The fields rippled green as the wind caressed their blades, forming a knee-
high sea. The eored were breaking camp in the dawn of the new day.
Unnoticed by the Rohirrim, Zaranda slipped away from their camp, passing by the horses unnoticed. The incident with the orcs had been sorted, and the kink in destiny had been smoothed away.
She stepped away, far enough away so that her disappearance would not cause ripples that would cause the Rohirrim to notice that someone had been there. She cast her mind out along the silken strands of her web, checking that all was as it should be. Once she satisfied herself that all was well, she focused her attention on the Ringbearer.
For a moment, her vision spun and her hearing dimmed as her mind slid into his. Her vision returned as she saw through his eyes and heard through his ears.
Torches and lanterns lighted the area. Hobbits sat everywhere, all were replete with the good meal they had enjoyed, and were waiting for Bilbo's speech to finish so that they could continue enjoying themselves.
Frodo fidgeted, and Zaranda became aware that her presence in his mind was causing him discomfort. She withdrew her mind, before she concentrated and shifted herself from the grass of the Riddermark, to the shadow of a pavilion.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins," the elderly hobbit perched atop a barrel declared. "Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Bolgers, Hornblowers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots." "Proudfeet!" one of the hobbits in the audience contradicted to a wave of laughter and a flap of the hand from Bilbo.
While the rest of the farewell speech went on, Zaranda looked around for key characters. Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck were there, as was Gandalf the Grey, and Samwise Gamgee.
"I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye." Bilbo spoke his final words, before he slipped the Ring on his finger and vanished into the shadow world.
Zaranda blinked and shifted the perspective of her eyes and watched as Bilbo made his departure as the uproar of the hobbits filled the field.
Zaranda quietly slipped away from the pavilion and moved, ghost like, up to Bag End.
The shut door posed no problem to her and she stepped through it like it was smoke, and into the hobbithole. Rather than reform into a solid form and risk banging into anything that would alert them to her presence, she remained discorporate and simply drifted through any obstructions.
"Did you see their faces?" she heard Bilbo laugh.
"There are many magic rings in this world, and none of them should be used lightly." Gandalf chided seriously.
"I suppose you're right, as usual." Bilbo tried to sound serious, but the mirth in his voice gave him away.
Zaranda slid into the main room, and blinked in surprise as Gandalf passed straight through her.
"Unnerving." She noted in a voice that sounded like a faint breeze.
"Two eyes, as often as I can spare them." Gandalf said in reference to Frodo, jolting Zaranda out of her thoughts.
As the conversation progressed, Zaranda watched with professional interest as Gandalf appeared to grow in stature, and the room behind him darkened.
Then as she scanned the paths of the future she realised the problem that Bilbo was about to face. She leant back against the wall, and let her consciousness drift out of her body.
As Bilbo headed for the door to be reminded that the Ring was still in his pocket, she slipped her mind behind his own and began to whisper encouragement to him.
Bilbo Baggins stood there, his outstretched hand trembling as the Ring on his palm warred against his instincts. But Zaranda was also there, adding her power to Bilbo's will power.
Bilbo's hand shook as it tilted. The Ring almost seemed to hang onto his skin, but finally relinquished its grip and fell to the floor. Bilbo stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath of the cool night air.
Zaranda braced herself as Gandalf stepped through her, but maintained her link with Bilbo's mind to monitor him to make sure that no backlash from giving up the Ring affected him.
With another part of her mind, she checked on Frodo, and smiled to see that he was busy calming the guests.
Then a faint thrumming on the strands of her web drew her attention to something that was out of sync with the rest of the world. She focused on the area, and shifted herself in space and time, emerging in Rivendell.
Her eyes did not take in the beauty of her surroundings, or notice the elves that passed through her wraith-like form. All her attention was focused on one elf that stood there talking to Lord Elrond HalfElven.
"My name is Sullion, my lord."
Lord Elrond frowned. Sullion make a tiny flicking motion with his hand, and Elrond's frown changed to pleased smile.
"I am honoured that you have offered to guard my daughter Sullion, and I gratefully accept your offer." Elrond spoke, and Zaranda cursed under her breath.
Dark Council. This did not bode well. But how could she remove this knot in destiny from the strands that surrounded it?
She closed her eyes, and gently extended her thoughts, probing the defences of the Dark Council Member that stood smiling at Elrond. Sickening images of the horrors he had seen, and committed washed through her mind, but she pushed them aside, searching for a hint of his plans.
Sullion's head came up sharply, and his eyes darted around him. Zaranda froze where she was, halting her probing mind.
"Does something disturb you Sullion?" Elrond asked.
"Just thought I saw a familiar face." Sullion lied. Zaranda knew that he has sensed her. But not before she had found out what she needed to know. And in his plan lay the seeds of his downfall.
Unnoticed by the Rohirrim, Zaranda slipped away from their camp, passing by the horses unnoticed. The incident with the orcs had been sorted, and the kink in destiny had been smoothed away.
She stepped away, far enough away so that her disappearance would not cause ripples that would cause the Rohirrim to notice that someone had been there. She cast her mind out along the silken strands of her web, checking that all was as it should be. Once she satisfied herself that all was well, she focused her attention on the Ringbearer.
For a moment, her vision spun and her hearing dimmed as her mind slid into his. Her vision returned as she saw through his eyes and heard through his ears.
Torches and lanterns lighted the area. Hobbits sat everywhere, all were replete with the good meal they had enjoyed, and were waiting for Bilbo's speech to finish so that they could continue enjoying themselves.
Frodo fidgeted, and Zaranda became aware that her presence in his mind was causing him discomfort. She withdrew her mind, before she concentrated and shifted herself from the grass of the Riddermark, to the shadow of a pavilion.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins," the elderly hobbit perched atop a barrel declared. "Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Bolgers, Hornblowers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots." "Proudfeet!" one of the hobbits in the audience contradicted to a wave of laughter and a flap of the hand from Bilbo.
While the rest of the farewell speech went on, Zaranda looked around for key characters. Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck were there, as was Gandalf the Grey, and Samwise Gamgee.
"I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye." Bilbo spoke his final words, before he slipped the Ring on his finger and vanished into the shadow world.
Zaranda blinked and shifted the perspective of her eyes and watched as Bilbo made his departure as the uproar of the hobbits filled the field.
Zaranda quietly slipped away from the pavilion and moved, ghost like, up to Bag End.
The shut door posed no problem to her and she stepped through it like it was smoke, and into the hobbithole. Rather than reform into a solid form and risk banging into anything that would alert them to her presence, she remained discorporate and simply drifted through any obstructions.
"Did you see their faces?" she heard Bilbo laugh.
"There are many magic rings in this world, and none of them should be used lightly." Gandalf chided seriously.
"I suppose you're right, as usual." Bilbo tried to sound serious, but the mirth in his voice gave him away.
Zaranda slid into the main room, and blinked in surprise as Gandalf passed straight through her.
"Unnerving." She noted in a voice that sounded like a faint breeze.
"Two eyes, as often as I can spare them." Gandalf said in reference to Frodo, jolting Zaranda out of her thoughts.
As the conversation progressed, Zaranda watched with professional interest as Gandalf appeared to grow in stature, and the room behind him darkened.
Then as she scanned the paths of the future she realised the problem that Bilbo was about to face. She leant back against the wall, and let her consciousness drift out of her body.
As Bilbo headed for the door to be reminded that the Ring was still in his pocket, she slipped her mind behind his own and began to whisper encouragement to him.
Bilbo Baggins stood there, his outstretched hand trembling as the Ring on his palm warred against his instincts. But Zaranda was also there, adding her power to Bilbo's will power.
Bilbo's hand shook as it tilted. The Ring almost seemed to hang onto his skin, but finally relinquished its grip and fell to the floor. Bilbo stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath of the cool night air.
Zaranda braced herself as Gandalf stepped through her, but maintained her link with Bilbo's mind to monitor him to make sure that no backlash from giving up the Ring affected him.
With another part of her mind, she checked on Frodo, and smiled to see that he was busy calming the guests.
Then a faint thrumming on the strands of her web drew her attention to something that was out of sync with the rest of the world. She focused on the area, and shifted herself in space and time, emerging in Rivendell.
Her eyes did not take in the beauty of her surroundings, or notice the elves that passed through her wraith-like form. All her attention was focused on one elf that stood there talking to Lord Elrond HalfElven.
"My name is Sullion, my lord."
Lord Elrond frowned. Sullion make a tiny flicking motion with his hand, and Elrond's frown changed to pleased smile.
"I am honoured that you have offered to guard my daughter Sullion, and I gratefully accept your offer." Elrond spoke, and Zaranda cursed under her breath.
Dark Council. This did not bode well. But how could she remove this knot in destiny from the strands that surrounded it?
She closed her eyes, and gently extended her thoughts, probing the defences of the Dark Council Member that stood smiling at Elrond. Sickening images of the horrors he had seen, and committed washed through her mind, but she pushed them aside, searching for a hint of his plans.
Sullion's head came up sharply, and his eyes darted around him. Zaranda froze where she was, halting her probing mind.
"Does something disturb you Sullion?" Elrond asked.
"Just thought I saw a familiar face." Sullion lied. Zaranda knew that he has sensed her. But not before she had found out what she needed to know. And in his plan lay the seeds of his downfall.