[piosenniel]

OOC: morning of 21 Cermië

Angara flew down to where the Elf sat on the stern ‘Should you not be resting?’ she asked her. ‘It’s nearly dawn and you’ve kept me awake most of the night with your restless movements.’ She plopped herself down in Pio’s lap, her head raised, golden eyes regarding her friend’s face.

‘I’m simply not tired, Dragon. My mind is too restless and I fear that it reflects itself in the restlessness of my body. She scratched Angara absentmindedly on the bony plate between her eyes, and the dragon settled her head on Pio’s thigh. ‘I think I have fairly well sorted out what needs to happen during the rescue. And the sequencing for it, too. A big picture, of it, so to speak. But it is the sticking in of all the little details that has me worried.’ She sighed and shifted her legs under the weight of the dragon. ‘It is like trying to hold onto a slippery eel with one hand, almost impossible. And if not done right, the eel may turn round and bite you as it escapes your grasp.’

‘You worry too much!' humphed Angara. ‘Did you not tell me that Ulmo said the rescue would be successful if you were at the forefront? And did he not say you would come to no harm?’ She nudged Pio’s hand with her snout to encourage further scratching. ‘And besides, I will be there at your side, and watch out for everyone else.’ The dragon flicked her tail agreeably as the scratching resumed.

‘What an ego you have, Old One!’ laughed the Elf. ‘Yes,’ said Angara, fixing her with one eye, ‘almost as big as yours!’

‘I worry about the Hobbits as they flee from the caverns to the ships. Perhaps you should think about being there with them, defending them from the guards as they make their exit.’ Pio moved Angara off her lap and stretched out her numb legs. Angara moved her head back on the Elf’s comfortable thigh.

‘You don’t give the Hobbits enough credit for figuring out their own means of defense, Elf. I am certain they will rise to the occasion in their own fashion, and besides, the Telerin can be there to cover them with their bows. Just stick to what you need to do, and try not to go off on any of your harebrained ideas.’

‘I suppose you are right.’ returned Pio, snorting at this last characterization of her self.

The sun crept up over the eastern horizon. The moon and stars fled, and it looked to be the dawning of a beautiful day.

Pio heard giggling behind her, and turned to see the two Hobbrim girls standing there, a plate of fruit and bread in Coral’s hand and a cup of hot tea held by Shell. ‘What are you doing up so early?’ she asked them. ‘We’ve been up for a long time!’ came the chorused voices. They came round to stand in front of her and offered he the food and drink. ‘We saw you sitting up here with Angara, and thought you might like something to eat.’

She accepted the offering gratefully, and sat it down next to her. ‘I had hoped to see you two today, and thank you again for your help yesterday. I have figured out exactly where I will use our devices. They will be of great help to us.’ She drew them both down onto her lap and hugged them close. Angara humphed as her head was displaced, but Shell turned round and pulled her up between them.

Coral looked up at the Elf and chewed the inside of her lip, a tiny frown on her face. ‘We want to be there, Pio. To see what will happen!’ ‘Yes,’ chimed in Shell, ‘we want to see you slash those awful Men with your sword and kill them. Lots of them!’

She hugged them tight again. ‘Oh my little ones, you can’t be there. Your place is here - to defend the Star should it come to that. If you were there, you would be one more thing for me to worry about. Keeping you safe might cost me the ability to keep others safe. You would not want that, would you?’ ‘No.’ came their half-hearted reply. ‘But at least tell us about how you will kill those bad men.’ said Shell once again.

Pio’s face was grave as she answered them. ‘I do not relish the thought of killing anyone. It is a sad thing to take life, and the thought of it sickens me. Some of those I will kill tomorrow will not be much older than your brother, Coral. And many others will have wives and babies and perhaps even little girls like you at home.’ She looked away from their now solemn faces for a moment. ‘But it is a necessary thing that I will do. And I will do it as well and swiftly as I may.’ They wrapped their arms around her and hugged her back tightly.

They leaned back against her while she ate and drank what they had brought. She laid the plate and mug aside when she had finished and pointed to a place low in the sky. Their curious eyes followed the direction of her finger.

‘Look!’ she said. ‘The evening star still hangs on the horizon. Is that not a wondrous thing to see?’

[ October 26, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[ October 27, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]