Anra
By Sailor Book
WARNING: This chapter is very violent, so you may not want to read the first few paragraphs, despite their importance.
Chapter Three: The Awakening
Elise looked out at the view of Weathertop. She had to admit it was breathtaking, until John reminded her that Riders could be nearby.
"Oh blast them," she grumbled as she withdrew from the edge…
"Hush," whispered Strider. Elise raised her head, some instinct telling her that all was not well. Shadows, blacker than the night, advanced toward them, radiating no mercy, hopelessness, despair, terror, and other emotions that their previous victims had unwittingly added to the aura of the monsters. As if on a cue, all five of the travelers rose silently. Elise drew her sword, uncertain what to do with the heavy thing, but hoping that when the time came she would pass with flying colors. Or maybe just purple. She stood next to John, knowing that the Riders would head straight for him. But she was determined that they would not get far. As the evil shadows approached, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Strider, burning branch held aloft, Tina and Henry back to back, but defiant, and horror of horrors! John reaching into his pocket, pulling out a seemingly ordinary gold ring. His finger drew ever closer to the treacherous thing, centimeter by centimeter. Elise's left hand shot out, closing the finger that had almost put on the Ring. With a chill shriek of rage, the Riders which had come quite close while Elise wasn't looking, attacked. One of them, most likely the leader, held in his hand a sword and a knife. With a look of fascinated horror, her hand dropped the sword and John's hand. The last thing Elise knew before the sword pierced her heart was that she had to protect John. Her left hand shot out once more, but this time, the palm of her hand was impaled by a wicked looking knife.
"Anra!" John breathed in horror and sadness, not knowing why. As her body sank to the ground, Elise's mouth opened, and a language so old that even when the first human language was created it was ancient, poured from her lips. A purple light radiated out from her face, spreading out across the world, immobilizing all. All minds were connected, all witnessed the Awaking. And all understood the words that she spoke.
"En a Anra! En juy garf! En loaq gux Dif! Gux bsa opfi ncuxa!" (I am Water! I have come! I know the way! The Light will triumph!)
As if by a miracle the sword (surrounded by purple light, of course ;) ) was lifted by a hand no one could see, and hovered in the air in front of Elise/Anra. Where her blood touched the sword, the evil runes revealed by the light melted, and the sword shined with an inner glow, a clear light instead of the purple one that was everywhere. New runes of violet fire etched themselves on the sword, marking the sword as Anrahem (Guardian of Water). More blood flowed from the wound, creating a scabbard, which Anrahem fit neatly into, and a belt, both with the same runes etched on them. The belt wound itself around Anra's waist, and a feminine, scratchy voice, like one who has not spoken for millions of years emerged:
"I am Anrahem. For her I was made. Only her will I protect. No other came wield me." Anra rose up from her sunken knees, wounds healed miraculously. She waved her left hand in front of the Rider's noses, showing them the small, neat, scar that decorated it.
"You fools," She laughed, but anger was in her eyes. "Wounding me with a Morgul blade has only given me the ability to walk in the spirit world at will. But you shall pay, for daring to show your faces." She didn't dare say it, but another reason that she wasn't quite sure of being correct had manifested itself in her mind. In an instant, five ice blocks of frozen Ringwraiths stood before the company. "You will wish for death before your master unfreezes you," she snarled as she turned the temperature of the ice down even more. The purple light faded, and the many minds were freed.
Hobbit children whimpered at the sight their young eyes should not have seen. The men of Gondor and Rohan, already too much used to death had looked on grimly. The dwarves were at first horrified, but then cheered at the Rider's Bane. The elves, of course being bards, rushed off as soon as they could to write songs praising Anra, mighty warrior of the Light (if she had known this, she would have undoubtedly have snickered). Sauron and Saruman, for the first time in their lives, were afraid. Bilbo wept.
The other four stared at Elise/Anra, unsure whether to be happy, sad, in the grips of terror, or angry. Tina burst into tears, and flung her arms around the other girl, much to Elise's surprise. Henry stared at her as if he had never seen her before. John was very pale, he looked upon what he thought a ghost, and promptly fainted. Strider, was knocking upon the cubes, seeing how thick they were.
"Maybe we should put them in the freezer," Elise joked, then remembered that she had no idea what a freezer was. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but the sooner I get away from Frosty and his gang, the easier I will feel. I don't know how strong their master is, and I, for one, do not feel the urge to stick around and find out…"
"How can you do that?" John addressed Elise, sitting on top of Asfaloth, his fear of the Riders ("Nine! Blast them!") behind him was momentarily overcome by curiosity as to how Elise was keeping up.
"Well, you see, it's like this. I have my own private store of Water Energy. When I'm touching water, preferably surrounded by it, I don't need to drain my Energy to do water magic. But if there is no water about, I slowly use up my store. By the time we get to Rivendale, I will probably need to be immersed in water for several hours, if not over night." She lapsed back into silence, her thoughts returning to the strange dreams she had been having since she first awaked.
(Dream 1 *Note* Different time periods are separated by *s. )
*Laughter. Twirling. Dancing in his arms. "Dance with me!"* * "It's too dangerous!" Council of war. "We must take the risk."* * "We're mortal now, Anra." "I know." "We will be stuck in this shape forever." Forever… Forever… Forever…* * "Annniiirrrooonnnn!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Anguished wail. "Anra! Don't!"*
(Dream 2)
*In the beginning…* * "So lonely."* * "It's come back. What will we do?"* * "It's all your fault! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be stuck in this situation!" No! Not my fault! Please, don't let it be my fault! All your fault… No!* * Aniron, I love you. Why did you have to die first? Please, let my turn back the clock. Give my powers just this once more. So we can have a second chance. Water fills my lungs. Good bye, the only one I will ever truly love…*
"Elise! We're almost there! See? The river!" She looked up at him. Puzzlement filled her eyes. Where was she? Oh yes, right. Anra's past had been consuming her, little puzzle pieces she was intent on putting together. Soon, she was certain, she would have the whole picture. They crossed the river, Elise absentmindedly stepping across as if it was normal ground. On the other side John stopped Asfaloth, drawing his sword in silent challenge to the Riders. Elise nearly bumped into the white horse, then noticing what was happening, drew Anrahem. Anrahem looked in the daylight almost like any other simple, but elegant blade, except Anrahem was much shinier than blades normally are, and one had the sense that on matter what happened to her, she would remain shiny. I need not say what happened at the Ford, except Elise greatly added to the strength of the flood which overpowered the Riders and their horses…
"How much longer can she be in there?" Asked John, exasperated, eyes rolling. Elise had promptly decided to soak in the tub when they had gotten to Rivendale, and had been in it for hours. When it had come to unbelting, she had been confused, because there was no buckle on her belt. But magically it had dropped off, so there was no need to worry about buckles. "There's supposed to be a feast tonight, and she's supposed to be a honored guest!"
"I refuse to wear a dress." Elise said calmly and with dignity, head poked out of bathroom, only to have the effect marred by her scowl.
"Hey," He replied, arms up in surrender. "I'm not the one who makes up the rules!"
Elise was in a dress of Arwen's. She was not happy at this, but at least no one had disputed her having her sword there. Some had tried, but when it had become apparent that she could not take it off (for the sword refused to be parted from her mistress) they relented. What choice did they have? The elf lady was right across from her, and Elise was not happy. At all. The reason for her discontent came from the fact that John was staring at Arwen. It reminded her most unpleasantly of Tom Bombadil's wife, Goldberry, the river Withywindle's daughter. John had had just the same expression on his face as now. It was a bit odd, she reflected, that she should feel jealous of a person who being a river's daughter, was in fact a part of herself. That memory lead to the one of the Barrow-downs. She had wandered for who knows how long, lost, avoiding the cries for help that did not match up with her friend's voices. She had cursed her memory, for Bombadil's song had completely flown from her mind.
With a start she returned to the present. Many people were leaving, and so she got up too, wondering where they were going…
To be continued in Chapter 4
By Sailor Book
WARNING: This chapter is very violent, so you may not want to read the first few paragraphs, despite their importance.
Chapter Three: The Awakening
Elise looked out at the view of Weathertop. She had to admit it was breathtaking, until John reminded her that Riders could be nearby.
"Oh blast them," she grumbled as she withdrew from the edge…
"Hush," whispered Strider. Elise raised her head, some instinct telling her that all was not well. Shadows, blacker than the night, advanced toward them, radiating no mercy, hopelessness, despair, terror, and other emotions that their previous victims had unwittingly added to the aura of the monsters. As if on a cue, all five of the travelers rose silently. Elise drew her sword, uncertain what to do with the heavy thing, but hoping that when the time came she would pass with flying colors. Or maybe just purple. She stood next to John, knowing that the Riders would head straight for him. But she was determined that they would not get far. As the evil shadows approached, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Strider, burning branch held aloft, Tina and Henry back to back, but defiant, and horror of horrors! John reaching into his pocket, pulling out a seemingly ordinary gold ring. His finger drew ever closer to the treacherous thing, centimeter by centimeter. Elise's left hand shot out, closing the finger that had almost put on the Ring. With a chill shriek of rage, the Riders which had come quite close while Elise wasn't looking, attacked. One of them, most likely the leader, held in his hand a sword and a knife. With a look of fascinated horror, her hand dropped the sword and John's hand. The last thing Elise knew before the sword pierced her heart was that she had to protect John. Her left hand shot out once more, but this time, the palm of her hand was impaled by a wicked looking knife.
"Anra!" John breathed in horror and sadness, not knowing why. As her body sank to the ground, Elise's mouth opened, and a language so old that even when the first human language was created it was ancient, poured from her lips. A purple light radiated out from her face, spreading out across the world, immobilizing all. All minds were connected, all witnessed the Awaking. And all understood the words that she spoke.
"En a Anra! En juy garf! En loaq gux Dif! Gux bsa opfi ncuxa!" (I am Water! I have come! I know the way! The Light will triumph!)
As if by a miracle the sword (surrounded by purple light, of course ;) ) was lifted by a hand no one could see, and hovered in the air in front of Elise/Anra. Where her blood touched the sword, the evil runes revealed by the light melted, and the sword shined with an inner glow, a clear light instead of the purple one that was everywhere. New runes of violet fire etched themselves on the sword, marking the sword as Anrahem (Guardian of Water). More blood flowed from the wound, creating a scabbard, which Anrahem fit neatly into, and a belt, both with the same runes etched on them. The belt wound itself around Anra's waist, and a feminine, scratchy voice, like one who has not spoken for millions of years emerged:
"I am Anrahem. For her I was made. Only her will I protect. No other came wield me." Anra rose up from her sunken knees, wounds healed miraculously. She waved her left hand in front of the Rider's noses, showing them the small, neat, scar that decorated it.
"You fools," She laughed, but anger was in her eyes. "Wounding me with a Morgul blade has only given me the ability to walk in the spirit world at will. But you shall pay, for daring to show your faces." She didn't dare say it, but another reason that she wasn't quite sure of being correct had manifested itself in her mind. In an instant, five ice blocks of frozen Ringwraiths stood before the company. "You will wish for death before your master unfreezes you," she snarled as she turned the temperature of the ice down even more. The purple light faded, and the many minds were freed.
Hobbit children whimpered at the sight their young eyes should not have seen. The men of Gondor and Rohan, already too much used to death had looked on grimly. The dwarves were at first horrified, but then cheered at the Rider's Bane. The elves, of course being bards, rushed off as soon as they could to write songs praising Anra, mighty warrior of the Light (if she had known this, she would have undoubtedly have snickered). Sauron and Saruman, for the first time in their lives, were afraid. Bilbo wept.
The other four stared at Elise/Anra, unsure whether to be happy, sad, in the grips of terror, or angry. Tina burst into tears, and flung her arms around the other girl, much to Elise's surprise. Henry stared at her as if he had never seen her before. John was very pale, he looked upon what he thought a ghost, and promptly fainted. Strider, was knocking upon the cubes, seeing how thick they were.
"Maybe we should put them in the freezer," Elise joked, then remembered that she had no idea what a freezer was. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but the sooner I get away from Frosty and his gang, the easier I will feel. I don't know how strong their master is, and I, for one, do not feel the urge to stick around and find out…"
"How can you do that?" John addressed Elise, sitting on top of Asfaloth, his fear of the Riders ("Nine! Blast them!") behind him was momentarily overcome by curiosity as to how Elise was keeping up.
"Well, you see, it's like this. I have my own private store of Water Energy. When I'm touching water, preferably surrounded by it, I don't need to drain my Energy to do water magic. But if there is no water about, I slowly use up my store. By the time we get to Rivendale, I will probably need to be immersed in water for several hours, if not over night." She lapsed back into silence, her thoughts returning to the strange dreams she had been having since she first awaked.
(Dream 1 *Note* Different time periods are separated by *s. )
*Laughter. Twirling. Dancing in his arms. "Dance with me!"* * "It's too dangerous!" Council of war. "We must take the risk."* * "We're mortal now, Anra." "I know." "We will be stuck in this shape forever." Forever… Forever… Forever…* * "Annniiirrrooonnnn!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Anguished wail. "Anra! Don't!"*
(Dream 2)
*In the beginning…* * "So lonely."* * "It's come back. What will we do?"* * "It's all your fault! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be stuck in this situation!" No! Not my fault! Please, don't let it be my fault! All your fault… No!* * Aniron, I love you. Why did you have to die first? Please, let my turn back the clock. Give my powers just this once more. So we can have a second chance. Water fills my lungs. Good bye, the only one I will ever truly love…*
"Elise! We're almost there! See? The river!" She looked up at him. Puzzlement filled her eyes. Where was she? Oh yes, right. Anra's past had been consuming her, little puzzle pieces she was intent on putting together. Soon, she was certain, she would have the whole picture. They crossed the river, Elise absentmindedly stepping across as if it was normal ground. On the other side John stopped Asfaloth, drawing his sword in silent challenge to the Riders. Elise nearly bumped into the white horse, then noticing what was happening, drew Anrahem. Anrahem looked in the daylight almost like any other simple, but elegant blade, except Anrahem was much shinier than blades normally are, and one had the sense that on matter what happened to her, she would remain shiny. I need not say what happened at the Ford, except Elise greatly added to the strength of the flood which overpowered the Riders and their horses…
"How much longer can she be in there?" Asked John, exasperated, eyes rolling. Elise had promptly decided to soak in the tub when they had gotten to Rivendale, and had been in it for hours. When it had come to unbelting, she had been confused, because there was no buckle on her belt. But magically it had dropped off, so there was no need to worry about buckles. "There's supposed to be a feast tonight, and she's supposed to be a honored guest!"
"I refuse to wear a dress." Elise said calmly and with dignity, head poked out of bathroom, only to have the effect marred by her scowl.
"Hey," He replied, arms up in surrender. "I'm not the one who makes up the rules!"
Elise was in a dress of Arwen's. She was not happy at this, but at least no one had disputed her having her sword there. Some had tried, but when it had become apparent that she could not take it off (for the sword refused to be parted from her mistress) they relented. What choice did they have? The elf lady was right across from her, and Elise was not happy. At all. The reason for her discontent came from the fact that John was staring at Arwen. It reminded her most unpleasantly of Tom Bombadil's wife, Goldberry, the river Withywindle's daughter. John had had just the same expression on his face as now. It was a bit odd, she reflected, that she should feel jealous of a person who being a river's daughter, was in fact a part of herself. That memory lead to the one of the Barrow-downs. She had wandered for who knows how long, lost, avoiding the cries for help that did not match up with her friend's voices. She had cursed her memory, for Bombadil's song had completely flown from her mind.
With a start she returned to the present. Many people were leaving, and so she got up too, wondering where they were going…
To be continued in Chapter 4