Start of a Journey
A dark cloud was moving out over Minas Morgul. It was spreading from Mordor.
"Orcs have been gathering in Mordor for a long time now," Dowaim said.
"Haxoru must be planning something," Khamûl said.
Sauron nodded. He bent down over the map and ran a finger over Mordor. "They are gathering around Barad-dûr," he said as his finger stopped over the tower. "I don't particularly like the fact that Haxoru is using the tower that we built."
"He's been there for a while now," Dowaim said. "He must have been gathering followers for quite some time. I haven't seen that many of them before though. He must have decided to make whatever move he's been planning."
"There have been attacks on the humans living by the river lately as well. They've been going on for a few years now, but it's like it's getting more serious recently," Khamûl said. "More and more Orcs are spreading from Mordor every day."
Sauron nodded. "We have to do something," he said. He ran a hand through his red hair and sighed. "Who are the last ones to join us here?" he asked the other two. "Whoever it was might know more about what's going on away from here."
Dowaim's brows furrowed. "I can check the records if you want. I think it was a small family from the west, but I should check to make sure," he said. He moved away from the table.
Slam!
"There is a weird glowing thing on top of Barad-dûr. It is creepy and overdramatic and stupid…"
"Haryn… what were you doing in Mordor?" Sauron asked sternly.
The raven shrugged. "I was bored and it's not that difficult to get past Shelob when she knows you'll fry her if she tries something," he said as he walked up to his father. He moved a clawed hand through his shaggy shoulder-long hair. His father placed an arm around his shoulders, and he leaned into the touch. "It's not like I can't burn anything that attacks me. I may not be a grown up but I'm not incapable of defending myself anymore."
"You're nineteen, Haryn, far from a grown up," Sauron said. He sighed. "But I know better than to treat you like most of our kind would treat someone your age." He pulled his son closer. "So Haxoru has created some kind of magic device on top of Barad-dûr?"
Haryn nodded slowly. "It looks like some kind of burning eye or something," he said. "It's really ugly." He moved away from his father and slumped down in the chair behind the desk. "I'm tired. I've been on my feet for hours," he whined.
"Hush, child," Sauron said. He looked back down at the map. "Back when he tried to kill the both of us. He must have had more plans than just taking out lives."
"He did look rather upset when the human grabbed your ring my Lord," Khamûl said thinking back. "But I didn't pay that much attention to him at the time, all things considered." He walked up to the table and bent down over the map. He sighed and looked up at the raven. "Haryn go to bed… your constant yawing is highly annoying."
"Jeez, Khamûl-lei calm down. I'll get outta here don't get your horns in a twist," Haryn said as he stood up yawning once more. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said. He walked over to the door and stepped out of Dowaim's way.
"And where are you going young man?" the white-haired man asked.
"I'm going to bed before Khamûl gags me for being annoying," Haryn answered. "See ya' tomorrow Dowaim-lei." He walked out of the room and up a corridor. Turning left, he almost walked into Maya. "Whoa, girl," he exclaimed.
"Argh," the green-haired woman cried as she lost her footing. A hand reached out and grabbed a hold of her. She was pulled back up on her feet steadily.
"There you go Maya," the raven said as he let go of her hand. "We don't want you to get hurt, hon."
"Thank you Himon-ka," the woman said with a small smile.
"No problem," Haryn said. He sidestepped the woman. "I'm going to bed will you make sure that no one invades my room?" he said as he turned to her again.
Maya laughed. "Of course Himon-ka," she said.
"Thanks," he said before offering her a tired smile. He continued up the corridor and pushed a purple door open. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind himself. "Urgh, tired," he moaned. He pulled his shirt off and threw it on one of the chairs by his desk before falling into bed. He moved around among his soft fluffy pillows for a while. A sigh escaped his lips as he found a good spot. Green eyes closed slowly as his breathing evened out. He hoped that his father would figure out what to do about Haxoru.
…
Green eyes moved lazily over Minas Morgul. In the study the grown-ups were talking. Haryn wasn't too interested in listening to them blab back and forth.
The sky was filled with dark clouds.
He really hoped that the air wouldn't turn the same as it was inside Mordor. It was almost impossible to breathe in there. It was so thick with smoke that he didn't actually know how the Orcs survived. 'Does he have to contaminate the world to conquer it?' he wondered.
A horn sounded.
Haryn pushed himself up from the roof. His father and the high advisors were in the study so they wouldn't have heard the horn. He sighed. "Oh, well someone has to deal with whoever that is," he groaned. He looked down at the lower levels of the city. As he stretched slowly, his bones popped satisfactory. Jumping down from the beam he had been laying on, he made his way down the walls cutting through the levels of the city – one jump after another. He went over peoples' heads making some people jump and others just roll their eyes. Most people were used enough to him that they weren't surprised by him zooming by.
The raven landed on the wall to the second level and dropped down on the street. The lowest level of the city was much bigger than the rest. He couldn't jump from the second level wall to the outer wall. He walked slowly over the cobblestone street smiling at people as he went. His anxiety around crowds was still there at the back of his head, but he was handling it better now than he had been. His bird-like black-scaled feet carried him up to the big gates that led out of the city.
"Haryn-himon!"
"Genhei-elo," Haryn said with a small bow in the guard's direction. "We have new arrivals, don't we?" he asked.
Genhei nodded. "I didn't expect you to come down here for that though Haryn-himon," he said.
The raven rolled his eyes as he said, "Farther and the others are stuck in father's study. They'll be interested in new arrivals, but I doubt that they heard the horn so I came down here to escort whoever is down here up to them."
The black-haired man chuckled. "I'll let them know you're here to collect them then," he said before walking over to a small house that had been set up for new arrivals to stay in until one of the three that ruled the city could speak to them.
Haryn folded his arms and tilted his head to the side. Out of the small house came three young men. By the look of it they were humans. They had long tangled hair and a frightened look in their eyes. Their clothes were tattered and bloody, but the raven could see the silver tree with six stars outside of the branches and a single star intertwined within.
"Welcome to Minas Morgul, Men of Gondor," he said as he walked forward.
The three men looked over to him their eyes widening. "Tha… thank you…" one of the men said.
"I am Haryn my father is the ruler of this city," Haryn said. "If you would please come with me I will bring you to him. He will be happy for any news you can bring him," he said. He'd moved his arms and motioned for them to follow him. "You do not need to fear. There is no one in this city that will attack you especially with me here," he said calmly. He made certain that the men were following him as he started walking. It would take them much longer to get back up then it had taken him to get down there.
They had walked up to the third level by the time one of the men broke through the silence surrounding them. "Excuse me but … what are you?" he asked.
Haryn turned towards him with a calculating look. "I am a Shrāl just like most of the people living in this city. Once upon a time we lived in Mordor but after the war against the elves and humans and the betrayal of one in the royal family the true among our people have not set foot inside Mordor except for a few brave scouts," he explained. "History as we recall it is not the same as what you know," he continued. "You will understand once you have spoken to my father."
They continued on in silence for a while.
"This place is much like Minas Tirith," another of the men said.
The raven nodded. "The two cities were built about a hundred years apart. Minas Morgul was probably built to resemble Minas Tirith," he said.
"The stories about this place are rather dark…"
A laugh ran clear through the air. "Yes, yes I can imagine that they are," Haryn said. "We are a peaceful people for the most part, but that does not mean we cannot be terrifying when need arises. For years the elves have spread their version of what happen during the war. They say Sauron wanted to take over the world and that our armies were filled with Orcs. We do not know why this is. It could be that the traitor Haxoru did something to cloud our enemies' eyes back then. Sauron fought against the elves and men to protect his people nothing else," he said. "Because they fear us elves call us dark." He picked up his speed a bit. He really wasn't all that interested in answering another question right now. They reached the citadel, and he led them up to the door before throwing them open. He could hear them gasp. 'I guess bright white isn't what they would expect from this place,' he thought. "This way please," he said calmly.
As they walked through the halls of the citadel, Haryn could hear the men speaking lowly. They would at times point at walls or even stop to look at something. He guessed they did that because Minas Morgul had once been a city of Gondor.
Eventually they reached a solid black door with no decorations whatsoever. A black scaled hand was raised and a knock sounded through the stone hallway. It didn't take long for the door to open. "Haryn-ka," the white-haired man said with a small smile. "What are you doing here I thought you had…" His eyes had fallen on the men that the young prince had brought with him. "Who do we have here?" he asked.
"They are new arrivals. Genhei sounded the horn," the raven said. He smirked slightly at Dowaim. "I guess I was right, and you didn't hear the horn," he said. "I brought them with me up here since I thought you would like any new information they could bring for you."
Dowaim nodded slowly. "Yes, of course," he said. He turned to the men. "Please come in," he said.
The men looked a bit apprehensive for a moment but did walk in eventually.
"I'll be off then," Haryn said. "Have fun dealing with their questions."
"Brat," Dowaim hissed after him as he walked away.
…
Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump
"Arrghhh, I'm bored," Haryn complained. He fell down into his bed. The sun was setting. Dinner would be soon. Imerall was busy with something his father wanted him to do. There was absolutely nothing to do in Minas Morgul, and his father would not be happy if he disappeared from the city again.
A soft knock echoed through the room.
"Yes," Haryn said annoyed.
The door opened and Maya stepped inside. "You father requests your presence down in the dining room my Lord," she said with a small bow.
The raven sighed. "Please stop that Maya. You know I hate it when you go all formal on me," he said as he pushed himself out off bed. "Do I need to change or will this be alright?" he asked her.
"It is not a formal affair Himon-ka. The clothes you are wearing will suffice I'm sure," she answered. She reached out as he came closer and pulled at the clothes trying to erase at least some of the wrinkles he'd created by rolling around in bed with them on.
"Thank you Maya," he said. He smiled at her as he walked out of the room. The servant corridors were darker than the ones people normally walked through, but they were much faster. Haryn had learnt how to find his way through them only months after first arriving in the citadel. As he entered the dining room he could hear Dowaim say, "… but if he's somehow created Nazgûles and sent them off we cannot simply sit here and wait."
"When would he have had the chance Dowaim?" Khamûl said.
"There were Shrāl who went with him weren't there?" Sauron asked. "Who knows what he did to them." He sighed. "This is not good. What can they be after anyway?"
Dowaim leaned back in his chair. His eyes travelled over to the three humans who had all sat down a bit away from them and were devouring the food on their plates like they hadn't had anything to eat for a while. "The Ring maybe," he said. "Haxoru seemed to want it after all."
"But the ring is only a tool nothing else," Sauron said.
"He doesn't know that Sauron. You never told him why you had the thing made in the first place," Dowaim said.
"Why don't we just find the ring and destroy it before he can get to it?" Haryn asked. He had sat down next to Khamûl as the men spoke and was currently filling his plate with chicken among other things.
"That is a possibility I guess, but where would we look for it," Sauron sighed. "Either way he getting the ring won't make that much of a difference really unless something has changed about it since I held it last. Magic can change over time after all." He stabbed a piece of chicken on his plate, lifted it to his mouth and chewed it in frustration. "And we can't just go after it. Most people wouldn't take well to us. And I would prefer it if Haxoru didn't know I survived."
"Then I'll go after it," Haryn said. "Do you really think even the elves would attack me dada. I'm only a child after all and Haxoru definitely wouldn't expect me to run around out there. I can take Moony and Padfoot with me. My fire is strong enough to destroy the ring right." He looked up at his father. "They … people in general will have an easier time dealing with me than you either way. I haven't fought anyone…"
"And that is exactly why you can't go Himon-ka," Dowaim exclaimed.
Haryn gave the man a dark look. "I have more battle experience than your young soldiers Dowaim-lei don't treat me like a child," he said. "I haven't fought anyone around here so I have no enemies."
"There lies something in what the prince says," one of the Men of Gondor said. "He was strange to us but did not appear frightening… unlike you Your Majesty." He moved slightly and looked the raven in the eyes. "If you travel north would you keep your eyes open for the Captain of the White Tower, Boromir," he asked. "He left sometime ago to attend a meeting in Imladris and has not returned yet."
Haryn looked back to his father. "If I'm careful and don't do anything stupid it would be easy for me to do this," he said. "We'll always keep the connection open so you can talk to me. I would be almost as safe out there as I am here, and you wouldn't have to deal with me going nuts because I have nothing to do while you prepare for war. You know I'll get myself involved in this one way or another father. If you don't want me out on the battlefield then let me do this."
Sauron closed his eyes. There lay some truth in what his son said. He knew that the young flame wouldn't just sit still throughout this. 'And if I lock him up he'll hate me,' he thought. Some would consider it worth it to keep their child safe, but after thinking that he'd lost the boy, he simply couldn't stand the idea of Haryn hating him. "I will have to think about it Haryn-ka," he said softly.
"You can't be considering this nonsense Sauron!" Dowaim exclaimed. "Haryn is the heir to the throne he needs to be kept safe."
"Our first duty is to our people Dowaim-lei," Haryn hissed. "I can do this to keep them safe. If I meet this Captain maybe I can even make us allies with Gondor. We all know how beneficial that would be for us." He stood up slowly. "I am the Prince and as the Prince it is my duty to protect my people. Destroying that foul thing will do that… and teaching people that the Nazgûl can be killed will help even further." He looked to his father. "Good evening dada, good evening Khamûl. I will see the two of you tomorrow," he said before walking out of the room.
Sauron sighed. "He is so much like his mother," he whispered.
"Sauron we can't let him out there all on his own," Dowaim said.
Khamûl rolled his eyes. "I thought you were the one who dealt with his battle training, Dowaim," he said. "You should know better then the two of us that he's tough enough to take care of himself." He brushed his iron-grey hair out of his eyes. "He won't be going alone either. He'd have those overprotective canines with him all of the time and a direct connection with our Lord. He'll be fine."
Sauron raised an eyebrow as his two old friends started arguing with each other. 'Who would have thought that it would be Dowaim that wanted Haryn to stay and Khamûl that is alright with him leaving,' he thought. He closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what he felt about the idea yet. In the end he'd probably have to weigh the benefits of his son doing this against the disadvantages. 'This is going to be a long night,' he thought.
Haryn's eyes scanned over the mountains surrounding Minas Morgul. Next to him stood a wolf that would put most horses to shame size wise. A pair of saddlebags were thrown over the wolf's back. They contained food for about two weeks and some water. After that they would have to hunt. A shaggy black dog moved up next to the young raven. 'So I guess we're going now, huh?' he said.
"We're just waiting for the farewell committee. Dada would kill me if I left without saying goodbye, and I want to say goodbye to Imerall as well. I told him to meet me down here," Haryn said. He turned around as he heard steps approach them. "Hey Imerall," he said softly.
"Hey, Haryn-himon what are you doing?" the copper-haired teen looked at Moony confused. "You are going somewhere?" he asked.
Haryn nodded. "There are some things I need to deal with," he answered. He walked up to the young elf. "I'm going to miss you but I doubt your father would let you come along. It will get rather dangerous," he said.
Imerall looked down at his feet. "Ada won't let me into danger," he said. Then he shrugged. "I do not really want danger either," he said. He bit his lip as he looked back up at the raven. "You be safe and come back," he said.
Haryn smiled at him. He took another step forward and wrapped his arms around the other teen. "Don't worry about me, Imerall. I've got both Moony and Padfoot they'll keep me safe," he said softly. "I'll be back before you know it." He smiled brightly at the elf.
Imerall nodded slowly. "O.K." he said. He'd miss Haryn. The prince was the only real friend he had.
"I guess I wasn't first one down here," Sauron said as he grabbed his son and pulled him into a hug.
"Sauron-himon," Imerall said with a deep bow.
"Calm añil-ka there is no need for that," Sauron said. He looked down at his son. "You take care and don't close the connection off ever O.K."
"I will and I promise I won't dada," Haryn said.
Sauron nodded before turning to the canines. "You two better bring him back alive," he said.
Moony huffed.
Imerall had moved up to Haryn. "What did you father call me?" he asked nervously.
Haryn tilted his head to the side a bit confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, he called you little wind," he said. He touched the others forehead with his own. "I promise I'll be back O.K." he said.
Imerall nodded, "O.K."
Haryn chuckled and moved back. He walked straight into his father who pulled him into another hug. "Stay safe," the man whispered in his ear. "I will," Haryn said. "You stay safe too." He looked up into fiery-orange eyes. They were filled with caring and love. It would feel weird to be away from his father, but he really wanted to do this. He couldn't stand the idea of simply sitting around and do nothing.
Moony lowered himself down to make it easier for his cub to climb up on his back. 'Still sure you want to do this?' he asked as the teen made himself comfortable.
Haryn nodded determinedly. "Let's go," he said shortly.
Padfoot barked and took off in front of them.
'Childish mutt,' Moony muttered before he started moving slowly. He wasn't sure what he thought about what was going on. In some ways he agreed with Haryn and in others he wished that his cub wasn't the one that had to do it. It had, however, been the raven's own choice, and he wasn't going to diminish that by trying to argue against it.
…
They had made their way out of the Morgul Vale. Grass spread out before them. In the distance the sun gleamed off Anduin's water.
'Where to now?' Moony asked his rider.
Haryn looked around. He knew that to the north the Dead Marshes lay and he did not want to travel through there. "We follow the river north," he said. "We'll be able to avoid the marshes if we do that."
'Why north?' Padfoot asked.
Haryn shrugged. "I got this feeling that the Captain of Gondor is travelling with whoever has the ring and he went north so it stands to reason that if we go north we'll run into them," he said.
'What if they have taken another route?' Moony asked.
Haryn shrugged. "Then we'll have to change our course won't we," he said lightly. "If we just stand around argue about what route to take we'll never find them."
'By Merlin's dirty socks… Cub you are impossible,' Moony said with a huff.
"Ah, but you love me anyway," the raven said sweetly.
'Sometimes I wonder why,' the wolf said.
