Legolas walked behind Gandalf as he led the way towards the Inner Sanctuary, but his heart was deeply troubled. He had seen Camille being taken away by the Spirits, and it worried him to no end. He did not like it at all that she had to face these trials. Why must she and Eli prove themselves, he raged in his heart. Are they not worthy enough?!
He paused for a moment as he and the rest of the Fellowship that remained walked into a large hall, much larger than the previous one. It was circular in shape, held up by huge pillars made of a dark wood and inlaid heavily with gold in intricate designs. The floor beneath their feet was paved with colored stones cut into tiny pieces, and they formed a huge pattern; a colored version of the circular design he had seen on the stone slab at the entrance of the cave.
Once again, the strange voice that had spoken to them while they were in the hall spoke again, and said, "Look now upon the travails of thy friends!"
In the dim light shed by Gandalf's staff there were two flashes, and Legolas soon realized that he was looking upon a pair of mirrors. Both were framed in gold, wrought with a serpent, a dragon, a phoenix, and a tiger round the edge, glimmering with jewels innumerable.
As he watched, the shine of the glass dimmed, and it seemed to shimmer, like the surface of a calm pond when a breeze blows over it, causing ripples to form on its surface. For a while nothing could be seen through it, but in moments, the rippling ceased, and another image was presented. The left-hand mirror showed Camille, while the right-hand mirror showed Eli.
Legolas balled his hands into fists, attempting to restrain himself. His heart cried out for his beloved. Camille!
* * *
Camille floated in space, her eyes half-open, but seeing nothing. Am I dreaming, she wondered as she stared upwards…or was that downwards? She couldn't be too sure. Her sense of direction was completely lost in the vast space that surrounded her. And yet for some odd reason, she wasn't scared. It almost felt…right.
A voice spoke to her through the gloom. It was deep – a man's voice – but it wasn't frightening, for it was gentle and kind. "Thou art a strange one, child. Strange, but courageous."
"Who are you?" Camille asked slowly.
The owner of the voice chuckled at her inquiry. "I? I am Genbu, God of the North. And thou, fair child, who art thou?"
"I am Camille Selvitar."
"Selvitar…might thou be of the House of the Golden Phoenix? That clan has long been in the good standings of Suzako."
Camille nodded. "I am. I have the brooch to prove it."
"Very well then, Fair One. Thou must face thy trial now. Art thou ready?"
Camille closed her eyes now, though it didn't make a lot of difference. "I am."
Almost immediately, she felt gravity overtake her, and she did everything she could to land on her feet. When she opened her eyes again, she realized that she was standing in a dimly lit room. It was painted all in green, with touches of black and brown here and there. The room was bare save for the lamps that provided the light, and for a long table, upon which stood six different bottles, all filled with a certain liquid. At the very end of the table was a piece of paper.
Camille blinked. "What is this?"
Genbu's voice spoke to her again. "Thou art a clever girl, I can see, but thou must prove thy cleverness and faith to me. I shall not yield to one who does not use their wits, and thou must prove such to me. All that thou shall need to know is on yonder paper; the rest I leave up to thee."
Knowing that something was going on, Camille walked up to the paper, and read it. On it this was written:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
One of us will help you, and this you must find,
One among us six will let you move ahead,
But none will take you back instead,
Two among our number hold Elven wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, I give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide,
You will always find some on Elven wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
Camille's mind spun, and suddenly she got an immense headache. Oh great, a riddle! Damn, I'm not even good at these things! She groaned as she looked at the paper, then at the row of bottles that stood in front of her. "WHY does it have to always be ME who ends up with these sorts of things?"
She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to think clearly. Okay, let me think…one of these will get me through, two of them are wine, and the other three are poison. A bottle of poison will always be standing on the left side of the bottles that hold the wine. The bottles at the two ends may be different, but neither one is my friend…that probably means that they are both poisons. That means the second bottle to the left and the second one to the right is the Elven wine. So that means… Her eyes fell on the bottle that stood third from the left. She grinned. Of course! THAT must be the drink that will let me get through! Happy that she had managed to solve everything on her own, she approached the table, took the bottle, and opened it. No scent emerged from the bottle. Without a moment's hesitation, she lifted the bottle to her lips, and downed the contents. The liquid tasted like water and went easily down her throat, and the moment it hit her stomach she felt warm and contented.
Almost immediately, the darkness enveloped her again, and Genbu's voice spoke then. "Thou art as clever as I deemed thou to be, Fair One. What thou hast drunk is water drawn from Seiryuu's Spring, which thou hast seen in his Hall. Thou hast shown me not only thy clever mind, but thy courage and faith as well. And because of this, thou hast earned my respect.
"But now, I must turn thee over to Suzako, for it is his test that thou must face next. Fare thee well, and good luck." With that, the voice faded, and Camille was left alone again in the space between existences.
* * *
Eli looked all around her, but couldn't see anything but darkness. Where am I, she wondered as she tried to pierce through the murk that surrounded her. Where's Camille? "Camille, are you there?"
A voice answered her then. "Nay, thy friend is not here, Fair One, but she is being well taken cared of."
Eli whirled around, if that could be done while one was floating. "Who are you?!"
The owner of the voice laughed then. "Why art thou so suspicious of me?"
Eli smirked. "Well how can I NOT be suspicious of someone who decided to hypnotize me and then put me in a place where I can't even see who I'm talking to?"
Laughter echoed to her from the void, and the voice spoke again. "Thou speak in true words, but I remind thee that this is for thine own good. I am Byakko, God of the West. And who art thou, Fair One?"
"Elisabeth Carnahan."
"Ah, a Carnahan…I am assuming that thou art from the House of the White Dragon, art thou not? Thy clan was high in the graces of Seiryuu, before it slowly fell into ruin."
Eli raised her eyebrow in mockery. "Okay, so you may know a lot about my family history, but what's the point? I don't need a lesson about history, if you must know."
"Indeed, thou dost not need it. Would thou rather proceed with thy test?"
Test? Eli smirked, remembering. How hard can it be? "Alright then, let me at it."
"As thou wish." Eli felt that she was standing on her feet again, and that there was light all around her. She blinked to clear her vision, and realized that she was standing in a large ring-shaped area filled with sand. The room all around her was painted in glimmering white, highlighted by silver and touches of black. She turned around slowly, surveying the scene. This looks like an arena. What am I going to do, fight a couple Orcs or two? "What do you want me to do, Byakko?"
"'Tis quite a simple matter. I only wish that thou face the two thou would least want to face in battle."
Eli's eyes widened. Huh? What's THAT supposed to mean? As she waited, two doors swung open, and out stepped two figures that Eli hadn't expected to see.
She gasped, and took a step away from them, her eyes wide while she shook her head. NO!!! It can't be!!!
* * *
Aragorn's eyes widened when he saw whom Eli would be facing. "Elladan and Elrohir?! How could they have gotten here so swiftly?!"
He watched as Eli stepped away from the twin sons of Elrond, her eyes filled with shock. He could hear her voice as she spoke, "What sort of sick joke is this, Byakko?! What are Elladan and Elrohir doing here?!?!?!"
Aragorn could not hear the Spirit's response, but it must not have been a favorable answer. In the meantime, Elladan and Elrohir drew their swords, and were slowly coming towards Eli.
No! They would not do that!!! Elladan and Elrohir…no, not to Eli! This is impossible!!! He turned to Gandalf then. "Gandalf, is there nothing we can do to stop this?!?!?! I do not know how the sons of Elrond arrived here without our knowing…but they MUST be bewitched! None of them would attack Eli!"
But Gandalf was silent. He simply stared at the scene unfolding before them all. The rest of the Fellowship was watching the event with grim silence. "There is nothing we can do, Aragorn. This is a test for Elisabeth, and I can see what makes it so difficult. She is torn between defending herself from the attacks that Elladan and Elrohir will launch, and the fact that she does not wish to harm them, that they are the last people she would want to hurt."
Aragorn clutched his hands into fists, attempting to contain his worry and rage at what was happening now before him. He gazed on as Eli parried the attack that Elrohir sent her way, and parried again when Elladan attempted to smite her with his blade.
He could hear her pleading cries, sometimes speaking in Westron, and at times, Elvish. "Please Elladan, Elrohir, wake up! Can't you see?! It's me, Elisabeth, or Eli! Don't you remember me?! Come on, snap out of it!!" ^Elladan, PLEASE!!!! Elrohir, wake up, I beg you! I do not want to fight you!!!!!!^
* * *
They would not stop. They kept coming at her, while Eli did her best to avoid them, trying to parry their attacks or at least hide behind a pillar to avoid getting caught.
But it was starting to wear her down. She did not have the endurance of an Elven warrior, though her skill was parallel to one. Panting, she collapsed in the middle of the arena, barely hanging onto her sword. She closed her eyes, and shook her head. I can't hold out for much longer. I can't hold them back anymore… She looked up only when she felt the cold steel of their swords touch her neck.
For the first time in a long, long while, she felt tears starting to creep down her cheeks. She looked at them in the eye, whispering in Elvish, ^Please, Elladan, Elrohir, please wake up! I-I cannot stop you any longer! Do you wish me to die?^ She clutched her sword convulsively. ^Please, do not force me to do something I will regret…^
"What thou shall regret…shall thou regret killing these two?"
Eli gritted her teeth. "Shut up Byakko." She pulled herself to her feet, stepping back a few paces as she held her sword out, ready to defend.
"What shall thou do, Fair One? Shall thou smite these two and lay them dead at thy feet? Or shall thou allow them to slay thee?"
Eli winced, shaking her head, her whole body trembling. "No, I don't want to choose… I do not want to kill them…not them, of all the people in the world…no, not them…"
"Choose. Thy life? Or theirs? Quite a simple choice, if thou shall think about it carefully."
"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!?!" Eli screamed. "I love them!!! I cannot kill someone I love!"
Byakko's voice was taunting. "Ah, so thou love both then?! Well, that cannot be! Thou must choose one or the other. I have a new proposal…thou must slay one, and let the other live. Surely thou will choose the one thou cares least for?"
Eli shook her head defiantly. "NO, I would never do that!!! How many times do I have to repeat it?!?! I care for the BOTH of them, and to be forced to kill one and let the other live would be too difficult!!" She sank to her knees, her tears coming down like a waterfall, as she loosed her sword from her hand, and covered her eyes with her palms. "No, I cannot – I will not do it!!! I would rather die than see them hurt!!!"
Byakko laughed then, and he said, "Thou art indeed pure of heart, Fair One!" And then, almost immediately, Elladan and Elrohir disappeared as though they were just phantoms.
Eli gaped. "What the HELL was that?!?!"
"Oh, 'twas only an illusion. I created them from the fears I read in thy heart, and that, perhaps, was thy greatest fear: to be torn between two whom thy cared about the most. But if thou art not careful, thou may find thyself trapped in such a situation.
"However, that is all I wish to know of thee. Thou hast shown to me thy true courage and strength, as well as the purity of thine heart. Thou hast earned my respect. Now I shall turn thee over to Seiryuu for thy final test. Fare thee well, and good luck to thee!"
In the blink of an eye, the room disappeared from Eli's sight, and she felt herself floating in that deep dark space where she had begun.
* * *
Camille hated being in the dark again. The first time wasn't so bad, because she was still kind of "drugged", or so she liked to think. But that previous test woke her up and made her nerves jittery. Aragorn was right, she thought. I shouldn't take these tests lightly.
"Welcome, Fair One."
Camille snapped to attention. "Who's that?"
The voice was a little like Genbu's, but not as deep and more melodious. "I am Suzako, God of the South. And thou must be Camille Selvitar, of the House of the Golden Phoenix, art thou not?"
"Yeah, I'm from the House of the Golden Phoenix." Camille paused, then asked, "What do you know about it?"
Suzako's voice was hushed, almost reverent. "One of thy ancestors was my consort. Of course, I doubt if the history of thy clan would remember such a thing…but it is true. Her name was Jin Feng…a name that the inheritors of thy brooch still carry in her honor, and the name of thy clan."
Camille couldn't help but snicker. "Oh sure, GREAT new addition to my knowledge of my family's history. That one of my ancestors was – IS – a god! Oh yeah, I can almost imagine having to rewrite the books!"
"Thou should not make a laughing matter of a fact," Suzako said again, but his voice was still gentle and calm. "But there are other matters to tend to. Shall thou take thy trial now?"
Camille sighed, and nodded. "Okay, let's go."
The darkness swirled around her, and light formed again. Gravity pulled her downwards, and she felt a floor beneath her feet again. The light around her brightened, and she found herself standing in a room painted in red, with brilliant highlights of gold everywhere. She looked around. "What should I do?"
"Patience, Fair One. Thou shall see, eventually. Now, look at what lies at thy feet."
Camille looked down, and gasped with amazement and awe. Holy… At her feet lay an exquisite bow and a quiver with one red-fletched arrow. The bow was made of a wood that seemed naturally crimson in color, and was decorated in gold to look like the wings of a phoenix. Rubies were placed in strategic points all over it, making it glimmer brightly in the firelight around her. The quiver was made of leather, but was also adorned with gold, showing a phoenix perched upon a rock with wings outspread. The arrow was light and perfectly balanced, the shaft decked with gold swirls like that of flame, and the arrowhead made of cold glimmering steel that would go through anything.
She lifted the bow, and was amazed by how light it felt, in spite of all the gold it had. "Beautiful…"
Suzako chuckled. "Yes, is it not? Now then, I assume that thy knowledge of handling a bow is good?"
"You bet. I was taught by the best," Camille replied with a smirk, remembering the days when she and Legolas would go out everyday to practice archery.
"Very well then. Thy test is simple. I only wish that thou hit the target I shall show thee. Is this within thy skill?"
Camille nodded as she hefted the bow. "With a bow as good as this, I don't think I could miss ANY target."
"Good." The darkness lifted from the other end of the room, revealing a figure standing there. "This is thy target."
And Camille uttered a loud, horrified gasp when she saw what Suzako wanted her to hit. "No…it can't be…"
* * *
Frodo's eyes widened disbelievingly when he saw Legolas standing in the chamber with Camille. "Legolas?! What…why…" He knew that Legolas had been taken previously, right after the trial of Eli, but he hadn't expected for HIM to show up like that! He did not seem fettered or chained, but some invisible force seemed to be holding him in that position, not allowing him to stray from it.
The anguish in Camille's voice was detectable, and it tore at his heart to see such a fair young maiden have to go through such a terrible ordeal. "WHY, SUZAKO?!?!?! Why must you make me do this?!?!"
Frodo could not hear the Spirit's voice, but he knew that the answer was not good. His heart went out to the poor girl, and for the first time since he had met her, she looked very vulnerable and fragile. Has such vulnerability lain within her all this time?
The Fellowship shifted uneasily. The Legolas whom Camille was forced to shoot was no illusion, and it worried them terribly. On one hand, they didn't want to see Legolas die, but on the other, they needed the help of the Spirits in destroying the Ring. And Camille would not get that if she didn't shoot Legolas.
Frodo bit his lip, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene before him. Camille…Legolas…please make it out alive…
* * *
Legolas gritted his teeth as he stared at Camille from where he stood. He had free movement of his body, but a certain barrier surrounded him that kept him from getting closer to Camille…, which he wanted to do, desperately.
He hated seeing her the way she was right now. She had kept a strong front for the most part before they came here, and he had to admit, that strong front gave him comfort and hope that what they were doing was not in vain, and that everything would be resolved in the end.
But now the façade was torn from her, and what was left was an image that was the exact opposite of what he had known about her. She seemed frail and weak, and her tears coursed down her face like a cascade of raindrops. The only thing he wanted to do at that moment was take her in his arms and hold her tight, whispering to her that everything would be all right, that he would protect her from all the evils in the world if he had to…
He watched now as she lifted the bow. It was beautifully made, and seemed well balanced. She was crying, he saw, as she nocked an arrow, and pointed it at him.
Legolas knew immediately what the Spirit had asked her to do for her trial. She must shoot me. If she wishes to gain the power of the Spirit, she must slay me. For some odd reason, he wasn't afraid of dying. He didn't mind at all…if the arrow that would bring his doom was shot from her hand.
He called out to her then. "The Quest is more important, Camille; do not hesitate!" He smiled bitterly. ^I would rather die by your hand, Eriol, than be slain by the foul arrow of an Orc, or by the Evil One in Mordor. I love you.^
Camille's hand jerked at his words, and he knew that she was hesitating. But she knew as well as he did that the Quest was more important. After a while, she seemed to have found her will. She gripped the bow so tightly that her knuckles were white, and she nocked the arrow again. It trembled slightly with her hand as she drew the bowstring back, and aimed.
Legolas closed his eyes, and heard the bow twang. This is the end for me. I only wish that I could have kissed my beloved once before this was all over… He waited for the pain in his heart that would signify his end.
And waited…
And waited…
Legolas opened his eyes, surprised that he wasn't dead yet. I thought that she had aimed at me… There was no way she could miss at her distance – he had taught her too well - and the arrow had been trained at his heart. So how could she…
Camille was collapsed on the floor, her head in her hands. "I CAN'T DO IT!!!" she screamed. "I cannot kill the one I love!!!"
Legolas' heart was warmed instantly by those words, but he had no time. Darkness enveloped him again, and when it lifted, he was standing amongst the Fellowship once more.
They crowded around him, glad to see that he was safe. Even Gimli seemed happy to have him back. He blinked, surprised. "What happened?"
Gandalf chuckled, and patted him on the shoulder. "It seems that you survived that, Legolas. Though it was by a very narrow margin."
Pippin nodded, his Hobbit eyes wide in the semi-darkness. "I really thought she was going to kill you, I did! But she aimed the arrow just past you! Didn't it nick your arm?"
Did it? Legolas checked his arms, and sure enough, his right sleeve was ripped where the arrowhead zipped past, but there was no wound.
In the meantime, Aragorn was staring at the other mirror, watching with a strange impassive gaze that told Legolas something was wrong. "Aragorn, what is the matter?"
The Dunadan heaved a heavy sigh, and nodded towards the mirror that showed whatever went on with Eli. "She is in trouble." The tone in which the Man spoke told Legolas that he was sorely worried. Not quite a surprise, given that he considers Eli to be the younger sister he never had… But since he thought it best to know what was going on, he looked into the mirror, and couldn't help uttering a loud gasp.
Eli was standing in the middle of a room painted in an icy blue, with a bit of silver here and there for decoration. She was stripped of almost all her clothing, save for a soft sleeveless chemise that barely touched the midpoint of her thighs. As Legolas' gaze drifted lower to the girl's feet, he realized something horrid. Ice was beginning to form around her ankles, and it encrusted them in a thick layer of crystalline frost that gradually inched its way up her body.
"What is happening to her?!" Legolas managed to whisper, his shock too great to allow for a cry of dismay. "She is freezing!"
Gandalf nodded. "And that is her test. She must break free from the ice before it completely encases her, or it shall be her tomb for eternity."
"Is there nothing we can do?!" Boromir demanded. Apparently he had seen the young girls go through enough torture. "Gandalf, can you not break through this mirror and save her?! She shall die!"
Aragorn shook his head in negation. "It is beyond Gandalf's power to go to them. The Spirits will hold us back if we ever try. You remember what happened to Gimli, do you not? Though I know that Gandalf is indeed one of the most powerful of his kind, he cannot defy these Spirits in their own Sanctuary."
Legolas watched as the Gondorian turned away from the scene before him, and muttered something in his own tongue. He feels worried for their safety, he thought, slightly amused. And to think that he would not believe them during the Council.
The girl in the mirror uttered a scream, and Legolas whirled around to look. The ice had finally climbed up over Eli's body, and had covered her head. She stood now like a statue carven out of ice from the deep mountains, unmoving and cold.
Gimli spoke up then. "Is it over for her?"
For a while, no one, not even Legolas, had an answer to that. Though part of their hearts said that she was gone, but another said that they yet had to hope.
Suddenly, Gandalf cried, "Look!"
Legolas returned his focus to the mirror, and gaped at what he saw. A bright light was shining from Eli's form deep within the ice, and in moments, the frost shattered into a million pieces as though it were glass, freeing her from its confines. She fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Almost instantly, a flash of light blinded them all temporarily, and then, in the middle of their circle, they found the two girls, with Eli fully clothed, thankfully.
Legolas immediately knelt down at Camille's side, cradling her in his arms. ^Awake, Eriol, awake!^ He shook her a little to help in rousing her from her stupor.
The girl groaned in his arms, and pushed herself up slightly. "Ugh…that was HORRIBLE…I don't want to do that again anytime soon…"
"Ditto," Eli mumbled from where she sat in Aragorn's arms. She was wrapped thickly in the Ranger's cloak, for her entrapment in the ice had made her temperature drop drastically, and she had to be kept warm, else she would fall ill.
Legolas smiled down at Camille, holding her close to him. ^Hush, fair one, we shall leave here soon…^
"But not before we have given our blessings."
Legolas looked up the moment the voice spoke, and beheld a sight that remained engraved in his memory for the rest of his immortal life. Four magnificent beings stood before them, each clad in strange clothing. They were all male, but had different features. One was clad in green armor with a black serpent upon it; another wore blue armor with a helm in the form of a dragon; another had red armor decked with golden feathers; and the last was clad in white armor painted with black stripes. Their forms radiated a light that seemed to tell of the power they held within, a power that was subdued and yet palpable still.
The one in red smiled down at the two girls. "Thou hast passed our trials, and thou hast earned our respect. Never have we seen two as brave as thee, and as wise as thee. Middle-Earth is indeed blessed to have thee here."
Then the one in blue spoke. "Thou hast proven thy worth, and we shall now fulfill our part of the bargain." He held his hand out, beckoning. "Rise, Summoners of the Four Spirits of Middle-Earth. Receive thy promised strength."
Camille and Eli were pulled upwards by some unknown force, and they stood almost upright in the middle of a violent storm of light. The Fellowship looked on as spheres of red and green pulsated around Camille, and sparks of blue and white swirled around Eli. The lights slowly condensed into their bodies, and as they did so, a strange mark appeared upon their brows. It was in the writing that Camille called kanji, and it had appeared many times before upon the doors. She had translated it as the word 'priestess'.
At long last, the lights disappeared, and the girls were lowered to their feet upon the floor. They were groggy and weak in the knees, but overall they were all right.
As Legolas slipped his arm around Camille to help her walk, Gandalf smiled at the two of them. "At long last part of the Prophecy is fulfilled." He bowed to them. "Part of the hope of Middle-Earth lies within you now…Summoners of the Four Great Spirits of Middle-Earth."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, that was kind of crappy. I know, I know, this chapter is very long. I had wanted to make two chapters out of it, but I didn't know where to do the splitting. And the puzzle I got from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K Rowling. Yeah, I'm an HP fan too grins. ANYWAY, on to the next chapter (I hope none of you are getting tired yet…)! The Fellowship travels down to Moria, their only way of getting through to Dimrill Dale. What will happen to them while they're there? And how will our fledgling Summoners get on with their new powers? Just read to find out! Ja ne!!