Hi everyone! Hope all is well. The weather here has been totally unusual and a bit violent. And so many things have happened! Had my first hunt seat show competition and somehow I drew the most violent horse. He tried to kick people, he took off running in my walk/trot only division and refused to halt or slow down, then he tried to bite the horse in front of us. On the positive, I will never forget my first showing and my coach has a really funny photo of Jimmy pulling his lips back to bite the horse in front of us. lol Also I had zero idea Chloe's name meant what it meant until I googled it. As a second also, since several people have mentioned they prefer the story not to speed up I will keep it at its current pace. You just have to promise that if y'all start getting bored or want it to speed then tell me. Now after this unusually long authors note, please enjoy!
The teacher kept giving me frightened glances as we walked the halls. It was so spacious in this area and emptier then other places that I've seen. I'm not sure if Langon is trying to help me or antagonize Gothmog. Did he really bring a message from Tar-Mairon or was that a lie? He doesn't seem quite as violent as the others, but it could be a mask to incite trust.
"How far is this walk going to be?" I moaned looking up at the ceiling. The teacher just shot me a look of exasperation. I swear that every time we go somewhere we end up walking several miles. I don't know how this place can be so big. It really hurts my feet to be walking so much so soon.
"Please can we stop a minute?" I asked already crouching down and then sitting in the middle of the hallway. I pulled one of my feet to me and took off the shoe. Blood was seeping through the whip wounds and staining the shoe fabric on the bottom. The teacher looked at my feet and gave me a sad expression before sitting next to me. She pulled my other foot into her lap and tore a piece of fabric off of her dress. I yelped and pulled back slightly as she began to tightly wrap my foot. She set it down gently and I let her wrap the other one. She finished and I pulled my other foot to me and leaned my head back. I sat with my head back and eyes closed until the teacher rested a hand on my shoulder. She nodded towards where we had been walking.
"Must we?" I asked really regretting saying that I would be bored doing nothing all day. She gave a nod and helped me up. We began walking down the passageways again. It remained surprisingly empty. I was sure there were a lot of beings in this place.
"Shouldn't we run into other people or…things?" I asked hesitantly. The teacher stopped and turned assessing me curiously. She pointed at me and shrugged.
"What does that mean?" I asked baffled and she just shook her head turning back around. The walk back is going to be even worse than this is on my feet. I can't believe I was so dumb. It could have been just my hands if I had pulled myself together and didn't piss him off again. I could be so dunderheaded sometimes. I limped after her. Fortunately the bandages mitigated much of the pain.
These excessively long walks give me too much time to think about the same things over and over again. Like how cursed Haldamire and I must be. The teacher turned back to me again suddenly and put a finger to her lip. I rolled my eyes, but nodded in understanding anyway. She pointed at me and then herself before making an exaggerated bowing gesture. I cocked my head at her and repeated the gesture. She huffed and pointed down the rest of the hall before repeating the gesture.
"I got it. Bow when we see him" I said trying not to give her the impression she should be worried about my behavior. She nodded looking relieved and grabbed my arm pulling me along until we came upon more doors. She knocked softly. Would anyone even hear that through the material? My question was quickly answered as someone opened the door. I blinked as heat and light assaulted our vision. The teacher let out a soft whimper and I gasped with a hand over my mouth. It was the same fire creature Haldamire and I had seen before. It towered far above us. It was almost brushing the ceiling. I tried to suck in the scream that wanted out. It was far worse than the orcs were up close. I stared at it in horror frozen in terror.
Only the sharp jab from the Teacher's elbow shook me out my paralysis. I fell to my knees with the teacher briefly thinking about the time Haldamire had done almost the exact same thing when we were supposed to bow to Tar-Mairon. I closed my eyes trying to push the image of the demon out my mind. It really cannot be anything else.
"Airawende" I closed my eyes tightly for a second hearing Gothmog call my name before looking up. He looked like himself. Maybe he wasn't one of the fire things and I simply imagined it the first time. He beckoned me with a gesture and I glanced at the teacher briefly before shakily standing up and trying very hard not to look at the fire demon. I sucked in a breath seeing more of them scattered around the room. I approached cautiously trying to avoid getting close to any demons. I wiped away sweat forming across my face. The mere proximity was starting to redden my skin. I hesitated in front of him wondering if I should bow again.
"No need for that" He said when I started to move then looked to the teacher "You may go." She stood keeping her head bowed and backed out of the room. I could feel sweat dripping down my body from how hot it was in here. I used my sleeve to rub away more sweat trickling down my forehead. I stared at him, frightened, when his red eyes caught on to mine. He reached out and ran a finger down my face looking both irritated and mildly disgusted at the sweat. I stopped the words at the tip of my tongue remembering his warning and my feet.
"You can learn then, little one" He said looking over me "Take your other forms. Immediately" He said to the demons. I quickly glanced over and realized they were all looking at us. I could feel my limbs freeze in place at the pervasive fear emanating from just their presence. I involuntarily looked down as the heat suddenly decreased scared of the demons. I forced myself to quickly glance up again to see what their "other forms" were and accidently backed into Gothmog at the close proximity of one of them who was peering at me curiously. I spun terrified and looked up at him wondering if he was going to do something.
"I think she's a little panicky" the demon turned into a beautiful one said. He looked sort of like how Gothmog looks. He had black hair, but it had tones of deep red reflecting back from the light and his eyes were more of a molten orange then Gothmog's dark red. He had the horns too though which was terrifying enough.
"She's just a fledgling" Gothmog said in response placing a hand of my back to prevent me trying to back away behind him. He reached out a hand, but Gothmog snapped at him not to touch me and he pulled back surveying me more carefully.
"How old are you, Vinyare?" he asked as another one approached from behind him. I anxiously twisted my fingers together and look at Gothmog.
"Answer him" he said tilting his slightly. I wonder if he even knows my age.
"I'm 23" I said quietly my gaze catching to one of the demons who looked like fire, shadows, and the most horrific thing imagination can conjure. He was still sized monstrously so I don't think he had shifted his form at all.
"A fledgling indeed. And so tiny in body as well" He followed my gaze behind him and smiled. "He struggles to contain his power. Too little control over himself". I looked back up terrified hearing Gothmog make a huffing like noise. He spoke in one of the horrid languages I couldn't understand. Shivers racked through me as the fire demon made grumbling noises in response. I bit my cheek hard trying not to feel so afraid. I really regret saying I would be bored. Who were all of these demons. Were all of them like Gothmog? I felt a relieved breath rush out of me as the door opened and closed again. The one who couldn't transform left. The temperature was still insanely hot, but now at least my skin wouldn't redden or blister from proximity.
"Do you know what we are?" The one who just come up asked. He looked similar to them too. I looked at him for a couple second before pointing to Gothmog. He studied me almost imperceptibly narrowing his eyes. "Do you know what he is?" I think if I hadn't been around Tar-Mairon and Gothmog for enough time then his facial change would have been impossible for me to see. Maybe they all do these very miniscule changes? I swallowed nervously peering up at Gothmog who was just observing us emotionlessly with his hand still on my back. I shook my head quickly.
"Don't bog down her finite mind with concepts and knowledge she can't understand yet. When she is older and changed I will explain." Gothmog said almost reproachfully.
"Surely a basic explanation…" The other one began.
"I will not hear such insolent questions" Gothmog cut off him mid-sentence. I shivered in mild trepidation feeling his body temperature rise from the hand on my back.
"of course not, my lord" the other said bowing his head briefly. It clearly appeased Gothmog as his temperature returned to its normal heat. I looked up at Gothmog blinking.
"Speak your curiosity" He said pushing his hand in my back harder.
"How many of you are there?" I asked quietly counting the room's occupants.
"Of me, my Airawende? None, there are none of my mighty power, but of my kind, my brothers, we number seven." He moved his hand from my back to the top of my head. There were six of them in this room and I guess the seventh was the one who couldn't change his form. Two of them were closer to the door conversing amongst themselves, one of them looked lost in thought as he stayed unmoving and unblinking, and then there was the two of them plus Gothmog around me. I shivered at the pressure of three pairs of demonic gazes focusing on me.
"She's still so frightened. Like a little mouse" the one standing behind the first one said observationally. I looked down and twisted my fingers together again anxiously.
"You have my leave to answer questions" Gothmog said caressing my hair lightly. I opened my mouth to say something then thought better of it.
"Why would we ask her? She is an earthly being and you probably know more of her then she does" the one who called me a mouse said. Fear and anger warred together at the insult.
"She is not of Middle-earth. You should have been able to understand that, my wise brother" Gothmog said drawing out the word wise. I winced at the look of fury in the other ones eyes.
"If you are not of here then surely you would have a name not from Quenya" the one with the red black hair asked. I looked at him in absolute horror and hope and then looked at Gothmog. Could I say my name? I didn't look at Gothmog in case the opportunity to say my name, my real name slipped through my fingers.
"My name is Chloe" I whispered.
"Your name was Chloe" Gothmog said rebuffing me. I frowned looking down as he tugged on my hair warningly.
"What does Chloe mean, in your language" He asked.
"Oh, it has a couple meanings. Young plant or…or…" I trailed feeling blood rush to my face.
"Or what?" He demanded. I stuttered out some unintelligible syllables.
"Speak clearly Airawende" Gothmog ordered resuming his caressing of my hair.
"fertile" I said fearfully and scowling at the same time twisting my hands together feeling horribly awkward. Gothmog stopped his caressing.
"Are you fertile?" said the one who has now been asking far too many questions. I put my hands of my face feeling how hot my cheeks were.
"I don't know" I muttered staring down at the floor.
"You have a name which you do not know if it describes you or not. How odd." He tilted his slightly. "Should we find out?"
"You go too far." Gothmog hissed and I stayed looking at the floor terrified at the extreme increase in temperature. Why was this happening? Why did I ever ask to leave?