Author's Note: Flashbacks are in italics. For the first flashback, I was torn between using dialogue from the book or from the film, but I eventually decided to be consistent and go with the movie, since I quoted movie dialogue in chapter one.
Thanks once again for all the reviews!
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It took a lot to make Aragorn's head spin. He'd lived among Elves, Men, and wizards, wandered the wilderness as a Ranger, fought battles against forces of unspeakable darkness, lost friends and family to those same forces. He had seen and done much in his 87 years.
But the events of the past several days were unlike any he could remember. Meeting those strangers had been unusual enough. They were certainly a puzzle to him--they claimed to be from an unknown place called "Earth," and their unfamiliar clothing and dialect supported those claims. The question of their allegiance was just as pressing as that of their homeland. Were they spies of Saruman? They seemed innocent enough--even going so far as to claim they didn't know who Saruman was--but the wizard was crafty, and his henchmen could take many forms. No, the newcomers could not be trusted, at least not until more concrete information about them was discovered.
However, even the sudden appearance of suspicious "Earth" natives paled in comparison to yesterday's other major event. Aragorn's mind traveled back to the journey that he, Legolas and Gimli had taken through Fangorn Forest...
The trio stood before the white wizard that had appeared suddenly out of the woods, their weapons powerless against him. His staff had easily repelled Gimli's axe and Legolas' arrow, and Aragorn's sword had blazed red-hot until the Ranger had been forced to drop it.
Aragorn brought a hand up to his face, shielding his eyes from the brilliant white light that surrounded the wizard and concealed his identity.
"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded. "Show yourself!"
The blaze of light diminished, and Aragorn found himself looking in astonishment upon a familiar figure--Gandalf himself.
"It cannot be," Aragorn murmured, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Beside him, Legolas dropped to his knees. "Forgive me," the Elf said in a hushed tone. "I mistook you for Saruman."
"I am Saruman," Gandalf replied. "Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."
The Elf, the Man and the dwarf listened in amazement as Gandalf recounted the tale of his battle with the Balrog of Morgoth, and how he had been overtaken by darkness, yet sent back to Middle Earth to complete his task.
"I am Gandalf the White," the wizard finished. "And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."
Aragorn smiled slightly at the memory. Exactly how Gandalf had come back from the abyss at Khazad-dûm was still a mystery, but one that didn't need to be solved immediately. Just the fact that his old friend and ally had returned was enough for the moment.
Hasufel shied suddenly as a windblown leaf crossed his path, and Aragorn quickly brought his mind back to the present, steadying the horse with a calming word and an encouraging pat. Beside him, Gandalf rode on Shadowfax, head of the Mearas, who of course would never allow himself to be distracted by a mere leaf.
Aragorn cast a glance over his shoulder at the rest of the group, making sure they were all present and accounted for. The band consisted of himself, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli, and six Rohirric riders who had been sent by King Théoden to investigate the newcomers. In addition, four of the riders were leading saddled but riderless horses. If the strangers turned out to be trustworthy, they would need a ride to Edoras, Rohan's capital. The distance was too far to make on foot.
After the reunion with Gandalf in Fangorn, Aragorn and his companions' plans had taken a sudden turn. Gandalf had assured them that Merry and Pippin were safe from the Uruks and that a rescue mission was no longer necessary. However, another pressing matter was at hand: the land of Rohan was in jeopardy. Its king was under Saruman's control, and intervention was needed.
As they had begun the journey from Fangorn to Edoras, Aragorn had taken the opportunity to discuss the "Earth" natives with Gandalf.
"Mithrandir," Aragorn spoke up.
Gandalf looked over at him, bushy brows furrowed over his eyes. "Yes?"
"Earlier today," Aragorn began, "when we were tracking Merry and Pippin's trail near Fangorn, we encountered strangers in the forest."
Gandalf quirked an eyebrow, but otherwise did not react. He motioned for Aragorn to continue.
"They claimed to be explorers from a place called Earth," Aragorn said. "They looked to be from the race of Men, but their clothing and the objects they carried were unlike any I have seen before."
"They also spoke at length of a device called a...Stargate," Legolas added.
Gandalf looked up sharply at this information, his forehead creasing. Aragorn raised his eyebrows. "You have heard of this 'Stargate,' I take it?"
Gandalf did not respond immediately, but it was clear from his expression that he was thinking this over. After a moment, he spoke. "They were from the race of Men, you say?"
"Yes, at least they appeared to be," Aragorn confirmed.
"How many were there?"
"Four," Aragorn responded. "Three men and a woman. If there were any others, we did not see them."
"Hmmm," was Gandalf's reply. "Interesting. Very interesting." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than to them.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli exchanged glances, their curiosity more aroused than ever. When it became apparent that Gandalf was not going to say any more, Gimli's patience wore out.
"Well? Do you know who they are?" he demanded in his gruff tone.
Gandalf looked over at the dwarf as if just noticing he was there, then gave an enigmatic smile. "All in good time, Master Dwarf. All in good time. For now, we must make haste to Edoras."
Upon reaching Edoras, they had found King Théoden, brainwashed into serving Saruman, and being fed lies by his sinister advisor, Grima Wormtongue. In a whirlwind of events, Gandalf had freed Théoden's mind from the cloud Saruman had cast over it, and the newly liberated Théoden had nearly killed the traitorous Wormtongue. Only Aragorn's merciful intervention at the last instant had changed the king's mind and saved Grima's life, and the ex-advisor had wasted no time fleeing the kingdom. Most likely he had slithered back to Orthanc, the fortress of his master, Saruman.
For Théoden, it had been like waking up from a nightmare. Unfortunately, the reality he'd returned to was not much better. Saruman's forces were terrorizing Rohan, raiding and burning villages, driving people from their homes. He had also been hit with the news that his only son was dead, killed in an Orc ambush. On top of all that, Gandalf had informed him of the matter of strangers--possibly spies--that needed to be looked into.
Théoden had agreed to send six of the Rohirrim to investigate, and early the next morning the small band had set out for Fangorn, the last known whereabouts of the "explorers." For Aragorn and Gimli, the forest was becoming an all-too familiar place, especially for Gimli, who was not fond of the closed-in atmosphere. Legolas, on the other hand, was perfectly at home in the woods and had no qualms about heading back to Fangorn. He also had no qualms about teasing Gimli over the dwarf's rocky relationship with forests. Aragorn listened to their bantering with half an ear as they cantered towards Fangorn, his mind already thinking ahead to a possible confrontation with the Earth outlanders. If they did indeed turn out to be servants of the enemy, the meeting would most likely end in violence. We have a numerical advantage, Aragorn mused, unless there were more strangers in the forest that we didn't see. Seven battle-hardened men, an equally combat-experienced Elf and dwarf, and a powerful wizard would surely be enough to take out the newcomers if the worst-case scenario came to pass.
As Aragorn continued to think back over his encounter with the strangers, there was one detail that prickled the back of his mind: the large, dark-skinned man had carried a staff of sorts. There had also been an odd, golden symbol on his forehead, a marking that none of the other three had shared. None of them had carried staffs, either. Aragorn wondered if the black man was a wizard--or the "Earth" equivalent of one--or some other powerful being. Perhaps his staff, like Gandalf's, had special powers. It was an unsettling notion.
Even as the last thought crossed his mind, Aragorn mentally chided himself. He was getting ahead of things. Maybe the strangers were indeed peaceful explorers, as they appeared to be. They might even turn out to be allies against Sauron. Maybe things would go well, and there would be no hostility.
Nevertheless, it was best to be prepared for all possibilities.
Colonel O'Neill stood at the edge of the forest, eyes scouring the plains. There had been no trace of life since the Uruk Jaffa band had captured Carter and Daniel.
It had been an hour since he'd informed General Hammond of the situation, and the wait for reinforcements was driving him up the proverbial wall. Having to stay in the cover of the forest in case another Uruk band popped up wasn't helping matters.
His radio crackled to life in a burst of static, a welcome interruption from his stream of less-than-pleasant thoughts.
"O'Neill," came Teal'c's voice.
"I read you, Teal'c," the Colonel responded.
"The Stargate is activating," the Jaffa reported.
"On my way," O'Neill said, pushing through the thick underbrush and heading back toward the Gate.
As he approached, he could see four figures step through the event horizon and quickly recognized them as SG-2, led by Major Ferretti.
Ferretti caught sight of O'Neill and came to attention, snapping off a salute. "Colonel O'Neill."
"Major Ferretti," O'Neill said, returning the salute. "Report."
"General Hammond couldn't send any reinforcements besides us, sir," Ferretti said. "However, we anticipate getting some backup from the Tok'ra."
Teal'c's eyebrow hiked up his forehead at this statement, and O'Neill stared hard at Ferretti. "General Hammond contacted the Tok'ra?"
"No, sir," Ferretti replied. "General Carter and Martouf were on Earth when you reported Major Carter and Dr. Jackson's capture. When they heard the news, they returned to their world to see if they could help."
"And Martouf and General Carter were able to persuade the Tok'ra High Council to assist?" Teal'c inquired.
Ferretti shrugged one shoulder. "Apparently General Carter and Selmak were very convincing. We gave them the coordinates for this world, and they should be coming through the Stargate within the hour."
O'Neill held up a hand. "Now wait a second here. What were Jacob and Marty doing on Earth in the first place?"
"I don't know the exact details," Ferretti said, "but apparently there's some new Goa'uld on the rise that the Tok'ra wanted us to know about."
O'Neill blew out a deep breath. "Well, isn't that peachy." This day was getting better all the time. He could just feel those new gray hairs forming.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c said suddenly. "Someone is approaching."
"Take cover!" O'Neill ordered immediately, and the group quickly dispersed. O'Neill ducked behind a large tree, his P-90 at the ready. He didn't know if the Uruk Jaffa would venture into the forest, but he wasn't about to take any chances.
Gandalf seemed to know exactly where he was going as he led the group into the forest. Aragorn was content to let him lead, but kept a sharp eye open as the horses picked their way through the brush.
Riding beside him on Arod, Legolas was also alert, scanning the woods with his Elven eyes. After several minutes of riding in silence, he lifted his head suddenly and narrowed his eyes, staring into the mass of trees.
"What do you see?" Aragorn whispered.
"They are just up ahead," Legolas replied softly. "They are attempting to hide," he added after a moment, sounding slightly amused at the concept.
Aragorn took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Gathering his reins into one hand, he grasped the hilt of his sword with the other, bracing himself for whatever the next few moments might bring.