The Red Rose of Gondor
Chapter 6 - The Changing of the Guard
Belamir's mouth dropped open. "I need to what?"
Gandalf lit his pipe calmly. "You need to escape. After you have accomplished that, you need to go find Frodo. And stop looking at me so, Lady, I haven't hit my head."
She rolled her eyes. "Exactly how do you expect me to escape? There is no way out, at least none without a guard!"
"Do no be so sure of yourself, Bela," he said, giving her a stern look.
"So you mean to tell me that there is a way out, without a guard? One that I have failed to find?" she asked, one thin, arched eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Believe me, Gandalf. I have spent 16 years here, and I am still here. I have searched every inch of this place. There is no way to escape."
"You're only partially right, Belamir." he said, and chuckled to himself when she glared. She still had the arrogance and pride that she had inherited from her father. "Though it is not my point, there is no guard up here, and this could be viewed as a way of escaping."
"Well it's not a very good one, now is it?" she said, rolling her eyes and glancing out over the glowing caverns. "No one in their right mind would try to escape from up here. They would never make it."
"We shall see...we shall see..." Gandalf said quietly, looking at the moon.
Belamir turned to look at him sharply. "You don't mean for me to jump off of here, do you?" she asked, her eyes going wider. "Because if you do, you may as well go yourself, because I'd rather stay here."
He laughed and shook his head. "No, Lady, I do not mean for you to go from here. I mean for you to go through the front doors."
She raised her eyebrow again. "You can't be serious."
"I am quite serious, Belamir. You mentioned that you searched every inch, but have you though about the minutes?" he asked, and she blinked a few times.
"Gandalf, what are you talking about?" she asked, wondering if he had indeed hit his head and somehow forgotten about it.
"Have you got a clock?" he asked, and she fished around in the pocket of her dress and pulled out a tiny gold watch. She tossed it to him, and he opened it and checked the time. "Ah, yes, Midnight. Belamir, look down there and tell me what you see."
Belamir shook her head, feeling quite certain that the old wizard had gone mad, but complied reluctantly. She peered down over the edge, and stared down, trying not to think of how high up she was. "Nothing...I mean nothing out of the ordinary..."
"What about where the front doors would be?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes. She spotted the path toward the forest, and looked at it.
"Um, there are two little things moving away from the Tower...I think they're orcs, but I can't tell from here." she said, squinting to see better. "They're gone...there's nothing now..."
"Just as I thought." Gandalf said, and handed her the watch back. "In about ten minutes, two more should come back. Have you guesses anything yet?"
She shook her head, shuddering. "No. I am still utterly confused. How am I supposed to go out the front doors, when there are orcs there?"
"I had hoped you would figure this out on your own, but it doesn't matter. It is not the place of escape we must be concerned with, but the time, Lady. What you have just witnessed is the changing of the guard. It happens at the same time every night," he said, and her mouth opened as she began to understand. "You must go during that time, and make for the southeastern border of Isengard as quickly as you can. You will have roughly ten minutes, so you will have to go quickly and quietly. You should be relatively safe ounce you get outside the circle where the caverns lie, but you must not stop until you are al least a day away from Isengard, and safely out of sight."
Belamir nodded, and chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Then, she looked up at the moon and then turned to Gandalf. "I can't. They'll see me for sure in the moonlight, whether there are guards or not!"
He smiled, and shook his head. "That is why you must leave tomorrow night, when there will be no moon."
"There are still lights." she said, shaking her head. "If they catch me, they will kill me...or worse." She shuddered, remembering Saruman's words to her, and Zalenia's account of what had been done to her.
"Do you still have that cloak the elves made for you in Lothlorien?" he asked, and she nodded.
"He allowed me to keep my clothes, although most of them have been made into work dresses now." she grimaced, remembering having to ruin most of her pretty dresses to make them more practical for working. "Gowns have little use when you're a servant."
Gandalf nodded. "Wear that cloak, then. It should hide you as well as you need. Orcs do not see well anyway, they shouldn't notice you unless you decide to make a spectacle of yourself."
She sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. "Where do I go once I get past the border?"
"Continue southeast, and go to Edoras. You should reach it in a couple of days. Ask for a fast horse at the gate. Give them your name, and they should grant it to you without questioning. Then make for Bree. Frodo should arrive soon after you come, or shortly before, if he started out when he told me he would." Gandalf said, and then handed her a small coin- like piece of silver with the 'G' rune engraved on its surface. "Should they give you trouble at Edoras, show him this. The guards should comply to your requests after that, or at least King Theoden will."
She blinked, and pocketed it, making a mental note find out what an ent was when she went back to her room. "And.why is Frodo going to Bree?"
"He is passing through Bree on his way to Rivendell. Hopefully, his journey will end there." Gandalf said, looking slightly pained. "Have you got any money?"
"Yes, I've got a pouch of gold coins hidden at the bottom of my bag." She said, and twisted a lock of hair around her finger idly. "Why is he going to Rivendell?"
"Do you remember that golden ring on the floor after Bilbo's party?" he asked, and she thought for a moment.
"I think so." she said slowly. "The one you told me not to touch?"
"Yes, that's the one." The old wizard said with a nod, and Belamir looked pleased with herself. "You know the story of the One Ring, of course."
She rolled her eyes. "How could I forget it?"
He laughed lightly. "You have your ways, I'm sure, milady. Bilbo's ring was the One Ring. He found it in Gollum's cave."
She stared blankly as she had when he first told her his plans for her to escape. "You're serious? What does that have to do with Frodo?"
"Frodo inherited the Ring, and now he must take it to Rivendell. There is too much to explain now." Gandalf said, and nodded to her. "You will hear about it when you get to Rivendell, or from Frodo if her chooses to tell you about it."
"Alright.but what about you, Gandalf?" she asked as she stood up and dusted the back of her skirt with her hands. "How are you going to escape?"
"That is not important. I will try to meet you in Bree, although I cannot make any promises. Do not wait for me too long, and go immediately if things don't feel right. You will be able to tell, trust me." He said, and smiled. "Never linger too long in one spot, and make for Rivendell as quickly as you can. If you do not see me before you get there, that is where I shall meet you."
"Alright." she said, and turned to leave. "Farewell, Gandalf."
~*~
The next night, Belamir sat in her room, watching the clock carefully. Five minutes until midnight.
She threw her elven cloak around her shoulders and walked out of her room. It took her about five minutes to get up to the main entrance. When she got there, she stood against the wall, out of sight, and watched the orcs outside the slightly opened doors. When they had left, and she guessed they were a safe distance away, she sneaked outside. The doors were just open enough for her to squeeze through.
Making her way down the steps quickly, she looked at the path ahead of her. It had seemed much shorter from the top of the tower. She moved quickly, hoping the elvish material hid her as well as Gandalf had said it would. She was surprised at how light on her feet she had become. Perhaps it was either from all the stair climbing she had to do to move throughout Orthanc, or just the adrenaline, but Belamir was going much faster than she had expected.
She had almost made it past the caverns when she looked back, and saw two different orcs going back to the front entrance. Their backs were turned, so she ran as fast as she could and hid behind a stump. She was going to have to be more careful and move more quickly now that they were back.
~*~
Within five days, she had made it to Rohan without any real trouble, and she was thankful. She was unarmed and felt rather vulnerable, out in the open. The city of Edoras stood before her, and she paused before making her way quickly up to the gates.
As she has expected, a guard stopped her. "Who are you, and what business do you have with Rohan?" he asked, as a few men grabbed her by the arms. She resisted her natural tendencies to struggle, and cleared her throat.
"My name is Belamir. I ask for nothing but a fast horse, and perhaps and meal and a sword." She said, and held her head up proudly. "I was told that I would be given no trouble when I came here, and I hope that holds true. I bring no trouble, and hope for none in return."
The guard though for a moment and nodded to his men to let her go. "Very well." He said, and led her through the gates and into the city. "We shall give you a horse and a sword. If you wish, we can supply you with a change of clothes and a few provisions as well."
Belamir smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, sir. I'd like that."
A/N : Okay. I hadn't really planned this out, so I ended up leaving off with her in Rohan.I meant to end with Bree, but.Oh well. Sorry about the wait. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I'll start working on it within a few days, and get it typed up and posted whenever I get the chance. Anyway, review please. I live off of those things.
By the way, to those of you who questioned, the R rated part will be coming.as soon as I get the chance to work it into the story, and get the confidence to write it. That's why you guys have gotta review- so I don't think I suck too badly and I write what you want! :D Okay.bye!
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, so I don't own Lord of the Rings. Haven't we figured this out yet?
Chapter 6 - The Changing of the Guard
Belamir's mouth dropped open. "I need to what?"
Gandalf lit his pipe calmly. "You need to escape. After you have accomplished that, you need to go find Frodo. And stop looking at me so, Lady, I haven't hit my head."
She rolled her eyes. "Exactly how do you expect me to escape? There is no way out, at least none without a guard!"
"Do no be so sure of yourself, Bela," he said, giving her a stern look.
"So you mean to tell me that there is a way out, without a guard? One that I have failed to find?" she asked, one thin, arched eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Believe me, Gandalf. I have spent 16 years here, and I am still here. I have searched every inch of this place. There is no way to escape."
"You're only partially right, Belamir." he said, and chuckled to himself when she glared. She still had the arrogance and pride that she had inherited from her father. "Though it is not my point, there is no guard up here, and this could be viewed as a way of escaping."
"Well it's not a very good one, now is it?" she said, rolling her eyes and glancing out over the glowing caverns. "No one in their right mind would try to escape from up here. They would never make it."
"We shall see...we shall see..." Gandalf said quietly, looking at the moon.
Belamir turned to look at him sharply. "You don't mean for me to jump off of here, do you?" she asked, her eyes going wider. "Because if you do, you may as well go yourself, because I'd rather stay here."
He laughed and shook his head. "No, Lady, I do not mean for you to go from here. I mean for you to go through the front doors."
She raised her eyebrow again. "You can't be serious."
"I am quite serious, Belamir. You mentioned that you searched every inch, but have you though about the minutes?" he asked, and she blinked a few times.
"Gandalf, what are you talking about?" she asked, wondering if he had indeed hit his head and somehow forgotten about it.
"Have you got a clock?" he asked, and she fished around in the pocket of her dress and pulled out a tiny gold watch. She tossed it to him, and he opened it and checked the time. "Ah, yes, Midnight. Belamir, look down there and tell me what you see."
Belamir shook her head, feeling quite certain that the old wizard had gone mad, but complied reluctantly. She peered down over the edge, and stared down, trying not to think of how high up she was. "Nothing...I mean nothing out of the ordinary..."
"What about where the front doors would be?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes. She spotted the path toward the forest, and looked at it.
"Um, there are two little things moving away from the Tower...I think they're orcs, but I can't tell from here." she said, squinting to see better. "They're gone...there's nothing now..."
"Just as I thought." Gandalf said, and handed her the watch back. "In about ten minutes, two more should come back. Have you guesses anything yet?"
She shook her head, shuddering. "No. I am still utterly confused. How am I supposed to go out the front doors, when there are orcs there?"
"I had hoped you would figure this out on your own, but it doesn't matter. It is not the place of escape we must be concerned with, but the time, Lady. What you have just witnessed is the changing of the guard. It happens at the same time every night," he said, and her mouth opened as she began to understand. "You must go during that time, and make for the southeastern border of Isengard as quickly as you can. You will have roughly ten minutes, so you will have to go quickly and quietly. You should be relatively safe ounce you get outside the circle where the caverns lie, but you must not stop until you are al least a day away from Isengard, and safely out of sight."
Belamir nodded, and chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Then, she looked up at the moon and then turned to Gandalf. "I can't. They'll see me for sure in the moonlight, whether there are guards or not!"
He smiled, and shook his head. "That is why you must leave tomorrow night, when there will be no moon."
"There are still lights." she said, shaking her head. "If they catch me, they will kill me...or worse." She shuddered, remembering Saruman's words to her, and Zalenia's account of what had been done to her.
"Do you still have that cloak the elves made for you in Lothlorien?" he asked, and she nodded.
"He allowed me to keep my clothes, although most of them have been made into work dresses now." she grimaced, remembering having to ruin most of her pretty dresses to make them more practical for working. "Gowns have little use when you're a servant."
Gandalf nodded. "Wear that cloak, then. It should hide you as well as you need. Orcs do not see well anyway, they shouldn't notice you unless you decide to make a spectacle of yourself."
She sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. "Where do I go once I get past the border?"
"Continue southeast, and go to Edoras. You should reach it in a couple of days. Ask for a fast horse at the gate. Give them your name, and they should grant it to you without questioning. Then make for Bree. Frodo should arrive soon after you come, or shortly before, if he started out when he told me he would." Gandalf said, and then handed her a small coin- like piece of silver with the 'G' rune engraved on its surface. "Should they give you trouble at Edoras, show him this. The guards should comply to your requests after that, or at least King Theoden will."
She blinked, and pocketed it, making a mental note find out what an ent was when she went back to her room. "And.why is Frodo going to Bree?"
"He is passing through Bree on his way to Rivendell. Hopefully, his journey will end there." Gandalf said, looking slightly pained. "Have you got any money?"
"Yes, I've got a pouch of gold coins hidden at the bottom of my bag." She said, and twisted a lock of hair around her finger idly. "Why is he going to Rivendell?"
"Do you remember that golden ring on the floor after Bilbo's party?" he asked, and she thought for a moment.
"I think so." she said slowly. "The one you told me not to touch?"
"Yes, that's the one." The old wizard said with a nod, and Belamir looked pleased with herself. "You know the story of the One Ring, of course."
She rolled her eyes. "How could I forget it?"
He laughed lightly. "You have your ways, I'm sure, milady. Bilbo's ring was the One Ring. He found it in Gollum's cave."
She stared blankly as she had when he first told her his plans for her to escape. "You're serious? What does that have to do with Frodo?"
"Frodo inherited the Ring, and now he must take it to Rivendell. There is too much to explain now." Gandalf said, and nodded to her. "You will hear about it when you get to Rivendell, or from Frodo if her chooses to tell you about it."
"Alright.but what about you, Gandalf?" she asked as she stood up and dusted the back of her skirt with her hands. "How are you going to escape?"
"That is not important. I will try to meet you in Bree, although I cannot make any promises. Do not wait for me too long, and go immediately if things don't feel right. You will be able to tell, trust me." He said, and smiled. "Never linger too long in one spot, and make for Rivendell as quickly as you can. If you do not see me before you get there, that is where I shall meet you."
"Alright." she said, and turned to leave. "Farewell, Gandalf."
~*~
The next night, Belamir sat in her room, watching the clock carefully. Five minutes until midnight.
She threw her elven cloak around her shoulders and walked out of her room. It took her about five minutes to get up to the main entrance. When she got there, she stood against the wall, out of sight, and watched the orcs outside the slightly opened doors. When they had left, and she guessed they were a safe distance away, she sneaked outside. The doors were just open enough for her to squeeze through.
Making her way down the steps quickly, she looked at the path ahead of her. It had seemed much shorter from the top of the tower. She moved quickly, hoping the elvish material hid her as well as Gandalf had said it would. She was surprised at how light on her feet she had become. Perhaps it was either from all the stair climbing she had to do to move throughout Orthanc, or just the adrenaline, but Belamir was going much faster than she had expected.
She had almost made it past the caverns when she looked back, and saw two different orcs going back to the front entrance. Their backs were turned, so she ran as fast as she could and hid behind a stump. She was going to have to be more careful and move more quickly now that they were back.
~*~
Within five days, she had made it to Rohan without any real trouble, and she was thankful. She was unarmed and felt rather vulnerable, out in the open. The city of Edoras stood before her, and she paused before making her way quickly up to the gates.
As she has expected, a guard stopped her. "Who are you, and what business do you have with Rohan?" he asked, as a few men grabbed her by the arms. She resisted her natural tendencies to struggle, and cleared her throat.
"My name is Belamir. I ask for nothing but a fast horse, and perhaps and meal and a sword." She said, and held her head up proudly. "I was told that I would be given no trouble when I came here, and I hope that holds true. I bring no trouble, and hope for none in return."
The guard though for a moment and nodded to his men to let her go. "Very well." He said, and led her through the gates and into the city. "We shall give you a horse and a sword. If you wish, we can supply you with a change of clothes and a few provisions as well."
Belamir smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, sir. I'd like that."
A/N : Okay. I hadn't really planned this out, so I ended up leaving off with her in Rohan.I meant to end with Bree, but.Oh well. Sorry about the wait. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I'll start working on it within a few days, and get it typed up and posted whenever I get the chance. Anyway, review please. I live off of those things.
By the way, to those of you who questioned, the R rated part will be coming.as soon as I get the chance to work it into the story, and get the confidence to write it. That's why you guys have gotta review- so I don't think I suck too badly and I write what you want! :D Okay.bye!
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, so I don't own Lord of the Rings. Haven't we figured this out yet?