(( The only characters in this story that belong to me are Zaranda, and any
member of the Dark Council that should turn up. All the others are the
property of JRR Tolkien. This story was originally written as 'Historys
Ghost', but after re-reading it I decided that it needed to be reworked.
This is the result. Thank you! ))
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Zaranda waited among the shadow, watching. Arwen sat on the edge of her bed, embroidery hoop in hand, needle flashing deftly. The wrongness of the situation grated across Zaranda's senses, making her shudder with the discord. But she pushed the pain to the back of her mind.
Both women's eyes flicked to the door as a note was pushed under it. Arwen rose, but Zaranda was quicker.
She reached out with her mind and scanned the note, growling mentally before combusting the paper. Arwen recoiled and Zaranda glided out of the shadows.
With a whispered word, Arwen was frozen in paralysis, eyes wide in shock. Zaranda could read in the depths of her eyes Arwens thoughts and realised that her original plan would not work. She reached out with a pale hand and brushed Arwen's brow.
Arwen wilted, collapsing to the floor, but before she could land a cushion of air caught her and gently bore her to the bed.
Zaranda moved across to the door, placing her hands flat against the wooden panels and extending her awareness. She wove a spell deep in the wood, to be activated when someone tried to open the door, to prevent them entering, but to think that it was their own idea.
She withdrew her mind, before looking at Arwen. Then as Zaranda stood there, her form changed, till a duplicate Arwen stood there.
"And now I go to deal with Sullion." The duplicate murmured in Arwen's voice, before gliding out of the room.
---------------------------------------------------
Sullion stood facing a waterfall, its spray dappling his hair with diamond droplets. Arwen/Zaranda stepped into the clearing, slipper clad feet making no sound, but Sullion still heard her and turned, smiling a welcome.
Zaranda could clearly see the glamour he had woven about himself to entrance Arwen and draw her away from Aragorn.
"I cannot remain long before I am missed my love, but I had to see you before I depart." Sullion began.
"But you are mistaken Sullion." Zaranda spoke, maintaining her guise of Arwen. "For you never arrived here in Rivendell, or volunteered to guard me. In fact, to this world, you never existed."
Sullions's elven expression changed from welcome to confusion as Zaranda spoke. Then Zaranda let her disguise fall, and in the same instant, while Sullions was staring with dismay at her suddenly revealed form, she struck. Her power was concentrated into one fine beam, and ripped into his mind, distorting his thoughts and blocking off his own power before he had a chance to use it against her.
Sullion staggered before he collapsed to the grassy sward, one hand dangling in the waterfalls pool. Zaranda knelt beside him, reinforcing the blocking on his mind. She sealed off his magic and altered his memories. Now he would remember nothing of his magical past, or the events that he tried to bring into motion. He, now a simple Elf of Mirkwood, would only know what she wanted him to know.
As she dealt with him and transported him to the woods that were now his home, she felt the world snap back into its rightful place. She sighed with relief as the pain abated in her skull. She rose, and task here completed, focused on the other major events unfolding. Zaranda reached out through her web, checking on the key characters. She winced as the echoes of hoof beats drummed along the strands of her cobweb. The Nazgul were abroad. She noted their location and smiled to see that they were on schedule. She briefly focused her eyes on the area the Nazgul were riding through, and blistered the air around her with curses. For where there should have been nine, there were ten. This was not good.
But she could not spare the time now to deal with them, for she had to make sure that Gandalf's role was seen through. She shifted herself along her lines and reappeared in Orthanc, in a corner of Saruman's study.
She solidified and let herself become visible, as there was no-one present in the room. She briefly took control of the mind of one of the birds that were circling the tower and checked on the progress of Saruman and Gandalf.
Then she actually took stock of her surroundings and began to browse through some of the documents lying around.
She heard the pair approaching the study and quickly shifted once more to a gaseous and invisible form, drifting to an out of the way corner.
She identified Gandalf and Saruman, but only partly focused on their words, instead concentrating on keeping a calm mind.
Her alignment was to the side of god, and that was the side that she constantly felt the urge to aid. But for the timeline to stay the same, she must not interfere, although it cut her to the bone.
"I have seen it." Saruman spoke, and his eyes turned to the covered globe at the centre of the room that adjoined his study.
"A palantir is a dangerous tool Saruman." Gandalf said as they began to move towards it, Zaranda following silently behind.
"Why? Why should we fear to use it?" Saruman said as he pulled the silk cover off. A midnight blue orb was revealed, gleaming in the light that filtered into the room.
Zaranda drifted over and her green eyes stared into its depths. A flicker of red appeared deep in its heart, and Zaranda reached out one transparent hand to brush the orb.
"They are not all accounted for, the lost seeing stones. We do not know who else may be watching." Gandalf said, taking the cloth from Saruman's hand and once more covering the stone.
Zaranda blinked as her eyes contact was broken and stepped backwards till she was out of the way of the two Istari. She was dismayed with the speed with which the palantir had held her mind, and resolved to be more cautious.
As Gandalf became fully aware of the treachery of Saruman, Zaranda stood in the corner of the room in the shadow of Saruman's throne as she watched the two duel, something that she must not intervene in. A solitary tear trickled down her face as she closed her eyes to the sight before her. She could do nothing.
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Zaranda waited among the shadow, watching. Arwen sat on the edge of her bed, embroidery hoop in hand, needle flashing deftly. The wrongness of the situation grated across Zaranda's senses, making her shudder with the discord. But she pushed the pain to the back of her mind.
Both women's eyes flicked to the door as a note was pushed under it. Arwen rose, but Zaranda was quicker.
She reached out with her mind and scanned the note, growling mentally before combusting the paper. Arwen recoiled and Zaranda glided out of the shadows.
With a whispered word, Arwen was frozen in paralysis, eyes wide in shock. Zaranda could read in the depths of her eyes Arwens thoughts and realised that her original plan would not work. She reached out with a pale hand and brushed Arwen's brow.
Arwen wilted, collapsing to the floor, but before she could land a cushion of air caught her and gently bore her to the bed.
Zaranda moved across to the door, placing her hands flat against the wooden panels and extending her awareness. She wove a spell deep in the wood, to be activated when someone tried to open the door, to prevent them entering, but to think that it was their own idea.
She withdrew her mind, before looking at Arwen. Then as Zaranda stood there, her form changed, till a duplicate Arwen stood there.
"And now I go to deal with Sullion." The duplicate murmured in Arwen's voice, before gliding out of the room.
---------------------------------------------------
Sullion stood facing a waterfall, its spray dappling his hair with diamond droplets. Arwen/Zaranda stepped into the clearing, slipper clad feet making no sound, but Sullion still heard her and turned, smiling a welcome.
Zaranda could clearly see the glamour he had woven about himself to entrance Arwen and draw her away from Aragorn.
"I cannot remain long before I am missed my love, but I had to see you before I depart." Sullion began.
"But you are mistaken Sullion." Zaranda spoke, maintaining her guise of Arwen. "For you never arrived here in Rivendell, or volunteered to guard me. In fact, to this world, you never existed."
Sullions's elven expression changed from welcome to confusion as Zaranda spoke. Then Zaranda let her disguise fall, and in the same instant, while Sullions was staring with dismay at her suddenly revealed form, she struck. Her power was concentrated into one fine beam, and ripped into his mind, distorting his thoughts and blocking off his own power before he had a chance to use it against her.
Sullion staggered before he collapsed to the grassy sward, one hand dangling in the waterfalls pool. Zaranda knelt beside him, reinforcing the blocking on his mind. She sealed off his magic and altered his memories. Now he would remember nothing of his magical past, or the events that he tried to bring into motion. He, now a simple Elf of Mirkwood, would only know what she wanted him to know.
As she dealt with him and transported him to the woods that were now his home, she felt the world snap back into its rightful place. She sighed with relief as the pain abated in her skull. She rose, and task here completed, focused on the other major events unfolding. Zaranda reached out through her web, checking on the key characters. She winced as the echoes of hoof beats drummed along the strands of her cobweb. The Nazgul were abroad. She noted their location and smiled to see that they were on schedule. She briefly focused her eyes on the area the Nazgul were riding through, and blistered the air around her with curses. For where there should have been nine, there were ten. This was not good.
But she could not spare the time now to deal with them, for she had to make sure that Gandalf's role was seen through. She shifted herself along her lines and reappeared in Orthanc, in a corner of Saruman's study.
She solidified and let herself become visible, as there was no-one present in the room. She briefly took control of the mind of one of the birds that were circling the tower and checked on the progress of Saruman and Gandalf.
Then she actually took stock of her surroundings and began to browse through some of the documents lying around.
She heard the pair approaching the study and quickly shifted once more to a gaseous and invisible form, drifting to an out of the way corner.
She identified Gandalf and Saruman, but only partly focused on their words, instead concentrating on keeping a calm mind.
Her alignment was to the side of god, and that was the side that she constantly felt the urge to aid. But for the timeline to stay the same, she must not interfere, although it cut her to the bone.
"I have seen it." Saruman spoke, and his eyes turned to the covered globe at the centre of the room that adjoined his study.
"A palantir is a dangerous tool Saruman." Gandalf said as they began to move towards it, Zaranda following silently behind.
"Why? Why should we fear to use it?" Saruman said as he pulled the silk cover off. A midnight blue orb was revealed, gleaming in the light that filtered into the room.
Zaranda drifted over and her green eyes stared into its depths. A flicker of red appeared deep in its heart, and Zaranda reached out one transparent hand to brush the orb.
"They are not all accounted for, the lost seeing stones. We do not know who else may be watching." Gandalf said, taking the cloth from Saruman's hand and once more covering the stone.
Zaranda blinked as her eyes contact was broken and stepped backwards till she was out of the way of the two Istari. She was dismayed with the speed with which the palantir had held her mind, and resolved to be more cautious.
As Gandalf became fully aware of the treachery of Saruman, Zaranda stood in the corner of the room in the shadow of Saruman's throne as she watched the two duel, something that she must not intervene in. A solitary tear trickled down her face as she closed her eyes to the sight before her. She could do nothing.