Legolas looked back for a moment at Eowyn as she stood before the doors of Meduseld, still and silent as a statue, ere they rode to the Paths of the Dead. I feel pity for you, White Lady of Rohan, he thought to himself. If only you had not been born into a woman's body, then perhaps you would have made a great and valiant captain of the Rohirrim.
Through the gray morning they rode ever on, entering the shadows of Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountain, in which lay the Paths of the Dead. Dread seemed to fall on the Men of their company, but it did not fall upon Legolas or on the sons of Elrond. Being the Elves that they were, they did not need to fear the ghosts of the dead. They came to the Dimholt, and there under the gloom of black trees that not even Legolas could long endure they found a hollow place opening at the mountain's root, and right in their path stood a single mighty stone like a finger of doom.
"The horses will not go past here," muttered one of the Rangers, and Legolas had to agree with him, for Arod was beginning to prance around uneasily.
"We must dismount and lead them around, then," Elrohir said, and he swiftly got off his horse, and whispered into the animal's ear. At first the horse nickered and shook its head as if in refusal, but when Elrohir lightly touched the creature on the neck, it calmed down, suffered itself to be led around the rock. Elladan imitated his brother's actions, and soon he and his horse were behind the rock.
Aragorn sighed, and gently tugged the bridle of Roheryn, leading the horse forward. Behind him followed the rest of the Dunedain and their horses. Behind them followed Camille and Blackwing, and then Eli and Whitewing.
Once everyone had gotten around the boulder, Legolas himself dismounted, and leaned close to Arod's ear. ^Come now, old friend^, he whispered, ^we must keep going. We cannot stop now.^
Arod snorted, and walked forward hesitantly, giving the rock a wide berth.
"My blood runs chill," muttered Gimli from where he still sat on Arod's back.
Legolas sighed. "Do not worry, friend Gimli, you are not alone in feeling such, though I do not feel any fear."
They came at last deep into the glen; and there stood a sheer wall of rock, and in the wall the Dark Door gaped before them like the mouth of night. Signs and figures were carved above its wide arch too dim to read, and fear flowed from it like a gray vapor.
There was a sharp intake of breath from someone ahead of him, and when Legolas turned to look, he noticed that Eli was trembling visibly, her face horribly pale and her eyes wide. What has happened to her?
It was only then that Legolas remembered what Camille had told Aragorn about Eli the day before. He then remembered that Eli had the capacity to see the spirits of the dead, feel their presence, and hear their voices. However, this did not come without a price, for if the presence of the dead becomes too overwhelming, she would lose consciousness, and be lost to the land of shadows forever.
Camille approached Eli then, and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Shhh, it's going to be okay, Eli," she whispered to her friend, soothing her. "We're going to make it out of here just fine. Just ignore them."
Eli smirked, though it was half-hearted, and lacking her usual confidence. "Hah, you wouldn't find that so easy to say if you could actually FEEL what I can feel, SEE what I can see, and HEAR what I can hear."
"Tell us then," Elrohir said in a soft, pleading voice. "If it will help you take your mind off of it, then please, tell us."
Eli swallowed, and wrapped her arms around herself, as if to ward off some sort of chill. "Their voices are everywhere…crying out, screaming like they're being tortured. I can hear swords clashing, and battle cries, and the sound of horns blaring left and right. I can't see anything right now, but I can feel them, and hear them." She shivered. "It's cold, so very, very cold…"
"Ignore them," Camille said. "Block them out. Think of something else. Sing a song in your head, if you have to, the most cheerful song you can think of. It might help."
Eli smiled wanly, and nodded. "Yeah, that might help." And with that silence fell once more.
"This is an evil door," Halbarad said quietly, "and my death lies beyond it. I will dare to pass it nonetheless; but no horse will enter."
"But we must go in, and therefore the horses must go too," said Aragorn. "For if ever we come through this darkness, many leagues lie beyond, and every hour that is lost there will bring the triumph of Sauron nearer. Follow me!"
Then Aragorn led the way, and such was the strength of his will in that hour that all the Dunedain and their horses followed him. And indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady as they walked beside them. The same could be said of Blackwing and Whitewing, sisters of Shadowfax. Whitewing displayed much concern for her new mistress, as she often nuzzled Eli in the neck or in the shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
But Arod was an entirely different matter. Arod refused the way, and he stood sweating and trembling in a fear that was grievous to see. Legolas sighed. I pity him for his fear, but neither can I blame him for it. With this thought in mind, he laid his hands on Arod's eyes and began to sing softly, until the horse suffered himself to be led, and Legolas passed in.
* * *
Aragorn held the torch in his hand aloft, seeking to shed some light on the gloomy corners and shadows of the road they now had to take. There was nothing ahead that brought worry to him, and judging from the near-silence of his companions, nothing that should worry him from behind.
He glanced back a moment, and began to regret ever deciding to bring Eli with him to this dreadful place. I should have just left her in Meduseld, he raged. Though she may not have liked it, I would rather face her anger than see her in such a state.
And it was indeed quite a pitiful state that Eli was in. She had pulled her cape close around her to ward off the chill, and she was singing softly under her breath, an attempt to keep out the spirits that she could surely hear, sense and see even then.
At that moment, the path they had been following seemed to widen, and to Aragorn it felt like they were standing in a great empty space, and there were no longer any walls upon either side. The dread in the air was suddenly more palpable than ever before, and from the back, he heard Eli's soft whimper, and the music of her voice growing just a little louder.
But we cannot turn back, he told himself as he lifted his torch higher to shed more light on the surrounding area. We are too far away to turn back; we must go forward. I only pray that she may make it out of this alive and well. To his left, the glitter of gold caught his eye, and he curiously approached it, the rest of the Company following behind him.
Aragorn knelt down, and when Elladan came closer, he handed the Elf his torch so that he may bear both aloft and give more light to see with. Before him were the bones of a mighty man. He had been clad in mail, and still his harness lay there whole; for the cavern's air was as dry as dust, and his hauberk was gilded. His belt was of gold and garnets, and rich with gold was the helm upon is bony head face downward on the floor. He had fallen near the far wall of the cave, as now could be seen, and before him stood a stony door closed fast; his finger-bones were still clawing at the cracks. A notched and broken sword lay by him, as if he had hewn at the rock in his last despair.
Eli uttered a soft cry then, making Aragorn glance at her. She seemed to be staring at something – or someone – who was standing just over Aragorn's shoulder. She shook her head, and started backing away. "He died of fright…" she whispered, "because he felt the ghosts coming all around him, freezing him to death from the inside out. He was…he was just like me. He could see them like I could, and he could feel them too. They chilled him with fear till he died." And her eyes became dull, and a strange chant emerged from her lips…
Estuans interius
Ira vehementi
Estuans interius,
Ira vehementi
Sephiroth
Sephiroth
"Burning inside
With violent anger,
Burning inside
With violent anger,
Sephiroth
Sephiroth"
Camille ran over to her side, and shook her best friend. "Eli, stop singing that! Sing something else!" And with that, she started another song, which in tone and theme was entirely different from the one Eli was chanting…
Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain
Eli blinked slowly, and shook her head, as if clearing out certain unpleasant thoughts. She swallowed hard, and she continued the next stanza of the song…
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?
Let them ring out loud till they unfold
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name…
Their voices blended together, chasing away the darkness of the cavern and bringing comfort to those who listened…
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine
Adding up the layers of harmony
And so it goes, on and on
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond
So far and away, see the bird as it flies by
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine
Adding up the layers of harmony
And so it goes, on and on
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond
If I should leave this lonely world behind
Your voice will still remember our melody
Now I know we'll carry on
Melodies of life
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts
As long as we remember
Eli bent her head, and shivered again. Camille put her arms around her in a hug. "It's going to be okay Eli. We're all going to be okay. We're going to get out of here and the ghosts aren't going to bother you ever again."
Aragorn stood up, and sighed. Yes, we must move on. We cannot remain here for much longer, or we risk losing Eli to the spirits. "Hither shall the flowers of simbelmyne come never unto world's end," he murmured. "Nine mounds and seven there are now green with grass, and through all the long years he has lain at the door that he could not unlock. Whither does it lead? Why would he pass? None shall ever know!"
"For that is not my errand!" he cried, turning back and speaking to the whispering darkness behind. "Keep your hoards and your secrets hidden in the Accursed Years! Speed only we ask! Let us pass, and then come! I summon you to the Stone of Erech!"
* * *
Eli shivered beneath her cape and clothes, her body pierced by a cold that came not from the outside, but from within. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the presence of the ghosts who were following from her mind. She did as Camille told her to do: sing in her head, or under her breath, to keep the thought of them away from her. After all, the lesser time they are on my mind, the better. As they started off again, she began to sing another song under her breath…
Wishing on a dream that seems far off
Hoping it will come today.
Into the starlit night,
Foolish dreamers turn their gaze,
Waiting on a shooting star.
But, what if that star is not to come?
Will their dreams fade to nothing?
When the horizon darkens most,
We all need to believe there is hope.
She felt a presence come up from behind her, and she sensed that it wasn't a ghost, but it wasn't Camille either. But now she didn't really want to think about it. And besides, I could use a little company…even if it's one of the twins. And she went on singing…
Is an angel watching closely over me?
Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?
I know my heart should guide me, but,
There's a hole within my soul.
What will fill this emptiness inside of me?
Am I to be satisfied without knowing?
I wish, then, for a chance to see,
Now all I need, desperately
Is my star to come…
And then another voice sounded in her ear. It wasn't the voice of one of the ghosts, because it didn't sound cold or dead, but it was actually warm and comforting. But what got to her was that the singer was male, and the voice was familiar…
Though the stars be few this night,
My star is always within thy sight,
Look upon my star to ease thine sorrow
Believe in the hope of thy tomorrow.
Eli turned to look, and saw Elrohir smiling down at her in comfort. He placed an arm around her, and drew her close to him. ^Be at ease, Elisarien,^ he whispered. ^We shall be over this soon. I will protect you from whatever may happen, I swear it!^
By now Eli was too tired to argue, and just accepted his company. And we still have a long way to go. But she didn't resist him, and she did not push away the arm he had draped over her shoulders. It felt rather comforting, to have Elrohir watching over her.
They kept on walking, but Eli had lost all sense of time in the darkness. She didn't know for how many hours they had been walking in the darkness, but she didn't really care. All I want to do is get out of here. She shivered slightly when she remembered that the dead were following just behind. The chill grew stronger when she thought of them, and she forcefully diverted her thoughts from them to something else.
PLINK!!
Eli jerked up the moment she heard the sound. What was that?!
PLINK, PLOP, PLINK!
She smiled, and shook her head. "Jeez, it was just drops of water falling into a pool!"
She felt, rather than saw, Elrohir nod. "Aye, you are right. We are nearing the exit now, Elisarien. Soon this dreadful night shall be over for you, and you may rest easy."
How can he say that, Eli wondered. But up ahead, light grew, and lo! The company passed through another gateway, high-arched and broad, and a rill ran down beside them; and beyond, going steeply down, was a road between sheer cliffs, knife-edged against the sky far above. The chasm was so deep and narrow that when Eli looked up, she could only see tiny pinpoints of light like stars twinkling down at her. "Have we been walking around in there for so long that it's nighttime already?"
Elrohir shook his head. "Nay, evening has not come yet. It is still two hours ere the sun sets into the far west. But this valley is very deep, and the cliffs so high, that only those tiny pinpricks of light are able to filter down to where we are now."
"Really?" Eli murmured. She shook her head. "If that's the case, then I don't want to see what it's like here at night."
Aragorn turned to them then. "Come my friends, we shall ride this time." So saying he got onto Roheryn, and proceeded to go ahead of them at a comfortable trot. The rest of the Rangers followed suit, and they were soon on their way.
Eli approached Whitewing, and was greeted with a gentle nudge on the neck. Eli laughed softly, and patted the mare's neck. "Thanks for being so patient with me, Whitewing. I know you're scared, but thanks for putting up with my being even more scared than you."
Whitewing nickered, and nipped her mistress gently on the shoulder in reassurance. Eli had to laugh at that gesture as she mounted, and grasped the reins in her hands. They no longer shook with fright, and seemed quite steady. With a soft click of the tongue and a gentle kick of the heels, Whitewing trotted off after the rest of the company.
It wasn't long before they reached the end of the ravine. Eli sat blinking at the feeling of sunshine on her face, feeling pleasantly warmed and comforted. Better to face ghosts while outdoors and after you've had sunshine on your face, than to deal with them in a dark, dank, stuffy cave. Even as she sat there the sun dipped into the western horizon, and the twilight blanketed all.
Without even turning to them, Aragorn cried aloud so all could hear: "Friends, forget your weariness! Ride now, ride! We must come to the Stone of Erech ere this day passes, and long still is the way!"
Eli snorted as she spurred Whitewing into a fast gallop. What's the rush, Aragorn? It's like the devil himself was at your heels. She turned to look over her shoulder, and gulped. A veritable ghost army was following after them, tattered banners floating in the air, spears and swords that no longer existed glimmering in an otherworldly light. She shook her head, and turned away. Keep your thoughts on anything but THAT, Eli. Anything but THAT.
And so the Gray Company passed over the mountain-fields, until they came to a bridge over the growing torrent and found a road that led down into the land.
By now it was night, and the stars were flickering in and out of the darkness overhead. Eli looked around, and noticed that doors and shutters were pulled closed with bangs and thuds as they passed. She blinked with surprise. Eh? What's going on?
But it was none of her concern now. The Gray Company rode on, like hunters on a strong trail, until most of the horses save for Blackwing and Whitewing were stumbling with weariness. They were sisters of Shadowfax, Lord of Horses, and they were not easily wearied like the mounts of the others.
As night deepened, Eli looked ahead, and noticed that they were now drawing closer and closer to a hill. Upon the crest of the hill was a strange object. It looked like a huge cannonball about the height of a man, but half of it was sunk into the ground beneath it. As they drew closer she could feel the presence of the ghosts grow stronger, and she knew that they had come to their gathering-spot. She breathed deeply and slowly, trying to keep herself calm. Nothing will work if I panic now. I just have to believe that this will be all over soon.
They stopped when they reached the hill, and their company dismounted, climbing up to the crest where the stone was. Once they reached the top, Elrohir gave to Aragorn a silver horn, and he blew upon it, the sound echoing off all the nearby hills and mountains.
There was silence for a moment, but then, Eli could soon hear the sound of a mighty army coming closer. The chill increased in her body, and she considered merely closing her eyes so as not to see what she knew was coming, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good. She lifted her gaze, and before her, around the foot of the hill, stretched a great and mighty army. Or what was ONCE a mighty army; they were all ghosts that had come up to the hill. A cold wind blew over the hill, and Eli shivered. Elrohir reached out, and put his arm around her again in reassurance.
Then, Aragorn stood by the Stone, and cried in a loud
voice: "Oathbreakers, why have ye come?"
Eli heard a strange clamor rise from the gathered ghost army. A loud voice then echoed back to them in reply – or at least it sounded loud to ELI'S ears. "To fulfill our oath and have peace."
Then Aragorn said: "The hour is come at last. Now I go to Pelargir upon Anduin, and ye shall come after me. And when all this land is clean of the servants of Sauron, I will hold the oath fulfilled, and ye shall have peace and depart forever. For I am Elessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor."
Eli watched as Aragorn signaled to Halbarad, who then unfurled the big staff-like thing that he had brought with him from the North. She watched as it uncurled and flowed in the breeze of the night. It was completely black, but apart from that she couldn't see anything on it, because the darkness was too thick for her to see properly. And then all fell silent, even the ghost army that had gathered around the hill.
The Company camped beside the Stone, but they slept little, Eli least of all, because of the dread of the Shadows that hedged them round.
In the wee hours before dawn, Eli was still sitting up and staring at the ghastly gathering when Camille approached her from where she was lying, and sat down beside her. "Can't sleep, can you?"
Eli shook her head, and grinned sarcastically. "Actually I WAS sleeping. It feels so safe and comfortable when you've got around a thousand ghosts camped around your little hill, you know."
Camille chuckled at her sarcasm. "Yeah, whatever." She focused her gaze towards the army, and her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you can actually see an army? All I can see is a thin veil of mist."
"Oh, woe to those who have an untrained eye," Eli said with a roll of the eyes. She became serious again, and breathed in and out slowly. "They're there. You just don't see them. And neither do Aragorn and the rest of the Rangers. Elladan and Elrohir can see them, but not as clearly as I can."
Camille nodded. "Legolas says he can see them too, but as if they were shrouded in fog." She giggled then. "Gimli was pretty much freaked out for most of today."
Eli cocked an eyebrow. "Eh? Why?"
"I wouldn't really know. I guess he isn't used to feeling all this supernatural energy all the time," Camille replied with a shrug, and then an evil grin spread on her face. "You remember the time when we saw that skeleton in the hall?"
All too well, Eli thought with a shiver. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Well, seeing the thing was bad enough, but when you started singing 'One-Winged Angel'…that just got to him. He was all ready to bolt out of there and run all the way back to Meduseld! On his own two feet, if he had to!" Camille answered, attempting to stifle her laughter as she spoke.
Eli snorted, and doubled over to muffle her laughter. A mental image of Gimli running away, screaming his head off and leaving a little dust trail like in the cartoons popped into her head. "Oh jeez, that is one HELL of a mental picture! What do you think got to him, in particular?"
Camille shrugged again. "I wouldn't know, really. Maybe it was the skeleton and then you saying you could see its owner, or maybe the fact that you were singing in Latin with a tone and voice that could scare anyone out of their wits. Then again, it could have been all of them at the same time."
"Poor Gimli," Eli said with a shake of her head. "I think I'm going to have to apologize to him sometime. I didn't think I'd traumatize him THAT badly."
"Apologize, but don't promise to not do it again. I mean, from now on it'll be SO easy to play a prank on him! Just pretend that you can see a ghost hovering over his shoulder, then start singing 'One Winged Angel' or 'Liberi Fatali'. It'll work like a charm, I swear!"
Eli grinned, and was about to add her own details to the plan, but then the rest of the Company stirred. The dawn had come, cold and pale, and they had to continue on their way. She sighed. Looks like we're going to move on again.
They rode the entire day and night, not stopping once to rest. The Shadow Host pressed on behind them, hovering in the air behind, ever oppressive and disconcerting. The towns they passed through were completely deserted; the men had gone to war while those who were left fled to the hills upon hearing the rumor of the arrival of the King of the Dead.
On the next day the Gray Company passed into the Storm of Mordor, the Dead following behind them.
And on that day, there was no dawn to greet them.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hoo-wee, wrapped this one up! Uh, as you can probably tell, I went on a song-addition spree: three or four songs in one chapter! Anyway, here are the credits: first song (the one with Latin) is "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII. Second song is "Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy IX. Third song is "Luna's Boat Song" from Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. There was mention here of the song "Liberi Fatali", which is from Final Fantasy VIII. However, I didn't put "One-Winged Angel" in full, and the verse that Elrohir sang to Eli is completely my own creation. ANYWAY, on to the next chapter! This is going to be HARD to write, as it was only told in flashback-version in ROTK, but I will try my best to capture it in my own way. This is the battle that was not completely chronicled in "The Lord of the Rings": the Battle for the Havens of Pelargir. So how does it go? Read on to find out!