Forge of stories
The Golden Dragon and The Silver Eyed Smith
„C'mon, don't make it make it difficult you piece of crap" Yang grumbled as she pulled the rope from the well, but it constantly slipped from her hands, no matter how strong she hold it.
At first, she tried to use the wooden wheel beside the well to pull out the bucket, but it was too slow for her, so instead she dragged the rope with her own hands. And pulling the rope wasn't that hard for her, she is one of the strongest students at Beacon. However…
The rope, like a snake, slipped from Yang's hands, and she could feel how the bucket falls down again.
"Damn it!" She cursed, and kicked the stone well, and the structure shook in response.
"Careful now, I wish for it to stay in one piece." She suddenly heard from behind and turned her head to see the newcomer.
Annatar stood in the doorway, holding in his hands a pile of wet clothes and a belt, which looked like it was made from a snake's scales laying on top.
"Well hello goldi locks!" She greeted him. "Came to look how I am doing?"
"Partially, but I also wanted to leave those to dry up." He walked past her, and hanged few blouses and trousers on the lines stretched in the corner of the backyard. "Washing machine is such a wonder, don't you agree?"
"Oh yeah, one-hundred percent on that." She replied, in her head reminded that some things won't come off if she cleaned her clothes by hand. Much to her disappointment, there were no room in her team's dorm for a washing machine, so she is forced to use the 'public' laundry to clean her clothes up, And recently she has to go there more often, since her wardrobe has got really messy.
"Why are you trying to pull the bucket out this way?" Annatar inquired after watching how she pulls the rope with her bare hands, and gave her a worried look. "Did mechanism malfunction?"
"No, it's because if I do it by hand it will be quicker DAMNIT!" Rope slipped again from between her fingers. She looked at him and wiggled her finger. "Stop distracting me!."
Annatar chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't fulfill your request." He said and put the belt on the line. "But you lack patience, Yang Xiao Long."
"I can be patient if I want to." She replied and continued to pull out the bucket.
"As if ever you wanted to be." Annatar causally leaned against the well right beside her. "You prefer to relay on your strength alone, even when it's against your goals."
"It carried me really well so far." Yang smirked unbothered by his words.
"Really now? Then tell me, how your search for Raven Branwen went so far?" Yang stopped pulling out the rope and looked him deep in the eyes. "Got any closer in your quest to find her?"
"Who told you that? Junior?" Yang asked with serious tone, her friendly demeanor gone, but Annatar laughed and answered her stare with his own.
"At the very beginning you noticed that I employ Junior's man, you didn't even thought that I would ask him about the picture you showed him?"
"So he knew." Yang concluded dryly, thinking she should pay him a second visit soon.
Annatar scoffed. "He knows less about her than you, and to this day still wonders why you look for her. What a fool." He looked over Yang. "Up close, the relation is quite obvious."
She let go of the rope, and the rope started to fall back into the well, but Annatar didn't even flinch when Xiao Long approached him.
"Have someone ever told you to not stick up your nose into someone's else's business?" Yang confronted him, but she had to look up to stare him deep in the eyes. When she thought about it, the Smith seemed to be somehow taller than when they previously met.
"I think I heard this sentence before." Annatar snickered, and reached with his left hand for the rope Yang let go. "But, to be entirely honest, I care little for who you seek and for what reasons you search for that mercenary from Elysium."
"Then why you talk about it?"
"Because there is something I truly despise." He grabbed the rope, and it immediately halted it's descent. "Inefficient methods."
With monstrous strength, he started to pull the rope, and the bucket in the well rapidly flew up. With two more pulls, he drew the bucket out of the well, much to Yang' astonishment.
"He is that strong?" She thought, and glanced on his arm, noticing that it looked more jacked than before. " The hell?"
"You only have one approach to your problems." Annatar said as he put the bucket o the ground. "You bash your head against the wall, over and over again, and either the bricks break, or your forehead, even when using your mind would bring you better results."
"Damn, then I have cracked a lot of walls." Yang jested, yet her tone showed that she wasn't amused, but Annatar replied with a grin.
"Indeed. Only because all of your foes were weaker than you." He remarked. "Have you ever considered that you will one day face someone more capable?"
"Still have to meet one." Yang replied. "But listen Goldi locks, I would really love to continue this discussion, but don't really have time for that." She grabbed the bucket and started to walk towards the door.
The door closed on its own right before her very eyes. She looked back at him with amusement painted on her face. "Didn't you say that you don't want to fight me?"
"I told you I don't want to fight you 'here', and by that I meant my forge." Annatar remarked, and gestured widely at the whole backyard.. "However, there is nothing of value you can destroy in here. And these walls will withstand any of your hits, that I guarantee."
She put the bucket on the ground and stretched her neck. "Alright, I could use a warm up." She rose her guard up. "C'mon, I will even give you a first hit." But Annatar gave a solemn glare.
"There was once a Golden Dragon named Glaurung." Annatar said instead, startling her while maintaining his distance "His talons were sharp, capable of shredding steel like paper, his breath could engulf whole armies in brimstone, and his golden scales…" Yang could swear that he said 'aura' instead of 'scales. "…Were tougher than any armor, Because of that, his arrogance grew, and relayed solely on his strength to win his battles against the free man, who were far weaker than him."
Yang assumed a combat stance, ready if he decided to pounce on her. But he was too far to land a hit, and didn't look like he was even ready to fight. She constantly shifted her attention from his eyes to his legs, from his hands to his eyes, trying to read if he really wants to attack her, but he was as unreadable as a stone.
Because of the distance and uncertainty, she didn't decide to attack him first – he will have enough time to prepare or dodge, and also she wanted to know what exactly is he planning.
"One day, the Dark Master commanded Glaurung to burn the Great Forest of Brethil and slaughter its inhabitants, but also warned the Golden Dragon that the Great warrior lives in there, and the Drake should remain cautious." Annatar continued his tale, walking from the left to right, drawing Yang's attention to his feet while his left hand reached for something hidden under his robes. "But the Dragon disregarded the warnings, for he didn't believe that the humans would be able to even scratch his scales."
"Nice tale, but can you skip to the fun part?" Yang said, now more annoyed at the Smith than angry. If he wants to fight then why was he waits that long?
"The Golden Dragon in its hubris decided to pass the border river through its narrowest point, and during the traverse, he exposed its weaker underbelly, not knowing that the hero waited for this exact moment…"
He suddenly became a blur of color, human eyes unable to track his movement. Surprised Yang kept her guard to protect her head, fully expecting the blow at her face.
The flash of silver cut with great precision right before her, but the blade didn't scratch her face or hands. Then, in a short moment, Annatar was back in the place he stood, like nothing happened.
"…to strike and gut him open."
Yang blinked, trying to comprehend what exactly happened.
" I didn't feel that he hit my aura, maybe he missed?" She thought at first, but then, she noticed something golden slowly falling to the ground.
Yang's lilac eyes widened in shock, and when she looked at the Smith, she noticed a silver dagger in his left hand, and on it – a strand of golden hair wrapped around it.
Her jaw tightened . "Nobody touches my hair." Her gaze narrowed, and her lilac eyes turned red, while her hair was set ablaze. " NOBODY."
With the slam of her fists, an explosion of fire erupted from her, the flames licked the bricks behind, while the drying clothes rose up after getting hit by the wave of heat, but Annatar remained in place, not flinching in front of the inferno, looking curiously how Yang's hair turned into flames.
"Oh, now you are dead." She charged right at him.
Annatar cracked a smile. "Let's dance, Golden Dragon."
"What should I say: That we can still find a common ground or…" Weiss thought as she walked back to her team. They didn't have the greatest start, but maybe they can start all over again.
" Will saying 'I'm sorry' be enough?" She thought, and shook her head. " I don't think so, I will have to do better than that. At least, if Ruby is not holding a…"
Suddenly, Blake came out from the corner and both girls bumped into each other.
Blake rubbed her head and looked at the girl in white "Weiss?"
"Blake? What are you doing here?" Weiss asked in surprise. "Weren't you with Yang and Ruby?"
"Yang went to get some water and I… went to Annatar's library." Blake replied.
"You left Ruby alone!?" Weiss looked at her with utter disappointment. "Just to read some books?" Blake scoffed.
"Look who is talking, you were the one who left first." For a moment, Weiss looked down, ashamed a little.
"That's true, I shouldn't leave like that." Weiss agreed. "But that's on me, you can't use it as an excuse for yourself!" Blake left a heavy sigh.
"Believe me, I already regret that." Before Weiss could ask what Blake meant by that, girl in black and white started to walk away .
"Hey, where are you going?" Weiss caught up to her.
"To check if Ruby is finished, and after I pick up Yang we are leaving this place." Blake said, much to Weiss's surprise.
"But, you weren't against coming in here." Weiss pointed out. "What happened?"
"We just have to leave, okay?" Blake retorted as they walked down downstairs, and something in Weiss's mind clicked.
"He talked with you too, didn't he?" Blake suddenly halted in place. "What did he tell you?"
"We talked about the story that I read, that's all." Blake responded after a while, but Weiss could tell that her teammate is not telling her everything. She also knew that if she push too far, she might start an argument, right when she wants to make some amends.
"He also talked with you?" Blake asked in turn, and Weiss nodded.
"About that both his and my dad were jerks." Weiss cracked a smile while Blake just rose her eyebrow, but Weiss recomposed herself shortly after. "But it's unimportant, right now we should check if Ruby is doing fine."
Blake nodded her head in the agreement and both girls resumed their walk to the forge.
"So… Could you tell me what I missed?" Weiss inquired.
"After you left, we talked a little with the Smith, then he showed Ruby that there is something wrong with the Crescent Rose and he offered that she can make repairs in his forge."
"Just like that?" Weiss asked, and Blake nodded in agreement. "How much he wanted?"
"Nothing." Weiss frowned upon hearing it.
"That is hard to believe." Weiss said and Blake just shrugged her arms. But before Weiss could ask about more details, both girls started to hear a rhythmic strikes of the hammer.
The door to the forge was opened slightly, and through it both Blake and Weiss could feel heat and repeated clangs of the metal but, among these sounds, they could pick up a quiet humming, like someone sung a song.
Blake and Weiss shared a look, and approached the door, careful to not make any noise, and peeked inside.
All lights inside the room were switched off, the only source of light were large furnaces, fire within slowly dying, and the white hot piece of metal on the anvil.
Beside the anvil stood Ruby, wearing protection gloves and googles, repeatedly slamming the hammer into the white hot metal to put it into shape, and although her stare was focused on the task, her lips formed into a genuine, happy smile and, deep in her throat, Weiss could hear something akin to the song, which lyrics are only known to Ruby.
Weiss never went with Ruby to the Academy's forge, no matter how much Rose insisted, Schnee always refused, thinking that something like 'Forge' is a relic of the old times. But now, when Weiss observed her partner working with a wide smile on her face, she started to realize that for Ruby, smithing is something more than just slamming the pieces of metal together.
When she thought of it, She had similar reactions when Kurt taught her ice-skating when she was little. Though it was part of her father's plan, she really enjoyed it, and always felt free and unrestricted.
Blake also observed Ruby with great curiosity. When she was in the Fang, they often had to relay on the captured equipment or weapons bought on the black market, and the crude weapons they made from the scraps.
Even though she made Gambol Shroud all by herself, she still mostly used the scavenged parts and it wasn't as 'fancy' or 'advanced' like other weapons in Beacon, but it got the job done.
But witnessing someone working on the tiniest pieces of their weapon to not only be functional, but also impressive to look at, was something new, and she couldn't help but give Ruby a little respect.
Ruby picked the white hot metal beam with her pincers and lowered it to the nearly empty bucket of water, small amount of steam blew out of the bucket, but it wasn't enough to cool the metal.
With a sigh, Ruby put the metal beam back on the anvil, walked towards the furnace, sat right before it, removed the safety googles and looked into the flames, allowing the heat to gently brush her cheeks, and she smiled at the flames, like she welcomed an old friend or someone dear.
"I wonder what is she thinking right now?" Weiss thought, but before she could do anything, Ruby did something both she and Blake didn't expect.
She sung, her voice at the same time melancholic yet hopeful.
The leaves were long, the grass was green
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering,
Tinúviel was dancing there,
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair
And in her raiment glimmering,
Blake could swear the that flames within the furnace responded to the song, and she could see a dancing girl within, while Weiss couldn't help but be captivated by the song. She didn't know that Ruby could sing that beautifully.
"What is the song she is singing?" Weiss said out loud, unintentionally interrupting Ruby, who now noticed both of her teammates with a loud gasp.
"Oh Weiss, Blake!" She rose on her both feet. "I wasn't slacking off! I just ehhh wait for Yang! That's right, I wait for Yang…" She looked on her feet. "You heard it, didn't you?"
"We did." Weiss walked into the room. "What song was that?" And Ruby looked a little embarrassed.
"A lullaby my mom sung to me before she… left." Ruby avoided Wiess's stare. "Not very mature, isn't it?"
"What do you mean? It was beautiful." Blake said.
"Really? Don't you think it's too childish for a leader to sung a lullaby?" Ruby looked at Weiss, and the Heiress took a breath.
"No, it isn't childish to sing." Weiss reassured. "I was just surprised that… well, you can sing." Ruby smiled a little.
"Yeaaah, I only learnt this one." Ruby sheepishly confessed. "And when I sing it, I remind myself of what my dad told me – that mom is there." She gestured at the roof, and both girls followed her finger. "That whatever I do, or wherever I am, when I study or work on my baby, she watches me from the stars."
"That's… really beautiful view." Blake commented, and Weiss nodded in agreement, unable to utter a word.
Ruby looked at the Crescent Rose, then at the still white hot piece of the metal, and Weiss followed her stare.
"You run out of water?" Weiss inquired, and Ruby gave her a nod.
"Just when I was about to finish the last piece." Ruby said while gesturing at the metal beam left on the anvil. "Yang said she will come back with another bucket, but…"
"I will check on her if you want." Blake offered, but Weiss rose her hand to stop her.
"I have a better idea." She reached for her pouch, and retrieved a vial of a blue dust. She focused her aura, and the vial shined with blue light.
Soon, from between her fingers, the water started to fall into the bucket, filling it to the brim. She first looked at the now half-full vial, then at Ruby.
"Will this be enough?"
"Yes! Thankyouthankyou!" Ruby hugged her teammate, much the latter's surprise, then quickly let her go, put the safety googles back on and reached for her pincers.
Blake looked at the Schnee with surprise. That was not something she would expect from the heiress. Is she sick? She then noticed something new on Weiss's right ear – an earring with what looked like a miniature star.
"So Weiss received a 'gift' too." Blake thought while Weiss awkwardly smiled, still taken aback by the Ruby's gesture.
On Weiss's part, using the water dust wasn't her first idea. In fact, she wanted to say something about the Brawler "fooling around" and then offering to go with Blake to look for her. But then, the thought of using water dust sounded not only objectively better, but also that it would show Ruby her good intentions.
Ruby picked up the metal beam with the pincers, and lowered it to the water, the cloud of steam emerging from the bucket, and the metal finally started to cool off. She then put it back on the anvil and reached for the hammer, and she started to strike the metal again. But her mood couldn't be better – it seemed that her teammates finally spend time with her, and they are genuinely interested.
She could feel Weiss peeking from behind, Blake observing from the side, and that her mother watches over her from the sky above.
Ruby couldn't help herself but smile like a happy child, and then, as the hammer struck out the rhythm, she picked up the song in place she left it.
There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following…
Yang struck with her right fist first, aiming at Annatar's stomach, only for the Smith to effortlessly move out of the way. She swung her left hand at his face, then tried to low kick him with her left leg, and finished with a flurry of blows aiming at his chest.
But Annatar, like a snake, avoided all of her blows, each strike passing mere inches from their intended targets.
"Afarid to take a hit!?" Yang taunted as she swung continuing her flurry of blows, while Annatar basically danced around her. "You shouldn't start a fight if you can't take one!"
"You really expect your opponents to just let you punch them?" He looked genuinely concerned. "Some of your foes will use their swiftness against you." Smith said, jumping away from another kick. "They won't even allow you to land a single strike."
Yang clenched her teeth in anger. She felt like she was fighting Ren again, but unlike Ren, who can punch really hard if he is backed to the corner, Annatar didn't even try to counterattack. She briefly looked at the drying laundry and idea came to her mind.
She slammed her fist into the ground, the shockwave pushed Annatar away, but he remained standing, much to Yang's dismay. He looked at his shoulder and with his right hand, wiped out the dust.
She jumped towards him again, and, like her father thought her, she visualized sequence of moves she wanted to do and force the smith into her rhythm.
Two punches to his chest, low kick wide smash with right hand. Annatar was just a fraction of a second before her, but eventually he will slip up.
"You can't just dodge forever!" She yelled at blonde and made another sequence of strikes. He was fast, but by not fighting he let her lead the fight.
" After this kick he will be out of balance." After all years of fights she instinctively knew that if Annatar dodges in the same way he has done it earlier, she will be able to use the momentum from her attack to made another one, undodgeable this time.
After the kick she charged at him again, knowing that, with the laundry behind him leaving him no room to run. And then, smith spoke again.
"True, swiftness can be beaten by sheer strength alone." Annatar commented as he stared at charging Yang. "By there are foes who will fight with guile."
She threw a paunch with her right hand, flames following her hand and this time, he parried the blow with his left, open hand, redirecting her strike away, while his right hand grabbed a piece of wet cloth, and when Yang swung her left fist in a wide arc, he ducked under it, and in less than a second, tightly wrapped the material around mispositioned hand, sticking it to her torso.
"Hey!" She shouted and tried to kick him, but her kick missed entirely, for Annatar wasn't there any longer, another towel in his place, that got pulled around her knee.
" What is this laundry made off, carbon fiber?" She thought, didn't allow him to stick her leg to another, as he tried, but by driving him away with her right arm she was once again mispositioned and he throw a long robe on her head, obscuring her view. She wanted to pull it away but then again she heard the smith from behind.
"Those with clever minds will use every advantage the terrain gives them." Annatar said angering her further, and when she jumped towards the place she heard him, she tripped on something, and fell straight into mud. "And lure you into a trap."
She got up almost instantly, grabbed the piece of cloth blocking her vision and tore it out.
"ENOUGH!" Once again she produced heat wave around herself, her hair shined from flames within, her fiery eyes met his, as red, if not redder than hers.
"But some day…" Annatar started the sentence, but she leapt forward, her hand a comet, she was too fast, smith won't be able to dodge, her strike too powerful to parry
"…you will met someone stronger than you." He whispered when he caught her fist with left hand.
She felt like she hit the wall, but not one of those houses in Vale, no a strong castle wall reinforced by steel beams. His hand immovable, all her impressive power couldn't even make him flinch.
"What the..?" She murmured but she struck again, but like her right hand, he caught her left without issue.
"You are lucky, Yang Xio Long, cos you yet, not meet someone stronger than you, who wished to harm you, or your loved ones. But such people do exist." Like he was trying to emphasized his point, he raised his hands, still holding her fists, lifting her into the air without even breaking a sweat, and he looked into her red eyes, his own like gaping pits of hell. "And if you won't learn to use more than your brawl, they will take what you care most, while you won't be able to do anything more than weep."
When he said that, distant memory flashed in her head.
It was few days after she overheard the discussion between her uncle and her dad about Summer, and from it she learnt that Summer Rose wasn't her mom, and that she was abandoned by her real mother upon birth. Such news was earth-shattering for a young child.
She felt betrayed by those she loved, and, acting on the impulse, she took some of her belongings, her favorite teddy bear, five-year old Ruby, packed everything on the cart and left the house without anyone noticing. This decision was mostly born out of anger she felt towards her family, not understanding why would they lie to her like that?
For hours she wandered in the forest, hoping that maybe, if she just yells loud enough, her true mom will find her and that she will find a new home and feel love and comfort again.
But her anger, anguish and pain inevitably attracted someone else.
The Grimm.
She still remembers how beowolves rushed at her from every direction, one of them knocked the cart over while another slammed it's clawed limb at Yang, sending her flying at the tree. The mere memory of the impact still brings pain in her back.
Three beasts were soon upon her, one closed it's jaws on her right hand and tried to rip it off, and although it didn't broke her aura, she screamed out of terror and pain.
She tried to defend herself, kick the beasts away, but her paunches were pitiful, doing nothing more than to annoy the Grimm. As three beats tossed her around like a doll and gnawed at her limbs, trying to break her aura. But then, she noticed something in the corner of an eye that terrified her more than three Grimm trying to kill her.
One of the beowolves approached the knocked cart, picked up Ruby with its clawed front limb, and opened its jaw.
And as it lowered the terrified Rose to swallow her whole, Yang couldn't do anything, only watch and scream. She felt powerless, pathetic, weak…
An unwanted failure.
And even though they were saved by Qrow that day, Yang promised to herself to never be in the same position ever again. To always be stronger.
But, just like then, when Annatar held her in the air, she again felt pathetic.
Her red eyes turned back to lilac, and then started to fill with tears.
But, as she stared into the eyes full of magma, Annatar's gaze changed, from anger to more compassionate one.
"But I am not one of them." He let go, and she collapsed on her bottom, not understanding what is going on. She looked at him as he extended his right hand to help her get up.
"I sincerely apologize for this, but I knew that words wouldn't achieve any meaningful result with you." He spoke, his voice soft, like teacher comforting his student. "For people like you prefer actions over words."
At first, Yang didn't want to take his hand, still overwhelmed by emotions. She even briefly thought about continuing the fight, but she quickly pushed it aside – he beat her fair and square.
"Asshole." She said and grabbed his hand.
"Not the worst name I was ever given." Annatar chuckled, then looked her deep in the eyes. "Remember this lesson, Yang Xiao Long."
"Oh believe me, I am not going to forget that easily." Yang said with sour in her mouth. "Tell me, are you some legendary Hunter in disguise?"
"I am not a legendary Hunter, just a Smith who saw many moons." Annatar replied.
"Then, who taught you to fight like this?"
"Long years of practice, experience, and an acquaintance with too much time." Sauron said, remembering his talks with Gothmog about battles, and fighting in general. He considered Gothmog a rather good teacher in this aspect, for the Giant Balrog understood the nature of a fight unlike any other.
Obviously, he never sparred with Gothmog, the Black Captain of Angband would certainly go overboard and 'accidently' smash him into the ground. Or tear him apart.
"If he ever decides to teach another, tell him that I am more than willing." Yang said, and Annatar looked away, little sad.
"I'm afraid it's not possible." He said and walked to the drying laundry, picked the belt made of snake's scales, took it and returned to Yang. "For your troubles, as promised."
Yang looked at the belt. It was very pretty accessory, yet the "snake scales" in reality were just very capable imitation of the nature, the leather was artificial. The most interesting part of it was the buckle, at first it looked very simple, but when she looked on it for a while, she noticed that it was made of one piece of gold, reinforced by brass net stylized to look similar to those used by fisherman on the see. Just below the buckle a word in some different language could be seen.
" Eccaialokë" Annatar said while Yang took the belt into her hands.
"What?"
"His name is Eccaialokë." Annatar explained. "It's not only beautiful, but also, one day, if you find yourself before a foe who possess the greater strength than you, He will protect your life."
"Damn, that's useful." She said and swapped her regular belt with Eccaialokë. "But why did you name it?" Annatar rose his eyebrow.
"Didn't you name your own weapon?" Yang rose her finger to interjected, but she realized that the Smith has a point.
"Touché." She replied, then she looked at her new belt. "It really fits."
"I am sure that Ruby Rose will like it as well." Annatar remarked, which made Yang suddenly realized that she promised to bring Ruby water.
"Ruby! Oh shit!" She sprung into a sprint, picked up the bucket mid-way, pushed the door open and run into the forge.
Annatar chuckled and quickly went after her, whistling under his nose.
Yang run through the hallways as fast as possible, hoping that somehow, she will still make it in time. She knew that Ruby takes smithing really seriously, and if she messes something up because Yang didn't come with water…
But as she run closer, she heard something familiar, yet at the same so distant. She slowed down, and approached the door to the room cautiously.
Inside, she noticed Blake and Weiss standing near the Crescent Rose while Ruby worked on her weapon, putting the new parts in. And during so, she sung.
…Again she fled, but swift he came
Tinúviel! Tinúviel!
He called her by her Elvish name
And there she halted listening
One moment stood she, and a spell
His voice laid on her: Beren came
And doom fell on Tinúviel
That in his arms lay glistening,
Yang nearly dropped the bucket, shocked to her core. " She remembers the lullaby?"
She remembered how Summer sung it to them both when they were little, bringing comfort when they were scared of the thunder outside, or when they couldn't sleep at night. Voice of her surrogate mother always soft, setting her ease, and so full of love.
As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.
Tinúviel the elven-fair,
Immortal maiden elven-wise,
About him cast her shadowy hair
And arms like silver glimmering.
Yang smiled from ear to ear as Ruby put the final piece into the Crescent Rose.
"Done!" Ruby announced cheerfully, and with one move of her hand, Crescent Rose revealed it's Scythe form with deadly smoothness, the blade reflecting the light like it could cut through the moonlight.
"It looks exactly the same." Blake commented, and Ruby giggled.
"But she is better than ever!" Rose replied, then looked at Weiss. "What do you think?"
Heiress thought for a moment. "I think the Crescent Rose looks great, but I have a question about the song – why 'doom'? Isn't it something bad?"
"In modern books yes." Blake answered for Ruby. "But in older titles, some authors use 'doom' just like we use 'fate'. For them, 'doom' meant something inevitable, a destiny."
"Or love at the first sight." Yang remarked as she walked in, drawing the attention of the rest of her team. "At least, that's how I interpret it."
"Yang!" Ruby shifted her weapon back into a portable box and run to her sister and hugged her tightly, and Yang answered the hug with only one hand, holding in the other a water bucket.
"I feared that it would take me too long, but I see you managed yourself." Yang said, affectionally rubbing her younger sister's hair.
"Mhm! Weiss used the water dust and filled the bucket." Yang looked at the heiress with risen eyebrow.
"Really now?" Weiss gave her an awkward smile, and Yang chuckled. "Then I guess she got herself a favor."
As Ruby hugged her tightly, Yang remembered the promise she made a long time ago – that no matter what happens, wherever she goes, she will protect her from all of the dangers, no matter what.
"May I ask, is this the end of the song?" Blake suddenly asked, and both Ruby and Yang looked at her. Blake lowered her stare sheepishly. "I would love to hear how it ended, if there is any."
Sisters shared the look.
"If you want Rubes." Ruby nodded and took a deep breath.
Long was the way that fate them bore,
O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
Through halls of ireon and darkling door,
And woods of nightshade morrowless.
The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless.
As she ended, Weiss picked up the blue tissue and cleared corner of her eyes while Yang giggled.
"Guess what? Our Ice Queen have a heart!"
"Hey!" Weiss at first responded to a tease with annoyance, but when both Yang and Ruby laughed, the annoyance turned into amusement, then she joined their laugh, even Blake cracked a smile.
Ruby stopped laughing first, and thought that something is amiss.
"Yang, where is Annatar? Did you meet him?" She asked, and Yang frowned.
"What do you mean, he was right…" She looked back, but the Smith was nowhere to be found. "..Behind me."
"How!?" Sauron hid behind the wall, his skin paler than normal, utterly terrified. "It's not possible!"
At first, when he heard this verses, he thought they are similar, but then, the name…
"Tinúviel " he said in both horror and disbelief. " Maybe here, they had another… No, It can't be an accident. BUT HOW!?"
His panicked head tried to formulate any sensible explanation, but each conclusion sounded more and more outlandish.
"They both died thousands of years ago, on Arda!" They couldn't possibly be here… Or could they? What kind of trickery is this Morgoth? What if she knows more about…?!"
He took a deep breath to calm down.
"She didn't recognize the tale of Turin." He thought more clearly. "Nor she didn't react when I mentioned Doriath. That means her knowledge must be limited."
"Hey Annatar!" She heard Ruby shouting from afar. "Are you okay?!"
"I must learn what she knows before I proceed." He fixed his hair, and recomposed himself. " But I must remain cautious."
"Everything is fine, Ruby Rose!" He shouted back. "I just noticed something concerning in my backyard, that's all!"
"Okay! Because I finished working on Crescent Rose! Do you want to see it!?"
"Certainly!" He replied, and as he walked towards them, his mind was entirely focused on the Silver-eyed Smith, trying his best to hide the conclusion that his mind formulated.
That He is not the first being which came here from Arda.
Fifteen minutes later
"Thanks for everything!" Ruby left the forge first, followed closely behind by her teammates and Annatar.
"Pleasure was all mine." Annatar replied, and whole group looked at the sun slowly rising up to welcome a new day.
"Huh, I could swear that we spent more than an hour in your forge goldi locks." Yang said, and Annatar chuckled.
"Oh indeed, you walked in here at dawn." He said. "At dawn of the previous day." Weiss and Balke frowned upon hearing it.
"We spent here an entire day!?" Weiss shouted in shock while Blake just widened her eyes.
Annatar chuckled. "I told you at the beginning Weiss Schnee, you always stay in my forge for longer than you preplan."
"Who cares!?" Yang took all three teammates under her arms. "It's Saturday! It's not like we have lessons or anything."
"It's true, but we also didn't sleep." Blake tried to argue, but, surprisingly, she didn't feel tired at all.
"I don't want to go back to Beacon yet!" Rubby added with satisfied smile. "I want to have more fun today!"
"Then, how about some ice cream?" Blake proposed. "I know a good café nearby."
"Ice cream!" Ruby shouted with excitement, and both girls now looked at Weiss, and the girl in white shrugged her arms.
"Why not?" She replied, and Yang brough all three closer.
"Then It's decided, we are going to get some ice cream. I think Ruby deserve it after working a whole day."
"Yay!" Ruby shouted, and as the girls walked away, she looked back at Annatar and waved her hand. "Bye friend!"
Annatar chuckled and waved back to her.
"To our next meeting, Silver-eyed girl." He whispered and walked back into his forge, while the girls walked away with the rising sunset.
Authors note
And thus, our small arc, which at the beginning we thought will be a single chapter, reached it's conclusion. In a handsight, I think dividing it ultimately was a good choice. It allowed us to hide one last ace down the sleeve.
Was using one of the most famous Tolkien's poems "a bold move"? Probably, but I think that, at the end, it will only bring benefits to the story. Not to mention that I simply adore this poem and I wanted to include it somewhere.
And about Yang vs Sauron - was it the closest thing we got to an actual battle? At this stage of the story, yes. Will there be more? Certianly! In the future ofc.
I thank you once again for supporting this story with your kind words! I am really happy that during this month, I was able to finish this arc, but I think I have to take a rather short break.
Worry not though! I planned to post another 'Sauron encounters' soon, so stay tuned!
*Konsilio - Also, as a little tease of a tease I will tell that in mentioned 'Sauron Encounters' we will include a little prelude to next miniarc.
Yeah, in fact, we planned this teaser to be right after the authors note, but after a debate we decided against it.
Because if we posted this preview in this chapter, and then posted 'Sauron encounters', we could accidently 'bait you'.
First and foremost, sincerity and honesty,
Now, to answer your reviews:
In response to Teo Char:
Ngl, I giggled when I read that one.
It might be more diffcult than you put it, but Sauron was determined. And his research was more than just 'reading a wiki'
But yeah, but this comment really encapsulates the spirit of this situation.
In response to RedHood001:
"I'm not sure it'll be different with Yang, but one can hope. She, too, has trauma added to the sense of superiority that comes with the fact that she's stronger than the average person. But strength is useless if the mind is lacking, especially considering how she approaches battles or discussions."
I am speechless, you were able to predict what I am going to write while I was in the middle of doing it. Hats off to you, you have my respect.
Oh, and I am sure that there will be a plethora of reactions to Sauron and his capabilities. Some more vocal than others. No spoilers though.
*Konsilio - I laughed at the line "Since the Maia is choosing the diplomatic route" like it's some Undertale run.
Outmanuvered? Possibly, we saw that in the books. But in pure power brawl? I think yeah, at this point of the story a Maiden would certainly pose a threat.
*Konsilio - Or at least make him run. But that's why he is not taking risk - he studies history of Remnant, and he probably noticed the 'white spaces' between the events. 'White spaces', in which a powerful being could hide.
I thank you for your review and I hope you saty well too!
In response to Beowulf Gudbrytare:
Thank you! I really appreciate that! Especially from someone who wrote so much on this site!
"It really hammers home just how Sauron really works" - thank you for that, I am really trying.
He simply lacks reasosn to do something truly bad rn, and it's quite possible that he will do something evil.
Who am I kidding? Of course he will do somthing evil! But... not now.
Morgoth's hold is not that little my friend! And you know what? I don't think I can explain it well in the story, so I will just say it here:
If Morgoth wanted, he could just cut off Sauron's 'lifeline', which would imidieattly bring him back to the void, and Sauron could do nothing to stop it.
So it want be easy to break this hold. But it does not mena that Sauron won't try.
And, about Sauron becoming Mairon once more - this question is literally in the descprition of the story, but I like that you asked this question. Because even I don't know the answer.
*Konsilio - We have an outline what will happen, but through the story, there will be choices, and depending on Sauron's choices, the outcome will be decided at the end.
Thank you for your review!
In response to Dhestrya:
Bueno!
That's all for today, have a nice week!
Dj and Konsilio out!