Lasting Impressions
There was an unexpected sense of calm I felt as we walked down the winding paths of the city.
We got a few curious looks as we passed, given our array of clothing and obvious favour with the king, but most people left us alone.
Maldor found a healer who was selling hundreds of herbs I didn't even recognise, but he knew what he was doing.
"This may be a while," he said, "But I'll meet up with you soon."
Faewyn and I nodded and continued down the winding cobblestones admiring the bright cloth, fragrant herbs and interesting trinkets that caught our eye as we ambled by.
"So you have caught the eye of the Prince of Mirkwood?" Faewyn casually mentioned along the way.
I tripped over a stone. "What? No! Nothing. I mean--" I faltered and looked at her.
A triumphant gleam was in her eyes. "I knew it," she said with satisfaction. "It was so obvious."
"Really?" I cringed. "I was trying not to let anyone know--" I trailed off as she stared at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"I meant it was obvious he had feelings for you, not the other way around! But now I know."
She winked and ducked as I tried to playfully smack her.
"This is just a wild fantasy, nothing more." I told her.
"I don't think it is," she remarked, surprised.
"Am man? (Why?)" I asked, switching to Sindarin. "Faewyn, ni ú-edhel, dorthon mi haeron amarannath. Han ava--(Faewyn, I am not an elf. I live in distant lands. That will never--)"
She interrupted me.
"Thent lû (For short time)," she told me.
"Han ú-iston (That I doubt)" I said bitterly. "Ped-ci ú. Gwestog (Don't tell. Do you promise)?" I pressed.
"Nô, mellon nin (Yes, my friend)," she assured me.
It was nigh on afternoon when Maldor appeared, and awkward Legolas conversations non withstanding, it was turning out to be a lovely day.
"Greetings, my friends," Maldor said in a low voice.
"Hello," Faewyn smiled. "Did you find all that you sought?"
"And more," he answered with a small laugh. "But I must tell you something. There seems to be someone following us, and they have been for a while."
I looked quickly behind me, and seeing nobody out of the ordinary, frowned at him.
"I don't see anyone," I told him. "Who do you mean?"
Maldor glanced around. "He is tall, dark haired, green eyed, and walks humbly clothed but with great purpose. He has gone, for now."
"Maldor, you are more watchful than the great hunting hounds of Valinor," Faewyn teased, but her eyes flicked uneasily behind us ever so often.
Without further incident, we turned into a small shop set up in the shadow of the city. The shade was refreshing, but turned into palatable tension as Faewyn stiffened. "Is that him, Maldor?" she said, narrowing her eyes at the man who walked in after us.
Maldor nodded mutely. "Do not act as if anything is amiss," he warned. "Maybe this is an unlikely coincidence."
"Or it isn't, as I see that she who I seek is present here," said a deep voice from behind us.
Maldor tensed, drawing a short blade.
"So our follower reveals himself," he intoned, staring at him with obvious irritation.
"Indeed I have," the man replied.
Faewyn shot me a worried look.
"And who is it that you seek?" I asked, striding in front of Maldor. The elf shot me a warning look, which I ignored.
"The Lady Gianna," he said casually.
"And here you have her," I replied, inclining my head. "We would ask what business you bring with you to know so much of us."
"And a sweet tongue to match your pretty face besides," the stranger remarked.
I glared.
"Easy," he laughed softly. "I bring tidings borne to be on the winds and the sea, from those who would rule the fate of Middle-earth."
"And who would you be to bring such news?" Maldor inquired shrewdly.
The man cocked his head. "One who is entrusted with such," he said, unhelpfully.
"That tells us nothing, although it seems you assume much," I threw back.
"One need not assume things already known, my Lady," he said, looking at me with disturbingly piercing green eyes. He had a very exotic countenance, with bronze colored skin, making his stare all the more penetrating.
"Oh, pray tell," I said coolly. This was not a good time to randomly deal with strangers.
"I know about you. I have seen your fate and try and protect you from it. Irmo seeks great things from you, things only you can accomplish. To end forever the remnants of evil, that is your task. Thus it was told, thus it shall be."
"How do you know about that?" I exclaimed, shaken by the prospect of some common John Doe knowing everything about me.
"Now you must believe that I also have known the Valar," he smirked.
"What do they call you?" Maldor asked.
"I go by many names. Meaningless, but necessary, I suppose, if one must be called. Falcon you may call me." he answered, scrutinizing everyone. "I come to speak with Gianna alone."
Oh, this was where they mugged you and stuffed you into a white, windowless van, right? But he seemed sincere enough.
"Very well," I sighed. "But you must know by now--my companions will not be denied guard nor the assurance of my safety."
"I would expect nothing less," Falcon proclaimed gallantly, "Please, do follow me. I wouldn't want anyone to overhear."
Maldor and Faewyn exchanged dubious glances, but I strode ahead, conscious of the fact that Maldor still held his unsheathed blade.
"What?" I said coolly as Falcon motioned for me to accompany him to a dimly lit corner. Huge stone arches shadowed us.
I shifted uncomfortably and my heart raced.
"It wasn't much, really," Falcon said in a bored voice. He leaned close, his breath hitting my face. "Just a little gift from me to you."
"And what would that be?" I asked, trying to appear unconcerned at the situation.
"Just a pretty little necklace to hang on your beautiful neck," he said huskily.
I instinctively took a step back.
"Watch it," I said coldly.
Falcon laughed. "Here you are," he said. He handed me a pale gold chain, from which hung a perfectly round moonstone, bound in a filigree of gold.
"What is the point of this?" I asked suspiciously. It didn't escape me that he had mentioned he brought tidings from the Valar.
"It's quite easy to figure out the rest of it," he shrugged. "Let's see you put it on, then."
"No," I said, feeling the power which radiated from it as I held the necklace. "I don't trust you."
"You don't need to trust me," Falcon said smugly. "You need to trust yourself."
I turned to give Faewyn, who was hovering a few paces back, a questioning look, but as I turned around again, Falcon had disappeared.
"Bye," I muttered.
"What the Valar was that?" Maldor exclaimed.
"Don't even ask, because I have no idea," I said tiredly. I shuddered, remembering the cold green fire of his eyes.
"Let's go back," I told them anxiously. All pleasant thoughts from the earlier day had vanished almost entirely, leaving me with a bare sense of dread.
"Did you hear any of that?" I asked as we walked quickly back the way we came.
Faewyn nodded. "Most of it. What did he say when he leaned close to you like that?"
"Just a pretty little necklace to hang on your beautiful neck," I recited, still shaken.
"I daresay this man wanted more than to give you a necklace," Maldor observed.
"Well, lucky I had a sharp dagger," I said darkly. "And there's no way to know what this apparent "necklace" does, so there's no way I'm wearing it."
"Does?" Faewyn repeated blankly.
"This has some hidden power that none of us know about," I told them. "Here, feel it."
I took it out of the small pouch that hung at my side and passed it to Maldor.
As soon as he touched it, he flinched and lightly exclaimed in Elvish.
"What is it?" Faewyn asked.
"Here," he muttered angrily. "You hold it."
There was visible calmness which washed over Maldor's face as he thrust it towards Faewyn, who had a similar reaction.
"Just take it," she said, her hand shaking as she handed it back to me.
"Why, what is it?" I pressed.
"I do not think I've ever felt so irritated in my life," Maldor said, eying the shiny, pale stone.
"That's not overly normal for a necklace," I commented. "We'd better let the King look at it."
But as soon as we entered the gates, Aragorn and Legolas were there to meet us, with obvious news.
"What is it, what's happened?"
Legolas spoke. "Aragorn came across something you might want to know about." he said, a strange expression on his face.
"Now, don't be vague," I said teasingly. "Can't it wait till after supper?"
"No, it cannot," Legolas said.
Excitement? Was that what that gleam in his eyes was?
"You will want to know," he told me. "Come, I'll show you."
"It's a rather strange story, I'm afraid," Aragorn started. "I was looking through the records of happenings in Lothlorien, on the chance that there would be something from the First Age that told of when Irmo himself resided in the gardens."
"And was there?" I asked cautiously.
"No," Legolas admitted. "But there was one thing that was strange. There was one stone, rumored to have been blessed by Irmo and Estë and given to Tilion before he took on the course of the moon."
"Why does that pertain, exactly?" I asked, frowning. I ignored the prickling unease that had set up residence in my stomach.
"It was a moonstone," Legolas said. "And it was given to him so he would never fade from his course."
"So what happened to it?"
"After Morgoth attacked him, it was lost. Some believe he took it for his own, as it was said to possess the powers of healing and the ability to protect the bearer from ever fading from their purpose, even if they were overtaken by spirits of evil, or mortally wounded."
"That's impossible," I said, picturing my face, pale and disbelieving.
"But don't you see," Legolas said earnestly. "If you had this, you would be able to stay for as long as you wanted."
"But I don't think it works like that for me," I insisted. "I fade because I wake up, not because I die or something."
"It's worth a try," he said.
"But nobody knows where it is," I countered. "Do they?"
"Aragorn thinks it's probably lost in the hands of some leftover servant of either Morgoth or Sauron."
"So why are you telling me?" I said, annoyed. "This is like false hope all over again."
"No it isn't," Aragorn said. "The last remaining chieftains of Sauron are the Remnants, and they have been scattered mostly in Gondor. He wouldn't have let anyone know where the stone was except for a few trusted captains."
"But what about the Uruk-hai?" I insisted. "They also were close to Sauron."
"Close, but not trusted," Legolas said tersely. "Uruks are slow to understand and quick to anger. It would have been too great a risk."
"What are you trying to say, then?" I questioned, shifting uneasily.
"That it could be in Gondor," Aragorn said.
"It's a long shot," Legolas admitted. "But that's the only thing that's even close to being of help to us."
"So are we going to look for it?" I asked.
"No," Aragorn said. "Not you, anyways. I don't know how safe it is for you in the city."
I sighed.
"I don't know how much time I have left," I told them. "I would not spend too much time on needles in haystacks."
Needles in haystacks indeed, I thought, as I left their company. Not so much.
I don't know why I said it, but I told Elanor that I wasn't feeling well and would go to bed early. With some surprise, she agreed, and promised to bring up a tray with tea.
I sat on the edge of my bed and took out the necklace. It sparkled and shone at me mockingly.
This is the stone they were talking about, I realized.
But why did Falcon have it? Was he really sent by the Valar?
I drowsed off until a gentle tap on the door roused me.
I went and opened the door.
"There's no need to open the door, miss," Elanor insisted. "You need some rest.
"I'm really fine," I said, mostly because I actually was.
"Nonsense," she sniffed. "Come now."
I opened the door wider and gasped as I noticed a gleam of pale golden hair in the shadow of the corridor.
Legolas shook his head lightly.
Don't tell, he said plainly.
I lowered my eyes to Elanor again.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Just a--a dizzy spell, that's all," I told her. "Maybe I should be in bed."
I was in bed soon enough, with peppermint tisane to boot, and Elanor left me to rest.
I don't know how she missed him, but she did, and hardly had she left that Legolas slipped into the room.
"How did she not see you?" I asked, amazed.
"Sometimes I think about invisible things, like air, and it's a little bit harder to be seen, I suppose," Legolas shrugged. "You aren't really sick," he added accusingly.
I rolled my eyes.
"I should have known you would know."
"I would," he said softly. "Do you remember when you fell off that bridge in the palace and I had to nurse you back to health?"
"You certainly didn't have to," I said self consciously. "That was the most embarrassing incident of my life."
"I don't see how," Legolas said bemusedly. "I wasn't going to just leave you there."
"Unfortunately," I laughed a little bit.
"What's really doing on?" he asked.
I could have told him. I should have told him. But I didn't.
"I just needed some time to think," I said hesitantly.
"I understand," he said. "I will leave you to your thoughts. But just ask, and I will come back."
He grasped my hand lightly, cool fingers pressed against mine.
"Guren glassui," I answered. Thank you from my heart.
He only smiled and slipped out as quietly as he had come.
A brief fluttering startled me, and I was stunned out of my stupor to see that there was a huge, black bird outside my window.
I stood next to the glass and looked at it.
An envelope was clenched in its beak.
I unbolted the window.
The bird, it was a crow, flew in, thrusting aside the window panes in a flurry of midnight black feathers.
My heart beat wildly, but I strode forward.
"And what do you want," I asked it.
The crow cocked its head, dropped the envelope, and flew out the window with a caw.
"This is just bizarre," I muttered. I picked up the envelope, and opened it.
A piece of parchment fell out of the envelope.
I didn't even need to look, this was getting more and more obvious.
Courtyard, bricks, fountain, it read.
"Wow, I just love puzzles," I said sarcastically. It was signed "F"
Fantastic, I thought as my suspicions were proven.
There was no way I could go alone, by myself, at dusk, when some creepy man was out there to say who knows what to me.
But there was no way I could refuse.
I put on leggings and a loose tunic, shoved Almiraë in my belt, and slung Legolas' bow on my back.
"Will of the Valar or not," I muttered. "I'm not taking any chances."
Okay, so I was supposed to meet him in the courtyard by the fountain, that much was clear. Bricks?
I stepped onto the balcony, a warm breeze blowing my hair into my face. I looked down into the courtyard. There was no way to scale the sheer walls, not in Gondor, where the walls were made of seamless marble bricks.
Or were they, I reflected, gritting my teeth. There was a ledge which would be a good foothold, I reflected.
Why was I doing this?
I climbed over the railing and began my descent.
I was getting close to the ground, too, before I slipped.
A scene flashed before my eyes of the day I first met Faewyn, swinging helplessly in midair while she warned me about elven ladders.
I fell, the ground to my back. Surprisingly, I was caught by someone before I made contact with the hard cobblestones. Or not surprisingly, after I saw who it was.
"Thanks," I muttered reluctantly, turning to see two freaky green eyes looking at me. "Can you please let me down?" I scowled, annoyed at the feeling of his arms cradling me.
"Unfortunately," he grinned, setting me down.
"What do you want, Falcon," I said warily, crossing my arms and stepping out of his reach.
"Just dropping by," he shrugged. "I'm surprised you didn't bring your bodyguards."
"I can guard myself, thanks," I scoffed.
"Can we now," he mused, studying me. "I enjoy your trousers."
"Shut up," I said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?!"
"I wanted to offer my help," he said, surprisingly.
"Nice of you, but I don't need any, thanks."
"Do not be so rude," he pointed out. "I really have something that could help you."
"Another insignificant trinket to toss at me?" I asked.
"That necklace is the only of it's kind and is very valuable," he spat, angry. "You should value more the sacrifices of others."
"Sacrifices?" I asked skeptically. "Did you give up your firstborn child for that or something?"
"Obviously not," he sighed. "But it was at great personal risk."
"Hmm, well, thanks for your sacrifices, but I'll be going," I said saucily. "Bye now."
"Wait," he said, grabbing my arm.
I turned, eyes blazing.
"Stop touching me all the time," I said furiously.
"Forgive me," he said chastely. "I can't help it."
"I'm sure you can," I glared.
"You're just so...light," he said softly. "So full of light."
"You are most improper," I shot at him, "And I don't think I would trust you enough to even water a plant. I appreciate it, but it would serve you well to leave me be."
"Then I will tell you before I go." he said arrogantly, a hardness setting in his eyes. "There is no way you can finish your quest without me."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Because I'm the closest you can get to one of the Valar," he said, his voice resonating with thrumming energy. "And you have lost that chance."
"You're mortal," I told him.
"I was mortal," he corrected me. "I too have been blessed, and I will never go back to who I was."
"I'm sorry," I said helplessly. "I have to do this by myself."
"To each their own, my lady," he said, inclining his head. "But not, I think, the last you will see of me."
"Unfortunately," I said mockingly.
"Maybe," he grinned. "Losto vae, little one."
His words sounded foreign to my ears, although it obviously in Sindarin.
"There's something very wrong with you," I murmured.
Falcon vanished into the descending darkness, leaving me feeling naked and afraid.
I pulled the necklace out of the small pouch at my belt. I didn't remember putting it in there, but it was.
Legolas should know. He should know this, it was essential. But where, then, did the apprehension come from?
I went into the palace a safer route, through the kitchen entrance, silently coming into the dining room, passing through the great hall. A looming tapestry, with letters woven in curling silver, loomed over an archway, and I silently read;
All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost
The old that is strong shall not wither
Deep roots are untouched by the frost
A fire from the ashes shall be woken
A light from the shadows shall spring
Renewed is the blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be king
Faintly disturbed, I went up the stairs, forgetting where my quarters were. A door on the left looked familiar and I turned the knob, only to find myself looking at a completely unfamiliar room. I was relieved to find nobody in there, but continued. This one, I thought with some relief. The door swung open and I froze, seeing clearly a figure silhouetted in the receding dusk.
"Don't apologise," the voice said.
"I wasn't going to--"
"Yes, you were," Legolas said, striding forward. "Do come in."
"I really don't think that--" I started, but he cut me off.
"No, I really do."
"Judging by your expression, you did not expect to find me," Legolas said, his blue eyes laughing in the light of a lantern.
"I was looking for my room," I told him. "Honestly."
Legolas narrowed his eyes. "A bit late for a stroll, is it?" he asked mildly.
"It's just that--I needed to--" I trailed off. "Legolas, there's something you should know."
"Go on," he said slowly, looking at me.
"I have it," I rushed out before I could stop myself. "I have the moonstone of Lorien."
"That is not possible," he said, but I could see my own truth reflected in his eyes. "How did you get it?" he breathed.
"Someone who said they had the will of the Valar," I said evasively. For some reason, I had the worst feeling about telling him of Falcon, and I somehow knew that Faewyn and Maldor would not tell him, either.
"Today in the city," I continued. "Someone just--handed it to me and said I was supposed to have it," I said tensely. "I only knew what it was when you and the king spoke of it."
"Did you see who it was who gave it upon you?" he asked. I could feel that he wanted to know who it was as plainly as if it were another person standing next to us.
"No," I said, barely audible.
"Who else has seen it?" he questioned.
"Faewyn and Maldor. Each of them held it but couldn't, not for long. Maldor was so angry, for a second, and Faewyn just as irritated. It has some sort of power over them."
"It does," Legolas said. "May I see it?"
I took out the necklace. Watching him carefully, I noticed something peculiar--his carefully guarded expression had all but fallen away.
"What?" I whispered.
"Don't give it to me," he said, his voice low and dark, "Or the same will happen to me that will happen to Maldor and Faewyn, and all that I feel will be amplified tenfold."
"Protection is not the only thing it offers, is it not?" I murmured, watching him.
He bit his lip. "I was not intending to tell you," he said.
"Please do, then," I asked.
"This is a relic of the dream world," Legolas said. "Irmo and Estë offer their protection, their blessing, everything for which they are in charge of. There is one more element, one more thing which is part of Irmo."
I stared at him.
"Desire," he said with a rueful smile. "All emotion, want, that is the realm of Irmo. Morgoth used this stone to incite in his servant's hearts the lust for war, and hate for others."
"So when you touch it, it magnifies anything you feel?" I asked.
"It doesn't affect you," he replied, "Does it?"
"Not when I touch it, but I haven't put it on," I told him, "but it seems to affect others more. Why?"
"We are elves," Legolas said simply. "The gift of Men given to the mortal is that they would have a short life, making things new and exciting for them. For elves, it isn't so. We could last until the end of all time with our immortality. So there was a condition. We feel things more than those of the mortal race. That way, life does not lose its spark so quickly. But it makes us more passionate about everything, more patient, but more eager, more wrathful, but also more gentle."
"I would have never known," I said admittedly, "Elves are always so calm."
"Indeed we are so," Legolas affirmed. "But that necklace--it strips us of all we conceal, increasing our emotion. So do not let me have it. Or you will know how I really feel."
"Would that be so bad?" I asked gently, looking at the necklace I still held in my hand.
"As much as I want it, it shall never be," he said with a voice so light I could barely hear him. "Don't tempt me."
"I won't," I whispered, "but it'll be hard."
"But you must wear it for protection," he told me. "I don't think it will affect you as much."
I slipped the chain over my head, feeling the energy of the small white stone humming against my chest.
I turned to look at him, barely moving.
"You're wrong," I said, breathing shallowly, "It does affect me."
"I see that," Legolas said, eyes wide.
He reached out a hand and gently touched my cheek.
I inhaled sharply at his touch.
This was new, I thought. Total helplessness. I was completely drowning, falling under command of my desires.
"Don't tempt me," I murmured, looking at him.
Oh, god, I could count his eyelashes and I forgot how to breathe, I was completely overtaken by his closeness and everything I've ever felt for him magnified beyond compare.
This doesn't work as well on mortals, does it, I thought dizzily. Heavens, if this was how I felt, elves really--
"Forgive me," he said, stepping ever closer. "I just--
His hair tickled my neck as he leaned in and lightly kissed me, before drawing back.
I couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the shadow of his lips on mine, over and over again.
"Valar, Gianna, I--you--gotheo nin," he said at last, stumbling over his speech.
"Of course, Legolas, I just--You're wrong," I said at last. "If I feel much more than this it'll burn me up, I've never--"
"Truly, forgive me," he said, looking away. His eyes were so dark, they were almost black.
"Boe annin gwad," I whispered. I must go.
I fled into the hallway, my heart in my mouth.
Oh, Eru. I just kissed the Prince of Mirkwood.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro