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Please keep in mind while reading that Elvish doesn't directly translate to English. Like the word 'IS' is not in the elvish dictionary which makes it very hard to write in Elvish, but I do my best because it is a beautiful language, and JRR Tolking did a wonderful job. Thanks for your understanding!
Words in BOLD means they are said in Elvish, and the words spoken in their minds between Mayleea and the other characters are in Italics.
"What is it? What do you see?" asked Aragorn at Legolas's elbow.
"The White Wizard approaches," whispered the Elf.
Mayleea had no idea what he meant, but by the looks on the other two's faces told the whole story. She growled in response to their growing worry. Whatever was coming through those trees was going to get a burst of flame to the face. The next few seconds happened very quickly. A blindingly white light flashed, making them temporarily unable to see. Even with bright pops of light before her eyes, Mayleea sent a jet of orange fire at the intruder, but it seems to disappear as soon as it left her mouth.
Gimli threw his ax at it which obviously did nothing.
'Stupid Dwarf' she thought. 'If fire couldn't penetrate whatever is protecting the wizard, what makes you think your glorified potato peeler could do anything?'
Before Aragorn could get his sword out, Mayleea let out a roar and dove for the light intending to find its jugular and rip it out, but a pain erupted behind the iron hard scales on her chest. She collapsed into a heap at the Wizard's feet. As She looked up into the light, he spoke.
"You are looking for two young hobbits."
Mayleea naturally assumed he was talking about the two she had seen with Gollum, but when Aragorn asked what the Wizard had done with them, she was confused. She had seen them not that morning and they were fine and well. She quickly gathered there were two other hobbits that had been taken by the Urk-high. She was still lying at the Wizard's feet when Aragorn yelled, "Show yourself!"
The light slowly dissipated to reveal a grandpa faced old man who looked like he should be nice, not evil, but with the light gone, Mayleea could feel the pain in her chest ease. She jumped to her feet and was about to jump at him when Legolas' voice echoed in her ears.
"Stop! He is not evil."
Mayleea shot the Elf a glare then looked back at the Wizard.
"Gandalf," whispered Aragorn in awe.
They were all dropping their weapons and walking up to him! Mayleea jumped in front of them, growing taller than Legolas. They had to be under a spell. A growl echoed low in her chest making the ground shake. The birds in the tops of the trees fled in fear, and Aragorn and Gimli stop. Legolas however, continued to move toward her until his warm hand was on her side.
"Easy," he said looking up into her face. "ro il 'ksh."
She swung her head around to glare at the Wizard the back to Legolas' calm eyes. She lifted her lip showing her discomfort at letting him go near the intruder. Legolas drew his hand down her neck and came to rest on the breastplate over her heart. Immediately pictures and scenes entered her mind. They were of the White wizard and the hobbit with the ring. Then they were of the wizard leading a party Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli were part of. Then he fell and there was so much pain. Mayleea felt terrible for trying to rip his throat out.
She turned her eyes to the wizard afraid to enter his mind to give her apology. She shrunk and stood before the wizard humbly dropping her head. He smiled and put a hand on her head between her horns.
"I am glad that these three have found such a loyal comrade as an Elemental."
She looked up at him confused.
"What is an Elemental?" Mayleea asked. "I am a dragon."
The wizard raised a bushy eyebrow.
"My dear you are an Elemental. You are half human."
"I can't be," she reasoned mostly with herself. "Never once did I see my clan as human."
"You wouldn't have," said the Wizard. "The knowledge of changing back and forth between human and dragon was lost long ago."
Mayleea's head was starting to spin, so she sat on the wet leafy ground. The Elf in their company looked worried as did Aragorn, but Gimli looked plainly afraid. In complete contrast the Wizard looked completely calm, almost happy. He knelt to meet her eyes.
"This is a good thing."
He reached out and placed a hand on her chest.
"Would you like me to show you what your other half looks like?"
His old wrinkly, yet somehow familiar face was comforting. His ice blue eyes were warm and inviting, and Mayleea was having a hard time not trusting him.
"Yes," she said finally.
Aragorn stepped forward.
"But Gandalf do you think this is a good idea?"
Gandalf turned sure eyes on the man that silenced him, then turned back to Mayleea.
"I hear it is quite uncomfortable the first time you change," he warned her.
She nodded and suddenly there was a searing pain behind her scales where Gandalf's hand was. She roared and jumped back from the Wizard, but the pain got worse. Legolas and Aragorn started to move in to help, but Gandalf stopped them with a look.
She roared again as the pain got so bad it felt like her insides were being cooked. Her eyes closed inadvertently as the roar turned to an inhuman scream that subsided as soon as it had come. She curled into the fetal position as she heard someone gasp. The pain in her chest had not completely gone when she felt tears leave her eyes and was immediately confused. She shouldn't be able to feel anything so light as tears sliding down the hard plates on her face. She slowly opened her eyes but closed them at once. The sun seemed to burn.
"You will have to get used to your new eyes," said Gandalf from my left as he put a blanket around her shoulders.
She again, slowly this time, opened her eyes and it was easier to see. She noticed her new eyes made everything cloudy. She saw Aragorn and Gimli standing, looking completely surprised. Legolas was next to the Dwarf looking elated. Gandalf was on her left looking very surprised indeed.
Mayleea looked herself over. Her arms and legs were long and slender as were her delicate hands and fingers. She looked at Aragorn's hands and limbs that looked somewhat stumpy compared to hers. Another thing she noticed about herself, that she really didn't know how to feel about was the fact she was not clothed, save for a cloak around her shoulders. She had never had the need for clothes as a dragon, but because all her companions were wearing clothes, she felt she was lacking something.
"Gandalf she's an…" Gimli seemed not able to finish his sentence, so Aragorn tried.
"She's not a… she's an…"
"Edhel tarien," Legolas said fondly as he crossed the mossy forest floor and knelt at her side.
Mayleea had been alive long enough to know Elvish, but she couldn't believe he had just called her an Elf Princess.
"vedui' seler'," (greetings sister) he said.
She knew the appropriate response was 'vedui' toror,' " (greetings brother) but he wasn't her brother. She wasn't even an elf.
Legolas smiled then I looked at Gandalf confused. There was nothing but surprise written across her face.
"Not in all my years have I met an Elemental that had Elf in her instead of human. I suppose there is a first for everything," he said smiling.
"I'm an Elf?" Mayleea asked surprised feeling her ears.
Legolas smiled.
"You said I would be human," she said slowly still not sure if her speech was good considering she had never spoken before.
"When we have time, I would like to look at your clan's history," Gandalf said looking thoughtful. "It seems you and probably your family before you were a different kind of Elemental."
He smiled warmly as Legolas slid a hand under her arm and gently pulled her to her feet. They weren't easy to stand on however. She immediately fell forward once again getting stopped by Legolas' hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him sheepishly then she looked around the circle.
Aragorn was looking respectively at her face but the Dwarf was looking over her anatomy with open fascination. Aragorn glanced down at his comrade and pushed the Dwarf's helmet over his eyes. Mayleea glanced at Legolas who was glaring at Gimli. She smiled at the Elf and looked back at Gimli to catch Aragorn rolling his eyes. She had seen that eye roll before.
Suddenly it hit her. He was Aragorn son of Arathorn. He was heir to the throne of Gondor. He was the rightful King. He was the last man alive from the royal line. He and he alone was the man who now carried the oath she had once given to Isildur.
Without warning she took a step toward him out of Legolas' safe hold. She managed to cross the clearing without falling and came to stand in front of the ruggedly handsome ranger. She suddenly realized it was probably very uncomfortable for him to be this close to a naked woman so she turned and looked imploringly at Gandalf.
"Gandalf , how do I return to my dragon form?"
"Now that you have done it once you can change back and forth at your will. Just remember what it was like as your other form and it should be easy."
She nodded and closed her eyes and remembered the feeling of towering over a deer right before she killed it. She remembered soaring so high the humans below thought she was a gull. she remembered roaring and scaring the birds room their nests and the horses from their barns. She suddenly realized she could no longer feel the warm wind.
She opened her eyes and before she even looked at herself she knew she was back to dragon form. Everything seemed somehow clearer than through her elf eyes. She turned her eyes on her King and said, "I knew Isildur. Before the battle of Mordor, I made an oath to his father to protect and honor him and his line from then until I died, or the last of his line was gone. I thought his line had died so I stopped looking for you but now-"
"Gondor has not had a King in years," Aragorn said glumly.
"It is being ruled by a Steward. The city is crumbling, it will not survive one more attack and here you are letting YOUR city fall to ruin!" she roared letting her rage boil over her own mind and take over his.
"Why don't you go help it then?" he asked turning from her and walking away.
She growled and grew so tall that her head touched the underside of the trees. She snaked her neck around him and laid her head in his path.
"I did not pledge to protect the Steward. I pledged to protect the real King and his line. Isildur's trials were his own. You will not fail as King. I can feel it," she said curling her lip up into a smile, though it looked more like she was angry because of her large pointed teeth.
Aragorn did not look impressed with her undying faith in him, but he said no more against it so she shrunk until her eyes could be level with his. She then looked around the group. As she looked between the members of this group she remembered why she had come here in the first place.
"I found two young Hobbits in the swamps just outside Mordor. They were accompanied by Gollum."
They all seemed to be worried at this news. All but Gandalf. He nodded slowly and said, "I told Frodo that Gollum had a part to play in this. He must have remembered what I said."
Mayleea looked around at her companions and her eyes landed lastly on Legolas who's expression was incredibly hard to read. She soon found herself staring at his beautiful features. His blue eyes, golden hair, the tight, smooth skin over his chiseled jaw. She just wanted to touch his face to see if it was as soft as it looked. As her eyes roamed to his weapons she made note of the Elvin made bow and quiver that were thrown loosely, yet with care over his broad shoulder. There were two long knife hilts resting against his back at easy access for him. They too no doubt they were also Elvin made. She wondered absently if she would ever have anything Elvin made, since she was technically an Elf.
Legolas was clad in travel attire commonly warn by the Elves. They were foresty save the grey long sleeved undershirt that all warriors put on before any form of armor. His brown tunic came next. It only reached the elbow, but just under the elbow his leather wrist guards started. They were inlayed with the silver leaves the Elves were known for. The last thing was the hard strips of leather covering his shoulders, but the warm cloak that should have gone over that, was still on one of her spine spikes.
She reached plucked it off. She jumped into the air and flew over to the Elf and draped it over his shoulders. She then flew to Aragorn and got small enough to land on his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at her but shrugged almost sending her to the ground. The rest of the group smiled and Gandalf said, "Now we ride to Edoras."
"Will they accept me Gandalf?" Mayleea asked stretching on Aragorn's shoulder."They will," said Gandalf. "Elementals used to rule the skies all over middle earth. They are known throughout the land. All the way to the Shire."
She nodded and made herself comfortable on her King's shoulder. Aragorn still seemed uneasy that there was a hawk sized dragon on his shoulder but he followed his comrades out of the woods.
They reached two horses picketed in a shady area with long grass. Both animals smelled Mayleea immediately and pulled violently on their tethers.
She quickly entered their minds and said, "Do not fear me. I am here to protect not destroy."
They calmed down right away and Aragorn approached the chocolate one and Legolas called the appaloosa. Gandalf then walked to a hill and whistled. It was silent for a full minute then hoof beats could be heard in the distance and a shrill whinny met their ears.
A gorgeous white stallion came galloping over a hill straight for them. He stopped in front of the Wizard.
"Ahh Shadowfax," he said fondly stroking the horse's brow.
Gandalf mounted him as Legolas pulled Gimli up behind him. Aragorn's horse tossed his head impatiently as Gimli got settled. Dwarves were not accustomed to horses and therefore were terrible at staying on.
As their party started riding, Mayleea jumped into the air and flew alongside Aragorn, growing bigger just for good measure. They road for about an hour when Legolas' horse unexpectedly jumped and tossed Gimli off the back. Without even thinking, Mayleea swooped under him. He landed firmly on her back, right in front of her wing joint.
She couldn't believe this. She was letting a Dwarf ride on her back. A Dwarf! Dwarves were inherently bad with any other species than their own, and it had been a Dwarf that killed her mate so many years ago, but here she was letting one ride on her back. Even thought she didn't fully trust Gimli, she could tell there was something about him that was good. He seemed to have a better heart than any she had ever met.
She laughed because he was clinging onto her spine spike so tightly. She turned her head to face him and gently plucked him off her back. She swung her head around, Gimli held gently in her teeth by the back of his cloak, and set him carefully behind Legolas on his horse. He immediately latched onto Legolas' waist making Mayleea roar with laughter. She rolled in the air making Shadowfax snort. Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf laughed too as they made their way to Edoras.
When they were about two minutes from the city gate, they detoured into a small patch of trees. Gandalf turned to Mayleea as she landed on Aragorn's shoulder.
"My dear the King has been corrupted. The last thing he needs to see is a dragon right away."
She puffed smoke out of her nostrils, irritated, but jumped lightly to the ground. To her delight she saw that Aragorn looked almost disappointed that she had left his shoulder.
"You misunderstand dear," Gandalf said. "You must come with us, but you must be in your hum- um Elf from."
She started at him stunned. She could hardly walk and on top of that she had no clothes. She told her worries to the Wizard, but he smiled, and said, "Gimli would you please look inside your pack?"
Gimli looked confused, but did as he was instructed. In a few seconds his eyes widened and he pulled out folded Elven fighting attire. He looked at them then to Gandalf, who was looking smugly toward Edoras smoking his pipe. Gimli looked at a loss for what to do so he handed them to the Elf sitting in front of him.
Legolas nimbly jumped from his horse's back almost making Gimli topple to the ground and put a hand on Mayleea's neck. He motioned toward a patched of bushes where the other men could not see. They walked behind them and she concentrated on the feelings she remembered from her brief time as a human, and soon she was standing on two uneasy Elf legs.
Legolas set the pile of clothes on a log nest to him. He offered her a pair of pants. She had seen humans dress many times when she was in the war and she had a pretty good idea on how it was done. She slid the pants on then the tight bodice, which fit perfectly. When Legolas saw that she had everything under control with the clothes, he went to work fixing her hair. She hadn't even realized she had hair until she felt him pulling leaves and twigs out of it. His nimble fingers worked quickly doing something creative as she pulled her wrist guards on and tightened them. The soft, durable leather of her boots were comfortable against her feet. They were better than the cold ground anyway. Legolas handed her a green shirt with a perfect silver dragon winding itself around the tree of the elves. It was beautiful. She pulled it on and looked at Legolas. He was admiring the silver stitching.
Legolas of Mirkwood didn't talk much, but he did not have to. Everyone seemed to know what was on mind when he wanted them too, but when he wanted to hide his thoughts, he could do so just as easily. He met her eyes and held her gaze until she turned away turning a light shade of red. He smiled.
Her eyes suddenly landed back on the log where two long, curved knives, a sword and a bow and arrow's lay. Mayleea felt her face light up as she walked toward them. She picked up the beautify made bow and ran her hand over the raised design that ended abruptly where the grip for the hand hold was, then started again on the other side. Tiny, hand painted green leaves and vines wound their way up the arrow shafts and ended in the silver arrow head. She pulled a green cloak on before she took the arrows and slung them over her back and buckled them. Legolas showed her how to cross the long knives against her back under the arrows, and the Elven sword buckled around her waist.
"I think you are ready," he said patting her shoulder.
She nodded and they both came out from the bushes and stood in front of Gandalf, Aragorn and Gimli.
"Thank you," Mayleea said. "For all of this."
Gandalf smiled and said, "Elvin attire fits you well my dear."
She returned the smile and opened her arms to show the tree and the dragon.
"The normal sign of an Elemental has a dragon and a human, but seeing as you are half Elf rather than human, I had to improvise."
"It's beautiful," Aragorn put in quietly.
Mayleea smiled at him, as Legolas walked to his horse and easily jumped on behind Gimli. He took the reins and waited looking at Mayleea. Aragorn held out his hand and she stepped forward. He helped her put the correct foot in the stirrup, as she entered the horses' mind and asked him not to throw her off. She heard him laugh as she accustomed herself to the saddle. Aragorn swung his leg over behind her and took the reins.
"Hang on," he said in her ear.
She was sure she heard a smile in his voice as the horses took off. At first she was sure she would fall, but as soon as she got tense she felt Aragorn's arm snake around her waist. She wasn't sure how he could steer the horse with one hand but he did, and he did it well. Riding did not even come close to flying, but it was better than walking. She made a mental note to take Aragorn and Legolas flying someday.
They made it to the gates of Edoras in just under ten minutes. As soon as they entered the gate Mayleea could tell something was not as it should be. They left their horses at the stable and walked up to the throne room. There were six guards posted at the door that stopped them and told them that they had to leave all weapons outside. Mayleea sighed heavily. She didn't want to take her new Elvish weaponry off, but she wanted to get inside.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught Aragorn and Legolas smirk at each other. Once they were all weaponless, they were led inside. The throne room was dark and long and at the end was an old man. He looked like he had seen at least sixty five summers.
"This is King Théoden," Aragorn said quietly.
"King?" Mayleea asked surprised.
Aragorn nodded.
"How many summers has he seen?" she asked.
"No more than forty," Gandalf interjected. "He has been infected by a spy from Saruman. He has aged because of it."
She raised her eyebrows and scanned the room for the spy. She easily found him sitting at the Kings right hand. He looked more like a reptile than a man. He suddenly stood and approached them. Mayleea let out a low growl on instinct making Legolas smile. She discovered that her growl was not quite as menacing as a human.
He came to Gandalf, but before he said much, Gandalf said," Grima, keep your forked tongue behind your teeth." Gandalf put the tip of his staff in Grima's face as the snake man yelled, "His staff! I told you to take the Wizard's staff!"
Immediately the guards around the room jumped into action, and Grima turned to leave as Gandalf stepped up to the King. Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn easily knocked all the guards back and Mayleea jumped for Grima, though she forgot to concentrate on staying in her human form and she reverted to her dragon form.
Her orange and black skin glistened even in the dark room as she landed on Grima and pushed him to the ground. She held him down easily with one front foot on his chest. She growled enjoying the sound coming from her dragon form. Grima, on the other hand, seemed terrified, which made her happy.
The guards stared at Mayleea for a few seconds before getting up and scurrying to the other end of the hall. Grima tried to get up, but a low growl came from deep within her chest and Gimli said, "I would advise not moving."
At that moment, Gandalf threw back his cloak and yelled, "I am Gandalf the White! Leave Théoden King in peace Saruman!"
Théoden writhed in his throne as Gandalf drew Saruman out. A young woman suddenly came sprinting through the hall. Aragorn was fast to catch her around the waist. Finally Saruman's hold on Théoden was extinguished. Théoden's face slowly changed back from a sixty year old man to a forty year old man.
Aragorn let the young woman go and she ran to Théoden and knelt at his feet.
"My King?" she asked lightly touching his hand.
He looked up into her eyes.
"I know your face," he said touching her cheek. "Eyowen my niece."
Eyowen smiled as tears spilled from her solemn eyes.
"You have been gone for so long uncle," she said. "I was beginning to lose hope."
"How did I come back?" Théoden asked.
Eyowen glanced behind her at the white robed wizard.
"Gandalf," Théoden whispered.
Gandalf smiled at the King as he stood. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli bowed respectfully, but Théoden ushered them to stand.
"Thank you. All of you."
He looked around at their group, but stopped short when he got to Mayleea. His eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. She was suddenly afraid he would fear her. She backed away from Grima, who didn't move. Théoden slowly moved toward her. He seemed afraid she would spook. He was now close enough to touch her.
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