New Dawn Rising

A/N This story will be told from Phoenix’s point-of-view and picks up from where she jumped off the balcony at the end of Ch. 4
Rigan: Thank you so much for the criticism. You really helped me decide which direction I am going to take this story in. Also, in response to that, this Legolas has noa aba about his rather…intimate relationship with Aurora. That will develop over the next few chapters as Aurora faces her demons and comes to grips with her past.
Ch. 6 - The Storm Within
Hold On by Good Charlotte
“…The days
You say there way too long;
And your nights,
You can’t sleep at all.
And you’re not sure what you’re waiting for
But you don’t want to know anymore
And you’re not sure what you’re looking for
But you don’t want to know anymore…”
“What would you have me do? Run to my newly acquired family with open arms and dance around like a child? It is not as simple as that, Rae. I have long bore the weight of my father’s failure, my mother’s cowardice, the foolishness of my grandparents, the blindness of the Fellowship and the heartbreak from my beloved. I cannot just walk into the Great Hall, announce my relations to the new King and Queen and expect to be received with open arms. I can’t even do that myself to those that left me,” I said in a rush of breath.
Those words will haunt me for the rest of my life, however long that may be. It was the most I’d ever put my pain and grief into words. Some small voice in my head said talking about my problems might be the key to everything, but I had learned long ago how toore ore my conscience. And in my current frame of mind, I wasn’t anywhere near ready to face the demons of my past.
Of course it had to be at that moment I chose to show a little of my inner anguish that my family decided to come see me. My family. That’s such a foreign concept to me. I never had much of one, save the close friendship I share with Rae and Halden. But even they don’t know the heavy burden I carry day nig night. The weight Iw wow would only disappear in death.
I wasn’t ready. That was my only excuse. I had just realized that death had once again alluded my grasp and I was not more ready to re-open my long buried grief than go flying out the window. Incidentally, that’s what I did. I saw my escape and I ran. I jumped over the balcony into the nearby trees and climbed down as fast as I could. My feet were running the moment I touched the ground.
I do not know how Rae expects me to see this new development as the opportunity of a lifetime. Chance of what life? For the past several centuries, I have lived with one goal in mind; death. Quite morbid, I know. But at the heart of it, I was afraid to live for anything else. It seemednevenever I opened my soul to anyone, they were killed or left. And now to have the opportunity to do so safely? The very thought of it scared me more than a legion of orcs.
Somehow, I made it to the stables. I could hear thrashing and cries of pain. I knew that Tempest would be happy to see me; he hated being cooped up someplace almost as much as I did. We weren’t meant to be in one place.
I ran to his stall where he was being ornery with two stable hands. Shooing them away, I grabbed Tempest’s reins as he was tossed them back and forth madly. Quietly, I whispered soothing words into his ear and he finally calmed down as he realized who it was. Opening his gate, he began to snort and paw at the ground. He knew we were going somewhere and he wanted to go as soon as possible. Without bothering with a saddle, I leapt onto his back in one fluid motion. With a nudge into his stomach, we were off.
As we left the city gates, I felt the first drops of rain prickling my skin. I looked up and saw the evening sky was alive with thunder and fury. I had always loved the sky when it rained. It was like watching my emotions of anger and hurt come alive with a vengeance. The sky would swirl with grays and blacks, much like the color of my soul.
Tempest and I raced for what seemed like hours. Finally, as the rain began to come down harder, I pulled him under a tree to rest. While I watched big drops of water fall to the earth below, I thought about everything that had happened in the last few days.
It had never been my wish to die. Contrary to what I led Rae and Halden believe, I never wanted to pass on. But it always seemed like the peace I had felt for that one brief night in Harbourtown would only come from death. And I was so tired of chasing after its elusive path.
But now, to be offered the chance to explore the life I’d never had with the people who I never really knew was just overwhelming. It was a possibility I never really entertained, even when the night before the battle in our world, it became apparent that we could in fact change history back. It was an outcome I was afraid to think about without my old wounds re-surfacing. It just hurt too much to think about.
As I came back from my thoughts, I noticed a figure stood in front of the path I had been taking. It was a lady, I saw as I nudged Tempest for a closer look. She was dressed in a white gown that pooled around her feet, her blonde hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She looked like a lady of nobility or some kind of importance. But what was more astonishing was that she didn’t seem the least bit wet from the torrential downpour she stood in.
“Excuse me, miss. Are you alright,” I asked cautiously as I slide off Tempest and moved closer to the mysterious lady.
“It is I who should be asking you that same question, Aurora of the Dunedain,” the lady replied in a musical voice.
“How do you know my name?,” I asked while my hand traveled to the dagger I always kept strapped to my right forearm.
“I know all about you, Aurora or Phoenix as you are known to most,” the lady said, her whimsical voice soothing some of my rougher edges.
“What is it you want? And you’ll pardon me if I’m a bit skeptical,” I asked as I re-sheathed my dagger.
“I am an envoy for the gods of Iluvatar here to speak to you about the curse that was put on you so many years ago,” the lady explained as she took a step closer to me. Surprisingl did didn’t move. Soon, she was close enough to touch me and she did; shn a n a thin ivory finger from my cheek to my eyes. My black eyes. My physical testament to the curse that had haunted me for the span of my life.
“Such a timeless beauty, the daughter of kings and of the Eldar. Yet with the will and loneliness only attained by one who has seen too much death and destruction,” she said sadly.
I pulled away as if touched by lightening, my anger reaching new heights. With a tight voice, I said, “I don’t need pity or sympathy from the gods. They didn’t offer me any solace when I needed it, so why would I take it now?
A light laugh came from the lady as she took a step back and looked at me. “You have the stubbornness of your father and the wisdom of your mother lurks in your dark depths,” she said thoughtfully, “a perfect combination of their most joyous union.”
“If I was so perfect, why did my father fail where he should have succeeded and my mother ran when she should have stayed,” I asked without thinking.
“Such were the paths laid out for your parents. Such was the path laid out for you,” she answered cryptically.
“A path I was doomed to walk alone for the rest of my eternity? A path that only brought death and pain to those around me? That was the plan of the gods,” I yelled, the blood rushing to my cheeks, “well pardon me for having any doubts. Of course. It all makes perfects sense.”
“You dare question the motives of those higher and more knowing than you,” the lady asked, her pale eyes flashing with momentary anger.
“Yes, I dare,” I said as I took a step closer to the lady, “I dare because all our our plans, all of your paths for me have led to nothing but despair. I am tired of being a pawn in your game. I am tired of having my decisions made for me without any consideration as to my own wants and wishes. I am tired of doing everything for you all and getting nothing in return. My death was supposed to be my release. Why am I still living?”
“Because you have not yet begun to live,” the lady answered, “your life was stolen from you when the curse tied your life to that of the Dark Lord. Even in death you would not find the peace you seek. Only by living will you face the demons that haunt your dreams and chase away the ghosts of your past. Only in this new life will you become the queen you were meant to be.”
“No, that answer doesn’t work for me. I can’t just go back and face my past when your…path,” I spat out, “has led me so far away from who I am that I don’t recognize my own reflection. You stole from me everything and gave me nothing. You took my mate, my family and my innocence. Give me death or give me oblivion.”
The lady looked at me, but her gaze seemed to be searching for something she could not find. After a few moments, she looked back at my face and I gasped. Her once blue eyes were now swirling masses of darkness. Suddenthe the wind began to pick up around her as she raised her arms to the sky. A bolt of lightening lit up the world around me and she began to chant something in an ancient language.
All of a sudden, I felt a surge of blinding pain run throughout my body. It felt as if I were being burned alive from the inside out. As I doubled over in pain, I saw the lady begin to disappear. As she slowly faded away, I vaguely heard her whisper, “Your debt has been paid; your curse lifted. We release you from our service and give to you a gift greater than death; your life.”
The wind suddenly calmed down, but the rain continued. I looked up and saw that the mysterious lady had disappeared. I walked back over to Tempest and when he lifted his head to meet my gaze, I nearly doubled over with surprise. In my horse’s black eyes, I saw my reflection; all was the same except for my eyes. They were no longer black, but the crystal blue they had been before the curse.
Without a second’s thought, I leapt onto Tempest and we both raced back to Gondor. As the city gates came into view, I swore I could have heard Halden ing ing for me to stop. As Tempest came to the tree below my room, I jumped off and onto a branch. I swung myself up to the balcony and leapt onto the terrace.
With staggering steps, I slowly walked into the room. The pain I felt when all of my family’s eyes turned on me was so much worse than what I had just gone through. It was like facing hundreds of Uruk-hai with no weapons; it was daunting.
I was weak from riding and still sore from my stomach wound. I slowly felt my world turning and blurring before my eyes. Before the darkness overtook me, I saw him. The one I had run from for so long and the one I had hoped to see upon my death. He stood immaculate in the robes of his people with a silver circlet on his forehead. His blue eyes were wide with shocked, confusion and concern. I was speechless. Though our encounter had been brief and quick, it was a memory forever branded into my heart and my very soul.
Seeing him standing before me, alive and healthy, was too much. As I fell to my knees, I felt Raven move to catch me. Before I passed out, a name escaped my lips. His name. My prayer. “Legolas, A'maelamin,” I whispered before the darkness overtook me.