Chapter 7
First Mission
Two weeks had passed since the attack of the Levan Uin Menelath and all those who had been injured when the Great Bats that had entered the Hall of Fire, wreaking havoc and injuring many, including the falcon who had so valiantly defended them all, were now fully recovered. Shakir had been doted on by more than just Lord Elrond and his family. Many of the elves who had been in the Hall of Fire that night had inquired about his health and had brought him many tasty treats both as a reward and as a symbol of their heartfelt thanks. The courageous bird was now a hero to many.
Anayah, now fully recovered from the life threatening bite she had received the night of the attack, was now on the practice field, sparring with Saeros, one of the members of her new Thurin Tirith Guard. The other three members of her guard stood nearby, watching as the two used their long knives, twisting, turning, striking, blocking, ducking and spinning in moves which were almost too fast for the eye to follow . Both elves were sweating from their efforts but neither was giving the other any quarter.
On the sidelines, the other three were talking among themselves.
"She's quick as well as strong for her size, and I get the feeling that she can hold her own with just about anybody - or anything, from what I've heard."
The other two looked at Súrion and nodded in agreement.
Saeros managed to disarm the she-elf and upon seeing her weaponless, he paused and lowered his own weapons - which proved to be his undoing. Circling his neck with her arm then grabbing the wrist, she pulled both legs off the ground, putting her entire weight on the encircling arm. Then, using the natural momentum built up by the maneuver, she kicked him on the inside of the knee furtherest from her which resulted in the whole leg collapsing under him. He fell to the ground and in the next moment found himself on his back with Anayah holding a dagger to his throat.
"You stopped fighting. Never stop fighting."
After regaining her feet, she extended her hand to help him rise. Saeros nodded in appreciation and took the offered hand, then in a surprise maneuver of his own, pulled the she-elf down on top of him, rolled her onto her back then held his dagger to her throat.
"You stopped fighting, my Lady." He smiled.
"Not quite," was her soft reply.
She moved the tip of her dagger slightly to show she still held it in her hand and when Saeros looked down at the weapon, he paled as he realized that the dagger Anayah still held was pointed at one of the most "vital" regions of his body. His three friends broke out in loud laughter, then the Captain called an end to the match.
"This match is over!"
Saeros helped her to her feet.
"Well met, Lady Anayah, well met indeed."
"Thank you Saeros, our sparring time was most invigorating. I must tell all of you that I do not want to be known as a dirty fighter, but as I have had to adapt my fighting style for fighting opponents larger than myself, it sometimes seems that is what I do. I am smaller than most beings that I fight so I do whatever I have to, to stay alive. I know how to fight the other way also, but if being sneaky and biting, scratching or eye gouging is going to keep me alive - then believe me when I say that I will fight dirty."
She was about to say more when the five of them heard the sounds of a running horse and when they looked toward the house, they saw a lathered horse and elf come to a stop in the courtyard, met by Lord Elrond.
"Its a courier," Anayah announced flatly as she turned and started walking toward the house.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
After she had bathed and changed clothes, Anayah then went to Elrond's study and after knocking softly, was invited to enter. She sat in a comfortable chair and waited quietly and patiently for her Foster-Father to finish reading the dispatch he held in his hands. Finally, he laid the parchment down on his desk then sat silently for a few moments staring off into the distance as he tried to master his emotions and gather his thoughts.
"Ada?"
Dragging himself out of his thoughts, the Elf Lord looked at his foster daughter.
"It looks like this will be your first assignment. I thought I knew every town in Middle Earth, but apparently I was in error." He waved his hands dismissively and sighed. "It is of no consequence. Anyway, a Ranger traveling through the region southwest of Imladris has discovered a problem in a small town called Nen and has sent a dispatch to us regarding his findings. It seems a Mirkwood elf is being held in Nen on charges that he attacked and brutally murdered a young girl. This elf is scheduled to be executed four days from now and so I would like you to go to Nen and determine if any of the accusations are true. If you find that they are not, bring the elf back with you but if the accusations are true and you determine that the elf's heart has fallen into darkness then ..." Elrond paused and looked out the window.
Anayah touch his hand gently. "If his heart has fallen into darkness then what, Ada?" She already suspected what her father was going to say but needed to hear him speak the words.
The Elf Lord looked at her sadly then spoke. "If his heart has fallen into darkness then you will need to put him down. This will not be a symbol of the elves' willingness to work with humans, but will be a mercy to the elf."
"I will leave at sundown, my Lord."
Elrond saw the stricken look on the young she-elf's face but also knew that she would do as she had been instructed, knowing that it would indeed be a mercy to the elf. He also knew, deep in his heart, that she would do anything and everything she could to determine the truth of the matter before she took any action at all.
"Go with my blessings, daughter."
Nodding her head in respect, she turned and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
Rahan and the others were outside Lord Elrond's study waiting patiently for her, but when she finally came out then walked by them without even acknowledging their presence, they glanced at one another then fell in step behind.
Rahan caught up with her quickly. "Lady Anayah, we will need a briefing."
Anayah walked on a few more steps then stopped to face her Captain.
"I will not be needing your help for this one Rahan."
"Going alone is not an option, my Lady."
She looked up at the tall elf then frowned.
"I do not suppose that if I ask you to stay here you will?"
The elf just smiled in reply.
"What if I ordered you to say?"
Though he kept smiling, Rahan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
She sighed deeply in resignation before she spoke. "All right. Let us go into the library."
Once the five elves had entered the library and the four guards had seated themselves comfortably, Anayah began to pace, thinking quickly.
"We will be traveling to the small town of Nen to see what we can do about a Mirkwood elf that is being held there on charges of murdering a young girl. If we can prove his innocence, we will have him freed, but if we find evidence that he is guilty, then I will have to put him down. It is that simple."
The four looked at one another.
"I am going to give you my one-time only speech and only because we have never worked together before, so listen closely, because one of the things I really hate to do is repeat myself. Do you follow me so far?"
All four nodded in acknowledgment.
"We will meet in the courtyard one hour after the sun sets. Most of our travel will be at night so dress in black as I want our travel to be done in as covert a manner as possible. Saeros and Súrion, I want the two of you to hide your hair as I do not think the two of you need to be told how silver and blond hair will look on someone who is traveling at night and trying to be stealthy."
The blond haired Saeros and the silver haired Súrion unconsciously ran their hands over their heads as they nodded, indicating that it would be done.
"There will be no verbal conversation while we travel unless it is initiated by me so we will use hand signals only which, I am sure, that you are already familiar with. I want stealth from horse as well as elf so wrap their tails and put the light boots on them. And for Eru's sake, watch what you feed your horses before we go, if you know what I mean? I would really hate to have our presence be given away because a horse suddenly belches - or worse - at an inopportune moment!"
They all laughed at that one.
"Rahan, you look to me for orders and your elves look to you. Your choice of weapons are your own after sword and bow. Although this will be a diplomatic mission, we will be doing some investigative work, so be alert at all times for anything and everything out of the ordinary or pertaining to the elf. Always stay in groups of two and three, Rahan, you will be with me and the other three I want to have look over the area where this attack took place."
Anayah thought for a moment about what she had to say next, wanting to say it without sounding like a total idiot.
"We are going to be looking for what I call "The Mist Demon." Do not ask me for a better description because I have not seen it myself and only know what I was told by a secondhand source. If you see a cloud of mist or anything with glowing red eyes, Súrion don't you dare laugh, call me immediately."
Saeros reached over and cuffed the silver-haired elf along side his head.
"I know the description I just gave you may sound strange, but that is the description I was given. If nothing else, we want to at least be able to start establishing a pattern of this thing's actions. However, I cannot stress enough that if you encounter this demon, or whatever you prefer to call it, that you are not to intervene or draw its attention to you. Now, we will undoubtedly be encountering other unusual phenomena during this time so if any of you are afraid of things that go bump in the night, stay in Imladris. And last, there have been reports of increased numbers of Orcs, wargs and such in the area we will be traveling through so if we do encounter them, they will be engaged with lethal intentions."
It was at this moment, as she watched the eyes of her guards following her back and forth across the room as she paced, hands clasped behind her back, that she realized how she must look.
"I am so sorry. I must look and sound like a little dictator, pacing around like this and giving orders like I actually know what I am doing."
"Be at peace, Lady Anayah." Though Rahan spoke from the heart, still his eyes twinkled. "We asked for a briefing and that is exactly what you gave us. You have a natural ability to command though it may feel unnatural to you at the moment. I had the privilege of knowing your father, Arathorn, and he used to pace during his briefings just like you do."
"You served my father?" She had been surprised when the elf had mentioned Arathorn's name.
"Yes, Lady Anayah. We served your father."
"Sweet Eru, now I know I am in trouble for sure!" (A/N 1)
This comment had all of them laughing so hard that they were nearly in tears.
TBC
DesolateAznVamp: I'm glad you liked the falcon. He sure got his chance to shine in this chapter. He's a member of the team and I didn't want anybody to forget that he was around! 8-)
(A/N1.: This is a reference to Chapter 5 - Thurin Tirith, where Anayah was sarcastically arguing that everyone who had Thurin Tirith guarding them were no longer among the living.)
First Mission
Two weeks had passed since the attack of the Levan Uin Menelath and all those who had been injured when the Great Bats that had entered the Hall of Fire, wreaking havoc and injuring many, including the falcon who had so valiantly defended them all, were now fully recovered. Shakir had been doted on by more than just Lord Elrond and his family. Many of the elves who had been in the Hall of Fire that night had inquired about his health and had brought him many tasty treats both as a reward and as a symbol of their heartfelt thanks. The courageous bird was now a hero to many.
Anayah, now fully recovered from the life threatening bite she had received the night of the attack, was now on the practice field, sparring with Saeros, one of the members of her new Thurin Tirith Guard. The other three members of her guard stood nearby, watching as the two used their long knives, twisting, turning, striking, blocking, ducking and spinning in moves which were almost too fast for the eye to follow . Both elves were sweating from their efforts but neither was giving the other any quarter.
On the sidelines, the other three were talking among themselves.
"She's quick as well as strong for her size, and I get the feeling that she can hold her own with just about anybody - or anything, from what I've heard."
The other two looked at Súrion and nodded in agreement.
Saeros managed to disarm the she-elf and upon seeing her weaponless, he paused and lowered his own weapons - which proved to be his undoing. Circling his neck with her arm then grabbing the wrist, she pulled both legs off the ground, putting her entire weight on the encircling arm. Then, using the natural momentum built up by the maneuver, she kicked him on the inside of the knee furtherest from her which resulted in the whole leg collapsing under him. He fell to the ground and in the next moment found himself on his back with Anayah holding a dagger to his throat.
"You stopped fighting. Never stop fighting."
After regaining her feet, she extended her hand to help him rise. Saeros nodded in appreciation and took the offered hand, then in a surprise maneuver of his own, pulled the she-elf down on top of him, rolled her onto her back then held his dagger to her throat.
"You stopped fighting, my Lady." He smiled.
"Not quite," was her soft reply.
She moved the tip of her dagger slightly to show she still held it in her hand and when Saeros looked down at the weapon, he paled as he realized that the dagger Anayah still held was pointed at one of the most "vital" regions of his body. His three friends broke out in loud laughter, then the Captain called an end to the match.
"This match is over!"
Saeros helped her to her feet.
"Well met, Lady Anayah, well met indeed."
"Thank you Saeros, our sparring time was most invigorating. I must tell all of you that I do not want to be known as a dirty fighter, but as I have had to adapt my fighting style for fighting opponents larger than myself, it sometimes seems that is what I do. I am smaller than most beings that I fight so I do whatever I have to, to stay alive. I know how to fight the other way also, but if being sneaky and biting, scratching or eye gouging is going to keep me alive - then believe me when I say that I will fight dirty."
She was about to say more when the five of them heard the sounds of a running horse and when they looked toward the house, they saw a lathered horse and elf come to a stop in the courtyard, met by Lord Elrond.
"Its a courier," Anayah announced flatly as she turned and started walking toward the house.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
After she had bathed and changed clothes, Anayah then went to Elrond's study and after knocking softly, was invited to enter. She sat in a comfortable chair and waited quietly and patiently for her Foster-Father to finish reading the dispatch he held in his hands. Finally, he laid the parchment down on his desk then sat silently for a few moments staring off into the distance as he tried to master his emotions and gather his thoughts.
"Ada?"
Dragging himself out of his thoughts, the Elf Lord looked at his foster daughter.
"It looks like this will be your first assignment. I thought I knew every town in Middle Earth, but apparently I was in error." He waved his hands dismissively and sighed. "It is of no consequence. Anyway, a Ranger traveling through the region southwest of Imladris has discovered a problem in a small town called Nen and has sent a dispatch to us regarding his findings. It seems a Mirkwood elf is being held in Nen on charges that he attacked and brutally murdered a young girl. This elf is scheduled to be executed four days from now and so I would like you to go to Nen and determine if any of the accusations are true. If you find that they are not, bring the elf back with you but if the accusations are true and you determine that the elf's heart has fallen into darkness then ..." Elrond paused and looked out the window.
Anayah touch his hand gently. "If his heart has fallen into darkness then what, Ada?" She already suspected what her father was going to say but needed to hear him speak the words.
The Elf Lord looked at her sadly then spoke. "If his heart has fallen into darkness then you will need to put him down. This will not be a symbol of the elves' willingness to work with humans, but will be a mercy to the elf."
"I will leave at sundown, my Lord."
Elrond saw the stricken look on the young she-elf's face but also knew that she would do as she had been instructed, knowing that it would indeed be a mercy to the elf. He also knew, deep in his heart, that she would do anything and everything she could to determine the truth of the matter before she took any action at all.
"Go with my blessings, daughter."
Nodding her head in respect, she turned and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
Rahan and the others were outside Lord Elrond's study waiting patiently for her, but when she finally came out then walked by them without even acknowledging their presence, they glanced at one another then fell in step behind.
Rahan caught up with her quickly. "Lady Anayah, we will need a briefing."
Anayah walked on a few more steps then stopped to face her Captain.
"I will not be needing your help for this one Rahan."
"Going alone is not an option, my Lady."
She looked up at the tall elf then frowned.
"I do not suppose that if I ask you to stay here you will?"
The elf just smiled in reply.
"What if I ordered you to say?"
Though he kept smiling, Rahan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
She sighed deeply in resignation before she spoke. "All right. Let us go into the library."
Once the five elves had entered the library and the four guards had seated themselves comfortably, Anayah began to pace, thinking quickly.
"We will be traveling to the small town of Nen to see what we can do about a Mirkwood elf that is being held there on charges of murdering a young girl. If we can prove his innocence, we will have him freed, but if we find evidence that he is guilty, then I will have to put him down. It is that simple."
The four looked at one another.
"I am going to give you my one-time only speech and only because we have never worked together before, so listen closely, because one of the things I really hate to do is repeat myself. Do you follow me so far?"
All four nodded in acknowledgment.
"We will meet in the courtyard one hour after the sun sets. Most of our travel will be at night so dress in black as I want our travel to be done in as covert a manner as possible. Saeros and Súrion, I want the two of you to hide your hair as I do not think the two of you need to be told how silver and blond hair will look on someone who is traveling at night and trying to be stealthy."
The blond haired Saeros and the silver haired Súrion unconsciously ran their hands over their heads as they nodded, indicating that it would be done.
"There will be no verbal conversation while we travel unless it is initiated by me so we will use hand signals only which, I am sure, that you are already familiar with. I want stealth from horse as well as elf so wrap their tails and put the light boots on them. And for Eru's sake, watch what you feed your horses before we go, if you know what I mean? I would really hate to have our presence be given away because a horse suddenly belches - or worse - at an inopportune moment!"
They all laughed at that one.
"Rahan, you look to me for orders and your elves look to you. Your choice of weapons are your own after sword and bow. Although this will be a diplomatic mission, we will be doing some investigative work, so be alert at all times for anything and everything out of the ordinary or pertaining to the elf. Always stay in groups of two and three, Rahan, you will be with me and the other three I want to have look over the area where this attack took place."
Anayah thought for a moment about what she had to say next, wanting to say it without sounding like a total idiot.
"We are going to be looking for what I call "The Mist Demon." Do not ask me for a better description because I have not seen it myself and only know what I was told by a secondhand source. If you see a cloud of mist or anything with glowing red eyes, Súrion don't you dare laugh, call me immediately."
Saeros reached over and cuffed the silver-haired elf along side his head.
"I know the description I just gave you may sound strange, but that is the description I was given. If nothing else, we want to at least be able to start establishing a pattern of this thing's actions. However, I cannot stress enough that if you encounter this demon, or whatever you prefer to call it, that you are not to intervene or draw its attention to you. Now, we will undoubtedly be encountering other unusual phenomena during this time so if any of you are afraid of things that go bump in the night, stay in Imladris. And last, there have been reports of increased numbers of Orcs, wargs and such in the area we will be traveling through so if we do encounter them, they will be engaged with lethal intentions."
It was at this moment, as she watched the eyes of her guards following her back and forth across the room as she paced, hands clasped behind her back, that she realized how she must look.
"I am so sorry. I must look and sound like a little dictator, pacing around like this and giving orders like I actually know what I am doing."
"Be at peace, Lady Anayah." Though Rahan spoke from the heart, still his eyes twinkled. "We asked for a briefing and that is exactly what you gave us. You have a natural ability to command though it may feel unnatural to you at the moment. I had the privilege of knowing your father, Arathorn, and he used to pace during his briefings just like you do."
"You served my father?" She had been surprised when the elf had mentioned Arathorn's name.
"Yes, Lady Anayah. We served your father."
"Sweet Eru, now I know I am in trouble for sure!" (A/N 1)
This comment had all of them laughing so hard that they were nearly in tears.
TBC
DesolateAznVamp: I'm glad you liked the falcon. He sure got his chance to shine in this chapter. He's a member of the team and I didn't want anybody to forget that he was around! 8-)
(A/N1.: This is a reference to Chapter 5 - Thurin Tirith, where Anayah was sarcastically arguing that everyone who had Thurin Tirith guarding them were no longer among the living.)