Chapter 20: The Magic Begins
"Fire is the easiest, so we will start with that." Falagorn stood in front of Elwing, holding a branch. "Now, wizards have to waste time with those boring spells, but Elf magic is much easier. You just focus your magic on what you want to happen. It saves your breath, but you get quite a headache when you are just starting."
Elwing laughed. "Oh joy, I can't wait."
Falagorn smiled. "Alright, light the branch."
Elwing bit her lip and concentrated on the branch. 'Okay, set fire to the branch, I can do this, I like fire, just burn the branch....'
To Elwing it seemed like hours, but truly it was only a few seconds before the branch burst into flame. Falagorn's mouth opened slightly, but he swiftly closed it. Nevertheless, Elwing could tell he was surprised.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked anxiously.
Falagorn smiled and shook his head. "No, it was just that you did it so quickly," he explained, tossing the branch into a nearby stream where it sank with a hiss. "Usually it takes a beginner several tries to light the wood."
Falagorn bent and picked up another branch. "Okay, do it again."
"Again?" Elwing groaned.
Falagorn nodded. "Practice makes perfect."
Elwing grimaced. "I hate that saying."
Ten minutes, fifteen branches, and a small headache later, Falagorn picked up a book off the rock he had formerly occupied.
"Well done! You have shown much promise," he said praisingly.
"Yes, but I could really use some Ibuprofen right about now," Elwing said as she rubbed her forehead, a pained expression on her face.
"Some what?" asked a confused Falagorn.
"Ibu- oh never mind," Elwing sighed. "So, what's with the book?"
Falagorn sat on the rock and propped the book open on his knees. "This is the Fire Book of the Sunstars," he explained. "You should read through it to both find out about your ancestors as well as gain a greater knowledge of magic and how it is used."
Elwing peered at the book eagerly. 'Wow, my family history, sweet!' She picked up the book off Falagorn's lap and began to look through it.
Falagorn laughed. "Slowly, slowly! Be sure to read it slowly and carefully, for the book is also magical and will play tricks on you if you are not careful."
Elwing smiled. "Thank you for the warning. I will be sure to read it carefully."
"There is one more thing," Falagorn said, reaching into his bag which was sitting by the rock. When he withdrew his hand, it held a beautiful Elven crown.
"This is the crown of the Sunstars," he explained, "and it rightfully belongs to you."
Elwing took the proffered crown gently and inspected it closely. It was silver in color and very light. Looking closer, Elwing realized it looked an awful lot like mithril. The crown consisted of two, plain bands, each with a triangle in the middle (the bottom triangle pointed up, and the top triangle pointed down). The two bands joined there to form a diamond. Encased in the diamond was a single, black stone that shone brightly despite it's color being that of a moonless midnight.
Elwing stared at it with wide eyes and open mouth. "It's beautiful!" she said breathlessly.
"Just like its owner," Falagorn said matter-of-factly.
Elwing looked up sharply and felt her cheeks redden. Falagorn smiled. "Do not be alarmed, little one, I only state what is true."
Elwing smiled back. "Oh, I know, it just seems that every Elf here has been staring at Aria and me."
Falagorn laughed. "No fear miss, I am only your devoted servant. And you must excuse my fellow Elves, for they are not used to seeing such beauties as yourself and Lady Aria."
Elwing laughed. "I don't know, it does not seem like Aria has been quite as pestered as myself."
Falagorn smiled. "Then let us go ask her."
The two set off in search of Aria, Elwing carrying crown and book under her arm, but trying her best to conceal the crown.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aria's walk had started off normally enough. She had walked among the trees, picking elanors and braiding them into her hair. She had stopped for a short rest by a stream, seated on a comfortable rock that was almost twice her size.
Suddenly, a group of twenty Elves strolled nonchalantly up to Aria. They were young Elves, and they had been fawning over Aria ever since they had first laid eyes on her. Now they circled around her, all of them trying to talk to her at once, and each trying to outdo the other.
Aria was trapped, so she just did her best to be polite and not flirt.
She was still trapped on the rock when Elwing and Falagorn found her. Elwing stood with an open mouth, staring at the crowd of Elves.
"I told you," Falagorn said, winking at Elwing.
"I guess so," said Elwing. 'Oh dear,' she thought, 'ever since we came here the Elves have been acting un-Elvish. We had better leave soon or they will never be normal again!'
"Come on, we had better rescue her," Falagorn laughed.
"Wait!" Elwing said. She looked around as if searching for something, then suddenly stooped and snatched up a handful of elanors. "Okay, now we can go," she said with a crafty smile.
Walking to the crowd, Elwing forced her way through the throng, and managed to get to Aria. Elwing climbed onto the rock as well, and handed Aria the flowers. She winked at Aria and said in a voice loud enough for all the Elves to hear, "Frodo asked me to give you some elanors and to tell you that he will be thinking of you as he travels."
Aria smiled and blushed slightly. Then, also in a voice loud enough for the Elves to hear, she said, "Aww, how sweet! I really miss him," she added with a sigh.
The Elves looked at each other uncomfortably. One by one they slipped away, each claiming they had something to do. When the last Elf had disappeared into the trees, Elwing and Aria dissolved into fits of unbridled laughter.
"That, was, so, funny!" Aria said in between laughs.
"Did, you, see, their, faces?" Elwing giggled, gasping for breath.
"They looked, like, big, fish!" Aria gasped. At this they fell to laughing even harder, and it was several minutes before they regained their composure.
When they were fully recovered, Aria smiled. "Thank you, I needed help."
Elwing smiled. "Don't thank me, thank Falagorn. It was his idea to find you in the first place."
Aria squished her eyebrows together. "Falagorn? That Elf from the council?"
Elwing nodded.
"Well, where is he?" Aria asked.
"He's right he-" Elwing stopped. There was no one in the glade except Aria and herself. "Odd, he was right here a minute ago."
Aria shrugged. "No matter, let's go see what Erestor's up to."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Erestor had enjoyed himself more than he had first expected he would. Keso and his friends were very friendly, and enjoyed having fun.
When Keso and Erestor had arrived, the others were practicing archery. Keso asked Erestor if he would like to try, and Erestor explained that he did not know the first thing about archery. At this announcement, Keso's mouth fell open.
"You are not serious, are you?" Keso asked in astonishment.
Erestor shifted his feet uncomfortably. "No, I really don't know anything about archery."
Keso grinned. "Well, we shall have to fix that."
Keso and his friends had immediately set to teaching Erestor the basic and finer points of archery. They were very jovial about it, and they had many a good laugh as the lessons progressed.
When Elwing and Aria arrived, Erestor was able to hit a leaf from ten yards. The girls watched as the Elves set up various targets and a competition ensued. Keso was very good, but so was Erestor. Soon, only those two were left.
"Come on Eresor, you can do it!" Elwing called.
Erestor looked over his shoulder at her, a big grin on his face.
Keso looked at him, a mischievous look on his face. "Do you, perchance, like her majesty?" he asked in a sly tone.
Erestor felt his neck hair bristle defensively. "And what if I do?" he replied lamely.
Keso smiled an oily smile. "I only wish to make sure the Queen gets someone worthy of her."
"And you don't think I am?" Erestor growled.
Keso said nothing, but drew his bow and loosed his arrow. It landed in the dead center of the target. He turned to Erestor, a slight sneer on his face. "This is the last target, and it looks like I have won."
Erestor smiled evilly. "It ain't over till my Elwing sings."
Snatching up his bow, Erestor took aim and loosed his arrow. His aim was true, his arrow splitting Keso's arrow and hitting the target dead center.
Erestor turned to Keso, a sneer on his face. "Well, well, what do you know?"
Keso stood, slightly angry, and with no answer. Elwing came running up and threw her arms around Erestor's neck, hugging him tightly.
"That was wonderful!" she cried. "Just like something out of Robin Hood!"
Aria came up, a smile on her face as well. "It did look like Robin Hood, only with Elves," she giggled.
Keso, seemingly back to normal, clapped Erestor on the back. "That was a nice shot," he admitted, "but you said it was not over until Lady Elwing sings."
Erestor and Elwing blushed simultaneously. Aria nudged Elwing.
"Well? How about it?" she asked.
"Well, I, uh," Elwing stammered.
Keso and his friends began to join in the pleading, and Elwing had to relent. "But what should I sing?" she whispered to Aria.
"How about the fairytale song from Rigoletto?" Aria suggested.
Elwing laughed. "Sounds good," she said, quickly bursting into song.
When she was done, everyone cheered, and Elwing got Aria to sing as well. After Aria finished there was even louder cheering than before. The Elves asked them to sing more, but it was getting late, and so the three friends said goodbye to the Elves and set off in search of dinner.
"As if you needed any after that gigantic lunch," Elwing teased, poking Erestor's stomach.
"Ow, hey," Erestor pouted as he rubbed his stomach.
Aria and Elwing laughed and rolled their eyes. They stopped when Galareal came striding up.
"Here you are! I have been looking everywhere for you three! Come, Lord Celeborn wishes to speak with us," he said.
Except for complaints of no dinner from Erestor, the four set off in silence.
End Chapter 20!
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"Fire is the easiest, so we will start with that." Falagorn stood in front of Elwing, holding a branch. "Now, wizards have to waste time with those boring spells, but Elf magic is much easier. You just focus your magic on what you want to happen. It saves your breath, but you get quite a headache when you are just starting."
Elwing laughed. "Oh joy, I can't wait."
Falagorn smiled. "Alright, light the branch."
Elwing bit her lip and concentrated on the branch. 'Okay, set fire to the branch, I can do this, I like fire, just burn the branch....'
To Elwing it seemed like hours, but truly it was only a few seconds before the branch burst into flame. Falagorn's mouth opened slightly, but he swiftly closed it. Nevertheless, Elwing could tell he was surprised.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked anxiously.
Falagorn smiled and shook his head. "No, it was just that you did it so quickly," he explained, tossing the branch into a nearby stream where it sank with a hiss. "Usually it takes a beginner several tries to light the wood."
Falagorn bent and picked up another branch. "Okay, do it again."
"Again?" Elwing groaned.
Falagorn nodded. "Practice makes perfect."
Elwing grimaced. "I hate that saying."
Ten minutes, fifteen branches, and a small headache later, Falagorn picked up a book off the rock he had formerly occupied.
"Well done! You have shown much promise," he said praisingly.
"Yes, but I could really use some Ibuprofen right about now," Elwing said as she rubbed her forehead, a pained expression on her face.
"Some what?" asked a confused Falagorn.
"Ibu- oh never mind," Elwing sighed. "So, what's with the book?"
Falagorn sat on the rock and propped the book open on his knees. "This is the Fire Book of the Sunstars," he explained. "You should read through it to both find out about your ancestors as well as gain a greater knowledge of magic and how it is used."
Elwing peered at the book eagerly. 'Wow, my family history, sweet!' She picked up the book off Falagorn's lap and began to look through it.
Falagorn laughed. "Slowly, slowly! Be sure to read it slowly and carefully, for the book is also magical and will play tricks on you if you are not careful."
Elwing smiled. "Thank you for the warning. I will be sure to read it carefully."
"There is one more thing," Falagorn said, reaching into his bag which was sitting by the rock. When he withdrew his hand, it held a beautiful Elven crown.
"This is the crown of the Sunstars," he explained, "and it rightfully belongs to you."
Elwing took the proffered crown gently and inspected it closely. It was silver in color and very light. Looking closer, Elwing realized it looked an awful lot like mithril. The crown consisted of two, plain bands, each with a triangle in the middle (the bottom triangle pointed up, and the top triangle pointed down). The two bands joined there to form a diamond. Encased in the diamond was a single, black stone that shone brightly despite it's color being that of a moonless midnight.
Elwing stared at it with wide eyes and open mouth. "It's beautiful!" she said breathlessly.
"Just like its owner," Falagorn said matter-of-factly.
Elwing looked up sharply and felt her cheeks redden. Falagorn smiled. "Do not be alarmed, little one, I only state what is true."
Elwing smiled back. "Oh, I know, it just seems that every Elf here has been staring at Aria and me."
Falagorn laughed. "No fear miss, I am only your devoted servant. And you must excuse my fellow Elves, for they are not used to seeing such beauties as yourself and Lady Aria."
Elwing laughed. "I don't know, it does not seem like Aria has been quite as pestered as myself."
Falagorn smiled. "Then let us go ask her."
The two set off in search of Aria, Elwing carrying crown and book under her arm, but trying her best to conceal the crown.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aria's walk had started off normally enough. She had walked among the trees, picking elanors and braiding them into her hair. She had stopped for a short rest by a stream, seated on a comfortable rock that was almost twice her size.
Suddenly, a group of twenty Elves strolled nonchalantly up to Aria. They were young Elves, and they had been fawning over Aria ever since they had first laid eyes on her. Now they circled around her, all of them trying to talk to her at once, and each trying to outdo the other.
Aria was trapped, so she just did her best to be polite and not flirt.
She was still trapped on the rock when Elwing and Falagorn found her. Elwing stood with an open mouth, staring at the crowd of Elves.
"I told you," Falagorn said, winking at Elwing.
"I guess so," said Elwing. 'Oh dear,' she thought, 'ever since we came here the Elves have been acting un-Elvish. We had better leave soon or they will never be normal again!'
"Come on, we had better rescue her," Falagorn laughed.
"Wait!" Elwing said. She looked around as if searching for something, then suddenly stooped and snatched up a handful of elanors. "Okay, now we can go," she said with a crafty smile.
Walking to the crowd, Elwing forced her way through the throng, and managed to get to Aria. Elwing climbed onto the rock as well, and handed Aria the flowers. She winked at Aria and said in a voice loud enough for all the Elves to hear, "Frodo asked me to give you some elanors and to tell you that he will be thinking of you as he travels."
Aria smiled and blushed slightly. Then, also in a voice loud enough for the Elves to hear, she said, "Aww, how sweet! I really miss him," she added with a sigh.
The Elves looked at each other uncomfortably. One by one they slipped away, each claiming they had something to do. When the last Elf had disappeared into the trees, Elwing and Aria dissolved into fits of unbridled laughter.
"That, was, so, funny!" Aria said in between laughs.
"Did, you, see, their, faces?" Elwing giggled, gasping for breath.
"They looked, like, big, fish!" Aria gasped. At this they fell to laughing even harder, and it was several minutes before they regained their composure.
When they were fully recovered, Aria smiled. "Thank you, I needed help."
Elwing smiled. "Don't thank me, thank Falagorn. It was his idea to find you in the first place."
Aria squished her eyebrows together. "Falagorn? That Elf from the council?"
Elwing nodded.
"Well, where is he?" Aria asked.
"He's right he-" Elwing stopped. There was no one in the glade except Aria and herself. "Odd, he was right here a minute ago."
Aria shrugged. "No matter, let's go see what Erestor's up to."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Erestor had enjoyed himself more than he had first expected he would. Keso and his friends were very friendly, and enjoyed having fun.
When Keso and Erestor had arrived, the others were practicing archery. Keso asked Erestor if he would like to try, and Erestor explained that he did not know the first thing about archery. At this announcement, Keso's mouth fell open.
"You are not serious, are you?" Keso asked in astonishment.
Erestor shifted his feet uncomfortably. "No, I really don't know anything about archery."
Keso grinned. "Well, we shall have to fix that."
Keso and his friends had immediately set to teaching Erestor the basic and finer points of archery. They were very jovial about it, and they had many a good laugh as the lessons progressed.
When Elwing and Aria arrived, Erestor was able to hit a leaf from ten yards. The girls watched as the Elves set up various targets and a competition ensued. Keso was very good, but so was Erestor. Soon, only those two were left.
"Come on Eresor, you can do it!" Elwing called.
Erestor looked over his shoulder at her, a big grin on his face.
Keso looked at him, a mischievous look on his face. "Do you, perchance, like her majesty?" he asked in a sly tone.
Erestor felt his neck hair bristle defensively. "And what if I do?" he replied lamely.
Keso smiled an oily smile. "I only wish to make sure the Queen gets someone worthy of her."
"And you don't think I am?" Erestor growled.
Keso said nothing, but drew his bow and loosed his arrow. It landed in the dead center of the target. He turned to Erestor, a slight sneer on his face. "This is the last target, and it looks like I have won."
Erestor smiled evilly. "It ain't over till my Elwing sings."
Snatching up his bow, Erestor took aim and loosed his arrow. His aim was true, his arrow splitting Keso's arrow and hitting the target dead center.
Erestor turned to Keso, a sneer on his face. "Well, well, what do you know?"
Keso stood, slightly angry, and with no answer. Elwing came running up and threw her arms around Erestor's neck, hugging him tightly.
"That was wonderful!" she cried. "Just like something out of Robin Hood!"
Aria came up, a smile on her face as well. "It did look like Robin Hood, only with Elves," she giggled.
Keso, seemingly back to normal, clapped Erestor on the back. "That was a nice shot," he admitted, "but you said it was not over until Lady Elwing sings."
Erestor and Elwing blushed simultaneously. Aria nudged Elwing.
"Well? How about it?" she asked.
"Well, I, uh," Elwing stammered.
Keso and his friends began to join in the pleading, and Elwing had to relent. "But what should I sing?" she whispered to Aria.
"How about the fairytale song from Rigoletto?" Aria suggested.
Elwing laughed. "Sounds good," she said, quickly bursting into song.
When she was done, everyone cheered, and Elwing got Aria to sing as well. After Aria finished there was even louder cheering than before. The Elves asked them to sing more, but it was getting late, and so the three friends said goodbye to the Elves and set off in search of dinner.
"As if you needed any after that gigantic lunch," Elwing teased, poking Erestor's stomach.
"Ow, hey," Erestor pouted as he rubbed his stomach.
Aria and Elwing laughed and rolled their eyes. They stopped when Galareal came striding up.
"Here you are! I have been looking everywhere for you three! Come, Lord Celeborn wishes to speak with us," he said.
Except for complaints of no dinner from Erestor, the four set off in silence.
End Chapter 20!
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