Of Wraiths and Kings, and Friends and Rings (Calling All Nazgul)

[Lotesse]

The sound of Elven singing coming from nearby drifted Viniglaen's way, nudging her out of her thoughtful reverie. Lomi flew over to her, and perched in the tree above where she lay. Viv sat up, and combed her hand through her hair to clear her mind.

"Elves, my lady," said Lomi. "Not too far from where we are."

"Yes, Lomi; I hear them," answered Viv a little worriedly. "Have the wolves taken their leave?"

"They have," said Lomi, "and I think it wisest we do as well."

"Couldn't agree with you more," said Viv as she arose and brushed the grass-bits from off her clothes, and shook out her riding cloak. "What do you say, Laslech; ready to go home to your new stable for a nice brush-down and a good night's sleep?"

Although Laslech was capable of communicating to Viv mentally, the mare had yet to reveal this particular attribute. Being a wise Mearas, Laslech had a tendency only to communicate when the need was real. Small talk was not her forte.

Viv mounted Laslech, and Lomi flew ahead of them to scan the walk home for any hidden dangers, in order to best protect her mistress. They made a wide circle around the area from whence the Elvish songs were emanating, and walking pensively, Laslech and Viniglaen made their way back to Orrodel. It was midnight.

[Lady Marion Magdalena]

Mahtaliel set aside the repaired pieces of armor, stacking them neatly in a pile near the door. The Watch would send someone around to collect them in the morning. Though it was late, Mahtaliel was wide awake, the work had energized her and now she found herself too alert for sleep.
It was a most unsatisfactory state of being.

At least an hour had passed since she had left the reception and it had been midnight then. The night was too far gone to consider starting on another piece of work.

Stretching, she put away her tools and banked the fire, thinking as she moved. There was paperwork to be done, but paperwork was never appealing, least of all late at night.

Now she left the forge, locking the door behind her. The night was pleasantly cool after the heat of the fire. A breeze had sprung up and the previously heavy fog had dissapated to become a fine, refreshing mist. Breathing deeply she let her feet take her where they would. Across the walkway, behind her house, up the stairs to the top of the wall.

Once upon a time there might have been guards along this stretch of the wall, only a century or two ago, when this university served as a fortress and the city extended no further than these walls.
There were none now, she walked along the top of the wall alone, strolling clockwise and enjoying the night.

From up here she could see the whole of the street below and much of the wealthy part of the city. This wall was a favorite place for solitude, students rarely came up here, and the other professors preferred to stay on the ground. Anytime she wanted to watch and think undisturbed and in the open she came up here. Curled in between the parapets she could watch all who passed below, and remain unseen.

She was nearly halfway to the end now, just past the commerce building. Gazing out over the neighborhood she noted that there were still lights on in the Orrodel Mansion.

That was a strange family who had moved in there, sitting next to Galadannun at the feast she had gathered that he and three… siblings? were living there. And if she recalled rightly the Lady Rian was working for them. It seemed they were still up. Curious, she took a seat on the edge of the wall, concealing herself in the shadows and settled in to watch.

[CrazySquirrel]

After the blast from Khamul’s Rung hurled Udu across the room and left him lying stunned among the splinters of a table, the fight was over in mere seconds. Disregarding the rivulet of blood from his throat, Khamul, sword in hand, pressed Buzukkumarz hard, and finally made him loose his footing and fall in a heap in a corner. Pressing a kerchief to his injured neck, Khamul chanted the immobilising spell again. Now he had all three of his underlings in invisible, but immensely strong chains.

Khamul paused by the bed and looked into Lilly’s wide-open terrified green eyes. "I am yet undecided what to do with you, my beauty. Perhaps you can come up with some fresh ideas. I heard you were artistic in punishing your orcs". Then, looking at Udu and Buz, he continued "You two were never too bright, but perhaps you can help Lilly to choose. Something simple, that she could easily understand, like cutting her ears and nose and feeding them to dogs"

Laughing, Khamul made for the door "You have a quarter of an hour to think, meanwhile I have to dispose of the maid. Ever you make your betters clean your mess after you…"

The maid was still on the sofa in the living room, where Khamul had left her. Now she obviously had a strong fever, though her right arm was even colder than before. The Easerling pondered briefly on the course to take. He suddenly remembered Aiwendis’s words: "Such an unfortunate accident, right in the middle of Menotar, on a market day..." Half of Tharbad has seen the death of the former Professor of Languages, but nobody understood it. The idea was good, Khamul perceived the Morgul Lord’s cunning touch.

Grinning evilly, Khamul went to the kitchen and brought three bottles of wine. Pouring it slowly down the maid’s throat, one after another, he chanted the Black Breath counter-spell. Soon, the right hand felt warmer and the maid was well again, but dead drunk. Looking at him with unfocussed eyes, she muttered, "Prof.. fffesor Galad..amnun"

Khamul laughed. Sending his will forward he delved deep into the maid’s defenceless brain. Khamul quickly erased all recollection of the previous day and this night. Melwen’s mind was uncomplicated, in fact simple as a kitchen table. No hidden darkness, no big faults, no strong emotions, not even love. Typical Faithful she-tark…. How disgusting… Well, that can be remedied. Khamul recalled the stable boys he had seen this morning, when he went to check on his horse. The older one, Arastud, was a handsome fellow… Chuckling evilly, Khamul firmly implanted his image into the unresisting maid’s mind, adding a good portion of lust.

Now all was ready. Turning invisible, Khamul made Melwen grip the last, almost empty bottle and propelled her along the dark corridors to the backdoor and out of the main house. They crossed the mansion garden and approached the stables. The Esaterling opened the door of the stable boys’ room and pushed Melwen inside, wiping the recollection of the last moments from her mind as well.

***
Arastud, was sound asleep, dreaming of Annawen, when he suddenly felt someone getting into his bed. The girl’s body felt feverishly warm and her breath reeked of wine.

"Arastud, my love", whispered Melwen hotly into his ear.

[Gordis]

University Garden, night after the Reception

Aiwendis was distractedly looking at the little fairies scurrying in all directions like frightened mice, when a tall white figure in gleaming helm stepped out of the mist and bowed. It was another ringwraith. With a sickening feeling, she recognised him. Tolvadok. The one she feared and secretly disliked the most. He was an incarnation of the mind and will of her terrible Master, always eager and over-zealous to carry out Sauron’s orders. The Master clearly favoured him over the others for his unerring dedication. Therefore, meeting Tolvadok now was somehow alike to meeting Sauron himself.

While Aiwendis stood stunned, staring at him, Tolvadok took her hand to bestow a light kiss on it.

"How do you do, Aiwendis? You look lovelier than ever before. You don't look too glad to see me, though...", he said smiling, still holding her hand.

Aiwendis had difficulty to find her voice again. Moving instinctively closer to the Morgul Lord, she replied, smiling unconvincingly:

"Oh, why shouldn’t I be glad to see you, Lord Tolvadok? I only was surprised to see you here. It had been a long time…You are most welcome to Tharbad."

With that, Aiwendis got a firm hold on the Morgul Lord’s arm, which reassured her somewhat. They continued through the fog, Aiwendis careful to remain as far away from Tolvadok as possible. Exiting the University by the East Gate, they turned left and walked along the wall to the Orrodel Mansion.

The street and the Augon Vin Square were empty, no Men and no ghosts around. The fountain splashed in the centre, its sound muted by the fog. The Orrodel Mansion loomed ahead, showing a lighted window on the first floor. The three ringwraiths walked to the main door and found it locked; however, at a single command from the Captain, the door opened quietly, not a single hinge squeaking, and the invisible nazgul slipped into the house.

[Lady Marion Magdalena]

Mahtaliel watched the distant, drunken figure make her way into the stable, some servent probably, into the master's wine whilst they were out...

Below her the mist swirled and seemed to part as if to let ghostly figures pass, though there was no one there.

Or was there? A fog blanketed night past the witching hour... who could tell what was in the unseen? Mahtaliel was too young to have seen the light of the trees, she lived in the Seen, in the concrete world of the everyday. But she knew the Unseen was there, seperated only by a thin veil. Her parents had been able to see it, and who knew what their eyes would have seen this night?

The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she turned her eyes to the great door of the mansion. Heavy wood bound with metal, it was a door made to keep intruders out...

Mahtaliel started with surprise when she saw the door swing open, seemingly on its own. Truly this was a strange night!

Eyes and ears alert she silently climbed to a better vantage point, ruthlessly squashing the voice in the back of her mind telling her that this spying on her neighbors was quite ridiculous...

But heavy doors didn't open on their own...

Settling onto the grainy stones she watched intently.

[Lotesse]

As she neared home, Viv felt presence all around her. She felt Elven eyes watching her from a distance, she felt faeries rustling around and scurrying amongst the shrubs and grasses, she felt Aiwendis, Ilmenzor and oddly enough, Tolvadok, and the closer she got to the grounds of Orrodel House, the stronger she felt frightened pain from Lil, sadistic anger from Khamul, and the presence of course of Udu and Buz, as well. 'The gang's all here, just about,' she thought to herself.

Arriving home, she took Laslech in to the stables and brushed her down herself, hanging her bridle and tack and thoughtfully taking her time leaving the stables. Her mind was full of Raendil, but she knew she should be thinking more on her own family, and yet - she couldn't get her mind off Ray. It bothered her to have her mind so distracted by a mere mortal, and it bothered her that she had to feel bothered, and none of it was making sense - and this bothered her the most of all. 'Emotional detachment has always kept you one step ahead in this life,' she tried to scold herself. 'Don't ruin it now for yourself by leting someone live rent-free in your heart - what is WRONG with you, dammit!'

Laslech looked as if she was reading Viv's torn and sweetly confused thoughts. Unbeknownst to Vivvie, at least that evening, the mare would slowly but surely acclimate herself to her new, unusual friend and mistress, her new Rider. There was much about Viv that the horse needed to figure out upon her own, but Laslech was unafraid.

As Viv made, finally, to leave the stables and go inside the house, she could swear she heard some servants rustling in the haybeds. The smell of human lust was discernable through the innocent hay-scent in the stable.

[Lady Marion Magdalena]

There! A rider, the younger of the ladies, returning to her home...

Late for her to be out.

[Rían]

(earlier that evening...)

Arastud gave a final polish to the headstall ornaments and looked them over with a critical eye, then approving of his job, hung it carefully up on its peg in the tackroom.

He sat down on a hay bale, breathing in its sweet fragrance, along with the scent of the sweet grains that the horses loved. He had always liked horses - he always did the farrier work that came to his father's blacksmith shop - and this job seemed like a dream come true. And the pay - WOW! - enough to marry on ...

Suddenly he sat bolt upright and smacked himself on the forehead. "You idiot!" he said to himself. "You forgot to tell Dad about the job for the chandler!" The chandler's daughter was getting married, and the chandler had fitted up a rig for them as a wedding gift, but was having trouble with one of the wheels. He had stopped Arastud on the street, and Arastud, after examining it, saw the problem with his quick eye and offered to fix it and get it back to him by the wedding. He took the wheel back home but, getting immediately pulled into a family crisis of the type that often happens with large families (one of his younger brothers had dared an even younger brother that he wouldn't touch the forge, so the youngest brother had to be rushed to the doctor and the other had to have a conversation with a willow switch), had forgotten it.

Arastud, a conscientious young man, decided that he would run home and fix it, and then leave it outside the chandler's door. He shook his younger brother, Arabud, awake, told him where he'd be in case he was needed, and took off into the night.

Fixing the wheel was the work of a moment (for skillful hands like his), and walked over to the chandler's house and propped it against the front door.

Satisfied with his work, he decided to not rush back to Orrodel. Looking over at the University and its bright lights, he wandered over in that direction, and was surprised to hear what seemed like muffled sobs. Upon investigation, he was even more surprised to see that it was Annawen.

"Annawen, what's the matter? Can I help?" he asked the young girl.

"Oh, Arastud," she replied shakily. "You're so kind, but I don't think you can help me with this problem." Looking back towards the bright lights shining through the windows, she said sadly, "He would never pay attention to someone like me."

Arastud knew of Annawen's crush on the young King, and saw it for what it was - a crush. He decided (embolded by the walk they had had the other day, and her reaction to him - and by the realization that with the job at Orrodel, that he would soon have enough saved to marry) to make his move, for he had long admired her from afar - the Red Herring had been one of his frequent haunts.

"Annawen, I am a plain man and I will speak plainly: I love you - do you not love me?"

She looked at him and answered, "I wish to be loved by another..." and trailed off, looking back at the windows.

"Annawen, you have desired the love of the King, because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things that crawl on the earth. Look at me, Annawen!"

And Annawen looked at Arastud long and steadily, and, reading the love in his eyes, said, "No longer do I desire to be a Queen."

Then Arastud laughed merrily. "That is well," he said; "for I am not a King! And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the moonlit sky.


Many hours later, as Arastud was sleeping soundly and dreaming of Annawen, he felt someone getting into his bed. The girl’s body felt feverishly warm and her breath reeked of wine.

"Arastud, my love", whispered Melwen hotly into his ear.

He jerked awake. "Melwen!" he said uncertainly, trying to get his sleep-fogged brain to work. She ran her hands down to where no woman's hands had gone before (well, at least since he had been out of diapers), and he grabbed her hands away and sat up. "Melwen, what are you doing?!" he said, shocked that the quiet maid would do something like that. She didn't seem able to answer; in fact, she seemed about ready to fall down. She did neither; instead, she threw up.

A few minutes and several buckets later, a shaken Melwen was in tears. "I don't know what happened to me! I don't know what happened! One moment I was in the kitchen, then ... then ... I can't remember anything after that!" she wailed. She looked around and realized where she was. "What am I doing here?!" she said in confusion. "But now that I AM here..." she thought, and looked up at Arastud with what she hoped was an alluring look.

Arastud looked at her with concern. "I don't know," he said, "but I'm getting you back to your room!"

"Oh, Arastud, I feel so weak, can't I just lie down here?" and she lay down on his bed, stealthily popping open a few buttons on her bodice.

But Arastud wasn't in the mood to be seduced. "You'll feel MUCH better in your own room," he said firmly, and picked her up. Several minutes and a few struggles later, he came back to his room. Looking at the mess, he decided that he would sit with the horses and think, instead.

[Rían]

"Now I will sing to you from a long and beautiful song of the Eldar," said Tyaron to RÃ*an, and a curious smile spread across his face...

He paused for a moment, choosing from among the many verses those that best spoke what he felt, and then started singing slowly, longingly, to her:

How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!
For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared in the land, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your form, let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely.

RÃ*an, who had lifted up her head to look at him, sang back with sorrowful eyes from another part of the song:

Night after night I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.
I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.

and then, with tears springing into her eyes,

I sought him but did not find him.

Tyaron gently wiped the tears away and continued from another part, his voice imploring her,

Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes.

RÃ*an shook her head in a gentle but firm negative, and sang,

I searched for him, but I did not find him;
I called him, but he did not answer me.

Tyaron sang back, his voice echoing the ache in his heart,

Come back, come back, that I might gaze at you!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist;
I am captivated by your tresses,
How beautiful and how delightful you are, my love, with all your charms!
Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country,
Let us rise early and go to the vineyards,
Let us see whether the vine has budded and its blossoms have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.

RÃ*an looked down and was silent. Tyaron put a finger under her chin and lifted up her face to his, looking deeply into her eyes for what he thought he had seen the night of the Fall of Gondolin. Alagos, seeing signs of RÃ*an's temper rising again, broke out singing from the branches above them, where he had climbed to enjoy the sight of his sister being wooed by his friend,

We have a little sister,
And she has no breasts,"

RÃ*an forgot all about getting mad at Tyaron and stared up at her outlandish brother in disbelief, laughing in spite of herself. Tyaron looked up at Alagos with a wry smile, saying, "I don't think that's the case here, Alagos!", and looked back down at RÃ*an, openly admiring the features in question, which were mere inches from his face. "Stop!" said RÃ*an to Tyaron, laughing and hitting him with the strand of his hair that she still held tightly.

Alagos smiled at the success of his ploy, and said, "You two got to sing, now it's my turn!" He started the section over again ...

(continued)

[Rían]

Alagos sang,

We have a little sister, and she has no breasts,
What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?
If she is a wall, we shall build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door, we shall barricade her with planks of cedar.

RÃ*an sang, giving both of them a very stern look,

My very own vineyard is at my disposal,

and she gave a petulant yank to Tyaron's hair.

Tyaron took hold of the offending hand, kissed it softly, and slowly and sorrowfully sang,

A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,
Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all the trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water,
And streams flowing from the east.

Looking deep into her eyes, Tyaron said, willing her to answer, "What is the next verse, RÃ*an?"

She sang, rather unwillingly,

Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its spices be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!

She looked away from his face.

Tyaron put his mouth close to her ear, which was close to him now because she had turned her face away, and sang with all the love he felt for her going into his voice,

Come away with me, beloved, come away with me,
Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm,
For love is as strong as death.

She turned to look at him again, uncertainty written on her face. He smiled tenderly down on her, and sang,

Who is this that grows like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full moon,
As pure as the stars?

Putting his face down next to hers so that his lips brushed against her cheek as he spoke, he urged her, "Say the opening line to me, RÃ*an; say the opening line!"

RÃ*an was quiet for a long time, and then, her heart pounding, she sang the opening line:

May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!

... and Tyaron did what he had been longing to do for over three thousand years.


A smile slowly spread across the handsome face of Alagos, looking down on them from his perch in the tree. He watched a moment more, then sang softly from another part of the song,

Your lips, my bride, drip honey,
Honey and milk are under your tongue."

He smiled again and turned east to watch the sunrise.

[Udukhaturz]

When the magic power from Khamûl’s Ring had hurled Udukhatûrz across the room, Udu had crashed into a chair and then fallen upon a table. The table was splintered beneath him, and he could feel some of the splinters lodged in several very uncomfortable places. He struggled against the invisible chains, but he could do nothing to break them, nor could he even get a hand free to remove the foreign objects from the tender parts of his anatomy.

Buzukkumarz, who was so paralyzed that he could barely move a muscle, glared angrily. Udu looked over at Lilly, who lay terrified upon the bed, immobilized by Khamûl’s spell. “You do not have to be afraid that I will agree to have your ears and nose cut off and fed to the dogs. I would doubt that he would do that, though, so I think your lovely face is secure.�

Udu tugged on his chains a few more times, but his movements did nothing more than drive the splinters in deeper. “The two of you,� he said, his voice harsh, “have angered Khamûl greatly. Your little trick stressed him greatly at the reception. While I do not agree to the mutilation of your face, Lilly, I might not be adverse to the idea of whipping you. In fact, I might enjoy it, for both of you have brought me to a good deal of discomfort!�

He warded his thoughts tightly but he did not much care if the other two did hear him. “Why am I here,� he thought. “I could have been making the acquaintance of some of those sultry Eastern dancing girls tonight.�

He remembered what Khamûl had said, "Never trust anyone," and thought of the beautiful Aiwendis and what Khamûl's words had implied about her. She had sent him into a trap! He would trust her no more than he did any of the others. Perhaps Lilly was not the only one who deserved a whipping. He soon put the idea of revenge out of his mind, for the charming Aiwendis was protected by the Black Captain. He would remember, though, and remember well.

Udu began to grow angrier. “I should never have followed Khamûl here! Should I ever get out of this in no worse shape than I am now, perhaps I should go to the livery stable, saddle up my horse and ride quietly back into the East.� He cursed and fought the chains again and found that he could once again move his Ring finger. His cold eyes smiled until he considered, “What good will that do me? The light of my Ring no longer burns.� He cursed again and struggled against the chains, but to no avail. He was trapped!

[Lotesse]

Leaving the stables, Viv walked through the garden in the back of the house, touching the bark of the cedar tress as she walked past them, breathing deep of their intoxicating smell.

[Serenoli]

Aiwendis had difficulty to find her voice again. Moving instinctively closer to the Morgul Lord, she replied, smiling unconvincingly:

"Oh, why shouldn’t I be glad to see you, Lord Tolvadok? I only was surprised to see you here. It had been a long time…You are most welcome to Tharbad."

Tolvadok smiled inwardly. So Gordis had not gotten over her 'secret' dislike of him yet? Well, then neither had he lost his contempt for her. He had been surprised at all the Elves and water in the Palace... but now he saw it must be Gordis who was to blame for all that.

They moved on, out into the streets of Tharbad by the East Gate, and the other two led him to a handsome mansion in an apparently posh part of town. The lower part of the house was dark, and empty, but upstairs a light shone. And then, he could fell them too, anger, frustation, triumph and fright emanating from them... how many were there? Udu, Buz and Khamul, and Lily - she was the one who was scared. He wondered if Viv and Mordocar were there too, but he could not sense them. So many Nazgul in one place... the last time they had all collected together had been in that futile escape from Mordor, the day Sauron was overthrown... painful memories came back to him... he shut them out with an effort.

They had reached the front door, and finding it locked, the Morgul-captain muttered a short incantation, and it swung open. The three of them walked in, silent as ghosts.

They were in a large sitting room, richly but rather haphazardly furnished. A flight of stairs could be seen in the dim light of an adjoining corridor.

The Morgul-captain signalled them to approach the stairs, but then they heard the sound of a door crashing shut somewhere to the back of the house. The three of them stiffened as heavy footsteps approached, and then a man could be seen climbing the stairs. He had not seen them, and his mind was filled with an evil triumph, which perhaps had prevented him from sensing their presence yet. Tolvadok recognised Khamul, the Second, with a shock, and wondered why it was that everytime he saw Khamul, he seemed so much shorter and less horrific than memory painted him?

[Grey_Wolf]

Having had a meal, a short discussion with Lómi about Guild matters, and close talks about further dealings with their Nazgûl companions the wolves exited the deserted house through the corridor and secret door and returned to the far away mountains.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Khamûul's mind was a mess. His application of power he had exerted on the maid had mentally drained him. Placing a thought in a mind isn't easy as it is. Yet trying to make that thought permanent is nea impossible, and only the most powerful were capable of it. Despite his power, Khamûl was not and neither was the Morgul Lord. The thought's placed in the mind of the maid would ware off soon, and hat had happened that evening would soon become apparent to her.
Khamûl re-entered the house and closed the door behind him. He crossed the kitchen floor and walked throught the hall way towards the stairs. He had already dis-credited the maid, now a sudden death would not be so much of a surprise. But maybe it would not be the only death in Tharbad over the next few days.
As Khamûl re entered Lily's boudoir he felt stronger presences enter the house, one even stronger than his own. The Chancellor. It must be. He would not allow any harm to be done to Udu, he had no part in Khamûl's pain. Lily and Buz on the other hand deserved it.
"I see your mind is pre occupied with my new friend," said Khamûl to Udu grinning. "She'll be here in a minute. You could say hello."
Udu opened his mouth to reply, but soon closed it, thinking it unwise to anger Khamûl, given his present condition.
"Well," said Khamûl, now looking at Buz. "Any idea's for Lily? Phyiscal pain? Mental? Both? I'm game either way. What do you think Lily?"
"I think you a treacherous dog Khamûl, and you will pay," spat Lily.
"I think not," replied Khamûl, sending a sharp blast of pain through his Ring. "And I think you'll find the Morgul Lord is in full support of my actions. He know's that your underlings do not attack you and get away with it."

[CrazySquirrel]

Even frightened as she was, Lilly was never totally intimidated
"I think you a treacherous dog Khamûl, and you will pay," she spat spat at the Easterling, knowing full well what was to follow. And, indeed, a sharp blast of needle-hot pain shot through her, driving all the conscious thoughts out of her brain.

With a wink at Buzukkumarz and Udu, Khamul turned Lilly face down, exposing her plump backside. To it he applied his whip with relish. Buz roared in frustration and struggled in his fetters. Udu remained non-committal.

"You are a silly, spoiled, wicked bitch, Lilly, too simple-minded to understand finer and more dignified punishments", grinned Khamul. "I will whip you like you whipped your orcs, and I won't leave a single piece of skin on your backside."

[Rían]

As the minutes passed and Tyaron started to kiss RÃ*an more intensely, she received a sudden shock. "Can one DO that?" she wondered. In her innocence, she thought that men kissed those whom they wished to marry the same way that brothers kissed sisters - only longer, or something. After a moment, though, she decided that she quite liked it. "I wonder if kissing that way is only a custom of the Eldar, or if humans do that, too - or maybe just humans with Elven blood," she idly wondered; not that she had anyone in mind, she said to herself ... Tyaron, perhaps sensing RÃ*an's momentary inattention, pulled her in closer to himself, and RÃ*an soon forgot about everything else.

- - - - - -

Alagos continued watching the light grow in the east, and then it happened again: unbidden, a picture came into his mind of his sister and a little girl at the fountain of the King, playing in its bright waters. "Alagos, Alagos, come here!" his sister called out to him with a smile. "Come and meet my new friend!"

Alagos, resplendant in his full armor (he had come from a full dress drill of the archers of his house, where his quickness and skill had earned him first place yet again), came over to join them. "My sister, I have already met this fair maiden!" he said to RÃ*an. "Have I not?" he added with a gallant bow to Eärniel.

"Indeed you have, kind sir," answered Eärniel. "You rescued my kite from a tree, though I don't quite know how it got there in the first place - my sister must have borrowed it."

Alagos turned his head slightly away and coughed, and his sister eyed him suspiciously. He turned back to Eärniel with a twinkle in his eyes. "Do you want to try to guess again?" he asked her, and reached down to pick up a stone. "Yes!" she said enthusiastically, and settled down with a look of intense concentration on her pretty face. Taking the small stone, Alagos put it in the palm of his left hand; with his right, he hit the bottom of his left hand, sending the stone high up into the air. He reached up and swiftly swung both hands through the air in the vicinity of the flying stone, then brought them down before Eärniel's face. "Which hand?" he said with a mischevious smile.

- - - - - -

Alagos, in the treetops, smiled and then sighed - the very next day, Ecthelion, the lord of the house of the Fountains, the house to which the young girl belonged, lay dead in the fountain of the King, and the city was no more.

He wondered, yet again, what had happened to the young girl.

- - - - - -

After a while, Tyaron sensed RÃ*an's growing fatigue (this had been quite an emotional night for her, after all), and the light was growing, too, so he slowly stopped kissing her, far sooner than he wanted to. But this had been enough for one night, anyway; he didn't want to push things too much. Alagos granted them a few minutes of quiet together, then came climbing down. "Well, I think you two have had enough time to get re-acquainted; what shall we do now? The townspeople are starting to stir, and I think we will soon have this spot to ourselves no longer."

"Oh!" cried RÃ*an, "I need to attend to the morning duties at Orrodel!" and she got up quickly and went over to Alagos. Tyaron rose more slowly, adjusting his clothing, checking his sword and dagger. Alagos gave him a significant look, and was amused to see something that resembled a blush spread across Tyaron's strong features. With a half-smile, Tyaron made a final adjustment and joined RÃ*an and her brother. Rapid explanations and plans followed, and soon the three of them started on their way to Orrodel.

[Rían]

Eärniel looked out the window as the light grew in the east. She hadn't slept well that night; all night she had dreamed of Gondolin, and especially that last wonderful day. It had been a clear, bright day; walking through the city, she had decided to go by the King's fountain, one of her favorites (besides the one her father made for her mother, which was universally admired). Coming up to the fountain, she saw a lovely young woman sitting there, trailing her hands through its waters, deep in thought, and looking a bit sad. Coming closer, Eärniel saw that it was one of the three pereldar (half-elven) that lived in Gondolin. She had always liked something about the young woman's face, and decided, with the innocence of a child, that she would try to cheer her up.

"Hello there," she said as she came up to RÃ*an, and then, with the directness that children have, "Are you sad?"

RÃ*an was startled out of her reverie, and turned to look upon the bright, inquisitive face of the little girl. "Yes, I am, a bit," she answered. "Silly of me, I suppose, on such a lovely day."

"Well, when I feel sad, I like to go to fountains, too," said Eärniel, sitting down next to RÃ*an and putting her hand into the water.

"Yes, they are nice, aren't they?" RÃ*an said. The little girl's friendly heart was starting to melt away her blue mood.

"Mm-hmm," answered Eärniel. She opened her hand slightly, then clenched it quickly, making her own little minature fountain shoot up.

"You're quite good at that!" RÃ*an said, and leaned over to try it herself. Soon they were laughing and playing in the water with their hands, trying to see who could make the biggest fountain.

"You're one of the pereldar, aren't you?" asked Eärniel suddenly.

"Yes," answered RÃ*an, and her face grew wary, as if looking for something that she was afraid of.

"Is that why you were sad?" asked Eärniel inquisitively, noticing the change in her face.

RÃ*an, feeling that the question was not meant to be intrusive, answered, "Yes ... a bit. My father was a human, and he died many years ago now, and I still miss him terribly, especially when I see my friends with their fathers. And sometimes ..."

She stopped, recalling the age of her companion.

"Sometimes you feel different from everyone else?" asked Eärniel, who was very perceptive.

"How did you know?" asked RÃ*an in astonishment. "You've only just met me!"

"Yes, but I've watched you before - my friends have pointed you and your brother out, saying that you are pereldar like our beloved Prince Eärendil. And then I just started thinking about what it would be like to have people point you out and stare at you. And I thought that I probably wouldn't like it," she finished, and leaning over, shot up a great fountain with her little hand.

RÃ*an was silent; she didn't know what to say to this insightful little girl.

"But that doesn't matter. I like you! Can we be friends? And you can tell me about your father, too - I'd like to hear about the Followers. They must be nice people for your mother and the Princess Idril to have married them!"

RÃ*an smiled. "I would like to be your friend," she said, and leaning over, they started the fountain competition again in earnest, laughing and splashing each other.

[The last sane person]

The night was still, with the fog rolling in off of the river, putting the entire city of Tharbad under a shimmering silver blanket. All seemed at peace, the bustle of the day giving way to the slumber of darkness. Howsoever, that in such a peaceful night Ray lay restless rolled up in his blankets, staring at the ceiling of his room, unable to nudge his thoughts onto the pathways of dreams. He heaved a sigh, lacing his hands behind his head, staring unseeing at the ceiling, for his mind was running over the adventures of the day.

This whole week is like something out of a dream. I can't believe that I have met this woman! A smile stole its way to his lips, Ray… watch it. Viniglaen is quite a bit of woman you are dealing with. His mind again admonished. Again, his smile widened, Well, they DO say, 'great things oft come in small packages'…No exceptions here! I have only just met her, how can she set me aflame so? This is madness! with that, Viv's unique intoxicating scent, the way she seemed to fit him so well when they were dancing, but most of all her beautiful, mischievous, haunting eyes, all sprang unbidden to the forefront of his thoughts. Second wave to those memories flashed the way that her eyes held a smile just for him, as she asked him to call her simply Vivvie, dropping the “my lady� formalities.

“Gnah!� Ray rolled over and buried his face into his pillows, in a vain attempt to stop thinking about Viniglaen. He got up, sitting in bed rubbing his face “Oh, this simply will not do! I have a race to win! I can't keep thinking along these lines….I need some cold, cold air!� Getting up, he threw on some leggings, undershirt and got dressed in fresh, warm clothes and stuffed them in a pack, and grabbed some gloves. He got what he asked for, as soon as he opened the door to his little house, the bracing night air sucked the breath from him. Warming himself up, and getting his circulation going again, he padded his way to the stall, to fetch Volricom. He smiled, “We'll show them both! Man though I am, I need not tack nor bridle! And mighty among horses are you, that you need them not either!� Volricom poked his head out of the stall and nuzzled him, knowing full well that his master was off to the park to get some rest.

Ray threw on a blanket, and tied a makeshift halter with reins for Volricom. Murmuring to his horse, “Mighty though you be, I still don't trust you around those pretty young mares!� he grinned and mounted, as Volricom snorted and pranced in his defense. He cocked his ears back to Ray, and seemed to be saying “Well, if not me, who else shall keep the line strong? I don't mean to brag, but…the case is clear!� Volricom pulled himself up and strutted out of the stable, as to make clear his point. Ray, laughing, urged him on to the park. “Very well, my studley friend, I am weary and wish for rest. To the park with you, oh, Keeper of the Line!� Laughing, he looked into himself as Volricom trotted obediently onwards.

Raendil looked at this strange feeling inside his chest, as they rode to the park, turning it this way and that. Poking and testing it, what do I know of love? Is that it? Am I in love with Viv? This is getting silly! How did I manage to do that?! He shook his head, trying to dislodge that pesky thought, focusing instead on the echoing sound of Volricom's hooves, muffled by the fog to produce a very queer effect. It seemed like some one had put them in a box lined with cloth, and that the muffled beats were being bounced back at them two fold. Volricom trotted right up to the secret entrance to the clearing, and Ray ducked down under the cedars, taking some fragrant branches and making a bed for himself with them. Laying down, looking up at the stars he realized, I've given her more than just a horse, she has managed to snatch my heart in the bargain. I feel like I could fight and die for her, if need be. How can that happen? The only person that I have ever become so attached to is my King, Valandil and my friend Marthalion. And that took me years to get to know them. But I just met her!He grinned, finally coming to an unsettled peace with the idea of his attachment to Viv, After all, I could have done far, far worse.

[Udukhaturz]

Though the shards of wood that pressed into his backside were sharp against the tender flesh, Udu could not free himself from the chains which still held him. His body was well-conditioned, lean and muscular, from fighting long years in the east. Though he was strong, both physically and with magical skills, the chains would not yield to his struggles.

He was not going to ask Khamûl to release him. No! That would do nothing except fuel the Easterling’s already too arrogant heart. Worse even than that, Khamûl would consider that he had done Udu a great favor. Knowing Khamûl as he did, Udu was sure that soon enough, Khamûl would want to collect on the “debt� and involve him in one of Khamûl’s dirty little missions.

Udukhatûrz did not want to ally himself with any of his fellow Nazgûl, especially Khamûl. He did not trust any of the others; he knew them all too well. The “old days� were gone for good, he thought, the days when Sauron had commanded them and there was no gainsaying whatever the Dark Lord had told them to do. He wanted to be free of all of them, but he could never be free of his memories or what he had become.

“Khamûl,� he said, “I am not really concerned about what you might find as a suitable punishment for Lilly, whether it is whipping or a little knife work,� he looked at Lilly glaring at them from the bed. “Perhaps she needs a new beauty mark on her face to accentuate her loveliness, but that would be too noticeable. I might suggest her back, but not too high, though. It could be seen when she wore a low-necked dress. Remember, though, that whatever you do, she will scream. Therefore, I would suggest discretion.� Cursing, Buzukkumarz renewed his efforts to break loose from his chains, but fell back in futility.

“By the way,� Udu asked nonchalantly, “did you kill the maid?�

He began to sense other presences entering the building, more of his own kind, Chancellor, Aiwendis and Tolvadok. The situation was reminding him more and more of the old days which he wanted to forget. “At least, perhaps,� he thought, “someone will free us.�