Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or any of the characters of Middle Earth. Marie, and Beth now, are the only characters that I attribute to my own imagination.

Chapter 10: Isildur's blade

Marie turned back to her task of wiping the table off as she hummed the merry tune Bofur had been singing. She had watched as the brothers walked down the long hallway toward the fountain. If Kili's slumped shoulders and exaggerated gestures had been any indication, he had most likely told his brother what had happened. She smiled to herself as she went back to wiping the table down, recalling his facial expression when she had explained her tour to him. The look of shock when he had realized that Aegnor wasn't sneaking into her room for a romantic tryst.

She admitted that the accusation had made her angry at first, but the anger had faded quickly at his heartfelt apology. With no knowledge of the circumstances, she could understand how he had come to the conclusion. It had been nothing more than a simple misunderstanding and, while she couldn't be sure if it had been jealousy or simple concern on his part, it at least showed that he cared.

She finished her job as quickly as she could, turning to one of the Elves that were bustling around her. "What should I do next?" She asked her, gesturing at the remaining mess around them.

"There's no need for you to help." The Elf told her quickly, barely sparing her a glance. "You are a guest. We'll clean this up."

"But my friends made a rather large mess. I don't mind helping."

"I'm sure that you don't," The lady told her, although her voice held a tone that made Marie believe that she was becoming quickly annoyed. "just as I am sure we do not require your assistance." She quickly turned and walked away, effectively dismissing Marie.

Marie sighed, looking around her as Elves moved quickly, cleaning food off of everything. She felt a bit useless, now that the snobby Elf lady had dismissed her without so much as a second thought.

"There you are." A voice said from behind her, distracting her from the flurry of activity and her darker thoughts. She turned to Aegnor, relieved to see at least one happy face in the crowd of sullen looking people. "Would you like to finish our tour now?" He asked her, gesturing toward one of the many halls leading away from the dining area.

She cast a final glance at the mess before shrugging up at him. "I guess now is as good a time as any, it seems that I'm not needed here."

He held out an arm for her to take as he lead her down one of the corridors. She knew that the gesture was nothing more than good manners, but she still felt a giggle bubble up in her chest as he lead her along. It escaped in a short burst before she could stop it, causing Aegnor to look at her questioningly.

"It's nothing." She waved a hand his way. "One of the members of my company thought that we were going to meet up for a romantic affair. Don't worry," She hurried on, noticing the look of distressed shock that overtook his features. "I explained everything. He just wanted to make sure that everything was proper. He apologized as soon as I told him about the tour."

Aegnor nodded, looking at her quietly for a moment. "I feel that I should apologize as well."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid that I've judged your companions unfairly, and most likely offended you as well. I received quite a few harsh glares from the young Dwarf sitting beside you during the meal, he's quite protective of you if his behavior was any indication. I can see that you are in fact cared for, and will be well taken care of on your journey. Although, my offer still stands, should you ever need it."

"Thank you." She replied, warmth filling her at both his offer and his observation. If Aegnor had noticed it from afar, then perhaps she hadn't been wrong in thinking that Kili cared for her. The thought boosted her mood considerably.

Marie followed her new friend through halls and rooms as he described the various paintings and statues, many of which depicted the Elves of old who were known for their valor in battle or contributions to great art.

She paused in front of a grand statue, noticing Aegnor's name chiseled in Common Speech at its base, although the features etched into the stone were unfamiliar and didn't match her friend's.

"Aegnor," She interrupted quietly, as he tried to explain a painting hanging nearby. "is this you? He doesn't look very much like you."

He looked up at the unmoving face, respectfully. "No, this is not me. This is Lord Aegnor, whom I am named after, the Lady Galadriel's brother. They say that he was most valiant in battle, so much so that he seemed to have fire in his eyes. He fell in love with a human woman, Andreth, but because a law preventing marriage during war times they were never wed. He perished in battle before they had the chance."

"How sad." She gazed up into the still face of the Elf. "Did she ever marry?"

"No." A voice said behind them, causing Marie to jump and spin around to see who had spoken. An Elf woman stood before them, dressed in long flowing robes, a soft white light emanating from within her. Long, almost white, hair framed her delicate face and blue eyes shone down at Marie. She was very beautiful...and intimidating, she thought as the lady's eyes moved from her to the statue. Marie looked between the Elf and the stone man, noticing similarities here and there. "She never married. She died of heartache soon after my brother left us to join those we have lost."

Aegnor bowed deeply beside her, causing her to feel compelled to also drop into a deep curtsy as he addressed the newcomer. "Lady Galadriel, it's a pleasure to see that you are visiting us here in Rivendell."

Galadriel turned from her brother's motionless face to answer them directly. "Yes, a council meeting has been called." Her eyes connected with Marie's, setting her stomach on edge. Galadriel's face looked as if she could be about thirty years old, but her eyes held the wisdom of a person who had lived multiple lifetimes, filled with both happiness and heartbreak. "It would seem our guests have caused some concern amongst a few of the council's members."

White hot anger fla red inside of Marie at the tone that the Elf had used when she had called them "guests". Granted, her company was rowdy, messy and quick to anger toward their hosts, but they were good men! She felt protective of the rag-tag group that had taken her in. Who was this woman, that she thought she could judge them?

'Calm yourself, young one.' Galadriel's voice filled her head, although her mouth never moved.

The new development had the opposite effect on her. Instead of being calmed she felt anger flare harshly as she snapped at the taller woman. "Do not assume that I would remain calm at your urging as you judge my friends. And I would appreciate it if you remained inside your own mind, not in mine!"

Aegnor tensed next to her, shifting slightly in front of Marie to block her from Galadriel's serious gaze, folding into another deep bow as he addressed her. "Forgive her, please, My Lady! I'm sure she meant no disrespect, she is surely just weary from her travels." His voice faded as Galadriel waved him out of the way. Marie brought her eyes up to meet the older woman's gaze, summoning all of her bravery to do so. She was surprised to see an amused twinkle in her gaze.

"You have fire in you that burns brighter than a dragon's, small one. It will no doubt serve you well against the creatures that will block your path. I must go and meet the others. Our paths will cross again, brave Marie." With a nod to her and then Aegnor she turned and walked from the room, leaving them alone once more.

Aegnor sighed deeply and relaxed as Galadriel slipped through the doorway. "You are fortunate she seems to be in a pleasant mood. That could have ended very badly for you."

Their tour continued on as her good mood was returned to her, making their way to yet another room. Marie was instantly drawn to a large painting, depicting a battlefield, taking up most of one of the walls. A man dressed in armor was laying on the ground, a broken sword held tightly up in defense against a shadowed man. The dark man held his own sword high over the defenseless man, death looked certain.

She turned away from the dark scene before her, eyes falling instead on a shattered sword, held up by a statue of an Elf, although Marie could not tell if it was a male or female Elf. Before Aegnor had a chance to stop her, she ran one of her hands over the broken blade, hissing in pain as the ancient metal sliced deeply into her palm.

"Marie!" Aegnor cried out, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her hand toward him. "I'm sorry, I should have stopped you. It's very old, but it's razor sharp. As you seemed to have noticed." He told her as he examined her injury.

"Isildur's sword." She said softly, her eyes still gazing at the blade. She looked up into his confused gaze, before turning back to the painting, injury forgotten. "How do I know that?"

Aegnor said something about her hand needing attention, but she couldn't seem to focus on his words. The picture before her shifted before her eyes, coming to life and drowning out the world around her. The shadow man, Sauron she knew suddenly, brought his hand out to Isildur, reaching out with a bright gold ring shining in the darkness. He lashed out at Sauron in desperation, shock registering on his face as the shard of metal cut through his attacker's fingers, slicing them off. Bright light shown from the stumps, the air filling with a high piercing sound. The light from his wounds turned nearly blinding as it engulfed the evil creature, slamming into Marie's head painfully, causing her to cry out and she squeezed her eyes shut against it.

She opened them after a short moment, and was again in the bright airy room in Rivendell. Aegnor was leaning down in order to be able to look directly into her eyes as he whispered foreign words to her, Elvish words that she couldn't understand. Her head pounded again and she cried out, clutching at her head in an effort to keep it from splitting in two, blood from her hand smeared across her temple and into her hair. Before she could stop herself she was stumbling backwards, her foot sliding out from under her sending her falling toward the floor.

Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed onto Aegnor's arms, hoping that he would be able to steady her until her head would stop spinning. He was unprepared, though, for her slight weight and went crashing down after her, crushing her momentarily between his heavier body and the floor.

The sharp pain passed from her head, leaving only a dull ache where she was sure she had hit the stone beneath her. Aegnor was kneeling above her, her hands still gripped onto his arms. She noticed that one of his sleeves was torn and bloody from where she had grabbed onto his with her injured hand, and somehow, to her embarrassment, her dress had somehow ended up pooled up around her knees.

"Aegnor, I'm so-" She wasn't able to finish her apology before he was violently ripped from above her.

"Get off of her!"

A/N: Dun Dun Duuuun! A little cliffhanger! For everyone who is way more knowledgeable in the history of Middle Earth I'm sure that I got things wrong. I know that Andreth didn't die right after Aegnor did, she lived for a long time, I just thought it would be more romantic!

Also, just in case I didn't describe it well enough, Marie was having a memory of the movie The Fellowship of the Ring. She wasn't in the battle or anything.

Please review! Next chapter next week!