A/N: Hiya! I just realized that I hadn't been putting disclaimers on here,
but I figured you'd know that I don't own Tolkien's works. -_- But I do own
Avatre and most her companions.
The ride to the alleged castle was of decent length. Not too long as to be boring, and not too short to be over without a conversation. All around in the murky woods were creatures of every shape and form. More than once, Haraket or one of the twins would shoot at some dark, scuttling shape in the gloom. Avatre was not delighted to find out they were giant spiders, who at first chance, would try to eat them. To distract Avatre, Legolas struck up a light conversation.
"What are you, milady, if you do not mind me saying so?" Legolas inquired politely. Avatre paused. After a silence, she answered, "I don't know."
"I think Elrond might know," he said, "He's here visiting from Rivendell."
There was an uncomfortable silence after that, as Legolas thought about Avatre's answer, and Avatre herself struck up a conversation with Adaril about where they were heading. Havnor interrupted by announcing they were here. Avatre gasped. It was magnificent. That was the only word that would describe it. Gold inlaid the seemingly moonlit marble-like material. Other cooling colors intertwined in enchanting designs and beautiful pictures. In the late summer that it was, the green of the trees gave the fairy tale castle's marble material a soft green glow. Avatre could only imagine what it looked like in the gold of autumn and snow white of winter. A voice whispered in her ear, and she jumped, startled.
"Do you like it, milady?"
Avatre shook herself out of her trance-like state and nodded feverishly.
"It's beautiful," she said, still awed.
Havnor chuckled at Avatre's expression, and Avatre smiled. Coresan grumbled something about letting mortals into Mirkwood. Aladriel or Adaril, Avatre couldn't tell which, came up to her.
"I still remember when Aladriel and I (*Adaril then,* Avatre thought) first arrived here from the East, a couple hundred years ago. We wore an expression just like you!" She giggled.
Avatre smiled as they headed in. The inside proved to be just as magnificent as the outside. The group dispersed and Ari offered to show her the room she'd be staying in for the current time. Avatre thanked her and they set off. They went through a complete maze (*Must remember this if I don't want to get lost tomorrow,* Avatre thought) and ended at a lovely room with blue coloring everywhere.
"I thought you might like this guest room, it matches your hair," Ari commented, "I'll leave you 'till tomorrow, and if you're hungry, there's food on the table there."
"Thank you, Ari," Avatre smiled gratefully.
Avatre was starving, so she finished the heavenly food quickly. What a day, she thought, as she snuggled under the covers exhausted. She fell asleep quickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Avatre woke slowly and pleasantly. Sunlight streamed through the window, and memories of the previous afternoon/night flooded her mind. A smile stretched lazily upon Avatre's features. *It's so pretty here.* Avatre was loathe to rise, but got up quickly when Ari knocked on the door and announced that breakfast would be in a half hour.
Avatre flung open the nearby wardrobe and discovered dresses upon dresses. A particularly pretty one caught her eye. It was a light green with gold and dark blue lining. It brought out her green eyes and dark blue, almost black, hair. Avatre quickly got dressed, struggled to make her hair presentable, and finished in time to hear a light knock and Legolas' voice float in.
"Lady Avatre? I'm to escort you to breakfast, if you're ready."
Avatre opened the door. Legolas, Prince that he is, looked radiant, even at this time in the morning. He was dressed in a light blue tunic, bringing out his gorgeous eyes, and his pants looked to be made of some kind of silky black material.
"Ready?" Legolas offered an arm.
Avatre nodded and took the pro-offered arm. Their gaits matched perfectly, and they headed down to the dining hall. Avatre and Legolas arrived at the hall to find everyone waiting for them. She colored slightly as everyone stopped his or her conversation to look at her.
Avatre could clearly tell who the king was, as he was the one who sat at the head of the table. To his right was an elf of great stature. He wore a circlet of gold, showing high status. The rest Avatre recognized, the hunting party she had arrived with. There were two empty seats to king's left, presumably for her and Legolas. Havnor was next to the empty seats, and the twins Adaril and Aladriel, seemingly youngest, sat at the end. Haraket sat between Coresan and Ari, who was seated next to the high- stature elf. Legolas introduced his father, King Thranduil and Elrond from Rivendell as the unknown elf.
Avatre sat down and nervously shifted around in her seat, as Elrond's look pierced right through to her soul. As they ate, after a discussion, King Thranduil decided to let her stay. A grin stretched across Avatre's face, and she thanked him profusely. Coresan glared at her, but she paid him no mind. At this point, Elrond spoke up.
"You may want to reconsider this choice, Thranduil. This here is no mortal, but a dragon child."
Ari gasped, and murmurs broke out as this information sank in. Avatre covered her face in her hands. Her worst fears and the villagers' harsh rumors had come true. Elrond continued.
"I can tell, Lady Avatre, that you are not aware of your heritage, so I will explain it to you. You have the uncommon ability to communicate with dragons, both good and corrupted, and have an affinity with fire. I sense that you know this, and are able to control your ability?"
Avatre dully nodded, still quite shocked.
"Fire will not harm you, and you can start one by simply thinking of it."
Memories flooded Avatre's mind of back when she was young. When she had been scared or angry, mysterious fires popped up, and sometimes killed people. It didn't take long for the villagers' to connect this with her. She had long since learned to control it.but the villagers never forgot.
"Dragons are also immortal." Elrond droned on about how they had been created at the time of the elves and other historic events.
Avatre struggled with this information and finally spoke up.
"You must be mistaken. . . I am simply mortal!" she cried, almost in desperation.
Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Never have I seen a being who so desperately denied its species. Listen. You are a dragon in mortal form. Something terrible must have happened for your parents to transform you and leave you. For dragons, such large creatures they are and even with the amount of magic they have, it takes three dragons together to transform only one. I have no idea how it is done. Nobody other than the dragons themselves has witnessed a transformation. Thranduil," Elrond changed his attention to the king, "With this new information, I ask you to again decide this youngling's fate."
King Thranduil thought carefully. If this dragon was but a child, she needed her own kind. It was but a simple, yet kind, decision.
"You shall not stay here." The room clamored in protest; "Instead, I shall set a willing group to escort this Lady Dragon to the Dragon Lands."
Instantly, Ari, Legolas, Havnor, Adaril, Haraket, and Aladriel volunteered. Coresan sat there unwavering.
"So be it. Together you make a company of seven. The Dragon Companionship you shall be," Elrond announced.
The ride to the alleged castle was of decent length. Not too long as to be boring, and not too short to be over without a conversation. All around in the murky woods were creatures of every shape and form. More than once, Haraket or one of the twins would shoot at some dark, scuttling shape in the gloom. Avatre was not delighted to find out they were giant spiders, who at first chance, would try to eat them. To distract Avatre, Legolas struck up a light conversation.
"What are you, milady, if you do not mind me saying so?" Legolas inquired politely. Avatre paused. After a silence, she answered, "I don't know."
"I think Elrond might know," he said, "He's here visiting from Rivendell."
There was an uncomfortable silence after that, as Legolas thought about Avatre's answer, and Avatre herself struck up a conversation with Adaril about where they were heading. Havnor interrupted by announcing they were here. Avatre gasped. It was magnificent. That was the only word that would describe it. Gold inlaid the seemingly moonlit marble-like material. Other cooling colors intertwined in enchanting designs and beautiful pictures. In the late summer that it was, the green of the trees gave the fairy tale castle's marble material a soft green glow. Avatre could only imagine what it looked like in the gold of autumn and snow white of winter. A voice whispered in her ear, and she jumped, startled.
"Do you like it, milady?"
Avatre shook herself out of her trance-like state and nodded feverishly.
"It's beautiful," she said, still awed.
Havnor chuckled at Avatre's expression, and Avatre smiled. Coresan grumbled something about letting mortals into Mirkwood. Aladriel or Adaril, Avatre couldn't tell which, came up to her.
"I still remember when Aladriel and I (*Adaril then,* Avatre thought) first arrived here from the East, a couple hundred years ago. We wore an expression just like you!" She giggled.
Avatre smiled as they headed in. The inside proved to be just as magnificent as the outside. The group dispersed and Ari offered to show her the room she'd be staying in for the current time. Avatre thanked her and they set off. They went through a complete maze (*Must remember this if I don't want to get lost tomorrow,* Avatre thought) and ended at a lovely room with blue coloring everywhere.
"I thought you might like this guest room, it matches your hair," Ari commented, "I'll leave you 'till tomorrow, and if you're hungry, there's food on the table there."
"Thank you, Ari," Avatre smiled gratefully.
Avatre was starving, so she finished the heavenly food quickly. What a day, she thought, as she snuggled under the covers exhausted. She fell asleep quickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Avatre woke slowly and pleasantly. Sunlight streamed through the window, and memories of the previous afternoon/night flooded her mind. A smile stretched lazily upon Avatre's features. *It's so pretty here.* Avatre was loathe to rise, but got up quickly when Ari knocked on the door and announced that breakfast would be in a half hour.
Avatre flung open the nearby wardrobe and discovered dresses upon dresses. A particularly pretty one caught her eye. It was a light green with gold and dark blue lining. It brought out her green eyes and dark blue, almost black, hair. Avatre quickly got dressed, struggled to make her hair presentable, and finished in time to hear a light knock and Legolas' voice float in.
"Lady Avatre? I'm to escort you to breakfast, if you're ready."
Avatre opened the door. Legolas, Prince that he is, looked radiant, even at this time in the morning. He was dressed in a light blue tunic, bringing out his gorgeous eyes, and his pants looked to be made of some kind of silky black material.
"Ready?" Legolas offered an arm.
Avatre nodded and took the pro-offered arm. Their gaits matched perfectly, and they headed down to the dining hall. Avatre and Legolas arrived at the hall to find everyone waiting for them. She colored slightly as everyone stopped his or her conversation to look at her.
Avatre could clearly tell who the king was, as he was the one who sat at the head of the table. To his right was an elf of great stature. He wore a circlet of gold, showing high status. The rest Avatre recognized, the hunting party she had arrived with. There were two empty seats to king's left, presumably for her and Legolas. Havnor was next to the empty seats, and the twins Adaril and Aladriel, seemingly youngest, sat at the end. Haraket sat between Coresan and Ari, who was seated next to the high- stature elf. Legolas introduced his father, King Thranduil and Elrond from Rivendell as the unknown elf.
Avatre sat down and nervously shifted around in her seat, as Elrond's look pierced right through to her soul. As they ate, after a discussion, King Thranduil decided to let her stay. A grin stretched across Avatre's face, and she thanked him profusely. Coresan glared at her, but she paid him no mind. At this point, Elrond spoke up.
"You may want to reconsider this choice, Thranduil. This here is no mortal, but a dragon child."
Ari gasped, and murmurs broke out as this information sank in. Avatre covered her face in her hands. Her worst fears and the villagers' harsh rumors had come true. Elrond continued.
"I can tell, Lady Avatre, that you are not aware of your heritage, so I will explain it to you. You have the uncommon ability to communicate with dragons, both good and corrupted, and have an affinity with fire. I sense that you know this, and are able to control your ability?"
Avatre dully nodded, still quite shocked.
"Fire will not harm you, and you can start one by simply thinking of it."
Memories flooded Avatre's mind of back when she was young. When she had been scared or angry, mysterious fires popped up, and sometimes killed people. It didn't take long for the villagers' to connect this with her. She had long since learned to control it.but the villagers never forgot.
"Dragons are also immortal." Elrond droned on about how they had been created at the time of the elves and other historic events.
Avatre struggled with this information and finally spoke up.
"You must be mistaken. . . I am simply mortal!" she cried, almost in desperation.
Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Never have I seen a being who so desperately denied its species. Listen. You are a dragon in mortal form. Something terrible must have happened for your parents to transform you and leave you. For dragons, such large creatures they are and even with the amount of magic they have, it takes three dragons together to transform only one. I have no idea how it is done. Nobody other than the dragons themselves has witnessed a transformation. Thranduil," Elrond changed his attention to the king, "With this new information, I ask you to again decide this youngling's fate."
King Thranduil thought carefully. If this dragon was but a child, she needed her own kind. It was but a simple, yet kind, decision.
"You shall not stay here." The room clamored in protest; "Instead, I shall set a willing group to escort this Lady Dragon to the Dragon Lands."
Instantly, Ari, Legolas, Havnor, Adaril, Haraket, and Aladriel volunteered. Coresan sat there unwavering.
"So be it. Together you make a company of seven. The Dragon Companionship you shall be," Elrond announced.
