As the sun finally set beneath the horizon, I quickly released myself. I
then quickly picked the locks on the shackles around the ankles of my
companions. They kept their shackles on loosely though, so it appeared
nothing was out of the ordinary.
When Chian came to the door of the tent I was ready, and he led me out and to Bria's tent, as though he had been sent to bring me. When we slipped inside her tent, we saw it was full of priests.
"They are giving her the last dose! She must not take it." He hissed in my ear. I gestured, and the decanter filled with the potion shattered, the potion dripping onto the floor and soaking into the rich carpets. The tent was filled with exclamations and oaths as the priests reprimanded the unlucky priest who had held the decanter. Then they poured another glass.
"Damn!" I hissed. I slid out of the shadows, gesturing for Chian to stay where he was, and then I used my palm fire to engulf my entire body. The noise and light drew the priests attention, and they flinched at the pillar of purple flame that stood in the doorway.
"Leave her." I ordered, the flames changing my voice completely. The sensation of palm fire licking at my flesh tickled a lot, and I suppressed the urge to giggle. "She is done." One priest, obviously the leader, came forward.
"What are you?" he demanded. He reached out to touch me and I burnt him, rather gleefully.
"You called me with your words and potions. I have come for the Queen. Begone! Your purpose has been achieved." The priests hurried past me, and each time one passed, a tiny purple flame detached from me and fastened onto them, burying into them. They would all die before dawn. I've never liked priests. I guess we got off to a rough start in Gondor when they nearly killed Finduilas.
My flames diminished, and I hurried forward. Bria lay on the bed, watching me. She said nothing, and made no move. I laid my hand on her forehead, and she sank into a deep sleeping oblivion. Chian scooped her up, and hurried for the door. "Let's go."
I ran back to the slave tent, and retrieved my friends, then I led them to the camel enclosure, where the guards lay unconscious, and Chian was already there, putting Bria onto the camel, and sitting behind her. Legolas began to voice a protest, but I interrupted.
"Legolas, ride with me. Aragorn ride with Éowyn. Chian and Bria will ride together. This way the weight is pretty evenly spread out, and the camels can all be controlled." Legolas looked like he still wanted to protest, but soon Éowyn and Aragorn were on a camel and ready, and I sat on the final camel and looked at him. He gave a huff of displeasure and leapt up onto the camel behind me.
"My company's not that bad, is it?" I asked teasingly.
"I cannot believe you trust...him...with our daughter." He complained.
"What choice do I have? And anyway. He loves her, and wont let any harm come to her." I said, and even as I said it, I realised it was true. Chian did love her.
"How do you know?" Legolas asked me. I simply turned to look at him over my shoulder and he met my eyes and smiled. "Very well." He agreed.
&
We moved quickly over the desert, and soon I could see the peaks of the Southern Mountains, once called the Mountains of Shadow, rise above the golden sand. We rested during midday, sitting in the scant shade of the dunes, talking quietly or sleeping. Chian gradually gained our trust, as he tried hard to see things from our point of view, and all the advice he lent us was good and sound.
We were nearing the mountains when Chian called a halt. "The Queen is waking." He said. We all stopped, and Chian gently laid her on the ground. I knelt beside her, putting my hand on her forehead. Chian went to come forward, but Legolas held him back.
"Wait." Legolas said quietly. "Watch."
Ignoring them, I used my magic to delve deep into Bria's mind. The control of the drug was strong, but I soon defeated it, and pushed deeper into Bria's mind until I got past Ismiella and found Bria. Bria's consciousness was weak, beaten down by the drug, but I fed her my strength until I felt someone roughly pull me away.
I collapsed in their arms, and Legolas stared at me suspiciously.
"Ama?" The sound was faint, but it was enough to make me scramble up, back to my daughter's side.
"Bria!" She sat up unsteadily, and hugged me.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking around. "Where are we?"
"In the desert just south of Anorondor." I answered. She looked at me quizzically.
"But...why?" Then she flinched, turned a bit green, rolled over and threw up. She kept heaving, and I wrapped my arms around her. When she finished, Chian handed her the flask of water and she used it sparingly. She smiled in thanks to him, then narrowed her eyes "I recognise you." She said softly. He bowed, and she smiled.
"I'm Bria." She said, holding out her hand. He took it and kissed the back of it, and Aragorn raised his eyebrows and me and I grinned.
"Chian, my lady." He replied. She smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
That night we sat around on the sand, leaning against the camels. Bria would not leave my side, and felt disorientated.
"I don't understand." Chian said presently.
"What?" Éowyn asked. Bria lay sleeping between Éowyn and I, and Éowyn was stroking her hair.
"What is she to you? You all seem to care greatly for her, even though you were only her slaves. And why do you call her Bria?"
"Are you aware of the ways your people acquire queens?" I asked. Chian shook his head.
"I am relatively new to the guard. The priests say the Queens are sent to us."
"The guards kidnap a young woman to be their queen." Aragorn said. "Bria is...special to us. She was kidnapped and we came after her, only to be caught ourselves. We then felt it was best to look after her as slaves, where we would be near her.
"Are you her father?" Chian asked him. Aragorn shook his head.
"No, I am." Legolas said quietly. Chian then looked at me.
"And you are her mother." I nodded. Chian then looked at Aragorn and Éowyn. "So who are you?"
"I'm her uncle and Éowyn is a good friend, who came to help us." Chian nodded.
"And now I am an outcast who must rely on you to help me." He said, rather forlornly.
I reached over and touched his shoulder. "Don't worry. You helped us, and we shall help you." He looked at me, half in amazement.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I shall tell you later, but not now."
&
Do you like it? There isnt a huge amount left to go, now. Just bits and bobs, and I'm still deciding whether Legolas and Jané get together or not? What do you think? (Probably a stupid question, but I thought I'd ask). Tell me. Istalindar.
When Chian came to the door of the tent I was ready, and he led me out and to Bria's tent, as though he had been sent to bring me. When we slipped inside her tent, we saw it was full of priests.
"They are giving her the last dose! She must not take it." He hissed in my ear. I gestured, and the decanter filled with the potion shattered, the potion dripping onto the floor and soaking into the rich carpets. The tent was filled with exclamations and oaths as the priests reprimanded the unlucky priest who had held the decanter. Then they poured another glass.
"Damn!" I hissed. I slid out of the shadows, gesturing for Chian to stay where he was, and then I used my palm fire to engulf my entire body. The noise and light drew the priests attention, and they flinched at the pillar of purple flame that stood in the doorway.
"Leave her." I ordered, the flames changing my voice completely. The sensation of palm fire licking at my flesh tickled a lot, and I suppressed the urge to giggle. "She is done." One priest, obviously the leader, came forward.
"What are you?" he demanded. He reached out to touch me and I burnt him, rather gleefully.
"You called me with your words and potions. I have come for the Queen. Begone! Your purpose has been achieved." The priests hurried past me, and each time one passed, a tiny purple flame detached from me and fastened onto them, burying into them. They would all die before dawn. I've never liked priests. I guess we got off to a rough start in Gondor when they nearly killed Finduilas.
My flames diminished, and I hurried forward. Bria lay on the bed, watching me. She said nothing, and made no move. I laid my hand on her forehead, and she sank into a deep sleeping oblivion. Chian scooped her up, and hurried for the door. "Let's go."
I ran back to the slave tent, and retrieved my friends, then I led them to the camel enclosure, where the guards lay unconscious, and Chian was already there, putting Bria onto the camel, and sitting behind her. Legolas began to voice a protest, but I interrupted.
"Legolas, ride with me. Aragorn ride with Éowyn. Chian and Bria will ride together. This way the weight is pretty evenly spread out, and the camels can all be controlled." Legolas looked like he still wanted to protest, but soon Éowyn and Aragorn were on a camel and ready, and I sat on the final camel and looked at him. He gave a huff of displeasure and leapt up onto the camel behind me.
"My company's not that bad, is it?" I asked teasingly.
"I cannot believe you trust...him...with our daughter." He complained.
"What choice do I have? And anyway. He loves her, and wont let any harm come to her." I said, and even as I said it, I realised it was true. Chian did love her.
"How do you know?" Legolas asked me. I simply turned to look at him over my shoulder and he met my eyes and smiled. "Very well." He agreed.
&
We moved quickly over the desert, and soon I could see the peaks of the Southern Mountains, once called the Mountains of Shadow, rise above the golden sand. We rested during midday, sitting in the scant shade of the dunes, talking quietly or sleeping. Chian gradually gained our trust, as he tried hard to see things from our point of view, and all the advice he lent us was good and sound.
We were nearing the mountains when Chian called a halt. "The Queen is waking." He said. We all stopped, and Chian gently laid her on the ground. I knelt beside her, putting my hand on her forehead. Chian went to come forward, but Legolas held him back.
"Wait." Legolas said quietly. "Watch."
Ignoring them, I used my magic to delve deep into Bria's mind. The control of the drug was strong, but I soon defeated it, and pushed deeper into Bria's mind until I got past Ismiella and found Bria. Bria's consciousness was weak, beaten down by the drug, but I fed her my strength until I felt someone roughly pull me away.
I collapsed in their arms, and Legolas stared at me suspiciously.
"Ama?" The sound was faint, but it was enough to make me scramble up, back to my daughter's side.
"Bria!" She sat up unsteadily, and hugged me.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking around. "Where are we?"
"In the desert just south of Anorondor." I answered. She looked at me quizzically.
"But...why?" Then she flinched, turned a bit green, rolled over and threw up. She kept heaving, and I wrapped my arms around her. When she finished, Chian handed her the flask of water and she used it sparingly. She smiled in thanks to him, then narrowed her eyes "I recognise you." She said softly. He bowed, and she smiled.
"I'm Bria." She said, holding out her hand. He took it and kissed the back of it, and Aragorn raised his eyebrows and me and I grinned.
"Chian, my lady." He replied. She smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
That night we sat around on the sand, leaning against the camels. Bria would not leave my side, and felt disorientated.
"I don't understand." Chian said presently.
"What?" Éowyn asked. Bria lay sleeping between Éowyn and I, and Éowyn was stroking her hair.
"What is she to you? You all seem to care greatly for her, even though you were only her slaves. And why do you call her Bria?"
"Are you aware of the ways your people acquire queens?" I asked. Chian shook his head.
"I am relatively new to the guard. The priests say the Queens are sent to us."
"The guards kidnap a young woman to be their queen." Aragorn said. "Bria is...special to us. She was kidnapped and we came after her, only to be caught ourselves. We then felt it was best to look after her as slaves, where we would be near her.
"Are you her father?" Chian asked him. Aragorn shook his head.
"No, I am." Legolas said quietly. Chian then looked at me.
"And you are her mother." I nodded. Chian then looked at Aragorn and Éowyn. "So who are you?"
"I'm her uncle and Éowyn is a good friend, who came to help us." Chian nodded.
"And now I am an outcast who must rely on you to help me." He said, rather forlornly.
I reached over and touched his shoulder. "Don't worry. You helped us, and we shall help you." He looked at me, half in amazement.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I shall tell you later, but not now."
&
Do you like it? There isnt a huge amount left to go, now. Just bits and bobs, and I'm still deciding whether Legolas and Jané get together or not? What do you think? (Probably a stupid question, but I thought I'd ask). Tell me. Istalindar.