A/N: Hullo! I'm baaaack! Yup, finally after months I have updated my dear readers, and not only that...for I've also...dundundun...proof read the other chapters and re-posted them (they now have proper grammar...although I maybe slipped a mistake or two...sorry) so if anyone feels like reading eighteen chapter all over again(which is highly unlikely...) do so..:). Ok, Angmar chappie this time...I'm getting quite bored of writing this Angmar chronicles...they are kinda dull and very war-centred...but anyway...on with the story and PLEASE review???
Disclaimer: I don't own many things...and I definitely don't own LOTR...
Chapter nineteen, War.
People were once again settled inside the basement. Fearful faces looked upon him with tear-filled eyes. It was all too familiar to him, Draug-rog, Angmar's captain. Over and over he had seen these same images, over and over he had watched his people's grief, his people's desperation, his people's death. But he was determined to stop it. Evil's eye was fixed somewhere else; a name- less fear had been stirring in the south for the past months and he was more than sure that the nine had left Minas Morgul and not because of Angmar. It had not been so long since he heard about the one ring, it had been once again found, and apparently by the most unlikely creature: the future of all rested in the hands of a halfling. It was not long since he realised how sheltered Angmar was from the rest of Middle earth. He longed to come out again, exchange words with other towns: Isengard! He remembered he had once visited Isengard when he was only a small child, when Nimloth hadn't even come to this dear earth.
He wished all this evilness wasn't bound to him. He wished he could just close his eyes for a moment and forget everything. But he couldn't. The only good thing he could see in all this was that the witch king and his armies wouldn't be interested in Angmar but instead they would pay closer attention to Gondor. This time war would not be that terrible on Angmar but nothing was certain at least not on these days. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pain, not physical but within his heart. Pain and anguish and fear and impotence, all at once. For the first time through all the battles he'd been, he was afraid. He felt tired, more tired than he had ever been.
He sat by a window smoking, holding his carved wooden pipe, drowned in thoughts of his own.
Mororn was walking down the hallways, looking for Iboilian, for she had the frozen raven claw she needed for a potion and not an ordinary one, this potion would prevent the lost of lives. She had been working on this for weeks. And would not have thought about this potion if it wasn't for one of her younger students who tried to do a healing potion. Mororn had forgotten her studies' roots: Medicine! 'A child proved once again to be the right solution for problems,' she thought.
She turned round a corner and soon found herself walking near the practice room. The crash of swords could be heard from quite a long distance, the usual steel to steel clash she was so used to. Mororn was about to pass in front of the door when the door swung open, hitting her and knocking her down, causing her to land painfully on her back.
"My lady, my lady!" She heard a voice. It took her a while to process that she had actually fell until she felt someone gently grab her hand and pull her up.
Once was on her feet again, all the young sorceress could do was nod to the questions the voice asked her and rub her sore head.
"Mororn!" It was Amarth-dae. He shook her and slapped her softly a few times.
"Hey!" Mororn protested, grabbing his hand, like coming out of trance. "Stop it, you idiotic little brat!" She covered her mouth in shame.
Amarth-dae smirked, though he tried to look offended. He looked adorable. 'But what am I thinking?!... he looks handsome!, No! I mean, Draug-rog is whom I love, right?'
"I see you're yourself again," he said, raising his eyebrows.
"My lord, I beg your pardon, lord," she apologised feeling her cheeks turn a vivid shade of red. " I didn't realise..."
Amarth-dae laughed, much to Mororn's surprise. "Lady Mororn, call me Amarth-dae! You never cared for titles back in Forochel when we were younger, did you?"
"No, my lord, I believe not..." she mumbled ashamed. It felt extremely bizarre calling the prince of Forochel by his name.
"It's Amarth-dae," he insisted.
Who was him and what had he done with the Amarth-dae she knew back at Forochel?! He had spent his whole childhood insisting to be called by his title ... why was he now so... pleasant?
"I..." she stammered.
"Well, I don't really mind, whatever suits you will do just fine," he said. "Though it would be nice if we could be more...friend-like." He looked right into her eyes. Mororn felt lost in the endless deepness of his piercing blue eyes and didn't know what to answer so she stayed quiet and looked at her feet.
"Um, alright," he said. "Guess I'll see you later, milady."
And right after this words came out of his mouth, he did the most wonderful thing. He quickly leaned forward and gave her a sweet little peck on her already blushing cheek.
Mororn saw him ran off, and wave his hand at her. She could barely lift my own hand in astonishment all she could do was softly rub her kissed cheek and sigh, Eru, she was now really confused.
Once the awkwardness of the kiss had vanished Mororn walked away at a rapid pace, she needed to concentrate and work on her potion and with Amarth-dae's little, um, intervention it was quite difficult to focus.
She was now at Iboilian's door. Iboilian was very old, she had been the previous sorceress of the town. She was an authority in magic, well, she was quite an authority in everything, as a matter of fact and Mororn, as everybody else, respected her but Iboilian...well Iboilian felt rather differently towards Mororn. She had always blamed Mororn of stealing her job away from her and sadly enough much of the wisdom she possessed was blinded by jealousy.
Mororn took a deep breath before knocking on the old woman's door. She heard steps from the inside and then a crick produced by the door indicated her it was opening.
She sighed nervously once more, for she knew what was going to happen, the same that happened every time she had to establish a conversation which implied more than a sentence with this woman.
Before her, Iboilian stood. Her white hair glimmered under the dim light of candles. The sun was already setting, and rays of red gold spread through the whole of the castle, giving everything a warm golden colour.
The woman was frowning. "Yeah what-do-ya want?" she asked harshly.
Mororn backed up a little but soon again stepped forward. She was not going to let herself be intimidated by Iboilian. She gazed into the old woman's piercing green eyes and smiled awkwardly. "Lady Iboilian," she said bowing before her. "I need some raven claws for a potion I'm working on, and I..."
Iboilian had a stern look upon her fine features. She raised her brows and sighed. "Well, if you need them," she said nastily while entering her laboratory or work room as sorceress preferred to call it. "Are you coming in or not?" Iboilian added seeing Mororn wasn't moving.
Mororn nodded and walked in quickly.
"Well... start looking for it! Or do you want me to do it for you?!" Iboilian squeaked.
"Oh no, of course not, my lady," Mororn replied while kneeled down and begun looking for the desired ingredient in some floor-level shelves.
Iboilian was busy preparing her pipe and once she was finished she lit it up and begun to smoke. "So Raven claws," she mused. "What are you up to lass?"
"Just a potion," Mororn replied.
"Just a potion," Iboilian repeated. "And may I know which potion this is? Or is it that the town sorceress is too important to tell an old woman like myself," she said and began pacing around the room. "I don't know why I was replaced," she mused out aloud, "I was so good."
"And you still are," Mororn admitted.
"Maybe, but look at me now! Old and stiff at the joints, I'm no good for anything!"
Mororn stopped looking for the raven claws and stood up facing the old and bitter woman. "Do not say that. you're only going around in a vicious circle called self pity! You will never feel you are worthwhile if you keep like this, all your wisdom is neglected by your pride and bitterness," she said. "Trees go through many seasons, leaves fall but each stage has its beauty."
Iboilian remained quiet thinking of what Mororn had said. It was true but was it time for her to forget and forgive? She felt in her heart it was but her pride told her against it, nevertheless she reached for a jar in a shelf above her head and waved it a bit. "Raven claws," she said. "Catch it lassie." She tossed it at Mororn who luckily caught it.
Mororn smiled. "Thank you."
"No, thank you lass," Iboilian retorted. "Now off with you and don't get distracted in the way." Mororn smiled awkwardly and turned to leave but Iboilian's voice stopped her. "That potion will be the hope of many."
"Aye," Mororn agreed and then left at a vivid pace.
The day soon became a night and Mororn had already finished the potion. She was changing to an appropriate suit to fight magic against magic when Draug-rog stormed in. Mororn squeaked terrified.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mororn," he exclaimed covering his eyes and turning to face the closed door. "I'm very...but I needed to talk to you. It's of great importance, believe me or else I should not have rushed in so impulsively."
"Worry not, Draug-rog," she said while she pulled her suit on. "You can turn around now."
Draug-rog did as she told and turned around. He had a faint blush still lingering on his cheeks and looked extremely uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "The enemy's troops have already arrived and I believe they are ready to attack...I fear there is something we did not expect when we thought our plan: what if they attack first?"
"They won't," Mororn replied soothingly. "We will attack first, in fact, we must attack within the hour or else they will."
"How do you know all this Mororn?"
She smiled and said, "I had a dream last night, I already knew all this was going to happen," she laughed, "even you coming in my quarters and finding me half naked."
Draug-rog chuckled, "Why then didn't you lock your door milady?" he asked playfully.
"One cannot interfere with destiny milord," she replied equally playfully.
"Ah but you are, you are interfering by telling me about the hour in which we should attack..."
"True, but there are interventions and interventions...and besides I love to see your cheeks rosy pink."
Draug-rog smiled and shook his head. "I have to leave now, make sure you deliver the potion to the healers and don't be late again, we will have one last meeting before the attack."
"Very well." She smiled and saw as Draug-rog left.
Draug-rog jogged on his black horse along the lines of armed soldiers. He saw and smelled the fear in their pale faces and in the trembling hands of the younger men who tried as much as they could to keep heir bones from shaking. "Men from Angmar," he called, "I have little to say on this dark hour, I as many of you may know I have never been good with words . My men may your lives be spared today, fight bravely we will see each other soon, whether on this life or the next one. For freedom!" he exclaimed receiving emotive war cries from the men who had not heard such encouraging words in a long time. King Aglar paced by his nephews side, sword in hand and a brave look upon his noble face. "Angmarians and Forochelians!" he said. "For freedom!" and with this and a movement of his sword the men began making their way towards the enemy. They moved fast, but quietly as they had planned, the enemy just a few miles away form them. Mororn was the first to attack as they had planned, she held her staff in her right hand as she summoned the forces and hexed a considerable amount of orcs and evil men. The Angmarian and Forochelian army begun to run, this time crying out loud , to their enemy swords and spears and bows, arrows cut through the air and men fought against men, much blood was spilled but there was more to come.
A/n: short, I know...don't worry in the following Angmar chappie I'll describe Draug-rog and Amarth-dae and King Aglar fighting...and also Mororn hexing and jinxing and stuff... :P Yay girl power!...lots of girl power in this fic...you'll see. REVIEW PLEASE!! PRESS THE PRETTY BUTTON!