NOTE: For reference, see the following stories...A Trip to the Library, Bad Fish, Reunion, Anything, Everything and Nothing, and many more - Xan's Humble Chronicler
Xandilif, the Champion of the Azure Faithful, sprinted down the stairs from the Court of the Prince two at a time, her armored boots ringing against the ancient stones like bells. As she made her way down to the crowded courtyard of Dol Amroth, Swan Knights on duty nodded to her as she passed. She nodded back to each, breathing in the sea air gratefully despite her rush. Such a change from the dark, dusty alleyways of Minas Tirith.
The random thought of Minas Tirth brought her up short…suddenly putting her back in the smokey, acrid chamber, the stench of death and ancient evil all around her coupled with the stomach-churning resonance of dark magic. All of that memory was wrapped around wild-eyed terror as the raw facts had sunken in during she and Xanderian’s silent ride home to Tol Lochul, each lost in their own thoughts. He had been dead, he had been beaten at long last….and she had finally moved on. But Mans was back, Mans and his blasted ring were reborn and more dangerous than ever as he could be anywhere, he could be ANYONE. Now so much more was at risk than ever before, so many weaknesses for the little bastard to strike at.
Xandilif paused and looked up into the noonday sky, the feeling of her own vulnerability wrapped like an icy cold cloak about her shoulders despite the bright sunlight. For a moment she could smell again the fetid, rank waters of the Way of Kings, hear the howls of Keregrim and Slavers, feel the warm blood running down her chest. She closed her eyes, whispering to herself. “Oh Tris…..I have failed you yet again….who gets to pay the price for it this time?...”
“I’m sorry Ma’am, is everything alright?” The question intruded upon her memory and her attention snapped back to the moment.
Xandilif looked at the earnest young Swam Knight at his post, who looked back with concern. “Yeah…yeah…" she answered distractedly. "Everything is just fecking peachy….”
The young knight stared, confused, then for lack of anything to say, saluted….but the Banshee was already on her way down the stairs again. She had already lost too much time, anything could have happened. She had spent more than two hours telling the story of the debacle in the Thirsty Seer to the Princess Lothiriel, who was also quite concerned at such an evil foe as Mans of Kheledul being back from a long overdue grave. “Of course all our resources are at your disposal my champion, to protect our realm from this vile revenant…" she said as the servants began carrying in silver covered dishes. "And if possible, to embarrass Minas Tirith yet again for allowing him to be raised right under their noses. Was Gareth Steelheart VERY upset?”
For the next several hours over luncheon, the blonde-haired princess had also demanded updates on everyone she had met at the pardon of Nethrida, especially interested in the Rebirth of poor Gwaelion, or “That handsome, angry young cutpurse” as she called him.
“You know, he may be a cousin of yours, from the twilight but blood royal none the less…may not pay to think him a cutpurse…may pay even less to think him handsome, isn’t that where all this trouble started?…” to which the girl just laughed, carefully selecting another candied pear for dessert.
The audience had finally come to an end but had taken a good deal longer then the Banshee had anticipated it would, and then to make matters worse, midway through she had felt an unexpected, alarming proximity which made her wish to be on her way. However, the Blood Royal will not be rushed…even by her First Born Champion.
Finally stepping down in the Courtyard from the endless stairs, Xandilif moved through the teeming throng as if it stood motionless as statues, darting around them towards her goal, slowly panicking. She had felt Finchley enter the city, and come to the Library, yet had no idea why...but if Finchley was here, for whatever reason, then the shadow the Champion had assigned to her must be too. Arriving at the doors of the great Library of Saphadzîr, she whistled long and low, then muttered to herself. “If that little bastard was sleeping when she left, or is off eating a dead bird or something I will strangle him then wear his pelt under a short skirt in a chill wind….”
Thankfully, a whistle answered her own from…above? Looking up the elleth spied her quarry, which appeared to be a local child in a patched cloak with a deep hood, sitting on the ledge of a window four stories up. With a nod, the small figure leaped off the ledge into the empty air, plummeting several feet into a tree, then leapt back onto the crown of a statue decorating the library, which he scrambled down head first before leaping back into another tree then rolling into a flower bed.
Reaching into the flowers suddenly the Champion pulled the small figure out by one furry ear. “Well?” she growled. “Is she safe, little wretch? Is she? Where is she?”
Nik the Kobold kicked his booted feet as he was being held a foot in the air by an ear. “OWOWOWOWOWOW…Yelpy Knife Ear leggo Nik, Nik do the talktalk. No leggo no talktalk.”
With a sigh Xandilif dropped the Kobold, who hurriedly rearranged his hood but not before two scholars stared at his furry, sharp toothed muzzle as they left the library. Xandilif shrugged at them. ”The DogPox left my poor little brother awful scarred…but he ain’t contagious no more, not really, we don't think….” The two hurried off, holding their breathes.
“Fine….” The Elleth continued. “I leggo…Now talktalk before I hackhack, then stompstomp…”
Nik would seem to magnanimously ignore this outburst, a look of great patience and dignity on his canine face. “The Finchbutt come here all by her lonely, follow her from Island I did, she slow and silly, humming and looking at flowers like strawhead. She come right here…looked like she wanted to runrun away, then made her face all hardish and go in. I watch her from window, take two big papery book things from ugly man with bad teeth, sit and read, then sneak cake out of her pocket and eats it ALL…then read more and cry a little at nothing, then fall sleepybye. She snore there now, face all drippy with crumbs up her nose, soon someone steal her shoes, the silly Finchbutt.”
Xandilif nodded softly. “You sure she wasn’t followed, or led here? And what was she readin?”
Reznik the Kobold nodded proudly. “Sure as I am that Yelpy Knife Ear is ugly as moldy orc. Nobody could follow Finchbutt when Doctor Nik already follow Finchbutt, stoopid Yelpy Knife Ear. Finchbutt butt not that big. Anyway, she sit herself down and read old book things, dirty as molting batgirl. One say “Angmar” on the front…others say other things that were not “Angmar” on the front.”
The elleth sighed, she had suspected as much, and sat heavily on the steps of the library. “Fine Nik…then we wait here for Babygirl to wake up and make sure nobody bothers her. Now go steal me an ale before I make ya wear yer hobbit girl costume again.”
With a growl of horror the Kobold ran off towards the open air tavern as Xandilif looked back up at the sky, whispering to herself as the afternoon sun slowly began to set. “I promise Tris, I won’t fail again. I got too much to lose if I do.”
