Beltane Fires - Chapter 3
Elrond was lost deep in thought. Almost everyone had gone. His people had left Middle Earth to sail to the west. This saddened him deeply. Aragorn had become king of Gondor. He and Arwen had been wed but a couple of years. His dear sweet daughter had elected to give up her immortality, so she would not be traveling with the rest of the elves. This was the only reason he had not left yet. He found it hard to leave her. Knowing that when he did it would be forever . He slowly walked around Imladris, setting each little piece of the sanctuary to memory. He would remember it fondly when he did finally sail. He had begun packing what he would take with him. He would dearly love to take all of the books he had collected through his ancient lifetime. But common sense told him he would need a ship it self to carry the vast library he had accumulated. He slowly walked to where he had first seen his wife Celebrian. It was but a small pathway leading into the gardens. She had loved the gardens most in the early years. He was lost thinking about the friends and family that had come and gone. His dear friend Glorifndel had stayed behind to keep him company. Truth be told Elrond believed that the great, tall blonde was afraid to sail! He sat down on the bench in the garden; here he had played with the twins when they were toddlers. Now both had grown into respected, mature men. He got up and walked to the fountain in the middle of the garden. Watching the crystal water flow over the rim of the fountain always made him feel peaceful. He ran his hand through the water and watched the light play through his fingers. All the while wishing Imladris would last forever. That it would always be a safe haven for those who needed it. He stared at the water; he could hear a buzzing noise. Like bees drawn to honey in the summer. Suddenly there was a flash of light. He closed his eyes against the brightness. Then he had the vision. At first it frightened him. What new evil was this, nothing like this had happened since Sauron was defeated for the second time. He saw a woman. Beautiful red hair flowing over her shoulders. Her eyes were green, the color of new spring grass. Her skin so pale and luminess she appeared to be a statue, when she smiled her whole face lit up, and the vision was gone. He opened his eyes and blinked, hoping to bring the vision back. He looked around the garden, nothing moved. She was not real. But who was she and what did the vision mean? He hoped he had time to find out before he left.
Shannon could not get the vision out of her mind. She could see his face as clearly as if he were standing in this room. He looked distinguished, and the creases around his eyes made her think he smiled a lot. His hair was a deep chestnut color , almost black. God she would love to find him. Even if it was just to prove he existed.
Rhea had gone to find out about the helicopter ride. While Shannon feeling a little tired pulled out the suitcase that housed her medication. She put all of the bottles on the table, reached for the bottle of spring water and started taking the pills. Did they really think these were going to work? They might buy her some time, but the inevitable would happen anyway .It made Rhea feel better to see her following the doctors orders, so she did it for her friend. Her thoughts went back to the man in the vision. Why was he so sad? Did he loose a loved one? She hoped not. Somehow it hurt to think he loved someone other than her. It made her a little jealous. It was stupid really, he didn't even know her. She opened another suitcase and took out her robe. She hung it on a hanger over the door to let it breath. If all went well she would wear it to Stonehenge on Beltane. That was four days away. She planned on going back there tomorrow, if nothing else than to see if the vision returned. She preferred going alone but Rhea would not let her out of her sight. This would take some planning, especially because Shannon couldn't drive these cars. The steering wheel was on the other side of the car. Did this small village have a taxi? She would find out in the morning. She walked over and lifted the window. The air smelled fresh and clean. And the moon was almost full; it lit up the meadow behind the inn. Looking out over the moon lit meadow it was easy to picture the rock formation not far from here. Did ghostly beings dance under the moon there tonight? Was he among them? It took all of Shannon's will power not to run out and go there to see for herself. There was a knock on the door and Shannon still thinking about the moon jumped out of fright. She grabbed the doorknob and yanked open the door expecting there to be a ghost on the other side. It was only Rhea carrying a tray with a coffeepot and cups "Gees Rhea, you are going to give me a heart attack!"
Rhea grinned and said "Scared of the boogieman? I thought you might need this by now, I know I do." She handed Shannon a cup of coffee and sat on the bed. Picking up the brochures she had collected at the airport, she started looking for things to do. Shannon was busy unpacking her suitcase and putting everything in the dresser. She kept a nightgown out picked up her shower things. "I'm taking a shower and then I'm getting some sleep. I want to get an early start in the morning, how about you? " Rhea not really paying attention to her mumbled something about sleeping in and picked up another pamphlet. Shannon left to go to the shower down the hall. The inn was small and there was only one shower. Good thing it was not a busy hotel or she might have to wait a while. After taking her shower and brushing her teeth she was more than ready for sleep. When she got back to the room Rhea and the coffeepot were both gone. She decided to leave the window open and turned out the light. The moonbeam lit up the whole room. Shannon snuggled down into the goose down mattress and lay there, content with the world. She smiled thinking of the man again; maybe he would be in her dreams tonight. She fell asleep with that same smile on her lips.