The Awakening

[Elessar]

[Note: This takes place directly after the events in the thread About Things, and sometime before the events of Underestimation - The First Experience.]


The first thing Armandeus became aware of as he climbed his way back to consciousness was pain. His head throbbed with a steady drumbeat that centered along his jaw yet his entire being ached with a deep throb akin to sever power drainage. It could have been worse. With that knowledge the Elf's purple eyes fluttered open only to find a fall of golden hair and pair of narrowed bluish gray eyes staring at him.

Leaning over him was Elessar with a glare that could only be described as murderous. In the long years that he had known him Armandeus could only remember one other time he had seen Elessar looking quite that angry, and he had been blood splattered and holding a battle-axe during it. This time the blonde Elf wasn't holding a weapon beyond a look so cold it easily rivaled the ice Armandeus had been channeling.

"Elessar? Mani naa lle umien?" Armandeus frowned and tried to prop himself up on his arms only to pause when the motion made the throb in his head peak sharply. (1)

Ignoring the question Elessar began to pace in a tight circle around the other Elf. "Amin merna quen." He paused and looked down at him. "Shar shaesi osolol?" His tone was sharp, laced with a hard edge.(2)

Thinking? Armandeus hadn't been thinking, that much was clear. If he had then he wouldn't of lost control so easily and would still have a kitchen to cook in. Not to mention the headache he was currently sporting and was growing from watching Elessar pace like a caged tiger. Closing his eyes at the onslaught he hissed out "Ai shar's solol."(3)

"Lle lakwenien? Dolle naa lost! O tyr cali shyl si aelosi shelol pyrn iadyl os caer! Cyrn tyr o shi mai vaelaer!?" Elessar resumed his pacing, booted feet kicking through the debris in his path.(4)

Armandeus winced at Elessar's harsh tone although . . . he was right. At the rate Armandeus' fire had burned it would have only been a matter of moments before it'd spread out into the bar area and beyond. What if he had actually injured someone or worse, killed them? Shame coursed through him and the retort he had planned died in his throat.

"Ai caern Yáramyr cali baelaes syr o eirdyr si Aelaestaelar eirdoloror os si Maes'm! O cali bai tylyr! O . . ." Elessar paused in his tirade, suddenly stuck for words to go on with.(5)

"O jhaeli Yára or os sor!" Armandeus' violet eyes flew open and fixed pointedly on the other Elf. "Ri por byrol sher sia sai caer ail sharaelaes shae mi tyr eil sai mae eileirol sher air ei jhai."(6)

"Ai thar sai mi cyrn air shar caelol sai saes ei baes Aelol sai ialys vyrdaes si car bai cydi os jhaesol sai tylyr!" Elessar's voice was rising in tandem with his anger and unconsciously the Elf had begun rubbing at his sleeve where one of his multiple daggers lay hidden.(7)

"Aer jhaer mi tasaer aelyl sai saes ti eirdyr saes!" Armandeus' hands clenched into fists as he bit back the growl that was rising in his chest. If only he hadn't overdone things earlier, then he would make Elessar eat his words. If only . . . As it was Armandeus had little choice but to lay there and glare and growl, trapped by muscles that felt little more than jello and nerves that still twitched from his dousing.(8.)

"Ia eisi aistyrordi!" The dagger was suddenly slipped from it's hiding place in Elessar's sleeve and flung out into the blackness of the kitchen in a quick vent of rage. The clatter of steel falling onto the stone floor echoed loudly in the room and did absolutely nothing to ease Elessar's turmoil.(9)

"Ai't aistyrordi? O eisi or os os tol! Air air jhoji ei malaes vaeresaer thys sar tylaes'm kar ailaer os si vaesyl Ai caern! O cali talaer Elessar." To Eru with the pain, the weakness in his muscles . . A surge of something flowed through Armandeus and suddenly he found the strength to get to his feet.(10)

Elessar backed up a few steps, his narrowed gaze watching Armandeus warily as the Elf stood up. What was he trying to prove? He may be standing but from the way he teetered like a child learning to walk it would take less than a punch to knock him back down again. In fact . . . A pale hand swiftly shot out to grasp the other's throat. "Ona ta a'amin."(11)

Armandeus jerked back from the offending hand only to realize his mistake a few seconds too late. The world spun sickeningly in a blur of gold, gray, and inky blackness and he stumbled backwards grunting in surprise as his back came up against the solidness of a wall. "Lilis shaerysi shyr o cali eiraer ti sai pai mes ei sol." Long nimble fingers came up to rub against the hollow of his throat where Elessar's grip had been. From underneath them a dull bluish glow formed and grew brighter as he rubbed. It happened in the space of a blink, the glow became blinding and suddenly flesh was no longer pressed against flesh but now a small stone hanging from a leather thong lay between the two.(12)

"Lilis shaerysi cali Ai car vaeryl sai eir air. Taji air aeria ol osaer Eisalaer. O cyrn o cali bai cydi os olaesyrdaesol ti ail si mari o eisi ail." Elessar moved in closer with the deliberate slowness of the predator who has overcome its prey.(13)

Armandeus swore and clenched his fingers around the stone. As much as it infuriated him, Elessar was right. He had spent far too much energy earlier and even now stood by Eru's grace alone. Growling, he jerked his hand away and in a swift movement the stone pendant was removed from the Elf's neck and tossed at the other's feet.

"Hannon le." Elessar bent and scooped the necklace up, examining it in his hand. The stone was not an ordinary pebble picked up from the ground. Set in the shape of a tree frog it was deep blue in color with white vines running through it's wake. It pulsed with untapped energy in the Elf's hand and Elessar couldn't help but grin manically at the feelings it awoke in him.(14)

If Armandeus had felt cold before it was nothing compared to the bone deep chill that followed in the wake of removing his Fëa Cabor. He shuddered against it but it was impossible to fight a chill that was on the inside. Worse, the sudden strength that had brought him to his feet had vanished as quickly as it came. He slid down the wall boneless, his eyes struggling to focus on Elessar as a sea of blackness rushed up to claim him. "Rnaer . . . Shar por o pai sai ti?" His eyes slid closed as he let the darknesss take him, plunging him into the blissfulness of unconsciousness.(15)

"Ia por sor sai osaer." Elessar shook his head as he straightened, returning his gaze to the frog in his palm. The sheer potential of magical energy coming off the thing was intoxicating and as much as he knew it was wrong he couldn't resist it. Bringing his hands up the leather cord was tied around his neck and the animal hung into place. Gray eyes looked to Armandeus' unconscious form and he sighed. As much as it'd serve the other Elf right to leave him lay in the destruction he had created until he awoke again Elessar couldn't bring himself to do it. Crossing the room he bent down towards Armandeus, lifting him by his armpits and tossing him bodily over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Grunting with this new weight he slowly stood and began to navigate his way out of the ruined kitchen.(16)



(1) "Elessar? What are you doing?"

(2) "I wish to speak. What were you thinking?"

(3) "I wasn't thinking."

(4) "Are you joking? Your head is empty! You could have brought the entire building down upon our heads! How could you be so reckless?"

(5) "I knew Yára should have never told you about the Elemental abilities of the Seer's! You have no control! You . . ."

(6) "You leave Yára out of this! She did nothing but try to help in whatever way she could and to say anything but is a lie."

(7) "I fail to see how it was helping to teach a near Elfling to unlock powers they had no hope of learning to control!"

(8.) "At least she cared enough to teach me about them!"

(9) "You are impossible!"

(10) "I'm impossible? You are out of your mind! It is like a stranger returned from that monster's grasp instead of the person I knew! You have changed Elessar."

(11) "Give it to me."

(12) "Never before would you have asked me to do such a thing."

(13) "Never before have I had reason to ask it. Make it easy on yourself Armandeus. You know you have no hope of overpowering me in the state you are in."

(14) "Thank you."

(15) "What . . . What did you do to me?"

(16) "You did this to yourself."