Chapter 11: Revelations
The Lord has fallen, indeed he is no more
The Ring to rule them all has now faded in to lore.
But death never comes to those seeking revenge and war.
The fall of the Lord has restored a king to his throne,
Friendships betwixt kingdoms are almost written in stone.
But just as the Dark Lord fell, so too, can these seats be overthrown.
From these seats of powers, heirs are borne,
From these heirs, the Dark Lord will be reborn.
The tears of the Barbaric Horse Lord's son
Will make the Lord's bones, will make the Lord able to run.
Blood of the Heir of the Steward is needed to refresh.
It will serve the Dark Lord well, and give him flesh.
The best, however, is saved for the last,
For what the heir of Isildur's Heir contributes is most vast.
The soul of the one who can someday claim Gondor's throne
Will give life to the Dark Lord, his flesh and his bone.
/0/0/
Sairina trembled as she read the lines over and over. They were written in her handwriting, but they had been said many eons ago. The message they bore struck fear into her young heart, but she could not pry her eyes away from the page. Things had gone downhill so quickly from when she had peered into the palantir.
True, her father and the others knew the prophecy and could do their best to protect Elfwine, Elboron, and Eldarion, but these security measures had the boys going stir crazy. In addition, Sairina really didn't see her part in the prophecy, other than the fact that she was the one to discover it. However, she, too, was also under the constant watch, that of Legolas, who was like a second shadow while she finished out the end of her third year. This was because Galadriel had said that she alone could stop the prophecy from taking place, and her father wanted to ensure her safety.
School stress was also amounting on Sairina. Lily did her best to help her friend cope with the stress that the prophecy placed on her shoulder, but she couldn't completely lift it off. Also Remus was becoming a bigger and bigger part of her daily activities.
He seemed to be always waiting for her with a sweet smile and tender words, but never prying into what had happened. He waited patiently like a loyal dog for when she was ready to tell him her dark secret. She didn't want to admit it, but she began to feel as if she were falling in love with him. She tried to never let him get to close, because Legolas was watching her like a hawk, but she began to realize that she was going to have to tell Remus about her.
The true Sairina.
Princess Sairina.
/0/0/
It was the after the last exam, the sun hung lazily in the sky as students lazed about on the castle grounds. Sairina had just finished her Ancient Runes exam and was walking about with Lily enjoying the cool breeze and friendly banter. They talked and sauntered for sometime before Sairina spotted him. Remus was with the other Marauders and they were laughing at some joke or story Sirius had just finished recounting dramatically.
"I'm going to tell him," Sairina stated flatly as Lily gawked at her in surprise.
"Are you sure you want to?" Lily asked as she shuffled her feet in the loose earth. Sairina nodded before she began walking towards the four boys.
She had almost made it to where they were seated when she heard a familiar sound. It was fairly distant, but rang in her ears like a death toll. She had heard it everyday over last summer beginning with that one day in her room. It was a metallic ring, the familiar schnik, and dread grew in the princess's stomach.
Somebody was drawing a sword.
Sairina tensed as she heard the sound again. It was two swords now. She could tell from the length of the ring that they were short blades, probably long daggers. From what she knew of the teachers, students, and other assorted people on Hogwarts' grounds she guessed that they were elvin daggers.
Damn you, Legolas, Sairina thought bitterly as she turned on her heel and took off towards the castle. She swore out loud when she felt someone fall in behind and began running after her at full speed. Sairina smiled when she saw the front steps come into view. She fell down once her foot hit the bottom stair, and in one agile movement she drew her wand and rolled onto her back.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Sairina bellowed as she shot the spell at the pursuing elf. He instantly seized up, dropping his blades and falling to the ground stiff as a board. Sairina stood wearily picking up one of his blades and rested it against his neck. She stared down at him vindictively pressing the blade closer to his exposed neck, completely ignoring the crowd that had started to gather around them.
"Explain yourself, now," Sairina commanded in a voice that wasn't her own. It was removed and cold, brimming with venom as she glared down at her father's friend. It wasn't the voice of a Hogwarts' student, but the voice of an angered princess.
"Mhhmn mrrhmn humrum," Legolas attempted, but the spell had locked his lips together. Sairina lazily waved her wand, and his body visibly loosened and relaxed.
"Speak," Sairina demanded with the same cold voice, but this time in Sindarin.
"You have one year until your crowning," Legolas spat back tersely eyeing the blade at his throat, "Your father wants you to be prepared. So your physical training begins now." In a movement quicker than a lightning strike, Legolas was on his feet behind Sairina pinning one arm behind her back and lifting her arm that held the sword so now it was at her throat. Sairina grunted in annoyance at being put in such a precarious position.
"Yield now," He commanded
"Fine," she growled, "I yield." He released her and sheathed his blade. He bent down and picked up his second fallen blade, and when he raised his eyes he saw a very angry young princess glaring back at him. Sighing he sheathed his blade and loosened a small dagger from his belt. He handed this dagger to Sairina.
"Always be armed. It may not be much, but even the least amount of defense can save the lives of those you care the most about. Above all, you can't be afraid to use it. The fears of using a weapon will be your downfall, so when the time comes, use it. Use this dagger for all it is worth." Legolas departed silently, vanishing into the shadows of the castle leaving Sairina to ponder the depth of his words.
Several students rushed up to Sairina asking if she was alright and asking who that man was. Sairina didn't respond; she only clutched the hilt of the dagger tightly, so tight that her knuckles were turning white.
Damn this prophecy, She thought bitterly, Damn Legolas. Damn my father. Why does everything have to fall onto my shoulders? Sairina closed her eyes tightly as they stung with hot tears. She just wanted it all to be done and over with. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, harshly bringing out of her pit of self-loathing. In anger, she spun drawing the blade and pushing it towards the person's throat.
Remus stared at Sairina in shock as the blade rested on his Adam's apple. Sairina retracted instantly with the same look of shock. Tears brimmed from her eyes as she turned and ran into the castle.
/0/0/
Aragorn had always taught his children to never run from their problems. He encouraged them to meet struggles head-on with diplomacy. However, after the display that Sairina had just done in front of the majority of the school populous, she never wanted to leave her dormitory again. She was appalled with her actions, and felt as though she would never be able to live them down.
She sobbed into her pillow and willed the image of Remus's shocked face to leave her mind. That image, however, was burned into her mind's eye.
I could have killed him, Sairina thought dramatically, I could have killed the one man who means the most to me. This realization startled the young princess, and she knew right then and there that she had to get out of the castle. To get away from him, so she wouldn't run the risk of hurting him. Sairina looked at the clock on the wall, and noted that it was dinner time, so no students would be in the hall. If she was going to go home early, she had to do it now.
With the flick of her wand, her belongings neatly stacked themselves into her trunk and the lid closed and snapped its locks shut. Sairina hastily scribbled three notes: one to Dumbledore, one to Lily, and one to Remus. They were some where between apologies, notifications that she was leaving early, and explanations of what happened.
Once she handed these letters to her owl that flew out the window of her Ravenclaw dormitory, she left the dorm.
Sairina made it to the eighth floor corridor without running into any one. She stood before the mirror staring at her reflection. She looked tired, worn, almost like a corpse. She heaved a sigh before saying the password and vanishing through the portal. As the mirror sealed behind her, she had a sinking feeling that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do when the next school year came around.
She set her trunk at the foot of her bed, and made for the door to the hall. When she opened it she was surprised to see her brother standing before it. He had a sympathetic look in his eyes and hugged his younger sister.
"Legolas told ada and me the whole thing," he murmured softly as Sairina began to cry again, "It's only natural, you come from a long line of fighters. You didn't mean it . . ."
"But I could have killed him, Eldarion," Sairina sobbed, "I could have killed him." She continued to cry as he brother held her close.
"Don't worry, Sai," he cooed softly, "Ada is going to talk to your headmaster about it in the morning and work everything out." Eldarion took a step back and smiled at his little sister, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.
"I think you have some pent up anger concerning a certain elf," he smirked and Sairina smiled weakly and nodded her head. "The sun is still up, dear sister, how about a spar?" Sairina smiled at her older brother and the siblings walked from the room towards the armory.
In this manner Sairina spent the summer before her fourth year.
/0/0/
It had seemed like only yesterday, he was riding home from his third year. Now Remus Lupin was seated in the Marauder's compartment on his way back to Hogwarts for his fourth year of schooling. He stared out the window longingly as he reminisced about the abrupt end to his third year.
Sairina had been chased by that man. There was a moment of conversation and he had handed her a dagger, and then she (he could only assume) accidentally tried to kill him. The incident had left him confused, and he had wanted answers, but Sairina had vanished the next day, leaving only a note that contained a hastily written apology. This only steeled Remus's determination.
He was going to find out what she was hiding, come hell or high water.
"Moony, are you still alive over there?" Sirius called gruffly pulling Remus out of his pensive state.
"Yes, mate," he replied half-heartedly, "What were you guys talking about?" His friends looked at him in surprise.
"You-know-who," Peter whispered and James and Sirius both nodded. Remus looked at the issue of the Daily Prophet that his friends were looking at. There had been yet another attack on muggles by the evil Lord Vold . . . I mean You-know-who. His name brought fear to the hearts of even the stoutest wizards and the attacks by his death eaters were becoming more and more frequent. Remus could only hope that Sairina had been safe all summer.
"We're getting near the castle," James announced, "We should probably change into our school robes."
/0/0/
When Remus walked into the Great Hall with the other Marauders, he immediately began scanning the Ravenclaw table. His friends noticed his preoccupied look and they exchanged worried glances.
"Don't worry Moony," James said patting his friend's shoulder, "She'll be here; she has to be here." Remus nodded and heaved a great sigh. The four teen boys sat down at their usual spot at the Gryffindor Table. The friends began talking again when a ringing laughter resounded through the hall. Remus turned his head and nearly jumped for joy. Sairina was walking into the hall with Lily, and she seemed . . . different.
She walked taller, with what could only be described as a regal air. She had been fit for the last two years because of her participation in Quidditch, but she seemed trimmer, and far more agile than she had been before. It was also quite obvious to Remus's libido that she was becoming a young woman because she was developing curves that were quite apparent, despite the uniform she was wearing. Her face still had lines of worry etched into it, the same as it had been at the end of the last year, and her dark blue eyes still held a note of worry in them.
Remus gulped audibly as she and Lily got closer. The closer she got, the more gorgeous she seemed to be. She started to pass by, and Remus couldn't help himself. With the agility that only a werewolf could possess, he had gently grabbed her arm, spun her once causing her to collapse into his lap. He smiled roguishly.
"Hey stranger," he smirked. Sairina laughed lightly and hugged Remus. As she hugged him, he could feel her shift her weight as she leaned towards his ear.
"I have something important I need to talk to you about," she whispered so only he could hear, "Also, I'm sorry about last year, after exams . . ." her voice trailed off as she pulled away. Remus looked into her eyes and could see that they were filled with remorse and guilt.
"Did you want to talk to me now?" Remus asked with a slight hint of worry in his husky voice.
"I was thinking about after classes tomorrow," she murmured as she played with the hem of her robe. She looked at him unsure, and he nodded his head. The smile that had once graced her face returned as she stood up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table. When Remus tuned back to his friends, they looked at him with shock.
"Remus, my boy!" James exclaimed slapping his friend on the back, "I didn't know you had it in you!" The four friends laughed and Remus turned a lovely shade of red.
"I'm going to have to try that sometime," Sirius said rubbing his chin. Remus shook his head as the first years marched into the Great Hall.
/0/0/
Remmy,
Meet me in the Library tomorrow after classes finish. I'll be in the back part, by the Restricted Section.
Sai
Remus read the note over and over as he made his way to the Library. Classes had just finished for the day, and he was beside himself with anticipation with what Sairina might have to tell him. He was also excited because no matter what Sairina told him, he had decided to ask her if she wanted to be his girlfriend, of course that would be after he figured out what she was hiding.
Remus tried to steady his breathing as he walked into the library and made his way towards the Restricted Section. He smiled at his friends who took places at another table they gave him a thumbs up sign for good luck. Smiling and shaking his head, he made for the back section. Remus smiled when he saw Sairina sitting there, but frowned when he saw that she wasn't alone.
An older man was sitting with her, and he too had a sort of commanding air about him. His hair was dark and he had a defined profile. He was pointing at something in a book that was opened before Sairina and she seemed to be arguing with him. As Remus got closer, he began to pick up on bits of their conversation.
". . . I just don't think that it would be fair to let the Haradrim to suffer," Sairina said defensively, "It's true, my lord, they were enemies of ours during the war, but we have settled most of our differences, and it would further help to build relations if we were to aid them during this drought and famine they are suffering from." The elder man nodded as a smile spread across his face.
"Excellent response, Lady Sairina," the man said proudly, "Your insights are well thought through as are your opinions. You certainly have come a long way since the start of the summer on diplomatic policies. Your diplomatic skills are far superior to those of your brother." Sairina smiled.
"Alas," she sighed melodramatically, "his physical capabilities far surpass my meager attempts of attack and defense." The two laughed as the man stood.
"That will be all for today, My Lady," the man said bowing his head slightly, "I will see you in two weeks time, and by that time I will like you to have read up on the traditions and customs of the Dunlanders." Sairina nodded and the man walked off.
Remus waited patiently until the man left the library before approaching Sairina. The instant the door snapped shut he walked over to the table she was seated at. As he sat down she looked up from the book that was opened in front of her. She greeted him with a smile and opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.
"Before you say anything," Remus began with wavering confidence, "listen to what I have to say, Sai." Her mouth closed slowly, "Ever since I laid eyes on you first year, I could tell that you were different. I didn't know what it was about you, but it haunted my mind relentlessly. Over the course of the last year, I began to realize what it was.
"I am hopelessly in love with you, Sairina; I want you to be my girl," Remus confessed whole heartedly, "and I'm worried about you. I would also like to know what the bloody hell you are hiding. I can help you with whatever you are being burdened with." Sairina looked down and her hand and wrung them in silence. Taking a deep breath, she began:
"I'm glad you told me that before I started, because if you had told me that after what I'm going to say, I probably wouldn't believe you." She looked up into Remus's eyes; there was fear and apprehension there. Remus laid his hands on top of her in a simple show of support. With a staggering breath she continued, "My secret, what I have been hiding for the past three years is that . . . I'm . . . I . . ." Sairina struggled with the words, "I'm not really from this world." Remus raised an eyebrow.
"You mean like one of those aliens muggles think exists?" Remus asked skeptically. Sairina shook her head.
"I'm from a world that . . ." once more she found that she was struggling words to explain her situation, "It's an older world, perhaps it's in the distant past of this world, I don't know how to explain it." Remus nodded.
"Is that it?" he asked gently squeezing her hand, "That you are from another world." Sairina took another steadying breath.
"No." Remus looked at her expectantly.
"You see," Sairina began, "in this other world, there is a king who rules the land where I live. He is my father." It was an abrupt way of putting it, and Sairina could only hope he got it. Sairina watched Remus silently as that bit of information sunk in. It took him a few moments, but then he began to laugh. Sairina felt slightly offended. "What is so funny?"
"Peter was right," he said between his guffaws, "Peter is never right!" He continued to laugh for a few moments while Sairina drummed her fingernails on the table top. "I'm sorry, Sai, but it's slightly unbelievable that you are a . . ." Sairina quickly placed her hand over his mouth.
"Shhh," she cautioned, "no one is supposed to know. You and Lily are the only students who know about my secret. Plus if it is proof you are looking for, I can give you plenty of proof, right now." Sairina stood and grabbed Remus's arm and led him out of the library.
Sairina led him up several sets of stairs, the entire time Remus demanded of her where they were going. Sairina however remained silent the whole time. Finally the two reached the eighth floor corridor and stood before the large ornate mirror at the end of the hall. Remus and Sairina stared at their reflections. Remus was about the question Sairina when she waved her hand and muttered some incantation and the mirror melted away.
"That's impossible," Remus murmured, "James, Sirius, Peter, and I know about every secret passage in this school." Sairina laughed quietly.
"It's not a secret passage," she explained as she turned to look at him, "It's a portal to my home." With that she stepped through the portal and Remus followed. Remus gawked at the room he had stepped into, but Sairina paid no heed to his amazement and walked to a set of double doors next to the mirror. She flung the doors open and beckoned Remus to look out. Remus couldn't believe the sight that lay before him: the tiered city, the expanse of land that lay out before it, the gardens, the other parts of the white stone castle, the white tower. It was all amazing.
"Welcome to the realm of Gondor," Sairina said softly as Remus gapped like a fish out of water, "This is my father's kingdom." There was a soft knock at the door and Sairina beckoned the person knocking to enter. The door creaked open and an older woman slid into the room.
Remus's jaw dropped. The woman looked like an older version of Sairina and was holding a small baby in her arms. She smiled warmly at the two teens; Sairina smiled back and approached her holding out her arms.
"Mother," Sairina greeted the woman, "how is Driel?" Sairina took the baby from her mother's arms and held it gently.
"She is well," the woman replied tickling the cooing infant, "What are you doing back so soon?" Sairina glanced at Remus, and her mother followed her gaze, "Who is this, my daughter?" Sairina handed the child back to her mother and motioned Remus to come over.
"Mother," Sairina began, "This is Remus Lupin, he is a boy I attend school with, and he has intentions of courting me." Her mother raised an eyebrow but smiled at Remus nonetheless. Sairina turned to Remus, "Remus, this is my mother, Queen Arwen." Arwen inclined her head towards the teenager, and he bowed clumsily which caused her to laugh.
"Will you be introducing him to your father?" Arwen asked and Sairina shuffled her feet nervously.
"I was going to give him a brief tour of the grounds before I did that," Sairina explained, "so he could adjust to this world a little bit before he meets Ada." The queen nodded.
"That is fine by my judgement," the queen said, "but I will be telling your father of your intention to meet with him later. Good day to you both." With that the queen left the room and Sairina turned to Remus.
"Well?" Sairina said unsure of Remus's thoughts.
"You were telling the truth," he murmured half dazed but snapped out of it, "What is this, though, that I have to meet with your father?" Sairina smiled slyly.
"Well you did say that you wanted me to 'be your girl'. So in order to date me, you mus get my father's approval first," Sairina explained as she led REmus to the door, "I'll explain everything as we tour the grounds."
"Everything?" Remus asked, "Even about what happened at the end of last year?" Sairina smiled weakly.
"Yes," she replied, "Everything. You need to realize what you are getting yourself into."