Cat's POV
I woke up in the middle of the night to screaming.
There was a bright orange light, flickering like flames, lighting up the room around me and the rest of the occupants. For a moment, I was confused.
Perhaps Orcs had broken in? What if another battle was beginning? But suddenly I realised- the palantír.
It was the exact time that Pippin should take it and- Pippin!
Said hobbit was holding the glowing orb, crying out in fear of whatever it was that he was seeing or feeling at the hands of Sauron. Without even a thought I rushed to him, ignoring the warnings of Aragorn, my sister, and Gandalf himself.
The palantír was wreathed in flame, the Eye of Sauron standing out brightly in its depths.
Roughly I tore the palantír from Pippin's grip and before I knew it I was contorted in pain that blinded me, stunned me. I felt numb to everything but the fire and the sensation of thousands of tiny, burning needles pricking my skin.
A voice asked of the Ring, said that it knew who and what I was. I writhed on the ground and heard a scream.
"I don't know! I don't know! Stop, please!" the voice cried.
My throat felt raw and I realised that the screaming person was me. For a second, I was jolted out of my trance and saw Aragorn running towards me in slow motion, closely followed by Legolas.
Éomer was yelling something that I couldn't hear as they moved towards me. Erin was reaching for me, held back by Gimli and Boromir.
And then the pain was back, more intense than before, and I blacked out.
Erin's POV
"Cat!" I screamed, fear gripping me like a vice. I fought to reach my twin as she fell to the ground, her body twisting and her eyes wide in terror.
"Let me go!" I shrieked to whoever was holding me back.
Cat. Palantír. Pippin. Yelling. Crying.
Tears blurred my vision as Aragorn wrenched the palantír from my twin's hands, before falling himself. The flaming sphere fell from his grip and rolled across the floor and Gandalf threw his cloak, covering the thing.
Boromir and Gimli, who had been restraining me since Pippin touched the sphere, released me.
"Fools!" Gandalf yelled, but neither of the victims were able to hear him.
I ran to Cat, but soon fell back with my hand covering my mouth in shock.
Her eyes were blank, as were Pippin's, staring straight up at the ceiling. They seemed... dead. Gandalf fell to his knees between them, resting a hand on each of their foreheads, his eyes closed. He muttered something, and after a few seconds, the victims stirred.
Pippin simply gasped while Cat groaned in pain before sitting bolt upright and exclaiming,
"I didn't tell him anything! I swear, I told him nothing, and I saw... I saw the White Tree and-"
Gandalf's hand covered her mouth quickly, for fear that someone may overhear her words.
Boromir started at the mention of the White Tree, asking hurried questions about what she saw and what was said.
Gandalf quietened him.
"Now, Pippin. What did you see, you silly hobbit?" Asked the wizard.
Pippin shook from head to toe, muttering
"Gandalf, forgive me!" over and over.
"What did you see?"
"I saw a tree... A white tree, in a courtyard of stone." Whispered Pippin. "It was dead. The city was burning."
Boromir swallowed, before saying in a bitter tone,
"Minas Tirith. Is this the present Gandalf? Has this all been for nothing?"
"No, Boromir. The palantír shows many things, but I do not believe this to be the present. Not yet, anyways."
Now Gandalf looked between Cat and Pippin, both of whom shuddered under his gaze.
"Did you tell him anything? About Frodo and the Ring?"
"No!" Pippin exclaimed.
"Cat?" My sister grinned weakly. "I told him to bugger off."
After I had ensured that both Cat and Pippin were well, I headed outside for some air. I needed it, I truly did.
To my surprise, Boromir was already there, looking deep in thought.
"Do you think, Erin," He asked without turning around "that there is any hope left? Or has our journey been in vain?"
I sighed and walked to his side, my hand moving to rest on his arm.
"It'll all be worth it. You'll get back there soon and be ready to help the people in any way necessary, like you always have."
Even I could hear the bitterness in my tone as I said the final few words.
As much as I wanted to deny the fact that I liked having him around, I couldn't.
"Is there something wrong Erin?"
"I guess that... Due to things I'll explain to everyone soon, I know that our group is going to have to split up. I mean, you're going to go to Gondor of course and others will probably go too, but I know for a fact that certain people won't. And I don't know where I stand on that because I want to help as best as I can, but... I don't know how. I can't fight, I'm useless at following orders, and I'll probably end up getting someone else killed!"
Boromir put a hand up to silence me.
"Erin, when I leave for Minas Tirith- and I will leave at first light, no matter what- I would be honoured to have you come with me. No matter what you say, you will be useful and if you come, I can keep an eye on you- stop you from getting into mischief!"
I smiled weakly. Truthfully, I would be completely happy to go with Boromir to Minas Tirith, but my worry lingered. I knew somehow that Cat would stay behind.
I didn't want to be separated from my sister, not now. Not when Middle-Earth rested on the brink of apocalypse.
But looking up at Boromir, I realised one thing: I couldn't stay by my twin's side forever. I wouldn't always be there to keep her from being immature. I had made my decision.
"I'll come."
Boromir laughed loudly and pulled me into a hug. I returned it, suddenly excited for the journey ahead.
It'd be cool, to see Gondor and Minas Tirith, and maybe even meet people I'd read about in the books!
I was still hugging Boromir, both of us smiling, when there was an annoyed sound from the door.
"Bloody hell, can you please come inside so that we can get where we're going?" Gimli groaned.
Boromir released me pretty much straightaway and I grinned at the grumpy dwarf. "Of course, Master Gimli! Let's go!"
Cat's POV
After I had recovered from my little palantír-induced panic attack, I felt well enough to puzzle over step two of 'Operation: Remain in Rohan'.
Obviously I didn't want to just chill there for the entire war but I didn't want to go to Minas Tirith, that was for sure. Crazy shizzle happened in Minas Tirith, and with Boromir alive- I didn't want to know what was gonna happen.
Things were definitely going to change because of Erin's little crush.
Erin seemed to be acting a little differently since we'd arrived in Middle-Earth. She had always been the more calm and collected twin compared to me, but there had been a time not so long ago when both of us would have lunged to save Pippin without thinking. When both of us would have been talking and comforting each other.
Erin had become quieter, strange. Perhaps a little more... mature.
She never wanted to prank anyone anymore, never acted as random as she once had, and she was spending a ton of time with Boromir. Now, I wasn't sure what was going on there at the time but those two seemed to constantly be chatting away to each other.
As I was thinking this, I saw Éomer sit down next to me on the floor.
"Are you alright? I brought you a blanket." He said, and I looked up with a smile.
"What is it with me needing blankets when you're around?!"
We shared a laugh and he wrapped the blanket around me.
"Better?"
"Yeah, much. Thanks, Éomer."
Erin came over and sat in front of us then.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we haven't got much time. I leave for Minas Tirith in ten."
"Err, what do you mean by 'you'?"
"Gandalf, Pippin, Boromir and I. I wasn't going to go but Boromir convinced me."
Éomer moved as if to get up and leave but my hand on his arm stopped him short. "Stick around. This'll only take a minute. You're going to Minas Tirith and leaving me here?" The last part was addressed to Erin and I couldn't mask the hurt in my tone.
I had never thought that we might be separated from each other, especially not with a war on the horizon.
"You'll be staying here?" Éomer asked and there was something undetectable in his tone, a lightness that I couldn't quite trace.
"I suppose I will..."
"Cat? I guess we should say our goodbyes now, Gandalf is getting impatient. I still have to grab my stuff."
"Okay, Erin. I... I'll see you soon, when all of this is over. Be careful, sis!"
Tears were building up in my eyes.
"I'm sorry Cat. Goodbye! I'll miss you!" Erin said, and then turned to Éomer.
"Keep an eye on Cat, will you? Don't you dare let her get hurt!" Éomer simply nodded.
Then my sister picked up her bag and cloak, took her place standing next to Boromir, and left without a backwards glance.