JediKnightBalthasar: Nothing's wrong with girls! O.O Just being strange. Speaking of strange… it seems that everyone wants a showdown between Jinjer and Trinity… the pressure mounts… *wicked grin*
Aww… you're so mean to poor Dart… LoL just kidding! Remember, Dart IS just a patsy for someone else…
Exiled-Knight: You're not weird. Really. We all think alike here. *crazy grin* Hmm… now about Trinity and Jinjer… don't worry- thou shalt not be disappointed! *rubs palms together while crossing eyes* LoL
A/N: Got three words for you: "Quality Family Time". The Two Towers video game rules on expert mode! Whoo! Eat sword, Orc scum!
Chapter Seven: One Final Stand
The mare reared and lashed out at the men holding her. Elvish ropes were wrapped around her neck, legs, and belly- holding her on the ground. Her feathery wings were tied down. Her teeth were bared in rage and her powerful legs struck at any man who got too close.
Aragorn and Legolas ran up to the little clearing where the animal lay captured. Aragorn immediately recognized the mare he had glimpsed in the riverbed as he was swept of the Falls of Rauros.
"Nice," Aragorn whistled. "This is what we were looking for."
Haldir raised his eyebrows. "Really? Why?"
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "Do you know exactly how much power this thing has? One winged horse alone can take down a full-sized drake!"
"How do you know so much?" Haldir asked, irritation creeping into the corners of his voice.
"I read," Aragorn rolled his eyes as if he was talking to a young child. "Winged horses are very magical creatures. This one looks to be about- ten years. Very young. Not in control of all of its powers yet, I'll warrant."
The horse snorted and struck a hoof to the ground. A tremor shook through the trees.
"See? It can summon earthquakes!" Aragorn said triumphantly.
"Get her up, we'll bring her to the palace," Haldir instructed. He tugged on the rope and the mare struggled to her feet, lunging at him, teeth bared.
"Part of the royal family went to seek shelter at the fortress of Bastión," Ashlynn said to her father. "If I know Aragorn, he will head straight there to see his wife."
"Good work, Ash," the hooded figure said, his eyes sparkling with love for his daughter. "What do they call you now?"
"Jinjer," the girl snorted.
"Poor name," the figure muttered. "Ashlynn, return to Bastión and throw them off guard as best you can. The Orcs are massing. Tomorrow, they will begin marching towards Bastión. They will reach the fortress in two days."
Ashlynn nodded. "Farewell, Díable," she said softly. "I shall see you again when we rule all of Middle earth."
Trinity trotted down the stairs of the tower and barely stifled a scream. The Mirkwood elves dragged a fiery brown horse into the courtyard. The horse's beautiful wings were lashed tightly to her body. Langaresh, no! she screamed silently.
The horse's amber eyes sought out the girl's. They narrowed in rage as the elves yanked the ropes encircling her body.
The horse stopped short with a stamp of its hoof. The elves eyed it warily.
Trinity held her breath. 'Langaresh, don't kill them," she muttered.
Langaresh lunged forward, her sharp hooves lashing out and catching an elf in the belly. The elf slumped to the ground, blood soaking his tunic. Not waiting for the other elves to recover, Langaresh charged another elf, knocking over two more.
The other elves backed away warily. "Get her in that pen," Haldir said. The elves managed to shove Langaresh into a small pen, the ropes still restraining her wings.
The walls of the pen were too high for the valiant mare to jump over. She threw up her head and whinnied loudly.
Haldir and Aragorn watched the horse charge around the pen. "Beautiful animal," Haldir commented. "Tell me, Aragorn, how are you planning to tame that beast?"
Aragorn glanced at Haldir. "Just how you would break a normal horse," he said with a glimmer in his eye.
"You don't intend to break that horse yourself, do you?" Haldir asked skeptically. "You saw how she lunged out at those elves outside!"
"If I break her myself, she'll obey only me," Aragorn said quietly. He narrowed his eyes. Haldir looked at him with alarm.
"You won't be able to saddle her!" he said loudly. "She'll kill you!"
Aragorn shot Haldir a look. "I suggest that you wait until later, until she's calmer," Haldir suggested.
Aragorn relented. "Overnight. We'll break her tomorrow."
Haldir exhaled. He had seen the look in Aragorn's eyes, the same look he had seen in Frodo Baggins' eyes when he had spoken of the accursed Ring of Power.
Haldir sighed. Before his eyes, Aragorn had been corrupted by the power he had seen right in front of him. Such power in an animal could be abused very easily.
Haldir slowly walked towards the gate.
It was later that evening when Jinjer warily approached Trinity, who regarded her with a cold stare. Leaning on a pillar, Jinjer scrutinized Trinity and sniffed disdainfully.
"I know what the others think," Jinjer said.
"What?" Trinity raised an eyebrow.
"You're Aragorn's lost daughter? Give me a break!" Jinjer giggled.
"Why do you think that, Ashlynn, I mean Jinjer?" Trinity said smoothly. Jinjer's face clouded.
"You can't prove anything!"
"Game over," Trinity sipped a cup of juice. "You could have slipped out of the fortress to warn your master and thousands of Warg-orcs could be marching this way as we speak."
Jinjer huffed. "It's not like I left the fortress or anything. I was in the dining hall the whole afternoon!"
"All afternoon?"
"Yes! I ran over there right after I saw you and was there until I came out here! Like I said before- you can't prove anything!"
"Just did," Trinity gulped the juice.
Jinjer paled.
"Uh, I was in the dining hall an hour after I met you and stayed there until dinner. Now, which do you prefer; Ash or Ashlynn?"
Jinjer's face grew dark and menacing. "Trying to throw me out, eh? Take my place in Aragorn's heart yourself?"
Trinity wiped her mouth nonchalantly.
Jinjer drew a small dagger from a small pocket in her skirt. "Because you won't like a father that doesn't have a throat anymore."
"You wouldn't!" Trinity yelled, leaping to her feet, sickened.
"I swear… Trinity," Jinjer spat Trinity's name as if it were a bad word. "He is mine now. He left you years ago."
Trinity leapt forward with a growl and struck Jinjer hard across the face. Jinjer barely flinched.
"What are you using him for?" Trinity hissed.
"If you tell anyone who I am, I swear I will kill him, and everyone will think you did it," Jinjer threatened. "Because of my position as Elessar's daughter, I am free to go wherever I want, which includes going to see my real father."
"Elrohir told me his story about your meeting," Trinity muttered, half to herself. "What did Aragorn kill?"
"My best friend," Jinjer sniffed. "A Warg named Taw."
Trinity snorted. Jinjer curled up her lip, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth.
"Shape-shifter?" Trinity asked in disbelief. "I've encountered your kind before."
"That's nice," Jinjer charged forward, slashing Trinity's right hand with a heavy paw. Blood dripped from the gashes and Trinity glared at the girl in front of her, sporting two powerful Warg-Orc paws.
"Auta miqula orqu!" (Go kiss an orc!) Trinity glowered and drew her sword angrily, the metal shining in the moonlight.
Jinjer grinned and drew her claws down her own left arm, deliberately screaming. Trinity's eyes widened as Jinjer deftly changed back to her human form, her arm sliced as if a sword hit it.
Trinity had not fully understood the girl's motives until Aragorn rushed onto the balcony. Jinjer flew into his arms, sobbing dramatically.
"She cut me!"
"Uh-oh," Trinity muttered. Aragorn glanced up at her, noticed her bloody hand, and frowned deeply. "She did it to herself!" Aragorn gave her another look that distinctly said he didn't believe her.
"Let's get you cleaned up," he turned around and strode into the dining hall without a second glance back.
Trinity vaulted over the side of the balcony and landed on the ground painfully, taking off and running blindly, the sight of Aragorn's cold, hard eyes still fresh in her mind.
Aragorn chewed a biscuit the next morning for breakfast. His heart beat faster at the thought of taming the winged mare, being able to control the power it possessed.
"Aragorn!" Legolas yelled. "Come here NOW!"
Aragorn ran over to his friend who stood at the mare's pen. The pen was completely empty.
Aragorn hissed unhappily. Legolas glanced at him sharply. The imprint of a small shoe was implanted next to one of the hoof prints, drips of blood surrounding it. The gate had been swung open and the hoof prints led out of the gate. There was only one person who could have left their blood on the floor after leading off the horse.
Aragorn swore. "Trinity!"
"What about Trinity?" Legolas asked slowly.
"She stole the mare!" Aragorn shouted, eyes wild. "My own! She was corrupted by the horse's power!" Legolas furrowed his brow. Something about Aragorn's behavior seemed familiar.
"Just as you are being!" Legolas finally snapped. Aragorn jerked as if he had been hit. "Men are weak!" With that, he turned and strode away.
"Legolas," Legolas turned around slowly. Aragorn stared at him intensely. "I'm sorry, my friend. But it is such a powerful animal and-"
"Trinity stole her," Legolas said.
Aragorn glared at the ground. "Let it go," Legolas murmured, trying desperately to calm his friend.
Díable dismissed the Warg-Orc scout with a flick of his wrist. The animal skittered away, joining the ranks of thousands of snarling Uruk-Hai and Warg-Orcs.
The animals stared up at their leader, their excitement rising as Díable raised his arms.
"To Bastión! To war!" he shouted, thrusting his hands outwards towards the horizon. "To kill!" The tremendous roar from twenty thousand Orc throats drowned the rest of his words out.
Aragorn sighed, resting his chin on his palm. He looked out on the horizon where the sun was just fading into a brilliant spectrum of orange and pink swirled together on wispy clouds.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Legolas appeared in the doorway, a wafer of lembas in hand. Aragorn shook his head.
"Do you know what puzzles me?" he muttered. "Why did she take the winged horse? How did she take the winged horse?"
Legolas groaned. "I don't have any time for your mind games, Aragorn," he said.
"No, just think," Aragorn mused. "She led the animal away when no one else could get near it? What does that imply?"
"That you need food," Legolas smiled and held out a wafer. Aragorn rolled his eyes and jumped off the windowsill.
"Alright," Aragorn snatched the wafers out of Legolas' hands, running down the hall while the elven prince yelled in indignation.
"Aragorn!" someone yelled. Aragorn jolted awake, giving the owner of the voice a cross-eyed glare.
"Mani naa lle umien?" (What are you doing?) he growled sleepily. Legolas stood in the doorway to the King's room, a bow in his hand.
"Haldir says he has spotted moving in the ruins of the city," Legolas said urgently.
"Mankoi naa lle sinome?" (Why are you here?) Aragorn snapped, not in the mood for a long tale.
"I just looked out onto the ruins and it looked like a scout," Legolas said.
"Scout?" Aragorn replied dumbly.
"We were blind, Aragorn," Legolas hissed. "They have driven us into a pen!"
"What? Who?"
"Dart! He's going to attack!"
"Why didn't you just say so?" Aragorn roared, leaping out of bed and grabbing Anduril from where it stood in the corner. Arwen turned over in bed and muttered.
From the city's borders, thousands of torches appeared out of the mist.
Aragorn and Legolas joined Haldir on the wall. "They don't seem to be trying to be secretive about their presence," Haldir joked weakly. Aragorn gave him an exasperated look.
"Have we roused the soldiers?" he asked.
Haldir nodded. "I have sent Elladan to wake everyone."
A loud horn blast rang across the courtyard, making rocks and dust dance upon the floor. Legolas covered his ears.
"What a terrible noise!" he yelled, willing the ringing in his ears to go away.
"Yes, it seems to be, doesn't it?" Haldir rubbed the inside of his ear with a pinky finger. "I'm going to find Elladan and tear his horn to pieces and stomp on them!"
"What?" Aragorn hollered.
From doors and windows, the defenders flew to the gates and peered over, weapons in hand.
"This is just a replay of Helm's Deep!" someone yelled.
"All they want is Estel," Elrohir said, walking up to them. "I say we sacrifice him!" Both Legolas and Aragorn smothered Elrohir.
"He's the King, you stupid blood-sucker!" Legolas yelled. Elrohir threw up his arms.
"I was joking! I was joking!" he squealed.
"I certainly hope so," Aragorn muttered.
Legolas stared off into the mist, where the Orc army was rapidly approaching. The fog made it impossible to see their true number, and Legolas hated waiting. The stress was crushing.
"Say, Aragorn," he called. "What should happen if these walls are breached?"
The King shrugged. "The only drawback to this fortress is that there is no alternative exit, save a small underground tunnel. If we had to evacuate, we would have to go one by one though it."
"Stupid!" Legolas shrieked. "You don't have a back door?" Aragorn glared at the elf.
"Well, I didn't build this thing! Besides, we have other weapons besides swords and spears." Aragorn grinned mysteriously.
The Orcs were almost right in front of the gate, and Legolas could see that they were definitely the Warg breeds. The mist hadn't lifted, and the elf still couldn't see the end of the ranks. Gulping, he pulled an arrow out of his quiver.
From his position in the air, Díable could see both armies clearly. The defenders sure didn't look too strong. His Warg-Orc army would decimate them.
Ashlynn smiled. "Easy," she said. Díable smirked.
"They're just standing there!" Elladan whispered, his bowstring held taut.
"Don't fire until they move!" Elrohir said.
A blast of fire rocketed from the sky, obviously the signal to attack.
"They're moving!" Elladan shot his arrow into the oncoming horde, quickly reloading and firing again.
"FIRE!" Aragorn roared. The only response he got was the flitting of elvish arrows. One by one, the enemies fell.
The Warg-Orcs charged against the wall, bringing ladders. "Kick the ladders down!" Legolas shouted.
"Better idea!" Aragorn yelled, waving his hand. Many soldiers carrying large metal cauldrons walked up to the wall, dumping boiling hot oil onto the attackers. The Warg-Orcs howled in pain as the oil scalded their skin.
"Best of all, they're flammable," Haldir tossed a torch onto the oil-slicked creatures. The now dead carcasses burst into flame, creating a rough barrier around the wall.
Díable gripped the mane of his beast tightly, gritting his teeth. The defenders were clever, he had to admit. "Ash, I'll drop you off on that hill over there," he gestured to a hill spurring his steed.
"My quiver's empty!" Legolas shouted.
"Just kick the ladders!" Aragorn shouted back.
Suddenly, there was a loud bellow of noise. "No! Elladan and his horn again!" Haldir wailed.
"That's not me!" Elladan yelled.
A gray shape was moving in the mist, gliding on a cushion of air. The fog was so thick, that even Legolas had problems seeing through it. When the beast circled over the fortress, the defenders finally got a good look at it.
"Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!" (By the sea and stars!) Elrohir screamed.
A massive fire-drake opened its toothy jaw and roared, fire spewing from its throat and riddling the battleground with enormous black, burned holes.
When the drake smashed into the wall with enough force to shatter it, hope fell from all faces.
There would be no dawn for men.
A/N: Ahhh! Trinity? *looks around frantically* Trinity? *runs into the next room* Please don't kill me, anyone, I'll find the happy ending! Somewhere…