Elerrina

Cold Grasp of Fright

The night was cold and silent as Elerrina quietly sat under the dense canopy of the sleeping trees. It must have been past midnight, but she was not sure for how many hours she had sat on the ground. She was only sure that dawn would not come for at least some more hours.

Elladan lay fast asleep, his head resting on her lap while she softly stroked his long, dark strands of hair. Her hand moved automatically now and her eyes could not depart from the fine features of his relaxed face; from his chest rising and falling gently with his even breaths; from his silver eyes, glazed while lost in his peaceful sleep. And yet, her mind had long ago drifted off into a different time and space, the quiet solitude providing no distraction from her thoughts.

She thought of Vilya, silent for the moment, its presence almost unnoticed to her now as it hung around her neck. What kind of power did that simple blue-stoned ring carried in it? Such a little thing, and such a strong power, as if it had its own mind. Her thoughts also drifted back to the Elf-Lord. Did he remember the ring? What would happen if he did not? There was more than one ring like Vilya; Glorfindel had mentioned it to her. Where were those rings? How many more?

And what about her? Why could she see Vilya? Why was Vilya awake when she held it? She was not wearing it. She was not its master. She did not wield it. Would the same happen with the other rings? Would she also be connected to the other rings master's minds, like she was to Lord Elrond's? Would her mind link with the Elf-Lord still function even if he did not remember the ring or her?

Her trail of thought was cut by a soft, cold breeze that brushed away some strands of her golden hair, feeling like iced hands that caressed her skin. A shiver ran down her spine as she was suddenly struck with a heavy feeling of fear, her hand abruptly stopping its gentle movement through Elladan's hair. She felt uneasy, but she did not know why, there was no apparent reason for her sudden terror.

It was quiet. Way too quiet. The trees had fallen silent around her; the constant calming wind of the night had ceased to waltz along the swaying leaves. There was no sound, not the cracking of a branch, not the cries of a night owl, no nothing, except for the hard pounding of her heart inside her chest, and Elladan's steady breathing. She looked around her, eyes wide and almost expecting to find someone behind her, but there was nobody. She could see nothing but silent trees, fading into the dark shadows of the moonlit forest that seemed to expand infinitely to her sides.

She felt cold, an iced chill embracing her body as the air suddenly seemed haunted. Terror was slowly taking possession of her, the cold, mixed with the fear, causing a sensation she had never felt before, and desperately wanted to escape. She was frozen, petrified, as she felt her heart drumming on her throat.

Elladan blinked suddenly, abruptly waking up from his deep sleep. His eyes quickly turned to look up at her as his body tensed, unmoving. His eyes looked alert, warning, narrowed in concentration as they traveled to the sides, searching through the dark tree trunks.

She felt the blood be drained form her body as she saw a new emotion appear in his vigilant silver eyes: fear. Clear, horrifying fear plagued his eyes, now wide as they returned to meet her own terrified green ones.

She did not utter a sound, his silence setting the example. She would not have been able to speak even if she had wanted to. The most powerful terror she had ever felt swept through her at the sight of his fearful eyes. Something was definitely amiss.

A current of wind ran through the forest, lifting away some of the fallen leaves that laid on the ground and sprawling them to the sides lifelessly. The wind was cold, but a different kind of coldness than any she had ever felt before. This one felt horrifying, like the coldness of thousands of lurking spirits caressing her face and body, making every single drop of warmth disappear. Vilya let out a warning cry, now whispering loudly in her mind.