A/N: I do not own any of the characters or settings from LOTR. Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry it's been so long. I will try to update this more frequently now that I have the time to do so, and a computer that works!
"Magic?" Mithrandir asked, curiosity shining in his ancient eyes, for he had performed many feats of magic in his days, but as an Istari he found great joy in witnessing the magic of others. "You call so great a talent as yours mere magic, blessed of the Valar?"
"All magic comes from the same source, wizard, and well you know it," Liathandrial replied, though she understood the humor he found in her words. "Your own power is no less prestigious, Messenger of the West. Now, I would tell you to turn your eyes away lest you be blinded, but a Maia need not fear being harmed by celestial light."
Mithrandir said nothing to this, neither validating nor disputing her words, but merely watched her with an intent expression. Liathandrial closed her eyes and reached deep within her, to the swirling caverns of her heart, where there burned a Fire so intense that no will save one could ever extinguish it. Many of the Valar had given her great powers, but none could compare to that priceless gift she had received from Iluvatar himself while she was yet in her mother's womb.
The Fire simmered within her always, though it usually remained banked. It was her tie to Arda and Iluvatar himself, and through it she could sense many things, though she could not always understand what she was shown, for the thoughts of Iluvatar were too great for her to fully comprehend, and the Imperishable Flame was in itself no simple living creature, but rather Life incarnate, and its own thoughts were often as not foreign to her, as it was able to encompass the wealth of all existence within its reasoning and Liathandrial was limited to her own finite mind.
In years past, the Fire had sometimes called upon itself and granted her great abilities, but more often then not it simply simmered within her, a comforting connection to the world she so dearly loved, and she had to summon forth its blaze at most times when she wished to utilize its power. She always did so with a certain trepidation, for just as the Flame sometimes activated itself without her asking it to, it also sometimes refused to activate when she called upon it.
The Imperishable Flame operated with a will of its own, and was at times most trying. There had been more then one instance when she could have used the Fire's power, and it had ignored her call. As a result, she had spent a great deal of time imprisoned in the tower of Minas Tirith, when it had been taken by Sauron and belonged to the dark lord Melkor during the First Age. She rarely thought of those days, for they were painful to her in more ways then she cared to admit. She had been but a child really, foolish and impulsive, far too trusting at the still young age of 462, her carefree and sheltered mind easily turned by a face so fair its magnificence was beyond description…Shaking her head, she turned her thoughts from such dangerous reminiscing and focused on the matter at hand.
She reached within herself and touched that warm Fire, and it roared to life in answer, bringing with it searing heat and blinding light, so that all mortal eyes which looked upon it were forced to turn away from its resplendence, and she felt a moment of thankfulness that it had heeded her call. Mithrandir watched with alert eyes, for the Istari could now feel the power of the Fire, and he recognized it for what it was. Not just ancient Elven magic, nor the impressive power of the Valar, but something more. Something indescribable and wonderful, and terrible in its limitless power.
He felt that energy within him respond to the magic she was wielding, felt his very heart move in the direction of the power she called but seemed to have no control over, and he held himself still through the strength of his will, though he very much desired to move closer to that Flame which emanated from her. He knew then that in her own way, Liathandrial was as dangerous to the world as Sauron, for Melkor would stop at nothing to gain access to the Fire she was born with, and he found himself wondering if she knew…
White, opalescent fire swirled around her, glittering in the light of the day, and before his eyes, she began to transform. Her sleek, flowing lines diminished and curved, her satin smooth hide gave way to down soft feathers, and with a snap of her new wings, she was airborne. The transformation had been too quick to follow, even for eyes as experienced as his own, but he still felt joy at having witnessed it, for magic had always delighted him where little else in life could, and the magic of the Valar and Iluvatar was a beautiful thing to behold.
Lia was feeling none of Mithrandir's light heartedness, for a shadow had fallen over her. The moment she had called upon the Fire, she had sensed another being turning its attention upon her, but she had already called upon the magic and was helpless to halt it. While the Imperishable Flame surrounded her with its gentle warmth, on the edges of its reach, beyond the touch of its power, she felt the dark presence of Sauron, and she knew a kind of fear that had little to do with that darkness which haunts man's heart, and everything to do with self loathing.
She had not paused to think of the consequences of calling on her most precious gift, for rarely did she use it, and it had been centuries since Sauron had been powerful enough to sense her call for the Flame, for she had taken great pains to hide it from him in the past, and thanks to his weakened state she had been successful. Not so any longer, for Sauron's strength had grown to a level beyond her ability to deceive. She could almost see the Eye turning to watch her, and that must not happen, for if he could discover her location, she knew he would send the Witch King himself to attack her. That was a battle she had never been able to win, though the Captain of Despair had never been able to smite her to ground either. Still, he would come, the Morgul-king, and with him he would bring darkness and death, and he would not turn from his course unless she were defeated or fled from his reach, so implacable was he. The knowledge was a heavy burden unto Liathandrial's heart, she would not draw more destruction to these people, not now, while they were struggling to recover from the siege.
And so she called upon the Lady of the Stars until a great halo glittered around her, and banished the Eye, and she took to the sky on elegant wings, hoping in her heart that Sauron had not had enough time to discover her location, for though he could sense the Imperishable Flame, it was so powerful that it naturally defied any attempt to detect it in any but a most general means, and, too, the Flame existed throughout the breadth of Arda, for it was Arda, and thereby made it virtually impossible to discern her whereabouts. But Sauron was strong, and he had held her radiance before, and so for him it was easier to track her location. Yet the touch of Elbereth forced the presence of the Eye away, for all his might Sauron was no match for the might of a Valar, and she silently thanked the goddess who had been as a second mother unto her. For a moment, she soared through the air, feeling the caress of the wind, her senses slowly shifting, eyes adjusting to their newly heightened capabilities.
She then turned with a clarion cry and swooped down to the waiting arm of Mithrandir, who nodded his head in approval and said, "You learn to adapt to your new form quickly."
"Do you think I shall pass scrutiny in this shape?" she inquired.
"Of a certainty, though I cannot say if you will be allowed into all the rooms of the Keep in this guise," the wizard replied.
She looked at him with her strange green eyes and said, "I have no wish to be in the rooms of Man, and missing out on one or two will not cause me distress, so long as it does not prevent me from learning the sad tale of how the Ring managed to find its way back into the lives of mortals again."
Mithrandir turned and began walking to the keep. "That is an interesting tale, lady. It begins with dwarves, ends with hobbits, and has a bit of Smaug in the middle."
The bird tossed its head in disdain. "Ha, that lizard? He is a braggart and more rapacious then most of his kind, he is easily fooled by playing upon his vanity."
"Was, lady, was," Mithrandir responded with a smile.
Again, those endless green eyes turned to him. "Was you say? Has Smaug the Golden fallen?"
Mithrandir glanced at her now, surprised. "Have you not heard the news, lady? It has been many years, and the dragons I know are great enemies of yours."
Liathandrial looked away, clearly troubled. "I have been walking this world for countless years, old one, spreading healing where I may, and death where I must. I have not been among Men in decades, and it has been some time since I have had the pleasure of visiting at length with the Elves."
Mithrandir wondered where she had been that she had not heard of the Battle of Five Armies, but he refrained from asking and said, "Yes, that black hearted creature has fallen, and it was actually a band of dwarves and a hobbit that brought about his demise."
"Again with hobbits," she mused, staring out across the endless sky. "It seems they are a more resourceful race then I had realized."
"Indeed they are," Mithrandir agreed. "And a kinder hearted people you would be sore pressed to find. Now, as I was saying, the dwarves needed a burglar…"
And so it came to pass that after the Battle of Helm's Deep, there appeared at Gandalf's side a strange bird the likes of which had never been seen. Only large as a common eagle it was, but its feathers were a mixture of brilliant blue and flashing crystal, and its eyes were green as the most precious emerald. And the wizard would not speak of it at length, save to say that it was Athan the Shining, friend of Gwaihir the Windlord, and had joined them to lend aid where it could. And while some men found it unnerving, there were those who looked at the raptor with curious eyes, and others who looked at the wizard and wondered if this creature was but one more secret he was holding from them.