Author's Note: Ah! blocks head from incoming hit Sorry that it has been forever since I updated, but I'm lazy and have been kinda busy (for once in my life). I also haven't been writing the story too much and the only reason I am updating is because I wrote it out to a certain point. I have been writing another story that is on , so I have spent more time on that.
Meltintalle: I hope it all ties in together, because it's supposed to. What happened to give you a sprained wrist, though I'm sure that it is long since healed? Anyway, thanks for the review! I loved it!
Chapter 8: Arrival at Rivendell
Tinfea looked up at the sky. They were eating a small lunch underneath the crystal clear sky. The chilly air penetrated her light cloak and she drew it tighter around her. Up in the air, the screech of a bird was heard. Tinfea's eyes turned in that direction and saw a flash of bluish-silver.
"The Vegolphon bird, it can't be, can it?" she muttered softly. The bird landed on a cliff above them, seeming to beckon her.
"I will be a moment," Tinfea said, and started up the mountain.
Quithno stopped his eating. "You cannot leave; I don't want to be responsible for your death."
Tinfea raised her eyebrows to him. For someone who barely knew her, he was a bit protective. "I said I will only be a moment," her voice daring him to disagree. They locked eyes for a second, each one as fiery as the other. Quithno turned his gaze away and began to eat again, dismissing her. Tinfea smirked at her victory and climbed up the steep slope. The going was harder than it appeared, the rocks were loose and footholds far apart. Somehow, though, she made it up and scrambled over the edge. The Vegolphon bird was sitting on a stone, swaying gently in the wind. Tinfea was confused at its timing; it was about noon and the bird was out. But it didn't matter; this bird had started it all. She walked over, not noticing the beak color; instead of violet it was dark gray, almost black.
The bird reached towards her, its beak closed. Tinfea reached her hand up and pushed it over the bird's head. She was just about to look at the red writing on its back when the Vegolphon bird started shifting. Two legs grew out of its upper body while the talons changed to dry feet. The tail grew longer and was covered in scales. Only Tinfea's quick reflexes saved her from the now 'teeth filled' jaw. She gasped, but would not scream; out of pride. Eyes staring at the creature in front of her, Tinfea started taking a step backwards, not realizing the edge of the cliff near. It's all Quithno's fault I don't have my weapons. "Leave them, we are just eating." And now I'm in real danger. She thought, forgetting her new powers.
Suddenly, she felt some loose rocks and heard them tumble down the ridge. Her heart was beating as fast as it had when she thought about Vitralth. She didn't take her eyes off the dark gray lizard in front of her with the sharp, bared teeth. Stopping, Tinfea took a quick glance behind her to see how near she was. Her eyes widened more; she was only a few inches from the edge. Hearing a snarl from ahead, she turned back to the creature, only a few feet away and advancing slowly. Her movement caused her to tumble on a rock, as she had so many times before. But this time it was a life or death situation.
She flew backwards down the slope, hitting her skull on sharp stone. She saw black spots swimming before her eyes as she kept falling. Another deadly rock sliced a deep cut into her face, making blood spill out. With this, Tinfea almost lost consciousness. But she soon hit the bottom and stared blankly at the bright sky above her. Then warmness filled her face and red swam in her eyes. At the sight of her own blood, Tinfea blacked out.
She saw a figure swimming above her.
"Vitralth," she muttered softly. The elf turned to someone behind him. She recognized Elrohir, who was holding a white bandage.
"Are you alright?" the blonde elf asked. At the sound of his voice, Tinfea knew it couldn't be who she thought. It was Quithno, staring at her with a concerned expression. Tinfea felt terrible, but would never admit it.
"How do you think someone would feel after tumbling down a mountain? Like picking daisies?" she answered dryly.
He just grinned, "Well, I suppose you are okay if you can keep you dignity." Tinfea's eyes narrowed as she tried to sit up.
"I wouldn't advise that," Elrohir said, quickly moving to her side, "You have lost much blood." Tinfea just scowled and moved near a rock to lean on. He sighed and placed the bandage around her arm.
"Okay, if you insist," she said grudgingly, though the poultice did make the throbbing stop. He then placed cloth on her face and motioned for her to hold it there. She moved her arm up, ignoring the burst of pain.
"You will have to turn around." Tinfea winced as she turned her head, letting him clean the cut.
When he was done, Tinfea thanked him. "I am glad that you had Elrond as a father. He must have taught you at least something of healing." Elrohir smiled and put away his things.
"So why would such a graceful elf decide to fall off a mountain?" Quithno asked.
Ha, graceful. He wouldn't say that if he knew me. Tinfea thought. "Well, if what you thought was a Vegolphon bird shifts into a lizard thing with amazingly sharp teeth, I think any one would try to get away."
Quithno's eyes opened wide with fear. "You mean a … changeable… soul?" he stammered.
Tinfea drew back. "You mean they are real creatures?"
He nodded slowly, "Yes, they were part of my lessons as a boy. Everyone thought they had been banished long ago. But I guess not."
"Or this new evil recreated them. I would not be surprised, coming up with these shadow creatures." She sighed and shook her head.
"Don't worry, we will send out messenger birds as soon as we reach Rivendell," Elrohir assured, coming up behind Quithno. "Do you feel well enough to travel, my lady? We can wait a few days if you so wish."
Tinfea snorted softly. "I cannot endanger the lives of others by waiting. I will leave now." She started to get up, but the sudden movement sent her head whirling. Quithno caught her as she stumbled.
"Oh yes, I am sure that now is a great time to leave," he remarked. Tinfea's eyes narrowed once more and she straightened herself up. Standing proudly, if a little wobbly, she grabbed her weapons and started off down the mountain. The other elves glanced up from what they were doing and started packing reluctantly.
Quithno noticed their movements. "Do not worry, I will follow her. You can rest some more and catch up later." He moved off after the disappearing elf. "Where are you off to so fast!" he called.
Tinfea rolled her eyes. "To Rivendell, where else?"
Quithno ran up to her. "Of course, lady, but wouldn't you like some company." He said this as a statement and not a question, almost ordering her to accept his help.
"I suppose company will be okay. But once we reach the end of the pass, I am not sure you will have a horse to travel the rest of the day on." He didn't respond, just gazed into the sky. Tinfea waited until she felt less clumsy then broke into a run. Their steps made no imprint on the snow and they were able to travel quickly. Soon, they started to see green in the distance. Tinfea squinted her eyes slightly and saw a blue river. They would reach the end of the mountain soon.
Mithril was waiting at the edge of the mountain pass. When she saw the two elves running towards her, she whinnied excitedly and threw up her head. A white horse appeared from nowhere and looked in the direction the silver horse was. He nickered, but was not overly excited. Suddenly, the golden haired figure sped up and flew over the ground to her horse.
"Mithril, Mithril," she called softly. Tinfea wrapped her arms around her horse, to greet her and so she didn't fall. Quithno caught up and patted Lucidare happily.
"We are lucky we made it here when we did. I did not think you could stand anymore hours of running." Tinfea glared at him coldly, but he just smiled. It seemed odd; he was always smiling, even when she was angry with him.
"Let's move. I want to get to Rivendell as soon as possible, so we can send out those messages about the changeable souls. These can already be terrorizing people." She pulled herself onto Mithril. The other horses for the rest of the band trotted near and put their head down to graze. They would wait for their owners. Mithril took off at a steady canter, Lucidare following. Rivendell was only a day away. And on their horses, they could make it early tomorrow morning.
Tinfea walked her horse into the gorgeous place. Rivendell was surely one of the most fantastic places in Middle Earth. Many elves milled around, not sure what to make of the two unannounced visitors, one a maiden in breeches. Rapidly, two elves emerged from the crowd and ran forward at the sight of the silver horse.
"Tinfea, my dear, why didn't you tell us you would be visiting?" the she-elf exclaimed. Tinfea dismounted from Mithril and fell into her mother's arms like she did when she was a child. She hung onto her mother for a moment, then hugged her father.
"I didn't know I was coming until I left," she explained, eyes darting around the clearing. A dark figure caught her attention. Tinfea cocked her head a stared at it, wondering what person would keep themselves hidden. For some reason, Tinfea's curiosity was great. She wanted to run over and pull down the hood of the cloak, but didn't have to. A great wind blew in, carrying green sparks, throwing down the hood. The face that emerged was beautiful and sorrowful at the same time.
"Arwen," Tinfea gasped softly. She walked slowly over to her lovely friend, who she hasn't seen since her love died. "Arwen, I thought I would never see you again," she said and pulled the Evenstar into a hug. When she moved back, she saw tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around. It's just been so…hard," the dark haired elf struggled out. The tears fell down her face at an accelerated rate. Tinfea put her arm around her friends shoulder and directed her towards her rooms.
"Arwen, do stop crying. It disturbs me, you know that. Please stop," Tinfea begged as she settled the sobbing elf into a chair. Arwen regained her dignity and stopped crying. She brushed away the rest of her tears and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Ugh, I look terrible after I cry," she said, brushing her disheveled hair. Tinfea glanced at herself in the mirror and raised her eyebrows. Her hair was sticking up and knotted in many places, dirt smudged her face, a long cut from above her eyes went around her cheek until her chin, and she looked just terrible. Somehow she didn't have the cleanliness other elves seemed to inherit.
"Look at me. Do you think I am ready for a ball?" Arwen saw her reflection in the mirror and amusement filled her eyes.
"I suppose you need to clean up. Meet everyone for lunch in the Hall around noon. You know where your rooms are."
"Good, I feel the need for a bath," Tinfea said as she left. She walked down the corridor and went to her chambers. She had a permanent place in Rivendell because her parents lived there. When she entered, she smelt the fresh scent of the flowers wafting through the open window. It never changes much, does it she thought. A knock at the door broke her thoughts. Two server elves were carrying a tub of steaming water.
"If you do not mind, my lady, we will like to put this down somewhere," one of the grunted.
"Of course, anywhere you please." They moved the tub near a clear wall, bowed, and left the room. Tinfea undressed and took a long, hot bath. She marveled at how the water relaxed her muscles and made the ache go away. She reluctantly removed herself and put on a light yellow, lace dress. Tinfea wrinkled her nose at the tunic and breeches she had worn. I would be much more comfortable in those she thought, knowing her father would practically faint if she wore them to lunch. Deciding it would be best to look nice; Tinfea braided her hair and tried to clean the cut on her face more. Shrugging, she answered the knock on her door.
"Ah, my lady, so different from this morning," Quithno said. Tinfea sighed and tightened the bond on her braid, deciding not to reply. He held out his arm to escort her, the glint in his eyes telling that she should not refuse. Tinfea linked her arm with his and they walked to the main Hall, where many gathered for lunch. Arwen sat at the head of the table and beckoned for Tinfea and Quithno to sit.
"So, what brings you here, all disheveled like you were?" Arwen asked politely.
Tinfea grimaced in memory. "Well, it seems as if the changeable souls are back," she said in a low voice. Arwen's eyes opened slightly, but nodded and gave a single for her not to mention it.
"We left for Rivendell because it seems that Tinfea has the power of nature," Quithno cut in. Tinfea quickly motioned for him to stop, but not before her father noticed.
"You mean my daughter will have to go fight?" her father asked angrily.
Tinfea sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes father, I will be the one to defeat this new power," he was about to cut in, "whether you like it or not," she finished. His eyes narrowed, but he went back to eating, knowing his daughters stubbornness.
"Did I say something wrong?" Quithno asked worriedly.
Tinfea shook her head, "No, my father just hates the fact that I can, and will, fight."