Title & Chapter Number: War of Daenova 7/?
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: LOTR Crossover with Legend of the Swords
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: "Lord of the Rings," "The Silmarillion" and "The Lost Tales" belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I'm borrowing them without permission. They will be returned when I am through. Legend of the Swords (LOTS) is owned by the Chroniclers of Khaenna, and I borrowed that with permission. This is a non-profit piece of fiction, so all you lawyers can just bugger off and find someone else to swindle.
Warnings: Character resurrection (Ereinion Gil-galad); the very fact that this is a crossover.
Betas: None
Cast: Major players in the Trilogy; characters from LOTS
Timeline: War of the Ring for LOTR; AU for LOTS
Spoilers: A lot of things from the Trilogy, particularly ROTK. If you've only seen the movies, then stay away from the middle parts of the fic until you've seen all three.
Summary: LOTR AU CROSSOVER. Gandalf has brought in strange new guests for Elrond's Council. They are a mysterious group of people who hid from the Free Races of Middle-Earth - until now. In the lead of their Queen, Caelis, they have decided that it is time to lift the veil over their existence and fight alongside Elves, Men, Dwarves and Hobbits for the freedom of Middle-Earth. But the War of the Ring is only the beginning of another War, for in the realm of Khaenna, Caelis must rise up to claim her birthright and lead her people in a bitter struggle to wrest their lands from the darkness of the Shadow.
Notes: Mostly bookverse, though there will be times when it will occasionally slip into movie-verse - but mostly when the two coincide so seamlessly that it is possible for one to have occured in the other. Thoughts will be written 'like so', and dialogue will be written "like so". Also, many of the conversations in Elvish will be written ^like so^. Many of the conversations in Daenovan will be written ~*like so*~. Any words/phrases that are written in their original, whether Elvish or Daenovan, shall have asterisks beside them and then they will have translations at the bottom of every chapter. Same thing goes for unfamiliar terms.
Chapter Seven: Scaling Of Caradhras and Dreamwalking
The Company set out again, with good speed at first; but soon their way became steep and difficult. The twisting and climbing road had in many places almost disappeared, and was blocked with many fallen stones. The night grew deadly dark under great clouds. A bitter wind swirled among the rocks. By midnight they had climbed to the knees of the great mountains. The narrow path now wound under a sheer wall of cliffs to the left, above which the grim flanks of Caradhras towered up invisible in the gloom; on the right was a gulf of darkness where the land fell suddenly into a deep ravine.
Laboriously they climbed a sharp slope and halted for a moment at the top. He looked up, and watched as snowflakes fell and danced down the sky to land on his cheek and on his clothes.
Caelis looked up to the sky, which was covered in leaden gray clouds. Frodo noticed that her face carried a troubled expression, and he noted too the way her hand curled around the hilt of her sword. "What seems to be the matter, My Lady?"
"Caradhras does not like our presence here upon his slopes," replied the silver-haired Dragon. "We have tried to get the weather under control, but even a Storm Dragon as powerful as Tirmin could do very little against the mountain itself."
They went on. But before long the snow was falling fast, filling all the air, and swirling into Frodo's eyes. The dark bent shapes of Gandalf and Aragorn only a pace or two ahead could hardly be seen.
How long must we endure this? Frodo wondered as the snow continued to fall heavily around them. If the snow continues to fall as thickly as it does now, I do not think we have hope of ever coming to the Redhorn Gate.
Gandalf halted. Snow was thick on his hood and shoulders; it was already ankle-deep about his boots. "This is what I feared," he said. "What do you say now, Aragorn?"
"That I feared it too," Aragorn answered, "but less than other things. I knew the risk of snow, though it seldom falls heavily so far south, save high up in the mountains. But we are not high yet; we are still far down, where the paths are usually open all winter."
"I wonder if this is a contrivance of the Enemy," said Boromir. "They say in my land that he can govern the storms in the Mountains of Shadow that stand upon the borders of Mordor. He has strange powers and many allies."
"His arm has grown long indeed," said Gimli, "if he can draw snow down from the North to trouble us here three hundred leagues away."
"His arm has grown long," said Gandalf.
Beside him, Frodo felt Caelis shift slightly, as if some thought or other had occurred to her. However, the Hobbit sensed that whatever those thoughts were, they were not pleasant. Her eyes attempted to pierce through the veil of snow to see the road that lay ahead of them, taking advantage of the calm that had settled in the meantime. "This is not a natural storm."
Those words only served to deepen the trepidation that had settled on Frodo's heart. If she claims that this storm is not natural, he thought, then there must be some strange power at work here.
They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury. The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard. Soon even Boromir found it hard to keep going. The hobbits, bent nearly double, toiled along behind the taller folk, but it was plain that they could not go much further, if the snow continued. Frodo's feet felt like lead. Pippin was dragging behind. Even Gimli, as stout as any dwarf could be, was grumbling as he trudged.
The Company halted suddenly, as if they had come to an agreement without any words being spoken. They heard eerie noises in the darkness round them. It may have been only a trick of the wind in the cracks and gullies of the rocky wall, but the sounds were those of shrill cries, and wild howls of laughter. Stone began to fall from the mountainside, whistling over their heads, or crashing on the path beside them. Every now and again they heard a dull rumble, as a great boulder rolled down from hidden heights above.
"We cannot go further tonight," said Boromir. "Let those call it the wind who will; there are fell voices on the air, and these stones are aimed at us."
"I do call it the wind," said Aragorn. "But that does not make what you say untrue. There are many evil and unfriendly things in the world that have little love for those that go on two legs, and yet are not in the league of Sauron, but have purposes of their own. Some have been in this world longer than he."
"Not what is causing this storm," Caelis said as she stood up, the snow that had settled on her shoulders falling away from her clothes. "This could possibly be the work of a Storm Dragon."
"But I thought that the Storm Dragons were your allies," Merry piped up from where he was shivering beside Pippin. "Why would they send this storm upon us?"
"I, too, would like to hear the Lady's explanation for such a statement," Gimli said.
Caelis shook her head. "Not all of us managed to escape through the world-gates. We have long been at war with the Shadow Dragons, and over the course of that war they have taken many prisoner. It is of no surprise that when Soulous was sacked, they held many of the Storm Dragons against their will, and forced them into becoming unwilling tools for the Shadow Dragons."
"What do you mean, Caelis?" Gandalf asked. "That this storm is being caused by a Storm Dragon being held prisoner by a Shadow Dragon?"
"I said that it is only a possibility," Caelis said firmly. "I am not too certain. My powers are not as effective here as they are in Khaenna - a fact that goes for all Serpentines who come here. Cut off as we are from the main source of our power, our magical strength is quite subdued. Were we in Khaenna, I would have been able to pinpoint the cause of this storm, whether natural or magical, and dispatched of it easily."
She began walking down the path. "Stay here for now!" she told the other members of the Company. "I shall go on ahead and see if I can find the root of this storm. The cliff will provide you with shelter." And with that she disappeared into the swirling snows.
"Shelter!" muttered Sam. "If this is shelter, then one wall and no roof make a house."
~*~*~*~
Caelis pulled the cloak tighter around her, trying to ward off the cold. She blinked the snowflakes off her eyelashes, trying to give herself clearer eyesight. She squinted, trying to see farther ahead. It is not much further... Walking forward a few steps, she found herself standing on the very edge of the cliff, with nothing but sky below and above her.
She threw her cloak back then, opening her arms to the frigid wind. ~*I know you are out there!*~ she called into the storm. ~*Show yourself to me, Kinsman of the Clouds! Come to me! I am a Kinswoman of the Stars!*~
The wind blew harder against her, almost throwing her against the rock wall. But then it stilled for a moment, and as she watched, a silhouette started to form from deep within the wrack of clouds in front of her. In moments, a figure stood in front of her, levitating in the air.
The figure smiled wanly at her. ~*You called to me, Kinswoman?*~
It was a young Storm Dragon, with storm cloud-gray hair and doleful electric blue eyes. He was thin and pale, clad in a ragged, tattered robe that once might have been very elaborate and rich, but was now reduced almost to rags. Around his neck was a black metal collar, bearing the crest of the Shadow Dragons: a vicious-looking sword crossed with a staff topped with skulls - both in cold, glimmering steel - set against a black background.
Caelis was horrified by his appearance. ~*Kinsman...*~ she whispered, almost reaching out to touch him. ~*What have they done to you?*~
~*I have been through much, Kinswoman. Some would say too much,*~ the Storm Dragon said softly, his voice weak and barely able to rise above that specific volume. ~*I am under the control the Shadow Dragons. This is what they do to prisoners who have the greatest magical strengths. This collar is the mark of our slavery to them.*~ Here, he touched a hand to the collar around his neck.
~*Is there anything I can do to alleviate your suffering?*~ Caelis asked, desperate to do something, anything, for this poor, unfortunate soul. ~*Is there any way that I can free you from your bondage?*~
He shook his head. ~*Nay Kinswoman, there is nothing you can do. So long as the Overlord of the Shadow Dragons reigns, then our servitude shall continue. Only the Silver Flame could ever hope to challenge him, but she refuses to come forward.*~ He gritted his teeth together, and turned away. ~*And so the suffering of those in Daenova continues to this very day.*~
~*You will not have to wait for long,*~ Caelis said, vowing to herself that it would be so. ~*The Silver Flame is gathering her strength. Once she has done so, she will return to Daenova and overthrow the Shadowlord. Your struggle is not in vain, Kinsman.*~
The Storm Dragon laughed weakly. ~*I pray that it is so, Kinswoman. If you do see the Silver Flame, warn her of this: the Shadow Dragons have allied themselves with a powerful magic-user in this world, ranging themselves against her the way this magic-user has ranged himself against the other peoples of this realm. Tell her that she can no longer hide from the war - the war has already come to her.*~ And with that, the clouds stretched their arms to surround him, and he disappeared.
Caelis' blood swept cold in her veins, cold like the snow that once more fell upon her. The war has come here... Then our secrecy has been in vain. The Shadow Dragons have allied themselves with someone in this world. It is too late. The War will have to be fought on both grounds now.
And yet, fresh hope flowed through her as she started back for her companions. If the War of Shadows must once more begin in earnest, then so be it. If Middle-Earth is rid of the One Ring, then the Shadow Dragons will have to be forced back into Daenova. There, I will be able to deal with them better.
She returned to the rest of the Company, who were still huddled close to the cliff. She settled herself down beside Gandalf, for she intended to give him the bad news about the War of Shadows coming to Middle-Earth - but not before she gave the results of her search to her other companions.
"It is as I feared," she said quietly. "This storm is indeed the working of a Storm Dragon, forced to do the Shadow Dragons' bidding."
Murmurs of anxiety rose amongst the Company. "Is there nothing that can be done about it?" Aragorn asked.
Caelis shook her head. "No, there is none. I spoke to the one who was being forced to create this storm, and indeed, he bore the mark of one who was being held hostage by the Shadow Dragons - a black iron collar with the crest of the Shadow Dragons in cold, glimmering steel."
"Could the one you have spoken to not break the collar and thus release himself from his bondage?" Boromir asked. "It seems to me that that is all he must do."
"It is not as simple as you think. The collar bears many, many enchantments, all of them brutal and cruel in their effects. The Shadow Dragons have become the masters of duress and coercion, and the collars they place around the necks of their prisoners are some of the greatest workings of their foul craft." She shook her head. "To try to break the seal would only result in a slow, torturous death."
The Company fell into a morose silence, though the fire that Gandalf had started while Caelis was away did help to keep their spirits barely afloat. When she was certain that no one was listening, Caelis spoke to Gandalf in a low whisper, ~*The Shadow Dragons...they have allied themselves with someone here in Middle-Earth.*~
Gandalf stiffened almost immediately, turning to Caelis slowly. ~*The Shadow Dragons are here? With whom have they allied themselves with?*~
~*The Storm Dragon I spoke to mentioned a great magic-user of this world. I suspect that they have allied themselves with Saruman,*~ Caelis muttered under her breath. She shook her head slowly. ~*I am sorry, Gandalf. This only complicates matters. I had hoped that, by keeping the existence of my people secret, the War of Shadows would not extend to this land that did not need another war on its hands. But I have been seriously mistaken. My people will have to fight. This is no longer the time for secrets. If the Shadow Dragons decide to make a full assault...*~
Gandalf shook his head. ~*Can you not send messages to your people? Could you not warn your kinsmen who make their home at the foothills of Caradhras?*~
Caelis did not reply, giving the matter serious thought. She knew she could do what Gandalf requested of her - the only problem was the one she should contact. Whoever she would contact, had to have something of hers that would serve as a link between her and that person. I do not think Dives or the others have anything of mine...that means they are out of the question. And the others...no, I did not leave anything of mine with any of them. And then she remembered one person who would be able to help her. Of course!
She looked at Gandalf. ~*I shall attempt to contact someone right now. Please make sure that no one disturbs me. This requires me to walk in the dream planes for me to accomplish.*~
Gandalf's smile was grateful. ~*Thank you, Caelis. I shall make sure that none disturb you.*~
~*Thank you.*~ With that, Caelis moved slightly away from Gandalf, leaning against the cliff face. She sighed, straightening her back so that she was more comfortable. Then she closed her eyes, and slowly, slowly, allowed herself to slide into the walkways of the Dream Realm.
~*~*~*~
He was dreaming. He had to be. He looked around, gazing in silent amazement upon the buildings that surrounded him. They were undeniably beautiful, crafted with a skill that not even the greatest of the Noldor possessed. Towers spiraled to blue skies, their roofs glittering with a brilliant crystal he could not identify. The walkways were paved with a smooth, white stone that was polished to a high sheen and inlaid with silver and the same glimmering crystal as the roofs. Arches also lined the walkway - made also of white stone, impossibly carved in delicate arabesques.
He followed the pathway he was on, looking on with delight at the sheer beauty around him. If only I could walk in dreams like this for eternity, he thought wistfully.
He rounded a bend in the path, and came upon a small garden. The scent of spring was rampant, perfuming the air with the scent of flowers. Birds twittered in the treetops, singing love songs to find their mates.
He saw her sitting on a stone bench beneath the long, sweeping leaves of a weeping willow. She sat with her back to him, her hair falling in a silver waterfall down her shoulders. He smiled: he had missed the silver of her hair.
He had not anticipated to find her there. He walked forward slowly. "My Lady?"
She turned around slowly, as if she had already anticipated that he would be there. She smiled softly at him. "Welcome to Dragonis, My Lord - or the memory of it that lives on in my mind."
Ereinion walked up to her slowly, as if knowing, in some deep part of his heart, that too swift an approach would cause her to disappear into thin air. "What are you doing here, My Lady? How did you-"
She cut him short by shaking her head. "I do not have much time, My Lord. Forgive me for invading your dreams thusly, but I needed to speak with you."
"Concerning what, My Lady?"
She bowed her head, clasping her hands in her lap. "I must make a request of you, My Lord."
He sat down beside her, and reached out, clasping her hand in his as he usually did. "Then make it, and I shall do as you ask."
"I ask you deliver a message to my friends. Surely at least Dives remains in Imladris."
Ereinion nodded. "The Lady Dives does remain in Imladris, along with the Lord Tirmin and the Lord Urima."
She smiled, very much pleased with this information. "That is good." She paused a while, collecting her thoughts apparently, then she spoke again. "Tell them that the Shadow has come to Middle-Earth, and that it has allied itself with the Master of the Secondary Tower. Tell them that the time for hiding is over, and that the Veil must be lifted once and for all. There should be no holding back."
Ereinion stared at her. What could her words mean? I do not understand. "My Lady, your words are cryptic. Are you certain that your friends will understand?"
She nodded. "I assure you, My Lord, they will." She stood up, and turned away. "I must leave now."
"No," he said, and winced when he realized his forceful tone. "What I mean to say is, My Lady, you do not have to leave immediately, do you?"
She shook her head, and turned to him, her smile not as radiant as when she had greeted him. "I am needed elsewhere, My Lord. The dawn draws nearer even as we linger here, and we do not have much time left." She curtsied. "Forgive me." And with that, everything swirled into darkness...
~*~*~*~
Ereinion woke to the sun shining on his face, half-expecting to see Caelis sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling at him. But when he turned to look, he realized that she was not there. He groaned, and buried his face into his pillow. So it was a dream, as I thought. But how? How could she have come into my dreams the way she did?
As he sat up, he felt something cool slap against his chest. When he looked, he saw that the locket that Caelis had given him was now lying open, when he was certain that it was closed the night before. Also, it felt cold, as if it had been buried in ice.
He closed the locket, holding in his fist as he thought of what he had dreamt the night before. She told me that she could not stay long, that the dawn was drawing nearer even as we lingered there. And she told me to deliver a message...what was it? The Shadow has come to Middle-Earth, and it has allied itself with the Master of the Secondary Tower. The time for hiding is over, and the Veil must be lifted once and for all. There should be no holding back. He repeated this message to himself over and over again as he dressed, trying to memorize her exact words - as well as decipher the meaning behind them.
As he left his room, he began to consider whom he should tell this strange message first. He knew where each friend in question would be: Dives would be with the Elven healers; Urima would be amongst the minstrels; and Tirmin would be in the library, studying the Elvish language as had been his hobby of late.
Fortunately, he did not have to decide which one to speak to first, for the moment he entered the Great Hall, all three were there.
Dives was the first to catch sight of him. She smiled, and curtsied in greeting. "Good morning, My Lord," she said cheerfully. "I did not expect to see you here at this hour. I thought that you had been out and about hours ago."
Ereinion smiled, and bowed in response to her curtsy. "And a good morning to you, My Lady, My Lords. I know, it is indeed unusual of me to sleep in till late, but I have had very...interesting dreams."
"If that is so, then perhaps Urima could help you decipher them," Tirmin said as he nudged his companion. "Dream interpretation is a talent prevalent amongst his brethren."
Ereinion was silent for a while, pretending to contemplate what his dream was, when in fact he was wondering how he would phrase his question. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "My Lords, My Lady, do your kind...have the capacity to enter the dreams of others?"
The three Dragons stared at him, decidedly caught off-guard by the question. "Yes, we do have that talent," Urima replied. "But to accomplish such a thing, the Walker - the one who enters the dream of the other - must have something that belongs to that person, or must have given that person something that belonged to him or her."
Ereinion nodded, grasping the locket beneath his tunic. "Ah." He looked at the three of them. "Your liege-lady visited me in my dreams last night."
The two males blanched, while Dives' eyes widened. "But, but, that cannot be!" she murmured, stunned by this information. "She must have given you something, or you must have given HER something, for her to be able to accomplish such a feat, and over such a great distance as well!"
"She did indeed give me something, before she departed." Here Ereinion brought out the locket, and opened it as well, revealing its contents. "She gave me this when we were standing at the gate of Imladris, on the day the Company departed on their journey."
Tirmin stared at the locket, and at the silver curl that lay clipped to one side. "By the Sentients...she gave you a lock of her hair? But she SWORE over her mother's tomb she would never-"
"Her Majesty has good reason for breaking that promise," Urima said quietly, his eyes closed, and to Ereinion it seemed as if he was contemplating something of great importance. Dives was murmuring something to Tirmin, to which the latter shook his head in a manner that indicated weariness and resignation.
Ereinion was thoroughly embarrassed now. I do not understand, he thought as he closed the locket and tucked it beneath his tunic once more. I thought that they knew Caelis had given this to me. "And what, may I ask, is the significance of this that it draws such reactions from you? The lady certainly did not tell me when she gave it to me."
Urima opened his eyes then, and the Dragon stared directly at the Elf-lord. "That locket is a very precious gift, My Lord, a treasure greater than any that Daenova can yield. I cannot tell you yet the significance of that, for the time is not right. Eventually, you will know."
"But moving to the dream," Tirmin said, "there must be a reason as to why the Lady has gone wandering the dream planes. She never did like using that talent unless absolutely necessary. Did she say anything to you, My Lord?"
Ereinion nodded, and repeated the message that Caelis had told him in the dream. "The Shadow has come to Middle-Earth, and it has allied itself with the Master of the Secondary Tower. The time for hiding is over, and the Veil must be lifted once and for all. There should be no holding back. Those were her exact words to me."
Dives gasped loudly at those words. Urima sighed, and bowed his head. Tirmin turned away, jaw working, hands clenched at his sides.
"So it has come," muttered the Storm Dragon. "The War of Shadow has indeed come to Middle-Earth. It is as we feared."
Urima looked up then, his ocean-blue eyes distant. "We do not have much time. We must get ourselves ready for what is to come. It is as the Lady said: the veil must be lifted, and without delay."
"What are you talking about?" Ereinion demanded.
Dives smiled weakly at him before she followed her two male companions out of the hall. "The Shadow Dragons have come to join the war against Middle-Earth."
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