".And then, we left here, and headed west, to intercept the hobbits. And
remember, my memory had been wiped, so I was a bit distrusting." Noon rose
to its pinnacle, and began to descend into the west, throwing slanting rays
of gold into the room as Serena finished her prologue. Mhera's young eyes
were wide with interest, and the tiny elf princess was leaning slightly
forward in anticipation.
"And then what? So you came back with food, and then?"
Serena laughed softly. "I'm getting to it, I am. Patience, patience. Now,
where was I.?"
Two thousand years hence.
Astenfire jolted upright from her sleeping perch against her pack, just having been released from her frozen time being. Around the camp cries of surprise rent the air, and Moony, towering above them all, his blue-black hide glimmering in the waning sun's final shafts of gold, beaming down upon a figure at his footpaws. Astenfire stood to her feet, staring open-mouthed around her. Everyone had seemingly aged ten, or fifteen perhaps years, but as elves, having once met full maturity, age considerably slower than, maybe. Serena? The elf, no longer stunted in size stood at Moonbeam's feet, grinning at them all. Her long blonde hair fluttered to her waist, now ringed with a black-leather belt. She was cloaked in a flowing satin navy-blue traveling cloak- remarkably like the one she had been wearing prior to the time-jump. But her immense, telltale glassy blue eyes remained dominating her face. Astenfire shook her head sagely, trying to stifle her laugher, as Calyces had (fighting sniggers) pointed out gray hairs sprouting on the base of Aragorn's skull, well out of his eyesight. The disgruntled man, his usually sleek black hair lightened with one or two silvery gray ones, stomped the length of the camp, drawing his sword hanging from his belt, and severed a gnarled, long-dead, haggard tree a hair's-breadth from the ground. "I don't care if your hair is gray." Aragorn, without turning, growled, "Thanks, Colette. Just 'cause I'm the only mortal here, doesn't mean I always have to be the comic relief." Colette, still (apparently) openly smitten with Aragorn, came up behind him, and placed a hand, still thin and travel worn from before the time- interruption, on his shoulder in comfort. "Calyces is just trying to lighten the mood." Astenfire turned away, not wanting to overhear the rest of the patronizing speech. "Come on, come on! Aragorn's head isn't that funny! We've all got a long march tomorrow, so hit the sacks!" She barked, savoring the moment of supreme power. Aragorn scowled at her. His dark eyes fell across her green traveling cloak, to the lithe yew bow slung over her shoulder, a silken sheet of dark brown hair partially obscuring the deerskin quiver. Serena walked over to Astenfire, her eyes bright, though slightly hazy. Astenfire sighed- apparently the leap in time did nothing to improve her fatally damaged memory. "Askenfire?" Astenfire felt her stomach clench, and something snap. "Astenfire. Asten-fire. Repeat." Serena looked taken aback, gave her a sideways, curious look. "Astenfire." "Good. Now, what'd want to tell me?" "Moony has seen figures on the horizon."
Two thousand years hence.
Astenfire jolted upright from her sleeping perch against her pack, just having been released from her frozen time being. Around the camp cries of surprise rent the air, and Moony, towering above them all, his blue-black hide glimmering in the waning sun's final shafts of gold, beaming down upon a figure at his footpaws. Astenfire stood to her feet, staring open-mouthed around her. Everyone had seemingly aged ten, or fifteen perhaps years, but as elves, having once met full maturity, age considerably slower than, maybe. Serena? The elf, no longer stunted in size stood at Moonbeam's feet, grinning at them all. Her long blonde hair fluttered to her waist, now ringed with a black-leather belt. She was cloaked in a flowing satin navy-blue traveling cloak- remarkably like the one she had been wearing prior to the time-jump. But her immense, telltale glassy blue eyes remained dominating her face. Astenfire shook her head sagely, trying to stifle her laugher, as Calyces had (fighting sniggers) pointed out gray hairs sprouting on the base of Aragorn's skull, well out of his eyesight. The disgruntled man, his usually sleek black hair lightened with one or two silvery gray ones, stomped the length of the camp, drawing his sword hanging from his belt, and severed a gnarled, long-dead, haggard tree a hair's-breadth from the ground. "I don't care if your hair is gray." Aragorn, without turning, growled, "Thanks, Colette. Just 'cause I'm the only mortal here, doesn't mean I always have to be the comic relief." Colette, still (apparently) openly smitten with Aragorn, came up behind him, and placed a hand, still thin and travel worn from before the time- interruption, on his shoulder in comfort. "Calyces is just trying to lighten the mood." Astenfire turned away, not wanting to overhear the rest of the patronizing speech. "Come on, come on! Aragorn's head isn't that funny! We've all got a long march tomorrow, so hit the sacks!" She barked, savoring the moment of supreme power. Aragorn scowled at her. His dark eyes fell across her green traveling cloak, to the lithe yew bow slung over her shoulder, a silken sheet of dark brown hair partially obscuring the deerskin quiver. Serena walked over to Astenfire, her eyes bright, though slightly hazy. Astenfire sighed- apparently the leap in time did nothing to improve her fatally damaged memory. "Askenfire?" Astenfire felt her stomach clench, and something snap. "Astenfire. Asten-fire. Repeat." Serena looked taken aback, gave her a sideways, curious look. "Astenfire." "Good. Now, what'd want to tell me?" "Moony has seen figures on the horizon."