A Daughter's Love

Ithilwen explained it all in more detail though she had also explained this to Serethiel as well. Due to Serethiel’s exposure her dreams were not corrupted just like Conleth’s were. The difference was Conleth had become a sort of host for her spirit and she used his own dreams to slowly consume his soul.

“Beren is going to be furious with me,” Ithilwen said. “I promised him I would not interfere,” she continued and offered Nauriel a small smile. “I will need to make it up to him,” she said but didn’t seem to be all that upset about that. For an instant Ithilwen shared a knowing look with Nauriel about that and she didn’t blush at all.

In the spare bedroom Ithilwen asked Nauriel to lay down. The bed wasn’t as large as the other beds but it was comfortable. “I will take you but I can not enter or help you, please remember that. Also, remember that your father loves you. Use that love to aid and protect you against this evil,” she suggested. “Now, you must go to sleep,” she said as she moved to sit beside her on the bed.

Before joining Ithilwen in the spare bedroom, Nauriel wrote two letters in case something should happen to her. One was addressed to Beren and the other to her husband. She knew that in a perfect world that this would be something she would discuss with him first, but there wasn't time. Her father was dying and she was going to do something about it. She then gave the letters to Ithilwen and told her to ensure that Beren and Elessar received them should she not return. She hoped that wouldn't be the case, but she wanted to be prepared.

She did as Ithilwen instructed and lay down on the bed. She listened to her sister-in-law and nodded slightly. She felt a some nervousness, but she focused her mind on her father and felt that nervousness quickly become resolve. She would keep his soul from this woman even if it meant her own death. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing and within a few minutes was asleep...

After the 2 day ride sleep came quickly. As the mist of sleep enveloped her she woke to the feeling of movement. When she sat up though she found that she was in some kind of stable. There was hay all around her and the smell of hay, horses and horse dung. Dim light painted the white walls just outside the stall she was in. She knew she was in a stable by the wood slat walls and gate. Not just any stable, her father’s stable.

As her eyes adjusted to the light she found that there was something wrong with her vision. Everything had a dim, washed out look and every movement she made seem to have an odd afterimage.

Opening the exiting the stall she was in she found that there were no horses here but it was definitely night time. That or it was always night here. She could not be certain. The stable was very much like she knew it would be. There were several large stalls and double doors on either side of the horse hall. As she passed by one of the stalls however her ears perked up at the sound of someone inside it.

A man in a gray cloth hat looked up at her in surprise. He looked vaguely familiar and his outfit denoted that of a common stable hand. Immediately he dropped his hay rake and snatched his hat off of his head. “Oh...my queen, you can’t be here,” he said with obvious fear in his voice and in his face. He looked about frantically. “If the dark lady finds you! Oh you must go back, you must!” he warned and came out of the stall. “Please milady, go back!” he said. And then recognition hit her. This is Domer Luin, her father’s old stableman. He was many years dead now but he was much like she remembered. She was in her father’s dream and obviously a part of him wanted her to leave.

The first thing that Nauriel noticed was the smell. It was a familiar scent of hay and horses. Ever so slowly her eyes opened and she found herself in a place she knew very well. It was her father's stable. Everything, down the most miniscule detail was correct and Nauriel was stunned by how real it all seemed. The only thing that gave away that she was not in the real world was her vision. There was a gray, washed out look to everything. She slowly walked out of the stall she had been in and running her hand along the wood she discovered she could feel everything as well. As she was walking towards the main stable doors she heard a voice that sounded familiar. Turning her head she saw a man dressed in gray. As she looked at him he seemed to recognize her and it was then that she realized who it was. It was Domer Luin. He had been a stablehand for her father for many years, but he was long since dead. Clearly he brought a sense of comfort to her father if Domer was in his dream.

"I cannot go back. I have come here to save my father. Please, just tell me where he is and where she is. I will not leave until I know he is safe."

He looked at her worriedly and squeezed his hat over and over as he looked one way and then another nervously. He practically danced from one foot to another as if he couldn’t decide to stand still or to run. As she exited the stable though he seemed to disappear in a puff of colorful smoke. Beyond the stable there was a cobbled stone courtyard and path that led down to the main house. Gray, green grass rolled before her and she heard horses hooves as they ran out in the nearby fenced in pasture. She heard them but her vision didn’t seem to be able to see that far, as if beyond the fence everything ceased to exist. The house too seemed like a shaded after image of itself however as she moved down the cobbled path, the grass, the trees and the area around her seemed to leap into being.

In the distance an ominous bell tolled. It sounded like a warped version of the dinner bell but a woman’s cackle echoed above it then grew slowly softer and softer until it disappeared. As if just now she had noticed it, a military style tent stood just off the cobbled path. A faint, pale light came from it and also the sound of several women giggling and murmuring softly. There was moaning as well as if there was someone having sex inside. As she drew closer to it she found that she knew this tent. It was the King’s tent, with the banner of the white tree just above and behind it. The murmurs came again and through the open slit where a bit of light was able to escape she could see movement inside. And the paleness of naked flesh.

Nauriel had hoped to learn something from Domer, but he appeared either unable or unwilling to say anything more and a moment later he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Nauriel sighed and exited the stables. Looking around her everything appeared as it did in real life and yet there was an odd feeling about this place. She could see nothing beyond the fenced pasture and she knew then that this woman and her father must be close.

A bell tolled in the distance, but it was the sound of the woman's cackle that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Then suddenly the woman's voice faded and was gone. She was here...somewhere. As Nauriel looked just beyond the cobbled path she suddenly noticed a military tent. There was a soft light coming from inside and as she walked closer she could hear the sounds of giggling and then moaning. However, as she drew even closer she realized that she knew this tent. It was her husband's tent. Fear gripped her for a brief moment, but she pushed it aside as she thought about her father and reminded herself that this wasn't real. She slowly moved even closer and she peered inside through the slit.

Inside she saw one woman riding him, her large, young, round breasts bounced as she bounced atop him. The other two were on each side of him, one kissing him while the other licked his left nipple. Nauriel would know all 3 of these women, they were daughters of 2 of his generals. They had attended several royal balls and they had simpered and flaunted themselves at Elessar shamelessly. He had enjoyed their attentions once but later began to dread it or so she always thought. What was happening was some, deep down thought or worry she had almost to exacting detail. The King was often gone for long periods of time and he could easily engage in such activities without her ever knowing.

Behind her several people suddenly appeared. People who she had seen before here or there but didn’t know their names. They chuckled at her as they shouted obscene suggestions as to what those women should do to the King next. “Beauty fades my queen!” An old woman cackled from the crowd. “Look at her, she’s so old!” Another one said and pointed at her as he laughed. They all began repeating that to her. “The queen is old!” “Not beautiful anymore!” And they laughed as if it was all some big joke. “The King’s got something better now!” They repeated.

Nauriel knew that she wasn't going to like what she was about to view. It would probably be something she wished she had never seen, but she had to look. She had to understand this woman in order to defeat her and so she forced herself to peer through the flap. What she saw was not real, but it certainly seemed real. She knew those girls. They were the daughters of Elessar's two generals. They had flaunted themselves at him and tried to gain his attention, but to no avail. Though she knew that this scene was fake, it still caused her stomach to turn and her head to spin. She turned suddenly, not realizing that people had appeared behind her. She recognized them slightly, but did not know their names. She stood there, letting them say those things to her, but she did not respond to them. That was just what this woman wanted...was for her to get upset and fall into her trap. She wouldn't...she couldn't. She closed her eyes and began to call to mind every wonderful thing that had passed between Elessar and herself over the years. She thought about the first time they had met...the first time they had kissed...the first time they had made love...when he had proposed to her in Rivendell...when they finally got married ten years later...the births of each of their children...and the way he looked at her everyday. She could hear his voice in her ear telling her that he loved her and she would never doubt that he meant it. She was his and he was hers. A feeling of love and peace came over her and she even smiled a little.

"You will not defeat me...I am stronger than you know."

The cackle came again and as if on a canvas, the people and the tent seemed to melt away as if a heavy rain washed them down into the grass below. A bit further down the path a woman in a dark, violet dress and long, jet black hair danced upon the cobbled path. She was graceful to an extent and much younger than she had first appeared but Nauriel would know who she was. The woman paused upon seeing her and then bowed regally. “My queen,” She said almost mockingly. “I thank you for coming. A bit unexpected that but now that you are here I have learned so much about you,” she said with an evil grin.

“You are a woman with secrets, I love secrets myself,” she said. Once more an image formed just off the path and it resolved into a bed. Beren’s bed and two people were there. Herself, a young woman and Beren, then a young man. They were making love and the dark woman leaned over the headboard and watched with interest. “This one is interesting, is it not? I wonder how your father will react when he learns how close you and your brother actually were,” she said. There was more to it too, somewhere in the back of Nauriel’s mind Ithilwen was there and her surprise, a slim, glimmer of it drew through her.

“Oh...the elf...I’ve always hated elves,” the dark woman said dryly and her face took on a sudden bored look. "So, you’ve come for your father...do you suggest a parlay or do you intend to take him by force?” she asked as she crossed her arms across her ample breasts.

When Nauriel opened her eyes the image of the tent and the people was gone, but she was not alone. Down the path she saw the woman she sought. She was younger than she had expected, but there was a darkness within her that made Nauriel shudder and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She slowly walked to meet her, but remained ever on guard. She looked at her, but said nothing. She knew she was going to try and wear her down, but she would not allow it. Her father's life depended on her and she would not let him down.

She looked at the woman slightly when she mentioned her having secrets, and knew immediately what secret she was speaking of. She glanced over at the image and suddenly felt Ithilwen's surprise. She hated this woman, but remained calm and strong.

"I have no intention of negotiating with you. I will take him by force if it comes to it." She was quiet a moment before continuing on. "Why do you even care about him? Is it only because he shunned you and for once you couldn't have your way. He is a good man and deserves better than to be treated like this."

The dark haired woman’s eyes seemed to get even darker at Nauriel’s words. “You speak of what you do not know! I was abandoned, left to exist in this world alone!” she hissed. “You’ve never been alone, never been shunned by the world! The dark powers are for the faithful!” She growled and then giggled and cackled almost maniacally.

With Sauron gone and his influence upon the world eradicated she had been left alone. Like a forgotten soldier who had been promised much. Everything she had fought for now though had crumbled to dust and all she wanted now was to have the only man she thought she loved. It was an irrational feeling but Conleth had fought her the entire time and that made him irresistible to her. Her cackles ended abruptly and she smoothed out her black dress as she seemed to come to her senses. She gave Nauriel a smug smile.

“Do you think his dreams are all who I can control child? How to prove to you that you can not help him,” she thought and tapped her temple with a finger as if thinking about it. A sly smile appeared and her dark gaze turned upon her once more. “Here he comes...talk to him, convince him to go with you. If you succeed you may take him,” she said and her face had a confident look about it. Down the path a tall man had suddenly appeared. In the shadows it was difficult to make out who he was but after only a few steps he staggered and fell to his knees. In the time it took Nauriel to look over at the man, the enchantress had dissolved into a dark, inky smoke and disappeared.

Nauriel hated this woman with every fiber of her being. She was dark and evil and did not deserve to exist in this or any world. Nauriel's determination to rid her father of her control was even stronger now. Even if she had to take his place and exist here forever she would to save him. He and Mother had done more than she could have ever imagined for she and her siblings. She was the woman she was today because of them. No, she would not let this woman win.

Suddenly, she looked down the path and her father appeared. He looked ragged and weak and she immediately rushed over to him when he fell to his knees. She helped him up and looked at him.

"Ada, it's me...Nauriel. I've come to help you...to free you of this woman and take you home."

Her father was dressed in the clothes he usually wore. Dark pants tucked into black boots with a button up shirt rolled up to his forearms. He wasn’t a man who flaunted his wealth. He was modest with a way about him that appealed to most everyone. Noble and commoner alike. His deeds and bravery were well known to the older folk in Gahanna and also in Minas Tirith and Edoras as well. He and her mother. He stopped as if startled that someone had addressed him. At first it didn’t appear he recognized her but then recognition filled his eyes and he smiled. But his smile faded quickly. “Nauriel? Is it really you? What are you doing here?” he asked as he began to look around worriedly. His gaze settled back and he took hold of her shoulders.

“You need to leave...get out of here,” he said warningly. “She’ll find you here...you need to go daughter, please,” he urged, and familiar lines of worry creased his face. Just on the edge of sight, dark shapes began to appear just off the path to the left and right of her and it didn’t take long for her to know what they were. Wolves, several of them just on the fringe of where the washed out part of the landscape met the shadowy, colors that had that dingy, washed out look.

Nauriel shook her head strongly and looked at her father. "I know all about her father. I'm not afraid of her. I'm going to get you home. Please...Mother needs you. Whatever this woman is doing to you it's effecting her as well. You and she both are going to die soon if we don't do something. I need you to help me fight her."

Conleth looked at her for a long while without speaking. He had missed her dearly but knew she had responsibilities. She was a queen, his own daughter, the queen of Gondor. Could he be more proud? And her children...Eldarion...his blood would be preserved in him. He hugged her tightly and a few tears stained his cheeks.

“Nauriel,” he said softly unable to keep the deep emotion he had for her out of his voice. He hardly ever showed emotion like this, obviously what was happening was affecting him and why shouldn’t it? “We’ve lived a long life. A good life, let me go,” he said softly and the wolves began to dart back and forth just off the path around her. They growled and looked agitated. Oddly their coats shimmered like amber no...gold. Golden wolves, her father’s standard. They growled at her and showed their teeth. Conleth looked over at them and they came to sit back on their haunches.

“This...place, she is here but this is my dream. She has taken it over but you can still change things here if you will it to be so,” he said. He wanted her to leave but deep in his heart he knew she wouldn’t. She felt she owed him and Serethiel something. Part of him loved that sense of honor in her and part of him wished she just leave and save herself. “But you must will it and believe it or it will not be. Do you understand?” he asked.

“She torments me and Serethiel when she comes. She will try to get inside your head and turn you against yourself. She is an evil remnant from the war and she is dying just like I am dying,” he said. The wolves suddenly melted and resolved into a large, black warhorse. The one that carried him in battle during the war of the ring. A form in his dark green armor sat atop it and his large sword was in its hand. “I try to fight her Nauriel, but she is so strong…” he said and gasped as if he was suddenly exhausted. He stumbled onto her and it was all she could do o keep him upright. “I’m tired...so so tired,” he groaned.

Nauriel looked at her father and shook her head. "Father, I don't think you entirely understand. If your body dies right now then your soul and then mother's will remain trapped her forever with her. Neither of you will rest in peace...nor will you and Mother be allowed to be together. I...I need you still Father. I...I have been having dreams...no visions about Kressara. Another war is coming and Kressara is going to save us all. She is going to become the greatest warrior Middle Earth has ever seen and it will be because of you and Mother. She needs you...Middle Earth still needs you both. Please Father...don't let this woman win. Fight her...let me help you fight her."

“I’m...sorry, Nauriel. I won’t let you do that,” he said sadly. And then his shape seemed to ‘melt’ and flow over to the form on the horse. A face appeared in the large, green helm, her father’s face. A horrid smelling wind rose from the east and she heard the dark woman’s cackle in that breeze. Up ahead of her dark shapes resolved into people. People that began to move toward her.

Conleth reared his horse and began to trot in a small circle around her on and off the path. The shapes moved into the dim light of one of the lanterns that lit the path and Nauriel knew who they were. Eldarion, Laenaya and her other children moved forward toward her. They were all dressed in clothes that she had seen them in before, fine dresses and jewelry, Eldarion in a fine, dark suit and black leather boots. They stopped before her and smiled affectionately at her. Eldarion was the tallest ofcourse and he put his shoulder on Kressara who looked as if she was uncertain. “Go ahead, it’s alright,” He said reassuringly and she nodded.

“Mother? Are you really her?” She said as she came toward her. She stopped right in front of her and curtsied. Before Nauriel could do anything else Kressara slashed at her with a dagger that seemed to come out of nowhere. Reflexively she blocked it with her arm and she felt a sharp pain but Kressara continued to press her. Her face grinned darkly as she continued her attack.

Nauriel felt a wave of desperation come over her, but she pushed it back and continued to focus her attention on her love for her father and family. She had come this far...she wouldn't let this woman win. She would have to do this without his help. She had her clutches too far into him. She would have to pry his soul from her. Up ahead she could suddenly see people moving towards her. As they got closer to could see they were her children. Each of them was there, but though they looked exactly like them, she knew that they were not her children. There was something...dark and evil about them. She watched as Kressara suddenly came towards her. She stopped right in front of her and curtsied, but then within a blink of an eye a dagger came at her from Kressara's hand. Instinctively, Nauriel blocked the dagger with her arm and she felt a sharp pain as the blade cut into her flesh. Nauriel had no weapon and felt a bit of panic rise up within her, but then she remembered something her father had said. She closed her eyes and thought hard and then suddenly she felt a pair of daggers in her hand. Opening her eyes she could see that they were her own...the very ones she had carried with her throughout the war and that now sat in a locked case in the bedroom she and her husband shared. They had white, bone handles that were well worn, but the blades were sharp and gleamed in the sunlight.

Nauriel began to fight back now. She did not let the fact that this...thing had her child's face distract her. This was not Kressara. Kressara was safe at home in Minas Tirith. Despite the fact that she was now a Queen and had not fought in several decades it was all instinct to her and she moved as if she had only been in battle yesterday. Nauriel was fast, agile, and much more skilled with a weapon than this being and within moments the fight was over. Nauriel plunged one of the daggers deep into "Kressara's" chest.

And then her other children came at her with bared steel just like Kressara. Nauriel, now armed was like a whirlwind and each time she only just deflected their blows they came on again. The only way she saw to stop them was to kill them. At the end of it, they all laid on the pavement, bleeding, groaning and dying. It was a horrible sight, they looked just like she knew them in her mind. Eldarion grabbed at her ankle.

“My babes...I’ll never see them,,,born,” he said as blood gurgled out of his mouth. His grip loosened and his head lowered back down. After a few moments none of them moved or made a sound. She had killed them, every one.

But that wasn’t the only torment she suffered. In her search for the dark woman everything and everyone she came across had tried to kill her. Animals, men, women, children, people she knew and others she didn’t. She had reached the house and as she suspected, the darkly clad woman was there on the decking. She rocked in her mother’s chair and held what looked like a long spear that seemed to glow a dark blood red/violet. The same coloring Conleth’s wounds looked like. She handled the spear idly and turned to look at Nauriel as she came up the path.

“Ah, good, you’ve survived. Before I kill you I want you to choose...which of your children will die,” she said with a smile on her face. Her eyes looked...uncannily confident as if what she was saying she either believed or could actually accomplish. “Choose or I will take 2 of my own choosing,” she said. She heard the clop of Conleth’s horse and he rode up behind her then stopped. He was still in his armor and his sword was still in his hand.

“If she strikes you with that spear, you will end up like me and Serethiel,” he warned. ”It is a thing of hate and evil. An old weapon not meant for this world,” he said. “Please Nauriel, flee while you still can,” he pleaded as the dark woman stood up and moved to the edge of the decking. She flourished that spear like she knew how to use it. The sharpened end shimmered as she whirled it about her person. The shaft was just a blur of movement.

Nauriel felt a change too in the air. As if they were all being watched. it was an odd sensation, so slight that it barely registered in her mind. "Come Nauriel, I am a woman of my word. Make your choice or watch 2 die horribly," she said with an evil grin. "You're a monster!" Conleth snapped and he gripped his sword more tightly.

Nauriel knew Conleth was probably one of the best swordsman that the world has ever known and yet he had been defeated. it was true that she didn't know how he was defeated, or her mother so that did take something away from this woman's threats but it was clear how she planned to kill her. That spear pulsed in her grasp as if it were more than it seemed.

It was emotionally difficult for Nauriel to stand there over the bodies of her dead children. Yet, she knew this was all just a part of this evil woman's plan. She wanted to throw Nauriel off guard so she would make a mistake, but Nauriel remained confident and level headed. She knew that if she was anything otherwise she would play directly into this woman's hands and she could not allow that to happen. As she continued to search for the dark woman she encountered more people and animals and she was forced to kill them all. This woman was playing a game that Nauriel didn't like, but she knew she was getting closer to her. Finally, she walked into the manor house and found the woman there sitting in her mother's rocking chair with a spear in her hand. The end of the spear was blurred and difficult to see, but Nauriel knew it was there. Nauriel wasn't one to hate, but she hated this woman to her very core. There was nothing redeeming about this woman and Nauriel knew she had to do something.

Before I kill you I want you to choose...which of your children will die. Choose or I will take 2 of my own choosing.

Nauriel remained calm as she stood there. Something in her heart told her that this was all a bluff...or perhaps she just hoped it was. She forced the anger from her mind to allow it to remain unclouded. They had reached the end of the game and it appeared that she was going to die. But then she suddenly got the feeling that she was being watched. Not by someone in this world...but by someone else. The feeling was subtle, but Nauriel had felt it. She glanced over at her father and then looked back at the dark woman.

"Kill me if you must, but leave my children be."

The woman’s mouth curled in into a smile. One of those smiles that would make Nauriel feel as if this woman knew something she did not. “Very well, Kressara will die...and Eldarion so your seed will die with him!” She said almost as if it pleased her that Nauriel rejected her offer. “ I will flay the flesh from his body and he will BEG me to kill him!” she said. Conleth looked over at Nauriel and saw tears in her eyes. She was going to die and he knew by her expression that she was thinking about Elessar and her children. She looked over at him and her love for him was obvious on her face. It flowed from her like a raging river, swollen from the spring rains. As the dark woman stepped toward her he saw Nauriel raise up her blades to defend. As she did his sword began to vibrate. When he looked down at it he noticed the metal had begun to turn white. As the dark woman struck, Nauriel’s blades deflected her spear but she was so fast one of her blades was wrenched from her grasp. His blade began to glow a pale, white and as he lifted it up to his face its glow had become a blinding beacon made of light. No, not light, of love. His daughters love. Nauriel’s love. As the dark woman attacked again Nauriel’s long knife was slapped aside and she drew back to run Nauriel through with her spear. As she began her thrust however Conleth’s blade interceded and parried her spear, driving it upward. As their weapons touched, violet sparks flew from the clash. Dagmor, the sword he had brought back with him, the lost sword that had once belonged to Beren himself, blazed a piercing white light in his hands and for the first time the dark woman’s eyes filled with fear. Conleth drew back in an instant and the dark woman’s mouth opened to scream as his sword rammed home into her breast.

The spear she held fell from her grasp as Conleth shifted to move with her to the floor. His blade was still inside her body as he helped her lay back. “I...I...don’t want to die alone,” she croaked as tears filled her eyes. Conleth let her head down gently to the floor as more blood seeped from her wounds and her mouth. He would not give her words of consolement. She had done harm to his family and he would not show her comfort or mercy this day. As her body slumped he pulled his weapon free of her chest then struck hard upon the spear shaft.

WIth a hard intake of breath and a start Nauriel woke from the dream.

Nauriel awoke with a start. Her eyes flew open and she gasped for air as if she had been punched in the chest. Her mind raced and her body trembled with pure adrenaline. At first her mind was blank, but quickly the remembrance of what had just taken place flooded back into her mind. It felt as if it had not been real...only a dream...and in a way it had and yet she had actually been there. She was both hot and cold at the same time and thirsty and yet sick to her stomach. How close had she come to dying? Very close...too close. She knew that Elessar could feel her mind and she couldn't imagine what he was thinking right now. But she was safe...her children were safe...her father and mother were now safe.

Looking over to her right she saw Ithilwen there. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law knowing that she could not have been able to do this without her.

"Thank you Ithilwen."

ooc: new thread