Disclaimer: It's not mine, Tolkien wrote it. (Well, not the fanfic, but you know what I mean.)

In the Shadows

Chapter Nine – Valar


Ayssa


Melidar looked excited but weary, he had travelled a long way to meet me in our secret spot. We had never thought about loving each other more than friends; I loved Melidar's outrageous stories of adventures he and his brothers had enjoyed before Melidar signed himself to the army. He had dreams of becoming a royal bodyguard, more because of the honour rather than the company.

Melidar would often meet me at a place along the Anduin where he could cross without being swept away by the currents. Sometimes we would race each other along our opposite sides of the river, trying to be the first to reach a certain point where the river dipped low and jump into the icy waters. Melidar often won, but today he was distracted.

He was the first to stop running, but I failed to notice until I had flung myself into the unforgiving waters and shrieked at the unexpected coolness. I felt his hand grip my wrist as I pretended to flail about in the chill water.

"Ayssa, not today." He said shortly, his tone like that of my father when I pester him to teach me how to draw his longbow. I looked up at my friend and studied his face closely.

"What's biting you?" I asked him, punching his shoulder lightly as we started off towards a small grove of trees.

"Ah, I'm being made a soldier!" He grinned, his face and tone losing all seriousness. I smiled, but I was worried. It was a dangerous time to become a solider in any army. Death rates were high with bands of wildmen and other creatures ransacking small villages and attacking travellers. I hoped Melidar wasn't to be a patrol soldier, where he would have to protect those in isolated areas.

"Do not be sad, Ayssa. I'm under command of the prince himself. Orodreth and Bereth are to serve along side me."

I shuddered, hating the thought of anyone having to fight alongside those two. Even if they were Melidar's brothers.

"So, your lifelong dream has been achieved. Serving the prince, being his bodyguard. Say, could you arrange a meeting between us?" I joked, watching for Melidar's reaction. "I hear he is mighty handsome."

Melidar laughed heartily, throwing his arm around my shoulders and hugging me close. "Not at all! Think of the scandal it would cause! Besides, he will be married to whoever will form the strongest alliance. An elf-maiden he will marry of course, but from where? Not you, my dear. I cannot stand the thought of looking after you once he has broken your heart."

I laughed with Melidar, but my happiness was short lived. Was there something Melidar was not telling me? I could sense there was something hanging unsaid in the space between us.

"Melidar?" I asked quietly, finding his hand and holding on to it. "What have you forgotten to tell me?"

He looked troubled now, his eyebrows drawn together in an unsightly frown.

"My parents whisper together, their topic is my and my proposed betrothed. It worries me, for if I marry, I will not be able to see you between looking after my family and serving the prince."

I smiled; my parents had mentioned that I was to marry soon as well. The thought did not worry me, only that I would see less of my friends and family than I wished. I had tried to be optimistic about it, but Melidar was making me feel apprehensive.

"If it eases your heart, Melidar, I am to be wed also." I ventured, anxious to get my friend smiling again.

He lifted his hand, the one I was still holding, and held it to his chest. His almond shaped eyes found mine and held my gaze.

"No, it does not."



Dreams of my past came thick and fast, leaving me confused and longing for a time that is almost lost.


Barad-dûr


Aylid had tried to find evidence of a Valar spirit within the girl through her dreams and thoughts available to him in her sub-conscious. He was glad that the dreams were distracting her so; otherwise she would have her mind blocked off to all outside influence.

His master had been pacing the hallway outside the rooms of Lady Galadriel, trying to find something to say to her. Aylid had noticed his masters growing restlessness and so felt the need to hasten his search through the elf-maiden's memories through dreams.

So far, his search had proven to be fruitless. All he had uncovered were feelings for a now dead elf and happier memories of her past. Aylid had to struggle not to let the dreams get to him. He knew that if he tried, he could remember happier moments of his life, times when he was an elf. Aylid was wary when it came to times when he was tempted to use his sight to look into the past. If he strayed to far from the path, he could become trapped in his past.

Aylid put down the large crystal he was using to see into Ayssa's mind and rested a while. He needed to find a time when it was not happy. A time when she perhaps may have been told of the presence of another spirit within her, a presentation of a gift that she did not understand, anything that may hint that the Valar spirit was indeed within Ayssa.


Ayssa

The turn of another human century was a very special day for my family and I. It was my birthday. Not many of my elven friends liked to celebrate their birthdays, they complained that they were an unnecessary waste. Elves live forever, they were forever telling me, we do not need to remind out human friends of that by celebrating another year alive.

I ignored them all, and they always attended my birthday gatherings. It was nothing special, just a nice meal prepared at noon, instead of during the evening, and a small number of gifts presented to me. My new age was a special one. It was one where I could start pursing my dreams, or I could be married.

My parents wished for me to become a lady of the White Lady, but she frightened me sometimes. I had seen her often when I snuck away to meet Melidar. She would often be staring at nothing, looking through everything that passed her line of vision. She could tell my presence when she was deep in thought, her eyes closed.

I had talked to her before when I was returning from a meeting with Melidar. I had just scrambled up a tree to pluck a ripening piece of fruit, my stomach was empty and I felt like a snack before returning to help mother with the evening meal.

She watched me as I sprang away from the tree and landed on the ground. I had been about to race away when I felt her presence on my senses, and turned to see her standing very still, her eyes on me.

"Greetings," She said in a melodious voice. Her smile was radiant, but her eyes never left mine; I felt them searching my soul.

"Do not be afraid, Ayssa. I have not come to tell you off, more to explain something to you."



I woke suddenly, my dream interrupted by something. My head pounded, the darkness pressed against my senses.


Barad-dûr

Aylid let out an anguished gurgle. The crystal he had been using to screen Ayssa's dreams had cracked under the pressure of the power flowing through it, disrupting Ayssa's dream. Aylid knew his master had felt the disruption as the doors to the secret study were opened viciously, Sauron stalking through them angrily.

"What happened?" Sauron asked quietly, his rage making him shake ever so slightly.

"The crystal you gave me, Master, it has failed."

Sauron studied the crystal that Aylid had discarded on the floor. "The Valar spirit did this." He concluded quietly. "You were onto something, and it prevented you from seeing something important."

Sauron had Aylid recount the dream from start to where it was disrupted. He nodded thoughtfully once Aylid had finished and left the study, but not before he called back to he gangly creature: "Rest for a while, Lady Galadriel has some questions I need answered."



Lady Galadriel sat rigid in her seat. She could not believe what Sauron had just told her. He had been prying into the secrets of a fellow elf, and it made her angry.

"I believe that you something that I need to know." Sauron said, watching the fair elf carefully. Even though her time spent away from her beloved home, which had now been completely destroyed by unquenchable fires, had aged her features greatly, she was still more beautiful than any other creature that walked the halls of Barad-dûr.

"I will not tell you anything, you fat slug." Galadriel spat, unable to help herself. The lame insult made her feel better, like she could still jest in such evil times.

Sauron smiled to himself and changed his appearance to that of her husband. His hood was drawn up over his face, but he pulled it back slightly so Galadriel could see the elven features. He smiled again when he heard her sharp intake of breath, but it was gone again as he felt a sharp sting, Galadriel's fingernails fighting to rip a hole in Sauron's face.

A guard who was positioned in a dark corner of the room came forward immediately, pulling the furious elf from his master and throwing her to the floor, an easy feat since she had lost a lot of weight and was lighter than anything the guard had carried before.

The guard's hand found a handful of hair and yanking Galadriel to her knees, pulling her around to face a livid Sauron. The look on Galadriel's face was one of absolute hatred as Sauron drew close and held her chin in a crushing grip. He wiped his index finger along one of the fresh scratches on his check and forced the finger and the blood on it into Galadriel's mouth.

Galadriel had been about to bite down on the finger when Sauron bug his fingers savagely into her jaw, the pain bringing tears to her eyes and forcing her mouth to stay open.

Sauron then removed his finger and motioned for the guard to leave. The guard, a specially trained Uruk-Hai, let go of Lady Galadriel's hair and resumed his spot in the dark corner, blending in with the wall.

"Why did you do that?" Sauron asked, his voice showing his anger. "Do you not think that as a bit pointless?"

Galadriel did not move from her position on the floor, fearing she would sob if she did. She was thankful for her mane of golden hair covering her anguished face; it saved her from having to look at Sauron.

Sauron bent and pulled Galadriel to her feet by her arm. He then forced her to sit in her chair, pushing her firmly on both shoulders. Galadriel sat heavily, looking away from Sauron, her hair still covering her face. She knew she probably looked like a petulant child, but she made no move to remove her hair from her face. This, Sauron did for her.

"Now, where was I?" He mused aloud, and began to question her once again.


Ayssa


My head has not ceased to pound, but still I dream.



I sat before Lady Galadriel, feeling uncomfortable. I had been raised to stand in the presence of the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood and sit only once they are seated, but Lady Galadriel had insisted, handing me a drink even. I twirled the slender glass in my fingers, watching the Lady as she searched for something amongst her things.

Once she had located what ever it was she was looking for, she pocketed it and sat before me on a tall stool made of a pale wood. She sat forward and looked into my eyes, and I knew she was reading into my heart.

"You are a very special youngling." She said softly, startling me. I had not seen her move her lips and so realised she was speaking in her special way, the way that my mother and aunts had described to me before.

Your heart is bold and your purpose true. Do you know what is to come? No, I suppose not. There will be a time, though; you will discover the gift I am to waken in you. I see it in your eyes, the gift that is rare amongst the elves but powerful and useful. Lady Galadriel smiled and put her hand into the small pocket where she had dropped the item she had been searching for. She pulled it forth and I bit back a gasp of delight. It was a pendant in the shape of a teardrop. It hung on a slender silver chain and the teardrop was a silver white colour that seemed to pulse before my eyes. She dropped the pendant into my hand and I immediately fastened it around my neck and the teardrop rested just below the hollow made in my collarbone.

This pendant will awaken your power; it is made of an ancient stone discovered long ago. You will not use it as of yet, but dark times I see ahead. Perhaps you will use it then.

Lady Galadriel then stood and turned away from me. I was dismissed.

"Thank You, my Lady." I whispered, my words catching in my throat.

I stumbled back to my home, my fingers finding the teardrop pendant, which was warm to the touch.

I turned only once, just as I left the small grove, but the Lady had gone.


Barad-dûr


Aylid called his master forth, blowing out the candle whose flame he has used to search Ayssa's dream. He smiled to himself, then was shamed he had ever doubted Sauron's judgment.

Hello! I updated a little faster for you.....I hope you guys are still reading!