“You all shall be the first witnesses, or the first sacrifices, to the Fourth age of the Eldar!” They all saw the horror and loss on their own faces, reflected back to them, in the Mistress’ silver mask.
Arahen’s eye fell on Heartbreaker on the ground, the bow, normally pulsing in blue light, was dark and cold. As she reached towards it, the Mistress stepped forward to rest her foot on the bow.
The silver mask flashed, hiding what seemed like cruel mirth. “All that I may desire is mine...and I have come a long way for this prize...I will not allow a dilatant, a lessor daughter of greater father's, to deny me. Soon my banners will fly in your beloved Lorien as well, and the trees will blaze purple rather than gold.”
Nethrida drew her sword and braced herself just beyond the bridge and turned half away from the confrontation between the elves. She narrowed her eyes at the masked ones gathering. "You will bring our Xan back... I won’t forgive you for this" She hissed but kept her focus on the surroundings.
All around the company, the Masked figures did not seem priming to attack, as of yet...they seemed to be...containing the group. Beyond the pavilion, along the path they had walked to reach the Mistress, the sound of shattering stone echoed harshly....and in a wave along the path, all the vegetation died as if a poison flooded over the land.
Eduwiges noted the plants dying and rotting and growled at Nethrida. “I TOLD you I smelled something…”
On the bridge, Calidis unsheathed her greatsword, gripping it tightly if a bit awkwardly, though she didn’t seem to wield it threateningly. Tears streamed down pale cheeks as her expression morphed to one of slow building rage and desperation. "You murderer. Bring her back!" She planted her feet, now no more than a few arm’s lengths away from the other Xanderian, her voice climbing in volume. The pendant about her neck remained curiously dark. "Bring her back *now*!"
As the Mistresses attention was on Calidis, Addiela unfastened her staff and brought it around from her back to have it at the ready if needed. Her eyes flited towards the banners and then back toward the water; after a moment’s careful thought, she darted off the bridge, leaping the short distance from the bridge head to the shore so as to avoid the eerily glowing water. Grasping the nearest banner, she pulled it down roughly. The silken cloth was icy cold in her hand....and turning she cast it into the water. With wide eyes she would see that in the water’s reflection a green and gold pennant of Rivendell would seem to grace the now empty space as the purple banner sank slowly into the misty water.
On the path behind the group, the sound of settling stone would still be echoing, but now mixed with a booming. “Drums?” Ryn would wonder…”No...footsteps!” A howl then went up from the elves in masks that would chill the bones of some of the group...'
Taking advantage of the Masked elves distraction, Eduwiges moves forward quickly, rushing the bridge and nearly knocking both Calidis and Arahen aside. The Rohan girl grabbed the stunned Mistress with her free hand around her neck, and lifted her off the ground with a roar of rage and pain. 'You will bring her back or you will die! Your game is at an end witch!'
The Mistress gasped, staring…one hand flailing and then pulling the silver mask away, revealing the empty sockets of her destroyed eyes blazing with a lavender fire. She seemed to stare down into Eduwiges face, her expression that of a lover, then she kissed the woman full on the lips. Eduwiges pale eyes suddenly opened wide as she dropped the elf and staggered back…falling to the stone, her eyes open, staring upwards to the ceiling of the pavilion as her strong breathing went horrifically silent.
Calidis and Arahen both cried out in horror as Eduwiges fell dead before them, and behind on the path the howls of the Masked formed into words. "Droog Comes....!!!"
Oblivious to the fate of Eduwiges, Carneryn 's eyes went wise watching the darkness. "Th-The scratching... Something comes..." she closed her mouth and steeled herself, her eye and her sword both glowing. "What have they called from the deep?"
Nethrida took a deep breath "Brace yourself... If that is what I think it is, it is not our friend. Remember what I told you about the footwork" She murmured and hoisted her sword up and prepared her stance, ready for whatever may come, certain that Eduwiges would be on her feet again soon.
On the bridge, Calidis knelt down to pull the lifeless Eduwiges into her arms. However when she heard the name Droog she froze and grew a few shades paler, if that was at all possible. "No..." She held Edu's head protectively with one hand and reached out to clutch at the other Xan's gown in a desperate, angry grip, repeating herself. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
Meanwhile, in another place, Eduwiges woke slowly in the ruins of Faldham...blood in your eyes, the smoke acrid....and realised she was in a set stocks..suspended in the air. Another rock was thrown, hitting her in the head as the crowd screamed.
“ Where WERE YOU..you and your fancy ELFWARD...where WERE YOU as we died????? YOU FAILED US…ALLL OF US!!!”
A woman stood in the crowd, clutching a dead child, and threw another stone."That is the slut..the one...the daughter of the traitor....when they came...the armory was EMPTY because of you and your cursed father...our people died unarmed...dishonored while you whored through Gondor”
Eduwiges kicked and screamed. “Noooo! I was here! We saved you!”
Another rock hit her..."YOU saved YOURSELVES. YOU ABANDONED YOUR OATH!?
Eduwiges’ blood flowed from her scalp where the rocks had struck her. One eye was swollen shut. “Never! We never abandoned you!!' she cried but descended into hysterics. The thought that the woman carrying the dead child looked like her mother made it all the worse.
“TRAITOR!!!!” the woman shrieked. “WE WERE HELPLESS WHEN THE ELVES ATTACKED....all because of YOU”
Eduwiges came to herself for a moment at those words, Elves attacked... Elves attacked? She realized things were not right and began to struggle with her bonds again, trying to escape the stocks..... 'This is not real!' she screamed.
“TELL THAT TO HIM, WHORE!!!” Another rock struck her...as her father's head was rolled to the base of her stocks, both of his eyes gouged out….and Eduwiges lost herself to madness.
On the bridge, Arahen stared at the Mistress, playing for time as Calidis keened over Eduwiges. "What's your point in all this?"
Behind the mask the Mistress would seem to smile. “Why, isn’t that obvious? Setting the world to right, Antique one...."
Addiela's eyes widen as the announcement is made for Droog. Staring at the reflection of the banner, a wild thought struck her and she ran across the bridge, winding her staff back like a club and swung. Only Arahen’s evel reactions caused her to step back as the ornate tip of the staff flew with brutal force towards the Mistress’ silver mask. Her aim was to knock the woman into the strange water…but at the last moment, the Mistress lifted her hand and caught the end of the staff.
Addie stared wide eyed as the silver mask turned to her…and the blond woman’s corpse collapsed to the bridge just as Eduwiges had, unmoving, no longer breathing. Her staff slid across the stone of the bridge and caught fire as Arahen screamed in rage.
In another place a cultured yet harsh voice awoke Addiela from a light slumber. “Addiela...stand up, we must find your husband!”. Looking up with bleary eyes, Addie saw the death of Edoras swirling around her..horses screaming...buildings burning...
Her mother dragged at her, forcing her to move painfully. Addie wondered why it was so exhausting to even stand then looked down at her swollen belly. “Oh…” she thought, “Because I am 8 months pregnant…of course.”
Her mother pulled at her hand as two children clung to her skirts, sniveling. "Hurry, the elves will be through the gates soon....”
Addie pulled her hand away, her voice full of scorn. “Let go of me. I can walk on my own and I do NOT follow your orders…”
Her mother was not having and, and slapped Addie sharply. “Hush you stupid girl....we have to find the other children and get to shelter...'
Addiela tasted blood on her lips, her head snapped to the side…and slowly turned her eyes to face the woman, letting every bit of hatred she had ever felt for the harpy flow through her. “No, I shall burn here.”
Her mother screamed at her, beyond reason, her eyes mad with fear and rage towards this disappointment of a daughter...then stopped, blood running down her chin. She fells forward, two graceful elven arrows in her back....the continuing hail of arrows slaying Riders and horses all around them.
Addie smiled. “Goodbye witch, I only regret I did not hold the bow.”
All around her she saw nothing but the dead and fire...as in the distance she heard a thundering roar as the gates fell, the sound of elven trumpets driving both of the children to scream.
Addie looked down. “I am sorry, but this is not real, I have lived through such tricks before. I know you children not. What happens to you is not my concern.”
From above a voice screamed in terror…”The king is DEAD…King Grima is DEADDDDDD!!!!”
Addie smiled again. “Excellent…now my dream is complete.” She closed her eyes and lay down in the burning ruins. This was a good moment to finally die….
In the pavilion, the ground shook as in the ancient archway stood the troll Droog...20 feet high...empty eye socked black as night just as they had been when they first faced him in Calidis’ memories.
Droog struck the ground again and Ryn was cast into the water...hands pulling her down towards the depths as she struggled'
Nethrida cried out "Ryn!" when she saw her flung into the water and for a moment considered diving after, but the troll was still an issue. She grit her teeth and with no other way out, seeing both Eduwiges and Addie fallen, Xanderian gone, she resigned herself and held her sword up in front of her face and then charged at the troll with an angry cry.
Droog reaches down and grabbed Nethrida...lifted her up, ignoring the sword blows against his enormous hand....and began to squeeze.
On the bridge, still on her knees Calidis had watched Addie fall with wide-eyed shock. She closed her eyes and hissed desperately to the pendant around her throat, "Hastaina, if you ever loved me or my father, please, do *something*." She gripped the other Xan's gown tighter and glared up at her despite the rest of her expression being colored by anguish and tears. "Stop this. This is not the world anyone would want. What have you done to bring that troll here when he should be dead? Answer!"
The Mistress smiled behind her mask. “I have brought him here as proof of my power...for you...join me, and I will bring your father here as well...to create a new world and new tokens of power, wielded by those who deserve to rule...A new ring…one ring, to rule EVERYTHING.”
As Nethrida struggled in the grip of the monster, feeling her life ebbing away, the Mistress kicks Eduwiges’ and Addies corpses away from the bow, Heartbreaker. "A single arrow will end the cowardess of Gondor...and then you must make your choice, sweet Calidis...life everlasting beside your father, hale and well, holding my hand....or death at last with the rest of these so-called Misfits…And you, Lady of Orodreth..will you accept the future and aid my crusade?”
Arahen shook her head slowly and drew her sword, handing it to the Mistress, in a last hopeless gambit. “No…I'm afraid you'll have to kill me then.”
The Mistress paused, confused…as if she were unsure what she was holding.
Rising, Calidis took up her own sword again. "I saw NO as well…I choose neither! You give our Xanderian back to us. You bring Addiela and Eduwiges back. You send that troll back to where he belongs and you leave this place... For whatever price you want me to pay. Do you understand? My choice for my father was made in this reality... I refuse to choose either of the hopeless paths you have given to me. So, what is the third option?"
Her head tilting, the Mistress sounded truly heartbroken. 'Well then..it seems the third option is….”
Still holding Arahen's sword in one hand, the Mistress reached down with the other and picked up the inert, silent Heartbreaker…. and was blown backwards six feet, the bow dropping to the floor again as the Mistress lay stunned on the cold stone of the pavilion.
Light flooded back into the bow and a sweet, rising hum seemed to emanate from it. Droog dropped Nethrida to the turf..staggering backwards, looking confused....as Ryn kicked up for air, the hands releasing her. Both Addie and Edu gasped for air, stirred and groaned...as if waking from a deep sleep.
Arahen and Calidis looked around them, confused. The two dozen or so masked figures also look confused..as one of them rushed onto the bridge, silver blade in hand as she ran at Calidis’ unprotected back. “NOOOOO…MISTRESSSSS” she shouted and prepared to strike. Calidis saw her out of the corner of her eye, and could only brace herself for the killing blow.
Suddenly the purple gowned form of the Mistress rolled forward, scooping up Heartbreaker and nocking an arrow in a single move. Settling on her knee she aimed and fired directly at Calidis. Time seemed to stand still, and with the blade behind and the arrow before her, Cal felt as if that moment had somehow been ordained from the first step she took from Imladris…and if that was indeed so, if that was her end, then the brief freedom and love she had enjoyed had been worth it.
But the arrow hurtled over her shoulder and struck the figure with the knife, knocking her to the ground in a spray of blood just as a bright, blazing light struck Droog.... who seemed to melt in the sunlight like snow.
The arrow had spun the attacking figure onto her back, her silver mask breaking to reveal Merilos, eyes wide with a certainty of death just as strong as Calidis’ had been a moment before.
Calidis looked back, confused to see Heartbreaker and hearing it’s song grow louder as the Mistress pulled her own silver mask off roughly....revealing a wild eyed Xanderian, herself again.
Elrond strode past where the troll had been as his men rounded up the Masked and surveyed the carnage. Eduwiges struggled to stand up and collapsed back to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. For the moment she was shattered but Addie helped her to her feet. Addie, in counterpoint, seemed strangely satisfied with the nightmare she had had.
Carneryn trudges out of the water, her light tinged with red as she attempted to tackle the nearest masked figure. She grabbed one, her eye blazing with a red light and pummeled him until Neth caught her had, afraid she would actually kill the elf. The elf, battered and terrified, would have agreed with Neth as he ran to the safety of Elrond’s guard.
Arahen stood back, trying to understand what had taken pace as Calidis looked to Xanderian and reached out with a shaking hand, as if to reassure herself that she was real. But then she looked over her shoulder and saw Elrond and his host... and Merilos on the ground with an arrow in her. She moved quickly towards her, tears still running down her cheeks. Through her panic she remembered something and reaches into the bag at her hip to pull out a necklace with a bloodstone set in silver. She placed it about the Merilo’s neck and pulled up down her sleeve to reveal a bracelet above her sapphire, also made of blood stone. "... My debt to you will be repaid." She whispered something softly, activating the enchantment she had set in both stones, to transfer the wound from one person to another...
Xanderian looked on in horror...watched Cal fall, blood running down the shoulder of her gown and fell to her knees beside her.
Calidis looked up at Xan weakly and whispered. “I have had this for…awhile. it was supposed to be given to someone else…but that person rejected it. I am glad it will…have a use.”
Calidis winced and groaned slightly in pain, even as she reached out to remove the arrow from Merileth before her wound can close over it. Her voice was still angry as she spoke to the stunned elf. "Never again, Merilos... My debt is repaid. Do not come to see me again. Do not come to speak harshly against Xanderian again. Until your madness has passed, I do not wish to see you again."
With that she lay still as the healers of Elrond moved to her, the others slowly rising, gathering themselves as Arahen exchanged a few words with Elrond himself before returning to them.
Arahen tried to smile..."The Lord Elrond urges us all to complete our business and leave them to clean all this up...to complete our business QUICKLY. It seems he wishes us elsewhere and I must agree. Let us return to the estate as the healers see to Calidis, we have much to understand…and bags to pack.”
