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Old 11-25-2003, 06:00 AM   #178
Estelyn Telcontar
Princess of Skwerlz
 
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,645
Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!
Silmaril

Estelyn and Mellonin had cleaned pantry cupboards for quite awhile when the Loremistress noticed how high the sun stood in the late autumn sky. She stretched her aching back, ruefully realizing that increasing age and her recent journey were taking their toll. She would welcome a break now, she reflected, smiling slightly to see the young woman’s energetic enthusiasm for the task they had undertaken. She was a good worker, no doubt – and suddenly she remembered that Mellonin was not the mistress of her own time; she was an apprentice, and no doubt a stern Mistress was waiting for her to come back to her tasks at home.

It won’t do to have her punished for forgetting the time and helping us here, she thought. Wiping her dusty hands clean on the cloth she had bound around her waist as a makeshift apron, she called the girl. “You have been a wonderful help,” she said warmly. “I fear we have both forgotten the time though. Your Mistress will be awaiting you, I’m sure.”

Mellonin’s eyes opened wide, startled. She had not thought of her work at home, and had actually enjoyed the hard labour here, since she did it of her own free will. “Oh yes, Lady, I am afraid she will be angry with me for staying away so long.”

“I have an idea,” Estelyn said. She went to the Innkeeper’s desk, searching for a piece of paper and a quill. Sitting down, she penned a few lines, signed with a flourish, and folded the page. Lighting a candle at the fireplace, she dropped some wax onto the edges and took out a chain that had been hidden under her dress. A ring was attached to it; she pressed it into the wax, blowing to set it before handing the missive to the young woman.

Mellonin looked at the rune imbedded in the wax with big round eyes. Though she did not know many runes, this one was so familiar that any child would have recognized it. It was the rune of the King, though slightly different than she knew it from coins – a tiny feather, perhaps a quill, was added to one side.

“Do not be afraid,” the Princess smiled. “I have every right to use it – but I only do so when I think it might be useful to impress someone. Give my letter to your Mistress, do your tasks as faithfully as you have helped with ours, and when you are finished, if you may, come back here to tell me more of your story.”

° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °

Though she had spent the rest of the day attempting to clean the rooms, soliciting some necessary help to assist in the task, the Inn was far from its usual hospitable appearance by evening. She had hoped to have another day before guests came, but when the door opened, she smiled at the two men who entered and sat down near the fire. Fortunately, the flickering light disguised the weariness in her face. She approached the table and asked, “What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'
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