Elerrina

Beautifully Terrifying

"You saw it"

The words where slow, almost whispered. His eyes were locked on hers, his gaze intense and she fought the feeling to suddenly cower under the power of those cold silver eyes. Elerrina felt the fear swallow her mind; she did not know how to react. She was shocked and stunned, and, by the looks of it, so was the Elf-Lord.

Lord Elrond was quick to regain his composure, standing tall and mighty, only making her feel smaller, touring over her like an unyielding mountain. She threw a look at the twins, silently yearning to find comprehension in their eyes, but they merely looked confused, like two fish out of the water.

Elladan kept shifting his gaze from her to his father, as if somehow suddenly one of them would explain to him what he had missed. Elrohir was looking at his twin, then back at his father, as if trying to understand why the sudden tension.

"Heard....what?" asked Elladan slowly, as he fixed his silver eyes upon his father. His expression was now worried, suddenly serious, all traces of the previous mockery that had adorned his chiseled features gone. She felt her heart flip at his words. He had not heard the wind. He had not heard the ring. She wanted to answer him, she wanted him to tell her that he had also heard it and she should not worry about it, but the intense gaze of the Elf-Lord told her that it was better to stay silent.

"Saw what?" Asked the other twin, also gazing at his father, but no answer was given to them.

Elrond remained unmoving and silent, his grey eyes penetrating her green ones, scrutinizing her. His hand was kept hidden in his robes, the ring hidden from her eyes. She wondered about his reaction. The ring was astonishingly beautiful, the blue stone glowing dimly, whispering in a soft echo into the air. It was a sight to remember, a sight that called immediately the attention of the eye. Cleary someone else must have stared at it before; it was impossible for such a jewel to pass undetected. More so, why did he wear it if he did not want anyone to gaze upon it?

But there was more to that ring, and she knew it. The power she could feel around it was both fascinating and terrifying. Perhaps in the valley roamed silent powers, deeper and stronger than she had thought. And perhaps they were best kept secret.

"Do you know what it is?" Elrond's voice was calmed, every word pronounced in a slow manner. He spoke lowly, not even the elven ears of the guards outside the door would catch a single fragment of his words.

Elerrina shook her head slowly. "No" she said. Elrond was looking at her silently.

"What is it?" she added in a faint whisper, not sure if she wanted to know the answer, and for a seance felt that he would not tell her. Perhaps she should not even have asked.

"This is Vilya, the ring of air" He slowly took his hand out of hiding as he spoke, the glowing deep blue stone once again visible to her eyes, swirling dimly.

She felt the twin's eyes sharply turn to look at her, eyes wide in surprise, as if comprehension had come to them. They knew the ring, it was written in their eyes.

The ring sparkled strangely at the frail candlelight that filled the large study. The blue stone had turned dark, it's smooth surface reflecting the figures of the room like the mirror of a night-lit ocean. A dim glow danced at its core, like an extinguishing blue flame trapped inside a crystal cage.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Said Elrond as she turned her gaze back into his eyes.

"Yes." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She cautiously chose her words, unsure if she should speak at all. "Beautiful....and terrifying."

The Elf-Lord  nodded silently in response, sharp eyes not tearing away from her, and for a second he was looking at her as if she was no stranger at all, a sudden hidden park of recognition that lasted less than a fragment of a second suddenly sendings iced chills down her spine. Both Elladan and Elrohir were standing still, their eyes wide open and cautious.