A/N: First of all, I'd like to say this: wow. Thank you to all the great reviewers that wrote a word or two, it was really great to see you appreciated this story. I would also like to answer RainyDayz: there *will* be a lot of Aragorn and Legolas (actually, the chapter after this one will be almost all about Aragorn), but I am sorry to tell you there *will* also be some Gimli. But I hope you will still enjoy reading this story. (after all, when there is some Gimli, there has to be some Legolas, right? ;-) And to tapetum lucidum: there will be Legolas angst (quite a lot, actually...)(but hey, who doesn't like to torture him, anyway?), but you'll have to be patient and wait a few more chapters...
Oh, one last thing: still looking for a beta!
Now, on with the story!
An evil revealed
They were all there in the throne room when the guards made the Noreans enter. Aragorn, Arwen, and Legolas and Gimli as well. Aragorn had insisted on their being both present.
First came a middle-aged man, and one respectful step behind him stood an older man and a young woman. All three of them wore extreme exhaustion on their faces, dark shadows under their eyes, and their backs were bowed by tiredness. Their skin was the tanned one of those used to living outdoors.
The middle-aged man and the young woman shared the same dark green eyes, and they might both be dark-haired but their hair were lightened by a probable life-long exposure to the sea air.
The older man wore a long gray beard, and his insightful brown eyes showed a calm wisdom. When his gaze rested on Arwen, surprise flashed in his eyes, but once this moment passed he nodded to her with a slight smile. For her part, Arwen looked at him with puzzlement for split seconds, and when she finally understood she warmly smiled back at him before whispering something at Aragorn's ear.
The man ahead of the two other Noreans cleared his throat. "King Elessar. I am Crireth, chief of the Norean clan of Elat. Here", he indicated the old man, "is Qeladon, my advisor, and here", he indicated the young woman, " is my daughter Cindra."
In his turn, Aragorn introduced his wife and friends. "Lady Arwen Evenstar, my wife and daughter of Lord Elrond Half-elven of Rivendell; Gimli son of Glóin, Dwarf of the Lonely Mountain; Prince Legolas, son of Thranduil the King of Mirkwood." Before Crireth could say anything, Aragorn added: "Before you speak, Crireth, I would like you to know that I got wind of the doings of one of your people in Linhir, and be assured that I expect full explanations from you."
"That is the very reason of my coming here, my Lord. It was indeed a man belonging to my clan that arrived in your kingdom before us, and I wish to apologize in his place for what he did. But had he been in his right mind, never would he have perpetrated such acts."
"Are you implying that this man suffered from madness?"
"Nay my Lord. Ederis, that is the name of that man, proved all his life he was perfectly sane. His late doings were not of his own will but of the one of a creature of darkness that took him as an host." Many questioning looks converged towards him as Crireth finished his sentence, and he added: "I should let Qeladon give you all more details about this creature as he knows more than I do."
The room fell more silent than it already was as the old man took a step forward. It was as if they were all waiting for words that would enlighten Crireth's cryptic sayings. Qeladon cleared his throat before speaking slowly as he carefully chose his words. "A creature, probably of ancient evil, emerged in Norea a week or so ago. We believe it is some kind of mind-controlling creature, taking possession of both mind and body of a human host, as it was the case with Ederis. We ignore how this creature proceeds, and do not know if it even has a body of its own, as we never saw its corporeal form if it has one. All we can tell for sure is that it took possession of Ederis, killed many Noreans, before leaving for Middle-earth with its host."
The old Norean marked a pause, both to moisten his lips and to give some time to everyone to assimilate this dense data. The men in front of him exchanged worried looks, unspoken concerned words on their lips. The look in the King of Gondor's eyes darkened as he was now beginning to size what transpired in Linhir: a new evil had come to Middle-earth, unleashed…
After a couple of seconds heavy with silent uneasiness, Qeladon went on. "This is not the first time something like this happens; I am aware of old writings that talk of similar events occurring many years ago in Norea, twice. Each time, the creature took control of a Norean, killed hundreds of people around, and suddenly left. But as far as I know, this is the first time it leaves Norea and goes to Middle-earth."
Aragorn could not hold any more the question that kept running through his head since the mind-controlling ability had been mentioned. "This creature… Can it take possession of anyone?"
"I guess so, my Lord." The Norean answered.
Aragorn looked at his wife at his side as she laid a hand on his shoulder, then at his former companions. They all seemed as concerned as he was. He looked back at the old Norean. "Even Elves?" he finally enquired.
Qeladon hesitated a short while. "I am afraid I can not answer that question. I know Elves to have strong spirits, hence maybe this creature's tricks would have no effect on them, but I can not tell for sure."
The next question came from Arwen. "Can it switch to another host even after taking possession of one?"
"It can most probably pass from one body to another, yet I would not know how."
Crireth took a step forward and looked at Aragorn straight in the eyes. "My Lord, I assume you now understand why I so pressingly wished to talk to you. As you may know, we Noreans are not versed in the art of war. We do not know how to kill this creature, or even if it can be killed. I consider it is the responsibility of Norea to do the necessary concerning this creature, but we are unfortunately not equipped to fight this evil alone."
Aragorn could read Crireth's unspoken request in his eyes. They wanted to find this creature and kill it, but they did not know how to do it, and even if they did they probably would not have the means to do so. They needed his help and the help of the people of Gondor, as well as the help of anyone willing to fight this evil.
And hearing the little that was known about the creature, Aragorn feared it might quickly become the concern of all Middle-earth. A mind-controlling creature like this one seemed to be could reveal extremely dangerous should it manage to host a powerful Middle-earth figure like himself or any other ruler, pretending and being able to rule over armies…
He eventually spoke those words. "I will do everything in my power to track this creature and rid Middle-earth of it. But as your advisor pointed out, as far as we know it may well be able to go from one body to another, and maybe it has already switched to another host. You do realize that tracking a creature that is not bound to one body will be extremely tricky."
"It has not switched to another body," Crireth answered, "at least not yet. You see, we Noreans have the ability to know where the ones of our kind are; we have spent most of our time practically alone on the sea for many generations, which probably developed this skill in the course of time. Anyway, we can feel their presence. And I can tell you that at this very moment, Ederis is still heading north. Had the creature chosen another host, he would be either dead or heading back south."
"So basically you are able to tell me here and now where exactly is your fellow countryman?"
"I am afraid I do not know the names of the places of this land, but give me a map and I will be able to show you. Now, or anytime during the chase."
"Which means that should we organize an expedition to track this creature, you would like to be a part of it?" Aragorn asked, voicing the underlying words in Crireth's sayings.
"My Lord, I have no doubt that the renowned ranger I heard you were would have no problem to follow the track of a man like Ederis, but we might be quicker to localize him, and time is an important factor in the situation we are in. Furthermore we may not be warriors, but all three of us are good healers, the best of the clan of Elat. Our presence could be useful should there be… complications. And as I told you, I consider this creature to be the responsibility of Norea."
The King of Gondor gave a quick look towards his friends again. Gimli's face clearly expressed his skepticism, while Legolas seemed to have mixed feelings. Aragorn sometimes truly wished Gandalf was around, and this was one of those moments; and he suddenly found the presence of Arwen's hand on his shoulder very comforting.
He looked back at Crireth. "I would like to have a talk with you, alone." He turned to Legolas and Gimli: "My friends, if you do not mind leaving us alone…" For his part, Crireth spoke a few words to his companions in a low voice.
As they all complied and began to silently head for the door, Arwen led everyone out of the room and to the gardens of the palace. Arwen and Qeladon walked side by side down the stairs that lead to the gardens, followed at a distance by Cindra, while Legolas and Gimli dawdled on the terrace. Both wore concerned looks. They saw Arwen and Qeladon settle on a bench, and Cindra was already nowhere to be seen. They silently leant their elbows on the balustrade, allowing themselves to enjoy the sight of the gardens lower down.
Eventually, Gimli let out a sigh. "I do not trust them."
"Gimli…" his friend began.
"I have the feeling they are hiding something from us."
"Gimli there is…"
The Dwarf did not let him finish, his tone rising slightly. "Would you send your best healers away when you have just suffered from a battle? Would you not make sure they are around to take care of the wounded? This is nonsense. Either those people lack the least common sense or they are not telling us everything."
Gimli had just finished his sentence when he jumped in surprise as he saw Cindra – who had obviously been standing right below them, her back against the wall of the terrace – move away towards the gardens, casting a dark glance at the Dwarf.
Once she was far enough, Gimli turned towards the Elf. "You knew she was there." It was more a statement than a question.
"I tried to warn you."
The Dwarf hesitated. "Do you think she heard me?"
About to answer, Legolas looked back down on the gardens as Cindra seemed to have changed her mind and was angrily walking back towards them until she faced the Dwarf.
With an upset but yet low voice, she said: "This creature kills. It does not wound, it does not injure, it does not take prisoners. It just kills. Healers would not be of any use." An ironic smile played on her lips. "But you are right. We probably lack the least common sense to be stupid enough to come all the way here to warn you about the coming of this creature."
Once her speech finished, she turned round and walked away again, casting a final dark glance at Gimli.
"My guess is that she heard you…" Legolas teased.
Gimli crossed his arms on his chest with a scowling look. "Well I still do not trust them."
This might well be true, yet Legolas knew his friend was embarrassed by what happened, as the sudden grumpy silence he had just fallen in showed. He had not meant to hurt the young Norean.
The Elf's gaze wandered over the gardens, a soft smile appearing on his lips at this appeasing sight. Further down in the gardens he saw Arwen and Qeladon, the old Norean, sitting on a bench and obviously in the middle of a conversation.
And they were indeed in the middle of a conversation, as Arwen had recognized in Qeladon the Norean she had met many years ago in Rivendell.
"The race of Elves is indeed a creation of marvel of the Valar. After all those years, you have not changed a single bit, while I became an old man you hardly recognized…"
"I apologize, Qeladon. I was not expecting to see you here."
"No worries. How could you recognize the young man I once was in this aging and wrinkled body, anyway?"
Arwen smiled softly. "How have you fared since I last saw you in Rivendell?"
"Well I came back to Norea, founded a family, grew older… Told about what I lived here in Middle-earth during the two years of my stay… It is now known under the name of "The tales of Qeladon's incredible journey"…"
They both laughed lightly, until Qeladon went on. "You know, my travels were considered as an incredible folly and I as an arrogant young adventurer when I first left Norea." He shortly paused before adding: "What about you, Lady Arwen? How have you fared? I… see you got married."
He smiled, and Arwen smiled back. "Aye, I did." She simply answered.
"I also heard about the war that recently ailed this part of Middle-earth…"
Arwen's eyes darkened. "A terrible war it was. The forces of many races of Middle-earth had to unite to defeat the Dark Lord."
"I have to admit that even almost two hundred years ago, there was already some kind of spreading darkness that was foreshadowing the upcoming battle…" He paused as Cindra was walking by at some distance, wandering idly through the gardens.
The old Norean looked at her thoughtfully, and eventually sighed. "I am afraid I might be the only Norean to have heard about this war…" he told Arwen. "Unfortunately it seems that the younger generations do not know much even about the history of our own people… Look at Cindra for example. I was younger than she is now when I left for Rivendell, yet I knew more about Middle-earth or the history of our people before my journey than she or any of the young Noreans do."
Arwen sadly shook her head. "That is a pity. The fate of Númenor should never be forgotten."
"I try to keep the memory of Númenor alive through the teaching to young children, but it does not seem to be sufficient." He shrugged. "At least I managed to successfully teach Westron to some of them…" His gaze rested on Cindra again for a few seconds as he said this, before resting on the palace. He added with a sigh: "I hope your husband will agree to help us on this quest, for we are in great need of his support."
"Do not worry. He will."
"May you be right, Lady Arwen… For alone we would not be able to fight this evil…"
As soon as everyone had left the room, Aragorn indicated a seat near his own to his guest. "Please Crireth, do have a seat."
"Thank you my Lord."
The King waited until the Norean was comfortably sat before he asked: "Crireth, there is something I have been wondering. You talked of the important killings of this creature. Pardon me if this question is too direct, but how many losses have you endured in your clan?"
The clan chief's eyes darkened. "Almost two hundred souls faded the night that creature appeared. Which is half the population of my clan," he added with an obvious grief, "all killed within a few hours…" He shook his head. "No mortal can inflict such damage in so short a time alone…"
"And do you not have a single idea of the reason why this creature would come and kill your people, especially since it is not the first time it attacks Norea? I believe creatures of ancient evil usually do so either to defend their territory, to feed or to obey their master."
The Norean shook his head again. "We do not know the motivations of this creature, but it seems that its only goal was killing, though. Alas, I fear that its coming to Middle-earth might indicate a change in its purpose."
"It seems to me it has not really given up its killing habit," Aragorn answered rather bitterly, still having in mind the deaths of several of his own people.
"I apologize, King Elessar. I know some of your people died at the hands of this creature as well. But if its main purpose was still to kill, I am convinced that many more would have perished."
"Then do tell me what you think it wishes now." Despite his question, Aragorn already had quite a precise idea of what this creature was seeking in Middle-earth.
"What we Noreans have not to offer. Power."
Aragorn slowly nodded for it confirmed what he feared. In terms of authority, Noreans were weak and very few, and above all they were not united. Their nation could not bring anything to a power thirsty creature, while Middle-earth was abundant in realms with great influence and large militias… And as he had previously mused, a mind-controlling creature having under its control the mind of any ruler of those realms could bring great misfortune to those lands…
"Do you know of any way to kill this creature?" he finally asked.
"As I told you before, I do not. Nonetheless, Qeladon thinks that killing the host may be enough to kill the creature along with him."
Aragorn frowned. "Would you be willing to sacrifice yet another one of your men?"
"I will not hide from you the fact that I do not really favor this solution. Ederis is a good man and did not deserve such a fate, hence I will do my possible to avoid this. But sometimes sacrifices must be done for the good of the majority, and if ultimately it is the only option we have to get rid of this creature, then yes, I would." The Norean paused a few seconds before adding: "But we may have another way to kill it."
Aragorn looked at him with a questioning look. For someone who did not know who to kill this creature, he seemed to have quite a few means to do so…
"You see, Ederis and Cindra were childhood friends, and still now are very close friends. And he did not kill her, yet he had a strong opportunity to do so, and even almost did. But he interrupted himself, which means that despite the creature perverting his mind, Ederis was still there and somewhat able to intervene and prevent the creature from killing her. There might be hope there. Maybe we can find a way to reach to him."
Aragorn nodded. "Which explains the presence of your daughter here…"
"If you have children my Lord, I am sure you will understand I would have preferred to know her in a safe place far away from this creature. But we may need her, and anyway she would not have allowed me to search for her best friend without bringing her with me. Also as her bond with Ederis is stronger than ours, she might be more accurate in localizing him than Qeladon and I are."
Everything now made sense to the King of Gondor. He had understood the presence of Crireth's counselor, especially since he had already come to Middle-earth before, but he had wondered about the clan chief's daughter.
"So what say you, King Elessar? Can we count on your assistance?"
"Aye, you certainly can."
----------------------------------
End of Chapter Two...
I hope this chapter didn't sound too didactic, but I needed to do it before having the real action begin...
Anyway, please let me know your opinion in a review!
I am a rather slow writer, but if you are a writer yourself you probably know how a few good reviews can speed up things... ;-)
Next chapter: "Leaving the White City" (at last... :-p)