This Chapter is in Honor of REVIEW NUMBER 42! This review belongs to Maegmariel, who also doubles as the co-author, Beta, and Sirrah. Ironic, is it not??
Anyway. Thakyou for all of the nice reviews, though I wish you'd sign in, as it's distressing to not know who is reading. Does anyone have any suggestions for the summary?? Either way I cut it, I can't seem to put the plot in without seeming like a blatent Mary-Sue (which I've heard from several people, it is not.) If you give me one, I'll write your name in Bold and Italicized letters, and Big if I can manage it!
Anyway.
Here it is, Chapter sixteen, up to page 123/141 (so far)
Chapter 16: In which Kat chews out an annoying soldier, Sirrah becomes annoyed at Kat, and Boromir is depressed.
~^~
When Kat woke up, it was with a faded sense of foreboding. She sat up immediately, gasping.
But when she looked around, there was only Sirrah and a small room. Sirrah took one look at her and Kat lay down again.
"That's better. I really don't want to see all that work ruined."
Kat shook her head, clearing it of all fuzziness from sleep. She felt better. Tired, but better than the exhaustion she had felt earlier when she had gone to sleep. Wait a second…
"I hate you. You know that right?"
Sirrah snickered.
"Was wondering when you'd figure it out."
Kat sighed.
"How long?"
Sirrah ticked it off on her fingers.
"Ten minutes to clear the wound of excess debris and blood, ten to soak it, five to work all of the armor out of the wound, and twenty to heal it. I had to burn out infection as well as heal, and it took me awhile to figure it out, that's why it took so long. You've been sleeping for the last hour."
Kat glared at her.
"And I wasn't sleeping before?" she asked pointedly.
Sirrah grinned. "It was a magical sleep, and I took you out of it."
Kat nodded. "I see."
Sirrah got up from her chair.
"I slept for a half an hour, but then Aragorn came in and told me to get ready to leave. I had to ready your horse and mine at the same time."
Kat grinned.
"Yeah, but for the first week, I had to do the same."
Sirrah sighed.
"Yeah. Oh well. By the way, expect to be giving Leggy a biology lesson."
Kat sat up, wincing. Her mail was still on, minus the chunk that Sirrah had taken out. She knew that they didn't do any fighting for awhile though, so she wasn't worried. Sirrah's statement suddenly processed and she fixed Sirrah with an odd look.
"Why?" she asked incredulously.
Sirrah snickered.
"I asked for a bowl of boiled water, and ended up explaining the reason why to him."
Kat snickered.
"You forgot how curious elves are, didn't you?"
Sirrah nodded.
Kat did manage to get up on her own, though it was shaky going for a while. She was leaning on tables and walls for the first ten minutes, but all pains were merely memory, and the difficulty was in getting her to remember that there was no wound, and that she could indeed walk normally. When she walked out to the horses, it was on her own too feet, with no assistance from inanimate objects. Tiro whinnied, making everyone look up.
"Lady Kat!" said Éomer. "glad am I to see you well again, but how? That wound would have taken a month to heal!"
Kat smirked as she saw Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn smile knowingly.
"Do you not remember Éomer? The magic of our people is not only in destroying things, but in healing them also."
Memory dawned on Éomer's face.
"You healed the men in the caves…I see."
Kat nodded, still amused. Smiling, she looked at Gandalf.
"Hey Gandalf. Perfect timing."
Gandalf smiled.
"It was good, and I am glad that we came when we did."
Kat nodded emphatically.
"Too true." Then she turned to Théoden and bowed. "Théoden." She said, acknowledging him in a respectful tone. Théoden nodded to her. "I am glad that you are still with us Lady Kat. Your friend had us worried for a moment."
Kat smiled, glancing back at Sirrah, who raised an eyebrow, as if asking what it was that she wanted.
"I wasn't in the best way, she had reason to be."
Aragorn smiled.
"Judging by what I saw, she certainly did."
Kat looked back at Sirrah questioningly.
And just *how* much did they all see Sirrah?
Sirrah could barely control her giggling.
Just enough, I did have to rather emphatically shoo them out of the room…
Yeah, and that was supposed to comfort me?
No.
Kat sighed.
Gee, thanks.
The others had mounted their horses by the time that they had finished, and the Girls followed suit, ignoring the men.
~^~
They rode out of Helms deep, passing the men who were not going and the women and children that Kat had been locked up with. Many of them shouted goodbyes to her, though they only knew her name and face. Kat was perplexed with this, but when she brought it up with Aragorn, he simply smiled.
"They need a hero that they saw at work. I have heard many stories of you and Lady Sirrah while I was resting."
Kat tipped her head.
"Such as…?"
Aragorn looked up, contemplating.
"Well, there was the one where you charged out of the keep door and smote all of the orcs that were gathered there."
Kat's face twisted.
"They weren't orcs! It was a whole bunch of men. And the screaming part was me trying to figure out what the hell was going on!"
"There was also one where you simply touched the floor and all of the orcs in the cave fell dead."
Kat smirked.
"Well, that did actually happen…in a way…I suppose…but you must have heard that from one of the soldiers."
Aragorn nodded.
"Indeed I did, but there are more, I could while away an entire day with stories I have heard concerning you and Lady Sirrah."
Kat laughed.
"Half of them untrue I'm sure."
Aragorn nodded.
"Indeed, but rumor can be a powerful thing, for good or evil."
Sirrah rode up behind them.
"Yes it can, we see it in school every day."
Kat smiled, reminiscing about their previous life.
"Yeah, I often wondered how long it would take for a teacher to hear, if I told one person I was pregnant."
Sirrah snickered.
"I'd give it three periods."
"I dunno, I think I'd give it four."
"Three if one was a lunch hour."
Kat nodded.
"Too true."
Aragorn looked confused.
"What do you mean, period?"
Kat sighed.
"I suppose it's time to explain to you the awful ceremony that we call school in our world."
Sirrah snickered, Aragorn wondered what he was about to hear of.
~^~
They tried to explain to Aragorn what school was but were interrupted when Legolas came beside Kat, asking what a bacteria was. Kat laughed.
"Sirrah! What did you do to these poor people?"
Sirrah grinned sheepishly.
"Honestly, all I did was ask for a bowl of water!"
Kat sighed, and began to explain to the best of her ability, what exactly Bacteria were, and what they did. By the end of an hour, Legolas understood to some extent, and both had racked themselves an audience. Finally, both stopped trying to talk, for they had both caught sight of the wood that lay before them. It seemed to have appeared over night. All fell silent in its face, whether out of fear or amazement. Many of the men were afraid of it, for it was great and imposing. Gandalf however, plunged in without hesitation. Many horses did not wish to go in, but they loved their riders, and did it for them. Tiro and Chaos were no exceptions, and it took Sirrah and Kat getting off and leading them past the first few stands of trees before they would allow them on again. Sirrah was slightly nervous, she still remembered what it felt like to have cracked ribs from falls. But it wasn't only that, Kat was the one of the duo who was at home in the trees, she was not especially fond of them. She liked them, but it was not the same as with Kat. She was in admiration, Kat was in love. Shrugging off a feeling of foreboding, she followed Kat closely.
Kat, however, did not notice Sirrah's unrest. She was too busy gaping.
"It is hot in here," said Legolas to Gandalf, "I feel a great wrath about me, do you not know the air throb with hatred?"
Kat laughed.
"It is well deserved. The orcs were here hours ago. And if it's anything these trees hate, its orcs!" She giggled, throwing off everyone with the sound amidst the heady air.
Kat began to sing softly, a light song, that entirely clashed with the mood of the forest.
Valderie! Valderah! Valder ah ha ha ha ha ha ha Valderie, valderah,
My knapsack on my back
I love to go wandering
Along the mountain track,
And as I go,
I love to sing
My knapsack on my back!
Valderie! Valderah! Valder ah ha ha ha ha ha ha Valderie, valderah,
She stopped singing, but kept humming, having forgotten the words.
"Kat…"
"Hm?" asked Kat, still humming to some extent, though quieting considerably at Sirrah's tone.
"Do I have to reach over and Hit you?"
Kat laughed.
"I hardly think that you would."
Sirrah huffed, but turned around, rooting around her saddlebags. She found what she was looking for soon enough.
Thump!
"Ow!" Kat turned around to glare at her friend menacingly, which never worked, as Sirrah had the more menacing glare. Sirrah just grinned.
"I did tell you I was going to hit you."
Kat sighed.
"True, but won't you sing with me? I haven't sung for ages, and can only listen to them!" she gestured to the men who had been singing before they had come to the forest.
Sirrah smiled.
"Suggest a song, perhaps I'll sing it."
"Know any rounds?"
"None but the usual, and there's no way I'm singing those."
Kat nodded.
"Fine, but you don't know any that I do."
"Fine, then sing a solo, I know you took small ensemble Bel Canto Sophomore year."
Kat looked up.
"Ok…"
and she began to sing a solo she had learned the year before, in Italian.
Mostly her voice was lost, but Legolas and Gimli, next to her, heard, as well as Gandalf. Beyond that, her voice was nothing but a shadow that people seemed to know was there, but it wasn't there enough to matter. She didn't seem to care though, and sang until her list of songs was exhausted. When she stopped, she was still swaying to some rhythm or another, but stopped when she saw Legolas attempt to walk into the trees. She couldn't hear what was being said, but obviously, Gimli was not fond of the trees.
When they came back, the two were talking of the caves.
'Strange are the ways of men Legolas, here they have one of the marvels of the northern world, and what do they say of it? Caves, they say! Caves! Holes to fly too in times of war, to store fodder in! My good Legolas, do you know that they caverns of Helm's deep are vast and beautiful? There would be an endless pilgrimage of dwarves, merely to gaze at them, if such things were known to be. Aye indeed, they would pay pure gold for a brief glance!'
Kat chuckled. Gimli nodded too her.
"Lady Kat, do you not agree with me? You have seen the caves!"
Kat covered a grin with her hand.
"I honestly cannot say too much for them Gimli. They would have been beautiful, had I not been fighting for my life in them."
Gimli snorted.
"I must excuse you, for you also are of the race of man."
Kat bowed from her spot on the horse.
"Thank you for sparing my life Gimli."
Legolas smiled.
"I cannot agree with Lady Kat, for as you would pay gold to glance at it, I would pay gold to be excused, and double too be let out, if I strayed in!"
Kat snickered, then turned to face the front, letting them talk. Sirrah came to ride beside her, looking amused.
"You never did tell me what happened in those caves."
Kat rolled her eyes.
"Like you gave me half a chance?"
Sirrah smiled.
"It was a great improvement over letting you stay awake."
Kat sighed.
"I must give you that, It probably would have hurt like hell."
"It looked the part, at least."
Kat nodded.
"That it did."
~^~
Kat and Sirrah dropped back amongst the ranks when Kat stopped to look closely at one of the trees. Sirrah hadn't been able to get a reason why out of her, but followed her because she didn't trust Kat alone. She had done that once already.
They were finally riding along at a good pace, when, while trying to pass some of the soldiers, one of them started to talk louder than the rest.
"Yeh know, I'd swear that some o' those women *want* to be killed. In fact, just a moment before the battle started, I found one in the culvert, sittin around pretty as could be! Well, o' course, I couldn't just let her stay there, so I took down to the caves. And what's more, she tried to talk me out of it!"
Some of the men around the one talking laughed, and some of them just sort of hemmed. Kat glared.
"You little twit. You're lucky we're on the same side."
The soldier turned around on his horse, to face the two most pissed off females he had ever witnessed. He took one look at Kat and went slack jaw. A few of the other men, some who had been with her in the caves, looked back and waved, then paused, seeing the look on her face.
"Lady Kat? Are you well?" One asked, Kat recognized him as the elder spy she had sent.
"Oh no, I'm fine. Its him you should be worried about." Kat smiled a sickly sweet smile. Some of the men looked worriedly from Kat to the soldier, who was still slack jawed.
Sirrah took one look at Kat and knew that this must be the soldier that had carried her down. She grinned.
The soldier made several attempts to speak and failed, but finally found his voice.
"Lady Kat? One of the Witches of the lost realm?"
Kat nodded.
"You got it buster…and as I said, you are very fortunate that we are on the same side."
The man bowed from his horse. Kat had now ridden to his side, since many of the men had led their horses further away.
"Milady, I…"
Kat closed her hand like a director does when stopping a band. The man shut up, and it was soon clear why, as there were small sparks on Kat's hand.
"Do not speak. I have no need for your apologies. You did what you saw was right, and inadvertently helped the cause. However, next time I suggest you listen to a lady when she speaks, as she may have news of importance."
The man nodded, and Kat's hand relaxed. Looking down her nose at him in the most superior way she knew, she pulled her horse away from him. One of the men called to her.
"Than do you forgive him Milady?"
Kat turned.
"No. He may have helped, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Giving the man one last look of contempt, she rode off, Sirrah chuckling behind her.
~^~
As they rode out of the trees, Kat and Sirrah caught up too the front of the line. Gandalf looked a moment at them, but did not comment. Aragorn seemed to be smiling in their general direction and Sirrah assumed that he had heard Kat's outburst at the soldier.
"Lady Kat, please do not scare our soldiers any further, they do not need intimidating." He said finally, making Sirrah laugh.
Kat started out of her glowering.
"What? Oh! That. Well, as far as I'm concerned, he deserved it, but I suppose I won't slip something poisonous into his drink."
And with that, she went back to her glowering. Sirrah giggled, and Aragorn, thinking for a moment that she had been serious, relaxed. He mused a moment on why he had deserved it, and finally decided to ask Sirrah.
"Lady Sirrah, why is she so angered with that man?"
Sirrah chuckled quietly, making sure that Kat didn't notice.
"Well, do you remember when I came to you and asked you where we should be?"
Aragorn nodded slowly.
"Well, apparently, Kat stayed in the culvert, and a soldier found her there. He scooped her up off of her feet and spirited her away to the caves, not even letting her protest."
Aragorn covered a grin, half at Sirrah's melodramatic story telling, and half at the thought of anyone scooping either Kat or Sirrah off of her feet.
They were a hundred feet from the trees when suddenly, Legolas stopped and turned around. Kat stopped with him, looking around at the trees.
"There are eyes!" Legolas suddenly cried, "Eyes looking out from the shadows of the boughs! I never saw such eyes before!"
Kat stared into the trees, trying to see these eyes, until she realized what they were.
"Fangorn…Oh my god! Sirrah! Come here!"
Sirrah rode beside her, as Kat reached out to try and stop Legolas from riding back.
"Legolas, stay! You will see the owners of the eyes, if you would but wait!"
Sure enough, a moment after Kat spoke, three ents came from the trees, and not looking at the surprised humans, they raised their hands to their lips and gave a ringing trill. Kat gaped for a moment, she had meant that they would see them in Isenguard.
"I had forgotten…" she said quietly, then turned to Sirrah, "Sirrah! Ents!" She didn't get to say much else though, because Tiro and Chaos were prancing, and they had to calm them. It didn't get much better though, because over the hill there came a great many ents, all different and yet the same. They had a loping stride, fast and long. Many of the men set their hands upon their sword hilts until Gandalf called to them.
"You need no weapons! These are but herdsman. They are not enemies, indeed they are not concerned with us at all."
Théoden eyed the ents with amazement.
"Herdsman? Where are the flocks Gandalf? What are they? For it is plain that to you, at any rate, they are not strange."
Gandalf glanced at the girls before answering. He had half expected them to be in awe, and half expected them to be perfectly normal. It appeared to be a combination of both. They were still joking with each other, indeed, Kat was attempting to slap Sirrah in the back of the head yet again, but both sets of eyes were firmly planted on the ents.
"They are the Shepard's of the trees," he said finally, "Is it so long since you listened to the tales by the fireside? There are children in your land who, out of the twisted threads of story could pick the answer to you question."
"Yes," called Kat, remounting Tiro from calming her. "But you forget, Gandalf, that things pass out of memory of men, as time goes on, and Truth soon becomes fiction."
Sirrah nodded.
"We have seen this too much, and we ourselves are proof."
Gandalf nodded, smiling. Yes, they were still themselves. He would have to remember this.
"You have seen Ents, O king, Ents out of Fangorn forest which in your tongue you call the Entwood. Did you think that the name was given in idle fancy? Nay Théoden, it is otherwise: To them you are but the passing tale; all the years from Eorl the young to Théoden the old are of little count to them; and all the deeds of your house but a small matter."
The king was silent, and in that time, Kat sighed.
that's what we need Sirrah. We need some ents in our world, good for perspective.
Kat. There are so few people in our world that actually *take* perspective that they'd only see them as a threat and cut them up for firewood.
Kat sighed again.
Alas. It is true.
"Ents!" suddenly said Théoden. "Out of the shadows of legend I begin to understand the marvel of the trees, I think."
Kat and Sirrah lost the rest of his answer; they were too busy watching the great tree keepers. They only knew that a few moments later Legolas called to them to follow, and they did.
"Goodness" said Kat when they reached a comfortable speed, "If that's just the herders, I'm not sure I *want* to meet Fangorn…"
She had said it quietly enough that only Sirrah could hear, but to Legolas' great misfortune, he heard as well, due to his Elvin hearing. He had begun to think that it was going to drive him half mad to hear their comments to each other. This only proved him further correct. He made a face, which no one caught, and continued to ride, now having something other than the ents he had just seen to think about.
They rode on, and soon the gap of Rohan was near. Black bird flew over head, calling mournfully. Kat stared up at the birds, glaring, until Sirrah commented that it was a bad idea to look up at birds flying overhead. No one understood the joke but Kat, who snapped her head down and directed her glare at Sirrah. Éomer also was looking at the birds.
"The carrion fowl have been busy about the battlefield." He said with distaste.
Kat caught the contempt in his voice and looked at him.
"Yes, but would you rather have Carrion fowl, or orcs?"
Éomer looked at her.
"It would depend upon whether these carrion fowl were from Saruman, or natural."
Kat nodded, looking down.
"A valid point. Still, I think I would rather birds than orcs."
Éomer nodded.
"Birds still retain some of their normallacy."
Kat nodded, suddenly deciding that Éomer was going to make a very decent sort of King.
~^~
They rode deep into the night, under a nearly full moon, which made both Kat and Sirrah slightly hyper. Even though both could feel the ghosts of the battle field, they were smiling and laughing most of the time. In the dip of a valley, there was a sudden 'pop' next to Kat.
"Augh!" She yelped, turning to see it, for it had been quiet for a minute until the noise had surprised her. She was about to turn around and yell at Sirrah for making something pop at her, feeling slightly paranoid since the trees. Instead, she found Sirrah grinning, and Boromir.
Oh my freaking god. Boromir, where the *hell* have you been?
Boromir's ghost floated nearer to her.
I could ask you the same thing.
Kat's face twisted.
No you couldn't. You know quite well we were in Helm's deep.
Boromir Glared at Sirrah, who was snickering to herself. He glanced around at the men who seemed to be looking at him, but were actually looking at the girls. He then turned to look at Kat.
Is there somewhere less unsettling that we could go? We have much to discuss.
Kat arched an eyebrow.
Really? What have you been doing?
I was watching.
Kat's face fell. Sirrah grinned.
So, what did you see?
Boromir was watching Kat.
Many things. I saw both or you working your magic to its full extent. I saw your prediction come true, about the battle. So many times I was sure that we would fail, and we didn't. I saw Lady Kat sink into visions, and followed her for a time…I saw my brother
Kat smiled wanly.
Look at it this way. Your only missing.
But I am still gone! My father has little love for my brother, and I know this well! He will love him even less should I be declared dead! Or even missing, I must be able to speak to him!
Kat shook her head, nearly crying. Denathor died by his own hand, and unfortunately, telling Boromir that would just drive him further. But it wasn't only Boromir's death that did it, Denathor had been mad, so it had been inevitable.
No Boromir, Sirrah said quietly, though it was hard to tell in mind speech. You cannot go to them, Faramir has prophetic dreams, and he will not see your death, not to mention your horn is still with you, so there will be no despair for you. I don't know what Faramir will see, but it won't be what he originally did.
Kat nodded.
I saw him, during the battle, probably when you did, and told him that you were safe. That will help, I'm sure.
Boromir's face twisted.
You do not understand.
Kat sighed.
Not wholly, no one can understand it wholly, but we have a very good idea.
No! I mean, Faramir is mistrustful, our father has taught us to be wary of strangers, he would not hang to hope on only a strange girl's word!
Kat sighed.
True. But he is much more Noble than you Boromir, much as I hate to say it to your face. Being the hated child has taught him much.
Boromir nodded.
You are right, he was meant to go to the council of Elrond, but I insisted that I go. Whether because of the pull of the ring or jealousy for my father's good will, I do not know.
Kat nodded.
Yes, I had heard that somewhere.
Sirrah tapped her chin, trying to think.
Boromir, did you see the ents?
Boromir started.
Ents? The tree keepers? But they do not exist, I heard stories of them in my youth from the minstrals!
Sirrah smirked.
Sure Boromir. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.
Boromir huffed.
Fine then, don't believe us. But your going to see a very different Saruman, should you see him at all. Kat said.
Boromir looked from one girl to the other.
What mean you?
Kat shrugged.
You'll see. You'll see.
Boromir glowered again, then turned away, going to walk amongst the men.
"Astral form suits him, I think." Mused Sirrah.
Kat laughed.
"Sure we couldn't just keep him that way?"
Sirrah glared.
"You promised!"
Kat nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, it was just a suggestion! Besides, I think he'll come out whether we want him to or not. After all, he is Anne's spell."
Sirrah nodded, and they continued to ride, trading the odd insult and insight, and generally confusing every person they passed.
But, mused Gandalf, hadn't been his own first reaction, confusion? It took time to get used to them, to their loud ways, and odd phrases. Once that happened though, once you had come over the fact that they seemed to know what would happen like they had read it beforehand, you began to see how different they were. From everything, and everyone. He could tell that even in their own world, they were different. Why had they come here? They had already known the outcome of many battles, they were a little help, except for support, but he was sure that things would have little difference had they not been here. Even they seemed to know this. Their magic was the only thing that had set them apart from the normal women. Well, that and they already knew everything that was to happen. If they had come from another world, then how was it that they had all of the traits of the peoples of the lost realm? Was it the vileness of their world that they often spoke of? He pulled up Shadowfax to let them come to him.
Kat and Sirrah were next to Gandalf within the minute.
"Come Ladies of the lost realm, spend an hour with me and let us talk."
Kat smiled.
"Sure, we probably have awhile."
"No longer than the rest of these people, I'm sure."
"Too true."
"Oh Absolutely."
"Indubitably."
Gandalf chuckled.
"Tell me of your world. I hear that the rest of the fellowship has weaseled an answer of sorts out of you, on your travels, but they all tell me to ask you directly."
Kat snickered.
"Probably because they can't keep up with us describing it."
Gandalf smiled. Sirrah launched into a description.
"Well, the first thing you have to understand about our world, is that #1, there is no magic, and even if there was, in some cases, magic is considered evil, end sentence, no matter what it's being used for. #2 There are no such things as Elves, Dwarves, hobbits, dragons, orcs, goblins, cave trolls, or evil people with an obsession for golden rings."
Gandalf raised an eyebrow, only they could poke fun at the dark lord…they and Tom Bombadil, but they were wary of him, unlike Tom. But he nodded to indicate that they should go on. Sirrah continued, and for the most part of an hour, they amused Gandalf by telling him everything that they could think of about their world. Gandalf found it all immensely interesting, and they easily passed the hour.
~^~