Author's Notes: Hello, I'd like to say a massive thank you, the readers, the followers, the favouriters and the reviewers. You all give the condfiffendence to write and for that I am grateful. I know this chapter is quite large and should probably be two chapters but hayhoo I am submitting this whilst I am in another country across the Channel.
On Our Way Back And The Stranger Stooping Over Lune Flowers
Dawn broke out in the herizon and the forest awoken from it's lull of night. Shafts of sun light shone through the gaps in the canopy on to the forest floor. Sam was the first to awake out of the group of sleeping men. He fumbled in his heavy looking pack and pulled out cooking utensils which he set before the fire. "Aren't you tired?" He asked as he prepped the meal his was planning on making. "Nope." I answered as I got to my feet and walked over where Aragorn lay still deep within his dreams. I stood him and lightly nudged him in the back with my foot. "Wakey, wakey, Aragorn. It's dawn and we must be off soon." he didn't budge instead he muttered something about Arwen and rolled over to face me. He was still out of it. I bent over him and slapped him on each of his checks with no care on whether it hurt him or not. A groan of tiredness passed his lips and he slowly began to wake up. Merry woke up next and Pippin was the last to wake up from his slumber.
"Catch!" Merry shouted as he tossed an apple towards my head. I caught it safety in my palms. "Thank you." I sat quietly eating my apple looking into the distance. Once all of the group had had their filling we began to pack up the camp. "Merry? Pippin? Your going to ride Thilason. He knows the way."
"But he's so big." Pippin muttered as he looked at Thilason. Merry strode up to Thilason and began to adjust the saddle and stirrups. "What about me?" Sam piped up loudly as Aragorn began place Merry on to Thilason. "I pretty sure Thilason cannot hold more than two mighty Halflings, they are younger and need more protection than you do as you have lived more winters than them" I played with my words making sure it came out as a complement and not as an insult. His eyes lit up with a joy as if my words were gold. "But do not worry, Sam. You can ride Bill." Aragorn lifted him up onto the saddle which made Bill groan a little at the extra burden he must carry to Rivendale.
"Thilason, ro thast tœ Rivendale. Meak sren Bill forws" (Thilason, ride to Rivendale. Make sure Bill follows) I told Thilason in Castdeian. Thilason huffed and nodded back his head. Pippin held tightly on to his best friends waist as Thilason set off on a gradual trudge. Aragorn lead Bill by the reins and I walked by the side of Thilason watching the surroundings carefully. Horus let off a loud cry and flew off into the sky. "What's Castdeia like?" Pippin asked me swaying side to side in the saddle that was too hide for him small stature. I paused before I could answer. Could I bare to describe the lands that I may not see again? A lump formed in my throat constricting my breathing. I looked down at the ground as if I had not heard his question. My eyes blurred up with tears that I refused to allow to fall down my checks. I pulled my cloak closer around me.
"I'll scout out the way ahead." I mumbled as I walked briskly ahead of the group. I blocked out the questions that the Halflings asked Aragorn about me and my homeland. My mind wanted silence yet it knew it would no receive any. I wondered further from the group until their voices were as quiet as the crickets in the grass. To my surprise I had noticed that we were now walking across the open country of rolling hills of grass and stone. Trollshaw now sat in the distance behind me as a small patch of green and brown. The sun now sat at it's highest peek in the sky and clouds drifted slowly across the blue sky in the lazy wind. I sat on a nearby rock and waited for the group to catch up. When they did catch up I could hear the Halfling moaning at Aragorn who they called Strider about being hungry and missing out on their Elevenses and first lunch. "If you want to eat anything remotely hot you'll need to be under cover and we lack that at the present time." I told them as I picked at the long grass and ripped it up in my hands. Horus drifted down from the sky gracefully and landed on Bill's head. Bill did not seem too pleased with Horus's arrival and began to sway his head in an attempt to knock Horus off.
Huffs, puffs, groans and moans came from the Halflings as they learnt they would have to wait till they ate hot food again. Aragorn gave them each a Halfling handful of dried fruits and an apple. "That should fill their little stomachs" I said after taking a sip of water. Aragorn shook his head and sat down beside me "I thought that so myself once but my thought was wrong. Their stomachs are even bigger than mine or yours, they do not fill up easily." His eyes drifted from the Halflings to the low laying land in the valley where the pines were few but ground was flat and filled which dry grass. "What did they ask then? I know they were asking about me but I could not stand to earsdrop."
"Sam wanted to know your age. Merry wanted to know if you were any good at fighting and Pippin asked some questions I do choose not to answer." He pauced and looked at Horus with a smile. "I always did wonder if you'd be a Keeper." I shrugged my shoulders and stood up watching the lands closely.
Something felt wrong with the landscape. Birds flew in clouds of brown wings above us moving towards the West. "The birds from the South are fleeing West to the Undying Lands." I murmured as I witnessed the obscure cloud of beating wings. A loud cry came from
Sam as he pointed to his right. "There! There!" He cried as he pointed to two horse riders moving fast threw the hills. The Riders were riding low with their heads ducked down. Both of the Riders were clad in silver cloak's. Their two horses were as black as night and moved quickly and skilfully across the rough terrain. "Do not draw your swords these are no enemies of ours." Aragorn warned the Halflings after he noticed my beaming grin.
The Riders drew closer and finally stopped 5m away from us. The horses of the Rider's stamped their hoofs on the ground, sending vibrations through the thick earth. In synchronisation the two Rider's pulled back their silver cloaks revealing the almost identical faces of Elladan and Elrohir. They nodded silently to Aragorn and bowed their heads at me. A howl echoed through the air. "What on earth have you two done now?" I asked quickly as I readied my bow with an arrow. Elrohir shrugged his shoulders "Oh nothing much only being chased by a few Orc scouts who ride Wargs. What are you doing with Estle and three Halflings if I may ask such a question?" he asked as he glared at Aragorn and the small group of Halflings. It was not a glare of hate but of wonder and kindness. "Oh nothing much, just you know wondering across the Untamed Lands for the fun of it." I paused as I turned to the stunned Halflings.
"This is Elrohir and that's Elladan, they're the sons of Lord Elrond..." My voice was cut off by the loud screech of an Orc that sounded like long sharp nails running down old metal. This horrid cry came from the top of the hill which Elrohir and Elladan had only just rode down. The Orc sat upon a large black wolf known as a Warg. The Orc put his black horn to his lips a blew loudly. The sound of the horn bellowed through the hills and plains. More Orc cries and Warg howls were heard in the nearby hills.
My arrow shot out into the clear air then landed into the Orc's throat piercing his main artery that brought blood to the brain. The Orc fell of the Warg and laid lifeless in the thick long grass. With haste I shot another into the Warg's neck. "This seems to have been planned." Elladan mused quietly to himself. Merry and Pippin whispered quietly to one another. Sam sat in Bill's saddle in utter silence. His small eyes showed nothing but doubt and fear. Horus suddenly soared off Bill's head and flew low only just above the grass. He was heading head on to the oncoming danger. He pulled up into the sky and hovered over the hill where the danger was bound to come from. 'How many?' I asked.
'Seven Orcs riding on Wargs and four lone Wargs with no riders.' He answered. With a loud whistle he flew back down the hill only inches above the metre high grass. "Eleven foes are heading our way." I said as calmly as I could. It was thing hiding and shooting when you were not being looked for but it was a whole other story when you were in the open with a small pony that could hardly run.
"Well, you better jump up then." Elladan said with a cocky smile as he held out his pale arm to me which I did not take. I ran to Thilason and whispered Castdeian to him. In an instant Thilason bolted off towards the path that lead down the valley to the plains of Pine trees and flat ground. Elrohir held out his arm to Aragorn who jumped on to the back of Elrohir's horse. "Tara, get on this bloody horse before I knock you out and ride you back to my father, unconscious!" Elladan shouted impatiently. The thing was I wouldn't put it past Elladan to actually carry out his threat. I looked between Sam who sat nervous on Bill too the hill. No way could Bill out run anything other than another pony who had been mistreated more than him.
"Go quickly, follow the tracks then cross the Ford" I told Sam as I took Elladan's outstretched hand and climbed on to the back of his horse. I could hear the thud, thud, thud of the Wargs are they bounded down the hillside. "Hold on and try not fall off like before" Elladan warned as turned the horse so it faced the path towards the valley. Bill trotted down the path but I knew that there was a very low chance of us making it to Rivendale, alive.
Still we had our hope though our hopes were weak and were low on fuel that was to keep them going.
'They're getting closer' I thought to myself after looking back and being able to the the pupils of the Warg's eyes and the white blood tainted teeth of Orcs. "We only need to get down the path! They're scared of the valley!" Elrohir shouted at the top of his lungs. Bill seemed to pick up his pace and went into a canter. "Tell your Pheonix to distract them, if you are now a Keeper" Aragorn called to me. I gulped. This was something I did not want to do. It would put Horus in danger and it would give away my kinds greatest secret. None of our foes knew that our Phoenix's were gifted like my kin. 'Horus, distract them'
As I held on tightly to Elladan I heard a high pitched whistle that rose in pitch and got louder, this whistle lasted for 10 seconds. The crackling of a flame could be heard behind us and a shock wave of heat passed over us like a thick cloud.
What had happened I did not know? And what was to come I could only guess. All I knew was to hold on tight, don't look back and hope to the Valar's that are not hunted down till our deaths. The sound of the bounding feet of Wargs faded away as we got down in the valley where they feared to tread. Rumour had had it that there was something in the valley that hunted down Orcs and Wargs with ease. Alas, no one has ever found out what it is that hunts these horrid creatures of darkness. 'Horus?' I questioned worried that he had been hurt in some way or another. For over a minute there still no answer. My heart raced and my mind span around with the idea of Horus's death. I had to admit that I did not really know what happens to the Keeper when their Phoenix died. I knew if a Keeper died then their Phoenix would also pass on leaving their physical body behind. But it was different when the Phoenix dies. Some Keepers had described the feeling as a piece of their lives missing and black hole in their hearts that they could never fill. Others get depressed and don't speak to anyone for years on end. I wondered what I would I feel. Would I slip away into depression or would I have a black empty hole in my heart with nothing but darkness to fill it?
Luckily my daunting questions were not answered. 'I'm here, flying above the older ginger Hobbit' He answered. I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Horus twisting and turning in the wind currents.
The last leg of the Journey back too Rivendale passed with ease. I soon found myself sat alone in my chamber in Rivendale trying to stay awake and fighting off the darkness of the future. A small candle on the bedside table flickered and painted shadows on the walls that seemed to be moving. Some seem to think my knowledge of future is a gift, but it is not. It is a burden, a burden that I must bare for my entire life. It is a potent gift that has run threw my family ever since the beginning of the Nymphs. Sometimes our dreams are not of our imagination but of the predictions of the Valar, these dreams can show the goodness of the future or the the darkness that could come. I say the word: 'could' because these predicts are not set. They may happen or they may not either way we cannot tell which is the actual future and which is just the possibility. However my last dream of my standing in the forest was not a prediction of the Valar, it was conjured by some sort of dark evil witchcraft.
My bed seemed to beg too be slept in. I shook my head trying to shake out the fatigue but it was no use I would never get over my tiredness sat in a room that meant to be slept in. I let out a frustrated groan then got to my feet. My feet seemed unsteady and unstable but I knew it would pass soon enough. I picked up my silver cloak off the hook on the wardrobe and cast the hood over my head. My hand reached the cold metal handle and pushed it down. With a squeak and a crack the door opened. I looked blankly into the darkness. Even a Nymph like myself or a Elf would struggle to see in such darkness. I turned back to the room and went to retrieve the candle that blazed on the bedside table.
Slowly I walked through the corridors and came out into the night. The candle blew out as a brisk wisp of wind passed past me. I placed the candle on the nearby stone wall and looked up at the night sky. It was there where the crescent moon sat tilted in the sky, shinning it's silver face down at the world. Dots of diamonds were on the cloak of midnight blue that covered the sky in pride. Such a night sky did not belong in these dark days. Yet it's beauty showed us that there was a bit of hope in these dangerous and ugly days. Alas I knew that these types of nights were now running out. The darkness was rising in the South East. Soon even the once strong kingdoms of Men, Elves, Dwarfs, Nymphs and Halflings will stand at it's knees under the deathly shade of His reach.
I walked through the nightly shadows into the clearing away from the stone and wooden houses of Rivendale. However when I came from out of the shadows I found I was not alone in this clearing of grass and Lune Flowers.
In the middle of the clearing elf stood alone stooped over a patch of white Lune Flowers. His face was not one I regconised. It was fair like the first layer of snow in winter. He was tall with the build of a archer and not of a swordsman. His sky blue eyes looked down upon the lune flowers. Light blond hair fell from his head and ended at the start of his chest. He most certainly didn't seem to be anything like the race Men. His features were so defined and fair that he just looked like the perfect example of your stereotypical Elf with pointed ears. His bright eyes looked down at the white patch of Lune Flowers almost like he was entranced by their pale beauty.
I moved slowly back into the shadows knowing I would not find peace in the presence of strangers. A tall thin twisted twig snapped under my light footing. In this once silence place the sound of the breaking twig echoed against the unmoving trees. I murmured a short unruly vulgar word in Castdeian and quickened my pace. The Elf lost his trance of the Lune Flowers and straightened his back. His right hand rested on the hilt of a small knife that sat in his belt. His bright eyes now scoured the trees then landed upon me. His right hand relaxed and laid lazily at his side. "What business do you have here?" He asked politely as he looked at my nightgown and bare feet. Many questions seemed to be passing across his mind and features. "Nothing you should bother your mind about." I pauced and pulled my cloak closer to my body. The Elf's eyes quickly drew away from my garments and looked now calmly at my face. "What is you buisness then?" I asked looking him in the eyes. "Most people are asleep at this time yet you are not... Most people do not stand in the clearing at night in these dark times yet you are doing so." I caried onwards saying two of my speculations.
The Elf smirked. "However I could say the same thing for you."
"I suppose you could." I came out of the shadows and back into the clearing. The Elf looked up at the moon then back down at me. "Then again most people with respect for nature would not pass ease in missing such a beautiful and fragile night like this."
"I second that remark. Though I have lived long, I do not believe I have met you before. Am I correct in my thought?"
"Yes though you may have met my father but that would be unlikely. I'm Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood forest."
Well, that was a surprise to met a Prince of a realm who does not shout out his title before a woman. "I'm Tara Stormhold of Castdeia." I almost whispered my last name knowing that would basically give away my whole title and life story away. Legolas Greenleaf smiled and shook my hand. "It seems the Valar are gathering most of the realms of Middle Earth to Rivendale through their will."
"Why who else is here for I only arrived back from my journey to Trollshaw two hours back?"
"Some of the Dwarves are here, two Men are apprently here one is from Gondor and the other I know quite well, some other elves from distant lands I forgotten names and five small people from the Shire." Legolas Greenleaf seemed to cringe when he spoke of Dwarves but calm when he mentioned Aragorn. But I was greatly puzzled by the fact that he spoke of five Halflings and not four.
He coughed then opened his mouth only to close it again. He opened his mouth once again but closed it another time. "Cat got your tongue?" I asked with a laugh.
"No...yes...no...wait since when has a feral cat got into my mouth?"
"It's a saying used by Men."
"Would you like me to escort you to your quarters? I would feel ill of myself if I left any woman in the forest without a visable weapon or a company to converse with." His words did not seem as insults but were calm and courteous.
I forgot all about the worries of sleep and nodded. "I shall accept your offer on one condition. This condition is that you only excort me to the door of the lodgings I am staying in. I do not think a good idea to spark any teasing from the twins or anyone else who find it funny to make snarky jokes."
Legolas rolled his eyes at the word twins then began to walk. Bathed under the cool light of the moon and stars we walked in utter silence only speaking small sentences about the beauties of nature and it's nights.
"Good night, Tara Stormhold of Castdeia. May your dreams be full of light." He said with a quick bow with his hand across his chest. I picked up the candle that was now out and made another be formed upon the wax. "Good night, Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood. Try not to trip up the corridors they are dark even for our eyes." I bowed my head and sank back into the shadowy corridors of Rivendale's halls.