This chapter contains quite a lot real phrases from ‚The two towers'. They
are not mine! I neglected the hobbits a bit in the last chapter, so I gave
them a bigger role. No A/L in this chapter, the next one however will bring
the answer to some of the angsty thoughts in chapter 11.
Thank you for the reviews, you are great!!! Please continue
Here some answers to questions in your comments:
Yes, I plan to continue this story until the ent of RotK, maybe even a bit further. I will however leave out the part that is about Frodo, sorry for all that like him, but LotR is 1000 pages long and I don't have the stamina to write this ...
I was actually thinking about putting some M/D slash into it, but since it is a LotR fic, I am not sure, let me know what you think...
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"Beware of Saruman's voice!"
That was the last thing, Gandalf told them before he rode towards the black tower accompanied by Theoden, Eomer, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. The rest of the king's men as well as the hobbits and the immortals stayed behind.
"Half a sticky mile from here to the gate!" muttered Pippin. "I wish I could slip off back to the guardroom unnoticed! What did we come for? We are not wanted."
Merry agreed with his cousin and they prepared to steal away from the riders and go back to their pipes and wine. Yet just as they passed the last horses two huge hands grabbed their coats and dragged them onto the steads.
"I am not sure whether we have ever been formally introduced, little masters, but before you slip away and we have to run after you through this country, lets get at least to know each other."
The man who spoke those words were the slender stranger but even though his words seemed harsh, he smiled and his eyes were sparkling with amusement. And if truth to be told after having watched the hobbits for a while, Methos had decided that they were exactely what this sometimes too serious fellowship needed.
"I am Pippin and this" gesturing towards the other hobbit that sat on Duncan's horse "is Merry. He is my cousin. But tell me, is it true what Gimli said about you? That thing about you being from somewhere else and no mortals but no elves either?"
And so Duncan and Methos explained the two wide-eyed hobbits what they were and where they came from.
"... so we landed in a world without movies and beer." The last line was delivered by Methos and he seemed more concerned about this fact than about the dark lord or any other danger that threathened middle-earth.
"There is beer in this place! But you chose the wrong company if you like it for Strider will not drink any unless he feels completely safe and the elves don't drink any alcohol except their special wine. When we entered the mines of Moria, Gimli promised us some beer, yet he could not fulfill his promise cause the orcs did not invite us for dinner. But if you go for a beer in one of the cities, don't forget about us!"
Merry's eager answer made Methos laugh and he clasped the shoulder of the hobbit sitting in front of Duncan.
"You two are good company! I hope you can bring back the sun into our fellowship. And we will not forget you!"
Just as he had said this, they heard a soft and gentle voice talking. An old man was standing on top of the stairs and spoke to Theoden. This was Saruman and within a mere second, Duncan and Methos knew what Gandalf had meant by warning them about his voice.
The gentle tune seemed to lure them towards the tower and as Gandalf answered his voice seemed harsh and unfriendly. There was a heavy tension in the air as Gimli suddenly spoke.
"The words of this wizard stand on their heads. In the language of Orthanc help means ruin and saving means slaying, that is plain. But we do not come here to beg."
Visibly angered by the dwarf's courage, Saruman had to gather himself for a moment before he achieved to speak with the same soothing voice, yet the short moment had been enough the shake Theoden out of his trance and he began to speak.
"...When you hang from a gibbet at your window for the spirt of your own crows, I will have peace with you and Orthanc. So much for the House of Eorl. A lesser son of great sires am I, but I do not need to lick your fingers. Turn elsewhither. Du I fear your voice has lost its charm."
And indeed it had, for Saruman could not fool the noble and proud men of all races that stood in front of him. Neither the dwarf nor the elf had been lured into his spell and now even the weakest race the race of men had cut its threads to Orthanc and Saruman knew that he was defeated.
Yet he made a last attempt to win back what had once been his. So he focussed his attention on Gandalf, but Gandalf had changed as well and his power was now greater than Sarumans.
"I am not Gandalf the Grey whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now and I cast you from the order and from the Council. Saruman your staff is broken!"
With that he turned towards the rider and the group that had confronted the once mightiest wizard walked down the stairs, as suddenly a stone fell down and nearly hit Gandalf. Pippin jumped from Methos' horse and grabbed the rolling stone and brought it to the wizard.
Thoughtfull the wizard looked at the black stone.
"Hmm, I guess that even if we had entered in, we could have found few treasures in Orthanc more precious than the thing which Wormtongue threw down at us."
With that they left the ruins of Isengard and mounted to ride on back to Edoras. Pippin was riding with Duncan and Merry with Methos.
"Thank you!"
Confused Methos looked down at the young person in front of him.
"Why do you thank me for anything?"
"You have been the first to tell us that we do have a role in this quest and are not just 'small rag-tag dangling behind the heroes'. I know that we are no heroes, yet we try to give our best."
"Neither of us is a hero, not even a man as great as Aragorn. For you know litte Meriadoc, I do not trust the word hero, a hero is created more by the tales that people tell about him than by the things he really did."
"Yet you and the others will make history and we will just watch."
There was no jealousy in Merry's words, just an acceptance of something he had realized during this quest. But Methos answer was again different than he had expected and what he said got burried deep into the soul of the small hobbit and changed him, even if he did not realize it at that moment.
"It is not men that makes history, Merry, it is history that makes men."
Thank you for the reviews, you are great!!! Please continue
Here some answers to questions in your comments:
Yes, I plan to continue this story until the ent of RotK, maybe even a bit further. I will however leave out the part that is about Frodo, sorry for all that like him, but LotR is 1000 pages long and I don't have the stamina to write this ...
I was actually thinking about putting some M/D slash into it, but since it is a LotR fic, I am not sure, let me know what you think...
---------------
"Beware of Saruman's voice!"
That was the last thing, Gandalf told them before he rode towards the black tower accompanied by Theoden, Eomer, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. The rest of the king's men as well as the hobbits and the immortals stayed behind.
"Half a sticky mile from here to the gate!" muttered Pippin. "I wish I could slip off back to the guardroom unnoticed! What did we come for? We are not wanted."
Merry agreed with his cousin and they prepared to steal away from the riders and go back to their pipes and wine. Yet just as they passed the last horses two huge hands grabbed their coats and dragged them onto the steads.
"I am not sure whether we have ever been formally introduced, little masters, but before you slip away and we have to run after you through this country, lets get at least to know each other."
The man who spoke those words were the slender stranger but even though his words seemed harsh, he smiled and his eyes were sparkling with amusement. And if truth to be told after having watched the hobbits for a while, Methos had decided that they were exactely what this sometimes too serious fellowship needed.
"I am Pippin and this" gesturing towards the other hobbit that sat on Duncan's horse "is Merry. He is my cousin. But tell me, is it true what Gimli said about you? That thing about you being from somewhere else and no mortals but no elves either?"
And so Duncan and Methos explained the two wide-eyed hobbits what they were and where they came from.
"... so we landed in a world without movies and beer." The last line was delivered by Methos and he seemed more concerned about this fact than about the dark lord or any other danger that threathened middle-earth.
"There is beer in this place! But you chose the wrong company if you like it for Strider will not drink any unless he feels completely safe and the elves don't drink any alcohol except their special wine. When we entered the mines of Moria, Gimli promised us some beer, yet he could not fulfill his promise cause the orcs did not invite us for dinner. But if you go for a beer in one of the cities, don't forget about us!"
Merry's eager answer made Methos laugh and he clasped the shoulder of the hobbit sitting in front of Duncan.
"You two are good company! I hope you can bring back the sun into our fellowship. And we will not forget you!"
Just as he had said this, they heard a soft and gentle voice talking. An old man was standing on top of the stairs and spoke to Theoden. This was Saruman and within a mere second, Duncan and Methos knew what Gandalf had meant by warning them about his voice.
The gentle tune seemed to lure them towards the tower and as Gandalf answered his voice seemed harsh and unfriendly. There was a heavy tension in the air as Gimli suddenly spoke.
"The words of this wizard stand on their heads. In the language of Orthanc help means ruin and saving means slaying, that is plain. But we do not come here to beg."
Visibly angered by the dwarf's courage, Saruman had to gather himself for a moment before he achieved to speak with the same soothing voice, yet the short moment had been enough the shake Theoden out of his trance and he began to speak.
"...When you hang from a gibbet at your window for the spirt of your own crows, I will have peace with you and Orthanc. So much for the House of Eorl. A lesser son of great sires am I, but I do not need to lick your fingers. Turn elsewhither. Du I fear your voice has lost its charm."
And indeed it had, for Saruman could not fool the noble and proud men of all races that stood in front of him. Neither the dwarf nor the elf had been lured into his spell and now even the weakest race the race of men had cut its threads to Orthanc and Saruman knew that he was defeated.
Yet he made a last attempt to win back what had once been his. So he focussed his attention on Gandalf, but Gandalf had changed as well and his power was now greater than Sarumans.
"I am not Gandalf the Grey whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now and I cast you from the order and from the Council. Saruman your staff is broken!"
With that he turned towards the rider and the group that had confronted the once mightiest wizard walked down the stairs, as suddenly a stone fell down and nearly hit Gandalf. Pippin jumped from Methos' horse and grabbed the rolling stone and brought it to the wizard.
Thoughtfull the wizard looked at the black stone.
"Hmm, I guess that even if we had entered in, we could have found few treasures in Orthanc more precious than the thing which Wormtongue threw down at us."
With that they left the ruins of Isengard and mounted to ride on back to Edoras. Pippin was riding with Duncan and Merry with Methos.
"Thank you!"
Confused Methos looked down at the young person in front of him.
"Why do you thank me for anything?"
"You have been the first to tell us that we do have a role in this quest and are not just 'small rag-tag dangling behind the heroes'. I know that we are no heroes, yet we try to give our best."
"Neither of us is a hero, not even a man as great as Aragorn. For you know litte Meriadoc, I do not trust the word hero, a hero is created more by the tales that people tell about him than by the things he really did."
"Yet you and the others will make history and we will just watch."
There was no jealousy in Merry's words, just an acceptance of something he had realized during this quest. But Methos answer was again different than he had expected and what he said got burried deep into the soul of the small hobbit and changed him, even if he did not realize it at that moment.
"It is not men that makes history, Merry, it is history that makes men."