Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, their characters and concepts belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those enterprises to whom she has given publishing rights. The Lord of the Rings, their characters and concepts belong to Tolkien Estate and those enterprises to whom such rights were given. This work does not intend to infringe upon those rights, nor is it intended to commercial use.
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Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where Shadows lie.
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The Lord of the Curses
Prologue
Third Age, 1974
The Witch-king of Angmar stood before the broken gates of Fornost, the North-City, Capital of the last kingdom of the Dúnedain of Arnor. The king fled to the north, where he would meet his doom at the raging, frozen sea; his children escaped over the Lune, along with many other survivors of the Dúnedain. But the realm of Arnor was no more.
The seeds of discontentment long planted among the Dúnedain have borne fruits, and the once great kingdom was divided in three, among the sons of Eärendur, for the hearts of men are often captured by the lure of power and many gave heed to such words, whispered quietly with great cunning by the servants of the enemy.
Three realms were formed: Arthedain, Rhudaur and Cardolan, and their constant struggle weakened them. Rhudaur was the first to fall and Hillmen, allied to the hosts of Angmar, took the power and, alongside the Witch-king, fought against Arthedain and Cardolan, but they were defeated, for the Dúnedain counted with the aid of the elven people of Lindon.
Cardolan fell fifty years later, unable to defend itself against the hordes of the north, and the great tower Amon Sûl, built at the Weathertop, was destroyed. With the aid of Círdan and the forces of Lindon and Lórien, the kingdom of Arthedain withstood the siege of Fornost and drove off the forces of the Witch-king.
Peace held for more than 500 years.
However, in the year of 1974 of the Third Age, the power of Angmar rose once again and it came down upon Arthedain with a strength not before seen. The realm of Arthedain was ravaged, its Capital burnt and razed by the captain of the Ringwraiths, before aid could be brought from Gondor and from the elves.
The final destruction of Arnor was not enough to satisfy Sauron, who decided to curse the very land where the Dúnedain held their last stand, using his most trusted and powerful servant to deliver the vengeance long contrived in his mind.
From the top of the protective walls the Witch-king unleashed the accursed water prepared by his master and it fell, like a sudden rain, in the valley that surrounded the burning city. Each drop enough to torment the land and create a terrible spring and from that moment on, should elf, man or beast drown in them they would become cursed.
Terrible it was, for it changed the body of any person who bathed in them, to the shape of the creature who there drowned. Hot water could be used to return the afflicted being to its true from, but cold water would once again activate the curse.
Imlad in Eithelath Rhechennin was it named, Valley of the Cursed Springs, but the fallen city was avoided by all, save the bravest and the foolest and soon the true horror of Sauron's curse was shrouded in mystery.
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Author's notes: Along with many other Ranma 1/2 fan fiction writers, I started as a fan who could not get enough with the Manga and the Anime and decided to check out the universe of fan fiction, in which I was quickly ensnared. The next step in my obsession was to write a piece of fan fiction of my own, and I decided to do so. I was both surprised and relieved that a Ranma 1/2 and LotR fusion has never been tried before, because it's much easier to write about something you know well. The idea came to me in a specially idle afternoon in the office, with a tentative cast of which Ranma character would suit better to play a LotR role and the number of excellent matches surprised me. Convinced it could work, I started this story. I really hope you'll enjoy it! And please point out any grammar or spelling errors I may commit, for English is but my third language.
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Special thanks to:
Maggie Gamgee, my pre-reader, editor and friend, for all the support regarding this fanfic;
Krista Perry, for binding me in the world of Ranma 1/2 fan fiction.
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V. 1.2 (13-II-2003)
By Fangorn (fangorn_ff@terra.com.br)