Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR. I own the Ryunarasu.
I STAND ALONE
Naurglahad gasped and immediately rolled out of bed and bowed on the floor.
"Lord Onikunshu, father and master, how may I serve you?" she said in the form of the ritual.
"What is your news?" he ordered quietly, "How are you proceeding in your task?"
Naurglahad twitched. She remembered.
Taking her friends in the dimension traveler was not the only reason why she was here. She was in Middle-earth for a special--no, regal assignment: to extract blood from and enslave Elves. Through the completion of this task, then she would be qualified to attain the throne of Ryunarasu. But she had always regretted accepting the challenge.
Though she would torment the Elves by raising monsters and make them shudder with a Dark attitude, she never wanted to seriously kill or hurt any one of them. She had regretted telling Onikunshu about the elves and their blood. If that hadn't happened, then he wouldn't be interested in seeing if their blood could support the Bounty Hunter clan. And if their blood were no use, then their immortality and stability would be turned into slavery.
"I have 'befriended' the Prince," said Naurglahad, trying to keep herself together, "And once he is over with, I will have the King."
"Excellent." said Onikunshu sternly. He was not joyous for almost any situation. He only smiled when something exploded or died violently. "Now, there is a second matter I need to discuss with you,"
Suddenly, he took a razor sharp Kunai and struck Naurglahad's face. She staggered and clutched the wound cut on her cheek. Blood began to seep from it instantly.
"What are the three emotions that you are forbidden to show?" he spat, watching his daughter collect herself and stand straight again, ignoring the blood that trickled down her face like tears.
"Sorrow, fear, and love," she recited. She refused to let a mere cut affect her. She had survived injuries that were worse…much worse.
"It seems a miracle that you still remember," said Onikunshu, "You're reactions at the bottom of the mountain were pitiful. You, sending your beloved puny Dragons to unknowingly face my own mightier Dragons. I told them to slaughter whatever they met if they didn't bring you to me. I thought that you would know better than to commit such a foolish task. It brings shame to the name 'Ryunarasu'."
Naurglahad held back tears of fury and honorable guilt through her eyes that were already straining to keep steady. She knew he was just being hard on her to enforce tactics for a good hunter, yet it was an abusive technique, and it pierced and cuffed heart.
"Don't make emotional mistakes like that again," he warned, "Or you will fall to the feet of your foe. I will be watching you,"
He threw a black capsule at thee ground, and in a mist of black smoke he was gone.
~*~
Naurglahad dragged herself to the door when someone rapped on the handles the next morning. Running her hair through her fingers, she threw on a robe in case it was another elf that nagged about modesty. 'I hate mornings' she thought acidly as she opened the door. Once again, Legolas was there, looking impatient that she was late for breakfast.
"It's a habit of yours that you overslee-where did you get that cut?"
Naurglahad blinked as she felt the sore on her cheek. She tried to think of a reasonable excuse to cover up what happened last night. However, explaining how she got a cut on her face, that looked as if someone had hit her, was difficult.
"I was…I was…" Naurglahad gave up, "Never mind that. As for breakfast, I'm not hungry, I am tired, and I would like to go back to sleep, good day!"
She slammed the door abruptly in his face. She had no time to consider if what she did might have confused Legolas, instead, she dressed in her usual black robe, but only wore a single strap across her chest to hold a sword. She needed to reside to her nature self again with a few animal friends that dwelt in the dell of Rivendell's mountain valley.
She opened the door to find Legolas still standing there with the same impatient look on his face. He could tell that something was definitely going on with her, and it would probably affect her and the rest of the world deeply.
"Please do not slam the door in my face again," he said politely, "It's quite rude,"
"Aw," sighed Naurglahad, "I am so sorry! But I am in a rush!" she gave him a quick friendly hug, and ran off. "Toodles!"
Legolas watched her run down the corridor and out of sight. He shook his head.
Naurglahad kept running down the halls and doors, passing elf maids and servants quickly, leaping over a couple balconies, and splattering Elrond with water as she skipped through a fountain.
"Sorry!" she called, continuing her lope without hesitation. Then, she turned a corner and almost thudded right into a few elf maidens that were standing around. They turned and looked at her for a moment, and then they sneered in hatred. Naurglahad recognized them as three of the girls from last night.
"You!" one of them quarreled, "You are Naurglahad!" she pushed her, "Who do you think you are? A mortal flirting with an elf prince?"
"Well well well!" exclaimed Naurglahad, wittily dusting herself off, "It looks like I've run into Charlie's Angels!" The three elf maidens raised an eyebrow, "Oh no!"
She shoved the elf maiden back and wended her way though them. She was held back as a maiden grabbed the hilt of her sword. Flames roared wrathfully in Naurglahad's eyes. She whipped around and grabbed the maiden by the collar.
"Do not," she cautioned menacingly, "touch the sword. That was over fourteen qemba worth of cash. If you grab it, you might break it. Give me another four qemba, and I'll gladly cleave off your head for violating my possessions!"
She passed them in the hall and ran to the stables where she could borrow one of the horses.
~*~
"Have you seen Naurglahad lately?" asked Elenwe to Legolas as they walked through the corridors near Elrond's Library.
"There was something wrong with her this morning," he replied, "She had a cut on her cheek and she wouldn't tell me how she got it."
"Strange…how large was it?"
"It was as if someone had done it for her…I hope she's alright,"
"Oh you don't need to worry about her!" said one of the elf maidens that 'just happened' to be nearby, "She shouldn't be of any of your concerns!"
"I will concern for whom and what I wish, thank you," said Legolas firmly. He attempted to continue on his way with Elenwe around the hall, but was cornered by more elf maidens. Soon, they had created a solid wall around him.
"I will go find her," said Elenwe over the crowd of fan girls. Legolas nodded his permission as he began to step away from the fan girl wall. Elenwe didn't know where to start first, but he thought he would ask Elrond first before venturing away from the city into the mountains. As he passed through Imladris, he came across several shocked elves that claimed that someone nearly ran them over. He suspected that Naurglahad was probably running with the excessive use of elbows again.
Continuing down the halls, he found some people paralyzed, staring up at a railing, proclaiming that they were nearly flattened as someone leapt right over it. He also found a triplet of fan girls that asked him if he knew what 'Charlie's Angels' was. Later, he found Elrond sitting in the sun, very wet with a frustrated look on his face. His left eye was twitching aggregately as he sat on the stone bench, ever so motionless, plotting something. Elenwe approached him with caution.
"Excuse me? Lord Elrond?"
Elrond turned around and replied, "Yes? What do you need?"
"Have you seen Naurglahad?"
Elrond shuddered. "She just ran past the fountains, actually, she ran in the fountains, spraying water all over my face and my good mahogany robes!" He pointed to his sodden coat, "She went that way if that is what you want to know!" he pointed out of Rivendell, into the stables. Elenwe bowed a thank-you and ran off in that direction.
~*~
Elenwe took a horse and rode along the path. There were fresh hoof prints in it, so he knew which way to go. He surpassed a small forest, a few streams, and a couple large boulders, following the footprints until he found another horse tied to a tree. It was obviously Naurglahad's, as it was saddled and bridled. She was the only mortal around for the few miles. Leaving his horse next to Naurglahad's he followed a new set of footprints down another trail, and into another forest.
Then, he could hear the maker of the footsteps somewhere very close by. He turned to the noise, which seemed to lurk behind a stalk of very tall bushes. He poked his head through the branches, but instead of finding solid ground, he found sixty feet of thin air over a black abyss. He made to step back on to safe ground, but his balance was beginning to fail. He teetered over the edge of the precipice.
Then, he fell over the cliff.
I STAND ALONE
Naurglahad gasped and immediately rolled out of bed and bowed on the floor.
"Lord Onikunshu, father and master, how may I serve you?" she said in the form of the ritual.
"What is your news?" he ordered quietly, "How are you proceeding in your task?"
Naurglahad twitched. She remembered.
Taking her friends in the dimension traveler was not the only reason why she was here. She was in Middle-earth for a special--no, regal assignment: to extract blood from and enslave Elves. Through the completion of this task, then she would be qualified to attain the throne of Ryunarasu. But she had always regretted accepting the challenge.
Though she would torment the Elves by raising monsters and make them shudder with a Dark attitude, she never wanted to seriously kill or hurt any one of them. She had regretted telling Onikunshu about the elves and their blood. If that hadn't happened, then he wouldn't be interested in seeing if their blood could support the Bounty Hunter clan. And if their blood were no use, then their immortality and stability would be turned into slavery.
"I have 'befriended' the Prince," said Naurglahad, trying to keep herself together, "And once he is over with, I will have the King."
"Excellent." said Onikunshu sternly. He was not joyous for almost any situation. He only smiled when something exploded or died violently. "Now, there is a second matter I need to discuss with you,"
Suddenly, he took a razor sharp Kunai and struck Naurglahad's face. She staggered and clutched the wound cut on her cheek. Blood began to seep from it instantly.
"What are the three emotions that you are forbidden to show?" he spat, watching his daughter collect herself and stand straight again, ignoring the blood that trickled down her face like tears.
"Sorrow, fear, and love," she recited. She refused to let a mere cut affect her. She had survived injuries that were worse…much worse.
"It seems a miracle that you still remember," said Onikunshu, "You're reactions at the bottom of the mountain were pitiful. You, sending your beloved puny Dragons to unknowingly face my own mightier Dragons. I told them to slaughter whatever they met if they didn't bring you to me. I thought that you would know better than to commit such a foolish task. It brings shame to the name 'Ryunarasu'."
Naurglahad held back tears of fury and honorable guilt through her eyes that were already straining to keep steady. She knew he was just being hard on her to enforce tactics for a good hunter, yet it was an abusive technique, and it pierced and cuffed heart.
"Don't make emotional mistakes like that again," he warned, "Or you will fall to the feet of your foe. I will be watching you,"
He threw a black capsule at thee ground, and in a mist of black smoke he was gone.
~*~
Naurglahad dragged herself to the door when someone rapped on the handles the next morning. Running her hair through her fingers, she threw on a robe in case it was another elf that nagged about modesty. 'I hate mornings' she thought acidly as she opened the door. Once again, Legolas was there, looking impatient that she was late for breakfast.
"It's a habit of yours that you overslee-where did you get that cut?"
Naurglahad blinked as she felt the sore on her cheek. She tried to think of a reasonable excuse to cover up what happened last night. However, explaining how she got a cut on her face, that looked as if someone had hit her, was difficult.
"I was…I was…" Naurglahad gave up, "Never mind that. As for breakfast, I'm not hungry, I am tired, and I would like to go back to sleep, good day!"
She slammed the door abruptly in his face. She had no time to consider if what she did might have confused Legolas, instead, she dressed in her usual black robe, but only wore a single strap across her chest to hold a sword. She needed to reside to her nature self again with a few animal friends that dwelt in the dell of Rivendell's mountain valley.
She opened the door to find Legolas still standing there with the same impatient look on his face. He could tell that something was definitely going on with her, and it would probably affect her and the rest of the world deeply.
"Please do not slam the door in my face again," he said politely, "It's quite rude,"
"Aw," sighed Naurglahad, "I am so sorry! But I am in a rush!" she gave him a quick friendly hug, and ran off. "Toodles!"
Legolas watched her run down the corridor and out of sight. He shook his head.
Naurglahad kept running down the halls and doors, passing elf maids and servants quickly, leaping over a couple balconies, and splattering Elrond with water as she skipped through a fountain.
"Sorry!" she called, continuing her lope without hesitation. Then, she turned a corner and almost thudded right into a few elf maidens that were standing around. They turned and looked at her for a moment, and then they sneered in hatred. Naurglahad recognized them as three of the girls from last night.
"You!" one of them quarreled, "You are Naurglahad!" she pushed her, "Who do you think you are? A mortal flirting with an elf prince?"
"Well well well!" exclaimed Naurglahad, wittily dusting herself off, "It looks like I've run into Charlie's Angels!" The three elf maidens raised an eyebrow, "Oh no!"
She shoved the elf maiden back and wended her way though them. She was held back as a maiden grabbed the hilt of her sword. Flames roared wrathfully in Naurglahad's eyes. She whipped around and grabbed the maiden by the collar.
"Do not," she cautioned menacingly, "touch the sword. That was over fourteen qemba worth of cash. If you grab it, you might break it. Give me another four qemba, and I'll gladly cleave off your head for violating my possessions!"
She passed them in the hall and ran to the stables where she could borrow one of the horses.
~*~
"Have you seen Naurglahad lately?" asked Elenwe to Legolas as they walked through the corridors near Elrond's Library.
"There was something wrong with her this morning," he replied, "She had a cut on her cheek and she wouldn't tell me how she got it."
"Strange…how large was it?"
"It was as if someone had done it for her…I hope she's alright,"
"Oh you don't need to worry about her!" said one of the elf maidens that 'just happened' to be nearby, "She shouldn't be of any of your concerns!"
"I will concern for whom and what I wish, thank you," said Legolas firmly. He attempted to continue on his way with Elenwe around the hall, but was cornered by more elf maidens. Soon, they had created a solid wall around him.
"I will go find her," said Elenwe over the crowd of fan girls. Legolas nodded his permission as he began to step away from the fan girl wall. Elenwe didn't know where to start first, but he thought he would ask Elrond first before venturing away from the city into the mountains. As he passed through Imladris, he came across several shocked elves that claimed that someone nearly ran them over. He suspected that Naurglahad was probably running with the excessive use of elbows again.
Continuing down the halls, he found some people paralyzed, staring up at a railing, proclaiming that they were nearly flattened as someone leapt right over it. He also found a triplet of fan girls that asked him if he knew what 'Charlie's Angels' was. Later, he found Elrond sitting in the sun, very wet with a frustrated look on his face. His left eye was twitching aggregately as he sat on the stone bench, ever so motionless, plotting something. Elenwe approached him with caution.
"Excuse me? Lord Elrond?"
Elrond turned around and replied, "Yes? What do you need?"
"Have you seen Naurglahad?"
Elrond shuddered. "She just ran past the fountains, actually, she ran in the fountains, spraying water all over my face and my good mahogany robes!" He pointed to his sodden coat, "She went that way if that is what you want to know!" he pointed out of Rivendell, into the stables. Elenwe bowed a thank-you and ran off in that direction.
~*~
Elenwe took a horse and rode along the path. There were fresh hoof prints in it, so he knew which way to go. He surpassed a small forest, a few streams, and a couple large boulders, following the footprints until he found another horse tied to a tree. It was obviously Naurglahad's, as it was saddled and bridled. She was the only mortal around for the few miles. Leaving his horse next to Naurglahad's he followed a new set of footprints down another trail, and into another forest.
Then, he could hear the maker of the footsteps somewhere very close by. He turned to the noise, which seemed to lurk behind a stalk of very tall bushes. He poked his head through the branches, but instead of finding solid ground, he found sixty feet of thin air over a black abyss. He made to step back on to safe ground, but his balance was beginning to fail. He teetered over the edge of the precipice.
Then, he fell over the cliff.