A/N: Hello again. Sorry it has taken such a long time for me to update.
You must forgive me. Thank you, Guthwyn for your review. You were
specific and I thank you very much for reviewing. I have indeed read the
books, and yes even the appendices, and I am sorry that you have gotten the
wrong impression of my story. It is my fault and I will do my best to make
the story interesting. I do not want to stray too far from Tolkien's work
but also understand that this is after all a fanfic and I am obviously not
Tolkien himself. I am no where near that creative genius. Thank you again
for your review and I will continue to do my best. For the rest of my
reviewers, thank you very much. I am glad you all are enjoying the story
as much as I enjoy writing them. Again, I am truly sorry for making you
all wait so long, so here at long last is the next chapter. As always,
review and enjoy!
Tinioniel closed her eyes and turned around after entering the room with making little to no sound. She sighed slightly in delight before something caught her attention. "M' lady?" a hoarse whisper, barely more then a breath reached her ears. Merry was standing, not in bed, looking at the doorway. Pippin grabbed her attention, for he was slumped over an object she could not see. "Merry! Pippin! I thought you two were already asleep!" Tinioniel murmured back in reply as loud as she dared not to be heard by anyone beside them. She breathed a little easier after being slightly startled by their presence as she began to make her way to an empty bed. Suddenly, she felt a jerk of evil, pulling at her back. "Pippin, don't!" Merry pleaded. "I just want to see it again, one last time." Pippin tried to reassure his cousin. Tinioniel turned around and saw the object Pippin was hovered over. Its black orb that held within a greater evil then Tinioniel could ever imagine, and it shudder her to the deepest parts of her being. "No Pippin!" Tinioniel beseeched him, but to no avail. Pippin's curiosity and intrigue for this foreign object blocked all sense and reason from his mind. His fingertips slightly traced the sphere as a mild orange light began to be emitted from it. "Pippin!" Tinioniel whispered, marching over to him. Then, a blast of energy was felt within her, setting her off her steps as a wave of evil swept through the room, coming from the ball in Pippin's hands. After a few moments, Pippin was in excruciating pain, as his little body began to convulse. "No!" Tinioniel barely uttered as she ran to him. Her own hands enveloped the globe containing the tainted light. She winced, feeling the pain, sedation, and ecstasy from the immense power. Pippin's hands had receded from the orb, as he now lay slightly dazed and confused on the floor. Tinioniel still struggled with the object in her hand, feeling her own body begin to convulse. The door burst open as Aragorn and Legolas dashed into the room and took in the sight. Gandalf woke at the noise of the door and saw what had and was still taking place. Aragorn rushed for the object in Tinioniel's hands that was causing her pain, but Gandalf held him back. "No!" Gandalf yelled. "We have to see what happens!" Tinioinel fell to the ground in pain as tears uncontrollably formed, rimming her eyes. Without warning, her form burst into the air, revealing a shape only Eomer, Gandalf, and Aragorn had seen before. Her hair was the color of clouds and trailed behind her in endless waves. Stars adorned her skin as she was veiled in the night dark shade. Her spasms had ceased, but her breathing was labored, as her fingers gripped the wicked sphere. Her chest contracted with each breath, causing her to heave forward. Her eyes were white slates, pure and empty, until the orb glowed with its brightest light yet. Her eyes were set aflame with wickedness as they turned a crimson red. Tinioniel shut her eyes, straining herself for composure. She screamed out in agony as she pushed the malevolent creature away that tried unsuccessfully to possess her. Her screams pierced their ears in sorrow and in pain. With each expelled breath, she let out a new and small scream, her body becoming weak with each passing moment. The orb, thriving off her life force, burned ever brighter. Aragorn, disgusted with himself for letting this go on for so long, lunged out and grabbed the orb out of her hands, his own body sinking to the floor before he could let go. Legolas ran over and helped Aragorn to his feet, afraid to go near Tinioniel looking like she did. Gandalf looked at Tinioniel, suspended in air as if in a trance. Her hair billowed behind her as her eyes, wide open and now their plain white, stared off into nothingness. Gandalf stretched forth his hand and muttered a few words before opening his eyes. Her extensive, endless white hair shrunk back to its normal size and shape before turning to its rightful color of auburn. Her white eyes were filled by a jaded iris blossom, and the stars that covered her and night that clothed her fell from her like water on the petal of a lifeless flower. Tinioniel's eyes closed as she fell to the floor harshly. The strident thump resounded through the vigilant room filled with startled Rohirrim. "Rohirrim, out. Leave in peace!" Aragorn staggered on his feet as he gracelessly made his way to Tinioniel. Legolas followed tentatively as Gandalf turned to Pippin. "Fool of a Took!" His angered expression faded when he saw the hobbit laying on the floor staring fearfully into the air. Gandalf kneeled quickly beside and shook him from his stupor. "What did you see? Tell me." Gandalf entreated him. "There was a white tree, in a courtyard of stone. The city was burning." The horrid appearance on his face lingered and he breathed short and quick.
"Mithrandir!" Legolas called out. "She breathes not." Gandalf climbed to his feet and hurried over to Tinioniel's body. "Tinioniel, open your eyes." He paused. "Open your eyes!" Tinioniel did not respond. He let his hand touched her chest over her heart and pushed fiercely. "Legolas, breathe in and out of her mouth according to my pushes." Legolas allowed his lips to cover hers, breathing his breath into her body. Suddenly, Legolas felt a cough come from Tinioniel, as the rush of air was forced into his own mouth. He looked up at her eyes and saw the shocked expression. Legolas moved his lips away from her mouth as the three of them watched Tinioniel in her coughing fit on the floor. She gasped in for breath between the harsh coughs. Legolas laid a kiss upon her forehead and whispered a few intricate words of elvish, his breath stroking her hair that lay sweaty from her. At his words, Tinioniel felt the coughs that racked her chest with pain subsided as the harsh reality set in her mind, the harshness of what she saw. Tinioniel scrambled on the floor and search wildly around the room. "Where is he? Where is he?" She screamed manically. "Who? Who is it that you saw?" Gandalf asked in a deep concerned tone. "He had no face or body. He was a... a" "A lidless eye writhed in flame." She stared at Gandalf. "Yes. He was on a tower and he spoke in my mind. He commanded me to follow him into the tower, into a land of darkness. He told me of things he would give me. I told him no. Then he started to hurt me. My head hurt first and when I refused him still, a fire shuddered through me." Her voice became frantic as she described the events she saw. "There were orcs, thousands of them, burning things and..." she paused as tears welled up in her eyes. "and people. Their flesh burned like wildfires. And I saw him. Burning them all! With no mercy! Just malice and contempt for those that his gaze scorched! He kept telling me to unite with him. I kept telling him no! I felt a change within myself, a burst of power to try and ease the pain. I tried to push him out of my mind. He is no longer there, but his words haunt me still! And the smell makes me sick; The smell of their charred flesh lying on sooty stone." "Tinioniel, you must calm down. Get some fresh air to clear your mind, and then we shall talk some more. Can you stand on your own or do you need Aragorn to escort you?" Aragorn leapt to his feet wearily, still groggy from his contact with the Pelantiri, and held out his hand. Tinioniel gratefully clasped on to it and with the assistance of Aragorn and Legolas, she climbed to her feet. Aragorn ushered her outside, mindful of her fragile state. Her tired eyes drooped with strain and lethargy as Aragorn opened the door to the outside. The wind enlivened, as it picked up her hair and carried her hair across her face. Aragorn walked her over to a stone railing as they both rested their hands on it. Tinioniel closed her eyes and sighed with exhaustion and anxiety. She saw the evil eyes flash before her closed lids as she quickly opened them and her breath quickened.
"What is it?" Aragorn asked, genuinely concerned. Tinioniel buried her weeping eyes in her dirty hands and let her emotion free. "I see him again. When I close my eyes he is there, waiting for me. He wants me to join his purpose." Her sobs interrupted her sentence but she continued. "I can not get his voice out of my head. I hear him speaking words I do not know, words from another language. I know he is wicked, but I can not stop myself from being allured by his call. I can't get his image out of my head," she rubbed her tears away and started rubbing her nose frantically. "and the smell of the burnt flesh remains within me! I can not be rid of it. I saw their bodies, lying blistered on the ground. Oh gods, the smell." Her stomach churned as she walked ineptly to the grass. Aragorn followed her, his eyebrows weaved in anxiety. "I think I am gonna be sick." Tinioniel fell to her knees meeting the slightly damp grass. Aragorn walked to her side, watching out intently for her. He laid a hand on her bowed back and gently rubbed it in assurance. Tinioniel felt a familiar lurch in her stomach as the putrid smell stayed, clinging to her senses. Aragorn saw her as she began and quickly gathered up her hair. Aragorn continued his hold and looked at her with care. His gaze fell upon her ears as his eyes became wide with shock. Her ears were pointed like an elf and for an instance, moonlight emitted from her on a new moon's night. Tinioniel stared up at Aragorn, who was still holding her hair. "Thank you." Aragorn let the wisps of her auburn hair slip from his fingers, still shocked at what he had noticed.
Tinioniel slouched down and pressed her back hard against the stone railing. She smiled and let out a little laugh while blushing.
"Well, that was embarrassing." Aragorn still stood, hovering above her with hesitation. "I am sorry you had to witness that." His silence concerned her as she looked deeply at him.
"What happened?" Aragorn bent down to her, crouching next to her and tucking strands of hair behind her now pointy ears. She looked at him with bemusement. "How did this happen to you? How are you an elf?" She let out a laugh of puzzlement.
"What are you talking about? I am no elf." Aragorn fixed his gaze on her. He carefully took her chin and guided her face to meet his. He scrutinized her features; her ears, her cheeks, but most importantly her eyes. He stared into her eyes, and for minutes saw nothing.
"Heniach nin?*do you understand me?*" Aragorn's words poured from his mouth in a beautiful stream of melody as he watched for a reaction. In her eyes, Aragorn saw the truth. Her eyes lit up with thousands of stars of knowing and eclipses of wisdom. She stared up at him, her eyes brimming with tears and her mouth slightly open in awe. Her eyes brows arched in longing when she heard his words, and with pain.
"I hear words like that everyday in my heart, and I have some feel of their significance, but how I know doesn't make sense. What is it? How do I know these words so well? Why do they stir up understanding within me? It's like," she pauses, searching for word lost in her confusion. "like a part of myself that had been lost has been found, but only for a moment. Like the missing piece is fleeting, as if it hides from the world." Her eyes lost their shimmer as she looked shamefully onto the ground. A smile curled slightly on her lips. "The constant ramblings of a girl, you must excuse me." Aragorn stayed seated behind her, propped up against the hard stone. She turned her back to him and started her way to the door.
"Belain na le*may the valar be with you*." Tinioniel paused for a moment, taking a sharp intake of breath, and her chest ached with longing.
"Hantale*thank you*" Tinioinel felt her words lavish on her lips as she finally reached an absolution. The missing piece appeared again, and this time, she felt permanently complete.
Tinioniel closed her eyes and turned around after entering the room with making little to no sound. She sighed slightly in delight before something caught her attention. "M' lady?" a hoarse whisper, barely more then a breath reached her ears. Merry was standing, not in bed, looking at the doorway. Pippin grabbed her attention, for he was slumped over an object she could not see. "Merry! Pippin! I thought you two were already asleep!" Tinioniel murmured back in reply as loud as she dared not to be heard by anyone beside them. She breathed a little easier after being slightly startled by their presence as she began to make her way to an empty bed. Suddenly, she felt a jerk of evil, pulling at her back. "Pippin, don't!" Merry pleaded. "I just want to see it again, one last time." Pippin tried to reassure his cousin. Tinioniel turned around and saw the object Pippin was hovered over. Its black orb that held within a greater evil then Tinioniel could ever imagine, and it shudder her to the deepest parts of her being. "No Pippin!" Tinioniel beseeched him, but to no avail. Pippin's curiosity and intrigue for this foreign object blocked all sense and reason from his mind. His fingertips slightly traced the sphere as a mild orange light began to be emitted from it. "Pippin!" Tinioniel whispered, marching over to him. Then, a blast of energy was felt within her, setting her off her steps as a wave of evil swept through the room, coming from the ball in Pippin's hands. After a few moments, Pippin was in excruciating pain, as his little body began to convulse. "No!" Tinioniel barely uttered as she ran to him. Her own hands enveloped the globe containing the tainted light. She winced, feeling the pain, sedation, and ecstasy from the immense power. Pippin's hands had receded from the orb, as he now lay slightly dazed and confused on the floor. Tinioniel still struggled with the object in her hand, feeling her own body begin to convulse. The door burst open as Aragorn and Legolas dashed into the room and took in the sight. Gandalf woke at the noise of the door and saw what had and was still taking place. Aragorn rushed for the object in Tinioniel's hands that was causing her pain, but Gandalf held him back. "No!" Gandalf yelled. "We have to see what happens!" Tinioinel fell to the ground in pain as tears uncontrollably formed, rimming her eyes. Without warning, her form burst into the air, revealing a shape only Eomer, Gandalf, and Aragorn had seen before. Her hair was the color of clouds and trailed behind her in endless waves. Stars adorned her skin as she was veiled in the night dark shade. Her spasms had ceased, but her breathing was labored, as her fingers gripped the wicked sphere. Her chest contracted with each breath, causing her to heave forward. Her eyes were white slates, pure and empty, until the orb glowed with its brightest light yet. Her eyes were set aflame with wickedness as they turned a crimson red. Tinioniel shut her eyes, straining herself for composure. She screamed out in agony as she pushed the malevolent creature away that tried unsuccessfully to possess her. Her screams pierced their ears in sorrow and in pain. With each expelled breath, she let out a new and small scream, her body becoming weak with each passing moment. The orb, thriving off her life force, burned ever brighter. Aragorn, disgusted with himself for letting this go on for so long, lunged out and grabbed the orb out of her hands, his own body sinking to the floor before he could let go. Legolas ran over and helped Aragorn to his feet, afraid to go near Tinioniel looking like she did. Gandalf looked at Tinioniel, suspended in air as if in a trance. Her hair billowed behind her as her eyes, wide open and now their plain white, stared off into nothingness. Gandalf stretched forth his hand and muttered a few words before opening his eyes. Her extensive, endless white hair shrunk back to its normal size and shape before turning to its rightful color of auburn. Her white eyes were filled by a jaded iris blossom, and the stars that covered her and night that clothed her fell from her like water on the petal of a lifeless flower. Tinioniel's eyes closed as she fell to the floor harshly. The strident thump resounded through the vigilant room filled with startled Rohirrim. "Rohirrim, out. Leave in peace!" Aragorn staggered on his feet as he gracelessly made his way to Tinioniel. Legolas followed tentatively as Gandalf turned to Pippin. "Fool of a Took!" His angered expression faded when he saw the hobbit laying on the floor staring fearfully into the air. Gandalf kneeled quickly beside and shook him from his stupor. "What did you see? Tell me." Gandalf entreated him. "There was a white tree, in a courtyard of stone. The city was burning." The horrid appearance on his face lingered and he breathed short and quick.
"Mithrandir!" Legolas called out. "She breathes not." Gandalf climbed to his feet and hurried over to Tinioniel's body. "Tinioniel, open your eyes." He paused. "Open your eyes!" Tinioniel did not respond. He let his hand touched her chest over her heart and pushed fiercely. "Legolas, breathe in and out of her mouth according to my pushes." Legolas allowed his lips to cover hers, breathing his breath into her body. Suddenly, Legolas felt a cough come from Tinioniel, as the rush of air was forced into his own mouth. He looked up at her eyes and saw the shocked expression. Legolas moved his lips away from her mouth as the three of them watched Tinioniel in her coughing fit on the floor. She gasped in for breath between the harsh coughs. Legolas laid a kiss upon her forehead and whispered a few intricate words of elvish, his breath stroking her hair that lay sweaty from her. At his words, Tinioniel felt the coughs that racked her chest with pain subsided as the harsh reality set in her mind, the harshness of what she saw. Tinioniel scrambled on the floor and search wildly around the room. "Where is he? Where is he?" She screamed manically. "Who? Who is it that you saw?" Gandalf asked in a deep concerned tone. "He had no face or body. He was a... a" "A lidless eye writhed in flame." She stared at Gandalf. "Yes. He was on a tower and he spoke in my mind. He commanded me to follow him into the tower, into a land of darkness. He told me of things he would give me. I told him no. Then he started to hurt me. My head hurt first and when I refused him still, a fire shuddered through me." Her voice became frantic as she described the events she saw. "There were orcs, thousands of them, burning things and..." she paused as tears welled up in her eyes. "and people. Their flesh burned like wildfires. And I saw him. Burning them all! With no mercy! Just malice and contempt for those that his gaze scorched! He kept telling me to unite with him. I kept telling him no! I felt a change within myself, a burst of power to try and ease the pain. I tried to push him out of my mind. He is no longer there, but his words haunt me still! And the smell makes me sick; The smell of their charred flesh lying on sooty stone." "Tinioniel, you must calm down. Get some fresh air to clear your mind, and then we shall talk some more. Can you stand on your own or do you need Aragorn to escort you?" Aragorn leapt to his feet wearily, still groggy from his contact with the Pelantiri, and held out his hand. Tinioniel gratefully clasped on to it and with the assistance of Aragorn and Legolas, she climbed to her feet. Aragorn ushered her outside, mindful of her fragile state. Her tired eyes drooped with strain and lethargy as Aragorn opened the door to the outside. The wind enlivened, as it picked up her hair and carried her hair across her face. Aragorn walked her over to a stone railing as they both rested their hands on it. Tinioniel closed her eyes and sighed with exhaustion and anxiety. She saw the evil eyes flash before her closed lids as she quickly opened them and her breath quickened.
"What is it?" Aragorn asked, genuinely concerned. Tinioniel buried her weeping eyes in her dirty hands and let her emotion free. "I see him again. When I close my eyes he is there, waiting for me. He wants me to join his purpose." Her sobs interrupted her sentence but she continued. "I can not get his voice out of my head. I hear him speaking words I do not know, words from another language. I know he is wicked, but I can not stop myself from being allured by his call. I can't get his image out of my head," she rubbed her tears away and started rubbing her nose frantically. "and the smell of the burnt flesh remains within me! I can not be rid of it. I saw their bodies, lying blistered on the ground. Oh gods, the smell." Her stomach churned as she walked ineptly to the grass. Aragorn followed her, his eyebrows weaved in anxiety. "I think I am gonna be sick." Tinioniel fell to her knees meeting the slightly damp grass. Aragorn walked to her side, watching out intently for her. He laid a hand on her bowed back and gently rubbed it in assurance. Tinioniel felt a familiar lurch in her stomach as the putrid smell stayed, clinging to her senses. Aragorn saw her as she began and quickly gathered up her hair. Aragorn continued his hold and looked at her with care. His gaze fell upon her ears as his eyes became wide with shock. Her ears were pointed like an elf and for an instance, moonlight emitted from her on a new moon's night. Tinioniel stared up at Aragorn, who was still holding her hair. "Thank you." Aragorn let the wisps of her auburn hair slip from his fingers, still shocked at what he had noticed.
Tinioniel slouched down and pressed her back hard against the stone railing. She smiled and let out a little laugh while blushing.
"Well, that was embarrassing." Aragorn still stood, hovering above her with hesitation. "I am sorry you had to witness that." His silence concerned her as she looked deeply at him.
"What happened?" Aragorn bent down to her, crouching next to her and tucking strands of hair behind her now pointy ears. She looked at him with bemusement. "How did this happen to you? How are you an elf?" She let out a laugh of puzzlement.
"What are you talking about? I am no elf." Aragorn fixed his gaze on her. He carefully took her chin and guided her face to meet his. He scrutinized her features; her ears, her cheeks, but most importantly her eyes. He stared into her eyes, and for minutes saw nothing.
"Heniach nin?*do you understand me?*" Aragorn's words poured from his mouth in a beautiful stream of melody as he watched for a reaction. In her eyes, Aragorn saw the truth. Her eyes lit up with thousands of stars of knowing and eclipses of wisdom. She stared up at him, her eyes brimming with tears and her mouth slightly open in awe. Her eyes brows arched in longing when she heard his words, and with pain.
"I hear words like that everyday in my heart, and I have some feel of their significance, but how I know doesn't make sense. What is it? How do I know these words so well? Why do they stir up understanding within me? It's like," she pauses, searching for word lost in her confusion. "like a part of myself that had been lost has been found, but only for a moment. Like the missing piece is fleeting, as if it hides from the world." Her eyes lost their shimmer as she looked shamefully onto the ground. A smile curled slightly on her lips. "The constant ramblings of a girl, you must excuse me." Aragorn stayed seated behind her, propped up against the hard stone. She turned her back to him and started her way to the door.
"Belain na le*may the valar be with you*." Tinioniel paused for a moment, taking a sharp intake of breath, and her chest ached with longing.
"Hantale*thank you*" Tinioinel felt her words lavish on her lips as she finally reached an absolution. The missing piece appeared again, and this time, she felt permanently complete.