Note from Nikki

*whew* Okay, so I was so completely busy this whole week I had no time at all to write a chapter. But I feel really guilty when I don't write one so I whipped this together today in about an hour and a half. I tried my best so hopefully it's not too bad. I don't have time for reviewer notes but I want to thank everyone who reviewed with all my heart. You guys are terrific! Thanks again! Please read and review! *hugz*

Nikki

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Aurora sighed for the millionth time as she gazed glumly at her bleak surroundings. Dark clouds littered the sky, causing the rocks of the mountain to appear cold and dull. They'd been traveling on the same path for hours in complete silence, Aragorn in the lead with Aurora and Legolas (with Gimli) riding single file behind him.

The darkness only seemed to reflect the tumult of emotions that Aurora felt inside. She was more depressed than she had ever been in her life. It felt wrong for Scott not to be at her side. He had always been there in Middle Earth and Aurora felt strangely naked and vulnerable without him by her standing next to her.

"So," Aurora ventured loudly, trying to snap herself away from dark and depressing thoughts. They had turned to a narrow path lined by sharp, dull rocks that seemed to lead nowhere, though Aurora knew that it did. Aurora was freezing, goosebumps rose on her shaking limbs, a visible sign of her fear. "Where are we going anyway?"

Gimli nodded. "What kind of an army would linger in such a place?"

"One that is cursed," Legolas answered swiftly. "Long ago the Men of the Mountain swore an oath to the last King of Gondor, to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their oath."

Aurora shuddered. "Uh, how long ago?"

"Very long time ago," Aragorn replied mysteriously.

Aurora shuddered. She knew it. There was a band of murders, traitors here. They must have lived within the mountains and passed on their tale father to son, always staying away from the normal realm of the world. The thought frightened her but she trusted her companions. Her friends.

The trail they had been following suddenly came to an abrupt end. A small opening was visible in the side of the mountain. Paintings, like the Native American ones Aurora had seen on Earth, lined this opening. Aurora squirmed uncomfortably. Something did not feel right about this hole and suddenly she was overwhelmed with a fear so palpable it shook her from the inside out.

"The very warmth of my blood seems drawn away," Gimli said nervously.


That was exactly how Aurora felt, simply put into more descriptive and accurate words. She shuddered again but turned to Legolas who seemed to know everything. "What do those pictures say, do you know?"

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and The Dead keep it. The way is shut," Legolas replied in a steady, calm and yet fear touched voice.

"Oh," Aurora choked. "Well that sucks. I guess we'll just have to turn around, now won't we? I mean, we can't very well force ourselves into a. . .a place that is shut." No one answered and so Aurora said, very uneasily, "Can we?"

Aragorn glanced at her, his eyes full of determination, and Aurora knew then that no matter what the primitive paintings said, they were going into this dark hole in the mountain. As if on cue, the four of them dismounted at once, holding the reins of their horses who were pawing their hooves nervously against the cold ground.

Slowly they began to walk forward, gripping their weapons in one hand and holding onto their horses with the other. Suddenly a blast of air erupted from the cave. Aurora couldn't explain how she felt as the freezing air whipped through her hair. It was as if the air was old and stale, as if it had been waiting to blow for thousands of years but had not done so for whatever reason of its own. But as it finally released itself, it released the air of the ages. Air tainted with war, defeat, rage, treachery and murder. Aurora felt cold to the bone, as if the gust of air was inside of her body, slowly decaying her from the inside out.

She wasn't the only one who felt terrified. The horses leaped into the air and galloped back across the path so fast that no one could grab a hold of the reins to stop them. Aurora wouldn't have even tried if she could, so shaken and terrified was she.

Aurora lifted her eyes and watched as Aragorn turned to look at the opening with anger or determination, Aurora couldn't tell. "I do not fear death!" he muttered and swiftly and firmly walked into the darkness of the opening.

Aurora was so scared that she was shaking uncontrollably. She had no idea what awaited them in those caves but whatever it was, it was horrible. "Well, that's great," Aurora voiced loudly, attempting to joke. "You're not afraid of death but what about the rest of us, eh?"

Aurora could have sworn that she saw the smallest grin lighting Legolas' lips but it was gone in a second. He followed Aragorn through the opening and he too disappeared in the darkness.

"Guess he's not afraid of death either," Aurora muttered. "Looks like it's just you and me Gimli!"

Gimli groaned. "Well, this is a thing unheard of. An Elf will go underground where a Dwarf dare not! Ah, I'd never hear the end of it!" he stamped his feet a few times, as if searching for courage in the stability of the ground, and then followed Legolas and Aragorn.

Aurora groaned and dashed after them, not wanting to be left behind. "Stupid men," she muttered. "Stupid men and Elves and Dwarves. Who needs them anyway, going on suicide missions. I must be crazy to follow them."

"Huh?" Gimli asked.

Aurora squeaked as she crashed into the dwarf. "Nothing! I was talking to myself."

Aurora ignored Gimli's muffled "oomph" when she crashed into him and instead grabbed onto anything she could. The cave was completely and utterly black. Aurora shut her eyes and opened them and found that there was absolutely no difference in the shade of black. The thought frightened her and made her a little dizzy and so she grabbed onto the nearest thing she could find to steady herself.

"Ow!" Gimli roared. "That's my beard!"

"Oh sorry," Aurora whispered. She let go of Gimli and found a rock that she could hold onto. "Aragorn?"

"What?"

"Where are you?"

"Here."

"WHERE?"

"I'm lighting a torch. Hold on."

"Oh, okay."

A moment later the torch caught fire and Aurora could see again. She gazed around in awe. They were in an enormous cavern, complete with stalagmites and stalactites, though she could never tell the difference. There was something different about this enormous hall though, it looked as if the walls had been chiseled and made smooth. It was dark, yes, but Aurora could almost believe that the hanging parts of the cave were actually buildings and turrets and towers. It was almost as if they walked into a kingdom. But, Aurora assured herself, that was impossible. No one could live in such a dark domain.

"No one's home," Aurora whispered. "I guess we'll have to come back later."

Even as she said this, her fearful eyes focused on a green light flickering into existence. "What is it?" she murmur, though no one answered.

A voice, so cold and hollow, echoed around the walls of the cave. "Who enters my domain?" it asked.

Aurora shivered, still watching the green light. Suddenly it became a man. A man that was completely and utterly dead. A man that was transparent, the rocks shining through his glowing skin. His face was twisted in malice, his eyes were dead and gone. He was a ghost.

Aurora choked and grabbed onto Legolas' arm because he was nearest. "It's a ghost!" she shrieked, her voice oddly high pitched. This was definitely the breaking point to her sanity. She was never going to see anything that shocked her more in her life again. She had seen it all. A wizard, birds that were spies, a mountain that tried to drown them in an avalanche, a mountain troll, Orcs, a balrog, elves, dwarves, Uruk-hai, and now GHOSTS. What else could there be?

"It's a ghost," she choked again. Legolas nodded and pried her hands a little looser from him as arm, as she was cutting off circulation there.

"One who will have your allegiance," Aragorn answered to the ghost's question. Aurora assumed that this ghost was a king. He wore a crown on his pale face. The King of the Dead.

"The Dead to not suffer the living to pass," the King of the Dead said coldly.

Aurora was positive she would die now. It was impossible to kill a ghost! He was already dead! It was a battle that he already won.

"You will suffer me," Aragorn stated bravely. Aurora was feeling a great amount of respect for Aragorn. He had to be the bravest man she had ever met.

The Dead King laughed a laugh so cold, it seemed to freeze the bones in Aurora's body. Suddenly bright green flames erupted from all around the cave. There were thousands of them, tens of thousands of them. Ghosts, ghosts who were all different looking but for their green appearances. They made their way from every point of the cave and put the brilliance of Aragorn's torch to shame.

Aurora grabbed onto Legolas tighter as they became completely surrounded. Legolas gently shook her off and pulled an arrow from his back, notching it into his bow. Aurora, with unsteady hands, pulled out her own weapons and tried to take aim but found that she couldn't.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and The Dead keep it. The way is shut. Now you must die," the King said in that same cold voice.

Legolas suddenly let loose his arrow and instead of striking the ghost, it went through his body and clattered to the cave floor behind him. Aurora shuddered, her fears confirmed. Their weapons were completely useless.

"I summon you to fulfill your oath," Aragorn said loudly.

Aurora was confused until she remembered the tale Legolas had told them. Aragorn must be crazy. He led them into these mountains to get GHOSTS (not men as she had thought) to fight with them in the Battle for Middle Earth. Aurora couldn't decide whether it was a brilliant plan or one of the stupidest Aragorn has ever made.

"None but the King of Gondor may command me," the ghost spat.

The King of the Dead attacked Aragorn and Aurora shut her eyes, knowing that the end had come. Instead she heard the clang of metal upon metal. Surprised, she looked up and saw that Aragorn was grabbing onto the ghost's neck. The only thing that flashed across Aurora's mind in a proud crescendo was that the King of Gondor had returned.

"The blade was broken!" the King of the Dead choked.

"It has been remade," Aragorn replied coldly. He released the ghost and then turned and addressed the rest of the Dead surrounding them. "Fight for us and regain your honor."

None of the ghosts answered, only shuffled and looked uncertain about what to say or do. That was one for the record books. A ghost looking confused.

"What say you?" Aragorn asked.

"You waste your time Aragorn! They had no honor in life, they have none now in death," Gimli said.

Aurora actually managed to smile. That sounded a lot like reverse psychology to her.

"I am Isildur's heir! Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled!" Aragorn cried.

The Dead continued to watch Aragorn and Aurora waited in bated breath for their answer that would mean either their death or their almost certain victory, though she wasn't entirely sure how well these ghosts could fight.

"What say you?" Aragorn cried again.

Suddenly, miraculously, the King of the Dead stepped forward. "We will come to you in this time of aide. We will fulfill our oaths and cease to be condemned as we are. We will fight for you, the King of Gondor."

The King of the Dead actually bowed his head, as did the other ghosts in the cavern. Aurora breathed again. A smile slowly made its way to the pale white of her lips. Sauron and his armies were going to wish that they had never dared to get on the wrong side of them.

She was ready now. She was ready to stop feeling fear and to fight alongside the merciless armies of ghosts. God help whoever got in their way.