" It bit me!"
" What did you expect faeries to do?"
" I thought they did nice things like granting wishes!"
" Shows what you know don't it."
~ Labyrinth


Chapter 8


The man was insane. There was no other explanation for his outrageous proposals concerning the Ring. Legolas watched him warily from his chair, wondering whether the representative from Gondor would risk Gandalf's wrath a second time and make another pass for the abominable thing lying so harmlessly on the pillar. From the looks on other member's faces, they felt the same as Legolas; some watching carefully as he paced and spoke of his homelands fervently, others still on edge from Gandalf's speech in the Black Tongue. Legolas had never heard anything so foul as those few phrases, and hoped he would never have to hear it again.

As Legolas's gaze wandered, he caught the eye of the Ranger sitting across the terrace. They exchanged slight nods, and Legolas fought back a hint of a smile. If the Elf felt irritated at the human's rantings, he could only imagine what was going through the head of Aragorn.

" Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy!" Boromir cried suddenly, getting everyone's attention. He glanced around the council, watching the faces of the others to see if they agreed. Frustrated, he continued." Let us use it against him!"

" You cannot wield it," Aragorn murmured from his chair, shaking his head and stroking his roughened chin as he turned his blue eyes up to the proud son of Gondor. It was time the man understood that what he spoke of was ludicrous." None of us can. The one Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master!"

Boromir sneered, turning his full attention to the ally cat sitting in a chair fit for kings." And what would a mere ranger know of this?"

Fed up, and more than annoyed, Legolas got out of his chair, his breath hissing between clenched teeth in exasperation at the arrogant human's ignorance." This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn-Son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Aragorn could do nothing but meet the astonished gaze of Boromir and wait for his words." Aragorn?" the man said. His tone mirrored the look on his face...disbelief." This...is Isildur's heir?"

Aragorn nodded, his eyes never leaving the other man's.

" And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas wanted to make sure the man named Boromir got it right. He did not care for the man's haughty attitude toward the exiled king, nor his eagerness to use the one Ring of power for his own people's gain.

Aragorn shook his head at the elf standing up for him, however grateful he was." Havo da, Legolas."

The Mirkwood elf spared Boromir another unreadable glance, and paused before seating at the man's next words." Gondor has no king." Boromir met Legolas' gaze, then turned to Aragorn's." Gondor needs no king."

" Lord Elrond!"

All members, including Sam, Merry and Pippin in the shadows, turned toward the strong female voice which was, amazingly, to their right, down the path, and behind the elves. An audible gasp came from the turned-around Elves in that area, and the dwarves stood up out of their chairs, ready to defend if need be.

Aragorn sat up straight, then stood-he knew that accent. Where had he heard it before?

A clang sounded through the hills as a quiver half-full of arrows were thrown in the middle of the council, exactly under the upraised stone where the Ring lay.

" Surprise," came a muttered, sultry voice from behind the Elves. A few of them leaned back in their chairs to turn around, but could not see the person speaking. Lord Elrond was beside himself; a frown creased his forehead as he contemplated the strange turn of events, outrage evident in his grey eyes as he sought out to see the intruders.

Frodo looked up and around at the sound of the grim laughter coming from one of the unseen, but he wasn't afraid or rattled. He felt...relieved almost, and a little happy. Hopeful. Was it hopeful? What kind of creatures would interrupt this council? Then his prayer was answered when a tall figure pushed her way through the Elves' chairs. Of all places! The horrified look on their faces would have been comical if the circumstances had been different.

The hooded figure pushed her way past through the Elves, and with something to the equivalent of a sigh, reached up with a slim, tan hand and pulled back the black hood of her cloak, revealing long, midnight black hair with the slightest wave to it. Half of it was pulled up away from her face, but the rest was left to hang down around her shoulders. A stern, beautiful face took in her surroundings, and hot, deep purple eyes searched the faces of the council members, appearing to burn everything and one she looked at. A thin layer of sweaty bangs bounced on her forehead, and she turned her head in a haughty glance at Legolas, who was still standing and staring with amazement. She caught his eyes, sneered a little, and turned away with an air of dismissal.

" What atrocity is this?!" Gimli roared, finally finding his voice. The sudden appearance of the trespasser, and a female, no less, had set the dwarf on edge, but what really got him was the fact that he couldn't identify exactly what she was. A human could not have advanced upon the council so stealthily, and from the look on the elves' faces, she was not an Elf.

The odd but magnificent female whirled around as she reached the middle of the council at his comment. The moment her eyes sought him out, her lip curled back in extreme distaste." Princess, if you don't arrive soon this dwarf will not live to see tomorrow!!"


*At the same time...*


" Ana lya talwi!"

Peony and Diana winced at the harshness in the Elf's voice even though they had no idea what he was saying, and they looked to Liana and Alexia for help.

Alexia was glaring at the guards who caught them by surprise with barely contained fury, but Liana kept her expression more contained. Without moving from her spot, the princess gazed coolly at the Elf, responding in an equally calm voice with an underlaying of steel," We do not speak Sindarin, so please excuse us for not *leaping* to do what you ask."

The head guard pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the hidden tone of insolence in her voice, then responded in a soft, chilling voice." On your feet."

All four stood up, mindful of the arrows still pointed at their faces. There were at least seven guards standing around them, tactfully entraping the girls to make escape impossible. Liana wanted to moan in despair of their situation, not to mention the no-nonsense, I-Will-Not-Hesitate-To-Take-You-Out look in the head Elf's light blue eyes, but she refused to let him see her distress.

" Who are you?" he demanded, giving each faerie a withering look. He expected them to look away, but to his surprise they met his glare successfully.

" We are from the East, sir Elf," one of them responded. He turned to her, determining that she was the leader through the way she held herself with a quiet air of authority.

" You did not answer my question," he replied, focusing his attention on the one female instead of all four. It amazed him that they had gotten this far into Rivendell without getting caught, and he wanted to know how they had accomplished it before they were arrested." Who are you, and what business do you have here?"

" Who we are is none of your concern." The force in the woman's voice was more adament then before, and the Elf felt his resolve wane under the piercing watchfulness of her sharp gaze. This one they would have cause to worry about, he decided." We have not come here to harm anyone; we merely wish to speak with Lord Elrond on the dealings of this council."

" Then why were you hiding in the bushes?" another Elf guard asked.

" I have no doubt we would have been denied entrance had we asked for permission to attend," she replied coolly.

" Sneaking in to witness a secret council will also get you denied passage," the head guard retaliated in an irritated tone." Now, I will ask another question, since I have the odd feeling that I will get nothing more out of you concerning your reasons for being here." He paused to stare icily at the leader." There were five of you before. Where is the other one?"

Liana blinked, then exchanged a quick glance with Alexia. It wouldn't be wise to lie to the guards, but none of them wanted to direct the Elf's wrath on Nevada." We do not know where she went," Liana responded as composed as she could.

" It would be folly to lie to me, inya," the Elf said harshly.

Liana opened her mouth to retort back when a noise from behind them caught all eleven of them off guard. Everyone turned to see Nevada stride up into the middle of the council.

The Elf guard muttered a blasphemy in his own tongue before barking out intructions. Three of the other guards put down their bows and walked briskly up to the terrace, and the other four stayed with the faeries. The head guard reached forward and took Liana by the arm." All four of you are coming with me."

" That is our friend up there," Alexia said quickly." We wish to go to her."

" No more of you need to be up there," the Elf returned. He went to add more, but Lian put her hand on his arm.

" Your guards will not be able to stop her," she said, hoping this got through to him." Let us go up there."

The two stared each other for breathless seconds, until the guard came to his decision.

" Arrest them."


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Gimli was speechless. He never knew what it meant to be rendered mute by a comment, but this one had surely accomplished it. For a moment, all the dwarf could do was stare in astonishment at this slip of a woman glaring at him like she had plucked him off the bottom of her shoe, but rage slowly started to boil in his blood. How dare she insult him!

" I'll cut your throat, missie-" Gimli practically roared, bracing his axe.

The female raised one eyebrow and said in a low voice," You can try, *dwarf*. Go on, I won't even draw a weapon. We'll see how long you can last."

His mouth gaped open, as did all the other dwarves, and Boromir addressed her with a frown creasing his forehead." Who are you, lady? An Elf?" Pausing, he added," Were you even invited?"

Something like a growl purred deep in the female's throat, and she turned to look at him. Out of character, a smile lifted one side of her mouth, her eyes unreadable." Human. Valar, even humans were invited. I am insulted."

Lord Elrond gave a gasp as he finally realized what she was, and lifted his gaze to stare at the girl." Faerie??"

The Elves and hobbits who heard his whispered statement gasped aloud in amazement, as the girl stared the Elf King down for a long moment. Secretly, she was worried. Her comrades were taking way too long to get here, and she wondered if anything bad happened to them. She hoped not, but couldn't help but feel dread at their late arrival.' Liana, where are you?'

" Did you expect us to stay silent after you deliberatly excluded us from this important meeting?" Nevada said fiercely.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


She moved fast. Before the Elf guard knew it, Liana had swiftly disarmed him of his bow and pushed past him, the other faeries following suit after three of them did the same thing to the other guards.

" Just tell your superiors we hit you!" Liana called back, only feeling a little guilty for disobeying the guards. Their cries of outrage followed the four as they made their way up to the area where the council was being held.

" Would you please call your guards off?!"

Every member of the council turned their heads at the new voice, staggered at the new turn of events. Suddenly two cloaked females swept in carrying elven bows, one slightly limping but keeping a fast pace. Another came in behind them, smaller than the rest, who was twirling the bow around like a plaything and obviously having fun while she was doing it.

All eyes turned to the last remaining female who blew in the area with a sweep of her cloak in a way that seemed to command attention. A slim hand reached up and pulled off the navy blue hood, startling the crowd yet again. Light brown hair that blazed with strands of gold in the sunlight tumbled out, binded in the back with a dark barrette, but a few strands escaped to frame her pixie-like face. Cool eyes glanced around serenely, their true color hidden by the glare of the sun, and she turned her attention toward Lord Elrond, oblivious of the bow in her other hand. She there ensued a mock bow to the King, earning snickers of delight from the rest of her party, as her lips curved in a sardonic smile. " It's nice to know we were all invited to your little get-together," she spoke in a low voice laced with amusement." Many thanks for your non-existent invitation." Lord Elrond gave a sound between a startled gasp of amazement and rage.

" Seize them!"

" Seize you?" Nevada echoed, looking at Liana." Liana, what did you do?"

" We took their bows!" Diana said proudly. All seven guards rushed up at that moment, surrounding the four faeries with outraged looks on their faces.

" You did what?" Boromir said, astounded.

" This doesn't involve you, now sit down and shut up!" Nevada snapped, turning to glare at him." I've had it up to here with you!" She made a cutting motion at her neck." Just sit down!" Boromir could only stare, thoroughly insulted.

" This is an outrage," Elrond said, his whole body literally shaking with an effort to contain himself.

" Forgive us, Lord Elrond," the head guard apologized, glaring down Liana." They got away from us before we could stop them."

Elrond's gaze shifted from his guards to the faeries before he made his decision." Let them be."

" My lord?" the elf asked in confusion.

Lord Elrond held up a hand and shook his head." Leave them." The guards stepped back, confused at his orders but not willing to disobey.

" I think they want their bows back," Diana whispered to Liana.

The princess looked down at the bow in her hand as if she forgot it was there. Blinking, she looked up and attempted to smile sheepishly at the guard, holding the bow out as a peace offering." I suppose you want this back. Sorry for taking it, but we had no other choice." The elf regarded her suspiciously as he took it back, and nodded to the other guards.

Diana handed hers back, but Peony was still twirling hers, not paying attention to what was going on. Alexia's eyes narrowed in irritation, and she hit the girl on the arm hard enough to make her drop the bow. Horrified, Peony tried to catch it before it hit the ground, but couldn't reach it in time. It hit the ground with a 'clang' and she winced as everyone looked at her.

Lord Elrond watched in amusement as the young girl blushed and picked up the bow, quickly handing it to the elf and apologizing under her breath. Now that he knew they were faeries, his anger was quickly leaving at their intrusion. He could only imagine what the females would do next, however.

The raven haired one walked closer to the female called Liana, then turned to face the Elves. She met their gaze with an amused sarcasm in her purple eyes as she looked them up and down from their long brown and green tunics to their fair faces and long golden hair. A sarcastic smile lifted her lips." Are you all done painting your nails and braiding each other's hair, or should we come back at a better time?"

One Elf let out a cry of rage, and stood up with the others." Faeries!" he practically sneered, taking a few steps forward." I should have known by your actions. Flighty little creatures who think nothing of others, only of themselves. They would spit on other races before anything, and come crying to them for help when an attack is on their heads!" Three of the Faeries gave gasps and growls of outrage, and the one who spoke reared on him.

" Listen, you bastard!" She paced forward, unsheathing her sword with a deadly whistle and placing it in front of the Elf.

" Nevada-"

" I didn't just spend twenty years of my life fighting off Orcs to make sure your pretty asses don't get hurt to be insulted by some pompous Elf who'll sit back and watch other people, good people, fight for you-"

" *Enough!*"

Everyone, even the Faeries, stopped what they were doing, and turned to stare at Elrond. He stepped into the center of the council, and turned to watch Liana lightly place a hand on the angered faerie's arm. He watched her tilt her head to look into the other's purple eyes, a silent message, and Elrond could feel the heated resentment, bitterness, anger and sadeness lessen in the angered one. She heaved in a halted breath, turned to look at the Elves one more time, and shook her head in disgust." Fine," she muttered in surrender, and instead of pushing the other one off, let her lead them both back to Elrond himself.

" Princess Liana," Elrond nodded formally at the shorter girl. She blinked in surprise, then coolly smiled back, her emotions unreadable in her tawny golden eyes.

" Forgive me, Lord Elrond," she said in a hesitant low voice." I did not mean to insult you, but I must say we feel... betrayed by this." She lifted out her hands in a gesture of wonder." Why?"

Elrond felt a flood of guilt. He started speaking in the odd, unique and exotic tongue of the Faeries so the conversation was between him and the five very hostile Faeries in front of him. The situation was starting to make him uneasy. He knew what Faeries were capable of, and five mad Faeries are the last thing this sweet Middle-Earth needed." I did not, in any way, mean to insult or betray any of you," he said truthfully, willing them to understand." We had been given reports of your successes and defeats, and knew you held the eastern border of Mordor successfully. You were not excluded from this meeting. We had been given word of the ending of your recent wars with an old foe, and we knew you would be too busy tending to your own wounded and losses to-"

" The whole of Middle Earth is in danger! We would have gladly dropped everything to send a few messengers in," Liana said a bit sharply, then softened the rebuke by adding," we can certainly afford to send one of us to represent our race. You know we would lay down our lives if it meant peace and freedom would continue here. We must admit that we are hurt by this, but I see where you come from." He bowed his head slightly, thankful she understood." This is an urgent situation, and there was no time to get a hold of us and wait for one of us to arrive. And I must say we were quite unreachable at the time."

Frodo was spellbound by her voice. So soft and lovely; smooth, like the honey color of her eyes as they smiled into King Elrond's. A person of true compassion, and he found himself wishing to talk to her. It seemed like she and her people would understand...

He was not the only one spellbound by the mystical creatures in their presence. The humans had never seen anything like the exotic bunch of faeries before them. One of the stewards from Rohan, Robert, leaned into Aragorn, whom he was sitting next to." Have you ever seen such exquisite creatures?"

Aragorn turned his head slightly to look at Robert, then turned back to their 'intruders', smiling to himself as he watched them." Yes, I have. Truly amazing, are they not?"

" Yes. I hear they have extraordinary magical powers that go beyond what elves are capable of. Do you think this is true, looking at them?"

" Just by looking at them?" Aragorn replied. His eyes never strayed from two particular faeries conversing with Elrond in their foreign language." I would say yes, but I know it is a fact regardless of their appearance. They are very powerful beings, and they fight well." He stroked his chin thoughtfully as the dark haired faerie caught his attention. Her demeanor and appearance seemed vaguely familiar to him, as if he knew her from somewhere. She spoke with a strong sense of purpose, and was now currently arguing with Elrond over some point. Aragorn chuckled to himself.' The whole race thrives on creating turmoil, don't they?'

And turmoil they looked. Despite their beauty, he could see the marks of war on their faces. In their eyes, the bruises and the way the lavender haired one limped as she walked in all told him they did not rest before coming here. But especially the raven haired one he had been watching. Fine cuts could be seen on her face, and bruises tainted the golden skin of her arms.With interest, Aragorn watched her lift up her left arm in a talkative gesture. The bandage that was tightly wrapped around her upper arm had a stain of dark blood on the side; a rather painful looking wound. What battle had they come from? He could tell the injury was recent, because she winced slightly every time she moved that arm a certain way. Perhaps he should inform Rivendell's healer's of the girls' states, for they would probably not go to elven healers, knowing their pride.

He tensed. She was looking at him. Straight into his eyes, and he could see the color of hers from where he sat. Purple, almost a violet color that left him spellbound. Those eyes...Had he seen them before? Not many people had purple eyes, and suddenly she was so familiar...

He was staring at her. Nevada hadn't been sure of it before, she had just felt someone's eyes on her, but now she caught this one in the act. Aragorn, was it? Typical human name.' Who names their child Aragorn? Or Arathorn for that matter? The creativity flowing in this family is just mindblowing.' She mentally rolled her eyes, but found herself staring right back at the man. Scraggly black hair framed a face that had been tanned by the elements, and he accomplished the rugged look of a ranger through his unshaven face and stubborn chin. But what startled her was the intensity of the blue eyes...such a pure, unfiltered blue she had never seen in a human before. When Elrond started speaking again, she broke her gaze with the human and gave the Elflord her full attention.

" I am glad you understand, but I am also glad you came." Elrond continued in their tongue." I must admit that we do need your help; all the help we can get. Were you informed about the Ring?"

The Faerie princess turned her gaze slightly toward the Ring, ignored the odd feeling in her heart, then turned to look at Frodo. She nearly smiled; he was so little, and he looked so lost sitting among the elves and men. Besides she had with him in it, she felt compelled to help him. She had a feeling the road for this little man would not be an easy one.

" Ari," Liana responded in her own tongue, still watching the young hobbit." We know of the Ring, and its power. We have also come with a purpose."

Elrond's heart, no matter how guilty he felt for feeling it, filled with dread. Faeries were generally good people, but a few bad Faeries looking for nothing but mischief practically gave the whole race a bad name, regardless of the good deeds and mystical origin of their past." Xastan somara sarh?"

" The Ring will be destroyed," Liana's black-haired companion replied flatly.

Liana nodded her agreement, her eyes serious and focused on Elrond's." At all costs. We will not let that type of power fall into another's hands. Not after what we have seen."

Elrond couldn't help the smile that involuntarily lit his face-or the joy in his heart. They were not mad. They came to help-at all costs, as the princess had said. At all costs.






Ari - Yes

Xastan somara sarh - Will you explain