Love trillogy 2: the music lingers

Author's Notes:
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: I own nothing but the Original Characters and their adventures. Everything else belongs to JRR Tolkien, the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema/Peter Jackson, et. al. This was done purely for entertainment. I reap no monetary benefits from this and have nothing worth suing me for.

Inashat Shadowkiller is an avari prince . He is tall and extremely handsome as are all elves.
All of the female elves have traveled beyond the sea or faded from the sorrow of how the world has changed. Few elves still dwell within sight or reach of men and even fewer have dealings with them.
You are a citizen of south Ithilien.

You sit on the banks of the stream dangling your feet in the water and waiting. The sun is sinking behind the low mountains to the west and dusk, the forerunner of the night is rapidly creeping across the fields. But the warmth of the day still lingers and you are content to sit cooling your feet in the stream and listen.

And then as the last of the sun’s rays fade and the bird calls die, you hear music. It is thin and high and occasionally fades as it passes beyond the range of human hearing.- and it is incredibly beautiful. You listen entranced as you have for the past three nights. You are unable to decide what instrument is playing, whether it is the pipes or a harp. The music has all the delicacy of the harp, but it flows with that breathless quality peculiar to the pipes. And you realize that tonight the music is clearer and sharper... and nearer. Abruptly you stand and run lightly across the shadowed fields towards the forest and the strange otherworldly music.

It spins a delicate web on the night air, calling, insisting, luring you on, deeper and deeper into the forest that bordered the fields. You pause at the edge of the trees and stand undecided- The local people tell stories about the place, and connected it with the elves.

But the music has you firmly under its spell and throwing caution to the wind you push on . As you move deeper and deeper into the forest, the music grows louder and louder until it is all about you ....holding you....pulling you...pushing...whirling you around... and around ... and around...

You feel the forest spinning ....spinning....and you fall -When you awake you lay by the tiny pool that is almost in the center of the forest, The night is far advanced and the heavens sparkle with stars. The time, what time is it? Something moves at the corner of your eye and you stifle a scream.

“You need have no fear of me.” The voice is that of a male , thin high like music and it seems to echo in your head.

“Who...who are you? you whisper, your voice cracking with the strain.

The shadow moves closer, until you can make out the outline of a tall thin male. He smiles , his sharp teeth startlingly white in the shadows and pushes back the hood of a long cape. His hair is long and pale and incredibly fine.
“I am Inashat”, he says. Again the voice seems to ring in your headand you struggle to make out the accent. It is unlike your own, nor is it like any you have ever heard before and you have heard many for Ithilien is a city of trade. And yet it is familiar - hauntingly familiar. It is soft and flowing and liquid , like ...like the music you heard .
The music.
“I heard music,” you murmur,” I followed...”
The stranger holds out a harp, “ I often play as the night draws on,” He smiles.
You look at the harp in wonder.It is carved from a shimmering white wood that seems to burn on the night airand long wavering lines like script have been cut along its length. Its strings sparkle like silver wire and moan slightly as Inashat moves the harp to and fro.
“ I have never seen anything like it,” you whisper and stretch out a hand to touch it. But Inashat moves the harp away.
“You cannot ,” he says gently ,it would ....it would cause you pain,” He explains. And then he adds , “It has been in my family for many years - It is very old.” He glances at the sky , his eyes burning briefly amber like an animal’s.
“I must be going ,” He says and his voice holds a trace of regret. “ Will I see you again?”
You nod dumbly.
Ianashat stands and gathers his cloak about him.” But I do not even know your name dear one.”
You murmur your name and he repeats it his strange accent making it sound alien and exotic.
And as he turns to go , he looks you full in the face and his strange eyes catch and hold yours.
“But not a word of this to your family- do not tell them about me , for you know how they are.”
And then he turns and is gone before you realize that you had not even mentioned your family or what they are like to him.

You meet Inashat the following night in the same place just after dusk. When you come upon him he is playing the harp , the delicate notes hanging trembling on the still night air. And even when he lays aside the harp ,the music seems to linger, He kisses you gently in greeting and you feel the blood rush to your face, but the touch of his lips tingles pleasantly on yours and you feel light headed and giddy
Inashat walks with you thru the moonlit woods and although he talks little of himself , you feel you know him.
And once again he leaves before sunrise, but not before making you promise not to tell anyone.
You meet every night after that and the long hot days of summer drift slowly into autumnand though you spend most of the night with Inashat , you never feel tired or exausted the next morning- It is as if you dream it all.
The lingering golden days of the beginning of harvest gradually give way to the colder wetter weather of harvests ending, but you are almost unconscious of the changing days , you live only for the nights and your lover, Inashat. You become wan and pale and your eyes grow shadowed and seem to look into another place or time.
Deep down you know that Inashat is not human, but he was neither demon nor devil and you only suspect that he is of the Eldar.
Harvest has passed and on the last night of the month Inashat takes you to the edge of a settlement.
“Tonight,” he whispers, “is perhaps the last night I will see you...” He raises his hand to your lips stilling your reply.
“No, you must listen to me. Tonight is Samhain eve, it is my last here . I must return to my home.
“Return?” you frown and then your eyes open wide in understanding “ You are of the Eldar “
Inashat bows. “ I am Inasaht Shadowkiller, Lord of the Avari, descendant of the firstborn.” He pauses and looks down .” And tonight I must return to my kingdom .”
“Take me with you,” you say quickly.
He hesitates.
“Please,” you whisper,” I love you!”
Inashat holds you tightly stroking your hair.
“Truly? Do you truly love me?”
You nod dumbly.
“ But you know what I am . I am an elf- I am not like you, at least not by your standards.”
“I love you,” you repeat.
You feel him shudder and when you look up at the elven Lord, you are shocked to find tears on his face.
Gently you brush them away.
“Why do you weep my love?”
“I weep because once I thought love was little more than another name for longing. I weep because once I took someone of your world . I thought I loved them , but their beloved taught me what love really is when he challenged my people and won. He taught me that love must grow of its own accord . It cannot be taken or made
“ Do you love me my lord?” you ask.
“ I love you “he replies simply.
You can feel the air tremble with suppressed power.
The feeling of suppressed power strengthens and intensifies until you can almost taste it.
Abruptly Inashat laughs.
“ What is it my lord?”
“That man of your realm told me that some day I might find someone willing to wed me, willing to stand by my side in my realm.”
“You know that if you come with me there can be no return?”
You hold his arm tightly.
“ I would not want to return without you.”
“So be it”
And together you walk into the realm of the avari.