I laid in bed a long time but couldn't get Allanon's face out of my head. His dark imploring eyes and his strong hand on my face. My cheek was still warm with its touch. I finally gave in and stood up. I walked to the glass door and peered outside and then grabbed the golden door hinges and pulled the doors opened.
"Lonely, Meia?" Rash asked weakly. He had been quiet ever since the meeting. I'm sure he wasn't to fond of Gandalf right now. "You know if it wasn't for your own stupidity, you could be back in your druid's arms right now, sleeping in the same bed, perhaps married?" He taunted me in a raspy voice but I blocked him easily enough. I had already accepted the fact that Allanon and I could never love each other again. It was too risky.
Back in the first fanfic, when I had just be infected by Rash, the shadowen made me believe he was a friend. I believed I could control him. I didn't have the ruby pendent at that time. One night, Rash pleaded to me to let him be in control, just for one night. I agreed thinking he couldn't do any harm in one night. It was more damage than I could ever imagine. He managed to seduce Allanon and nearly killed him. Allanon was able to push Rash back and created my ruby pendent. We agreed from that time that it was too much a risk to stay together.
"I miss him so much," I whispered to the distant garden. Rash said nothing but I knew he was glowering somewhere in the back of my mind.
" Lady Meia,"
I turned with a gasp and saw it was the dark princess, Arwen. She smiled at me kindly. "Forgive me," She said. " But I don't think you want to be traveling to Mordor in that dress. I brought you some slacks and a nice sturdy shirt and vest." She laid them on a chair by the door and left. I looked down at my dress than to the clothes and then to the bed. Sleep pushed its way to my brain and all thoughts left as I closed the glass doors and went to the bed and went to sleep.
It was a dark place, swirled with dust and sulfur, orcs, goblins and trolls worked in fiery pits, and in the middle rose a black, forbidding tower. A top this tower two figures spoke.
"Who are you? How did you get up here?" Saruman demanded, holding his staff out in defense. He hadn't heard the man at all, there had been no alert from guards, which means he either killed them on his way up, or he could fly.
A wind ripped through the wizard's white robes as he glared at the forbidding stranger. The wind whipped and snapped the stranger's inky black robes, opening briefly around the chest for starlight to glimmer on silver metal, but the cowl stayed fast around the man's red bearded face. "I, Saruman the White. demand you reveal yourself, or you will feel the power of Sauron!" The old man snapped, pumping magic into his staff causing the large opal on the end to glow brightly. It illuminated the man enough for Saruman to catch a tongue dart out and lick the man's thin lips. Red eyes glinted inside the shadows of the man's cowl and he held forth a single gloved hand, red energy crackling around it.
"Drop your puny weapons, wizard, you cannot hurt me," The stranger growled, "I fear no Sauron, and I do not fear you,"
Saruman held his ground. He refused to give up his pathetic questions, "Who are you?" The man gave an irritated growl but did not lower his hand.
"My name is as varied as yours, yes I know you, Saruman the White, your monsters may fear your power but they value life even more." Two huge, grimy arms wrapped around the old man's thin body. Saruman's staff clattered uselessly out of his hands as he struggled against the troll.
"Traitor! You will not last long after He finds out!" The dark man stalked up to Saruman and grabbed his face in one hand, pinching it fiercely with his blunt strong fingers.
Be quiet, and listen!" The stranger spat, his voice echoing with power. "My name is Rimmer Dal, the First Seeker, Lord of the Shadowen!" He held the gloved hand which still crackled with power in front of Saruman's violet eyes( A/N I just felt like giving Saruman different colored eyes, unless his eye is stated in the books. If it is please let me know.) before cuffing him across the face. Saruman let out a piteous yell and the red energy burned his flesh and left him marred and weak. Dal stepped away and threw back his hood, revealing his craggy face, with two beady red eyes and a rough red beard. Dal then stepped forward again, taking Saruman's steaming face in his gloved hand.
"Now listen to me, Saruman," Dal said in a velvet whisper in Saruman's ear, " You can either join me of your own will or I'll force you. You've had only a taste of my power. Now choose," Saruman turned his face feebly, violet eyes starring into red ones. With one last act of strength the white wizard spat into the First Seekers face.
"I'll never betray my master, many have tried to beat him and all have failed. He is supreme and he will destroy you!"
Dal coolly cleaned his face and let go of Saruman and ordered the troll to do the same. The old man crumpled to his knees, his breathing labored. Even though Saruman would never admit it, Dal was stronger, the strongest he had ever come against.
Dal grabbed a fistful of Saruman's colorless hair and wrenched his head back to stare him in the face, "I'm touched by your loyalty, but I told you, you're mine, you just chose the hard way," He gave the troll a look and the brute bent down and picked up Saruman's staff and lumbered off. When the troll disappeared, Dal snapped the fingers of his bare hand and two burning eyes flickered out of the shadows. Then a huge monstrous shape lumbered out of the shadows and lunged at Saruman.
Dal watched with amusement as the Shadow merged with the white wizard. Saruman writhed and screamed and tore at his flesh, fought to the bitter end, but the end was only bitter for him. For Rimmer Dal , it couldn't be sweeter. After all this wasn't the end, it was only the beginning.
"I do hope you enjoyed the show, Meia," Dal chuckled deep in his throat, his eyes ablaze. "I have something very special planned for you and my dear, Rash,"
I woke up a cry, my covers lay in a twisted array on the floor and I was covered in a cold sweat. Dal's red eyes still burned into my brain and somewhere in the back of my head Rash was throwing a party with my paranoia. I swung my legs over the side of my, trying to catch my breath and straighten out my gown when there came a knock at my door.