~ Shortcut ~
By Ola
~*~*~
A/N~ I have borrowed a few sentences out of the book/movie in this chapter (and in the other ones as well) in addition to the characters. I thought they were appropriate to the ambiance (well, I do not claim to be Tolkien, and do not think I could have written anything better than him. On the other hand, if I was him, I would have written the "Lord of the Rings" instead of "Shortcut" and then, you wouldn't know what happened to this story! =) ok, ok, that didn't make much sense, and rambling does not fit in the mood of this story at all. This is one of my longer chapters (about Aragorn again). But don't worry, there's some Legolas coming very soon =) it's funny how many of you think Aragorn will see Legolas in the mirror. Will he? Dunno *grins* keep reading to find out =)
On this note, please keep reviewing, and above all, enjoy the story!
~*~*~
Part 8~ What the future holds
"Will you look into the mirror, Estel? Elfstone?"
"Why do you ask me?" I glanced at Lady Galadriel, and then at my feet, avoiding looking into the smooth surface of the water.
"You came. You followed your heart." No. I followed Frodo. And my feet, I thought flatly.
"What will I see?"
"Even the wisest cannot tell… However, the mirror oft times listen to the heart." My heart. I felt it's beating increasing steadily in strength and speed. My heart. It responded against my will. It still hoped for a sign of my friend, however much my mind knew it would be in vain. But what if…what if it shows what has befallen him? With such certainty, my heart will not be able to deny the truth any longer. But do you want to know the truth? Do you want to lose all hope? For there IS no hope left. I swallowed and took a step toward the pedestal, inclining my head to look into the depths of the blue gray liquid.
At first, nothing but my face was reflected in the water, and I was surprised by how I looked. Tired. Very tired. Pale, haggard, with dark circles under my eyes…
A soft breeze ruffled my hair.
…my hair, lax and still dirty from days of hard travel…
The wind picked up. The leaves of Lorien did not stir.
…a banner cracked in the wind. A silver tree on a field of gold. …a field…a field full of grass yellowed by hot summer days…a field full of people slowly trudging away in a long line, meandering between hills. Horse riders walking near, slumped in their saddles. From the heat? From too many days on horseback with no rest?
The wind smelled of smoke. Burning grass. And a faint, fouler, sickly sweet smell underlined everything. The snort of a horse. Close by. A warm body shifting under my legs. My horse. Hasufel? No. Also brown of pelt, but darker. I patted its neck, and he responded in a gentle snuffle.
A few leagues away, a city. The White City. Gondor. The same banner flying proudly from its highest peak.
I nudged the horse forward, and found myself in a narrow alleyway of Gondor with no memory of passing through the mighty gates of the city, or other, lower streets and avenues. The streets. They were strangely empty. Shades were drawn across windows. Doors were closed. No children played outside. No women swept the stoop of their home. A few broken crockery and flowerpots littered the sidewalk. A shabby cat poked its nose from behind a corner and hissed at me before once again disappearing into the shadows. The people seemed to have left in a hurry. All the people. Gondor was empty.
I felt surprise and unease. What has happened?
Hurried footsteps behind my back. A young guard regaining his breath, and his composure.
"Your majesty…you are needed in the council room." I glanced over my shoulder expecting…who was I expecting? I know not. Someone.
The street was as empty as I had first seen it.
"Your majesty? King Aragorn?" I tensed. No. This could not be. I had chosen not to become king.
The horse turned around and followed the guard. Houses and crossroads passed without my eyes seeing them. Before me were two massive doors of dark wood and bronze. Where was the horse? And the guard? Heavy silence squeezed out all my thoughts…to be replaced by loud angry voices as the doors opened. All heads turned toward me. And silence fell again. Even heavier, by contrast, and quite uncomfortable.
"My Lord…"
"Lord Aragorn…"
"Your Highness…"
The voices spoke at once. I missed the silence. I answered without being aware of doing so. As each councilor spoke in his turn, my heart grew heavier and heavier. This could not be! The news I heard unsettled me greatly, and I wondered how it came to be.
The army of Mordor was marching straight toward Gondor. Gondor. The city with fewer than a thousand able men left to protect it.
The people. The stench. The weariness. …it all made sense. Gondor was under attack. And I, her leader, her protector, had failed to do my duty.
As usual…
A thousand men. Against how many? Ten thousands? A hundred thousands?
Suicide.
A thousand.
I willed myself away from this place. Fleeing again. I clenched my fists until they hurt, but could not stay and watch the massacre that was about to take place. I could not let those people see their king in tears.
MY people.
No! This is the choice I make: I will be no king if my rule brings nothing better than…this. And I know it will not. The events in my life have been all too clear. I sighed. Before leaving that place of fear and distress, I was led to the plains again. Far away, dark clouds rose on the horizon. A blanket of heavy gray, slowly covering the sky. The wind turned. Blowing stronger; from the east. From Mordor.
I yelled into the emptiness. I yelled at the unfairness of life. At the curse of my blood. At being shown a future I did not want to live to see. I yelled…
…and chocked my despairing words as Lady Galadriel's eyes rested upon me. The plains were gone. So was Gondor. I heaved a sigh of relief. I can avoid the future. I can avoid the war, the pain, the utter tiredness. I can avoid all that by not becoming the king of Gondor; by not following the way the curse of my forefathers leads me. I can…
"You cannot."
…err, pardon me? I was taken aback, to say the least, to hear the Lady talk …openly… instead of in my mind. For a moment, all my previous thoughts drifted away.
"I know what you have seen for it is also in my mind."
"Then how can you not see what the future brings? How can you let that happen? I have failed! And I will continue to do so all my life! I cannot become what I am destined to be! It will mean murdering thousands of innocent people! I cannot let that happen! And I WILL NOT let that happen!" my words rang clearly in the silence of the night, and for a fleeting moment I wondered whether I had woken anyone. But the Lady did not seem perturbed by the words I uttered. How can she not?! Will she willingly lead all those people to…to their death? She…
~Estel, stop that childish rambling~
My mouth dropped open and I inadvertently bit a corner of my tongue by shutting my jaws close too quickly. At least the pain DID stop me from further… ramblings –although I considered these thoughts anything but. They were quite real and important to my mind.
"Look again."
I could not stop myself from staring at her. Look? Again? I could not see the point in that unless it was to further torment my despairing soul; and I could do that well enough on my own.
"Do not fear, Estel. Look."
I did as she asked.
The same …vision…shone through the water. No. my eyes beheld the same plains, but there were no more people trudging one behind the other, slowly walking away from Gondor. There were no more weary riders. The same wind still blew, but thicker with the stench of burning flesh. The blanket of now black clouds from the east ate more than half the sky. Was I about to witness the battle I feared –no, KNEW- was approaching? A black vulture shrieked and dove in between gray hills. No horse shied beneath my legs, for they were firmly planted on the dusty ground.
My eyes glanced at the city of Gondor, standing on its hilltop. No pennant flew from its rooftops. But a few forms, dark and indistinct with distance, still moved inside the walls. Again, I found myself in that same empty street, except that it was not empty anymore. A group of riders surrounded a prone figure. I was startled when its hood fell back to reveal long, straight, blond hair. For an instant, my heart stopped beating…
Legolas!
... Until the face turned its eyes towards me. Eyes full of pain and despair. One of the riders then spat in its face. No. Hers. It was a woman, her age uncertain. Another horseman delivered a vicious kick to her unprotected stomach. She winced, but did not move, and kept on looking at me with her soft gray eyes. How could they do that to her?! Was she a criminal? A thief? Had she murdered someone? Or was she simply starving, too weak and tired to get up and leave…No hope remained in those eyes. I took a step forward.
"What are you doing here?! Get you going! To the barracks, with everyone else!" I did not pay attention to him, and instead made my way to the center of their circle and helped the woman up. Then, slowly and deliberately made my way down the street. Wherever those barracks were, this probably was the right way, as the riders left at a gallop when they saw us heading away. And in any case, where else could I go with that woman? Perhaps I would learn a little more about this new Gondor…
…and perhaps I should have stayed away, on the plains. For I did not like what I saw. It made my stomach churn, and I would have clenched my fists if they were not too busy holding the limp woman up.
The so-called barracks were full of little old men, young children, and women. All look tired, worn to the bones, and terrified. Terrified of what was to come. For they knew, just as I did. War was upon them. And they would fight, al of them, with whatever weapon they were given, be it an old, rusty sword too heavy to handle, or a dented shield. They would fight, and pay with their lives. Most of them, if not all, would die; from inexperience, from fatigue, from fear. But they would fight, because their king had ordered them to. They would fight, out on the plains, taking the brunt of the offense of the mighty army of Mordor, while their soldiers and the king's riders would protect the city. They would fight because they were given no choice.
Suicide.
No. This was murder.
I let the woman slide from my arms into a somewhat cleaner corner of the stuffy room. Her eyes closed. She knew what was coming. And my mind and heart screamed at the injustice of life. This cannot be. I took up a sword from an alarmingly little pile and showed a young boy how to wield it. Soon, a little group had gathered around and look on at the demonstration, a glint of hope entering their eyes. Yes! That's it!
But it was not soon enough, as two large doors were opened, and a group of well armed soldiers led –and shoved or pulled- everyone out, herding us like so much cattle down the streets, out under Gondor's heavy gates, and onto the battle field. I cringed at seeing so few men, and even fewer women ready to fight.
The sky had darkened to a gloomy gray-black, now covering even the farthest eastern horizon. The stench of burning grew heavier…
…and the ground began to rumble.
I looked around me, as people and children dropped their heads in fear, their "weapons" hanging from useless arms at their sides. They knew what was coming. But…but they would not simply lie down and wait for the enemy to run them through! Would they? Would they?
"People of Gondor! Hear me! Bear arms and have hope! Help is on the way!" I had no idea what I was saying. Help? From whom? Their so-called king? Whoever he was, he probably left days ago, and was leagues away now, somewhere safe. But I could not let those people die! Because…because…
"Have faith! Have hope Gondorians! You will defeat the enemy! You will protect your families! And when you are victorious, you will taste the sweet scent of revenge! You will fight the ones who killed your loved ones and made your life miserable! And you will prevail! Have hope!" I yelled, turning in a circle to let everyone hear me. It was the best I could do. Eyes slowly lit up with renewed life. Heads lifted higher. Weapons were gripped stronger.
"For Gondor!" I yelled, brandishing my sword into the air.
"For Gondor!" they answered.
The rumbling of the earth grew louder, but so did their voices.
"For the people!"
"For the people!!"
"For your families and you life!"
"For our families and our life!!"
A black wave rose over the ridge, and grew and grew….and grew.
I clenched my sword harder and stood on firm ground. I would not let them go. I could not. I was Gondor. If Gondor died, then so would I. Fighting for it. Fighting for its people.
The orcs screamed.
So did we.
I raised my sword, and glanced at each of the little groups arrayed in a straight line, facing their enemy with quivering lips but brave faces.
So few…
...so very few.
The wave reached its crest and broke over us.
~*~*~
A/N~ ah yes, this is the end. Of this chapter that is =)
And yes, it is a rather evil place to end it at, but it is long already (VERY long for my standard, people! I hope you appreciate that. Hey, I could have cut this story in two too!). No need to add more. Yes? *grins evilly until she sees the murderous glares of the readers* I'll post the next one soon though! I promise! (In two-three days!)
-eck- hee hee. Your turn now =) I'm waiting for that story!! *taps her foot impatiently* =) yep, Frodo left before.
-crazygirly- thanks so much for that review! (I love long reviews =) and how can you not like coco!!! Mmm. Legolas waves and gives you a hug for the blanket. Yea! It snowed again!!!! =) I don't know how elves can live so long without being bored, so I presume they DO get bored from time to time =) =) no school? Luck girl. Just you wait till you go to college. No snow days then =( *pouts*
-shauna- next chapter. Hopefully =)
-skywise- I know that lake! *giggles* sorry =) yea, I understand how you feel. Same here. Snow and ice. Where do you think I get my ideas? =) do you know the reservoirs in Farmington? And the park around it? I went there last Sunday. Big frozen lake and big holes in the lake. *shudders* =) got even more ideas!! (although I think the lake part won't help at this point in the story =)
-white wolf- did that answer your question? =) mmm, more dramatic. Haven't thought about it. Thanks!
-camlost- too many thoughts. Sigh. Yep, I tend to think too much, and it shows in my writing I guess. Mmmm. There will be some other fellowship members before the end yet. And no, he didn't kill the watcher. Just hacked one of his tentacles. Go Legolas!! =) happy ending? *evil grin* we'll see about that! You would look into the mirror eh? =) dunno if that would be safe =)
-cherise. Yea, and more guilt still, though he is letting it go now. I hope I didn't over do it. I tried to steer this chapter into another direction. Hope it worked. (although this story was supposed to be an all Legolas one at first.)
-andmetwen- thanks! =) nope. Not confusing.
-evil spapple- Legolas in the pool eh? =) sorry about this being yet another Aragorn-guilt chapter. No more! I promise! =) and I'll try to put some humor in the next chapter too.
-tula- is that enough of more? =)
-jocelyn- not nice? Lol. Look who's talking! The person who leaves off her story where Legolas is about to *muffled mumbles* ok ok I won't give it away. But you know what I mean! Please update that wonderful story of yours!!!! It's your turn now! *grins* =) and everyone else reading this, go read jocelyn's stories! They are great! I mean really great!! =)
ok, that's it. Pfeu. Now it's your turn to write a little comment =)
~Ola~