I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters. Likely slight OOC or departure from lore, but it was always a bit hazy to me on this subject. Also, if any of my Sindarin translations are wrong, I blame the translator I use. I'd gladly accept corrections.
Joining
Rhanir stared at the Ents as they made their way slowly through Isengard, which was flooded with two feet of water. They'd found Merry and Pippin sitting on Isengard's broken wall, smoking and eating a small feast of salted pork, apples, and vegetables. Apparently, they had convinced the Ents to destroy Isengard, and the Ents had done so perfectly, with only a single loss. Rhanir's eyes drifted to the Ent before them, which looked to be an oak tree. Gandalf identified it as Treebeard.
"Young Master Gandalf," Treebeard greeted as they reached it, its voice slow and sounding like the groan of a tree. "I'mmmm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master. But there is a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower."
"Show yourself," Aragorn whispered.
"Be careful," Gandalf said. "Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous."
"Well, let's just have his head and be done with it," Gimli said.
"No," Gandalf said. "We need him alive. We need him to talk."
"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Théoden King," Saruman said, stepping into view at the top of his tower, his voice reaching them despite the great distance, "and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"
"I can hit him from here," Rhanir said, gripping an arrow.
"No," Gandalf said.
"We shall have peace," Théoden said. "We shall have peace...when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace...when the lives of the soldiers whos bodies were hewn even as they lie dead against the gates of the Hornburg are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows...we shall have peace!"
"Gibbets and crows?" Saruman asked. "Dotard!" His eyes shifted to Gandalf. "What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess, the key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad-dur itself, along with the crowns of the Seven Kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!"
"Your treachery has already cost many lives," Gandalf said. "Thousands more are now at risk. But you could save them, Saruman1 You are deep in the enemy's counsel."
"So you have come here for information?" Saruman asked. "I have some for you." He held out a small, black, spherical stone, which Rhanir could swear he saw images flickering in, though it was too far away to tell what. "Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it! Even now, he presses his advantage! His attack will come soon."
Gandalf urged Shadowfax forward a few feet.
"You're all going to die!" Saruman hissed. "But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this Ranger will sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the Shadows, will never be crowned king!"
Aragorn stared at Saruman blankly, Boromir glancing at Aragorn.
"Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him," Saruman continued. "Those he professes to love. Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death."
"I've heard enough!" Gimli snapped. "Shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!"
"Gladly," Rhanir said, he, Tauriel, and Legolas all drawing their bows.
"No!" Gandalf said. "Come down, Saruman, and your life will be spared!"
"Save your pity and your mercy!" Saruman snapped. "I have no use for it!"
He shouted in effort, jabbing the base of his staff at Gandalf launching a fireball at him. The flames wrapped around Gandalf and spiraled rapidly, roaring, only to go out a few moments later, leaving Gandalf unscathed.
"Saruman...your staff is broken!" Gandalf said.
As if on cue, and probably because Gandalf said so, the staff suddenly exploded in Saruman's hand. As it did, Grima stepped into view behind Saruman, looking down at them nervously.
"Grima, you need not follow him!" Théoden called. "You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan! Come down!"
"A man of Rohan?" Saruman scoffed. "What is the House of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigainds drink in the reeks and the brats roll on the floor with the dogs!? Victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Théoden Horsemaster! You are a lesser son of Greater Sires!"
"Can I shoot him now?" Rhanir asked, bow still trained on Saruman.
"No!" Gandalf snapped.
Théoden, who had obviously been hurt by Saruman's word, looked back up at Grima. "Grima, come down. Be free of him."
"Free?" Saruman scoffed. "He will never be free!"
"No," Grima breathed.
"Get down, cur!" Saruman snarled at Grima before backhanding him and knocking him to the ground.
"Saruman," Gandalf called, "you are deep in the enemy's counsel. Tell us what you know!"
"You withdraw your guard, and I will tell you where your doom will be decided," Saruman offered. "I will not be held prisoner here!"
He gasped suddenly, eyes going wide and his body rigid as Grima plunged a dagger into his back. Rhanir sighed, letting the tension out of his bow.
"Fun stealer," Rhanir muttered, putting his bow and arrow away.
Grima stabbed Saruman again and Legolas fired an arrow into Grima's heart. Saruman turned around to stare at Grima, only to pitch backward, falling from the tower. He flipped several times before crashing down on a wheel at its base, several massive spikes on the wheel impaling him.
"Send word to all our allies, and to every corner of Middle-Earth that still stands free!" Gandalf said urgently. "The enemy moves against us! We need to know where he will strike!"
Just then, Saruman's weight began to turn the wheel, the shift in position causing his sphere to fall out of his sleeve.
"The filth of Saruman is washing away," Treebeard said as Saruman slipped below the surface.
Rhanir grinned at the small joke.
"Trees will come back to live here," Treebeard continued." Young trees. Wild trees."
"Pippin!" Aragorn said suddenly as Pippin dropped off of the horse from behind Aragorn and splashed through the water to where Saruman's stone had fallen.
"Bless my bark!" Treebeard exclaimed as Pippin lifted the stone from the water, Rhanir seeing some kind of orange light deep within it.
"Peregrin Took," Gandalf said. "I'll take that. Quickly now."
Pippin held it up, and Gandalf wrapped it in his cloak before accepting it, setting it in front of him once it was fully hidden in his cloak. He gave Pippin a stern look and Pippin dropped his gaze to the water.
Once Pippin was mounted again, they all turned and rode back through the forest and back toward Edoras.
"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to protect this land," Théoden said once they were all gathered in the Golden Hall for a feast. "Hail the victorious dead!"
"Hail!" everyone echoed, taking a drink.
Once the toast had finished, everyone began to socialize and the mood turned from mourning to revelry. Rhanir made his way through the hall, leaning heavily on the walking stick he'd been given until his leg finished healing in a couple of days, under the right treatment.
"No pauses, no spills," Rhanir heard Eomer saying as he handed Legolas and Gimli a pint of ale.
"And no regurgitation," Gimli added.
"You're on, Gimli," Rhanir smirked, Eomer grinning and pouring him a pint as well.
"So...it's a drinking game?" Legolas asked, the men around them cheering.
"Last one standing wins," Gimli grinned.
Gimli began to drink instantly, holding his drink with two hands, and Legolas tried the ale, grimacing instantly. Rhanir chuckled and drained his pint, finishing just ahead of Gimli, and set the mug down.
"It's an acquired taste, Legolas," Rhanir said in Sindarin. "Meaning that it still tastes like horse piss, but you eventually learn to not care."
Legolas smirked, shaking his head, and took another sip, grimacing again. As Eomer held a fresh pint out to Gimli and Rhanir, Tauriel stole Rhanir's, instantly draining it faster than he had, making everyone stare at her in surprise before she smirked, taking Rhanir's free arm.
"Come with me," Tauriel said in Sindarin. "There's something I want to discuss with you."
Rhanir nodded, following her out of the hall and away from it, both of them heading outside the wall to an empty hut on the edge of the village. Rhanir frowned, looking around at it. It looked lived in, and there was a small fire going to warm it, but there was no one in the building.
"Whose house is this?" Rhanir asked.
"For tonight, it's mine," Tauriel said, helping Rhanir down onto the bed and unwrapping the bandages from his leg, beginning to inspect his wound. "I asked Théoden and he said I could use it, since its previous owners were killed by Uruk-hai."
Rhanir nodded. "Why did you want a house away from everyone? Tired of us already?"
Tauriel smiled, but didn't respond immediately. Finally, she sighed, sitting beside him and kissing him. "Im mel cin."
"Im mel cin," Rhanir said, frowning. "What's is it?"
Tauriel rested her forehead against hers, closing her eyes and holding the sides of his face. "Herv nin."
Rhanir's breath caught in his throat, his eyes going wide as Tauriel opened hers. "What...Tauriel...I..."
"I don't need marriage tradition, or ceremony," Tauriel said. "Just you. I love you, Rhanir, and I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," Rhanir promised. "I'm never going to leave you."
"I almost lost you already at Helm's Deep," Tauriel said. "I can't bear the thought of losing you without being joined to you."
Rhanir sighed, pressing his head against Tauriel's a little tighter. "We have time, Tauriel. You don't need to rush."
"You don't want to?" Tauriel asked.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Rhanir asked. "No ceremony?"
Tauriel smiled. "We're both banished, Rhanir. Who would see to our ceremony?"
"Probably Elrond if we asked," Rhanir smiled, kissing her. "I am yours. If you're sure this is what you want, I'm yours."
Tauriel kissed him fiercely, holding him close. Rhanir sighed, holding her as well, and turned, laying himself on the bed, ignoring the flare of pain from his leg. Tauriel lay along his uninjured side, holding him tightly as their tongues swept out to greet each other's. Both held each other tightly, their breathing quickly growing ragged and desperate. Within minutes, Rhanir tugged at the bottom of the shirt Tauriel wore in place of her armor while they were resting, and Tauriel sat up, tugging the shirt off, followed by her pants, baring herself to his eyes. Within seconds, his own clothing had joined hers on the floor, and they rejoined, their lips once again fusing as they held each other close. After a few endless moments, Tauriel reached down and guided him into herself and hissed in discomfort as Rhanir let out a shuddering breath. Both remained motionless for as long as they could bear before beginning to move as one. Tauriel pulled back from the kiss and sat up, moving for both of them, bracing her hands on Rhanir's chest, and Rhanir drank in the entrancing sight of her bare form before sitting up, desperate to return to the kiss, Tauriel meeting him just as eagerly, though not slowing her movements. Finally, bare minutes since they had began, both tensed as they came unwound together. However, as soon as their crests had passed, Rhanir merely rolled to press Tauriel against the mattress and they began again with a renewed passion, both all the more desperate for each other's touch, and all the more desperate again after each crest they reached until they finally were spent.
Rhanir tugged the last of his armor on, looking to Tauriel as she fastened the last of her own armor's straps. Shortly before dawn, Pippin had stolen the Palantir, the black orb Saruman had dropped at Isengard, from Gandalf and had collapsed when Sauron's power overwhelmed him. However, through the Palantir, he had discovered that Sauron planed to attack Minas Tirith soon. Gandalf was taking Pippin, who Sauron likely believed held the Ring, to Minas Tirith with him, and Rhanir and Tauriel were going with him, as was Boromir.
"How long until I can walk on my own again?" Rhanir asked.
"Another day," Tauriel smiled, walking over and kissing him before pulling him to his feet. "Until then, you'll have to deal with having me with you constantly."
"Oh, no, please," Rhanir smirked. "Anything but that."
Tauriel smiled, helping him outside just as Legolas and Boromir reached the house, Legolas bringing Rhanir's horse. As soon as he saw them, however, he stopped, eyebrows rising slightly.
"Are you ready?" Boromir asked.
"As I'll ever be," Rhanir nodded, Tauriel helping him onto the horse, then climbing up behind him.
"Good luck," Legolas said. "And congratulations."
Rhanir and Tauriel both smiled and bowed slightly before Tauriel and Boromir spurred the horses forward, both meeting Gandalf within moments and following behind him.
Leave a review.