Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)
Title: Keeper of Light (#754)
Author: Isilisse
Chapters: 4
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Archive: Tolkien
Category: Femme Fatale
Description: As typical college girl living in San Francisco, Eviyona never thought her live will ever change when reality meets fantasy....
Deep into the legends of the Middle Earth lie a lost prophecy that foretells of a powerful ally. A warrior whose spirit guards the forgotten light of the Silmarils and wields the power to challenge Sauron alone....
Published: 27 Mar 2004
Updated: 02 Jul 2004
Warnings: fightscenes w/ orcs and spiders; long
Type: Action/adventure
Characters: Kaizu; OCs; Radagast; FOTR;
Chapter 1 - Reality
*Note* First chapter has nothing whatsoever about LOTR.... yet i wrote it on the sake of explainations in future chapters...( i kinda got carried away on the details (^ ^) You may skip to Chapter 2 where the action starts.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkiens Characters or his language and i wrote this with the intent of LOTR Fan
Fantasy: Every person’s dream to live in a make-believe world of magic, wizards, and lords. A place parallel to reality, World made of dreams and miracles. A war between good and evil that ceased to happen in reality. Until now….
My name is Eviyona. I am 24 years old and attended college for six years now. My current task: working towards an M.D. As of today, I never would've imagined what happened to me in the last few thousands years, in a world that was never meant to be……."
Before it all happened, I was a completely normal student attending U.C.S.F. Working towards my desired goal (completing studies and join the medical field in Texas), I stationed myself in an old Victorian house rented by closest friends: Doria, Sarina, and of course myself. It was a charming house, about a century old. You can pretty much tell that it used to be a magnificent house when it was painted in purple and brown and the roof was intact. But up till the present, the roof has been unstable and had fallen apart, nearly killing it's inhabitants. It was eventually rebuilt right after the family moved out, fearful that the house was once haunted. By the time my roommates and I rented the house, the roof had been hastily fixed and the front and back yard had been producing a forest of weeds up to the chest. Most of the lovely purple paint had been peeled through the years leaving the tan color of the wood beneath. The previous owner abandoned it for at least a decade. Sarina found it on biking her way up the hill-like roads, huffing and puffing all her might against the gravity pulling her down. She seemed convinced that it was a perfect place for us to stay and just needed a bit of cleaning and maintenance. Doria and I had objected to it at first, but then realized that we had no choice, since all of the best places were booked. And so we moved in with the expenses paid to the next door neighbor, Miss Laure. Miss Laure had in fact been given the property as soon as the owner left. She quickly gave her consent without a single word (she thought the house needed someone to take care of it).
Life in San Francisco was always bustling with new events and filled with tourism. From our house, biking up to China Town only lasted 10 minutes if you are in shape of running over the steep hill-like roads in S.F. Our school was within 15 minutes away and that was just biking. None of us had cars except for Doria, who owned an expensive Volkswagen bug, refused to drive in fear of wasting gas and a possibility that an accident might occur anytime to her perfect little car.
The winters were ice cold, and the summer was always bearable. Every year there seemed to be an increase in tourism visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.
Living in S.F. had always been a pleasure for me. My school was biking distance away and so were the places I went after the school day ended. I took Kendo classes every Monday after being intimidated by stories of criminals in the city. I wasn’t exactly skilled, but hey, it was self-defense and gave me exercise for the week. But the main reason took classes for that specific martial art, was the fact that they taught the usage of a sword (more like sticks since I’m an amateur, only pros use real swords). I also worked at a nearby café along side with my roommates serving Cappuccinos and warm hot tea (specialized by Sarina who took a class especially to brew tea, which I thought was completely useless). Doria specialized in making the yummy baked goods to go along with Sarina’s herb tea or our homemade delicious coffees. Every morning, she would bake fresh batches of raspberry pastries, blueberry muffins, fresh chewy oatmeal cookies, and a fruit pie (a different flavor every 2 days). These would be displayed in the clear counter awaiting the customer's choice. I for one, didn’t really specialized in anything, but standing behind the cashier with a warm welcome to anyone who enters the café. We named our place: The Yum Yum Shoppe, hoping to attract customers to taste the muffins, pies, and cookies made by Doria's special ability to bake the best pastries (Sarina objected and wanted it to be called The Tea House Brewery specializing with teas brewed by herself).
Back in the Victorian house, each of us was allowed to own her room without having to share with anyone else. The house was actually large enough to fit at least 2 families at maximum. Due to the thought that it was haunted, no one ever step foot into the house in terror to find a ghost lurking inside. But I never regarded the house as haunted. It was actually quite peaceful having the noisy neighboring children avoid passing the house in the daytime. The insides were fairly tidy with the work of nearly 3 months to get it clean enough to house 3 college students.
Sarina, having found the house, had the first choice of which room she was going to stay in. She chose a spacious circular room and able to have a full view of their street on the first floor. She filled it with shelves of books, CDs and pictures of her favorite boy bands. Sarina always had a great obsession for these 16-20 year-olds whom she desperately adored, with autographs pasted on all the windows apparently collected from all the concerts she attended.
Doria had chosen a room on the second floor, right next to mine. Her room would've been described as the standard rooms we all have today. It wasn’t spacious and circular like Sarina's, but rectangular shaped with only 2 windows to glimpse into the outside world without a problem. Her room had a strong aroma of fruit. As soon as I step foot through the doorway, I had a slight feeling I was entering an orchard. Doria had an obsession of collecting fruity perfume. Whenever we had a chance to go shopping, the first store we would always stop by was Bath and Body Works. But for some reason, she rarely uses them. She was only addicted to the smell and the colorful bottles the perfume was placed in. But unfortunately, she never really had time to use any of them, except on special occasions when she spots a hot guy in campus. She also had a huge supply of nail polish collected ever since the beginning of summer. But for some reason, all her belongings were collections of some sort, gathering dust on the shelves. From time to time, either Sarina or I went up to her room and ask for a spray of her perfume or a dip at her polish.
As for me, my room had been the room in which the roof had once fallen. Even though it's been fixed, there was still a hole centered on top. I was able to peer through the starry sky every night. And every time it rained, I’d slid a piece of hard plastic to prevent my room from flooding. My room was the second story up from Sarina's room and bore the same circular and spacious feature. Apparently, my friends thought the room was haunted, hence the broken roof, but without further ado, I moved in without a word of complaint. Unlike my other roommates, I did not decorate my wall w/ music idols nor possess collections of makeup, but instead, I hung crystal mobiles on the mended parts of the roof. It reflected the colorful specks of light on the walls which was the whole purpose of them being there. I decided to hang wind chimes next to my open widow. It had the constant sounds of relaxing melodies that helped me deal w/ all the stress from my nightly homework. My room was tidy, with all the books stacked neatly on the shelves and all personal belongings sat in a glass cabinet. Candles with incenses all stood by my windowsill creating a sense of a zen-like atmosphere.
That was my life, before it all changed. It was on this typical hot day that I was forced to believe that there's more to reality that meets the eye.
It was during this summer when all three of us decided to take an actual summer vacation, not a summer school vacation. We were now faced with the hardest challenge of choosing the hotspot
` ”How about we use our earnings for a getaway to some exotic country? Hmm… somewhere like Mount Fiji. No, even better! Hawaii! I always wanted to go to Hawaii! Or let’s say we take a cruise to the Caribbean! Ohhhh… I always dreamed to relax on the warm beaches w/ nothing but a bikini on….And oh my god… maybe we’ll find some hot guys there too…… oh yea and wouldn’t be neat if we………… ”
Beside her obsession of hot boys, Sarina always fantasized traveling to some sort of tropical world. It almost always had to be a place near the ocean.
“You know what Sarina? This is like the third time you’ve forgotten all about our compromise. Our earnings from the shop are NOT for spending on extravagant journeys to humid places where all you do is strip into a bikini to attract the natives! Besides, I’m not wasting 1000 bucks from all that hard work making my baked delicacies. I propose we go explore the city we live in now. I mean, we’ve never really gone touring around this place ever since we moved in right? Let’s go and discover what this place is really about.”
That was Doria. She never wanted to spend a single penny from the salary we made back at the Yum Yum Shoppe. All she really worried about was paying for our rent, our tuition and of course enough money to go shopping. Doria always turned down Sarina for all of her wild ideas. So I decided to give my voice in the argument.
“ Alright, so I know Sarina wants to go somewhere “out there”. As for you Doria, you seem to want to go somewhere local. How about we escape the city atmosphere and go into the country. It’s both local and out in the country. I say we would probably discover something new on the way. Hey! We can really use a ride on your bug, Doria….” I explained
As soon as I mentioned the word “bug” Doria’s smile quickly faded. Sarina was gleefully pushing toward the subject.
“That’s a great idea! Better use that baby or else it’ll start rusting. We can probably get a tent and start exploring the wilderness. We’ll travel from one place to another exploring as we go.” chortled Sarina.
After long hours of thinking, Doria reluctantly agreed the use her beloved car. After finals where over, all of us were hastily making plans for the trip. Sarina made sure we had all the supplies needed and went for a shopping spree for camping supplies (Doria was enraged after she brought home a room full of camping supplies and forced her to return two thirds of it.) Back at the shop, we sold all the tea and pastries we could and left the shop with nothing but a sign saying “Closed. Be back in a week”. We stuffed Doria’s car full of supplies for our exploration of the countryside to which Doria frowned in disgust after Sarina made the finishing touch of dragging along her inflatable raft. All three of us squeezed into the tiny bug and away we went.
We made our way through the bustling cars until we reached the rolling hills and blue skies. From time to time we would stop at a small town refueling. Beside all that, we drove nonstop until nightfall. Sarina begged Doria that we should camp in a nearby field rather then finding some local hotel to stay in. Camping under the stars was one memorable nights to remember. The air was warm with a frequent cool breeze sweeping across the dry fields. The sky, that night was clear as crystal. I didn’t see a trace of the moon, but the twinkling of the stars was enough awe for me. The night was full of tranquility. Doria and Sarina were both snuggled safe and sound in the tent. It was me, who was most inspired by this night so much that I slept outside our tent. It was in the morning when things started to get strange.
Chapter 2 - the prophesy
I woke up at the first light of day. The stars were gradually disappearing, and the sun was barley peeking from the horizon. The others where still in their tents, snoozing away. I crept slowly back into the tent, remembering what a wonderful night I had yesterday. I knew that, by the time I return to San Francisco, I was going to be tested for my kendo skills. I changed into my kendo uniform which consisted of wide hakama pants and jacket. I took out my ever-perfect stick and headed for the center of the field. I took 3 deep breaths and did my routine. My concentration was soon shattered by various squeaks and scouring coming from the woods to the north. I peered toward the source of the noise. It was at that moment when curiosity took over me. I followed squeaks deeper into the woods.
There was a giant oak tree, which apparently housed a hawk’s nest. The nest was upon a branch reached over a rapid river. The nest was currently unoccupied, but evidently the mother had returned w/ the day’s meal in her beak anxiously searching for her young. But there wasn’t a single chick in the nest. The squeaking continued down the river. I ran along the banks until I found the source of the crying. And there it was, floating with what was what was left of the air bubbles trapped under the feathers.
Just then, a sudden urge to save chick grew immensely strong. I felt that if I didn’t even attempt the save, I would be left with nothing but guilt and distress, watching a death of a young soul disappear. Without much hesitant, I jumped in. The current dragged me in as soon as I touched the water. The squeals of help grew fainter and fainter. Once I spotted the helpless baby hawk, the depth increased from 4 feet to 8 feet. The rapids were increasing strength. I was able to grab the drowning hawk. With my stick, I hung on, this time for my own life. I held the tiny hawk to the surface for air, but then a violent current broke my grasp….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was it…… This was the end. I was probably drowned by the rapids, or at least shredded to bits by the razor sharp rocks. I could feel neither pain nor the ground I’m on. Maybe this was what death really felt like.
Slowly I opened my eyes. Nothing but the ambiguity of my surroundings where covered in darkness. With my aching hands, I grouped my way. To my amazement, I felt the ground I was sitting on. I continued to feel my way around. A tiny squeak from my lap confirmed that the hawk was still alive. I gently felt for the feathery ball, and tucked it gently under my jacket. I stood up to find something much more gruesome in store for me.
4 pairs of red gleaming eyes, staring down at me with great interest. I was even more shocked to discover that it owned 8 hairy legs, 2 death-defying incisors; 100 times the normal size of a penny. I used to have a problem with spiders, back in S.F. See one on the wall, squish them and they’re gone. But this one is an acceptation. It drew closer to me. I backed, with both my hands searching franticly for anything serving as a weapon. I was even more bewildered to find my kendo stick lying right behind me, as soon as I saw no hope to this monster spider.
It gave piercing strike, aiming for my chest. I lunged forward and was able to hold it back with my stick pushing it back. Great….. Just what I needed, real practice for my kendo testing. My stick no longer lasted in 5 seconds, when it broke in half. I made a quick dash for it from under the creature’s foal legs.
To my horror, I ran into 2 more of them. And both pursued me as soon as they laid their nasty eyes on me. I was cornered by the time they reached me. With the other half of my kendo stick still gripped tightly in my hand, I was able to blind one of them. The other lunged at me, but my instincts lead me climb on a nearby tree. Hanging by its limbs, I did an amazing flip that landed me both feet balancing upon the tree limb. Even I couldn’t believe I had that much physical talent. Unfortunately, I captivated even more gargantuan arachnids. They circled the tree, and even worse a few of them started to climb up after me. With a rush of exhilarating speed I was able to reach the top, but this time there was no way down. I saw the familiar sky full of stars and to my astonishment, I was overlooking a sea of trees. There wasn’t a single empty field to be seen. Giant spiders were at my heels and I felt worse was never going to be over.
Up until I heard the twang of a bow that left a spider, who was an inch closer to my ankle, falling down to the forest floor. I slowly descended from the tree, I witnessed 5 more spiders pierced by arrows coming from apparently no where. One by one each fell, until none were left to endanger me. I slowly crept back down to the forest floor alert for any signs of life. I delicately pulled out the hawk chick that’d been wriggling in my jacket the whole time. To my relief it was still alive from all that commotion. For some reason, felt that it was calm the whole time. It only started moving around once I got down from the tree. I understood that it wanted food and was starving.
But wait a minute, why and how in the world did I read that bird’s mind? How in the crazy world of nature did I make that flip? I didn’t even feel a single drop of sweat down my back when eight-legged freaks were chasing me? Why am I not even panting from all that work? And mostly: WHERE AM I?
Before I could ponder deeper into my thoughts, I felt a sudden rush around me. Clearly something was about to make a move on me. An unanticipated reflex forced me to dodge a capture. I was soon surrounded by mysterious shadows. I first presumed that they where people like me. Well, at least they’re weren’t creepy creatures waiting to suck every drop of blood from me. A hand grabbed hold of my arm. Without realizing, I performed a quick move that left my enemy of the ground. The next tried to take hold of me. This time, with quick reflex, I was able it dodge with no problem. Doing this in the dark, I figured that I’ve never laid eyes on my foe, but was able to defend myself with such ease.
But then, it was truly ambushed this time. I was cornered; all had arrows ready to shoot if I moved an inch. This time no miracle reflexes can save my life.
“ You have trespassed into the realm of the woodland elves. Follow our orders or shall you prefer the piercing of our arrows.” One said.
I had no choice but surrender. They bound my hands and eyes and forced me to walk within their guide. Minutes later, they removed the blindfold. And I found myself in a prison with nothing but a small window to the moonlit sky. My poor hawk must’ve been soaking with trauma by now, the poor thing now is shaking under my robes with such force that I had to leave it on my lap. Stroking its soft feathers, I fell into a deep thought. While stroking, I slowly comprehend. It flew into me like pieces of a puzzle that’d been forced to fuse in my mind. I was here for a purpose. Someone or something desperately needed me here.
Flashes of light struck me in my sleep. An obscure face appeared. Light distorted my view from it. The light was from two trees, glowing intensely in my eyes. I blinked and, the source of light changed to 3 jewels. Then darkness overcame me. Fire and smoke surrounded me. I witnessed faces of grotesque creatures of the foulest smell.
I woke up with a start. I was shivering from the chill of the stone floor. I tired to remember the vision that I had, but a block was in the way of my understanding. My hawk crawled off my lap when I was asleep, and now was nibbling on a plate of food. Apparently, these wood elves were gracious enough to keep me alive… or shall I say…malicious. While watching it munch it’s way through, I finally realized, it was a she. She looked so cute fluffing her feathers. She was the one that brought me here. Hmmm…. Maybe there might be a reason for her too….
Before I could stand it any longer, I started munching on what’s left of the morsel of bread. Sunshine was shining down from the window above. Its warmth replenished my energy. When my strength was fulfilled, I rose on my toes and peered though my portal to the outside world. I was enthralled to see the lushness and green of what was the forest at night. Yet darkness still linger in the woods. As I gazed deeper within the forest, the light of the sun was diminished without a trace. I turned back into my cold cell. I felt a chill down my spine just from the view I’ve experienced. *********************
It seemed like ages since I arrived in this wacky wonderland. I haven’t had a glimpse of a human ever since my departure from the real world. After the 4th day from my arrival, I had lost all my senses and spoke to my dear fluffy friend. I named her Anya after my dearest cousin living in Switzerland. I told her of my life in a place called San Francisco; Doria and Sarina; our days at the Yum Yum Shoppe; and our crazy idea for a camping trip that changed the course of my life. She would listen to me intently, as if she apprehended. I had sleepless nights after I had that vision. I couldn’t control the nonstop questions I had in my mind. It drove me almost insane… but the visions were impossible to decipher. From time to time I had an immense headache from all that thinking, yet I never gained any rest from those nights I had. By the sixth day, Anya’s wings was ready to take flight. She was awkward at first, but with my taunting her with food and throwing her in the air (then catching her if she fails). By the end of the 7th day, she was up and about independently. Her talons had grown relatively sharp for me to handle with my bare hands so I told her to perch on the rim of the food bowl. For a bird, she responded to her name as well as every command I’ve given her as if she knew English ever since she hatched. It just amazed me how much she could understand and execute each order I had for her. I had a certain bondage to her, and she had it within her to me.
On the 8th day I decided that a prison was not suitable for a winged animal. A bird like her needed the freedom to fly. Reluctantly, I released her through the window of the cell. I gave her my last request to gather knowledge about this world and return to me with her findings. With that she shot out of the window and disappeared within the clouds.
It was a depressing sight to see her leave. All I had left now was hope that she’ll return some day and that I’ll be released from this lonely cell. It was the night of the 10th day that my hopes arrived. It was on that day when Anya returned. I was bewildered to notice the recognizable shadow of her wings flapping toward my cell. Like always, she perched on my food bowel and released a paper scroll from her talons. It seems somebody besides the wood elves perceived my coming. I unraveled the scroll with a message enclosed:
Do not fear for I am a friend
I shall soon assist you with your arrival to the Middle Earth,
There’s too much learn and understand
Time is limited
Trust yourself, trust Thranduil
For the lost prophesy of Elentari,
Will truly begin\r\n\r\n
The signature at the bottom intrigued me. I held it up to the moon light for a closer inspection. It seemed like a language of Celtic or Viking. The message seemed to evoke the same questions I had at the beginning. Quite frankly, this might be the answer to my questions and the vision I had every now and then. Now it seemed like an important purpose for me to even exist in this world. Whatever this prophecy, within seconds, my messenger flew out my cell. I looked out my cell window and watched her disappear into the mists.
I finally came face to face with my foe, from the night of my coming. So these were elves. Human-like creatures with hair straight as a horse’s main. Their skin as fair as the light of the moon. What even scared me more was that I could not distinguish who was who. They removed me from the prison and took my down the stone corridors and toward the main hall. And there I was presented in front of their king.
“ I had been requested by a stranger for your freedom. I understand that you are not from my realm. You are not of elf-kind, but I will only supply you the knowledge of my realm.” Announced the king.
From stuffing me in a empty room for a week and a half without my word or consent and now freeing me into a completely foreign territory, with no explanation of why I am here.
“ What do you mean?” I inquired, “ First of all, I am completely baffled by world I’m in. Who is this friend of yours? What is the reason of my presence here??? Where am I? What in the world are you? Is this some sort of a joke of putting me in fairyland…….” Hundreds questions I had from the first day came pouring out of my mouth like rampaging waterfall. The king held up his hand to signify my to halt in my questions.
“ Up to this point, most of your questions will remain unanswered. My subjects will only provide you the wisdom of the Mirkwood forest and I shall furnish you with shelter and food. I will presume that this would be more pleasing then imprisoned in a cell for the rest of your life”
I had no choice but to only except what I was given. The king gestured a command and an elf guided me to my chamber. I have to say it was an improvement from my previous dwelling. There were large windows of glass centered to capture the sunrays into the room. The furniture were artistically carved and embellished with such precision that it just captivated me within seconds. I was no longer in the direction of the gloominess of the forest; instead I was granted a full view of the brighter side. I later heard singing and chanting from below, and spied upon a group of elves in their merrymaking. I finally felt comfort and satisfaction, yet my feel of alienation did not drain away.
A moment when white blinding light encircled me. The light of the 2 trees later diminished into nothingness. The reminiscence of the 3 jewels faded by darkness, except for one, in the sky. A ring was possessed. Evil was at hand.
I was revived from the trance with a start. There, I saw an elf standing across my bedside.
“ I’m hoping you had a peaceful sleep last night” smiled the elf.
“ uhh… more then just peaceful” I grumbled.
“ Ah, I see. May I introduce myself as Celemir. I will be you guide.”
“ Right,” I uttered, “ er… who is this Thranduil anyway?”
“ He is our king, you’ve spoken to him the night before. He has selected me to teach you our wisdom of the forests.” Explained Celemir.
With that settled, I had no further questions. So I should trust this king whom nearly had his subjects kill me and thrown me into solitaire for a week and now wants to redeem himself by “enriching me with wisdom”. Should this “friend” be a magnanimous and lead me in the right path? All I had to do now is play along with the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 years followed. My knowledge of this world had changed drastically, yet only half of my questions where answered. The entire time I was in a realm called the Middle Earth. Celemir taught me much. I accelerated in shooting a fly with an arrow from a mile away. My ability to grasp the sword-fighting tactics was rapid. I was enlightened with the tongue of the elves: Sindarin and Quenya. Both were branches of the same species, though different race of people. The Wood elves were part of the Eldar, or the High elves, yet they were called the Silvan Elves. Their culture was extremely sophisticated. Their speech even more refined; filled with expressions for every nature of the world around them. I was enhanced with wisdom of the Mirkwood forest. I experienced much more in the world then I would’ve known. Only my thirst for more information only elevated a step further.
I claimed alliances with many of the elves there. King Thranduil was most generous of me ever since the day he offered his assistance. I was dressed alike many of them; only distinctions were the fact that I had black hair and the absence of pointed ears. I also came into acquaintance with the king’s son, Legolas. I have to admit, that these people where very merry people. They had feasts, enjoyed music, and were delighted of stories from afar. Many times they’ve asked me of my life before and I’ve been more than happy to share it with them. Yet every time the subject starts, I’ve been always successful of puzzling them and received full blast of a storm of questions. In return, however, they told me of their history: epic wars against orcs and goblins, stories of the mortal men, and the legendary story of the Numenoreans. Nevertheless, I never laid eyes on this friend who saved my life from solitude in a cell. It was until the day that found Silurian that the real quest began.
Celemir took me patrolling the forest that night. It was my third time and the only time to use my skills of tracking, defense, and recognition of herbs. We traveled in parties of 6 or more. That was the night I claimed my victory over my first enemy I’ve ever encountered: the Giant Spiders. The Silvan Elves detested them for polluting their realm. I slew the few that attacked me. Their lives only lie upon the point of my arrow. Nonetheless Celemir told me that there was even more expected in the future, and that killing them would not annihilate all of them. Small raids of goblins later ambushed us. Grotesquely shaped creatures with slender arms were mortal enemies of the elven folk. We slew many of them, but more arrived, replacing the ones dead. I was sent back to the palace for help.
I dashed through trees, killing goblins in my way. It was getting dark and the sky was making its transition from yellow to orange. At one split second, I felt a sharp pain on my foot and before I knew it, I was on the ground. With anger and curiosity, I whirled my head around to stare at the source of my delay. Lying close to my foot was an egg, a size of large pumpkin. I scrambled to my knees for a closer look. Its shell was of an unnatural color. With curiosity, I lifted the odd egg to reveal a wooden flute beneath it. It was almost by instinct that I had to retain it. Without wasting another minute, I sprinted to the Halls of King Thranduil.
Chapter 3 - Destinies Revealed
*note* Yes... the time period actually lasted 12 years.... i was too lazy to put any time constraints, Otherwise... enjoy...
The threat of the raids came to pass. The raids slew 2 of us. Without my alarm, all of us would’ve been killed. There had been an increase in goblins and orcs lately. I’ve heard many tales of darkness forming in Dol Guldur, the enchanted hill. The history of Mirkwood had always been dark and mysterious. There was a river that was told that one touch causes you to sleep. I also heard of tales of Necromancer and his tower on Dol Guldur. Few spoke of that fact. My nightly scouting had increased to eliminate the loathsome creatures that thrive in the depths of Mirkwood. The elves’ extreme hatred toward them had given me the sense that their lives were worth no more than the dirt we walk on.
Back at the Elven King’s Halls, I kept the egg securely and away from anyone’s view, even Celemir. I was even more attracted to the wooden flute. It apparently was carved out of a light material. It was sturdy actually. Apparently, it was carved from a block of wood with elaborate craftsmanship that it was almost unbelievable. While inspecting it, I became aware of characters intricately carved in a language other then elfish. It was neither Noldorian, nor the speech of the Sindarins, I took my first trial and blew through the wooden masterpiece. The first note was a harmonic melody for my ears. It was an inspiring moment in which I felt a great deepening within my soul. I used to be fascinated with the music that came out of pan-pipes and windpipes. It always had a mystical feeling that calms the stressed mind. I never really knew how to play one, but regarding the flute that I had, my chances of learning was within my grasp. I played numerous of tunes that I could reach back in my memory. When I perfected the art of playing the flute, I created different tunes. It soon became my source of relief and enjoyment of the evening. Before long, I was mimicking my own melodies and stretching my knowledge of music-making further.
The Silvan elves were very festive. Every month, I was invited to a feast of merry making and storytelling of the lands beyond Hithaiglin, or the Misty Mountains. It was during one of the feasts that I had a chance to speak with the king’s son, Legolas. He had quite a memory for the history of his people and the mysteries of Mirkwood. Without Celemir around 24/7, he replaced him with more wisdom than any elf I could imagine. The thing I liked about him was the fact that he was a liaison to Thranduil. It was that night that I asked him about my long inquiring question of all time: What was the Prophesy?
“ It is very rare for one to talk about this subject since it’s been long determined as the long lost myths of the middle earth.” he explained.
“But what effect does it have on me?” I inquired, “ Years ago, I received a message from a stranger who considers himself to be a friend. He mentioned about the prophesy that I have never heard of.”
“ Long has Mirkwood been famed for it’s darkness and enigma. Yet it is in the south that darkness still lingers for centuries. Every year, evil lurks in the dark hill of Dol Guldur. We only control the north of the forests. In the east, the river men, and in the great mountain of Erebor, was where the dwarven king under the mountain dwelled. It has been told that the brown wizard patrols the lands.” said Legolas.
He didn’t really seem to answer my question, but what he told me was of relevance about piecing the puzzle together.
“ Have you heard of the Prophesy?” I asked again.
“ The Prophesy was a predicament from the skies. It was said that the after the sundering of the elves, there had been foretelling of a force of great power and virtue that will assist the good people of the middle earth in times of darkness and chaos. Yet the prophecy hasn’t been brought up for centuries. It’s been told as a myth of the past, but seldom have heard of it.”
“ Then for what reason does your father have to free me?” I said.
“My father will soon come to answer that question, but I can inform you that the night you were freed was the night after a stranger arrived in our halls. He suggested your freedom and a request of enriching you with the lore of our realm.” said Legolas.
At that level, I knew that the truth lies hidden about my position. Even his son was forbid not to utter anything about my circumstances. Despite all, Legolas seem reluctant to keep mum about the fact, but at same time throwing out hints and clues.
“ It’s almost incredible that your father, one who is fairly sophisticated and protective of his kingdom, to grant this ongoing stranger his wish.” I said hoping to get more solutions.
“ I even thought about it to myself.” Answered Legolas, “ He’s not the type to agree on such a broad choice.”
Even now, it seemed evident that the king was keeping something from me. Later that evening, I returned to my chamber, deep within my thoughts. The significance of the prophecy extended upon my curiosity. Thranduil’s secret was equivalent to my concealment of the egg and flute. I kept it away from lingering eyes and inspected it throughout night. The shell was embellished with a mixture of green specks and silver lines drawn randomly across. The glow was almost impeccable. The tint of blue made it seem like a giant Easter egg that was made too big. I kept it warm under my pillow hoping it would hatch one day or the other.
As the season changed, my wisdom of the world accelerated dramatically. I felt as if I wasn’t myself any longer. The normal Eviyona in S.F. working for an M.D, who owned a café with 2 other roommates, was altered into a prisoner of the Middle Earth. Yet the next step in the journey I was about to take was closing in.
***********************\r\n\r\n
Darkness yet again was about me. I could feel it lingering in the mists of time. My only light for survival was hope. My source of light was failing in front of me. I had nothing to lose…. I have to continue my destiny. I have to retrieve them, it’s the only way to stop this treachery……
The vision gave me a start. The egg of the unknown creature was left under my cot for almost 6 years. I had carefully tucked in sheets in order to keep it warm. Sometimes at night, I felt a pulse beating under the shell. Something was definitely alive and soon will hatch.
It had been nightfall when I peered through the velvet sky taking a glimpse of Earendil, the brightest star in the sky. It’s purifying light relieved me of my dark thoughts. Such purity emitting from the beloved star of the Elves seemed to ward of all the darkness from within. I sighed in exhaustion, pondering. The pulsating egg beneath continued to increase in heat. It wasn’t before long when I reached in to pull it out down upon the stone floor. The egg was glowing and soon flashed a blinding light that filled the entire room. “CRACK!!” I was shaken by the bright intensity, but soon the light faded. I crept like a panther ready to pounce at its prey, taking each step with caution, as I closed in on the strange creature that I was about to behold.
In the presence of the egg was now a head of a lizard connected to its body by a neck of 18 inches. Slowly emerging from the egg, the lizard was 4 feet in length. Covered in the slime of the egg, it took a form of a Kumamoto dragon with what seemed like a blade sticking out of its head. Its claws emitted a steel color of the razor points that gave a menacing feeling of its power in an attack. Its scales were no ordinary color, but a pure white that seemed to complement with the light emanated at the beginning, yet, as if someone poured an extra layer on it’s back, was a layer of a dark green rough texture as a protective shield. It lumbered across the room sniffing the floor. When it reached the door, it let out a cry of longing, as if searching for something. I crept silently around it to take a closer look without getting its attention. Covered in the egg slime, I could clearly see the 3 feet long tail that was capable of breaking anyone’s leg. I crept closer to marvel the magnificent detail on its back when, it swung around to give a defying stare.
I literally froze. Images of this reptile tearing the flesh off my body, and the strength of its tail fogged my mind as I surveyed the room for any weapon upon my reach. The exit was 5 yards beyond the newborn lizard. If I could just leap across him then I can reach the door and make a run for it. A terrifying vision came when I could never place the potential agility it has of striking me right at the spot. Or I could lure it into the center and grab the bow and arrows in the corner. Oh yrch! It doesn’t really matter, I’ll just be dead by now… the thing was within striking distance from me anyway…
2 large golden eyes with a darkish hue glared. Round dark pupils replaced the tiny black slits that were only recognizable in reptiles. Its glare was rather innocent than sinister compared to the rest of its body. With an emerging stride, it ran in my direction and with a final leap into my arms, it gave a yelp of satisfaction as it snuggled deep within my arms. A release of fear flew from my chest and relief filled my body as I slowly caressed its back.
Careful and gently, I lay my new friend on my pillow and slipped off into the halls. He was quite tame for a hatchling even though it seemed like seconds of emerging friendship. He was now called Silurian after a period during the dinosaur age. I thought it was quite humorous that he resembled a small brontosaurus with a horn sticking out of its head.
A cry of a bird echoed across the horizon. Rushing to the window, I threw on my elven robes and scanned for my long awaited friend. Anya had grown a lot bigger now. She was about a foot tall now with built talons of strength on her feet. She carried a small tube and dropped it in my hands. Soon she perched on the windowsill, watching eagerly.
Hastily, I opened the message. The letter was on a ragged piece of paper yellowed by time. The ink, however, looked quite recent.
Long has your patience yearned for this time
Expect on the fifth dawn from whence you obtain Anya
Silurian may accompany you\r\n\r\n
I stole a glance at Anya. Looking satisfied, she let out a bold squawk. Obviously this person knows much about me. Too much. After all these years, the time has finally arrived when all my questions will finally be answered. Friend or foe, this may be the key to unlock the truth. I could hear the fluttering of wings behind me. Swirling around, I ushered Anya to return. She seemed reluctant, but obeyed my request.
“Anya. Let it be that we meet outside the palace to the northwest. I will presume that this friend will understand” I whispered to her.
Nodding in acknowledgment, she spread her massive wings and took off into the golden horizon. I couldn’t help but ponder how much she’d grown throughout the years. It seemed like yesterday that she was a chick in the palm of my hand. I longed for those memories.
Leagues beneath the sea, a ray of light pierces the darkness. It must be not found… The enemy needs it… It cannot be lost… such beauty, such radiance and power must not fall into the wrong hands… The eye of the enemy must not see it…
Nightfall. 3 years have been accounted from the times i've remembered. The air was quite with only the soft voices of elfish spoken about the palace. I must have dozed of from too much thinking. The goblins were gaining many of the elven territories. Giant spiders were increasing in numbers in the west. I could not blame king Thranduil for his tensions. He has ordered many barricades in and out the palace. Every day, the darkness grew in Dol Gunldur. I could feel it in my heart and the visions acquired in my dreams. Sudden knocks arouse me from my thoughts.
“ Lady Aniviel, the King wishes to see you “ the voice of Celemir sounded from behind the wooden door.
“ I shall arrive shortly” I replied.
I rose from my bed and slipped into elven robes. I had been called Aniviel for a number of years now. The Silvan Elves never really adopted Eviyona for it sounded foreign to their ears. Underneath, Silurian curled in a tiny ball fast asleep. It was only I, Anya, and this stranger, knew about the very existence of Silurian. Running down the stairs, I entered the royal hallways the elvenking. The halls were all built inside caves of stone, which made the palace much like a fortress. Hidden deep within the caves, Thranduil kept treasures of gold, silver, and the most precious metal: mithril. Upon entering the main halls, I was greeted by many of the elvenking’s subjects. Many of them I reconized from hunting parties and feasts. They had stern faces although a couple of them waved to me in assurance. The king was sitting on his throne with a crown of leaves in his golden hair. Seated to his right was Legolas, and to his left was Celemir.
I bowed in respect for their king.
“My lord, you have asked of me?” I asked.
“ Lady Aniviel, I am pleased to tell you that you have been one of the most dedicated to our kingdom. You have lead many of the orc hunts and progressed the art of combat more rapidly than the others.” proclaimed the king.
The elvenking gave a gesture to his right and Legolas nodded. From behind him he pulled out a sword within its sheath and handed to his father. King Thranduil held it out to me with both hands.
“ Rarely has a female with such talent ever receive the sword forged by the very hands of Celemir. But you, Aniviel, have advanced further than any who would’ve came this far.”
I stared at the sword for a very long time. It was as if time froze. Throughout the palace, the elves surrounded me, waiting for my next move. I was completely astounded. Why in the name of Arda me!!? I was their prisoner once, and now they make me an honored knight of Mirkwood? I looked once again at the king. He nodded in assurance. I nodded in return and slowly I accepted my gift.
Baffled the night’s event, I stumbled into the darkness up the stairs back to my chamber. My mind was too occupied with a storm of questions. “Why all the sudden?” I thought. Without bothering to look at where I step, I stumbled upon the 20th step, falling backward. Attempting to catch my balance, I accidentally flung the sword into the air. I could hear its clang tumbling down the stairs. Whatever I did, I could not regain balance. Great, a fall down the flight of stairs and I’ll probably break 20 bones since I was stupid enough not to watch my step. A sudden grasp was on my shoulder. Almost within a second it pushed me up on my feet. I tripped a little again, leaning towards my front. The other hand now wrapped around my chest to prevent me from falling into my face.
“ I’m so sorry if I was in your way, my lord. I can’t seem to coordinate myself today…um…” I took a heavy sigh and slowly swerved around to glance at my saver.
Locks of long golden hair covered his bright face. I was face to face with pair of dark blue eyes. A gaze of innocence, I thought. The typical stern face of the elf was upon me. I’ve never been anywhere this close to an elf before. When I soon realize that it was no ordinary elf.
“Celemir!!??” I nearly shouted.
“I believe this belongs to you?” Celemir said as he picked up the fallen sword.
“Er… yes…”I was nearly speechless. The night had not only made me careless of where I stepped, but now finding words to speak to Celemir was even harder.
Celemir held the sword with such respect and care that I felt like a total idiot for dropping it. I watched his every move as he carefully placed the sword into both my hands. Before he would move away from me, a forced a word out of my now frozen mouth.
“I never knew you could forge swords” I blurted out.
Celemir stared at me for while. I looked down finally realizing my stupid question made me seem ignorant. Just then a smile stretched on his face and he broke into a small laugh.
“ I wouldn’t blame you for not being aware of that. I am the king’s personal sword-smith. I’ve been able to forge your sword based on the many talents I’ve seen you perform since the day we met.” he explained.
We were silent for a while. I was too astounded to utter another word.
“You should get some rest Aniviel, you will need your strength” he said calmly. With a smooth turn he left down the flight of stairs.
Slowly, but surly, I made my way up the tower into my chamber. Opening the door, I peered inside to see Silurian curled on top of my bed. Removing my robes, I sat beside him, soothing his back. He laid his head on my lap as I pulled my sword out of its sheath.
Outside, the shimmering light of Earendil flowed alongside the bright moonbeams through my window. The light bounced on the sword creating a bright reflection on the ceiling. I couldn’t help but marvel how polished it was and the shape was the most impeccable form I have ever seen. Its slender form and 2’6’length was designed to cut through bone and flesh with precision. However it weighed no more than 2 pounds. I held the sword under the moonlight. The light reflected an elven phrase that was blazed onto the blade.
“Nai hiruvalye Valimar” I read under my breath.
“ Maybe you shall find Valinor.” said a voice behind me.
All my instincts rushed through my body as I swung full force around, pointing my new weapon at the origin of the voice. The sword impenetrably sliced through the air as if cutting sheer butter. Its power rushed through my arms. Miraculously I was staring at Silurian who blinked with his large almond eyes. He let out a weary squeak from his mouth and held his head innocently toward me fearless of the danger. Cautiously, I lowered my sword, only to recognize…
“It was you was it?” I whispered.
“You aren’t afraid of talking lizards, are you?” Silurian answered; his mouth unmoved.
“You can talk?”
“Darn, you are afraid”
“But how?”
“I was born that way. I never asked to learn how to speak your tongue.” he replied.
He jumped off my bed and crawled next to me. I looked down at him with disbelief.
“ Why do you look at me like that? Just because I can communicate with you doesn’t mean you have treat me differently than you do now.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry Silurian. It’s just that…”
“You’ve had a tough day and everything. I mean, not only did elf king give you this blade, but you fell down the stairs. I’ll call that a night!” he grumbled.
I was stunned by what he told me.“ By any chance, how in the world did you know what happened to me?”
“ Pretty simple. You came back with a pretty sword. And I heard a racquet down the tower with you and that elf.” He replied.
“ Gee, you have good hearing.” I said as I lay the blade on the palm of my hand.
Silence. Frustrated, I returned to the bed. I slid the sword back into its sheath. I gazed thoughtlessly into the sky. The night had been long. A cool breeze flowed through my opened windows massaging my body. Silurian, now curled once again beside me, stared at me looking for any reaction.
“ Silurian, did you hear Celemir following me before I fell?” I pondered.
“ Heh, with these ears, I could hear the voices miles away from here. No I didn’t hear him coming, which is very funny because I could never detect the footsteps of an elf."
From what he told me, I turned to stare at the lizard.
“ Is it only me, or you like to boast about your sense of hearing hmmm? ”
“ Er, no, I mean I don’t have the best hearing… See? I can’t even tell if it’s your steps or the elf’s.” he replied hastily.
“ Sure Silurian, sure thing,” I grumbled, “Now tell me exactly how you understand elvish”
“You speak it everyday to that elf servant of yours” Silurian replied calmly.
“ Celemir is defiantly NOT a servant of mine. He’s a subject of King Thranduil. He just here to teach me the skills to live in this place. Actually he also forges sword like, like…”
I stuttered to find the words to finish my sentence, but a herd of questions ran through my head. Why Celemir? Those who receive swords from the king himself happen hardly ever in history. I am the first one, no, the first lady to receive this honor. Celemir has been with me longer than the others. He had worked with me ever since Thranduil excepted me as part of his realm. Appointed as my guide/tutor, he taught me all there was to know about Mirkwood from its lore to its nature. I fumbled through these thoughts. At last, I laid my mind to rest.
A mysterious tune flowed through the air. Its melody mesmerized my ears. Through the darkness and fog I saw them. Majestic and powerful beings of the Middle Earth, they organized into a circle. Each had individual expression of grace and beauty that encircled the way they move and speak. They moved around me. I could sense their power, their presence. They were ancient, even older than the middle earth. They created the Middle Earth.
Dawn of the 5th morning. The sun rose from beneath its mountainous coverage. Rays of warm golden light bathed the floor of my chamber. Silurian gave a lazy yawn and looked dazedly at me as I prepared to go to the meeting of my enlightenment. Again, I dressed into my elven robes, except this time I had my kendo uniform underneath. The silvan elves always dressed in worn yet versatile clothing, at least the male elves do. The elven ladies wore dresses accompanied with a layer of robes if they so desire to wear them. The elves offered me dresses and robes since the day I arrived. Reluctantly, I only wore the dresses on feasting occasions, yet never during our orc hunting parties. Replacing the dresses I wore my kendo uniform which allowed me to perform with a substantial amount of agility. I firmly tied my sword to my belt and straightened myself for what I might endure.
“ You look like you’re preparing for a war.” Yawned Silurian.
“ Better be safe than sorry you know. Mirkwood is no safer than this palace.”
“ Does your elf servant know about your rendezvous with Mr. Mysterious?” Silurian asked playfully.
“ You know what Silurian?” I said slowly and calmly.
“What?”
“ First of all, how many times to I have to tell you that Celemir is NOT my servant!” I retorted, ”Second of all: this is NOT a date with any stranger but a person who will I believe will answer the last decade of my life!! And third of all, if you just keep quiet or else the entire realm will know about you. Fourth of all, you are coming with me no matter what you say about this meeting!!”
Silurian seemed to shrink by my wrath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset, Kaizu.” He said guiltily.
I looked down upon my saurian friend. I presumed he didn’t mean what he said. Perhaps I’m just tense about today. Perhaps too eager to hear the truth…
“Excuse me, what did you just call me?” suddenly astounded by what he just called me.
When I turned to look at him, he completely vanished. I soon came to realize his reason why…
“ Lady Aniviel, were you with someone awhile before?” a soothing voice behind me said.
I wheeled around to see Celemir standing in front of me. My face was completely blank and red with embarrassment. Noticing my tension he said almost sympathetically:
“ Is something troubling you? You look like you’re dressed for battle.”
Underneath I read a muffled snicker, yet Celemir, an elf with extensive hearing, cannot detect that it came from Silurian.
“ I have business in the east” I said stuttering, “ I shall return before sundown.”
I quickly paced pass him toward the door hoping he wouldn’t stay long enough to find Silurian.
I ran down the flight of stairs, careful of every step I took. I passed bewildered elves on their way for the morning activities. I reduced my speed when reaching the outskirts of Mirkwood. There I waited for Silurian. The morning gust flowed through the soaring trees. The autumn leaves tumbled softly down to the grassy grounds. Rays of sunlight peered through the hidden cracks of the branches above creating a warm atmosphere. Thranduil’s kingdom had always been the fairest part of Mirkwood. Beyond were dense forests of darkness where evil loomed in every corner.
The sounds of something scrambling were coming to my direction. A white and green blob emerged from the bushes. An arrow pierced through the dark greenish part of its hide, but apparently not enough to kill it. Noticing it’s long neck and head blade, I ran to it.
“Silurian!! They found you, did they? Are you all right? Did Celemir see you?”
“Darn elves,” grumbled Silurian, “Geez, the guy really has a knack for things. You running off like that really got him suspicious. I had to wait a good 6 minutes before he left me in peace. So I crept out the open window and down the tower. There weren’t any guards, I swear! But when I got a good 20 yards away from the palace, there he is again, this time with a bow and a quiver on his back. I tried to retreat into the bushes, but I guess he saw my stupid tail wagging out of the small bush and soon a shower of arrows came flying toward me. I ran as fast as my four feet could handle, but it was no use losing that elf. I ran up a tree and hid behind its branches, but he never seemed to give up. He barely missed me when a couple of is elf comrades called him back to the palace. With him out of the way, I made a dash for it.”
I examined his wound. It seemed as if the arrow had merely skimmed his back. With my dagger, I chopped off the pointed blade of the arrow and slowly removed it. Not a complaint came out of Silurian.
“ Consider yourself lucky my saurian friend, for Celemir is one of the best archers in Mirkwood. Your tough hide saved you from a lethal kill.” I said as I threw the broken arrow aside.
“ No wonder.” he grumbled.
The flapping of wings soon came to us. Perched on a single branch was Anya. She made a squawk to get attention. We both stared at her, yet her gaze seemed to tell me of her task. I nodded in acknowledgement. However, Silurian was clueless from her arrival.
“ What does she want?” he asked.
Soon as he finished his sentence, Anya took flight and flew off deeper into the forest.
“ Hey! Where are you going.” cried Silurian as he trailed behind me.
“ She wants us to follow her, Silurian. We better catch up with her.” I said as I sprinted after the flying hawk, “ She’s showing us the way.”
We ran for 10 minutes with Anya stopping each time to make sure we didn’t lose her. We headed east, were the trees begin to dwindle in numbers. Sun light penetrated the darkness that was once in the forests. We were reaching broad daylight.
“ Can we stop and take a breather” panted Silurian.
“ We cannot stop here now. We still haven’t reach our destination”
“ She’s flying too fast. Tell her to slow down” he complained.
“ If you can outrun Celemir, then you can follow Anya. Besides, somebody’s been a bit too lethargic lately. Taking too many naps and all.”
We came to a halt. Anya was perched once again, fluffing her feathers and brushing herself. I looked around at my surroundings. The air was less humid here. Straight to the east, were rolling plains of a desolate area. Further outward was a mountain of great majesty. It was called Erebor, named the Lonely Mountain in the common tongue. One of the most known legends was that the mountain housed the lair of a great dragon that sits upon the treasures of dwarves. Toward the south, was Celduin, known in the common tongue as River Running.
“ Finally we’ve stopped” growled Silurian.
“ Apparently you don’t take exercise as something that’s good for strengthening your muscles and bones.”
“ This is torture.”
I eyed him with a grim look. “ Seriously Silurian. You need to get out more.”
“ Now what do we do?” he grumbled.
I searched the sky for Anya. I scanned ever branch of the trees around us. She was nowhere. There wasn’t a sound that could be heard to signify a bird. It was as if she abandoned us for a while. I skimmed the terrain once again and soon an ambiguous figure emerged from the distant plains. Clad in brown robes, he strolled toward our direction. He was hooded and with him was Anya perched on his right shoulder. I couldn’t make out his face for his cloak hid his face from the sun’s view. In his left hand, he wielded a staff of oak and herbs. Towards the shadows of trees he stood still as the mountain in the distance.
“Is that him? He looks like a dirty…..Oww!!” whispered Silurian.
Before he could utter any more, I had to shush him by making him feel the sharp pain of my foot.
“At last we finally meet, Kaizu.” said a voice from beneath the hood.
I soon felt the clogging of questions waiting to rush out of my mouth, yet I found no voice to free them.
“I sense that you have many doubts about your position. Prior to my explanations, I must first introduce myself. I am known in these woods as Aiwendil or Radagast the Brown in the common tongue.” said the stranger.
After being introduced properly, I finally found my voice.
“ First tell me why you address me as Kaizu?” I asked.
The old man lifted his hood and chuckled softly. His face was kind and ancient of wisdom beyond the years. His eyes twinkled as he spoke.
“ Isn’t that what they call you in Thranduil’s place? Silurian should know better than to call you otherwise.”
A spark of recognition came to me about this morning. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset Kaizu.” Aniviel was the elvish word for Kaizu.
“ You see, Thranduil had an objective when he gave you that name.”
“ He knew all along, did he?”
“ Of course, I was the one who told him about you. He figured that if he housed you as his own kin, then when time comes, his intentions for you will one day aide his people.”
The thought of Thranduil using me sounded foul to my ears. He wasn’t exactly kind from the start. Yet a change of heart decided my fate.
“ Now I shall want to hear the whole story behind this.” I said.
The three of us walked along side the forest trees. The skies were now transitioning from hues of gold of morning, to the azure of noon. The brilliant sun was slowly elevating to its peak. There, Radagast began the tale of my part in the Middle Earth.
The explanations were long, yet it filled in the missing pieces I’ve been searching for. He first started with the origin of the Prophesy. In the beginning of the First Age there were the Valar whom were equivalent to gods and goddesses, which seemed similar to Greek mythology. The God of all Gods was Eru or Iluvatar in the elvish tongue and under him was Manwe Sulimo, leader of all the Valar. It had started with the Music of Ainur when separate gods began to appear. It began during the creation of Arda when the Valar began the great construction of the dwellings of the First Born. They embellished and filled the lands to be as magnificent as the lands of Valinor. The lands were called the Middle Earth. To glorify their achievement, 2 trees where created by Yavanna the nurturer. Their names were Telperion and Laurelin. Both trees were filled with the grace, power, and beauty of the Valar. The light of the trees reached all corners of the world spreading its splendor. But the power of the Valar weren’t able to purify the darkness that lingered.
There was one particular Valar named Melkor who was the rebel among the Valar. He desired power beyond the others, and disliked the forth bringing of the First Born. For that reason he began the destruction in the Middle Earth in which he created creatures that were only loyal to him. The Valar soon came to challenge Melkor and banished him of his evil deeds. And there, it was prophesized by Elentari of a warrior from distant lands who will assist the First and the Second born when the treachery of Melkor lasts beyond the First Age and grow to dominate the Middle Earth.
“Who were the Second, First born anyway?” yawned Silurian, “All this talking is tiring me out…”
“The first born were the elves blessed by Eru with immortality and the second born were Men blessed with the doom of death.” replied Radagast.
Radagast continued to the sundering of the elves. After the sundering of the elves, a great leader emerged One of the greatest of the elves was Feanor. With his advance skill and devotion he crafted 3 jewels that captured the radiance of the 2 trees. They were the Silmarils, or the jewels of light. Following the sundering of the elves, Melkor was freed from banishment out of the pity of the Valar. He promised to reform himself and soon came among the elves. Despite his promise, his menace grew within him. He still desired ultimate power over the elves. It came to pass that Melkor partnered with a foul spider beast named Ungoliant and poisoned the 2 trees. When light and splendor of Valinor faded, the Valar turned to Feanor for the Silmarils. At first Feanor was suspicious of the Valar for he thought they desired the Silmarils for their own cause. Yet after he agreed, Melkor had succeeded stealing the 3 jewels therefore accomplishing his final goal of world domination. And through the first age, a war was fought to retrieve the lost jewels. The war combined an alliance of Elves and Men. Both races fought till the end of the First Age when Morgoth, the name of Melkor when cursed by Feanor, was defeated.
“ At the end of the War of the 3 Jewels, one of the Silmarils was cast among the heavens as the brightest among all the stars at night. Erendil. The remaining 2 were lost by the beginning of the Second Age.” explained Radagast.
“ What does the Silmarils have to do with me?” I asked.
“ Many things. The prophecy did not just predict a warrior, but a force of equal strength to the darkness that lingers in Mordor. Morgoth’s devoted servant is still alive. Still waiting to avenge for his Master. He is searching for them along with something even deadlier.”
“The prophecy gave the description and time of arrival,” continued Radagast, “Written amongst the stars, it speaks of a lady with the agility, strength, and knowledge of the Middle Earth to retrieve the Silmarils and obtain them from the Enemy. The arrival: the Third Age, year 2800. From what Thranduil has told me, you exceeded the tongue of Sindarian and the lore of their culture quicker than any stranger did in your place. Your combat level is far advanced than any they have ever seen. ”
The year 2800 was 12 years ago. I was struck dead by these words.
“ It couldn’t be! It cannot possibly be me, can it?” I gasped.
“ If my observations are correct, I believe, you are the guardian of the Silmarils and the warrior predicted by the Valar.”
*********************\r\n\r\n
The warmth of the sunlight drenched the landscape. The clouds, now floating in puffs of white, traveled along the soft wind of the afternoon. I was sitting on a rock beside a snoring Silurian, piecing the information given to me. The voice of Legolas echoed thorough my head. “ The Prophesy was a predicament from the skies. It was said that the after the sundering of the elves, there had been foretelling of a force of great power and virtue that will assist the good people of the middle earth in times of darkness and chaos. Yet the prophecy hasn’t been brought up for centuries.”
Majestic and powerful beings of the Middle Earth, they organized into a circle. Each had individual expression of grace and beauty that encircled the way they move and speak. They were the Valar. Two trees, glowing intensely in my eyes. They were Telperion and Laurelin, the power source of Valinor. The visions within the past 12 years, they were trying to tell me something, yet I failed to understand them. Ancient wars and mystical beings were never accounted in the lore of the Silvan elves. They merely had a history the last time I recalled. Their documented history begins in the Third Age.
“ Why have the Mirkwood elves ever take account of the first and second age?” I asked.
“ They had little to do with the time before the third age. Compared to the Noldor and the Sindarins, they had little relevance neither in the ancient wars of the Silmarillion nor the first war against Sauron. Yet they had many downfalls in the past. Many that nearly wiped them off the face of the earth. Thranduil’s people are the last of their blood as far as the Silvan race goes.” Radagast explained, “ For that reason, he desired a miracle for his people. A miracle from the stars.”
“ Why must it be me?” I frantically asked, “ Can’t it be another? Or must it be a coincidence.”
“ Kaizu, fate can never be neither redeemed nor returned. You may think of it otherwise, yet when destiny arrives at your door, it’s only up to you to decide what must be done.” Radagast answered.
I thought for a moment. I had came all this way for one purpose, and now it was finally revealed. All the troubles that it took me and the years of wondering and questioning now arrive to one conclusion: fulfill the prophecy that was laid on me. I rose my head from deep thoughts and word out my answer.
“ What must I do?”
Radagast’s smile changed to a soft warm chuckle, “ I am very astonished by the amount of your accomplishments, Kaizu. Are you definite about your judgement? ”
I peered down upon the dirt. I spied Silurian, who was now curled against the trunk of a tree snoring wildly. Radagast slowly emerged from the stump he was on when the explanations took place. His smile still widened on his face.
“ I had waited for over 12 years, and at last my thirst for the truth has been filled. I am ready for the next step.” I answered.
“ Then we must get to business quickly,” said Radagast hastily now pacing toward Silurian.
I was profound by the sudden change of heart, yet as I had suspected from the beginning, this was no easy task to be done. Silurian, now dazedly stumbling on the forest floor, slowly yawned exposing rows of razor sharp teeth. Radagast was now headed back toward the darkness of the forest with such haste that I was trailing behind him.
“I want you to remember that this meeting that we had must not be known to anyone, not even Thranduil,” breathed Radagast, “ It is a great danger for you if your name is utter anywhere outside of the Silvan elves’ kingdom. The enemy has ears everywhere. The truth about you must be kept hidden until the time is right. From now on, you will be Kaizu.”
“But what about Thranduil? Doesn’t he know already? He calls me Aniviel.” I said.
“ He is a fool. Aniviel is your prophesized name.”
There was an abrupt halt. Radagast swerved around and looked into my face. His eyes now widen with realization and terror.
“ Did Thranduil address you with this name outside the kingdom?” he inquired.
“ The other elves call me by this name.” I answered dumbfounded by the situation, “ They sometimes take me out to their hunting parties.”
“ Do they ever speak your name then?” this time he was really tense.
“ A few times, when we run into orcs and such” I said.
Silence.The red, orange, and yellows afternoon was soon coming to an end. And evening will soon set in. I knew that being in Mirkwood after the darkness has settled was an ill omen to anybody. I turned to Radagast for any resolutions.
“ Indeed he is a fool. The words I gave him, he turned into a showcase his image,” grumbled Radagast. Then he looked at me. “ Kaizu, Thranduil has unknowingly laid a target on you. You are now in grave danger. The Enemy may be looking for you as we speak. You must leave his halls at once and go into hiding. Now we must hurry back”
Soon we were sprinting through the forests. The light of the sun was dimming through the trees. I followed Radagast, until we reached the edge of the Forest River. There, by the water’s edge, 2 chestnut-colored horses stood peacefully lapping the cool waters. Radagast mounted one of them.
“ We need to acquire speed. The light is dying. We have little time.” He said as I mounted the other horse. I pulled Silurian onto the horse and set him in front of me. “Poor Silurian.” I thought; he was clinging on to the saddle without a single word coming out of his mouth. I pulled the reins and took off. The day was diminishing and the darkest corners of Mirkwood were now emerging. The glowing lights in the distant road signified the palace was near. The elves were having another festival yet again. They were setting the lights and preparing the tables with food and wine by the time we reached.
“ You must return to your chamber, pack all your belongings, and leave the chamber without a trace of your life there.” Radagast said as we dismounted the horses.
We took a detour that got us behind the palace were we dismounted. I pulled the clinging Silurian down from the saddle. Without a word, he slid behind me, nodding his head and surveyed the area with his bright eyes. I figured a long time ago, that the gate entrance wasn’t the only way into the palace. Thranduil built a waterway underneath in order to transport his favorite beverage: wine. The water was able to flow through the caves upon the palace was built on and out into the Running River. There were trapdoors that were built there that lead into the wine cellars. If I sneaked through the cellars, I’d be able to find the steps to my chamber in no time for the many routes in the palace were part of a system of transportation and convenience.
A rustle of a bush nearby rebounded through the night’s air. Radagast and I perked our heads and scanned the area for any beings. By instinct, I drew my sword. Radagast raised his staff an inch higher. Silurian was sniffing the air for a scent.
“Somebody’s here” mumbled Silurian.
“ You must hurry,” urged Radagast who was now turned to me, “ Our location must not be found. Once you are finished, go from the south side of the palace and into the forests. I will send for Anya to find you.”
Without further questions, Silurian and I darted into the river entrance into the wine cellar. We were soaking wet from the river when we reached the cellar. Dripping, we hid behind many of the wine barrels. There were many elves going in and out of the place, no doubt preparing the wine for the upcoming feast. We waited in silence as the last of the elves left with 2 gigantic barrels. I eyed Silurian who nodded in return. We made a run for it past the opened doorway and into the hallways.
The hallways were bright with happiness and joy. Everywhere, voices laughing and singing were among the merry elves. Music echoed from the walls and aroma of luscious food filled the air. Despite all, we arrived into my chamber and soon I dug up all the belongings I could think of. The flute that I had held dear whenever I needed solace was now tied around my neck. The many dresses that were offered to me, I tied into a bundle. Silurian did basically nothing besides holding my things and complaining once again that he will miss the bed he slept on for the first days of his life. I threw the bundle I was holding to him and told him that if he wanted to make use of himself, he could climb down the window and wait there for me. Reluctantly, he did climb down without too much of a struggle. The moonbeams of night lit my chamber through the opened window. It seemed too hard to believe that this would be the last night I will ever see such beauty flow into here. The last of my belongings now lay wrapped in an elven embroidered linen. They consisted of tokens and gems given to my by fellow elves whom marveled my excellence or befriended me. I stuffed those under my kendo uniform. I reached for my bow, and soon I had one leg over the windowsill, when knocks came from behind the wooden door.
“ Aniviel! Aniviel! You must come quickly before the festivities will begin.”
The voice was almost recognizable.
Celemir.
I tried to pull away from the window in order to escape, but it was too late. The door creak open, and a head shot behind it to see half of my torso, behind the window.
“ What in the name of Arda, are you doing? The feast is about to start.” I could tell from the excitement on his face that he was overjoyed about something. His dark blue eyes twinkled in the light with a smile of happiness I’ve never witnessed from years with him. He spoke to quickly before I could speak.
“ You have a seat of honor tonight next to the king,” chortled Celemir gleefully, “ It is the first time in the history of the realm to have a lady in such position!”
I could see in his eyes that he’d been waiting for this festival for years. Deep guilt was upon my heart that my departure would grieve him. How to put it into words was even harder.
“ Celemir,” I said softly, “ My life here is over. I must move on now to another. I am very sorry it must be this way, yet there is more that lies between me and this world.”
I could see all the bliss was drained from his fair face. The warm smile that was once spread across his face now vanished into blankness. The same face he gave me a night ago…
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The cool afternoon of autumn had settled in the realm. The golden leaves of the many deciduous trees were tumbling down to forest floor. The palace was empty with many elves gone in a hunting party. My decision to stay was for one sole purpose: to complete the art of the sword from what I remember from my kendo classes. I had previously been taught by Celemir during the first years of my arrival, yet I was never satisfied of what I learned. I was skilled with his ways of the sword, but the rules and technique had restraints that couldn’t be brought up without the knowledge of kendo. Without a pathetic stick I once used during practice, this time I had a real sword; forged and lethal. That day, I wanted time alone to myself. I blindfolded myself to prepare for my stances. Blindfolding has been a way to focus and utilize the energy between my sword and my opponent. My master had once said that blindfolding was a way to practice defending against an ambush from behind as well.
I swung the weapon into the air, and settled into my start position. Both of my hands gripped steadily as I lunged and performed Kakari-Geiko, the practice attacks I’ve been rigorously challenging to achieve. I whipped my sword into the air and performed the strikes needed to bring my opponent down. The strikes and attacks have to do with the energy flowing between the sword and its handler. The word wielded in my fingers produced a power of its might as it sliced through the air. My speed increased as I continue execute every attack left in my memory bank, until a unexpected contact between my sword with another halted my stream of thought.
I unwrought my blindfold to see my sword crossing blades with its creator.
“ Absent during the hunting party. Strange that I would find you here in the palace yard with a sword drawn. ” Said Celemir, grinning softly to himself.
I stared at his earnest eyes, and grinned in return. “ Better to be prepared for the worse, mind you."
“ For the worse?” contested Celemir, “ You practice with a blindfold around your head.”
“ It is rather a challenge for me to be unaware of my opponent and attack with the same strength and power as of my opponent should see the darks of my eyes.” I calmly replied.
Amused from first witnessing my efforts to practice kendo, he challenged me to a mock duel of his knowledge of sword fighting against mine. I had to do this blindfolded, of course, naïve to all the obstacles around me.
“ The first on the weaponless on the floor shall prevail” challenged Celemir.
“ Then it shall be done.” I challenged.
I wrapped the blindfold securely on my eyes. My firm grip around the hilt. I took my defense stance. He could attack me anywhere, from any angle I could think off. I had to embrace the energy flow around me in order to sense his first move. What was even difficult was the footsteps were completely soundproof. Elves take pride in their ability to move swiftly and silently. I only needed to depend on my senses and the focus on the energy around me. I took a long breath and directed my attention to the center of my mind and waited for the first blow.
I felt his presence surround me. He was searching for a weakness. His steps were soundless, yet he aimed from the behind. Triggered by a change in the air, I veered around with a metallic clang from the blades. Soon the rhythmic sword dueling began. I felt Celemir dart for every angle, yet my ability to catch and counterattack made it impossible. From what I remember from his earlier tutorials, he would usually strike abruptly at a focused point then veering to an unexpected aim to the head or the heart. Yet each time he performed that stunt, I quickly swirl around to confuse the target and intercepted his attack. I defended according to the wind movements of each strike. It made it tricky to disarm me.
Soon he gained on me drawing me backward with random striking. I knew this strategy very well. This technique was only used to tire the opponent down to the point that he can make a definite blow at the end. Also, he knew I was blindfolded and unaware of my surroundings and backing me to a corner would disable my space for defense attacks. It seemed for hours that we fought back and forth, clashing blades without neither advancement nor loss.
This was were my kendo skills became useful. Being trained with the Kakari-Geiko increased my stamina. There was no use trying to tire me with that attack. I took each blow slowly and sensed the obstacles behind me. The aroma of pine steadied toward me. Celemir was attempting to corner me at a tree. At the right moment, I lunged with all the power I could muster and pushed him off with my sword. With the presumption that he was in my position, I lunged forward with a hard strike at his sword and held it steady with his opposing force against mine. We were locked together for few seconds. I knew sooner or later, he would free the pressure and re-aim his sword at me; instead, I took the advantage by twisting the sword with my own to release the sword from his hand. This was a scheme that took me a few years accumulate while observing the sword fighting amongst the other elves. The disarming method had me push the point of the blade far enough below the guard of the hilt and flip it into the air. This was the first time I’ve used this idea. My first thoughts came that the method will not work completely, but just stun my opponent for the time being. However, the whizzing clang of the weapon signified its release and I felt the sudden escape of force.
Scrambling upon the dried leaves. There were voices about the trees. I lowered my sword to conclude the duel. Removing the fabric that disabled my sight, I took a deep breath, and exhaled the energy that I’d accumulated. Opening my eyes, I witnessed red stains on my robes. Blood trickled from my left hand were the tip Celemir’s sword made contact with mine. I peered down at my sword and followed it to find Celemir on the forest floor; his sword flung to the far right of the woods, at the mercy of the sword he created.
“ The love of Wood!!” cried a voice, “ Such a performance combined with strange skills of the sword, Lady Aniviel”
Lifting my head, a ring of elves surrounded Celemir and me. 48 sparkling eyes reflected the astonishment and euphoria brought by the mock duel. However, the voice that spoke to me was none other than the king himself.
“ I believe you have defeated the one most skilled in sword-fighting of the realm” said another airy voice, “ None has defeated him since the first settlement in Mirkwood.”
As the lead of the hunting party, Legolas was the most experienced at sensing the minds of others. The hunting party was probably shortened for the lack of game in the area nowadays. With the darkness limiting the hunting territories, they returned before sunset as soon as possible. Legolas sought to defeat Celemir for nearly 400 years, yet Celemir held on to the title until he was made the master forger of swords. My victory proved it otherwise. My glance now alternated to the floor. Celemir’s stare was directed aimlessly toward the side; the humiliation of defeat by the very sword he forged.
I withdrew my blade from him, and held out a hand. Refusing my help, he rose from the floor, and brushed himself. The crowd was now diminishing. I watched him as he retrieved his weapon and placed it back into its sheath. He froze for a moment and turned head to face me. Unmoved by his presence, I saw his face; emotion drained from his eyes… a look that would stay with me forever…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\r\n\r\n
It pierced my heart to gaze upon the reminiscent look. The guilt of causing humiliation in front of his king and his people seared through me like paper being torn to pieces.
“ I bid you farewell, my friend. I hope one day you will understand this parting.”
I told him. Without another word, I heaved myself out through the window and climbed down the walls. As I locked my feet in the cracks of the stonewalls, a voice from overhead called for me.
“Aniviel! Aniviel!”
It was clearly from Celemir, yet my mind was deafened by his plea. I continued descending.
Almost immediately I found Silurian waiting down bellow the window. From his gestures, he ushered me to quicken my pace. When my feet touched the dirt, I rapidly scanned the skies for Anya. Night has already fallen on the Middle Earth, yet the hawk was not visible among the stars. Silurian looked up at me, eager for an explanation, but I was silent.
“ Aniiiivieeell!!!!”
The distant cry broke the peace of the night.
“Aniviel!”
The voice was sharper this time; obviously coming toward our direction.
I searched the skies once again, then toward the woods. A distinctive squawk arose from the top of a nearby tree. Perched amongst the branches, Anya contently waited… for me…
“Aniviel!”
It was difficult to look back. My past must be left back. My time has come. I’ve agreed to my destiny, now I must accomplish it. It was the only way for me. Eyeing Anya, I headed to her with Silurian trailing at my heels. If only the voice would stop. My name was no longer Aniviel. I was now Kaizu.
“Aniviel please!” the desperate voice called. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. The soft force pulled me around to face him.
Celemir’s fair face was now distorted with distress. His blond hair gleamed from the moonlight reflection. I was amazed that he caught up with me in so little time.
“ I beg of you,” I pleaded, “ I need to make haste. I am no longer Aniviel of Mirkwood. Please let me be.”
“ No, I am not trying to stop you,” he replied, “ I want to present you with this gift before your departure.”
I soon noticed he held his very own personal bow that he always brought everywhere gripped in his right hand. He held it out to me with both hands.
“ I cannot accept it, Celemir. It is not mine” I said.
“Take it. It is yours now.”
“ Then what will you use?” I asked.
“I only ask for yours in return. It will mark our friendship for all these years. You have been remarkable, Aniviel, and I admire that.”
Despite my name being called at the edge of the wilderness, we exchanged our bows. Silurian was now yelping for me. Apparently he climbed up Anya’s tree and hid himself among the branches. I felt that this time he was being a lot careful with his tale. With a thrust of an arm, I felt him secure something on my body.
I returned a glance at Celemir. He had removed his own cloak for me. I sensed despair in his heart, yet his face was now bold with acceptance. His hand once again clasped firmly on my shoulder. I touched it with my palm; my fingers in contact with his.
“ Send my regards to the king and the others. May the see the light of dawn upon the kingdom.” I smiled. Carefully I removed the grip from my shoulder and cast it down.
“Should you be in good hands with Aiwendil. May we meet again someday. ” said Celemir softly. He smiled faintly and we released.
I heard Anya squawking repeatedly for my attention. She flew across to another tree. Silurian, now overcoming his fear of Celemir, scrambled down and ran ahead to catch up with Anya. Taking the chance, I sprinted to pursue Silurian, daring only for one final look at the palace I once called a sanctuary away from the treachery of the dark woods. My past was now behind me. At last, I bounded into the darkness, into the mysterious destiny I was about to face.
Chapter 4 - The Fire Within: Part I
The House of the Giant\r\n\r\n
Forgotten.
Vanished.
Into the deep wilderness, I ran. The high crescent moon above bounced off Anya as she weaves her way through the denseness. The trampling of Silurian behind my heels shuttered the stillness of the forest. The humidity of the air created a sheer layer of fog as we bounded further west.
We’ve advanced past the palace for leagues now. We were now gaining on the elf-path across to the other side of Mirkwood. Already I felt the dark presence the elves have feared. My senses grew tense for my knowledge of this route remained vivid in my mind. Caution was key, and stamina to keep up with Anya must stay consistent.
“Exactly how much longer do we have to run like this?” a voice called behind me.
“ Until we find our old friend Radagast” I mumbled to Silurian.
“ Why can’t send us a horse quicken the pace up, huh?” whined Silurian, “ he can’t just make us run like this for the rest of the night. That would be real torture!”
“Silurian, you’re being lazy again.”
“ Hey, I lasted for more than 10 minutes already, ” he grumbled, “ yesterday’s time was only 5!”
Ignoring him, we continued to pursue Anya. She was gliding now, almost innocently in the night’s atmosphere. Even though I objected to Silurian’s view on exercise, beyond the path was a deadly obstacle I’ve known for years. However, Anya didn’t seem to halt. I needed only to call out to her. But it was too late…
The faint veils in the distance were not what she’d expected. Mistaken for the blinding fog, Anya flew through it and soon realized her wrong judgement may cost her life. Constantly struggling with her powerful wings, she gained no escape, despite her effort. Almost instantly, the fear I’ve encountered the first night I stepped into the Middle Earth was looming down toward the helpless hawk.
Without even thinking, I reached for my arrows and aimed at the foul creature. It was bigger than the ones I’ve met. The 4 pairs of morbid eyes were gleaming at its prey along with the same number of slim hairy legs. This particular one I remembered attacked me when I blinded him with my pathetic kendo stick. Its scar was barely visible under the dark slimy coat of a gruesome substance that I would never imagine. With a twang of Celemir’s bow, 2 of the 4 pairs of its evil eyes were gone. A bloodcurdling squeal of pain echoed across the forest and then soon it retreated. But not for long…
Despite 4 arrows embedded in its head, it charged recklessly at me. It barely missing my arm I drew out my sword and stabbed it in the abdomen.
“ Go get Anya!!” I yelled to Silurian.
Unsure if he heard me, I pushed forward with the sword hoping to kill the sinister arachnid. Fetid slime and dark gouts streamed down my arm and drenched my cape. The creature was trying to push me back, yet I held on, forcing on to the opposite direction. The blade made its way toward the sting. With all power I could gather, I took a deliberate turn, slicing the flesh across to the other side. I could hear the creature stumble back, making a final shriek then falling into the shadows.
I darted back to the road. With the help of the faded light of the moon, I spotted Silurian who was carrying Anya in his mouth. His yellow eyes that holding the bird in his mouth was difficult for him without eating the thing. The previous episode with the monster spider attracted a whole load of them. Hissing curses, they scrambled along the trees, trying to catch up with us. One sprang from the branches above, nearly seizing Silurian with its venomous fangs. With luck, I ran in time and chopped off the morbid incisors.
The more we progressed, the thicker the veils of sticky web got. To the point that I whipped my sword in order to make our way through the forest of spiders. Silurian managed to claw his way though, yet his small body was disabled by the increasing thickness. I had no choice but to grab him into my arms as I leaped across the spiders’ lair. Inches away from escape, a giant of a spider pounced from the behind. We barely making it, I spotted a chestnut horse galloping toward our plight.
“ About time!” Silurian grumbled. Before the last word came from his mouth, Anya had slipped into the jaws of danger.
The horse Radagast sent arrived in time for us to mount and flee west. With an instant swoop, I caught Anya by her tail feathers seconds before the eight-legged creep could trap her. I felt for Silurian’s tail, swinging him on to the saddle. With a yelp of pain, the horse acknowledged and soon sprinted across the road like wind sweeping through the narrow gaps of the trees. Clung tightly to the reins, I watched as the world around me blend into the dark color of night as we raced through the forbidden.
It seemed like ages when we left the spider territory. The road was never ending, yet the horse kept galloping the same speed as if weariness didn’t exist in his body. Cradling Anya beneath my robes, my ears had to hinder the monotonous whining of Silurian. All night it seemed the subject of his tail will go on forever.
“ What you’ve pulled back there was no ordinary body part.” yelled Silurian, “ That was MY tail! The most sensitive part of body and you gave no respect for that!”
“ So?”
“Look what you did to it! Now it has a great mole on it. It doesn’t even match the color of my skin!!” cried Silurian.
I gave him a blank look. “ If you so desire, your majesty,” I mocked, “ Maybe next time I’ll pick you by the neck. I’m sure that wouldn’t be as sensitive as your precious tail right? Besides, I might as well do that with my mouth and make random comments and complaints at the same time. What do you say if I accidentally let go of you huh? Wouldn’t it be nice to fall into the jaws of that spider we met a while ago?”
“ It was just an accident OK??” mumbled Silurian, “I’m not used to having live things in my mouth.”
“ Very well, I suppose we could spend the rest of the night without being attracted by goblins and orcs.” I sternly said.
With that note, Silurian’s mouth forced shut throughout the night. By an hour, he was leaning on upon my lap, snoring softly. Soon, exhaustion filled my entire body after the night’s clamor. The soft gallop of Radagast’s horse comforted my mind from the day’s roller coaster. Descending west contributed a lighter lift in the air. The foggy mists steadily disintegrate over the deep horizon. The faint destinations lie distant ahead of us as we drifted into a dream sequence…
What seemed like eternity finally concluded when we emerged from the diminishing trees and into the barren fields of the western border. The sweet aroma of lavender and honey lingered along with the soft zephyr brushing along the wild grass. Before us lie a log cabin along the pastures. Outlines of stables were distinguishable under the dim moonbeams. The windows emitted a welcoming light from the interior. The horse strolled along the dirt path until we reached the gates of the home when it halted as if waiting for a command.
I stared blankly beyond the entry. The reminiscent warmth of the light reminded of the lost memories. My weary body seemed too heavy to be lifted. Settled next to me, I felt Silurian breathing as he snoozed on the night. Changing my thoughts, I peered down at Anya, who too, was fast asleep. Her feathers were uneven from struggling and sticky with webs. I gently removed the foul debris from her wings and smoothed the ruffled parts of her body. It appeared to regenerate her as she slightly blinked her beady black eyes.
Soft footsteps from ahead our direction. The shining doorway focused my sight to the dark figure arriving. Shaded in familiar worn brown robes, he grinned and aided me I dismounted. The horse, that waited patiently the entire time, galloped away with the satisfaction of accomplishing his task. He guided me across the gates and down the dirt passage towards the unknown home.
The night that once felt brief in depths of sleep now felt like an endless journey. Constantly ushering the half-conscious Silurian to catch up, Radagast lead us across the threshold and into the massive wood hall. The source of light came from the crackling flames of the center fireplace. A wood long table lay directly across from us along with horses, sheep, and goats strolling in and out. At the head of the long table sat a giant man clothed in tanned animal hide. His bear-like arms hung down to the boulder fists that rested on the table. I felt Silurian coward behind my shadows, as Radagast presented me to the host.
“ May I introduce, Kaizu of the Mirkwood realm.” He announced as if speaking to a crowd, “ Kaizu, this is Beorn”
A sudden thump shook the floor as he stood towering over our party. For the first time in my life, I met a 10 feet person up close. What seemed like the thumping of loud drums, he marched up to me and observed my blood-drenched image. I looked up at his hairy face and softly smiled, hoping he would accept me. After staring for a while, he exchanged glances at Radagast.
“ So this is she who dwelled with the Wood elves, eh?” his voice boomed.
I nodded in return.
“ As you can tell, my good friend, Thranduil had mistakenly done good job of exposing business into the Wilderland.” Explained Radagast.
Breaking his glance from Radagast, he peered down at me. “ The king probably made you into his subjects didn’t he?” he inquired.
“ Technically, he did” I answered.
“Heh. The old blonde didn’t provide a great escort for you either.” He mumbled.
“ He was quite busy at the moment, really, “ I explained, “ I decided I needed not to disturb him in his annual festivities”
“ So I can tell from your worn outfit” he said as he let out a hearty laugh.
The cordiality brightened many smiles. The animals that hung around were now setting up the table with food and drinks. They moved extra 2 seats on either side of the table close to where the host sat.
“Come and sit” he welcomed, “ I shall expect a great story in return for your stay.”
Following Radagast, I settled upon the feast laid before me. Plates of honey biscuits, jars of jam and butter, and the pleasant fragrances could drive a starving person insane. Without the safety of my shadows, Silurian desperately stumbled around the center of the floor, too stricken to hide. Unfortunately, Beorn caught a glance at him before his dash beneath the table. He grabbed poor Silurian by his precious tail and hung him closer to view.
“ What is this unknown fella doing here?” he boomed as Silurian squealed in pain.
“ He is my friend, “ I exclaimed, hoping he’ll release the traumatized lizard, “ He has traveled with me great distances and wouldn’t harm a fly.”
“ He looks like an orc pet to me, or shall I say another minion of the dark lord?” he growled, this time clenching harder with his powerful fingers around the tail. Silurian’s terrified cry vibrated the peace. He continued desperately to struggle from the giant’s hand.
“ Beorn,” shouted Radagast who was now standing, “ Silurian belongs to Kaizu. He is no orc friend nor is he an enemy.”
With an echoing thump, he dropped Silurian who soon scrambled from the fire-lit floor and fled under my protection. I held him close, hoping to comfort him from his terror. Beorn returned to his seat and grumbled a few words and finally we all relaxed.
Easing Beorn into a great story took no longer than a single sentence of our journey. Mesmerized by the attack of the monstrous spiders provoked his hatred towards the evil lingering in the woods. His open opinion about them echoed against the wooden walls as he continued listing the many ways (some indecent in my opinion) to kill orcs. The night lasted till the peaks of dawn when Beorn parted to tend his beehives. I was left with Radagast and a full stomach. Silurian was yet again snoring from consuming dozens of biscuits. Anya curled herself into a feathery ball and soon was at rest. Watching my friends sleeping left me in total solace.
“ You know, you should get some rest.” said Radagast softly, “ You will need your strength for the journey ahead.”
I looked up at his kind face. It felt as if I’ve seen the worst of my situation and now everything was back to normal. I was now reluctant for any word of another journey to the unknown.
“ Beorn is very respectful of your presence, “ Radagast smiled, “ he left you a chamber for your stay.”
Thankful of Beorn’s kindness I wondered, “ He seems very generous for a man this size. “
“ Generous to you and friends, and vicious to enemies.” Corrected Radagast, “ I’ve known him for decades before the darkness arrived in Mirkwood. His home had once been in the mountains, for then he told me before it was raided by orcs and goblins.”
“ I can tell from his temper.” I said.
“ Beorn is very kind at heart, yet his short temper disables him from gaining too many friends nowadays. You are very lucky to have him accept you in this condition. You can also thank the stars for stay here too.” Explained Radagast.
“ Beorn has the knowledge of the Prophesy?” I asked.
“ Indeed. He reads the skies every night seeking for the answers. He is one of the few who know your presence is important.”
Radagast took me to a nearby stable. Though it once housed horses, Radagast explained that Beorn treats his beloved animals as much as if they were his children. This was the best he could offer on a night like this. The stable was a large chamber with a window to the stars. Set in the corner was a pile of hay topped with blankets. A chair lie in the corner for my convenience with the floor completely padded with soft grass and hay. Radagast left me to attend myself as he strolled silently down the path. I removed completely of all bloodstained clothing and laid my weapons and belongings against the chair. I wrapped myself in the blanket before me and peered into the first rays of morning. After some time, I heard the flapping of wings toward my window. To my surprise, Anya awkwardly flew into my room, despite the sticky mess upon her wings. She landed beside my bed and blinked her black eyes. I couldn’t help but smile as she comfortably settled into a nest of hay. It seemed like eternity when I was in a chamber far colder than this one, watching her growth. The memories were now so vibrant as I watched her snuggle her head under the safety of her wings. Weariness soon took advantage of me as I slipped into the world of dreams.
Sleep did not last for very long. I was aroused once again by a bloodcurdling shriek from the log cabin. Blinded from the previous night, I soon realized my mistake of leaving Silurian back in Beorn’s halls, alone. Within a rush, I was up upon my feet, dressed, and sprinted down the dirt path.
“ Not an orc are you?” laughed the booming voice, “ What do you call yourself, you fiery son of a snake!! You call yourself a dragon with this dinky head of yours??”
Silurian’s screams rebounded through the sunlit pastures. I could now clearly see the golden beauty of the outskirts of the dark Wilderland. Once in the interior I witnessed Beorn gripping poor Silurian by the soft belly and shaking him every so often. No longer in the state of his infamous temper, he was quite amused at the moment by seizing a closer look at Silurian.
“ He’s choking me Kaizu!! Make him stop.” Squealed Silurian.
Before I could bail Silurian out of his tragic dilemma, Beorn spotted my presence and immediately released him. Within a split second, Silurian bounded into my arms.
“Ah, Kaizu! We meet again.” Said Beorn who was abruptly and unbelievably positive, ”Rest has definitely fulfilled your energy, my good friend. Come. Let us have lunch.”
We were all served yet again with honey biscuits and cream soup. Despite my suspicion for Beorn’s queer curiosity for Silurian, Beorn redeemed himself with a petty excuse. The mood of world felt jolly again with the open fields and hills exposed to the light of the sun. Later that evening, Beorn gave us a tour of his property. His ubiquitous beehives left the skies buzzing with drones the size of beach balls. Horses, goats, sheep, and dogs roamed the area without the restriction of a cage. Many of them would stop by and glared with interest of the new visitors, but were hastily shooed by Beorn. Hidden under my shadows, Silurian reluctantly crept with caution feeling the alienation from the current surroundings. Our final destination took us on horses to the top of Carrock, Beorn’s favorite watching post and pride. Atop the massive rock, one could view the entire western border of Mirkwood that stretched for miles south and ended with a mountain range in the north. Intertwined along the hills, was Anduin, the longest river in Middle Earth that extended beyond the eye can see.
We returned to Beorn’s cabin when I noticed Radagast’s disappearance when Silurian began his daily dose of whining.
“ What’s the big idea of abandoning me yesterday in that maniac’s home???” Silurian growled.
“ All right, I apologize okay??” I retorted.
“Humph! You have a sense to take in your birdie when you were given a nice bed and all while I sleep on the cold floor!” continued Silurian, “ Not only did this wizard friend of yours led us into constant danger, he led us into the lair of a giant psycho!”
I shot a cold look at him. Having to put up with him yesterday was already a hassle, but wasting my life away with his complaints were not getting anywhere.
Beorn was kind enough to house our stay until Radagast return from his errand (according to Beorn he left south within minutes when I was at rest). He respected my presence the most and granted us the freedom of roaming throughout his premises down to the shores of Anduin. In return for his generosity, I filled hours and hours of supper of stories from Thranduil’s realm, and the latest news of the orc raids. I got him spellbound for at least 3 days before he started spilling his own stories. Beorn’s interest in Silurian’s species waned after a week of our visit. Though Silurian was still terrorized with constant mistrusts for the man, he eventually left my side for once. Yet from time to time, he would start complaining about a large hairy creature atop Carrock that bore razor sharp claws and bulky arms. He never dared getting any closer fearing the night when he witnessed this creature growling in into the starry heavens. I quickly assured him that whatever he saw was indeed Beorn for he was a skin-changer, yet Silurian never believed me. He overly accused the place of its dangers and often used the Beast atop Carrock as logical evidence. Annoyed as ever, I threatened to lock him in the log cabin with Beorn if he didn’t held his trap down.
However, my stay with Beorn turned out to replenish all of us physically and extended my knowledge of the Middle Earth even further. Beorn was a valuable tutor with animal languages. He gratefully passed this wisdom to me and soon enough I befriended many of his creatures. Along the shores of Anduin, Anya’s wings and my clothes were freed from the distasteful blood and webs from previous encounters. The days were light and the golden color of autumn was obvious among the fields as they were among the trees back in Mirkwood. My content reached its end upon Radagast’s arrival from the south.
What felt like a merry luncheon with Beorn turned out differently as in the sudden change of mood. Radagast arrived worn as ever and looking weary than before. He greeted me with the usual friendly smile, yet I sensed weakness upon his heart.
“ News from the South tells me of danger awakening from the depths of Mordor.” Explained Radagast, “I fear that your stay here may put you in peril, Kaizu.”
Beorn, who had grown quite fond of my company, immediately protested. “ We were having a jolly time right here by and the peace of land, you had to interrupt with ill news,” he grumbled, “ An’ I was just getting to know the reptile over there… what’s his name…”
“ Puh! In your dreams!” whispered Silurian enough for my understanding.
“ You mean Silurian?” corrected Radagast who was getting sidetracked at his own business, but soon returned to the point, “Ah yes, Kaizu must come with me eventually, Beorn. We must now take matters quite seriously now.”
Despite of sudden heaviness in the air, Beorn automatically took charge of packing my belongings and fueling for the journey ahead. With the wave of a command, the scatters of animals were rushing back and forth. The helter-skelter finally ceased when packs lay before us in a neat row. Escorting us though the gate, Beorn once again attempted to convince Radagast for another visit and miserably failed.
“Beorn. Have you been reading the heavens correctly nowadays? I’m pretty much sure we’ve found the right one. And I’m convince the enemy will be searching for her as well as….” His voice trailed off as Beorn’s strident voice interrupted.
“What a pity now. Are you not confident of my security of my very domain?” inquired Beorn.
The squabble continued until the point Radagast got so fed up for the time wasted that he agreed for one visit upon my consent. At last we said our last words to each other.
“May the stars guide you till the ends of the earth.” blessed Beorn. With the wave of his powerful arm, the horse appeared form the shadows of the afternoon. It was Elenril otherwise called by Beorn as Starlight and the very horse that’d saved us from the spider attack.
“ He is one of the oldest friends I have. I give him to you under his consent along with my good intentions. May he serve and provide you with the companionship that he’d given me once.” Said Beorn as we said our good byes.
“ And may your kindness and wisdom forever aid those in need” I said returning my own appreciation, “ Farewell, until we meet again.”
With the rush of air against my face, we dashed across the interminable horizon. With Anya flying above us, we rode on for miles beyond the hills of lifeless grass. The southern wind blew an essence of uncontrollable wilderness along with a strange sense of enmity radiating from the forests. Time slipped from all meaning as Elenril dashed alongside Radagast. The emptiness of the world brought thoughts from within until Radagast broke the silence.
“ What are your thoughts of Beorn may I ask?”
Without hesitation, Silurian blurted, “ Oh yes, he’s quite nice to all his animals, or should I say mammals? No respect for reptilians huh? You might as well yank them anywhere like a toy. Puh! You wish! He’s faking it all… besides if you stand too close to him, he kinda smells like a pile of…”
“AHEM!!!!” I cleared my voice ending his demented speech, ” I thought he was very generous and social. Perhaps his abhorrence for orcs was a bit on the wild and gruesome side. I would think that this will not be our last meeting.”
“ I am glad knowing that you are becoming fond of him, Kaizu,” chuckled Radagast, “ In the long run, he may provide you aid in my absence.”
I squinted at him, trying to absorb the words he said.
“ Let’s not get harsh matters into our hearts shall we? I find it very incredulous that you made it alive out of North Mirkwood. I presumed Anya would take you around that area. Yet I only realized I’ve made an error predicting the spider advancement within the woods when I was standing right on the border.”
The sudden mood change rapidly changed the course of our conversation. The afternoon golden hue slowly shifted into the velvet shadows of night. Hidden along the borders of Mirkwood, ancient trees stood for centuries since the birth of time. Twisted maze of roots beneath every creak and corner of the floor distorted the trails. The road led us uphill across the entanglement of branches and ferns. The sky was at its peak of nightfall and Anya perched herself upon Radagast’s right shoulder.
“ Welcome to Rhosgobel.” Proclaimed Radagast with pride.
Concealed by a layer of ivy streaming down a colossal stump of a deteriorating tree, an outline of a small cottage came into view. We dismounted our worn companions and followed Radagast to the entrance.
“Oh I see. First we stay with a smelly maniac and now we sleep in a rotting tree!?” contorted Silurian.
“ Will you shut your mouth before a raid of orcs find you complaining about bed sheets the next time we stay somewhere”
“ I’m not complaining about bed sheets.”
“ Silurian??!!”
“ Oh, sorry, I’ll shut up now”
After finishing with Silurian’s daily quarrel, I found Radagast crouched beneath the shrubs whispering incantations of some sort. With one hand tenderly laid against the ivy-covered entry, he held his staff against the stump. The next few seconds came in a rush of light and magic beyond recognition. The end of his oak staff glowed with the shimmer of molten and the vines of ivy gradually wilted into the darkness. Beneath revealed a stone slab that opened without manual work. The entrance lie unlocked for what seemed like centuries.
Creeping into the mystifying habitation, Radagast beacon us forward into its deepest bowels. The glow of his staff illuminated the different world beneath. The damp fragrance of moist earth clogged the air. As we advanced further, broad roots intertwined among the soil and soon snaked its way into passages to the deep where shadows swell.
“ So this is Rhosgobel?” grumbled Silurian as he looked disgustedly at his mud covered legs.
“ It very well is, my dear friend, “ smiled Radagast as he moved aside.
The complete view of the capacious room was entirely converse of the previous atmosphere. The chamber walls were constructed entirely of bulk tree roots. Amongst the whittled-in niches lie myriad glass bottles, containers. Streaming down the ceiling hung rows of dried plants, spices and sorts of multicolor glass shards. Within minutes, blue flames arose from hidden vases. The illumination revealed the true chamber of the wizard. In the center, lay a colossal table of parchment havoc. A small opening released the musty air into the skies.
“ Come my friends. Make yourselves at home!” said Radagast as he cleared the table.
We sat down as he stumbled across the piles of parchment and began brewing tea in the corner.
“ Are we still situated in Mirkwood?”
“ Right on the border.” Smiled Radagast as he poured me a cup, “We’re only a few yards away from the Forest Road.”
“Forest Road? I’ve never heard of such.” I said.
“ I wouldn’t be too surprised now. Let’s just say it’s another shortcut across the dense forests of Mirkwood. An older route that will take us east.”
I spotted Anya perched upon a solitary tree root attempting to groom herself. The small remains of sticky web were still stuck within her feathers for days, even after bathing. We watched her for a slight moment until Radagast broke the eerie silence.
“ When I realized the importance of the Prophesy, I believed that it was almost impenetrable and more or less a great being of some sort. It was only until the voice of gossip and rumors that of the remaining existence of an instrument of the Ainur, when myth truly transformed into reality. Only those with keenest eyesight can spot such mystical instrument of legends. It was hidden within the heart of Mirkwood by the end of the First Age… the end of the War of the Jewels…”
His voice drifted off like a distant dream into the depths of his soul. The growing menace at the peak of night seeped through the layers of thick earth. Rumbling from above, the shrieks of terror and tumult broke the peace of the occasion. The hostile awakening brought our conclusive memories behind and the break of alarm amongst us.
“ Orcs, they’re headed this direction” mumbled Radagast under his breath and exchanged glances at me, “ We may have to take a risk when dawn peeks through the woods.”
“ What do you mean a RISK?” growled Silurian, who was still traumatized by the angry clamor from above.
“ If the orcs don’t clear by tonight, we may have to wait another day.”
“ By any chance, can we NOT do that” Silurian said with deep contempt while staring at shriveled pieces of herbs and mysterious looking beings hidden within the glass jars.
“ So be it then, “ I complied, “ you can stay in this mucky underground wallow (no offense to Radagast), and I’ll leave with Radagast the following morning and find a better place to sleep!”
The growing tension above brought about a rumbling wave of chaos. Voices of acrimonious altercations echoed within the vast tunnels of Rosgobel. Finally, the midnight rally ceased. Peace, at last, seeped into the deep. The constant echoes of the previous raid diminished into uttermost silence.
“ OK! I’ll stay, BUT only for one night alright?”
I turned to Radagast who gave me a tacit smiled of approval.
*********************\r\n\r\n
“The time has come my friend” said Radagast.
A pair of horses drew along the banks of the winding Celduin (River Running). Our previous journey has lead us to the edge of Mirkwood; a long interminable road that took us into deep marshes and hidden malevolence lurking within the shadows. I felt the relief of the long missed zephyr as it assuaged our hopeful hearts.
“ I do not know how long I can last with you Kaizu, but this journey was meant for you, not me” said Radagast airily, “ I have taken you as far as my knowledge can extend in this world, now I leave your destiny in your hands.”
I watched him as he gazed thoughtlessly the effulgence of the horizon. A strange feeling overcame me as of joy and sadness. Saying farewell to a long friendship the second time was nearly inevitable. A soft touch on my hand; I looked up to see the warm amiable smile.
“ Do not fear. It may seem a great challenge to undergo such quest. Do not let reluctance weaken your soul. Remember to take east until you reach the Wildwoods, there you will meet an old fellow wizard of mine. It is a long journey, but it will test the measure of your perseverance. Follow your heart, and may fate and luck bring forth our next meeting.”
With that said, he pulled around his horse and raced back to the dark woods. I was on my own now with my life and fate in my hands.
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