Chapter the Third

Eä, The World that Is (Arda - Middle Earth)

A gate opened. The animals took little notice. It was not their concern. Out of the Gate came two creatures. They closely resembled the Dragons of Morgoth, yet also they were different. Their scales were colored and shaded much more brilliantly then any Wyrm of Melkor. First came the larger one, obviously the leader. His scales were jet black, tinted with shades of scarlet and gold. After him came another dragon, less brilliantly colored but still magnificent to behold. As he crossed out of the gate it quickly snapped shut into the ground.

"Now where are we?" asked K'vin

"A reasonable question," I replied, "why don't we get off this mountain and find out?"

We started down the mountain pass; it was a long winding trail, not quite wide enough for me to walk in dragon form side by side with K'vin. We both changed to human so as to avoid falling off. The mountain range we found ourselves in was large. Many of the peaks were shrouded in mist and clouds. Snow covered much of the terrain. On the way down the trail, K'vin and I saw very little in the way of wildlife, only a few ravens that quickly disappeared in the distance. Around noon we reached the bottom of the pass.

"Should we stop for lunch?" asked K'vin.

"I don't see why not, we missed breakfast after all!" I replied as I surveyed the landscape.

"In Mani Ylem" Intoned K'vin as he magically created our meal.

An hour or so later after a hearty meal of eggs, bacon, and mutton, we were heading west, away from the mountains. I was in Dragonic Form, with K'vin riding upon my back. We had decided to take turns doing this so as to keep our strength up. We traveled until near sunset, and I found a nice clearing near the head of a deep valley.

"K'vin are you awake?" I asked over my shoulder. "K'vin? K'VIN!" A long snore answered me. I gave my shoulders a shake, and K'vin woke with a start.

"Huh? What?" K'vin muttered Drowsily

"Wake up" I told him. "Time for supper"

"Oh, are you cooking?" He asked

"After that mutton you tried to kill me with? Of course I'm cooking" I answered

We both change to human and go about the business of setting up camp. As we work I got the feeling we are being watched

"K'vin, freeze" I told him quietly as I reached out with my magical Senses.

"Elves!" I exclaim in surprise. "Its okay!" I called across the clearing. "We're friends!" A group of elves step from the concealment of the trees. All of them had bows drawn, arrows notched.

"Know now, strangers, that you are nigh to the Valley of Rivendell. What manner of creatures are you, and who do you serve?" Asked the leader of the band of elves.

"I am Warped, a Dragon of" the elf leader cut me off with a yell.

"Dragon!? A cursed Wyrm of Morgoth dares draw nigh to Imladris? Elves, attack!" and with that, the elves loosed their arrows, in an attempt to turn K'vin and I into pincushions.

"Here we go again."Muttered K'vin as I deflected the arrows with Magic and trapped the elves in a paralyze field.

"You chaps really should wait for a fellow to finish speaking before overreacting," I informed them. "As I was saying, I am a Dragon of Sosaria, the world I seek, not a creature of this Morgoth fellow. I am not Evil, I do not serve Evil, and nor have I ever met anyone named Morgoth. Who are you? And whom do you serve?" I asked them

"I am Glorfindel," replied the leader of the elven band "And I serve Elrond, Master of Imladris, called Rivendell in the mannish tongue"

"Can you take us to meet this Elrond?" I inquired politely, as politely as I could holding them in a paralyze field.

"Although I still have doubts about you, mayhaps Elrond can decide on this matter. I shall take you to Imladris" Glorfindel replied.

"I thank you," I told him as I released them from the field. "Just let us gather our things." K'vin, who had been quietly observing the proceedings, had already gathered most of our meager belongings. Grabbing the last of them, we turned to follow Glorfindal into the Valley of Rivendell.

The path down was marked with white stones, many of them hidden in the trees or under moss. We traveled for nearly an hour, at the quick pace set by the elves. We reached the valley floor, and the House of Elrond, a sprawling complex of rooms that would be more aptly named a mansion or even labyrinth. Entering through the main door, Glorfindel escorted us to Elrond himself, an elf with a noble air about him.

"Master Elrond, I have brought the creatures who were detected at the edge of the valley. They claim to be Dragons, from another world, and asked to see you" Glorfindel said

"I am Warped," I say as I step forward, "A Dragon of Sosaria, the world I seek. My friend here is K'vin, from the World of Asgard"

"Dragons?" Elrond asks, half to himself, half to us. "A Dragon, yet claiming to be from another world, if such things are possible" He muses to himself

"They claim they were not made by Morgoth, and that they do not serve Evil" Glorfindel tells him

"It is true" I say "I have never before met anyone named Morgoth, and the Dragon Race I am a descendant of was not created by him"

"Your words have the ring of truth," Elrond says, "I think you are who you say you are. I desire to speak with thee more"

"May we have leave to stay here in your house? There are many things I want to talk to you about" I asked him.

"You have my leave" Elrond replies. " I shall give you rooms, and you shall be my guests here"

"I thank you" I incline my head.

Elrond summons a servant, who leads us to our rooms. It is late, and as soon as I am alone in my room I collapse swiftly into sleep.

Weeks we spent in the House of Elrond. Many long talks I had with him, of many things that we had interest in. After about a week of staying in Elrond's house, K'vin came to me with a question when I was in the Hall of Fire

"Warped, have you marked a rune to this world yet?" He asked me

"Nay, I have not" I replied

"Could you please? And then, can you let me borrow it and the Asgard rune? I wish to go speak to my kin and report on our progress. Also, I miss my friends there" He admits to me

"Of course, you are welcome to leave and return if you wish" I say as I mark a rune. "Here" I said as I handed it to him. "I shall also teach you the Recall spell, which you shall need to use the runes"

Later that day, after saying goodbye to Elrond, K'vin leaves for Asgard. I spend my time with the Elves of Imladris. I learned they are great lovers of song and poetry. I sat with them in the room called The Hall of Fire, a gathering place where song and dance could to be found in great abundance. I heard many songs of that world there, tales of Beren and Luthien, tales from Beleriand, and Valinor. One day, the elves asked me if I knew any songs from my world.

"I may know one or too" I replied to their question with a wink.

"Pray, o master of lore, woulds't thou sing one to us?" They asked, mock dignified

"Indeed, for the songs I have heard here, I shall be glad to sing one in repayment. "I answered them. "What sorts of interments do you have around here?" I asked

They had, it turned out, all kinds, harps, pianos, lutes, drums, violins, trumpets, horns, and more. I selected a small harp and a lute

"How will you play both? " they asked laughing "For you have but 2 hands!"

My only answer was a small smile as I sat back into my chair, with the lute on my left side and harp the harp in my lap

"I shall sing to you of a place on the World of Earth. Earth is not my world, but we have many travelers from there, and much of our world resembles earth. The Shrines of Virtue in my world were made in the image of this place on Earth, a place of great power. This place, "I tell them, "Is known as Stonehenge. A traveler wrote the song I will sing to you, a traveler from Earth, who made Sosaria his home. His name was Iolo, and he was the greatest bard in Sosoria when I left"

I picked up the harp, and struck a few notes, to get the feel for it. To the great surprise of the elves, the lute rose from the ground, borne aloft on my magic, and began to play, as I plucked the harp in accompaniment.

"This song, "I intoned, "Is called Stones!" and with that, I began to sing

Long ago ran the sun on a folk who had a dream

And the heart and the will and the power;

They moved earth; They carved stone; moulded hill and channeled stream

That we might stand on the wide plains of Wiltshire.

Now men asked who they were, how they built and wonder why

That they wrought standing stones of such size.

What was done 'neath our shade? What was prayed 'neath our skies

As we stood on the wyrd plains of Wiltshire.

Oh what secrets we could tell if you'd listen and be still

Rid the stink and the noise from our skirts.

But you haven't got the clue and perhaps you never will.

Mute we stand on the cold plains of Wiltshire.

Still we loom in the mists as the ages roll away

And we say of our folk, "They are here!"

That they built us and they died and you'll not be knowing why

Save we stand on the bare plains of Wiltshire.

Silence followed after I finished singing, and the notes slowly died.

"Well?" I asked them. "Did that satisfy your wish for a song?" But they never got the chance to answer. In a blaze of magic, K'vin appeared in the Hall of Fire, on the spot where I had marked the rune. He was wounded, ragged, in human form. He collapsed as soon as he arrived.

"K'vin!" I leaped from my chair and was the first to reach him. "What has happened to you!?"

"Daemon.. Another world. Invasion.. War.." He muttered before falling unconcious. Elrond was among the gathered elves. I had not noticed he was there during my song. He bent over K'vin for a moment, then looked up at me

"I am a Master of Healing, yet I cannot save him. His wounds are too serious. I fear he shall die." He told me gravely.

"The hell he will" I muttered as I wove my hands over his limp form. I summoned my magic, intoning in a low voice "In Vas Mani.. In Vas Mani.." Slowly the wounds healed themselves before Elrond's astonished eyes. K'vin, fully healed, wakes from his slumber, wide eyed with fear.

"Warped! Asgard is nearly fallen! A daemon form another world invaded. All the human towns have fallen. My Weyr was overrun! Half of my kin are dead! All remaining dragons and humans are gathered in a fort on an island. I marked a rune there before coming here. The daemon is about to attack!" K'vin told me in a rushing torrent of words laced with fear.

"Give me the rune," I asked him. He handed to rune over.

"No, Warped" he mumbled "Do not go. Not even you can win this fight. Asgard is lost."

"No daemon can beat me, no matter what hellish world he comes from. And I promised to lead your weyr back to Sosaria. I cannot do that if they are dead." I said to him, my anger building.

"Warped, his army is huge! HUGE! You cannot fight it!"

"Watch me. I've been itching for a good fight." I told him. Turning to Elrond, I make my farewells.

"I promise to return, once I have dealt with this upstart. "I promised him.

"I wish you luck in your fight," He told me as K'vin and I prepared to leave his house. "I shall keep all your belongings safe until you return, for return you shall. Your fate shall lead you many places, and not even my eyes can see them all. Farewell!"

K'vin and I move away from his house, before I cast the Moongate spell. "Vas Ort Por" I intoned, the shimmering red gate rising up from the ground. "Come on K'vin, time to save the world" I chuckled. Then, with blinding speed, I shift to Dragon and charge through the gate.

"No Warped! Wait! I marked it inside the fort near a wall.." K'vin yelled as he ran through after me.

The Gate sank into the ground.