Chapter Thirteen
In the vast stone cavern beneath Marmo's castle, the voices of hundreds of men, women, children, and warriors echoed. Ashram looked warily around, not at all keen on the idea of being underground.
"Do you hear something, your Highness?" Maar asked, as he leaned heavily on Grievus' shoulder for support.
"No, it's more like I feel something. There is something older and darker down here. Let's get moving." Ashram said, anxiously, as he led the way.
"Queen Pirotess, are you sure he knows his way through?" Gandalf asked.
"He should know his way around down here, since he's studied all of the maps of Marmo since childhood. He's been thinking of clearing this tunnel for an emergency escape route for some time now." Pirotess replied, quietly.
"I see. Where does this lead?" Gandalf again asked.
"It leads to the beach, close to where the Elves from the Undying Lands left their boats. From there it will be a short distance to the Bridge." Pirotess said, unslinging her bow when she heard some Orcs shriek in the darkness.
"This reminds me too much of Moria." Legolas murmured, looking behind him every now and again, as though expecting to see a balrog chasing them.
"Aye. Complete with Orcs." Gimli muttered, remembering with distaste the flight through the mine.
"Let's just hope that the Bridge of Khazad-dum doesn't repeat itself." Legolas said, as a shudder traveled down his spine.
"This reminds me of Ganondorf's castle." Kage said, as he peered into the darkness.
"Places like this bring back memories in a lot of people, Kage. And most of those memories are not pleasant." Link said, as he listened to mothers trying to comfort their frightened children.
"No kidding." Navi agreed, as they continued on through the dark tunnel. Eventually, they did come to the exit, but this wasn't without struggle. Many of the surviving archers were running low on arrows, and the swordsmen were sore and weary. But this didn't dampen Ashram's fighting spirit.
"To the bridge!" Ashram shouted, motioning towards the bridge with the Glamdring. Without another word, all of them started running. Behind them, they could hear the roaring of the Orcs.
"Warriors! Surround the women and children! Keep them to the center!" Parn cried, as screams of fear and death came from the people they were trying to evacuate. With Gandalf's help (and that of the three Sages) they reached the bridge after so much difficulty.
"Come on! Safety is on the other side! Valis is waiting!" Link shouted, hoping to keep the people's hopes alive.
"That's right! The Holy City is on the other side of this bridge! Just keep going for a little bit longer!" Rain said, as she blasted some Orcs away. Exhausted and frightened, the people followed the hopeful voices.
"I just hope that the bridge hasn't been cut." Ashram thought, as he led the way.
On Lodoss, Lina and her group were riding hard. They could see a reddish glow on the clouds that was coming from Marmo.
"We're not going to make it!" Filia said, hopelessly, as they continued their mad dash through the night.
"Don't say that! We're gonna make it! We've got to!" Lina shouted, desperately.
"Lina! There's a rider coming towards us!" Gourry said, as the sounds of approaching hooves came to their ears.
"The question is, is this rider a friend or a foe?" Xellos mused.
"One way to find out. Illumination!" Lina shouted, as they all drew rein and waited. They didn't have to wait long; for almost as soon as they had stopped, the rider in question skidded to a halt before them.
"Lina Inverse?" the rider asked, suddenly.
"That's me. Who're you and what do you want?" Lina asked, warily.
"I was sent by King Etoh to give you this message. He wants you to return to Valis." The rider said, urgently.
"To Valis? Why? Marmo is in trouble!" Filia said, a little angry at this sudden, and seemingly callous, change of plans.
"The way to Marmo has been blocked. The only way we can get there now is by sea." The messenger replied.
"I see. If the people can't be evacuated by land, then they'll be rescued by water." Gourry murmured, for once understanding the underlying thought.
"Yet, if they are to be rescued, then we must hurry. We'll need all the help we can get." The messenger said, with some impatience in his voice.
"All right. To Valis it is, then. Let's hope we're not too late." Lina said, grimly, as they set off again, following the messenger back to Valis.
Back in Flaim, Amelia was still giving the guards a piece of her mind. In the back of the cell, Zelgadis sat silently, enduring the Justice speeches as well as he could.
"My, my, such a ruckus! It's truly a wonder that the guards haven't opened the doors yet for fear that Justice will get them!" a jocular voice said, as its owner appeared before them, carrying a torch in his hand for light.
"Do not mock me!" Amelia shouted, flustered almost to the point of being angry.
"I wouldn't dare mock you, milady, though I was somewhat curious as to what all the shouting was about." The young man said, with an amused smile.
"We came here to get help for Marmo. The last we had heard was that the castle was under siege. The battle could be well under way by now." Zelgadis said, with anger and some bitterness in his voice.
"I understand how you feel. What are your names, if I might be so bold as to ask?" the young man asked, as he sat down on the bench near the cell door. Amelia jumped up.
"My name's Amelia, and this is Zelgadis. What's your name, sir?" Amelia asked.
"I am Arislan, the currently exiled prince of Palse, a kingdom on the mainland you people call Alacrast. I came to this island in the hopes that I could find some help against the Lusitanians, but there is already so much strife here." The young man replied, with sympathy for the people of Lodoss in his eyes.
"Why don't you go back to your land and raise an army there? There's bound to be people who will rally to your cause there." Zelgadis said, sensibly. Arislan shook his head.
"I have already done that. I succeeded for a while, too, until my father returned and banished me to the coast. I was told to gather allies, and that I had to do it alone. It was a suicide mission and he knew it. Luckily for me, though, my friends didn't listen to him and we all came together. I fear that there is now a price on our heads and if we return now, it could prove fatal." Arislan said, grimly.
"I see. You've got a dilemma on your hands. You can't get help here because of the war that's about to begin here and you can't go back since your own father is baying for your blood." Zelgadis said, as the silver-haired prince nodded sadly.
"That is almost exactly what King Kashue had said a few days ago. He also said that we could take refuge here for as long as we wanted. Yet, now that I have heard of the plight that Marmo is faced with, I don't think I'll be able to sit still. I want to help." Arislan said, his true, kindhearted nature showing itself.
"And you may yet be able to." Another voice said, as the owner entered the dungeon.
"King Kashue!" Arislan yelped, surprised that the king had been listening to their conversation.
"How much did you hear, your Highness?" Zelgadis asked, quietly.
"Enough to know that Ashram is in dire straits. And that I cannot send the reinforcements he so desperately needs." Kashue replied, as he motioned to one of the guards to unlock the cell door.
"What can't you send help?" Amelia asked, distressed.
"My own country is in an uproar. The nomad tribes have begun to revolt for no apparent reason. I need all of my men here to protect my kingdom. Had this not been such a troubled time, I would have gladly sent aid to King Ashram." Kashue said, his own eyes troubled.
"Then we came here for nothing." Zelgadis murmured, sounding defeated.
"Not so. I have said that I wanted to help, and I will." Arislan said, earnestly.
"How many friends did you bring with you, Prince Arislan?" Zelgadis asked, skeptical about bringing along yet another royal for the ride.
"Only six, I'm afraid. But each have had some battlefield experience." Arislan said, quietly.
"But eight against a force unnumbered won't make much of a difference, my Prince." Another male voice said, as the warrior who owned it strode into view.
"Daryoon, we can't just ignore this. I know that Palse is still occupied by the Lusitanians , but these people need all the help they can get!" Arislan said, aware of the grave look the swordsman was giving him.
"Yet, if we go, you do know that you will be at a greater risk than if we remained here." Daryoon reasoned. There was a few moments of silence, and Zelgadis could see that Arislan's emotions were warring within him. But then he looked up at the swordsman, his resolve as potent as any magic.
"Daryoon, I know the risks, since we have been up to our ears in them for a little over a year. Yet I am willing to go, no matter what the danger. Some help is better than none at all; you know that." Arislan said, quietly, yet firmly.
"Then so be it. I will follow you without question." Daryoon said, loyally.
"Then we must rouse the others and tell them to ready themselves. With King Kashue's permission, we will leave within the hour." Arislan said, as he looked to the king of Flaim. Kashue nodded.
"I give you my blessing to leave when you want. I am sorry I can't give you anything more." Kashue said, with guilt in his voice.
"Do not trouble yourself over this, your Highness. You are only doing what is best for your kingdom. We would be wrong to blame you for that." Zelgadis said, reassuringly, as Arislan and Daryoon went to awaken their companions.
"Zelgadis-san is right. You're only doing what any good king would do. I only wish we could help you out somehow." Amelia said, as the king smiled gently at her.
"You are both very brave and very wise to understand the plight of my kingdom in spite of what is going on in Marmo. I can only hope that, when this war is over, and the uprisings settle down, we will be able to gather in peace." Kashue said, honestly.
"I hope so too." Amelia agreed, as another guard told them that their horses were saddled and waiting.
"Go on. Ride as fast as the wind to where you are needed the most." Kashue said, watching as the two bowed low, then departed.
"And may the gods watch over them all." Kashue thought, as silence descended upon him.
Ashram panted as he and his comrades battled their way across the bridge. Even though the battle was far from over, Ashram was feeling the effects of the long hours of fighting off Orcs. Even the Dwarves were showing some weariness.
"We can't keep this up forever, Ashram!" Parn said, cursing under his breath as more Orcs attacked.
"I know, but we're a little more than halfway across now. Just keep fighting for a little bit longer." Ashram replied, turning his head when he heard Legolas (who was on his left hand side) stumble.
"Are you all right?" Ashram asked, as he helped steady the exhausted elf.
"I'm all right…………just tired, that's all. This is worse than Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields put together." Legolas replied, as he stood up and again began fighting.
"I don't think there has ever been a battle on Marmo that could compare to this. At least, not in living memory." Ashram thought, as he continued on. Then, suddenly and to Ashram's shock, the bridge ended.
"Back up, everyone! Back up! The Bridge has been cut!" Ashram shouted, as he backpedaled away from his side of the gap. When the people had backed far enough away, Ashram looked at the gap again. The fine marble bridgework had been cruelly hammered away with iron mallets. Across from them, on the other side of the gap, a single RingWraith watched, as though gloating over the evil work that had been done. Ashram stared in shock at the Wraith, but then shock gave way to horror. Horror that he had led his people into even more danger than they had been in to begin with.
"This is your fault." A voice whispered in the back of Ashram's mind.
"My……………..fault?" Ashram thought, numbly.
"Yes. It's your fault that your people are dying tonight." The voice whispered again, this time with more strength.
"I was trying to lead them away from the danger." Ashram thought, as guilt crashed into him.
"But you led them into death." The voice snarled, no longer whispering.
"I didn't know the bridge had been cut!" Ashram's mental voice cried, in anguish. Then, before the voice could say anything more, a horn was heard across the water to the west.
"The Horn of Gondor……………" Legolas murmured, as the horn blew a second time. The second horn blast was what broke the RingWraith's spell over Ashram, and Ashram in turn did something he had never done before.
"A Elbereth Githoniel! You have no power over me!" Ashram shouted, defiantly. With an infuriated screech, the RingWraith departed; and when it did, the dawn came.
"And it is the morning. We have survived yet another long night." Gimli said, sounding tired, even while still fighting.
"Yes." Legolas agreed, then let out a cry of wonder and joy.
"White ships! There are white ships approaching!" Legolas shouted, as the vessels emerged from the mists.
"Valis! Etoh's sent help!" Parn said, with joy in his voice. When the ships were close enough, the evacuation began again in earnest. While Ashram focused on getting his people safely onto the waiting ships, Parn and the remnants of the Free Knight troop he'd brought provided a rearguard for escapees.
"Parn!" Ashram shouted over the din. The gold armored knight glanced over at him.
"I'm going with my people. When we next meet on the battlefield, we will meet as friends." Ashram said, hoping Parn could hear him.
"See you then, King Ashram!" Parn replied, before going back to fighting the Orcs. After many hours and ship changes, all of the remaining people and most of the warriors were evacuated. As Ashram watched the bridge recede into the distance, he wondered if Parn had been able to reach one of the last ships. He looked up, startled, when a falcon landed on his shoulder.
"Aerith? What are you doing here?" Ashram asked, as he got his falcon onto his arm. The falcon, of course, didn't answer, but instead placed something cool, wet, and metallic into Ashram's hand. It was when he looked at what lay in his hand that horror entered Ashram's heart and mind for a second time. The thing the falcon had laid in his hand was none other than the circlet Deedlit's tribe had given Parn on his and Deedlit's wedding day………….and it was covered in blood.