She remembered now, as she passed through the bastion of stone on her way to the second level's entry gate why she had not oftened fared to the upper tiers of the city. Being under so much rock unnerved her, though the passageways themselves were wide and tall.
Mustering her courage, she proceeded upwards in winding loops, walking quickly. As much as possible she melded into the groups she encountered, trying not to draw undue attention to herself.
Reaching the sixth level, the one just before The Citadel, she drew into the shade afforded by the near wall of The Houses of Healing, and paused to assess her next move. Drawing her cloak about her she leaned back against the wood.
She was sure that Rose was in the next tier, hoping to catch a glimpse of the King. It was this information that she had recalled from their brief conversation on the ship - a sighing Rose, gazing dreamily at the White Tower. 'Oh, I hope we can see Aragorn!', she'd said, with longing in her voice.
Pio drew further into the shadow of the wall and sought a plan to enter the Citadel. Once there she would find Rose quickly and deliver her safely back to the ship.
It was then she saw another elf, wrapped in a grey cloak, come out of the tunnel. He stopped and breathed deeply as if he had just made a hurried ascent. His eyes scanned the area quickly, looking for the object of his obvious pursuit.
'Who's this?', she thought to herself. 'And whom does he seek?' She drew her cloak tighter about her and pressed against the cool wall.
[ July 08, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]
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Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.
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