Author's note: I own nothing, I make nothing.
Chapter Seven. In my thoughts and dreams...
The battle was raging, sweat flew almost as freely as blood, (Yet so cold... I am always so cold...)
Aragorn's Struggle
A cry rang out, followed by a shout of men and elves. "Triumph!" They cried, "Victory!"
My form contorts in blinding pain, I stagger, almost fall. (My Lord! Where are you?! I cannot feel you! Call to me, Do not, do not forsake me!) The Eyes have left me, I shudder; in what? The cold no longer troubles me... fear? I fear nothing! (My Lord! Where are you my lord? What have they done to you?!) Fury consumes me, my shriek draws all eyes.
In the air above me my brethren creen a different song. (They mourn!? They wail? No! I will not weep for one who cannot fall! Not My Lord!)
"Slay them!... Slay them All!!" The others swoop down beside me; my own mount threatens to throw me.
"You shall come no further! You have no power here!" The Elf lord stands before me, a mortal beside him. He holds a tarnished hilt. But in his other hand...
Khamul and the others begin their wail anew; the mortals and elves alike shield their ears, some fall to their knees, but all I see... all I can see... (The ring... he's stolen the ring!!)
("...flee... flee my witch king... take your fellow wraiths... wait... wait for me...")
(My lord, I flee none! We will slaughter the fools! Where are you Lord? Are you safe?)
("...go... argue not with me... be loyal... and wait... go and wait...")
I scream my rage, my mount rears, hooves rising to strike the Elven lord.
("Go! Obey Me!!")
I cry out again, even as I spur my mount from the field. None stand in my way, for I would have run them down, and my fellow wraiths followed in silence. The only sound, our cry, filled with hate. As soon as the last of the corpses vanishes behind my steeds hooves I draw reign. The others land their mounts around me.
"...Gone... he is gone..."
The despair in Ji Indur's voice stunned me, "...We need... only to wait... he will return..." the others raise their eyes, they look to me, in their eyes, in my eyes...
"Then... let us conquer lands.." Khamul's voice was a whisper. "So that his return may be swift..."
I look at Khamul, he is smoldering with his rage, "We shall do so... go where you will... take what you will... and call on your brethren, if you are in need..." I watch them fly into the winds, below me the horse stirs.
With a kick we are running. There are many lands, (and a land north of the misty mountains had held my attention for some time...)
The Road to Mordor
Aragorn's eyes opened; the world seemed brighter than he remembered... but it was graying quickly. The ground was hard, but he barely heeded it as he stood and looked around him. "Khamul, where do we dwell…"
The other wraith came over, a map, torn and stained with age held in his armored hands. "...Here we dwell... at Nindalf... we ride for the marshes... then turn to Mordor..."
The King nodded, his eyes dark. "We depart now; we are close enough to summon new beasts."
Khamul hissed in annoyance. "We cannot... there are no beasts to summon... before us stands the last--"
Aragorn's hand spread. From a nearby tree a raven, one of the spies of Sauron, landed on his palm. It clicked its beak, then flew toward Mordor. "Fellbeasts will be here in two days time... we will wait."
The darkness spread silently, the White Tree seemed to shiver, its trunk bend. And another group of blossoms fell like blood from the branches. But for once, there was no one there to see it.
And deep inside his enemy's mind, The king of Gondor began to lose his hold...