Snuffling noises and a dog's tongue licking him woke up Brooklyn the next day. He laughed a bit from his warg companion licking his face. "Easy, boy easy. We made it to Rivendell, we're safe for now," he said.
He sat up, body achy but that medicine that elf lady gave him seemed to work wonders. Brooklyn gave a yawn, beak opening wide and wondered what lay in store for him here in Rivendell, hoping to learn good things about his father today.
Brooklyn got to his feet out of the bed, a bit worried that he wouldn't be able to walk and saw a bandage around him. Swallowing he took a couple weak steps. At first they felt wobbly but with the help of Fangspirit he got his balance again.
He wandered out of the medic room and was greeted by a beautiful sight of the kingdom of Rivendell. There were waterfalls, and pretty buildings, and he could hear the birds twittering. The air felt fresh and clean too, making him close his eyes and take a couple cleansing breaths. Fangspirit woofed happily and jumped around like the puppy he was.
After a few minutes of standing there Brooklyn decided to explore, wondering if there was anything or anyone interesting here. He eventually found himself in a strange room with peculiar artifacts and paintings. One in particular caught Brooklyn's eyes. Looking closer he saw a painting of two mighty looking warriors. One with all black armor and a helmet covering his whole face, raising a sword with his hand having a ring on his finger, trying to strike down a mighty looking man holding a regal sword.
Next a glimmer of light drew his eyes to a broken sword on a display stand. It was in different pieces. Tilting his head Brooklyn went closer to it, raising his hand to touch the handle. Whose sword was this?
"I see you're interested in the Sword of the King," a voice came, making Brook jump up, eyes wide and he saw Elrond. He blushed, hands behind his back. "Uh, just looking. But feeling better." Elrond smiled a bit at the nervous grin on their guest's face. "Happy to hear it. The Lady Galadriel will soon see you. I will take you there."
Brooklyn swallowed at the idea of seeing that pretty elf lady again but followed Elrond in his wake to do so. They came into another room where he saw a strange bird bath thing there, and Galadriel standing near it, her gentle smile present.
There were butterflies in his stomach as he swallowed again. "My Lady, Brooklyn," Elrond presented. Brook wrapped his wings around his shoulders, trembling. Galadriel nodded. "Leave me and our guest in privacy," She said. Elrond bowed his head and left, coaxing Fangspirit to follow to give him food.
Brooklyn cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure what to say at first. Galadriel placed a hand on the birdbath. "I'm sure you wonder what this is?" Brooklyn shook his head. "Er, do your birds bathe in it?" It made Galadriel giggle softly. "No, Son of Smaug. This is The Mirror." She filled a jug of water and brought it forth. "It allows someone to see their past lives, and even the future. It would probably tell you your story of your father." She poured in the water until it was full.
The hybrid looked at the fountain nervously. "Is it dangerous?" He questioned. Galadriel didn't answer but kept her gaze, signaling for Brooklyn to look in. His nerves were high, deciding it couldn't hurt to take a peek. Shaking slightly Brooklyn stepped forward to gaze into the clear water.
His eyes widened when seeing a vision on the surface. He could see a powerful wyvern dragon soaring through the sky above tree branches and mountains, holding an egg in its talons. My father… Brook thought, ears flat as suddenly Brooklyn heard screeches of eagles. They were the biggest eagles he had ever seen in his life but not as big as his father.
One lead eagle charged at the egg in Smaug's talons, causing the dragon to drop it. Brooklyn's own stomach dropped like he was falling himself, eyes rounded and huge from the reveal. His own father wound up dropping him!
Brooklyn's eyes glowed red again when seeing the next scene before him; a strange town near a huge mountain ruled by dwarfs who mined the gold and precious stones. A low dragon growl echoed from his throat. This was all too much when seeing his father shooting fire at the people in Dale, who screamed in fear and death. Galadriel saw in sorrow as Brooklyn began to morph into his true birth form.
Now Brooklyn saw a dwarf king holding a shiny stone in his hands as his father broke into the castle doors, roaring, shooting fire at everyone, then dived into the huge pile of gold, the force causing the dwarf king to drop it, losing it completely. Another younger dwarf dragged his father out of there, the other dwarfs running for their very lives. Brooklyn let loose a huge screech of a dragon, and his gargoyle form finally morphed into his true born one. He wound up seeing his own reflection in the mirror and his own eyes grew wide and big, flapping his wings and still roaring.
Galadriel remained calm still but her eyes were filled with worry for Brooklyn's sanity in his new dragon form. She knew what she had to do to calm the dragon rage.
"STOP! CALM YOUR RAGE." Her own body eventually formed into what it looked like when showing off her real magic power. She raised a hand. Brooklyn turned with glowing red eyes to Galadriel, baring his teeth, smoke trailing from his mouth. He was too enraged by what he saw what his father done to calm down or morph back into a gargoyle.
"YOU DON'T NEED TO BE AS ENRAGED AS YOUR FATHER, BROOKLYN OF WYVERN! CALM… DOWN!" Galadriel shot out a wave of magic to calm down the rage of the dragon. Brooklyn collapsed when feeling the magic wave hit him, making his senses dulled and dizzy. Still a dragon he looked up, eyes no longer glowing red and saw Galadriel not as a gentle elven lady, but a being of immortal strength and magic. She sent out one more wave of peace towards him, making Brook grunt again, shaking his head.
Eventually with a couple convulses, Brooklyn felt his body settle down, morphing back into a gargoyle, having him lay there, panting and shaking all over, staring at nothing. That really scared him.
Galadriel herself thankfully didn't need to use much of her power so she wasn't so weak from it. After toning it down she knelt to Brooklyn, stroking his cheek gently. "Are you well, Brooklyn?" She questioned in concern. Brooklyn gulped from her soft hands, tears falling down his face as he nodded. "W-what happened?" He mumbled weakly.
She pulled him to his feet. "What you felt, was the most grief for when your father had lost you, now that you've seen what really happened." More tears fell down his face, sniffling. "I feel like… the death of innocent people in there was my fault. I shouldn't have been born!" His eyes glowed red again, growling.
His body shook, threatening to go all out in his anger again but Galadriel stroked his shoulder. "Don't say it. Don't ever say that again Brooklyn." She said firmly, Brooklyn still shaking all over from seeing his dragon form, crying now. "Your father still loves you, young one. And he wouldn't blame you for what happened to Dale."
Brooklyn eventually felt truth in Galadriel's words, the tears hot in his eyes as he nodded, wiping them with his hand and just sitting there. He couldn't look in that evil mirror anymore if it turned him full dragon again. But then Galadriel gestured her hand to it again. "Do you want to try one more time?" Brook backed up slightly but then managed up a little courage to look in once more.
He could see his father now again before his egg was lost. Smaug was curled up around it and resting for the night, nuzzling his only hatchling gently. The tears came again, falling into the mirror's reflection. His father really did love him. But he had to hear it in reality to prove it.
The image faded again and Brooklyn for a time just couldn't talk, too caught up on his crying. Galadriel went to him and gave Brooklyn a gentle hug. The young hatchling tensed slightly then gave into it. "I want my father," Brooklyn said in a near child-like voice. "Everything will work out, young one. You just need the courage to find it," She said with wisdom of a thousand years.
But suddenly the two heard a horn sound from the gates. It made Brooklyn jump and his warg companion came running in, barking and woofing. Elrond had left to go orc hunting during the time Brooklyn looked into the mirror after he fed Fangspirit.
"What's happening?" Brooklyn asked. "It would appear we have expected guests," Galadriel murmured. "I must go and meet Mithrandir. He is an old friend." She then walked away to the meeting room. Brooklyn was a tad mystified and wondered what a Mithrandir was. He made his way out of the mirror room and to the entrance of Rivendell to see what all the fuss was about, Fangspirit on his heels.
Eventually he saw a group of the oddest humans Brooklyn ever had yet to see aside from the elves astride horses. The tallest was a man with a long gray beard and wearing a gray robe, holding a wooden staff. The other was a small human with big looking feet hiding behind the tall man as the other elves circled them. The rest all had beards, but one without it as he looked younger than the rest.
Could that tall human be Mithrandir? Brook thought in curiosity, who hid behind a pillar and strained his ears to hear the conversation but it was rather hard too. Eventually at some point Elrond who greeted them spoke in Elven language that Brooklyn couldn't at first understand. He knew he had to ask Elrond to help him speak Elven whenever he could.
The bearded men all began to shout except the tall one but the tall one raised his hand, stating that they were offering the group food and a place to stay. Brooklyn swallowed slightly when suddenly the tall man sensed someone watching them, and his eyes drifted to Brooklyn in the shadows. He never spoke a word but gave him a curious look before eventually leading the others into Rivendell with Elrond.
Brooklyn quickly moved out of their way, not wanting to show himself yet until it was the right time, wanting to rest after his vision from today which really shook him to the core.
