Note: Updated and corrected April2017 PT
Nariel the Red
Chapter 11: Illusions and Introductions
Nariel wondered through the corridors until she found the hobbits room. She had no idea what she was going to do, all she knew was that she had to distract the Nazgul enough to lead them away from Bree and away from their prey. She had to make them believe that the hobbits were in the room and then draw them out, and she had very little time to figure out a plan.
First things first, she thought. She opened the window as wide as she dared. Have to have an escape route to draw them out. Turning back she saw a pile of extra bedding. She piled extra pillows into each bed and took a step back. It wasn't very realistic. Well that she could fix. She closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened her eyes once again she grinned. Sometimes it was great to be a wizard. It looked like the four hobbits were asleep. She would have to stay in the room however until they arrived, which she admitted to herself was a downside. She couldn't maintain an illusion from a distance, especially one so detailed so she would have to hide herself. Nariel sat down on a chair in the darkest corner of the room, which luckily was near the open window and concentrated on the shadows around her. It would be difficult to maintain for a long period of time, but it was already dark, they would be here soon, very soon.
When the door opened Nariel concentrated all of her energy into maintaining her illusions. She tried not to think about how close they were to her, or how terrified she was. She watched as the creatures strode into the room. Luckily they were distracted by the hobbits they thought were still tucked obliviously into bed. They stood over the sleeping figures for a few moments, relishing their coming victory, before they struck down as one.
After a moment for what had happened to sink into their being there was an unholy screech as the creatures realised they had been tricked. Nariel sent an explosion of white light through the air with all the power that she could muster and transformed into her bear-form as she jumped through the open window.
Once outside the bear ran as fast as she could on her four legs. She knew that once they were on horse-back they would be faster than her, but first they had to reach the horses. She sprinted for the trees in the distance thinking of nothing else but the relative safety they would provide. When she reached the trees she climbed to the top and concentrated on being invisible, while asking them to hide her with their leaves as best they could against the evil that was approaching. Recognising Nariel for what she was the tree she had scaled did it's best to shield her, while the wizard did the rest. The illusion was much more difficult to maintain as a bear, but she wouldn't risk her mortal form just not until they were long past.
Silently Nariel scolded herself for her stupidity. This really was the most ridiculous idea that she had ever had. Yes alright, she had been trained by the best. She had killed orcs and spiders in the forest, but nothing like this. She felt absolutely exhausted and she knew that she was almost out of magic. She watched terrified as the dark riders rode past her at full gallop. Hopefully they wouldn't stop until they were far enough away. Hopefully they wouldn't sense her as she could sense them.
Aragorn was sitting in Nariel's room across from the inn watching over the sleeping hobbits. He had heard the screech and then the pounding of hooves and now he was worried because everything had gone quiet. He had no idea what Nariel was doing, and he didn't want to guess. Mentally he went through the list of people who would have his head if anything happened to her. Radagast and Gandalf, definitely. Grimbeorn and the other Beornings, absolutely. Legolas and his Sister, The King and Queen of Mirkwood, Lastirith and all the other guards in the woodland realm. They would all be fighting for his blood. Damn the Bear and her ridiculous plan. Because of her the whole of Mirkwood would be out for vengeance and he would have to be the one to tell them the news.
Just then there was a tapping on the window, which was weird as they weren't on the ground floor. He went to the window and opened it to admit a great red bear.
"Nariel"
He hissed
"If that hadn't worked, your father would have killed me! Not to mention everyone else in the damn forest!"
Nariel laughed as she turned back into her human-form.
"Don't worry so much Aragorn. You forget, I'm invulnerable in bear-form, thanks to my grandfather."
No matter how scared she had been at the time she wasn't going to admit it to anyone. She couldn't she was an Istari.
"I don't think your grandfather ever tested that particular skill against a Ringwraith Nariel."
She shrugged off his concern and her own fear with it.
"Who are you?"
The hobbits had woken up to find a strange woman in their room arguing with the Ranger and they didn't know what to think about it.
"This my friends is Nariel the Red. Daughter of Radagast the Brown and Caraneth Beorning."
Nariel rolled her eyes.
"Oh aren't we formal today."
She mocked Aragorn, knowing that he had most likely introduced himself as simply Strider or some other equally ridiculous nick-name.
"Just call me Nariel"
She added to the hobbits as the wiped the sleep from their eyes.
"Or Red"
Aragorn suggested before Nariel slapped him on the arm.
Frodo looked at her for a while as he processed what he had just been told.
"You're related to Beorn, the bear-man?"
Nariel wondered how many times she would have to go over this, but nodded anyway.
"Yes, he was my grandfather"
She sat down on the bed so that she was closer to his height.
"And you're the daughter of a wizard"
She nodded. Frodo breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm suddenly feeling a lot better about this whole thing."
Great Nariel thought. No pressure then!
Feeling very tired after all of that excitement Nariel urged the Hobbits to move over so that she could lie down. Within a couple of minutes she was fast asleep.
