Chapter Two: Alone

The foremost thought running through my labyrinth of a mind was that of disgust. Bowing was unheard of unless the one I served was truly stronger, more powerful, or better…was dark sorcery justified by the eternal thirst for power? Or was that entirely irrelevant to my current state? Hatred of the purest, most deadly kind was coursing through my heart, willing, no, compelling me to rise once more and face the morrow.

And then my legs shook, and I collapsed to the ground.

* * * * *

When I awoke, opening tired eyes slowly, the black marble had become a slate gray. I lifted my head off the ground to survey the surroundings momentarily but sank to the floor soon enough. I had not the strength to accomplish any more than listen and watch.

But all was silent and not even shadows crossed the room, so finally, I forced aching legs to stand and leaned against the walls. Something was not right here. Suddenly the wall gave way and I nearly fell through before clawing at the section beside it, terrified. As soon as I managed to hold onto it, it too disappeared. I took a step shakily toward the center of the room and was relieved when it held firm.

The room, the castle, everything in this stretch of woods sizzled with magic. The walls? Nothing but a hologram, or a mirage, depending on which way one chose to view it. Therefore by this train of thought, I was little more than a prisoner trapped behind a smooth marble gate.

There was nothing more to be done except obey though I hated unyielding obedience. Slowly I limped over to the stairs, straightening my back as much as possible, and descended cautiously. They spiraled down like a coiled scorpion, ready to spring, with pincers reaching out on every level. Dimly lit by jewel green torches, an aura of mystery surrounded the chambers, much more than necessary. The entire castle gave off ominous waves to the instincts.

I lost track of the floors around the fifth or sixth and they became a single, corkscrewed room sealed off in the middle as so to allow others to pass through. Completely regretting my resolve, I walked and walked and walked, nearly walking past my room when my eyes caught a flash of gold and stopped. Just underneath the torch was a small brass nameplate; deeply etched into it were the words Sarelaine Riverwood, Guest. They glowed, lit by a fire within the metal itself, and the polish accentuated it even more. I smiled wearily as realization dawned upon my exhausted mind.

My hand went out to the smooth stone door but only to find no doorknob. Then a deep, resounding voice spoke that echoed off the single continuous hall.

"I see that there is a new resident, is there not?"

"Yes," I said simply, trying to hide the quaver in my voice. But it must have noticed, could not have missed the nervous tremble when it spoke again.

"If you are the rightful one, pull the finger of your right hand down lengthwise," it intoned. "The door shall pass judgment…and if you are a mere imposter, you shall observe the events to occur."

Hearing this, I drew my milky white, right index finger down the almost glassy surface. And nothing happened. There was no auspicious creaking of hinges, nor a booming voice crying out for punishment. Then the door began dissolving away to reveal a decently sized bedroom, my room.

The door had been no Dwarven creation, I was sure of that. They were never quite so subtle, preferring motion, or spells, or the recognition of faces. No, it was either a work of human sorcery or else the accursed goblins, who stole and never gave, learned but never taught.  But here I digress; what becomes more important is the chamber I had been left to.

It was not extravagantly furnished, but then again, I needed little of the Lord's luxuries, having slept on the springy moss and crunchy leaves for the past few weeks. A crooked smile cracked open chapped lips, and I tripped over and flopped down upon the bed. The last object I saw before shutting the eyelids was a blurred but smooth emerald green sea of the top of the canopy bed, matching the drapes exactly. And then I knew no more in a deep, undisturbed sleep.

* * * * *

When my eyes opened again I found that it was evening already, so I rose from the bed and strolled around the room. A closet had been stocked with clothing, and I slipped on a straight white dress. It flowed nicely around the ankles, though it also gave me a sort of constraining feeling…the feeling that I was, once again, trapped in the house of the unknown. I fingered the hem of the sleeve a bit nervously, then shoved my feet into plain moccasins. How simple it was to play the part of an aristocrat given the proper accessories, but how many people failed in dismal times was an unspecified number…

Gliding around the room, I took a few moments to gaze down at my reflection on the polished marble floor and smiled. By the lady I was beautiful like I had never been before, though beauty didn't seem to matter here. No, only ability mattered in this castle, and that fact translated neatly into my future demise. It was so pathetic not to know anything beyond what others had taught; while a helpful start, eventually it was not enough.

Eventually one must learn from deep within.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the deep recesses of the great marble structure, followed by the same deep resounding voice I had heard earlier. "Our Lord wishes you to join him for supper," it breathed none too softly. "You dare not refuse."

Sighing, I walked over to the door and was mildly surprised to step through a solid wall, like I had seen Him do before. But it was not as surprising as I may have believed, perhaps; wood elves are generally not accustomed to higher magics or those beyond forest craft.

I swept down the winding staircase, more confident that eventually I would arrive at my destination. At the foot of the steps, Master Shadow stood and beckoned me closer until I was nearly stepping on the hems of his cloak. He smiled humorlessly and glided away to a large doorway, ushering me through before entering himself.

So this was the dining hall.

AN: Ok, this sucked major ass, but I'm getting a little stuck and finding LoTR impossibly hard to write if I'm not in the perfect mood…which doesn't come along very often after getting 5 hours of sleep a night for two weeks. Well, please review anyway, and hopefully look forward to a better chapter.

L8er,

-cybErdrAgOn