Chapter 7: The Burning Branches
A voice in Janyn's ear whispered. 'Well, hello there, mates.' Janyn turned around quickly, swinging her fist. Before she saw who it was she had punched him right in the nose. Afterwards, she recognized it was an elf. A rather shabby looking elf too.
'Was that really necessary?' He said standing up.
'You're an elf?' Janyn said in an insulting tone.
'At you service.' He bowed sarcastically.
Aragorn lips were pressed together to stop from laughing. Janyn just gave a dismayed look at the elf. 'Who are you?' Aragorn asked, finally.
The elf gave a half smile and looked straight into Janyn's eyes. 'Jack Sparrow.'
'You're a pirate.' Aragorn said. 'An elf in exile.'
'Yes.' Jack said. But then a glimmer in his eye flashed, and he continued. 'And yet, my lord, no. You see, I am a pirate, but I'm not running from anything. In fact, I'm even helping, savvy? As Legolas was returning from Osgiliath where he mentioned he ran into the only living humans, the king of Gondor, and one so beautifully divine, he could only have speaking of you...' He held Janyn's hand and winked as he kissed it. 'He ran into my crew and me, and he told us that you were travelling to Minas Morgul. We laughed at first, for sure, it was an oddly stupid thing to do, mate.' By now Jack had his arm around Janyn, his other resting on Aragorn's shoulder. Janyn could smell the liquor on his breath. 'But he told me you were trying to enter the world between the living ad the dead, is that correct?'
Janyn nodded first, then Aragorn joined. 'Then ye'll be needing this.' He said, pulling an old dagger from its leather sheath. It was very plain. The blade had a symbol on it. It was a gold branch with a smoothly carved ruby to represent an apple. He handed it to Janyn.
'What is it?' Janyn inquired.
Jack shrugged. 'I'm just the messenger. Legolas is the one who sent it.'
Aragorn interrupted. 'Then it'll be important. Thank you.'
'You welcome, mate.' He smiled at Aragorn. He turned to Janyn. 'It was a pleasure to do such a favour for you, my beautiful lady.'
She smiled flattered. There was something in his eyes that made her blush. They were crystals. He put his hand on her face, and leaned in close to her lips, but at the sound of Aragorn clearing his throat, he kissed her on the cheek instead and scampered off. After he had left, Aragorn started laughing.
'What was that?' He asked.
'I think he was cute.' Janyn said.
'Cute? He was drunk.'
'That too.' Janyn smiled.
'Shall we continue?'
At least Aragorn was talking to her again, she thought. They walked deeper into the dark hall. Until they reached the bottom of a winding stair that lead up to the top of the tower. It was a vertical tunnel. The stairs went round the edge, leaving a dark hole in the middle. The two started to climb the grey stone steps. Janyn could feel the cold go through her feet. Frequently steps would be worn down to almost nothing, or would be broken and crumpling. They watched their feet the entire time. Occasionally one of them would lose their footing and slip down a few steps.
After they were about ten stories above the ground, they found a tiny window that looked out into Mordor. Moonlight shone through in a beam of pure white. The light was chilling as much as it was comforting. Reminding the two of how dark it was in the tower.
'We're almost at the top!' Janyn's voice echoed off the walls.
Aragorn smiled with relief. The stone steps became level as the reached the top. And both were relieved to finally have they're fest on even ground.
They came upon a narrow hall, lit by a small stone window one side. Janyn walked down, slowly; through the dark she could not see the end. She walked five steps, hands out in front of her and continued a little faster. Bang! She walked directly into a door. They were, after all in a tower, and there are no long hallways in a tower because it is vertical and narrow.
'You okay?' Aragorn asked.
'Yeah.' She choked. Clearing her throat, she felt for a knob. But there was none. 'How do we open it?'
Aragorn stepped up and lightly pushed the door. Immediately it swung open with ease. Aragorn smiled pretentiously as he passed by her. Janyn conjured a pout, but a second later smiled affectionately back.
The room on the other side was surprisingly light. A yellow light shone on their eyes. They used their arms to cover their lit faces. All Janyn could make out in the room was a window looming to the West.
'What is it?' Aragorn asked.
Janyn came closer to the light. Golden roots ran along the stone and branched out at their feet. It can't be. The tree. I remember. Janyn turned. 'There's an apple somewhere. I need to find it.' Aragorn took the other side of the tree searching for the apple. He reached for a branch to move aside, but the bark against the touch of his skin burned. Aragorn fell back shouting.
'It's burning!' He cried. 'Janyn it's burning don't touch it!'
He could see marks on his hand of where the tree had burned him, long straight scars that resembled the branches. Janyn was careful not to touch it. She circled it wearily. Where's the apple? Aragorn still sat on the floor watching, examining the tree.
'Are you sure there even is one?' He asked.
'Well. No. There was in my dream.'
'Dream?'
'Nothing.' Janyn quickly responded. As her squinted eyes hunted for the apple, she scanned every inch of the tree. Finally she saw a bright red fruit hidden by golden branches.
'I see it!' She yelled in happiness. 'I see the apple!'
Aragorn stood up and looked. 'But it's covered in branches.'
'I don't care.' Janyn said. ' I've come too far to let branches get in my way.'
'But–.' Aragorn started to protest. But before he could say anymore Janyn had already stuck her arm daringly through the branches. She cried in pain and drew her arm out. She held it to her chest. It burned! She held her head high, still, and again cast hr other arm in with more determination than before. This time she reached the apple. She grasped it in her hand, wrapping her fingers tightly around it and pulled as hard as she could. But the apple would not come off its branch. Janyn became aware of the burning again and withdrew her arm again. This one had even worse burns that the other.
'It's useless.' she cried. 'It won't come off.'
'Let me try.' He offered grudgingly.
'No!' Yelled Janyn.
'You don't need to protect me.' Said he.
'I'm not. I just know I have to do it.' She said. Then suddenly something clicked in her brain. 'The knife!'
A voice in Janyn's ear whispered. 'Well, hello there, mates.' Janyn turned around quickly, swinging her fist. Before she saw who it was she had punched him right in the nose. Afterwards, she recognized it was an elf. A rather shabby looking elf too.
'Was that really necessary?' He said standing up.
'You're an elf?' Janyn said in an insulting tone.
'At you service.' He bowed sarcastically.
Aragorn lips were pressed together to stop from laughing. Janyn just gave a dismayed look at the elf. 'Who are you?' Aragorn asked, finally.
The elf gave a half smile and looked straight into Janyn's eyes. 'Jack Sparrow.'
'You're a pirate.' Aragorn said. 'An elf in exile.'
'Yes.' Jack said. But then a glimmer in his eye flashed, and he continued. 'And yet, my lord, no. You see, I am a pirate, but I'm not running from anything. In fact, I'm even helping, savvy? As Legolas was returning from Osgiliath where he mentioned he ran into the only living humans, the king of Gondor, and one so beautifully divine, he could only have speaking of you...' He held Janyn's hand and winked as he kissed it. 'He ran into my crew and me, and he told us that you were travelling to Minas Morgul. We laughed at first, for sure, it was an oddly stupid thing to do, mate.' By now Jack had his arm around Janyn, his other resting on Aragorn's shoulder. Janyn could smell the liquor on his breath. 'But he told me you were trying to enter the world between the living ad the dead, is that correct?'
Janyn nodded first, then Aragorn joined. 'Then ye'll be needing this.' He said, pulling an old dagger from its leather sheath. It was very plain. The blade had a symbol on it. It was a gold branch with a smoothly carved ruby to represent an apple. He handed it to Janyn.
'What is it?' Janyn inquired.
Jack shrugged. 'I'm just the messenger. Legolas is the one who sent it.'
Aragorn interrupted. 'Then it'll be important. Thank you.'
'You welcome, mate.' He smiled at Aragorn. He turned to Janyn. 'It was a pleasure to do such a favour for you, my beautiful lady.'
She smiled flattered. There was something in his eyes that made her blush. They were crystals. He put his hand on her face, and leaned in close to her lips, but at the sound of Aragorn clearing his throat, he kissed her on the cheek instead and scampered off. After he had left, Aragorn started laughing.
'What was that?' He asked.
'I think he was cute.' Janyn said.
'Cute? He was drunk.'
'That too.' Janyn smiled.
'Shall we continue?'
At least Aragorn was talking to her again, she thought. They walked deeper into the dark hall. Until they reached the bottom of a winding stair that lead up to the top of the tower. It was a vertical tunnel. The stairs went round the edge, leaving a dark hole in the middle. The two started to climb the grey stone steps. Janyn could feel the cold go through her feet. Frequently steps would be worn down to almost nothing, or would be broken and crumpling. They watched their feet the entire time. Occasionally one of them would lose their footing and slip down a few steps.
After they were about ten stories above the ground, they found a tiny window that looked out into Mordor. Moonlight shone through in a beam of pure white. The light was chilling as much as it was comforting. Reminding the two of how dark it was in the tower.
'We're almost at the top!' Janyn's voice echoed off the walls.
Aragorn smiled with relief. The stone steps became level as the reached the top. And both were relieved to finally have they're fest on even ground.
They came upon a narrow hall, lit by a small stone window one side. Janyn walked down, slowly; through the dark she could not see the end. She walked five steps, hands out in front of her and continued a little faster. Bang! She walked directly into a door. They were, after all in a tower, and there are no long hallways in a tower because it is vertical and narrow.
'You okay?' Aragorn asked.
'Yeah.' She choked. Clearing her throat, she felt for a knob. But there was none. 'How do we open it?'
Aragorn stepped up and lightly pushed the door. Immediately it swung open with ease. Aragorn smiled pretentiously as he passed by her. Janyn conjured a pout, but a second later smiled affectionately back.
The room on the other side was surprisingly light. A yellow light shone on their eyes. They used their arms to cover their lit faces. All Janyn could make out in the room was a window looming to the West.
'What is it?' Aragorn asked.
Janyn came closer to the light. Golden roots ran along the stone and branched out at their feet. It can't be. The tree. I remember. Janyn turned. 'There's an apple somewhere. I need to find it.' Aragorn took the other side of the tree searching for the apple. He reached for a branch to move aside, but the bark against the touch of his skin burned. Aragorn fell back shouting.
'It's burning!' He cried. 'Janyn it's burning don't touch it!'
He could see marks on his hand of where the tree had burned him, long straight scars that resembled the branches. Janyn was careful not to touch it. She circled it wearily. Where's the apple? Aragorn still sat on the floor watching, examining the tree.
'Are you sure there even is one?' He asked.
'Well. No. There was in my dream.'
'Dream?'
'Nothing.' Janyn quickly responded. As her squinted eyes hunted for the apple, she scanned every inch of the tree. Finally she saw a bright red fruit hidden by golden branches.
'I see it!' She yelled in happiness. 'I see the apple!'
Aragorn stood up and looked. 'But it's covered in branches.'
'I don't care.' Janyn said. ' I've come too far to let branches get in my way.'
'But–.' Aragorn started to protest. But before he could say anymore Janyn had already stuck her arm daringly through the branches. She cried in pain and drew her arm out. She held it to her chest. It burned! She held her head high, still, and again cast hr other arm in with more determination than before. This time she reached the apple. She grasped it in her hand, wrapping her fingers tightly around it and pulled as hard as she could. But the apple would not come off its branch. Janyn became aware of the burning again and withdrew her arm again. This one had even worse burns that the other.
'It's useless.' she cried. 'It won't come off.'
'Let me try.' He offered grudgingly.
'No!' Yelled Janyn.
'You don't need to protect me.' Said he.
'I'm not. I just know I have to do it.' She said. Then suddenly something clicked in her brain. 'The knife!'