Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. Hope you guys like this one.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 18- Isengard
Jakan looks around at the trees which surround him. He and the others have been riding for hours towards Isengard from Helm's Deep.
It's been over 2 full days since the end of the battle for Helm's Deep. Following the battle, Theoden had decided that he, as well as Gandalf and the Fellowship, needed to go to Isengard to confront Saruman.
Those two days since the battle had been eventful. A memorial service for the fallen Rohirrim and Galadhrim had been held the day after it ended. Haldir and the surviving Galadhrim had remained long enough to see their kin be buried, and had then departed for Lothlorien.
One of the greatest topics of conversation in Helm's Deep was the arrival of more Mandalorians. Jakan had introduced the three to Theoden and his court, who welcomed the three with opens arms.
Needless to say, Gar, Fel, and Mirta had been astounded to hear what Jakan had encountered and been through since arriving in Middle-Earth. Some of the descriptions he gave about places and creatures he had encountered had surprised them. However, they had been perhaps more surprised when Jakan made it clear in no uncertain terms at the very beginning of their talk that he would not be leaving Middle Earth until Sauron was defeated.
After telling them everything that had happened, Jakan was pleased when his three comrades promised to remain behind and aid the Free Peoples in the fight against Sauron. The pilot of the ship had been sent back to Mandalore to carry news of Jakan's situation and a request for further aid to the Alliance of Free Mandalorians. Jakan hoped that more of the Alliance would arrive in time to help defeat Sauron. However, he had made sure to restock on supplies and weapons before the ship left.
Theoden had left with his entourage first thing that morning. Accompanying him were all the members of the Fellowship, the three new Mandalorians, Eomer, Hama, Gamling, and the remaining Royal Guards who were still fit for duty.
At the same time, all of the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep, under Eowyn's leadership, had set off for Helm's Deep, accompanied by Eomer's riders. Three of the riders had given their horses to Gar, Fel, and Mirta to ride to Isengard.
Now, it is in the early afternoon, and the group is nearing Isengard.
Jakan hears footsteps of a horse beside him, and glances to the side to see Legolas and Gimli riding up beside him.
"Still afraid of these trees, Gimli?" Jakan asks teasingly. Gimli just scowls at him a bit.
Not quite done teasing Gimli yet, Jakan smirks under his helmet and says, "You know, Gimli. I just realized. Before the battle, Theoden asked his skepticism that any allies would come. He asked if we thought Elves, Dwarves, or Mandalorians would come. If you didn't notice, both Elves and Mandalorians showed up. What about the dwarves?"
"Oh, shut up, laddie!" Gimli declares, drawing laughs and smiles from everyone within range.
Only moments later, the trees begin to thin up ahead, and Jakan begins to catch brief glimpses of Isengard through the trees. Then, they come around a corner, and Isengard comes fully into view.
"That's impressive," Fel Vizsla says from his horse just behind Jakan.
"If you think this is impressive, wait until you see Moria," Jakan says.
It's then that Jakan notices the broken down gate up ahead. And two figures that look very familiar.
Merry and Pippin had been enjoying a meal from the supplies they had found in Saruman's storeroom. As they see Gandalf and the others approach, Pippin begins to laugh with joy. Merry stands up and declares, "Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!"
"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you…feasting, and-and smoking!" Gimli exclaims with slight jealousy in his voice.
Jakan laughs a bit, smiling broadly at the sight of the two Hobbits.
Pippin leans forward a bit and says, "We are sitting on a field of victory enjoying a few well earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good."
Jakan finds his mouth watering a little bit, not having had a truly decent meal for a few days now. Glancing around, he sees a number of other members of the company looking hungry as well. Gimli is all but drooling as he says, almost dreamily, "Salted pork."
Gandalf just scoffs a little bit and mutters, "Hobbits."
"We're under orders from Treebeard, who has taken over management of Isengard," Merry says.
"Well, then let us see him," Gandalf says.
"Can't we eat first?" Gimli asks. A number of members of the company silently agree with him.
"Perhaps later. But for now, we have more pressing problems," Gandalf says.
Merry and Pippin hop on the horses, Pippin hopping on behind Aragorn, and Merry hopping on behind Jakan. Then, the company begins to ride forward. Gandalf, Theoden, the members of the Fellowship, Eomer, Hama, and Gamling all ride forward, while the rest of the Royal Guards and the three Mandalorians remain outside the gate. Once the leadership has entered the Orthanc, the guards and three Mandalorians begin helping themselves to the rest of Merry and Pippin's meal.
As the group rides towards the tower, they notice something that shocks quite a few in the group. Walking around the base of the tower are what look like walking trees.
"What are those things?" Jakan asks.
"Ents. Tree herders," Aragorn says to him.
"My words still stand. This world gets weirder by the day," Jakan says.
As they ride through the water towards the tower, one of the Ents turns towards them and says in a deep voice, "Hmm, young master Gandalf. I'mmm…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."
Everyone looks up at the tower. Aragorn whispers under his breath, "Show yourself."
"Be careful. Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous," Gandalf says.
"Then let's just have his head and be done with it," Gimli says gruffly.
"Have to agree with you there, Gimli," Jakan says.
"No! We need him alive. We need him to talk," Gandalf says. Jakan sighs, but knows that he's right. Saruman could be a valuable source of information.
Everybody is quiet for several moments before a voice echoes around them, "You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King, and made peace afterwards." As they all hear this, they see a white haired and robed man walk up to the edge of the pinnacle. Jakan immediately knows it is Saruman.
Saruman continues to speak. "Can we not take counsel as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"
Jakan glances over at Theoden, who, to his relief, looks angry.
"We shall have peace," Theoden says. He then looks right up at Saruman and answers more loudly, "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 whose bodies were hewn even as they lay 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!"
Everyone looks back up at Saruman, who seems to have lost his more calm composure. "Gibbets and crows! Dotard!" he shouts at Theoden before turning his attention to Gandalf and saying, "What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame! Let me guess. The key of Orthanc. Or perhaps the key 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! Thousands more are now at risk! But you could save them, Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's counsel," Gandalf says to Saruman.
"So, you have come here for information. I have some for you," Saruman replies.
He then holds up something. Jakan squints a little bit, but can't make out what it is. "What is that, Gandalf?" he asks.
"A Palantir. A seeing stone. A dangerous tool even for a wizard," Gandalf says, watching Saruman intently all the while.
A moment later, they hear Saruman's deep voice agin as he says, "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."
Gandalf spurs Shadowfax forward a few steps as Saruman continues, "His attack will come soon. You are all going to die. But you know this, don't you, Gandalf? You cannot think this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor? This outcast, crept from the shadows, will never become king!"
Jakan glances over at Aragorn, who is staring back up at Saruman. He tries to read Aragorn's expression, but can't make out all the emotions displayed on his face and in his eyes.
"Nor can you think these warriors from afar can save you!" Saruman says, drawing Jakan's attention to him in a second, "These Mandalorians could not even keep their own world and people safe! How could you ever hope that they could save this one?"
Jakan feels the anger welling up in him. He shouts, "Really, Saruman? Because unless I'm mistaken, at Helm's Deep, just four Mandalorians killed probably over a thousand of your Uruk Hai on our own. Once more of us get here, you and Sauron will be in for a world of hurt."
"Do not think to trifle with Lord Sauron, Jakan Shan! Despite your weapons and power, you are as insects before his might! You will meet your death at the hands of his greatest servant!" Saruman shoots back. Jakn feels a chill run down his spine, wondering what Saruman means.
"I've heard enough!" Gimli declares before saying to Legolas, "Shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!" Legolas starts to reach for an arrow as if to carry out Gimli's request.
"No," Gandalf says to stop Legolas, glancing back at the elf as he says this. He then looks back up at Saruman and says, "Come down, Saruman! And your life will be spared."
"Save your pity and your mercy! I have no use for it!" Saruman declares. He then raises his staff and releases ball of fire from it right at Gandalf.
The fireball engulfs Gandalf and Shadowfax in flames. The rest of the horses whinnie nervously and shift back.
Jakan watches in shock for a second before the rage returns. He reaches down and draws one of his blaster pistols. However, right as he's about to raise it to aim at Saruman, the flames dissipate, revealing Gandalf and Shadowfax completely unharmed.
Jakan breathes a sigh of relief as he saees the wizard he's grown very fond of is perfectly fine. As he does, Gandalf declares, "Saruman! Your staff is broken!"
Saruman's staff begins to shake in his hand, and a moment later, shatters into dozens of pieces. Saruman stares at his hand in shock that his staff is gone.
Right then, unable to contain his curiosity, Grima emerges onto the pinnacle, walking up behind Saruman to see what is happening.
Theoden notices Grima and calls out, "Grima! You need not follow him. You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan."
"A man of Rohan?" Saruman says in disgust, "What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Theoden horse master. You are a lesser son of greater sires."
Jakan looks at Theoden, worried about how Saruman's words might affect the king after all Theoden has been through. Thankfully, Theoden doesn't seem too bothered, and he quickly refocuses on Grima.
"Grima. Come down. Be free of him," Theoden says.
"Free? He will never be free," Saruman declares.
Grima looks at his master and mutters, "No."
Saruman turns to face Grima. "Get down, cur!" He then slaps Grima, hard enough to knock him off his feet.
"Saruman! You were deep in the enemy's counsel! Tell us what you know!" Gandalf demands.
As Saruman turns to look back at the group below, Grima looks at the fallen wizard with rising hatred. Hatred for Saruman turning him against his people. Hatred for Saruman always treating him as a tool. He slowly rises off the rock of the pinnacle while drawing a dagger from his robes.
Not noticing this, Saruman replies to Gandalf's demand, "You withdraw your guard, and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!"
Right then, Grima, now on his feet, rushes up behind Saruman and grabs him, driving his dagger into Saruman's back repeatedly. Legolas, reacting quickly, draws back on his bow and fires an arrow. The arrow strikes Grima right in the chest, causing the man to release both Saruman and his knife and fall back, dead.
Saruman groans as he slowly turns around before falling off the tower. He tumbles through the air as he falls, finally landing on a wheel at the base of the tower, with one of the spikes on the wheel going through his back and out his chest with a crunch.
Everyone stares at Saruman's body in surprise. Gandalf, however, reacts quickly, and says to Theoden, "Send word to all our allies, and to every corner of Middle Earth that still stands free! The enemy moves against us! We need to know where he will strike!"
The wheel begins to slowly move, rotating downwards until Saruman's body disappears under the water.
"The filth of Saruman is washing away," Treebeard says with content before saying, "Trees will come back to live here. Young trees. Wild trees."
As he's saying this, Pippin notices a glow in the water. He gets off Brego's back and wades through the water towards it. Aragorn sees this and calls, "Pippin!"
Pippin doesn't seem to notice his words. He bends down and reaches into the water. A second later, he pulls out the palantir Saruman had been wielding.
"Bless my bark!" Treebeard says as he sees the palantir.
"Peregrin Took!" Pippin looks up to see Gandalf behind him. Gandalf holds out his hand and says, "I'll take that, my lad. Quickly now!"
Pippin hands over the palantir, but does so with seeming reluctance. Gandalf wraps up the palantir, then looks down at Pippin one more time before riding off.
Jakan looks back at where Saruman's body disappeared. A sneaking feeling is growing on him that the Battle of Helm's Deep is going to seem like a minor training session compared to what is about to come.
And, I'll end there. Hope you liked that chapter. I know I didn't change a whole lot, but I hope you liked it.
Next chapter will be up rather soon. Until it is up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!