Author's Note: I promise you this will get better and it will have some
humor in it. You just have to be patient.
Disclaimer: Once again the fact that I don't own anything seems to boggle my mind. (The song is my own, my preciousssss.)
Chapter 2
Cera stood in the middle of her small clearing and rested her staff against a large boulder. For simplicity's sake, she wore only well-fitting trousers, a loose shirt, and a long dagger sheathed at her side. She turned slowly and took a deep breath. On the third turn, she pulled out a small silver talisman that hung around her neck. It was shaped like an eagle in mid-strike, and she held it in the palm of her left hand. She took one last deep breath, and spoke a single word. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the area, and a gray cloud rose about Cera. Her form blurred, shrank, and reformed. Where Cera once stood, a golden eagle perched. It shook its feathers free as though reorienting itself, and with a fierce cry, launched itself into the sky.
*****************
A small party of elves crested the top of the last mountain, followed closely behind by a band of dwarves. One elf wore a thoughtful expression on his face. As Legolas looked down upon Rivendell, he was filled with a slight sense of unease. All elves are given the ability to forsee the future in a vague way, yet the sight of Imladris did not fill him with delight, like usual, only disquiet. A winged shape circling slowly above it caught his eye, and he gazed at it for half a moment. The eagle was considered a good omen in myths all over Middle-Earth, and Legolas relaxed slightly. Perhaps this council would go well after all.
******************
Cera landed slowly, for flying was a freedom that was addicting. The ranger and the hobbits had crossed the river safely and would arrive shortly. She gradually let go of the eagle's form, and returned to her own. She had also spied the remaining members of the council on their way, and was needed to prepare for their arrival. Her stomach growled loudly, and her smile had a rueful twist to it. One of the side effects of shape changing was that it used up the body's resources, not to mention the mental exertion of holding a different shape than your own for hours at a time. What she needed right now was a hearty meal and a few hours rest.
Cera was walking wearily to her rooms, when a flurry of movement knocked her over. Confused, she sat up and saw two halflings sprawled at her feet. They both looked up sheepishly and started babbling apologies at the same time.
" We're very sorry! We didna' see you and we were in a hurry!"
"We were just tryin' to go see Frodo, and we didn't mean no harm!" " We certainly didna' mean to knock you over!"
Cera put up her hands to stem their apologies. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm not hurt, just surprised." She got to her feet and made sure they were intact as well. The blond haired one recovered first.
"My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck, but most call me Merry." He stuck out his hand and she shook it.
"An' mine is Peregrin Took, tho' to everyone else I'm just Pippen." Mistaking her for a lady, he bowed low.
Cera looked amusedly down at them. "And my name is Cera. Did you come in with Strider?"
Pippen piped up. "Yes, and a whole party of elves came in just after. We were looking for Mister Frodo. We wanted to make sure he was safe, what with the ring-wraiths and all and.oomph!" Merry drove his elbow into Pippen's ribs.
" We're not to say nothing, remember?" he hissed. Cera hid a smile.
"I'm certain 'Mister' Frodo is just fine, and you two should get some rest. Tomorrow will be eventful, I'm sure," she said. They apologized again and said goodnight.
Cera shook her head as she watched them scamper out of site, and entered her quarters. Her room was sparsely decorated with an elegantly carved wardrobe that stood in one corner. There was a chair by the fireplace and one on the balcony. Arwen had been true to her word and there was a covered tray resting on the table beside her bed that smelled good. She lowered herself onto her bed meaning only to lie down a bit before eating, but sleep overwhelmed her.
****************
Once again she stood in the woods, everything a gray haze. To her left and right, she saw figures rushing past her, emitting foreign battle cries. She took a step forward, intending to find the source of the melee, when a terrible figure came rushing towards her. It was huge, perhaps two and a half feet taller than her. She was filled with dread and instinctively grabbed for her daggers. Finding none, she tried to run . and found herself looking down from a hill onto a sea of battle. She heard shrieks from above, and the eagle within her felt fear. She looked up and saw thousands of ravens flying towards a fire on top of a black tower. The monstrous flame consolidated itself into a huge eye and looked at her.
Cera sat up in a cold sweat and fought the urge to scream. She looked around her desperately, searching the empty room for the evil that had awoken her. The shadow of fear on her face faded to relief, and she crossed the room to restart the fire. She ignored the comfort of the chair and walked slowly to the balcony. It was a cloudless night and the moon was half-full. Still shaken, Cera left her room and made her way to the gardens, hoping that a short walk would clear her mind.
****************
Elrond looked up from the reports he had been perusing. He felt as though a shadow had passed through Imladris and resolved to contact the Lady in the morning.
****************
Legolas stared into the fire and reached over to place another log into the fire when he felt a cloud come over him. He dropped the log and went to the balcony, searching for what was wrong. The night was still, not even a cricket was chirping. He dismissed it and would have gone back inside but for a movement in the gardens below. There was a young woman standing near the fountain on the far side. She was not elven; she wore her hair back in a loose braid so her ears were plainly visible; but she moved with an elven grace about her. He glanced around, but his quarters were the only ones that faced these gardens. Legolas turned back and saw that she had settled herself on the ground, meditating. He could just make out her lips moving, and leaning slightly into the wind he caught the end of her song.
".Trust none,
Erranwyn.
. Travel on,
Erranwyn."
She stopped suddenly, and stood up. Legolas quickly turned and retreated from the balcony. The song was hauntingly sad, and the tune clung in his mind. He sat back down by the fire and silently contemplated the night's events.
~--~
A/N: Ooooo, Deep thoughts from Legolas? What could possibly happen next? Well, you won't know until I decide to post the next chapter. And that may not be for a while as I'm currently starved for reviews and authors need a steady and nutritious diet of criticism to keep their muses well fed and happy. Otherwise dreadful things may begin to happen.
Disclaimer: Once again the fact that I don't own anything seems to boggle my mind. (The song is my own, my preciousssss.)
Chapter 2
Cera stood in the middle of her small clearing and rested her staff against a large boulder. For simplicity's sake, she wore only well-fitting trousers, a loose shirt, and a long dagger sheathed at her side. She turned slowly and took a deep breath. On the third turn, she pulled out a small silver talisman that hung around her neck. It was shaped like an eagle in mid-strike, and she held it in the palm of her left hand. She took one last deep breath, and spoke a single word. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the area, and a gray cloud rose about Cera. Her form blurred, shrank, and reformed. Where Cera once stood, a golden eagle perched. It shook its feathers free as though reorienting itself, and with a fierce cry, launched itself into the sky.
*****************
A small party of elves crested the top of the last mountain, followed closely behind by a band of dwarves. One elf wore a thoughtful expression on his face. As Legolas looked down upon Rivendell, he was filled with a slight sense of unease. All elves are given the ability to forsee the future in a vague way, yet the sight of Imladris did not fill him with delight, like usual, only disquiet. A winged shape circling slowly above it caught his eye, and he gazed at it for half a moment. The eagle was considered a good omen in myths all over Middle-Earth, and Legolas relaxed slightly. Perhaps this council would go well after all.
******************
Cera landed slowly, for flying was a freedom that was addicting. The ranger and the hobbits had crossed the river safely and would arrive shortly. She gradually let go of the eagle's form, and returned to her own. She had also spied the remaining members of the council on their way, and was needed to prepare for their arrival. Her stomach growled loudly, and her smile had a rueful twist to it. One of the side effects of shape changing was that it used up the body's resources, not to mention the mental exertion of holding a different shape than your own for hours at a time. What she needed right now was a hearty meal and a few hours rest.
Cera was walking wearily to her rooms, when a flurry of movement knocked her over. Confused, she sat up and saw two halflings sprawled at her feet. They both looked up sheepishly and started babbling apologies at the same time.
" We're very sorry! We didna' see you and we were in a hurry!"
"We were just tryin' to go see Frodo, and we didn't mean no harm!" " We certainly didna' mean to knock you over!"
Cera put up her hands to stem their apologies. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm not hurt, just surprised." She got to her feet and made sure they were intact as well. The blond haired one recovered first.
"My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck, but most call me Merry." He stuck out his hand and she shook it.
"An' mine is Peregrin Took, tho' to everyone else I'm just Pippen." Mistaking her for a lady, he bowed low.
Cera looked amusedly down at them. "And my name is Cera. Did you come in with Strider?"
Pippen piped up. "Yes, and a whole party of elves came in just after. We were looking for Mister Frodo. We wanted to make sure he was safe, what with the ring-wraiths and all and.oomph!" Merry drove his elbow into Pippen's ribs.
" We're not to say nothing, remember?" he hissed. Cera hid a smile.
"I'm certain 'Mister' Frodo is just fine, and you two should get some rest. Tomorrow will be eventful, I'm sure," she said. They apologized again and said goodnight.
Cera shook her head as she watched them scamper out of site, and entered her quarters. Her room was sparsely decorated with an elegantly carved wardrobe that stood in one corner. There was a chair by the fireplace and one on the balcony. Arwen had been true to her word and there was a covered tray resting on the table beside her bed that smelled good. She lowered herself onto her bed meaning only to lie down a bit before eating, but sleep overwhelmed her.
****************
Once again she stood in the woods, everything a gray haze. To her left and right, she saw figures rushing past her, emitting foreign battle cries. She took a step forward, intending to find the source of the melee, when a terrible figure came rushing towards her. It was huge, perhaps two and a half feet taller than her. She was filled with dread and instinctively grabbed for her daggers. Finding none, she tried to run . and found herself looking down from a hill onto a sea of battle. She heard shrieks from above, and the eagle within her felt fear. She looked up and saw thousands of ravens flying towards a fire on top of a black tower. The monstrous flame consolidated itself into a huge eye and looked at her.
Cera sat up in a cold sweat and fought the urge to scream. She looked around her desperately, searching the empty room for the evil that had awoken her. The shadow of fear on her face faded to relief, and she crossed the room to restart the fire. She ignored the comfort of the chair and walked slowly to the balcony. It was a cloudless night and the moon was half-full. Still shaken, Cera left her room and made her way to the gardens, hoping that a short walk would clear her mind.
****************
Elrond looked up from the reports he had been perusing. He felt as though a shadow had passed through Imladris and resolved to contact the Lady in the morning.
****************
Legolas stared into the fire and reached over to place another log into the fire when he felt a cloud come over him. He dropped the log and went to the balcony, searching for what was wrong. The night was still, not even a cricket was chirping. He dismissed it and would have gone back inside but for a movement in the gardens below. There was a young woman standing near the fountain on the far side. She was not elven; she wore her hair back in a loose braid so her ears were plainly visible; but she moved with an elven grace about her. He glanced around, but his quarters were the only ones that faced these gardens. Legolas turned back and saw that she had settled herself on the ground, meditating. He could just make out her lips moving, and leaning slightly into the wind he caught the end of her song.
".Trust none,
Erranwyn.
. Travel on,
Erranwyn."
She stopped suddenly, and stood up. Legolas quickly turned and retreated from the balcony. The song was hauntingly sad, and the tune clung in his mind. He sat back down by the fire and silently contemplated the night's events.
~--~
A/N: Ooooo, Deep thoughts from Legolas? What could possibly happen next? Well, you won't know until I decide to post the next chapter. And that may not be for a while as I'm currently starved for reviews and authors need a steady and nutritious diet of criticism to keep their muses well fed and happy. Otherwise dreadful things may begin to happen.