A Pale Moon Rises
Disclaimer: Anything in here you don't recognize, I own. The rest belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update. My creative flow is not as consistent as I would like it to be. I am glad most of you liked the first chapter and I hope this one holds up to your standards. Thank you to my beta-reader Jack-Sparrow-Lover for your revision help, and thank you to Katy of Domlando Blonaghan for your helpful info into LOTR. And without further adieu...chapter 2...enjoy! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 2
Anastasia sat in front of the vanity that was placed in her room. Her now clean and silky brown hair flowed down her neck to meet the top of a beautiful skin tight, green night dress with gold trim and embroidery. As she picked up a brush and began running it lightly over her hair she thought to herself/What am I doing here? / Just then there came a knock on the door. "Come in" she said as she pulled on a crimson robe over her night dress. When she turned around a tall, thin woman, with a long, kind face had entered the room. She was withered with age and her long golden blonde hair hung in strands around her face. The woman was a servant named Flo (short for Floresa). She had come bearing a silver tray which held an array of foods that would serve as Ana's meal. "I brought your dinner miss. Would there be anything else tonight?" Flo inquired, the look on her face sincere, as she placed the tray on the hand carved, wooden, dinning table in the main room. Almost surprised by the earnestness of the servant, Ana replied, "No thank you Flo, you have done enough for me already." At that Flo bowed her head and turned in a most eloquent way, as if she was going to leave, but at the last second turned again to face Ana and said, "are you alright miss? Something feels slightly out of line about you, I can't quite put my finger on it though." Astonished at the boldness of the servant all Ana could do was shake her head. /is it really that noticeable that she could see it in my face? Is my secret let out? Am I going to have to go back to living like I did before?/ Finally calming her self enough to form straight, complete sentences Ana said, "No, there is nothing wrong Flo. Why would anything be wrong? Thank you again for dinner, you may go now." At that Flo, yet again, turned around and left, closing the door behind her.
Now, panic stricken with the thought that her heavily guarded secret might possibly be out, Ana could do nothing but stand in the middle of the main room and stare at the magnificently arched ceiling. The designs in the molding were of forests and all of their inhabitants. As her eyes followed the molding all the way around the room the small plaster animals that had been carved into the molding all seemed to look at her in an accusing way./You have to let go .../ they said / you have to move on... tell them and be done with it /. At first Ana didn't know what to do. She had not heard voices like this since the incident, almost five years ago. She had thought that with time they would just go away, but everywhere she went they followed and nothing could save her from the torment of their whispers. / No, I can't.../ she thought. / What if they think I am some sort of crazy person and exile me? Where will I go then? I refuse to go back to the life that was before this. / "I refuse!" Ana was no longer thinking to herself but yelling at the top of her lungs to no one that could be heard by anyone but her. With tears streaming down her face in memory of what past had haunted her she ran out of her room and down the hall. She had to run, the only way to get ride of the voices is to run. Still in her night dress and robe Ana ran full speed through the halls of Mirkwood and straight to the stables where her beloved Orion, the only one she could every trust, would be standing waiting for her.
Orion. The only one she could trust, who wouldn't judge her, who wouldn't abandon her, who wouldn't hurt her. A gelding, he was six feet at the shoulder and heavily muscled throughout the body. His long silvery mane flowed down his neck to meet a flat, solid back and his tail was a long silvery grey. His coat, a brilliant white, was covered in light and dark grey dapples that gave him a magnificence that left all others behind. Just the sight of him made Ana feel better. With the tears still warm and streaming down her face she approached her friend. At the sight of her he whinnied quietly and nuzzled his soft nose in her chest. As she ran her hands up and down his enormous head she explained, "I have to get out of here Orion. We can not stay. We are not safe here." Since they were infants, Ana and Orion had been together. They had grown up together and had a level of understanding that by far surpassed any level that had ever been. It was as if they could actually speak to each other. He knew every mood, every movement. She knew every flinch, every tail swish and every ear twitch. They could almost read each others minds and because of that Orion understood that they would have to leave the warm stable and venture out into the cold and treacherous night.
As Orion turned to leave his stall so Ana could mount up the barn doors flew open, as if a huge gust of wind had just come down from the north and threatened to take down everything in its path. Standing in the door way was Legolas, a look of concern on his face. He had followed Ana into the stables from her room. He had heard her screaming and thought he should see what was going on. He wanted to help but he was too late for once he stepped inside the doorway Ana was already mounted and Orion was galloping full speed and heading straight for Legolas. He did not know what was wrong but as he played chicken with this massive horse as he looked into its riders very distressed green eyes and found that there was something else about this girl that had come from Minas Tirith, a torcher that would not cease. While all of this was going on Legolas had almost forgotten that this girl that he was so concerned about was riding an enormous horse and heading straight for him. He jumped out of the way at the last second and watched as horse and rider galloped out through the tunnel that would lead them into Mirkwood forest.
Knowing the dangers of Mirkwood forest, Legolas decided to follow Anastasia to see if he could at least bring her back to the safety of the Palace. Between the orcs and giant spiders a woman had no business being out in the forest at night .There was no telling what might happen if she was allowed to go out alone at this hour. In his haste he jumped on the nearest horse he could get to, which just so happened to be Arod. A beautiful white gelding with a long flowing mane and tail. Once on his beloved friend, Legolas whispered something in elvish and the two of them were out the door, close on the trail of Ana and Orion.
Even though it was night, the forest was lit as clear as if it were day. The sharp, black silhouettes of the trees pierced the sky and the ground was covered in a silver mist that gave the entire forest a feeling of enchantment. As Orion sped along Ana, whose eyes were welled with tears so she could no longer see, heard the hoof beats of Arod quickly coming up behind her. /Oh no! / She thought as she nudged Orion into a speed that he had never reached before. It was as if he was flying rather than running, though they were fading she could still hear the beats. They mingled with the voices that besieged her. /just tell them...thud, thud, thud...you have to let go/ came the whisper from inside her head. She tried to keep out the sound by covering her ears but to no avail. She could still hear the voices and not only did covering her ears not help but she was beginning to slide off the side of her horse as well. With all of his efforts to keep her on his back Orion could no longer prevent the inevitable. All of a sudden the ground came up very quickly and Ana found herself face first in the rich, soft dirt of the Mirkwood forest floor. When she finally cleared her vision Ana could see that she was in a clearing. Orion was no were to be seen and she had no desire to stand. So she sat on the forest floor and began rocking back and forth saying, "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! Go away! Why can't you just go away?!" Again the tears came in a single, clean track that flowed down her dirt covered face to land in the fertile earth below.
With his elf ears, Legolas knew that something must be wrong. The hoof beats were out of his range but he could clearly hear someone speaking. He decided to slow his horse to a walk and come up quietly as not to startle anyone or anything that might be ahead. When he was in eyes view of Ana he could see that she needed help so he dismounted his horse and said, "Arod, keep watch, I will be right back.." and with that walked into the clearing behind the now standing Ana. She had heard someone come up behind her but was not sure who it was. She silenced her sobbing, though the tears still came, only long enough to attempt to swing her arm around and catch her stalker on the side of the head. To her frightened surprise she was blocked and met with a pair of crystal blue eyes. She was lost in their deepness and could not seem to direct her gaze else where. With his body pressed against hers, Legolas looked into Ana's bright green eyes and saw a growing fear that came from more than being left alone in the forest. Legolas could feel her tremble in his grasp but he dare not loosen his grip on her arms for she might try to fight again. Once more he looked into her eyes and saw the same fear that was there before. Her eyes searched his face franticly as if looking for help. The fear grew and when the most intense part was over her body went limp in his grasp.
Knowing that Mirkwood forest was not the best place to be at night, Legolas picked up Ana's limp body and began walking back toward where Arod had been standing, waiting for his master's return. But upon returning to where he had left one horse, the prince now found two. Orion, the monstrous horse that Ana had been riding had come to see that his mistress was being taken care of. "It's okay, boy. She will be alright." Legolas said to the massive horse. He then proceeded to lift Ana's body onto Arod's back and then mounted up himself, placing her in front of him so he could be sure that she would not fall. Resting her head on his chest and carefully placing his arms around her so he would not disturb her sleep, Legolas said quietly, "Lets go home Arod." And with that the two horses turned and started quickly back to the Palace where, the prince hoped, he would be able to get some answers.
Disclaimer: Anything in here you don't recognize, I own. The rest belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update. My creative flow is not as consistent as I would like it to be. I am glad most of you liked the first chapter and I hope this one holds up to your standards. Thank you to my beta-reader Jack-Sparrow-Lover for your revision help, and thank you to Katy of Domlando Blonaghan for your helpful info into LOTR. And without further adieu...chapter 2...enjoy! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 2
Anastasia sat in front of the vanity that was placed in her room. Her now clean and silky brown hair flowed down her neck to meet the top of a beautiful skin tight, green night dress with gold trim and embroidery. As she picked up a brush and began running it lightly over her hair she thought to herself/What am I doing here? / Just then there came a knock on the door. "Come in" she said as she pulled on a crimson robe over her night dress. When she turned around a tall, thin woman, with a long, kind face had entered the room. She was withered with age and her long golden blonde hair hung in strands around her face. The woman was a servant named Flo (short for Floresa). She had come bearing a silver tray which held an array of foods that would serve as Ana's meal. "I brought your dinner miss. Would there be anything else tonight?" Flo inquired, the look on her face sincere, as she placed the tray on the hand carved, wooden, dinning table in the main room. Almost surprised by the earnestness of the servant, Ana replied, "No thank you Flo, you have done enough for me already." At that Flo bowed her head and turned in a most eloquent way, as if she was going to leave, but at the last second turned again to face Ana and said, "are you alright miss? Something feels slightly out of line about you, I can't quite put my finger on it though." Astonished at the boldness of the servant all Ana could do was shake her head. /is it really that noticeable that she could see it in my face? Is my secret let out? Am I going to have to go back to living like I did before?/ Finally calming her self enough to form straight, complete sentences Ana said, "No, there is nothing wrong Flo. Why would anything be wrong? Thank you again for dinner, you may go now." At that Flo, yet again, turned around and left, closing the door behind her.
Now, panic stricken with the thought that her heavily guarded secret might possibly be out, Ana could do nothing but stand in the middle of the main room and stare at the magnificently arched ceiling. The designs in the molding were of forests and all of their inhabitants. As her eyes followed the molding all the way around the room the small plaster animals that had been carved into the molding all seemed to look at her in an accusing way./You have to let go .../ they said / you have to move on... tell them and be done with it /. At first Ana didn't know what to do. She had not heard voices like this since the incident, almost five years ago. She had thought that with time they would just go away, but everywhere she went they followed and nothing could save her from the torment of their whispers. / No, I can't.../ she thought. / What if they think I am some sort of crazy person and exile me? Where will I go then? I refuse to go back to the life that was before this. / "I refuse!" Ana was no longer thinking to herself but yelling at the top of her lungs to no one that could be heard by anyone but her. With tears streaming down her face in memory of what past had haunted her she ran out of her room and down the hall. She had to run, the only way to get ride of the voices is to run. Still in her night dress and robe Ana ran full speed through the halls of Mirkwood and straight to the stables where her beloved Orion, the only one she could every trust, would be standing waiting for her.
Orion. The only one she could trust, who wouldn't judge her, who wouldn't abandon her, who wouldn't hurt her. A gelding, he was six feet at the shoulder and heavily muscled throughout the body. His long silvery mane flowed down his neck to meet a flat, solid back and his tail was a long silvery grey. His coat, a brilliant white, was covered in light and dark grey dapples that gave him a magnificence that left all others behind. Just the sight of him made Ana feel better. With the tears still warm and streaming down her face she approached her friend. At the sight of her he whinnied quietly and nuzzled his soft nose in her chest. As she ran her hands up and down his enormous head she explained, "I have to get out of here Orion. We can not stay. We are not safe here." Since they were infants, Ana and Orion had been together. They had grown up together and had a level of understanding that by far surpassed any level that had ever been. It was as if they could actually speak to each other. He knew every mood, every movement. She knew every flinch, every tail swish and every ear twitch. They could almost read each others minds and because of that Orion understood that they would have to leave the warm stable and venture out into the cold and treacherous night.
As Orion turned to leave his stall so Ana could mount up the barn doors flew open, as if a huge gust of wind had just come down from the north and threatened to take down everything in its path. Standing in the door way was Legolas, a look of concern on his face. He had followed Ana into the stables from her room. He had heard her screaming and thought he should see what was going on. He wanted to help but he was too late for once he stepped inside the doorway Ana was already mounted and Orion was galloping full speed and heading straight for Legolas. He did not know what was wrong but as he played chicken with this massive horse as he looked into its riders very distressed green eyes and found that there was something else about this girl that had come from Minas Tirith, a torcher that would not cease. While all of this was going on Legolas had almost forgotten that this girl that he was so concerned about was riding an enormous horse and heading straight for him. He jumped out of the way at the last second and watched as horse and rider galloped out through the tunnel that would lead them into Mirkwood forest.
Knowing the dangers of Mirkwood forest, Legolas decided to follow Anastasia to see if he could at least bring her back to the safety of the Palace. Between the orcs and giant spiders a woman had no business being out in the forest at night .There was no telling what might happen if she was allowed to go out alone at this hour. In his haste he jumped on the nearest horse he could get to, which just so happened to be Arod. A beautiful white gelding with a long flowing mane and tail. Once on his beloved friend, Legolas whispered something in elvish and the two of them were out the door, close on the trail of Ana and Orion.
Even though it was night, the forest was lit as clear as if it were day. The sharp, black silhouettes of the trees pierced the sky and the ground was covered in a silver mist that gave the entire forest a feeling of enchantment. As Orion sped along Ana, whose eyes were welled with tears so she could no longer see, heard the hoof beats of Arod quickly coming up behind her. /Oh no! / She thought as she nudged Orion into a speed that he had never reached before. It was as if he was flying rather than running, though they were fading she could still hear the beats. They mingled with the voices that besieged her. /just tell them...thud, thud, thud...you have to let go/ came the whisper from inside her head. She tried to keep out the sound by covering her ears but to no avail. She could still hear the voices and not only did covering her ears not help but she was beginning to slide off the side of her horse as well. With all of his efforts to keep her on his back Orion could no longer prevent the inevitable. All of a sudden the ground came up very quickly and Ana found herself face first in the rich, soft dirt of the Mirkwood forest floor. When she finally cleared her vision Ana could see that she was in a clearing. Orion was no were to be seen and she had no desire to stand. So she sat on the forest floor and began rocking back and forth saying, "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! Go away! Why can't you just go away?!" Again the tears came in a single, clean track that flowed down her dirt covered face to land in the fertile earth below.
With his elf ears, Legolas knew that something must be wrong. The hoof beats were out of his range but he could clearly hear someone speaking. He decided to slow his horse to a walk and come up quietly as not to startle anyone or anything that might be ahead. When he was in eyes view of Ana he could see that she needed help so he dismounted his horse and said, "Arod, keep watch, I will be right back.." and with that walked into the clearing behind the now standing Ana. She had heard someone come up behind her but was not sure who it was. She silenced her sobbing, though the tears still came, only long enough to attempt to swing her arm around and catch her stalker on the side of the head. To her frightened surprise she was blocked and met with a pair of crystal blue eyes. She was lost in their deepness and could not seem to direct her gaze else where. With his body pressed against hers, Legolas looked into Ana's bright green eyes and saw a growing fear that came from more than being left alone in the forest. Legolas could feel her tremble in his grasp but he dare not loosen his grip on her arms for she might try to fight again. Once more he looked into her eyes and saw the same fear that was there before. Her eyes searched his face franticly as if looking for help. The fear grew and when the most intense part was over her body went limp in his grasp.
Knowing that Mirkwood forest was not the best place to be at night, Legolas picked up Ana's limp body and began walking back toward where Arod had been standing, waiting for his master's return. But upon returning to where he had left one horse, the prince now found two. Orion, the monstrous horse that Ana had been riding had come to see that his mistress was being taken care of. "It's okay, boy. She will be alright." Legolas said to the massive horse. He then proceeded to lift Ana's body onto Arod's back and then mounted up himself, placing her in front of him so he could be sure that she would not fall. Resting her head on his chest and carefully placing his arms around her so he would not disturb her sleep, Legolas said quietly, "Lets go home Arod." And with that the two horses turned and started quickly back to the Palace where, the prince hoped, he would be able to get some answers.