Chapter Twenty Nine
THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! WOOHOO! Sorry this goes so fast, but… I'm antsy. I've been writing this for three months now.
AN: okay, Nikki. Here's the snog-fest @ Cirith Ungol that I promised you…* Mumbles something about "The dumb blondes always get the hot elf" * Also, I'll warn you. Serious romance ahead. Okay, Olorin. You're gonna KILL me for this chapter- too much sap. Well, what's life without Nikki snogging Legolas? (correct answer: A LOT more pretty!) The sap inspired by Snowling, people. Blame her. * points to fellow author Snowling * okay, um… I've rambled on enough. This chapter is dedicated to life! (I think I've watched 'the fiddler on the roof' too many times to be safe for the general public…)
He looked back at me, face solemn.
I leaned forward until our faces were an inch apart.
"Don't cry." I said, not heeding my own words as tears began to fall down my own face. Frodo bent in and wiped them away with the corner of his cloak.
"I'll be here with you until the end. I promise."
I smiled at those words. He then sighed and got as comfortable as he could without leaving my side.
(Nikki's POV)
I woke up and all was dark. It appeared at first that all were asleep, until I heard my parents whispering. I did not catch their words, and I kept my breathing shallow, lest they hear me and think I was eavesdropping. Within twenty minutes, I heard their breathing shallow and slow down and I knew they were asleep. I then heard a sound of footprints, as if people were walking by outside the door. I had been wrong in my prediction that everyone was asleep, for I felt Legolas stiffen beside me.
"You're awake?" I asked at long last.
"Yes," he whispered in reply.
"Do you think we'll get out alive? Please tell me the truth."
Legolas sighed resignedly. "I don't know, Nikki. I don't know."
My lip trembled to hear these words. I was looking for the truth and I had gotten it. He looked over at me as I began to cry silently. I hadn't cried since I was very little. He wordlessly cast an arm around my shoulders and drew me in close to him. I put my arms around his waist. He put his hand beneath my chin and lifted my head, forcing me to look into his piercing blue eyes.
"Know, however, that I love you deeply and with all my heart." He drew me up into a kiss and I knew no more except the gentle touch of his warm embrace and soft lips. The world around me faded.
I awoke with a moan. Well, if you could call it awakening. It was even darker when I opened my eyes than when they were closed. Twelve days had passed since Wormtounge had come to talk to me. If Gandalf wasn't here in two days, well, I didn't want to think about what would happen.
Twelve days I had spent chained to this wall, Frodo hardly ever leaving my side, and only then for a couple of minutes. I suddenly heard footsteps in the hall. Frodo noticed both the footsteps and the fact that I was awake, and put a finger to his lips. I nodded but did not heed his warning, as I let out as gasp. The door swung open to reveal Gandalf. His sparkling blue eyes roved around the room, observing everything.
As Frodo and I were the only ones awake, he walked over to us first. He assessed the situation with my handcuffs wordlessly. When he finally unlocked them with his staff, I found my voice.
"Gandalf," I said, standing and stretching, something I hadn't been able to do for nearly two weeks. He nodded.
"So nice to see all of you again," he said.
I smiled. "As it is nice to see you."
We finally decided the best plan would be to wake the others, then wait for the orcs who brought us our food (if you could call it that) to come. We would kill them and wait for more to come. If we were lucky, we might be able to hold steady for the two days until Wormtounge came. Then we could kill him.
To a certain extent, our plan succeeded. We killed most of the orcs, but because of this, a certain dirt bag decided to pay us a visit.
Gandalf, unfortunately for us, was behind all of us, peering out the miniscule window and formulating an escape plan when Wormtounge entered the room. Legolas and Nikki were towards the front. Wormtounge simply stood at the door, and every one of us stopped in our tracks, and could not will ourselves to attack him. I heard his voice in my mind.
"Have you decided?" He asked.
I silently asked Frodo what to do and gave an encouraging nod.
I looked Wormtounge straight in the eye. I smiled, remembering a quote from history class. Uugh, and my parents always thought I never paid attention in school.
"Give me liberty," I said slowly out loud, as I felt all eyes drawn to me, "Or give me death."
With this, I raised all my will, all the hope I'd ever had. I drew my sword and lunged at him. He moved too late as Frodo, Gandalf, and I lunged at him and an arrow sprung from Legolas' bow and hit him. I stepped back, wiped off my sword, and slid it back into its sheath.
"That takes care of that," Pippin said. Gandalf returned to his post by the window and nodded.
"We must get to the top of the tower," He said. "The eagles are coming!"
I grinned widely. I couldn't help it.
We opened the trapdoor and climbed through. This was the top floor, but Gandalf rose to the occasion magnificently. The ceiling had a hole large enough to climb through in a few seconds. We climbed through to see the dark shapes of six eagles coming towards us. When they reached us, I climbed onto one in front of Frodo and lost my senses.
When I woke up, I was lying next to Frodo in a white bed in an airy white room. I sat up and looked around. There was another bed to the left of mine, in which Legolas and Nikki lay. To the right, Aragorn was lying unconscious with Arwen sleeping in a chair next to him. Sam, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin were nowhere to be seen. Gandalf sat in a chair in the space between the bed I was in and the one Nikki and Legolas shared. (A/N: Okay, Morely. You win.) He acknowledged my being awake with a nod.
"Glad to see you're awake."
"Where am I?" I asked, feeling clueless and at the same time feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Minas Tirith."
"Ahh... The White City." He nodded in reply. It was that moment that Frodo awoke. Once he had been told where we were, Gandalf spoke to us.
"If the medication works, the rest should be awake soon. Elrond wants to see all of you as soon as possible."
I was puzzled. Gandalf explained there would be a ceremony of some sort, and Elrond had come from Rivendell to see us. We had been out of it for a month. At this point, I fell asleep.
Some time later, I awoke to find that everyone else was awake and getting prepared for a feast. I got up and dressed. We then proceeded to a great hall, where many elves and men were seated. Elrond greeted us with a nod and a smile, and motioned for us to sit at his side, which we did. (AN: Run- on sentence alert! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!…lol)
As soon as everyone had gathered, Elrond stood and cleared his throat.
"I have an announcement to make, and several things to say. My announcement is this: for outstanding bravery in the face of danger, I would like to present each of the ten sitting at the head of this table today with a reward.
"For all but Gandalf and Legolas, who already possess it, I present each of you with the immortality of the elves."
I gasped as each of us but Gandalf and Legolas were handed a glittering crystal pendant on a wrought silver chain. Everyone else was just as stunned and we smiled and thanked the elven lord for the gift.
"The other is that I invite all of you on a voyage to the West, when you are ready."
At this, smiles.
"The next is that I give Leah-" I blushed heavily, "-to revisit her world for two months."
I gasped, but he was apparently not done.
"And take who she will with her, in a ghost-type form."
I was stunned.
"Leah, you may choose carefully and leave after the feast."
"Th-thank you," I said.
I ate quietly as the evening crept by slowly. When it was finally over, I thanked Elrond and he gave me a silver and gold chain.
"You hold on to this and have who you want to come hold on also. When you will it to, it will take you to you world. Take as many as you like, but choose carefully."
I nodded, trying to find the words to thank him.
"Do not worry about thanking me," he said. "Have a good time." With that, he vanished.
I looked at the chain, wondering whom I would take. What a perfect ending to a perfect adventure. Well, a mostly perfect adventure. I walked off towards my room, feeling wonderful.
THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! WOOHOO! Sorry this goes so fast, but… I'm antsy. I've been writing this for three months now.
AN: okay, Nikki. Here's the snog-fest @ Cirith Ungol that I promised you…* Mumbles something about "The dumb blondes always get the hot elf" * Also, I'll warn you. Serious romance ahead. Okay, Olorin. You're gonna KILL me for this chapter- too much sap. Well, what's life without Nikki snogging Legolas? (correct answer: A LOT more pretty!) The sap inspired by Snowling, people. Blame her. * points to fellow author Snowling * okay, um… I've rambled on enough. This chapter is dedicated to life! (I think I've watched 'the fiddler on the roof' too many times to be safe for the general public…)
He looked back at me, face solemn.
I leaned forward until our faces were an inch apart.
"Don't cry." I said, not heeding my own words as tears began to fall down my own face. Frodo bent in and wiped them away with the corner of his cloak.
"I'll be here with you until the end. I promise."
I smiled at those words. He then sighed and got as comfortable as he could without leaving my side.
(Nikki's POV)
I woke up and all was dark. It appeared at first that all were asleep, until I heard my parents whispering. I did not catch their words, and I kept my breathing shallow, lest they hear me and think I was eavesdropping. Within twenty minutes, I heard their breathing shallow and slow down and I knew they were asleep. I then heard a sound of footprints, as if people were walking by outside the door. I had been wrong in my prediction that everyone was asleep, for I felt Legolas stiffen beside me.
"You're awake?" I asked at long last.
"Yes," he whispered in reply.
"Do you think we'll get out alive? Please tell me the truth."
Legolas sighed resignedly. "I don't know, Nikki. I don't know."
My lip trembled to hear these words. I was looking for the truth and I had gotten it. He looked over at me as I began to cry silently. I hadn't cried since I was very little. He wordlessly cast an arm around my shoulders and drew me in close to him. I put my arms around his waist. He put his hand beneath my chin and lifted my head, forcing me to look into his piercing blue eyes.
"Know, however, that I love you deeply and with all my heart." He drew me up into a kiss and I knew no more except the gentle touch of his warm embrace and soft lips. The world around me faded.
I awoke with a moan. Well, if you could call it awakening. It was even darker when I opened my eyes than when they were closed. Twelve days had passed since Wormtounge had come to talk to me. If Gandalf wasn't here in two days, well, I didn't want to think about what would happen.
Twelve days I had spent chained to this wall, Frodo hardly ever leaving my side, and only then for a couple of minutes. I suddenly heard footsteps in the hall. Frodo noticed both the footsteps and the fact that I was awake, and put a finger to his lips. I nodded but did not heed his warning, as I let out as gasp. The door swung open to reveal Gandalf. His sparkling blue eyes roved around the room, observing everything.
As Frodo and I were the only ones awake, he walked over to us first. He assessed the situation with my handcuffs wordlessly. When he finally unlocked them with his staff, I found my voice.
"Gandalf," I said, standing and stretching, something I hadn't been able to do for nearly two weeks. He nodded.
"So nice to see all of you again," he said.
I smiled. "As it is nice to see you."
We finally decided the best plan would be to wake the others, then wait for the orcs who brought us our food (if you could call it that) to come. We would kill them and wait for more to come. If we were lucky, we might be able to hold steady for the two days until Wormtounge came. Then we could kill him.
To a certain extent, our plan succeeded. We killed most of the orcs, but because of this, a certain dirt bag decided to pay us a visit.
Gandalf, unfortunately for us, was behind all of us, peering out the miniscule window and formulating an escape plan when Wormtounge entered the room. Legolas and Nikki were towards the front. Wormtounge simply stood at the door, and every one of us stopped in our tracks, and could not will ourselves to attack him. I heard his voice in my mind.
"Have you decided?" He asked.
I silently asked Frodo what to do and gave an encouraging nod.
I looked Wormtounge straight in the eye. I smiled, remembering a quote from history class. Uugh, and my parents always thought I never paid attention in school.
"Give me liberty," I said slowly out loud, as I felt all eyes drawn to me, "Or give me death."
With this, I raised all my will, all the hope I'd ever had. I drew my sword and lunged at him. He moved too late as Frodo, Gandalf, and I lunged at him and an arrow sprung from Legolas' bow and hit him. I stepped back, wiped off my sword, and slid it back into its sheath.
"That takes care of that," Pippin said. Gandalf returned to his post by the window and nodded.
"We must get to the top of the tower," He said. "The eagles are coming!"
I grinned widely. I couldn't help it.
We opened the trapdoor and climbed through. This was the top floor, but Gandalf rose to the occasion magnificently. The ceiling had a hole large enough to climb through in a few seconds. We climbed through to see the dark shapes of six eagles coming towards us. When they reached us, I climbed onto one in front of Frodo and lost my senses.
When I woke up, I was lying next to Frodo in a white bed in an airy white room. I sat up and looked around. There was another bed to the left of mine, in which Legolas and Nikki lay. To the right, Aragorn was lying unconscious with Arwen sleeping in a chair next to him. Sam, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin were nowhere to be seen. Gandalf sat in a chair in the space between the bed I was in and the one Nikki and Legolas shared. (A/N: Okay, Morely. You win.) He acknowledged my being awake with a nod.
"Glad to see you're awake."
"Where am I?" I asked, feeling clueless and at the same time feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Minas Tirith."
"Ahh... The White City." He nodded in reply. It was that moment that Frodo awoke. Once he had been told where we were, Gandalf spoke to us.
"If the medication works, the rest should be awake soon. Elrond wants to see all of you as soon as possible."
I was puzzled. Gandalf explained there would be a ceremony of some sort, and Elrond had come from Rivendell to see us. We had been out of it for a month. At this point, I fell asleep.
Some time later, I awoke to find that everyone else was awake and getting prepared for a feast. I got up and dressed. We then proceeded to a great hall, where many elves and men were seated. Elrond greeted us with a nod and a smile, and motioned for us to sit at his side, which we did. (AN: Run- on sentence alert! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!…lol)
As soon as everyone had gathered, Elrond stood and cleared his throat.
"I have an announcement to make, and several things to say. My announcement is this: for outstanding bravery in the face of danger, I would like to present each of the ten sitting at the head of this table today with a reward.
"For all but Gandalf and Legolas, who already possess it, I present each of you with the immortality of the elves."
I gasped as each of us but Gandalf and Legolas were handed a glittering crystal pendant on a wrought silver chain. Everyone else was just as stunned and we smiled and thanked the elven lord for the gift.
"The other is that I invite all of you on a voyage to the West, when you are ready."
At this, smiles.
"The next is that I give Leah-" I blushed heavily, "-to revisit her world for two months."
I gasped, but he was apparently not done.
"And take who she will with her, in a ghost-type form."
I was stunned.
"Leah, you may choose carefully and leave after the feast."
"Th-thank you," I said.
I ate quietly as the evening crept by slowly. When it was finally over, I thanked Elrond and he gave me a silver and gold chain.
"You hold on to this and have who you want to come hold on also. When you will it to, it will take you to you world. Take as many as you like, but choose carefully."
I nodded, trying to find the words to thank him.
"Do not worry about thanking me," he said. "Have a good time." With that, he vanished.
I looked at the chain, wondering whom I would take. What a perfect ending to a perfect adventure. Well, a mostly perfect adventure. I walked off towards my room, feeling wonderful.