Writewraiths in Middle Earth II: The Kingdom Rebuilt

[Silverstripe]

"The Between Worlds is beautiful, Faith, but terrifying. It can be a wonderful place if you know it well, but if you aren't careful -- sometimes even when you are -- there's always the danger that something could go wrong. Terribly wrong," I said. "Yet, despite the dangers, I always loved that place. And so does Calien, I think."

Yes, the Between Worlds may be a good analogy for you, my friend.


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"Are you certain that he took an oath with a wizard's staff? Well, even if Mauluk did do that, he might not die. If he could convince Faith to change her goals, to have the same goals he did ... or similar ones ... I think that would free him from his oath." She wouldn't take much convincing now. "Mauluk is her Advisor, so she trusts him, as I once trusted him. Don't forget, Dawn ... I KNOW him to be capable of betrayal."

Faith Lowe would kill her daughter, if she returned. For the same reason she wounded you!

So. Even the little girl Faith loved best would perish, for coming between the Countess and that cursed dagger.


Terwell came running up in time to hear Calien's last remarks. <You think that Mauluk would kill Dawn Bluebane, then?> he asked, Link closed to all but Calien.

<He would, but he's not the one I'm worried about. I think FAITH would kill Dawn if she went back ... no matter how much Faith loves Dawn, I've ... heard.>

The red fox Terwell knew what his Link-twin meant by this, and did not question her further. <Then she must stay.>

[Lubyla]

At that oint, Starletta rushed into the room, madder than ever before. "Look what I found, Empress, on my way out to Rohan." She Threw the bird Andodulin to the ground as he slid to the wall, screatching in anguish."It apears he likes to borrow things nasty birds shoud not." Linde flew down, compact in her mouth.

[Fred Baggins]

The wind choose that moment to blow through the open window, it seemed to say something,

Fear is Dangerous Faith Lowe. It will kill you if you let it, or if not you, certantly those who care for you. You feel of Death Faith Lowe.

I glared at the window, and turned to Star, "Close that window please." It was more of a command than a question, but I hate the wind. Star is the wind interpreter, not I, and I fear the wind to my bones. Back to Kathie, "You saved my life in more than just helping me out of there. All of you have saved my life at least once. Almost wish you hadn't." I gripped at my side for the dagger, nearly panicking when I didn't feel it there. Then I saw it on the bedside table, and grabbed it, tying the belt around my waist.

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"Will you stop staring at that fox? Mum told me about him...said you and he had a link kinda like her's and Aunties...I mean Lady Starlight's." As an after thought I added, "Mum speaks a lot about you, and your mundane-earth twin Kathie. Especailly about how bad she feels about...what she did with that pretty dagger."

[Silverstripe]

"You saved other lives, Faith," I said, unsure at first of what I meant by that, then realizing what it was. "Calien's and Terwell's, for a start. Because Mauluk would've killed Calien if it hadn't been for you ... yes, I learned of their fight for the leadership in the Between. Mauluk knew about Calien and Terwell's Link, and if he'd had Calien out of comission, killing Terwell probably would've been easy for him."

You could save other lives if you wanted to, Faith Lowe. If you could just learn to control yourself, and break free of the cursed dagger, you would save many lives.


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I started to respond to Dawn, but then Starletta came rushing in, and threw Andodulin on the ground, looking more angry than I'd ever seen her before. And she should have been angry: Andodulin had somehow gotten Lubyla's compact!

"We KNEW he was up to something," I said, "Although I didn't know it would be this bad, I'm not surprised. Perhaps," and here I turned, now speaking directly to Andodulin, "we should escort you out of my kingdom."

Without waiting for a response from him, I turned back to Dawn. "Yes, Terwell and I do have a Link, which is why I survived when I was wounded with the Warg's Bane. How Ailin survived her own wound when the dagger was poisoned, I don't know." I sighed. "The Warg's Bane is a pretty dagger, isn't it? But it means more to ... to your Mum, than any dagger should mean to anyone."

Faith Lowe's probably on friendlier terms with Katharine Welsh than with me.

I hoped that was true; it didn't sound like Faith liked me much anymore.

I snapped out of my daze just in time to hear Hunter speaking to Andodulin.


'So, foul bird,' Hunter growled, 'this is what the Empress gets for her kindness to you ... you've betrayed her, and all of us.' He crouched low, ready to spring on Andodulin and kill him.

"No, don't attack!" I yelled to Hunter. <There will be enough pain caused before the coming war is over. I don't want it to start now.>

I didn't believe that Hunter would win a fight against Andodulin ... not yet, anyway. The thought of losing Hunter was too painful for me to bear. But even if Hunter could succeed in killing Andodulin, that would only make the war start earlier.


'Very well, Empress Calien,' said Hunter. <Yet I beg you, never listen to that foul creature again! Avoid him at all cost. He means you harm, Empress. He'd kill you right now if he thought he could get away with it.>

And if you die, we're all doomed.

[Lubyla]

Andodulin laughed."Killing me would mean the loss of your precious bird, banishing me would too. That bird is more important to you than you think."

Linde stared at him, and used such language, in bird, that would have shamed even the fowlest of reatures, and everyone undestood it.

Her eyes grew slightly shut. "What is wrong Linde? Why does she have a connection with you, Gate Bird?"

"You must wait and see."
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"Right." I wallked over and closed the window. I then bowed my head, and walked out, to my room. Walking all the stairs, I reached near the top of the wall, turning down a burnt out torch. The stairwell groaned, and turned to be as slick and smooth as a slide. No one would come up here, no one but Faith knew where the downstairs lever was, and in her condition, couldn't get to it.

[Fred Baggins]

"What? What did I have to do with that? That was compleatly up to fate, and what your middle-Earth twin would do. You see Kathie, I've changed a lot, and not at all. I'm still a good for nothing. I shouldn't even be here," I motioned to my surroundings, meaning the castle. "I'm just someone who got sucked along with this writewraith thing you invented. By accedent. I shouldn't be here. Neither should Star really, though she belongs here more than me. I'm just along for the ride. Then I find out I'm supposed to do something. I have a job, and I'm supposed to become some countess or something. Frieda wasn't to clear, except on the point that I would never go home. Perhaps never see my family. Did you know my brother died again? And I have my suspisions who killed him, I was wrong when I first said it had been a warg. You see one person cannot be killed twice the same way. They have to die by way's basically unrelated. The first time he was killed by a warg. But not this time, it was just made to look like a warg did it. I'm sorry Kathie, I'm babbling about my dull like, when I havn't seen you for five years. Now stop acting like you've lived here all your life, and act like Kathie! Tell me about collage, what's it like?"
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I rubbed my arm. "I...I know. I guess, though I'm not quite sure how. It's a type of life source like Glamdring...but utterly different. I dunno." I glanced at the bird, and rubbed my head at a headach that had suddenly hit me. This was a first, the bird seemed to know what I was, and was sending me messages...in a way I had heard no other animal message. 'I...I don't think that's all he hid...Lady. OW! There was some-OW something-OWOWOW! Stop it you stupid bird, you told me, I'm not going to keep it a secret! Something else! A key or something-OW!"

[Silverstripe]

With some effort, I ignored Faith's last statements. It was obvious she was trying to change the subject. "College is interesting. A lot better in high school, in my opinion. Everybody's grown up a bit and there aren't any bullies. Actually, they sort of disappeared in the last year of high school. Well, I mean, the people that were bullies are still there, but they're a lot nicer. The most exclusive cliques are gone, too." I smiled.

"The subjects are harder, and the teachers expect you to write a LOT. Yes, on the word processor, not paper. You're basically responsible for yourself. If you skip classes, no one comes to get you or anything ... but you're wasting your time, because you won't do well in that class. Most of my teachers respect me. And my roommates have all been pretty good ... except for one year." I laughed, aware that I was rambling. "I think that you would have liked going to college, Faith."

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I shuddered as Andodulin spoke. He was right ... I couldn't afford to lose Linde. I wished yet again that I had been able to learn the bird language from Lubyla before she died. She had begun to teach me. Lubyla had taught me the word for "Stop," and the "word" that basically meant fear, which birds "say" with their feathers, rather than aloud. I had also learned that one of Linde's screeches meant "no." But that little bit of knowledge didn't do any of us much good.

Then Dawn told us ... well, tried to tell us, anyay ... something that Andodulin had told her about.

"A key, Dawn? Did Andodulin say what the key looked like?"


Hunter snarled at Andodulin. 'No, I will not kill you, then. But one false move, morev,' Hunter insulted Andodulin in the language of the Kin, 'and I will make you WISH that I had killed you now.'

All this Hunter said without any true hatred for Andodulin. Hunter could not allow himself to hate, for it was too dangerous for one of the Kin. He spoke out of love for the Writewraiths and the Kin, and concern for Calien. Oh, Andodulin disgusted Hunter, all right, but it was the same way you might be disgusted by a fly in your food. Most people wouldn't really hate that fly, but there'd be a strong desire to get rid of it, all the same.

[Fred Baggins]

I laughed, "It certantly would be a heak of a lot better than here! Remember in highschool Kathie, where I seemed to know just about everyone? Even the bullys! Of course that didn't mean I was in good terms with them. But if there was a new freshman, it took me all of one day to find out who what where when and why, even if they weren't in any of my classes! I always wanted to go to collage, remember how we promised to be roomies all through collage, because we where so sure we would go to collage together? Even though I always preferd going back to Ireland for collage, and you wanted to stay where you where. Ireland is so much more beautiful than this place, so much more so." At that moment some one knocked on the door, and I called them in. It was Bigblith, first-in-command of my army. I felt hope rush through me at the site of him, and awaited his news anxiously.

"Countess," The Megil-herdir began, "We followed the Lady Dawn's trail as far as we could, but no further...m'lady, it leads into the Kingdom of Writewraiths."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's...it's a skeleton key m'am. That bird, the white one seems to know something of it...maybe not, but the black one...it's a skeleton key, but it is the only key that fits a particular lock. They say that it...it is important to you...OW! STUPID BIRDS!"

[Silverstripe]

I listened as the leader of Faith's army told her about Dawn, but did not comment. I liked Calien, and didn't believe she'd hurt Dawn ... actually, I thought the little girl was safer there than here. Yet I dared not say that to Faith Lowe. I was't sure how she felt about Calien.

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I tried not to react when Hunter cursed Andodulin, but I couldn't help it. I smiled a little, feeling the term Hunter used was quite appropriate. Dawn, although it hurt her, continued telling me about the key. I believed her words to be true.

"Yes, indeed, it is important to me," I said quietly. "Thank you for telling me about this, Dawn."

Fools, thought Hunter. How naive Calien was before she left Middle Earth, and how easily you could have persuaded her that your ideas were right, then.

It would never be as easy for them as it would have once. Yes, Calien still had a tendency to trust people older than herself too quickly, and too deeply, but now she knew she did. Her trust would not be earned so easily.

[Fred Baggins]

"I can't belive she'd go that far. I can't no matter how hard I try, imagine that Calien would stoop to kidnapping my dau-Dawn."

"But," the warg stood up, and took a step toward Faith, "She may at that Countess. No one can be counted on anymore, not even Lady Starlight, or your new friend. No one can be counted on to do as you thought they would. Countess you must not be so gullable. Things are never as they seem. She does not trust you, I am sure. You must do the same. No one can be trusted in these new days. Not while the New Power rises."

"The New Power has nothing to do with this. Calien was my friend, and I just can't make myself belive she'd go that far Lintegwath!" At the mention of his name I saw something leave his eyes, and he sat down.

[Lubyla]

I sat in my room and cried. I heard voices down bellow. It was Lyla and another servant.

"No no no no no! Lady Starlight cannot lock herself up there tonight! Not with Countess in her current standings. We must tell her Amerilla"

"But why worry her?"

"Because it would worry her to know from someone other than us."

"I guess so."
Lyla tugged Amerilla along to Countess' room. "Countess! We have urgent news! Lady Starlight has locked herself in her tower! Not even the stairs are acessable."

I looked through a few books, and found a regular notebook. Quite odd, for I hadn't broughten one with me from Mundane Earth. I had gotten a letter from Andodulin. Tonight was the night I would run. But I could not look like my self, could I. I took down my hair. No one knew what I looked like with it down. I pulled half of it into a messy bun, and stuck it with the rose he had given me. I knew that would come in handy. Stuffing a few things in my pack, I left the note on the table. I changed my clothes. I now wore all white, for it was easy to hid in. I stashed my butterfly shaped compct in my pocket, and took one last look around.
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"Well, this has been such a nice meeting, though I need to go rescue your new guest."With that, he flew out the window before anyone could say otherwise.

[Silverstripe]

"I don't believe that Calien kidnapped Dawn," I told Faith. "I don't know how she could have gotten to the Kingdom of Writewraiths, but many strange things have been happening lately, have they not? And I think I'd sort of, well, know, if Calien did something that cruel."

I wasn't sure whether Faith would believe my statement, but it was the truth. Calien is my Middle Earth twin, and I simply didn't think she'd become a kidnapper. It would have changed me a little bit if she'd done that, I thought.


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"Guest?" I asked. "Starletta, Hunter, Terwell, do any of you know who Andodulin was talking about? Dawn Bluebane doesn't need rescuing, and Will shouldn't either. He hasn't gone far. Lily Brandybuck, call him in here right now! No telling what the foul bird's up to, and I don't want anything bad to happen to any of my people."

"Yes, m'lady," said Lily. She ran as fast as she could to find William Bennet, the newest Writewraith. But she was searching for the wrong person; Will was in no danger.


"I don't know who Andodulin is talking about."

'Nor do I.' <Andodulin is up to no good,> said Terwell, not allowing anyone else in on the Link.

I wasn't sure why Terwell thought that was such a big secret, but decided to keep this communication private. My red fox "Link-twin" could be too wary, but there was no harm in caution. <As always. One day, I hope, we will be rid of him, foul creature!>

<Why not get rid of him NOW? It is in your power to do so, Calien.>

<Didn't you hear what he said? That if we killed or banished him, we'd lose Linde? That's true, and we will need Linde. I'm not sure why, but I know we will. Besides, even if I did banish him, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have seen the last of him.>

[Fred Baggins]

I shrigged ignoring what felt like bruses all over my body, though i couldn't see them. "Neither do I. Though...I WOULD like to know how he DID that..." They looked at me a bit oddly, and Calien asked me what I meant. "Nothing...just...nothing." To much, to much. Mum had warned me what might happen if I let on about my abilitys. Of course I've never been much for keeping my mouth shut.
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I nodded, "Well, I'm not sure you would know like you think you would. This Middle-Earth twin thing's kinda confusing, and Star's still getting used to it. you know the odd thing about me? I never made up a character that was just like me. All of them have attrabutes of me, Resta his unwillingness, Freddy his michevness(sp), Jess her sceptisism, and Fran her...well her..."Faults." But never one just like me." At that point Lyla came into the room, pulling Amerilla behind her, and babbling about Star. I groaned, Star hadn't locked herself in her room for ages, the last time had been when...I didn't even want to remember that. "There's no way to access her room, and I can't get out of bed...I'm so tired...She will...she probably just wants to be alone...but watch the stables, don't let her out. The command is to be spread through the castle...now, don't just stand there! You to bigblith, you do something!" They all left, and Lintegwath stood up, and beconed to Kathie.

"Excuse me m'lady, but the Countess and I must disscuss some matters, and after that she must get some rest. You will be notified when she wakes again, if you still wish to speak with her, and if she will speak with you."

She got up and left and Lintegwath heaved his heavy warg bady against the door, closing it behind her.

[Silverstripe]

I thought for a moment about trying to listen in on Faith's conversation with Mauluk, but I finally decided that wasn't right. Naturally, I never trusted Mauluk for a moment. I did remember how he tried to kill Calien. But Faith was free to choose her own advisors; I could not hinder her.

I thought about what Faith had said to me, about Calien.

I'm not sure you would know like you think you would.

But there was one thing Faith wasn't taking into account, which made Calien and I a bit different. Well, two things, but one of them applied to Starlight too. First, in the case of Starlight Adams and me, we had both shared our Middle Earth twin's body for a time. I've always thought that something like that was bound to make you closer than the average "twins."

And then there was the thing that applied only to Calien and me. We were Travelers. We could move Between Worlds at will. So our sight in the Between was different than other people's. We could find our way around with our eyes shut, but we could also SEE what's before us and beside us, in the Between Worlds.

So our trips to the Between had affected Calien and me in a way Faith Lowe, the "Countess," would never know. Even I could not describe exactly what happened. I remember that I was able to look into the minds of others, and see the good and the bad, but strong enough to accept people anyway.

Not that I could ever remember much from the Between. As far as I know, no one could, which is why we all became somewhat different people when we traveled through there. It's also one of the reasons the Between was so dangerous. Many people, upon entering the Between Worlds, never wished to leave.

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"Dawn, I know something was hurting you when you told me about the key. Was it Andodulin, somehow?"

Then I'd like to know how he did that, too! More importantly, can he do it again?

[Lubyla]

Andodulin was too far out to hear anything. He flew around the grounds of Wolf's Bane, and finally to my room.

"Its about time! GUY! I thought you would never get here! Well, they are setting up gaurds, how am I to get past them?"

"Walk?"

"True, though to get down, I think I'll just slide down. No one will know. Well, meet me in the stables. Or on the outskirts twards the Kingdom. It is better that way." I left. Sliding down what use to be stairs, I had to resist calling out. I picked myself up, and started walking out to the stables...

[Fred Baggins]

ooc: LOL STAR!

ic: 'What? N...no, no it wasn't and what buisness is of yours anyway! It wasn't that accursed bird, it was...I had a tummy ache." I said putting on my best six year old face. "That's all a tummy ache. I'm hungry. Can I have some cookies please?"
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I flinched. "I wish you wouldn't do that. As though she where enemy."

He growled. "Maybe she is." not long after I could tell he could feel pain shooting through his body. He fell to the ground whimpering. "Why did you do that Countess? Why, I said nothing wrong..."

"You accused a friend of treason, and that is reason enough "Foul Mouth.""

I say him wince at the title I had given him, but he regained his composer. "Countess, I am not a foul mouth, I only speak what I belive may be. I prefer to take no chances Countess. Who...who is she anyway...she looks familar."

"She is Kathrine Wlesh, my best-one of my best friends. And you have no reason to threaten her so. Now...what is it you so desperatly wanted to talk about?"

"Countess, we have more guests than just her. A handsome young man, who wishes for a duell...with our best swordsman."

"Send him away, you know I have no time to see another foolish young man get beaten into the ground. And if he refuses then send him to me. But that is not all you wanted to talk of. What else is there?"

"The matter of you life Coutness."

[Silverstripe]

It was fairly warm in Faith's castle, but I shivered all the same. Something was definitely not right, I could feel it. Well, of course something wasn't right; Mauluk was talking to Faith alone. I remembered what he did to Calien, and what he did to me the first time I'd come to Middle Earth. Mauluk had tried to kill me, and when that failed due to Hunter's actions, he had me exiled.


Stubbornly, I resisted the very strong compulsion to eavesdrop. Yes, I might gain valuable information, but sense of honor simply wouldn't allow it. I felt silly about my refusal to listen in at the time, but it probably saved my life.

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I knew Dawn wasn't telling the truth about what hurt her, but dropped the topic. She wasn't going to tell me anything more, at least not now. Unless I tortured it out of her, which I wouldn't do. Lady Dawn Bluebane isn't the enemy -- yes, she could be thoughtless and almost cruel at times, but she was only six years old!

"Cookies? Hmmm, yes. I brought an old recipe for peanut butter cookies with me from Mundane Earth. If you like PB, I'll go ask the cook to bake a batch, and you can have some ... if Lily Brandybuck doesn't eat them all first."

[Fred Baggins]

"I would LOVE to have some pb cookies! I havn't had one of those since...actually I don't remember having any!" I pranced after her, iwht my best six year old act, fro, watching the other sixers, that where servants kids. Mum always said I was very mature aside from my fave word. "Iggie-bay" I mumbled under my breath, then glanced up, to make sure she hadn't heard me say it. She hadn't. And I hate Penut Butter. Of course I suppose I would hate anything provided from the empress.

[Adrian Baggins]

Originally posted by Duddun
ooc: Sorry, I haven't been on in a while. I don't understand what you mean by your character's knowledge.
ic: "Do not worry about it." He said, shaken up by the little kids bustling about. "I remember when I used to run around like that." He said in a dreamy voice. Coming out of it he said, "I am Will Bennet. I guess I am new here. People keep calling me a Writewraith or something."

ooc: I will explaine later, I have been grounded and this is my last week to be so, but I am having a grace period due to snowday, hehehehe.
ic: "Ah, I'm Adrian, Adrian Baggins(whatever Calliman's last name was), come, I will explain to you about the writewraith thing in my house, come Fastred," I said, walking up the hill to my little house with it's big windows and round, hobbitlike door. "Comming mommy," Fastred called back.

[Lubyla]

Walking out the palace door, I noticed a man. I did not care. Was problebly a new servant.Seeing him reminded me. I quickly took off my necklace. Everyone new it, Writewraith or of the Wolf Bane. I put it in my pocket, and felt another necklace. My heart seemed to jump, and my hand with a mind of its ownclutched it, and brought it to my neck.Clasping it, a new light seemed to shine about me, as I brought up my hood, and walked out to the stables.