Evelyn was crouched low in the branches of a tree. She knew that several meters off, Nightshade was crouched beneath a thicket, waiting for her signal. So long as those stupid orcs obeyed her orders, the patrol guarding the creature would be occupied enough. She would deal with fetching Gollum to fulfill her bargain later... for now she had a King to visit.
Closing her eyes she inhaled and exhaled deeply. The past weeks had been filled with nightmares and turmoil as her mind attempted to wrap itself around the idea of being back in Mirkwood, of dwelling once more in the spider infested canopy of trees where she could feel darkness like a crawling itch all over her skin. Every second she spent in those woods were hell. Every second brought back memories of cold shackles and arrogant kings... of lies, treachery, and false friendship all for nought. She inhaled and exhaled again.
I can do this.
She released a long, low whistle and watched in delight as a small smoke stack rose up from a few leagues off. Immediately, it caught the attention of the elves she was watching and they sounded a horn in alarm. More came sprinting out and, when they saw that the smoke stacks were moving, they gave chase.
Evelyn and Nightshade remained in their hiding place, watching as more and more elves poured out from the fortress doors, chasing smoke stacks moving at full speed in coincidentally the exact opposite direction of the patrol guarding Gollum. She allowed them to empty out a bit further, counting the number of elves chasing a fire moving far too quickly to be natural. She chuckled in delight at the panic she saw across the faces of a few of the elves. On her orders, the orcs hadn't launched a single attack in the weeks that she had been present in the forest. The paranoid King was probably at his whits end waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Evelyn would hate to disappoint.
When it seemed that all the elves who could be spared had left the grand halls, Evelyn rose from her hiding place and released a much higher pitched whistle. From all around her orcs emerged like shadows in the night and lit their own blazing torches. The elves had been in such a foolish rush to save their precious trees that they had left the gates unguarded. Stretching her wings wide, Evelyn lept from the tree and soared downward, swooping at the gates and blasting them open with one powerful stroke of her wings. She landed lightly and gazed at the empty halls, laughing at how easy it was to trick the elves. But, she knew that they weren't completely stupid. Hearing Nightshade's claws click against the stone floor as she approached Evelyn's side, she reached out one hand to brush the wolf's coat.
"The elves are already being taken care of by team 2... I want you to burn this place to the ground."
With a wild shout the orcs obeyed her orders, their leading Uruk translated her words and they all screeched in delight, racing forward with their torches to set fire to the drapes and tapestries handing throughout the grand halls. Thranduil's home might have been built of stone, but it was filled with enough wood and cloth to scorch beyond all recognition.
Evelyn and Nightshade payed the beasts no mind however, they had their sights set on grander things.
Leaping into flight, Evelyn was followed close begin by her loyal friend as they raced down a path that Evelyn knew well. The scent of smoke and burning cloth was already permeating the air as the orcs kept whichever elves remained in the halls occupied with battling the flames. Orcs didn't know the passages of the Elven King and thus, none bothered to guard her path.
A dangerous and arrogant mistake.
Through the chaos, the flames and the shouts of battle they raced with one sole purpose on their minds. Evelyn knew that her time was limited, she knew that the elves would only be distracted for so long before they figured out her plan. Thus, she pushed awards, faster and faster, down every corridor, across every archway, and through every twist and turn until finally, they reached the throne room.
Only two guards stood at the closed doors, all others had run to help beat off the orcs and fight the fires. Evelyn smirked slowly. Oh how the elves always underestimated her. As she approached though, Evelyn's smirk turned to a manic grin. She recognized the elves beneath their helms.
"My, it has been such a long time since we last met," she spat her words. Beside her, Nightshade was growling low for she could sense the emotions welling up within Evelyn.
"Who goes there?!" the elf on the left called. They were those who Evelyn always referred to in her mind as the "oak brothers" and, as with all elves, they hadn't changed in the slightest.
"You don't remember me?" Evelyn smiled a dangerously sweet smile. "How could you forget your one and favorite prisoner?"
As she spoke, she lifted her wings to their full, impressive height as they rose above her. As she stood there, wings aloft, stolen blades in her hand, and deadly wolf by her side, she felt like some sort of avenging- no- fallen angel. Once she wanted nothing more than to help the elves, help all the free peoples of Middle Earth in their quest agains the darkness. But now... now she just wanted them to burn.
"Crebain!" The elder brother called as he lifted his blade.
"Ah, now you see." She paused for half a second as both brothers advanced. "I come for your King, not his pawns. Move aside and beat out the flames before your home is burned." The elves didn't give any indication that they heard, only advancing further. "We tried," she shrugged and looked to Nightshade, a quick flick of her eyes was all the wolf needed to obey.
Nightshade ducked low to the ground as Evelyn opened her wings and beat them hard, one massive gust of wind knocking both nimble elves off their feet. Before they could recover, Evelyn sliced through the achilles tendons and had her blade sheathed in the abdomen of the younger, watching in delight as the elder was set upon by Nightshade. Knowing that the other was thoroughly occupied, Evelyn turned her attention back to the elf at the end of her blade. He was frozen in place, breaths coming in light- barely there pants as he watched the way her long knife twisted slowly, inching dangerously close to his spleen.
"Did you know that humans and elves have almost the exact same internal anatomy?" she leaned close to whisper her words into the horrified elf's ear. "If I slip... just a little bit right here... I can destroy your spleen. Now of course... such is not a fatal wound if you're treated by someone who understand trauma surgery. They would have to remove the organ and then you'd probably want to retire as you'd be very prone to infection." She heard the struggles of the other elf and Nightshade die down and she didn't bother to check who would be victorious- she already knew the answer.
"But the blood-loss," she continued as she leaned just a bit harder on her blade. "That would certainly be fatal as I doubt you've developed blood transfusions." She watched the panic filtering through his eyes, she same panic that she had felt as he stood outside her prison cell. But, she relented. Withdrawing her blade smoothly, she stood and gazed down at the elf before her. He was alive, bleeding heavily but with enough care he would survive. Next to him, his older brother was unconscious and mangled almost beyond recognition, but Nightshade had let him off easy.
"Don't ever forget," she hissed as the younger elf crawled towards his brother, dragging his unresponsive feet behind him. "That your actions have consequences. Forget about your King... his choices led you here this day. Take your brother and leave before this place burns to the ground... and though you won't walk again you both might just survive."
Turning their backs on the pair of guards, Evelyn and Nightshade proceeded to the throne room. Part of Evelyn wanted to see the two elves who once delighted so much in her imprisonment dead... but she knew that there was a time when all she wished for was death, and they didn't even have the mercy of granting her that. No, she would let them live and suffer the consequences of their actions for all that remained of their immortal lives.
Plus, she was on a time crunch. She had a King to deal with.
Eight great thrones were set in a circle around a vast table for the Aratar, the High Ones of the Valar. Each throne was crafted in such a way to honor its owner's domain. Manwe the King of the Valar, Varda Queen of the Stars, Ulmo Lord of the Sea, Aule the Smith, Orome the Great Rider, Mandos Judge of the Dead, Nienna Lady of Mercy, and Yavanna Giver of Fruits all sat together beneath the shining light of Valinor. For the first time since Melkor was thrown from their ranks, a ninth chair was pulled up alongside the council, for Lorien Master of Dreams and Desires was to be included in this affair.
In the distance, the songs of those elves dwelling in the Undying Lands could be heard as they sang in praise of Eru and his watchful power over their kin still in Middle Earth. The song was a beautiful and melodious one with elvish voices singing alongside harps and flutes. Most of the greatest minstrels of the Eldar had been reborn from Mandos' Halls and thus roamed the shores of Valinor with their companions. For them, the past was the past and they were able to mingle with those who their kin might once have slaughtered. Most would have been struck by the sound of their voices, moved to tears by their devout love and faith in their creator.
The mood in the Council of the Aratar was somber.
"I believe that we are all aware on what has gathered us this day," Varda spoke slowly, weight carried in her words.
"Darkness is descending on Middle Earth," Manwe said. "Darkness that Eru refuses to intervene in."
"The fate of Middle Earth lies in the hands of the children," Mandos this time spoke. "We must remember our duties-"
"To not deprive the children of their free will, to not dominate or intimidate, to not kill or force," Manwe continued Mandos' words. "These are the duties set before us... we may only act within them."
"And yet we sent the Child?" Orome asked.
"Yes," Mandos said. "For her destiny lied in Middle Earth. What that destiny is... remains hidden from me. Only the eyes of Eru know what she is to become."
"But the Child has chosen the wrong side-" Varda began to speak but was cut off by Yavanna.
"No quite-" her voice had slight edge to it. "She has not chosen a side in this battle. She made a deal... yes tis true that she struck a bargain... but she knows that Sauron is nothing but evil. She made a deal with him because he was only one who offered."
"I think she is more filled with grief than anger," Nienna was as soft in her speech as her domain implied. Yet, whenever she spoke the other Valar listened. "But grief... grief can go many ways."
"She is as unpredictable as my waves," Ulmoe had a slightly chagrinned smile. "How can we say where her heart lies."
"I know she is good," Yavanna insisted, but was cut off by Aule.
"She has been corrupted! There is no hope left for her now!" Aule's voice boomed through the halls and rattled the very stones of the room. "She has turned her back on us."
"Ah yes... you would know of corruption, Aule," Yavanna's voice was dangerously smooth. "Who else among us is so well aquatinted with corruption and betrayal as you?"
"Yavanna, that is enough," Manwe warned, though his voice lacked its usual weight.
Both Sauron and Saruman once were servants of Aule and the sting of their betrayal was still an open wound. For a while, no one spoke. But it was Yavanna, who broke the silence with a far softer voice than she used on Aule.
"How can we say she turned her back on us... when she never knew us?"
"And whose fault is that?"
"Brother," Mandos broke the palpable tension in the air. "There is nothing you can do to reach her mind?"
"You know as well as I," Lorien spoke for the first time since the council convened. "That her mind is destined to be shielded from my powers. I am as unable to access her mind unwilling as I am to access yours without your consent."
"And Eru will not allow us to descend to Middle Earth?" Nienna asked, looking expectantly at Manwe.
"No. This is to be determined by the actions of the children."
"The Wood King has failed in his guardianship," Orome pointed out.
"Then we must rely on the Golden One to save her soul," Varda made a pointed look towards Lorien.
"I can send him a message... a piece of guidance and hope."
"Hope is all we can ask for," Nienna smiled sadly. "Hope is what the Child needs most."
"We must hope that it is not too late," Aule frowned at the decision.
"I have faith in her. Her road is hard and we turned our backs on her long before she turned from us. She must- she will prevail." And with those words from Yavanna, the council dispersed... each to their own tasks for the coming days would be challenging. The coming times would determine the future of Arda.
Side note:
In this version of Middle Earth, the only married ones among the Valar are Manwe and Varda.