Hi people!
First of all I want to thank Celridel for her immense help editing this story.
As we all know, King Théoden decides to flee to Helm's Deep; however that won't be the main part of this chapter. Some questions that were unanswered will be answered regarding the mutants.
As always I want to invite to the readers to leave your reviews and now... let's go!
Chapter 22: Getting some answers
"Helm's Deep! They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight!" snorted Gimli, entering to the stables with Aragorn and Gandalf "No one will defend them if not their king!"
"He is only doing what he thinks is best for his people." replied Aragorn "Helm's Deep has saved them in the past."
Gimli looked at him, annoyed. "I'll look for the lass to tell her the king's eminent idea and to be prepared for leaving" he said shortly.
He walked away cursing under his breath to look for Kitty to tell her about the foolish idea of King Théoden. Aragorn and Gandalf watched him go.
"There is no way out than that of ravine." said Gandalf. " "Théoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he is leading them to safety but what he'll get is a massacre." He shook his head. "Théoden has a stronghold but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan." He turned to Aragorn who seemed to be thoughtful. "He will need you before the end, Aragorn. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses have to held."
"They will hold."
Gandalf looked for a moment to the Ranger. He looked very thoughtful as if something in his mind or heart were troubling him. "What is it Aragorn?" he asked.
Aragorn was thoughtful for a moment and finally turned to the wizard. "I want to talk to you about Kitty."
Gandalf raised a slightly surprised eyebrow. "What about Kitty?"
Aragorn thought for a few seconds what he was going to say ... so many things he wanted to ask that he did not know where to begin. "Gandalf, what do you know about Kitty?" he said finally..
"What do you mean, Aragorn?"
"When ... you talked to her, you said several things that caught my attention. For example, you said that she was descended from an Istar. How could she be a child of the Maiar?"
Gandalf looked around, then motioned for him to follow. They both walked away until they were in a lonely place. "Mutants are not who we think they are, not even they themselves know what they really are." Gandalf said quietly, "They are all descendants of Istari, children of the Blue Wizards."
Aragorn made a gesture of surprise. Everyone knew who the Blue Wizards were and they all knew that thousands of years ago they had disappeared without a trace.
"Many thousands of years ago, Saruman knew that Morgoth had sent an evil to another realm called 'Earth' conquer it for his master." continued Gandalf. "Both Saruman and the two Blue Wizards headed to East. Once there, the Válar told them that they would need to go to this other realm, 'Earth', to find the Enemy, fight against him and defeat him. But more time they spent on Earth the more they would change. So they agreed that they would eventually become another inhabitant of that realm. Saruman did not do so but Blue Wizards traveled to this realm called 'Earth' and looked for the Enemy. However, it took much longer than expected and, as the Válar had predicted, the two Blue Wizards changed so much that they became like Earth humans even marrying female humans from Earth."
Aragorn looked at Gandalf in astonishment. He could not imagine such a thing! A Maia? An Istar? Falling in love and marrying a female human from another realm?
"They had many children and those children are half Maiar and half human, they had abilities and even physics different from the rest of humanity. This is how the mutant race was born." Gandalf continued. "On Earth it is said that mutants are all those who have in their bodies something called Gene X, but in reality, they are all indirect descendants of the Blue Wizards."
"And how do you know this story? And does Kitty know it? "Aragorn asked after a moment trying to process the revelation he had just received
"Lady Galadriel told me that the Válar revealed to her, which is why she stopped you for so long in Lothlórien because she needed to know what was behind Kitty's abilities. As for your other question, yes, Kitty knows it because Lady Galadriel told her."
"So, Kitty and this…. Marrow are indirect descendants of the two Blue Wizards? They must be very powerful, more powerful than we can even imagine."
"More than powerful they are dangerous. All mutants who know and master their abilities are very dangerous, but not all are so powerful, although I have to accept that there are so powerful that they could well compete with the power of any of the Three Wise or even Saruman or mine. Fortunately, apparently, they are not here or ... so far nothing has been known."
Aragorn looked at him in astonishment. More powerful than the Three Wise or Saruman or Gandalf? That explained why people hated and feared the mutants!
"How powerful?" he asked.
"Well ... there are some who can control metal at will, others who can move all things just by wanting it, and others can enter the minds of people and kill you. There are many others. Some can controlling the weather, others that can alter the perception of your reality ... According to what Lady Galadriel told me, those powerful mutants are known as 'Omega-type mutants' and, fortunately for the Earth realm, they are not common."
Aragorn could not believe it. With those powers, with those abilities, no army, no kingdom had any chance. "So ... they are beings like the Maiar ... beings with magic?" he said.
"No, they have not been for many thousands of years. Erú intervened and left them the extraordinary abilities that make them mutants, but the magic was taken away because on Earth, there is no such thing."
"But here…"
"Here? Here their skills become more powerful."
"You mean Kitty ..."
"Kitty has more mastery over her mutant ability, more than she had in her home-realm," Gandalf replied. "On the other hand, according to Lady Galadriel, Kitty had long ago a traumatic experience very similar to that of the king Théoden. The Lady of the Light believes that over time and if she learns to adapt and accept the mission in which the Válar have put her, the ability she acquired will be reborn again and help her fight."
Aragorn nodded quietly.
"Kitty's experience was very, but later she learned to use that ability to help her X-Men friends. Her friend Logan and Charles Xavier helped her." continued Gandalf.
"Logan? Charles Xavier? "Aragorn repeated thoughtfully "She talks much of them."
"They were like family to her."
"They were mutants too?"
Gandalf nodded.
"You think ... you think they're looking for her? The mutants, her friends ... do you think they're looking for her? "
Gandalf shook his head sadly.
"Lady Galadriel has not heard from Charles Xavier in a long time. She is almost certainly sure that he is dead. However, he is in a different realm, there is no way she can know for certain."
Aragorn looked at Gandalf in astonishment. Was he listening well? Or were his ears deceiving him?
"Lady Galadriel ... she ...?" He said.
"Yes, Aragorn. Lady Galadriel was a friend very close to Charles Xavier." the wizard answered, slightly amused to see the face of his friend. "Many centuries ago she knew him in Earth when the Válar sent to her and Lord Glorfindel to help the Mutants to stop a threat from Middle-Earth. Obviously, Lady Galadriel did not stay on Earth, however, she remained a friend with him."
"But how?!"
"The so-called Charles Xavier is ... was the most powerful telepath in the world. He could speak in anyone's mind he chose, no matter the distance. The same skill the Lady Galadriel possess. They both could see the future, as well. According to Lady Galadriel, he used a thing called ... 'Cerebro' so his ability would ... grow greater, while Lady Galadriel used her Mirror. In this way, the Lady of the Light knows many things about the Earth, and, above all, the mutants. In fact, if there is someone who knows about mutants almost as well as Kitty, she is the one."
"So, the mutants also live for centuries?"
"They are very rare. So far only four are known: Wolverine or Logan, Raven or Mystique and Sabertooth. However, the fact that Charles Xavier may have been in constant communication with Lady Galadriel for centuries stems from the fact that time on Earth is much slower than here."
"And all this you know because ..."
"Because Lady Galadriel told me so" Gandalf replied "And there are many other things that she told me ..."
"Like what?" Interrupted Aragorn.
"For example, that on Earth, mutants are hunted and killed by beings called 'Sentinels'; Types of mutants. Her long conversations with Xavier showed her that he had great fear for what might happen to his students and the X-Men as he had seen something terrible approaching." Gandalf paused. "Alas! neither the Lady of the Light nor he could know in time what it was." The Istar made a gesture of slight disbelief. "And to think that Lady Galadriel through her Mirror could glimpse that a tragedy looms over the X-Men and everything built by Charles Xavier, while the Professor through the Cerebro could glimpse that the One Ring could be found at any moment.
Aragorn did not know what to think, and Gandalf continued. "There were many other things that Lady Galadriel told me about this matter, but I think the one that interested me most was the fact that there has been war on Earth for many years, since before Kitty was born."
Aragorn frowned. Although Kitty was not old, and even less so in Middle-Earth, it was not a war that would have lasted a couple of days.
"Mutants have very powerful enemies, not to mention mutants fight amongst themselves. The X-Men have opposed 'Magneto' and his 'Brotherhood' for many years, to protect a people that does not accept them. Some of them have died in the middle of the war, others have gone through terrible experiences like Kitty, but they have all fought for a long time.
Gandalf turned to Aragorn, who listened intently. "By this I want to tell you that, Kitty is not a beginner in the battle and that you can trust her. For many years, she fought alongside the X-Men to defend humans, even though they hated her. It may be that Kitty does not believe completely in Middle-Earth and that she does not consider our cause as important as it is. You must trust her."
Aragorn looked at Gandalf, but said nothing. The wizard turned to Shadowfax.
"The Grey Pilgrim." he mused. "That is what they used to call me. Three hundred lives of men I've walked this earth and now, I have no time."
He mounted his horse. "Good luck. My search will not be in vain. Look to my coming, at first light, on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East!"
Aragorn nodded. "Go, and may the Válar speed you!" he said
With a slight bow of his head, Gandalf was gone.
"Gandalf 'The White'. Gandalf 'The Fool'!" Saruman exclaimed angrily. angrily Saruman "Does he seek to humble me with his newfound power?"
"There were four who followed the wizard. An elf, a dwarf, a man and a woman?" said Grima, who had gone to Orthanc to tell the news to his master.
"The man, was he from Gondor?"
"No, from the North. One of the Dúnedain Rangers I thought he was. His clothing was poor and yet he bore a strange ring. Two serpents with emerald eyes, one devouring, the other crowned with golden flowers."
When hearing this, Saruman frowned, and he took down an ancient book, flipping through the pages. "The Ring of Barahir." gritted the traitor wizard. "So, Gandalf Greyhame thinks he has found Isildur's heir, the lost King of Gondor. He is a fool, the line was broken years ago." He left the book. "It matters not" he went on. "The world of Men shall fall. It will begin at Edoras."
"Théoden will not stay at Edoras." said Grima. "The city is vulnerable, he knows this. He will expect an attack on the city. They will flee to Helm's Deep, the great fortress of Rohan. It is a dangerous road, take through the mountains, it will be slow besides, they will have women and children with them." he added knowingly.
When hearing this, Saruman walked to the depths of Isengard and addressed to the Orc captain. "Tell the orcs to be prepare and send the Warg riders."
The orc grinned, bowed his head and was gone.
"My lord…" whimpered Grima once they left the depths of Isengard. "What about the woman? What about the mutant?"
"It's not of your concern!" Saruman answered harshly. "Now leave! You stink of horse."
Once alone, Saruman started to pace. He was angry. The fact of seeing Kitty among the remainder of the Fellowship told him that Marrow and his new 'toy' had not succeeded. The woman and the Halflings had escaped. If only Marrow had been there. But she left to follow her own track, her own mission!
Saruman had not received any word from Marrow and he was beginning to have his suspicions. Had the mutant betrayed him or had she died. , maybe the mutant had found the One Ring and then left for her own use? He should never have trusted her nor Avalanche.
He approached to one of the orcs.
"Call to the Wild men. I have a special task for them."
Kitty slept, oblivious to everything that was happening, she had not even heard of the king's order to leave Edoras and go to Helm's Deep. Since she'd been assigned her bedroom, she had not left. After she showed Legolas the picture of her X-Men friends, the Elf e had come to bring her food and had accompanied her while she was eating. Once it was over, Legolas was gone so the girl could sleep a little more while he went and heard the latest news. He had realized that despite being mutant, Kitty needed rest. So she slept peacefully, her stomach full as it had not been in a long time. The talk with Legolas had brought her peace.
The door shook with a hammering fist, but Kitty stirred faintly and, thinking it was a dream, and did not move.
The dwarf opened the door, and the sound of his boots caused Kitty to slow open her eyes. "Gimli?" She said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up slowly.
"You rested, lass?" The dwarf asked.
Kitty nodded as she stretched and yawned.
"That's all well and good." continued the Dwarf gruffly. "For we're leaving for Helm's Deep in any hour."
"What's that?" asked Kitty sleepily.
"It is a fortress that remains in the mountains. It is said to be impregnable, but ... bah! It will not do any good! Not against what surely that damned Saruman is going to send to destroy Rohan!"
Kitty blinked, surprised. "What happened?"
"Nothing but the Wildmen have attacked the villages of Rohan by orders of Saruman. And now the King has the idea to hide in his mountains. The only thing that is going to get us will be that there is a real massacre here and Rohan's folk be dead before we can reach his little fortress."
"That the road is very dangerous?"
"Yes. We have to cross the mountains and we will go with children and women, so ... what do you think? Idiot king! Coward! Why does not he go and better face Saruman ?"
Kitty smiled slightly and put a hand on his shoulder as he cursed under her breath.
"Easy, Gimli. Certainly, the idea of the king is not good, but we will have to cross fingers it will work out.'"
"May Mahal hear you, lass" replied the dwarf in resignation.
Kitty smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Tell me, did they give you permission to bring your food in here? Because I had to eat in the hall and it was not pleasant."
"Why?" asked Kitty.
"The King was surly to Aragorn." muttered the disgruntled son of Gloin.
"People are usually ungrateful, Gimli." Kitty said. "As for the food, Legolas brought it to me. It was very kind of him "
Gimli smiled, and Kitty frowned at him in confusion. "What's the grin for? What do you know?"
"Nothing. The Elf Princeling cares a lot for you."
"He's a dear friend." replied Kitty firmly.
"It's true, but he only does it to show me that he wants to be my friend"
Gimli raised a surprised eyebrow, and then shook his bearded head. "Well, I came to warn you, make ready because at any moment we set off for Helm's Deep, and with us all the people of Edoras."
"It's true, you don't see many dwarf women and, in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they are often mistaken for dwarf men." Gimli said.
It was the fifth day of traveling through the mountains to the fortress. The pace had been slow and difficult because of the elderly and the children.
Éowyn looked back to Aragorn, as if asking an answer for what the dwarf had just said.
"It's the beards." mouthed the Ranger so Gimli didn't hear.
"And this is in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women!" went one Gimli, oblivious. "And that the dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!"
The dwarf lost control of his horse and fell down on the ground.
"It's alright!" Gimli hastened to say. "Nobody panic. That was deliberate, it was deliberate"
Éowyn rushed to help Gimli to get up and mount again on the horse, giggling.
Meanwhile, Kitty who was riding next to Aragorn had seen everything with a slight smile. However her thoughts were in other place, more specifically with an an Elf that was scouting ahead.
What she had said to Gimli was true. Legolas was a dear friend. And she was deeply touched by what he had said. Kitty had hardened herself after what had happened with
Colossus. The bastard had cheated on her, and Kitty had given up love since then. But the Elf seemed different. Really different.
Wait a minute! she snapped at herself. Legolas had asked for her trust and her friendship, never for anything else and yet… she was thinking something much deeper!
She remembered all the beautiful moments they had spent in Lothlórien. She remembered when he had made her smile and even laugh, how had he taught her the beauty of the Nature and the simple things of life… there was a very vivid experience that she remembered very well, better than what she had ever remembered something. In one of their strolls, he had shown her a bunch of beautiful yellow flowers and had been talking to her about them. The wind was blowing a bit stronger that as always and she had her hair loose so the wind constantly blew her hair across her face had noticed this and had said suddenly 'please, allow me' and had took the flower that she had in her hands and put it on her hair so that it was kind of a kind of brooch for her hair. She had smiled and had looked at him while thanking him and then… she remembered: she had seen that same affectionate looking shinning in his blue eyes except that, this time, when he had asked her for an opportunity, his look was even more fond.
When Kitty remembered every detail of that scene, she couldn't help but to feel something. She had denied it for a long time-but was she falling for the Elf? She sighed.
Maybe… maybe she would just find something good, something new, something that in some way her heart that she desired.
What will Kitty's decision be? And interesting revelation of Gandalf to Aragorn!
Waiting for your reviews guys, they're the utmost important!