Fidelity

                                                  by Lily Frost

              Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.

                                                  --Mark Twain

Prelude

              A scream rang out into the soft, dark night; blood curdling and shrill. The cry of sheer panic rose in volume before it was cut off abruptly and resounded off the outside walls like a whisper. Lights flickered on in windows as candles were lit within the rooms, their warm glow permeating the cold air. Men and elves awoke slowly, blinking the sleep from their eyes and wondering what that sound was, or if there had been one at all.

              Along the pathway that led to the gardens of Rivendell ran a figure, an elven guard with long, black hair and hazy blue, almond-shaped eyes. He was younger than most, and cursing himself for falling asleep on his watch. Rivendell was mostly tranquil, especially this late at night, and no creatures paid heed to his speeding along the pathway, feet beating on the worn mosaic of bricks. The guard, Celioril, was following the source of the scream that had arisen moments ago, his mind whirling as he tried to figure out what was ammis. What could be amiss? The job of guard duty, within the city, was just for in case of an emergency from the outside, orcs leaking through the forest wardens and hunters, or some other such thing.

              Suddenly, Celioril came to a halt, nearly falling forward. He was near the East wall, and there, with his elven sight, he saw something. A pair of grey eyes flashed in the darkness, reflecting the moonlight clearly, and a low hiss sounded. He could barely see the figure, for it was so dark and crouched in the shadow of the wall. But he could see enough to tell that the figure was long-limbed and pale skinned, with dark hair and an elven frame. It was crouched over another form, lying motionless on the ground like a pile of gathered fruit -- a beige dress, a gleam of red. Red -- Celioril started -- this was blood, smeared across an unmoving figure on the ground. A word came to his mind, sitting on his tongue like venom, and then coming to his lips in a whisper: murder!

              Setting his eyes on the creature, Celioril’s hand slowly reached towards his sword hilt, resting there as he gathered the courage to unsheathe it. His breath came in ragged gasps and his heart thundered in his ears. The sword came from the sheath with a metallic scrapping sound, but he stopped midway as the upright tensed and made towards the wall with slow, lithesome movements.

              “Hullo! Is anyone there?” Cried a voice from behind Celioril. The distant beating of boots along the pathway came nearer and the figure looked to the sound.

              “What has happened?” Came another voice.

              “I think there has been a murder!” Celioril cried back, but even with those words he saw the figure jump onto the brick wall, gripping the stone with strong fingers, and clamouring up it. It stood on the wall and looked down; the approaching guards now catching up with Celioril and all three staring at it, swords unsheathed. For a moment, the eyes gleamed and they all saw the same thing, though what they decided it was afterwards was different. The two guards who had come afterwards thought it was a monster, some creature that had come to their forests to haunt it, and one decided he had seen a werewolf. Celioril, though, was convinced this was, or had been, an elf of their own kin without doubt. Whatever the case, further inspection of the body didn't make anything more clear except that this had indeed been a murder.

              The guard sighed, drawing his cloak over the dead human's face even as their captain approached. He shook his head sadly and together they explained what they had seen.

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              Elsewhere, deep in the night, a pale hand removed from it's neck a necklace with a pendant holding a large, triangular, red jewel and spoke, the voice sounding as if it had to reassure itself, "You did not belong here."

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To be continued…

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