A/N: Heh! Glad everyone's having fun with this.
Now, some much-needed revenge for a certain character.
The
Game of the Gods, 6
Morgoth growled under his breath and looked up at Varda. "Will you please
stop humming that stupid song?"
Varda blinked innocently at him. "Why? It's a phrase that you made
popular, since you are the sower of lies. I thought you would appreciate
it."
Morgoth grunted and turned back to the board. Sitting there while Varda hummed
"I know something you don't know," under her breath was quickly
getting annoying.
But as he gazed at the board, his confidence returned. He had a shapeshifter
Sue, one who would join the Three Hunters and make them care more about her
than Merry and Pippin. She could look like anything she wanted, so of course
she would be beautiful. How in the world could this go wrong?
"Hmmm-hmmm-hm-hm-hm-hm."
Morgoth shook his head. "Not this time, Star-Queenie," he whispered,
and nudged his Sue into motion.
-----
Since the beginning of time, she had existed. She had dwelt alone in the Void
before descending into Arda, and even then she had been alone. There was no one
else like her, no one else in existence who could flow from form to form as she
could. The Valar could put on physical forms as they wished, of course, but
they were primarily angelic beings and did not know the torments and hurts of a
body as she did. The creature, who called herself Changeling, was always
seeking a form that would win her love and happiness, and always leaving it in
sorrow when she was found out.
----
"Shall I ask Nienna to weep for her? Or perhaps Fëanor to create a very
small violin?"
"Shut up, Varda."
-------
But now, at last, Changeling thought she had found something that could make
her happy. Great forces were stirring in Middle-earth. Sauron the Great and
Terrible was moving, and his ally's Orcs had captured two small creatures,
Merry and Pippin. Their gallant companions were running across Rohan to rescue
them.
It was such a noble quest that Changeling's heart had melted, and she had
decided to join them. That was why she stood on the grass of Rohan in the form
of something beautiful and harmless- a female hobbit.
-----
"What is she going to do? Eat her way across Rohan?"
"I thought you had more dignity than to turn Taniquetil into a peanut
gallery."
-----
And here came the Three Hunters! Changeling's heart beat hard as she watched
them come- the tall, war-like human known as Strider, the grace given by
long-ago Elvish blood still lingering about him; the fair and noble Elf,
Legolas Greenleaf, the keen-eyed Prince of Mirkwood; and Gimli, the short and
stumpy dwarf. Changeling sniffed. Her business was with the scions of Kings,
and not with the dwarf.
She waited until they were almost upon her, and then stepped out of the high
grass, causing them to halt at once. She could feel them gazing at her in
wonder, and smiled. Though she had chosen the form of a hobbit for
harmlessness, she had not stinted on the beauty that attended her in all of her
forms. She had long auburn hair that hung to her waist in thick and gleaming
plaits, and sparkling violet eyes. She knew her form was delicate, almost
fairy-like, and for a hobbit she was very slender and smooth-muscled. That was
a little unusual, but given the tale she would tell them, they wouldn't really
notice.
"Greetings, travelers," she said, dipping her head. "My name is
Changeling, and I am a daughter of the warrior-hobbits of Rohan. I have heard
that you travel in pursuit of two of my distant kin. I would be honored to help
you."
Aragorn bowed to her. "My lady, your beauty is beyond compare," he
said.
Legolas went to one knee. "We would be honored to have a warrior so brave
with us," he said.
"How did you hear?" Gimli asked.
Changeling looked askance at the dwarf. He was hefting his axe and frowning at
her. "I beg your pardon?'
"How did you hear that we chased two hobbits?" Gimli asked.
"It's not exactly spread from one end of Rohan to the other."
Changeling shook her thick braids in annoyance, but kept a charming smile on
her face. She just had to get through this, and then she would win the love and
respect of Aragorn and Legolas. "My people are wizards as well as
warriors," she said, "and I studied long with Gandalf." She
remembered to bow her head in sorrow. "In the years before his loss, he
taught me much of magic. I have seen the hobbits through the eyes of eagles and
horses." No need to tell them that sometimes she had been those
eagles and horses.
----
"Why? Because then they won't want her?"
"Shall we see how high Taniquetil is?"
-----
Legolas and Aragorn nodded, charmed. Gimli just frowned at her and clutched his
axe. Changeling shrugged and turned away. Her business was truly with the
dazzled scions of Kings.
"The Uruk-hai went this way..."
*****
"I don't trust you."
Changeling looked up with a patient smile. She had expected this. The silly
dwarf felt compelled to let her know that he didn't trust her, as if that would
stop her from winning the hearts of Aragorn and Legolas. Changeling knew they
were enchanted already. She could tell it from the way they had looked at her
long and long before falling asleep, and above all by the way they had trusted
her to take the first watch. Gimli was scowling at her, of course, but then,
Changeling would have been hard-pressed to tell a smile from a scowl, with him.
"What do you mean?" she asked, continuing to sharpen the slender
blade that hung at her side.
"You're not a hobbit," said Gimli.
Changeling laughed at him. "Not a normal one, of course. But I told you, the
warrior-hobbits of Rohan-"
"You don't have hair on your feet."
"Of course not, that would be gross-"
And then Changeling stopped as she realized her mistake.
Hair sprouted a moment later, but by then Gimli had his axe out and was coming
towards her. Changeling backed unwillingly away. She didn't want to leave
Aragorn and Legolas, and she couldn't kill their companion without arousing
distrust too profound for her to continue. But she could try charm.
She transformed into a female dwarf, still with auburn hair and violet eyes,
since she favored those colors.
Gimli snorted, rolled his eyes, and chopped Changeling down without pause.
Changeling fell to the ground, trying to heal the wound by transforming. But
with her head half-off her neck, she was in too much pain to concentrate.
She did manage to say, using magic to cling to life a moment longer, "Why-
why did that fail?"
Gimli smiled grimly and leaned over her. Changeling died with his last words
echoing in her ear.
"No beard."
-----
"Hmmm-hmmm-hm-hm-hm-hm."
Morgoth flung up his hands. "Well, how was I supposed to remember
hair on hobbits' feet?" he yelled. "I never fought them!"
Varda shook her head slowly, sadly. "Attention to detail, my Lord of
Deception." She paused. "Shall we play again?"
"Of course," said Morgoth. "And this time, I'm certain
that I have a Sue you can't defeat."
"Really."
"First Age," said Morgoth, all but spitting the words. "And
rivals Lúthien in beauty."
"Does she, now?"
Morgoth growled and moved the piece forward. "And this time, no commentary
from Taniquetil," he added.
"Of course not. Though, really, that you couldn't remember beards or
foot-hair doesn't auger well for your remembering enough to control all of
reality."
"Shut up, Varda."