MEMORIES OF THE PAST: Chapter the Nineth
GOMEN NESAI!
okay, i KNOW that i promised that i'd update every two weeks, and i KNOW that this is WAY overdue, but i was sick for two weeks, and had a culminating, AND two unit tests to worry about, so i couldn't update or write DX
but here's the next chapter, so updating will now return back to normal (hopefully. -crosses fingers-)
So anyways, i'm almost a hundred percent sure that i'll be able to put out another chapter by christmas, so you can expect something to pop up...sometime... -sheepish look-
well, anyways, i hope you like it, and -drum roll- NON-CANON SUFF WITHIN! XD
i was really happy how it turned out, so i hope you like it too. Reviews are loved, and if i get enough i will update faster!
so anyways:
ONWARD!
DISCLAIMER: i own nothing.
HELPFUL NOTES:
"Common tongue"
thoughts
"Elvish"
"My lord Éomer."
Éomer looked up to see one of the scouts, Cerol riding towards him. "We have spotted a party of Uruk-hai making camp at the edge of Fangorn Forest."
"I see. Tell the men to be ready. It will be their death day this night." Éomer, laying a hand on his sword that hung beside him. His uncle's mind was poisoned. Saruman in control and that Worm reaping benefits as well? Éomer couldn't stand it. Untamed anger boiled in his chest. He would not stand for it. He was banished yes, but that did not stop him from finding every man who was truly loyal to Rohan and rallying them to attack the filth running through his country.
Éomer respected his uncle, loved him like a father. But he couldn't stand the weakness that had corrupted his uncle's mind. The world was made of the hunters and the hunted. If you were at the top, it was your job to stay there-to stay the Alpha. Éomer knew that he wasn't weak. He knew that if the world was the way it should be, he should challenge his uncle for the position of Alpha and-
Éomer growled low under his breath, then stopped abruptly. Alpha? Hunters? Hunted? What was he thinking?
Shaking his head to clear it, he squeezed his legs together, signalling his horse Éohild to trot towards the group.
"My lord, will we be attacking now?" Cerol asked, stroking his bow fondly. Éomer couldn't resist smirking. Cerol was a gentle, fun loving and kind man, but on the battle field he was a demon. He was one of the only people that Éomer knew who could shoot an arrow backwards while riding his steed.
"Yes. But listen first. We will devide into to two groups: one will follow me, the other with Cerol. According to what you have told me, they are not expecting an attack." He said, addressing their company. "They are camped at the edge of Fangorn Forest. In our separate groups, we will charge on opposite sides. There will be nowhere for them to run."
Cerol smiled, bloodlust clear in his eyes. "Excellent. Come now, you lot." He said nodding at half the men. "Follow me. Rest of you, with Lord Éomer."
After dividing into their groups, the horse-men rode towards their pray. Seeing their fire, Éomer felt a shiver run up his spine as the adrenalin began pumping in his veins. It was quiet. They could easily hear the Orcs arguing about something, (what, Éomer didn't have the faintest idea…and he didn't care…at all…) and he could even hear the growling sound of-
Growling sound?
Éomer looked down and he nearly shouted in surprise. Standing among the horses were a no fewer than a six Wargs-great wolves the size of horses. The men noticed as well, and several archers had already knocked their bows and were aiming at the wolves heads.
Éomer raised his hand and shook his head frantically, signalling them not to kill the wolves. His men looked at him in disbelief, but Éomer just stared down at the two wargs that flanked Éohild. The one on his right side had gray fur and a black tuft of it at the top of its head. The second, on his right, had pale white fur that stuck up strangely along his (his? Éomer had a feeling that these two Wargs were male) back.
"Do not kill them. If you do, you will have me to deal with later." He warned quietly. "Now, GO!" He hissed, throwing his spear at an Orc that had separated its self form the group.
Unsheathing his sword, Éomer spurred Éohild onwards, as the Wargs ran eagerly ahead. Caos ensued as they stormed into the camp, the Wargs howling, and the Orcs screams adding to it.
"The wolves! Do not kill the wolves!" Éomer shouted at the others who were unaware of the wolve's alliance to them. Merely swinging his sword as he passed a running Orc. Mere minutes passed, and all that was left of the Orcs was a scattered pile of corpses.
"Éomer! What is the meaning of this? Wargs?" Cerol rode up to him fuming. "And we're NOT supposed to kill them? They work for the orcs!"
"Not these ones. They work for me."
Cerol scoffed. "You? Why you?"
Éomer smiled as the two Wargs that had flanked him earlier came back up to his side, "Because I am the Alpha."
Cerol gritted his teeth, and the men whispered restlessly.
"They will not attack. They are not permitted to harm you or your horses. Make sure the rest of the pack knows as well." This last part Éomer directed to the Warg on his right. "You shall be Derngar: Secret-spear." He said addressing the gray Warg. "And you shall be Dernhelm: Secret-protection." He said, naming the pale white wolf.
"Éomer! Are you barking mad?"
The man in question laughed, throwing his head back to the moonlit sky. "Nay. I am but relishing in the prospects of a promising future."
:-:-:-:-:
Inuyasha looked up at the sky warily. Dawn was breaking. And it was bleeding across the sky. Bleeding red. How joyous. If Miroku were here, he could find us a village and 'banish' a demon hovering over the richest house in the area, scamming them into believing that the red sun is a 'terrible omen'.
As if on cue, Legolas paused and looked up at the sky. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." He said quietly, before turning and running after the others.
Aragorn paused, and knelt, fingering the dust at the ground. As he was standing up, a neigh rang out from somewhere in the distance. Glancing back at the others, he waved his hand forward and they ran for cover behind some boulders of rock. Inuyasha felt his ears perk up as the rumbling of hoves reached his ears.
As the noise reached it's peak, several dozens of horses came riding past, several bearing the banners of Rohan. Aragorn, Legolas and Inuyasha shared a look, and they stood and walked back out in the open.
"Riders of Rohan!" Aragorn shouted, "What news from the Mark?" As he said this, the riders turned, their horses cantering towards them until they formed a tight circle around the four of them. Aragorn raised his hands in peace as they all pointed their spears at them.
From the back of the group a man rode up to them, his face partially obscured by his helmet. "What business do two Elves, a Man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?" He demanded. "Speak quickly!"
"Give me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli said, looking up at the man.
The man glared at him. Passing his spear off to one of his subordinates, he dismounted his horse and walked until he stood right in front of the Dwarf. "I would cut of your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." He treatened.
Legolas whipped an arrow out from his quiver and knocked his bow, aiming the arrow at the man's head. "You would die before your stroke fell." Around them spears pressed in deeper. Aragorn reached out to grab Legolas's arm, but Inuyasha beat him to it.
"Baka. Why the hell are you getting worked up for Chibi-chan? You're supposed to be the damn pacifist of the two of us." Inuyasha growled. Meanwhile, Aragorn stepped in front of the two elves while Gimli continued looked between the both of them.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and…" Aragon paused and glanced at the second elf. Inuyasha just smirked and looked the other way. Keh. Let him figure out what to call me. He thought.
"Líndal…Wanderer of the Worlds." He added, recalling the title that Haldir had given him. "We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."
The man stayed silent for a moment. "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." He said, reaching up to remove his helmet. "Not even his own kin." As he said this, the men surrounding him raised their spears, giving the four of them breathing space.
"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands." He said. Aragorn and Legolas exchanged worried looks. "My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that we are banished." He paused and leaned towards Aragorn. "The While Wizard is cunning." He said in a low and dangerous voice. "He walks here and there they say…as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets." He finished, glaring at Legolas.
"Yarou, you accuse us of being spies?" Inuyasha demanded, his temper getting the better of him (per usual). "Get your head out of the clouds you scrawny wolf!"
Éomer glared at him. "Kisama." He snarled.
"Your horses, your men, and you. You all absolutely reek of wolf. Don't tell me you're boke in this life too." Inuyasha growled into his ear.
Éomer looked like he was about to stab Inuyasha, when Aragorn put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "We are not spies." He said, glaring at Inuyasha. "We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."
Éomer blinked. "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."
"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?"
"They would be small." Aragorn clarified. "Only children to your eyes."
Éomer took a deep breath, "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He said, pointing at a plume of smoke rising in the distance.
Gimli blinked in disbelief. "Dead?"
Éomer nodded. "I am sorry." He glanced at them from the corner of his eyes, then whistled. "Hasufel, Arod, Elfwyn." He called as three horses, one brown, one white, and one a creamy colour with black socks and a black diamond shaped star on its forehead walked up to them. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." He looked at them all. "Farewell."
"Scrawny wolf." Inuyasha grumbled under his breath as Éomer mounted his horse. The man glared down at him.
"Mangy dog." He spat, putting his helmet back on. He then turned to Aragorn. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." He growled the last part, looking around them. Turning over his shoulder he shouted. "We ride north!"
The group watched as the horse men rode off. Inuyasha glanced at the horse that stood beside him. Raising a hand, he touched the black star and rubbed it absently. The horse nickered. "Imaimashi okami wa, kare ga hottoshottoda to kangaete iru…" he grumbled, pressing his own forehead against the horse's.
The horse bobbed it's head and nickered, its eyes seemed to twinkle with mischief. Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "Omoshiroi uma." He smirked then walked to the side and mounted the horse.
:-:-:-:-:
Inuyasha's lip curled in disgust and grudging approval as he regarded the severed head run through with a spear. Even though Éomer had told them they had burned the bodies in the night the pile still smoked. Dismounting along with the others, he stood to the side, scanning the area.
Picking through the pile, Gimli noticed an elegant entertwined shape amidst the burned bodies. "It's one of them wee belts." He whispered quietly.
The three others stared at him in horror for a moment. Legolas's gaze fell to the ground, and he began murmering elvish under his breath. Inuyasha's brows furrowed, and he took a deep breath in through his nose. Aragorn stared at the three of them and yelled in frustration, kicking a stray helmet that happened to be by his foot.
"We failed them." Gimli said quietly.
"Urusai! Baka! I'm thinking here!"
Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli looked at Inuyasha in shock, as croutched down on to the ground sniffing around. "That damn stench isn't helping either."
Legolas looked at him in confusion. "What are you saying?"
Inuyasha stood up and stretched. "What I'm saying is that their scent is still here. Sure it isn't recent, but it's still here. Burning something causes whatever it is to loose it's original scent, but if they dragged the bodies into that pile, they'd leave a scent trail leading towards is. Merry and Pippin's scent is here-damn hard to pick up because of all the other scents that are more recent overlaying it-but it doesn't go anywhere near that pile of bodies."
Aragon moved his gaze from the elf to the ground beside him. "A hobbit lay here." He said, years of tracking coming to the front of his mind. "And then the other." He murmered to himself, touching the ground in front of him.
"They crawled." He said, moving along with the tracks. "Their hands were bound." Inuyasha stepped forward and picked something off the ground.
"Their bonds were cut." He breathed, connecting the two ends of the rope.
Aragon stood, and walked quickly, still following the tracks. "They ran over here. They were followed." Aragon added, imagining what could've happened. "The tracks lead away from the battle." Reaching the end of the trail, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Inuyasha looked up at the dark trees looming overhead. "Into Fangorn Forest.
"Fangorn?" Gimli breathed. "What madness drove them in there?"
:-:-:-:-:
Glancing around, Éowyn slipped through the hallway quiet as a ghost. No one was in the area at the time-certainly not anyone who'd be looking for her at this time.
Coming upon the last door on the left, she slipped inside, mindful to close the door quietly behind her.
Swords, shields, axes, bows and other weapons lined the walls. The armoury was as tidy and organized as usual: close combat weapons on the right, long range weaponry on the left, shields and armour at the back. She allowed herself a slight smile of satisfaction, as she was the one who managed to nag her bro-Éowyn took in a sharp breath of air and shook her head to clear it.
"Not now Éowyn. Focus." She hissed to herself, making her way to the left side of the room. Scanning the walls, she finally found what she was looking for. Reaching up, she plucked the bow made of ash off its spot on the wall. Caressing it gently, she regarded it reverently. Traditional motifs decorated it, twining around and around the bow until it ended at the top as a horse's head.
Quickly grabbing a quiver, she ran outside, keeping in mind to stay unseen. Making it outside, Éowyn made her way to the shooting range. Hesitantly, she stood in front of one of the targets, and knocked an arrow into her bow. She pulled the arrow back, and was about to release it when she paused uncertainly. Archery was never her forte-Éomer was a swordsman, and since it was her dream to best him one day, she too had trained in the art of the sword…behind everyone's back. Even her brother's.
Éowyn felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she thought about the time when she had revieved the news. Banished! My brother, Éomer son of Éomund, nephew of the King. Banished? Éowyn didn't believe it for a second. She didn't blame her uncle. It was that damned wizard Saruman who was to blame. Saruman and that snake. Éowyn's lip curled up in anger just thinking about it. Just as her anger reached it's peak, she released the arrow. Flying true, it embedded itself into the center of the target.
One after the other, Éowyn fired off arrows at the target, releasing a little bit of her anger about her uncle's situation, frustration over her brother's banishment, fear for her cousin's life and her burning hatred for Grima Wormtongue and Saruman the White. Starting when she realized that she had used up all her arrow, she looked up at the target, mildly curious and hesitant to see how many had met their mark when her mouth dropped open in surprise.
Dozens of wood splinters seemed to jut out from the centre of the target, and right in the middle of them was a single whole arrow. When Éowyn was shooting, she did not realize it…but she hit the bull's eye every single time-snapping each previous arrow in half.
Pride bubbled up in her chest and she laughed happily, then stopped sharply. Whipping around, she scanned the area. She swore that she had heard something…felt someone's eyes on her for a split second. Éowyn picked up the bow and walked away slowly, keeping an eye on her surroundings. She was sure she hadn't imagined it…someone, or something was watching her. She just didn't know what.
From the shadows of the Golden Hall, a tall dark hair man with no eyebrows watched her. In suspicion, in curiosity…and in longing…
HELPFUL NOTES:
chibi-midget, shorty.
-chan - japanese honourific usually used when addressing girls. In this case, it can be taken as teasing and insulting because it is being used when refering to Gimli and how short he is.
Yarou- bastard
kisama-really rude way of saying 'you'. [bastard]
boke-stupid, dumb
Imaimashi okami wa, kare ga hottoshottoda to kangaete iru - That wolf thinks that he is such a hot shot... [okay, to be perfectly honest, i forgot what i wrote here. but the translation that is there is pretty accurate...]
Omoshiroi uma- funny horse
urusai-shut up
baka-idiot
taaaadaaa!
keep in mind that i use Google Translate for the Japanese, so if it's wrong i apoligize, if you know how to please tell me, and i will correct it.
anyways, hope you like, and please REVIEW!
:)
-moony