Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

In a land of shadows	By : Nuredhel Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1448 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien, and i do not earn any money from this work of fiction, it is solely written for entertainment and not for profit at all.I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien,

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter twelve: Fortuna Favet Fortibus

Don’t be the one who is easy to read
Be the unpredictable one
Don’t be the one who is easily brought down
Be as adamant as the bones of the earth
Be as brave as a lion
Be as fierce as the dancing flames
Within your soul
Ravenne woke up feeling a bit confused, she didn’t recognize her surroundings but then she remembered and grinned. She has slept very well and felt rested. Narriar was sleeping next to her, his arm thrown over her and he was mumbling in his sleep. She had to turn around and stroke his hair, he was so innocent when he slept, so relaxed. She had discovered that his race didn’t sleep with their eyes open unless they were in a dangerous situation and only the sounds he made told her he was dreaming. She saw that it was lighter outside and so she shook him gently and he grunted and opened his eyes. They shone like fireflies in the darkness of the hut and she giggled at the expression in his face. He appeared to be completely in awe of her. Ravenne stretched herself and yawned, they had to get up but she really didn’t want to. She wanted to stay down between the silky furs with him for the rest of the day but it wasn’t possible. Narriar grunted in protest, he raised his hand and grasped her by her shoulder, pulled her down to him so she lay on top of his body. “Don’t leave me Phivanil, the others can wait a little longer.”
Ravenne sighed. “And if any of the warriors you sent out are returning?”
Narriar was kissing her throat, trying to caress her rear. “They’ll tell us, no need to hurry”
She giggled. “Are you still that eager?”
He growled and took her hand, pushed it down towards his groin and she gasped when she realized that he was just as aroused as he had been the previous night. She had to gasp and Narriar leaned up and kissed her, he nipped her lip with his rather sharp teeth and she gasped and sat up, placed herself above him. Narriar was already breathing hard and she had to agree with Verya, there was apparently no limit to the endurance of these Ce’agar ellyn. She didn’t mind having him once more although she feared that she would have a peculiar gate for a while.
Afterwards they just lay there in a slumber and Narriar was as usual extremely eager to cuddle. She liked it but it somehow made her yearn for more. She had never believed that she’d ever experience such joy and now that she had gotten the possibility she didn’t want to lose a single chance. She started to caress him and he hissed and pushed his hips towards her touch, closing his eyes. Before long they were at it again and Ravenne didn’t give damn if the whole village heard her scream, she just didn’t care. All that mattered was that they were together, that they were one. In the end they had to leave the bed and get dressed and Ravenne was hungry and needed to pee. The light outside was soft and even though it was weak she saw rather well, she suspected that it was her rather peculiar eyes that made it possible for her to see just as well as the natives.
The rest of the group had just gotten up as well, they appeared to be a bit grumpy and Ravenne noticed that Erestor and Elrohir both were a bit pale and looked disheveled. She went over to them when she had washed herself and relieved her bladder of the pressure. Elrohir shook his head and tried to get a comb through his long black hair, he did not appear to have slept at all and Erestor was yawning like a mad. “You look like you’ve had a rough night?”
Elrohir sighed. “That’s the understatement of the millennia. Gods, I haven’t been able to close an eye!”
Erestor moaned and tried to stretch himself but flinched and groaned, rubbed his back. “First of all, there was some rocks underneath our tent, and they were rather sharp so we all have bruises everywhere! And then there was this infernal cricket or something that was making sounds the entire night and it sounded like a freaking chainsaw!”
Ravenne had to laugh at the scholars words, he always sounded as if he was suffering like nobody else ever had. Narriar laughed. “You heard a gnawbar, they are a bit like crickets yes but much larger and the sound you heard was the male sharpening its beak on rocks. They are quite loud until you learn not to notice them.”
Elrohir shook his head, he sighed. “I haven’t heard them before, and I have been to this world a few times.”
Narriar just patted his back. “They only make that noise for a few weeks each year, in the mating season.”
Erestor braided his hair and yawned once more. “Good to know, that these freaking things will keep us awake for our entire stay here!”
Narriar just grinned once more and went over to the fire pits where the ellith were preparing some breakfast. It was some sort of stew and it was delicious being served from ceramic bowls, Ravenne liked it a lot and Glorfindel impressed the female in charge for the cooking by asking for more four times. He was perhaps half a foot shorter than the ellyn of the tribe but he had appetite for two. They sat there eating when one of the runners returned, he ran straight to Narriar and kneeled in front of him. Narriar put his bowl aside and tilted his head, he was obviously worried for the runner had a grim expression upon his face. “Yes?”
The runner took a deep breath. “My chief, I have been to the gwhyym, they have been attacked!”
Narriar let out a small gasp, then he was on his feet. “How bad is it?”
The runner swallowed. “They have lost many but it isn’t too bad, they will manage. The monsters probably didn’t know that the gwhyym can hide underground. They only got those too slow to get into the burrows in time.”
Narriar let out a sigh of relief. “Good, but I bet they are angry and bent on revenge?”
The runner grinned, the grin was a bit wicked. “Indeed they are, they are furious and they will help us in every way that they can.”
Narriar growled. “Good, they are not big but they are tough.”
The runner nodded. “They have sent some of their trackers out, they are trying to track the monsters back to their lair.”
Narriar’s eyes got narrow. “Then I hope they are careful, but if I know them well they are.”
The runner cocked his head. “They came from the north, they all agreed on that and the trees and the beasts agree too. The source is up north.”
Erestor put down his stew. “So did our wizards believe too, the first attacks came from just one place and when the attack on Tirion was stopped that pattern was broken.”
Narriar sat with his eyes closed, he appeared to be thinking really hard. “There are many places up north of which we know naught, few have ever ventured up there. It is cold and dangerous and unknown terrain.”
Glorfindel and Gwan sat there with Magon, they were polishing their swords and Magon pointed towards the north. “Why is it that your people haven’t travelled up there?”
Narriar shrugged. “It is just too dangerous, we have what we need here and those who have travelled up north haven’t returned.”
Vayana made a grimace. “I have brought a lot of medical supplies but I seriously doubt that it will be enough if we get into real trouble. I hope you all are aware of this, if you get seriously injured I may not be able to save you.”
They all just nodded and finished their food, Elrohir had brought a piece of paper and some pens and they were trying to make a sort of map of the northern areas. Most of it would be based on just rumors and old tales and Erestor stared at the finished result with a frown. “On earth they had a custom back in the old days, if they were to make a map and didn’t have good information they would write here be dragons across the unknown terrain. To warn that there could be dangers there.”
Ravenne just made a sneer.”Then that should be written all across that map, it is useless. We will have to fill in the blank spots as we go”
Narriar just nodded and his eyes were sad, he regretted that they didn’t have more information of the land up north. Glorfindel was going through the list of available weapons with Gwan and Magon, he scratched his chin staring at it. “Bearspray? Well, I guess that could do the trick, and what the heck is this?”
Magon grinned. “They go after the smell of living things yes? This is a sort of perfume, it masks our scent and makes us smell like trees or rocks and other inanimate objects.”
Ravenne went over, she was curious. Gwan handed over a canister of the stuff and she sniffed it carefully. It smelled like nothing she’d ever encountered and it burned her nose. She backed away and sneezed and Gwan grinned widely. “And that is just a small piece of what we have got.”
Erestor made a grim grimace. “Enough to start a goddamn war.”
Glorfindel nodded. “It makes me wonder what would have happened if we have had weapons like that back when we fought Sauron?”
Ravenne shuddered and hissed. “It would have ended with disaster, believe me. These humans are so ingenious and never more so then when it comes to coming up with new and increasingly terrible ways to kill each other.”
Vayana nodded, her eyes were dark. “We thought that the orc’s were bad, but by the Valar, they are almost softies compared with the things we have seen back on earth. The Arda we knew is no more, cannot describe it otherwise. I sometimes ask myself if it was worth it, all the fighting we did, all the loss and pain and grief. We could have sailed and left that damned Maia to rule as he wished.”
Ravenne shook her head. “Then we would have deserted everything we are and ever was.”
Glorfindel nodded and his eyes were sad.”Yes, we would have become what we were fighting. But this time I guess the cause sanctifies the means, we cannot allow ourselves any weakness this time.”
Ravenne touched the hilt of her sword almost lovingly, she felt that she could trust in the cold steel of this blade. It would not let her down and she knew that she was the best swordfighter among them. Even Glorfindel wasn’t quite as good as her and she knew why. He was trained in a time long gone by, a time when the methods and training was very different. She on the other hand had never been properly trained the way others had. She had been taught to fight in order to stay alive, not to spar or impress others. Her moves were based on making a swift kill and then move on to the next, she didn’t waste any energy and any moves, she was always flowing through it all and all motions were ultimately elegant and efficient. Her father had been in awe of her skills rather early and she had to smile to herself. Those moments when he praised her were among her best memories. She just hoped that she would see her father and mother and siblings again.
After a couple of hours more of the runners returned, they were covered with sweat and panting and Narriar ordered that they should be given some of the wine they had brought with them as a reward for their effort. It did not appear that any of the other clans further south had noticed anything out of the ordinary but the runner sent for the clan of the elk hadn’t returned yet and as the day went Narriar got more and more nervous and agitated. Ravenne did notice it rather well, he was restless and his eyes were never resting at anything for more than a few seconds at a time. They sat there waiting, the runners had explained that all the clans would send warriors up to them if it was needed. Narriar wasn’t so sure about this, a small group was the safe option but it could be that they would need someone to create a distraction.
Ravenne knew that Narriar didn’t want to risk the lives of any of his people and she respected this but it could be that they indeed would need more people than just their small group. Some hunters returned with a huge boar like animal hanging from a pole they carried between them and Narriar grinned. “That’s great, we’ll have meat for a couple of days now.”
Ravenne watched as they skinned and slaughtered the animal, they never let anything go to waste and even the sinews and the bladder was kept for later use. These people knew what to do with everything they found in their environment and it made her genuinely impressed. An ellon with long twisted braids came and claimed some of the bones of the animals and Narriar told her that he would carve them into beautiful small figurines and parts for their bows. She had noticed that the Ce’agar were a bit artistic and she saw that several of the females wore face paint or painted patterns along their arms and legs.
The meat was being rubbed with herbs and packed into some huge leaves and then it was buried in the ashes of the bonfires. It would cook slowly and Ravenne had to grin, they did really know how to make tasty food and she remembered how she had survived in the woods alone in her more feral life. She ate raw meat and blood and some berries and that had been all. She did really prefer this kind of food. The children were running around as usual and she saw that the older looked after the young ones. They were playing different games or sitting with their parents and she had to smile, even when they did things they weren’t supposed to do they weren’t scolded, they were ignored if they misbehaved and she was stunned by how well behaved they all were. Some girls came over staring at her hair and one of them was staring with starry eyes, she said something and Narriar sent the girl a very sweet smile and rubbed her head gently. “Ravenne, she is asking if you will allow her to braid your hair?”
Ravenne felt a bit shocked by the bold request but she realized how unusual her white hair was to this darkhaired people. She sat down and nodded and the girl grinned widely and pulled a small bone comb out of her pocket. Ravenne smiled to Narriar who smiled back but she could see a deep longing in his eyes, she knew for what he was longing. She sighed and the girl started to very gently comb through Ravennes long white locks and she was glad she hadn’t let her hair grow as long as her mother had. Nireariels hair was five feet longer than she was and it was admired throughout the entire kingdom. Ravennes reached her hips but she hadn’t allowed it to get any longer than that, it would be in the way in a fight otherwise. The little girl was obviously stunned by how thin the strands of hair were and how silky they were and Ravenne smiled at her. It felt good being groomed and the girl giggled and continued her work. Narriar grinned. “Her name is Nimine, it means butterfly.”
Ravenne patted the child on the back. “That is a very beautiful name.”
Narriar translated and Nimine giggled and continued doing her job, before long Ravenne’s long white hair had been braided into warriorbraids. Narriar had to grin at the sight, the girl took the task very seriously and she was beaming with pride. Ravenne thanked her profusely and the girl ran back to her mother giggling. Narriar pulled at one of her braids teasingly. “It suits you phivanil.”
She just smiled and the group was gathering around the fire to discuss the route they should take. Narriar was quite determined that they should follow the river which came down from the northern plains, it could provide some extra security. Glorfindel agreed and so it was settled, Gwan and Magon felt that it was a wise decision and the rest just nodded. They were about to decide who was to carry what when the last runner stumbled into the camp, he was obviously extremely affected by something and he fell onto his knees before he even reached Narriar. Nariar and some other ellyn were at his side right away and helped the gasping warrior to his feet, he was pale and his eyes black and blurred. Ravenne just knew it, he had seen something nobody should have had to see. Narriar shook the warrior gently and someone poured a bowl of water over his head. He spurted and gasped and blinked. “What has happened?”
Narriars voice was hoarse and the runner took a deep breath, he closed his eyes. “I reached the main camp of the elk clan but I was too late. “
Narriar stared at him. “What do you mean by that, too late?”
The runner was barely able to stand up, he was still heaving for air and shivering. “The monsters had been there, there was nothing left, nothing!”
Ravenne felt like the world had dropped away from underneath her , she closed her eyes and heard the moans from the others. Some of the elves off Narriar’s clan started to cry and others just stared at them with wide eyes. “They were dead, everybody was dead. I didn’t find anyone alive. I ran over to the next camp and told them to send some up there to bury the remains and send for the rest of the clans. They deserve to know.”
Narriar patted his back and his eyes were dark. “Good job Arbhiar, go rest now. You have outdone yourself.”
Ravenne sighed. “What now?!”
Narriar growled and his eyes were still dark, she realized that she never had seen what he truly was capable of, she hadn’t seen him fight and she had never seen him truly angry. “We march tomorrow morning, tonight we sing for the dead and mourn them. Tomorrow we move!”
Ravenne swallowed and felt a taste of bile in her mouth, they had to make it, they had to find the hive and destroy it and she already knew that it would be very difficult but they could not hesitate. For the sake of all three worlds, they could not wait any longer. The camp became very silent and some started to gather firewood and food. Narriar sat down on a log and his eyes were distant. “I knew them, I knew them all. I just can’t wrap my head around that fact that they all are gone. It is…too horrible!”
Ravenne put her arms around him and he leaned his chin on top of her head. “How many are we talking about`”
Narriar sighed and swallowed, she could see tears welling up in his eyes. “At least a hundred and fifty persons, maybe more. I haven’t been there for a while and I knew that there were several babies on the way.”
Ravenne just shook her head, the idea of even infants being killed made her cringe and he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “They will pay for this, by everything sacred they will pay. I will make sure that they do.”
Ravenne just stood there, listening to his heart beating fast and heavily. “I know you will, we all will make them pay.”
Raina and Morilinde was sitting on the floor and the small elleth was falling into a sort of trance, she was apparently not there but her soul was able to see more than ever before. She was touching Raina very gently but Ravenne’s sister could feel the touch very well, as if she touched everything, all that she was. Morilinde was sweating as she slowly gathered more information about Raina’s problem and why she always miscarried. It took a lot of her strength but she persisted and let her powers flow through Raina’s body even if it hurt her. After a while she had seen all that she could and she pulled her fêa back into her body. She rolled her eyes and shivered, she felt cold and weak and it wasn’t comfortable at all.
Raina stared at her with huge eyes and Morlilinde took a deep breath and grabbed a cup of wine she had standing ready next to her. She downed it all in one sip and shook her head. “Raina, I am not quite sure of what it was that I saw but for goodness sake elleth, don’t try again!”
Raina gasped. “What? Why? Will I never have children, is that what you are trying to tell me?”
Morilinde grasped her and shook her gently. “No, not at all. You are going to have children Raina, I saw many children in your future, but the first one has to wait. The time isn’t right!”
Raina frowned. “What are you talking about?!”
Morilinde gasped and shook her head. “Oh Valar, what I saw! Raina, your firstborn will be born with tremendous powers, but there has to be another one like that soul around when that baby is born. Or else the powers will consume him or her, the other person is there to keep your child in balance. Do you understand? Until that person gets here you cannot have any children, the reason why you have lost all those pregnancies are that they all were the same soul trying to be born and each time the power growing inside of the fetus got too strong and killed it.”
Raina gasped. “You have got to be kidding me? I have to wait until this person gets here before I can have children, who is it?!”
Morilinde bit her lower lip. “I am not sure but he or she is not yet born neither, and I think that it is a close relative. But without the power that soul contains your child won’t make it, they will balance each other out, like cold and heat, ice and fire.”
Raina took a deep breath. “You are scaring me, what am I to do? Just wait?”
Morilinde shrugged. “Yes, that is all you can do. Don’t try until the time is right, you will know it. Until then, gather your strength and get well again, be just a wife for a while, make sure that your husband is happy and content and just be yourself. You can do it, I am sure.”
Raina just sighed. “When you say it, ok.”
Morilinde sighed and rubbed her temples, she felt exhausted and she knew that Legolas would have been pissed off if he had been there and seen her doing this. He was always so protective of her, but she had gotten used to it. A servant came running, she looked a bit nervous. “My lady, it is getting dark again, your mother wants you in the hall once more.”
Raina closed her eyes, tried to find the peace and strength within to fight one more night. She nodded. “Tell my mother I’ll be there soon.”
She hugged Morilinde. “Thank you, now I at least know, and I can wait knowing it will be alright in the end. I won’t tell anyone of this, I swear.”
Morilinde smiled and returned the hug. “That is great my dear, fight well tonight.”
Raina nodded and there was a spark in her eyes again, it had been gone for years. “Be sure, those monsters will regret they tried to take on our home”
Nireariel was waiting in the hall with Astarion and she frowned and stared at Raina, she had looked like an extinguished candle for a long time but now she had some sort of inner light and Nireariel was for a moment afraid that she could be pregnant again but it was too early for that. Something had obviously happened for Raina looked ready for a real fight and she had an expression of sheer determination within her eyes that was completely new. Nireariel was going to ask her daughter about it but not now, they needed their concentration now and she nodded to her children and prepared herself for another night of sheer madness.
The convoy out of Tirion was making good progress, they rode hard and left the horses that were completely exhausted. There were some herds of wild horses in the woods and Thranduil had managed to call them to him, they allowed the elves to ride them and so they managed to keep the speed up. They had lost yet another wounded elf and it had been a child, that made the loss even worse to bare and Thranduil just prayed that they would get through the night alive. Darkness was falling once more and they still had a long way to go. The forest felt even more alive now and he could hear the trees speaking, their voices were angry, and their spirits seemed to have merged. It made the air heavy and Thranduil knew that the forest was a dangerous place now, those not welcome should be aware.
He had switched from his bay stallion to a tall black mare and rode the horse without tack, he could feel that the animal was a bit nervous and he knew why to. There was a strange scent underneath the trees and the trees were moaning and creaking. Oropher was riding a small brown horse and he was guarding the flank of the group, he nodded. “Beware, I think there are monsters here and they are close, listen to the trees, they are really angry.”
Legolas was in front and he turned his horse abruptly. “Ada? Are you hearing that too?”
Thranduil listened, up ahead they could hear some strange sounds and he nodded. “Yes, we ride ahead and check it out.”
He signaled for the rest of the warriors to fall behind and urged the mare forward. Oropher and Vegylion followed and they came out of the thick wood and onto a rather large open meadow. What they saw made Thranduil want to rub his eyes in disbelief. “By the Valar!”
Legolas stared and his mouth hang open for a while until he realized that he looked very stupid indeed. What they saw had been a group of monsters and these were even worse than the ones they had encountered before. They were bigger and their skin looked armored like the plates on a rhino, they had very few weak spots and Thranduil knew that these were warriors. But it had not saved them from the wrath of the forest, the trees had grasped them, pulled them apart, choked them and crushed them. What they saw was a huge pile of stinking body parts and green goo covered the ground in a thick layer. Thranduil’s horse neighed and stomped and the king took a look around, he could not believe it. It had to have been at least fifty monsters but they were all dead. He felt like laughing, a rather hysterical laughter. “Behold, the forest is protecting us, it is on our side.”
Oropher was staring with wide eyes and he was pale. “Yes, it is, it is awake but who woke it up?”
Thranduil turned his horse. “I don’t know and I don’t care, all I care about is the fact that we from now on can ride as hard as we can. The forest itself will clear the way for us.”
He waved his hand at the soldiers and they spurred their horses once more. He saw that the group rode hard before he made the mare gallop next to Celeborn’s grey gelding, the horse was strong and fast and Thranduil knew that it had to be as it was carrying two persons. Galadriel lay against her husband’s chest and she was deathly pale. Celeborn looked like a ghost, he was obviously very weak and Thranduil feared for him. “Let me know if you need someone to ride with you, someone else can carry your wife”
Celeborn shook his head, his bright blond hair looked like straw and his eyes were sunken, it was not a good sign at all. “No, I will stay with her, to the very end.”
Thranduil sighed. “You are killing yourself, you are aware of this?”
Celeborn nodded. “Yes, but we have lived together for millennia, we will end it together if that’s how it’s gonna be.”
Thranduil could just sigh, he understood Celeborn too darn well. “Very well, but don’t allow yourself to be so weak you both fall from the horse. At this speed it will kill you both!”
Celeborn just nodded. “I am not worried about that, this horse has never let anyone fall.”
Thranduil smiled and spurred the mare again, he rode to the front of the group, found the right paths.
The forest was dark but the starlight was enough for them, they did see rather well and they knew these forest paths. The horses also knew the terrain and the speed was terrifying. Legolas had placed a young ellon in the saddle in front of him, the elf had been able to ride alone until now but he had gotten too weak to cling onto the horse any longer. He needed someone to hold him. Thranduil shouted to the riders. “We do not stop now, not until we reach the palace!”
They pushed the animals and the forest seemed to guide them, paths opened up and they crossed brooks and rivers that were suddenly running much slower than usual. Here and there they encountered what was left of more monsters but they did not meet any living ones and they could hear screams and roars as the forest dealt with the intruders. Thranduil was grinning but he felt a terrible need to ride even faster, he had to see if Nireariel and the others were ok.
At the palace the same thing happened as last night, only that this time it was almost only warriors and they were even more determined than before. Nireariel felt that they were desperate, that they needed the meat that was on the inside of this fortress. Their queen demanded it and they could not fail her. Again the trees and vines and bushes fought for them and they contained so much magic now that the three of them almost could let the defenses do it by themselves. Nireariel felt a bit weird though, she felt stronger than before, more in control. It could be that she had gotten the hang of it but somehow she doubted that this was the reason. She discovered that she could feel so much more of the forest than before, that her inner vision stretched out for miles and she hadn’t had that kind of powers earlier. Was she getting stronger? Were her powers expanding? It was hard to tell but she used it for all it was worth and she made sure that no reinforcements could reach the monsters by the palace. Those who had arrived were quickly taken care of and she felt a surge of relief rush through her. They had fought for just a couple of hours and now there were no enemies left within this area. She searched outwards once more, let her spirit drift through the woods and suddenly she felt a familiar presence. She opened her eyes in shock and she almost screamed. Raina and Astarion stared at her and Nireariel had to sit down. “It is Thranduil, he is heading this way and he will be here by noon, he is guarding a huge group of wounded elves out of Tirion, we have to help them!”
She shouted for Poicano and the healer came running, rather confused. “Gather all the healers and those who are trained to take care of the wounded. Clear out several rooms in the basement and prepare. We will need bandages, medicine and clean instruments!”
Poicano nodded but he looked worried. “Yes my lady, we will be ready but sit down and rest until then, you are pale and look weak.”
Nireariel frowned. “That is odd, I feel well, in fact I feel very strong. But yes, I will rest. Please make someone send some hot food to my chambers and some tea too. I feel famished.”
Poicano grinned. “Of course, I will see to it. You have used a lot of strength lately my lady, no wonder you are hungry.”
She turned to Astarion and Raina. “Go rest, I will need you when your father returns, there are many with him in need of help, I sensed it.”
Raina looked puzzled. “You said they would be here by noon? Then they are a long way from here yet, you haven’t been able to feel someone from that distance before?”
Nireariel shrugged. “No, it is weird but I could feel him rather well, and I feel so much stronger. I guess it is the training I have gotten these past days, I am more in touch with my powers now.”
Raina grinned. “That is good Naneth, we’ll see you soon.”
They went for their chambers and Nireariel had her maid comb her hair and fix her braids, she looked terrible and she had to agree with Raina and the others, she didn’t look strong at all. She got the food and found that her appetite was rather ferocious, she finished the meal in record time before she drank some tea and went to bed to rest. She didn’t really want to sleep but sleep claimed her still and she was out completely for hours. She didn’t even dream but she had a strange sensation of not being alone the whole time. It was as if there was someone there with her but she was alone in her rooms. She woke up rather abruptly and felt tired, sick even. She felt like she had to puke and so she grasped a bucket and held it there just to be on the safe side. Why was she feeling like this? She had eaten a lot and she had eaten fast too so it was no wonder why her stomach was upset but that wasn’t all. The presence still lingered and Nireariel was confused and a bit frightened. She could perhaps have used too much of her own energy and that could spell trouble, it was rather dangerous. She suddenly threw up but she only had bile in her stomach and it made her cringe and want to call out for her maid. She grasped her belly and then it struck her, she had felt like that before.
She just stared into nothing, no, it could not possibly be? She felt her heart speed up, her hands were shivering. She tried to tell herself that it was impossible but deep within she knew that she would be lying to herself if she tried to stick to that conviction. She closed her eyes, relaxed and allowed her fêa to open up, flow through her surroundings and through her hroa like a gentle wave towards a shore. And there it was, the presence, strong and bright and filled with power. She placed her hand on her belly, tears were starting to flow from her eyes. “Oh Valar be merciful, what have we done?!”
She tried to stay calm but could not, the last time she got pregnant she had almost died and now this, the baby was carrying her powers already, its soul had reached out and strengthened her, allowed her to become so much stronger than before. She gasped and could feel that tiny light, that speck of life within her and she curled up on the bed weeping like a child. Thranduil would be terrified when she told him, and he did not need that kind of worries now. But she could not hide it from him, that was unthinkable. She had to tell him that she was with child once more and she could just pray that this would end well. She bit her lower lip, the powers within this child were something she never had encountered before and she was deathly afraid, she grasped onto the sheets with trembling hands, tried not to scream in anguish and fear. She remembered her last birthing, how it had ended. She had been so sure that she had become sterile after that terrible ordeal, that it had damaged her too much. She had to smile in spite of her despair, her husband was strong, his seed was strong too. She should have taken precautions, there were herbs females could use to make sure that they wouldn’t conceive but usually both the male and the female had to allow their faer to merge for a conception to happen. Perhaps this was something that was meant to be, written onto the fabric of destiny itself. In that case there was nothing she could do but hope and pray that she would survive this. She sobbed and suddenly she felt surrounded by a strange warmth, a gentle friendly and very loving light filled her soul and she felt better, a lot better. Somehow it would be ok, she knew that now. That tiny life growing in her told her so and she believed it. This child would not cause her death, it would protect her.
She laid back on the pillows, still caressing her belly. “Oh Thran, wait until you hear about this. I bet you will be surprised like never before.”
Ravenne was impatient, she would have wanted to leave there and then but she knew that the Ce’agar had strong traditions, they had to be followed. The tribe had gathered around the fire now, they ate and sang and some had started to dance around while they called out the names of those relatives and friends they had lost. Narriar and the rest of the ellyn had covered themselves with paint again and they danced around in a slow heavy rhythm. Narriar was leading the dance and Ravenne felt a strange urge to get up and join them. Before she was really aware of it she had gotten onto her feet and she was joining the Ce’agar. She felt like it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do. She lost herself in the rhythm and the song, the flow of life surging through them all and she could almost see those who had died. Suddenly she noticed that the number of dancers were increasing, groups of ellyn came out of the woods and without further introductions they started to dance too. She realized that the other clans had sent some ellyn to join the mission, that the clans would stand as one in this. They were probably the best fighters they had and she did see the differences in clothing and hair. They had different tattoos and the patterns on their clothing were different too. Ravenne saw that they all had painted themselves and carried weapons, the members of the clan of the elk had covered their entire upper bodies with black warpaint, they had left a thin line across their face below their eyes and it looked rather menacing. She could also see that many of them had cut away much of their long hair, obviously a way to show grief.
She danced around the fire with the warriors for a long time, the rest of the group had joined too with the exception of Vayana who remained sitting down with the females. The light and the movements created a sort of trance within her, she felt alive like few times before and her movements were graceful and flowing like those of a huge cat. The ellyn of the other tribes threw admiring glances at her, Narriar somehow made it very clear that she was unavailable and he often danced near her. The night was very clear and the stars were an amazing sight, It felt as if she could reach out and touch them and as the fire died down she found herself dancing with Narriar outside of the crowd. He suddenly grasped her, lifted her and carried her with him to his hut, she held onto him and knew what he needed now. She did understand him very well, because she felt the same way.
She woke up to the sound of a terrible racket outside, someone was shouting something and there were the sound of running feet. She freed herself from the furs and Narriars arms and he was on his feet too within the blink of an eye. She pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt and ran outside, she heard a child scream in agony and a female was shouting something very loudly. She saw a group of elves gathering by one of the huts and Vayana was there. She saw what had to be healers and she ran to the group with Narriar right behind her. He was only wearing a loincloth but nobody cared about that fact. Ravenne moaned, on the ground in front of the hut lay one of the small girls Narriar had carried during the funeral of Hithiar, she was convulsing violently and Ravenne felt the taste of bile in her mouth when she saw that the girls left hand was transformed to a mass of something that looked like rotten jelly. Vayana was working fast, she had apparently managed to get the trust of the healers because she quickly tied a tourniquet around the child’s upper arm before she just grasped a sword someone had left there and simply amputated the arm with a single blow. The girl screamed like crazy but Vayana injected her with something and Ravenne caught her glance. “Painkillers and antibiotics. She may make it.”
Narriar was staring at the scene with wild eyes. “What happened?”
The female that had to be the girl’s mother was crying. “I went to the woods to pick some berries for breakfast and she followed me even though I had told her to wait. She touched a Rhatiir plant, and got the juice of it onto her hand.”
Narriar was cursing and Vayana gave the child even more injections. Ravenne stared at the severed limb, it was decomposing as they watched it and she suddenly turned towards Narriar. “Is the juice of this plant able to eat its way through everything?”
Narriar shook his head. “No, only biological material. Why?”
She had a wicked grin on her face and her eyes were shining. “Because it can be used as a weapon!”
She turned to Vayana. “Have you brought something we could use to store the juice in, something solid and yet soft enough to rupture on impact?”
Vayana looked very confused. “I have brought some packets of condoms, they are excellent if you want to wrap something that shouldn’t get wet. I use it to keep my matches dry.”
Ravenne giggled. “Wonderful. Get some to gather as much of that juice as they can and be careful. We need to make some small nasty surprises for the monsters.”
Narriar had immediately understood the idea. He grinned. “We’ll use some ceramic bowls, it will be perfect.”
Ravenne patted his back. “Great, get to it. We need to leave soon.”
Narriar sent some of his men out into the woods with bowls and equipment and after a while they returned with several gallons of the dangerous fluid. Gwan and Magon prepared the unusual weapon with care and when they were finished they had about twenty small balloons ready to be thrown. Vayana was busy tending to the injured child, it looked as if she would make it but she would forever be lacking an arm and she would face a rather hard life. Ravenne did pity her but she would live, sometimes that is much better than the alternative. The expedition was preparing for departure. They distributed the weapons and equipment and Narriar picked out the warriors who were to follow them. He chose the best, the most experienced ones. At the end they ended up with twenty two of the best the clan’s had gathered. The rest would stay to protect the camp if anything went wrong and Ravenne felt a strange sensation of eagerness. She wanted to get started, to see for herself if there really was a way for them to end this nightmare.
Vayana gave the tribe healers detailed instructions on how to treat the wounded girl and then she got ready too, Ravenne could see that the healer was nervous and perhaps that wasn’t such a weird thing, she’d probably never experienced anything like this before.
They left without saying much, the clan had gathered to watch them go but nobody spoke, Narriar had chosen one of the older warriors to look after the tribe while he was away and the ellon would become the new chief if Narriar didn’t return. Ravenne had seen him give the other warrior strict orders, if they didn’t succeed Faidhiar was to take the tribe south, as far as they could come. Ravenne could just pray that it didn’t come to that.
Narriar found a different path now than when they went looking for the old elleth, it was not much used and it followed the river. Ravenne could see that this was a very large river and it was freezing cold. The current was strong and it had a lot of waterfalls and rapids. The terrain was very rugged and difficult and yet in a strange way very beautiful. She found herself dumbstruck by the natural wonders she witnessed there.
After some hours they got closer to a mountain pass and they sat down to rest. Narriar spoke with the rest of the warriors, he kept his voice low and she could see the seriousness in his eyes. Some of the ellyn were sent out to scout ahead and he went over and sat down by her side. Ravenne touched his cheek lovingly and he kissed her hand and smiled. “Are you ok? We are not travelling too fast?”
Ravenne shook her head. “No, I am used to this tempo, I was a feral elf for years, to me the wilderness is a home.”
He nodded and leaned his head against her shoulder, rested. “I know, I saw that in you from the start. Do you think we stand a chance?”
Ravenne shrugged. “I do think so yes, they say that fortune favors the bold, and we are rather bold I think, to try and do something like this.”
He sighed. “Yes, or stupid. Well, desperate is the best word to describe us, we have no choice. Those creatures may start the end of this world if they aren’t stopped.”
She could only nod and enjoy this brief moment of peace and closeness.
Glorfindel caught Narriar’s attention. “So, what’s on the other side of that pass?”
Narriar tilted his head. “More mountains, and some deep valleys and then a plain of some sort. Nobody has ever been that far but I saw it from a huge distance when I and Hitiar…when it happened.”
Glorfindel had a grimace on his face. “Then we’d better start looking out for monsters soon, they could be in this area.”
Narriar just grinned. “Yes, but I don’t think they will gather in huge groups here, not much food to be found. There is a tribe of Gwhyym living up ahead, we will contact them and see if they have some information to offer.”
Glorfindel nodded. “Ok, that would be nice, and I have never encountered that race before, it will be interesting.”
Narriar just grinned. “Oh, they aren’t really that entertaining, they are ugly and stink and they steal so watch your stuff. But they can be very useful since they are so darn stubborn and they are unafraid when angry. I once saw a gwhyym attack a huge bishrak with only a thin branch. Of course he got trampled but the courage!”
Glorfindel grinned and shook his head in disbelief. “The dwarves back on old Arda were stubborn too, and strong. I sometimes wonder what happened to them after we left, they were mortal and I fear that they are extinct by now. I have never heard the mortal speak of them as other than legends.”
Ravenne had a somewhat sad expression within her eyes. “They are gone, they disappeared millennia ago, as did the goblins and the remaining orcs. Well, I am not too sure about the orcs though, I think they may still be around but they look far better and are known as politicians. Better on the outside but still rotten on the inside!”
Glorfindel had to laugh and Vayana made a grimace. “I bet you are right about that elleth, wise words for sure”
Narriar got on his feet. “We’d better move on, we won’t get anywhere sitting here”
The group started walking again and the terrain got steeper. The pass was rather narrow and rocky and it was also very dark. Narriar turned around, gave them all a strict glance. “Be careful where you put your hands, there could be all sorts of poisonous critters here”
Ravenne hissed and pulled on the gloves which followed the armor, they were rather tight but well-fitting and comfortable but she had never truly liked wearing gloves. The others did the same thing just to be sure and she was glad they had these suits. They would protect them just as well as a mithril armor and it was far more flexible. Gwan smiled at her and petted the breast plate of his suit. “Hopefully we won’t have to test the limits of these armors, but it is good to know that we have them.”
Ravenne just nodded, she stared at the mountainsides and felt a bit small. She had no idea of where they were going or what they would have to face in the end and she should have felt more scared than she was. But she had a strange feeling of self-confidence, of trust. They were many and they were well armed and experienced, they should at least have a decent chance. Narriar kept walking, he spoke with the scouts as they returned and everything seemed to be fine. Nobody saw any signs of the monsters but then one of the scouts returned and he was a bit pale. Narriar spoke with him and the ellon pointed towards a place up ahead. Narriar turned around. “The gwhyym tribe has been attacked. We’d better hurry before the tracks disappear.”
Ravenne had an idea of what she soon would see and she swallowed and tried to become as cold as she could, she would not get sick or anything in front of all of these strong and famous elves. She could see that Elrohir was a bit pale and Erestor was writing something down in a small notebook, he looked indifferent but she suspected that it was due to his age and long experience in hiding his true emotions.
They walked up through a very narrow canyon strewn with boulders and then they entered a small oasis in this desert of stone. It was a round little valley covered with dense low forest and bushes and some strange huts were erected in the middle of a clearing. Tunnels disappeared into the rocks here and there and Ravenne didn’t really see any details until she got close to the place, then she saw and knew that she was wrong, she would not be able to remain cool. It was just too terrible. Narriar growled. “They are way too close for comfort now, see if you can find the tracks anyone”
Ravenne was about to take a round around the place when she noticed movement, she spun around with her sword drawn and found herself staring at a creature that looked like something out of a horrormovie. She just gasped and the gwhyym made hissing sound and said something that sounded like a lot of clicking and hissing sounds more than a real language. Narriar came running, he bowed down and the gwhyym bowed its head and said something loud. Suddenly there were at least thirty gwhyym standing there, they had probably been hiding underground and they were pissed off, everybody could see that. Ravenne could just look at the bizarre creatures and wonder how in the world something that ugly even existed.
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In a land of shadows