No longer looking Westward

[annatar_s]

He stood, chained at the ship’s prow as he had been for the past three days. They moved him to a cabin at night, chained and locked in, which was beyond insulting. Where was he to go, surrounded first by King Ar-Pharazôn’s guard and entirely surrounded by the sea? He had willingly, for the most part, surrendered; his sword was given into the

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[h_saxon]

The Master looked at the stranger who had just arrived on the street. Really? More people in the village. Still as a fake member of the police force, he felt it his duty to greet the arrival - and gauge their threat. Because this was someone as haughty as he was.

"Greetings," he said simply.

[ooc: slow, but it had to be done *g*]

[annatar_s]

He turned to the Man--was he a Man? He was so small. Not from Numenor, then. He was small, dressed strangely, and was addressing him. He bit back his ire--if he could hide himself here then he needed to bide by their ways, whatever those ways were, until he knew enough to change the rules.

"I give you greetings also," he returned as politely as he could. Let the man think he was curious, since the strongest lies had elements of truth in them. "What is this place?"

[h_saxon]

Power. There was power here. The Master may have been the ultimate pyschopath, but every now and then he showed signs of caution.

Projecting his usual 'everything is normal' message, he replied. "Haurvatat. A small village in a pocket dimension."

[annatar_s]

He frowned very slightly.

"I have not heard of it before, nor would this be considered a village where I come from." It was too large, beyond the strangeness. "Nor have I heard of a pocket dimension. What is that?"

He did not entirely understand the context of 'dimension', but perhaps the description 'pocket' would enlighten him.

[wisdomsage]

New arrivals. They arrived in the village every day and yet Zelda would never grow tired of meeting new people. As princess, she'd always made an effort to ride out among her people and know their nuances. Though not of a ruling class in the village, she often found herself doing the same thing.

The new man was tall, with dark hair and beauty that Zelda could only describe as ethereal. Such good-looking men in the village, and she barely knew what to do with herself.

"Afternoon, my lord."

[OOC: From one Elf to another.]

[annatar_s]

Upon seeing her, his first thought was to believe that he had already been betrayed somehow, but her appearance began to register. She would be the smallest Elda he'd ever seen if she was full grown.

"My lady," he returned with a very slight bow for politeness. Time to begin...

"I would not wish to inconvenience you in any way, as you are obviously a lady of quality and certainly have greater tasks for your hands to turn to, but a moment of your time is all I ask. If you can, please tell me where we are?"

[wisdomsage]

Zelda nodded, murmuring softly. "You are in a village called Haurvatat, sir, and by some magic I am not quite familiar with. "

[annatar_s]

"Haurvatat." He tasted the word. "I have never heard of such a place nor is it consistent with any language I know. A village?"

As he knew the term village, this was a glorious city. Villages had a dirt street or two with wooden houses alongside, larger ones a few more streets and larger wooden buildings.

"I see no people working, I neither hear nor smell kine in barn or pasture. In what kingdom stands this village?"

[merewif]

Now this was a king.

Glaurnaneth looked him over curiously, unselfconscious regarding her nudity.

[annatar_s]

He could not miss her, the woman--if that's what she was, and he doubted it--was gold. It was not her raiment, as she wore none. Sky-clad under the sky, and with no self-consciousness about it. Not human at all, certainly, though he'd never seen anyone with such an appendage at their neck.

He turned to look at her even better, taking in every aspect of her appearance. At last he spoke.

"Are you a gift for me?" His voice lifted up in slight amusement but was mostly curious.

[merewif]

Her nostrils flared slightly as she took in the ... nonhuman ... scent about him. Her tail curled lazily over her shoulder towards him.

"You are not a Man ..."

She smiled slightly at his question, and the (to her) presumption behind it. "No, I am not a gift for you."

[annatar_s]

"I never claimed to be a Man." He pushed back his hair using one gauntleted hand, turning slightly to better reveal his ear. "I am of the Eldar, an Elf as most would say."

He released his hair and turned back to her. She had no fear. And her words... He smiled.

"Forgive my presumption, it was merely a play on my name. I am called Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. I thought perhaps my arrival here was not an accident, there being someone sent to receive me. A most unanticipated someone, I must admit." He was openly appreciative of her form. She was tall like an Elf but far more lush--and gold. "If you are not a gift for me, who then are you a gift for?"

He could have been joking or entirely serious.