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Old 03-22-2008, 11:19 AM   #151
littlemanpoet
Itinerant Songster
 
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: The Edge of Faerie
Posts: 7,072
littlemanpoet is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.littlemanpoet is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Although Roy could hear the words the Elves spoke in their minds, he was himself quite human, and felt it. Looking at Mellondu and Mellonin, he could see that their bodies were being exhausted quickly by the hot spirits that had taken up residence within them. It was cause for concern.

Indil had repeated her words that she had spoken to Bergil, that her parents were with Aeron, and that Mithrellas was waiting with Nimrodel not far away. He hoped it was not too far, for the sakes of Mellondo and Mellonin; but also for his own sake, for there were these dreams.

As if thinking of them had brought them on, Raefindan knew he was asleep and dreaming, and that he was in the vale where Mithrellas waited upon Nimrodel, where Aeron and Gwyllion waited at the edge of the vale, and yes, he could now see two others faintly, waiting for their little girl to come to them, to bring to a resolution their grief at being lost to Indil. And there was Angela, sitting on the grass, seeming to contemplate its slow growth.

"Imrazor!"

Mithrellas had turned and seen him first. Angela turned and looked as well, rose, and both women walked toward him.

"I greet you both," Raefindan said. "The swamp elf has been defeated."

"Not utterly," Mithrellas said.

"No, not utterly. Maybe, if we do not destroy him, he may repent."

"Or," Mithrellas replied, "he will destroy himself when he understands that he cannot have Nimrodel."

"Yes, it is his choice," Raefindan replied.

"But enough of that, Imrazor, my love," Mithrellas smiled. "It is good to have you back, if only for a little while."

These words were spoken in the presence of Angela. Raefindan looked at her to see how Mithrellas' words affected her. She was smiling as if they had no effect at all. That may be so, but they affected him: they were confusing.

"There is great lore from my own age that says that it is given only once for a man to die; if I was Imrazor, how is it that I live, since he died?"

"I know not," Mithrellas said, "but Imrazor you have been, and did die in the flesh; how could I not remember, for it grieved me to be left without you these many years. But Luthien died and was given life again, so who can say if you were not given a special measure of doom?"

"Maybe it is so," Roy said. "And you, Angela," he continued, "how is it that you who died thousands of years in the future, are here now, alive and well?"

"The mysteries of eternity are beyond our understanding," she said.

And she needed to say no more. So it was, and how else could it be? But here he was, with an Elf-woman he had once loved with all his heart, and a woman of the future whose love he still held in his heart, though she had died. It stirred a question from him.

"Will I meet both of you in this vale when we arrive?"

Both women raised a hand to his shoulders, and opened thier mouths to speak, and touching him simultaneously said, "Raefindan! It is time to go!"


"Raefindan! It is time to go!"

Roy opened his eyes. Bellyn was rousing him. He shook his head. "I dreamed deeply, Bellyn. Would that you had held off for one more minute, and I might have had an answer I wished to hear."

"I am sorry, Raefindan."

"No matter. I believe my answer will come soon enough."

With that, he prepared himself for another long march.
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