Sauron's Next Target

“Anneliese…are you alright my child?” I heard Lady Galadhriel asked. I just nodded, for my thoughts were elsewhere.

“This is just a lot to process all at once, that’s all…” She just gave me a smile, and she dismissed me. I had not gotten too far, before I had reached, a black piano. I had not played one in the longest time, I turned back to see Lady Galadhriel smiling at me, and she gestured over to the piano.
She’s asking me to play? I have not played in the longest time, and I am not sure that I still remember how to play any song at all. Wait! I remember how to play “It’s Hard To Say Goodbye.” I may not remember all of it, but I cannot refuse Lady Galadhriel. It may not matter that anyone may not be able to hear me at all…” I sat down in front of the piano, and I began to play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a_Am4cHMBKM

They had played this song at my mother’s funeral, so it did have a lot of special meaning to me. Little did I know that Lady Galadhriel; had enchanted the piano, so that whoever played it, the song that they were playing could be heard all throughout Lothlorien. So as I was playing all of Lothlorien could hear me. And I did not know. Meanwhile, where the Fellowship had spent the night, they were all talking, and then Legolas stopped talking suddenly, for he had heard me playing the piano. Now they had all stopped talking to listen to me play. Legolas smiled, for this song that I was playing was a very difficult elvish song to learn. While everyone else was listening to the song, Legolas had strayed from the group to listen to who was playing the piano. When he saw me, sitting by the piano, he just smiled, and leaned against a nearby tree trunk, and watched me play.

I did not know that everyone could hear me, or that even Legolas was standing nearby watching, and listening to me play. When I was finished, I sighed. It had been a very long time since I had played the piano. “That was very beautiful……” I heard a familiar voice say. I turned to my right to see, Legolas standing there, with a small smile on his face.

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.

“For a little while now, I guess…”

“How much of it did you hear?”

“All of it. All of Lothlorien could hear you…” I was surprised at this news, for I did not know that I was heard in all of Lothlorien.

“Oh…” I said, looking at the ground. He walked over to me, and sat beside me on the piano bench.

“You play beautifully though, we all enjoyed it…” He said, as he put one of his hands on my own.

“Thank you, for it has been a very long time since I have played this song……for it has too many sad memories for me…” I said, a few tears leaking from my eyes. I did not want Legolas to see them, so I looked at the ground and closed my eyes, trying to conceal them from him. It did not work however.

“Anneliese, are you alright?” He asked, sounding a bit concerned. I lifted my head back up, and plastered a fake smile on my face.

“Yes, I’m fine…” I lied. He gave me a strange look, and then he kissed my forehead, as he took my hand, and we began to walk away from the piano.

“So what did you and Lady Galadhriel talk about?” He asked me. I froze. Remember what Lady Galadhriel said, you mustn’t tell your companions, when it is time for them to know, not when you think it is time for them to know. Remember Aistaraina, all who know of this, will be in danger. So you must not mention this until they need to know.

I was brought back to reality, when I heard Legolas’ voice calling my name. “Sorry, what did you ask?…” I asked, absentmindedly, keeping Lady Galadhriel’s warning in my mind.

“Oh… she was just wondering how I got the bruise on my face…that’s all…” I lied.

I hated lying to people, especially ones that I loved.

But I was lying to keep them all safe, from Sauron’s wrath.

I had to keep them safe.

All of them.

If I couldn’t keep them safe,

I was going to die trying to keep them all safe……