#Of course - Elfhild and Elffled might just be suffering from anxiety at being forced to sing an enemy song...

[morgulscribe]

In a world where music has power, what happens when one sings a hymn to a Dark God?

Somewhere in Nurn, the Land of Mordor....

The great hall of the School of Industry was bustling with activity as the students settled in for breakfast, the lively drone of dozens of conversations filling the air like a hive of merry bees. Suddenly, a hush fell over the hall as the discordant sound of the gong rang out in a command for silence. As the crowd waited expectantly, Assistant Headmistress Akeya strode to the edge of the raised dais situated at the northern end of the hall.

"For those who are new here, we give each day an auspicious start by giving praise to the Lord of Middle-earth," Akeya announced, clasping her hands together before her heart. "I will first sing the words of this song in Westron, and then again in the language of Mordor."

The Lord of Middle-earth rules over all From the highest mountain to deepest hall Gifts He gives and knowledge He bestows To the worthy. Our loyalty we owe To the King of Men, the Lord of the Earth Whom we serve with rejoicing and mirth His Eye watches over each and every one From the crack of dawn until day is done Songs of praise we sing, His will we obey As we wait expectantly for the day When He is exalted in every land And all Middle-earth obeys His command!

As the students around them lifted up their voices in song, Elfhild and Elffled exchanged horrified glances. Was this to be their life now, forced to sing songs of adoration to the Dread Enemy at least once a day? The faces of many of their fellow students were filled with zealous devotion, while others looked stoically ahead, their wide eyes filled with fear as their trembling lips mouthed the lyrics. Some, those who were apathetic and jaded by life, seemed bored by the whole spectacle, as though the words of the paean had no more meaning than a list of specials on the menu of an orc tavern.

Slowly at first, almost imperceptibly, the atmosphere in the chamber began to change. It was as though an unseen power had begun to manifest itself in the room, growing ever stronger in might as over a hundred voices united as one. The twins felt this power pulsing around them, subtle at first like the tension in the air before a storm, and then growing in dreadful magnitude until the tempest raged all around them. For a few brief moments, they felt dizzy, as though they were about to be pulled into the whirlwind and spun out into oblivion.

And then the song ended, and all was as it had been before. Staggering slightly, Elfhild put a shaky hand to her forehead. What had just happened? She looked uncertainly at Elffled, who shook her head in confusion, equally as bewildered.