Thoughts are between stars. E.g., *Thoughts*
"Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the way to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed." (Sun Tzu "The Art of War")
Chapter 38
Prelude to War
Nobody was questioning the need for the upcoming conflict for everyone knew what was at stake and also knew that if the issue was dealt with and ended at Rivendell then Mirkwood and Lórien would be safe. With that thought in mind, Imladris suddenly became a place of controlled chaos for there was much to do to prepare for war.
Allies were notified by carrier bird and pledges for support were made.
Every elf, young and old, would help prepare Imladris for the influx of warriors as well as the horses, equipment and supplies they would be bringing with them. Quarters were prepared, supplies were being arranged, then rearranged.
Gandalf the Grey had located his fellow Istari, Radagast the Brown, and together the two wizards created a series of weather systems in random areas between Rohan and the Northern Mountains to confound any agent of Sauron who might be watching the three Elven realms for troop movement.
Lord Erkenbrand of Westfold was en route with 1,000 warriors. Lórien and Mirkwood were each sending 150 warriors plus three commanders, with most of the warriors of these two realms being left behind to keep their respective realms secure. The 202 representatives from Rohan, the Rohirrim Cavalry, had been residing at Imladris since the preceding Fall. Even Aragorn's Rangers would be represented in the conflict with 50 warriors. The conflict, when it finally took place, would be well met.
Lord Elrond, followed closely by Glorfindel, his advisor, close personal friend and Second-in-command, was seeing to it that the personal needs of the warriors coming to Imladris would be met. The ever-faithful Elurin was in charge of the kitchen supplies, seeing that there would be enough food, wine and other related items available for all guests and warriors.
The twins were busy overseeing the ordering of weapons. The armory was opened up and weapons and arrows were inspected for quality. Volunteers began producing new arrows and the forges were fired up to start making swords, daggers and any other type of armament that might be needed.
Aragorn was making billeting arrangements for his Rangers. Although there would be plenty of accommodations available for Halbarad as well as the 50 other Rangers he was bringing with him in the barracks, the group would not be staying indoors, rather, they would be staying in tents adjacent to the practice field.
Anayah was seeing to the arrangements for the horses which included feed, grain and water.
After Celeborn, Haldir and the Lórien contingent had arrived, as well as those warriors from Mirkwood, Lord Elrond called the first War Council meeting for the leaders and their Captains.
When Anayah reached the Council chamber, the guards, who she did not recognize, mistook her for one of the household staff and barred her from entering the room by purposely shutting the doors in front of her. The effort she made to contain her anger was an admirable one. *They shut the doors in my face!* Her thoughts were turbulent and, not trusting herself to exercise the proper decorum while she was so angry, stomped off to her room, armed herself with her sword, grabbed Huan and left the Last Homely House.
As she stormed out the front doors, Anayah failed to notice that the man she about ran over at the top of the steps then muttered a hurried apology to, just happened to be her friend, Gandalf. After the very angry young she-elf had passed him, muttering to herself and had mounted a black stallion who mirrored her somewhat turbulent mood and who was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps, the two of them, followed quickly by a falcon, galloped away from Imladris.
Gandalf stood on the top step of Elrond's house and stared after the three, then shaking his head, went inside.
* * * * * *
Gandalf listened to the leaders and their Captains as they had begun to make plans for war. They had all agreed that the wraiths had to be contained separately from the Orc army to prevent them from supporting the Orcs with their magic. To accomplish this, someone would need to lure the creatures from their lair by whatever means necessary. Whoever the task fell to would have to get the wraiths so angry that they would give chase, not realizing they were being lured away from their troops. When volunteers were asked for, the room suddenly became silent and all eyes turned to the grey wizard.
"Don't look at me." He laughed. "For I am much too old to do such a thing."
"But Gandalf," Elrond argued. "Your skill with magic is just what is needed to get the wraiths to follow. You yourself said that they are drawn to strong magic."
"Indeed my friend, that I did. However, I must maintain that I am too old for such a task, but if I may be so bold, I might just be able to suggest someone who may be perfect for what you want to do. This person has no small amount of talent with magic, having been taught by the best, and has the courage to accomplish what needs to be done." The grey wizard's eyes were twinkling. He knew exactly what he was doing.
The room became profoundly silent. No one spoke - neither King nor Lord. For four days, they had been closeted in the Council Chamber trying to determine how best to lure the wraiths from their lair and not one of those in the room had even thought to consult the one elf who had the best chance of making the plan work.
Gandalf had a somewhat ironic look on his face. He knew he had stirred up a hornet's nest.
The others looked around the room, finally noticing the absent member of the family.
"By-the-way, where is Lady Anayah? Why isn't she here?" Lord Elrond scanned the room as he asked the question.
The men and elves looked at each other then back at the wizard. They were at a loss for words, realizing that a capable warrior was absent from the war council.
"Has anyone even seen her lately?" Lord Elrond was starting to get a bad feeling about his missing foster-daughter. He sent for Elurin who said he had seen the young lady leave the premises with weapons in hand but could not say whether she had returned. When the door guards were questioned, they admitted they had turned away a young she-elf answering to that description as she had tried to enter the Council Chambers to attend the meeting, thinking she had been but a member of the household staff.
Elrond winced at the news. There was going to be hell to pay for this one. Of that fact he was most certain.
"Well." Elrond shook his head in exasperation before continuing. "What's done is done. However dreadful and insulting our conduct has been toward her, we can do nothing to remedy the situation until she decides to make an appearance. Until that time, it is my suggestion that we return to the matter at hand."
Everyone gathered around the central round table on which lay a large map of the area. They were again deep into their discussions when they heard loud voices and several thumps come from outside the Chamber's doors. All heads turned, but before anyone could make a move to see what the disturbance was, the doors flew open.
Anayah entered the room about as angry as anybody had ever seen her! She was holding on to each of the guards by an and it wasn't until she was all the way in to the meeting room that she let them both go, giving a gentle shove as she did so.
Every man and elf in the room found themselves standing with mouths agape, not only because of the young she-elf's conduct but also because of her appearance. Her great long bow was hung over an empty quiver. She was covered in black Orc blood as well as her own blood and her normally clean and neatly braided hair was half in and half out of the braid. She did not seem to care about her appearance as she walked toward the table at the front of the room, limping as she moved. When she reached the table she stood for a few moments glaring at everyone and whenever anyone, Elrond included, opened his mouth to say something, they were quickly silenced with a look that could have made Mount Doom seem like an iceberg.
After some moments of giving everyone "the look" the angry she-elf took a bloody dagger from her belt and slammed it through the map and into the table beneath. Then she finally spoke.
"The Lair of the Wraiths consists of two caves with three entrances, all heavily guarded by magic. Oh, there are not just three or four wraiths as we originally thought. There are 20 of them. For your personal comfort levels, you may be assured that neither the Orcs I encountered on the way there nor on my return trip were left alive to tell anybody I was even in the vicinity. Now, if anybody in this room has any continuing doubts about my abilities as a warrior or my right to be here in this council chamber, I would be more than willing to meet you outside, on the sparring field, where we can settle the matter of my competency once and for all!"
Anayah turned to leave, then after thinking about it, turned back to the silent group at the table.
"Now, I must excuse myself as I much desire a bath to get this Orc filth off me after which I plan to sleep for some time. Good day to you all." She inclined her head towards the group then turned on her heel and limped off.
Everyone stared after her as she left the room. Even the elves who had been standing outside the chamber watching the disturbance made a path to allow the young she-elf to pass. As she exited the room, she raised both hands, waist-high, flicked her wrists and the Chamber's doors slammed shut behind her - all by themselves.
"I think she is mad at us!" Elrohir ducked as his twin aimed a cuff at his head.
"I think we had better adjourn this meeting for a time while I attempt some damage control ... and deliver some heartfelt apologies!" Lord Elrond knew he had a difficult task ahead of him and also noticed that not even Anayah's grandfather, Lord Celeborn or Haldir, her mentor, had volunteered for what would surely be a most difficult "first contact" mission.
As he left the council chamber, Gandalf fell into step beside Elrond, either to give him moral support, protection, or just because the wizard had a morbid curiosity and wanted to know exactly how far an irate female elf would actually go with her anger.
As the two walked toward the family's living quarters, Elrond suddenly stopped and looked at the grey wizard with a frown on his face.
"You knew, didn't you Gandalf? You knew that she was angry with us?" The two continued their walking.
"My dear Elrond ... I knew that the young lady was irritated about something because she almost knocked me over as she stormed out of the house. However, I must remind you that the running of your house is YOUR responsibility and if there are going to be consequences for something that happens in your house, then these consequences are going to be yours alone - not mine." The wizard winked at Elrond to let him know he was only speaking in a joking manner.
"Now I understand! You just did not want to get involved with an angry female, especially an angry female elf, isn't that right Gandalf!"
"Precisely."
* * * * * *
Anayah had bathed, washed her hair and was sitting on the edge of her bed in a robe, muttering angrily to herself as she tried to extract an Orc arrow head out of her thigh when there was a light knock at the door. When she opened the door, her brothers and Legolas were standing in the hall, all with innocent expressions on their faces. She looked at them for a moment then pointedly shut the door before any of them had a chance to speak. She could hear them murmuring to one another in the hall, then everything became quiet. A short time later, she heard whispering coming from the balcony of the room next to hers, and this time she rolled her eyes. She closed and locked her balcony doors then pulled the heavy curtains shut.
Shortly thereafter, there was another knock on her bedroom door but when she threw open the door, ready with an angry remark, she saw her new visitor was Lord Elrond. He stood at her door with bandages, and herbs.
Seeing the expression on her face, yet knowing she would not be so rude as to speak sharply to him, he asked. "May I come in?"
"Of course Ada. You know you are always welcome."
Elrond replied with a raised eyebrow yet wisely, remained silent. He entered the room and sat on the edge of her bed and looked into her eyes. She could not meet his eyes knowing that if she looked at her Lord she would be unable to remain angry and at that particular moment, she was not ready to let her anger go.
When it appeared that Anayah was not going to be the one to break the awkward silence, Elrond spoke.
"I think there is more than one war going on at the moment. Am I right, daughter?" Seeing her still gazing out the balcony doors as if they were still open but still not wanting to speak, he continued. "I will take that as a yes."
Anayah turned and finally met Lord Elrond's eyes.
"I thought we were a family. Families live together, love each other, and fight each others' causes. I have always felt that any problem you or my brothers had, and that includes Legolas, were my problems as well. Lately I have begun to doubt that my views on matters of family are valid and this realization broke my heart!" She struggled for a few moments to get her emotions under control before continuing.
"The day I was turned away from the Council meeting it felt like someone had slapped me in the face. I could not believe that I would be physically stopped from being a part of the war council, especially when my brothers were in there! I thought that I had already proven myself in battle and I had hoped you would have enough faith in my skills as a warrior that you would have invited me into the meeting. You cannot even begin to understand how being excluded made me feel!"
She looked down at her hands as she spoke her next words. "I cannot stay in this house and watch everyone I love go to fight a war that they are refusing to let me be a part of. I cannot watch any of you die while I sit by and do nothing. I just cannot. I think it was a mistake for me to come here, it was a mistake for me to believe that I could ever be a part of this, and it was a mistake for me to believe in the peace and healing powers of Imladris. I truly believe it is my doom to never know of these things in my lifetime. I am sorry if my words are hurtful but it is how I am feeling right now."
"Will you at least let me treat your wounds before you decide to do anything?"
"Thank you, but no. I am capable of doing that myself."
Anayah stepped into her dressing room and quickly dressed, then after grabbing her pack she left the room fully intending to leave Rivendell. Elrond sat where he was and stared down at his hands, deep in thought. There was the sound of a scuffle in the hall and soon Haldir appeared in the doorway, holding Anayah by one of her ears.
"I'm not an elfling anymore, Haldir, so let go of my ear! I mean it! This is your last warning!"
Haldir did not comply with her demands for release and had almost managed to drag her into the room when suddenly the young she-elf took an offensive stance and effectively rolled the unsuspecting Lórien Captain over her hip. He found himself laying on his back looking up at her.
The proud, seemingly arrogant elf then said without even breaking stride, "Don't make me get strict with you!"
Anayah stared down at the elf laying at her feet. There was something about seeing him laying on his back at her feet that seemed amusing and when she looked at her father and saw him holding a hand over his eyes, shoulders shaking with mirth, she just could not help herself and burst out laughing. Extending a hand to Haldir, she helped him rise from the floor.
Both the elves had seen her wince when she had helped him rise off the floor. Haldir took her gently by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"I want you to listen to me Anayah. You are very angry right now and you are not thinking clearly. You have wounds that need to be treated and the best healer in Middle Earth is offering to treat them for you. Now saying you can take care of them yourself and stomping off is childish behavior, even for you. Now as much as I love you, if you do not walk over to that bed and sit quietly while Lord Elrond treats you, I will be forced to get cross with you, and, I will be forced to tell your Grandfather!"
That threat held more merit than any of the Lórien Captain's previous words and with no further argument Anayah immediately did as she was told.
"Now, I have to leave to see to other matters for Lord Celeborn but when I return I hope that I will find you resting ... at least for the rest of this day!" Before he left the room, and to take the sting out of his words, Haldir leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
It took Elrond some time to treat Anayah's wounds from her latest adventure. The arrowhead he extracted from her thigh was poisoned and also difficult to extract and he had to cut the wound larger to get the arrow out. After he had finished sewing and bandaging that wound and seeing to the other minor cuts, scrapes, and knife wounds, Elrond looked up to see that his daughter was extremely pale and her face was sweaty from shock and pain. It was when he saw the tragic and sad look in her eyes that he put down the bandages and put his arms around her then rocked her as she finally broke down and cried. Lord Elrond chided himself that he had forgotten just how young she was. Yes, Ilúvatar had blessed her with a balanced nature but that made it much easier to forget that in elf-years, she was still very young.
After she finally calmed down, the elf Lord asked her a question that had been on his mind since she had first made her way into the council chamber.
"Did you think we did not want your help?"
Anayah didn't meet his eyes but still nodded.
"We just got caught up in the moment. It's not often that we have had female warriors among us and now that we do, we acted as only males can. Gender should not have been an issue Anayah. The guards at the door are not from Imladris and therefore did not recognize you, although I am reasonably certain that they know exactly who you are now. They will be reprimanded for their actions and the other members of this household will be informed that ALL members of this family will be included in ALL council meetings." He tipped her chin up until he could look her in the eye.
"I am so sorry for what has happened. However, next time you begin to have doubts, my dear, come to me. I will always have time to listen."
Anayah smiled then sighed, feeling emotionally lighter. When Elrond was about to put his medical supplies away, he noticed an odd wound on her left shoulder right under her collar bone. After he looked at it closely and had begun cleaning and disinfecting it, he noticed Anayah was blushing. When he turned back to the wound, he was puzzled.
"Are these what I think they are? Are these bite marks?"
She nodded her head, blushing again as she did so.
"I guess I deserved it. I bit him first."
"You bit a ... a nasty foul creature ... you bit an Orc? Sweet Eru! What were you thinking!"
"I really cannot tell you Ada except I do not think I was in my right mind at the time. All I know is that I could not quit gagging for about an hour afterward!"
The two elves spent the next few minutes laughing so hard they were almost in tears.
* * * * * *
There was a nock at the door and Anayah rose to open it. A dizzy spell hit her that almost sent her crashing to the floor. After catching her, Elrond picked her up and placed her on the bed then went and answered door himself.
Her brothers walked into the room and looking at the expressions on their faces, she could not help but smile. Elrohir had a tray with sandwiches, a selection of her favorite pastries, and a cup of tea, which she suspected was not regular tea. Aragorn had a vase of fresh-cut flowers for her and Elladan had her clean dagger, so polished and shiny that it looked like it was new. Legolas trailed after the three of them, shaking his head. When they saw both Elrond and Anayah wiping tears from their eyes and trying not to burst out laughing again, they froze, wondering what it was they had missed.
"What's so funny?" Aragorn asked.
Elrond started laughing again as he got up from the bed and gathered his medical supplies. As he was walking out of the room he paused in the doorway and was about to speak when he burst out laughing again then, shaking his head he left the room, closing the door behind him.
The others turned to Anayah, their eyes questioning the odd behavior. In answer, Anayah pulled at her collar, baring the teeth marks.
Elrohir was the first to begin to understand.
"No! That is not what I think it is ... is it? Those aren't teeth marks ... of an Orc? I've never heard of an Orc biting someone before! Kill, yes, bite, no!"
"Why did an Orc bite you?" Elladan was becoming more curious by the moment.
"He bit me because I bit him first." She blushed, for the first time realizing the trouble her temper had gotten her in to.
The laughter that came from the bedroom could be heard all the way to the bottom floor and those who had known of the tense incident of the morning also knew that once again, all was well.
* * * * * *
It was decided late in the afternoon of the next day that Anayah and Elias would be the ones to "beard the lion in his den", that is, to provoke the wraiths so badly that they would madly follow her, to their own doom. All those who lived in the Last Homely House knew she was perfectly suited for the task because everyone knew just how good the she-elf was at provoking.
* * * * * *
Gwaihir, the great eagle would circle overhead while Anayah lured the wraiths to the closed off field, or arena, as it was called. Through Gandalf, the eagle would maintain a mental link with the warriors on the ground so that when the chase was nearing its end, they could better prepare themselves.
The falcon, Shakir, would be in a tree near the lair and when he received a specific signal from his Lady, he would fly north and by his presence, would notify the ground warriors that the Orcs were on their way.
* * * * * *
It had been a month since the lair of the Shadow Wraiths had been found by the falcon and two weeks since the last of the allied warriors had arrived in Imladris. Aragorn's Rangers had observers in the area of the lair, watching both it and any movement made by the Orcs. There had been a steady increase in Orc activity in the area and the rangers had reported that within the last few days, more than 2,000 Orcs had been counted going into the cave-system adjacent to the lair.
A group of Rangers had gotten within listening distance of a group of Orcs and now had reliable information that the battle would begin within the next two days.
War was not just coming. War was here and may the Valar help them all.
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TBC
"Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the way to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed." (Sun Tzu "The Art of War")
Prelude to War
Nobody was questioning the need for the upcoming conflict for everyone knew what was at stake and also knew that if the issue was dealt with and ended at Rivendell then Mirkwood and Lórien would be safe. With that thought in mind, Imladris suddenly became a place of controlled chaos for there was much to do to prepare for war.
Allies were notified by carrier bird and pledges for support were made.
Every elf, young and old, would help prepare Imladris for the influx of warriors as well as the horses, equipment and supplies they would be bringing with them. Quarters were prepared, supplies were being arranged, then rearranged.
Gandalf the Grey had located his fellow Istari, Radagast the Brown, and together the two wizards created a series of weather systems in random areas between Rohan and the Northern Mountains to confound any agent of Sauron who might be watching the three Elven realms for troop movement.
Lord Erkenbrand of Westfold was en route with 1,000 warriors. Lórien and Mirkwood were each sending 150 warriors plus three commanders, with most of the warriors of these two realms being left behind to keep their respective realms secure. The 202 representatives from Rohan, the Rohirrim Cavalry, had been residing at Imladris since the preceding Fall. Even Aragorn's Rangers would be represented in the conflict with 50 warriors. The conflict, when it finally took place, would be well met.
Lord Elrond, followed closely by Glorfindel, his advisor, close personal friend and Second-in-command, was seeing to it that the personal needs of the warriors coming to Imladris would be met. The ever-faithful Elurin was in charge of the kitchen supplies, seeing that there would be enough food, wine and other related items available for all guests and warriors.
The twins were busy overseeing the ordering of weapons. The armory was opened up and weapons and arrows were inspected for quality. Volunteers began producing new arrows and the forges were fired up to start making swords, daggers and any other type of armament that might be needed.
Aragorn was making billeting arrangements for his Rangers. Although there would be plenty of accommodations available for Halbarad as well as the 50 other Rangers he was bringing with him in the barracks, the group would not be staying indoors, rather, they would be staying in tents adjacent to the practice field.
Anayah was seeing to the arrangements for the horses which included feed, grain and water.
After Celeborn, Haldir and the Lórien contingent had arrived, as well as those warriors from Mirkwood, Lord Elrond called the first War Council meeting for the leaders and their Captains.
When Anayah reached the Council chamber, the guards, who she did not recognize, mistook her for one of the household staff and barred her from entering the room by purposely shutting the doors in front of her. The effort she made to contain her anger was an admirable one. *They shut the doors in my face!* Her thoughts were turbulent and, not trusting herself to exercise the proper decorum while she was so angry, stomped off to her room, armed herself with her sword, grabbed Huan and left the Last Homely House.
As she stormed out the front doors, Anayah failed to notice that the man she about ran over at the top of the steps then muttered a hurried apology to, just happened to be her friend, Gandalf. After the very angry young she-elf had passed him, muttering to herself and had mounted a black stallion who mirrored her somewhat turbulent mood and who was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps, the two of them, followed quickly by a falcon, galloped away from Imladris.
Gandalf stood on the top step of Elrond's house and stared after the three, then shaking his head, went inside.
* * * * * *
Gandalf listened to the leaders and their Captains as they had begun to make plans for war. They had all agreed that the wraiths had to be contained separately from the Orc army to prevent them from supporting the Orcs with their magic. To accomplish this, someone would need to lure the creatures from their lair by whatever means necessary. Whoever the task fell to would have to get the wraiths so angry that they would give chase, not realizing they were being lured away from their troops. When volunteers were asked for, the room suddenly became silent and all eyes turned to the grey wizard.
"Don't look at me." He laughed. "For I am much too old to do such a thing."
"But Gandalf," Elrond argued. "Your skill with magic is just what is needed to get the wraiths to follow. You yourself said that they are drawn to strong magic."
"Indeed my friend, that I did. However, I must maintain that I am too old for such a task, but if I may be so bold, I might just be able to suggest someone who may be perfect for what you want to do. This person has no small amount of talent with magic, having been taught by the best, and has the courage to accomplish what needs to be done." The grey wizard's eyes were twinkling. He knew exactly what he was doing.
The room became profoundly silent. No one spoke - neither King nor Lord. For four days, they had been closeted in the Council Chamber trying to determine how best to lure the wraiths from their lair and not one of those in the room had even thought to consult the one elf who had the best chance of making the plan work.
Gandalf had a somewhat ironic look on his face. He knew he had stirred up a hornet's nest.
The others looked around the room, finally noticing the absent member of the family.
"By-the-way, where is Lady Anayah? Why isn't she here?" Lord Elrond scanned the room as he asked the question.
The men and elves looked at each other then back at the wizard. They were at a loss for words, realizing that a capable warrior was absent from the war council.
"Has anyone even seen her lately?" Lord Elrond was starting to get a bad feeling about his missing foster-daughter. He sent for Elurin who said he had seen the young lady leave the premises with weapons in hand but could not say whether she had returned. When the door guards were questioned, they admitted they had turned away a young she-elf answering to that description as she had tried to enter the Council Chambers to attend the meeting, thinking she had been but a member of the household staff.
Elrond winced at the news. There was going to be hell to pay for this one. Of that fact he was most certain.
"Well." Elrond shook his head in exasperation before continuing. "What's done is done. However dreadful and insulting our conduct has been toward her, we can do nothing to remedy the situation until she decides to make an appearance. Until that time, it is my suggestion that we return to the matter at hand."
Everyone gathered around the central round table on which lay a large map of the area. They were again deep into their discussions when they heard loud voices and several thumps come from outside the Chamber's doors. All heads turned, but before anyone could make a move to see what the disturbance was, the doors flew open.
Anayah entered the room about as angry as anybody had ever seen her! She was holding on to each of the guards by an and it wasn't until she was all the way in to the meeting room that she let them both go, giving a gentle shove as she did so.
Every man and elf in the room found themselves standing with mouths agape, not only because of the young she-elf's conduct but also because of her appearance. Her great long bow was hung over an empty quiver. She was covered in black Orc blood as well as her own blood and her normally clean and neatly braided hair was half in and half out of the braid. She did not seem to care about her appearance as she walked toward the table at the front of the room, limping as she moved. When she reached the table she stood for a few moments glaring at everyone and whenever anyone, Elrond included, opened his mouth to say something, they were quickly silenced with a look that could have made Mount Doom seem like an iceberg.
After some moments of giving everyone "the look" the angry she-elf took a bloody dagger from her belt and slammed it through the map and into the table beneath. Then she finally spoke.
"The Lair of the Wraiths consists of two caves with three entrances, all heavily guarded by magic. Oh, there are not just three or four wraiths as we originally thought. There are 20 of them. For your personal comfort levels, you may be assured that neither the Orcs I encountered on the way there nor on my return trip were left alive to tell anybody I was even in the vicinity. Now, if anybody in this room has any continuing doubts about my abilities as a warrior or my right to be here in this council chamber, I would be more than willing to meet you outside, on the sparring field, where we can settle the matter of my competency once and for all!"
Anayah turned to leave, then after thinking about it, turned back to the silent group at the table.
"Now, I must excuse myself as I much desire a bath to get this Orc filth off me after which I plan to sleep for some time. Good day to you all." She inclined her head towards the group then turned on her heel and limped off.
Everyone stared after her as she left the room. Even the elves who had been standing outside the chamber watching the disturbance made a path to allow the young she-elf to pass. As she exited the room, she raised both hands, waist-high, flicked her wrists and the Chamber's doors slammed shut behind her - all by themselves.
"I think she is mad at us!" Elrohir ducked as his twin aimed a cuff at his head.
"I think we had better adjourn this meeting for a time while I attempt some damage control ... and deliver some heartfelt apologies!" Lord Elrond knew he had a difficult task ahead of him and also noticed that not even Anayah's grandfather, Lord Celeborn or Haldir, her mentor, had volunteered for what would surely be a most difficult "first contact" mission.
As he left the council chamber, Gandalf fell into step beside Elrond, either to give him moral support, protection, or just because the wizard had a morbid curiosity and wanted to know exactly how far an irate female elf would actually go with her anger.
As the two walked toward the family's living quarters, Elrond suddenly stopped and looked at the grey wizard with a frown on his face.
"You knew, didn't you Gandalf? You knew that she was angry with us?" The two continued their walking.
"My dear Elrond ... I knew that the young lady was irritated about something because she almost knocked me over as she stormed out of the house. However, I must remind you that the running of your house is YOUR responsibility and if there are going to be consequences for something that happens in your house, then these consequences are going to be yours alone - not mine." The wizard winked at Elrond to let him know he was only speaking in a joking manner.
"Now I understand! You just did not want to get involved with an angry female, especially an angry female elf, isn't that right Gandalf!"
"Precisely."
* * * * * *
Anayah had bathed, washed her hair and was sitting on the edge of her bed in a robe, muttering angrily to herself as she tried to extract an Orc arrow head out of her thigh when there was a light knock at the door. When she opened the door, her brothers and Legolas were standing in the hall, all with innocent expressions on their faces. She looked at them for a moment then pointedly shut the door before any of them had a chance to speak. She could hear them murmuring to one another in the hall, then everything became quiet. A short time later, she heard whispering coming from the balcony of the room next to hers, and this time she rolled her eyes. She closed and locked her balcony doors then pulled the heavy curtains shut.
Shortly thereafter, there was another knock on her bedroom door but when she threw open the door, ready with an angry remark, she saw her new visitor was Lord Elrond. He stood at her door with bandages, and herbs.
Seeing the expression on her face, yet knowing she would not be so rude as to speak sharply to him, he asked. "May I come in?"
"Of course Ada. You know you are always welcome."
Elrond replied with a raised eyebrow yet wisely, remained silent. He entered the room and sat on the edge of her bed and looked into her eyes. She could not meet his eyes knowing that if she looked at her Lord she would be unable to remain angry and at that particular moment, she was not ready to let her anger go.
When it appeared that Anayah was not going to be the one to break the awkward silence, Elrond spoke.
"I think there is more than one war going on at the moment. Am I right, daughter?" Seeing her still gazing out the balcony doors as if they were still open but still not wanting to speak, he continued. "I will take that as a yes."
Anayah turned and finally met Lord Elrond's eyes.
"I thought we were a family. Families live together, love each other, and fight each others' causes. I have always felt that any problem you or my brothers had, and that includes Legolas, were my problems as well. Lately I have begun to doubt that my views on matters of family are valid and this realization broke my heart!" She struggled for a few moments to get her emotions under control before continuing.
"The day I was turned away from the Council meeting it felt like someone had slapped me in the face. I could not believe that I would be physically stopped from being a part of the war council, especially when my brothers were in there! I thought that I had already proven myself in battle and I had hoped you would have enough faith in my skills as a warrior that you would have invited me into the meeting. You cannot even begin to understand how being excluded made me feel!"
She looked down at her hands as she spoke her next words. "I cannot stay in this house and watch everyone I love go to fight a war that they are refusing to let me be a part of. I cannot watch any of you die while I sit by and do nothing. I just cannot. I think it was a mistake for me to come here, it was a mistake for me to believe that I could ever be a part of this, and it was a mistake for me to believe in the peace and healing powers of Imladris. I truly believe it is my doom to never know of these things in my lifetime. I am sorry if my words are hurtful but it is how I am feeling right now."
"Will you at least let me treat your wounds before you decide to do anything?"
"Thank you, but no. I am capable of doing that myself."
Anayah stepped into her dressing room and quickly dressed, then after grabbing her pack she left the room fully intending to leave Rivendell. Elrond sat where he was and stared down at his hands, deep in thought. There was the sound of a scuffle in the hall and soon Haldir appeared in the doorway, holding Anayah by one of her ears.
"I'm not an elfling anymore, Haldir, so let go of my ear! I mean it! This is your last warning!"
Haldir did not comply with her demands for release and had almost managed to drag her into the room when suddenly the young she-elf took an offensive stance and effectively rolled the unsuspecting Lórien Captain over her hip. He found himself laying on his back looking up at her.
The proud, seemingly arrogant elf then said without even breaking stride, "Don't make me get strict with you!"
Anayah stared down at the elf laying at her feet. There was something about seeing him laying on his back at her feet that seemed amusing and when she looked at her father and saw him holding a hand over his eyes, shoulders shaking with mirth, she just could not help herself and burst out laughing. Extending a hand to Haldir, she helped him rise from the floor.
Both the elves had seen her wince when she had helped him rise off the floor. Haldir took her gently by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"I want you to listen to me Anayah. You are very angry right now and you are not thinking clearly. You have wounds that need to be treated and the best healer in Middle Earth is offering to treat them for you. Now saying you can take care of them yourself and stomping off is childish behavior, even for you. Now as much as I love you, if you do not walk over to that bed and sit quietly while Lord Elrond treats you, I will be forced to get cross with you, and, I will be forced to tell your Grandfather!"
That threat held more merit than any of the Lórien Captain's previous words and with no further argument Anayah immediately did as she was told.
"Now, I have to leave to see to other matters for Lord Celeborn but when I return I hope that I will find you resting ... at least for the rest of this day!" Before he left the room, and to take the sting out of his words, Haldir leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
It took Elrond some time to treat Anayah's wounds from her latest adventure. The arrowhead he extracted from her thigh was poisoned and also difficult to extract and he had to cut the wound larger to get the arrow out. After he had finished sewing and bandaging that wound and seeing to the other minor cuts, scrapes, and knife wounds, Elrond looked up to see that his daughter was extremely pale and her face was sweaty from shock and pain. It was when he saw the tragic and sad look in her eyes that he put down the bandages and put his arms around her then rocked her as she finally broke down and cried. Lord Elrond chided himself that he had forgotten just how young she was. Yes, Ilúvatar had blessed her with a balanced nature but that made it much easier to forget that in elf-years, she was still very young.
After she finally calmed down, the elf Lord asked her a question that had been on his mind since she had first made her way into the council chamber.
"Did you think we did not want your help?"
Anayah didn't meet his eyes but still nodded.
"We just got caught up in the moment. It's not often that we have had female warriors among us and now that we do, we acted as only males can. Gender should not have been an issue Anayah. The guards at the door are not from Imladris and therefore did not recognize you, although I am reasonably certain that they know exactly who you are now. They will be reprimanded for their actions and the other members of this household will be informed that ALL members of this family will be included in ALL council meetings." He tipped her chin up until he could look her in the eye.
"I am so sorry for what has happened. However, next time you begin to have doubts, my dear, come to me. I will always have time to listen."
Anayah smiled then sighed, feeling emotionally lighter. When Elrond was about to put his medical supplies away, he noticed an odd wound on her left shoulder right under her collar bone. After he looked at it closely and had begun cleaning and disinfecting it, he noticed Anayah was blushing. When he turned back to the wound, he was puzzled.
"Are these what I think they are? Are these bite marks?"
She nodded her head, blushing again as she did so.
"I guess I deserved it. I bit him first."
"You bit a ... a nasty foul creature ... you bit an Orc? Sweet Eru! What were you thinking!"
"I really cannot tell you Ada except I do not think I was in my right mind at the time. All I know is that I could not quit gagging for about an hour afterward!"
The two elves spent the next few minutes laughing so hard they were almost in tears.
* * * * * *
There was a nock at the door and Anayah rose to open it. A dizzy spell hit her that almost sent her crashing to the floor. After catching her, Elrond picked her up and placed her on the bed then went and answered door himself.
Her brothers walked into the room and looking at the expressions on their faces, she could not help but smile. Elrohir had a tray with sandwiches, a selection of her favorite pastries, and a cup of tea, which she suspected was not regular tea. Aragorn had a vase of fresh-cut flowers for her and Elladan had her clean dagger, so polished and shiny that it looked like it was new. Legolas trailed after the three of them, shaking his head. When they saw both Elrond and Anayah wiping tears from their eyes and trying not to burst out laughing again, they froze, wondering what it was they had missed.
"What's so funny?" Aragorn asked.
Elrond started laughing again as he got up from the bed and gathered his medical supplies. As he was walking out of the room he paused in the doorway and was about to speak when he burst out laughing again then, shaking his head he left the room, closing the door behind him.
The others turned to Anayah, their eyes questioning the odd behavior. In answer, Anayah pulled at her collar, baring the teeth marks.
Elrohir was the first to begin to understand.
"No! That is not what I think it is ... is it? Those aren't teeth marks ... of an Orc? I've never heard of an Orc biting someone before! Kill, yes, bite, no!"
"Why did an Orc bite you?" Elladan was becoming more curious by the moment.
"He bit me because I bit him first." She blushed, for the first time realizing the trouble her temper had gotten her in to.
The laughter that came from the bedroom could be heard all the way to the bottom floor and those who had known of the tense incident of the morning also knew that once again, all was well.
* * * * * *
It was decided late in the afternoon of the next day that Anayah and Elias would be the ones to "beard the lion in his den", that is, to provoke the wraiths so badly that they would madly follow her, to their own doom. All those who lived in the Last Homely House knew she was perfectly suited for the task because everyone knew just how good the she-elf was at provoking.
* * * * * *
Gwaihir, the great eagle would circle overhead while Anayah lured the wraiths to the closed off field, or arena, as it was called. Through Gandalf, the eagle would maintain a mental link with the warriors on the ground so that when the chase was nearing its end, they could better prepare themselves.
The falcon, Shakir, would be in a tree near the lair and when he received a specific signal from his Lady, he would fly north and by his presence, would notify the ground warriors that the Orcs were on their way.
* * * * * *
It had been a month since the lair of the Shadow Wraiths had been found by the falcon and two weeks since the last of the allied warriors had arrived in Imladris. Aragorn's Rangers had observers in the area of the lair, watching both it and any movement made by the Orcs. There had been a steady increase in Orc activity in the area and the rangers had reported that within the last few days, more than 2,000 Orcs had been counted going into the cave-system adjacent to the lair.
A group of Rangers had gotten within listening distance of a group of Orcs and now had reliable information that the battle would begin within the next two days.
War was not just coming. War was here and may the Valar help them all.
Arwen721: Thanks for the review!
Soccer-Bitch: Thanks for the review. Here's the next chapter.
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TBC