warrior because of them and I am scarred because of them! I will never be the same, Legil-Galad. Never!" Tára said, pulling a handful of grass out by the roots. "How would you feel if you suddenly became a pawn in the Valar's hands? I don't even know who I am anymore. Who I was has become lost in their 'blessing.'" Tára said, her last word ringing with distaste.
"I cannot speak for the Valar, Tára." Legil-Galad said. "But perhaps you are looking at this the wrong way?" the elf held up a hand when Tára took a breath to protest. "Perhaps the Valar chose you because of who you were in your former life? Perhaps they saw who you would become under their blessing and it pleased them?" Legil-Galad looked at Tára, smiling in spite of her stormy look. With a sigh, Tára's entire being seemed to deflate.
"I am sorry, Legil-Galad. I know it's not of your doing." Tára said quietly.
"Think nothing of it." Legil-Galad said quietly.
The pair sat in silence until the stars came out. Legil-Galad did not remember when it had happened but Tára now leaned on the elf's shoulder, fast asleep. The elf had his arms around the young woman to keep her upright. Though the air was chilly, Legil-Galad held Tára many hours into the night.