A/N: A million pardons for the tardiness of this chapter but my computer had a problem – now fixed. Also, within the next two or three days, a special message will be posted on my homepage, so "everyone," those who enjoy what I write as well as those who don't, are invited to attend.

Just Me ... I would be honored if you would email me!

In the caves of time and space I lie and dream,
and in my dreams I hear the song of winter.
Ice and snow wrap up the earth in bands of iron;
yet beneath beats the steady heart of creation,
just as it beats in the hearts of all who sets forth
in search of solstice revels.

Chapter 14

The Hour Approaches

When he was finally able to get a look at the ground where the boy and his friend had been sitting just before the deer had obscured his view, he saw that the two were indeed gone. Súrion then took off at a dead run for the main house, all the while scanning the trees and land around him for any sign of Hy, Orion or their rescuer. It was his most heartfelt wish that the boy and his friend remained unharmed and that whoever had rescued them had not dropped them either in a dangerous place or at an inopportune moment.

He gave three short whistles and within moments, saw Rahan, Semoro and Saeros running toward him. Without missing a step, when their paths finally converged, the three new elves reversed direction and while running beside the Silvan Guard, received his report. Afterwards, all four split off and ran in different directions so they would have a better chance of finding the two.

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"Excuse me, Mister Elf, but could you step to one side so I can land? I wouldn't want to shower you with dirt. I will try to be careful though."

Elrond and Glorfindel both automatically jumped to one side when they heard the voice from overhead and felt the wind of giant wings. The two Lords looked upwards in time to see Bellas descend until he was just a few feet off the ground. Ever so gently, he spread the talons on both front feet until Hy on the left and Orion on the right, slid to the ground. They were immediately on their feet, Hy shaking the dust from his clothes and Orion giving his "doggy clothes" a mighty shake as well.

After craning his neck to make sure the two were on the ground and unharmed, Bellas landed. Elrond and Glorfindel both noticed that the young dragon did not completely furl his wings but held them in a position that would allow him to take off quickly if the need arose. Bellas then lowered his head until his nose was within reach of both boy and dog – somehow he had known that the two would need encouragement.

"I hope I didn't frighten you Mister Hy – and I did try to be careful."

Elrond and Glorfindel ran to the boy to make sure he had suffered no harm during his ordeal but after carefully checking him over, they found that the most important thing on his mind was the fact that he had gotten to fly with a "real" dragon. He then broke out into tears as the seriousness of what had just happened hit him, and while Elrond hugged the boy, Glorfindel did what he could to reassure Bellas that it was nothing he had done or had not done that had caused the boy to burst out crying.

Finally, after a few moments of crying into Elrond's shoulder, Hy started to speak.

"There was this horrible sound everywhere – so loud that I couldn't hear anything else except for Orion barking, and I could tell that there were deer all around me. I didn't know what to do then Orion pushed me down and stood over me, growling and snapping at the animals as they ran by. Then I heard a very large deer running toward me and it wasn't turning away … I thought we were going to die – then something grabbed us and flew us away."

He once more burst into tears although this time, he threw his thin arms around the nose of the worried young dragon standing beside him.

"You saved us … you saved us …"

As Elrond loosed the boy's arms from around the young dragon's nose, he winked at him as reassurance that all would be well, but even at that, the Lord would later say that he could have sworn that Bellas had tears in his eyes. Then Lord … and father … gathered the frightened young boy into his arms, and walked quickly toward the house. Glorfindel had stayed behind with one hand resting on the dragon's head to reassure him that all was well and that the boy was only overwrought because of all of the excitement. Bellas seemed to accept the Lord's explanation and after a respectful nod of his head, took off to see if he could find anybody else that needed help.

Glorfindel had just turned toward the house when Anayah's Guards ran up to him. Although the four had seen the whole incident from a distance, they still wanted reassurance that all was well. Rahan turned to Semoro and Saeros and told them to find whoever had been with Hy and Orion in the orchard so they might know the boy had been found and was well.

"This was indeed a first, Lord Glorfindel."

"How so, Captain?" Glorfindel turned his full attention to Rahan.

"Súrion is fast … perhaps the quickest of all of us when running through the trees … but it seems that in this instance young Bellas proved to be the swiftest."

"In Súrion's defense, Captain Rahan, the dragon did have the advantage of altitude."

"Indeed … the dragons could prove to be useful and powerful allies in the troubles that lay ahead of us."

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By the time another sun had risen over Imladris, and no additional animal or bird attacks had occurred, the level of tension surrounding Imladris relaxed somewhat. Though the immediate area was still heavily guarded and vigilant elves and Rangers continually patrolled the perimeter of the realm, there wasn't one among them who believed in the least, that the animal attack incidents were over. But if there were to be more attacks, the inhabitants of Imladris would be safe – and they would be prepared.

Anayah was sitting in a patch of sunlight with her eyes closed and a sleeping Tinu lying on the warm grass beside her with his head resting on her legs when she heard light footfalls approaching her. She smiled, for she knew the grey wizard had purposely let her hear him coming.

Gandalf sat beside her and when Tinu looked at the wizard then sighed mightily, proper attention was paid and he was picked up. He sighed once again then promptly fell asleep in the wizard's arms.

"I sensed that you wanted to talk to me, child. I'm sorry that I haven't had the time to spend with you that I would have liked."

She leaned her head against Gandalf's shoulder and hugged him.

"And I get the feeling that things really aren't going to get a whole lot better." She looked at the wizard seriously a moment. "Gandalf, I have been sensing something really dark coming my way …"

"Not the dragons' way?"

"No – my way. Do you know anything, or are you constrained to silence?"

Gandalf looked at her and for a moment Anayah thought she saw an expression of sadness cross his face – then it was gone.

"Even if I did know anything, Anayah, you know I couldn't say what it was that I knew."

Anayah sighed.

"I know … it's just … I feel cold … almost as if the sun has lost its ability to warm me, and I don't know if it's a premonition or if I'm coming down with a disease or something – I think I just needed reassurance and thought you might give that to me by telling me what was going on."

She plucked a weed from nearby and began to play with it then shrugged her shoulders.

"I just can't seem to get warm enough." She looked at her friend then after one last sigh, did her best to dispel her dark mood. "Anyway …" She smiled. "I wanted to ask you about magic."

"Go ahead … you have my full attention."

"Well … you have taught me just about every spell I know – and I am grateful for that – but you haven't explained the thought processes behind it – the responsibilities and consequences."

Gandalf's eyes were twinkling.

"Sometimes, my dear, life can be a better teacher than an old grey wizard." His brow furrowed in thought. "However, since you asked me directly, I will do my best to answer you. Let's take something basic, like your ability to start fires."

He laughed when he saw Anayah looking at him with the family's patented "raised eyebrow" look.

"Seriously, Anayah. Before you start a fire, you know that you need a fire to warm you, to light your way, or to heat food or even water for medicine or tea. If you are in dangerous territory, it behooves you to make a fire that isn't large enough to be easily seen by an enemy – responsibility for your own safety. You must see that the fire is confined to where you want it to be confined and that it harms nobody, yet still fulfills its function and if you do not control what you have created, or use it inappropriately, then bad things could happen. The passing Orc, Troll or even a warg could see you – consequences. Are you following this so far?"

Anayah nodded.

"Yes, Gandalf, I do understand and have thought deeply on such matters on various occasions. But what I want to know goes a little deeper. I need to know about defensive magic – and I guess 'offensive' magic as well. You helped me learn how to make and use different types of fireballs and upon the occasions when I actually used them, I noticed that my fëa was weakened in direct proportion to the number of times I used the fireball as well as its size. But if I had to use the fireball to kill, the cause was righteous, but I knew that I might be permanently damaged or might even die, do you think that I would be able to do it? I know what the consequences would be if I didn't use magic as well as the consequences if I did …"

Anayah paused and frowned and Gandalf answered her unasked question.

"Would it be your responsibility to fall on your own sword, so-to-speak, to save the life of an innocent?"

Anayah shrugged sadly and nodded her head but otherwise did not answer. Gandalf tenderly put a sleeping Tinu into a warm patch of sun then put his arm around Anayah's shoulders and hugged her.

"I think every being is faced with just such a choice at least once in his or her life and each being faces it differently. You have been in many battles and have taken many lives in the process, but you, like many others before you as well as those warriors who will come after you, will eventually be faced with the ultimate test of courage – is what they must do, execution or mercy, and is either one the best course of action? Wisdom is knowing, without question, the course of action that must be taken – whatever it is – and possessing the courage to do what must be done."

When Gandalf saw Anayah look at him sharply, he knew that he had pretty much found the dilemma that was confusing her.

"When that time finally comes for you whether the test is by sword or magic, follow your heart and don't look for answers, for there are some things we just weren't meant to know the answers to."

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Anayah jumped when someone shouted to she and Gandalf.

"The falcon is sending pictures!"

Anayah looked at Gandalf.

"That was quick – fast magic!"

"Fast bird!" Gandalf said with a chuckle before he jumped nimbly to his feet.

Anayah reached over and picked Tinu up then she and Gandalf met with the young Ranger and walked quickly toward the house.

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Shakir had made the journey between Imladris and Carn-dûm at a pace that amazed even him, and all arrogance aside, his dedication to flying his fastest and straightest was to be applauded. All too soon, he was at journey's end and when he finally reached the place that gave all free beings nightmares, the half-destroyed caverns of Carn-dûm, he sat himself for a time, on the branch of the tree that faced the entrance of the cavern, and thought.

Finally, he decided that all he could do for the great dragon that lay in bondage within the mountain was to keep the watch for him and relay what he saw to those in Imladris who were waiting for the message. Shakir could sense that help would not reach Asgorath any too soon and so he began to send mental images back to the elven haven.

He correctly reasoned that the waiting elves, Rangers, dragons and great eagles would want to know the landscape in front of the cavern as well as the inside, so he took a slow turn to take a careful look at the concealing bushes, trees and rocks from where they would launch their rescue attempt. Regardless of the cautionary warning he had received from his elf-friend, a particularly fat and tasty-looking grub momentarily caught his attention … he could always think and see things better on a full stomach – and it had been a particularly long and tiring trip, after all.

After carefully searching the area around the great cavern, Shakir decided that the distasteful task of sneaking into the place could no longer be put off and after looking one more time for any signs of activity, he left the branch of the tree he had been sitting on and started to fly towards Carn-dûm. If one thing could be said about him, and which was also something he took great pride in, it was that he had the ability to turn completely around in a shorter space than the span of his wings. He would be quite willing to tell others that he saw Zoraht leave the cavern in time to check his own flight and turn back to the safety of the trees. What he would not be able to admit would be the fact that he almost ran into his own tail feathers – or something related to them.

His heart beat madly in his feathered chest and his eyes were of a size that was not quite natural for a great fighting falcon such as himself. He told himself that he was glad the images he was sending back to the map artist in Imladris would not depict the fact that he had almost frightened himself to death. It was not often that his courage could or even would be questioned by any being for he was quite able to defend his own honor. The truth of the matter was that he was about the size of one of the dragon's front claws and would more than likely have been no more than an unappetizing morsel to the insane creature.

Shakir waited until Zoraht had disappeared even from his own long sight then once more left the branch of the tree he was sitting on and glided silently to a small overhang just over the main entrance. He listened carefully and not hearing anyone or anything near the entrance, hopped to the ground and carefully peered into the cavern for a place he could perch where he would not be noticed. He saw light flooding into the cavern from an opening near the ceiling and after withdrawing from the main doorway, leapt upward then flew until he found the entrance and went inside.

There was only a small ledge for him to sit on but he had what was probably the best vantage point for studying the room without being seen. He looked carefully at the great dragon that lay in chains on the floor of the cavern, noting his pale coloring and otherwise unhealthy appearance. There was only a hand full of Orcs about the place although there were two fell beasts in the cavern and who seemed to be standing guard over Asgorath.

Shakir had been at his post for some time when he heard the dragon begin to make a quiet yet long drawn out moaning sound and along with it, the sound of one of his front feet trying to move within the confines of its bonds. Although it could be understood that the dragon was feeling the need to stretch his legs, the fell beasts interpreted it in another fashion and moved toward him. Suddenly his eyelids came open and one great amber eye roamed around the cavern until it fixed its gaze upon him with a look of lucidity that did not quite match his otherwise groggy and partially sedated attitude. He felt the dragon's mental touch and nodded his own head in return for he had clearly received the dragon's message – take care of my mate.

He had just about decided that he had seen enough when his attention was drawn to one of the fell beasts who had just raked Asgorath's shoulder with one of its filthy claws. Shakir looked around the cavern but seeing that the Orcs were paying the situation no attention at all and the Witch King was nowhere in sight, he decided to take matters into his own talons.

He glided off his perch and flew toward the fell beast that was attacking a helpless Asgorath and just before he reached the thing's eyes, he swung his own carefully sharpened talons forward. The fell beast literally saw him coming only at the last second and began to turn its head away causing him to miss his mark – but not by much. He tore a long trench in the thing's face, above its eye and afterwards, thick, black blood began to flow from the wound and into its eye, partially obscuring its vision. It screamed in pain and anger and threw its head from one side to the other as it tried to get a glimpse of its attacker.

Shakir fanned his wings in the creature's face then turned and fled and as he exited the cavern entrance at speed, with the fell beast in earnest pursuit, he heard a voice in his own head which said, Good speed, little brother.

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Soron wiped the sweat off Talath's face. The young map artist had been feverishly drawing the images that had been sent his way for some time now and even though he was plainly exhausted, he would not give up and break the link. He knew how important the information was that he was putting down on the parchment and knew that the success of their rescue mission would depend heavily on it. He had just let his mind float free as he had been instructed to do by Lord Elrond and Gandalf, and his hands did the rest. Soron or one of the other Rangers would occasionally put another scroll of parchment in front of him or would put a fresh quill in his hand or a fresh well of ink in front of his searching hand, but other than that, nobody spoke to him or otherwise distracted him.

He was unaware of what he drew and nobody said anything about the fact that he had drawn a fat grub early on in the image drawing but Anayah made a mental note to herself to tease the falcon about it later – after she had seen to it that he received a royal treatment for his gallant efforts. The high tension of that time suddenly got worse when they realized that Talath was drawing the face of a fell beast from close up which could only mean that for some reason Shakir was attacking the thing.

Anayah hastily looked through the last few parchments until she found one that clearly explained the bird's odd behavior. They all saw a fair depiction of the fell beast's attack on Asgorath. After she again laid the parchment aside, Anayah and the others clustered around Talath to see what else they could find out, but Talath continued to draw scenery – different scenery – and at such a rate that suggested the falcon was flying quite fast – and was probably being pursued.

Their attention was drawn to Gandalf as he closed his eyes and raised his staff. The beautiful stone, imbedded at the tip of the staff, glowed for a few moments then from outside the house, they heard Gwaihir answer the wizard and when he once more looked at all the questioning faces in front of him, he smiled somewhat grimly.

"Gwaihir says that one of his vassals is in the vicinity of the falcon's flight – at his Lord's request – and will create a mind link with those of us in this room so that we may witness the gallant efforts of Shakir. It is plain that he witnessed an attack on Lord Asgorath and interceded at great peril to himself and if he took the time to endanger himself by drawing the creature's attention, then I believe that we should stand as witness to the outcome."

Everyone nodded. They didn't have long to wait before the mind of every elf, human, Ranger and wizard in the room began to see images of the pursuit.

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It was plain that the brave falcon was flying his swiftest for his wings were no more than blurs to the watchers as he darted this way and that in his efforts to evade his larger but less agile pursuer. If not for the Spell of Speed that Gandalf had cast at the beginning of the bird's journey, the pursuit would probably have ended long before. In its turn, the fell beast was putting forth a somewhat lax effort for it could have easily overtaken and destroyed the falcon – it was toying with him – and when it got tired of his macabre game, it would destroy him.

Shakir was getting tired and the watchers could tell that his efforts were beginning to become labored. Then something happened that was nothing short of astonishing – Shakir disappeared – just like that – one moment he was there and then he was gone. From the vantage point of the great eagle that was flying over the pair, the watchers could see the fell beast's head begin to sink lower as it tried to determine why the falcon had dropped away and exactly where it had gone.

Anayah suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth while the other hand rose until one of her fingers pointed at something that only existed a far distance away. Everyone cringed at the impact although they had understood and could almost guess that quite soon after the fell beast collided with the great tree and knocked itself unconscious, Shakir was probably thinking something like … Take that you one-eyed spawn of Sauron!

"Why is the image shaking like that?"

The heads of the stunned "watchers" snapped around to look at Talath.

"I believe it is shaking because the great eagle who is sending us the mental images is laughing." Gandalf answered as he wiped a tear of laughter from his own eyes.

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After receiving assurances from the eagle that he would see to the falcon then would escort him back to Imladris, the mental images as well as the eagle's voice disappeared. None of those in the room could remember the last time that any of them had laughed so hard then realized how tense they had become because of the present drama. Each watcher had promised to thank Shakir for creating such a brilliant point in history and soothing their nerves in the process.

Talath was escorted to special, private quarters to rest by all four of Anayah's Thurin Tirith, an honor he was almost too sleepy to notice or appreciate. The young Ranger had done a fine job and had made every young man in his unit proud.

Lord Elrond had been able to take a good guess at what agent had been used to subdue the dragon. It was more than likely a toxin that paralyzed the dragon, and if it was the one he was thinking of, it was more than likely building up in his system to the point where it was turning into a poison. The look of lucidity in the eyes of Asgorath as he had looked at Shakir, let them all know that they did have some time left to them but not as much as they would have wanted to have. Elrond and Gandalf closed themselves up in the infirmary so that they might formulate an antidote without interruption.

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The Rangers and the rest of the elves, elder elves included, had their joint meeting and while the Rangers would leave the next day, the rest of the rescue party would leave two days after that. There was much to do and plan before anybody left, including developing a contingency plan on what they would do if Asgorath was unable to fly or walk back to Imladris.

Both Ranger units would leave to begin clearing a path to Carn-dûm in that they would be killing then hiding the bodies of any Orc, Troll, Uruk Hai and Warg that they found within a certain radius along the path upon which the rest of the rescue group would be traveling. It was their hope that in doing this they lessen the chances of injury and death, which as Anayah had once put it, would leave them "unavailable for combat purposes at a later time."

The Rangers would remain arrayed along the path of travel, keeping it as "clean" as possible so that if things went as planned, the rescue group, with Asgorath, could travel unimpeded back to Imladris. The Rangers would close ranks behind the rescue group and would act as additional military escort and rear guard to Asgorath and his rescuers.

The contingency plan, suggested by one of Greyfell's brilliant young Rangers, was that they rig some kind of a leather harness, which would allow Asgorath to be picked up and carried away by Sauros and his dragons. Bellas had already volunteered to be the dragon that everyone could practice putting the harness on, for if they had to put the technique into practice at any time during the rescue, time might be of paramount importance. Gwaihir and his vassals would be standing by in case additional aerial support would be needed during any part of the journey.

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Anayah knew that her brothers and Legolas needed to spend some time together before they left on their respective missions but finally it was done, they were gone, and the time had come to let Legolas get used to using Huan. The two of them now stood at one end of the archery field. Anayah seemed almost reluctant as she ran her hands over Huan's case one last time before almost shoving it into Legolas's hands then turning away.

"Anayah?" Legolas said quietly. "If this would be easier on you, I wouldn't mind making the shot with one of Lórien's bows or even my own."

Anayah thought about it a moment then after a big sigh, turned to her friend.

"Huan and I have a history, as I think you know …" She began.

"Aye, that I know."

"It's just … it's just … I have never, ever, let anyone shoot with him before. He's not enchanted like Guruthos is, but I still respect his spirit."

"Does he object? As a wood elf, I well know that Huan possesses the spirit of a warrior and I would be acting inappropriately if I disregarded his wishes in this matter."

She shook her head.

"No, I get the feeling that he approves, for when I was checking him earlier, his wood was warm to my touch which tells me that he has accepted the fact that someone else will use him. The purpose is righteous, Legolas. Do what you can."

Legolas smiled then touched his forehead in respect then Huan's case before opening it and assembling the great bow.

"I don't think you need any advice from me so just go ahead and get the feel for what you will be doing. We have some Imladris elves who are finishing up some arrows that will fit you a bit better, but for now, you will have to use mine. He is specially built for power and distance so that combined with your skills – I think the two of you will get along just fine."

Legolas ran his hand the length of the bow, feeling the smooth wood and warm personality. He drew back the string, testing its strength then after relaxing, picked an arrow out of the arrow stand.

"I'm just going to practice a few short draws for now – until the arrows that match what I am used to are ready. Don't worry, Anayah, I won't go past your draw length for I am sure both you and Huan would be displeased if I injured him … not to mention myself."

The two of them chuckled then Anayah stepped back and watched Legolas make magic happen. Even with her shorter arrows, the only shot he missed on any of the various targets and distances was when a pebble hit him in the leg. The arrow he prematurely loosed missed dead center of the target by ½ an inch but when he turned to mock-glare at the perpetrator of the joke, she was busy relacing her boot and didn't seem to notice him shooting her the "look of doom."

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Anayah was returning to her room to put Huan away when she heard small noises as someone inside moved about on some unknown purpose. She stopped just outside and carefully and silently inched her head forward until she could see who was inside. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized her father as he was unpacking the weapons bag she had given to Elurin to keep for her the night of the fuss with Elladan when she had almost left permanently.

Her heart clenched and her eyes filled with tears as she watched the elf gently brush small bits of dust off various pieces of her weaponry before placing them on their respective wall pegs. It was when she saw him wipe a tear off his cheek that she knew the time had come for a certain father-daughter talk. She stepped into the room.

"Ada?" She said quietly.

Elrond spun, then winced as his own healing injuries caused him momentary pain. Anayah quickly walked to her father and after sitting him on the edge of the bed, knelt behind him and began to massage the knots out of his neck and shoulder muscles. They were both silent for a time.

"I had almost forgotten that I had given that bag to Elurin."

"But I did not, daughter, although I pray that I am not being premature in replacing your weapons." He turned then sadly looked at her over his shoulder. "Please tell me that you will stay with this family – I don't think my heart could stand the pain if you left."

"I have not had time to give the thoughts and feelings of that particular night the attention it deserves, especially considering everything that has been happening."

Elrond sighed.

"How could you think that any of us … that I would not want you?" When Anayah looked as if she was going to speak, he held up his hand. "I was standing outside your room the day you and Captain Greyfell were talking and I heard what you said – how if it had been meant to happen that you would already have been made a part of this family."

Elrond took her hands and was about to speak when Anayah took her hand back and gently laid it on his lips, silencing him.

"We both know it is not something that was meant to happen. It is not my intention to usurp Arwen's position and never was, although it did make me feel good to think that there was someone whom I could call 'Ada' and brothers I could call such, even if they weren't truly mine.

Grandmother told me once that history would never know my name and that fact is ever so true. I am here to give Estel a chance to live a halfway normal life by drawing the attention of the dark lord away from the possibility of his existence – that is all, Ada, whether you or I will it or not."

When it looked like Elrond was going to say something in reply, she held up her hand.

"Please … let me finish."

She took both of her father's hands in her own.

"The fact that you and my brothers opened up your house and hearts to me is a gift far too precious to ever set aside and it still pains me to think that I almost gave that gift away. You are my father, in here," she tapped her heart, "and that is what counts to me. I don't care what others say or what they think because I don't need a naming ceremony or somebody's blessing to tell me who I am."

Elrond threw his arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely but when she did the same to him, winced as the pain in her bad shoulder almost made her ill. Her father pushed her away from him then examined the offending shoulder. He looked at her sharply.

"Anayah, although it is not too awfully serious, I believe your shoulder is broken. When did this happen?"

"The night of the big fuss." She answered quietly, hoping that he would miss her words.

"And you didn't tell me before this? Daughter," he winked at her, "you are SO in trouble."

TBC