Redemption
A Final Fantasy 7/ Lord of the Rings crossover
By: Lazeralk
Standard disclaimers apply.
Once again, ("blah") denotes things said in Sindarin. 'Blah' is the Advents and Cloud sharing thoughts.
There are notes and answers to some of the very good questions and comments on the plot and various details in the story that I've gotten in the reviews so far at the bottom of the chapter, so if you were wondering why some things are the way they are, feel free to take a look. If you have any questions that weren't answered there feel free to ask, I'll do my best to answer.
0o0o0
"How much further is it Elladan?" asked Kadaj, standing up in his stirrups to give his aching backside some relief.
"Can you see that little black dot on the horizon there?" asked the elf in return, pointing. The silver haired advent put a hand to his brow to block out the glare of the sun and squinted into the distance.
"Oh yeah! I see it!" he cried excitedly. "Ni-san look! Yazoo, Loz! Look at it! We're almost there!"
"Actually, we're still two days out. You must have very good vision indeed for men to have seen the city from here." Said Elrohir, also gazing at the tiny Rohiric stronghold in the distance.
"If we ride with any kind of haste…?" suggested Cloud, trying to gauge the distance in miles.
"Well, yes we could be there late morning tomorrow if we picked up the pace a bit." replied Elrohir.
"Let's do it! How fast can these horses go?" said Loz.
"Easy Loz, you have to treat them more like chocobos than bikes. I doubt they can manage more than twenty or thirty miles an hour and not for very long either." Said Cloud, patting his horse's neck as the animal tossed its head in an aggravated manner, almost as if it understood and took offence.
"What are chocobos?" asked Elladan.
"Eh, they're really big birds. I suppose we use them for much the same things as people use horses here. I have a few chocobos back home, on the ranch. Racing birds mostly, but they can be ridden too." Said Cloud.
"You have chocobos?" demanded Kadaj, eyes wide.
"Yes." Replied Cloud, a little wary at the young one's tone.
"Can we see them when we get home? Please?"
"Yeah can we Ni-san? Please?" begged Loz. Yazoo let out a long suffering sigh, as if he couldn't believe how stupid his brothers were being.
"Uh, sure. I don't see why not." Said Cloud, a small smile tugging at his lips. They really were kind of cute, he thought. A sudden wave of hostility crashed into him from Yazoo and his smile got just a little bigger in response.
"Let's ride fast Ni-san! Can we Elrohir?" said Kadaj.
"Why is it Elrohir you ask and not me?" griped Elladan. "I am the eldest; it should be my decision should it not?"
"Let us go a little faster." Said Elrohir, completely ignoring his twin's grumbled complaints. He spoke a few quiet words to his horse and the animal immediately broke into a run, the other horses following without any prompting from their riders.
0o0o0
They reached Edoras by mid-morning, a little earlier than they expected. People were already busily going about their day, horses and children and dogs scampering to and fro alongside the men and women. The people stopped and stared at the newcomers, and Cloud couldn't tell if they were more interested in the identical elves or his triplet brothers. He returned their looks stoically, a slight frown on his face as the itch began to build between his shoulder blades.
He hated being stared at.
Kadaj pulled his horse almost violently to the side and urged the animal to flank his blonde brother. Loz took the other side and Yazoo took the rear, the three of them doing their best to surround Cloud. Cloud flicked his eyes at Kadaj and Loz, thanking them without words for trying to shield him.
The giant double doors of the large building at the top of the hill slammed open, garnering every ones attention. A tall blonde haired elf emerged from within, eagerly jumping down the platforms of steps to reach the ground.
("Elladan! Elrohir! Well met! It is good to see you again!") called the new elf, walking quickly to close the distance between them. Several others came out of the same building and hurried to join them.
"Elladan! Elrohir!" roared a man's voice. The twins quickly dismounted, clasping arms with the blonde elf and then rushing to embrace the man who'd called their names so loudly. They all spoke in quick, delighted elvish, holding onto each other fondly. Cloud silently dismounted, his silver-haired brothers quietly following suit. They stood beside their horses, uncomfortable, before the Advents once again moved to surround their blonde brother. Cloud scanned the crowd, noting that most of the people were split between staring at the commotion the twins were making and glancing curiously at him and his brothers. He shrugged his shoulders, settling First Tsurugi more comfortably along his back.
"Come my friends! Let us go inside, we have found the ones we were looking for at last." Said Elrohir, motioning to Cloud and his brothers.
As one, the four outlanders moved to follow. Kadaj stalked a little ways ahead, taking point, while Loz and Yazoo ran side and rear guard. Their pacing steps shifting them from side to side and around Cloud, who walked with forced nonchalance. The Advents became more and more tense with each step in response to Cloud's own growing discomfort. Elrohir frowned quickly at them before ushering them inside and shutting the doors behind them. Cloud relaxed marginally when the curious stares were cut off from the outside. A whole new group of people were gathered along large tables, dishes and weapons scattered across the tops. A small, stout man covered in red hair approached them boldly.
"Well, well, what have ye brought us Elf Lord?" he asked, addressing one of the twins, but staring intently at Cloud, before moving to look at each of his brothers in turn.
'I see what you mean about the staring…' Loz muttered across their shared mind-link unhappily.
"Warriors, master Dwarf. Great warriors from a distant land come to aid us in our quest against the Darkness. The one in the center is Cloud, the eldest of these fine brothers four. The tallest is called Loz, the one with the long hair is called Yazoo, and the smallest Kadaj." Explained Elrohir, though Cloud was sure that the dwarf had no idea which twin was which from the expression on his face.
"I see, Master…ah."
"Elrohir." Provided the elf good-naturedly.
"Master Elrohir, of course. Warriors you say, well, we could always use some of those." The dwarf grunted as he adjusted the large wide belt around his middle.
"Well met young ones. I am Gimli, son of Gloin, at your service." Said the dwarf, giving them a nod.
Just as Cloud was about to respond, the pair that had greeted the twins so fondly before made their way over. The tall lanky man smiled at them warmly.
"Greeting friends, my brothers have told me much of you. You must be great indeed to have earned such high esteem from them in so short a time. Ah, forgive me. I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Well met."
"Now don't be modest Aragorn, what with the elf all but shouting who you are yeatereve." Prodded Gimli, giving the man a look. Aragorn raised an eyebrow in response.
"They have traveled in the company of my brothers, surely they know all the things they should, and some that they shouldn't if I know these two well enough." Protested the man.
"Actually, we haven't told them anything." Said Elladan, carefully watching the four brothers as they stood silently, their eyes flicking to whomever was speaking.
"Well, I must insist that you finish your introduction my friend, so that I may make mine." Said the blonde elf that had moved to join them also.
"Of course, forgive me Legolas. I am also the heir of Isildur, and thus heir to the thrones of Gondor and Anor." Said Aragorn, eyes carefully watching the four brothers for their reaction.
'A prince huh? Think we can one up these guys?' Kadaj whispered with devious excitement in their heads.
'Don't get carried away Kadaj, they are our allies.' Cautioned Cloud, struggling to keep a blank face. It seemed that the three Advents had no trouble keeping their faces blank while they spoke mind-to-mind, but Cloud still found it difficult. Practice, he was sure, would fix that.
"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil. My father is king of Mirkwood to the north. Well met." Said the blonde elf with a polite smile.
'Two princes. Let's do this.' Hissed Kadaj, giving them all a rapid fire series of images and words, showing them how he wanted to present them.
'Fine. But remember what I said about getting carried away.' Grumbled Cloud, a tight frown marring his features. He shifted his shoulders nervously to relieve the itch, feeling First Tsurugi moving along his back.
"Well met." Said Cloud, before he could forget to say it.
"I am Cloud Strife, Commander of AVALANCHE, JENOVA project weapon designation C, SOLDIER Sword Master Division, First Class."
"I am Kadaj, JENOVA project weapon designation K, SOLDIER Sword Master Division, First Class."
"I am Yazoo, JENOVA project weapon designation Y, SOLDIER Sharpshooter Division, First Class."
"I am Loz, JENOVA project weapon designation L, SOLDIER Heavy Infantry Division, First Class."
"Well met." The three Advents intoned with perfect unison as the four of them gave synchronized Wutainese style bows.
"Strange titles you give, and yet, I sense a great deal of weight behind them. Perhaps you will give us more insight at a later date. For now, we have a great deal of work to do." Said Aragorn.
"Oh?" questioned Elladan.
"Open war is upon us. All of Edoras is moving to Helm's Deep with as much haste as can be had. Come brothers, there is much to be done." Explained Aragorn, turning quickly and striding towards an older man who was in deep conversation with a small group on the other side of the hall.
'Guess we're following?' Said Loz, glancing at Cloud. The blonde nodded and stated moving, the three Advents keeping their guard around Cloud.
'Did you have to mention Jenova?' grumbled Cloud to Kadaj as they walked.
'I could have said: "Remnant of Sephiroth".' Countered Kadaj as neutrally as he could.
"If I never have to hear that man's name ever again, I can die happy." Groused Cloud, his expression stormy.
"Pardon?" said Gimli sharply. Cloud glanced at him, and then realized that the dwarf assumed he was speaking about Aragorn.
"My brothers and I can share thoughts. I was answering Kadaj." Said Cloud, before firmly turning his attention towards Aragorn and the older man he was now speaking urgently with. He saw that Gimli kept a suspicious eye on him and sighed mentally, aggravated by the misunderstanding and the trouble it was sure to cause later but unwilling to divulge that particular piece of his past to a complete stranger. Again. It was bad enough that the twins knew.
'Should we offer to help?' asked Loz shyly.
'Probably, but I don't know how much good it will do in the long run. SOLDIER was very effective because the people in charge knew exactly what a SOLDIER was capable of and distributed workloads accordingly. I have the feeling that these guys are going to assume we're no stronger than the average man, no matter what the twins tell them. Seeing is believing and all that.' Said Cloud.
'Hmm.' Agreed Yazoo, chipping in after days of silence in Clouds' mind. Cloud was fairly certain that Yazoo was purposely blocking him from hearing his thoughts.
'Well, we could still offer.' Said Loz, as close to insistent as he got with them. Cloud agreed, and then realized that they were waiting for him to make the announcement. Cloud frowned, that would put him back at the center of attention.
'Damn it.' He said to no one in particular, but Yazoo snickered quietly in response.
"Excuse me." He said and waited for them to look at him.
"Who is this Aragorn?" demanded the older man.
"Cloud Strife, ah, forgive me, your titles are unfamiliar." Said Aragorn, looking truly apologetic.
"Just Cloud is fine. My brothers and I would like to offer any help that we can. We are each able to do the work of many men by ourselves." Said Cloud, his face stoic.
"A proud boast that is, boy! I've half a mind to make you live it." Challenged the older man gruffly.
Aragorn, noticing the stormy look on the blonde's features, quickly stepped in.
"Cloud, I don't believe I have introduced you. This is Théoden, King of Rohan." He said, giving a significant look to the four brothers.
"Well met." Said Cloud, his expression softening a little, but his eyes kept their fierceness.
"However, what I said isn't any sort of boast. We're First Class SOLDIERS. We have more than four mass Mako treatments each. We really are stronger, faster and more durable than any of the fighters you have here. It isn't boasting. I'm trying to make you understand what we're capable of so that everything gets moved efficiently. If we're going against a huge army, we're going to need a lot of supplies. Especially if we're defending against siege and trying to protect and provide for civilians at the same time."
"Think you know what is to be done then do you?" growled the king, his face drawn tight with anger.
'Still want to help Loz?' asked Yazoo snidely, shifting his stance defensively. Kadaj openly snarled at the king. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Cloud raised his fist in a commander's gesture to hold back.
'How dare he speak to you like that!' raged Kadaj in their minds, dark shadows swirling around his feet ominously.
'Yazoo.' Whined Loz, shooting a pleading look at his closest brother. Cloud however, agreed.
"You may, of course, refuse." He said, eyes hard as he regarded the king coldly.
"If I may King Théoden, you would be wise to accept. I have seen these four in battle and I can attest to their merit and their great strength. 'Tis not an offer made in jest nor one ill meant." Said Elrohir seriously. King Théoden seemed to regard the elf for a long time before he nodded and then drew a hand across his temple.
"Forgive my harsh words, friends. My kingdom is being invaded, and I have little left with which to defend it. I welcome any aid you can give. Weapons and armor will be the heaviest things, and if you four can take some, it will leave more room in the carts for food and what little medicines we have left." King Théoden said wearily.
Cloud gave a sharp nod and waited.
"Hama!" called the King, and a guard detached himself from the wall and trotted over, plate armor and weapons clicking and clanging with every step.
"Take these men to the armory. They will be in charge of moving our weapons and armor stores to Helm's Deep. Give them whatever aid they require from you." Ordered King Théoden. He waited until Hama nodded and then went back to his discussion with Aragorn.
"This way my lords." Said Hama and set off at a brisk pace deeper into the hall. Cloud gave a nod to Elrohir and then picked up his pace, determined to get started right away and show these people what SOLDIERS were capable of. He'd make them respect Zack's legacy by acknowledging it.
End Ch. 14
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. ^_^
A few quick things:
1. To the person who asked about Ultima Weapon vs. First Tsurugi: So I just got a review from someone who probably knows way more than me about FF7 and pointed out that I got the sword names mixed up. Oops. Well. Uh. I'm too lazy to go back and change it in every chapter, so just pretend that First Tsurugi is called Ultima Weapon…..ok? (So I just went back and changed it all, cuz I re-read it and it bugged me…)
2. There will be no pairings in this story that I foresee in the limited amount of future that I have access to. That could change, but right now I'm not planning for it. As I've said before, inspiration for this story comes and goes in short bursts.
3. To the person who said Cloud's stories sound like he's just reading them, without going off on tangents like normal people do: Cloud isn't normal. He's uncomfortable enough as it is speaking for more than a few sentences at a time to these guys so he does his best to recite the stories from his memory as quickly and concisely as he can without completely destroying the story in the process. He feels bad about how deprived the Advent's were growing up in the labs, but he has his own issues to work with too.
4. To the person who asked about Fenrir myths: This is an intensely personal thing for Cloud. Even if the elves asked, he wouldn't tell them. His choice in the Fenrir symbol is a sort of unspoken thing that people who know the myths accept and don't comment on. For the people who don't know, Cloud isn't going to enlighten them any time soon. That would require talking about Sephiroth and how he feels about that whole issue and Cloud would really rather not.
5. To the person who asked about the Advents growing up in the labs not being cannon: Yes I know they just sort of appear fully grown from the lifestream, but I'm taking some creative license with that point. It's easier for me to give them more fully fleshed out characters if I have some back story to work with. There isn't a lot of information on why the Advents have the personalities they do. For example, cannon never explains why Loz is such a cry baby. I need more to work with than what the official story line gives me to come up with an explanation.