Hi there :) This update is significantly longer than the last. I sort of felt guilty for posting such a short chapter the last time so I hope the length of this one makes up for it! As always, I love receiving feedback! If you like this story, feel free to let me know! If you have any constructive criticism, I am all ears, and I am always looking for ways to improve my readers' experiences as well as my stories overall! I hope you enjoy!
Was it always this dark in my room? I slowly tilted my head to the left and, purposely, opened my eyes as wide as possible yet all I was met with was inky blackness. I brought my hand to my face, and I felt a thick bandage covering my eyes. What in the Valar was going on here? I tried to relax and regain my composure. Of course, I remember the spiders. I remember hitting the ground and, more than likely, dislocating my right shoulder. With that thought in mind, I slowly raised my right arm mere inches off the bed to only have immense pain shoot up my arm. It had definitely been dislocated, but at least it had been popped back into place. However, none of this explained why my eyes were bandaged. I did hit my head fairly hard but even that didn't explain it. With my uninjured arm, I raised it to the back of my head and loosened the bandages. That, in itself, was a terrible idea. As soon as the sunlight hit my eyes, I immediately regretted it. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into some deep, dark cave and live out the rest of my days there without having to suffer the wretched brightness of the sunlight. I suppose I should be thankful that I still had my sight, but, at that moment, I found myself wishing that the spider had just put me out of my misery. I slowly reopened my eyes and glanced around the room. The room was clad in gold and navy blue. A fireplace lit a small seating area in front of it. Bookshelves lined the walls by the door. This was not my room. With that in mind, I slowly climbed out of the bed. My body yelled at me to lie back down, but I would do no such thing. I needed to know what had happened during the battle at the eastern wall. I spotted a dressing robe lying on the back of the one of the chairs and slipped it on over my underclothes. As I headed for the door, my eyes were drawn to a large mirror on the opposite wall. What I saw in the mirror was a shock. Both of my shoulders were covered in black bruises. The left one was bandaged no doubt from the spider pinning me down with its leg. Black shadows lined the bottoms of my eye sockets no doubt from my brain bouncing around as I was slammed into the ground. I could honestly say that I had definitely looked better. I may have even looked worse than when the orcs forced themselves upon me. That thought somehow forced an amused chuckle from my throat. I had willing done this to myself. It was eye-opening to say the least. Fully conscious of what I looked like, I opened the door to the hallway. I slowly and carefully made my way down the hallway in my bare feet. I had never been in this part of the castle before, and I suddenly realized why. This was the wing of the castle that Thranduil and the other Mirkwood royals called home. If that was the case then I was in Thranduil's room earlier, but why? What purpose did that serve? I had my own perfectly good room on the other side of the castle. My room was on the complete opposite side of the castle, and I would be damned if I was going to walk all the way there just to get some clothes. My current state of dress would have to do. Besides, Thranduil was probably going to throw me in the dungeons anyway for giving orders to his people. There was no point in getting dressed up for that. It would be a waste of time and precious energy. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, I made it to the doors of the throne room. The guards stationed outside looked at me in shock before they bowed.
"Thank you for your assistance in the battle, Princess. Without you, I daresay that we may have not have been able to keep them from breaching the walls." One of the said.
"So it was successful?" I asked.
"Indeed, Princess. If you had not ordered reinforcements to the wall, the unit stationed there would have all died, and Mirkwood might have been run over with spiders by now." He answered.
"That is good. Forgive me for not being more excited about the success. I am a little under the weather so to speak." I said with a small smile. "Can you help a lady out and open the doors? My shoulders are not in the best of shape at the moment."
"Indeed, Princess." The guards opened the double doors to the throne room, and I walked inside. Thranduil caught sight of me from his throne, and he was on his feet in an instance, heading my way. Good, I thought. Instead of the dungeons, he was just going to go ahead and put an end to my misery. To my right, the nobles were murmuring, and no doubt it had everything to do with my appearance and my actions before the battle. The doors to the throne room opened, and Haldir rushed into the throne room.
"Ileana, I am so glad that you are doing well. When you were taken to the west wing, I was not allowed entrance." Haldir said as he looked at me with concern. "You had all of us worried."
"Marchwarden, do not come any closer to her." Thranduil said in an icy tone as he finally reached the pair of us.
With a glare at Haldir, Thranduil cupped my face in his hands. My eyes widened as I saw the concern in his eyes as he gazed at me. Just what in the Valar had happened while I was unconscious? "You have been asleep for three days, Ileana." Thranduil spoke quietly.
Had it really been that long? No, it couldn't have. I distinctly remember that the battle was yesterday. There was no way that I had been out for three whole days. This was mad. I took a step back from Thranduil only to back into Haldir's chest. Haldir's hands landed on my arms to steady me, and I grit my teeth in pain at the tiniest amount of pressure on my right arm. "Easy, Lea." Haldir murmured.
What kind of sick world had I woken up in? This was certainly not the same one that I'm supposed to be in. The world that I know involves Thranduil being a narcissistic king, who cares nothing for but himself. Yet, the king of Mirkwood was standing only feet from me with concern in his eyes. I shook my head slightly and moved away from the pair of them.
"What happened after I lost consciousness during the battle?" I asked.
"We were able to exterminate all of them. If it hadn't been for your orders, the eastern wall would have fallen. Perhaps I overestimated the abilities of my own army." Thranduil said.
"It was stupid what you tried to do, Lea. You were weak yet you used your magic." Haldir said sounding slightly angry at the thought.
"You understand why I did it. The archers couldn't see the spider from the top of the wall, and there was no one close enough to take care of it so I did." I replied as I furrowed my brows.
"Even so it was dangerous and reckless. You needn't kill yourself." Haldir replied. "The archers on the wall could have handled it. I could have handled it."
"Let me rephrase, Haldir. Had that spider managed its long trek up and over the wall, all forces would have been pulled to protect the interior of the wall, which would have given ample opportunity for other spiders to scale said wall."
"Princess Ileana." At the sound of my name, I turned around to find one of the nobles addressing me.
The nobleman bowed slightly and looked up at me. "We, the nobility, would like to extend our thanks to you for leading the soldiers into the fray."
I should have never left that room. I should have simply stayed there and slowly starved to death. This new reality was too much for me to handle in my current state. Another headache was starting to rear its ugly head. The sunlight accompanied with all of this noise was far too unbearable. I simply nodded in response.
"I'm in desperate need of a dark and quiet place. If anyone needs me, I will be in the bathing room." I said to no one in particular. "Do not disturb me unless completely necessary."
The bathing room in the eastern wing was the one place that I remembered that was always very badly lit and quiet for the most part. It was perfect for my needs right now. Not to mention that the warm water would be relaxing for my stiff and sore body. The bathing room was actually what could be called a hot spring, but the builders of Mirkwood had decided to put the naturally soothing water supply to good use when they built this place. Perhaps that was the only thing that they had done right. Once I reached the bathing room, it was just as I had remembered. It was simple in its construction with nothing but a deep pool in the middle of the room. Everything else was left barren. I took a deep breath as the steam seemed to soothe my senses. Discarding what little clothes I had on, I stepped slowly into the hot spring. The warm water instantly soothed my tired and achy body. As I sat there, my eyes started to close as a wave of relief washed over me. I don't know how long I stayed like that—simply snoozing while relaxing in the hot spring, but I was startled awake by the sound of the door opening. My eyes flicked to the door in frustration. I was not surprised in the least by who had graced me with his presence—Thranduil.
"Can I help you?" I asked slightly annoyed.
"I was merely checking on you. One of the servants told me that you had been in here for hours." He replied.
"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine." I said as I closed my eyes again.
Perhaps if I ignored him, he would go away. Though hedging my bets on that idea was probably foolish. The rustling of his robes as he walked closer indicated that he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.
"Leave me to my own devices, king of Mirkwood." I said uninterested in whatever he may have to say.
"Unfortunately for you, I cannot. I want to speak with you about your actions during the spider infestation." He said.
"And we can continue this conversation when I am fully clothed." I said as I glared up at him.
"I see no reason as to why it must wait." He replied. "Surely, you are accustomed to having company when you are in such a state of undress."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Perhaps, but it has never been against my own wishes."
"The Marchwarden must enjoy having what belongs to me."
I felt a surge of anger rise up in me as soon as those words left his mouth. I belonged to him? The idea made me want to laugh. He gave up that right when he refused aid to my people all those years ago. To think that he still held power over me was nothing short of laughable.
"That is rich coming from the man who left my people to slaughter. Did you think that if you saved me from that spider that I would throw myself at your feet? If that was your plan, you should have simply looked the other way and let the spider end my life."
"Those are brave words for a scared little girl." Thranduil replied with a laugh. "The fear in your eyes as you were temporarily blinded by the hit to your skull and the thoughts of impending death lit up your eyes like the morning sun."
"Perhaps I merely wished that the spider did not take me to its web and make a meal out of my body."
"If you say so, Princess."
It was then that a blanket of silence covered every inch of the bathing room save for the calm, bubbling of the hot spring. It would have been soothing had Thranduil not been towering over me like he was my master and I his slave. With a huff, I reached for the robe on the edge of the pool.
"If you would be so kind, I would like to get dressed." I said through my teeth.
Thranduil turned his back to me, and I slowly stood up. I had every intention of pulling myself up onto the side of my own accord, but once I went to do so, pain radiated up my injured arm and a little groan escaped my lips. Thranduil's head flicked to me, and I sighed with resignation about what I was to ask him.
"Could you lend me a hand?" I asked quietly.
"Of course." He said as he moved to stand in front of me on the side of the pool.
"Just grab my left hand, and I should be able to get out without much of your help." I said.
That was, in fact, not what he had intended at all. He settled his hands underneath my arms and lifted me out of the pool as if I was a small child. To speak of the embarrassment of that moment, it was unlike anything that I had ever experienced. For one, I was not a small elleth. I was tall and fit with lean muscle covering my body. Secondly, I was a warrior, and this was simply a blow to my pride as such. I slipped on the dressing robe and tied the belt tightly around my waist.
"Thank you for your assistance." I said looking into his eyes. "Though you could have allowed me to retain some of my pride."
He merely laughed. "If I had done as you had suggested, you would have been forced to use your injured arm to pull yourself up from the water. It would have caused you tremendous pain."
"The pain would have probably have been better than being treated like a child." I said as I narrowed my eyes.
"Perhaps but the more stress that you put on your injured arm, the longer it will require to heal." He said. "Also, I am not sure that you had noticed, but there are conveniently placed steps on the other side of the pool."
I followed the direction in which is finger was pointing. He was right. There were a set of stone steps leading into the pool. I could have avoided all of the embarrassment if I had managed to have noticed them earlier. I looked back at Thranduil, whose eyes were dancing with mirth.
"You could have said so." I said.
"And here I thought that you merely wanted a king to do your bidding." He said with a chuckled. "Whatever the case may have been, I did not mind in the slightest helping you out of the pool."
"As I am sure you didn't." I rolled my eyes. "Thank you for helping, but I think it's time that I get some rest in my room."
"You will no longer be staying in the east wing." He said.
"Where exactly will I be staying?"
"In the west wing. In my set of rooms."
"Excuse me?" My voice came out louder than I had intended, and I cringed inwardly.
"It is the safest place for you what with the necromancer entering and exiting the castle as he sees fit. Until we can get rid of him, you will be staying my room."
"That is the worst excuse I have ever heard. If any of the nobility find out about this, they will think that we intend to honor the agreement that our fathers made."
"I have every intention of honoring the agreement. I simply need to convince you to do the same." He said matter-of-factly.
"That agreement is null and void." I hissed.
"Is it? I have the documentation to prove otherwise. Ours and our fathers' signatures on the document tell a very different story."
"That is outlandish! Do you honestly think that I would consider abiding by the agreement after all that you have done or, rather, the lack thereof?"
"I don't intend to force you to abide by the agreement. I, rather, intend to convince you that it is what you desire." He replied.
I was beyond infuriated. He intended to convince me? If that was his intention, it was far too late for that. With renewed vigor, I glared up at him.
"If you wanted to convince me, you should have sent aid to my people when there were talks of an imminent orc invasion. You should have used your newfound power to aid my people. I lost everything that day—my family, my friends, and my kingdom—all in one fatal swipe. Tell me, Thranduil. What did you lose that day? A chance to unite two kingdoms under your crown? If that is all that you lost then pray yourself fortunate."
"Don't be foolish, Ileana. I lost you, and you were more important than the chance to unite two kingdoms." He said as he took a step towards me.
Out of instinct, I backed away. The heels of my feet were suspended vicariously off the edge of the pool. I managed to balance my weight on the balls of my feet as he came closer. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards his chest. I placed my left hand on his chest and pushed backwards slightly so I could look up at him.
"I promise you that I will avenge the deaths of your people. Viistan will pay for his crimes against you and the other Dorians as well as his compulsion over me as he was slinking in the shadows of Mirkwood." He said. "Once you have his head in your hands, I hope that you realize that I truly did care for you, but my desire to keep you safe by my side only pushed you farther away when your kingdom was in peril."
The conviction in his eyes startled even me. I had never seen that look in anyone else's eyes other than my own. He was intent on defeating Viistan and proving himself worthy of my affections. This was not what I wanted. I didn't want others to fight my own battles. I wanted to hold Viistan's life in my own hands and to be the one that ripped his heart from his chest. It was my right to do so because he was the cause of all of this. Thranduil or no one else would take that chance away from me.
"I will be the one to end his life." I said. "It is my duty to do so. I want to be the face that the monster sees when he draws his last breath."
"If that is what you want then I will ensure that you have that chance." He replied.
"I don't need you to ensure that I have that chance. This is my battle and mine alone." I said.
"Even you cannot fight an entire army on your own. Viistan will not be alone when the time comes. He, more than likely, has connections with Mordor, which means that he will have hundreds of thousands of orcs at his disposal if he so desires it."
"Whatever the case may be, I will be there to greet him." I replied as I moved out of Thranduil's grasp.
I headed towards the door to the bathing room and turned to Thranduil. "I will be in my room in the east wing."
"Your belongings have already been moved to my chambers in the west wing. There is nothing for you in the east wing."
"You are wrong. My friends are there." I said as I opened the door.
The first order of business was to find Celeborn and ask him what had exactly happened while I was unconscious. My feet led me to Celeborn and Galadriel's chambers, and I raised my fist to the door and knocked. I was greeted by Galadriel, who wrapped me in a hug.
"Ileana, I am so glad that you have recovered. I was so worried for you. I always hate that I can see nothing of you where my insight is concerned." She said with a small smile.
"I am well enough I suppose. I dropped by to find out what had happened while I was resting."
"Of course. Come inside. Celeborn is out with Elrond at the moment." She said.
Galadriel motioned me toward one of the chairs in the room. "Please sit, Ileana."
She sat across from me, looking every bit as regal as always. I began to feel slightly self-conscious about my current state of dress, but I pushed that feeling to the back of my mind because Galadriel of all people would not care about what her friend looked like in the slightest.
"I suppose you would like to know what happened while you are unconscious." Galadriel said.
"Of course. No one has spoken to me about it other than my actions prior to and during the battle." I answered.
"Well, there's not really much to say really. The spiders were defeated soon after Thranduil joined the battle and saved you from imminent death. There were talks of fortifying the walls and potentially recreating the barrier."
My heart nearly stopped at the mention of the barrier. There was not enough Dorian left to perform the ritual, and even if there was, if it actually worked would be another question entirely.
"What were the talks of the barrier? Did anyone give a plan for it to happen?" I asked.
"Elrond actually suggested one of the Istari. He said that his power may prove suitable to recreate the barrier."
"Mithrandir?"
Galadriel nodded in response. "Would that work? Have you seen if it would be successful?"
"Nay, I haven't seen it. You would be part of the ritual if it was to come to pass, and I can't see your future."
"Honestly, Galadriel, your sight leaves much to be desired where I am concerned." I laughed.
"I have thought as such many a times myself." She smiled. "Nevertheless, I think, under the right conditions, it could be successful. Mithrandir the Grey is one of the most powerful wizards that I know, and I am quite sure that he could manage to fix the barrier with the help of you and the others."
"Has he been sent for?"
"Indeed. A falcon was sent out two days ago, carrying Thranduil's request for assistance."
"Then it is a waiting game." I sighed. "What else happened while I was out?"
"It is perhaps not my place to say this, but Thranduil threatened the Marchwarden in that he was supposed to stay away from you while you were unconscious. You were moved to the west wing so that Thranduil could ensure that Haldir couldn't visit you. I see that Haldir blatantly disregarded that threat."
"Thranduil had no right to threaten him. Haldir and I are close friends and nothing more."
"Perhaps that is your view on the subject, but I can tell you that Haldir is very fond of you."
"I am more than aware of that fact, and it was part of the reason that I decided to live in Imlardis rather than Lorien." I replied. "I truly care for him, but he was asking something of me that I could not give him. He was there when I needed comfort and support, and, for that, I am thankful."
"Surely, your care for him runs far deeper than him simply being a shoulder for you to cry on, Ileana." She said quietly. "However, I think it important to tell you that the Marchwarden will find comfort of his own in the years to come."
I nodded. "It is what he deserves."
"I agree, and if you continue on this path, where you continually confuse his feelings and emotions, he will not find his true love." She replied. "As such, I suggest that you reconsider the agreement that your father and Oropher made."
I slowly stood up from the chair and smiled slightly at Galadriel. "I will take your wisdom into consideration. Thank you for sparing the time to speak with me."
"Of course, my dear. I have been doing nothing but sitting in this room for two days, trying to see what the future held. Your visit was a welcome reprieve, Ileana."
With that, I took my leave from her room. Deciding to change into something more appropriate, I began to head down the hallway towards the west wing. The guards I passed nodded in acknowledgement as I made my way through the castle. The sound of my name drew my attention, and I turned to find Haldir, making his way towards me.
"Lea, how are you feeling?" He asked as his brow furrowed in concern.
"I have been better, dear friend." I said smiling. "But, I suppose, this is better than the alternative."
"Indeed it is." He replied with a smile of his own. "You look significantly better than you did this morning,"
"Do I? I haven't even taken the chance to look at myself. It was a shock this morning to see the bruises underneath my eyes." I laughed.
Haldir outstretched his hand and touched my right eye socket lightly with his fingertips. "The bruises are fading well. There are not as dark as this morning."
His hand slid down my jawline and touched the collar of my dressing robe. "And your shoulder? How is it?"
"I'm still very sore, but it will heal in no time I'm sure." I replied as I grasped his fingers and drew them away from my body.
"I was so very worried for you during the attack. I feel as if I failed in protecting you. I was so worried about the other spiders that, by the time the spider was on you, I could do nothing to help you." He said.
I squeezed the hand that I still held and smiled at him. "You needn't feel as if you failed. I am fine as you can see. All turned out well. I was saved from that fate."
A frown marred his features as he took in my words. "I failed because it was not I who saved you but rather King Thranduil."
"It does not matter who saved me. What is important is that I am safe."
"You are right. It matters not, but I would have preferred to have been the one to have saved you from that fate."
Not knowing what to say, I drew Haldir into a hug. I closed my eyes as I breathed in his familiar and comforting scent. I ignored the pain in my shoulder as I found comfort and solace in his embrace. I wanted nothing more than to stop time in this very moment. After what Galadriel had told me, I knew that I had to slowly break my ties with Haldir and find a comfortable middle ground for us. I felt tears start to gather on my lashes. I willed myself not to cry in this moment, but a rogue tear slid down my cheek.
Without opening my eyes, I rested my head on his shoulder. "Haldir, I am tired. I'm going to go rest for a short while."
I felt Haldir nod on my shoulder. "Rest will help your body recover more quickly."
My eyes fluttered open to only lock eyes with Thranduil, who was leaving the throne room. From even this distance, I could clearly see the hard line of his jaw, where he was clenching it. I wiped my eyes and loosened my grip on Haldir. I looked up at him and smiled. "Take care, my friend. I shall see you later."
"Rest well." He said and kissed the top of my head.
If Thranduil had been a Dorian, Haldir would have burst into flames from merely the way he was glaring. Thankfully, Haldir headed down the hallway that lead to the training grounds instead of turning to see Thranduil standing in the middle of the hall, glaring daggers into his back. With a nod at the king, I turned and headed towards the west wing. I felt the tears I had fought so hard to keep back force their way down my face as I hurried towards the room, where I had awakened earlier in the day. Another set of footsteps echoed off of the walls, and I knew that Thranduil was following me. I managed to find the door and hauled myself through it as fast as my legs could carry me. Inside, I spotted a basin of water on one of the tables. I quickly splashed water on my face and patted it dry with a nearby towel. If Thranduil knew that I cared more for Haldir than one might a friend, there was no telling what he would do, and I, most certainly, did not want to find out. I sat in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace and waited. Within seconds, the door opened, and Thranduil walked in. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he went about his business, which for now was pouring himself a cup of tea. An uncomfortable silence filled the room for what seemed like hours before he spoke.
"I am well aware that you and the Marchwarden are close. However, I would prefer that you didn't see him." He said.
I took a deep breath before I replied. "Why did you bar him from seeing me while I was unconscious?"
He looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Because he should not be permitted to look at you alone."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Who I see and when I see them is my business alone. Haldir and I friends. He was there when I needed someone. Do you expect me to simply discard that friendship?"
Thranduil laughed mirthlessly. "A friendship?" He walked to my chair and towered over me as he looked down at me. "Do you merely think that it is only a friendship to him? He has been inside you. He knows you even more intimately than I do, and you think that he is interested only in friendship?"
"Is that what this is about? Because Haldir and I may have enjoyed each other's company decades ago?" I asked.
"That is not the only reason. I know that you rely on him far more than you actually should. I saw the peace that his embrace brought you, and I saw the fear in your eyes once you noticed my presence." He replied.
"Is it so hard for you to understand that I became friends with Haldir when I was at one of the lowest points of my life? You do not have the right to force him or I to stop being friendly with each other." I said as I stood up from my chair to glare up at him.
"And as such you clung to whoever was closest to you. I cannot fault you for that, but you will not make a mockery of me while the agreement is still on the table."
"The agreement is not on the table!" I yelled.
The moment I yelled at Thranduil, I immediately regretted it. He glared at me and walked to the door without a word. As he left, I heard him speaking with someone in the hallway. It was then that I heard the door lock from the outside. Still angry, I pounded my fist against the door.
"Let me out, you bastard!" I screamed.
From the other side of the door, I heard a very meek reply. "I'm sorry, Princess, but we have been instructed by the king to keep you inside and to not allow any visitors to enter his majesty's chambers."
"Go and get your king." I commanded through clenched teeth.
"Princess, we cannot. We were ordered to not leave the door." The guard said.
I kicked the door and resigned myself to being held captive in this room for the moment. I would kill him when he decided to show his face again. I decided to do as I had intended earlier and change into decent clothes. I walked over to the large built-in wardrobe and opened the doors. My armor was hanging up, and it looked as if it had been repaired and cleaned if the shine of the metal said anything. Pushing it to the side, I looked through the clothes. None of these were mine. What had he done with my clothes? Not only had he locked me in here, but he had thrown out my clothes! I searched high and low for my favorite outfit—the buckskin pants and the wine-colored tunic—but it was nowhere to be found. The only things in the closet were dresses of high-quality. No doubt what would be considered suitable for a royal lady. I huffed and grabbed the first dress. It was navy in color with intricate silver embroidery running throughout the material. Regardless, I wasn't focused on what it looked like. I changed into the dress and tossed the dressing robe to the floor. I could at least get some satisfaction from it if it was Thranduil's. I can only imagine the look on his face when he spots the fine garment discarded on the floor like garbage. I began to explore the room and ended up stopping in front of the large bookshelf. I ran my fingers across the spines of the books. Most of them looked in relatively good shape except for one. It was a brown leather-bound book titled "Rituals of the Valar". I plucked the book from its shelf and laid down on the fur rug in front of the fireplace. Either this book was extremely old or Thranduil had read it so often that it was beginning to fall apart. Curiosity got the best of me, and I opened the book to the first page. As I flipped through the pages, I realized that the language was Valarin. Could Thranduil read the language of the gods? Very few people ever made it their goal to learn the language except for the Maiar. In my kingdom, Valarin was taught to the royalty while Sindarin was the spoken language throughout the kingdom and most of the elves throughout Middle-Earth. I skimmed the text until one word stuck out to me "barrier". I quickly stopped on that page and read the text. I'll admit that I was a little rusty, but that was nothing that a little refresher couldn't fix. I struggled my way through the text once and then reread it. It was a barrier spell. One that would require two Maiar or something equivalent to them. If Mithrandir accepted Thranduil's request, that would ensure that we had one, but where would we find the other? Would I be able to take the other's? Dorian were, after all, descendants of the Maiar, but would that be enough? I put away my worries for now, and I continued reading what was required. The ritual was to be completed during a night that the stars shone bright and when Varda, the star-queen, was at her most powerful. A single dragon scale would be needed. Fire. Starlight. Blood from ten of the inhabitants of the castle plus the blood and flesh of the two Maiar. It was convenient that they save the most terrible requirement for last. I laughed slightly and continued my reading. The rest of the text explained the intricacies of the ritual and how it was to be performed. As I reached the bottom of the page, it was written in very tiny characters, "Protection is granted only to those who are worthy of receiving the Valar's grace. Power is what we desire as payment". Power? Did that mean that one of the Maiar would have to willingly give up their powers in order for the ritual to work or did it mean both?