Irenia was turned. She got a glimpse of an old man, clothed in gray, who took up her paper, read trough it and then watched her curiously. He looked old, with grey hair and a huge beard that was at least one foot long and he carried a sword at his belt. The blue eyes pierced her and seemed to see everything.
"Well, well", he placed the roll on the next table, then sat down on one of the small chairs and lit his pipe.
"Since when do simple gondorian kids study in the big library? I thought the steward kept a rather strong guard over these.", the man gestured to all of the books around them, "Tell me, what is your name, and how do you happen to be here?"

The girl looked at him with big eyes and tried to think of an answer. Would he believe the truth? She wouldn't tell all of it, of course. So she lifted her small voice:
"My name is Irenia. I, um, are a friend of the princess Lothíriel of Dol Amroth and she made her big cousin let me learn reading with her."
"Ah.", he continued smoking. "Am I right to suppose that it was Faramir of Gondor, second son of the Lord Denethor, to let you in here?"
"Um... Well, I think it was Boromir...Faramirs' Brother".
If the man was surprised, he hid it well.
"And what", here he put down his pipe, leaned forward and regarded her suspicious, "Is your interest in the tales of old?"
She didn't answer.
"Well?"
Irenia supposed he would surely find out if she lied. So she needed to tell the truth.
"I am moonborn.", she finally busted out.
"Hm. Interesting. Are you that girl, daughter of Nahoril from the gondorian Army, born 7 years of the sun and moon ago, that everyone used to gossip about?"
"Well, I suppose that was me, yes.", Irenia wanted to continue but the man cut her off,
"So it would seem your sixth birthday has passed, hasn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"And if you've read this, you must have understood your value to..."
"My value?! I am just-..."

"You are moonborn! Have you no Idea what power you could possess if Tilion chose-", there he broke off. His eyes wandered to Irenias' forehead, where that strange light had touched her....
The girl understood. Shocked, she touched her forehead.
That silver had been Tilion, a Maiar, the guardian of the moon.
And her magic wasn't a trick; it was real and could do damage.
Her eyes widened with shock, as she understood what more she could do.
She could drown the white tower; she could burn away the lives of innocent people.
She could light the fire all by herself.
She could be the new beacon of Minas Tirth.
Besides being frightened, Irenia managed a smile. Lothíriel would like that joke.

"So now you understand. Tell me what it is you know so far about you gift."
A gift? To her, it didn't feel like one.
"Is it a gift? I could bring down in our house in seconds!"
"Not only your house. If you should learn the lore's of old, you will be able to bring down this entire City." "
"Me?! Destroy Minas Tirith? But I couldn't- Well, probably, Yes, I could. But the song of the moon is lost."
"It isn't lost. Few still remember, and you, my daughter, have the fortune to be in the presence of one of them."
"Who are you?", the girl wondered.
"I am Gandalf the Grey, one of the Istari. A Wizard", he added, seeing her confused expression.
"Now, tell me what you can do and know."
"Well. I know that that of the children that are born in the night of a full moon, the Maiar Tilion, Guardian of the moon, claims some as his children and gives them the ability to glow-"
"Glow? No, not only glow. A moonborn can do much more. He can heal and kill, destroy and safe and protect many of his own.
"But you must know", he looked at her closely, "that the moon is peaceful, and as much power as he inherits, he always wishes to wander the paths of the stars and to bring light and hope to those that are lost.
"Now, my dear, the question now is: Will you help? Or will you join the enemy as soon as I've told you how to use your power and destroy in the name of Mordor?"

Of course she wanted to help. Irenia was certain about that. She could NOT take the lives of her family and friends, and she couldn't fight her pa. Light was made to be good, and she wasn't able to turn nature around. Her decision was made.
"I'll help.", she said with all her will and strength.
"Well, then I will teach you. You are strong, Irenia, daughter of Nahoril. Tilion has made a good choice."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Then followed some wonderful days. Gandalf taught Irenia many songs; songs of healing, songs of light, songs of power and songs of destruction. He taught her the elven language, to make her able to make the songs her own, to make the light feel her presence and to shape the words, so that tunes, older than the earth, sounded like her, a little timid and frightened, but containing hidden strength.

Lothíriel often wondered what Irenia did when she and the wizard locked themselves up to practice, but Irenia would only say: "He teaches me.", and then dash off to work some more.

The girl loved it, discovering her powers and using them to do good, and when Lothíriel finally started having fighting and riding lessons of her own, the two of them spend much less time together, but still remained best friends.

In the evenings they used to talk about everything, as they always had. Irenia grew less shy, and over time she would even let Lothíriel teach her riding, and they would go on rides trough the woods of Lossanarch together, sometimes joined by Boromir and Faramir.

The two boys seemed adopt Irenia as another little cousin – much like Lothíriel, only completely different – and when the days grew darker from the shadow in the east, they spent much of their free time together. Irenia liked Faramir better, because he would tell her many interesting stories and most likely wouldn't pierce her stomach immediately.

With Boromir, it was more complicated. The girl admired his swordsmanship and his ability to lead the people, but he was a good-natured man that always defended and helped his friends as well. When, while Lothíriel tried to teach her riding, Irenia fell off almost on the instant she got back on the horse, he picked her up and carried her to the healers to get some ointment on her bruises. The girl was rather embarrassed and her cheeks shone as red as Amarias Tomatoes in autumn, so Boromir told her a funny story of how he had tried to tame one of the horses and had gotten thrown off all day long, and Irenia laughed so hard she couldn't be frightened any more. From then on, Lothíriel always seemed to grin when Boromir and Irenia were talking.

In most nights, Irenia would still go and visit the moon, never meeting anyone (there was a special Go-away-and-sleep - song) and growing more powerful by the days.

And then Amaria got married; Barahir, a captain of the palace guard, had proposed to her and after the wedding they moved into the house next to the third city wall, the house with the chimney Lothíriel and Irenia used to hide behind.

Irenia liked that, but she couldn't get used to the feeling of coming home and not having Amaria being busy inside. Irenia had to do all the work herself now, and she would have been lonely, if Pa and Beleg wouldn't have been home more, defending Minas Tirith from the usual Orc rapes and if Bergil, her little neighbor hadn't grown up (almost seven years had passed) and wouldn't drop in every then and now.

Whenever Gandalf visited (which wasn't often), he would watch Irenia and correct her elvish speaking until, when Irenia had turned fourteen, he visited one last time, he would simply stay in the library for days, searching for another old lore. Then he wouldn't say anything more, just: "It has begun.", give Irenia another quick warning to never tell anyone about her powers until the time would have come. Then he hurried to the stables, jumped on his horse and rode off into the twilight, leaving behind a really confused Lothíriel and a rather confused Irenia.

His warning seemed to have sense: Pa and Beleg would come home outworn and tell Irenia, who took care of the house, and sometimes Amaria, when she had spare time and visited, that the Orcs had grown fouler and the lands were darker, and Faramir would wake up troubled and tell them of a dream that haunted him; a voice telling him that Isildurs bane had been found.

When, the following summer, Boromir had that dream as well, the steward took it seriously and sent Boromir to Rivendell to seek the council of Elrond and the elves. Boromir rather would have stayed in Gondor to fight and Faramir longed to learn of the elves, but they did as their father requested.

Boromir, Lothíriel and Faramir left to fulfill their duty, and Irenia was left behind, wondering if she could ever be of any use.

Well, something. Words. Sentences. Probably a chapter.

Asche/Ofen, do you remember our lotr-timeline? It was pretty useful writing this. Because Boromir leaves on the 4. July, then Irenia turns 15 while they're in Rivendell and then I can use it to make the events happen in the right time. Wonderful. I'm going to sleep now. Perhaps I'll watch Lotr again.

Good Night.