Prescient

Chapter Thirteen: Fire

"Anna!" Gwestriel's bright voice greeted her as she strode into the hall, wrapped up in robes of a blue to match her eyes. Her mother had often said it was the colour which suited her the most, and Arwen had seemingly agreed – hence why she had been gifted the dress the day before. She felt like she was mooching off everyone else's kindness still.

Part of her hated it, the other acknowledged she hardly had a choice. Her pride was a bitter pill to swallow, but there was no other option. She was still finding her feet in a world so very similar and yet completely different to the one she had left behind however many thousands of years ago with her death. Thoughts of edain and eldar were still jumbled in her head, and the confusion over her gauntlet still being there in that day and age.

It should have been on her... body, in Gondolin, and Beleriand had been sunk. Elven-made armour and weapons were made to last through the years, so it was no surprise it was still in reasonable shape, but it didn't have a life of its own. Which meant that someone had moved it. Someone had taken it from her body. Or something. The thought made her shudder, because only dark, foul creatures had been left in the city.

"What has you so lost in thought?" Gwestriel asked, looking at her curiously, and Anna shook her head, clearing the thoughts. It would do her no good to linger on questions like that. The answers would reveal themselves in time if that was to be.

"It is nothing important," she murmured, pushing away the beautiful and bitter memories which always stirred when she thought about her old home. "How was your day? The rest of the patrol?"

"It was alarmingly quiet after you left," Gwestriel informed her, and silently Anna cursed her luck. Why couldn't she ever have good luck for once? But that was not to be, so she supposed she might as well just hurry up and get over it – she had almost accepted it before she had miraculously become one of the edain.

"I have always had a strange luck," she said, sighing softly, stiffening ever so slightly as she heard the crackle of flames even from across the room. She had chosen the seat furthest away from the fire, hating the thoughts it brought to the forefront of her mind.

Who in their right mind would want to linger on thoughts of their death?

Certainly not her, and it was fire which had killed her. Well, along with the lacerations from the battle.

Gwestriel chuckled. "That you do," she agreed, no doubt thinking on all the times she had been in the Halls of Healing since her arrival there. Too many times, but that was just her luck. She just had to live with it. Or perhaps try to minimise the risk somewhat.

Anna only hoped her strange luck didn't follow her when she was called to the sea. Back to their homeland in Aman.

::

Her movements were more fluid than when she had first arrived. She was improving, and for that Anna was grateful – especially to the twin sons of Lord Elrond. They had trained with her, despite her insistence on not joining with the rest of their kin. She couldn't be seen by him. Her heart pounded at the thought alone, and that only fuelled her determination not to be found. It wasn't excitement. It was fear and anticipation. She would probably sooner face her fear of fire than find the courage to face him again.

She had kissed him because she thought she wouldn't see him again for a long time. Because she had thought she'd have time to mull things over in the Halls of Mandos, to find and scrape up the courage needed to face him once more. Needless to say she hadn't been expecting to forget about her old life and then find herself thrown back into a world so different to the one she had known. For Glorfindel it had been thousands of years. For her, it had only been a matter of months since she had begun remembering her past life.

A coward through and through, that snide voice in the back of her head reminded her.

"Anna. Focus!" Elladan called, and silently she cursed for getting so caught up in her own thoughts – a big problem of hers as of late. "Drive your opponent where you want them to be," he reminded, just as she found herself backed up against the high wall on one side of the training grounds they used.

Elrohir smiled, blade lifted and at her throat. "Yield?"

"I yield," she grumbled, berating herself for being sucked into the never-ending vortex of thoughts plaguing her.

"You are improving," he told her, smiling still. Part of her was reminded of his smile and how she had once wanted to wipe it from his face. Preferably by beating him in a spar for once. A fond sigh left her lips. Like she would ever be able to manage that.

"Slowly," she grumbled, looking down with a scowl. She'd always been a bit too impatient. "But I suppose I should be happy with progress," she said, making her way towards the armoury, reading to put her training blade back. "I think I will retire for the—"

"Ah," Elladan chimed in. "That reminds me. Adar asked to meet with you once you finished here." He inclined his head. "He requested we bring you to his office."

Puzzled, Anna nodded. "I see," she said, blinking in confusion as she wondered what exactly the Lord of Imladris required of her.

::

Really, Anna should have seen it coming, and she ought to have run a mile, heedless of the consequences, like the utter coward she was at times.

It was sitting innocently on his desk, gleaming in the dying sunlight, and Anna swallowed as she stared between the gauntlet and the grey eyes which felt like they were boring into her very soul. She didn't like the intent staring. The one which made it seem like he had pieced together a rather interesting puzzle.

That should have been enough of a warning by itself, though it didn't stop his next question from sweeping the rug out from under her feet.

"You are from Gondolin, are you not?"