Chapter 22: Two sides

Outside the trampling of many horses could be heard. While the army continued its way, the wagon rocked in a monotonous rhythm, driving on and on towards Minas-Tirith. Suddenly it came to a stop.

The door of their cell was ripped open forcefully by strong hands and a bright stripe of light invaded the darkness of their prison. For a brief second Legolas thought about trying to beat down the guard, but he realized that even if he and Selina escaped this dark and sticky wagon, there was still a whole army between them and freedom. Besides, who knew whether this being that occupied her body would consent to his escape plans. He looked expectantly at the Orc that stood there in the shine of broad daylight that illuminated his ugly features clearly.

"You!" he pointed at Selina, who sat there totally unimpressed by his entrance. "You! Come with me!" the creature growled.

Selina raised to her feet and nodded at Legolas as a greeting before she stepped out of their prison. The bright light caused tears to run down her cheeks which dripped down her emotionless face as drops of water from a stone. She did not even blink, though her eyes were not used to daylight.

She was let to a group of men riding high on their horses in front of the army. Clothed in a shining armour, Tulrah rode among them, his head held high. He stopped when he saw Selina and his minion approach.

"Nothing like fresh air and good weather! Don't you think so?" She looked at him in silence. "Still as talkative as two days ago." he sighed. "Get her a horse! I want to talk to her for a while." Tulrah ordered and after Selina had mounted her horse he continued. "Tell me.. what is it that I should call you these days, obviously my sister's spirit has left this body. What are you?"

"Who or what I am is of no concern to you. Only that I am a potential and mighty ally." she answered flatly.

"I don't like cryptic answers." he played with the hilt of his sword and his red eyes sparkled dangerously.

Selina raised an eyebrow and answered dryly. "If you ask the right questions there will be none. As I said I can prove myself quite usefuly, so it would be unwise to harm this body."

Tulrah gritted his teeth angrily , trying to suppress his urge to skewer her with his weapon immediately.

"What is your plan?" she asked with an emotionless voice.

"Why should I tell you?"

"It might influence my decision in your favour."

The warlord contemplated his next move for a few seconds in silence. Then he spoke again. "What is every plan about? Creating an advantage for yourself, it's as simple as that. Ever heard of the Eye Staff of Shalakrah? Lets just say this little assessor will take care of that. In the right hands, that would be mine, it guarantees absolute power."

"What is it that you want to do with this power?"

He shrugged his shoulders and a feral smile spread over his face. "What everybody dreams of in secret. I want to change this world according to my ideas.

Are we to listen eternally to the advises of those arrogant elves who think they are some much better than the rest of Middle-Earth? Should we bend our knees to the frail human kings? I say no.

Who says that their narrow minded point of view is necessarily the right one. Their world is divided into two halves: good and evil. They only see black and white.

But in reality their conception of moral is just plain and simple hypocrisy. Why, you might ask. Well, what you define as good or evil is always subject to your own personal perspective. If millions die for a noble and honourable cause it is called heroic, even admirable. You will hear the highest praises everywhere. If I kill a few hundred to nourish my army which is going to help me change this godforsaken earth for the better, everybody cries out that I'm evil. Why is it evil to take what you want, to desire happiness? I say it's high time that we also get our piece of the cake. No more rules, no more restrictions, so that we are free to do whatever we want to. Too long have we hid, now it is our time to stand in the light."

The being that inhabited Selina's body looked at Tulrah unblinkingly and thought about those words it had just heard with great interest, yet it was not able to decide which side it would choose.

"So what do you say?" Tulrah asked impatiently after a short while.

"You are a man with a vision and know how to win over new followers with the power of your mere words. You might very well go out of this conflict as its winner.." The warlords chest seemed to swell with pride with each word from her mouth and he smiled arrogantly. "...,but I do not let myself be fooled by what you say. I am not as simple minded as your minions. Your actions are far more important to me than the facade you created for me so skilfully. I will wait and keep a close eye on you."

"Why, you little witch!! I could just rip you apart with my claws! Be careful what you say!" Tulrah growled, his eyes flaring with anger. "You obviously have no idea who you're talking to! I control every beast that flies, crawls or walks in these parts of the land. Do you want to see a little demonstration of my powers?"

The woman's emotionless face just starred at him unblinkingly. "I take that as a yes." he hissed through his clenched teeth. He would teach her some manners.

He looked at the horse she was riding on, a noble creature, its black hair shimmering healthily in the afternoon sun. With ease he intensified his mental grip on the horse and took control of it. He was in its blood, a red current that lead to the pumping source of life, the centre of its body. His anger was the heat that led the horse's blood boil, causing it to cry out in pain. Suddenly all power was drained from the creature, it collapsed on all fours, throwing off its rider in the process. Selina came to her feet and looked questioningly at Tulrah. The warlord extended his arm, his palm opened wide.

"In this hand lies the life of this horse, its heart. As I close my fingers around it, its beating gets slower and slower." The poor creature squirmed suffering incredible pain, giving away pitiful whimpering sounds.

"End this now!" Selina's voice cut the air like a sharp blade. Tulrah smiled at her closing his hand ever so slowly and ending the horse's suffering.

The essence that possessed the Selvadage'tok woman's body was fuming with pure rage. It was a force that was responsible for preserving and creating life. This man, this vicious beast, had just taken a life that was connected with mother earth. He had killed just for pleasure, which was the most disgusting motive the being inside of Selina could imagine.

Undoubtedly nature is also a murderer, but it never kills without a justified reason. Out of the ashes of every dead being rises a new life like a phoenix. The freshly born creation might not always be beautiful, but it always serves particular purpose, starting with the smallest worm and ending with the most noble creatures imaginable.

"Now that you know who you are dealing with, you can go back to your little prison and hopefully make the right decision." Tulrah said at her and looked down on her with an arrogant smile on his face.

~

Night had set in and the two captives inside the wagon were sleeping soundly. Selina was curled up on the hard wood blanks, her arms and legs moving incessantly in her sleep. She was dreaming.

She was running through a forest that was filled with life and beauty. Selina got so caught up with marvelling at her surroundings that she lost her way. Yet the strangest thing was, that she didn't even care about it. Everything was peaceful and she felt protected. The fact that she didn't even know where she was didn't even inspire insecurity or fear in her. She was lost and didn't want to be found.

Selina roamed the forest, exploring every inch of it curiously. At each wonderful, new thing she discovered her eyes shone for joy. The sun was shining brightly and several of its golden rays broke the tree crowns. They hit the dewy grass and let the little droplets of water sitting there, shimmer like diamonds. The air was fresh and clear and the peaceful silence of the forest was only broken occasionally by the voices of the animals who lived in it. Birds were singing high up in the branches of a pine, squirrels were jumping happily from tree to tree and a fox was sneaking through the coppice hunting for conies.

The young Selvadage'tok's feet flew soundlessly over the grassy floor, never getting tired, carrying her deeper and deeper into the unknown forest. She leaped gracefully over a withered tree trunk that lay on the ground blocking her way and suddenly stood on a clearing. The sight was breath taking. The clearing was flooded with light and a meadow of wildflowers covered the forest floor. The blossoms emitted a sweet, intoxicating smell, coaxing her to rest and enjoy the wonders of this beautiful place for a while. She lay down on the soft grass and looked up at the blue sky. Several white clouds passed slowly by over her head like a flock of sheep.

A breeze swept over the meadow and the blades of grass rocked restlessly from side to side. Suddenly the light seemed to get brighter, almost to an extent that it was unbearable. Selina squinted her eyes together and shielded them with the palm of her hand against the rays of sun. A soft whisper reached her ears that got clearer with each passing second. The wind carried a voice, warm and soothing, yet full of wisdom.

"Choose!" it murmured in her ears.

"Choose what?" she screamed.

"A side." The cryptic response came.

"Who are you?" Selina searched her surroundings nervously with her eyes. "Show yourself!"

After a few moments of silence a figure emerged from the tree line. Selina rubbed her eyes in astonishment. It couldn't be! Her eyes were playing a trick on her and yet she could make out the person's face clearly. It was the old shaman that had been Tulrah's first victim. The old woman stopped a few meters from her and looked at her with a gentle smile on her face.

"Akanti, it can't be you! You are..." Her voice trailed of.

The old woman let out a warm laugh, "I am not Akanti. I had to take this form, because if I appeared in front of you as I really am, your mind would break at the mere sight of me, unable to understand what it sees."

"What are you?"

"Always the same question." The being smiled. "I am the power that floats through every living thing. I am this forest and every creature in it. I am the one who gave you your powers and took control over your body."

"But I am still in control." Selina protested.

"No, my child, you are not. What is the last thing you remember?"

Suddenly images flashed before her eyes. Legolas standing in the middle of an arena, the cheering crowd, the boars, then the energy that rushed into her body, washing away her own will in the process.

"What happened? How did I come here, to this place?" Selina asked hesitantly.

"I did not want to harm you. I created an environment in which you would feel at ease as long as I controlled your body."

"What do you want from me?"

"I came to ask you for advise."

Selina through back her head and let out a rich laugh. The thought that a super being approached her to ask for her advise was simply too ridiculous.

"May I ask what is so funny?" the old woman asked her eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

"Nothing!" Selina said quickly, but grinned like a Cheshire Cat doing so.

"We share the same memories. Concentrate and remember what you saw last!" the being said impatiently.

Selina did as she was told and the whole conversation with Tulrah surfaced from the depths of her mind, accompanied by the memories of him torturing the horse mercilessly. An angry growl escaped her lips.

"I see you remember now."

"Yes, indeed. How can you even think about joining his side?"

"Well, for one it looks highly promising. What do you have to offer me?"

"What do I have to offer you?" Selina's voice raised a pitch in anger. "I have to offer you the perseverance of a culture that respects nature. The elves have been living for millennia in harmony with nature and the humans only take what they need to survive. Do you honestly think that Tulrah will shy away from killing and destroying everything that passes his way, just like he did with this poor creature the other day? We have to get rid of him as fast as possible or he will be our doom! Give me back the control over my body and I will do everything that stands in my power to stop him."

"Your powers are very limit."

"Don't underestimate what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it." Selina responded and crossed her arms over her chest determinedly.

The being bowed its head and closed its eyes in concentration. It considered the arguments of both sides, carefully thinking about everything that had been said. After all its decision would seal the fate of a whole planet. After a few minutes that it had passed in a constant dialogue with itself, arguing about the various advantage and disadvantages every side had, it was ready to announce its decision.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you again, my lovely reviewers! *does happy dance* I realize this is some evil cliffhanger again, but I will update tomorrow :) Bye and take care!