Ahh... I just spent all of my lovely Saturday reading the Silmarillion and typing up the stylistic crap you can find in it. Blegh. I tried to write some more, but the book got me in a dark mood with all its doom and gloom and nothing I could spout out was amusing. I kept thinking about that thing talking about Sauron and how he 'walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void' thing and I couldn't snap myself out of it. It was just all too much darkness!! But anyways, enough complaining! Here's the chapter as I promised! Aren't I just wonderful? Hehehe... not really. Anywho...

Ms. B: I'm glad you like it. That's spifffay.

Pherhyandoiel: Yea, feeling special! That's always good. I would hate to have to fill in those bubbles on tests and stuff for your name and have one as long as Pherhyandoiel...

Black Thunder44: I would post it if I had the capabilites. But my computer is stupid and can't do that. However, we are shopping for a new computer, so in a week or two I will be the master of my own chapters. Muahahaha. And I'll post them meself.

XNemesis: Eonwe should have given him a raspberry. I'm all of a sudden obsessed with raspberries, I've been doing them a lot. Which isn't very good since they are very, oh, 4-year-old-ish, and that is sad.

AzureDragoness: Well, I am sending this to GollumRox at 12:30 mountain...standard... time, whatever, I am never sure what the heck you call it. So technically I'm sending it on Saturday, so if she happens to be on the net this late, which could happen, she could post it before Sunday. I'm quite flattered that the story warrents a 'so help me lord.' I feel very spiffy.

AAAclub: Yes they blocked me! It made me sad cause I told all of you that I'd update that Saturday and I didn't and I felt like I had not upheld my honor. ... Ok, I wouldn't go that far. But you understand, right? Sauron's going to need sugar or something... actually that's a creepy thought of having Sauron on a sugar high so scratch that. You'll have to wait a bit to really get to see what it'll be like for him having to go about life at the elf level though.

Mystic Catface: Yes I believe quippy is a word. I know quip is at least. And if it isn't, it should be. Like musingly should be a word. Let's not go there. Of course I catch your drift, and it is a bit like that. Hadn't thought of that until you brought it up though, but it is a bit like that. One of my numerous nick-names was Brilliant for a time (it had to do with swing dancing and badminton and a covey of other random things) so I was a bit tickled that my chapter was brilliant. Fun stuff.

Saijin*Princess*Arien: Don't feel sorry for Sauron! He's a terrible... dude. Feel sorry for Finrod. He was spiffy and I feel bad for him cause he died. Yeah... anyways. I'm updating! And the 'haha...haha...' laugh is spreading! MUAHAHAHA!!! Had you read my spoofies when they were up cause that's were he actually laughed like that. He laughs that way once in this, but that was because I was trying to make this like my spoofs but I quickly figured out I couldn't, but not quick enough to get rid of the one demented laugh. Just curious!

All right, that was jolly. Ugh, I'm so tired. ANYWAYS! The one thing somebody might need to know, mainly those who do not pay seriously close attention to details when reading the books, is that minuvor is an elven cordial, or to put in even simpler terms an alcoholic drink. Righty-o?


Haldir had reached the last rod counting the metal leaves on the stair banister when the door opened. Quickly he sat up from the couch that he had been sprawled across for the past hour or so. He instantly regretted it, his eyesight tilting from the abrupt movement, little dots swimming before his eyes.

After digging his knuckles into his eyes and blinking a few times, his vision was finally clear and he was able to stand up. Elhith has already done so, setting the book which he had appeared to be reading down on a table. Haldir frowned slightly, noticing that the book was only opened to the title page. While he had thought that Elhith might have the ability to be a bit scatter brained, that was just ridiculous.

However he did not get much time to think about it since he wanted to keep up with Elhith, still a bit unsure of the house. They only turned a few corners however when they came to the door.

The light was very poor in the front hall, most of it coming from a window high on the wall opposite the door, and then from the open door itself. It was now early evening, and the three figures that stood at the doorway were just shadows, yet Haldir had no doubts as to who they were.

One of the figures shoved the third in which allowed Haldir to figure that that would be Sauron. Elhith went to the door and talked to the other two who remained outside for a moment while Sauron came in a bit more.

"So, how'd it go?" Haldir asked a bit timidly, unable to see Sauron's expression and therefore incapable of judging what sort of a statement would be best.

The only response he got was an ambiguous grunt.

"Now, would that be good or bad?" Haldir questioned quietly.

"That would be bad."

Haldir was a bit surprised that he had gotten any words out of him, especially since it had not gone well, apparently. He hadn't really thought that there was a way that it could have gone well, but he wasn't sure. Sauron was pretty twisted, so there was some possibility that he'd thought it had been okay.

"Where's a chair?" Sauron asked blankly.

With a slight frown, Haldir pointed back the way they had come. "Go down to the end and then to the right. I'm not sure from there, just check in the doorways and look for one."

Silence followed his words, and Sauron moved off slowly in search of the chair. His frown still in place, Haldir looked after him, but was not able to consider going and making sure that he found a chair as Elhith called him over.

He went to the small little group and waited expectantly. "Yes?"

Elhith pointed to the elf on the left. "Terendul is going to tell you what happened at the trial, what sort of things were put in place and what you need to do."

Haldir shifted his gaze from Elhith and looked at Terendul, who wasted no time getting to the point. "They decided that nobody is to be informed of his true identity. He, nor us three, may speak a word of it to anybody, for any reason."

"That won't be difficult." It hadn't been like he had really planned on spreading the word to everybody anyways.

Terendul looked at Vanimo. "What other ones would he have to know?"

Vanimo frowned for a second, but then his eyes lit up. "He cannot handle anything that could be a weapon."

Haldir nodded slowly. "Does that mean he can't use dinner knives or anything like that?" he asked as more of a joke.

Terendul and Vanimo seemed to take it seriously though and exchanged a glance that made it obvious that they were not sure. "We'll get back to you on that. Until then, no."

Haldir raised an eyebrow, but didn't voice his opinion that such a rule might have been a bit over the top. "Okay. What else?"

"Anytime he wants or needs to leave the house, you must accompany him."

Haldir turned that statement over a couple times in his head. "So it's up to my discretion if he goes or not?"

"Yes."

A impish smirk turned at the corners of his lips, but he did what he could to subdue it while they were present. "Is that all?"

"While the ban on his leaving here without you is what will impact you the most, there was one other thing that it would probably be good for you to know."

"And what would that be?" he asked although he was still pondering all the mean things he could make Sauron do if he ever wanted to leave.

"If he ever makes any threat that involves his powers, don't believe him."

That was a bit on the vague side, or maybe it just seemed vauge since he had only been paying half-attention. "What?"

"He doesn't have the ability to hold that over you anymore."

Well, that didn't really do anything except saying the same thing only in a different order. "How is that possible? Even though he's been overthrown and all that, surly he still is more powerful than I am?"

"He was, yes, but the Valar put a block over his powers."

Haldir blinked a couple of times, staring at Terendul. He looked at Vanimo, and then at Elhith, and back to Terendul. "So, what exactly...?" he trailed off.

"A block. They made it so that any advantage he had over you that way was unusable, for now at least."

"How?"

Terendul shrugged. "It is not our place to know how they do these things. We only know that they did so. We thought that it would be wise to tell you, so that he couldn't try to force you into anything using that as leverage."

"And also to explain why he won't have it all together for the next couple of days," Vanimo added.

Terendul smirked. "Yes, we had quite a time just getting him back here, and it isn't that long of a walk."

"No, only about fifteen minutes, and he was just about collapsing on the roadside!"

"Got quite a few stares at that. I think some people must have thought he'd had a bit too much minuvor or something."

"That happens every once a while. Terrible habit some of the people who come over from Middle-earth picked up while they lived there," Vanimo said, shaking his head slightly in a sad fashion.

Haldir couldn't help but shift his gaze a little at that. He had attended some of those parties in Mirkwood, and after a couple rounds of that wine Thranduil had stocked up,
well...

"That isn't his problem though. He's just really really tired."

"It's to be expected though after what the Valar did to him."

"Indeed it is. He'll get over it soon enough though. I dare say you might think too soon!" Terendul said winking.

"I see," Haldir said, although he only did so about half way, and the roundabout discussion that had just happened didn't do anything to clear it up.

"Well, I'm sure you two have other things that you must see to today. Thank you for your help," Elhith said cheerily.

The two bowed slightly in response and then went out into the alley again, leaving Elhith to shut the door behind them.

Once he had the door shut, Elhith turned to look at Haldir. "Did you get all that?" he asked, his head tilted slightly.

"Yes, I think so."

"I know it's been a bit much, I'm sure. You've been out of the Halls, what, a day now? And already you've had all of this happen? Today will be the worst of it though. Life will get a rhythm soon, and things will ease out."

Haldir smiled at this, realizing for the first time that all this had happened in pretty much a day. It was a lot now that he thought about it.

"Now come on, I suppose we had better check on him and see how he's doing. It wouldn't do for us to be standing out here and have him laying out on the floor somewhere."


If that wasn't long enough for you, wait for next Saturday. Chapter sixteen is the longest yet, I do believe. And then seventeen which I'm almost done with is even longer than that. Does that give you something to look forward to? Hm?