DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings of Sailor Moon.
Recap: Aragorn was about to speak when Gandalf and Théoden strode in, followed closely by Eowyn carrying a small girl and Haruka carrying a boy. Chibi-Usa ran in behind them. Aragorn paused, mouth half open, before starting. "Gimli, find out what's going on. I will go and get the others."
Gimli harrumphed before turning to jog after the newcomers to the hall.
AN: Ok then. So few reviews to answer. :'( But here's a longer chapter than usual anyway.
Koosei: OK. Mamoru never existed, so he never called her Usako, so she's never been called Usako.
Queen Zephora Yami: Well, here's another chapter. I updated ASAP, as per your request! :)
Hidden Angel1: Thanks for always reviewing! It REALLY makes my day.
chibi-ami: Hee hee. Glad to hear you like it!
Chapter 22
Serenity, Boromir, Legolas and Ami, who was still too weak to walk and was carried by Legolas, followed Aragorn into the main hall. Eowyn had changed her dress and done up her hair, and was now kneeling next to the little girl, Freda. The boy was Eothain. Chibi-Usa was sitting across from them. The three children were being fed. Chibi-Usa and Eowyn were giving the two newcomers words of comfort. Serenity, Boromir, and Aragorn quietly walked to the table where Gimli sat eating and took seats there. Legolas carefully set Ami down next to Serenity before leaning against a post next to her. Gandalf was seated next to Théoden, who had his face in his hand. Haruka then entered, nodding to Serenity and Eowyn, and glaring icily at Legolas and especially Boromir. She seated herself on the other side of Ami.
Eowyn rose. "They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the wild men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot, and tree." Those assembled exchanged glances. Freda asked where her mother was, but Eowyn shushed her and covered her shoulders with a blanket.
Gandalf turned to Théoden and said, "This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash. All the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Saruman. Ride out and meet him head on," the wizard advised. "Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight."
Aragorn spoke up. "You have 2,000 good men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king."
Théoden rose. "They will be 300 leagues from here by now." He paused. "Eomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."
Aragorn looked irritated. "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."
Théoden paused before turning and taking a few steps toward Aragorn's table. "When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn was king of Rohan." Aragorn set his jaw and bit his tongue.
"King of Rohan or not, he is right!" protested Haruka, rising angrily from her seat.
"I will not risk open war, woman!" the king shouted. "And I will not be badgered so in my own hall!"
Serenity stood and placed a hand on Haruka's arm before she could say anything more. Haruka reluctantly sat. The Lunarian princess, still in traveling clothes, turned to face Théoden. She spoke softly, but with such power and control that everyone listened carefully. "Yes, Théoden King. I agree with Lord Aragorn and Princess Haruka. That is how my kingdom fell. My mother, Queen Serenity, did not fully acknowledge that war was on our doorstep. She was reluctant to send our immortal people to war. Reluctant to admit that the universe wasn't as safe as it once was, that the Silver Alliance was failing because of Men, and that we had no choice but to go to war to save our race, our way of life. In the last days she realized her mistake and the people prepared for war. But we hadn't had the time we could have had, and we lost. Queen Beryl poisoned the minds of tens of thousands of Men and led them against us. My memories from that time are shattered and fragmented, but I know that I watched Princess Ami, Princess Haruka, and the rest of my court die protecting me. I remember watching all those I loved die before Queen Beryl ran me through with her sword. And then my mother died to give us all a second chance. She used all the power she had to send us all here, to the future, to repay us all for her mistake. And here you stand now, thousands of years later, with the same choice before you. What will you decide? For it is your choice, and yours alone, Théoden King." Serenity was trembling, and her eyes were welled up with tears.
Boromir gently helped her take her seat. "Usako," he whispered worriedly. Haruka's eyes shot towards them, followed very rapidly by Ami's eyes and Chibi-Usa's eyes. Chibi-Usa and Ami were discretely smiling, but Haruka looked as dark and ominous as a thundercloud. Boromir inwardly cringed at the woman's glare. I'll REALLY have to ask Serenity what Usako means!
Gandalf stepped forward in the silence. "Then what is the king's decision?"
*******
"Mama!" whined Chibi-Usa. "I wanna ride the horse too!" Boromir, who was leading Serenity's horse, reached down and lifted the girl into the horse in front of her mother.
Serenity sighed. "Chibi-Usa, you're a spoiled little brat. And Boromir, you're not helping!" Chibi-Usa just turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Serenity, while Boromir stifled a small laugh. Haruka was leading Ami's horse, for she remained too weak to walk such a long distance, and when she did walk, it was with a slight limp. They laughed also at their princesses' actions. Eowyn was walking next to Haruka and leading Gimli's horse. Legolas was ahead of the large group, keeping an eye on the road ahead. Aragorn rode along near Gimli.
Serenity turned to listen to what Gimli was telling Eowyn about Dwarves. "It's true you don't see many Dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men.
Serenity, Chibi-Usa and Eowyn heard Aragorn go "Pssst." So they turned to look at him. "It's the beards," he whispered, using his hands to gesture his point.
The three smothered giggles as they turned back to Gimli, who was still talking. "This, is turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground…" No one could smother their laughter this time, and even Ami smiled warmly."…which is of course ridiculous." Just then Gimli and Eowyn lost control of the horse, and it sped ahead and the Dwarf toppled off. Gimli insisted that it was deliberate.
"Usako," inquired Boromir quietly, so that Haruka would not hear, "what does Usako mean?"
Serenity smiled and said, "Well, my name on Earth was Usagi, meaning rabbit, so Usako basically means my rabbit."
He smiled. "My rabbit. Usako." He brought her hand to his lips to kiss it. "I like it."
Serenity giggled. But her smile suddenly faded. She heard something up ahead. A struggle, and calls for help. Then it stopped. The others heard it too. "Mama, what was that?" asked Chibi-Usa. Serenity didn't answer.
They faintly heard Legolas' voice from over the hill. "A scout!" Serenity and Chibi-Usa gasped.
"What is it?" Boromir asked. His expression was worried.
Serenity set her jaw. "A scout." Just then Aragorn ran over the hill ahead of them calling that they were under attack. Théoden called for the riders. Serenity passed Chibi-Usa to Boromir, who seated her on Ami's horse with the Mercurian princess.
"Go with Ami, little one, and follow Eowyn to the fortress," Boromir said to his future daughter. Chibi-Usa's eyes were full of tears but otherwise her face was expressionless. Ami nodded to him and started of at a canter towards Eowyn. Boromir returned to Serenity. "Usako, go with them, please," he pleaded.
She adamantly shook her head. "You know they'll need my help." Boromir sighed resignedly and mounted behind her. They rode ahead after Haruka, Aragorn, Gimli, and the other riders. As they approached the crest of the hill where Legolas was shooting arrows from, the elf turned and flipped himself onto the horse behind Gimli. Serenity powered up her Moon tiara. And the riders clashed with the Wargs.
"Uranus World Shaking!"
"Moon Tiara Magic!"
Serenity and Boromir's horse was one of the first ones hit. They tumbled away from the poor creature. Serenity glanced around for her love but couldn't see him. Refusing to give in to her fear, she brought out her Moon Wand. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" That attack took about a lot of Orcs and Wargs. But she hadn't taken notice of the Orc and Warg behind her. Fortunately, Aragorn did. He pushed her harshly away from the attacking Orc and began attacking it. She stumbled and fell, and when she turned again to look, the Orc was gone, but Aragorn was stuck to the Warg. And the Warg was headed for a cliff. Serenity ran towards him, screaming inside.
But she wasn't quick enough, and he went over. Serenity absently hit another Warg and orc with her tiara before collapsing at the edge of the cliff. She saw him detach himself from the Warg, and then splash into the river. Shocked, Serenity fell onto her back, her arms sticking out. Her hand landed on something. Turning her head towards it, she picked it up, and took in a ragged breath. It was the Evenstar pendant that Arwen had given Aragorn.
The battle finished without her. For the first time in months, apart from Boromir's near-death, Serenity cried. She cried bitter, heart-wracking tears. It was my fault. He's gone, and it's entirely my fault. He died protecting me. She heard Legolas and Gimli call out for Aragorn, and she cried all the more.
Boromir and Legolas came up behind her. "Are you hurt?!?" asked Boromir anxiously. She buried her face in his tunic and shook her head.
Legolas asked cautiously, "Serenity, where is Aragorn?" She tried to calm herself down, gasping for breath. Then she extended her arm, pointing to the cliff. Then she handed the Evenstar pendant to Legolas.
"It's my fault!" she sobbed. Boromir wrapped his arms around her and slowly rocked her back and forth. Théoden approached, asking what happened. Serenity explained, "I wasn't watching behind me, and an Orc was about to strike me. But Aragorn stopped him and got stuck to the Warg as it ran over the cliff." Legolas, Théoden and Gimli checked over the precipice, but there was no sign of Aragorn.
Théoden spoke. "Get the wounded onto horses. Leave the dead."
"No!" shouted Serenity. "There will be no wounded!" She rose shakily to her feet and lifted her crescent wand in front of her. Boromir and Haruka, who had just come up, protested.
"Serenity, you'll overexert yourself."
"Usako, please stop! You're not well enough."
Ignoring them, she called out over the fields, "Moon Healing Activation!"
In a flash of light, all injuries were healed. "For you, Aragorn. I'm sorry," whispered Serenity before she sank to her knees. Boromir scoped her up into his arms, touching his forehead to hers. Serenity smiled weakly as he carried her towards the rest of the group to leave this place. Haruka and Gimli followed. Legolas was the last to leave the precipice, Aragorn's Evenstar pendant in his hand.
*******
"Make way for Théoden! Make way for the King!"
Eowyn ran to where she could meet the riders. Chibi-Usa was right beside her, and Ami limped slowly after them.
Breathing heavily, Eowyn stated, "So few. So few of you have returned."
Theoden looked sadly at his niece before glancing around at those gathered. "Our people are safe. We have paid for it with many lives."
Haruka and Gimli broke the news of Aragorn's death to Chibi-Usa and Eowyn, both of whom where devastated. Serenity could stand on her own now, and when Chibi-Usa saw her mother she ran at her and clung to her. The Lunarian princesses cried together.
Legolas caught sight of Ami just coming around the corner. "You should not be walking, Ami." He reached to carry her, but she stopped him. "Legolas, I can see the pain in your eyes. What happened?"
He picked her up anyway. "Where is your room?" She directed him to her chamber, where he laid her on the bed and then sat next to her.
"Legolas," Ami quietly said, "please talk to me." Instead he pulled her close and told her what had happened.
"He's gone. Ami, Aragorn's gone. He fell off a cliff….But I won't believe it! He can't be dead. My heart tells me it isn't so, but my head shouts that he could not have survived." Filled with sadness and sympathy, Ami wrapped her arms around her elf. He was shaking. When he pulled away several minutes later, his eyes were full of unshed tears. In that moment, Ami realized just how close Legolas and Aragorn were, and how deeply the Man's departure affected the Elf.
"Oh, Legolas," Ami breathed. "Believe what your heart believes, especially when it comes to your friends. The heart has better sense when it comes to these things."
The two of them composed themselves. Then Legolas kissed her forehead. "Thank you, a'maelamin. I don't know how I lived so long without you."(my beloved). Legolas again lifted her gently and carried her out to where the others were gathered with Théoden King.
*******
The Next Morning
The word was out. Aragorn was alive and approaching the fortress of Helm's Deep.
Legolas, Boromir, and Gimli had gone out to greet him. Meanwhile, Serenity, Ami, Chibi-Usa, Haruka, and Théoden were waiting for him in the main hall. Ami was much improved, but she still walked with a limp when she was tired.
When Aragorn pushed open the large doors, Chibi-Usa and Serenity didn't hesitate before running up to him. Chibi-Usa smiled broadly then frowned and pouted. "You're late."
Aragorn smiled and ruffled her pink hair. "So I've been told."
"Aragorn," Serenity said, her voice breaking. The Man opened his arms and Serenity hugged him tightly. "I'm so, so glad you're alright," she said as a few tears trailed down her face.
He released her, patting her shoulder fondly. "I am afraid," he said, "that there are many more lives to worry about than my own. I must now speak with the king. Please bring Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli here."
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