Thirty years?" Layne and Therion ask, almost in unison. Perdurabo nods, his grin far less disturbing now, and sighs. "It...I think of the stone as he, for certainly the stone possesses a sense of identity, you can't exit as long as he has without developing a kind of awareness, and even the One Ring--" the elder wizard realizes he's rambling and stops. Elsbet giggles and kisses his forehead, and he laughs at himself. "Sorry, it's just that...so few understand. He was alone for so long. He knows this place, Perethil. This city was founded by Elves and Half-Elves, and was already thriving when Gondorians and Rohirrim arrived. Among them were some of your ancestors...even yours Layne. Great Wolves, those who had defied Saruman and were banished from their homeland by those who chose to follow him, had joined the exodus to this sacred Sanctuary."
Layne sits back down beside Remus, shocked, and after several minutes of stunned silence, Perdurabo asks him if he saw the name Uriel in his Tree, and he can only shake his head. Therion, however, nods. "Yes, I did...you had looked away from the parchment." Something silent passes between the two friends, and when Therion places a loving hand on Layne's sagging shoulder, Perdurabo says, "Uriel's grandfather Fariel was the Lord of the Great Wolves when Saruman demanded their loyalty and service. He was slain in the battle that followed. Uriel's father Romiel led them to Mirkwood, where they sought alliance and shelter with the Wood-Elves there." Layne sits up straight and looks at Therion first, then the Old Man. "Legolas...?" Perdurabo nods. "He more than likely knew them, yes, for Romiel fought and died beside many brave Wood-Elves in the War of the Ring."
Layne leans forward and rests his elbows on the heavy table. "Uriel led his surviving people here in the third century of the Fourth Age. That's when Perethil truly became Half-Elven, and a Sanctuary." Layne rolls this over in his mind, just as the others do, but he seems to struggle with putting the two things together, the Great Wolves and the descendants of The Eight, until at last Perdurabo tells him that when the Vikings came, those most magical wolves came with them. "But Uriel had died long before that." Layne looks at him. "How? How did he die?" Perdurabo sighs, and picks at a crack in the corner of the table closest him. "Orcs found the city," he says quietly. The statement falls upon them and lay like dead leaves on a grave. They each must deal as best they can with the knowledge that their own ancestors in this place knew the terror of an Orc attack, and likely had to fight for their lives.
"He's buried in the Shaded Court in the Garden of Dreams," Perdurabo says. Layne looks up at the assembled Silhouettes, his eyes filling with tears. "When we first arrived here, most of the Elves had already departed to the Undying Lands. Those who remained had done so because they knew we were coming, and wanted us to know what this place was, and the price that had been paid to preserve it," Capadocius says, her voice full of emotion. "Uriel's grave was at the very center of the Shadowy Garden, as the Garden of Dreams was called then, and others were buried around him in concentric rings." Snape rubs Layne's back as the wolf-wizard cries, and reaches out to his family silently. When we return to the Garden for our swan friend, perhaps we could linger awhile...
"All this time," Layne says as he sits up, wiping his face, "all this time and I never knew..." Therion brushes a stray lock of hair out of his face. "But if you had known, would you have realized what he was to you?" Layne shrugs slightly. "I don't know," he replies weakly, then looks up at the Silhouettes that he knows. "That's why you've always been so good to me, because you knew," and Shiver nods as he reaches across the table to offer his friend a drink. "And because we like you...but...yes. We've always known. About all of you." He winces and looks down at Perdurabo, then back up to Snape. "Sometimes it's hard keeping a secret. But you do it when you know what's at stake." Perdurabo sits up in his chair with assistance and tells them that a great deal of the history of Perethil is contained in a collection of scrolls he's kept hidden safely. "The rest of it, the Silhouettes knew first-hand."
A quiet settles on the room as Snape's family takes it all in. Elsbet, at last, rises and looks into the Orthanc-stone. "So the scrolls and the stone you've kept safe...and the stone has helped keep us safe," she whispers, then turns suddenly as Amadeus and Shiver place a large trunk on the table and open it carefully. It's filled with scrolls, dozens of them, and she can't help but wonder why the Chronicler doesn't have them. "There's more," Perdurabo says and Thelonius pulls another trunk out of the shadows. He doesn't lift it onto the table, rather, he opens it almost at Elsbet's feet.
Inside the trunk are two more stones.
Both are damaged. The stone on the left is split into several peices of varying sizes, and clearly will never function properly again. The stone to the right appears somehow marred, as though there were some disturbance beneath its smooth surface. Elsbet goes to the trunk as if it were filled with gifts. She kneels down before it and after a moment, looks up at Perdurabo in wonder. "How did you get them? How have they survived?" He smiles at her and explains that the two stones in the trunk came to him along with the scrolls when the old Chronicler, Glorian, died seven years ago, and that they had been brought to Perethil when the city was founded. Glorian was Half-Elven and may very well have been one of the first born in the city, and so could have been their first caretaker here. Perdurabo asks her if she knows which stones they are.
"Yes," she tells him, "I'm sure I do." She explains that the three Palantíri of the North-kingdom were all lost by the end of the Third Age. The Seeing-stone of Emyn Beraid was removed from its tower of Elostirion and taken back to Aman when the White Ship sailed. The other two, being the Stone of Amon Sûl and the Stone of Annúminas, were both lost when King Arvedui's ship sank in the Icebay of Forochel, following the fall of Fornost. Of the four Palantíri of the South-kingdom, the Master Stone was lost in the waters of the Anduin after the siege of Osgiliath. "Which brings us to these three," she says, a mix of fear, wonder and excitement in her voice. "We know this one on the pedistal is the Orthanc-stone which belonged to Aragorn King. This one," she indicates the one to the right, "is clearly, at least to me, the Anor-stone, the Stone of Minas Tirith. Which means," she says, drawing a deap breath, "this one can only be the Ithil-stone."
Snape moves around the table and comes to stand beside his lady. He gazes down at the two stones, then after several minutes, looks at each of his loved ones. Therion seems not to know what to do with himself; he rubs his hands together, then runs his hands through his hair. "The Ithil-stone, which Sauron himself used..." Layne moves around the table as well, and seemingly unafraid, kneels down beside Elsbet. "Yes. It was assumed destroyed in the Downfall of Barad-dûr, as I recall," he says. "I wonder if the Wood-Elves discovered it." Elsbet looks up at Perdurabo and asks him if they may be entrusted with the stones. "Oh, Ellie, I don't think we should," Malfoy says, but the Old Man tells her, "my dear little one, they are yours. We've just been waiting for the time to come when all of you were ready."
Layne sits back down beside Remus, shocked, and after several minutes of stunned silence, Perdurabo asks him if he saw the name Uriel in his Tree, and he can only shake his head. Therion, however, nods. "Yes, I did...you had looked away from the parchment." Something silent passes between the two friends, and when Therion places a loving hand on Layne's sagging shoulder, Perdurabo says, "Uriel's grandfather Fariel was the Lord of the Great Wolves when Saruman demanded their loyalty and service. He was slain in the battle that followed. Uriel's father Romiel led them to Mirkwood, where they sought alliance and shelter with the Wood-Elves there." Layne sits up straight and looks at Therion first, then the Old Man. "Legolas...?" Perdurabo nods. "He more than likely knew them, yes, for Romiel fought and died beside many brave Wood-Elves in the War of the Ring."
Layne leans forward and rests his elbows on the heavy table. "Uriel led his surviving people here in the third century of the Fourth Age. That's when Perethil truly became Half-Elven, and a Sanctuary." Layne rolls this over in his mind, just as the others do, but he seems to struggle with putting the two things together, the Great Wolves and the descendants of The Eight, until at last Perdurabo tells him that when the Vikings came, those most magical wolves came with them. "But Uriel had died long before that." Layne looks at him. "How? How did he die?" Perdurabo sighs, and picks at a crack in the corner of the table closest him. "Orcs found the city," he says quietly. The statement falls upon them and lay like dead leaves on a grave. They each must deal as best they can with the knowledge that their own ancestors in this place knew the terror of an Orc attack, and likely had to fight for their lives.
"He's buried in the Shaded Court in the Garden of Dreams," Perdurabo says. Layne looks up at the assembled Silhouettes, his eyes filling with tears. "When we first arrived here, most of the Elves had already departed to the Undying Lands. Those who remained had done so because they knew we were coming, and wanted us to know what this place was, and the price that had been paid to preserve it," Capadocius says, her voice full of emotion. "Uriel's grave was at the very center of the Shadowy Garden, as the Garden of Dreams was called then, and others were buried around him in concentric rings." Snape rubs Layne's back as the wolf-wizard cries, and reaches out to his family silently. When we return to the Garden for our swan friend, perhaps we could linger awhile...
"All this time," Layne says as he sits up, wiping his face, "all this time and I never knew..." Therion brushes a stray lock of hair out of his face. "But if you had known, would you have realized what he was to you?" Layne shrugs slightly. "I don't know," he replies weakly, then looks up at the Silhouettes that he knows. "That's why you've always been so good to me, because you knew," and Shiver nods as he reaches across the table to offer his friend a drink. "And because we like you...but...yes. We've always known. About all of you." He winces and looks down at Perdurabo, then back up to Snape. "Sometimes it's hard keeping a secret. But you do it when you know what's at stake." Perdurabo sits up in his chair with assistance and tells them that a great deal of the history of Perethil is contained in a collection of scrolls he's kept hidden safely. "The rest of it, the Silhouettes knew first-hand."
A quiet settles on the room as Snape's family takes it all in. Elsbet, at last, rises and looks into the Orthanc-stone. "So the scrolls and the stone you've kept safe...and the stone has helped keep us safe," she whispers, then turns suddenly as Amadeus and Shiver place a large trunk on the table and open it carefully. It's filled with scrolls, dozens of them, and she can't help but wonder why the Chronicler doesn't have them. "There's more," Perdurabo says and Thelonius pulls another trunk out of the shadows. He doesn't lift it onto the table, rather, he opens it almost at Elsbet's feet.
Inside the trunk are two more stones.
Both are damaged. The stone on the left is split into several peices of varying sizes, and clearly will never function properly again. The stone to the right appears somehow marred, as though there were some disturbance beneath its smooth surface. Elsbet goes to the trunk as if it were filled with gifts. She kneels down before it and after a moment, looks up at Perdurabo in wonder. "How did you get them? How have they survived?" He smiles at her and explains that the two stones in the trunk came to him along with the scrolls when the old Chronicler, Glorian, died seven years ago, and that they had been brought to Perethil when the city was founded. Glorian was Half-Elven and may very well have been one of the first born in the city, and so could have been their first caretaker here. Perdurabo asks her if she knows which stones they are.
"Yes," she tells him, "I'm sure I do." She explains that the three Palantíri of the North-kingdom were all lost by the end of the Third Age. The Seeing-stone of Emyn Beraid was removed from its tower of Elostirion and taken back to Aman when the White Ship sailed. The other two, being the Stone of Amon Sûl and the Stone of Annúminas, were both lost when King Arvedui's ship sank in the Icebay of Forochel, following the fall of Fornost. Of the four Palantíri of the South-kingdom, the Master Stone was lost in the waters of the Anduin after the siege of Osgiliath. "Which brings us to these three," she says, a mix of fear, wonder and excitement in her voice. "We know this one on the pedistal is the Orthanc-stone which belonged to Aragorn King. This one," she indicates the one to the right, "is clearly, at least to me, the Anor-stone, the Stone of Minas Tirith. Which means," she says, drawing a deap breath, "this one can only be the Ithil-stone."
Snape moves around the table and comes to stand beside his lady. He gazes down at the two stones, then after several minutes, looks at each of his loved ones. Therion seems not to know what to do with himself; he rubs his hands together, then runs his hands through his hair. "The Ithil-stone, which Sauron himself used..." Layne moves around the table as well, and seemingly unafraid, kneels down beside Elsbet. "Yes. It was assumed destroyed in the Downfall of Barad-dûr, as I recall," he says. "I wonder if the Wood-Elves discovered it." Elsbet looks up at Perdurabo and asks him if they may be entrusted with the stones. "Oh, Ellie, I don't think we should," Malfoy says, but the Old Man tells her, "my dear little one, they are yours. We've just been waiting for the time to come when all of you were ready."