A/N: So sorry about the last chapter. I forgot that I had added it to
Chapter 6, so here is the real chapter seven. Thank you to all my
reviewers, please keep reviewing!
The Feast
Hermione stood, trying not to let her mouth open wide to show her amazement.
Then, King Aragorn smiled kindly and said, "Welcome to Gondor. This is Lady Elle, Sir Derek, Sir Phillip, Lady Marissa." He named many noble ladies and men, pointing to each of them in turn. He then directed them to three empty seats in between Legolas and Alanna and Meridelle. They walked to their seats, feeling everyone's eyes on their backs. Hermione chose the seat next to Legolas, Ron in the middle, and Harry by Alanna. They reclined on the soft cushions as the feast began.
They ate until they could eat no more, then the entertainment began, Their were bards, dancers, jesters, and finally, music to dance to. Legolas stood up, brushing the crumbs off his green tunic, and turned to Hermione, his eyes twinkling with a feeling Hermione could not place, "May I have this dance?"
"But I don't know how," Hermione objected.
"It's all right, you will catch on quickly," he replied, taking her arm and leading her to the floor in front of the dais. They began to waltz, Legolas guiding her. Miraculously, Hermione did not make a mistake. They talked and Legolas told her of his people and where he came from. When Hermione looked up, she again saw the glimmer in his eyes she could not identify, and her stomach lurched. She looked down, inspecting the exquisite embroidery on the collar of his tunic.
After many more dances, they returned to their seats and Legolas murmured, "Oyu rea ebaufutil, ryeuo yese henis keli rtsas." Hermione was seized by sudden inspiration and turned to Legolas, saying, "Will you teach me Elvish? It is so lovely, I must know it!"
Legolas beamed, "Of course."
Meanwhile, Harry was talking with Alanna at the table. Suddenly he asked, "Alanna, I heard Legolas call you 'sister' once, but you are not an Elf, are you? How can you be his sister?"
"Well," she answered, "Meridelle and I are sisters, as you know. We lived here, in Gondor. Our parents were taking us to visit the Elves of Mirkwood. An orc party ambushed us and killed my parents. Luckily, Meridelle and I were up in a tall tree, picking fruit. The orcs did not notice us. We sat until nightfall, to afraid to move. Then we saw Legolas, who had been sent to search for us. He took us back to the palace, and the King decided to adopt us as his own daughters, Princesses. We learned that Legolas was a Prince and he was our brother. We were granted the immortal life of Elves, although I am only nineteen. See this?" There she stopped and pulled out a necklace from under her gown. It glowed with a strange light, and on it was a shooting star, that glimmered softly. "My name means shooting star. All elves have one of these to show their name."
The night wore on as more entertainers performed and Legolas found Hermione was falling asleep. He quietly summoned Harry and Ron, who ruefully bid Alanna and Meridelle good night, and followed Legolas.
They went back to the guesthouse, and Legolas saw them safely inside, before turning round and walking slowly toward one of the many beautiful gardens.
Hermione had just enough energy left to change into a soft night gown before falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of Elves and dancing. ************************************ Hermione awoke to bright light streaming in her window. She sat up, yawning, and stretched. She washed her face, brushed her hair, and dressed in a light dress she found, pulling her cloak on as well.
Hermione walked into the front room where Harry and Ron were already sitting.
"Morning," Hermione said.
"Morning," Ron replied, "oh yeah, Legolas stopped by and said today was your first lesson in Elvish. He said to go to the House of Healing and Alanna would show you where he was."
"Thanks, I'll be on my way," Hermione smiled and walked out into the bright sunshine, following the path to the House of Healing. When she arrived, Alanna and Meridelle greeted her and Alanna said, "Follow me."
Alanna led Hermione through a maze of building and gardens, until she arrived at a beautiful courtyard, where Legolas was shooting arrows at a target.
Hermione didn't notice Alanna left as she watched one arrow after another fly into the bull's eye.
"That's incredible," she exclaimed.
Legolas smiled, "Good morning to you too, and thank you. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" was the answer.
Legolas showed Hermione to a stone bench with cushions in the middle of the garden. She sat opposite him and he whispered, "Oyu rea remo voelyle hent vree, fi osisplbe."
She smiled and pulled out the notebook she always carried at Hogwarts, it was mostly unused and their was a quill and inkpot attached.
"Let's begin with the alphabet, I'll write it in your notebook," Legolas said. He wrote the flowing Elvish alphabet in Hermione's notebook and proceeded to name the letters.
By the end of the lesson, Hermione could name and write all the Elvish letters, and spell some words.
"You are a fast learner," Legolas commented.
"Thank you," Hermione beamed at the praise. As she went to leave, Legolas picked up his quiver and bow.
"I will come in one half hour to take you to lunch, Aragorn wanted you to join him," Legolas said while sending arrows into the bull's eye.
"All right. Legolas, can I try that?" Hermione asked tentatively. In answer he handed her the bow and quiver.
Hermione tried valiantly to pull the string back, but Legolas said, "Perhaps you need a smaller bow." He pulled on out from a small bag by the bench.
"I always carry different sizes," he explained. Hermione took the other bow and strung it easily, she aimed and let the arrow go. It whizzed through the air to land three inches from the bull's eye. Legolas nodded his approval as she let a second arrow fly, it thudded and inch closer to the center.
"If you want I can teach you archery," Legolas offered. Hermione agreed and set off toward the guesthouse.
Hermione walked into the front room, finding it empty and a note in Harry's handwriting on the table. It read:
Hermione made her way to the House of Healing to find Harry, Ron, Alanna, and Meridelle in the courtyard. Alanna was watching Harry perform various longknife jabs, and Meridelle was teaching Ron the proper fencing positions. Ron took Hermione's entrance as an excuse to take a break, "Hey, Hermione! How was Elvish?"
"Wonderful!" Hermione replied.
"Yes, she's a very fast learner," said a voice as Legolas stepped from the shadows. "What's going on here?" he asked Alanna.
"Well, Harry and Ron came to visit us and found us fencing. So I started showing Harry some knife tricks, and Meridelle is teaching Ron how to fence," Alanna answered. She laughed at Legolas' raised eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence, then Legolas said, "Go prepare for lunch, then come to the gate of the seventh circle in one half our."
They all nodded and departed their separate ways.
************************************ When everyone was assembled at the gate, Legolas led them through the courtyard and into the citadel. They went through a maze of halls and rooms, ending at a large, sturdy, maple wood door. It had many intricate Elvish carvings and was inlaid with jewels. Legolas knocked and the door was opened.
The room took Harry's breath away.
There were beautiful tapestries on every wall, and fluffy rug under a wooden table with porcelain dishes and cups. Harry looked up, and gasped.
There was a mural painted on the ceiling of a man, wearing a crown like Aragorn's, holding a scepter in one hand and knighting a kneeling man with a sword.
The sword caught Harry's eye. The blade was long and thin, also with Elvish designs, and the hilt was inlaid with jewels of all colors. The sword shone with a light that seemed to come from the hilt.
Aragorn followed Harry's gaze, "Ah, that is Elendil, the first King. See how his sword shines? When he died, the sword's light dimmed and the sword was lost. The women have a tale they like to tell: Isildur's youngest heir will be the one to find the sword and bring back the lost light. The light would drive away the darkness." For a moment he frowned, but then he smiled, "Gandalf sent a message, he is coming in two weeks." Legolas smiled and the crinkly lines that had been on his forehead for the past few minutes disappeared.
Ron's stomach growled and everyone laughed as they sat down at the table. They helped themselves to the delicious food on the table and ate until they were stuffed. Hermione, Aragorn, Legolas, Ron, Alanna, and Meridelle began to talk about ancient customs of Gondor as Harry slowly fell asleep.
He was in a field of wheat. The sky was blue with puffy clouds drifting along, and Harry was perfectly content. All of a sudden, the winds seemed to say, "Harry." And Harry had a feeling he was being watched. He turned around, and the man in the mural was standing there, taller then any mortal, in velvet robes with designs around the hem and neck.
He spoke in a deep voice, filled with authority, "Harry, you are my heir. You must find my sword, rid the land of the darkness that plagues it. Remember, two forward, three to the left, and five forward."
With that he disappeared and Harry awoke with a start.
He stood up suddenly and took two steps forward, three to the left, and five forward. He was standing in front of a large wooden cabinet, the lock on it melted together, unopenable.
"No one knows what is in there, even the most skilled smiths cannot open it," Aragorn said in a hushed tone.
Harry lifted his hand up to the lock, and before he could grip it, the iron broke like clay and fell to the floor.
The others stared in awed silence as Harry opened the cabinet and reached inside.
He took out a scabbard, covered in cobwebs and rusty, but those too fell away. He drew out the sword, making a ringing sound, feeling it warm under his fingers, and seeing the light come from its hilt. To everyone watching him Harry seemed to stand taller, his eyes glimmered with knowledge and hope. The jewels suddenly flared with bright light and glittered once more while the Elvish designs shone with a blinding light. Harry lifted the sword into the air above hime,
"I am Isildur's heir."
The Feast
Hermione stood, trying not to let her mouth open wide to show her amazement.
Then, King Aragorn smiled kindly and said, "Welcome to Gondor. This is Lady Elle, Sir Derek, Sir Phillip, Lady Marissa." He named many noble ladies and men, pointing to each of them in turn. He then directed them to three empty seats in between Legolas and Alanna and Meridelle. They walked to their seats, feeling everyone's eyes on their backs. Hermione chose the seat next to Legolas, Ron in the middle, and Harry by Alanna. They reclined on the soft cushions as the feast began.
They ate until they could eat no more, then the entertainment began, Their were bards, dancers, jesters, and finally, music to dance to. Legolas stood up, brushing the crumbs off his green tunic, and turned to Hermione, his eyes twinkling with a feeling Hermione could not place, "May I have this dance?"
"But I don't know how," Hermione objected.
"It's all right, you will catch on quickly," he replied, taking her arm and leading her to the floor in front of the dais. They began to waltz, Legolas guiding her. Miraculously, Hermione did not make a mistake. They talked and Legolas told her of his people and where he came from. When Hermione looked up, she again saw the glimmer in his eyes she could not identify, and her stomach lurched. She looked down, inspecting the exquisite embroidery on the collar of his tunic.
After many more dances, they returned to their seats and Legolas murmured, "Oyu rea ebaufutil, ryeuo yese henis keli rtsas." Hermione was seized by sudden inspiration and turned to Legolas, saying, "Will you teach me Elvish? It is so lovely, I must know it!"
Legolas beamed, "Of course."
Meanwhile, Harry was talking with Alanna at the table. Suddenly he asked, "Alanna, I heard Legolas call you 'sister' once, but you are not an Elf, are you? How can you be his sister?"
"Well," she answered, "Meridelle and I are sisters, as you know. We lived here, in Gondor. Our parents were taking us to visit the Elves of Mirkwood. An orc party ambushed us and killed my parents. Luckily, Meridelle and I were up in a tall tree, picking fruit. The orcs did not notice us. We sat until nightfall, to afraid to move. Then we saw Legolas, who had been sent to search for us. He took us back to the palace, and the King decided to adopt us as his own daughters, Princesses. We learned that Legolas was a Prince and he was our brother. We were granted the immortal life of Elves, although I am only nineteen. See this?" There she stopped and pulled out a necklace from under her gown. It glowed with a strange light, and on it was a shooting star, that glimmered softly. "My name means shooting star. All elves have one of these to show their name."
The night wore on as more entertainers performed and Legolas found Hermione was falling asleep. He quietly summoned Harry and Ron, who ruefully bid Alanna and Meridelle good night, and followed Legolas.
They went back to the guesthouse, and Legolas saw them safely inside, before turning round and walking slowly toward one of the many beautiful gardens.
Hermione had just enough energy left to change into a soft night gown before falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of Elves and dancing. ************************************ Hermione awoke to bright light streaming in her window. She sat up, yawning, and stretched. She washed her face, brushed her hair, and dressed in a light dress she found, pulling her cloak on as well.
Hermione walked into the front room where Harry and Ron were already sitting.
"Morning," Hermione said.
"Morning," Ron replied, "oh yeah, Legolas stopped by and said today was your first lesson in Elvish. He said to go to the House of Healing and Alanna would show you where he was."
"Thanks, I'll be on my way," Hermione smiled and walked out into the bright sunshine, following the path to the House of Healing. When she arrived, Alanna and Meridelle greeted her and Alanna said, "Follow me."
Alanna led Hermione through a maze of building and gardens, until she arrived at a beautiful courtyard, where Legolas was shooting arrows at a target.
Hermione didn't notice Alanna left as she watched one arrow after another fly into the bull's eye.
"That's incredible," she exclaimed.
Legolas smiled, "Good morning to you too, and thank you. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" was the answer.
Legolas showed Hermione to a stone bench with cushions in the middle of the garden. She sat opposite him and he whispered, "Oyu rea remo voelyle hent vree, fi osisplbe."
She smiled and pulled out the notebook she always carried at Hogwarts, it was mostly unused and their was a quill and inkpot attached.
"Let's begin with the alphabet, I'll write it in your notebook," Legolas said. He wrote the flowing Elvish alphabet in Hermione's notebook and proceeded to name the letters.
By the end of the lesson, Hermione could name and write all the Elvish letters, and spell some words.
"You are a fast learner," Legolas commented.
"Thank you," Hermione beamed at the praise. As she went to leave, Legolas picked up his quiver and bow.
"I will come in one half hour to take you to lunch, Aragorn wanted you to join him," Legolas said while sending arrows into the bull's eye.
"All right. Legolas, can I try that?" Hermione asked tentatively. In answer he handed her the bow and quiver.
Hermione tried valiantly to pull the string back, but Legolas said, "Perhaps you need a smaller bow." He pulled on out from a small bag by the bench.
"I always carry different sizes," he explained. Hermione took the other bow and strung it easily, she aimed and let the arrow go. It whizzed through the air to land three inches from the bull's eye. Legolas nodded his approval as she let a second arrow fly, it thudded and inch closer to the center.
"If you want I can teach you archery," Legolas offered. Hermione agreed and set off toward the guesthouse.
Hermione walked into the front room, finding it empty and a note in Harry's handwriting on the table. It read:
Hermione made her way to the House of Healing to find Harry, Ron, Alanna, and Meridelle in the courtyard. Alanna was watching Harry perform various longknife jabs, and Meridelle was teaching Ron the proper fencing positions. Ron took Hermione's entrance as an excuse to take a break, "Hey, Hermione! How was Elvish?"
"Wonderful!" Hermione replied.
"Yes, she's a very fast learner," said a voice as Legolas stepped from the shadows. "What's going on here?" he asked Alanna.
"Well, Harry and Ron came to visit us and found us fencing. So I started showing Harry some knife tricks, and Meridelle is teaching Ron how to fence," Alanna answered. She laughed at Legolas' raised eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence, then Legolas said, "Go prepare for lunch, then come to the gate of the seventh circle in one half our."
They all nodded and departed their separate ways.
************************************ When everyone was assembled at the gate, Legolas led them through the courtyard and into the citadel. They went through a maze of halls and rooms, ending at a large, sturdy, maple wood door. It had many intricate Elvish carvings and was inlaid with jewels. Legolas knocked and the door was opened.
The room took Harry's breath away.
There were beautiful tapestries on every wall, and fluffy rug under a wooden table with porcelain dishes and cups. Harry looked up, and gasped.
There was a mural painted on the ceiling of a man, wearing a crown like Aragorn's, holding a scepter in one hand and knighting a kneeling man with a sword.
The sword caught Harry's eye. The blade was long and thin, also with Elvish designs, and the hilt was inlaid with jewels of all colors. The sword shone with a light that seemed to come from the hilt.
Aragorn followed Harry's gaze, "Ah, that is Elendil, the first King. See how his sword shines? When he died, the sword's light dimmed and the sword was lost. The women have a tale they like to tell: Isildur's youngest heir will be the one to find the sword and bring back the lost light. The light would drive away the darkness." For a moment he frowned, but then he smiled, "Gandalf sent a message, he is coming in two weeks." Legolas smiled and the crinkly lines that had been on his forehead for the past few minutes disappeared.
Ron's stomach growled and everyone laughed as they sat down at the table. They helped themselves to the delicious food on the table and ate until they were stuffed. Hermione, Aragorn, Legolas, Ron, Alanna, and Meridelle began to talk about ancient customs of Gondor as Harry slowly fell asleep.
He was in a field of wheat. The sky was blue with puffy clouds drifting along, and Harry was perfectly content. All of a sudden, the winds seemed to say, "Harry." And Harry had a feeling he was being watched. He turned around, and the man in the mural was standing there, taller then any mortal, in velvet robes with designs around the hem and neck.
He spoke in a deep voice, filled with authority, "Harry, you are my heir. You must find my sword, rid the land of the darkness that plagues it. Remember, two forward, three to the left, and five forward."
With that he disappeared and Harry awoke with a start.
He stood up suddenly and took two steps forward, three to the left, and five forward. He was standing in front of a large wooden cabinet, the lock on it melted together, unopenable.
"No one knows what is in there, even the most skilled smiths cannot open it," Aragorn said in a hushed tone.
Harry lifted his hand up to the lock, and before he could grip it, the iron broke like clay and fell to the floor.
The others stared in awed silence as Harry opened the cabinet and reached inside.
He took out a scabbard, covered in cobwebs and rusty, but those too fell away. He drew out the sword, making a ringing sound, feeling it warm under his fingers, and seeing the light come from its hilt. To everyone watching him Harry seemed to stand taller, his eyes glimmered with knowledge and hope. The jewels suddenly flared with bright light and glittered once more while the Elvish designs shone with a blinding light. Harry lifted the sword into the air above hime,
"I am Isildur's heir."