Elufer has been sitting in her study in Imladris for long, with the windows wide open, letting in the fresh breeze and enjoying the sound and vibration of the river below. She was in her element again. The environment was soothing and beneficially healing , especially after her return from Moria. She hasn't been there for long, yet, it drained Elufer to be there like nothing ever tired her before. Her thoughts were drifting...
The distant murmur of water and rustling of grass were serene. The wind brought the scent of leaves, pine trees and mountains, as well as quiet, barely audible melody of a harp. The melody was an old one, one that predated the Third Age itself. One that, even without words, told a story of wanderlust and love of nature, love of wandering deep forests and wild paths, crossing mountain streams and gazing into stars....
Her mind drifted with the melody, truly giving her rest and fueling her with energy. She took special delight in the restoration process, as it felt very good and powerful.
... The melody subsided and faded, before it changed. Lingering, flowing, it transmuted into a calling. Without words, but with a name. A melody that Elufer knew - 'A Wolf's Call'...
She got up, her movements lithe, her robes flowing in the breeze like the sails of Vëantur. Elufer descended down the stairs and into her reception hall. The hall was empty, or, rather, as Elufer left it. The music was coming in from the outside...
She smiled to herself, a smile that no mortal would capture or transcend, and opened the doors to outside with instinctive willingness.
The elf who played stood a few paces from the door, facing the scenic mountains. His almost black eyes were closed, though. He did not have his bow, nor swords, nor knives, nor armour. He wore what he used to wear in Imladris, before he lost so much. He didn't have to open his eyes, he knew that Elufer was near...
As soon as the doors of her house opened, Elufer's face appeared hidden behind the emotionless mask. Only her eyes may have revealed a lightning charge from her inner thoughts. Another breath, and she was ready to encounter the world outside with remarkable resilience. She found the musician instantly with her eyes and exclaimed a warm greeting to her friend.
... Shemkel remained silent, but a graceful nod of his head acknowledged Elufer's presence. His swift, dexterous fingers changed the melody, fluently, into a different one. One that Elufer might not have heard before. The expression on his face changed a bit. In a matter of seconds, he stopped playing and lowered his harp...
Elufer approached her friend, complementing him on masterful play and a new melody in his repertoire, inquiring with her undertone to extrapolate on these changes
Shemkel turned his head towards her and slowly opened his eyes. For a moment she could see deep, nearly incomprehensible sadness in his eyes - or, rather, traces of thereof. Nevertheless, he quickly changed that, giving her a slight, but friendly smile. 'Lady Elufer...' There he was, again, polite and stoic... He paused, his dark eyes pierced through the elf maiden. When he finally started speaking again, his voice was both sorrowful and content. 'So many years I have spent waiting for some way to speak to her... and when one appears, she's the only person I couldn't possibly contact...' He sighed and crouched in order to lay down his harp. His bag laid nearby. He paused again...
... When reaching for it...
Elufer watched Shemkel with a warming smile, her pointy nose following him like a compass arrow follows North.
Shemkel's left hand disappeared in the bag for a brief moment and reappeared quickly, as he straightened up. What was there in his hands? A piece of cloth, containing something. Was it what Elufer waited for? Possibly. Time would tell. He faced her, his expression nearly blank, though not unkind...
Elufer still had her emotionless mask on, but her eyes were revealing the enticement of suspense.
He covered the cloth with his right hand and looked Elufer directly in her eyes. His gaze was piercing, thorough. 'Are you sure that you are ready for this? Opening your mind may come with a price.'...
Elufer's eyes momentarily changed, clouded. 'Shemkel Mornheneb, my friend, I waited to talk to you. Now that you are here, not only you come with beautiful music, but your hands carry curiousities that make one open their mind. How may I not inquire about it?'
... Shemkel did not blink, did not avert his eyes. Instead, he gave her a sad smile and said: 'Curiosity has brought much grief and strife to the Middle-earth. Alas, we have no luxury of doubt now. We have to be brave and determined, strong of will.' He offered her the cloth. 'Sometimes, being young is a blessing.'
Elufer accepted the cloth with a grateful nod 'I listen to your guidance without a doubt, Elear'
His smile was brief, but reassuring. 'You have everything that's needed to handle it, whenever and wherever you decide to get acquainted with it. Svaroh and Erasm are sure that the shard is contained and predictable, as long as you are focused.'...
Elufer bowed to Shemkel in gratitude 'Thank you for trusting me with this shard' She looked at the fabric folds of the wrapping and back at Shemkel 'I'd better take it to my study then.'
'Ask me whatever question you might have. Alas, you have had nearly as much contact with the orb as I had. It should come naturally to you, intuitively.'
She glanced at her hands uneasily, recalling how Shemkel introduced her to the Orb. They were out of contact for countless years after Laurel, Shemkel's beloved wife, perished. Her loss was hard for everyone, including Elufer. When she met Shemkel again, she was somewhat relieved to see his resolute spirit awakening form the grief-induced hibernation. Little did Shemkel know that Elufer was lost back then. Her studies and experiments with the runes went far, her library kept on accumulating valuable scrolls and artifacts. She truly meant to apply it, to make it useful, available to those who fight against darkness. Shemkel and his Wyld Hunt provided excellent chance. However, it came at a price. Elufer was vaguely aware of the Orb's existence, she sensed its charge in the air, the ozone smell reminded her of the nature of power that connected it to her own experiences... It was a harrowing reminder to touch it and to endure contact with the Orb. Even the memory of this experience pierced her with physical pain.
Elufer's face finally revealed a complicated plethora of emotions: nuanced sadness and constant struggle with fate, pain of losses and agony of terror, laced with misty tears of sorrow and intense yet hopeless struggle to maintain faith.
She glanced up at Shemkel and invited him into her residence to discuss the ramifying implications of her having this shard...
