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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 11:25:24 GMT -5
Oooh. He's BEARABLY sweet. I never knew that.
She woke up again what felt like only a few seconds afterwards, but judging by the sunlight streaming through the window, she’d slept through to the next morning. The strangeness of this fact took a few seconds to sink in, but when it did, it felt as though it was settling in to stay.
Could she really have slept through an entire day? She couldn’t imagine why… but that boy, he’d said that Valistar had drugged her… but why would he do that?
She realised that she could move now, and quickly sat up and got to her feet. She remembered how completely lacking in energy her body had been before, and shivered slightly. What had happened?
And – this question screamed its existence, drowning out all the others – who was the boy? He said that she’d seen him the morning before – in a cell – but Valistar had drugged her to forget. She struggled to remember what had happened – she remembered waking up… getting dressed, heading downstairs… did she go to the dining room? No, she’d gone further… there’d been some stairs… and a door… but then, nothing. Could it have been a dream? Or could Valistar have really drugged her? The boy said she shouldn’t trust him, that… that he’d kill her if he got the chance…
I’m alone in his palace, surrounded by his men, in the middle of nowhere, she thought blankly. What more chance would he want?
There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” called Ashara.
The door opened, and Valistar looked around it. He smiled, but he looked concerned. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Ashara no longer knew what she thought about Valistar, but she knew that she wasn’t all right. However, she said, “Could be better. How long have I been asleep?”
“A whole day.” He smiled apologetically. “I think that drink we gave you to calm you down was a little too strong.”
“What drink?” said Ashara. She looked at him, trying to figure him out. There was no trace of deception in his face; he just looked worried.
“Do you remember much?” he asked.
He still looked concerned, and Ashara felt her suspicions starting to fade. She still couldn’t remember anything – the boy had said that she’d met him that morning, but she only had his word for it. But if she believed the white-haired boy - who she’d never seen before in her life and seemed extremely strange – then Valistar was dangerous. Why would he lie? Why would he tell her in the first place?
“It’s sort of hazy,” she said finally, “What happened?”
“A prisoner escaped,” said Valistar, a bitter tone creeping into his voice, “An extremely dangerous prisoner… He spoke to you before he did. He said something to you, to confuse you. You were extremely upset, so I gave you a drink to calm down. Only,” he added, with the same slightly embarrassed half-smile he had worn when she first met him the day before, “it was a little too strong, as you can guess… I’m so sorry – believe me, the elf responsible has been reprimanded. Are you feeling better?”
“Oh yes,” said Ashara, “Much better.”
“Good!” Valistar looked sincerely relieved, and smiled. “There’s some breakfast downstairs, if you’re interested.”
“Oh yes, I’ll be down soon.” Valistar turned to leave. “So could we perhaps go riding today?” she suddenly asked. He stopped, and Ashara watched him carefully for his reaction.
After what seemed an unusually long pause, he turned to face her again. “Today?” he asked, “I don’t know if we can today…”
“Tomorrow then?” asked Ashara, and added, “I just want to get out in the open again. I’m sure you understand.”
Valistar smiled. “Certainly… tomorrow. First thing. But I think you should take it easy for today.”
Ashara nodded, and Valistar left. She then sat down on the bed, and tried to work out what she was going to do.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 11:27:10 GMT -5
Ashara spent the rest of that day, as Valistar suggested, taking it easy. She was still quite tired, and spent most of her time in her room. She was also unsure of how to behave around Valistar, so didn’t want to spend too much time with him until she’d decided what to do.
The white-haired boy had insisted Valistar was dangerous, and told her not to trust him; but Valistar had insisted that the white-haired boy was dangerous, and that he deliberately said something to confuse her. The boy had held a knife against her face, and Valistar may or may not have drugged her to make her forget when she apparently met him that morning. Who was she supposed to trust?
By that evening, she’d only decided one thing – that she didn’t have any chance of escaping. There was indeed an elf outside her door now – Valistar had said it was for her own protection - but even if she made it past him, past all the other elves in the palace and all the way out of the cavern, she would still have to find her way out of the ‘labyrinth’. Which she had no chance of doing. If she was going to escape, she’d have to wait for Valistar to lead her out. But how would she get away from him? If the white-haired boy was right, then he wouldn’t hesitate in hurting her. But, watching him at dinner that evening, she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that he would…
The following morning, Valistar kept to his word, and brought out two horses from the stables for them both. As they mounted, he said with a grin, “I’m looking forward to this! Are you?”
“Yes,” said Ashara, but she wasn’t sure. She still hadn’t decided whether she should escape, or how she even could; and before she made up her mind, any conversation with Valistar felt forced and awkward. She felt bad because, despite what that white-haired boy said, he didn’t seem like a bad person. He seemed really nice.
As they rode away from the palace, Ashara noticed a group of elves on horseback following them. Noticing her gaze, Valistar said, “Standing order from my father – for our protection. There are other renegade groups of elves nearby who wouldn’t turn down the chance to hold us to ransom…”
Ashara nodded, but her feeling of unease increased. This didn’t make her trust Valistar any more, and also lessened her chance of escape. They rode on in silence.
Finally, Valistar asked, “Ashara, are you all right?”
“Of course.”
“It’s just… you’ve been very quiet. Much quieter than you were when I first met you. I don’t know you well enough to be sure, but it seems… that something’s bothering you.” Ashara didn’t reply. Valistar watched her, then asked, “Is it something the prisoner said to you? Do you remember anything?”
Ashara decided to risk it. “I think so,” she said, “I think he told me… not to trust you.”
Valistar didn’t say anything. He looked at horse’s neck, and looked as though he had been expecting this. “Did he tell you that you should try to leave?” he asked finally.
Surprised, Ashara said, “Er… I’m not sure…”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he had,” Valistar went on, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to lure you into danger. Away from the safety of the cavern, these are dangerous lands. Hence the protection,” he added quickly, gesturing back to their escort. “He escaped shortly after talking to you, so I can only assume he has some plan, and that it regards you in some way. He’s eager to get revenge on me for foiling him once, and would kill you without a thought if he imagined it might hurt me…
“Ashara,” he said suddenly, “Do you trust me?” Ashara was taken by surprise, and couldn’t answer straight away. “I’d like you to.”
He didn’t say anything else until they emerged from the labyrinth out onto the surface. The journey took some time, and Ashara spent it with her mind in turmoil. Even though they had left early, by the time they reached the surface the sun was already high in the sky. Ashara couldn’t suppress a smile at feeling the breeze on her face again.
Valistar was watching her, and smiled as well. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” he said.
“I don’t know how you can stand it below ground,” admitted Ashara.
Valistar shrugged. “I suppose I’m used to it. But I can understand how it would be harder for you.”
“I grew up in Edoras,” smiled Ashara, “I’m used to gale-force winds… still air just feels strange.”
“Well, if you decide to stay, we’ll have to look into finding a faster way above ground,” said Valistar, “Perhaps a tunnel from the surface…”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Well, why not? A small group of guards could protect it easily, and it would make getting in and out easier. Perhaps we’ve spent too long away from the light.”
They rode on, talking and laughing, enjoying the sunshine. Away from the strange semi-daylight below ground, Ashara found her earlier awkwardness and unease around Valistar had completely vanished. She may not completely trust him yet – but she felt that, in time, she would.
They stopped underneath some trees, and settled down to eat a lunch they had brought with them. The elvish guards settled some way off, to Ashara’s relief – it would have been a bit awkward if they sat too close. As it was, Valistar and Ashara kept chatting easily as they ate, and then leant back against the same tree trunk to watch the clouds sliding across the sky.
Over time, their conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence. Ashara looked over at the elvish escort, and saw that they all seemed to be resting, leaning back against rocks, not moving. She glanced at Valistar, and saw that he was staring into space, a small half-smile on his face.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m thinking… permission to compliment you?”
“Granted.”
“I’m thinking that I’d definitely have to build a tunnel so that we could reach the surface, if I could have more moments like this.”
Ashara thought. “That’s not really a compliment on me. It’s a compliment for the moment.”
“Yes, but you’re IN the moment.”
“So is the tree. Are you complimenting the tree?”
“Yes. It is a spectacular tree. I’ve never been quite so impressed by a tree. This tree surpasses all boundaries in marvellousness set by previous trees. In short, this tree is a truly lovely tree.”
Ashara was laughing. “Fair enough.”
“So?” Valistar turned to look at her, and moved slightly closer. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking… that if memory serves, there should still be a slice of that cake left,” said Ashara with a grin.
“Are you now?” said Valistar, smile spreading.
“And… I’m thinking… that since I’m the guest, it’s rightfully mine.”
“One could say,” said Valistar thoughtfully, one hand moving to brush against a strand of hair at the side of her face, “that since it was made by my kitchens, it is rightfully mine.”
The touch of his fingers on the side of her face sent tingles across her cheek, but Ashara said, “Yes – but when we sat down you said, ‘Have as much as you want’, a verbal contract denoting that it is my duty, nay, my mission to eat until I want no more. And I DO want more. Specifically – that last slice of cake. So, if you eat it, you are interfering with my destiny. Besides,” she added, “I distinctly remember you eating a HUGE slice.”
“Well,” said Valistar resignedly, “Who am I to mess with predestination?” Suddenly, surprising her, he leant in and swiftly kissed her on the cheek, before getting to his feet and heading over to the basket. Ashara reddened, but smiled, not unpleased. She watched him searching through the basket, a warm happy feeling inside her…
Suddenly destroyed by the feeling of an ice-cold blade against her neck. “Don’t move,” a voice whispered in her ear, “Don’t say a word.”
Ashara didn’t think she could even if she wanted to. She quickly looked over to the elvish escort, but they were still sitting immobile against the rocks, not so much as glancing in their direction. A sudden dread in her stomach made her think that it wasn’t just because they were resting. She could only sit there, feeling the icy brush of the lethal blade against her throat, watching Valistar search through the basket, willing him to look up…
“Ashara,” said the voice, “It’s me. I’m so glad you’re all right.”
Ashara wasn’t sure pressing a knife against someone’s throat was a good way of showing how happy you were to see them unharmed, but whatever.
“I’ve come to take you away. Don’t try and fight, it’ll only make things more difficult.”
He couldn’t see her eyes. She looked around for something, anything which she could use to defend herself. Her eyes fell on her sword, which she had brought with her but taken off to sit down more comfortably. Without even reaching for it she knew it was too far away. She stared at it, remembering the feeling of it in her hand, willing it to come closer…
The handle shook, and the blade slid partway out of its sheath. Ashara stared. Had she done that?
“Valistar!” the boy suddenly shouted, startling Ashara. She jumped, and winced as she felt the knife blade nick into her skin. Valistar looked over and stiffened. Ashara saw his eyes widen as he took in the scene presented to him.
He began to straighten, but the boy spoke again. “You will not have her as well,” he called, the same bitter tone Ashara had heard before in his voice – and something shot through the air, striking Valistar on the forehead. He fell instantly, blood spreading on his forehead, a stone on the ground next to him. Ashara stared in shock.
The boy removed the knife, and grabbed Ashara’s hand, dragging her roughly to her feet. “Get up – quickly-”
Ashara pretended to stumble and quickly rolled forward on the ground, swiftly grabbing her sword as she landed. In an instant, she had rolled over and was pointing the sword point at the white-haired boy.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said firmly, trying to hide the fact that her hands holding the sword were shaking.
The boy didn’t reply. He stepped out from behind the tree, knife still held in one hand, looking down on her, his face expressionless – but she thought she saw in his eyes a mixture of surprise, and sadness. Seeing him in the shadows of a tree, she suddenly recognised him.
“I saw you in a dream,” she blurted out, without thinking.
He frowned. “What?”
“You…” Dread rose in Ashara. “You killed someone. A woman. You had already taken everything she cared about, and then you killed her…”
The boy looked away from her, down to the knife in his hand. He twirled it, almost absent-mindedly. “A very detailed dream,” he observed.
“Was it real?” asked Ashara. She slowly got to her feet, careful to keep the sword held between her and him. “Did you really kill someone?”
He still didn’t look at her, continually twirling the knife. “I’ve killed various people,” he said finally, “For various reasons.”
“And you expect me to go with you?” Ashara’s mind was racing. She couldn’t think straight. She had a feeling that this was very important, and she didn’t want to make a mistake.
“Well, what’s your alternative? Stay here? With him?” He gestured towards Valistar with his knife. “I’d kill him here and now if I knew it would do any good. But it won’t. I’d be much better off just killing you.”
Ashara stared. “Are you still trying to convince me to come with you? Because you’re not doing a good job.”
The boy’s eyes were empty. He said simply, “If I have to kill you, I will.”
Ashara believed him. She believed that if he decided he needed to kill her, he wouldn’t hesitate. Shaking, she started to back away, but the boy rolled his eyes. With a dismissive hand gesture, her sword was suddenly pulled from her hands, and it flew away from her. “Believe me,” he said, “If I did decide to kill you, that wouldn’t stop me.” He suddenly thrust out one hand in front of him, palm towards her, and she felt her entire body freeze, arms held out away from her body – like the woman in her dream…
He gently drew his hand in towards himself, and she felt herself float towards him. She stopped only inches from him. She was being held a foot or so off the ground, but he was so tall that this meant he could look directly into her eyes. It felt as though she was being pinned by the power of them alone.
He looked at her, and sighed. “I really don’t want to kill you,” he said with regret. He took his knife and held it against her cheek. “Do I have to?”
Ashara suddenly realised she could speak. “I don’t think you do,” she said carefully, “But I have absolutely no idea what is going on.”
This seemed to surprise him. He hesitated, and moved the knife away slightly from her, and was staring at her as though he had never seen her before. “You don’t?” he said finally, and seemingly with considerable effort.
“No,” said Ashara, “Care to explain?”
He didn’t seem to hear her. “Oh Force,” he breathed, eyes taking in her entire face and moving to her locket, before returning to her eyes, “You poor girl…”
Suddenly he froze. For a split second, he tensed, eyes darting to the right as though sensing something behind him – and then he span round, whipping out his lightsaber and slashing blaster bolts out of the air where they had been shooting towards him.
Ashara suddenly felt her body be released, and fell to the ground. She heard the boy swearing, and he grabbed her hand; but she snatched it away from his grasp, and scrambled away across the ground towards her fallen sword, expecting to feel the cool blade of his knife sliding into her back at any moment. There seemed to be a lot of movement going on behind her, but she didn’t dare turn round, eyes fixed only on her sword-
Two legs appeared behind it, and a hand reached down and grabbed it just as she reached it. Another hand reached down to take hers, and she looked up along the arm into the face of the person.
It was Astaldin. “Run!” he ordered.
Damn, that was a long bit. I couldn't find anywhere to cut it.
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 29, 2006 11:28:38 GMT -5
I meant that he's on the thin line between "Awwww.....that's so sweet of you!" and "I want to be sick, you're TOO sweet"
And I still trust Valistar over the white blond one.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 11:30:22 GMT -5
What did you think of the last bit?
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 29, 2006 11:43:20 GMT -5
Cow. Only Joss Whedon would be cruel even to have a cliffhanger there.
And, to be perfectly honest, words fail me. The real 14-year-old inside me, who is locked tight in a box so she can't do any harm, is silently cheerleading for various people, and the 25-year-old inside of me, who is allowed to wander in and out at will is willing me to press X, and the majority of me is screaming for more.
So, yeah, update. I KNOW you have more!
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 11:48:07 GMT -5
I do indeed. And thank you for comparing me to Joss Whedon - he indeed is the only writer I know who is as eager to kill off characters.
Ashara grabbed his hand without thinking, leapt to her feet, and the two of them ran as fast as they could into the trees. She glanced back towards the white-haired boy, but he had already vanished from view. Astaldin tugged her hand again, and she followed, so relieved to see him that she put off wondering why he was there until later.
They emerged on the other side of the trees, and she stopped in astonishment. In front of them was a spaceship.
“The Millennium Falcon,” said Astaldin quickly and breathlessly, and he tugged her hand so that she followed him up the gangplank.
A young man with blond hair was waiting at the top. “Where are Lucy and Xanden?” he asked immediately.
“Just coming,” assured Astaldin. Sure enough, as Ashara looked over her shoulder, she saw a girl and a boy come running out of the trees towards the ship. The girl had long silvery-blond hair, and the boy messy brown hair around his shoulders. Both held lightsabers in their hands, and were running for their lives.
“Get her started!” yelled the boy, and the blond boy vanished into the depths of the ship. Astaldin pulled Ashara out of the way as the girl and boy leapt aboard, just as the gangplank rose up and closed behind them. Ashara could hear the engines starting up.
The boy caught her eye, grinned, and winked. “Better get strapped in,” he said, and hurried off down a corridor.
Ashara went with Astaldin and the silver-haired girl towards a passenger area, and strapped herself into one of the chairs as the ship took off and zoomed away into space. Her stomach was flipping, and she was sure that it wasn’t only because of the force of take-off. She had heard about space travel – legends spoke of the Jedi Knights, who came from the stars to help in the Battle of the Last Alliance, and how a few returned for the War of the Ring, but she had never dreamed she would experience itself.
Also – what in Middle-earth was going on???
“Don’t worry,” said Astaldin, patting her hand, “We’ll explain everything.”
A few minutes later, Ashara felt the ride become considerably less bumpy, and her stomach stopped flipping and settled in feeling steadily nauseous. Shortly afterwards, the two boys came through the doorway.
“Course is set for Moria,” said the dark-haired boy, “Should be there in an hour or so.”
“Good,” said the girl, glancing at Ashara, “So we’ve got time to get a few things straight.”
“YOU can get a few things straight?” said Ashara disbelievingly, “Can someone please tell me what’s going on??”
“She’s right,” said the blond boy, “I think we ought to explain.”
The dark-haired boy sat back into one of the chairs, shaking his hair out of his face. “Right,” he said. He turned and grinned at Ashara. “Hi, Ashara. It’s great to meet you at last. I’m Xanden Solo, and this here is my ship, the Millennium Falcon. My dad Han left it to me. These two are Lucy and Obi-Wan Skywalker, my cousins. We’re the leaders of the Rebel Alliance, and we just saved you from almost certain death,” he finished with a wide grin.
“Good explanation,” deadpanned Lucy, “Now she can look us up in the phonebook.”
“Basically,” said Obi-Wan, “there is a plot going on in Middle-earth, which we found out about, which would have repercussions for the entire Galaxy if it was brought into fruition, and we of late discovered that you were integral to the successful accomplishment of-”
“That guy you were with? Was a bad guy,” interrupted Xanden, “If we’d left you there, he would have killed you. After using you to take over the world.”
“Oh yes, that’s MUCH better,” said Lucy.
“What? You think Obi-Wan’s multi-syllable technobabble was better?”
“It’s OK, Ashara,” said Astaldin, turning in his chair to face her and taking her hand, “I know this is all kind of overwhelming, but it’s OK.”
Ashara’s head was spinning as she tried to think of a question to ask first. “What are you doing with them?” she asked finally.
“I was part of the guard sent with your luggage,” he explained, “I wanted to see you again. We rode east, following the directions given to us by Ohtar. But we reached the end of them, and the palace was nowhere to be seen. We were in the middle of nowhere. Not only nowhere, but it soon became apparent that we were in dangerous, hostile territory. Almost immediately, we were attacked by a tribe of men.”
“Could it have been a planned ambush?”
“Possibly. They didn’t seem organised, though – they just seemed keen to make off with as much money and your possessions as they could. Most of the men were killed when they fought back, but I was just knocked out. When I came to, they’d gone, as had most of your things. I was the only one left. I probably would have died out there, if these guys hadn’t come by.”
“We were on our way from Lothlorien,” cut in Lucy, “We had received a call from Galadriel, asking for her help. We were passing overhead when we saw Astaldin wandering through the wilderness.”
“It was just lucky,” said Astaldin, “Anyway, I explained about how you’d just gone to Uialtum to marry Valistar. And they said, well, that this wasn’t good.”
“The white-haired boy who was threatening you was Sethan Fett,” explained Obi-Wan, “He was in league with the Sith, committing hundreds of terrible atrocities before the Emperor died fighting Darth Vader seventeen years ago. He fled after that battle, and we’ve been hunting him ever since.”
“Galadriel contacted us to say that she had found out Sethan was on his way to Uialtum,” continued Lucy, “She also said that she believed he was masterminding a plot to take over Middle-earth, and that he was planning on using you.”
“It’s entirely possible that he bribed Ohtar to bring you to Valistar in order to get close to you,” said Obi-Wan.
“But he was in prison when I met him,” said Ashara, “Or at least he said he was…”
“Valistar might have found out,” said Obi-Wan, “Locked him away. But I doubt bars could contain Sethan…”
“Anyway,” said Xanden, “Between what we heard from Galadriel and from Astaldin, we thought it was time for a good ol’-fashioned rescue.”
“But… why me?” asked Ashara.
“Lucy’s our expert,” said Xanden, “Lucy?”
Lucy swivelled her chair to face Ashara. “How much do you know about Morgoth?”
“Er… he was one of the gods at the beginning of Middle-earth. He was evil. After he was defeated, he was banished into the Void, or something?” she ended somewhat lamely.
“Pretty much.” Lucy took a deep breath. “We think that Sethan, or someone he’s working for, is going to try to free him.”
Ashara stared. “But… how? And WHY?”
Lucy shrugged. “Morgoth was very powerful. With the power of Morgoth on their side, total conquest of the Galaxy would be laughably easy. As for how, we don’t know. The Sith have been researching it for centuries. We believe that, recently, there was a breakthrough. We received an anonymous message that he was planning on using the four elven rings and the One Ring in some sort of spell. When we asked Galadriel about it, she said this was possible.”
“So here we are,” said Xanden, “We find the rings and stop him from using them. Simple.”
“But what’s that got to do with me?”
“Ah,” said Obi-Wan.
“Ah,” said Xanden.
Lucy didn’t say ‘Ah’, but hesitated for a moment. “Astaldin told us about how you were found in Mirkwood,” she said slowly, “And that you didn’t know anything about your parentage?”
“That’s right,” said Ashara, suddenly feeling very uneasy. Not that she’d been very comfortable before.
Obi-Wan, Lucy and Xanden all exchanged glances before Obi-Wan said, “We think we know who your parents are. Were.”
Ashara felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. All the breath went out of her.
“We think your mother was Angellissima Aayla Evenrainbowstarya Luthsilvytinuviarwen Flameheart Amidala Skywalker Greenleaf,” said Obi-Wan, “And your father Legolas Greenleaf, King of Mirkwood. You see, our parents knew Angel. And they say that she always wore a locket, just like yours.”
“But… you can’t be sure from that…”
“You’re right. We can’t,” said Lucy, “But there’s also this. Angel and Legolas ruled happily in Mirkwood as king and queen. They had a baby daughter. But about seventeen years, their realm was attacked by dark elves. Legolas was killed, but when elves from Lothlorien came to investigate, they didn’t find Angel’s body, or her daughter’s. Angel was found dead a few days afterwards in the forest. But her daughter was never found.”
“Around that same time, a baby girl was found on the edge of Mirkwood,” said Obi-Wan. “She was named after the name engraved on her locket.”
“Ashara Celestia,” whispered Ashara.
“Hope so, or that story was a waste of time,” said Xanden.
Ashara leant forward, resting her head in her hands. This was all too much to take in.
“Too much to take in?” asked Lucy.
Ashara looked up at her. “Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it.”
Lucy smiled. “I’m psychic. Obi-Wan’s telekinetic. Our grandfather was Neo, the One, and we inherited some of his abilities.”
“Nothing so special for me,” said Xanden, leaning back and putting his feet on the table, “All I get is the Millennium Falcon and some ability with a lightsaber. Oh, and the remarkable ability to sum up everything you need to know, which, marvel as I demonstrate to you now – Sethan is the bad guy. He wants the Rings of Power to free Morgoth and take over the world. We want to stop him. Ergo, we find the Rings of Power first. He thinks YOU have a Ring of Power, and so wants to capture you and torture you until you tell him where it is.”
“What? But I don’t!!”
“Your mother, Angel, carried the Fourth Elven Ring, Adyra,” explained Lucy, “But it wasn’t on her body when they found it. He assumes that she left it with you.”
“But she didn’t!”
“And it’s a good thing he didn’t know that, or he’d have killed you,” said Xanden.
“Why?”
“Oh. No particular reason. He just doesn’t like your family.” Xanden shrugged. “Don’t take it personally. Even though it is basically personal.”
“Don’t worry,” said Lucy, “He’s just an idiot. And we know where Adyra is already.”
“Really? Where?”
“Right here.” Lucy pulled a chain out from her shirt. Hanging on it was a Ring with a pink gem.
“The Ring of the Forest, the Force, Rainbows, Music and Butterflies,” recited Xanden.
“Angel gave it to Luke to give me when I was born,” said Lucy, “Since I was going to take command of the Jedi Order, a heightened control of the Force would be a great asset.”
“And Galadriel still has Nenya, and Elrond gave her Vilya some time ago,” said Obi-Wan, “She’ll keep hold of them while we fetch Narya. Then she uses the four of them to try to locate the One Ring.”
“And once we find the One Ring, we destroy it,” said Xanden, “Simple.”
“And… where is Narya?” asked Ashara.
“It fell with Gandalf in Moria,” said Obi-Wan, “Which is where we’re going now. We need to fly the Millennium Falcon down the chasm beneath the Bridge of Khazad-dum.”
“‘We’?” snorted Xanden, “You mean I need to, I’m not trusting any of you with the controls of my ship for this.”
“Are you all right?” asked Astaldin, kneeling down next to Ashara’s chair, holding one of her hands between two of his hands.
Ashara shook her head. “A little while ago, I was on a picnic… the last few days seem so muddled in my head… I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Do you need me to repeat my excellent summary?” asked Xanden, who had gotten to his feet and was heading for the door.
“No, I think she can do without,” said Lucy.
“I don’t know what to think,” said Ashara, “Valistar said the white-haired boy – Sethan – was evil, was trying to turn me against him… but Sethan said Valistar was evil.”
“As you would, if you were trying to turn someone against him,” said Obi-Wan.
“But… he had me helpless,” said Ashara, “He had me alone, in my room, and I could barely move. He was armed. Why didn’t he just ask me where the Ring was then, torture me, even kill me?”
Lucy shrugged. “Worried about being disturbed? Besides, he didn’t seem too averse to killing you when we rescued you.”
“I guess,” said Ashara wearily. Lucy smiled at her, and left with Obi-Wan, leaving her alone with Astaldin. “But he said he didn’t want to… that he only would if he had to.”
Astaldin seemed to not know what to say. He just squeezed her hand. “Listen, Ashara, I’m not entirely certain what we’ve got ourselves involved with either,” he said, “But I think these are good people, who genuinely want to do the right thing. And imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t come when we did…”
“I suppose.” Ashara sighed and leant against Astaldin’s shoulder. “Can’t we just go home?”
Astaldin put his arm round her. “Maybe soon.”
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 29, 2006 12:06:17 GMT -5
*is wrestling the pom-poms off her inner self*
Well, I can't find any gaping plot holes so far... I'll try and get you a proper review tomorrow, when my brother isn't distracting me with demands of food and television.
Update! (Although maybe I shouldn't be saying that, in case you overload my brain and it explodes)
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 12:08:13 GMT -5
You keep asking, I'll keep updating...
They sat there together in silence, Astaldin’s arm around her. For the first time in ages, Ashara felt safe and comfortable. Valistar’s touch had made her feel like she was falling, but Astaldin’s made her feel protected.
After what felt like only a few minutes, but must have been longer, Obi-Wan came in. “We’ve reached Moria,” he said, as Astaldin hastily took back his arm and the two of them sat up, “Xanden says you might want to come see this, which means he’s probably about to start showing off.”
Ashara and Astaldin followed him through the corridors to the cockpit, where Xanden was seated at the main controls and Lucy was looking over his shoulder. Out of the cockpit, they could see a rapidly approaching line of mountains. Lucy turned as they came in.
“Strap in,” she ordered, “He’s about to be an idiot.”
“You love it,” grinned Xanden, and winked at her. Ashara, Astaldin and Obi-Wan quickly obeyed.
“Ready?” asked Xanden, glancing round at them all. “Right… Ladies and gentlemen…” - the Millennium Falcon was hurtling towards the mountainside so fast Ashara doubted they could stop if they wanted to – “…you are in the hands of a genius.”
And with that, he wrenched the Falcon’s controls, sending the ship spiralling down into a previously invisible opening in the mountainside. Ashara was thrown back in her seat, and she could only stare as the ship shot through a large hall, pillars whizzing by either side of the ship.
“Hey, genius?” yelled Lucy, “There’s a wall ahead!”
Xanden didn’t answer, but pressed a button on the console, sending laser bolts shooting at the wall ahead. It exploded in a cloud of dust just as the Falcon reached it, and the ship was jolted as debris from the blast fell onto it as it shot through it. They had only just come through when Xanden sent the ship rocketing downwards into the chasm at breakneck speed, pinning them all against the back of their chairs. Ashara stared in disbelief as they left the dust behind them and saw that they were falling into complete darkness. She felt as though she’d left her stomach back at the top…
Suddenly Xanden pulled the ship up again, and a few moments later, landed it on the ground as lightly as a feather. He powered it down, and they all sat in complete silence.
“They say the line between genius and insanity is near non-existent,” said Obi-Wan finally.
“We’re alive, aren’t we?” said Xanden, checking the controls.
“There was a wall,” said Lucy.
Xanden tutted. “Honestly. No appreciation of the craft. I’m surrounded by heathens.”
“Where have you landed us?” asked Lucy.
As an answer, Xanden pressed a button, firing up strong headlamps mounted to the ship. The light showed them that they were in a vast cavern, perched on a crag of rock at the edge of a vast underwater lake, the boundaries of which they could not see.
They all stared. “And Narya,” said Xanden, “is somewhere in that.”
“No-one said this was going to be easy,” said Obi-Wan, though he also looked somewhat perturbed.
“I’m sure they must have. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
Lucy got to her feet. “It’s no problem. I probe the bottom of the lake for the Ring, and then Obi-Wan brings it to us with his telekinesis. Shouldn’t take very long.”
“Oh yes,” said Xanden, as the others also got to their feet, “I’d forgotten how simple resident psychics make things like this. What do you want me to do?”
“Stand guard. You too, if you don’t mind, Astaldin. Obi-Wan and I will have to use all our concentration to extend our powers that far, and won’t be aware of anything around us. If we’re attacked, we’ll be defenceless.”
“Are you expecting anyone to try to attack, down here?” said Ashara.
Lucy looked hard at her. “I always expect an attack. That’s why we’re still alive.”
She walked out. “Such a cheery, pleasant girl,” commented Xanden.
“It’d be good if you could help, Astaldin,” said Obi-Wan, “And Ashara, you go get some rest. There are quarters just down the corridor.”
“But I’m not that tired,” said Ashara, surprised.
Obi-Wan shrugged. “Fine. Do what you want. There’s not much else to do down here, though. You could try out the Jedi training equipment, see what you’re capable of.” Seeing her confused look, he said, “Your parents were both Jedi. Your mother was the greatest there has ever been. It’s only fair to assume you inherited some of her ability.”
“See if you can kick Lucy’s ass,” said Xanden with a grin as the two of them left, “That’d be a fun fight to watch.”
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 29, 2006 12:15:09 GMT -5
For something you've written, I'm a bit horrified at all the cliches. Please tell me that they're meant to be there - to add to the cheese.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 12:18:11 GMT -5
Yes. Yes they are. Fear not.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 29, 2006 12:31:30 GMT -5
I'm off, but I couldn't bear to without leaving you with an evil cliffhanger.
No matter what Obi-Wan said, Ashara didn’t think she’d ever get the hang of Jedi powers. She seemed to have been working for hours, and yet she could scarcely block any of the laser blasts from the remote. She knew the Force was some all-powerful, well, Force, which surrounded and bound everything, which she should be able to just reach into and feel what was happening and about to happen – but that was somewhat tricky when expecting an extremely painful laser blast to hit you any second.
Her eyes fell on the helmet which came with the equipment. Was she supposed to wear that? It had the blast shield down, though – how was she supposed to see?
Maybe that was the point. Besides, she reasoned as she picked it up and put it on her head, she couldn’t exactly get much worse…
Now in darkness, she raised her lightsaber in a defensive stance. She could hear the remote whirring in front of her, but had no idea where it was.
This is stupid, a voice said loudly in the back of her brain.
Shut up, she ordered, Which way do I go?
Left, said one part immediately.
Ooh, er, right, said another.
What? Left or right?
Right! I’m sure! Or, er, am I?
What-
A laser blast shot her from the left.
Told you, said the first voice somewhat smugly. Now down, quickly!
Ashara hurriedly dropped her lightsaber, and heard a bolt ricocheting off it around the room. Following the little voice in her head, she carried on to block about ten bolts perfectly, excitement rising within her.
Suddenly she sensed movement to her right, and a moment later, heard a small explosion. Confused, she deactivated her lightsaber, and went to remove her helmet.
Her stomach jolted as she felt hands already on it. Someone else took her helmet off, and the darkness lifted to reveal someone standing directly in front of her.
The white-haired boy. Sethan.
“Hi,” he said. And before she could react, he put both hands on the sides of her forehead, and everything went black.
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 29, 2006 12:38:44 GMT -5
Ahhh! Stop updating while I'm posting!
AND YET ANOTHER CLIFFIE!
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 30, 2006 10:01:19 GMT -5
Sorry. Don't worry, here's another bit.
She was in a room. A relatively small, unfurnished room, with one door, and one window out onto a vast empty plain. It was completely empty, apart from Sethan, still standing directly in front of her. She had to look up to see his face.
“Good work with that remote,” he said, “Quick Jedi learning. Though blasters are faster.”
Ashara was more surprised than scared. “What the-”
“Sorry,” he said, “I expected if I tried talking to you face-to-face, you’d do something stupid like try to fight me or run away. I really didn’t have time for that, so I just did a quick mind-meld.”
Ashara stared. “You’re inside my head?”
“Pretty much. Don’t worry, I won’t look at any of your memories. They’re all through there,” he said, nodding at the closed door. “I can’t go through unless you let me.”
“You’re – inside my head.”
“Yes. We covered that. It’s quite simple – for me, anyway. And a few others.”
Ashara was still waiting for herself to feel scared. But she didn’t. She felt eerily calm. She wondered whether it had anything to do with this conversation just taking place inside her head.
“How did you get here so fast?”
“I have my ways,” said Sethan nonchalantly, “But I’m sure that’s not your most pressing question.”
“All right. Why didn’t you just kill me?” she asked bluntly.
Sethan moved back and leant against the wall, hands in his pockets. “I said before. I didn’t want to kill you unless I had to. I didn’t think I had to.”
“Xanden said you just wanted to kill me because you hated my family.”
Sethan looked long and hard at her. “He did, did he? And who’s Xanden?”
“Xanden Solo. I… just met him.”
“Solo, eh?” A small smile crept onto his face. “Well, I’ve known you longer, so shouldn’t you trust me more readily?”
“Xanden hasn’t held a knife against my throat,” said Ashara firmly, “On two separate occasions. Though he did plunge our ship into a pitch black crevasse…” she said thoughtfully.
Sethan had stopped smiling. He moved to her, and stopped in front of her, looking directly into her eyes, holding her gaze. “Ashara,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t. Simple as that,” said Ashara, staring right back at him.
Sethan laughed, a laugh entirely devoid of humour, and moved away to the window. “Nothing is ever as simple as that.”
Ashara looked at his back. “Then what do you want? The Rings?”
Sethan suddenly span to face her. “The Rings? What do you know about the Rings?”
Ashara was startled by the expression on his face. There were traces of wild fear in it which she’d never seen before- wait. No. She had seen them before. Somewhere – somewhere dark…
She felt him take her hand, and realised she’d screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to remember. “Ashara,” he said quietly, right next to her, “We can get to that memory, if you concentrate hard enough – I’ll help you…”
He took her other hand, and she felt an energy flowing into her. She could feel the walls that had been built up around the memory being swept away, and suddenly the images came flowing back to her…
She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. There were four corridors stretching off around her. Three of them were completely dark, but there was a faint glow coming from the end of one of them. She set off towards it, her footsteps echoing in the stone walls around her.
Suddenly a voice came from ahead of her. “Hello? Who’s there?”
Ashara froze. The voice sounded as though the person was trying not to sound scared; but there was still a hint of fear in it and – she frowned – an almost hopeful tone. “Is anyone there?” the voice called, and Ashara realised it was a male voice. It was coming from near to the faint light.
Ashara didn’t know whether to answer, but she crept closer. As she neared the faint light, and her eyes became even more adjusted to the gloom, she suddenly saw, illuminated by the glow and silhouetted against the source of it, bars, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. This was a cell, she realised with a sinking stomach, and the person inside it…
The light was coming from a small green crystal on the floor, and it cast a faint glow onto a huddled figure in the corner of the cell. It was a boy with white hair glowing strangely in the light; but what struck Ashara most were his eyes. He was staring at her, wide-eyed, eyes reflecting the green light from the crystal – and they were filled with despair, and defeat. But as she looked at him, horror and pity rising in her, he looked back at her, and she thought she saw hope forming in them.
“You’re not one of them,” he said slowly, “You make noise when you walk. They don’t. They’re silent, you can’t hear them…”
“Who are you?” asked Ashara nervously.
“But you’re an elf,” he continued, seemingly not hearing her, “Your ears, you’re an elf… then you must know… who are you?”
“I just asked you that!” said Ashara. He didn’t say anything, but kept staring at her, trying to figure her out. “My name’s Ashara,” she said finally. His gaze suddenly intensified, and he sat up, staring wildly at her, not blinking. She continued uneasily “And I’m not an elf – at least, I don’t think I-”
He suddenly threw himself across the cell and snatched the neckline of her dress, pulling her sharply towards him. Ashara cried out in alarm, but he ignored her, grabbing her locket with his other hand. “That’s right, that’s right, you are, you’re Ashara!” he babbled excitedly, and he looked at her, and she was slightly alarmed by the frenzied fire burning in his eyes, “You’re her, you’re Ashara, Ashara Celestia Greenleaf – but wait – no-” All excitement seemed to be draining out of him as he looked at her, and replaced with utter horror and despair. He released her, much to her relief, and stepped back. “No – no – you can’t be here – why are you here?”
“Who in Middle-earth are you?” demanded Ashara, but the boy shook his head wildly and screamed,
“Why are you here?”
Shaken, quickly moving back from the cell, Ashara said, “I’m here to marry King Valistar – and when I tell him what you’ve done-”
“NO!” screamed the boy, and threw himself forward at the bars again, trying to reach her, “No, no, you can’t, you have to go, you can’t stay here – he must know, he’ll try to get it – you don’t know what he’s capable of!”
“What are you-” began Ashara, but a voice rang out behind her.
“Ashara, get away from him!”
Ashara turned, and saw Valistar running towards her. He looked furious, and for a moment Ashara was scared despite herself; but as he got closer, she saw he was looking at the boy in the cell, who looked terrified.
“Ashara!” the boy cried desperately, eyes begging her to believe him, “You can’t trust him, don’t listen to anything he says, he’s-”
Valistar grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way, before striding forwards and striking the boy through the bars. The boy collapsed back unconscious. Valistar looked down at him for a moment, breathing heavily, and when he looked up at Ashara, there was still anger burning in his eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked, “Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine,” said Ashara, rubbing her neck where the neckline had dug painfully into her skin.
“What did he say to you?” His face had changed; Ashara could scarcely recognise him as the boy she’d grown to like yesterday.
“Not much – I didn’t understand what he was going on about… who is he?”
Valistar didn’t answer straight away, but looked down at the boy through the bars again. After a moment, he took Ashara’s arm and led her away.
“He’s dangerous,” he said finally as they climbed the stairs, “He’s insane. You don’t want to believe anything he told you. There’s no good in him, he just lives to cause trouble. What did he actually say?”
“He knew who I was,” she said, still slightly shaken, “I told him I was Ashara, and he knew my other name was Celestia… but he also added Greenleaf on the end. Like Legolas,” she suddenly remembered.
Valistar froze next to her. His grip on her arm tightened. “Who?”
His voice had suddenly gone icy cold. Uneasily, she said, “Nothing – just a dream I had the other day. There was someone called Legolas Greenleaf in that…”
Valistar didn’t say anything, but propelled her upwards again into the brightly-lit hallway. There were several elves waiting for them, including Eranil, who hurried off when Valistar nodded at him. Valistar then led her over to a bench, and the two of them sat down on it. He still said nothing, but a moment later Eranil returned with a glass of something.
“Drink this,” said Valistar, handing it to her, “It’ll help.”
It was warm and slightly fruity. Ashara drained the glass quickly without thinking, and grimaced at the slightly sharp aftertaste it left. But as soon as she’d swallowed it, she could feel herself calming down.
“Is that better?” asked Valistar.
Ashara nodded, and said, “Yes, much. Thank you.” Her entire body was relaxing, and she was actually feeling a little sleepy now.
He gently took her chin and turned her face towards his, looking straight into her eyes.
“I don’t want you going down there again,” he said firmly, “That boy’s dangerous. He’s killed people before, and I wouldn’t put it past him to try to use you to his advantage. Or he could just kill you. He’d do anything to hurt me.”
Ashara nodded vaguely. Waves of tiredness were starting to wash over her, and she swayed slightly in her seat. Valistar put an arm around her, and she leant against him, feeling very warm and comfortable. Her eyelids were drooping slightly.
“Oh dear,” she heard him say with a smile in his voice, stroking her hair with one hand, “You’re looking a bit tired. Probably the stress… we’ll have to go riding another time.”
His voice seemed like it was coming from very far away. Ashara’s eyes closed, and just as she drifted off she felt him move away and let her slide down onto the bench. She heard him say something, and someone take hold of her, but then the blackness overwhelmed her and she sunk into oblivion.
She suddenly felt Sethan’s grip on her hands tighten. She blinked, and they were back in the empty room. Sethan was looking down into her face, concerned.
Ashara was shaken. She had met Sethan before – and Valistar had drugged her to make her sleep and forget. And he hadn’t seemed like a dangerous criminal then; he had seemed terrified, despairing, and truly overjoyed and horrified to find out that she was there.
“I was happy that you were alive,” he said, “But not happy you were with him.”
“I still don’t trust you,” said Ashara firmly.
“Fair enough. Several people have now told you I’m a murdering psychopath. But do you trust Valistar?”
Valistar… in that memory, she’d seen an entirely different side of him. He had acted cruelly to Sethan. Though, if he considered Sethan a threat, then that could be understood… But he’d drugged her. There was no question about it now. He must have had some reason to want to make her forget seeing Sethan.
“No,” she said, “I don’t.”
Sethan half-smiled. This close, Ashara was surprised at how tired he looked. She’d never noticed that before. “Well, that’s a start.”
“In the cell,” said Ashara suddenly, “you recognised me… you grabbed my locket… Why?”
“I knew your mother. A long time ago.”
Ashara stared. “How’s that possible? You – you look my age…”
Sethan suddenly grinned. “Now, if I had pointy ears, would you be asking that?”
Ashara found herself smiling, albeit embarrassedly, as well. “Well, no – but you don’t. I just assumed-”
“I’m not human,” he said, wandering over to the window again. “Nor am I an elf – or, as you can probably guess, a dwarf.”
“Then what are you?” asked Ashara, following him.
He didn’t reply. Ashara stood by his side, waiting. After a moment, he turned and looked her in the eyes. Once again, she felt slightly startled by the vivid clear shade of icy-blue of his eyes, and how they seemed to pierce her very soul. But she looked back into his, holding his gaze, and felt herself being drawn into them – as though she could see into the depths of his own soul…
“You couldn’t understand,” he said finally.
He moved away from her. More confused than ever, Ashara couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Are you really trying to take over the world?”
Sethan stopped. He turned very slowly to face her. “What?”
“With the Rings. Are you really trying to unleash Morgoth?”
Sethan stared at her. “Is that what you think?” he demanded.
“It’s what I’ve been told,” she said defensively.
“Oh. Just like you were told I was a psychopathic killer.”
“No-one said psychopathic. But you said yourself you were a killer.”
“I have killed people. That doesn’t make me a killer.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Sethan suddenly moved to her in two fast large strides, and for a second Ashara thought he was going to hit her. “What do you know about it??” he demanded, “You’ve grown up in Edoras, completely sheltered, you have no idea what’s been going on – you’re just a silly girl who doesn’t know anything! If you had any idea what was out there, of what it feels like to wake up every morning knowing there are hundreds of people who want you dead, but you still-”
He suddenly broke off, and stood still, his face very close to Ashara’s, breathing heavily, trying to control himself. Ashara looked into his eyes, not daring to move or speak. She was more scared now than she had been when he first took her in here; but she was also aware of another reason words had deserted her – the same feeling she had when Valistar had taken her up onto the cliff. They were so close…
He suddenly turned and strode away from her, his hand clenching his hair at the back of his head, looking down at the ground. Ashara felt redness rising in her cheeks at what she’d just felt, suddenly mortified. What was wrong with her?
“Look,” said Sethan, suddenly turning to her again, “Let’s get this clear. I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want to take over the world. I certainly don’t want to unleash Morgoth.”
“But they said you did,” said Ashara, utterly confused.
“Did they?” Sethan looked annoyed. “Has it dawned on you that THEY might be working for Morgoth?”
“How could they be? He’s still in the Void, isn’t he?”
“Yes, but his servants are still here,” snapped Sethan, “Honestly. Who do you think attacked Mirkwood and killed your parents?”
“I…” Ashara’s insides turned to ice. Heavy ice. “I didn’t know,” she said quietly, quickly lowering her eyes.
Sethan’s eyes softened. “Sorry – oh, Ashara, I’m sorry,” he said, moving to her as he saw her eyes filling with tears. He looked like he was about to hug her, but hesitated, and just patted her awkwardly on the arm instead, “I keep forgetting how little you know…”
“It’s all happening too fast!” cried Ashara, her voice breaking as tears started falling down her face, “This morning, I was on a picnic, then you attacked us, then I was rescued by a spaceship, told who my parents were and that you wanted to use me to unleash Morgoth and take over the world, then got driven down a crevasse by a lunatic genius, and now I find out that my fiancée drugged me and you’re NOT the bad guy after all!! What am I supposed to think??”
Sethan did hug her then. He folded her gently into his arms and rested her chin on his head. Ashara was at first a little surprised, then slightly embarrassed; then the turmoil and confusion of the past few days’ events overwhelmed her, and she broke down completely.
Sethan patiently held her as she sobbed into his chest, stroking her hair, waiting for it to pass. The tears kept on coming, and they seemed to stand there forever, alone in the room of Ashara’s mind. Finally the tears stopped, but neither of them moved. Ashara leant against him, eyes closed, suddenly very tired, and appreciative of the warm arms around her.
“Are you all right?” whispered Sethan in her ear.
“No,” mumbled Ashara, “I’m scared.”
After a moment, Sethan said, “You have every reason to be. These are dangerous times. Morgoth’s servants – the dark elves – will keep coming after you. They’ll either capture you, or kill you.”
“Are you trying to be comforting?!” said Ashara, looking up at him and managing a choked laugh of disbelief.
Sethan suddenly smiled as well, widely, and for a moment his face shone as brightly as the sun. “I’m not good at this,” he admitted, “I haven’t exactly spent much time with nice people…” The smile faded, and he just looked down at her. Even though he was no longer smiling, Ashara felt that he was still happy. “But while you have every reason to be afraid,” he said, “you don’t have to be.”
He was still holding her. “Why’s that?”
“Because,” he said, a slight smile appearing in the corner of his mouth, his ice in his eyes melted and replaced with warmth, “I’m going to look after you.”
Suddenly he vanished. Ashara blinked, and spun round in a circle, looking for him. She was completely alone in the room. “Sethan?” she said, and then yelled, “Sethan?”
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Post by goblingirl on Aug 30, 2006 10:33:08 GMT -5
Bah. Now I trust no one.
And, just as a piece of Fae jargon, another name for the Dark Elves is the UnSeelie. I love that word. Seelie, Unseelie, Seelie, Unseelie....
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Aug 30, 2006 10:55:40 GMT -5
No-one? At ALL?
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