Oh peoples… I don't think I mentioned in the last Zefron fic but:
Words means thoughts
"(Words)" means in Sindarin
(Words) means the Sindarin translations, most of the time anyway
Words means Galadriel talking telepathically
"Words" means that it's in the Black Speech/Tongue, however you put it, that's it. Now, on with the show!
Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, I do NOT own Lord of the Rings. I own Zefron, Zefra etc… cept for Naurrîn… she pretty much owns herself.
Chapter 1
It was quiet for a change on the way to Isenguard. Naurrîn and Zefron weren't bickering for once and neither were Legolas and Gimli. Templa was a nervous wreck, very jumpy and skittish as she trotted alongside Naurrîn's horse and Shadowfax with their riders too. She did not want to be there; never again did she want to have the great black tower in her sight. When Templa had been younger, Saruman tortured her as did the orcs, Zefron and Zefra were the ones who she trusted to help her where as if she ever saw Saruman again, she would probably want to kill him with her bare hooves.
"Oh Valar," Naurrîn cursed, looking up ahead of her, out of the forest as she saw Merry and Pippin drinking ale and eating.
"Welcome my lords… and lady, to Isenguard!" Merry called out as he stood up upon the ruins of the wall; he pointed rather drunkenly to the swampy plains behind him.
"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've lead us on and now we find you feasting and, and smoking!" Gimli stated loudly. Naurrîn chuckled and brushed a strand of loose hair out of her face so she could get a better look at the once mighty tower of Isenguard.
"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well earned comforts." Pippin stated, taking a bit of some sort of food. "The salted pork is particularly good."
"Salted pork?" Gimli asked, trying not to look interested.
"Hobbits," Gandalf said quietly, looking at the two feasting hobbits with an annoyed look on his face.
"We're under orders, from Treebeard. Who's taken over management of Isenguard." Merry stated.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Naurrîn asked, kicking her horse to move forwards. "I would like to meet this, Treebeard fellow." Merry got onto the back of Naurrîn's horse and Pippin onto Aragorn's before they made their way over to where the great Ent stood.
"Zefron, I'm… surprised to see you here, with Templa too." Treebeard said slowly, looking over each of the party until his eyes came to rest on Zefron and Templa. Everyone, including Gandalf looked at Zefron who shifted uncomfortably under all the attention.
"I am surprised to see myself here too Treebeard. It has been awhile, although, Templa and I would find it hard to forget everything that happened here." Zefron replied, avoiding the suspicious gaze of everyone save for Naurrîn and Gandalf.
"Young Master Gandalf, I'm… glad you've come. --- there's a wizard to manage here. Locked in his tower." Treebeard said, getting the attention away from the gray wizard and his horse.
"Show yourself." Aragorn whispered, looking up to the tower.
"Be careful, even in defeat Saruman is still dangerous." Gandalf said.
"Well then let's just have his head and be done with it." Gimli stated. Templa nodded her head angry in agreement, her eyes blazing in memory.
"No," Gandalf said without turning his gaze upwards. "We need him alive, we need him to talk."
Young wizard Zefron looked around in wonder as he heard Galadriel's voice inside his head. Because of you the future will change, because of your swift actions that went unseen and had no effect on your vision, you will pay for them in the future…
"Zef? Are you alright?" Naurrîn asked, her voice full of concern. Zefron turned to her and managed to nod his head.
"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King." Saruman came into view as his dark words echoed a bit. "And made peace afterwards, we may not take council together anymore as we once did my old friend. Can we not have peace, you and I?"
Zefron wasn't really paying any attention after that, nor to any of the words Theoden was speaking, not until Saruman called out his name did he snap out of his painful memories and back into the real world.
"Zefron my pupil, is that really you?" he asked, glaring downwards at the young elven wizard.
"It is I, what do you wish of me?" Zefron replied with his voice laced with sarcasm.
"You know your older brother had hated you, correct?" Zefron's lips tightened as the mention of his brother came into speech and the attention was drawn back to him. "Do you know how much he hated you and your twin? I have the answer right here." Saruman retrieved a single, but old, piece of parchment from the folds of his robes and held it out in front of him.
"What is it?" Zefron demanded, squinting to try and see what it was.
"Why do you not fly up here and see for yourself?" Saruman asked, waving it in the air.
"Do not do it Zef, it is a trap." Naurrîn pleaded, trying to reason with the stubborn elf. Zefron was about to yell back a reply of no when he saw the seal on the back of the letter; it was that of Foresthem!
"Fly up Templa." Zefron commanded, digging his heels into his horse's side to get her to take off. Templa spread out her wings and very hesitantly flew up to the top of the tower.
"What is he doing?" Merry asked Naurrîn.
"I have no idea, Zef should not even be out of bed with that wound." Naurrîn replied, more so to herself than to the hobbit behind her.
"So you think you were loved by your brother and not your parents little wizard?" Saruman asked as Zefron jumped off of Templa and landed on top of the tower, he held out the piece of parchment and smiled evilly. Zefron snatched the letter from Saruman's hands and read it quickly as Templa flew around the two slowly, her eyes blazing.
"Zefron! What does it say laddie?" Gimli called up to the elven wizard, whose hands were shaking from what the letter said.
"You lie, this is a trick. Cúion would never have done anything to harm us." Zefron said through clenched teeth, trying not to let tears slip from his eyes.
"Are you so sure about that?" Saruman asked with an evil glint in his eyes.
"Nothing you can say will make me believe you! Nothing!" Zefron yelled, crushing the letter in his right hand as he clutched his left arm to his chest. Both Legolas and Naurrîn winced as Zefron's dark words hit their sensitive ears.
"Do not believe what you just see with your eyes crossbreed. I raised taught you for nearly a thousand years and yet you do not trust me on one, single issue. Do you wish to question my authority?" Saruman shouted. Zefron winced visibly at the mention that he and his twin were crossbreeds (half wizard, half elf).
"Leave the boy alone Saruman." Gandalf commanded, nudging Shadowfax towards the tower.
"They are under my charge still Gandalf, you have no say in what I do to the twins." Saruman stated, taking his staff and swinging it at Zefron. Thanks to his elven reflexes though, he managed to block the attack with his own staff.
"We are not under your command Saruman, and Cúion would never do such a thing to us." Zefron said coldly, jumping off the tower and onto a waiting Templa with tears in his eyes as he still had the letter in his left hand and his staff in the other. "He could not, he would not… would he?" Zefron questioned himself as he landed in the water once more, hiding the letter in his saddlebag.
Saruman said something, Zefron did not catch what, and fire came out from the bottom of his staff, covering Gandalf and Shadowfax. Naurrîn let out a little squeak and probably would have shot Saruman with an arrow right there and then if she had a bow and arrow to use, and also if she could actually aim. But to everyone's surprise, the fire slowly disappeared from around Gandalf.
"Saruman, your staff is broken." Gandalf said. Everyone watched as the black and white staff in Saruman's hands broke, sending pieces flying everywhere.
"What did the letter say?" Naurrîn whispered to Zefron. The elven wizard kept quiet and didn't say anything. Saruman was being very stubborn and wouldn't tell Gandalf anything about the attack, although he did hold out the Plantir in front of him and tease all of them about a battle that was to happen soon. Templa snorted and pawed the soggy ground impatiently. That's when Zefron had a vision, a short and pain free vision for once too. All it was, was flying from Rohan to the white city of Minas Tirith where there were millions of orcs and other creatures too.
"How odd, do you believe that I do not have the power to see those plans too, Saruman, through a vision?" Zefron questioned, looking up at his old master. Saruman looked furious as he threw the Plantir at the group and stalked away out of sight, refusing to talk any further.
"What did the cursed letter say?" Naurrîn demanded. Zefron's features turned to stone as he replied.
"Nothing of your concern, Naurrîn, 'twas only a sad reminder of my past." Naurrîn sighed, knowing that that was the best answer she was going to get unless she read the letter herself.
"Pippin!" Aragorn called as the little hobbit walked over to the spot in the water where the Plantir had landed. He reached into the water and picked it up.
"Perigrin Took, give that to me." Gandalf demanded, walking Shadowfax up beside the hobbit and holding out his hand. Pippin gave it up to the white wizard with great reluctance and got back onto the back of Aragorn's horse with a bit of help.
"Let me see the letter," Naurrîn demanded. "Will you not let me just read it?"
"It is not something you need to read. It is mine and mine alone." Zefron replied through clenched teeth, getting quite annoyed with the elleth beside him. Naurrîn crossed her arms and huffed, much to the amusement of Orophin and Rumil.
"Having a bit of trouble, Naurrîn?" Rumil teased.
"If I did not have a hobbit behind me at the moment, you would probably be dead." Naurrîn stated and was about to say more when Treebeard interrupted.
"I shall see you soon, young Zefron, you too Templa. Farewell to you all." Templa tossed her head and turned around after Zefron had nodded his head at the Ent.
"Are you alright Zefron?" Merry asked, seeing the spaced out look the elven wizard had upon his face. Zefron snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at the hobbit.
"In a way, Merry. But, 'tis nothing." Was the reply the hobbit got, and everyone left it at that.
Back at Edoras, a few hours later…"It feels so good to be clean again!" Naurrîn stated to Eowyn just after her bath.
"It would be, in your case mostly." Eowyn replied with a laugh, she picked up a brush and motioned for Naurrîn to take a seat while she did her hair.
"Thank you so much for this dress Eowyn, 'tis so pretty." Eowyn smiled at the elleth and began to braid her dark coloured hair.
"Not as beautiful as those of the elves, but it is passable, no?" Eowyn asked, finishing off the braid. Naurrîn twirled around in her – well Eowyn's – dress. It was a dark crimson colour with gold etching in the bodice with a bit of a low neckline. Someone knocked on the door and Naurrîn rushed over to answer it, hoping that it was the gray wizard, but instead Legolas was in his place.
"Might I escort you to dinner, Naurrîn?" he asked.
"I guess so, but where is Zef?" Naurrîn replied, taking Legolas's offered arm.
"He said that he had some business to attend to, but he would be back as soon as he could." Naurrîn frowned as the two elves made their way to the great hall.
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No time to respond to last fics reviews but I will say THANK YOU TO ALL REVIEWERS! But I have to go and pack, cause I'm goin' to North Carolina for the week! Happy! Anywho… REVIEW and you get a cookie!