-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing.
Random Lawyer: Then all your books and belongings are free for the taking! Muhahahaha! *steals Crimson Starlight's stuff*
CS: Hey! *runs after* *trips over a rock and falls on her face* *random elephant steps on Crimson Starlight*
Rachel, Glorfindel, and the entire cast of The Games of the Gods: ...O.o
CS: I hate Mondays.
-21: Scoldings-
"Aren't you finished YET?" I whined for what seemed the thousandth time.
"No." Glorfindel's reply was typical, and I growled in annoyance before stomping over to the window. The sun had set about an hour ago, and I was STILL in Glorfindel's study with no way to get back to my rooms without getting lost. Which was not something I wanted to do normally, let alone in the dark. I could have stared at Glorfindel, of course, and had a drool-fest doing so, but Glorfindel had an uncanny knack for knowing when I was looking at him, and all my staring and drooling was, through my own rules, supposed to be known only to myself. So now I was glaring miserably out over Rivendell, feeling very hungry and very close to heading off and getting lost. Before I could, however, there was a knock on the door. I was at the door and had it open before Glorfindel could say "Come in."
"Yo, Lord Elrond." I said cheerily. Elrond arched an eyebrow at me, and I said by way of an explanation, "I don't know what you're here for, nor do I care, but when you leave, you're showing me back to a part of Rivendell I recognize."
"Glorfindel, have you been keeping Lady Asira here all afternoon?" Elrond asked with a frown, turning to Glorfindel.
"No." Glorfindel replied. I gaped at him, and he arched an eyebrow at me. "RACHEL has been staying here out of her own volition. She could have left any time she wanted to."
"And gotten so lost I would have ended up in Hobbiton before realizing I was going the wrong way." I said with a snort, then turned back to Elrond and said, "You need to put up signs or hand out maps or something." Elrond looked at me in amusement.
"There was no need until you came to visit." he said. I mock glared at him.
"You think you're so funny." I said grumpily.
"Speaking of visiting, why are you here, Elrond?" Glorfindel asked.
"I came to see if you will be ready to leave tomorrow as planned." Elrond replied.
"If I can get some peace and quiet to finish my work, yes." Glorfindel said, shooting a meaningful glance at me.
"You could have gotten rid of me any time you wanted. You just had to show me to some part of Rivendell I recognized." I replied with an innocent smile. "And besides, your work can't be more important than going and scaring off a couple of Ringwraiths and bringing the Ringbearer to Rivendell so he can get his ouchie fixed." Glorfindel and Elrond looked at me blankly while they deciphered what I'd said.
"The Ringbearer is injured?" Elrond asked, his eyebrows shooting up in alarm.
"Or will be soon, yep." I replied, then frowned thoughtfully and added, "I need to stop giving away what I know like that. Not healthy for the timeline..."
"Indeed it is not. I think it would be better, perhaps, if you go to stay in Lothlorien until the events you know of are over." Elrond said with a worried frown.
"Eh, no." I said, thinking of the Fellowship wandering through there, and Kari's presence. "Wouldn't work. Besides, no offence, but Galadriel's creepy." I heard a snort of laughter from Glorfindel, but he covered it quickly with a cough when Elrond shot him a look.
"Then you shall have to learn to curb your tongue." Elrond said.
"Indeedily doodily do!" I replied cheerfully. Both Elf Lords looked at me blankly. "That means I will." Glorfindel and Elrond nodded in understanding, and I held back a snicker.
"Regardless, Lady Asira is right, Glorfindel. Your work is not more important than your trip." Elrond said.
"GOOD." Glorfindel said emphatically, immediately standing up from behind his desk. I blinked in surprise as Elrond smiled knowingly.
"Shall we all go have a late supper, then?" Elrond suggested. "I'm afraid I missed supper myself with all my own work."
"Might as well, it'll go with my early breakfast." I commented, and so all three of us set off for the kitchens, where we hoped to find some food left over from supper.
When we reached the kitchens, we not only discovered some left over food, but Glorfindel and Elrond spotted some other important Elves of Rivendell having a late supper, and pretty soon they were all wrapped up in a boring conversation about something or other. I stayed nearby for a short while, then got bored with the constant droning and had my food put on a tray and took it to my rooms.
Surprisingly, Boromir was waiting for me when I returned to my rooms. He was leaning against the wall across from my door, looking tired and cranky.
"Finally." he muttered when I came up, pushing himself away from the wall.
"How long have you been waiting here?" I asked.
"Since supper, though I have been searching for you since mid-afternoon." Boromir replied in annoyance.
"Ah, well, I was lost." I said as I opened my door and went into my room. Boromir arched an eyebrow at me as he followed me in.
"Lost? For the entire afternoon? How on Arda did you manage that?" he asked.
"I could get lost for an hour trying to walk in a circle, and ANYBODY could get lost for any amount of time going to or coming back from Glory's study." I replied as I set my tray down on the table and sat down. Boromir positioned himself so he was now leaning against the wall across from where I was sitting.
"What were you doing in Lord Glorfindel's study?" he asked.
"Explaining to the twins why I left Rivendell." I replied.
"The twins...? You mean Lord Elrond's sons?" Boromir asked, and I nodded. "Why Glorfindel's study, then?" Boromir asked in confusion. "Do they not have their own studies?"
"Probably, but Glory's study is far enough away from everybody else that nobody could overhear us, and besides, I wanted Glory around in case Elladan decided to do something stupid. Also, Glory's study contains sharp, pointy objects that can be used in self defense." I replied. Boromir looked at me blankly, not even trying to understand what I'd just said. "So, why were you looking for me?"
"Lord Elrond came to speak with me this afternoon." Boromir said, immediately latching onto a subject he could understand. "He asked me to attend a council of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth that he is going to be holding soon."
"And you said yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I told him I was here to seek answers, not to attend a council." Boromir replied in annoyance. "He then told me that I might find my answers at the council."
"Smart Elf." I commented. Boromir pursed his lips and glared at me.
"I do not have time to attend councils of any sort. I need to find out what that dream means, if anything, and then return to Minas Tirith!" he said.
"The dream does mean something, Boromir, and because of it, you are not only going to attend that council, but you're going to be making a side trip to Mordor before going home to Minas Tirith." I said crisply. Boromir gaped at me.
"But father said -" Boromir started.
"Your father is a fool." I snapped. "He toys with powers beyond his comprehension and imagines that he has mastered them. Worse yet, he makes his decisions on the 'wisdom' he learns from his supposed manipulating of those powers. Is it any wonder that under his leadership Gondor has grown weak?"
"Gondor is not weak!" Boromir protested, his anger flaring at my insult of his kingdom.
"I have lived in Gondor's glory days, Boromir." I said, staring back at Boromir unflinchingly. "Gondor is WEAK."
"It is still the strongest of Kingdoms!" Boromir snarled.
"Of Men." I replied. Boromir glared at me for a moment, silently fuming, then stomped out of my room. "Go to the council." I called after him, and I think I heard him snort in response. I had finished my meal by now, so I carefully covered the tray again and left it on the table for a servant to come and remove, then wandered out onto my balcony hoping to distract myself for a bit before figuring out how that particular conversation with Boromir had gone wrong and what I should do to fix it.
I looked down on Rivendell for a short while, but I had been staring at it most of the afternoon from Glorfindel's study, so I was sick of seeing it. Instead, I turned my eyes to the stars, and smiled as I felt that familiar peace that seemed to settle on me whenever I looked up at the night sky.
I don't know how long I stood, watching the sky, but I soon became aware that the sky was lightening, and there was motion in the courtyard beneath me. My balcony looked out over the main courtyard of Lord Elrond's house, and now as I looked down, I saw that Glorfindel, as well as many other Elves, were making an early start to go looking for Frodo and company. Elrond was down there, and said a few words to each of the riders, before moving off to watch as the Elves mounted their horses and left Rivendell by twos. Glorfindel was in the last pair to leave, and when he mounted up, I called out to him.
"Hey Glory!" Glorfindel turned and looked up at me. "Knock 'em dead." I said with an evil grin. Glorfindel rolled his eyes, then waved and rode off. Elrond, now aware of my presence, looked up at me where I stood on the balcony, still watching as the Elven riders disappeared off in various directions.
"Rachel." Elrond said, and I turned to look at him.
"Hey, you didn't call me Asira." I said with a half smile, and Elrond nodded with a small smile.
"Would you please come to my study after breakfast? I have some things I would like to discuss with you." Elrond said.
"Sure." I said. "When's breakfast, anyways?"
"In a few hours." Elrond replied.
"Shit." I said, making a face, surprised that I'd stood staring at the stars the entire night. "I need to get some sleep." Elrond arched an eyebrow at me.
"You have not slept already tonight?" he asked.
"Stars are pretty." I said by way of an explanation. Elrond gave a little laugh, nodded, and then disappeared into the house. With a last glance at the stars, I left my balcony and changed before clambering into bed to get whatever sleep I could before breakfast.
----To be continued...with Bilbo!----
(Three cheers for the funny ol' hobbit!)
-Authors Note:-
OK, so I didn't QUITE make three chapters in one week, but I got absorbed in some very absorbing books. :P Anyways, now I have some good and bad news - the good news is I'll be trying to get a chapter up every two days from now until the end of the month. Why? Because - and this is the bad news - November is NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) and I'm going to be trying to write close to 2,000 words a day on a novel then and will have very little time to write on this fic. I will POSSIBLY get up one chapter a week during that time. Possibly. We shall see.
Anyways, now that I'm done with the news, I'm going to thank my reviewers and hope you all continue to review even when I slow down in November. I want to especially thank Darlene5, Aislin2 and The Noble Platypus - I kept meaning to reply to your reviews over the weekend, but just never got around to it. Ooops. (Books are bad for productivity, boils and ghouls!)
Off to do the schoolwork she should be doing,
~Crimson Starlight
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing.
Random Lawyer: Then all your books and belongings are free for the taking! Muhahahaha! *steals Crimson Starlight's stuff*
CS: Hey! *runs after* *trips over a rock and falls on her face* *random elephant steps on Crimson Starlight*
Rachel, Glorfindel, and the entire cast of The Games of the Gods: ...O.o
CS: I hate Mondays.
-21: Scoldings-
"Aren't you finished YET?" I whined for what seemed the thousandth time.
"No." Glorfindel's reply was typical, and I growled in annoyance before stomping over to the window. The sun had set about an hour ago, and I was STILL in Glorfindel's study with no way to get back to my rooms without getting lost. Which was not something I wanted to do normally, let alone in the dark. I could have stared at Glorfindel, of course, and had a drool-fest doing so, but Glorfindel had an uncanny knack for knowing when I was looking at him, and all my staring and drooling was, through my own rules, supposed to be known only to myself. So now I was glaring miserably out over Rivendell, feeling very hungry and very close to heading off and getting lost. Before I could, however, there was a knock on the door. I was at the door and had it open before Glorfindel could say "Come in."
"Yo, Lord Elrond." I said cheerily. Elrond arched an eyebrow at me, and I said by way of an explanation, "I don't know what you're here for, nor do I care, but when you leave, you're showing me back to a part of Rivendell I recognize."
"Glorfindel, have you been keeping Lady Asira here all afternoon?" Elrond asked with a frown, turning to Glorfindel.
"No." Glorfindel replied. I gaped at him, and he arched an eyebrow at me. "RACHEL has been staying here out of her own volition. She could have left any time she wanted to."
"And gotten so lost I would have ended up in Hobbiton before realizing I was going the wrong way." I said with a snort, then turned back to Elrond and said, "You need to put up signs or hand out maps or something." Elrond looked at me in amusement.
"There was no need until you came to visit." he said. I mock glared at him.
"You think you're so funny." I said grumpily.
"Speaking of visiting, why are you here, Elrond?" Glorfindel asked.
"I came to see if you will be ready to leave tomorrow as planned." Elrond replied.
"If I can get some peace and quiet to finish my work, yes." Glorfindel said, shooting a meaningful glance at me.
"You could have gotten rid of me any time you wanted. You just had to show me to some part of Rivendell I recognized." I replied with an innocent smile. "And besides, your work can't be more important than going and scaring off a couple of Ringwraiths and bringing the Ringbearer to Rivendell so he can get his ouchie fixed." Glorfindel and Elrond looked at me blankly while they deciphered what I'd said.
"The Ringbearer is injured?" Elrond asked, his eyebrows shooting up in alarm.
"Or will be soon, yep." I replied, then frowned thoughtfully and added, "I need to stop giving away what I know like that. Not healthy for the timeline..."
"Indeed it is not. I think it would be better, perhaps, if you go to stay in Lothlorien until the events you know of are over." Elrond said with a worried frown.
"Eh, no." I said, thinking of the Fellowship wandering through there, and Kari's presence. "Wouldn't work. Besides, no offence, but Galadriel's creepy." I heard a snort of laughter from Glorfindel, but he covered it quickly with a cough when Elrond shot him a look.
"Then you shall have to learn to curb your tongue." Elrond said.
"Indeedily doodily do!" I replied cheerfully. Both Elf Lords looked at me blankly. "That means I will." Glorfindel and Elrond nodded in understanding, and I held back a snicker.
"Regardless, Lady Asira is right, Glorfindel. Your work is not more important than your trip." Elrond said.
"GOOD." Glorfindel said emphatically, immediately standing up from behind his desk. I blinked in surprise as Elrond smiled knowingly.
"Shall we all go have a late supper, then?" Elrond suggested. "I'm afraid I missed supper myself with all my own work."
"Might as well, it'll go with my early breakfast." I commented, and so all three of us set off for the kitchens, where we hoped to find some food left over from supper.
When we reached the kitchens, we not only discovered some left over food, but Glorfindel and Elrond spotted some other important Elves of Rivendell having a late supper, and pretty soon they were all wrapped up in a boring conversation about something or other. I stayed nearby for a short while, then got bored with the constant droning and had my food put on a tray and took it to my rooms.
Surprisingly, Boromir was waiting for me when I returned to my rooms. He was leaning against the wall across from my door, looking tired and cranky.
"Finally." he muttered when I came up, pushing himself away from the wall.
"How long have you been waiting here?" I asked.
"Since supper, though I have been searching for you since mid-afternoon." Boromir replied in annoyance.
"Ah, well, I was lost." I said as I opened my door and went into my room. Boromir arched an eyebrow at me as he followed me in.
"Lost? For the entire afternoon? How on Arda did you manage that?" he asked.
"I could get lost for an hour trying to walk in a circle, and ANYBODY could get lost for any amount of time going to or coming back from Glory's study." I replied as I set my tray down on the table and sat down. Boromir positioned himself so he was now leaning against the wall across from where I was sitting.
"What were you doing in Lord Glorfindel's study?" he asked.
"Explaining to the twins why I left Rivendell." I replied.
"The twins...? You mean Lord Elrond's sons?" Boromir asked, and I nodded. "Why Glorfindel's study, then?" Boromir asked in confusion. "Do they not have their own studies?"
"Probably, but Glory's study is far enough away from everybody else that nobody could overhear us, and besides, I wanted Glory around in case Elladan decided to do something stupid. Also, Glory's study contains sharp, pointy objects that can be used in self defense." I replied. Boromir looked at me blankly, not even trying to understand what I'd just said. "So, why were you looking for me?"
"Lord Elrond came to speak with me this afternoon." Boromir said, immediately latching onto a subject he could understand. "He asked me to attend a council of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth that he is going to be holding soon."
"And you said yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I told him I was here to seek answers, not to attend a council." Boromir replied in annoyance. "He then told me that I might find my answers at the council."
"Smart Elf." I commented. Boromir pursed his lips and glared at me.
"I do not have time to attend councils of any sort. I need to find out what that dream means, if anything, and then return to Minas Tirith!" he said.
"The dream does mean something, Boromir, and because of it, you are not only going to attend that council, but you're going to be making a side trip to Mordor before going home to Minas Tirith." I said crisply. Boromir gaped at me.
"But father said -" Boromir started.
"Your father is a fool." I snapped. "He toys with powers beyond his comprehension and imagines that he has mastered them. Worse yet, he makes his decisions on the 'wisdom' he learns from his supposed manipulating of those powers. Is it any wonder that under his leadership Gondor has grown weak?"
"Gondor is not weak!" Boromir protested, his anger flaring at my insult of his kingdom.
"I have lived in Gondor's glory days, Boromir." I said, staring back at Boromir unflinchingly. "Gondor is WEAK."
"It is still the strongest of Kingdoms!" Boromir snarled.
"Of Men." I replied. Boromir glared at me for a moment, silently fuming, then stomped out of my room. "Go to the council." I called after him, and I think I heard him snort in response. I had finished my meal by now, so I carefully covered the tray again and left it on the table for a servant to come and remove, then wandered out onto my balcony hoping to distract myself for a bit before figuring out how that particular conversation with Boromir had gone wrong and what I should do to fix it.
I looked down on Rivendell for a short while, but I had been staring at it most of the afternoon from Glorfindel's study, so I was sick of seeing it. Instead, I turned my eyes to the stars, and smiled as I felt that familiar peace that seemed to settle on me whenever I looked up at the night sky.
I don't know how long I stood, watching the sky, but I soon became aware that the sky was lightening, and there was motion in the courtyard beneath me. My balcony looked out over the main courtyard of Lord Elrond's house, and now as I looked down, I saw that Glorfindel, as well as many other Elves, were making an early start to go looking for Frodo and company. Elrond was down there, and said a few words to each of the riders, before moving off to watch as the Elves mounted their horses and left Rivendell by twos. Glorfindel was in the last pair to leave, and when he mounted up, I called out to him.
"Hey Glory!" Glorfindel turned and looked up at me. "Knock 'em dead." I said with an evil grin. Glorfindel rolled his eyes, then waved and rode off. Elrond, now aware of my presence, looked up at me where I stood on the balcony, still watching as the Elven riders disappeared off in various directions.
"Rachel." Elrond said, and I turned to look at him.
"Hey, you didn't call me Asira." I said with a half smile, and Elrond nodded with a small smile.
"Would you please come to my study after breakfast? I have some things I would like to discuss with you." Elrond said.
"Sure." I said. "When's breakfast, anyways?"
"In a few hours." Elrond replied.
"Shit." I said, making a face, surprised that I'd stood staring at the stars the entire night. "I need to get some sleep." Elrond arched an eyebrow at me.
"You have not slept already tonight?" he asked.
"Stars are pretty." I said by way of an explanation. Elrond gave a little laugh, nodded, and then disappeared into the house. With a last glance at the stars, I left my balcony and changed before clambering into bed to get whatever sleep I could before breakfast.
----To be continued...with Bilbo!----
(Three cheers for the funny ol' hobbit!)
-Authors Note:-
OK, so I didn't QUITE make three chapters in one week, but I got absorbed in some very absorbing books. :P Anyways, now I have some good and bad news - the good news is I'll be trying to get a chapter up every two days from now until the end of the month. Why? Because - and this is the bad news - November is NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) and I'm going to be trying to write close to 2,000 words a day on a novel then and will have very little time to write on this fic. I will POSSIBLY get up one chapter a week during that time. Possibly. We shall see.
Anyways, now that I'm done with the news, I'm going to thank my reviewers and hope you all continue to review even when I slow down in November. I want to especially thank Darlene5, Aislin2 and The Noble Platypus - I kept meaning to reply to your reviews over the weekend, but just never got around to it. Ooops. (Books are bad for productivity, boils and ghouls!)
Off to do the schoolwork she should be doing,
~Crimson Starlight