River of Time

by Feanoriel

I remember as a child listening to Ada's tale of the War of the Ring. How I longed for an adventure such as the one my Father partook of! We lived a peaceful life with a few skirmishes here and there. My brother and I were unaware that the Valar had other plans for us. Now, I am stranded in the past, lost and hopeless, wondering if I'll ever return home. Until I ran into them...

9. The Black Land of Mordor

Heya! I'm back! Here is the next chapter of River of Time!

-Nescit Cedere-

"Spiders?!" Faramina repeated in a high pitched voice and I nodded.

"How many?" Estel asked, looking to Thranduin who was still watching the spiders as they crawled down towards us, hissing, eyes gleaming.

"Too many." Was the reply before Thranduin swiveled around to face us. "We must leave now." We made to move when Arathorn shifted and groaned, gaining our attention.

"Oh thank the Valar, Arathorn?" I called softly, leaning closer to him as he struggled to open his eyes. Arathorn's head fell to the side in the direction of my voice. "Arathorn, can you hear me?" I asked and he gave a small nod.

"Ryn?" he whispered, finally winning the battle and opening his eyes slightly, his blue orbs glazed over.

"I'm right here."

"Estel?"

"I'm here, Arathorn. Arathorn, we have run into some trouble. Do you think you will be able to-"

"Yes." Arathorn interrupted, grasping Estel's shoulder as he attempted to stand. I was instantly at his side, helping him. Arathorn blinked and remained there, swaying albeit as he stood. He showed signs of a concussion. I bit my lip. Arathorn was in no condition to run.

"Estel, you will have to carry him."

"Ryn-" Arathorn tried to object but I cut him off.

"You have a concussion, Gwador-nin. We also happen to have spiders on our tail and it would not do us any good if-"

"Very well..." Arathorn murmured and suddenly collapsed. Luckily, Thranduin caught him before he could and Estel quickly slung him over his shoulder.

"Let's go!" Estel called, darting off in a random direction with everyone close behind. The spiders screeched and hissed, angrily chasing us as we ran. I guess they hadn't had food in a while.

"Which are worse? Orcs or Spiders?" I wondered aloud.

"Orcs." was the immediate reply and I didn't bother to see who had answered, focusing on escaping the arachnids.

"Spiders should not be allowed to grow so big." Estel grumbled, glancing over his shoulder to see that some of them were gaining. The spiders crowed the whole tunnel behind us, crawling upside down on the ceiling and side ways on the walls. A few remained on ground, hoping to catch us before the rest. Thranduin would turn every once in a while to shoot one but it wouldn't be enough. Faramina pitched in as well, notching several arrows and letting them lose, never missing once. Well...It was impossible to miss. There had to be hundreds of them! A light seemed to glow in the distance and Thranduin gave an exclamation of relief.

"The end of the tunnel!" he announced and everyone shared his short lived joy. Goblins suddenly appeared, dropping down from the cracks in the ceiling just before the exit.

"You are not serious!" Faramina fumed, unsheathing her blade. I quickly grasped mine as Thranduin and Estel held theirs. Neither of us had to say anything to know what we were thinking. Simultaneously, we charged and swung our blades at the Goblins that happened to be nearby, killing them instantly. Thranduin and Faramina flanked Estel seeing as he had Arathorn and I led the assault, shoving and slicing Goblins as we forced our way through.

"If we could just reach the light..." I growled and punched another Goblin who had grabbed my blade. Faramina whipped out her knives and began to perform a lethal dance, slashing at any that came close. Thranduin did not even look to be trying at all, effortlessly taking down every enemy nearest him and Estel, though fighting one handed, managed to hold his ground. One Goblin happened to be carrying a torch, which gave me a brilliant idea. "Thank-you!" I plucked the torch from its grasp after stabbing it with my blade and turned, bringing my arm back before throwing it forward, releasing the torch from my grasp. I watched as it spun through the air and landed on one of the spiders. The spider burst aflame, shrieking and screaming as it ran about wildly, spreading the fire to other unlucky spiders, who did the same. Soon, the whole tunnel was aflame.

"Get out! Everyone, OUT!" Estel shouted and we ran past the confused and frightened Goblins, bursting through the exit and slipping down a steep hill made of rocks. We didn't even stop to celebrate the fact that we had escaped, only determined to get as far away from that place as possible. As soon as I was out of breath, I collapsed against a boulder, clutching my tunic as I panted, searching for everyone else. Faramina came beside me, her clothing ripped and stained with blood, face smeared with grime. Everyone seemed to be in the same condition, other than Thranduin. I rolled my eyes. Elves and their perfectness. He had some rips in his clothing, but they were few. His hair was still in fine condition and he only had one cut on his cheek from where a spider managed to clip him.

"We made it!" Faramina gasped, smiling brightly as she closed her eyes and relished the feeling of the sun on her face.

"Thank Elbereth!" Estel whispered, setting Arathorn down, who had woken during the battle.

"How do you feel, Arathorn?" I asked him.

"Nauseous. My head is still spinning because of Estel." Arathorn groaned, covering his eyes from the light.

"Well, at least we are all safe."

"So you think." Estel said and we all looked at him.

"What do you mean."

"Aranyth, have you even bothered to look where we are?" He slowly asked and I turned my head to examine our surroundings. The land was crude, with sharp jagged rocks decorating its landscape. It was also black, even the sky was dark, hiding the sun from us. Then...where was that light coming from?

"Oh Valar..." Faramina breathed in horror and I followed her gaze, my heart dropping to my stomach once my gaze settled on the raging volcano before us.

"Mordor..?!"

-Nescit Cedere-

Legolas and Elladan rode swiftly across the plains to reach Gondor, Elrohir seated before Elladan, limp and unconscious. Elladan was deep in thought, trying to think of a logical explanation for his brother's sudden collapse. He was not ill and he had not been injured recently. It was definitely not poison. His mind drifted far back as he wracked his brain for whatever information he was seeking. He recalled a similar experience that involved their Father, Elrond. It had been when Estel had left for the first time with the Rangers. They had been in their Father's office with Glorfindel, Erestor, and Thranduil when their Father suddenly lurched forward, his hand flying to his shoulder as he stumbled. Thranduil, who had been closest to him, had instantly reached out and caught the Elf-Lord, he and Glorfindel guiding him to a nearby seat. Elladan and Elrohir were beside themselves with worry. He remembered Glorfindel asking Elrond what was wrong and Elrond responded claiming Estel had been injured. Two days later, they reached the Ranger encampment and found a pale and fearful Halbarad, who informed them that Estel had been stabbed in the shoulder by a traitor.

That traitor would never be heard from again. Elladan let out a small sigh of relief, knowing his brother was safe, but then a new thought occurred to him. One that ran his blood cold. "Legolas..."

"What is it, Dan? Is it Ro?" Legolas slowed his steed to allow Elladan to catch up.

"Ro is fine. But I fear for the children."

"What do you mean?"

"They have run into trouble."

"How-"

"Ro wasn't in pain. He was feeling Aarya's pain." Elladan worriedly explained, wondering if his niece was well. Had Aragorn felt anything? They had to reach Gondor.

"Legolas! Elladan!" A familiar shout carried through the wind and the two whipped their heads around to see an Elf radiating with power riding towards them, flowing blonde hair dancing in the wind and a small crown seated atop his head.

"Ada!" Legolas cried out in relief, and would have charged had he not noticed the bloodied clothing his Adar wore and the still figure he cradled within his arms.

"Aarya." Elladan murmured and the two shot forward to see what had happened.

"Ada, what happened?" Legolas inquired.

"I do not know. I discovered Aarya not too far from Dagorlad." The wood-Elf and Noldor exchanged looks. Had Aragorn not warned the children to venture too closely to that cursed land? "She was followed by a pack of Warg Riders and Uruk."

"Are you injured?" Clearly, Thranduil was injured, but Legolas was inquiring as to whether he had sustained serious injuries, to which Thranduil shook his head.

"I fear Aarya took the blunt of the attack. I have done all that I could, but we must reach Gondor and have Aragorn heal the little one." Elladan, noticing the crimson soaked bandage around Aarya's shoulder, lifted a part of the fabric up to see the damage. He was surprised to see the wound had been mostly healed. But there were others that she bore. Thranduil's eyes wandered over to Elrohir's prone figure slumped against Elladan and narrowed his eyes. "What has happened?" he demanded to know, searching for any wounds that the two were probably hiding from him.

"Elrohir is merely unconscious, Ada." Legolas explained. As if having heard his name, Elrohir stirred, blinking several times before focusing.

"Aarya!" he exclaimed, starting forward.

"Now is not the time, Elrondion. I do believe we are being followed." Thranduil informed them, glancing over his shoulder to see the small specks of black on the horizon.

"The children." Elladan was torn between staying and searching for the young ones. Where were they? Why was Aarya the only one Thranduil found?

"Elladan, you cannot go on your own. We must make for Gondor." Thranduil firmly stated, his voice telling them that there was no room for arguing.

-Nescit Cedere-

"How is he?" Glorfindel softly inquired the Counselor, who stood at the entrance of the garden, watching Aragorn, who had taken a seat beneath his favorite tree and remained there, clutching the small items Dyn had left to him within his hand.

"He mourns still." Erestor replied.

"We all do." Glorfindel whispered. Erestor tilted his head towards the Balrog Slayer.

"Do not blame yourself Glorfindel." It was not your fault. Glorfindel could hear the silent comfort his friend was giving him but shook his head.

"I know. But to have survived that cursed battle with the knowledge that I could have done something to prevent it haunts me to this day. I was the closest to them and yet...I did nothing. I froze, Erestor! I did not move. I watched as he raised the blade, as he dealt the blow that ended her life. Aragorn..." Glorfindel blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. "The look Aragorn had...One with such fear, grief and agony..." The memory of that moment was burned into Glorfindel's mind, one he would be cursed to remember till the end of his days. "I do not understand why...I faced a Balrog of all things and yet..." Erestor placed a hand onto his friend's shoulder.

"I do not blame you, Uncle." Glorfindel's eyes flew open to see Aragorn standing a few feet before him. The Golden being could instantly tell there was something different about the young King. His eyes seemed to shine brighter than before, his whole being glowing with the little Elven light he had been graced with by his Mother, Gilraen. A smile tugged at Aragorn's lips and Glorfindel returned it, opening his arms. Aragorn accepted the embrace, remembering when he had been a child and Glorfindel was always there to comfort him.

"You have grown much since last I saw you, Tithen Estel." Glorfindel said as they pulled away.

"Erestor," The dark elf met Aragorn's gaze. "Hannon-le." Erestor allowed for a small smile to grace his lips as he curtly nodded.

"Come. I am certain Arwen is expecting us for dinner." Glorfindel said, leading the two away from the Garden only to come to an abrupt halt not too far from the courtyard overlooking the city.

"Glorfindel?" Erestor tugged the Elf's sleeve. Glorfindel did not answer, instead calling for Asfaloth and Erestor's horse. Glorfindel mounted and pulled Aragorn up behind him as Erestor swung himself onto his horse's back.

"What is it?" Aragorn asked.

"Thranduil has arrived, and not alone." The tone Glorfindel spoke with told Aragorn and Erestor all they needed to know. Someone had been injured. Aragorn's hand instinctively went for the pouch strapped to his belt only to find it was no longer there. The pouch suddenly appeared before him and he looked to see Erestor handing it to him.

"You left it in the Garden."

"Hannon le." Aragorn thanked him as they rode for the lower level. Once there, they found Thranduil, Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas riding towards them.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called to his friend, who had already assessed Aarya's wounds.

"To the House of Healing." Aragorn said. Thranduil rode beside Glorfindel and Aragorn as they made for the House. Thranduil dismounted once they arrived, careful not to jostle the elleth he held, and entered, the maids and nurses moving aside when they saw him approaching. Aragorn followed with the others close behind. The first room Thranduil found empty, he pushed the door open with his foot and entered, placing Aarya onto the bed. Aragorn unwound the bandages and quickly took the salve on the table beside him, gently applying it to Aarya's arrow wound. The Elleth flinched but did not awaken. Elrohir sat on the edge of the bed, clasping her hand within his, Elladan beside him with an arm around his shoulders. Thranduil and Legolas stood off to the side with Erestor. Glorfindel returned with the supplies he knew Aragorn would need and set them down on a smaller table he placed closer to Aragorn. As soon as he finished, Aragorn tossed aside the bloodied cloths and bandages, holding his hand out for the new bandages Glorfindel had brought. He fastened the bandages then asked for the female nurse to dress Aarya. She rushed off to fetch a new set of clothing and returned swiftly, ushering them out of the room as she and another nurse took care of Aarya.

"Her wounds are not severe but they are deep." Aragorn sighed. "The worst are the arrow wound and the cut in her side but that is it. She should awaken soon." Elrohir released the breath he had been holding and Elladan patted his shoulder as if to say 'I told you so'. "Lord Thranduil, I trust you are unharmed?" Aragorn asked.

"No, he isn't," Glorfindel answered before the Elvenking could. Thranduil gave him a glare that would have made many Elves shirk away from him, but Glorfindel returned the gaze.

"Ada?" Legolas looked up at his Father.

"It is a small wound." Thranduil waved his son off but Legolas would not have it, gripping his father's arm.

"Ada, where are you injured?" There was an underlying tone of pain as the Prince spoke and Thranduil felt regret seep into his heart. Elrond had told him of what had happened after he had been rescued by Aragorn and his son. He was about to answer when the door opened.

"We are finished, sire." the nurses curtsied and when Aragorn thanked them, the two left. They reentered the room to find Aarya's complexion was healthier than before and was breathing normally. After feeling her pulse, Aragorn gave a satisfied nod. Just as he was about to pull away and question Thranduil, Aarya began to tremble and twist, mumbling incoherently. Fear ran through Aragorn as several explanations for this sudden turn of events came to mind. His first thought immediately went to poison and he reached out to undo the bandage wrapped around her shoulder.

"Ryn..." Aarya choked out and Aragorn paused, his hand hanging in mid-air. The twins shared a look. 'Ryn' was Aranyth's childhood nickname. "Ryn!" Aarya cried, jerking once again. "No...Do not...Already lost..." Her expression became one of pain as she moved her shoulder.

"Aarya," Elrohir cupped her cheek. "Aarya, iell-nin, lasto beth nin." (My daughter, hear my voice). Aarya stilled for a moment, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Ada..." she struggled to regain conscious. "Help...Estel...Ryn...Fell..." She opened her eyes, confused as to where she was at first and staring at the two beings leaning over her. She blinked till her vision was cleared and saw her Father and Uncle Aragorn were the ones bent over her. "Ada!" she threw her arms around Elrohir, who reciprocated the embrace, deeply thankful that his child was well. When they pulled apart, Aarya looked to Aragorn. "Uncle! It is awful!"

"Calm yourself, child." Aragorn soothed, clasping her shoulder and placing a hand against her forehead. There was no sign of fever, which he was grateful for. "Now, what is wrong?"

"Estel, Arathorn, and Faramina...We...We disobeyed you and went into Dagorlad. There was something strange about the land."

"Strange?" Elladan repeated. "How so?" Aarya looked up at him, surprised they did not immediately begin to lecture her.

"The...The abyss has closed up and...And we could see Barad-dûr." All eyes went to Aragorn then back to Aarya.

It took Aragorn a moment to respond. "You are certain of this?" Aarya nodded.

"Naturally, we all became curious and went to take a closer look when we found Thranduin was missing." Legolas tensed. "We ran into him and found ourselves closer to the land. Suddenly, the ground gave way and Estel, Arathorn, and Faramina fell." Aarya gave a shaky sigh. "Ryn refused to leave until Thranduin tried to force her to. We thought we were safe when Aranyth fell." Aragorn felt dread fill his heart as he listened. All three of his children...had fallen at once? He stood still, taking this in as Glorfindel and Erestor moved closer to him. "Aranyth was uninjured and told us she had fallen into a tunnel." This caught their attention.

"A tunnel?" Aragorn murmured. Erestor shook his head.

"There are no tunnels in Mordor." he stated, recalling the many maps he had studied back when he had been a spy for the Elves. Not one map revealed any tunnels beneath the Black Land.

"It was a tunnel." Aarya firmly said. "Thranduin told me to ride here to tell you what happened."

"Where is Thranduin?" Legolas asked.

"He jumped in after Aranyth. She wanted to see whether the others were alright but we would not let her go alone."

"That was wise on his part." Glorfindel said. Aragorn, who had been silent for a moment, bowed his head, covering his face with his hands.

"Aragorn?" Legolas grasped his arm.

"I fear for them. Something is bound to happen." Aragorn whispered. Erestor knew Aragorn had had several visions that involved his children but did not say anything.

"We must find them." Elladan stood.

"And we will, but we cannot leave now." Glorfindel told them. He raised his hand when the twins went to interrupt him. "We leave at dawn."

-Nescit Cedere-

"Of all places we would end up in the middle of Mordor!" I grumbled, trudging alongside my brother as we ascended yet another steep hill decorated with many coal-colored rocks.

"Is there a way out?" Arathorn quietly asked, walking a bit shakily beside Estel. The world tilted in many weird angles which made it hard for the Dunedain to walk straight.

"Perhaps if the Gate is still there." Thranduin answered. Faramina shook her head.

"But would there not be Orcs? We are but a few! Seven- now six- against Valar knows how many." She pointed out, shyly ducking her head when we looked at her. "I-I-I mean, t-there s-surel-ly are pl-plenty of Orcs...N-n-now that M-Mordor is..." I took pity on my friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You are right, Faramina. But I would rather face Orcs than to walk through the tunnel Frodo had to take." I said and the others agreed.

"Besides, I have yet to see an Orc." Estel added.

"I believe the only thing we have to fear is the fortress." Thranduin said and our gazes were drawn towards the Tower that stood proudly near the Mount Doom.

"I want to know exactly what is happening here. How the heck is this even possible?" I wondered aloud.

"We may find out sooner than you think." Estel squinted his eyes when he spotted a black dot floating through the sky in our direction. They then widened as he shouted for us to hide. Everyone bolted and leaped behind whatever we could find to hide under and waited. A blood-curdling scream filled the air as the flapping of rather large wings resounded. I tightened my grip around Arathorn, who I had pulled under a large rock jutting out of a ground beside me, and peered around the edge to see if it truly was what I thought it was.

"Wraiths!" Thranduin hissed in shock, leaning back against a boulder with bow in hand and two arrows already notched on the string, ready to fire. Faramina was crouched nearest Estel, her bow and arrow ready to shoot as well.

"How is that possible?!" Estel demanded to know. "The Wraiths were destroyed along with Mordor!"

"I have a theory." Arathorn spoke up, his voice merely a whisper as he leaned around the rock to look at the Tower where the Wraith was headed to. "But it is only a theory."
"May as well share it." I told him, seeing as he had drawn everyone's attention.

"Do you think it may be possible that we have traveled back into the past when we crossed the border of Dagorlad?" Arathorn asked.

"If that were so..." My voice trailed off when the Nazgul flew away from the Tower. "Where is Sauron?"

"Good question." Arathorn nodded. "But then again, it was only a theory." No one spoke for a moment. "So...Where to now?" Arathorn asked.

"I suppose we have no choice but to go to the Tower." Estel sighed, glancing back to where the Gates were supposed to be, but they were shut tight and there was no way any of us could open it. Ada had said the Orcs had Trolls open the Gates since they were very heavy. "Perhaps we can find a way out there." He suggested with a shrug. We nodded in agreement, though neither of us were looking forward to this.

"I know I said I wanted to find out more about this...But now I am beginning to regret ever wanting to." I muttered as Faramina came to stand by my side, bow still in hand.

Some Time Later...

We stood before the entrance of the Tower, craning our necks to see the how far up it went. The doors were large and thick but Thranduin and Estel managed to open at least one of them and accidentally slammed it against the wall, the sound echoing through the seemingly empty fortress. Faramina and I cringed, expecting something to lunge out and attack, but everything was still. Arathorn walked ahead, peeking into the doorway to see the interior of the darkened place. I could even sense the evil that radiated from the Tower.

"Nothing inside." Arathorn announced, taking a cautious step inside. Thranduin and Estel waited for Faramina and I to enter before following. When I placed my foot through the doorway, I instantly felt a sudden burst of energy hit me. The wind seemed to pick up and I could have sworn I heard the sound of someone groaning or sighing but brushed it off as my imagination. The place was eerier than I ever imagined it to be. Though there were a few spiderwebs here and there, bones scattered about, and corpses of what may or may not have been humans or Elves, nothing could compare to the thickness of the atmosphere. I felt as though I were being choked! It felt so dark...

"Come on." Estel shattered the silence with his voice, which sounded louder than it really was as he stepped forward and began to ascend the crumbling stairs. I was right on his heels with Arathorn and Faramina behind me and Thranduin last. We looked around in awe at the designs and sculptures we saw. There were even a few paintings! Some were faded and I could hardly tell what they were paintings about but there was one that stuck out to me. It was the portrait of two dark Elves, with flowing black hair and piercing eyes, wearing dark armor and flowing capes, armored boots that went just below their knees, their expressions fierce yet impassive. I looked to see the inscription and took a double take when I found it was written in Elvish!

"Morgoth and Sauron." I whispered, running my fingers across the letters, my eyes wandering back to the two Elves. If they did not look so majestic in a dark kind of way, I would never had been able to tell they were evil. They looked to be normal Elves except with the midnight black hair and their eyes. "So that was how they looked."

"Ryn!" I jumped when Faramina's voice called down to me and looked to see I had fallen far behind the small group.

"Coming!" I looked back at the painting, brushing the dust off. "I wonder how it was like back then..." I murmured. I had always wanted to know what it was truly like. How did people live? What was the lifestyle Morgoth and Sauron lived like? To see the Last Alliance take place. I shook my head and was about to pull my hand away when I noticed something strange. My hand was suddenly turning black! I yanked my hand away from the painting and watched as the color faded away. What was that?! It was as if the painting were pouring some sort of dark magic into me! I shook my head, willing away the odd feeling that overcame me and walked quickly away from the painting. Faramina met me halfway and the two of us returned to the group, who were waiting not too far away from where I had been.

"Is something wrong, Ryn?" Faramina's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Oh, no, nothing is wrong." I replied.

"Then why are you cradling your hand that way?" Faramina asked, quirking an eyebrow as if daring me to lie to her. Which I did.

"I struck it against a rather sharp stone when I fell."

"Should Arathorn take a look?" Faramina inquired, becoming concerned. I smiled. Faramina became concerned about the tiniest little things. But that was what made her a wonderful friend. She was always looking out for others instead of worrying about herself.

"No, no." I waved her concern away. In truth, my hand was still burning and it was irritating! Estel stopped before another door and grabbed the handle. He slowly turned it, placing his shoulder against the metal as he pushed. It opened rather easily and he entered, coming to an abrupt stop one he had.

"Estel?" Arathorn stepped beside him and looked inside the room. "Valar..."

"What is it?" Faramina, Thranduin, and I peered around them, also becoming filled with awe at what we saw. It was the throne room! The whole floor was made with dark black marble that glinted in the little fiery light emitting from the volcano, and stairs leading up to a throne made of marble as well. The room was vast and skillfully built. Clearly of Elven-make. There were large, dark, curtains that fell from the ceiling and pillars that had Elven designs circling around them. The room had a comfortable yet sinister feel about it. It looked welcoming as well, in a strange sort of way. I could just imagine Morgoth or Sauron seated upon the throne, power enveloping their being with a crown placed atop the crown of their hair...

I walked closer to the throne, imagining that I were approaching one of the two Dark Lords. What would it have been like? Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to actually meet Sauron or Morgoth in person? To find out how they truly were? I have...Ever since I was a child I always dreamed of meeting them face to face. I knew from the many tales Ada and others constantly repeated over and over again of how cruel and sinister the Dark Lords were, but that never stopped me from wondering.

"Amazing." Estel breathed, turning in circles to see the whole room. Faramina touched the curtain before peering out the window, Thranduin going further into the room to look at the paintings there. Arathorn stood next to the Throne, examining it.

"Ryn, look!" I went up the stairs as my younger brother knelt down and lifted a book next to the Throne, brushing the dust off of it and handing it to me. The book was albeit heavy. It was black and smooth with Elven designs on the edges and a stone consisting of several gems- most dark, as if drained of their crystal light, fused together.

"Interesting." I remarked, opening the cover to look inside.

It was empty.

I frowned and flipped through the worn pages. Nothing. Ah! I placed my finger into the book when I reached the last page that had writing on it. But it was not Elvish. It was of the Black Speech, a language very few knew fluently. Curious, I placed it into my bag, noting to myself that I would have to find a way to translate it when we returned home.

-Nescit Cedere-

And there you have it! A loooooooong and hopefully good chapter! Another is coming soon so stay tuned!