"Poor child," said a musical voice in my ear. "I wonder where she came from,"
I gave a moan, "I'm tired of passing out!"
'Well, if you listened to me, this wouldn't of happened,"
"Well, I'm glad she didn't and now I get to meet both of you,"
My eyes snapped open and I beheld a beautiful elf woman standing over me.
"Hello little Meia," She smiled, "How are you?"
"Confused," I said softly. She laughed like a chorus of birds and I felt Rash flutter inside my chest.
"Well, maybe I should explain if you're well enough to stay awake." She said. I nodded, not even if a skull bearer had landed in front of me could my attention be torn away.
"My name is Galadriel, Lady of these woods. You are in the Lothlorien." She said and for the first time I noticed my surroundings. I laid in a bed of soft grasses, nearby a stream gurgled softly. Three trees taller than castle spires and as thick as two trolls surrounded us. Within this triangle were flowers and rich, fragrant soils. "You are the first mortal and Zhel that's ever seen my garden. Let alone be in it,"
"How did we get here?" I asked, "And what's a zhel?"
"That's what I've been curious about. My guards told me you just appeared here as you are two days ago," She smiled, "A zhel is what you have inside,"( A/N I don't know the elvish word for shadow so I made it up)
"You know about Rash?" I asked, reaching to grip my pendent and found it was gone.
"I am afraid, while I have let you stay, I have not left you whole. I removed the pendent around your neck. It was made of elvish blood and the soul of that elf cried out to be free,"
"Please, I must have it back!" I cried fearing I would feel Rash's claws. I reached for the shining lady and then decided not to. "Lady, that is the only thing that keeps Rash from taking me over. I beg you, Lady, give me back my pendent,"
"I cannot. It is not mine to give and never yours to take, and look," She gestured to a single sprout of the deepest green poked its head out of a mound of deep soil. "A flower has sprouted where the pendent was buried,"
I felt lost and helpless, where Rash spoke out.
"Lady,
Galadriel seemed to look past me, I knew she could hear him. "Lady, never has a beast like me seen a woman so pure or a place so holy. If it would be in your power to accept me, I would turn a new leaf."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. rash wanted to reform and something as simple as a garden and its gardener had done so.
"Come out where I can see you," Galadrial said and I felt Rash shudder.
"Lady, to leave Meia without a body of my own is certain death in a pace of light like this."
Galadriel nodded, "Let mw see if I can help you,"
She rose and towered over us like the great golden trees and went to a small slender sapling. She bent and twisted it and added black soil to its limbs. (A/N okay, if you don't recognize this scene you haven't read the Druid of Shannara and just so you know that's where I got the idea.) She pulled from the depths of the trees black/blue shadows and bent down and touched the small sprout growing above the pendent. It squirmed and leapt and grew and bloomed into a blood red flower.
She plucked two of the flower's shining petals and used them for eyes. Finally, the Lady drew from her white robes a glimmering phial. I t caused the ingredients to smooth over and left the body of a handsome, young man with deep black/ blue skin and liquid red eyes.
"Here is my gift to you Rash. Use it well, but be warned , should you betray your new trust, your new body will turn back to soil, tree and flower."
Rash leapt from me, and without the pendent to slow him it felt like someone punching me in the gut. He quickly housed himself in the new body.
I stood shakily as Rash examined his new body. He then walked to me and took my hands. His were startling cool and I noticed that the body was nude and the lady did not forget one detail.
"Its like a mirror," He said softly, not noticing his nudity. I found that I was intimidated by his naked presence and smiled.
"A one-way mirror with an echo," I noticed there were tears in his red eyes. "Rash, what-?"
"My own body, Meia," he breathed," Was it this simple to get a life of my own. Its the dream of any shadowen," His hands left mine and his encircled his arms around my waist, crushing me in a hug. "RAsH!" I shouted, breaking away. The shadowen chuckled.
"Sorry, Meia, I've always been curious what it is like to hug someone with my own arms," He smirked at me. "Nothing personal,"
I glared at him when a hand touched my shoulder and I wheeled around. I had forgotten about the Lady.
"If you'll follow me, Meia, I'll get you a change of clothes," and she lead me and Rash out of the triangle of trees.