Arabella Thorne: Thank you for your wonderful review. You have been an
invaluable help to me with my writing and an invaluable friend. Poor Bara
knows when to leave. He headed for the next town with the Rangers. Maybe
he can make an appearance in later chapters.
Hope you guys like the next chapter. Just keep in mind I'm a rank amateur. Anyway, on with the story.
The Firebrand Chapter 7
Sareei waited sullenly in Elrond's study. Flanked by Elladan and Elrohir, with Glorfindel planted firmly in front of her, there was really no opportunity for escape. So they waited, while Strider briefed Elrond on her escapades in Greenmeadow. Already incensed by the forced ride from Greenmeadow, Sareei was not in a good mood.
"He's probably presenting it in the worst possible light.", she muttered to herself.
"He couldn't possibly present it in a 'worst possible light'," retorted Elladan sourly. The scratches on his face still itched.
Just then Elrond swept into the room, closely followed by Strider. From the glint in Strider's eye Sareei was sure he had done his best to get her into trouble. Glorfindel stepped aside as Elrond came in. The elf lord stood regarding her for a moment before he motioned the rest of the occupants out of the room. As the door shut behind them he gave a tired sigh.
"Sareei..", he began.
Her patience was already approaching the breaking point. Exasperated, Sareei angrily interrupted.
"You can't keep me here against my will. And you don't have any right to tell me what to do!", she stormed.
Elrond stopped and regarded Sareei with a raised eyebrow before he continued.
"I am aware of what your dream contained, Sareei. I only want to help you.", he told her gently.
"I don't need your help.", said Sareei angrily. "Why don't you mind your own business, elf."
Elrond's face grew grim. "Sareei, I know you are in pain. But striking out at others will not ease your pain or change what happened to your father." He looked deeply in her eyes. "Neither will suicide."
His remark hit a little too close to home. "I'm not trying to commit suicide.", retorted Sareei as she came to her feet. She stood toe to toe with Elrond, defiance radiating from her features.
"I'm leaving. Get out of my way." Sareei knew she was close to loosing control, but she didn't care anymore.
She put both hands on Elrond's chest and tried to shove him out of her way. It was like trying to shove a stone wall. Elrond stood immovable before Sareei. His face was stone and his eyes held a peculiar glint as they turned a stormy dark grey. Without another word Elrond captured her eyes with his stern grey ones. Sareei found she couldn't turn her eyes away. Elrond reached up and touched her gently between the eyes, sending her to sleep. The last thing Sareei remembered was falling into those stormy grey eyes.
Sareei opened her eyes and looked around the room. She sighed and dropped her head back onto the pillow. She was back in her room. She got out of bed and dressed quickly. Then she hurried gathered her belongings into her saddlebags.
She stepped back to the door and cautiously peeked out. The hall was empty. She took a deep breath and stepped into the hall. Just then a group of giggling elven women came around the corner. Sareei quickly fell into step behind them.
Gandalf sat in Elrond's study finishing his morning coffee. Elrond had been quiet all morning. What is troubling you, old friend?", asked Gandalf gently.
"Sareei.", admitted Elrond. "She is nearing a breakdown and still she refuses help. She is in great pain, even if she will not admit it." He shook his head. "She seems determined to challenge every evil thing in Middle Earth. What is she trying to prove? I fear for her safety." His face was clouded with concern.
"Then we had best keep a close eye on her, my friend. She can be a handful can't she?", he smiled as he sipped the last of his coffee.
Elrond thoughtfully nodded in agreement. He set down his cup. "I had better go check on her. She should be awake any moment now. And I'm sure she will not be pleased to find that she was sent to sleep last night."
"In that case I'd better go with you and serve as your body guard. I wouldn't want it said that the great Lord of Imladris met his end at the hands of a Numenorian spitfire." He didn't even bother to hide his chuckle.
Elrond tried his best to scowl but Gandalf's laughter was contagious. He too was chuckling as he gathered the ancient scrolls he had been reading and stepped to the bookcase to put them away. Gandalf sat watching him as he sat serenely puffing his pipe.
Neither saw Sareei as she walked past the study on her way out the front door. She hid herself on the other side a group of servants making their way down the hall. When they reached the front steps she left the group and headed for the stables.
Just as she got inside the stable she heard voices coming from one of the stalls. She quickly stepped inside a stall and hid behind a horse. She ducked down as four figures walked past the stall. The laughing group left the barn and headed for the house.
"Ah, little brother", said Elrohir, "you worry too much. The mare will be fine."
"Yes", chimed in Legolas, "with too such expert healers as your brothers looking after her, your mare should be fine. That is..", he added with a twinkle in his eye," if your brother's cures don't kill her first."
This promptly earned him a slap on the back of the head from both twins.
"I don't know which is funnier." , Aragorn snickered. "The remark Legolas made or you retribution." He laughed as he was promptly attacked by all three elves.
Sareei breathed a sigh of relief as the voices faded toward the direction of the house. She quickly saddled Ariel and bolted for the front gate.
Elrond was not pleased when he reached Sareei's room and found her gone. He immediately sent his sons and Legolas out to bring her back. She may be riding a mearas but she would tire and have to rest eventually. That would give them a chance to catch up to her. He stood on the balcony and watched the small group ride out. He prayed to Eru that the riders would find her before whatever was stalking her did.
He was not pleased with her defiance, but understanding it's origin, he was not as severe with her as he might have been. However, no matter what her problems, he could not tolerate such behavior in the future.
The group split up when the trail seemed to divide and go in two different directions. Elladan and Elrohir headed south, while Aragorn and Legolas went north. Laying out false trails would do her no good, thought Aragorn grimly. Her trail, while difficult for an average human to follow, was very plain to the elf and the Dunedan. They followed the trail relentlessly until the going got so difficult they were forced to leave their horses. They found the meadow that Sareei had left Ariel in, so they loosed their horses to graze there and continued on foot.
It didn't take long for Aragorn to pick up her trail again. He found something else too, something that made his blood run cold. Uruk-Hai tracks. Huge ones. And they were following Sareei. He looked at Legolas with grim eyes. They both broke into a run down the trail.
Hope you guys like the next chapter. Just keep in mind I'm a rank amateur. Anyway, on with the story.
The Firebrand Chapter 7
Sareei waited sullenly in Elrond's study. Flanked by Elladan and Elrohir, with Glorfindel planted firmly in front of her, there was really no opportunity for escape. So they waited, while Strider briefed Elrond on her escapades in Greenmeadow. Already incensed by the forced ride from Greenmeadow, Sareei was not in a good mood.
"He's probably presenting it in the worst possible light.", she muttered to herself.
"He couldn't possibly present it in a 'worst possible light'," retorted Elladan sourly. The scratches on his face still itched.
Just then Elrond swept into the room, closely followed by Strider. From the glint in Strider's eye Sareei was sure he had done his best to get her into trouble. Glorfindel stepped aside as Elrond came in. The elf lord stood regarding her for a moment before he motioned the rest of the occupants out of the room. As the door shut behind them he gave a tired sigh.
"Sareei..", he began.
Her patience was already approaching the breaking point. Exasperated, Sareei angrily interrupted.
"You can't keep me here against my will. And you don't have any right to tell me what to do!", she stormed.
Elrond stopped and regarded Sareei with a raised eyebrow before he continued.
"I am aware of what your dream contained, Sareei. I only want to help you.", he told her gently.
"I don't need your help.", said Sareei angrily. "Why don't you mind your own business, elf."
Elrond's face grew grim. "Sareei, I know you are in pain. But striking out at others will not ease your pain or change what happened to your father." He looked deeply in her eyes. "Neither will suicide."
His remark hit a little too close to home. "I'm not trying to commit suicide.", retorted Sareei as she came to her feet. She stood toe to toe with Elrond, defiance radiating from her features.
"I'm leaving. Get out of my way." Sareei knew she was close to loosing control, but she didn't care anymore.
She put both hands on Elrond's chest and tried to shove him out of her way. It was like trying to shove a stone wall. Elrond stood immovable before Sareei. His face was stone and his eyes held a peculiar glint as they turned a stormy dark grey. Without another word Elrond captured her eyes with his stern grey ones. Sareei found she couldn't turn her eyes away. Elrond reached up and touched her gently between the eyes, sending her to sleep. The last thing Sareei remembered was falling into those stormy grey eyes.
Sareei opened her eyes and looked around the room. She sighed and dropped her head back onto the pillow. She was back in her room. She got out of bed and dressed quickly. Then she hurried gathered her belongings into her saddlebags.
She stepped back to the door and cautiously peeked out. The hall was empty. She took a deep breath and stepped into the hall. Just then a group of giggling elven women came around the corner. Sareei quickly fell into step behind them.
Gandalf sat in Elrond's study finishing his morning coffee. Elrond had been quiet all morning. What is troubling you, old friend?", asked Gandalf gently.
"Sareei.", admitted Elrond. "She is nearing a breakdown and still she refuses help. She is in great pain, even if she will not admit it." He shook his head. "She seems determined to challenge every evil thing in Middle Earth. What is she trying to prove? I fear for her safety." His face was clouded with concern.
"Then we had best keep a close eye on her, my friend. She can be a handful can't she?", he smiled as he sipped the last of his coffee.
Elrond thoughtfully nodded in agreement. He set down his cup. "I had better go check on her. She should be awake any moment now. And I'm sure she will not be pleased to find that she was sent to sleep last night."
"In that case I'd better go with you and serve as your body guard. I wouldn't want it said that the great Lord of Imladris met his end at the hands of a Numenorian spitfire." He didn't even bother to hide his chuckle.
Elrond tried his best to scowl but Gandalf's laughter was contagious. He too was chuckling as he gathered the ancient scrolls he had been reading and stepped to the bookcase to put them away. Gandalf sat watching him as he sat serenely puffing his pipe.
Neither saw Sareei as she walked past the study on her way out the front door. She hid herself on the other side a group of servants making their way down the hall. When they reached the front steps she left the group and headed for the stables.
Just as she got inside the stable she heard voices coming from one of the stalls. She quickly stepped inside a stall and hid behind a horse. She ducked down as four figures walked past the stall. The laughing group left the barn and headed for the house.
"Ah, little brother", said Elrohir, "you worry too much. The mare will be fine."
"Yes", chimed in Legolas, "with too such expert healers as your brothers looking after her, your mare should be fine. That is..", he added with a twinkle in his eye," if your brother's cures don't kill her first."
This promptly earned him a slap on the back of the head from both twins.
"I don't know which is funnier." , Aragorn snickered. "The remark Legolas made or you retribution." He laughed as he was promptly attacked by all three elves.
Sareei breathed a sigh of relief as the voices faded toward the direction of the house. She quickly saddled Ariel and bolted for the front gate.
Elrond was not pleased when he reached Sareei's room and found her gone. He immediately sent his sons and Legolas out to bring her back. She may be riding a mearas but she would tire and have to rest eventually. That would give them a chance to catch up to her. He stood on the balcony and watched the small group ride out. He prayed to Eru that the riders would find her before whatever was stalking her did.
He was not pleased with her defiance, but understanding it's origin, he was not as severe with her as he might have been. However, no matter what her problems, he could not tolerate such behavior in the future.
The group split up when the trail seemed to divide and go in two different directions. Elladan and Elrohir headed south, while Aragorn and Legolas went north. Laying out false trails would do her no good, thought Aragorn grimly. Her trail, while difficult for an average human to follow, was very plain to the elf and the Dunedan. They followed the trail relentlessly until the going got so difficult they were forced to leave their horses. They found the meadow that Sareei had left Ariel in, so they loosed their horses to graze there and continued on foot.
It didn't take long for Aragorn to pick up her trail again. He found something else too, something that made his blood run cold. Uruk-Hai tracks. Huge ones. And they were following Sareei. He looked at Legolas with grim eyes. They both broke into a run down the trail.