A young woman slid off her horse and bounded up the steps to the Citadel.
Her feet splashed through the puddles formed by the rain, and her long, wet, blonde hair clung to her face. She was very beautiful, but the mud and blood all over her face hid her features.
She grinned as the Door Wardens recognized her and quickly let her in. But her grin was not a kind and graceful one of thanks, but an evil one, full of malice. She had won, and that just added to her arrogance. She even had a swagger to her step as she marched through the empty hall.
She paid no heed to the two thrones - one on the ground and one placed up higher on a platform - and continued on through a doorway and down a separate hall.
Her belligerent army had successfully besieged the city, and she was very proud. She had to admit, though, that she did not think her plan would work. There were too many chances for flaws. But the king had not seen this, and she was able to attribute his ignorance to her plan. Without that, she was sure she would have lost, and it would be her in the dungeons that she was heading for, not the king.
As she turned down yet another corridor, she could hear voices coming from the cells, and she paused to listen.
"...think she would have won." a light voice mused. "But it was her final attack that caught us off our guard."
"Yes," a second voice agreed. "But it does not matter which attack caused us to fall, Talantir. I have failed my people. Vain was my fathers trust in me to keep this city running!"
"No, Eldarion," The first voice - which she had figured it belonged to an Elf - replied. "You have done well. You did not fail your people, nor your father. She was an apparition that you did not expect. She would have caught your father off guard as well."
She decided that she had heard enough of this and continued her way towards the voices, stopping once she was in front of their cell. She regarded them with a look of apathy on her face, but inside, her head was spinning with thoughts.
"Ah, Asira." The Man said, breaking the silence. "You finally decided to show your face, I see." He looked her over, taking in all of the blood, dirt, and guts all over her chain mail and body. She was quite an impressive sight, he had to admit, even if she was a bit terrifying.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Well, since you managed to keep yourself hidden while on the battlefield -" Talantir began, but he was swiftly cut off by the young lady.
"Silence!" she snapped. "I did not give you permission to speak, nor was I speaking to you."
"Mmm, you always were somewhat rude, Asira." The Elf said, shaking his head.
"Yes, and you were always somewhat autonomous, Talantir." she spat, her eyes blazing. 'Now, I advise you to keep your thoughts to yourself from now on, unless you wish to be moved somewhere worse then this cell."
"I do not think there could be a place worse then somewhere you are." said a new voice.
"Who was that?!" she barked, startled. Eldarion and Talantir eyed each other as a shape rose from the shadows. "It was me." the owner of the voice replied.
"Mithrandir." Asira said, almost relieved "I see you managed to get yourself wrapped up in matters that aren't yours. You always do."
"Ah, but this is my matter, Asira." the old man said. 'You know this."
"I though that you had crossed the Sundering Seas a long time ago." she pointed out, deliberately avoiding the wizards last comment.
"I did."
"And...?" she pressed.
"And I came back now, for a time. Manwe had said there was trouble in Arda." Mithrandir said. "I never thought it would have been you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed, grabbing the bars of their cell and shaking them in anger.
"It means, Asira, "Talantir began. "That you were once innocent and good, but you long ago left the path of wisdom."
"Is that so?" she said, her voice eerily calm all of the sudden.
"Yes." Eldarion answered. "When you disappeared all those many years ago, I knew that you would never be the same again. As a matter of fact, I did not even expect you to survive, let alone come back to this city."
"bit I did come back, and look where it got the three of you." Asira sneered. "The wizard is powerless, The Elf is weaponless, and you, Eldarion, have lost your beloved city."
"I suppose what you say is applicable in this situation, Asira. Or...so it would seem." Eldarion said with a smirk.
Asira shifted uneasily at this comment, the asterisk - like stars upon her sword sheath glittering in the dim firelight. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.
"What do I mean?" Eldarion repeated, standing up. 'I mean that I have not lost my city, nor have you won."
"I have won!" Asira cried nervously. "The city of Gondor is mine! I even have someone here to assess the value of your treasury! I have won!"
"I am afraid that is where you are wrong." Talantir commented, now standing up with the others. With a snap of the Elf's fingers, half a dozen guards come out of the shadows, sword drawn.
"What...? How...?" she stammered, her shocked brain unable to form coherent sentences.
"I was sometime ago." Eldarion said. "When one of your men assassinated the Lord Hurin. It was then that we were tipped off about your plan."
"...Hurin...?" the woman said, brow furrowed.
"Yes." Mithrandir said, speaking once again. "Do not play a fool, Asira. We have played along with your plan, for our part."
"But I surprised you with that last attack!" She cried out. "I lost many men, but I won! The city is MINE!"
"Guards!" Eldarion said, ignoring her cry. "Get her!"
As the guards began to advance on the young lady, Asira unsheathed her sword, her blue eyes like ice. "I would die before I am taken prisoner to you." she hissed. And so the fight began.
At first, it did seem as though Asira was sticking to her word, for one man had already fallen, and she was fighting with a second. As soon as she pierced the soft flesh of the man's stomach, her sword was kicked out of her hands, and her arms were grabbed and pulled behind her back by one of the sentries. The other three kept their swords aimed at her throat, ready to kill.
"As much as you would prefer to die, Asira," Eldarion said, amused. "I would rather you didn't."
"Why?" Asira sneered. "So I can be at your mercy?" She spat at the ground near his feet. "Never!"
Angered at the woman's action towards their lord, the guards dug the tips of their swords into her throat. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to cause pain.
"Enough!" Eldarion cried. "Guards, lower your weapons! Beregond, let us out."
As the men lowered their swords ever so slightly, one of them pulled a ring of keys out from a pocket inside his cloak. When he found the appropriate key, he unlocked the cell door, and let his King, the Elf, and the Wizard out of the cell.
Without a word, the trio led the way down the hall and out of the Citadel, followed closely by the remaining guards and a struggling Asira.
The group stood on the topmost step, awaiting the King's decision. Finally, he spoke.
"I suppose you would like to know how we were able to defeat you." he said.
"Yes, that would be nice." the woman replied sarcastically.
"Ah, well, it was quite simple, really." Eldarion said lightly. "Not all of your men were loyal to you. Some were my spies."
"I see." Asira said angrily. "And you pretended not to know anything, and to have your city empties of warriors, as to lead me into my own trap?"
Eldarion, Talantir, and Mithrandir nodded. "I must say, though." the Elf said thoughtfully. "That I never expected out plan to work."
"Asira!" Eldarion said, and the girl jerked her head towards him. "Never again do I want to see you in the Realm of Gondor again. Nor do I want to hear word that you have been about in any other kingdom. Do you understand?" She nodded, and he turned to the guards. "Release her!"
They did so by tossing her down the steps, and she landed in one of the puddles. Mud now covered her entire face and body, and she no longer seemed to be an impressive sight. In fact, the king now thought of her as weak and feeble.
Shaking, Asira rose and limped over to her horse. Without even a second glance behind her, she hopped rather ungracefully onto her horse, and rode off, never to be seen again in the City of Gondor.
End