His eyes slammed open, the scream still echoing in his ears, his heart
thudding he threw the covers off and climbed down the side of the bed
feeling the warm stone underneath his feet. Trembling, his legs buckled
him dropping him to the stone floor sending a jolt up his spine, his hand
grasped the covers to steady himself, the fabric damp with sweat, his hands
slipping on the slick material.
Looking over through the open window he saw the moon brilliant in the clear
sky above Gondor. Gripping the side of the bed frame he pulled himself
upright, letting his legs settle underneath him, his eyes shifted to the
mirror hanging on the wall. In it he saw a small figure dressed in a white
nightshirt, the face thin and gaunt, deep sunken eyes glinting with fear, a
sheen of sweat upon the brow.
*I look more like one of the dead than one who escaped* he thought.
Hands shaking he let go of the bed frame and began to stumble over to the
huge doors leading out of his room to the hallway, his legs trembling with
exertion
*Another legacy of our quest in to Mordor, I wonder if Sam suffers so*
Without warning the scream came again, dropping him to the floor, it rolled
over him in a wave.
The agony crippling, a detached terror rippling through his mind.
"Sam!" he could feel the torment racing through his body, like the life
being sucked from his limbs.
"Sam no." Trembling on the floor his mind torn by the pain all thoughts of
rescue fled in to the night.
**************** Deep within the main citadel King Elessar lay in his bedchamber, the warm air flowing around him. Sighing softly he lay deeper within the folds of the bed coverings, deep violet sheets, embroidered with gold covered the vast expanse, large oaken posts at the four corners, thick velvet drapes to the sides, the same deep shade of violet closed around the bed enfolding him within it's embrace. Outside lay his future, his responsibility's and his friends. Since adulthood he had lived in the wilds, the wind and rain his only companions, the earth under his feet his bed. Now he was the King of Gondor and Arnor, he had brought peace to his people and all other inhabitants of Middle Earth, but still the Shadow lingered, within his home, within his Kingdom and within his heart. Could there be any escape. Seconds dragged in to minutes and seemed to drag in to hours as he lay enshrouded within his Velvet cocoon, the air shifting the curtains bringing vague distant sounds, even the raised voices seemed so far from now. His thoughts, drifting like the breeze, came back to Arwen. Their wedding was due to take place in one week, even as he lay there the group carrying her came ever closer to Gondor, his future and his past merging, but one thought would not be still, at the back of his mind he recalled Gandalf's warning.
"Alone! Legolas, bring only Elrond.if Arwen follows, disaster could befall us all."
A chill wrapped itself around his heart, Arwen would be in danger if she were here while the Shadow lingered who knew what would happen.who knew?
"Gandalf"
He whispered his name, he would talk to the wizard know what he knew before it could harm her.or Frodo.
The future seemed so far away and so present, would one misstep ruin everything, one bad judgment could destroy countless lives. Isuilur's decision, made so long ago, was still affecting them now. The Ring was gone, Sauron faded, but evil still present, Frodo saw it, in his eyes he still lived within the Shadows. *I wonder if the world of the living seems as vague to Frodo as it does to me now* Thoughts drifted by but sleep was no closer, Legolas was right the shadow was still there, the urgency growing, spreading like water under stones, vague and intangible but there none the less. *Yet I still feel that we are missing something* he mused. Calming his thoughts he concentrated on sleep. Distantly he heard sounds moving his way, his eyes grew heavy, a deep sleep beckoned, the noises became insistent, demanding his attention. Opening his eyes the saw a figure standing before him, small and thin, delicate. Even as his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom of his shrouded bed his eyes met those of the creature before him and his heart went cold. Black eyes, sparkling with menace lay deep below hooded brows, the face thin and gaunt, skin pale to the point of perfection and lips twisted upwards in to a sneer of loathing for the Man it faced. All about it a feeling of ruin, a smell of decay permeated the air. The smile grew deeper as the background sounds grew stronger, footsteps. The creature leaned closer.
"You. Will. Lose."
Suddenly the door was hurled open and the curtains around the bed flung back. Looking down to the face of the King he saw the features white and shocked, hands gripping the sheets until the knuckles were white.
"He was here Legolas.here."
"He?"
"By the Valar I swear it is Him, Sauron himself stood before me."
"Aragorn, that is not possible he cannot take form yet, it could not be him."
"Legolas, it was not his form I saw."
"Who else then?"
"Legolas I saw Sauron, but not his body."
"Then how can you be sure"?
"It was Frodo I saw, but Sauron I felt"
"Frodo.come Aragorn, what you have told me is ill news, I came to fetch you"
"Fetch me, why?"
"Sam, He has slipped back, he has stopped screaming but Lord Elrond is unable to wake him, and we have not been able to find Frodo"
At those words Aragorn climbed up from the bed, looked back. His eyes haunted he turned back to Legolas. The Elf's normal composure was gone, a trace of worry lay upon his brow, his eyes dark and hard to read.
"Now I think we begin to see the real purpose of Sauron, How is Pippin?"
Aragorn turned back to elf, still standing by the bed.
"Legolas?"
The elf bent down and picked up something from the edge of the bed where Frodo had stood.
"Legolas?"
Turning the elf came to his side.
"What you saw was no ghost."
Holding in his hand Legolas offered him a long dark hair, curled slightly.
"Find him Legolas, I will see to Sam."
The elf left the room swiftly leaving Aragorn alone to his thoughts. *Yes, now we begin to see.* Sighing deeply he left the room and headed for the main Citadel, the guards stood outside of his doors, unmoving. The maids scurrying around holding clean sheets in they're arms whispering down corridors. Gondor was not broken yet, but evil still haunted, how long before it started to infect his people?
Frodo, Frodo was the key to this, somewhere a link was missing, a key, something they did not understand.
*Until this is over, I will not have Arwen enter these gates, no danger will befall her while I stand*
Walking past the guards the King of Gondor and Arnor walked in to the shadows.
**********************
Merry stood back while Gandalf held down Sam, the Hobbit had stopped screaming long minutes ago, his face tortured and his eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out something.
*What came over Pip? He knew that we shouldn't say anything to Sam but he still said it. Let him hide for now, when I get my hands on him he'll need the whole of Gondor to protect him, when Frodo hears.well that'll be it for Pip. If anything happens to him.*
Turning away from the hideous sight he had to find out why Pippin had done it. Aragorn would be here soon and then he would want answers and lots of them. Walking to the back to the hall he saw the doors leading out to the gardens open.
*They weren't open before*
A chill seemed to settle on his spine, looking over by the doorway in to the antechamber where Gandalf had come running from when he had heard Sam's screams he saw a small huddled figure.
*Pip! *
Running over he lifted up the face and let out a blood-freezing scream.
****************
Almost prepared.
My light is nearly ready.
The time is almost here.
The She Elf rides toward Gondor.
Their undoing is almost upon them.
Only a few left to deal with.
They will all be crushed.
***************
A big thank you to everyone for sticking by me and my little story, I think I've been a bit to busy working on the plotline for my other one that I haven't updated as often as I should have. I am sorry. With all of the excellent stories out there being completed I didn't want mine to start butting in, so this has a little way to go yet.
**************** Deep within the main citadel King Elessar lay in his bedchamber, the warm air flowing around him. Sighing softly he lay deeper within the folds of the bed coverings, deep violet sheets, embroidered with gold covered the vast expanse, large oaken posts at the four corners, thick velvet drapes to the sides, the same deep shade of violet closed around the bed enfolding him within it's embrace. Outside lay his future, his responsibility's and his friends. Since adulthood he had lived in the wilds, the wind and rain his only companions, the earth under his feet his bed. Now he was the King of Gondor and Arnor, he had brought peace to his people and all other inhabitants of Middle Earth, but still the Shadow lingered, within his home, within his Kingdom and within his heart. Could there be any escape. Seconds dragged in to minutes and seemed to drag in to hours as he lay enshrouded within his Velvet cocoon, the air shifting the curtains bringing vague distant sounds, even the raised voices seemed so far from now. His thoughts, drifting like the breeze, came back to Arwen. Their wedding was due to take place in one week, even as he lay there the group carrying her came ever closer to Gondor, his future and his past merging, but one thought would not be still, at the back of his mind he recalled Gandalf's warning.
"Alone! Legolas, bring only Elrond.if Arwen follows, disaster could befall us all."
A chill wrapped itself around his heart, Arwen would be in danger if she were here while the Shadow lingered who knew what would happen.who knew?
"Gandalf"
He whispered his name, he would talk to the wizard know what he knew before it could harm her.or Frodo.
The future seemed so far away and so present, would one misstep ruin everything, one bad judgment could destroy countless lives. Isuilur's decision, made so long ago, was still affecting them now. The Ring was gone, Sauron faded, but evil still present, Frodo saw it, in his eyes he still lived within the Shadows. *I wonder if the world of the living seems as vague to Frodo as it does to me now* Thoughts drifted by but sleep was no closer, Legolas was right the shadow was still there, the urgency growing, spreading like water under stones, vague and intangible but there none the less. *Yet I still feel that we are missing something* he mused. Calming his thoughts he concentrated on sleep. Distantly he heard sounds moving his way, his eyes grew heavy, a deep sleep beckoned, the noises became insistent, demanding his attention. Opening his eyes the saw a figure standing before him, small and thin, delicate. Even as his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom of his shrouded bed his eyes met those of the creature before him and his heart went cold. Black eyes, sparkling with menace lay deep below hooded brows, the face thin and gaunt, skin pale to the point of perfection and lips twisted upwards in to a sneer of loathing for the Man it faced. All about it a feeling of ruin, a smell of decay permeated the air. The smile grew deeper as the background sounds grew stronger, footsteps. The creature leaned closer.
"You. Will. Lose."
Suddenly the door was hurled open and the curtains around the bed flung back. Looking down to the face of the King he saw the features white and shocked, hands gripping the sheets until the knuckles were white.
"He was here Legolas.here."
"He?"
"By the Valar I swear it is Him, Sauron himself stood before me."
"Aragorn, that is not possible he cannot take form yet, it could not be him."
"Legolas, it was not his form I saw."
"Who else then?"
"Legolas I saw Sauron, but not his body."
"Then how can you be sure"?
"It was Frodo I saw, but Sauron I felt"
"Frodo.come Aragorn, what you have told me is ill news, I came to fetch you"
"Fetch me, why?"
"Sam, He has slipped back, he has stopped screaming but Lord Elrond is unable to wake him, and we have not been able to find Frodo"
At those words Aragorn climbed up from the bed, looked back. His eyes haunted he turned back to Legolas. The Elf's normal composure was gone, a trace of worry lay upon his brow, his eyes dark and hard to read.
"Now I think we begin to see the real purpose of Sauron, How is Pippin?"
Aragorn turned back to elf, still standing by the bed.
"Legolas?"
The elf bent down and picked up something from the edge of the bed where Frodo had stood.
"Legolas?"
Turning the elf came to his side.
"What you saw was no ghost."
Holding in his hand Legolas offered him a long dark hair, curled slightly.
"Find him Legolas, I will see to Sam."
The elf left the room swiftly leaving Aragorn alone to his thoughts. *Yes, now we begin to see.* Sighing deeply he left the room and headed for the main Citadel, the guards stood outside of his doors, unmoving. The maids scurrying around holding clean sheets in they're arms whispering down corridors. Gondor was not broken yet, but evil still haunted, how long before it started to infect his people?
Frodo, Frodo was the key to this, somewhere a link was missing, a key, something they did not understand.
*Until this is over, I will not have Arwen enter these gates, no danger will befall her while I stand*
Walking past the guards the King of Gondor and Arnor walked in to the shadows.
**********************
Merry stood back while Gandalf held down Sam, the Hobbit had stopped screaming long minutes ago, his face tortured and his eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out something.
*What came over Pip? He knew that we shouldn't say anything to Sam but he still said it. Let him hide for now, when I get my hands on him he'll need the whole of Gondor to protect him, when Frodo hears.well that'll be it for Pip. If anything happens to him.*
Turning away from the hideous sight he had to find out why Pippin had done it. Aragorn would be here soon and then he would want answers and lots of them. Walking to the back to the hall he saw the doors leading out to the gardens open.
*They weren't open before*
A chill seemed to settle on his spine, looking over by the doorway in to the antechamber where Gandalf had come running from when he had heard Sam's screams he saw a small huddled figure.
*Pip! *
Running over he lifted up the face and let out a blood-freezing scream.
****************
Almost prepared.
My light is nearly ready.
The time is almost here.
The She Elf rides toward Gondor.
Their undoing is almost upon them.
Only a few left to deal with.
They will all be crushed.
***************
A big thank you to everyone for sticking by me and my little story, I think I've been a bit to busy working on the plotline for my other one that I haven't updated as often as I should have. I am sorry. With all of the excellent stories out there being completed I didn't want mine to start butting in, so this has a little way to go yet.