Dragon Witch
By Nezumi
Chapter Twenty-one: Revelation
Is it the setting in which one is placed as a child that makes it hate everything and everyone? Or love everything? Many great scholars believe that these children, whatever their disposition may be, are born with such traits. Is that really fair to the small one? Other scholars say it is purely the environment in which a child is placed that they become evil or good. But is that give the youngster any credit either? Perhaps it is a combination of both; their nature is spurred by their nurture. But what if their nature is contradicted and is the exact opposite of what should have been?
The child in Gimli's lap gave a cry of fear latching onto his beard, and pointing at the Eastern Hill. A hundred thousand orcs ran at Mirkwood Castle. "Dear Eleberth," the two friends together whispered. The mother grabbed her child and ran as elves reached for their weapons. Gandalf ran, hard for an old man like himself, all the way to Galadriel as the elves with a few dwarves among their ranks clashed like a tidal wave with the orcs. Come out, Gandalf ordered the Black Queen. Or should I indentify you?
Let me get my sword, she said.
"She is here," Gandalf said. "I just cast my gaze upon. With the woman who loves Legolas."
Galadriel stood and watched on the balcony a war waging below, in great sorrow. Had she been something better than this, she could have prevented so many elves from the halls of Mandos, but now she was doomed to feel this heavy weight on her heart for all eternity. Her heart knew the name the Black Queen would take.
"Lady Galadriel!" Legolas ran to her, breathless. "I cannot find Amaryllis or Grian."
"You will se both in a few moments. You will see your enemy as well."
The Black Queen ran through the halls she knew so well and had worked to keep clean and free from the toils of the outside world. She caused the trouble she fought against. How could that be? Lifting the soft mattress, she yelled at herself. I have betrayed his trust! The sword of which she held was like no other and as she ran through the halls her dress changed. The skirts of which she wore turned into black folds of the East and her eyes out-lined themselves with the color of charcoal.
"Here she comes," Galadriel said, not even with a glance behind her. Then pointed towards the other balcony, telling Legolas, "Your aim should shoot farther there." Leaping over to the next balcony, the elf fired round after round, until a cry of battle behind him called and it faltered, then like a royal she approached. She held her head high, as she stood beside him.
Casting the sword out across the battle field half the elves fell and Haldir seethed, at whom he would never admit, but he did feel the hate running through his veins. Celebrian held her head and cried. The Black Queen once again faltered. Stepping to the balcony, she heard the eyes of all the elves in Mirkwood run out of their heads.
"Grian?" Legolas asked in horror.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she turned to him, "That is not my name."
"Then who are you?" Merry demanded, rather flustered that such a nice elf was evil. She could not possibly be their enemy!
Her eyes narrowed. "I am the disgraced of Lothlórien," she said calmly holding a sword to her eyes, as if to split her face in half, as Aragorn had been taught so well to do. "I am disgraced by my friend of Lothlórien. I am disgraced by my father. I am disgraced by my mother. I am disgraced by my sister and my brother, whom I have returned the favor to. I am disgraced by the elven race. I am disgraced by the mortals. I am honored by the East. I am the dragon. I am a with. And I am the Master's great Queen."
"Grainne," Galadriel whispered solemnly holding out her hand. "Why do you steal Vilya? I have offered you Nenya several times."
"I never wanted Nenya!" she cried, pointing a sword at the Lady—the Lady of Lothlórien was cast against the wall. "Orcs—retreat!" The orcs, creatures of Nightmare fled over the Eastern Hills and were gone as quickly as they had come. They swarm the hills and occasionally would grab a dying elf and drag him over with them and the mothers and wives would cry in agony for their devoured warriors. "L-Legolas, I-I…" she stuttered upon looking into the once emotionless eyes, now bathed in confusion.
"You're the Black Witch Queen?"
"I-" she grabbed his tunic, pleading with him. "Please Legolas… forgive me! I love you…I cannot. My master… help me… I… but I'm so confused. Please forgive me."
He was stunned and she vanished into thin air. All of Mirkwood, and the dwarves that had descended upon the hills to help the elves, turned to him for an explanation. "I had no inkling," he said quietly. I should not love her still, he scolded himself. It runs deep… how this hurts, but I love her nonetheless. I just can't bring myself to believe she is as evil as they say. Why?
Haldir clamped his on hand on Legolas' arm, "Come. We will explain everything."
…
Twelve companions sat around a table and Legolas cursed under his breath in Sindarian. He should have know, but how could he? "Who is her mother?" he demanded. She had spoke of so many that she had been disgraced by, and he could not bear not knowing of whom she spoke. Those of Lothlórien seemed to know, and he did not like to be left from their circle.
Galadriel stated placidly, "I am her mother."
"So Celebrian is her sister?" Merry asked, looking at the other elf, still standing with her arms folded, obviously not happy about the situation.
"Half-sister to be precise," Galadriel replied, still remaining tranquil. Yet her eyes were blank, staring into the cataclysm of her life and this predicament. It truly was her fault, as well as any other person's.
"Then who is the father?" Legolas asked darkly.
Gandalf blinked, "I am Grainne's father." The entire table turned to stare at him, falling into complete silence. It had never even occurred to most that Gandalf the Grey, the Wise, could be the father of an illegitimate child. Haldir and Celebrian, however, stood just the same only looking at Gandalf to explain further. Their eyes already knew this history, and yet Arwen was completely perplexed. She wondered to herself if this was true, and it seemed to be, if her father was aware of it. Perhaps this was why he hated the Black Queen so much? One could not be certain. "She is the heir to Lothlórien and to Nenya, but she has always desired this." The old wizard placed a ring that bore a ruby on its band in the center of the great table. "Narya, she has coveted like nothing else. Never Nenya."
Haldir broke in to the conversation, uncommon for usually he stood at obedient attention. "Perhaps it is wiser to tell him the entire story, it would only be fair." Galadriel and Gandalf shifted uncomfortably. So Haldir continued, "When Grainne was born, at the same time as I or around then—Lothlórien had the dwarves, whom used to reside there, forged a weapon with the elves for the first time. It was the sword she carries, even now, and is far more powerful than any weapon you might imagine, though it does not exceed the one ring. It will not shatter even upon Sauron or Saruman. Its made of the gods nearly. Many a dwarf and many an elf poured themselves into it."
"You say one who is not loyal to Lothlórien cannot touch its blade. Why, then, can she hold this?" Legolas demanded.
"Because it was also made by dwarves… Anyway, we were friends from a very early age… 3 springs, that's the only reason I know all this. Gandalf taught her about magic—only white magic mind you, but it can be twisted. And Lady Galadriel taught her about elven magic. She was the nicest child until she turned 989 years of age. Gandalf left to the Shire more frequently, and she became rather bitter towards hobbit. All but two families she hated, those favored were the Tooks and the Gamgees. However, she cursed the name Baggins: all the Baggins' children were doomed to wander from the Shire and eventually the One Ring would come in their hands."
"And she came out of Lórien's favor then?" Merry asked.
"Yes, when Gandalf heard. An elven curse is not reversible," Haldir replied. "Needless to say she was in heaps of trouble, and ran away in fright." And nearly convinced me to go with her, and I wish I had… he added only to himself. "Lothlórien disowned her when she killed Mirkwood elves, whom helped build this castle by the way. They were trying to delay her from going East. And so, of course, she kept running East—farther and farther." Even when I caught her and tried to bring her back… "Until she was found, by Master Draekon. Seeing her potential for evil, he turned her against us all." Even me. "If I ever get my hands on that Saurar I'll…"
Celebrian herself set a reassuring hand upon his shoulder and then on Legolas', who was fuming a bit too. She could see the violent anger deep in the elf of Mirkwood's eyes, hidden to anyone who dared not look closer. "She has the will to return to us, if it is any comfort."
"Do not give any false hope Celebrian," Galadriel warned.
"I give no false hope, Mother, for she now has what she long desired, but knows not what to do with it. Its called love and neither of you gave it to her freely. We all disgraced and discarded her. All but two elves in middle earth hold her in contempt… I think Haldir and Legolas will prove themselves more useful than anyone in this war."
.-*-.
A.N. Oi! Oi! Love it dontcha? Hee-hee. Did ya think it was her? Anyway, her name I didn't exactly get from Mithrandir's (I think that's how you spell her penname) Grace O'Malley fic. I just looked for two names that looked similar Grian and Grainne (both Irish Gaelic) then I realized same name! ^.^ Coincident! R & R! (Btw, please read Mithrandir's Grace O'Malley fic… its really good and on my favorite's list… ^.^)
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P.S. Changed my author's note font size. It was takin' up too much dog-gone space!