Dreams of Power [ Lord of the Rings x Silmarillion ]

One White, Nine Black

A/N: I'm using Russia/Eastern Europe as my inspiration for Rhûn. Names will be assigned from these languages accordingly.

Rhûn

One of the most frustrating experiences Berúthiel ever had was when cats approached her. She hated cats. She hated them as much as she hated false kings. But for some reason, cats loved her. So it frustrated her to no end when Halion's gift to her was comprised of nine black cats and one white cat. She had hoped to leave all that behind her in her past incarnation. Nevertheless she would make use of them. She would have some fun.

Berúthiel wandered down the stairs gingerly. Her neatly brushed and slightly wavy raven hair spilled over her shoulders down to her waist. The obsidian crown she wore contained rubies and onyx stones, and a catseye in the center. She liked it well enough. Her red dress fell to her ankles and she wore ebony mail over the chest. On her left side was a sharp, black dagger. It was the dagger that had brought her back.

Behind her trotted the cats One, Five, and Seven. One was white, with funny blue eyes. The rest, including Five and Seven, were pure black with amber eyes.

"Halion," she barked out as she reached the base of the stairway.

The man rushed over to her from where he'd been eating breakfast. He looked worse for ware, for indeed Berúthiel was working him hard. Things had to be perfect.

"Yes, my queen?" He nodded profusely, eager to please her.

She snorted. "Stop slobbering like a dog and look at me."

The Easterling guards around the room had to hide their laughter. None of them respected Halion now that Queen Berúthiel had risen. She was their queen, and no one else.

"Sorry," he nodded, standing straighter. "What can I do for you?"

Berúthiel began walking and her cats twisted around Halion's legs as he followed. Ever since she had… trained… them, Halion absolutely despised the cats. His terrified and furious face was enough to tell her that.

Halion's face scrunched in disgust as One ran ahead of them and killed a rat that darted under a door into the room. Seven and Five followed and hissed, arching their backs to hopefully scare the others away from the prize. In the end One, as usual, triumphed.

"They're such fickle creatures," Berúthiel observed, arching an eyebrow as she looked from Halion's disgusted face to her three cats. "One minute, harmless, the next, killers. I do so enjoy that."

"What did you need of me, my queen?" Halion reminded her slowly as he realized where they were headed.

Berúthiel laughed as the reached the large door to the Sacrificial Chamber. She turned to her personal Easterling guard and nodded. "Bind him."

Halion objected frantically. He reached for his dagger but found it gone. A guard had already snatched it.

"You can't do this!" He screamed at her as they tied his arms behind his back with rough, sandpaper like rope. "I brought you back!"

"For that, I am grateful," she admitted this, unlocking the door with her key and pushing it wide open. "But servants can be like cats. Harmless one minute, murderers the next. Jealousy gets in the way."

The guards forced the tied Halion forward. He fought the entire time, desperately trying to get free from their rough hands. The rope bit into his skin and he began to bleed.

With a single gesture, Beruthiel sent them to tie him to the pillar. Once this was done, she approached him. "Halion, are you prepared to die for your Queen?" She leaned over him.

He spat at her face. "You are my queen no more."

One, who had followed them in after his mouse snack, leapt up and raked his claws across Halion's unshielded face. Blood dripped from his claws as Halion screamed.

"I never liked cats much," Berúthiel revealed to him. "But they have their uses."

Halion swayed where he was restrained, fear overcoming his senses. How long would she keep him alive as a plaything? It was conceivably this was just the beginning.

Berúthiel reached to her side slowly, never breaking her intense grey gaze from where she stared at Halion. The knife that had brought her back from Halion's hands with the blood of Barahir would now feast on its former master's blood. The ring on her right hand glinted in the pale light of the room as she took the dagger and placed it in front of Halion's face.

Berúthiel smiled wickedly. "Goodbye, Halion Carnimendo."

She took a fist full of his dark hair in her hand and pulled his head back, holding his squirming body firmly against the cold, stone column. The dagger drew across his jugular quick as a flash, and warm, oozing, scarlet blood spurted out all over Berúthiel's face and clothes. She only smiled.

One began licking up the blood off the ground, eager for the salt and iron in the bodily fluid. His white fur became flecked with red from the still flowing blood. Berúthiel looked at him, her face riddled with disgust. She hated cats.

As a child, Berúthiel favorite thing to do was play with her dog. As member of royalty in Umbar, she was allowed to do just about whatever she wanted and on this particular day, she wanted to play with Daeloth, her dog.

"Mommy," Berúthiel pleaded, tugging on her mother's dress. "Mommy can I go play with Daeloth?"

Mother looked at her seriously. "I'm afraid Daeloth is not here."

"Where did he go?" Berúthiel asked, tears in her eyes.

"We traded him for a few cats. They are less work," Mother told her before walking away.

The first cat she ever tried to pet had scratched her across the face. From then on, every cat she could get her hands on, she tortured. From burning their ears, to driving needles through their paws or ripping out their claws. She did whatever she could to make their lives hell.

"Evgeny!" She barked to her favorite of the guard. "Prepare this body in a coffin for transport. We are going to bring him to the false king."

When she turned around to leave the room, she found all ten of her cats pacing outside the door. They knew it was time to move. They knew it was time to strike. One meowed loudly to the others and they all sat down to allow Berúthiel to pass.

She stopped and turned to the guard. "And Evgeny, prepare my carriage!"