Eärlindë Galathil
By: Writes with Block
***** Disclaimer:
Jo: Not mine! Not mine!
Pip: What's not yours? And thanks for the nice collar for Christmas. Why does the tag have your address on it?
Jo: Don't worry about it. Have more candy canes.
Pip: Okay!
Jo: *evil grin* *****
Chapter Eleven
"Its cheese."
"Wow! You really can smell anything." Pip took the cheese out of the box he'd hidden it in to mask the smell and took a bite out of it. "Your nose must be really sensitive."
"Sure is," Lessien replied smugly. "I can smell just about anything."
"Oh yeah?" Merry asked. "Then what did I have for dinner?"
Lessien crawled over to him and sniffed his face. "Burnt meat, bread, wine, and you smoked a pipe."
"You really can smell anything."
"Told ya."
"What mischief are you up to now?"
"How come you always think I'm up to something you woody elf?"
"Because you usually are," Legolas answered cheerfully. He hunkered down next to Lessien and tweaked one of her ears gently. "Hobbits have a terrible habit of getting themselves into situations where they don't belong."
"We do not," Merry and Pip protested in unison.
"Well, there was the council in Rivendell," Merry amended.
"Oh right. And we really weren't supposed to be in Isenguard," Pip added.
"And if we hadn't been stealing crops we wouldn't be here at all."
Both hobbits nodded and fell into thoughtful silence.
"My point exactly. You'd have better luck hanging out with a pair of mischievous children for that is all hobbits are."
"I resemble that remark," Pippin chuckled.
"And aren't I just a child anyway?" Lessien asked. "That's what everyone always calls me."
Legolas ruffled Lessien's hair and she jumped at him, snapping at his hand. The elf jerked backward in surprise. He hadn't expected the girl to move so quickly. He grabbed the girl by the back of her shirt and lifted her up to eye level.
"I thought your type don't eat elves," he said with a thin lipped grin.
"That doesn't mean I won't bite," Lessien growled, barring her fangs at him.
"A fluffy little puppy," Legolas chuckled. "How cute." He ruffled his hair with his free hand and tweaked one of her ears. He laughed and held her out at arm's length when she tried to bite him again. "Perhapse the puppy needs a leash."
Lessien howled and lunged at him but only managed to twist her shirt and end up spinning lazily.
"Leave the whelp alone," Gimli grumbled. "She's making a racket and some of us are trying to sleep."
"I would put her down but for fear that she would nibble on my fingers," Legolas jeered.
"Nibble!" Lessien screamed, completely outraged. She lashed out against Legolas but again only managed to twist herself further. Her spirit was undaunted however and she continued to struggle as Legolas continued to taunt her good naturedly in Elvish.
"Enough!" Aragorn bellowed. "Put her down Legolas. Please. And you two," he gestured to the hobbits who were watching the events with a wide smile, "go to sleep. There is a long ride a head of us tomorrow and I will not put up with whining."
The hobbits did as they told with a round of chuckles. If there was anything a Hobbit loved more than eating it was sleeping. Legolas put Lessien down on the floor and nudged her away from his side when she tried to bite him.
"No more of that Lessien," Aragorn ordered.
"Yes Lord Aragorn," Lessien grumbled, sulking. She crawled over to a corner and curled up there, her back to everyone.
Aragorn sighed mentally and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache.
"Good night everyone," he said sternly, settling into his own spot on the floor with an air of finality.
Gandalf, who had been lounging against a wall smoking his pipe, chuckled at the display before him.
Aragorn mumbled something rude in Elvish, making Legolas laugh some more, and rolled over to get some sleep.
******
Lessien's ears perked up. People were whispering quietly. It was the hobbits, Merry and Pip. Her ears twitched in their direction but she remained still. If they were going to get something sweet to eat she'd go with them but if they were just talking she didn't want to move from her warm spot.
"I just want one look."
"Leave it alone!"
"Lookit what?" Lessien whispered, slinking on her belly to where they were.
"Nothing," Pippin hissed. "Just stay quiet."
He crawled over to Gandalf silently and paused for a moment, badly startled. Lessien tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on. Beside her, Merry's breath caught and he stopped breathing for a moment. Pippin moved forward quietly again and took something from Gandalf.
"What is it?" Lessien whispered to him but he didn't answer. Lessien's wolf ears flattened against her skull. She smelled something like ash and bone and it was coming from whatever the hobbit had in his hands. "Put it down," she hissed hoarsely. "Put it down."
"What is it?" Merry whispered, turning his attention from Pippin.
"Death and bone and blood and gore," Lessien whispered. "Put it down. Put the damn thing down."
"What are you talking about?" Merry hissed.
He didn't get any answer though. Lessien scrambled backward, her face pinched in pain, and Pippin began to scream. Chaos engulfed the room as everyone sprung to their feet, casting about to find the danger. Aragorn lunged at Pippin and grabbed whatever it was he had. He staggered a few moments before it was knocked from his hands as well and went rolling across the floor.
It came to a gentle, rolling stop as everyone watched it, afraid to touch it. The black sphere came to rest in front of Lessien who stared at it silently. Slowly, ever so slowly, one of her hands reached out toward it, her fingers outstretched and twitching. Her eyes glazed and her lids slid until they were almost shut. Suddenly her face pinched further and she backed up slowly until her back pressed against the wall, jerking her hand back and cradling it against her stomach.
Gandalf swooped forward and wrapped the stone in a cloth, shielding it from everyone's sight. They began to move again, as if released from some spell. Aragorn knelt at Pippin's side along with Gandalf and Legolas turned his eyes to Merry and Lessien.
Beyond a panicky despair for his friend the hobbit seemed all right. The wolven girl on the other hand was pale as snow and cowering against the wall. Her ears were wilted against her skull and her eyes were unnaturally wide. She staring at cloth the plantir was wrapped in and was shaking slightly.
"Lle tyava quel?" he asked softly and repeated the question in the common tongue when Lessien didn't look up at him. "Are you well?" He touched her head gently and she jumped.
"What?" she squeaked.
"I asked if you were well," he repeated, his keen eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with her. Her body was tensed and she hadn't moved away from the wall.
"Yeah," Lessien answered shaking her head. "I'm fine." She craned her head, scooting away from the wall slightly and watched as Gandalf spoke with Pippin in rushed, worried tones. She was quiet for a long moment, not blinking and not speaking, but Legolas noticed that she scooted closer to him. When Gandalf leaned back Lessien whispered, "Is he going to go away like Haldir did? To that dead place?"
"He will be fine," Gandalf answered, his tone tired and thoughtful. "For the time being. You are lucky this time, fool of a Took." Pippin shuttered in answer, his eyes closed. "The damage is done," the wizard said, his tone softer. "Do not despair Peregrin. You will be all right in time."
"What should we do?" Gimli asked.
"Go back to sleep," Gandalf answered after a long pause. "It is only a few hours until dawn. I doubt much will change in that time."
Everyone went back to bed slowly, casting long glances at Pippin as they did so. The hobbit lay shivering in his bedding, his eyes closed tightly and his fists clenched at his sides. Legolas put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder, whispered something to him, his gaze shifting to Lessien as he did so, and then returned to his bedding.
The room was quiet and dark for a long moment and even Pippin fell into silence as an exhausted sleep took him. Quietly Lessien crawled to Aragorn's side and stared down at him.
"What is it Lessien?" Aragorn whispered.
"Did I wake you Lord Aragorn?"
"I have been awake." Aragorn opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "Did you want to ask me something?"
Lessien nodded. "Can you have a nightmare while you're awake?"
"What do you mean?" Aragorn asked, sitting up fully and resting his hands on his knees. "When did you have a nightmare?" Lessien didn't answer and Aragorn touched her knee gently. "Was it when you were looking at the stone?" he asked softly, his tone gentle. "Lessien?" he prompted when she didn't answer.
"I....I heard something," she answered slowly.
"What did you hear?"
"This voice." Lessien tapped her forehead. "In my head. It was saying these things I didn't understand but then it started talking like a wolf."
"Like a wolf?" Aragorn asked. In the wolven language?"
"Yeah. I've never heard anyone speak it before but for some reason I understood." Lessien shook her head. "But then it got all jumbled. Common language, wolven, and a bunch of stuff I didn't know."
"What was it telling you?"
"It was telling me to kill someone."
"Kill?" Aragorn repeated, fear blooming coldly in his chest.
Lessien nodded. "Yes. It was saying, 'Kill the king. Kill the king.'"
"Did it ever call you by name?"
"Just kept saying to kill. Kill the king. Kill the king. Over and over and over."
"Lessien!" Aragorn snapped. "Did it ever call you by name? Think."
"I don't want to Lord Aragorn. I-I don't like that voice."
Aragorn took her hands in his and held on to them tightly. "I need you to concentrate. Did the voice ever, ever, call you by name? Take your time thinking. Remember as much as you can."
Lessien thought as hard as she could, her face pinching. "No. It never said my name. Is....is something wrong?"
Aragorn shook his head and kissed Lessien's forehead gently. "Nothing. Don't worry."
"What was the voice? I can still here it. Its coming from that stone."
"It is the voice of the enemy Lessien and I want you to ignore it as much as you can. Stay far away from that stone and never touch it. Do you understand? Will you do as I say?"
"I promise."
"Good, good." He patted Lessien on the head. "You need to get some rest. We will be traveling very quickly tomorrow."
"Can I sleep here with you?"
"Yes you may." Aragorn made room for Lessien on his bedding, blanketing her with his cloak.
"Who is the king?" she asked as she laid down.
"I do not know," Aragorn lied. "Go to sleep now."
Lessien rolled herself up in Aragorn's cloak and settled down at his side. The voice came softly from that stone Gandalf and hidden and she wedged her face between his arm and his side, trying to block the sounds out.
"Move your head," Aragorn whispered. "Your nose is freezing."
*******
Author's Notes: I just noticed that I left out the plantir scene in the last chapter. Opps. Oh well. I still managed to work it in there. Anyway I thought this chapter would go all the way until the Dunharrow bit its almost four pages long. Weird. I've been writing real long stuff lately. I guess the Dunharrow is going to be the majority of the next chapter. Not sure when that'll come out but I have a feeling that its going to be pretty soon.
And a very big thank you too:
Irish QT
Coolio02
Melissa
AND
giveGodtheglory
The thank you list has offically made this five pages long on my work processor. That's allot of work considering I started this yesturday. Until next time, read and review. Thanks! ^__^
By: Writes with Block
***** Disclaimer:
Jo: Not mine! Not mine!
Pip: What's not yours? And thanks for the nice collar for Christmas. Why does the tag have your address on it?
Jo: Don't worry about it. Have more candy canes.
Pip: Okay!
Jo: *evil grin* *****
Chapter Eleven
"Its cheese."
"Wow! You really can smell anything." Pip took the cheese out of the box he'd hidden it in to mask the smell and took a bite out of it. "Your nose must be really sensitive."
"Sure is," Lessien replied smugly. "I can smell just about anything."
"Oh yeah?" Merry asked. "Then what did I have for dinner?"
Lessien crawled over to him and sniffed his face. "Burnt meat, bread, wine, and you smoked a pipe."
"You really can smell anything."
"Told ya."
"What mischief are you up to now?"
"How come you always think I'm up to something you woody elf?"
"Because you usually are," Legolas answered cheerfully. He hunkered down next to Lessien and tweaked one of her ears gently. "Hobbits have a terrible habit of getting themselves into situations where they don't belong."
"We do not," Merry and Pip protested in unison.
"Well, there was the council in Rivendell," Merry amended.
"Oh right. And we really weren't supposed to be in Isenguard," Pip added.
"And if we hadn't been stealing crops we wouldn't be here at all."
Both hobbits nodded and fell into thoughtful silence.
"My point exactly. You'd have better luck hanging out with a pair of mischievous children for that is all hobbits are."
"I resemble that remark," Pippin chuckled.
"And aren't I just a child anyway?" Lessien asked. "That's what everyone always calls me."
Legolas ruffled Lessien's hair and she jumped at him, snapping at his hand. The elf jerked backward in surprise. He hadn't expected the girl to move so quickly. He grabbed the girl by the back of her shirt and lifted her up to eye level.
"I thought your type don't eat elves," he said with a thin lipped grin.
"That doesn't mean I won't bite," Lessien growled, barring her fangs at him.
"A fluffy little puppy," Legolas chuckled. "How cute." He ruffled his hair with his free hand and tweaked one of her ears. He laughed and held her out at arm's length when she tried to bite him again. "Perhapse the puppy needs a leash."
Lessien howled and lunged at him but only managed to twist her shirt and end up spinning lazily.
"Leave the whelp alone," Gimli grumbled. "She's making a racket and some of us are trying to sleep."
"I would put her down but for fear that she would nibble on my fingers," Legolas jeered.
"Nibble!" Lessien screamed, completely outraged. She lashed out against Legolas but again only managed to twist herself further. Her spirit was undaunted however and she continued to struggle as Legolas continued to taunt her good naturedly in Elvish.
"Enough!" Aragorn bellowed. "Put her down Legolas. Please. And you two," he gestured to the hobbits who were watching the events with a wide smile, "go to sleep. There is a long ride a head of us tomorrow and I will not put up with whining."
The hobbits did as they told with a round of chuckles. If there was anything a Hobbit loved more than eating it was sleeping. Legolas put Lessien down on the floor and nudged her away from his side when she tried to bite him.
"No more of that Lessien," Aragorn ordered.
"Yes Lord Aragorn," Lessien grumbled, sulking. She crawled over to a corner and curled up there, her back to everyone.
Aragorn sighed mentally and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache.
"Good night everyone," he said sternly, settling into his own spot on the floor with an air of finality.
Gandalf, who had been lounging against a wall smoking his pipe, chuckled at the display before him.
Aragorn mumbled something rude in Elvish, making Legolas laugh some more, and rolled over to get some sleep.
******
Lessien's ears perked up. People were whispering quietly. It was the hobbits, Merry and Pip. Her ears twitched in their direction but she remained still. If they were going to get something sweet to eat she'd go with them but if they were just talking she didn't want to move from her warm spot.
"I just want one look."
"Leave it alone!"
"Lookit what?" Lessien whispered, slinking on her belly to where they were.
"Nothing," Pippin hissed. "Just stay quiet."
He crawled over to Gandalf silently and paused for a moment, badly startled. Lessien tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on. Beside her, Merry's breath caught and he stopped breathing for a moment. Pippin moved forward quietly again and took something from Gandalf.
"What is it?" Lessien whispered to him but he didn't answer. Lessien's wolf ears flattened against her skull. She smelled something like ash and bone and it was coming from whatever the hobbit had in his hands. "Put it down," she hissed hoarsely. "Put it down."
"What is it?" Merry whispered, turning his attention from Pippin.
"Death and bone and blood and gore," Lessien whispered. "Put it down. Put the damn thing down."
"What are you talking about?" Merry hissed.
He didn't get any answer though. Lessien scrambled backward, her face pinched in pain, and Pippin began to scream. Chaos engulfed the room as everyone sprung to their feet, casting about to find the danger. Aragorn lunged at Pippin and grabbed whatever it was he had. He staggered a few moments before it was knocked from his hands as well and went rolling across the floor.
It came to a gentle, rolling stop as everyone watched it, afraid to touch it. The black sphere came to rest in front of Lessien who stared at it silently. Slowly, ever so slowly, one of her hands reached out toward it, her fingers outstretched and twitching. Her eyes glazed and her lids slid until they were almost shut. Suddenly her face pinched further and she backed up slowly until her back pressed against the wall, jerking her hand back and cradling it against her stomach.
Gandalf swooped forward and wrapped the stone in a cloth, shielding it from everyone's sight. They began to move again, as if released from some spell. Aragorn knelt at Pippin's side along with Gandalf and Legolas turned his eyes to Merry and Lessien.
Beyond a panicky despair for his friend the hobbit seemed all right. The wolven girl on the other hand was pale as snow and cowering against the wall. Her ears were wilted against her skull and her eyes were unnaturally wide. She staring at cloth the plantir was wrapped in and was shaking slightly.
"Lle tyava quel?" he asked softly and repeated the question in the common tongue when Lessien didn't look up at him. "Are you well?" He touched her head gently and she jumped.
"What?" she squeaked.
"I asked if you were well," he repeated, his keen eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with her. Her body was tensed and she hadn't moved away from the wall.
"Yeah," Lessien answered shaking her head. "I'm fine." She craned her head, scooting away from the wall slightly and watched as Gandalf spoke with Pippin in rushed, worried tones. She was quiet for a long moment, not blinking and not speaking, but Legolas noticed that she scooted closer to him. When Gandalf leaned back Lessien whispered, "Is he going to go away like Haldir did? To that dead place?"
"He will be fine," Gandalf answered, his tone tired and thoughtful. "For the time being. You are lucky this time, fool of a Took." Pippin shuttered in answer, his eyes closed. "The damage is done," the wizard said, his tone softer. "Do not despair Peregrin. You will be all right in time."
"What should we do?" Gimli asked.
"Go back to sleep," Gandalf answered after a long pause. "It is only a few hours until dawn. I doubt much will change in that time."
Everyone went back to bed slowly, casting long glances at Pippin as they did so. The hobbit lay shivering in his bedding, his eyes closed tightly and his fists clenched at his sides. Legolas put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder, whispered something to him, his gaze shifting to Lessien as he did so, and then returned to his bedding.
The room was quiet and dark for a long moment and even Pippin fell into silence as an exhausted sleep took him. Quietly Lessien crawled to Aragorn's side and stared down at him.
"What is it Lessien?" Aragorn whispered.
"Did I wake you Lord Aragorn?"
"I have been awake." Aragorn opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "Did you want to ask me something?"
Lessien nodded. "Can you have a nightmare while you're awake?"
"What do you mean?" Aragorn asked, sitting up fully and resting his hands on his knees. "When did you have a nightmare?" Lessien didn't answer and Aragorn touched her knee gently. "Was it when you were looking at the stone?" he asked softly, his tone gentle. "Lessien?" he prompted when she didn't answer.
"I....I heard something," she answered slowly.
"What did you hear?"
"This voice." Lessien tapped her forehead. "In my head. It was saying these things I didn't understand but then it started talking like a wolf."
"Like a wolf?" Aragorn asked. In the wolven language?"
"Yeah. I've never heard anyone speak it before but for some reason I understood." Lessien shook her head. "But then it got all jumbled. Common language, wolven, and a bunch of stuff I didn't know."
"What was it telling you?"
"It was telling me to kill someone."
"Kill?" Aragorn repeated, fear blooming coldly in his chest.
Lessien nodded. "Yes. It was saying, 'Kill the king. Kill the king.'"
"Did it ever call you by name?"
"Just kept saying to kill. Kill the king. Kill the king. Over and over and over."
"Lessien!" Aragorn snapped. "Did it ever call you by name? Think."
"I don't want to Lord Aragorn. I-I don't like that voice."
Aragorn took her hands in his and held on to them tightly. "I need you to concentrate. Did the voice ever, ever, call you by name? Take your time thinking. Remember as much as you can."
Lessien thought as hard as she could, her face pinching. "No. It never said my name. Is....is something wrong?"
Aragorn shook his head and kissed Lessien's forehead gently. "Nothing. Don't worry."
"What was the voice? I can still here it. Its coming from that stone."
"It is the voice of the enemy Lessien and I want you to ignore it as much as you can. Stay far away from that stone and never touch it. Do you understand? Will you do as I say?"
"I promise."
"Good, good." He patted Lessien on the head. "You need to get some rest. We will be traveling very quickly tomorrow."
"Can I sleep here with you?"
"Yes you may." Aragorn made room for Lessien on his bedding, blanketing her with his cloak.
"Who is the king?" she asked as she laid down.
"I do not know," Aragorn lied. "Go to sleep now."
Lessien rolled herself up in Aragorn's cloak and settled down at his side. The voice came softly from that stone Gandalf and hidden and she wedged her face between his arm and his side, trying to block the sounds out.
"Move your head," Aragorn whispered. "Your nose is freezing."
*******
Author's Notes: I just noticed that I left out the plantir scene in the last chapter. Opps. Oh well. I still managed to work it in there. Anyway I thought this chapter would go all the way until the Dunharrow bit its almost four pages long. Weird. I've been writing real long stuff lately. I guess the Dunharrow is going to be the majority of the next chapter. Not sure when that'll come out but I have a feeling that its going to be pretty soon.
And a very big thank you too:
Irish QT
Coolio02
Melissa
AND
giveGodtheglory
The thank you list has offically made this five pages long on my work processor. That's allot of work considering I started this yesturday. Until next time, read and review. Thanks! ^__^