Sapphire:
I eowke the nexct t=morning to the soundcv ]
Alright, the chapter's really starting now LOL, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO TYPE IN THE DARK. Didn't work... '.'
Sapphire:
I woke the next morning to the sound a bird chirping merrily on a tree branch right beside my head. I yawned loudly and the bird stopped chirping and cocked its head as if to say, Why ya opening your mouth that wide ya crazy?
"Oh shut up..." I told it.
"Pardon?" Legolas asked. Aragorn was gone, but Legolas was leaning against the large trunk of the tree we were in, a serene expression on his face. Had he been watching me sleep? Okay, that was kind of creepy...
"Nothin'" I muttered embarrassedly, yawning again. The bird resuming its merry chirping and I stood and instead of taking the ladder, I jumped from tree branch to tree branch. The lowest tree branch was a only about ten to twelve feet from the ground, and I jumped down easily, landing in a cat-like crouch. I brushed my hands off on my already dirty jean and headed to get some food, because I was seriously starving. The sun was already risen high in the sky. I had slept late...
Suddenly my arm flared with pain. In all my concern for everyone else, I had forgotten it was broken. I tried to move my fingers. I could, but it hurt a bit. I gently eased it out of the makeshift splint. To my surprise, I could move it and it was only a bit stiff and occasionally pain flared when I moved it too quickly. What the heck?! How had it healed that quickly? I didn't have any elves heal it, atI slid it back into the splint to let it heal fully and headed for breakfast...Or, given how late it was, second breakfast. I wandered through Lothlorien, gazing at its serene beauty until my stomach started rumbling.
Naturally, I got lost.
Finally, I ran into someone who could actually understand common tongue and give me directions. It was Haldir, and he had a little card in his hand. He looked worried.
"Hello Haldir. Where are you headed? I'm slightly lost..."
"Greetings Lady Sapphire. I am reporting alarming news to Lord Celeborn. I heard an alarmingly loud noise just outside the boundaries and went to investigate. I found abnormally large warg footprints and this? This wouldn't happen to be yours would it?" Haldir said, holding out the card.
I took it and did a double take.
It was a Taboo card.
UMMMMMM...
It read:
Kohlrabi
Green
Vegetable
Salt
Cabbage
Lettuce
I flipped it over. The other side was what really gave it away though. It read:
Elf
Santa
Short
Pointy Ears
Toys
North Pole
But all around these typical clues that you weren't allowed to use were clues written in purple ink:
Lothlorien
Rivendell
Mirkwood
Thranduil
Legolas
Haldir
Galadriel
Elrond
Arwen
Only one person I knew wrote on her Taboo cards.
Lauren, Tyler's partially deaf sister with a photographic memory.
Which meant my phone and solar powered charger was here because I had lent them to her to take camping! HOOOOOOOOOORAAAAAYY! Now I could take pictures of my time with the Fellowship! BEST DAY EVER! Then I wondered how Lauren had even gotten here... Whatever. I wasn't gonna question it.
"Yes, that's mine, thank you. I was just writing on it to remember names and places," I stuttered. "I must have dropped it on the way."
"Ah..." Haldir said, not looking quite convinced.
"So, would you be so kind as to lead me to lunch. I'm afraid I've missed breakfast," I said.
"I am in quite a hurry. I will lead you to the main path but then I'm afraid I must rush on so that no time is wasted in hunting down this warg. It is not a good omen, a warg daring to come into the Golden Wood and this close to our borders."
My eyes widened as I realized that my friends were in great danger. I had to do something! He started off, walking quickly, and I jogged to keep up with him.
"Haldir stop," I pleaded.
"Can you not keep up or do you have something else you wish to ask of me?" he asked, slightly irritated.
"Haldir, please, you can't tell anyone about the warg!" I begged.
"Why on earth not? Surely you cannot feel sympathy for it? Wargs are merciless killers, not something to be pitied," Haldir said to me like he was correcting a young child.
"This one isn't actually a WARG! He's my best friend's little brother okay?!" I practically screeched, grabbing his arm as he hurried off again.
His eyebrow raised slightly higher and he opened his mouth and shut it, and after a brief moment of silence, he said, "You are friends...with someone whose younger sibling...is a warg..."
"Yes... Please don't tell anyone! PLEASE!" I begged, doing my best puppy dog eyes. Haldir was not impressed.
"I am taking you to Lady Galadriel. She will know what the best course of action is regarding your large warg friend," the elf decided.
"Alright..." I sighed. I knew it was coming sooner or later, but I still was not eager to have my mind scoured by the Loony Lady of Lothlorien, please pardon my manners. That scene where she turned all X-Ray filter colors was Ca-REEPY though. She was like, YOU WOULD HAVE A QUEEN! NOT DARK, BUT BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAWN and TREACHEROUS AS THE SEA! MWAHAHAHA!
Haldir led me to the main tree thingy with all the pretty lights. I spaced out as I climbed, thinking about how lovely it would be to live in Lothlorien. We reached the top, and Galadriel spotted me first, although I had a feeling she knew I was coming already. I was proved right when she spoke.
"Lady Sapphire. I was expecting you would be here sooner... We have much to discuss,"
I did an awkward bow, and Lady Galadriel laughed, a sound like tinkling bells. She held out her arm for me to take and nodded at Haldir. The elf nodded in respect and left us alone.
"So, I presume you are finding your stay enjoyable..."
"Yes, lovely thank you..." I mumbled, and then my stomach growled. How embarrassing.
Galadriel laughed again, "Are you hungry my Lady?"
"Yes, a little..." I muttered, my ears slightly red. What was up with me?
"Well, I will only keep you a little, and then we shall see to some lunch.
"Oh, thank you. I said gratefully. Lunch sounded very good right about now. Lady Galadriel headed down the stairs, and I followed in silence. We walked along cobble paths, Galadriel's white dress quietly slipping along behind her. It repelled dirt apparently, because it was trailing through leaves and mud yet it remained spotless.
We entered a secluded courtyard near where we had slept last night, and I sighed. Knew this one was coming...We were at the mirror...
"Let me guess, you're going to ask me if I wish to look in the mirror?"
"Indeed. But first, let me tell you of the words that were spoken in my mind. Four days and nights have passed and I pondered upon the meaning of the haunting words uttered by such a powerful tongue. Now that you are here, however, their meaning is made clear. This is what the Valar declared unto me:
The fires of industry blaze,
The Fallen Five unite,
Arda to preserve or raze,
Foes bear arms in the fight.
The last stand of Men draws near,
The Sapphire Flame comes with strange friends,
Sword and shield shall appear,
To protect their owners to all ends.
I opened my mouth, then shut it, and decided to just gape at her. I probably looked like a fish trying to breathe out of water, but I was too shocked to care. The Valar had written a PROPHECY? ABOUT MEH?! I wasn't THAT interesting... Sheesh. Although I liked the title they gave me...sounds pretty sick right? *Cue epic music*
THE SAPPHIRE FLAME! DUH DUH DAAAAHHH!
"You ARE the Sapphire Flame young one. You carry the fate of our world on your shoulders," Galadriel said. Oh thanks, like I didn't know that already. One slip up on my part= BOOM! SAURON WINS! GAME OVER!
"Who are the Fallen Five?" I asked. More dudes with rings of power? Important guys who died from boredom during Middle Earth history class?
"I believe the prophecy is referring to you and your...unusual friends just outside of the borders of Lothlorien."
I gasped. My friends were in the prophecy too?! And it said we would unite?! How could we unite?! The elves would kill Tyler and Peet and Lauren (if she was an orc or warg) on sight. Also, how the heck did Galadriel know about them?
Oh...right...I forgot... creepy mind reading powers and all...
"So, Lady Sapphire, will you look in the mirror?" Galadriel prompted. I sighed and nodded. She gestured for me to step forward, so I did. Nothing happened at first, just like with Frodo. Then something very odd began to happen. Tendrils of silvery smoke started curling off the surface of the mirror, the rest of the water changing to smoke as I watched. Uh...I was pretty sure this was not normal...
The smoke billowed upward, and droplets of dew formed on my nose. So this was like, that fake fog stuff? I looked over at Galadriel for support but she just frowned confusedly. So this wasn't normal...Huh...
The smoke cleared and my eyes widened.
"What the heck is this?!" I cried, staring at five colorful backpacks in horror. On each backpack was an initial in rhinestones. The dark blue one was an S. The silver one had an L. The pink sported a sparkly J, the green was adorned with a T, and the red had a P.
Me, Lauren, Julia, Tyler, and Peter.
The fallen five.
O. .
"What is the meaning of this?" Galadriel cried, staring at me in confusion.
"Uh, I think I've just been given a gift from the Valar...These are called backpacks where I'm from, I'm guessing they have cool gear we can use against Sauron in them..." I stuttered, grabbing the blue one with an S and unzipping it eagerly.
It was empty.