Author's Notes: Thanks for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying it do far. That's all I've really got to say. So errr yeah here's the next instalment for my story.

A Keeper Of A Phoenix

Morning came on gold rays that shone threw the cracks in the curtains. I had managed to somehow fall away into the depths of my OWN dreams after those horrible visions and nightmares. The visions I knew were not sent to me by the darkness that lingers in the South but of the light that lasts out in the Grey Heavens. But, the nightmares however had certainly arrived on the black wings of dark magic. Though it troubled me that this sorceress could control my dreams I daren't not speak of them to anyone. Surly this was just a one off, a warning of such, to detour me from delving too deep in the matters of the comings battles that were yet to come.

After a warm relaxing and fragrant bath that tried to prise away the disturbing thoughts of last night, I rose walked from the bathing room and back into the sleeping chamber with a towel wrapped tightly around my body. I soon picked out a dress and brushed my hair into a lose side pony tail. There was a quick but strong knock at the door. I picked up the key from the under the pillow and walked to the door in bare feet. I put the key into the lock and opened the door.

A young maid of the court stood with her head down looking at the ground. "I am no Gorgan, so please look up." I said plainly. The maid lifted her head as if she was in fear that I may burn her where she stood if she looked me directly in the eyes. "Arwen asked I to collect you for lunch...breakfast in gardens" The maid struggled speaking the Common tongue but she did well. I smiled at the maid then shut the chamber's door behind me so I stood in the wall way along with the maid. She murmured something about hating the use of Common Tongue in Elvish then moved down the coridor. "Ekli tha. (This way)" She called in Elvish. I followed after her but I knew my way round this place like the back of my hand.

I had not seen Arwen since that passing of the last five decades but I had revived letters from her and her twin brothers. But in the last decade we had not stayed in touch, it was 15 years ago when the queer happens began all over Middle Earth. Messaging birds started to never arrive at their chosen destinations and if they did they had no letters on them.

I ducked through a white cotton curtain that hang down the doorway that lead out into the gardens. The smell of flowers drifted lightly through the air. I could hear the birds in the woods sings their jolly morning songs.

Sat at a circular stone table was Arwen. Her hair was still as dark as it was the last time I saw her. Her grey eyes held the light of many peoples hopes and dreams. Her dress was pale ivory that caught the morning light, delicately and her pale skin was fair as if her skin had been dusted with chalk powder. Around her neck hung a silver necklace that she has never taken off ever since she was born.

"I remember when you sat there on the bench crying." She said as she looked at the stone bench that sat under a weeping willow tree. I sat down across from her with my back to the bench. "That was a long time ago, Arwen." I said trying to forget the days I spent their looking towards the eastern lands of my kin. Arwen was younger than me by ten years and her brothers were older than me by two years. She smiled kindly them said her words of wisdom. "Not for us. You and I both know our kinds never forget things of our pasts unless we chose to forget." she paused for a moment then went onwards with her words. "Alas, I wish my brothers would forget their lust for vengeance against those who hurt our mother then maybe they'd be more peaceful souls."

"They are peaceful, only they seek out peace by hunting down those of the same kind that hurt your mother so many decades ago. Elladan and Elohir are not the ones who choose wait for anything. They are fighters who fight to seek out the fill that will fill their lust of revenge."

"I don't think they will ever get their fill." Arwen said with a sorrowful tone. She clearly had not seen her older siblings in a long time. "For I fear one day they will be reckless because of their lust of revenge"

I smiled. Arwen was always the kind sibling out of the three who did not like to use violence. "We are all reckless. I'm certainly reckless at times and so are you. Or have you forgotten the DAY hunting trip that turned to a three DAY hunting trip because someone dropped the map down a well?"

"How is it that you can be so wise yet so sarcastic at the same time?" She said jokingly. I shrugged my shoulders with no answer. I had always had a witty and terribly sarcastic mind. It was something I could not rid myself of. Many tutors had tried and all of which had failed. "It was must be in my nature, I suppose."

We ate a breakfast of fruit and bread. At times we would reminisce on events that had happened whilst we had not been in touch. As I expected Arwen still held a place in her heart for Aragorn the heir of Gondor and brave Ranger of the North. I had met him twice. First was on a visit to Rivendale. He was 9 then and the second meeting was by accident when he was 22. We had stumbled across him hunting elk near Castdeia's boarders. The guards seemed to take a liking to the young lad and his talent for shooting so they invited him to a dinner as a guest of the Guard. The dinner being held was to celebrate the knighting of Sir Kinstron who had passed he 100th birthday, so was now eligbal to be a knight of Castdeia. He was now 83 years old by my reckoning and would have not changed in appearence since his 25th birthday. "What about you then?" Arwen asked with a grin. I finished eating a piece of bread. I had only been half listening to her stories of Aragorn. The other half of my mind was thinking back to my vision. "I'm sorry what did you say?"

"What about you then? You've spent 2,623 years on this planet, surly you of all people should have a companion."

I blurted out a small and short piece of laughter before calming myself quickly. "Nope. There is no one. And moving on to a next topic..." I paused trying to think of a topic that swerved away from the topic of companionship.

There was a loud cry of a bird. I looked up to the sky and saw a dark blue and white feathered bird gliding down the side of the Rivendale valley. The bird moved at an amazing speed that could put any other bird to shame. It twisted and turned in and out of trees. It's call was high pitched yet beautiful at the same time. The bird swooped across the grass blowing up leaves behind it then settled down on the stone bench. "Never have a I seen such a bird before" Arwen said in a trance as she looked at the bird. I looked questionably at the bird and it's markings. "You shouldn't have. Their species resides in Castdeia and in the nearby untamed land." I stood up steadily being careful not to scare the bird that sat scratching at the stone bench. "I think it's one of the Unmarked" I murmured to myself.

In the court these birds were used at watchers of the land and at desperate times they were messager birds. Some were not marked to stop them from being shot down by our foes. The ones that were marked were used for sending messages around the kingdom if the messages needed to arrive quickly. But, rarely does the court use the Unmarked as messages for outside of the kingdom. The Marked and the Unmarked were the great birds of our people and land. If one was to name the species in Comon Tongue one would call then Phoenixes or the Sky Birds. But by the elves who knew of their existence they were called Castels.

On the Unmarked Phoenix's foot was a small scroll held on by a leather band. I took the message from the band and unrolled it. Silver ink was written across it on the pale paper. It read:

'To my dearest neice Tara of Castdeia,

Whatever it is you needed to tell Lord Elrond, I hope he finds it useful. I must admit I not happy with how you left with no warning but that is all in the past. The bird stood before you his called Horus. He is heir of the fastest family of Phoenix's that the court has ever tamed. His father was your father's bird. I fear that the path back to Castdeia maybe unsafe. So I plead you to stay in Rivendale and wait there until it is once safe again. I am sure Horus will protect you from what terrible beasts that now roam the skies. Stay true to yourself and I shall ever await to see you once more my dear niece.

From your uncle.

P.S he's still young in his maturity'

My shoulders sank as I read the letter. For I would miss the rolling hills of my homeland until I saw them once more. I looked towards the eastern land and sighed. I knew it would be a long wait, indeed. 'I should have never come here' I thought to myself in dismay. The bird who was now named Horus let out a slight but chilling cry, almost as if he too had read the letter and learned of the fact he would be away from what little family he had back in Castdeia. "Seems like your the only other person here from the realm of Castdeia, Horus" I said in the most forced jokenly voice I could manage. I stroked Horus along his neck and down his body until I came to the end of his feathers. Horus's eyes were full of life and colour. A guard came into the garden. He bowed to the both of us then spoke quietly with Arwen.

"Tara?" Awren called.

"Hmmm?" I came from my daydream of how many days I may miss before I could go back. "I'm needed to speak with my father. Will you be ok if I go?"

"Sure. I'm not gonna be alone anyway. There's Horus" I said whilst I sat down beside the bird. Arwen smirked then walked out of the garden following guard.

With my back against the weeping willow I sat in the depths of my mind. I wondered if I would miss the winter solstice where it marks the first days of snow. I felt an animal enclosed in a small pen. Or like a fragile parcel being passed around as if my skin was a thin sheet of glass. I suppose that's what happens if your an heir. Then again I'm sure Aragorn doesn't feel like this. But he has chosen the path exile for now whereas I have not. However neither of us or anyone else can escape their fated and destinies. I just wished I could find a cheat or an escape hatch so I could put run mine. Expectations that's what I wanted free from my life. In the eyes of others who do not know me so well, they expect to see a polite Nymph with a talent for cooking and needle work not a big mouthed Nymph. Who would rather be stood in an opening with an arrow notched rather than sat in a chamber sewing useless patterns into fabric.

Yet, I knew my title was not a thing to be thrown away without consequences. For a start if my uncle was to die the thrown would pass to the Thornbrokes who would bring in taxes that were too high to pay and would rage wars against the weak who do not deserve to be attacked. Horus chirped then head butted my right arm. I felt a sudden shock run threw my hand. Horus was burning a fire of white and blue. When the fire settled I noticed my nymph scar burnt into Horus's feathers. He was no longer one of the Unmarked. He was now one of the Marked. 'We are joined by these marks we bare on our skins' A voice said inside my head. My stated at the bird in shock, I was sure that this voice had come from Horus. 'Your thoughts are my thoughts and my thoughts are you thoughts. Your gifts are my gifts and my gifts are yours' The voice said again. It was voice of a young man. 'You are my Keeper and I am your Phoenix.'

So it was true. The old tales about the Phoenix and their Keepers having telepathic links. But, Keepers never told their secrets for that was their main weapon in battle. Not even my uncle would tell me why he could tell Eos, his Phoenix what to do without speaking any words aloud. It was only ever speculated that they had these links with their Phoenixes. Now I knew it was the truth. 'So tell me, why is the path back to Castdeia unsafe for me to take.' I said in my thoughts wondering if Horus had heard. His eyes lit up with joy then it died away like a candle being put out. He made an odd sound in his throat almost like a hiss. 'Orcs, Goblins, Wargs and other horrible beings are on the move in the untamed lands. It would be a bad idea to trek those lands without companions to watch your back. Even some Rangers are beginning to fear moving along the roads. They now see that it would be safer to travel across country'

I gulped if Rangers were becoming scarce of the Roads then maybe it was time for all the armies of the kingdoms to get ready for a fight and a big one at that.

Arwen suddenly rushed into the garden. Fear was in her expression and on her mind. I got up and saw a darkening cloud hang over the southern lands. "It's Aragorn he's in trouble. Ring One has been found and Ringwraiths are hunting him and four Hobbits. My father thinks one of Hobbits has the One Ring and that the bearer of the ring is gravely ill." Arwen's voice was desperate and fearful of what was soon to come. We both knew of the story of the One Ring and the terror that it had once brought upon this land. I had heard it many times from the the mouth of my father or from the mouth of Elrond.

Either way they were first hand accounts and both were to be trusted as the truth.

"Where are they at the present time?" I asked quickly. Horus had become more alert to his surroundings. His watchful eyes looked around in as if to spy out something that was not meant to be. "On the western edge of Trollshaw Forest. We need to help them. Nine wraiths are on their tails."

"Then we shall help them." I said quickly without hesitation. My heart beated with anticipatation to get those were being hunted by Wraiths out of the reach those ghostly arms and swords.

"Meet me at stables in ten minutes and bring some weapons."

"What's that I hear? Did I just hear Arwen say to bring weapons?" I said with a voice full of sarcasm. Arwen rolled her eyes then looked at Horus's new mark on his right wing. "That's your Nymph Scar?" She observed the black triangle with three spirals inside drawn on Horus's right wing. "Yes, it is" I shrugged. "We better set of soon" I said as I changed the subject. 'Horus, I think we may need you to scout Aragorn and his company of four Hobbits out in the forest of Trollshaw. Remember keep out of sight. This link works over distances, right?'

'It does. Farewell for now' Horus flew gracefully to the edge of the garden then swooped down into the valley heading in the director of Trollshaw forest. "It seems your now a Keeper of a Phoenix. I shall ask no more on this subject. We must set off soon."