THE FORGOTTEN
Much Speech
Authors note: Well, this chapter is going to be quite true to its title I'm afraid. Frankly, there is not much action when people are waiting to go to war. I hope you enjoy this chapter despite its serious lack of action. As always, responses are at the bottom, and REVIEW! NOT EDITED!
The next morning Legolas, Lothril, and Gimli were up early and got permission to enter the city to visit Merry and Pippin. The people yet in Minis Tirith marveled at the three; Legolas was singing an elven song, loud and clear, and Lothril would clap and twirl at appropriate intervals, and Gimli strode with all the dwarvish pride he possessed while stroking his beard.
"There is good stone work here," Gimli randomly said. He spoke as if they had been in conversation. "When Aragorn is king, I shall offer him the service of the dwarves of the Mountain, and we will make this a town to be quite proud of."
Legolas nodded his head. "They need more gardens I think. There is too little here that grows and is glad. Perhaps I shall have to bring him some birds that sing in the trees and do not die."
They walked on, to the second level and came across Prince Imrahil again. Legolas and Lothril bowed low. "Greetings Prince Imrahil! We wish to see our friends Meriadoc and Peregrin, they are in your keeping, correct?" Legolas asked.
"Yes. They are in the Houses of Healing. I will lead you thither..."
"No, that is not necessary, we know our way, and Aragorn sends a message to you. He does not wish to enter the city again just now. Yet, there is need of the captains to hold council at once. He prays that you and Eomer of Rohan come down to his tents as soon as possible. Mithrandir is already there," Legolas said.
Imrahil nodded and they parted with courteous words. They made their way back to the Houses of Healing and were met by the same lady that had helped Legolas and Lothril the night before.
"Greetings my lord and milady! Are you well?" she asked turning to Lothril.
"Yes. You were very helpful and I thank you," Lothril replied.
"You are welcome milady. What brings you back this fair morning?"the lady asked looking at each in turn.
"We seek Meriadoc and Peregrin the halflings. May we see them?" Legolas asked.
"Yes fair sir, follow me," the lady said. They followed her and soon they were in the presence of the two hobbits; Pippin in his new garb, and Merry in a white gown, sitting up in bed. They took Merry outside into the sunshine and for a while they walked and talked, enjoying the peace that they had for the moment. Soon, however, Merry became weary and sat upon the wall with greensward of the Houses of Healing.
The others talked as Legolas and Lothril felt silent. The sea-longing was pestering Lothril again, stronger than before. It was totally new to Legolas still, and his thoughts turned to the sea and what lied beyond it. Lothril had memories of her short visit to Valinor to console herself with, he had elven songs and imagination, which is not enough, and perhaps adds to the longing. Even though they had the sea-longing, their thoughts still turned to Frodo.
"Lothril, how is Frodo?" Legolas asked.
She took a moment to answer. "I do not know for certain. I have not spoken to him in many days."
"Could you try?" He asked.
"Of course I can try, but I do not know if I can reach him through the foul smoke. Give me a moment," said she. Then her eyes went blank and she searched hard for Frodo. She found him, but only as a small, troubled mind being consumed by the Ring. Hope with in him was dying. She didn't know what else to do but say to him 'hope.' She then turned her thoughts to Sam and told him that he must hope and keep Frodo from despair.
She came back to her surroundings just long enough to here Gimli's narrative of the Paths of the Dead. Suddenly her thoughts were jerked away from her again. So violent it was that her body actually jerked, causing her to tighten her stomach muscles and cause pain. The story telling stopped when they saw her give that jerk then cry out. Everyone looked at her and Legolas steadied her. He looked at her eyes and saw that her mind was off again, but there was something unusual about it. He sat her down upon the grass against the wall and told Gimli to keep going.
Meanwhile... "You did not break I see. Foolish brat," the Dark Lord hissed.
"No, I do not break over a headache. I am not that weak," she replied.
"What do you say now? Am I still fearful? Are you still so confident as you were?" he haughtily asked.
"Sauron, fallen servant, I say that I am still confident and you are so fearful. Otherwise you would not spend so much energy on discouraging one lowly elfmaid. And remember, you lost yesterday."
"I may have lost yesterday's battle, but I shall win the war. And, if you were a lowly elfmaid I would not worry about you, but you are more than that. You are a great elfmaid, and Maia. Even so you are no great threat."
"If I am not a great threat, then why do you insist on pestering me?"
"I said you are no great threat. Just like that puppet you elves call Mithrandir is no great threat. No one can challenge me! I am too strong to be overthrown."
"Yet you can no longer look fair, you cannot take physical form, and you have locked yourself in your little fortress. It sounds to me like you are weak and fearful. Only a coward locks himself up in his fortress then sends his slaves out to war. A real leader, a strong leader rides with them and is the first in every charge and the last in every retreat," she replied. How she loathed these conversations...
"Perhaps I do not go out to war, because I know I do not need to. My servants are confident we shall win, they do not need someone to cheer them on."
"Of course not! They are mindless minions held together solely by your will and driven by your terror. They do not fight with confidence, they fight with fear and because they have not the wit to do anything else!"
"Oh, and the humans do? And what of your precious elves? The only elves in this entire war are yourself, that elven prince, and the sons of the twice accursed Elrond. You should notice that he does not ride to war. He does not go because he knows there is no hope. The elves do not send out their armies because they know they are too weak to contest me again."
"Sauron, your foolishness shows in every word you speak. The humans fight because they have hope and because they love their commanders. As for the elves, you know as well as I that elves are fighting on their own fronts. Elrond does not ride to war because he knows it is hour of men. His war was the last war."
Suddenly a sly tone was in the strange voice of Sauron, "And what of that elven princeling that you are so fond of? He is weak. You know this. When you were yet human you defeated him. That is weakness if ever I saw it."
She gave a sigh of exasperation. "Sauron, is your stupidity natural or put on? Do you really think I am simple enough to crack under a personal attack? Especially a mental one? I realize what you are trying to do. It is no use. Not against me."
"Still, think on it, you defeated him when you were human, and asleep. Do you really want to be next to one so weak?"
At last he had her. She knew that whatever she said he twist, but she had to try to gain the victory lest he thinks he had one. Or perhaps she should say nothing and give him a sense of false security? The possibilities were endless...
"No, I do not want to be fighting along a weak person. That is why I am not fighting along side your allies and your orcs. He is not weak, I am not that much greater than I. Construe from what I said what you will, but I know what I think and I know what you are and that ends it all!"
"And what am I?" he asked with smug curiosity.
"A weak, simple minded, idiotic fool. I am leaving now and you cannot keep me here any longer. Good bye!" she calmly ended.
The moment she returned she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and groaned. Everyone looked at her with a worried face.
"Do not worry, where were you in the story?" she said.
"I just finished Lothril," Gimli said.
She nodded with a grimace on her face. She muttered something under her breathe and Legolas thought he heard the words "Stupid Sauron" but was never quite sure.
"Are you all right?" Pippin asked.
Her grimace lessened to knit brows, "Yes, I am fine. Thank you for asking Pippin."
"What happened?" Merry asked.
"He," she said nodding her head in the direction of Mordor, "wanted to speak with me, so he abruptly pulled me into conversation. I think he was angry that I didn't fall down and worship him when he gave me a headache," she explained.
Merry and Pippin looked at her in wonder. It was still quite amazing to them that she could do such things. It was becoming common place for her, and bothersome. She didn't mind encouraging Frodo on occasion, but Sauron was beginning to annoy her. No matter how horrible and powerful he seemed to everyone else, she knew he would fall. She had seen his power, but it was dimmed in her eyes by his foolishness and pride.
They spoke a little while longer on happier subjects, then the Warden of the Houses of Healing came out and declared that Merry had been up long enough. They parted company once more and the elves and the dwarf headed back down towards the city's outer wall.
It was now the afternoon and they had been told that they were going to fight at the Black Gate, and Gimli decided he wanted to walk about the city, so he parted company with the two elves. Legolas and Lothril had absolutely no where t go and nothing to do, so they made themselves comfortable in their tent upon some large cushions, courtesy of the White City.
"How are you?" Legolas asked quietly.
"I am fine," she replied with a sigh.
"I only ask, mel nin, because of earlier," he said.
"I always forget when I've hurt something until I do something to aggravate it," she calmly said.
"Is it bothering you now?" he asked.
"Not really. It finally stopped bleeding and thank goodness when I jerked it did not start bleeding again. I have to be careful how I turn though. Twisting is currently out of the question. Which makes me wonder if I should go to battle, but I have some time to decide that yet."
He nodded slightly and drew a little closer to her, put his arm around her and kissed her head. "I am sure you shall decide what is best. You do have a slight advantage over the rest of us when it comes to such things."
"Yes, but only for a short while longer. Once I return, I shall only have general knowledge of the future, and then none at all."
"Speaking of that, when are you leaving?" Legolas asked.
"I have a feeling it shall be near autumn."
"Were you not told specifically?"
"Well, I was told what would be happening when I left, but I have never known the date," she replied.
"Then we shall have some time together when this is all over?"
"Yes we shall," she smiled.
He repositioned himself slightly and whispered to her, "Relax," just before he tipped her back and kissed her. Afterwards she smiled.
"And what, pray, was that for?"
"Call it a foreshadowing kiss of what shall be," he grinned mischievously. His lips were teasingly close to hers as he said, "And this is a reminder, so you do not forget," then he covered her lips with another kiss. He then laid her down and gave her another kiss. He laid himself down next to her and laid on his side. He stroked the side of her face and then slowly moved his finger tips down her neck, shoulder, and suddenly she began to suppress laughter.
"Oh stop! Stop! It tickles! OW!" she cried.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to make you laugh," said he, remembering her nasty cut.
"You are quite forgiven," she smiled.
"Is it still sore to the touch?"
"Well, I wouldn't quite know. I don't go around poking myself in the stomach too often," she joked. "But I will find out soon enough when I kick you out of here so I can change my bandage."
"Are you sure I must leave?"
She smacked him on the arm as hard as she could while he cried out, "I was joking! Ow!"
She gave him a jesting death glare and exclaimed, "I knew it! I knew it! Elladan was right, I have to be careful of you! I see my suspicions yesterday were correct," she said, then added in much softer tones, "And if did not already love you and your mischievous ways, I would fall in love with you." she gave him a quick kiss then said, "If you leave now you can come back all the faster."
He rubbed his arm as he left the tent. Outside, Eomer, Imrahil, and Aragorn had been walking by as Legolas had cried out. They saw Legolas walk out of the tent rubbing his arm and gave him a strange look.
"Troubles?" Eomer asked with a grin.
"No, the answer," Legolas replied, still rubbing his arm.
"To what?" Imrahil asked.
"A stupid question," Legolas said in a way that sounded more like a suggestion.
"And what did you ask Legolas?" Aragorn asked, sounding like a father.
"Ada Estel, I don't think it is any of your business," Legolas replied.
"Oh-ho!" Aragorn cried. "Do we have to put you two in different corners for time-out?"
"Ha ha. And no you do not. It simply is not any of your business."
"Maybe Lothril has something different to say. Should we ask her?" Aragorn joked.
"You may, but, you shall have to wait a few minutes before you can ask. So if your business is pressing, you may not want to wait for her."
"Why good Legolas, would we have to wait?" Eomer asked.
Legolas sighed and proceeded to explain about her wound. "And then a few minutes she kicked me out so she could change the bandage on it," he said finishing up.
The look on Aragorn's face changed to one of slight concern. "How deep was it?"
"It was not too deep," Legolas responded.
"Even so I would like to have a look at it," Aragorn said. The brotherly instincts were coming into play again.
"It is already stitched and not necessary, I told you I examined it myself," Legolas said in elvish. In case of argument, he decided to switch to his native tongue.
"My apologizes my friend. I am just concerned. You know that," Aragorn apologized.
Legolas nodded his head and held up his hand. "U-moe edhored, Estel. I think I am a little overprotective at times," he said in elvish.
Aragorn gave a short laugh. "If you think you are overprotective, you should have seen me when with Arwen."
"I did see you with Arwen. You punched Ellindë when he helped her get off her horse," Legolas laughed.
Lothril quietly emerged from the tent, in her hunting clothes, at Legolas' last sentence. "Did he really punch him?" she asked with a laugh.
"Yes!" Legolas laughed.
Aragorn blushed slightly and Eomer and Imrahil were feeling left out because they could not hear the joke.
Lothril suddenly turned to Legolas and said, "Not as much as yesterday."
He nodded. "That is good."
Aragorn felt fairly confident it was of her wound they spoke so he asked, "Did you put anything on it?"
"Besides I bandage I suppose you mean," she said.
"Yes," he replied.
"No, I did not. I did not even think about it. Even if I had, I would not have known what to use," Lothril admitted. Her knowledge was still rather incomplete.
"Even if you had," Aragorn said, "The herb master would have been of no help to you. He would know what you needed, tell you what it was in every language known and forgotten, tell you the properties of it, then inform you he had none. Fortunately for you, I know all of that and I have it."
Lothril smiled, recalling the incident from the book. Aragorn led her back inside the tent and tended her, with Legolas looking over his shoulder the whole time. She rolled her eyes at the elf more than once.
"How quickly do you typically heal Lothril?" Aragorn asked.
"Typically it is rather fast, but I've never had anything this large or deep before. All of my previous hurts were skinned knees, elbows, and ankles. I've never had stitches before," Lothril said. She suddenly remembered that she had gotten a tendon in her upper lip cut out and had dissolving stitches put in it. "Wait, that is not true. I had stitches once in my mouth. It was nearly a week before I could smile or laugh again. Is that helpful?"
"A little," Aragorn said. "Were you planning on going to battle?"
"Yes."
"Give this a few days more and if you can move again well enough so that you think you can fight, I will permit you to go. If not, I shall not risk letting you go."
"Understood," said she. "Thank you Aragorn."
"You are welcome," he said, bowing his head.
Authors note: Okay, this chapter is done. I didn't like it much. Hopefully it was tolerable and did not force you to go out and bang your head frantically on the nearest tree. I really did not want to skip this part, I suppose I could have, and should have, but I wrote it anyway. Please be nice and review anyway. Big, sad, pitiful puppy dog eyes PLEASE! :D
Translations:
U-moe edhored- There is nothing to forgive