Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Corruption
Chapter Ten - Helm's Deep
**
Sauron forced his horse into a gallop and leant over in his saddle so that when they sped past the White Lady and Aragorn, he could pull her up and away.
As he came around, Aragorn unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him, ready to drive it deep into the flesh of the great horse. Sauron glared at Aragorn and raised his hand, a sharp burst of flame blossoming from his fingers to engulf the man.
"Your wife to be is dead!" Sauron spat at Aragorn, his eyes focusing on where Galadriel stood in shock. Aragorn gasped, not noticing the flames as they crept up his arms and over his torso.
"No! No!" Galadriel protested, her beautiful eyes filling with tears. "It's lies! All of it! Lies!"
But Aragorn could not hear her; instead, he stared at Sauron, searching for truth in his illusioned eyes.
Galadriel screamed, her eyes wide, as she forced Aragorn to the ground, struggling to put out the flames. She didn't even see Sauron until he grabbed the back of her dress and hauled her onto his horse.
Sauron placed a simple sleep spell on the powerful elf and settled her gently into the saddle. Taking on last look at the damage he had wrecked upon the column marching to Helms Deep, he sighed and galloped away, a spell cast to take the two away and into Mordor.
**
Aragorn sat in the Armoury at Helm's Deep brooding, his grief cut too deep for him to cry. He was past tears, for none welled in his eyes, and into the icy darkness of depression.
Arwen is dead.
Legolas had come and gone, trying to get Aragorn to his feet by talking gently about the lives he could save if he tried, but Aragorn wouldn't move, his eyes fixed in a steely glare at Narsil and his hand clasped around the Evenstar.
A horn blew, an elven one, one that brought a fresh wave of guilt and grief over Aragorn, drowning him and sweeping him under the icy waters of gloom.
A presence. There was someone in the room with him.
Legolas, Aragorn decided, not once removing his gaze on Narsil.
"Will you not come and meet them?"
A voice.
'Valar!' Aragorn thought, his grip on the Evenstar tightening. He hadn't been listening.
"Aragorn?"
Aragorn blinked. Legolas' soft voice barely penetrated his invisible barrier that he had put up to separate himself from the others. He hated him, hated Legolas for being elven, hated him for being so gentle, perhaps more gentle than Arwen. He loathed him for reminding him of Arwen.
"Leave me," Aragorn whispered in elvish.
"Aragon-"
"I said LEAVE!" Aragorn roared, his anger replacing the grief. He grabbed Narsil and unsheathed it, whirling around to place the cool metal blade upon his friend's neck.
Legolas didn't even flinch, his gaze looked deep into Aragorns soul, seeing the bitter inner torment.
"Leave me," Aragorn said, his voice calmer, but still angry.
Legolas sighed and left the room, shaking his head.
Aragorn resumed his position, returning Narsil to where it stood.
'Wait!' He thought to himself, a wild look in his eyes. 'If Sauron saved Galadriel, why couldn't he save Arwen?'
'He didn't want to.' He answered himself, anger at the White Lady flaring within him.
"Lord?"
Aragorn flinched. That was definitely a non-Legolas voice. Aragorn decided. This new voice was sharper, an angry one.
"Lord? Aragorn!" The voice snapped, a hand tapped his shoulder impatiently.
Èowyn, he sighed.
"Lord. We are to outfit the men and boys with weapons, would you move?"
A body moved into his line of vision.
'Curse you!' He raged inside.
"Move, please." He said in a shaky voice, he had to find Narsil again.
Pain.
She had slapped him. Aragorn rubbed his check absently, he had found Narsil again. He sighed and relaxed.
"Faramir and his Rangers are here."
'What on earth?' Aragorn wondered in disbelief, trying to think of a reason why the Gondorian Captain would leave Gondor when it was being attacked from several different places.
"Listen,"
Aragorn felt a cool hand on his. He lifted his gaze and looked into the small face of Lady Éowyn, niece to the King of Rohan.
"You could have done nothing to save your beloved." She said in a soothing, sympathetic voice.
Aragorn didn't notice the pain in her voice as she said the word "beloved", his ears barely hearing what she was saying.
"I believe she has gone to a better place." Éowyn said quietly, sitting next to Aragorn. "This world is full of hatred and ugliness."
Aragorn nodded, showing that he was listening, but could not bring himself to speak.
"She will be waiting for you."
Aragorn suddenly lashed out, the hand holding the Evenstar betraying him and hitting Éowyn's cheek. Éowyn fell off the seat and onto the floor, a drop of blood falling from where the Evenstar sliced into her cheek.
"Just SHUT UP!!" Aragorn shouted and left the room, grabbing Narsil on his way. The Evenstar fell from his fingers as he left, but Aragorn barely noticed.
Éowyn touched her cheek gently and winced when the wound stung. She looked toward the Evenstar and sniffled, tears falling from her grief-stricken eyes as she pulled herself to her feet.
**
Legolas greeted Haldir of Lothlorien warmly; joy bubbling up inside him as he saw the troops Haldir had brought with him.
"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell" Haldir said in his deep, musical voice, his eyes bright. King Theoden blinked in disbelief. "An alliance once existed between elves and men, we have come to honour that allegiance."
King Theoden gasped in disbelief when he saw the elves and a slow smile began to spread across his face. He looked for Aragorn, but he wasn't there. He looked toward Gimli, one of Aragorns companions and friends, but he just shrugged.
The King then looked to Faramir, the young captain of Gondor.
"Mae govannen, Haldir!" Legolas said to Haldir, clasping arms with him. "You are most welcome!"
**
Elrond paced his study restlessly. The elves of Rivendell were preparing to leave for the Undying Lands, but his daughter still insisted on staying, staying to wait for her beloved, Aragorn.
He rubbed his face with his hands and thought about the army of elves he had sent to Helm's Deep to aid the Rohirrim.
"It was the least I could do." He muttered to himself and went to check on Arwen.
She lay on a bed, the bed cover twisted in her fingers.
"Arwen, it is time." Elrond said tiredly, looking over his daughters shoulder and out the window.
"I chair gwannar na Valannor. Si bado, no círar"
"I've made my choice." Arwen said firmly, but sadly, tears welling up in her almond shaped eyes.
** Frodo and Sam looked at the young Lady of Rohan in horror.
"What happened?" Sam asked anxiously, running up to her as she entered the room where the two hobbits had been sitting in boredom.
"Oh, this?" She asked, gesturing to the cut on her face. "It's nothing," She lied, smoothing her hair down with trembling fingers. "I fell,"
Frodo wasn't convinced and he stared at her, hard. "Why do you cry then? You do not seem the type to cry over a little cut."
Eowyn shook her head, a watery smile creeping over her small face. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Master Frodo?
Frodo shrugged and turned to Sam who was laughing silently.
"What happened, though?" Frodo asked, a serious expression on his face.
"Nothing, well, nothing I'd be in a hurry to share with you." She said and smiled at them both.
"I must find my uncle." She said and excused herself from the room.
**
Merry and Pippin stared at Treebeard in shock.
"You WHAT?" They said in unison.
Treebeard chuckled and replied slowly, as per usual.
"I know where your friends are." He said matter of factly. "The White Wizard told me."
"I wish you'd tell us who your 'White Wizard' is." Merry grumbled and looked back at Isengard. Treebeard was carrying them after the army of Isengard, which was now only about four thousand strong.
"Never mind that." Pippin said, a worried look on his face. "Where are you taking us?"
"To your friends, of course. The White Wizard said that he'd be there, and we need to talk. He was awfully hasty last time we spoke."
** When Galadriel awoke from her spelled sleep, she was greeted by the most hideous sight she had ever seen. She never knew that a land could look for dead and full of devastation as Mordor did. She looked around her desperately, finding herself on a low bed with silken sheets. She crawled backwards away from the image and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
"You do not like what you see, my Lady?" A poisonous voice asked. Galadriel longed to hide from the voice but it was impossible, the spell holding her stronger then ever.
"Soon, all this will be changed. With your power and mine, this land will be beautiful again."
Galadriel shook her head and was about to rise when she realised her clothes had been removed and she was naked beneath the sheet. Raw anger welled up inside her as Sauron began to explain the absence of her clothing.
"You dress was awfully torn, I have one to replace it." He began, but was cut off as Galadriel drew the sheet around her and stormed in his direction.
"How DARE YOU!" She screamed and slapped him hard across the face, causing Sauron to far backwards. Anger burned in his eyes but it was nothing compared to that of Galadriel.
He began to stand but she pushed him down with her heel.
"You drag me from my home, KILL my HUSBAND in front of my eyes, threaten to kill my granddaughter and her father, threatened to destroy my home and that of Arwen and Elrond, you drag me here to your "home" and then you take what last remains of my dignity and cast it away as if it doesn't matter!!" She shrieked, her voice tiring after every word.
Sauron pushed her foot away and stood. He was about to reach out to take Galadriels arm, but she pulled away, tightening her grip on the silken sheet.
"Don't you touch me," She said in a low, dangerous voice, her eyes darkened with fury.
"Or I swear by the Valar that I'll kill you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sooooooooo sorry for not updating earlier! I had MAJOR writers block and that is not good. I don't know when the next chapter will be up cos I still don't have many ideas...but I know where its going..so I suppose that's a good thing.
Please R&R!
Corruption
Chapter Ten - Helm's Deep
**
Sauron forced his horse into a gallop and leant over in his saddle so that when they sped past the White Lady and Aragorn, he could pull her up and away.
As he came around, Aragorn unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him, ready to drive it deep into the flesh of the great horse. Sauron glared at Aragorn and raised his hand, a sharp burst of flame blossoming from his fingers to engulf the man.
"Your wife to be is dead!" Sauron spat at Aragorn, his eyes focusing on where Galadriel stood in shock. Aragorn gasped, not noticing the flames as they crept up his arms and over his torso.
"No! No!" Galadriel protested, her beautiful eyes filling with tears. "It's lies! All of it! Lies!"
But Aragorn could not hear her; instead, he stared at Sauron, searching for truth in his illusioned eyes.
Galadriel screamed, her eyes wide, as she forced Aragorn to the ground, struggling to put out the flames. She didn't even see Sauron until he grabbed the back of her dress and hauled her onto his horse.
Sauron placed a simple sleep spell on the powerful elf and settled her gently into the saddle. Taking on last look at the damage he had wrecked upon the column marching to Helms Deep, he sighed and galloped away, a spell cast to take the two away and into Mordor.
**
Aragorn sat in the Armoury at Helm's Deep brooding, his grief cut too deep for him to cry. He was past tears, for none welled in his eyes, and into the icy darkness of depression.
Arwen is dead.
Legolas had come and gone, trying to get Aragorn to his feet by talking gently about the lives he could save if he tried, but Aragorn wouldn't move, his eyes fixed in a steely glare at Narsil and his hand clasped around the Evenstar.
A horn blew, an elven one, one that brought a fresh wave of guilt and grief over Aragorn, drowning him and sweeping him under the icy waters of gloom.
A presence. There was someone in the room with him.
Legolas, Aragorn decided, not once removing his gaze on Narsil.
"Will you not come and meet them?"
A voice.
'Valar!' Aragorn thought, his grip on the Evenstar tightening. He hadn't been listening.
"Aragorn?"
Aragorn blinked. Legolas' soft voice barely penetrated his invisible barrier that he had put up to separate himself from the others. He hated him, hated Legolas for being elven, hated him for being so gentle, perhaps more gentle than Arwen. He loathed him for reminding him of Arwen.
"Leave me," Aragorn whispered in elvish.
"Aragon-"
"I said LEAVE!" Aragorn roared, his anger replacing the grief. He grabbed Narsil and unsheathed it, whirling around to place the cool metal blade upon his friend's neck.
Legolas didn't even flinch, his gaze looked deep into Aragorns soul, seeing the bitter inner torment.
"Leave me," Aragorn said, his voice calmer, but still angry.
Legolas sighed and left the room, shaking his head.
Aragorn resumed his position, returning Narsil to where it stood.
'Wait!' He thought to himself, a wild look in his eyes. 'If Sauron saved Galadriel, why couldn't he save Arwen?'
'He didn't want to.' He answered himself, anger at the White Lady flaring within him.
"Lord?"
Aragorn flinched. That was definitely a non-Legolas voice. Aragorn decided. This new voice was sharper, an angry one.
"Lord? Aragorn!" The voice snapped, a hand tapped his shoulder impatiently.
Èowyn, he sighed.
"Lord. We are to outfit the men and boys with weapons, would you move?"
A body moved into his line of vision.
'Curse you!' He raged inside.
"Move, please." He said in a shaky voice, he had to find Narsil again.
Pain.
She had slapped him. Aragorn rubbed his check absently, he had found Narsil again. He sighed and relaxed.
"Faramir and his Rangers are here."
'What on earth?' Aragorn wondered in disbelief, trying to think of a reason why the Gondorian Captain would leave Gondor when it was being attacked from several different places.
"Listen,"
Aragorn felt a cool hand on his. He lifted his gaze and looked into the small face of Lady Éowyn, niece to the King of Rohan.
"You could have done nothing to save your beloved." She said in a soothing, sympathetic voice.
Aragorn didn't notice the pain in her voice as she said the word "beloved", his ears barely hearing what she was saying.
"I believe she has gone to a better place." Éowyn said quietly, sitting next to Aragorn. "This world is full of hatred and ugliness."
Aragorn nodded, showing that he was listening, but could not bring himself to speak.
"She will be waiting for you."
Aragorn suddenly lashed out, the hand holding the Evenstar betraying him and hitting Éowyn's cheek. Éowyn fell off the seat and onto the floor, a drop of blood falling from where the Evenstar sliced into her cheek.
"Just SHUT UP!!" Aragorn shouted and left the room, grabbing Narsil on his way. The Evenstar fell from his fingers as he left, but Aragorn barely noticed.
Éowyn touched her cheek gently and winced when the wound stung. She looked toward the Evenstar and sniffled, tears falling from her grief-stricken eyes as she pulled herself to her feet.
**
Legolas greeted Haldir of Lothlorien warmly; joy bubbling up inside him as he saw the troops Haldir had brought with him.
"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell" Haldir said in his deep, musical voice, his eyes bright. King Theoden blinked in disbelief. "An alliance once existed between elves and men, we have come to honour that allegiance."
King Theoden gasped in disbelief when he saw the elves and a slow smile began to spread across his face. He looked for Aragorn, but he wasn't there. He looked toward Gimli, one of Aragorns companions and friends, but he just shrugged.
The King then looked to Faramir, the young captain of Gondor.
"Mae govannen, Haldir!" Legolas said to Haldir, clasping arms with him. "You are most welcome!"
**
Elrond paced his study restlessly. The elves of Rivendell were preparing to leave for the Undying Lands, but his daughter still insisted on staying, staying to wait for her beloved, Aragorn.
He rubbed his face with his hands and thought about the army of elves he had sent to Helm's Deep to aid the Rohirrim.
"It was the least I could do." He muttered to himself and went to check on Arwen.
She lay on a bed, the bed cover twisted in her fingers.
"Arwen, it is time." Elrond said tiredly, looking over his daughters shoulder and out the window.
"I chair gwannar na Valannor. Si bado, no círar"
"I've made my choice." Arwen said firmly, but sadly, tears welling up in her almond shaped eyes.
** Frodo and Sam looked at the young Lady of Rohan in horror.
"What happened?" Sam asked anxiously, running up to her as she entered the room where the two hobbits had been sitting in boredom.
"Oh, this?" She asked, gesturing to the cut on her face. "It's nothing," She lied, smoothing her hair down with trembling fingers. "I fell,"
Frodo wasn't convinced and he stared at her, hard. "Why do you cry then? You do not seem the type to cry over a little cut."
Eowyn shook her head, a watery smile creeping over her small face. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Master Frodo?
Frodo shrugged and turned to Sam who was laughing silently.
"What happened, though?" Frodo asked, a serious expression on his face.
"Nothing, well, nothing I'd be in a hurry to share with you." She said and smiled at them both.
"I must find my uncle." She said and excused herself from the room.
**
Merry and Pippin stared at Treebeard in shock.
"You WHAT?" They said in unison.
Treebeard chuckled and replied slowly, as per usual.
"I know where your friends are." He said matter of factly. "The White Wizard told me."
"I wish you'd tell us who your 'White Wizard' is." Merry grumbled and looked back at Isengard. Treebeard was carrying them after the army of Isengard, which was now only about four thousand strong.
"Never mind that." Pippin said, a worried look on his face. "Where are you taking us?"
"To your friends, of course. The White Wizard said that he'd be there, and we need to talk. He was awfully hasty last time we spoke."
** When Galadriel awoke from her spelled sleep, she was greeted by the most hideous sight she had ever seen. She never knew that a land could look for dead and full of devastation as Mordor did. She looked around her desperately, finding herself on a low bed with silken sheets. She crawled backwards away from the image and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
"You do not like what you see, my Lady?" A poisonous voice asked. Galadriel longed to hide from the voice but it was impossible, the spell holding her stronger then ever.
"Soon, all this will be changed. With your power and mine, this land will be beautiful again."
Galadriel shook her head and was about to rise when she realised her clothes had been removed and she was naked beneath the sheet. Raw anger welled up inside her as Sauron began to explain the absence of her clothing.
"You dress was awfully torn, I have one to replace it." He began, but was cut off as Galadriel drew the sheet around her and stormed in his direction.
"How DARE YOU!" She screamed and slapped him hard across the face, causing Sauron to far backwards. Anger burned in his eyes but it was nothing compared to that of Galadriel.
He began to stand but she pushed him down with her heel.
"You drag me from my home, KILL my HUSBAND in front of my eyes, threaten to kill my granddaughter and her father, threatened to destroy my home and that of Arwen and Elrond, you drag me here to your "home" and then you take what last remains of my dignity and cast it away as if it doesn't matter!!" She shrieked, her voice tiring after every word.
Sauron pushed her foot away and stood. He was about to reach out to take Galadriels arm, but she pulled away, tightening her grip on the silken sheet.
"Don't you touch me," She said in a low, dangerous voice, her eyes darkened with fury.
"Or I swear by the Valar that I'll kill you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sooooooooo sorry for not updating earlier! I had MAJOR writers block and that is not good. I don't know when the next chapter will be up cos I still don't have many ideas...but I know where its going..so I suppose that's a good thing.
Please R&R!