Chapter 7.
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"Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living."
–Bertrand Russell
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Recap:
" Would you consider joining me for lunch later, Lord Elrond has told me about you and if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you?" Again his voice sent a shiver down my spine and I couldn't help but grin.
" I'd love too. Where shall I meet you My Lord Glorfindel?" I asked quietly as the feeling of his warm hand on my skin made me want to shiver.
" Here, In 2 hours time." I nodded in response as I didn't trust my voice to speak to him at the moment.
" I'll see you then My Lady Adriana." With that said he kissed the back of my hand and left me standing in the hall way, right in front of my bed room door.
End of Recap
An hour and a half later I was finished cleaning myself up. I hadn't bothered to go the healer; opting to do it myself. I'd managed wipe myself down with a wet rag and brush my tangled hair. After thoroughly brushing out my long hair I decided to leave it hanging down around my shoulders. Walking over to the clothing chest I began to ruffle through it. My hands finally found something suitable to wear. I pulled it from the chest and held it up against myself. It was a long light blue gown with simply embroidery along the hem. I slipped it on over my head, letting the light material fall delicately around me. The gown was almost transparent at the sleeves and from the bottom coming almost to my knees. It was so odd to be constantly wearing dresses back home I owned one ceremonial dress, and that was it. The rest of the time I would wear simple hide tunics and breaches. I didn't have any fancy shoes to go with the dress so I pulled on my soft leather boots. I had no choice but to wear them. I noting that they look slightly ridiculous but I didn't really care.
Ignoring my current state of self I slipped out of my room. I walked out of my door and was slightly surprised to see Glorfindel already out side my door. I raised an eyebrow at his half hour earliness. He laughed deeply and held his arm out to me. I looked up at him and gladly took his offered arm.
" I wasn't expecting you to be so early." I said lightly. He nodded.
" Lunch is with in the next half hour or so. I thought you might enjoy a small tour around the household. The corridors can be quite confusing for those who are not acquainted with them."
" That's very kind of you my lord." Follow my statement was an awkward silence. I knew nothing about this elf and he knew, well, he knew more about me than I did of him. I broke the silence, knowing that he felt somewhat awkward asking me questions.
" What did you wish to speak with me about, my lord?"
He glanced over at me, I noticed his brows were knit together in concentration, before turning back to face forward.
" I don't know exactly, Lord Elrond told me very little. I know what...or shall I say whom you are but I don't understand much about your situation. This supposed legend isn't very well known to me."
" I highly doubt I even know what you know, in fact I more than likely know even less. I'm just as curious about myself as you are. I never imagined I would come to a place like this and find out that I'm some sort of legend. There are so many things I want to know but I don't know where to start."
" We could search the library...there are plenty of old texts that haven't even been read... it may be worth a try." He added helpfully.
" Will you take me there?" I said hopefully as I stopped us both in the middle of the hall. He raised an eyebrow.
" Now?" He asked in surprise. I nodded furiously and put a pleading look on my face. Glorfindel began to lightly laugh, I must have been quite the entertaining sight.
" Alright, alright, I'll take you there."
I smiled brightly as he turned around and lead me back through several halls and took a few turns before we came to a large pair of oak doors. He released my arm and pushed open the door. I followed him through the door. I stopped in the door way as I looked over the massive library. Books upon books and shelves upon shelves lined the walls almost from floor to ceiling.
I stared around the room my mouth open in delight.
" Where do we start?" I asked
" Right over there." He said as he took hold of my arm and led me over to the far side of the room. He sat me down at a large round table and pulled several books off the shelf. He walked over to me and laid them out in front of me.
" We start here..." With that said I cracked open my first book and began to read.
Four hours later I found my self berried in a stack of books, my feet tossed on top of the table and my nose crammed into the dusty bindings of " Legends and Mysteries". Neither one of us had found much of anything. Here or there one of us would find about a sentence worth of useless information. I continued reading until Glorfindel snapped his book shut. I looked up from the text, in between my feet, and then over the stack of books at him. His hands were at his temples, rubbing in gentle circles.
" Are you alright?" I asked. He jumped slightly in his chair and look back at me with wide red eyes. I almost laughed.
" Dust starting to get to you." I said more as a statement than a question. He nodded in conformation but continued to stare at me. I had the feeling he was looking more through me than at me.
I broke his concentration, " Why are you looking at me like that?" I meet his eyes and noticed the sorrow that lingered there. I looked at the book that was in his hands and noticed that it was simply about the race of men. I looked back into his eyes and waited for his reply.
" There is very little I know about the race of men. It's been some 3,000 years sense I've spent anytime with a single human for more than ten minutes. This book reminded me of your fragility and mortality. It's hard to believe that men and women just like you think it lucky to make it to the age of seventy and here I sit at over six thousand years old and I'm still as young as I was five thousand years ago."His voice was deep and meaningful.
" Six thousand years is a long time to live. I don't think I could handle being immortal like your race. Part of being human is excepting the fact that one day you will die, but until then you live every day to its fullest. I think human mortality makes us more passionate about experiencing the unknown it makes us more able to forgive before we are no longer able. For us there is always something else to know, for us there will always be more mystery." I said softly
" It's just hard to believe that a vibrant soul such as you will one day die. The elves will one day be gone from this place and will soon be forgotten. But mortals, they shall remain, living life as they always have, with no one here to remind them of all those that came before. Legends will be lost, heros forgotten, and the bravery of those lost swept away. " I looked at him sadly.
" They wont be forgotten Glorfindel. They will live on in tales and legends passed down from generation to generation. The heros will live in those they saved, generation to generation they will be remembered." I closed my book at set it in my lap. " I do not envy you for your immortality, yes you may remember every thing that has passed, things that mortals may have forgotten. But how do you escape those things you wish to forget. You must go on living day by day for all eternity and remembering all the horrors of the world. While I will one day pass and all the bad things that ever happened to me will pass away with me. There is no reason to dwell on things that wont matter in the end, but for you there is no end."
" You are wise beyond your years my lady Adriana." He said softly. " It makes me glad to know I may call you friend." I smiled at him gently.
" You are very kind to say such thi..."
I started as the door flew open and a tall dark elf came charging through the door. He looked around wildly before spotting Glorfindel.
" My Lord," He halted as he noticed my presence. Glorfindel looked at me than back to the man and with a nod of his head continued. " It's the halfling...He's awoken."
Glorfindels' eyes grew wide as he jumped up from his seat. Books fell to the floor and papers flew. I caught a mumbled apology from him before he left me behind in a swosh of his robes and the quick snap of a door closing behind him. I almost laughed at his urgency but kept it to myself. I bent down a began to pick up the fallen books and papers. I'd managed to pick up all but one when a hand reached passed mine. It picked up a rather large boring book that I'd merely skimmed. I looked up into the handsome face of a young man. Yes, that's right a man not an elf. I was slightly surprised when he looked at me with twinkling grey blue eyes, wisps of red brown hair spilling across one side of his face. He raised an eyebrow at my reading choice.
" I do not mean to be rude Lady but I find your choice of reading material..." He stood up and looked at some of the other books, " to be quite dry to say the least." He looked at me with a slight grin on his face. I almost laughed but kept my cool.
" I do not read them for enjoyment, I've been doing some...research."
" Research, an even drier subject." He said mockingly.
I looked him straight in the eye," I do not mean to be rude my Lord but I find your sense of humor...to be quite dry to say the least." He stared at me for a moment before a small grin appeared on his rugged face. I smiled widely as we stood together. He held his hand out to me and I took it hesitantly. He bowed over it.
" I am Boromir of Gondor, Son of the Steward." He stood back up and looked at me inquiringly.
" I am Adriana of Cibri." He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. " I don't believe you are familiar with my people. They are very, very far from here." It was as I looked at this man that I noticed how unlike I was the only human specimen that I'd met. He had fair skin tanned by long hours in the sun while mine was naturally dark and made even darker by my hours spent working outdoors. My hair was a dark rich black while his was a light red brown bleached by the suns rays. His eyes a crystal grey blue and mine a dark earthly brown. How unalike we were indeed.
" They must be very far away indeed, I've never seen a people so far inland that looks as you do. There are some Corsair of your coloring but your features are to fair to be one of them and you are much to tall."
I began to wonder just how short these people were to him, I barely reached his chin. I almost laughed at the thought but mentally chided myself against it and merely grinned. It was then I noticed that he still had my hand clutched with in his own. I pulled it back to myself and he slowly let go. He began to walk around the table his vision steadily moving over the numerous books. He picked up a book that I hadn't cracked open yet and looked at its bindings.
" Ladies of Myth," he said quietly. I quickly walked over to him as he cracked open the book to just about the middle. The page was filled with a drawing over a beautiful woman. He hair a soft sunny brown with light skin. She I looked down and noticed that her bottom half...had four chestnut colored legs, she was half horse half human. She was dressed in golden armor with deep red colored leather. She held two swords, one was swung over her head the other plunged into the gut of one of the numerous hideous creatures that surrounded her. I reached out just as Boromir turned the page and I found myself staring large flowing letters at the top of the page that read, " The Lady Hawk"
I drew in a deep breath and reached out for the book, " May I see that a moment." I whispered. Boromir looked at me funnily before handing me handing me the book. I held my breath as I began to read.
" The legend of the Lady Hawk believed to have started during the First War of The Ring actually first appeared in 1200. It was said that the Lady Hawk was the reason behind Gil-galads' refusal to have dealings with Saron and his warnings to the Eregion. However his warnings were disregarded and the elves welcomed Sarons teachings. In 1375 the Lady appeared again in the elven realm of Loth-lorien. There the Lady Galadriel was warned against the rebellion of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain and their part in the future forging of the Rings of Power..." I flipped through page after page, " Reincarnated through the generations." " Worlds of power and machines." " Possesses the sight." " Skilled in weaponry beyond any mortal." " The marking of a hawk." I came across a time line. " 1200, 1375,1500, 1601, 1697, 1699,1700, I noticed the large gap...3429, 3430,3431,3434,3441 and then it ended. I slammed the book shut and looked up at Boromir with wide eyes.
" I..I have to go." I said as I rushed out the door in a flurry of skirts, the book firmly clutched to my chest. I heard Boromir cry out my name as I rushed down the halls. But I ignored him, I needed to find Gandalf even Lord Elrond would do. I rushed passed endless closed doors until I tuned the corner and found an open one filled with people. I saw Gandalfs' grey robes and rushed forward. Voices spilled from the room as I grew steadily closer. I charged through the front door gasping for air the book still clutched opened into my chest. I found Gandalf wasn't the only one in the room, Glorfindel, Elrond, and the dark haired man from earlier were surrounding a bed with the "halfling" I'd seen ride in that morning. Three more little people sat in chairs beside the bed. All looking pale and tired. I looked up at Glorfindel to Elrond and then to Gandalf. I looked him in the eye and handed him the book.
" I found it...all of it." I whispered.
Foxyloxylegolas,
Well there's the chapter seven, sorry for the long delay I've just been so busy. I promise the updates will become more frequent with the coming of summer. Please Read and Review. Thanks!