Chapter 20: Rohan
As soon as the Hobbits had left with Treebeard, Gandalf heard footsteps in the forest.
After moments of listening, the footsteps stopped. "What is it?" one voice asked. The voice was pleasant, yet majestic. And familiar.
"The White Wizard approaches," another voice answered, this one fair spoken and gentle to the ears. This voice was also familiar.
"Don't let him speak, keep your weapons drawn," the first voice instructed. Gandalf chuckled to himself, recognizing the voices of Aragorn and Legolas.
Gandalf walked towards them, prepared to block whatever attacks they had ready for him. "Lumos Maximus," Gandalf whispered. The staff shone brightly as Gandalf approached them, snickering to himself.
The three of them cried out, looking down, glaring at him with malice.
"I see that you are looking for members of your company. They passed here…just yesterday."
"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded.
"That will be revealed in time, young Rider."
"Saruman!!" Gimli bellowed, raising his axe and running to him as to get a good swing.
"Expelliarmus!" Gandalf shouted. Gimli and his axe went flying. Legolas let go of the bow string and Gandalf knocked the bow out of the air. "Accio," Aragorn's sword jerked out of his hands before he could swing it at Gandalf.
"There is no need to worry."
"Show yourself!" Aragorn ordered.
Gandalf shrugged. "Knox." The light went out and Gandalf smiled at them. The trio were, at first, bewildered. But both Gimli and Legolas bowed after getting over their shock.
Aragorn shook his head. "How? You fell. We all saw you."
"Through fire and water," Gandalf explained. "I almost died. But my time is not yet through. I still have to accompany you to destroy the ring—Merry and Pippen explained to me that Frodo has gone. No need to tell me where Sam is; he went with Frodo didn't he?"
They nodded. "Sam felt some sort of devotion to Frodo, I believe," Aragorn said.
"That he did. Before Rivendell, they met some Elves and one spoke to Sam, telling him not to leave Frodo. That devotion is the devotion of a true friend."
"How do you know?"
"I once had a friend like that. She broke that kind of vow and turned away from our friendship. Even so, she respects our past," Gandalf explained, remembering Sauron as she once was…well, how he thought she was at the time. "Merry and Pippen are safe. As for us, we will ride to Rohan and release the hold that Saruman has on the King."
Gandalf led the trio out of the forest and whistled. Bloody hell, where is that horse! Shadowfax, get back here! He whistled again and a horse, whiter than snow, bounded toward them. Finally, Gandalf thought, but masked his irritation (AN: needed to have a small bit of Harry come in…thought it would add a little touch of comedy, probably wasn't needed, because we got GIMLI. Gotta love Gimli Chibi Gimli needed)
Gandalf swung his leg over the horses back and waited for the others to mount their steeds. Gimli fell over and cursed. This scene brought a memory that had not surfaced in years.
Ron, Malfoy, and Harry stared at the creatures before them with contempt.
"Horses?"
Hermione looked at them, smiling evilly. "Why not? They asked me to teach you how to ride, so I'm going to teach you how to ride."
"Why you? Why not Lupin?" Ron snapped. Hermione frowned.
"Because Lupin is…indisposed at the moment."
"I'm wondering why also, Mud—"
Hermione pulled out the Black Mace, which crackled with small spouts of black fire. Malfoy whimpered.
"They asked me because I needed time away from the Tower and the three of you are idiotic and won't listen to anyone else."
Harry bit his tongue and clenched his fists to keep himself from slapping her.
"Mount your horses by swinging your leg over the side of the horse like so—NO, RON!!! MAKE SURE YOU'RE PROPERLY—"
Ron's horse galloped off and Ron fell off, shouting all kinds of profanity.
Hermione heaved a sigh. "I hate you all."
"We hate you too, Granger," Malfoy whispered.
Harry just shook his head and mounted his horse, ignoring Malfoy's cries for help.
Yes…that was centuries ago, when Gandalf was…twenty. Middle Earth was barely just beginning at that time.
Once Gimli had remounted, ruffled and attempting to calm down, they set off for Rohan.
Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli entered the gates and climbed the slope to a grand hall.
Rohan was founded by Alatar Gilthoniel's sister(AKA Ron), known as Ginerva Weasley at the time. She married a Horse-Master and they built Rohan together. Théoden, King of Rohan, was her descendant, as were all of Théoden's kin.
Gandalf climbed the steps, with the others behind it. They handed over their weapons, all but Gandalf's staff, and entered the hall. Théoden sat on his throne, looking as though he had aged before his time. Next to him was a thin man, of another line which was known to Gandalf.
Grima Wormtongue was of the line of Severus Snape, who was a spy for the Order of the Pheonix, only to be killed by Sauron when he went to extract information from her followers. But unlike his ancestor, Grima was a deceitful, evil little man, whereas Severus Snape, though unpleasant, knew where his loyalties lay.
"Hail Théoden King," Gandalf spoke.
Grima whispered in Théoden's ear, and Théoden turned to Gandalf. "You are not welcome here, Gandalf Stormcrow."
Grima stood. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear," he ranted on until he was face to face with Gandalf.
"Keep your foreign tongue behind your teeth, Grima. If your ancestor was still alive, he would be displeased to call you a member of his line," Gandalf shouted, brandishing his staff.
Grima stared at the staff and shouted for the guards. "I told you to get his staff!"
The guards attacked and the trio fended them off as Gandalf approached Théoden.
"Too long have you been lost in the shadows. From them, I release you."
Théoden laughed. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey."
Gandalf took off his cloak and jabbed his staff in Théoden's face. Théoden hit his head against the stone, then looked at Gandalf. "Saruman, release him this instant or so help me I will kill you with my bare hands the next we meet!"
"If I leave, Théoden dies," Saruman said through the King. Gandalf thrust his staff at Theoden again and the King fell over, seeming as though he might hurl.
A young woman ran to him and caught him in her arms. "My Lord? Uncle?"
The king's aged appearance faded and he was once again mighty in stature, not prone to posession as he was before. He looked at the woman and smiled. "Eyowen," he whispered.
Theoden glanced at his halls, then at his shaking hands.
"You're fingers would remember their old strength," Gandalf said. "If they grasped your sword." As he said this, Gandalf glanced at one of the guards who stiffened and ran off, returning moments later with the weapon, handing it to Theoden.
Theoden curled his fingers around the hilt of the sword and held it with strength that had not been seen in years. But an angry glint sparkled in his eye when he turned toward Wormtongue.
"GET THIS DOG OF SARUMAN OUT OF MY SIGHT!!" Theoden bellowed. Three gaurds grabbed Wormtongue and threw him out of the castle. He tumbled down the stairs and stumbled to get to his feet. He looked up and Theoden followed him.
Wormtongue crawled away. "M-my lord…please, forgive me…"
"And yet you would have me crawling on all fours like a beast? Am I right, Wormtongue?"
Wormtongue gulped, his pale face turning to a soft shade of green. "I only wished to serve you my lord."
Theoden raised the sword high above his head and Wormtongue braced himself for the blow that was to come. Gandalf watched this, shock not even describing how he felt. Aragorn ran down the steps and stopped Theoden from giving Wormtongue the fatal blow that awaited him.
Theoden glanced at Aragorn, bewildered. "To much blood has already been shed on his behalf. Let him go, at least for now."
Wormtongue took his chance to ride off to Isengard as Theoden was distracted by Aragorn.
"We have many more important things to discuss," Gandalf inquired once he was able to require his voice. Theoden nodded, but before he headed back to the castle, he looked around.
"Where is Theodred?" He asked. The young woman's somber expression saddened at the mention of her cousin. "Where is my son, Eowen."
"My lord," she whispered. "He is dead. Theodred was wounded in battle and died in the night."
The next day, Theodred's body was taken to a field where Theoden's kin had been barried for centuries, from the time of Queen Ginerva.
"A lily was the tradition of the old ways, before Middle Earth was born. We still grow them and use them in our ceremonies," Theoden said solemnly to Gandalf after the funeral. "It…pains me to know that I will see the last of my house. The line of Queen Ginerva, Sheild Maiden of Rohan, has never died, and I had hoped it never would end with me."
"Theodred was a great soldier. I knew Ginerva, and had cared for her as my sister. Theodred was very much like her. And so is Eomer and Eowyn."
Theoden looked at Gandalf. "No parent should have to bury their child, Gandalf." He fell to the ground heaving great sobs. Gandalf comforted him as much as he could, but nothing seemed to be able to console the king of Rohan.
Sighing, Gandalf turned towards the sunset and spotted a figure on horseback riding right at them. As the figure came closer, it became clear that it was two children. The horse slowed to a trot and one of the children fell to the ground.
The original Lumos wouldn't be able to keep Gandalf's face from being seen, so this might be the only spell from the movie (I'm sure there's other spells that haven't been mentioned in the book that were in the movie, but I have no recollection of them.).
When Ron got hurt, Hermione and Harry had to leave him and Hermione figured out the next bit that they needed to do to get to the Sorcerers Stone. In third book, Hermione went with Harry to save Sirius, since Ron was in bed with a broken leg. Ron was a devout friend, but he was jealous of Harry because he was famous and he was always pushed to the side, so he acted on his jealousy in the fourth book and Hermione was Harry's only friend during this time. Hermione went with Harry to hand Umbridge over to the Centaurs, though Harry had no idea what she was doing.
I don't know what to think about Snape…good, evil, good, evil, good, evil…in this story, I'll make him good, but as for my overall decision, I'm not sure yet.