[piosenniel]

Sunlight poured in like thick honey, bright and sweet, filling the room. It called her up from darker visions of smoke and blood and screaming. She sat up in the bed, hugging herself to drive away the chill of those desperate dreams. Her eyes accustomed themselves to the light, taking in the comforting ordinariness of her surroundings. A small laugh escaped her.

They were neither of them given to tidiness. Books and charts lay piled in discrete, accessible heaps on the desk and chairs, overflowing here and there to the floor when researched topics required the obscure footnote of some minor text. Slender ribbon slips of paper fluttered from between the pages of many of the books and journals like small banners noting important finds, the hurried script of Man or Elf their scrawled insignias. Maps and charts were pinned randomly to the available wall space, their surfaces dotted with notations. A few ink sketchings of Daisy, and the Star were pinned near the porthole, and a lone detailed study of Mithadan’s hands she had done one night as he lay sleeping.

Pio’s shirt, cast off for sleep, hung precariously from the footboard of the bed, threatening to slide off and join the leggings piled on her boots. Reassured by the presence of this familiar clutter, she yawned and stretched, unwinding her self from the entanglements of the bedclothes, and got up to face the day.

She was in the galley, rummaging for some dried fruit, and sipping on a mug of tea, when Kali came in. He greeted her, and motioned her to come sit with him as he ate his breakfast. ‘I am glad to see you, Kali.’ she said, as she sat down by him. ‘I had wanted to speak with you before the rescue got underway tonight.’ He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Pio spoke to him of their plan to free Daisy from the Locks. At the mention of her name, his eyes blazed. The Elf put her hand on his arm, and told him that he was to come with her and Mithadan for this part of the rescue effort. The Hobbrim’s eyes filled with hope and eager purpose. She admonished him, to keep his head about him, to be steady, and to follow the direction of her and Mithadan during this time.

‘It will be a short, fierce encounter, Kali. And you will fear for the safety of your loved one, as will I. But you must follow our lead, so that we may operate as an effective team to bring her and the others to safety. Can you do this?’ The Hobbrim looked at her steadily, and said clearly that he could. She took him to her room, then, and gave him the short sword that had been her birthday present to Daisy. ‘Give this to her, when we have freed her. You will find her an apt bladesman as she fights by your side, a welcome companion and defender.’ She smiled to see his face flush at the thought of himself and Daisy fighting side by side. Then she kissed his brow to drive away, for one brief moment, the darker thoughts of danger. She left him to go about his business, saying that she would see him this evening on the lead ship.

Angara was next on her list of people to see. She found her on the deck entertaining the smaller Hobbrim with a game of hide-and-seek. They protested when Pio took the dragon from them, but she promised she would soon return her to them. She led the dragon below to where she had stored the clay devices she and the Hobbrim girls had made.

‘What is all this?’ asked Angara? ‘Have you taken up some strange new hobby involving pottery and firecrackers?’ Pio explained the purpose of the devices while the dragon nodded her head in growing appreciation. ‘I had not heard of these before. What do you call them?’ she inquired when Pio had finished. The Elf smiled at her flatteringly. ‘Dragon-fire.’ she responded. ‘A good name is it not?’

‘An excellent name!’ said Angara. ‘But I am still unclear why you have called me down here.’ Pio explained that she would distribute the smaller jars to the Elves who would come into the caverns, keeping some for herself. ‘But I need you to carry these larger jars to the Locks area for me. Once in place and lit, they will provide a smoky firewall to effectively slow the advance of the guards on us as we retreat from the area. ‘And how am I to carry them for you?’ Angara asked further.

‘We can help you figure that out!’ came the voices from behind them as the Elf and dragon pondered the problem. ‘We know where the fish net is kept, and the extra rope, if that would help.’ The two of them turned to see Coral and Shell now standing behind them.

Angara looked at the two girls, and smiled a toothy dragon smile. ‘Leave us to this problem, Pio. I believe my two able assistants and I can come up with something appropriate to the task.’ The Elf gave the girls an appreciative smile and left them to the supervision of the dragon, smiling. ‘She thinks she will supervise them!’ she thought to herself , laughing. ‘I wish I could see her reaction when faced with their firm ideas on just how a thing should be done.’

Pio’s last visits were to the Elven captains. They had all gathered on Tuor’s ship, for which she thanked them. She asked if they had any questions about the plan that Mithadan had presented to them in brief last night. They told her ‘no’, that their roles seemed clear to them, and that they had determined the order of their ships for advancing upriver.

The lead ship would be captained by Fallinelë, and he stepped forth to greet her. They spoke briefly in Telerin. She said how grateful she was that one such as he would bear her and her companions in the forefront of the battle. Then she went to each of them, touching them one by one on the arm as she made a brief mental connection to them.

She smiled when she had finished, refreshed by the brightness of their thoughts. ‘Beautiful to behold are the foam-borne flowers of the Lindar!’ she exclaimed. In turn, they bowed to her, then took their departure, each to his own ship to finish what preparations might be left.

Pio stayed a while, speaking with Idril and Tuor. She asked that Tuor keep his ship by the Star, and that Idril stand ready for her when she closed the link to time shift – that she would rely on her to give the signal to Veritas, should that be needed. They wanted to know all that had happened since last they had seen her. Long ago, that seemed to her, when she had been Tulë, returning to aid the companions on the Star. They listened quietly as she told the story of herself and of Mithadan and their growing affection for each other.

Idril took her hands in hers, ‘But that is not all there is to this, Piosenniel? And affection is a pale word for what I see in you.’ ‘Love, then, if you will.’ said Pio. ‘We have joined our courses, and I have made my choice for him.’ ‘But where are your rings, Pio?’ asked Tuor taking her hand. ‘I see none here, nor did I see one on Mithadan when we spoke last night.’

‘Ever the traditionalist, Tuor!’ she laughed. ‘We have had no time for the exchanging of rings as yet. And I fear it may have to wait until I can have one made for him.’ Idril gazed at her, eyebrows arched in further question. Tuor looked between the two, a puzzled expression on his face.

‘Relent, Pio.’ spoke Idril. ‘Confirm what I suspect.’ Pio laughed. ‘As you wish!’
She took both their hands and laid them on her belly, briefly. Looks of delight filled their faces, and they kissed her on her cheeks when she broke the contact. She relished the brief time she spent talking with them. It dispelled the thoughts of that dark, grim time that would soon follow. When she rose to leave, Tuor bade her stay a moment, then pulled Idril aside and spoke quietly with her. She saw Idril nod her head in agreement, then both came and embraced her. Tuor took her hand and placed something in it.

His gold ring lay there on her palm. ‘You cannot give me this!’ she cried. ‘This is yours, from Idril.’ ‘It is our wish to do so, Piosenniel.’ said Idril. ‘Our gift to you, and so to him.’

‘Thank you, then!’ she said simply, and embraced them each. ‘For all you have ever done for me. And for this gift. I will cherish it.’ She tucked it securely into the small pouch at her belt, and bade them farewell, saying she must now return to the Star.

Her light mood darkened as she approached the ship, thinking of the shadowed time that lay ahead.

[ October 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]