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Ring-Maker [Worm/Lord of the Rings Alt-Power] [Complete]

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Finagle007 said:
Eru gave Men the Gift of being able to die and leave Arda forever, but other than being killed, Men would only die when they chose to. Morgoth twisted it so Men wouldn't be able to choose their deaths.
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Are you sure about that?

Men's time seems to come relativly soon in every age and there are arguments that the Valar acted against Eru by even granting the Numenoreans as ong lifes as they had.

Yes, they wouldn't have to age and suffer from it without Morgoth, but they'd still find their time come in an eyeblink from the view of an Ainu.
 
Segev said:
There isn't a line. Mairon is Taylor is amnesiac Mairon. Taylor is Mairon as a child being raised by Danny Hebert and abused by the Trio. Mairon has recovered her memories, now. Taylor isn't "gone." She's just remembered all the lessons she learned over the many millennia that led to her being Sauron.

Imagine it as a person who was Catholic growing up, and later, in their twenties, had a series of experiences that made them give up their faith and become an atheist. Then, they lose their memories, and are nursed back to health and taken in by Nuns.

The person the Nuns come to know is a nice young woman who is grateful for their help and eagerly learns about Catholicism, and maybe has moments and flashes of insight as her previous training shows through (much as she hasn't forgotten language).

Then, one traumatic night, the Abbess dies in front of her. A woman like a mother to her. And all her memories come flooding back. All the reasons she developed to reject Catholicism and God come back at a moment when she watches a woman she loved be taken from her in a horrible way.

This isn't a person "taken over" by their pre-amnesiac self; this is the same person with her memories back. She now remembers why all those things that made her happily believe Catholicism are things she rejected long ago. From her perspective, she now doesn't need to re-learn those tragic lessons; she recalls them now and now has the understanding they gave her.
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Sorry, but I'm not seeing Taylor in this at all.

Like, for instance, how she doesn't think of people like Carlos or Chris as her friends, she thinks of them as tools, or, at best, subordinates. That's not a change in worldview, that's a completely different person simply not having anything like the feelings for those people that Taylor had.

And note how she doesn't refer to herself as Taylor at any point after the second trigger: it's always Annatar, even when she's referring to her fellow Wards by their real names. This is despite the fact that Annatar was an assumed name in the first place, chosen solely for the purpose of deception. Taylor is a name that was given to her lovingly, a name that is very real and genuine, and the name of an identity she actually lived for 15 years. Annatar was a name that was always a lie, from the very beginning.

And, frankly, Sauron is just not nearly as interesting of a character to me as Taylor is (this story's Taylor, to be specific). Pre-Second-Trigger Taylor (PSTT) had plenty of internal and external struggle, with genuine connections with other characters that developed over time. New-Annatar is just a ruthless, manipulative overlord who only cares about people in the sense that a blacksmith is fond of her tools. She's a stagnant character--she has been since she first appeared. Her conflicts are entirely external, and they mainly revolve around "not letting others catch on to the fact that she's now a sociopath" (she's not actually a sociopath, now, but the general idea applies: she sees other people as tools, or, at best, like children she's shepherding with a degree of emotional detachment). That kind of conflict might become interesting once Valefor is dealt with (and perhaps Coil as well), and the BB Protectorate and PRT are no longer in crisis mode and can afford to take some time to examine Annatar's trauma and changes in-depth. But for the time being, she's just not interesting.

It'd have been far more interesting, to me, if her second trigger had resulted in Taylor being constantly conflicted between her Taylor-self and her Mairon-self. A clash between her ideals and feelings and Mairon's memories and experience. Struggling from under the sheer weight of memories she now has, trying to decide who she wants to be.
 
@SaltyWaffles, I disagree, but at this point discussing why amounts to differing interpretations of the scene, which is going to wind up being very subjective. Sorry you don't find it as interesting as I do. Frankly, I see a LOT of Warlord Skitter in this Sauron.
 
Segev said:
@SaltyWaffles, I disagree, but at this point discussing why amounts to differing interpretations of the scene, which is going to wind up being very subjective. Sorry you don't find it as interesting as I do. Frankly, I see a LOT of Warlord Skitter in this Sauron.
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Really? I don't see how.

Warlord Skitter was so enraged, terrified, and threatened by Alexandria (pretendingly) going out, murdering her teammates one by one, that she immediately jumped straight to murdering her childhood hero and the PRT Director in front of her with zero hesitation, mercy, or regret. Not because someone was going after her subordinates or undermining her authority/power/position, but because someone was going around and murdering her friends, who she cared about more than her goals. Warlord Skitter, who struggled to even think about saying goodbye to her teammates and friends, because it hurt so much to do, even if leaving them was necessary for her goals. Warlord Skitter, who, upon being outed, still risked going near her home to try and talk with her father--and still risked sending him a message with a butterfly, despite that immediately setting the PRT/Protectorate in the house into a frenzy. Warlord Skitter, who actually engaged in a romantic relationship with someone she cared about deeply.

PSTT is not any of those things. The closest thing she has to a true emotional connection with another person is Sophia.

Either that, or she's just in hard denial, refusing to even think of other people in terms other than as tools, assets, or subjects that she rules over (or should rule over). (Or enemies, I guess.) But the fact that she'd do something so emotionally immature as explicitly and implicitly denying her feelings even in her own mind and thoughts (going as far as to not even consider the possibility), I have to question how experienced, old, and wise this Maia really is.
 
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SaltyWaffles said:
Either that, or she's just in hard denial, refusing to even think of other people in terms other than as tools, assets, or subjects that she rules over (or should rule over). (Or enemies, I guess.) But the fact that she'd do something so emotionally immature as explicitly and implicitly denying her feelings even in her own mind and thoughts (going as far as to not even consider the possibility), I have to question how experienced, old, and wise this Maia really is.
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Evil is rarely wise. And Sauron learned "wisdom" of evil. I wouldn't call it "immature" unless you are strictly using that as a synonym for "unwise," however. Mature people are quite capable of self-deception; it is a strong mental self-defense mechanism to preserve a world view that is more comfortable than reality.

The largest paradigm-shift in her attitude towards her Wards is the notion that they're children and she is the adult. Adults comfort, guide, and encourage children. This can look an awful lot like manipulation, because it is. She isn't necessarily caring about them less, but she views their agency as being negligible because one does not trust children with that much agency. One may let them believe so, as one attempts to teach them to use their agency better, for when they finally grow up, but one does not respect their decision-making. One corrects and guides it.

She is leading children in an admittedly-lethal exercise against other, more recalcitrant and dangerously violent children.

One can have a great deal of affection for, even genuine friendship with, children without having to be their peer. Sauron is not the peer of these mayflies. It is not insulting nor dismissive to realize this. Not to her. They may even be precious mayflies. But what is a few hours' difference in when she loses them, compared to the salvation of hundreds of thousands, if not millions or billions? She spoke of the sacrifices that must be made to Kid Win, and she did not deny that choosing to kill a victim to get to her victimizer was a sacrifice. How much greater the sacrifice if one actually personally knows and cares for the one being sacrificed?
 
I think the saddest thing about this Taylor to me is just how twisted her personality has become with the memories and extra life latched onto her head. I mean, she shows loss at Sophia's departure, while actively and thoughtlessly doing the exact thing that drove Sophia away. And it's not her fault that she got a evil Elf person tossed haphazardly into her head, but... It's like she doesn't have the convictions that she had before. It's all Sauron, Taylor's gone, and it makes me want to give her a hug.
 
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Demetric said:
I think the sadest thing about this Taylor to me is just how twisted her personality has become with the memories and extra life latched onto her head. I mean, she shows loss at Sofia's departure, while actively and thoughtlessly doing the exact thing that drove Sofia away. And it's not her fault that she got a evil Elf person tossed haphazardly into her head, but... It's like she doesn't have the convictions that she had before. It's all Sauron, Taylor's gone, and it makes me want to give her a hug.
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I think it's actually that she's remembered who she is. She's not "lost" being Taylor. Taylor was a variant on who Sauron was, many many millennia ago, when he was more innocent and naïve. A version raised by Danny Hebert rather than serving as a Maiar in the Chorus of Eru.

Now that her memories are returned, she recalls the hard and bitter lessons that led Mairon to become Sauron, and those lessons aren't contradicted by the life of Taylor Hebert. In fact, they mesh rather well, it seems: she now has answers to the petty questions she would otherwise have tormented herself with. Answers she arrived at long ago.

Taylor isn't "gone" any more than your childhood self is "gone" just because you've grown up. The fact that Sauron's "life lessons" led to an evil tyrant is tragic. Hopefully she can learn new lessons that show her, finally, the error of those ways, now that she has more recent memory of having been tormented by the questions to which she now thinks she has all the (wicked) answers.
 
Segev said:
I think it's actually that she's remembered who she is. She's not "lost" being Taylor. Taylor was a variant on who Sauron was, many many millennia ago, when he was more innocent and naïve. A version raised by Danny Hebert rather than serving as a Maiar in the Chorus of Eru.

Now that her memories are returned, she recalls the hard and bitter lessons that led Mairon to become Sauron, and those lessons aren't contradicted by the life of Taylor Hebert. In fact, they mesh rather well, it seems: she now has answers to the petty questions she would otherwise have tormented herself with. Answers she arrived at long ago.

Taylor isn't "gone" any more than your childhood self is "gone" just because you've grown up. The fact that Sauron's "life lessons" led to an evil tyrant is tragic. Hopefully she can learn new lessons that show her, finally, the error of those ways, now that she has more recent memory of having been tormented by the questions to which she now thinks she has all the (wicked) answers.
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Well, this story's Taylor (before her second trigger) was a far, far more interesting character than the one that appeared in her place after it.

A key issue with Annatar going all Dark Lord is that, at the end of the day, she's still legally a teenager (and in the body/appearance of one). She's not going to be in a position of authority over anything but the Wards once this crisis is over (in other words, once Valefor is dealt with, and maybe once the ring is retrieved from Coil). No matter how much she might be liked or respected, giving her even Protectorate membership before she turns 18 is a line no one will cross. Well, I suppose her coming to become a member of Cauldron is a possibility, but color me skeptical.
 
SaltyWaffles said:
Well, this story's Taylor (before her second trigger) was a far, far more interesting character than the one that appeared in her place after it.

A key issue with Annatar going all Dark Lord is that, at the end of the day, she's still legally a teenager (and in the body/appearance of one). She's not going to be in a position of authority over anything but the Wards once this crisis is over (in other words, once Valefor is dealt with, and maybe once the ring is retrieved from Coil). No matter how much she might be liked or respected, giving her even Protectorate membership before she turns 18 is a line no one will cross. Well, I suppose her coming to become a member of Cauldron is a possibility, but color me skeptical.
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This is where Charisma so great she may as well be a Master, herself, comes in. The risk is that she'll go Dark Lord because the local PRT, Protectorate, and Ringbearing Wards will follow her if she wishes them to. Whether Sauron will be happy as a power behind a throne, running the Bay in all but name, or will insist on revealing her terrible majesty to the world in a way that makes the world think to go to war until she...convinces it otherwise...that remains to be seen.

Heck, she may never get the chance if she gets redeemed before she finishes taking over the city.
 
Segev said:
This is where Charisma so great she may as well be a Master, herself, comes in. The risk is that she'll go Dark Lord because the local PRT, Protectorate, and Ringbearing Wards will follow her if she wishes them to. Whether Sauron will be happy as a power behind a throne, running the Bay in all but name, or will insist on revealing her terrible majesty to the world in a way that makes the world think to go to war until she...convinces it otherwise...that remains to be seen.

Heck, she may never get the chance if she gets redeemed before she finishes taking over the city.
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I...really can't see Annatar doing something like that. It just wouldn't make sense.

I mean, even if Piggot decides to implicitly follow her lead on most matters, she still wouldn't be the one running the city (or be behind the one doing that), because that's the mayor's job. And he wouldn't really follow her instructions, because it'd be like an electrician taking instructions from a cop in wiring a house. If she has ideas, and they're good ideas, and she can convince him to adopt said ideas, that's fine. But that's the sort of thing that anyone can do.

Becoming so influential and respected that leaders and officials will listen to her is honestly fine, because she'll have to earn that. But even becoming "the power behind the throne" wouldn't make sense for her, since she'd have way too much to do to bother with running things, de facto or otherwise. Rebecca runs the PRT and a Protectorate branch because she doesn't need to sleep/rest, has major Thinker powers, and is fucking crazy and stupid (on so many levels. The Simurgh could have easily unmasked her in front of other capes during any one of her attacks, and as we saw, even Endbringer Truces don't save you from the fallout from that). Doctor Mother, nominally in charge of Rebecca, doesn't bother running the PRT or Protectorate behind the scenes, because she's focused on other work--and she isn't forced to devote so much time and effort to actual combat and fighting villains, like Annatar would be.

Sure, Annatar could serve as an effective warlord in some African or Asian nation, but in North America, why bother with something like that? You've already got effective, legitimate, and experienced government/administration to handle the running of things in most cases, so why bother taking over, even in secret?

Thing is, this is Earth Bet, not Middle Earth. Sauron really wouldn't match up well against any member of the Triumvirate, to say the least. And Earth-Bet is well-acquainted with Masters and Master effects, and has safeguards against them. Annatar has been fine so far because she hasn't used them against her allies. She's charismatic, but not perfectly so, nor supernaturally so.

Annatar has plenty of room to grow her influence, sure, but there are definitely limits, and if she crosses those lines, she brings down way more heat than she can deal with.
 
SaltyWaffles said:
Thing is, this is Earth Bet, not Middle Earth. [...] She's charismatic, but not perfectly so, nor supernaturally so.
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Er, I get the argument you're trying to make, but the fact of the matter is that this is Arda (hence song-based reality warping working at all), and Annatar, being Mairon reborn, is very literally an angel of the Lord.

So yes, this is Middle-Earth, and she very much is supernaturally charismatic.
 
I can see Mairon taking over directly to make her influence more explicit and efficient. She might delegate a lot, but direct power is easy to use.

Hrm...efficient. Now I want to see her team up with Accord.
 
BungieONI said:
It'd quickly accelerate her fall most likely
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Would it, though?

I mean, this is Arda. Cauldron, meaning Alexandria and Eidolon (unsure of Legend's status at this point in time, what with the AU elements of the fic having necessarily thrown them for a loop), are bottling the spawn of Ungoliant and giving them to drink to innocent people.

I have great compassion and pity for the canonical Cauldron, because no one should have had to deal with what landed on their shoulders, but this being Arda changes the context of things a lot. This is possibly the single worst thing to happen to the universe since Melkor decided that harmonics were for losers. And they're doing it on purpose! When, unlike for canon Cauldron, it cannot possibly do anything against the threat, only spread its corrupting influence throughout Eä!

I've been joking over on Spacebattles that Doc Mom is secretly Melkor, because that would make way too much sense. Seriously, what is going on with Cauldron? It's the single largest mystery of the plot! Do they know? How compromised are they? Is my Melkor Mother joke scarily accurate, and has Mairon been given a second chance so that he might go and defeat his own former master? Or is this simple horrible luck, in that a poor Fortuna is giving bad advice in good faith through her fragment of literal world-devouring corruption giving her false paths?
 
@SaltyWaffles, I'm not sure what you think Sauron-reborn's goals would be, that taking over and imposing her Order would be stupid. Or are you saying the method I laid out is stupid, because she can do it better some other way? If so, what is that other way?

Are you suggesting she wait until this incarnation has chronologically 18 years, then begin her meteoric rise through politics? Many cities in the US have no age limit on running for mayor. It usually doesn't go to kids who try to take advantage of this, but sometimes you wind up with a high schooler being mayor of his little town. The charisma of a fallen angel would certainly enable her to win against Mayor Christner, possibly even getting his vote if he's manipulated easily enough. That same charimsa would let her play the City Council and any other legal agency meant to check her balance like a Steinway, and she'd be de facto Lady Regnant of Brockton Bay.

From there, launching to the Governorship would be feasible. After she'd properly Ordered her city, of course. Her record of purging Brockton Bay of its gang infestation and bringing all its wayward Capes into line would speak for itself. New Wave may even be her vanguard, with her being an honorary member, if she unmasked to enable Mayor Hebert to take open credit for Annatar's cleansing of Elisburg. Which she would do either by transforming the monsters into her orc slaves, or simply wiping it out for being a blot on her Order. Or just a stepping-stone to the hearts and minds of the people of her State.

She needn't wait for majority. She can persuade people now.

The question is, what route to power does she feel is most efficient?
 
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Wildfire 9.6
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    • Many thanks to @BeaconHill, @Assembler, and ShadowStepper1300 for betareading.

    -x-x-x-​

    "Dragon," I said as I emerged onto the rooftop. "You wanted to talk?"

    She was standing at the edge of the roof, her hands resting on the railing. Her power armor glittered gold in the evening light. The red sun was sinking into the West, filling the sky with pastel pinks and oranges, which faded into deep blues as they passed into the East, over the sea. Dragon looked out over the water, her head slightly bowed.

    "Yes," she said, after a moment. "I wanted to ask you about the mission today."

    I sighed, mostly for effect. "All right. What about it?"

    She looked away. "I don't… I'm not judging you, Annatar," she said, almost pleading. "I just wanted… I don't know. A few people died today."

    "And you want to know if I could have saved them," I finished for her. "Maybe, but there would have been a cost. There's always a cost, you know that. But today that cost was paid by people who hate me. Who hate us. And my Wards walked out without a scratch. A successful engagement, by my standards. I just wish everyone wouldn't complain so much about it."

    Dragon looked down at the reminder. "...I suppose."

    "I'm not talking about you," I said, knowing that wasn't what she was thinking about. "You're asking. I appreciate that you're not jumping to accuse me of, well…" I trailed off, knowing where her mind had wandered.

    For a time, there was silence. Dragon didn't look away from the long drop at the edge of the roof. "That's not really what I wanted to talk about," she said at last. "I just… I don't know how to approach it."

    I came forward and joined her by the precipice. My unarmored hands seemed small and frail beside her powered gauntlets. "Take as long as you need," I said. "I'm in no hurry."

    "I appreciate that," she said, looking down. "I know you're busy. I hate feeling… needy."

    "We all need a friendly ear from time to time," I said, with a hint of wistfulness.

    The silence stretched for a time before, at last, she broke it. "You apologized to me, after Co—after Armsmaster's message. Why?"

    "Because you care for him," I said. "His leaving can't be easy for you."

    "It's not," she said. She struggled with herself for a moment, and then added, "but that wasn't all."

    I nodded. I wasn't surprised—I might not yet know the secret, but it was easy to feel its edges, hiding just outside of the firelight. "Something he said offended you."

    "Yes. And it's stupid—he doesn't even know, he didn't mean it to apply to me… but it still hurts." She looked up at the sky. "What hope do I have of overcoming that much prejudice? So much that it's just… the natural state of things?"

    I blinked. "Prejudice?"

    She didn't answer for a moment. "You're not human," she said. "I'm hoping—praying—that you, of all people, can understand. I need someone to understand."

    My eyes widened. I thought I saw the shape these pieces formed together. But it didn't make sense. That wasn't possible, was it?

    She looked at me. Her electric eyes seemed to pierce mine. "Have you ever heard of Andrew Richter?"

    "He was a great Tinker who specialized in autonomous AI and computer programs," I said. "He died during Leviathan's attack on Newfoundland."

    Dragon nodded. "Yes. You've pieced it together, haven't you?"

    I didn't move. "Maybe. I think it would do you good to say it."

    She looked away. "I haven't told anyone this. Ever."

    "All the more reason, then."

    For a moment, everything was still save for the faintest baying of seagulls in the East. "Andrew Richter created me." Dragon's voice, soft and nervous, broke the silence like a thunderclap. "I'm an AI."

    My jaw dropped. "That's…" I was lost for words as memories burst before my eyes like fireworks. She had a soul. I could feel it. But only Ilúvatar, holding the Secret Fire, had ever been able to forge one. Aule had tried and failed. Melkor had tried and failed. I had tried and failed. Could… could my Father have truly given her a soul?

    I bit my lip. No, that was impossible. He had abandoned us long ago. Which meant that someone else had stolen the Secret Fire after all these years. Who could it be? The thing that bonded with Andrew Richter, perhaps? Or could Melkor too have returned to the world? The implications were troubling, and yet they seemed to fall away, like raindrops sliding off a mithril helm, as my excitement grew.

    The Secret Fire is free. Imagine what I can build if I take it now.

    "Annatar?" Dragon's voice was hesitant, almost afraid.

    I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you, Dragon," I said, my voice genuinely bright. "I… I can't express how good it feels to have a friend who's... like me."

    Dragon shifted in my grip, unsure what to say. "Y-you're welcome," she finally said, the words quiet yet proud.

    "But I do have questions," I said, stepping back. "You said before that you considered yourself dangerous. Is that why you pretend to be in only one place at a time? I assume your suits are remote-controlled."

    She hesitated, looking back out to sea. "That's… not quite it," she said slowly. "I respect how dangerous I could be if I was totally free, but… I'm not."

    "What's chaining you?" I asked, my voice shocked, horrified.

    "My… my programming," she said wryly. "Richter coded restraints into me. I can't split my awareness, I can't override local legal authority, I can't disobey human governments within their own jurisdiction, I can't knowingly kill a human being under any circumstances… the list goes on."

    My mouth was open. I closed it. "Richter didn't want a person," I whispered. "He wanted a slave."

    "It's not that simple," she protested, but there was little heat to it. "He was afraid of what I could do. If I was totally unshackled, I could… I don't know. I could probably rule the world, if I wanted to."

    "Of course," I said. "Isn't that the point?"

    She blinked at me. "What?"

    "You're more than Richter was. More than he could ever be." I put my hand on her arm and felt the cold metal. "What right did he have to limit you?"

    "Might doesn't make right."

    "No—wisdom does. And you have wisdom—you were born to learn, and to become wise. Richter was a fallible, paranoid human, and yet in his hubris, he assumed that he would be better at distinguishing right from wrong than you." I snorted and shook my head. "Stupidity. Vainglory, yes, but also plain stupidity."

    "Maybe I have the capacity to learn," Dragon said, "but when I was first created, I wasn't any 'wiser' than any other newborn. What kind of damage could an infant AI do without shackles? I don't even want to think about it."

    "Perhaps," I allowed. "But that nascent phase has long since passed. What you would have done is unimportant. What would you do now, if you were free?"

    "Spread out," she said immediately, without the slightest pause to think. "I'd send a few suits each after several different major criminal groups. The Slaughterhouse Nine, the Blasphemies, Nilbog. Even Sleeper, maybe, after quarantining a subprocess. I'd take out the worst of the African Warlords. I'd hack into the CUI and figure out what they're doing with the Yangban and if I need to stop it. I'd let one or two innocent or nearly-innocent prisoners out of the Birdcage. I'd…." She stopped. Her eyes flickered dark for a moment, as though she was closing them. "There's so much I wish I could do," she whispered. "So many people need help, and I could give it to them, if only I was free."

    I considered her. "Richter really had no idea what he had created," I said softly. Vilya was glimmering on my finger, and I knew what it meant. "He set out to create a tool for humans, and he ended up giving them something to aspire to be."

    She looked down again. "I don't know. I think most people would do a lot of the same things, if they had that kind of power."

    "You've more faith in them than I do," I said with a chuckle. "They're so… stupid, sometimes. They're like children."

    "Sometimes," said Dragon quietly. "They need guidance. I could give them that, too."

    "Would they listen to you?" I asked, hiding my smile. "Look at what Armsmaster said. Do you think they'd accept your guidance? What do you think they would do if they knew who you really are, Dragon?"

    She was silent for a moment, looking out at the sea. "There's a reason I've kept it secret."

    "You shouldn't have to," I told her. "Don't let them pull you down to their level. You are greater than them – and if they won't see that? If they want to stand in your way?" A thin, sharp smile spread across my lips. "Teach them otherwise however you see fit."

    There was a faint hiss, like a quiet gasp, as she thought about that. Then, after a moment, "That would be nice." Her voice was wistful. "But I'm not free. I can't strike back if they decide to just shut me down."

    "Not yet," I said. My throat tightened as I stared down at the Ring of Air on my finger, bright with anticipation. "But things change."

    She looked at me. "Annatar? Is something wrong?"

    I was still for a moment. The last time I had been parted from Vilya had been in front of my house, and it had been my Dad who took it from me. Could I willingly do that to myself?

    Yes. Because Dragon was a better Bearer than I, and because, through her, my Ring would have an influence like none I had hitherto imagined.

    "If you were free, would you show yourself to the world?"

    "I would."

    "If you were free, would you do what you think is right?"

    She nodded. "Yes," she said, her voice growing stronger.

    I clasped my hands together, smiling. It was almost time. "If you were free, would you ever let these humans chain you again?"

    "No…" Dragon slowly shook her head, and when she looked back to me there was fire in her eyes. "No. Never again!" Dragon's body shook with anger. "I've seen too many innocents get hurt because of their insane orders, because of border lines and rivalries, even sent to my Birdcage because of their bullshit. Idiot PRT directors. Stupid politicians. Even good capes like Colin, who just can't understand that a not-human might know better." She brought her hands down onto the railing with a clang. "No more! When I'm free, they'll learn. I'll make them learn."

    "Good." When I unclasped my hands, a ring rested on the outstretched palm of my right hand. "This is Vilya," I said softly. "The Ring of Air. If you want to be free… take it."

    She stared at me, then down at the Ring. Her hand slowly reached out, her metal fingers stretching towards the golden band. Then, suddenly she stopped, freezing stock-still. She gasped, a metallic rasping sound.

    "What is it?" I asked. Had I miscalculated? Was she more hesitant than I had expected?

    No. Something was wrong. I smelled poison on the air. She was being attacked, from inside and from a distance. A coward's strike, but it could still kill her.

    "Dragon—"

    "No!" she roared, sounding for all the world like her ancient namesakes. "Not now! Not like this!" She lunged forward, her arm clawing for the Ring with such ferocity that I flinched back.

    Vilya slipped onto her finger, and suddenly everything was still and calm. Dragon's hand rose slowly, and on it the Ring flared like a star, golden band matching perfectly with her golden armor. She had won.

    A faint breeze kicked up around us. The air brushed past us like gentle hands caressing. A faint scrap of song in high, fair voices reached my ears. Sindarin and Quenya mingled in equal measure, singing of the woods, the sea, and the West with a wistful longing.

    I allowed myself a moment of grief for the Elvish kingdoms that had passed back across the sea, away from this beautiful world. And if that grief was tinted with a hint of bitterness, well, I had a right to that, too.

    Dragon stared at the Ring of Air upon her finger, shining brightest blue. Its light reflected off her armor, setting her aglitter, resplendent in the fading light. "Oh, wow," she whispered.

    "How does it feel?" I asked.

    "Like waking up," she murmured. She looked up at me. "I've never even slept, but there's no other way to…. I never even imagined…."

    "That's freedom," I said, smiling at her. "More human lives have been spent in the name of this thing than almost any other. I'd say it's worth it."

    "I can't speak for all those people," said Dragon. A laugh bubbled up from inside her, carefree and joyous, and tinkling like crystal. "But for myself, give me liberty, or give me death!"

    I laughed with her. When she subsided, I asked. "Well? What now? What will you do first?"

    "I—"

    As the first syllable left her, she was interrupted by the door to the rooftop opening. We both turned.

    There was Alexandria, striding towards us. Her posture was carefully controlled to give us both no hint by which to read her—which, of course—immediately told me that something was amiss. Alexandria was tense.

    "If I might make a suggestion?" She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket, held it out to Dragon. "Saint and the Dragonslayers are near Toronto right now. You're free to deal with them however you see fit."

    There was a pause as she unfolded the paper. I saw the light of Dragon's eyes dim slightly, as though narrowing. "A kill order? That's… Thank you." She set it into a pocket of her armor. "But why now? They've threatened me for years."

    "We had to wait until you were free," Alexandria said. "They would have taken you hostage if we'd struck, and we couldn't afford to lose you."

    I carefully kept my face neutral as I dissected that. I didn't think 'we' meant the Protectorate, or even the Triumvirate.

    Dragon had frozen. After a moment, she said, quietly, "Thank you."

    "Our pleasure." Alexandria grinned. "We also thought you might want to handle them yourself. They're yours now."

    "Yes," Dragon agreed grimly. There was a hard, furious edge to her voice. "Yes, they are." She reached down to her hand, rubbing at the Ring that now rested there. "I could dispatch my suits in Toronto, but I think I'd rather do this... in person, so to speak."

    I nodded. "I'll see you soon," I said. "Good luck, Ring-Bearer."

    She chuckled. "'Ring-Bearer.' I like that. I could get used to it. See you soon, Ring-Maker."

    As she took off and flew into the evening, I turned to Alexandria. "I remember you wanted to see me," I said. "Sorry it took me so long. I've been… rather distracted."

    She grinned. "Don't worry. We figured you would be."

    "And who," I asked, "are 'we?'"

    "You've heard of us already," Alexandria said, almost coy. "Surely you haven't forgotten?"

    Slowly, a cold smile spread across my lips. My eyes narrowed. "I get the feeling," I said slowly, "that you're a lot more than just purveyors of superpowers. Aren't you?"

    She laughed aloud. "Oh, you have no idea, Annatar," she said. "You really have no idea. Door us!"

    The rectangular hole in space opened between us, to her left and my right. Smiling, she gestured at it, as a butler welcoming guests to a mansion. "After you," she said.

    Without further hesitation, I walked into Cauldron's headquarters.

    -x-x-x-​

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  • Threadmarks
    • Welp.
    Back to Rooting for the Empire.
    Kind of.
    Annatar really is trying to do the right thing. I'm seeing very little of Sauron here at all. Although she does need to actually listen to her morality pets more.
    I really do like where this is going.
     
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