"Harry," Cho's voice rang clearly through the fiery cavern, "Harry, don't
destroy the Ring! Your so called "friends" are really tricking you. Sauron
is good, not evil!"
Harry stood, torn between the choices: Cho wouldn't lie to him, she had to be right! But, how could Gandalf and everyone be tricking him? They were so sincere and they were depending on him. Harry shifted uneasily: his choice now would decide the fate of Middle-Earth.
Just then, the Black Men arrived at the entrance to the cavern. The Captain was wearing his version of a grim smile. He strode forward, moving very quickly towards Harry, sending all the others cowering into the shadows with fright. The others moving swiftly behind him, with drawn blades that were wreathed with flames.
The Captain drew his sword, and Harry noticed a strange black jewel in its hilt. It glittered so beautifully in the light, and it was as black as Harry's feathers when he transformed. Around it were intricate engravings, not Elvish, but a flowing script. The jewel seemed to call Harry and his jaw slackened as he was drawn into a trance.
Harry began to believe Cho must be right as the Captain drew nearer. Then Cho's last sentence echoed in his ears, "Sauron is good, not evil!"
Then he realized that it was fake, Cho would never tell him such a horrible lie. The Captain reached him and lifted his sword to deliver a fatal blow-
"Liar!" Harry shouted and threw the Ring with all his strength into the flames. He saw the golden band glitter one last time before it disappeared into the flames. For a split second, time stood still.
Then, with resounding shrieks of agony and defeat, the Black Riders vanished.
The cavern began to shake violently, rocks falling from the ceiling, the flames almost touching the top of the cave.
"Harry!" Ron yelled over the din, "Harry! Transform! Take the hobbits on your back! Quickly! We don't have much time before the mountain falls!"
With that, Ron pulled Hermione onto the Firebolt in front of him and zoomed out of the cavern.
Harry concentrated on the form of a raven and began transforming, when a force pushed him back into human form. He tried again, with the same results. He didn't understand, and time was running out!
Then a fiery eye appeared in front of Harry and a harsh, scraping voice said coolly, "If I can't survive, neither will you!"
"No!" Harry retorted, "If it was just me, maybe, but I won't let the two hobbits die!"
He forced all of his concentration into being a raven; he even momentarily forgot about Sauron. He was partway....
Then he broke the shell of Sauron's power around him and completed the transformation.
Sam and Frodo jumped onto his back as he soared out of the cavern.
Behind them the mountain began to collapse; gigantic rocks tumbled down the mountain and they could hear Sauron bellowing in despair and defeat as the cavern collapsed. Yellow lightning pierced the sky and thunder rumbled as the red orange lava streamed from the crumbling mountain. Coal black clouds that poured fire surrounded the mountain.
Harry and the hobbits caught up with Ron and Hermione quickly and the group flew as fast as the wind back to Minas Tirith.
************************************************************************ Alanna sat on the stone wall of the garden in the House of Healing, staring toward the east. Meridelle, a bandage on her leg, sat beside her. She brushed a strand of blond hair out of her face and sighed, thinking about Harry.
"Where is he?" Alanna didn't realize she was speaking aloud until her sister spoke, "I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope so," she replied forlornly. A single tear slid down her cheek, she brushed it away, she had to be strong.
"I know so," said a voice behind her. Alanna turned to find Legolas smiling at her, "He is doing very well. I have a feeling they already accomplished their Quest. It is just a feeling, but I think it's right."
Suddenly, great rumbling came from the east. Lava streamed from the mountains and black clouds that poured fire gathered around the lone mountain in the middle. A great orange fire flew to the sky, formed a warrior, let out a cry of rage, then disappeared.
Alanna gasped: this sudden storm could only mean one thing: the Quest had failed and Harry was dead.
She ran to Legolas and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing. He put his arm around her and said nothing, comforting her silently. They stood like this for a while, then abruptly, Alanna stopped weeping.
She looked up at Legolas, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Brother," she spoke clearly with steel in her voice, "I will not let this happen." ************************************************************************
The group flew quickly to Minas Tirith, barely stopping to rest. On the morning of the fourth day, the reached the stone wall, and Harry collapsed, unable to go farther. A great shout went up and Aragorn came running up. The next half hour was a blur for all of the members of the group that had come from the Black Land. They were all taken to the guesthouse and sent to sleep, except for Harry, who was given a brew to give him enough energy to transform back into a human before he fell asleep.
When Ron awoke, Meridelle was sitting by his bedside, smoothing cream onto a burn he had received in Mordor. He smiled at her, turned, and fell asleep again.
Hermione awoke to a melodic chant and the Legolas bending over her and healing her bruises and cuts. He saw she was awake and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in an enormous hug. She sighed with content and fell back into a deep sleep.
Alanna stood atop a hill in shining silver armor. She held Elendil's sword in her hand and had a bow slung over her shoulder. She had the strangest look in her eyes: the look of someone who knows they are going to die. Then the image blurred, and a new image appeared, Alanna had marched out to battle and was fighting against a troop of orcs ten times the size of her troops. A sword was slashing toward her neck. she didn't notice and wasn't lifting her shield, she could never raise it in time. Harry woke up with a start: it was all a dream. He sighed heavily and asked Legolas, who was standing beside Hermione, "Where's Alanna?"
"She's gone," Legolas replied.
"What do you mean?" Harry shook as he managed to get the words out of his mouth.
"She thought you were dead and the world as we know it would end, so she marched out to battle," Legolas told him in a strangely croaky, emotional voice. Harry noticed he had tears in his eyes.
"NO!" Harry yelled and was about to jump out of bed, when Legolas shoved a goblet to his lips, forcing a sweet liquid down his throat. Harry remembered thinking, "It's like my dream, Alanna will die!" before the sleeping potion took effect and everything blacked out. ************************************************************************
*three days before*
"Brother," Alanna spoke clearly with steel in her voice, "I will not let this happen."
Legolas looked at her, his eyes full of pain, then whispered, "All right." He crushed her in an embrace, then pulled back, looking straight into her stormy blue eyes, "Come."
He led her, with Meridelle following, to their house, into his room, and up to a carved wooden chest inlaid with precious metals and stones. It was locked magically, and Alanna had always wondered what was in it, but had never succeeded in finding out.
"I, lvene orhbret, mdaocmn oyu ot enpo!" he chanted. The doors suddenly slid open, and Alanna gasped as she peered inside. A suit of armor, magically suspended, so bright that Alanna had to shield her eyes. It was beautiful, with Elvish engravings and diamonds and sapphires encrusted around the neck, on the helmet, and on the hilt of the sword. It was made of mithril- but the rarest, most valuable, most beautiful type of mithril-rivolil.
"All swords break on it," Legolas said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder, "it will protect you better than I ever could. Alanna," his voice cracked with emotion as he looked deep into her stubborn blue eyes, "I cannot come with you. I must stay incase Sauron strikes Minas Tirith."
"I know," she replied, "this time it must be me alone. I go to war."
Harry stood, torn between the choices: Cho wouldn't lie to him, she had to be right! But, how could Gandalf and everyone be tricking him? They were so sincere and they were depending on him. Harry shifted uneasily: his choice now would decide the fate of Middle-Earth.
Just then, the Black Men arrived at the entrance to the cavern. The Captain was wearing his version of a grim smile. He strode forward, moving very quickly towards Harry, sending all the others cowering into the shadows with fright. The others moving swiftly behind him, with drawn blades that were wreathed with flames.
The Captain drew his sword, and Harry noticed a strange black jewel in its hilt. It glittered so beautifully in the light, and it was as black as Harry's feathers when he transformed. Around it were intricate engravings, not Elvish, but a flowing script. The jewel seemed to call Harry and his jaw slackened as he was drawn into a trance.
Harry began to believe Cho must be right as the Captain drew nearer. Then Cho's last sentence echoed in his ears, "Sauron is good, not evil!"
Then he realized that it was fake, Cho would never tell him such a horrible lie. The Captain reached him and lifted his sword to deliver a fatal blow-
"Liar!" Harry shouted and threw the Ring with all his strength into the flames. He saw the golden band glitter one last time before it disappeared into the flames. For a split second, time stood still.
Then, with resounding shrieks of agony and defeat, the Black Riders vanished.
The cavern began to shake violently, rocks falling from the ceiling, the flames almost touching the top of the cave.
"Harry!" Ron yelled over the din, "Harry! Transform! Take the hobbits on your back! Quickly! We don't have much time before the mountain falls!"
With that, Ron pulled Hermione onto the Firebolt in front of him and zoomed out of the cavern.
Harry concentrated on the form of a raven and began transforming, when a force pushed him back into human form. He tried again, with the same results. He didn't understand, and time was running out!
Then a fiery eye appeared in front of Harry and a harsh, scraping voice said coolly, "If I can't survive, neither will you!"
"No!" Harry retorted, "If it was just me, maybe, but I won't let the two hobbits die!"
He forced all of his concentration into being a raven; he even momentarily forgot about Sauron. He was partway....
Then he broke the shell of Sauron's power around him and completed the transformation.
Sam and Frodo jumped onto his back as he soared out of the cavern.
Behind them the mountain began to collapse; gigantic rocks tumbled down the mountain and they could hear Sauron bellowing in despair and defeat as the cavern collapsed. Yellow lightning pierced the sky and thunder rumbled as the red orange lava streamed from the crumbling mountain. Coal black clouds that poured fire surrounded the mountain.
Harry and the hobbits caught up with Ron and Hermione quickly and the group flew as fast as the wind back to Minas Tirith.
************************************************************************ Alanna sat on the stone wall of the garden in the House of Healing, staring toward the east. Meridelle, a bandage on her leg, sat beside her. She brushed a strand of blond hair out of her face and sighed, thinking about Harry.
"Where is he?" Alanna didn't realize she was speaking aloud until her sister spoke, "I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope so," she replied forlornly. A single tear slid down her cheek, she brushed it away, she had to be strong.
"I know so," said a voice behind her. Alanna turned to find Legolas smiling at her, "He is doing very well. I have a feeling they already accomplished their Quest. It is just a feeling, but I think it's right."
Suddenly, great rumbling came from the east. Lava streamed from the mountains and black clouds that poured fire gathered around the lone mountain in the middle. A great orange fire flew to the sky, formed a warrior, let out a cry of rage, then disappeared.
Alanna gasped: this sudden storm could only mean one thing: the Quest had failed and Harry was dead.
She ran to Legolas and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing. He put his arm around her and said nothing, comforting her silently. They stood like this for a while, then abruptly, Alanna stopped weeping.
She looked up at Legolas, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Brother," she spoke clearly with steel in her voice, "I will not let this happen." ************************************************************************
The group flew quickly to Minas Tirith, barely stopping to rest. On the morning of the fourth day, the reached the stone wall, and Harry collapsed, unable to go farther. A great shout went up and Aragorn came running up. The next half hour was a blur for all of the members of the group that had come from the Black Land. They were all taken to the guesthouse and sent to sleep, except for Harry, who was given a brew to give him enough energy to transform back into a human before he fell asleep.
When Ron awoke, Meridelle was sitting by his bedside, smoothing cream onto a burn he had received in Mordor. He smiled at her, turned, and fell asleep again.
Hermione awoke to a melodic chant and the Legolas bending over her and healing her bruises and cuts. He saw she was awake and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in an enormous hug. She sighed with content and fell back into a deep sleep.
Alanna stood atop a hill in shining silver armor. She held Elendil's sword in her hand and had a bow slung over her shoulder. She had the strangest look in her eyes: the look of someone who knows they are going to die. Then the image blurred, and a new image appeared, Alanna had marched out to battle and was fighting against a troop of orcs ten times the size of her troops. A sword was slashing toward her neck. she didn't notice and wasn't lifting her shield, she could never raise it in time. Harry woke up with a start: it was all a dream. He sighed heavily and asked Legolas, who was standing beside Hermione, "Where's Alanna?"
"She's gone," Legolas replied.
"What do you mean?" Harry shook as he managed to get the words out of his mouth.
"She thought you were dead and the world as we know it would end, so she marched out to battle," Legolas told him in a strangely croaky, emotional voice. Harry noticed he had tears in his eyes.
"NO!" Harry yelled and was about to jump out of bed, when Legolas shoved a goblet to his lips, forcing a sweet liquid down his throat. Harry remembered thinking, "It's like my dream, Alanna will die!" before the sleeping potion took effect and everything blacked out. ************************************************************************
*three days before*
"Brother," Alanna spoke clearly with steel in her voice, "I will not let this happen."
Legolas looked at her, his eyes full of pain, then whispered, "All right." He crushed her in an embrace, then pulled back, looking straight into her stormy blue eyes, "Come."
He led her, with Meridelle following, to their house, into his room, and up to a carved wooden chest inlaid with precious metals and stones. It was locked magically, and Alanna had always wondered what was in it, but had never succeeded in finding out.
"I, lvene orhbret, mdaocmn oyu ot enpo!" he chanted. The doors suddenly slid open, and Alanna gasped as she peered inside. A suit of armor, magically suspended, so bright that Alanna had to shield her eyes. It was beautiful, with Elvish engravings and diamonds and sapphires encrusted around the neck, on the helmet, and on the hilt of the sword. It was made of mithril- but the rarest, most valuable, most beautiful type of mithril-rivolil.
"All swords break on it," Legolas said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder, "it will protect you better than I ever could. Alanna," his voice cracked with emotion as he looked deep into her stubborn blue eyes, "I cannot come with you. I must stay incase Sauron strikes Minas Tirith."
"I know," she replied, "this time it must be me alone. I go to war."