The Awakening of a Princess
"I don't why she's still here," The nurse said looking at the bed.
Lying in it as she had for nearly half a year now was the young girl they had found. It was amazing the way she looked, like the only daughter Lord Denathor had, Thorn. But the young princess had died nearly eleven years ago on her tenth birthday and the strange girl was definitely elven. Even with all the healing abilities of the Healing House, the girl would not wake up. All she had was a bag of strange blue stones on her hip and the strange emblem that was similar to Gondor's, a crowned oak tree, on a medallion on around her throat. Denathor visited the girl every day in the morning, at noon, and right before he retired. The nurse * I have no idea what else you would call them* bent down and took the young girl's vitals. She was alive and perfectly healthy, but would not wake up. The nurse took note of the girl's stronger heartbeat and more vibrant colored skin and when she looked down at the girl she gasped. The girl was looking right back at her with steely grey eyes.
"Someone get Lord Denathor! The girl's awake!!" She cried
and knelt down next to the girl as several people scattered. "Hello, child, how are you ?" The young girl rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked at the woman.
"I'm a little hungry," She murmured, with a smile on her pink lips. The woman nodded.
"We can fix that right away. Can you tell me your name?" The girl answered as at that moment the door opened and Denathor rushed in, looking disheveled and worried. Everyone in the room bowed lowed as the aged ruler came to the bedside, tears in his own grey eyes.
"My Lord," The nurse said as she bowed low and then rose to gesture to the young elvish girl, "May I present the Princess Ester Shannara."
* * *
(A/N ** = speaking elvish)
"Is Theoden a good king?" Brom asked Gandalf as they rode to Rohan. The white wizard looked at the silver boy and smiled.
"Yes, Brom, Theoden is a very good king,
but he doesn't have a very good judge of character. Speaking of Rohan, I have a very special job for you," The pixie-boy's eyes lit up with excitement. "I need you guard Lady Arwen. I won't take her before the King yet, she could be used against us. " Brom nearly frowned but caught the look in Gandalf's silver eyes.
"Yes sir," Brom said blandly. Aragorn turned in his saddle and looked at Legolas. Gandalf leaned over and ruffled the child's gleaming hair.
"There's a good lad,"
** Why won't he mind me that well?** He asked and the Mirkwood prince chucked.
**Because you are his father,**
Then Brom turned in his saddle and looked back at Aragorn, **You also can't do magic like Gandalf can** Aragorn's jaw dropped.
"You speak elvish!?" He sputtered. Brom smiled his black eyes glittering.
"Sure, my father, Walker Boh, taught me a long time ago because there's elvish blood on his side, and the languages are the same here," Aragorn stared at the silver boy for long, dumbstruck moments as the rest of the company laughed, save Arwen who was draped across Gandalf's horse. The elvish Princess had only grown worse despite the wizard's care. She looked more and more like a corpse everyday. Nearly all of her black shining hair was gone and her skin was riddled with black scalely patches. The only thing that remained recognizable was her eyes. They shone with recognition and love at the company around her.
"Gandalf, how do we save her? Is that why were going to Theoden? Does he know how to save her?"
"Given up on Mercy-Slaying, halfling?" Gandalf asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Brom went pink in the face.
"You heard about that?" The wizard nodded and Brom squirmed in his saddle. "I know now that mercy is not a sign of weakness, but of strength and love. Aragorn taught me that." The silver haired buy turned again and smiled at the ranger. There was peace in the silver boy's eyes and it made Aragorn smile as well. He nudged his horse up beside Brom's and rode beside the silver halfling. Brom reached over and took the ranger's large brown hand in his small pale one and turned his glittering eyes to Aragorn's.
"I hope we find a cure for her, she'd be my mother, right?" Aragorn's throat tightened at the blunt question and then he nodded.
"Yes, after we cure her and this is all over, we'd married and she's be your mother,"
The rest of the journey was traveled in a merry silence despite all the wrong surrounding the group. Gandalf had examined the hobbit tracks they had found in Fangorn forest and told them that Merry and Pippin were safe and that they had to travel to the land of Rohan.
But they found a great surprise when they reached the city's gates. There camped out at the edge were three men, one elf, one dwarf, and one druid.
"Allanon!" Gandalf greeted and sped his mount, Shadowfax, forward. The druid leapt to his feet and clasped hands with the dismounting wizard.
"Druid, what are you doing here?" Aragorn asked as Allanon surveyed Arwen. Tay answered.
"We remembered we couldn't back through the mines of Moria and we tried to heed back to where you were so we could track and join you, but we became lost. The king here is weary of strangers and wouldn't permit us an audience, so here we are." Brom dismounted nimbly and hugged the elf and dwarf, then he went over to Allanon who laid Arwen on the ground and unbound her.
"Can you help her?" Brom asked softly and the large man shook his head.
"She is too far gone, the shadowen is killing her body. She won't last another day," And with that Allanon unsheathed the elvish blade Galadriel had given him. He brought it down swiftly to plunge the blade into Arwen's heart. Aragorn gave a strangled cry, but was too far away to reach her, but bound forward anyway to kill the druid in revenge if not anything else.
CLANG!!
Elvish blade met magic blade as Brom unsheathed the sword of Shannara. Allanon looked surprised as he found the anger welling in the pixie-boy's black eyes.
"Don't touch her!" Brom shouted and a sudden burst of power from the boy sent Allanon flying back several feet. Allanon tucked and rolled, and landed safely on his feet.
"Brom, are you mad! That is a shad-"
"She is the lady Arwen and you'll not touch her!" Aragorn snapped, standing in front of Brom and the shadowen infested elf. Allanon's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Aragorn, I'm sorry about your ladylove, but she is too far gone, the shadowen will take over any hour,"
"I don't care! I will save her!"
"You can't!"
"Brom,"
The boy turned at the whispery voice. He saw Arwen staring at him. She smiled slightly, but the very effort made the skin around her lips crack and bleed.
"You can save me, give me your hand," Eager to do anything to help, the silver boy extended his hand to the elf's. The motion caught Tay's attention.
"Brom, what are you, BROM! DONT TOUCH HER!!!" Aragorn and Allanon turned as Brom's hand grasped Arwen's. There was a bright flash that enveloped Arwen and Brom. Everyone shielded their eyes and when Gandalf lowered his arm there kneeled Brom who held the hand of a small elvish child.
"Wwhat happened?" Brom stuttered, dropping the hand as the girl opened her depthless eyes. She looked at her creamy hands and then at the silvery boy.
"Oh, Brom, you saved me!!" She cried and flung her arms around his neck.
