The Return of the Ring

[Claenoic]

OOC: ... Umm... you haven't read all of the story from where you left off have you? I'd think you'd better, but here's a basic run through:

We decide not to shoot it to the sun, because 1. Something could follow us and 2. We don't know if Mount Doom was special in any way. So in that case, it wouldn't work.

At that moment, Mara drops the ring and a Nazgul picks it up. (He squeezed in). Shuina eventually wards it off with a log from the fire, but gets infected with the Black Breath. So, to kill two birds with one stone, we all pack up and head for England so Shuina can get treated at Avalon (nice twist, IMHO) and we can discuss the situation to the elves currently there.

[Finrod Felagund]

OOC: IMHO? In My Humble Opinion?

[zavron]

I walked up to the courtyard centre. Ther4e stood a statue of a King. I smiled. In it's stomne hands lay a broken sword. It was not like the other parts of the statue. For one thing; it was not made of stone, but of metal. I stepped towards the statue and felt the blade. It was smooth and sharp. I ran my finger down it's middle. Although it was shattered, you could cleary see the tracing of a device of seven stars set between the crescent moon and the rising sun. Anothe odd thing about the statue, was that it wore a Ring. It was fashioned in the form of twin serpents with emeralds for eyes, their heads meeting beneath golden flowers which one devours and the other upholds.

I tore my eyes from the statue and looked over at a small balcony type room. There the tow people who I had brought here were sat. I sensed something about them, strange it was. Mr. Emrys, had a sense of a wizard. And the two girls had a sense of Frodo and sam, long ago. I turned and headed towards them.

I was dressed in some tattred clothes, with a leather tunic. I wore a cloak with a Green Broach shaped like a leaf. I had a bow and quiver strapped to my back. I wore some leather arm shields, which bore the emblem of a White tree.

[Finrod Felagund]

.

[Nariel]

Kathy's eyes suddenly rolled up into her head and she collapsed onto the ground. THe others gathered around her. "She is fatigued," said one of the Elves. "And she suffers. SHe was also a Ring-bearer, was she not?"

"Yes," someone said.

"Then we shall do what we can. But be warned, for the Ring does not release Men from its hold."

Kathy heard all of this faintly, but couldn't move. All she could do was stare through her closed eyes at the Red Eye that was before her, growing and growing.

Katharina, katharina

She tried to turn away, but it wouldn't let go

Katharina, Katharina

"Not here," she thought. "Not now. GO away!" she shouted at it in her head. Suddenly she sat up and screamed, but her eyes wouldn't open.

KATHARINA!!

[Earniel]

'The Ring does not release Men from its hold.' That sentense echoed in Mara's head. She didn't want it but she was feeling the panic rise again as she looked at the limp body of dr. Martinez.

I'm of the race of Men too, Mara realised horrofied. I'm not as strong as a hobbit.

Mara suddenly felt cold and she pulled her sweater thighter around her. Before her mind's eye the walls seem to drop away and the lands around her seemed grey, dead and exposing. Mara looked up and above her in the sky shone no sun. But the sky was filled with a large red eye that stared down on her unblinking. She had never seen it before although she recognized it instantly and Mara felt her resolve dwindle to nothing under the unyielding scrutiny.

Then Kathy's scream tore the dream image apart and Mara stood again in the real world, as far as that word could be ascribed to the elven home. Shaking she sat down as others tended to dr. Martinez. "I don't think I can do this..." she whispered very softly.

[Finrod Felagund]

"Mara" whispered Mr. Emrys, "Frodo was no stronger than you. Have faith in yourself and your friends."

[Claenoic]

Shuina relaxed as Mara snapped out of it. That is, Mara stopped looking at something that Shuina herself couldn't see. Mara looked a little tired, now that the Asian girl looked closely, but otherwise fine. Shuina shot what she hoped was a comforting smile to her friend and settled to watch the proceedings.

[Finrod Felagund]

Mr. Emrys then addressed the whole group. "I think now we must decide how to destroy the ring. Dr. Martinez believes we should shoot it to the sun and as of yet there have been no other ideas. Does anyone else have anything to offer? Because if not, we will be heading to Russia. I see it being easier to get a shuttle there than in America."

[Earniel]

"Frankly" Mara said, "I don't think there is any other option available than shooting it in the sun. Mount Doom is no longer active and it's fires are gone. If the sun doesn't melt the Ring, at least it will be safely out of reach of everyone. But how will we get to Russia? The ...wraiths are still out there, beyond the mist. We need a good head-start at least if we wish to reach Russia. Is there a way we can leave Avalon without them noticing us leaving?"

[Finrod Felagund]

Arantar nodded, "We could sent you by boat over to Ireland, and Myrddin could have his jet flown there to pick you up."

[Nariel]

Kathy couldn't see, but she could hear. Her eyes were glazed over, but she sat up. "I can see them. I can see them," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "They're coming! They're coming.... There's no escape. No escape." Her body spasmed and she fell to the ground again, shaking and inhaling labouriously.

[Earniel]

With combined effort they helped Kathy in a seat. One of the elves gave her a goldcoloured liquid which -he assured the other humans- would get her on her feet fast.

"Well if there were any doubts I guess this decides it." said Mara rising from her seat. " Let's get out of here fast. I don't really want to be here if they do come. The sooner this thing is over the better! Let's go!"

King Arantar held up his hands. "Although speed is needed, thoughtless haste is not. The Ringwraiths are doubtlesly patroling the mist barrier. However they will not get through, you can rest assured of that. Moreso it will take some planning and preparation to get you to leave Avalon unnoticed. And today has been a tiring day for all. Accept our hospitality for tonight, tomorrow we will have your boat ready for your escape."

With that the council was closed and everyone was led to a comfortable bedroom. There were however only a few who slept much that night.

[Claenoic]

That night, Shuina couldn't sleep. Oh sure, she was in the equivalent to a misty Rivendell, and, yes, the bed and the pillows were very comfortable. And the elves singing (didn't they ever do their kind of SLEEPING?) was certainly better than any CD. BUT SHE WAS NOT UP TO ANY TRAVELING.

Yes, Avalon was beautiful beyond her imagination. But would she encounter anymore wonderful places like this? According to the Appendices, the Mellyrn of Lothlorien faded. No freaky cool place on the way.

And she was starting to seriously get worried about Mara. If a hobbit could just barely get to Mount Doom, what chance did a Human have?

These questions and more circled around in her head, so she spent the rest of her night in Paradise on her front, chin on pillow, staring at the head board on her bed...

[Silverstripe]

ooc: I'm still here, and I'm trying to find my way back into the story. It could be a bit difficult, so please bear with me.


ic: Elves don't sleep.

This thought occurred to Jenna Walker sometime in the middle of the night, as she listened to the elves sing. That much she remembered from stories her mother had told her, after the eighteen years Cassandra Walker had spent ignoring her daughter's existence.

Well, I doubt many of US are going to be able to sleep tonight, either. I'm definitely not. Jenna sighed. She had trouble sleeping under normal circumstances, let alone when the fate of the world was at stake. She knew her cousin wouldn't sleep either; he'd probably spend the night trying to come up with a theory on why the ring hadn't been destroyed.


And what role do I have to play in all this? Jenna asked herself. The others had been involved from the beginning, all but Charles and Jenna. And Aralyn, perhaps, but he didn't really count.

Charles had picked things up fast, and now seemed so natural with the rest of the group, that Jenna could not doubt that he was meant to go on this quest. But Jenna wasn't confident that she belonged there. She was willing to go with the company if she was truly needed ... but if she wasn't? What then? Should she turn back?

No, I'm already here. Even if I can only help a little, I should still help.

Trying to forget the doubt in her mind, Jenna turned her thoughts to her mother. Ordinarily thoughts of Cassandra Walker wouldn't have been comforting for Jenna, but now, they were. For as she thought of her mother and the father she had never known, a sense of peace came over her, and for the rest of that night, she was unafraid.

[Finrod Felagund]

Myrddin walked for most of the night with Arantar, speaking long with his grandfather who he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. Arantar still looked in his forties, although thousands of years of wisdom and weariness were seen in his eyes.
"Sometimes it is a curse, this immortal life." he told Myrrdin.
Myrddin nodded, "But grandfather, we are here for a reason. Look at me. I look like I'm ancient, yet I'm only a tiny fraction of your age. Am I immortal or just extremely long lived. Am I to be another Altan? To die unexpectedly, Or will I live until the end of the world? You have no such uncertainties."

Arantar nodded, "But I feel those things with you. And my child, I have seen my people die, disappear. My home was submerged and lost forever. It is not so easy...Merlinus...we are here."

Myrddin stopped and looked ahead to a grove of oak trees. There in the centre of the grove was a glass coffin. Myrrdin looked for a moment, then looked down, took a deep breath and walked forward slowly. Arantar watched as Merlin Ambrosious approached the coffin, on which was carved this inscription, Here lies Arthur, the once and future king .

[Nariel]

After the Elves had given her that golden drink-- which she thought tasted like orange honey, only ten times better-- Kathy's mind had cleared up and she was more in control of her actions. She didn't really remember much of her delirium, but there was an ominous haze in the back of her memories. In any case, she couldn't sleep long. She awoke after midnight and began wandering through the area. The elves were singing. Didn't they ever stop? As she walked past the others' rooms, she noticed they wer also awake. And suddenly she was outside. The warm air felt pleasant as she made her way to, well, she didn't exactly know where she was going.

[Finrod Felagund]

ooc: yes! keep 'em coming!

[Earniel]

In the end Mara surprisingly did manage to sleep the better part of the night, though nightmares made it a far from pleasant sleep.

She woke from her troubled sleep when a tiny ray of sunlight wormed it's way through the curtains and fell in her eyes. While rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she realised she held something clutched in her hand. It was the One Ring.

She sighed. Yesterday it had been on a key chain attached to her belt which still lay on the heap that were her clothes. And she didn't remember taking it with her to bed. Though that came as no surprise.

"I'm never going to get rid of you, am I precious?" she said mockingly as she held the jewel up in the sunlight. She sighed again. "I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble and I don't do drugs. But still I had to get addicted..... No fair."

Quickly Mara got dressed and after attaching the Ring back to the chain she left her room to see how her compagnions were doing. She found them already up and awake at breakfast and most of them looked like they had spend the night waking.

[Claenoic]

Shuina was awake. Kind of. Not really. Actually, practically sleepwalking. She did manage to put a cold goblet of water on her neck, waking her up for (hopefully) the next three hours. When Mara walked in, Shuina was considerably, more awake than that morning. She waved a buttered pastry at her friend and motioned her to sit down at one of the tables.