SUES AND SWORDS

Disclaimer: (dmraist) It's not mine. Well, LotR, anyways, and I don't want Karine, and Lan's Caitir's brainchild, and... so none of it belongs to me. I can use Karine for target practice, though... ha! OK, so Karine's mine.


5. Of Decisions and Destinies


"Amelan, Karine. You whom I have summoned for a task almost as difficult as that of the Fellowship, if not nearly as dangerous. If, against all likelihood, they succeed in their quest, yours will be the unseen struggle that benefits all the peoples of Middle-Earth.

"You came at my call, meaning that you were willing to accept my assignment, whether you realized it consciously or not. However, I will ask you now: are you willing to stay here and work towards the fulfillment of this mission, or would you return to your world and your home?" Galadriel's words rang in the room, as the wood of the floor, walls, and ceiling only partially absorbed the sound.

Karine felt Galadriel's eyes on her, peering, searching, seeking truth. 'Will you remain and work hard for this world?' they asked, and Karine felt herself almost collapse under the weight of the decision. It wasn't fair; she was just a girl, she shouldn't have to make this choice-'But I ask you to,' whispered Galadriel's voice in her head. Karine thought over her life, her world, her memories. And she decided.

Lan, meanwhile, was struggling with the thought of losing her friends and everything she'd ever known. ..Never to see her father again.. the same father who was nearly never home, leaving her at the house of a relative or friend, while he went off to make money so he could buy her an apology present.. Never to see her friends, whom she had known most of her life.. ..and grown farther from with each passing year.. Never to return to the things she loved to do in her free time, but to trade it for a lifetime of those things..

Perhaps it would be hard, but Amelan knew that if she chose to refuse, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Returning from her musings, she noticed that Karine was looking at Galadriel in a steely, determined way, daring someone to stop her making this decision. Lan answered for both of them. "Lady, when you brought us here, you knew how we would answer. We will not back down from taking this task. We have little to lose, and but a life of joy to gain." Karine nodded her agreement.

"As you have chosen, so shall you receive. Soon all the Eldar shall have passed from this world, and the knowledge of Elvenkind shall fade with our passing. We have always been the record-keepers and sources of wisdom throughout history, but soon we shall be no more. You, who have come from a different world, will not feel the call of the sea as we, who are drawn to it and beyond.

"You shall remain in Middle-Earth to start an order of bards and historians, and you shall be called the Story Seekers. You will go to the loremasters of all the nations and gather from them everything, from their ancient histories to their old wives' tales. You shall record these things and collect manuscripts, though you must impress upon each land the importance of oral history. Your Order will contain any who can learn by heart the Lays and the stories of the nations, and I shall set my magic to protect you. I will decree that any who willfully harm those of the Story Seekers will suffer retribution, for the wrath of Galadriel shall rain upon their heads. For the people must know the things of history, be able to access truths of the past, so that never again will we have such a blindness as the ignorance that has produced the need for the Fellowship's treacherous quest. You shall become respected and revered as the Wise Ones, those who hold knowledge, the traveling loremasters-and you, the Order of the Story Seekers, will forever keep memory alive."

Her words faded like ancient music into the air, leaving the pair resolute and heartened, but slightly saddened, as well. The sun had slipped down to the line of the horizon, setting the room on fire, and they stepped into the light and their new lives.

~~~

Authoresses' notes: (dmr) And now it's over. If we ever plan on revising, this could use a lot of help, but otherwise. not bad for an early experiment. Read, review, and tell us if you think our grammar needs help, at which point I will ask you to point out my oh-so-numerous errors and then, if you utterly fail to find any, will take you out back and pummel you to a pulp. I'm kidding. Maybe.

(caitir) Our story has come to a close, and we must leave you. I hope that you enjoyed it, and I hope also that you will read our future brainchildren, crack babies though they are.

ADDENDUM: I'd meant to add this on before, but forgot. Celerion should really be spelt "Telherion", derived from tel "last" heru "lord" -ion ending "of", which would roughly translate to "Last of the Lords". I wasn't nearly as picky about the name detail as I ought to have been, but oh well! --dmR