¤Looks around sheepishly¤
Yeah, I know. I'm pretty much awful. I can't believe that it took me four months to write out this chapter, but alas, it did. There has been so much going on (mostly Harry Potter) and my LordoftheRings!Muse just went soul searching, and forgot to tell me about it. Grant it, I was a little occupied by my Harry Potter!Muse, but that's not an excuse.
Anywho, I'm back! And I bring with me a decent sized chapter. It's a lot of conversation though. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure that the chapters after this are full of action and fighting and snogging and all that lot, so never fear!
Once again, I'm sorry for making you guys wait, but since my LordoftheRings!Muse has returned, I hope to be a bit quicker with my updates.
Thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy!
-¤original-creativity¤-
§¤-Chapter 3: Decisions and Revelations-¤§
The dinning hall, it seemed, was only the front hall where the companions had first entered transformed into a dinning area by long tables placed out so that the royal family and those of the court could eat. It didn't matter to Kenzie how it looked, however, as long as it had food. Her stomach growled in agreement and she notice Legolas beside her, shaking his head.
She smirked at him and quickly placed a kiss on his cheek before pulling away and gently seating herself beside Aragorn at one of the tables. The young witch bit her lower lip, eyeing the selection of food, and then carefully began to fill her plate.
As she filled her cup, Èowyn shook out a blanket, rustling dust in the fire lit air, and placed it around the shoulders of a young girl sitting at another table off to the King's left. "They had no warning," she began and Kenzie cringed a bit, hating the fact that she and Legolas had missed the beginning of the conversation, but paid it no never mind.
"They were unarmed. Now the wild men are moving across the Westfold, burning as they go—rick, cot and tree," Èowyn finished, glancing up at her uncle pleadingly as if hoping that her distress would convince him of the horrors that were occurring.
The look on Théoden's face, that of a stricken man with few choices to save his people from the chaos ensuing in his lands, showed that he knew only too well what horrors she feared. He pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a deep breath as his mind tumbled with what had happened during his long possession.
"This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash," Gandalf told him gently, "All the more potent for he is driven mad by fear of Sauron."
A brief moment passed before the wizard continued, "Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children," he reached forward and grasped the arm of Théoden's seat, his voice quieting somewhat, "You must fight!"
"You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak," Aragorn interjected, hoping to help Gandalf convince the King further, "Èomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their King."
Théoden sighed heavily, standing from his seat and pacing as if lost, "They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Èomer cannot help us."
Kenzie slowly chewed on her food, following the King with her eyes. The lost look upon his face seemed to deepen as he walked back and forth. And yet there was still a determined and unmoving appearance in his face. In that moment, the young witch realized, he had finalized his decision and would not be moved.
Théoden looked to Gandalf as the wizard stood from his seat and moved down the stairs. "I know what it is you want of me," the King stated back commandingly to Gandalf, "But I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."
Aragorn's eyes narrowed, "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."
Théoden turned sharply, fixing a harsh glare upon the Ranger, "When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan."
"We are only here to help," Kenzie spoke up sharply, not able to keep herself quiet. The King fixed his hardened gaze upon her as she kept her head high, "This is not a war against Rohan alone; it is a war against all kinds of Middle Earth."
"That may be, dear lady," Théoden answered, his voice still hard, "But as King of Rohan, my first and only concern is my people and the lands which we call home."
Her anger boiled slightly. In the back of her mind, she knew that she should let it alone; the people of Rohan were suppose to make their stand at Helm's Deep. But the fact that Théoden was too arrogant to see the whole picture of the threat Saruman and Sauron were posing to the whole of Middle Earth made her mouth open to retaliate the King again. Aragorn placed a hand on her shoulder, however, stopping her from speaking. The young witch looked to him and slowly allowed the voice of reason sounding in her mind to once again take over. She nodded her surrender; obviously there was going to be no making him understand the grand scale of what was going on until long after this conversation. Gimli belched, stirring the silence that came upon the hall as Kenzie went back to her food, shaking her head.
"Then what is the King's decision?" Gandalf asked gently, not risking a heated argument between his company and the King.
Théoden sighed heavily once more, possibly in an attempt to rid himself of as much stress and fear as he could in one breath. His gaze washed over the Hall, lingering on Èowyn for a brief moment before resting on Gandalf. "I will take my people to Helm's Deep. There we shall weather this threat as we would weather a storm," he stated, turning to his soldiers standing towards the side.
"Hama, when the sun rises tomorrow, inform the people that we will leave for the fortress as quickly as possible. Only necessities will be needed for it will be a hard journey," he ordered quietly as Hama nodded his understanding.
Théoden turned back to Kenzie and the others, nodding civilly, "Your help is greatly appreciated and welcomed. I thank you for what you have done for us thus far and will gladly welcome your presence on the journey to Helm's Deep. Now I bid you good night and a pleasant sleep."
With that, the King turned and left the Golden Hall, leaving the company behind to their food and thoughts. Kenzie sighed before taking a large drink of the wine that sat in front of her and looked over at Aragorn as she broke off a piece of bread.
"We did our best," the Ranger stated, "we must trust fate now."
"That we will," Gandalf answered, heaving a great sigh of his own, "I shall bid you good night as well and hope you will soon do the same. Théoden is right; the journey will be hard and all strength will be needed."
After he had gone, the four companions became silent, eyes darting to one another as the fire crackled behind them. Kenzie moved first, pushing her food back and standing from her seat. "I have to call my sisters. Saruman is not the only one we still need to worry about," she stated.
"You talk of the demon?" Gimli asked, "He was not destroyed?"
Kenzie shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. His power, for some reason, is stronger than my sisters and I anticipated. We'll have to back track and rethink our stance."
"Do you think he'll strike again?" Aragorn asked, a nervous hint tainting his voice as he obviously tried not to concern himself with the demon.
"I wish I knew. He underestimated my power in the same way I did him; when he fled Amon Hen, he was wounded badly. I would like to hope that he would wait, heal himself a bit, but it will be wise to think that an attack will come at the first opportunity," she replied, fixing him with the best stare that she could, "So that means you have to be extra careful. Taking the form of an orc or Urk might not be his next choice, so you don't need to push your luck."
"We shall all keep watch of anything strange," Legolas spoke, placing a hand on the small of her back as he came up behind her, "Now that we all are more familiar with him and are certain that Aragorn is his goal, he might be easier to spot."
"Possibly," Kenzie mused, wishing it were that easy, "Well, I'm off to talk to Katlin and Kennedy and then to bed. I will see you boys in the morning."
With that, she quickly kissed Legolas and then headed out of the hall and towards her room. Once she had closed the door and safely bolted it, she took a deep breath and looked up. "Brian, you can bring Katlin and Kennedy now," she stated.
A good thirty seconds went past before a mass group of pale blue and white swirling lights filled the room and quickly formed into a man and two women; Kenzie's Whitelighter, Brian, and her older sisters, Katlin and Kennedy.
"Good Lord, it is good to see you!" Kennedy said brightly, rushing forward and enveloping the youngest O'Neil in a tight hug.
Kenzie laughed and squeezed back, "It's wonderful to see you too."
"You're looking a little cheerier than when we last spoke," Katlin stated, gently hugging Kenzie.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean things are cheerier here in Middle Earth," Kenzie pointed out, her face turning serious as she pulled back, "Did Brian tell you what happened at Amon Hen?"
"He was sketchy, but then again he didn't know much," Katlin replied, "He did say that you need a Power of Three spell. Why didn't you use the spell we found in the Book of Shadows? And why are you here and not with Frodo?"
"I did use the spell," Kenzie started, exasperated as she plopped down onto her bed, "It didn't work; he didn't even flinch. And as for Frodo, he wasn't my Innocent. Aragorn is."
"But Katlin's premonition," Brian started.
"Was centered around Aragorn. We just assumed that he was in the Changer's way and that the demon was going to kill him to get to Frodo. In reality, the Changer was hired to take out Aragorn, the hope of Men. We misinterpreted the premonition just as Gandalf did with his information from Saruman," Kenzie replied.
Katlin nodded slowly, "That makes sense. Without Aragorn, Rohan and Gondor won't unite to strike out against Mordor and therefore leave the way for Frodo blocked by Sauron's watchful eye."
"Exactly," Kenzie stated, "and I almost realized it too late."
Kennedy's brow furrowed as she crossed her arms, "So now that we've got your Innocents straightened out, let's get back to the big problem; why would the spell in the Book not work?"
"Maybe he's stronger," Brian suggested.
"You mean he's stronger because he's in Middle Earth?" Kennedy asked, "That doesn't work either; Kenzie's not any stronger, are you?" she finished, looking to Kenzie.
The youngest witch shook her head, "No, I'm not."
"That's not what I mean, though," Brian stated, "What if he acquired more powers?"
"You think Saruman somehow made the Changer more powerful?" Kenzie asked, crinkling an eyebrow skeptically.
"Well, that could be a possibility, but what if he stole them from another witch before he came here? We all know that when a demon kills a witch and assumes her powers that the demon becomes stronger," the Whitelighter replied.
Katlin sighed, "Well, whatever he did, it made him strong enough for a Power of Three spell. What's happening in the story now?"
"We're heading to Helm's Deep tomorrow. In four days, we'll be surrounded by ten thousand orcs," Kenzie replied.
"Do you have any idea when the Changer will show himself again?" Katlin inquired.
Kenzie shook her head, "No idea what so ever, which makes it even more dangerous. I have a feeling he'll wait again, however. I blew his entire hand off that day and I think he'll take his time to heal, using the time to try to make me worry. In any case, I've told Aragorn to be more careful, but I doubt if that'll help anything."
Kennedy nodded, "Yeah, I agree. You guys are just going to have to keep your eyes open."
"How are things at home?" Kenzie asked, her voice hopeful that her sisters weren't dealing with anything too serious in her absence.
"The usual," Brian answered, "but nothing that requires the Power of Three. At least not yet."
Kenzie nodded and looked to her sisters, "And how are you doing without fire power?"
"We have potions and such," Katlin started, "I mean, it's just like the beginning before your powers evolved. We just have to think on our feet sometimes."
"In other words, we miss it and wish that one of us had it," Kennedy stated with a lopsided smile.
Kenzie returned the smile, "Well, I won't say that I don't miss you guys and your powers as well. I mean, if I could have premonitions, then I might know when the Changer will show his face again and since I know the story a little better, I would have a better idea of what might happen and where."
Katlin pursed her lips and cocked her head as if deep in thought. Kennedy and Kenzie eyed their older sister in curiosity. "What are you thinking about?" Kennedy asked.
"A spell. Kennedy, can you orb back home and get the Book?" Katlin asked.
Kennedy's eyebrows furrowed, "Yeah sure."
With that, she disappeared in the swirling blue lights. "What spell are you thinking of? Something for the Changer?" Kenzie asked as Katlin moved over and sat down beside her.
"No, a spell for us," Katlin replied.
After a moment, Kennedy reappeared in the middle of the room, the large, leather-bound Book of Shadows clutched in her hands. "I'm confused," she stated as she walked towards the other two witches, "I thought that we needed a Power of Three spell for the Changer."
"We do," Katlin answered as she began to flip through the Book, quickly scanning over the spells, "But Kenzie gave me an idea."
"An idea about...?" Brian asked, just as confused.
"About our powers. Things would be easier for us if we had Kenzie's freeze and fire powers and things would be easier for Kenzie if she had a heads up about what was going to happen. Here it is," Katlin stopped flipping and the two younger witches leaned over her shoulders.
"Sharing powers?" Kenzie asked, her eyes widening, "You seriously want to share powers?"
Brian shook his head, "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why not?" Kennedy asked, "It works both ways. We'll have everything we usually have, without the strength of the Power of Three and the sister of course."
"We'll have to be careful, though," Katlin started, "We've never done anything like this before, so we'll have to test it out and make sure that we still have our original powers. If not, it'll defeat the whole purpose."
With that, Kennedy, Katlin, and Brian looked over at Kenzie. The looks on their faces were asking if she was up to it. Kenzie sighed and nodded, "All right, let's do it then."
"Ok," Katlin started, handing the Book over to Kennedy to hold as she and Kenzie stood and laced their hands together, "Three times, as always."
Kenzie nodded and they both looked to the spell and began to read:
"What's mine is yours
What's yours is mine,
Let our powers cross the line.
I offer up my gift to share
Share the powers through the air."
This the two O'Neil sisters repeated two more times. Half way through the last chant, a soft glow began to engulf the two and then disappeared as the spell ended. Kenzie felt a strange tingle shoot through her entire body and she closed her eyes, waiting until the shivers subsided before she opened them again.
"Do you feel any different?" Kennedy asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"Just tingly," Katlin replied, shaking out her hands, "You?" she looked to Kenzie.
"The same. Should we test it?" Kenzie asked.
"Yeah, make sure that it worked," Katlin replied and looked around. After a moment, she walked over to the small table holding the looking glass Kenzie was using earlier. She picked up a small brush lying innocently on the table top and threw it at Kenzie as hard as she could.
The youngest O'Neil jerked her hands automatically, letting out a sigh a relief when the brush jerked to a frozen stop in the air.
"Well, that answers that question," Brian stated.
Kenzie walked forward and pulled the brush from mid air and looked to Katlin. "Ok, now we see if it really does what we want," Katlin stated, raising her hands and taking a deep breath.
Kenzie smiled, "Remember, you jerk your hands. Don't flick them or you'll blow something up."
"Thanks, I'm so confident now," Katlin replied, rolling her eyes.
Kennedy and Kenzie chuckled as Kenzie gently tossed the brush towards her older sister. Even though she was confident that Katlin could do it, she was still fearful that maybe the spell didn't work. If it hadn't, throwing an object as hard as she could wasn't the smartest thing.
When the brush was half-way to her, Katlin jerked her hands and closed her eyes as she turned her head away slightly. The brush slowly came to a stop in mid-air, hanging above the floor. Kenzie smiled and looked to Kennedy, who seemed to be excited that they would once again have fire power.
"I didn't hear it fall," Katlin stated, prying one eye open to take a look, "Hey, I did it."
"Brava, dear sister," Kennedy clapped and hugged Kenzie, "Oh, I'm so excited now! You should see the kitchen, Kenzie. We haven't been able to see the counter in ages! All the potion ingredients covering everything, it's been so annoying."
Kenzie chuckled as Kennedy pulled away, "Are we just going to chance it with the fire and premonition powers?" She was hoping that they would say no, but she really couldn't think of any way to test the fire power without causing trouble and she was drawling a blank with the premonitions.
"I think that if I got the freezing power, then I got the fire power too. As for the premonitions, I wish there was a way, but we could be here for hours," Katlin pointed out.
Brian crossed his arms, "Since Katlin's already pulled off Kenzie's powers, it might be safe to say that Katlin's premonitions transferred as well."
Kenzie sighed, crossing her arms as well, "I just wish that we were for sure."
"We'll just have to chance it," Katlin replied, sighing too, "Well, we better get going. We'll get on that Power of Three spell as quick as we can, and get back to you. We'll then have to come up with a plan to use it when the time comes, hopefully not while you are at Helm's Deep, even though it would be like him to attack then."
The youngest witch nodded, "That's what I thought. I'll try to get a premonition to be sure. Anything else?"
Katlin pursed her lips tightly and looked over to Kennedy, who bit her lower lip and nodded. Kenzie crinkled her eyebrows in confusion. Just as she was about to inquire what it was that was bugging them, Katlin turned to Brian and smiled sweetly.
"You can go ahead back," she told him, "Kennedy and I would like to talk to Kenzie a bit, alone."
Brian nodded, "All right," he then smiled brightly at Kenzie, "It was good seeing you; remember to be careful yourself, okay?"
Kenzie smiled back, "Of course." And with that, he disappeared in a swirl of blue and white lights.
Turning and casting a completely confused look at her sisters, Kenzie shook her head, "All right, what is this all about?"
Kennedy smiled, "We want to know what's going on with Legolas, or if anything has happened at all."
Kenzie's eyes widened and she laughed a little, "What has Grams told you? 'Cause I can tell you've heard something and the only person who knows anything is Grams because she is the one who hounded the Elders to send Mom to talk to me in the first place."
Kennedy and Katlin feigned expressions of surprise, but when Kenzie quirked her eyebrows, daring them to challenge her, the three sisters erupted into giggles as they moved over to the bed and sat down together.
"Spill, now!" Kennedy commanded, pulling one leg underneath her and giving her younger sister a bright, enthusiastic look.
Kenzie smiled back just as brightly and turned her gaze down to the covers, biting her lower lip self-consciously, "What can I say? I'm in love with him," she stated quietly, not able to look up at either one of them.
"We had a feeling that was going to happen," Katlin stated knowingly, smirking widely at her.
Kenzie shook her head and smiled, "Yeah; I'll never forget the conversation that morning after the Council. In French, in front of everyone. That wasn't very nice, by the way."
"Just sisterly concern," Kennedy replied, "So, have you told him? Has he dropped any hints about what he might feel?"
Hearing the last question, Kenzie threw her head back and laughed loudly, holding her sides as she tried to regain her composure. She almost blurted out, "Yeah, a big anvil-sized hint," but she stopped herself and pursed her lips.
"Yes, I've told him," she started slowly.
"And?" Katlin pressed, both her and Kennedy leaning closely to the youngest O'Neil and looking on enthusiastically.
"You two are ridiculous, I swear," Kenzie stated, laughing softly. She then took a deep breath and looked between the two, "He told me he loved me too."
"Oh that's fantastic!" Kennedy exclaimed, gripping her younger sister in a tight hug, "Our little sister has finally fallen in love!"
Kenzie shot a laughing smile at Katlin, who shook her head in a response to Kennedy's action. The oldest witch was about to offer her own reply when there was a soft, but clear knock on the door. "Speaking of said elf," Katlin stated instead, the three witches standing from their spots.
"Well, be careful and all that lot. And don't do anything I wouldn't do," Kennedy said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Kenzie laughed and hugged her, "Don't be stupid. And watch Katlin, she might be a little unstable with those powers for a while."
"Hey now, you're suppose to be giving me support," Katlin stated as Kenzie turned to her and hugged her as well.
"Just call it sisterly concern," Kenzie stated back with a wide smile. She started to pull back as the knock sounded on the door again, louder this time, but Katlin held her tight.
"We'll have to have a very serious discussion about you and Legolas soon, okay?" she whispered, the serious of her voice causing Kenzie to fear the conversation that her older sister spoke of.
"Okay," Kenzie whispered back, the knock echoing in the room again.
Katlin quickly pulled away then, and went to stand next to Kennedy. They both smiled brightly at their younger sister before grabbing each other's hand and orbing out of the room and back to San Francisco. Sighing loudly, Kenzie turned and went to the door as she placed a slight smile on her face for Legolas. Her smile quickly changed to a look of surprise when she saw who stood outside.
"Gandalf?" she asked, crinkling her eyebrows, "I didn't except you to be knocking on my door."
The wizened wizard smiled softly, "Yes, I know. I hope I didn't interrupt anything; I felt a magical pulse and wanted to investigate. You were the first source that came to mind, as it were."
The young witch opened the door and stepped to the side, inviting him in, "Well, you were right. My sisters were just here and we performed a little spell."
"Oh? May I inquire the nature of the spell?" he questioned.
Kenzie smiled and nodded, "We did a sharing spell; Katlin and I are now sharing powers. She and Kennedy wanted the fire power that I have and Katlin thought I could probably use the premonitions."
Gandalf turned and looked at her, a surprised and interested look upon his face, "So you will now be able to see the future?"
"Well, in a sense, yes; I will be able to see what might happen in the future unless it is changed," she replied with a shrug, "Nothing really big."
"Hmmm," the wizard pondered, almost to himself.
After a moment of silence, Kenzie wondered if he had slipped so deep in thought that he had forgotten that she was standing there. She opened her mouth to stir him out of his pause, but he turned to her and smiled grimly and she crinkled her brow, puzzled by the sudden change. "What is it?" she asked.
Gandalf sighed heavily, "I heard whisperings while I was lingering in Fangorn, rumors of a new plan brewing in Isengard. I feel that it is very important that I share this with you."
Her eyes widened, "A new plan for what?" she asked softly, almost terrified to hear the answer.
"The demon that was summoned by Saruman is not totally under control. He rarely reveals his plans, but when he does, they are time consuming and waste too much time for Saruman's liking," Gandalf started, sweeping his cloak around him and turning his face from her, "The blow that you dealt to him at the battle of Amon Hen was startling and devastating. The demon now fears you as Saruman and Sauron fear Aragorn."
"So what has happened to make you worry, Gandalf? This demon is too arrogant to abandon his job just because he's starting to fear for his life and I am almost certain that he will bide his time before he shows up again. Probably concoct an elaborate plan to not only kill Aragorn, but kill me as well," Kenzie replied, the fear in her stomach starting to die down. She was use to demons coming up with more vicious plans to first kill her Innocent and then her as revenge.
"You are more right than you know," the wizard replied, glancing back at the young witch and answering in a tone that made her fear stir again nervously.
"Well, my sisters are writing a Power of Three spell as quickly as possible. We all think that he'll come after Aragorn quickly, so we are making sure that we are prepared when he does," she told him evenly, trying to keep the tremble from her voice. There was something about the wizard's manner that kept her mind reeling with an uneasiness.
Gandalf turned completely this time, fixing a hard stare upon her, "It is not Aragorn that the demon will strike against first," he responded softly, "It is you, Kenzie."
"What?" Kenzie asked, her voice raising and her brow crinkling, "But that doesn't make sense. Yeah, I can see him coming after me in revenge, but only after he does his task first. That's the way demons are, they are very task-oriented."
Gandalf shook his head, "He and Saruman have a plan of attack. What it is, I know not. But I do know that it is you they are targeting now and once you are gone, they will once again focus upon Aragorn."
The young witch fell to her bed, disbelief clouding her face. This changed...everything! It wasn't just about Aragorn anymore, it was about her too and that wasn't the way it was suppose to be. She was suppose to protect the Innocent, not worry about her own well being.
"I am only warning you, Kenzie, to keep your eyes open not only for Aragorn, but for yourself as well," the older wizard broke into her thoughts. Kenzie looked up from the floor and meet his gaze. "Your task is now not so simple and you must make yourself ready for this new challenge," he continued softly, obviously hoping to instill comfort in her.
The young witch took a deep breath and nodded. In reality, it wasn't something of a surprise to her; there was always that upper level demon that wanted to kill off the Charmed Ones and take over the Underworld and eventually everything else. The only difference this time was that her sisters weren't there to stand beside her.
"I will leave tomorrow to search for Èomer's party, this you know," the wizard started again, moving to the door, "Do not let this new revelation trouble you so, child. You are strong and intelligent; this demon will not be able to catch you off guard so easily."
Kenzie looked up to him and smiled softly, "Thank you, Gandalf. I appreciate your words of confidence."
He smiled back and opened the door, "I bid you good night, then."
"Good night," she responded as the door clicked softly behind him. She then let out a heavy sigh and bent forward, her head falling in her hands. Gandalf's revelation had changed everything, whether he wanted it to seem so or not.
Worrying about Aragorn was enough, with his sudden urges to leap into the middle of battles and kill as many orcs as possible and spare others time to get away. Worrying about herself on top of that would make the battle at Helm's Deep even more perilous than she had ever thought.
