Legacy of the Ring
Echo the Nymph
Disclaimer: I don't own the book.
Chapter 4
Phoenix slid to a halt in the elven clearing. "Talitha, carisa amakaiya!" she cried. The lesser dragoness flashed between and was at her huntress's side in an instant. The spider shrieked in rage, the huntress's light was nearly blinding it. Her gaze became fierce, hard, filled with anger. Talitha had let her know what she'd picked up from the spider's mind. "Miska denomo loatta nocta caribos." She was anything but kind as she said that. An arrow flew through the air, and pierced an eye that had been burnt by the dragoness.
Talitha darted back in, flaming all the way. She wasn't about to let the spider get away. Phoenix stepped over to the horse Legolas had been riding, and whispered something to the elf. He let another arrow fly and it hit the spider in a very vulnerable spot. Flame raced along the arrow and was introduced to the inside of the evil spider. Ashes alone remained after a few minutes. These ashes blew away in the cold wind that had sprung from the north.
Gandalf was relieved to see that the elves hadn't been harmed in this attack. He approached Elrond, his eyes grave. "Something serious has happened. It involves all of us and must be discussed in private." The enlarged group filed to the place where the Fellowship had been formed less than a year before. Then the wizard spoke once more. "This is High Princess Phoenix, Huntress of the line of Fire. She was the inheritor of her father's true shaman abilities and she would be best tell you what she saw."
Phoenix stepped forward, her raven black tail swishing slightly. She bowed politely, drawing attention to her lower legs. They were the same gold as her base coat, not black like her tail. What she did next drew their attention back to her. "Corta anyo." Her greeting caused Elrond to blink. It was that of a huntress to an elf-lord. He hadn't heard that language years.
"Sina dosena." He replied, causing a smile to come across her face. He had known Prairie Song. "What news do you bring, Phoenix?"
Her expression became sorrowful. "I am regretting having to bring such ill tidings, but you must be warned. I saw this by way of a dream: Fire burned all around, wasting the land. In the middle of this fire, was an eye that seemed ringed by it. Slowly, an ethereal mist enclosed this area then took on the form of the living. Sauron to be exact. He became solid, living in the middle of the blaze. And yet he made no move to leave. His master ring was re-forged somehow. The Dark Lord called forth his Dark Huntresses; told them to come to Mordor with his Ring Wraiths. He is targeting Rivendell, the hobbits, and Gondor as well as the Huntress lines of Stars, Fire and Light."
Phonenix's deep blue eyes glistened with tears as they spilled over. Talitha chirped in an attempt to comfort her. Elrond got to his feet, moved by her emotion. The usually reserved elf-lord drew her into a comforting hug. "Phoenix, you have saved many lives by telling us this now. Despair is not needed now, but courage. E losha loatta Cora Loa siy denora sonyar cornoadas. Sonyar nievlos ria corsaiya diasha."
Her tears stopped and she looked at him in surprise. Why would he say that? "Di sonya friya le?" She sounded very surprised; as no two of the Colora Riviera looked exactly alike.
"Siya, E friya le. Sonya cira dura coroasta." Phoenix dried her tears as Lord Elrond pulled away. It had been a long day for those who had come at a gallop. Talitha gratefully nudged him, giving her thanks in her own way. "The hour is late and you have traveled far. Perhaps some rest will see you back to your feet."
Most went to bet, yet Aragorn and Gandalf stayed with the elf-lord. "Lord Elrond, how do you know her language?" Aragorn inquired. Gandalf bore a curious expression, because he had never known this either.
Elrond's eyes grew dark with memory. "I knew a group of Huntresses from the Colora Riviera. The one called Prairie Song taught me their language." He seemed to become lost in the story. "The group was led by Starpromise, the great great granddaughter of Starvixen. Radiant Light was a recognized foundation filly. In the last battle of the Second Age, all thirty of them went behind enemy lines and caused major trouble. The Dark huntresses couldn't stop them, only delay the inevitable."
~f
Elrond stood alone upon the stone ledge in Mount Doom. He stared in the direction Isildur had taken, stunned. Soft foot falls drew his attention back to his location. Three huntresses came up to him, bearing the marks of a lengthy battle. "Corta anyo, Lord Elrond." Starpromise panted. She leaned upon Radiant Light, keeping most of her weight off of her left front leg. Prairie Song choked back a sob.
"The others are walking among the spirits now. We are the only ones that survived." She was very upset, yet needed time to recover before mourning her fallen comrades. "That is something we will never forget."
"Something dark has happened. The One Ring has influenced Isildur. He has taken it, not destroyed it." His statement caused all three of them to stand upright in anger. The group of four left Mount Doom, heading for the camp of the Last Alliance. After their injuries were treated, the huntresses went to Isildur's tent.
Prairie Song lightly tapped the canvas tent, prompting Isildur to call out. "Enter!" They came into the tent, surprising him. "Huntresses, I am sorry to hear of your loss."
Starpromise looked him in the eye. "We have heard of yours as well. As we mourn for our fallen allies, so he is numbered among them." She stopped, fearing what she was about to say.
"Isildur of Gondor," Prairie Song began, "the One Ring is influencing you. Don't listen to it, for the ring will betray you."
Radiant Light spoke up. "This ring has nothing to balance the darkness, anger and hatred that went into forging it. You have a balance within your heart, but this ring will destroy it with betrayal."
Starpromise finally got her nerve back up. "The very stars cry out in anger. The Ring to Rule them All is not something to be taken lightly. Only where it was made can it be unmade. Isildur, please destroy it, before it destroys you."
He glared at them. All seemed sincerely concerned for him, but they did not understand. "The ring is mine now. I will not destroy it, for it is precious to me." At this statement, Starpromise and Radiant Light left.
Prairie Song's gazed at him sadly. "Then this is all I can do for you, King of Gondor." She placed a silver chain about his neck. "By the powers of the Maia, by those of Manwe himself, protect this King among men from the darkness that would invade him."
f~
Unaware that he had been telling them about this, he pulled himself back to the present. "They tried to help Isildur, be he wouldn't listen to their council. Perhaps this is the legacy of the ring." The usually reserved elf-lord seemed to be slumped over in his chair as he stared out into the trees of his home.
Aragorn stood and clasped his father-in-law's shoulder in sympathy. Silently, the King of Gondor joined his wife in bed. Gandalf's piercing gaze settled upon his friend. "I knew it pained you to speak of that battle. Now I know why. You lost many friends, not all of them elves. Perhaps," he mused, "the Dark Huntresses have something to do with this."
Echo the Nymph
Disclaimer: I don't own the book.
Chapter 4
Phoenix slid to a halt in the elven clearing. "Talitha, carisa amakaiya!" she cried. The lesser dragoness flashed between and was at her huntress's side in an instant. The spider shrieked in rage, the huntress's light was nearly blinding it. Her gaze became fierce, hard, filled with anger. Talitha had let her know what she'd picked up from the spider's mind. "Miska denomo loatta nocta caribos." She was anything but kind as she said that. An arrow flew through the air, and pierced an eye that had been burnt by the dragoness.
Talitha darted back in, flaming all the way. She wasn't about to let the spider get away. Phoenix stepped over to the horse Legolas had been riding, and whispered something to the elf. He let another arrow fly and it hit the spider in a very vulnerable spot. Flame raced along the arrow and was introduced to the inside of the evil spider. Ashes alone remained after a few minutes. These ashes blew away in the cold wind that had sprung from the north.
Gandalf was relieved to see that the elves hadn't been harmed in this attack. He approached Elrond, his eyes grave. "Something serious has happened. It involves all of us and must be discussed in private." The enlarged group filed to the place where the Fellowship had been formed less than a year before. Then the wizard spoke once more. "This is High Princess Phoenix, Huntress of the line of Fire. She was the inheritor of her father's true shaman abilities and she would be best tell you what she saw."
Phoenix stepped forward, her raven black tail swishing slightly. She bowed politely, drawing attention to her lower legs. They were the same gold as her base coat, not black like her tail. What she did next drew their attention back to her. "Corta anyo." Her greeting caused Elrond to blink. It was that of a huntress to an elf-lord. He hadn't heard that language years.
"Sina dosena." He replied, causing a smile to come across her face. He had known Prairie Song. "What news do you bring, Phoenix?"
Her expression became sorrowful. "I am regretting having to bring such ill tidings, but you must be warned. I saw this by way of a dream: Fire burned all around, wasting the land. In the middle of this fire, was an eye that seemed ringed by it. Slowly, an ethereal mist enclosed this area then took on the form of the living. Sauron to be exact. He became solid, living in the middle of the blaze. And yet he made no move to leave. His master ring was re-forged somehow. The Dark Lord called forth his Dark Huntresses; told them to come to Mordor with his Ring Wraiths. He is targeting Rivendell, the hobbits, and Gondor as well as the Huntress lines of Stars, Fire and Light."
Phonenix's deep blue eyes glistened with tears as they spilled over. Talitha chirped in an attempt to comfort her. Elrond got to his feet, moved by her emotion. The usually reserved elf-lord drew her into a comforting hug. "Phoenix, you have saved many lives by telling us this now. Despair is not needed now, but courage. E losha loatta Cora Loa siy denora sonyar cornoadas. Sonyar nievlos ria corsaiya diasha."
Her tears stopped and she looked at him in surprise. Why would he say that? "Di sonya friya le?" She sounded very surprised; as no two of the Colora Riviera looked exactly alike.
"Siya, E friya le. Sonya cira dura coroasta." Phoenix dried her tears as Lord Elrond pulled away. It had been a long day for those who had come at a gallop. Talitha gratefully nudged him, giving her thanks in her own way. "The hour is late and you have traveled far. Perhaps some rest will see you back to your feet."
Most went to bet, yet Aragorn and Gandalf stayed with the elf-lord. "Lord Elrond, how do you know her language?" Aragorn inquired. Gandalf bore a curious expression, because he had never known this either.
Elrond's eyes grew dark with memory. "I knew a group of Huntresses from the Colora Riviera. The one called Prairie Song taught me their language." He seemed to become lost in the story. "The group was led by Starpromise, the great great granddaughter of Starvixen. Radiant Light was a recognized foundation filly. In the last battle of the Second Age, all thirty of them went behind enemy lines and caused major trouble. The Dark huntresses couldn't stop them, only delay the inevitable."
~f
Elrond stood alone upon the stone ledge in Mount Doom. He stared in the direction Isildur had taken, stunned. Soft foot falls drew his attention back to his location. Three huntresses came up to him, bearing the marks of a lengthy battle. "Corta anyo, Lord Elrond." Starpromise panted. She leaned upon Radiant Light, keeping most of her weight off of her left front leg. Prairie Song choked back a sob.
"The others are walking among the spirits now. We are the only ones that survived." She was very upset, yet needed time to recover before mourning her fallen comrades. "That is something we will never forget."
"Something dark has happened. The One Ring has influenced Isildur. He has taken it, not destroyed it." His statement caused all three of them to stand upright in anger. The group of four left Mount Doom, heading for the camp of the Last Alliance. After their injuries were treated, the huntresses went to Isildur's tent.
Prairie Song lightly tapped the canvas tent, prompting Isildur to call out. "Enter!" They came into the tent, surprising him. "Huntresses, I am sorry to hear of your loss."
Starpromise looked him in the eye. "We have heard of yours as well. As we mourn for our fallen allies, so he is numbered among them." She stopped, fearing what she was about to say.
"Isildur of Gondor," Prairie Song began, "the One Ring is influencing you. Don't listen to it, for the ring will betray you."
Radiant Light spoke up. "This ring has nothing to balance the darkness, anger and hatred that went into forging it. You have a balance within your heart, but this ring will destroy it with betrayal."
Starpromise finally got her nerve back up. "The very stars cry out in anger. The Ring to Rule them All is not something to be taken lightly. Only where it was made can it be unmade. Isildur, please destroy it, before it destroys you."
He glared at them. All seemed sincerely concerned for him, but they did not understand. "The ring is mine now. I will not destroy it, for it is precious to me." At this statement, Starpromise and Radiant Light left.
Prairie Song's gazed at him sadly. "Then this is all I can do for you, King of Gondor." She placed a silver chain about his neck. "By the powers of the Maia, by those of Manwe himself, protect this King among men from the darkness that would invade him."
f~
Unaware that he had been telling them about this, he pulled himself back to the present. "They tried to help Isildur, be he wouldn't listen to their council. Perhaps this is the legacy of the ring." The usually reserved elf-lord seemed to be slumped over in his chair as he stared out into the trees of his home.
Aragorn stood and clasped his father-in-law's shoulder in sympathy. Silently, the King of Gondor joined his wife in bed. Gandalf's piercing gaze settled upon his friend. "I knew it pained you to speak of that battle. Now I know why. You lost many friends, not all of them elves. Perhaps," he mused, "the Dark Huntresses have something to do with this."