Interlude
The wind was merciless this high up in the sky, yet it yielded under the strength of the mighty wings, making the land swiftly pass underneath. Up ahead, a wall of mountains obscured the horizon, but there, just in front of them, a pass in between two slopes offered a dim view of the flatlands behind the mountain range, with only one solitary peak and one tower protruding from the stony plains.
The pass was walled off, with gates of black iron and with sharp spikes reaching high into the skies. The creature tucked its wings close, heading down for the battlements.
It stumbled upon its landing, betraying its youth and inexperience. Its rider easily kept his seat, though. He commanded the winged beast to rise onto its hind legs, its front supported by the iron spikes. As it stood, perched proudly on the gates, facing the lands beyond it, so did the rider rise tall on its back, reaching with one arm higher still.
A beam of light landed on the gates, unerringly encompassing the creature and its rider in its illuminated centre. The circle of light seemed to have narrowed and intensified, as its focus shifted to the raised hand.
The rider opened his fist, and there, on his palm, a golden ring glinted in the bright flash.
Elrond opens his eyes with a gasp.
Immediately, the memory of his vision washes over him, not with the hesitancy of a faraway possibility, but with the certainty of an immediate, irrefutable present.
So he bows his head, and weeps.
On his finger, the ring Vilya glows and sears.
.
THE END OF THE SECOND PART.
From here, the War with Sauron starts.
.
AN:
Another arc closed and finished!
You finally have it confirmed what this story's main challenge is - a war with a powerful Sauron. The challenge should always fit the protagonist. The original War of the Ring was an excellent adventure for a Hobbit; with Harry being introduced into the equation, there had always been only one way for me to go about weaving a proper plot: a true war with Sauron. So yes, technically, the whole story so far was an exercise in levelling the playing field.
There are some 70-80k words left to the finish line. I think I've prepped well and should be able to close the story in a sharp, impactful final arc. If you've been enjoying the story, let me know. I spend an inordinate amount of time working on it whilst I should be doing anything else; knowing that someone might enjoy the fruits of my procrastination lessens the guilt and reinforces the habit.
It will take me some time to start updating again, I'm afraid, as I intend to write a bit ahead first. Also, recently, I've been glancing at my main story again, Beyond the Curtain, and it is entirely possible I will first update that one. If you liked the style of Dreamers, you might enjoy BtC, too. I employed a lot of the same tricks there, but unlike Dreamers, which barely took seven rushed months to plot and type, I've been devising and polishing the plotline of BtC for several years now.
It's been a pleasure so far, guys!