A. N. I'm not dead! Really! It's just that schoolwork and stuff can be so annoying…
Anyway, for this tale the reader would get a better picture of the plot if you read Tales of the Middle Ages chapter 5. Again, it's not necessary but I think it could be a good way of understanding what I'll say in this story.
Aw, come on. I'd like to thank the same people as usual, but I would really like to get more reviewers. Read and review and Varda Elentari will make the stars shine brighter over you!
'Long did the Daeridhrim wander in the centre of Middle Earth, and some began to despair after many days of journeying in the wide fields of southern Endor. Yet, the will of Ben the Master Wanderer held the Shadow Folk together, and thus they fared across the plains and mountains of the south till they reached a strange region in which mighty Mountains arose before them, and they were all white with sharp peaks in their summit. And the heart of Ben and his brother, and that of Bera Strong-hand, and those of Ifta and Danriel were glad, for they had been in the fields about the White Mountains many months ago, a brief time ere they had found the Great Water.
'But the tide of events that led the Sheikah to Hyrule was drawing to an end, and the Great Evils that would afflict the Realm of the Hylia were soon to come, though they would pass through Middle Earth first. Many of the foul race of the Orcs had fled from the terror of the Elves of the north and had established themselves in many settlements of that part of the World; and the land was fell the clear ponds were defiled all about the fields south to the White Moutains. So it was that the band of the Wandering Shadow Folk came across, at length, with one of the many breeds of Goblins.
Ban the Secondborn, second Lord of the Sheikah.
Of the Orcs and the Shadow-Folk.
"It is not safe to linger here," said in a whisper Ban, and his brother nodded silently. Ben Turandir had went as a scout before his people in order to bring tidings of Orc-settlements that may have hindered their way; and to his great dismay the third of those foul encampments lay before his eyes. He stooped over the rock in which the brothers could espy the Goblins again and began to count.
"Thirty tents," he said at last, and his brother sighed in relief. "But I can tell that no less that three Orcs are there for every one. Indeed! There must be about a hundred of them. And they seem to bear weapons; knives and clubs perhaps, but arms still."
"Then I must return to our folk and warn them yet again about an Orc-hold," said Ban forgetting his small relief. "But three already we have found. And less than a league lies between them. They must be all of the same breed, if there can be any kind bond among those fell creatures."
"There can be, do not doubt it," said Ben as he sat down quietly over the rock. "Though they may hate everything about themselves, they hate us more altogether. And any usual quarrel that may arise between them they would forget at once should they see us. We cannot pass through here."
"How could we wander in these lands about before and never notice this?" asked Ban as he sat beside his brother. "It is not possible. Did our senses go numb as we walked beside the mountain-skirts?"
"Nay," replied Ben coldly, as one that slightly dislikes what is said. "We did not lose our skills during our first journey; rather we enhanced them. Therefore, these creatures cannot have more than two months of having dwelt here. Alas I say, though! At times like this, I repent of my pride: for should our house be gathered right now, nothing would there be for us to fear; the Shadow Folk would cleave down the Orcs like scythes on the grass. Yet, none can tell whither the rest of our host is now."
"Yes, none can tell," said Ban, and they went silent. The shadows that cast themselves about the small gully in which the Orc-hold was were growing darker, and the Sun was already nigh on reaching the west, and the Moon shone brightly as if trying to call for her. The Goblins paid no heed to the rocks above and about them, unless someone's pain could be kindled by them, and so the brothers were shielded from all eyesight. But the night was coming, and though they would have rejoiced at this in times of ease Ben and Ban took one last glance down at the Orcs and stood up. "We must return to our people now," said Ban again, and his elder brother agreed. They silently crept back to the pass from which they came.
After two hours of walking they came across a small grove of pine-trees were everything was quiet, except for the slight sounds of their footsteps and an occasional owl's hoot. The Sun had finally gone down and the Moon lighted their way. But the silence quickly became absolute; and out of the shadows there came suddenly a low voice, like a song that spoke in staves.
Has the Morthol come back?
Has his kinsman come back?
"Yea, we are come," replied the brothers as the singing in low voices continued. But it then suddenly stopped, and down from a tree another man clad in dark blue leaped. He held a longbow in his hand, and in his back was a leather quiver with arrows that seemed to glow with a silvery light. About his girth were many small daggers, and there hung a golden sheath with a sword-hilt wrought with many golden figures.
Ifta gazed at them for a while before calling in a long and sharp whistle the other guards about the trees. "What news, then?" he asked in earnest. He had also seen some Orcs wandering far-away beneath the mountains earlier in the day.
"There are three Orc-encampments scarcely five miles from here," answered Ben. "At least such number we saw. I regret to tell that no less than three-hundred Goblins we saw today thus. Alas! Though our skill is far superior to that of the Orcs I do not think we could overcome them by the use of arms.
"This is evil news indeed," said a voice that came from behind Ifta, and after a while Danriel came along with Bera Strong-hand. "This is, indeed, a time when we could rue our departure from the main host of our house. Ben Turandir, I do not hold you guilty of anything; but how shall we save this hindering?"
"We shall find a way," answered Ben sternly. "Even if we are outnumbered, if we travel in the veiling of the night I do not think that the Goblins will be of much trouble. But then again, I must first hear what our company says about this. As for your first words, Danriel: indeed, I myself have somewhat regretted our departure. Yet, I bid you not to speak these words aloud; for I do not doubt any of you, yet amongst our folk there are some faint-hearted that would despair should they hear them.
"You say that we should counsel with our folk," said Bera, and he drew himself up as one that is in haste. "Let us go then! Our council cannot endure after day comes, and the gathering and settling of our company will not be quick the longer we linger."
"Very well, my friends," said Ben Turandir. "Let us hope for a swift solution."
The rousing of the people took place shortly after. Out of many tents Men, women and children came out at the hearing of the call by their leader. "Ben Turandir calls for his people!" the heralds cried. "Turandir Morthol wishes to speak to his folk!" And the men wondered at this and bade their children to remain in the tents. But the women would also go to the council, for they could grow to be as strong and wise as any man amidst the Daeridhrim; and there were many maidens and wives that heeded the call and left their children for a while in the care of the eldest brother who was not come yet to manhood. Soon, two-score of strong Shadow Warriors of the old Sheikah were roused and following the heralds to the gathering place in a clearing that stood like a small island in a sea of trees. Tall they were, yet the trees did not frighten the men and women of the Shadow-folk; for they had proven great allies in the hour when the Dark Men had been in the need for a hiding place in time of danger.
When the company had arrived and sat down, the heralds cried one more time: "Behold! Our leader in this great quest wishes to speak to us in matters of great concern! Hearken to him, men and women of the Shadow." And when these words were over, Ben Turandir stepped into the middle of the gathering, and out of respect the company stood up and bowed. The Master Wanderer bowed in his turn and bade his people to sit again.
"Hear ye all, people of the night!" he spoke in a loud voice. "I will not linger in the words: I have called for you all to discuss a solution to a current problem. I led you from our first abiding place back in the wild to our current place. Yet we are still not in the shores of the Great Water, the Sea of the Elves. And though it is my desire to arrive there swiftly, one thing hinders our path.
"In our scouting routes, my kinsman and I have found a number of Orc-holds that are scarcely a league away from each other. Each one of those fell encampments holds not less than a hundred Orcs, and though they may be slow-witted and wild they patrol the borders of their settlements in the lands about them. Thus, my kinsman and I slew many also, during our trip. Now the safest thing to do, for I do not wish to begin a battle in which we would lose, is to cross the pass beneath the White Mountains during the night. The Orcs have poor sight, and they will be frightened even more in the veils of the shadows. But I bid you, my folk, please ponder about these matters, for there are sure some things that may hinder our way along with the Goblins."
The council did not last long, yet it was full of voices and minds; and in the end the voices of few men were heard debating the choices to be made.
"But it is not settled yet," an elder among the Men spoke aloud. "If we travel by night we shall be indeed fare in greater safety. But you say, Ben our leader, that some sixty miles still lie between us and the Great Water. We cannot travel without rest during the day, and to stop and sleep in the open of the day being still so nigh to the mountains would be dangerous for our folk, for we shall be bereft of the safety and cover of the groves."
"What would you have us do, then?" another voice replied, and this was Bera's powerful voice. "Would you rather fight a battle without a chance for victory? We the Daeridhrim may be strong; but we cannot overcome so many Orcs with our children at stake. And I am sure that the Orcs will not be without arms other than wipes and clubs.
"When have we cowed before Goblins?" asked the old man. "Have we not fought with Orcs in months and years past? I do not doubt Turandir's judgement; yet I would bid him not to underestimate his folk's own strength. I myself may be old, but my sword and knife are as sharp as any young warrior's blade."
"I do not underestimate my folk's strength," said Ben in a cold voice, and many did not like the fact that the old man had angered the Morthol. "I myself have slain many an Orc during my own journeys, and so have my friends, doubtlessly. But I do not wish to risk the lives of my folk in this journey. Have you forgotten that we bring children in our company as well as men and women? Though our skill in arms be great, fathers and mothers will be slain in this battle; and I do not want a single child to be bereft of a parent because of a fight that had naught to do with them. You ask for battle, but you do not judge wisely the cost of lives that it may yield. Your arms are sharp you say? Well then, I grant you to take willing warriors to battle; I shall not force any to follow my will. Yet, I will counsel the men and women of the Shadow Folk not to march in arms if they spare any thought for the children that await for you in the tents."
There was a long silence, followed by the low voices of the men and women talking between themselves. Whispers and mutters, and the air was filled with indecision; for the Shadow Folk were proud and strong, and they did not like the thought of flying before mere Orcs that hindered their way.
Seeing that the debate was to continue for a while now, Ban approached his brother and spoke to him. "What do you make out of this?" he asked. "Surely you know that the choice will be lain on you again rather than on them. And I think that you shall have to make the choice swiftly: the day will not linger forever.
"So it seems," said Ben, and he was silent. The voices still hung about the brothers for a while.
"There is something that worries me," said the younger at last. "The faint-hearted will think of this time as an omen for having left our kindred behind long before the crossing of the Great River. That will smote the mind of many if those of the weak will are many.
"Whether you are proven right or wrong, it is time to make a choice," a woman's voice said, and Ben knew the voice of Danriel the Valiant. "How shall we settle this debate? Dawn is still far away, in a sense. But the matter must be cleared ere long; or we shall have to suffer the consequences of the those faint-hearted you speak about."
"Then I will make a choice," Ben said with a sigh of resignation. "Though I do not like to force the will of those who accompanied me in the showing of great loyalty." And they went silent again, the voices ever debating quietly about them.
Suddenly, a horn rang across the air; and the silence that followed afterwards was unlike any other they had made, for it was a silence of fear. Out of the shadows there came the watchmen that had stood guard in the girth of the grove, and some were wounded and haggard.
"The Orcs have come!" they cried many times, and the men and women of the Shadow stood still as statues in their surprise. But that did not last long; Ben called out aloud and his folk ran back to their tents. Swift as shadows disappearing when light is abroad, they went back to their children with haste that only blind madness could have overcome. Men and wives departed, but the few that remained unmarried or childless gathered about Turandir. And they asked him for counsel.
"How could this have come to pass?" said Ifta in dismay, but his hands already held his long-sword and knife.
"They must have sent scouts abroad, just like we did," answered Danriel drawing her long-knives. "And they must be especially wary since they have not been in these lands for long."
"Still, the grove is wide," said Bera, and his battle-axe shone with the pale rays of the Moon.
"I deem you right," Ban said looking about him and pointing his two-handed sword towards the south, and the blade was like a great silver arrow gleaming in the twilight. "But this is not the time to discuss it. What shall you bid us to do, my brother?"
"What shall I bid you to do, you ask?" replied Ben sternly, his mighty sword in his hand. "I would bid you to haste back to the encampment and help evacuate our folk. But I will need sturdy warriors to hold off the Orcs for a while, and I believe you would not take any command to return and fly from battle. Therefore, I will ask you to follow me. And gather all men and women willing to do so." He held out something in his hand and went silent. He then nodded his head as if bowing and put it aloft. The Black Helm did not shine with the moon-light. Instead, it remained as dark as a moonless dusk that is already giving way to the night Then, lifting his sword and pointing it to the Moon, he called aloud, so that anyone nigh of him would hear:
Aphado enni pain'in puler! Sereg in Yrch siritha an vedui lu!*
Then all who could hear him cried in battle call and gathered behind Ben Turandir. And he led them into the trees and beneath their tall branches. A dozen men and women went with him, and Ban his brother marched beside him. But Ifta and his wife Danriel went in the rear of the company, and Bera Strong-hand went nigh them taking long strides as he walked. Thus the Shadow-Folk's childless warriors headed for the open fields about the grove in the hope of finding and waylaying the Orcs ere they could find the fathers and mothers of the company. Though it was scarcely a mile from the clearing to the outsides, Ben would have reckoned a longer time, for the thought of battle with foes that outnumbered them by long was in his heart and mind; but he did not feared it, and he kept on going.
The men and women who had argued before between themselves had long since gone, and silence again loomed about them. The sternness in their faces was great, and some warriors were eager to battle with the Orcs, so reckless and resolute they were. Yet, their leader did not share this thought, for he had been present in battle before, and he knew the value of unhindered and unnoticed march across unknown lands. He pondered heavy matters in his mind, and only his brother could notice his uneasiness. On they went across the thick grass and low boughs, and they were in unrest with anxiety of fight. But at length they reached the entrance were the trees grew thinner and the grass was not as tall.
Lights coming from kindled torches reached their eyes, and Ben bade them to remain low. And then he gazed at the lights and tried to count the Orcs. Ifta and Danriel came to his side.
"What can you see?" asked she, gazing also at the fires.
"Not much," answered Ben. "But the torches they carry are on either side of their company. There must be about thirty Goblins."
"That should not be of any worry to us," said Ifta. And he raised his sword and pointed towards the Orcs. "Give the signal, Ben. We shall cleave through them like scythes on grass."
"Wait!" a voice cried, and they were surprised, for it was that of Bera the Strong-hand. "Already I see more lights approaching the ones before us. And the host is greater."
Ben gazed again into the darkness, but his keen sight of the Men of the Shadows aided him. And he saw indeed that more companies of goblin-warriors joined the first. The moon barely shone back in their blackened scimitars, and their foul armour was as black as the Black Helm, but it did not have by any means the lineage or majesty of Lindwë's gift to Ben Turandir.
"It would be foolish to strike now," Ben said so his company would hear him. "We must wait till dawn to see if they are match or out-match for us; and maybe they shall end up being no match."
And so they waited till the morning light came.
A. N. *'Follow me all who can! Orkish blood will flow for us for the last time!' Yeah, my Sindarin is improving. ^_^.
So! I know it's been quite a long time since the last chapter. But All of you know how hard can it get when in school. Heheheh, how many of you can pass unscathed before physics's maw?
Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter. Oh yeah: notice that the title of the last chapter has been changed. It just didn't seem right for a song to be considered a chapter.
See ya around!