At the Mercy of a Burning Coal

Disclaimer; Ha! You thought I was Tolkien? I'll be sure to do my makeup differently from now on...
Note: THE END IS HERE! Tell me if you want a sequel or another story about the Outlaw Maidens. You have no idea how sad it made me to type this...


Elenniel and Saerwen stood in the meadows near their headquarters in Tanglewood. A crowd of 2,000 Outlaw Maidens stood before them, silent. Those two were now the leaders of the Outlaw Maidens, dubbed so by Lathwen Alanessa, the original leader, and had been for quite some time.

They had seen many maidens come and go...they had seen their sisters die in battle only to find more to take the place of the dead. It was a horrid job in a way, but a necesary one.

Lathwen and Glorfindel had bonded, and were happily awaiting a child. But then, she, Glorfindel, and Nestariel had sailed for the Undying Lands after Lily died from orc poison after an arrow had pierced her side.

Edhelwen and Beinion had already sailed, and had greeted the three others warmly once they set foot upon Valinor, but were no doubt most distraught when word of Lily's death reached them. Manwathiel and Saerwen had sailed soon after Lathwen and Nestariel. (Nestaron the March Warden, came over to Valinor much later with the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien.) Glorfindel had sailed with Lathwen, as I said before, only to return to aid a hobbit named Frodo and to attend the Council of Elrond.

But the time of the ring had passed, and the time of the elves was gone. Glorfindel had returned to Valinor, this time to stay, bringing tidings from many places and people.

The Outlaw Maidens numbers had swelled to over 3,000 soon after the ring was unearthed by another hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. It had stayed steady until the time after the ring, when most of the Outlaw Maidens who were elves sailed for Valinor. Elenniel and Saerwen had been sure to send a letter to Lathwen and the other Outlaw Maidens with every boat load of maidens who had sailed. In every letter they updated those who had sailed and gave them news...they included every single detail about everything they heard.

By rare chance a messenger from Valinor would arrive with a letter from Lathwen, telling her of everything that went on in the Undying Lands, which was most often amusing.

Anyway...since almost all of the elves in the Outlaw Maidens had sailed, their number dwindled to 2,000. Soon to be two less than that.

Elenniel called out in the silence, "Saerwen and I have decided to sail, as most of you already know. The time of our people is over, the sea calls to us. Every since Lathwen Alanessa sailed, we have upheld every tradition and law that she founded. When a new Maiden comes, she will stay for a few months then make the decision to join us. If she decides to, she will be sworn in during a Blood-Oath ceremony. When one of our number dies, we give her a proper buriel and grave. We honor our sisters, and cherish them."

Saerwen added, "When we leave, we expect it to stay that way. The Outlaw Maidens may wither and die, but we expect to be remembered. We have forged a history, a path for women to follow. We cannot let ourselves be forgotten! We will not be forgotten! We are the Outlaw Maidens of Tanglewood, and we will not die!"

A cheer rose from the women assembled, echoing through the valleys and hills, so that people in Minas Tirith could hear it.

Elenniel waited for the cheering to die down and said, "Elana, step forward."

A human girl, twenty or so, stepped forward, dark eyes serious.

Saerwen said, "We have named you leader in our stead, and in our founder's stead. We are now mostly composed of the human race, and therefore the leader must be a human to lead. Soon the elves will be gone Elana, and every trace of us removed from this earth. It is your duty now, to lead our sisters with strength and wisdom. Most importantly, do not let them forget the days when humans and elves worked hand in hand. Do not let them forget our legacy."

Elenniel nodded seriously, "The legacy of the strong, wise, couragous Outlaw Maidens. The legacy of women. The legacy of trust and love. We *are* the legacy girls...never forget that."