"No."
The word, spoken with such finality and strength, nearly brought Krystal to tears.
"But, Lord Elrond, can't I please--"
"Krystal, I said no."
"But--"
"No."
Krystal made a move as if to stomp her foot in frustration, then thought the better of such a childish move and fixed her crystal eyes on Lord Elrond's hard silver ones.
The half elf had done so much for her, she knew. He could have turned her out into the cold that night, could have turned her away from Rivendell's gates, but instead, gave her a chance to live a life she never even dreamed could have existed. It was not her right to question his authority, to pester him when he had already given her an answer, she knew, and yet she did. She had too!
She stood determinedly in Elrond's study, the same place where she had originally been brought upon first entering Rivendell. Elrond was once again behind his desk, the sun was once again shinning, but Krystal was not the girl she had once been.
She had been through so much here, in this place, in this time. She had been loved, and hated, cared for and mistreated, worried over and treated as excess baggage. She had learned to believe in the strength in others, that people don't always break their promises, and that someone's, a good friend is all you need. She was not the cold, sarcastic, untouchable girl she had once been. In her place now stood a bold, determined girl, with nothing on her mind but her friend's safety. They looked the same, to be sure- the trademark crystal eyes still burned brightly, and her smile was still crooked enough to be thought of as a challenge. She was the same height - her hair was the same raven black, her skin the same healthy tan. And yet, she was so different.
Elrond's face was set, but his eyes were compassionate. The girl had shown up at his study door at such an ungodly hour, that he was still having trouble focusing, his mind still clinging to the last remains of comfortable dreams. Nevertheless, his proud face was stern, as he folded his hands over one and another. "Krystal, I understand your concern for your friends--"
"You don't!" Krystal interrupted in a blaze, shocked at her gall at interrupting Lord Elrond, yet her adrenaline pushing her to continue. "Lord Elrond, excuse me, but you don't understand! When I first came here, I-I hated *everyone*! I hated you, I hated your sons, and I hated Legolas! I hated everything about you, from your eyes to your pointed ears to your talk of wizards! I hated this place, this time, these people -- everything! B-but your sons, and Legolas taught me to trust and to care and to forgive a-and, Lord Elrond, they taught me to believe! In myself, in others, in fate, and Lord Elrond, I cannot let them go into a dark forest, with unknown dangers, without me by their side!"
Elrond considered her outburst with a kind look in his eye, and his voice was sympatric but his words tore at her heart. "Krystal, I am not yet even sure if my sons shall be going on this expedition. It's unnecessary to say I would rather them not."
"They are--" Krystal began furiously, but Elrond raised a hand. "I have listened to what you have to say - please, show me the same courtesy. I will give you the details of the mission, as undoubtedly my sons have already filled your head with talk of danger and, as I forbade them to tell you anything and they clearly defied me, I am not sure of what truth you do know."
Shaking with excitement and passion for what she spoke about, Krystal slowly nodded and sank into a chair, her back upright and her posture tense.
"Now, Legolas is almost surely going to lead the undertaking, if only for the reason as he is one of the best archers in all of Middle Earth and he knows the terrain of Mirkwood. But my heart is against Aragorn's going, for I fear for him -- he is very young. Elladan and Elrohir would be better off helping organizing the mission, but as they are a pair of the best trackers in Arda, I cannot expect them to stay behind--"
"If you think Elrohir, Elladan and Legolas are going but Aragorn is not, you're on crack." Krystal interrupted simply.
Elrond ignored her.
"I am, however, not foolish enough to believe that I can send three of my sons, and not the forth. I will try to persuade him to stay behind, but the final decision is up to him. Now, as for the rest of the party, the only other elf there shall be Glorfindel. We do not want the party getting too large. We have contacted the dwarfs - they want nothing to do with the whole affair. There are three free peoples of Middle Earth, Krystal, not including the hobbits, for there are too little of them to be considered a people. The third people is men. The men of Rohan, whom you met last night, have decided to send only one envoy. He does not live in Rohan now, but was born there and is of noble lineage. His name is Annore."
Suddenly, the snips of conversation between Elladan and Elrohir that Krystal had ignored or not understand came floating back to her.
"...Who says the humans are even coming? I will not align myself with they who tortured Krystal so!"
"..It will be the doom of mankind if I am put within twenty feet of that man, Annore, and I am armed! The man shall not live to see the sights of Mirkwood, let alone breech it!"
"...They *are* coming, Elladan..."
"...Elladan, if Ada feels the men are needed to journey to Mirkwood with us, then journey to Mirkwood they shall--""
"...They shall be dead before the set foot out of their village....I will bear the mark on my soul..."
Elladan had known - that was what made him so upset. At the time, Krystal hadn't understood what the elder twin had meant, but now she felt the full force of it's sudden clarity.
Elrond waited for this information to sink in, before continuing, his voice still steady and clear. "Annore is bringing two men of his choice. That is *all* who shall be in the expedition."
Krystal was silent. She hadn't realized Annore would be going..and what if Worti was one of the two men?
But then Elladan's laughing grin flashed across her mind, accompanied by Legolas's challenging smirk. In her ears echoed Aragorn's carefree laughter, and Elrohir's melodious voice. Would she really abandon her friends because of old haunts?
No.
"Lord Elrond, I wish to accompany them." She told him solemnly after a pause, her voice calm. When he opened his mouth to cut her off, she added hastily, "I can be of service! I am fairly decent with archery and no one would know I am there, I could spy, I-I could, I'll do w-whatever I need to- -"
"Krystal, you do not understand the danger!" Elrond's voice was sharp and Krystal flinched at the sound of her name. "You do not know what you would be going into! Please, as respect for me and all I have offered you, listen. I forbid you to accompany the members of the Mirkwood expedition."
Krystal stood up, furious. "I am thankful for all you have done for me, Elrond, but *I must do this*! You said yourself when I first arrived I had a purpose for being here-- what if *this* is it and I am not there?!"
"Krystal, who do you think you would be helping if you went on this journey? Honestly? Your friends? Or yourself?
Are you doing this solely so you can prove that you can? Or out of a genuine desire to help?!
Krystal, imagine it. You are in the thickest part of the forest, the air is heavy with dread around you. Darkness is all you can see, all you can hear, all you can think of! You cannot tell the difference between having your eyes opened and closed, and yet all you can feel is an overwhelming fear. Fear, born in the pit of your soul, paralyzes your thoughts until you are unable to be of any use to anyone. Something rustles the leaves beside you, and suddenly, eight, yellow, bulbous eyes glare hungrily at you and a voice out of the nightmares chuckles as the beasts pounce on you, dragging you away helplessly as the rest of the members of your party fight the beasts back, along with Orcs, monsters, and the Ring Wraith itself. Krystal, you shall only be a burden if you were to accompany them on this trip. They would not be able to focus, fight and spy properly if they knew you were with them, and by being there, in danger! You would be a distraction, especially with Annore there! Do you understand what I am trying to tell you? You're being there would help no one, Krystal, no one but yourself. And this situation leaves no room for selfishness. I forbid it."
Elrond had not meant to be cruel, he had not meant to frighten her, but she needed to see the truth. Kindness and clarity entered his eyes again, and when he spoke again, his voice was gentle. "Krystal--"
But she would have none of it. She was shaking with fury, fear and anguish, and as Elrond stood up to reach out to her, she wrenched herself out of his grasp.
"You're wrong," she whispered fiercely, and turned and fled from the room.
The word, spoken with such finality and strength, nearly brought Krystal to tears.
"But, Lord Elrond, can't I please--"
"Krystal, I said no."
"But--"
"No."
Krystal made a move as if to stomp her foot in frustration, then thought the better of such a childish move and fixed her crystal eyes on Lord Elrond's hard silver ones.
The half elf had done so much for her, she knew. He could have turned her out into the cold that night, could have turned her away from Rivendell's gates, but instead, gave her a chance to live a life she never even dreamed could have existed. It was not her right to question his authority, to pester him when he had already given her an answer, she knew, and yet she did. She had too!
She stood determinedly in Elrond's study, the same place where she had originally been brought upon first entering Rivendell. Elrond was once again behind his desk, the sun was once again shinning, but Krystal was not the girl she had once been.
She had been through so much here, in this place, in this time. She had been loved, and hated, cared for and mistreated, worried over and treated as excess baggage. She had learned to believe in the strength in others, that people don't always break their promises, and that someone's, a good friend is all you need. She was not the cold, sarcastic, untouchable girl she had once been. In her place now stood a bold, determined girl, with nothing on her mind but her friend's safety. They looked the same, to be sure- the trademark crystal eyes still burned brightly, and her smile was still crooked enough to be thought of as a challenge. She was the same height - her hair was the same raven black, her skin the same healthy tan. And yet, she was so different.
Elrond's face was set, but his eyes were compassionate. The girl had shown up at his study door at such an ungodly hour, that he was still having trouble focusing, his mind still clinging to the last remains of comfortable dreams. Nevertheless, his proud face was stern, as he folded his hands over one and another. "Krystal, I understand your concern for your friends--"
"You don't!" Krystal interrupted in a blaze, shocked at her gall at interrupting Lord Elrond, yet her adrenaline pushing her to continue. "Lord Elrond, excuse me, but you don't understand! When I first came here, I-I hated *everyone*! I hated you, I hated your sons, and I hated Legolas! I hated everything about you, from your eyes to your pointed ears to your talk of wizards! I hated this place, this time, these people -- everything! B-but your sons, and Legolas taught me to trust and to care and to forgive a-and, Lord Elrond, they taught me to believe! In myself, in others, in fate, and Lord Elrond, I cannot let them go into a dark forest, with unknown dangers, without me by their side!"
Elrond considered her outburst with a kind look in his eye, and his voice was sympatric but his words tore at her heart. "Krystal, I am not yet even sure if my sons shall be going on this expedition. It's unnecessary to say I would rather them not."
"They are--" Krystal began furiously, but Elrond raised a hand. "I have listened to what you have to say - please, show me the same courtesy. I will give you the details of the mission, as undoubtedly my sons have already filled your head with talk of danger and, as I forbade them to tell you anything and they clearly defied me, I am not sure of what truth you do know."
Shaking with excitement and passion for what she spoke about, Krystal slowly nodded and sank into a chair, her back upright and her posture tense.
"Now, Legolas is almost surely going to lead the undertaking, if only for the reason as he is one of the best archers in all of Middle Earth and he knows the terrain of Mirkwood. But my heart is against Aragorn's going, for I fear for him -- he is very young. Elladan and Elrohir would be better off helping organizing the mission, but as they are a pair of the best trackers in Arda, I cannot expect them to stay behind--"
"If you think Elrohir, Elladan and Legolas are going but Aragorn is not, you're on crack." Krystal interrupted simply.
Elrond ignored her.
"I am, however, not foolish enough to believe that I can send three of my sons, and not the forth. I will try to persuade him to stay behind, but the final decision is up to him. Now, as for the rest of the party, the only other elf there shall be Glorfindel. We do not want the party getting too large. We have contacted the dwarfs - they want nothing to do with the whole affair. There are three free peoples of Middle Earth, Krystal, not including the hobbits, for there are too little of them to be considered a people. The third people is men. The men of Rohan, whom you met last night, have decided to send only one envoy. He does not live in Rohan now, but was born there and is of noble lineage. His name is Annore."
Suddenly, the snips of conversation between Elladan and Elrohir that Krystal had ignored or not understand came floating back to her.
"...Who says the humans are even coming? I will not align myself with they who tortured Krystal so!"
"..It will be the doom of mankind if I am put within twenty feet of that man, Annore, and I am armed! The man shall not live to see the sights of Mirkwood, let alone breech it!"
"...They *are* coming, Elladan..."
"...Elladan, if Ada feels the men are needed to journey to Mirkwood with us, then journey to Mirkwood they shall--""
"...They shall be dead before the set foot out of their village....I will bear the mark on my soul..."
Elladan had known - that was what made him so upset. At the time, Krystal hadn't understood what the elder twin had meant, but now she felt the full force of it's sudden clarity.
Elrond waited for this information to sink in, before continuing, his voice still steady and clear. "Annore is bringing two men of his choice. That is *all* who shall be in the expedition."
Krystal was silent. She hadn't realized Annore would be going..and what if Worti was one of the two men?
But then Elladan's laughing grin flashed across her mind, accompanied by Legolas's challenging smirk. In her ears echoed Aragorn's carefree laughter, and Elrohir's melodious voice. Would she really abandon her friends because of old haunts?
No.
"Lord Elrond, I wish to accompany them." She told him solemnly after a pause, her voice calm. When he opened his mouth to cut her off, she added hastily, "I can be of service! I am fairly decent with archery and no one would know I am there, I could spy, I-I could, I'll do w-whatever I need to- -"
"Krystal, you do not understand the danger!" Elrond's voice was sharp and Krystal flinched at the sound of her name. "You do not know what you would be going into! Please, as respect for me and all I have offered you, listen. I forbid you to accompany the members of the Mirkwood expedition."
Krystal stood up, furious. "I am thankful for all you have done for me, Elrond, but *I must do this*! You said yourself when I first arrived I had a purpose for being here-- what if *this* is it and I am not there?!"
"Krystal, who do you think you would be helping if you went on this journey? Honestly? Your friends? Or yourself?
Are you doing this solely so you can prove that you can? Or out of a genuine desire to help?!
Krystal, imagine it. You are in the thickest part of the forest, the air is heavy with dread around you. Darkness is all you can see, all you can hear, all you can think of! You cannot tell the difference between having your eyes opened and closed, and yet all you can feel is an overwhelming fear. Fear, born in the pit of your soul, paralyzes your thoughts until you are unable to be of any use to anyone. Something rustles the leaves beside you, and suddenly, eight, yellow, bulbous eyes glare hungrily at you and a voice out of the nightmares chuckles as the beasts pounce on you, dragging you away helplessly as the rest of the members of your party fight the beasts back, along with Orcs, monsters, and the Ring Wraith itself. Krystal, you shall only be a burden if you were to accompany them on this trip. They would not be able to focus, fight and spy properly if they knew you were with them, and by being there, in danger! You would be a distraction, especially with Annore there! Do you understand what I am trying to tell you? You're being there would help no one, Krystal, no one but yourself. And this situation leaves no room for selfishness. I forbid it."
Elrond had not meant to be cruel, he had not meant to frighten her, but she needed to see the truth. Kindness and clarity entered his eyes again, and when he spoke again, his voice was gentle. "Krystal--"
But she would have none of it. She was shaking with fury, fear and anguish, and as Elrond stood up to reach out to her, she wrenched herself out of his grasp.
"You're wrong," she whispered fiercely, and turned and fled from the room.