Chapter 4: Final Triumph

"Come, recite us the tale!"

"It's not a tale, it's a poem from my time."

Rivers had a knack of ensuring the most embarrassment out of every moment put on the spot. She pleaded silently with Legolas, who ignored her and smiled slyly. She sighed. "Alright, alright. Keep your shirts on. Well, actually, if you want to take them off…Merry, it's an expression."

The hobbit tucked his shift into his trousers and laughed, smoke spewing from his mouth. Rivers cleared her throat. "I will amend it appropriately so it fits the occasion. Here I go:

'Gandalf, light shining,

Led the right flank, shouting,

'Hide, monsters, hide

From our might.'

Aragorn, armour bloody,

Led the left flank, shouting,

'Come, monsters, come

And meet our might.'"

The king of Gondor sat a bit taller, and Rivers giggled, but continued.

'Gandalf frowned,

His mouth set grim, and

A dread light was in

His eyes. His soldiers too

Were grim, and battled

As a farmer plows

A stony field, with a will,

But no delight.

Aragorn laughed, and

A glad light was in

His eyes. His soldiers

Laughed and fought

As a lad or maid begins a dance,

With a will and much delight."

She cast about, the original words to the poem seeming unfit. Then the words rushed to her mouth, and left without approval.

'From the creatures burst,

Roiling like noxious animals

A new breed of monsters.

The line assembled.'

She took up the original words and began a new stanza.

'Gandalf and his warriors

Rang out,

Aragorn and his knights

Sang out…"

She put her head down and ruffled her dress. She lost to words to the sands of time, as her memory of the poem had rusted over. She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I can't seem to recall the last lines."

Aragorn clapped and the others followed suit. "It was wonderful!"

"Would have been better to see some dwarves in it."

"Well, when I see another dwarf come to our aid, I'll write you in, Gimli."

(Note: Poem is from "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine. Cut to riding to…the hilltop place. With the evil mountain.)

The ride to the outer city was long and hard and Rivers' muscles had taken too much for two days of straight riding. She was ordered to wrap them in salve and sit by the fire. Legolas set up a wooden post for her to lean against and enfolded her in her red cloak.

He crouched down to her, ruffling her hair. "Is that okay? Are you comfortable?"

She nodded. "Thanks. It's fine." She coughed. "Is Ragnorok alright?"

The black horse nosed a bucket around a few feet away, and was very surprised to discover that there was something in the bucket. He prodded in with his nose and ran about with it until someone ordered him to be tied down. Legolas spoke up. "Over here, to Lady Brind'Amour."

Ragnorok was tied to the poles over her head. She smiled. "Thanks. It feels nice to have a watcher." She chuckled.

He stroked one of the salve strips laced around her calf. He kissed her forehead.

That feeling began to well up inside her, the same fullness that possessed her mind's insane worry about her devotion to him. Fluid confusion and excitement flooded her and she took a deep breath. As he began to move away, she murmured. "I think you missed."

He beheld her, knee sliding to the ground to show permanence. "I believe I did."

He moved over her, and both of their eyes closed. His free hand moved to position her dumb jaw and she shivered, sending a shudder up his arm. Her lips were quivering. He was close, so close…

Ragnorok reared out of instinct as a cold shadow pervaded the encampment. His lip brushed hers ever so quickly until-"Rivers!"

The spears came up from the ground and Ragnorok reared again. The tensions sent the spears careening about, one skewering her red cloak to the ground. The horses nearby rose up in fright of the evil darkness, and the horses along the mountainside joined in a united panic.

Legolas tossed the spear away and picked her up swiftly, dodging a whip that was lashed at the black horse nickering in fear. "Ragnorok!" Rivers screamed, refusing his touch and tumbling out of his arms. "Don't hurt him!"

Whips flew everywhere, clipping in to nurse the horses back under control. The men seemed scared too, and almost uneasy. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Ragnorok tripped and thundered to the ground, and cry of pain pulling at Rivers' heartstrings. She flailed about, stumbling to reach him, desperately trying to save him of anymore suffering. A gash was open in his heel, sporting a deeply sliced tendon. "Fools! Look at what you've done-"

Hands slid around her stomach and squeezed the breath from her lungs and one clamped over her mouth, silencing her completely. A soldier drew his sword. Rivers bit the hand hard, though not hard enough to ensure her release. The sword arced over her head… and came crashing down. Ragnorok moved no more.

She had just seen the innocent, panic-stricken life driven from the most docile creature. Ragnorok drew a choked breath, and stilled entirely. Rivers screamed against the hand and Legolas winced and the trickle of blood on his palm from her bite oozed onto the ground. He felt the life drain out of her and she fainted against him. Saline tracks of tears marched across her cheeks, followed by a starch of flushed skin.

He positioned her in his lap near the fire, and watched as the men dragged her steed to a pile of unwanted things. He had ordered her cloak tossed across the corpse and pulled her tighter against him, and smiled.