Chapter One
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from LOTR, Honora and Anarvende however, I do own. :D don't sue. I'm broke anyways, well no, I'm in debt.
This story takes place after the Battle of Gondor in the third book of Lord of the Rings; Return of the King.
"Lord Faramir!" the rider cried as she sped towards the White City. "Lord Faramir!"
"Halt! Who comes before the gates of Minas Tirith?" The guard at the gates called.
"A friend of the son of the Steward of Gondor, Faramir." She called as her horse shifted uneasily from foot to foot at the devastation surrounding the city. "What evil has come here that it has scorched the ground surrounding the White Tree?"
"The evils of Mordor scorched the ground surrounding the White City, but we have had no news of your arrival and therefore cannot allow you to enter the city of Gondor without the password. For we have never seen your face around here before and the new Steward of Gondor is resting in the House of Healing. If you know the password, speak it now or be on your way. Only those who know the password may enter the city." The guard ordered.
"I know no passwords, guard. But still I beg that you let me enter your city. I must speak with my Lord, Farimir. We have met in the past and at that time I offered him my service. He sent me away on an errand and now I have returned and have the news he seeks. Please let me see my Lord." She begged and pulled the hood from her head.
"You are an Elf, I see. Elves have long been the allies of Men and are seldom known to speak any untruths. But still yet I cannot let you enter this City at this time. If you come back again days later, at least ten, when Lord Farimir is well again we may be able to grant you entrance to the White City then." The guard said boldly. "We hope you will understand the reasons for actions, but the city is in hard times and any stranger is regarded suspiciously."
"When you come to your senses, send someone to Lord Faramir, and tell him that Honora has come to the gate and been sent away. We'll see how you like to face his wrath then." She called and wheeled her horse back towards the forest and rode off at such a speed that was unwise over such a war torn terrain.
When she reached the forest she dismounted her horse and angrily took some rope and other such supplies from her pack. "Run free for a while, Anarvende. But come swiftly when I call." She said gently to the horse. She watched for a moment as the golden mare trotted off further into the dark forest.
"Now then, we'll show them that they cannot bar me from my Master." She muttered and crept towards the back wall of the city. When she arrived she found that, during the great battle no orc or any of the other allies of Mordor had journeyed this far around the city. She quickly tied the pick to the rope and tosses it over the wall. It caught on the top and she pulled the rope tight. It held strong. Honora quickly scaled the walls but as she flipped over the top one of the sentry's called out in alarm.
"You there! Stop and surrender or we'll pluck you from that wall!" The sentry called and she saw others come forward with bows already armed with arrows pointed in her direction.
She stopped for a moment to consider her options. She could surrender and be taken to either the Prince who was temporarily in control of the city of directly to the dungeons. Or she could make a run for it and hope that she could make it to the House of Healing before she was fallen. The only way she would get to her Master would be to run for the Prince would dare not let and intruder to see the new Steward of Gondor.
She carefully noted all the positions of the guards who surrounded her. Six to her right and another four on her left or before her. They were spaced fairly widely and they all were bowmen. She knew that once she got amongst them they would not fire but once she got past they would follow in quick pursuit and she would have to be as nimble as a deer to avoid the hunters.
She leapt down from the wall and quickly ran past. She knew where the House of Healing was only by her Lords detailed descriptions of the White City. From where she was she had yet a long journey to reach her Master and from the looks of it she would be hunted the whole way. She ducked between buildings and anything else she could fit behind to escape the arrows that followed her.
The guards called after her to halt but she heeded them not and continued on her desperate journey. She reached the House of Healing surprisingly unscathed almost a half and hour later.
"Stop you intruder. Assassin!" They cried as they ran behind them. No man could run as fast nor as swiftly as an Elf, perhaps with the exception of Aragorn and his Rangers of the North. But not the guards that followed her now.
As she entered the courtyard to the House of Healing she saw a strange sight indeed, although, she did not have time to marvel at it. An Elf, a Dwarf, and two Hobbits sat on the ledge all talking together as would old friends. The Elf, however, hearing the cries of the guards behind her calling her an assassin stood and aimed his bow at her. She dove and rolled out of the way of his arrow with no time to spare then hopped up and charged into the House of Healing.
"Where is Lord Faramir?" she demanded from the first healer she came across.
"In the room at the end of the hall. Should I go to him and tell him he has a visitor?" she asked warily. Just then the Elf that had shot his bow at her ran into the door behind her. He drew his knife.
"Nye harya la lu nin sina si, Heru." (I have no time for this now, Lord) She said and ran past the healer and down the hall towards Farimir. She rushed through the door and closed it again quickly but was distressed to find that the door had no lock on it from the inside.
"What hunts you in the White City that you would wish to lock the door against it rather than fight?" A familiar voice asked from behind her. She turned and quickly knelt next to his bed.
"My Lord, I have come with what you sent me away to find." She said quietly.
"You did not answer my question, Honora. It is not in your character to run from any battle no matter how dangerous or in how many number the foe be." He said.
She did not need to answer though, for at that moment the Elf that had hunted her from the courtyard rushed through the door, followed by the Dwarf, a Hobbit, and half the sentry guards from the walls. She stood proudly and her hand went to the hilt of her sword.
"What is the meaning of this, Legolas? And why are you sentry guards not at the wall?" Faramir demanded and weakly sat up in bed.
"She is an assassin, my Lord. We were only thinking of your own safety." The lead guard said boldly and stood up slightly straighter. "She scaled the wall and ran from our calls."
"An assassin? You're a bloody idiot. Were the gates barred from you, Honora?" Faramir asked angrily.
"They were. They said you were too ill to be called on and that in such uncertain times I could not be allowed to entered without the correct password." She said proudly. "You gave me no passwords, my Lord."
"No, I did not think you would need one. But now away all of you. I have much to discuss with my assassin." He said sarcastically and leaned back against his pillow.
"Are you sure my Lord? She broke into the City of Gondor." The Elf asked in concern.
"I am sure, Legolas. She has sworn herself to me. We met outside of the forest of Fangorn and after a battle with a hoard of Orcs, I saved her and she offered me her sword and loyalty. Now away with you and do not worry. Go, rather, to Aragorn or your chambers and prepare for your journey, and you guards, back to your posts."
They all left but Legolas held back a moment. He met eyes with Honora and they held each others gazes for a moment. It seemed almost to Faramir that some magical electricity was crackling between them. But to Honora, it felt like a thousand eyes were looking into her very being, poking and prodding, examining every detail to find and hint of evil. She held his gaze out of pride alone and she would be damned if she backed down to an Elf that couldn't tell an assassin from a messenger. After a moment he nodded and walked out.
"You do not like, Legolas?" Faramir asked, picking up on the glare she had shot at his back as he left the room.
"No doubt he is a valiant fighter, but he's slightly lacking in the mind." She said spitefully.
Faramir laughed, "You know not of what you speak! But, tell me, how did your errand go? You have been gone quite a while and your task was one of urgent matters."
"I was slightly delayed, I am sorry my Lord." She said quietly. " But anyhow, I acquired the information you wished for. And, as you suspected, the Men of the South have allied themselves with the Enemy. We will find no help from them should we go to them and ask for help. They are vile and uncivilized. They use lethal poisons on all their weapons but I managed to find an antidote for it. That is one more thing that delayed my arrival."
"And the other things would be?" He asked, concerned for his friend and faithful ally. She was not usually so distracted. She usually would say all that was on her mind and leave no details out.
"I was captured but I refuse to speak of those horrid times. I will never speak of those times, not even under order by threat of death. Forgive me, my Lord, I am still your faithful servant but I cannot speak of those times, it was more terrible than you could imagine." She cried, and for the first time Faramir saw her weep.
"I will not order you to speak of those times but I will ask you, what did you learn of the Men of the South?" He asked, quite concerned. The strong Elven warrior had never seemed to have even possessed the ability to feel the weak emotions; fear, despair, loneliness, and least of all sadness.
"They fight near naked, the only clothes upon their bodies are the tribal garments. Soft flowing red silk, it holds no defense against a foes blow. Their weapons, as I said before, and laden with poison but I have found the cure for it. The poison sends the victim into a state of insanity, you see things that are not truly before you and things you would not ever wish to exist. It takes all of your worst nightmares and puts them into your own personal Hell.
" If they ride, it is on the backs of Oliphants, like the Southrons, or on the backs of nimble gazelles, as they call them. They are swift like deer, but smaller in stature and have two curved horns upon their heads. The Men of the North and the Men of the South will not be allied during this war." She said, but as she spoke she seemed detached, her voice was cold and lifeless, devoid of emotion.
"What's wrong, Legolas?" Pippin asked in his usual cheerful manner. "You've been distracted since we left the city."
"No, before that, lad. Since we left the House of Healing." Gimli said as the army of Men left Gondor on its way to Mordor. He sat upon the horse before Legolas, Pippin rode beside them on the grey pony that had been given to Merry from the King of Rohan. Merry however, was not allowed to join them on that journey for he was injured from slaying the King of the Nazgul.
"Surely your not still worried about that Elf in the House of Healing. Lord Faramir vouched for her, he said he would be safe. And besides, she was just a she-Elf. Not very dangerous, I'd reckon, Faramir is in no danger." Pippin said calmly.
"Then you'd reckon wrong, Peregrin. She is as dangerous as any man and perhaps even more so. Within her lies a hidden power, I felt it though I do not know what it is. It is very strong whatever it is. When we return, if we return, I will watch her very closely. I do not know why, but my instinct tells me that if the Enemy of the freedom of Middle-Earth takes her, we will not last long thereafter." Legolas said solemnly.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from LOTR, Honora and Anarvende however, I do own. :D don't sue. I'm broke anyways, well no, I'm in debt.
This story takes place after the Battle of Gondor in the third book of Lord of the Rings; Return of the King.
"Lord Faramir!" the rider cried as she sped towards the White City. "Lord Faramir!"
"Halt! Who comes before the gates of Minas Tirith?" The guard at the gates called.
"A friend of the son of the Steward of Gondor, Faramir." She called as her horse shifted uneasily from foot to foot at the devastation surrounding the city. "What evil has come here that it has scorched the ground surrounding the White Tree?"
"The evils of Mordor scorched the ground surrounding the White City, but we have had no news of your arrival and therefore cannot allow you to enter the city of Gondor without the password. For we have never seen your face around here before and the new Steward of Gondor is resting in the House of Healing. If you know the password, speak it now or be on your way. Only those who know the password may enter the city." The guard ordered.
"I know no passwords, guard. But still I beg that you let me enter your city. I must speak with my Lord, Farimir. We have met in the past and at that time I offered him my service. He sent me away on an errand and now I have returned and have the news he seeks. Please let me see my Lord." She begged and pulled the hood from her head.
"You are an Elf, I see. Elves have long been the allies of Men and are seldom known to speak any untruths. But still yet I cannot let you enter this City at this time. If you come back again days later, at least ten, when Lord Farimir is well again we may be able to grant you entrance to the White City then." The guard said boldly. "We hope you will understand the reasons for actions, but the city is in hard times and any stranger is regarded suspiciously."
"When you come to your senses, send someone to Lord Faramir, and tell him that Honora has come to the gate and been sent away. We'll see how you like to face his wrath then." She called and wheeled her horse back towards the forest and rode off at such a speed that was unwise over such a war torn terrain.
When she reached the forest she dismounted her horse and angrily took some rope and other such supplies from her pack. "Run free for a while, Anarvende. But come swiftly when I call." She said gently to the horse. She watched for a moment as the golden mare trotted off further into the dark forest.
"Now then, we'll show them that they cannot bar me from my Master." She muttered and crept towards the back wall of the city. When she arrived she found that, during the great battle no orc or any of the other allies of Mordor had journeyed this far around the city. She quickly tied the pick to the rope and tosses it over the wall. It caught on the top and she pulled the rope tight. It held strong. Honora quickly scaled the walls but as she flipped over the top one of the sentry's called out in alarm.
"You there! Stop and surrender or we'll pluck you from that wall!" The sentry called and she saw others come forward with bows already armed with arrows pointed in her direction.
She stopped for a moment to consider her options. She could surrender and be taken to either the Prince who was temporarily in control of the city of directly to the dungeons. Or she could make a run for it and hope that she could make it to the House of Healing before she was fallen. The only way she would get to her Master would be to run for the Prince would dare not let and intruder to see the new Steward of Gondor.
She carefully noted all the positions of the guards who surrounded her. Six to her right and another four on her left or before her. They were spaced fairly widely and they all were bowmen. She knew that once she got amongst them they would not fire but once she got past they would follow in quick pursuit and she would have to be as nimble as a deer to avoid the hunters.
She leapt down from the wall and quickly ran past. She knew where the House of Healing was only by her Lords detailed descriptions of the White City. From where she was she had yet a long journey to reach her Master and from the looks of it she would be hunted the whole way. She ducked between buildings and anything else she could fit behind to escape the arrows that followed her.
The guards called after her to halt but she heeded them not and continued on her desperate journey. She reached the House of Healing surprisingly unscathed almost a half and hour later.
"Stop you intruder. Assassin!" They cried as they ran behind them. No man could run as fast nor as swiftly as an Elf, perhaps with the exception of Aragorn and his Rangers of the North. But not the guards that followed her now.
As she entered the courtyard to the House of Healing she saw a strange sight indeed, although, she did not have time to marvel at it. An Elf, a Dwarf, and two Hobbits sat on the ledge all talking together as would old friends. The Elf, however, hearing the cries of the guards behind her calling her an assassin stood and aimed his bow at her. She dove and rolled out of the way of his arrow with no time to spare then hopped up and charged into the House of Healing.
"Where is Lord Faramir?" she demanded from the first healer she came across.
"In the room at the end of the hall. Should I go to him and tell him he has a visitor?" she asked warily. Just then the Elf that had shot his bow at her ran into the door behind her. He drew his knife.
"Nye harya la lu nin sina si, Heru." (I have no time for this now, Lord) She said and ran past the healer and down the hall towards Farimir. She rushed through the door and closed it again quickly but was distressed to find that the door had no lock on it from the inside.
"What hunts you in the White City that you would wish to lock the door against it rather than fight?" A familiar voice asked from behind her. She turned and quickly knelt next to his bed.
"My Lord, I have come with what you sent me away to find." She said quietly.
"You did not answer my question, Honora. It is not in your character to run from any battle no matter how dangerous or in how many number the foe be." He said.
She did not need to answer though, for at that moment the Elf that had hunted her from the courtyard rushed through the door, followed by the Dwarf, a Hobbit, and half the sentry guards from the walls. She stood proudly and her hand went to the hilt of her sword.
"What is the meaning of this, Legolas? And why are you sentry guards not at the wall?" Faramir demanded and weakly sat up in bed.
"She is an assassin, my Lord. We were only thinking of your own safety." The lead guard said boldly and stood up slightly straighter. "She scaled the wall and ran from our calls."
"An assassin? You're a bloody idiot. Were the gates barred from you, Honora?" Faramir asked angrily.
"They were. They said you were too ill to be called on and that in such uncertain times I could not be allowed to entered without the correct password." She said proudly. "You gave me no passwords, my Lord."
"No, I did not think you would need one. But now away all of you. I have much to discuss with my assassin." He said sarcastically and leaned back against his pillow.
"Are you sure my Lord? She broke into the City of Gondor." The Elf asked in concern.
"I am sure, Legolas. She has sworn herself to me. We met outside of the forest of Fangorn and after a battle with a hoard of Orcs, I saved her and she offered me her sword and loyalty. Now away with you and do not worry. Go, rather, to Aragorn or your chambers and prepare for your journey, and you guards, back to your posts."
They all left but Legolas held back a moment. He met eyes with Honora and they held each others gazes for a moment. It seemed almost to Faramir that some magical electricity was crackling between them. But to Honora, it felt like a thousand eyes were looking into her very being, poking and prodding, examining every detail to find and hint of evil. She held his gaze out of pride alone and she would be damned if she backed down to an Elf that couldn't tell an assassin from a messenger. After a moment he nodded and walked out.
"You do not like, Legolas?" Faramir asked, picking up on the glare she had shot at his back as he left the room.
"No doubt he is a valiant fighter, but he's slightly lacking in the mind." She said spitefully.
Faramir laughed, "You know not of what you speak! But, tell me, how did your errand go? You have been gone quite a while and your task was one of urgent matters."
"I was slightly delayed, I am sorry my Lord." She said quietly. " But anyhow, I acquired the information you wished for. And, as you suspected, the Men of the South have allied themselves with the Enemy. We will find no help from them should we go to them and ask for help. They are vile and uncivilized. They use lethal poisons on all their weapons but I managed to find an antidote for it. That is one more thing that delayed my arrival."
"And the other things would be?" He asked, concerned for his friend and faithful ally. She was not usually so distracted. She usually would say all that was on her mind and leave no details out.
"I was captured but I refuse to speak of those horrid times. I will never speak of those times, not even under order by threat of death. Forgive me, my Lord, I am still your faithful servant but I cannot speak of those times, it was more terrible than you could imagine." She cried, and for the first time Faramir saw her weep.
"I will not order you to speak of those times but I will ask you, what did you learn of the Men of the South?" He asked, quite concerned. The strong Elven warrior had never seemed to have even possessed the ability to feel the weak emotions; fear, despair, loneliness, and least of all sadness.
"They fight near naked, the only clothes upon their bodies are the tribal garments. Soft flowing red silk, it holds no defense against a foes blow. Their weapons, as I said before, and laden with poison but I have found the cure for it. The poison sends the victim into a state of insanity, you see things that are not truly before you and things you would not ever wish to exist. It takes all of your worst nightmares and puts them into your own personal Hell.
" If they ride, it is on the backs of Oliphants, like the Southrons, or on the backs of nimble gazelles, as they call them. They are swift like deer, but smaller in stature and have two curved horns upon their heads. The Men of the North and the Men of the South will not be allied during this war." She said, but as she spoke she seemed detached, her voice was cold and lifeless, devoid of emotion.
"What's wrong, Legolas?" Pippin asked in his usual cheerful manner. "You've been distracted since we left the city."
"No, before that, lad. Since we left the House of Healing." Gimli said as the army of Men left Gondor on its way to Mordor. He sat upon the horse before Legolas, Pippin rode beside them on the grey pony that had been given to Merry from the King of Rohan. Merry however, was not allowed to join them on that journey for he was injured from slaying the King of the Nazgul.
"Surely your not still worried about that Elf in the House of Healing. Lord Faramir vouched for her, he said he would be safe. And besides, she was just a she-Elf. Not very dangerous, I'd reckon, Faramir is in no danger." Pippin said calmly.
"Then you'd reckon wrong, Peregrin. She is as dangerous as any man and perhaps even more so. Within her lies a hidden power, I felt it though I do not know what it is. It is very strong whatever it is. When we return, if we return, I will watch her very closely. I do not know why, but my instinct tells me that if the Enemy of the freedom of Middle-Earth takes her, we will not last long thereafter." Legolas said solemnly.