Hey everybody, thanks for all you reviews I am now really happy. Now I have
some sad news, I won't be able to update until Tuesday or Wednesday at
least cause I have a huge test coming up that I need to make well cause I
am standing a C minus right now. Forgive me and send me all the luck you
can spare, I have to take the test on Tuesday.
Oh yeah, I kind of made up what happens on the Path of the Dead cause I: am not in the mood to study the book again have to deal with Rita's fear of locked places.
LanierShazar: Yes, I'm very sneaky, lol, now read this chapter and enjoy!
Meggers: Stupid teacher, I swear they are at school to torture you. My math- teacher especially, though we did laugh last week cause we convinced him to dance on a table and you just should have seen the faces of the people who saw that while they were passing the class. . . utter shock!
Legolaslover: Yeah I've seen TTT and it was soooooo good!!!!! I'm trying to write long chapters but I never know what they're gonna turn out like.
Blahblah: Thanks for your compliment, I am now really happy.
Chibi chingo: Glad we cleared our little thing up, my first language is Dutch so mistakes will be made for my English is pretty good but not perfect.
Arwen-evenstar: I'm sorry *hands stack of tissues* I didn't mean to make you cry. ;)
THEwriter Lioncub: The flu is going around here as well, lucky me I only have a bad cold. Hope you get well soon.
CC: Ah, brotherly love. Happy you like the way I portrayed their relationship.
Ithilwen: I'm happy too Elladan is back. (by the way, did you just consume a large amount of caffeine?????)
Kiku: I update to please you. . . :)
Evil Piggy: Hey I read your character in 'More insane people in Middle Earth' as well. I'm glad you started my fic and I hope you will reach this part soon so you can see me thanking you for your review.
Quiet One: Hihi, you couldn't stop reading this fic huh? I love it how you review every chapter, it makes me feel all warm inside.
Sindmellonwen: I'm typing so I'm keeping it up.
Aurumlupi: Thanks for the tip. . . gauntlets *writes it down in little book* have to remember that.
Musicgrl: I hope to read your fic soon, happy you liked this chapter.
Shinigami29: Hey Audrey, I'm sorry I haven't been able to mail you yet but I've been busy studying, sorry.
Sugar-is-sweet: Tongue and not tong. Thanks for telling me, I didn't even see that. And NO I do not mind when you point these kind of things out. It only motivates me to write better chapters.
Elvish princess: YAY you're gonna keep reading my fic. The movie will be different from my fic anyway cause I have some devilish twists in mind.
Audrey: You liked, now I'm very happy! ;)
DISCLAIMER: Nope, not in the mood!
The horses flew over the plains in great speed and after only a day they reached Dunharrow where they were warmly greeted by Éowyn. Well Aragorn was warmly welcomed and the others were normally welcomed.
Rita frowned when she saw the White Lady eye Aragorn and decided to save the future king from what could turn out to be a nasty matter. She walked towards them and put her hand on Aragorn's shoulder. And spoke to him in Sindarin.
"You should rest my friend. I know you did not do so last night and the path we will take will be long and dangerous or so I heard. You need your strength."
He nodded and answered her in Sindarin as well. "You are right Rita, I will take my leave shortly but right now I must speak with the Lady for I wish to make her see I am not the one for her."
"You can't make her see that Aragorn, only she can do that and she does not wish to do so, it is in her eyes." Rita forced herself not to roll her eyes at his naive point of view but recognized the look on his face, it said he had made up his mind.
She switched back to Common again. "Get some rest Aragorn, you'll need it."
Aragorn smiled and kissed her on her forehead. "I will Rita, now you should rest as well. The road we will take will not be easy. We will leave early tomorrow morning."
Rita smiled up at him and nodded at Éowyn, whose eyes were burning holes in her head. She had to fight a smirk, Éowyn was jealous of her. Se left the room and walked towards her assigned quarters.
Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and she almost stabbed the person with her dagger when she noticed it was Elladan. She put the dagger back into its place and took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat.
This was not happening however because Elladan kissed her deeply and Rita surrendered to the feeling of his tongue against her own. Her heart beat wildly now and she could feel the tingles again. She felt herself melt into the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her.
Rita sighed when he started to kiss her neck before he turned his attention to her mouth again, which she enjoyed very much until she remembered what he had done.
She broke the kiss and slapped his arm. "Don't ever do that again if you want to survive it. I was this close to stabbing you, you silly elf. What if I hadn't felt it was you and killed you huh? What would I have done then?"
He was taken aback at her outburst but knew she was right. Months of travelling in danger had made her weary of her surroundings and alert to any trouble. "I am sorry Rita, I just desired to kiss you and I could not control myself."
Rita smiled at this. "Well you'll just have to control yourself because I'm gonna bathe and sleep." When he opened his mouth to speak she interrupted. "Alone."
After giving him a short but sweet kiss she went back to her room where she found a hot bath readied for her and slipped in the water.
She stayed in the water until it turned cold and dried herself off. She found a nightgown laid out for her and she pulled it over her head and collapsed on the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rita woke early that morning and she had to think hard about where she was exactly. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs where she bumped into none other than Éowyn.
"I'm sorry Lady Éowyn, I did not see you there."
She didn't receive an answer as the White Lady stormed away again her eyes flashing with anger. Rita shrugged *The conversation with Aragorn probably didn't turn out like she had planned* She smelled food so she followed the scent and reached the dininghall where only Aragorn already sat, a really tired looking Aragorn.
"You didn't go to sleep did you, you idiot." Was the first thing she said to him. "And what did you say to Éowyn she was fuming when I walked past her.
He gave her a weak smile and answered her in a soft voice. "She wished to join us and I refused, this is what made her so angry. She asked me again this morning and once again I refused." He threw his hands up frustration. "What did I do to make her act in such a way?"
"Not a damn thing, just being your lovable self." She winked and started to giggle, this was enough to make Aragorn burst out in laughter as well.
They were desperately trying to stay in their seats when a gruff voice boomed through the room. "Well what is going on here? Some people are trying to sleep and you are waking them up right now. What is so funny?" There was Gimli in full gruff mode.
Rita looked at Aragorn but wished she hadn't for she burst in another fit of giggles at the warning in his eyes. *He's embarrassed* she thought.
The men looked at her when she slid to the ground, holding her stomach that was hurting from all the laughing. Aragorn was close to do the same but he had some restraint left.
Legolas entered with Elladan and Elrohir and shot Gimli a questioning glance but the dwarf shrugged as a sign he had no idea what was going on.
After a while Aragorn stopped laughing and Rita was able to sit up, both were wiping the tears from their eyes. *Actually it was a silly thing to laugh over so much* Rita mused *But I guess we really needed that.*
Aragorn pulled her up and she giggled once more when he winked at her, but suddenly she noticed they had an audience. "What?" she asked "Is it illegal to have some fun around here?"
"We were merely surprised Rita for it is very uncommon to see Aragorn almost roll over the floor laughing, pray tell what was so funny." It was Halbarad who answered her.
She glanced at Aragorn and then shook her head. "Nah, it would loose something if I'd explain."
The men around shrugged and went their own way, some went to get breakfast while others went to walk around for a bit. Rita got some breakfast and left the three hunters and the twins at the table.
"Long has it been since she laughed like that, or perhaps this was the first time she did." said Legolas "It truly is a good thing to hear."
The others agreed and Gimli was the one who voiced concern. "I worry for her Aragorn, you know what road the Path of the Dead will be. I fear she will be lost in the darkness of her mind once again."
This remark made Aragorn and Legolas grim and Elladan shot them a worried look. "What darkness, what are you talking of?"
"Rita fears to be locked in for reasons she must tell you for it is not in my place to say. I believe she will survive the dark once more, she has grown Gimli we have all seen it. No longer does she question her skill in battle nor will she come looking for protection." Said Aragorn.
Legolas interrupted. "She never did that anyway."
The future king shook his head. "Nay not really, yet she sought for it once or twice. She broke down after Boromir's death, but I believe you have known that already."
"Aye" said Legolas and he spent no more words on the matter.
Elladan was astonished. "What more has she gone through that I do not know of? What dangers did she suffer?"
His questions remained unanswered for Rita returned with while carrying six plates. The men quickly grabbed them and they ate in silence.
Rita wondered what had saddened the men but thought it had something to do with the road they were taking. The Path of the Dead was not a very positive name. When she finished she went back to her room to get her stuff, not noticing eyes followed her while she left.
In her room she grabbed her brush and she started to get all the tangles out of them. She was about to braid it when somebody knocked on the door. "Come in" she said and Rita was stunned when she saw who entered, it was Éowyn.
"I apologize for interrupting you while you are getting ready to leave but I had to ask you this. You seem to be very close to Aragorn, can you not convince him to let me come."
Rita sighed sadly. "I cannot do this Lady Éowyn, for it is not in my place. He did what he deemed best, for your place is with your people."
This angered the White Lady. "My place is with the man I love, the people of Rohan will be fine without me. I am a shieldmaiden and not a leader, I will never be their leader. As a woman this is not my place. When the king and Éomer return I will be locked in a golden cage again and I will not disappear again I WILL NOT!"
"I cannot say I understand what you've been through yet you must have hope." Rita thought for a while. "Where I come from women have equal rights but this is not always a good thing. Men still do not see all the things we are capable of and women have to fight for these rights."
She started to realize this was not a good speech to discourage Éowyn from coming and started to put a twist in her tale.
"Middle Earth is not ready for a change like that and women will be on the background, but this does not mean we won't do heroic things. We will fight gloriously and protect everything dear to us."
Rita sighed. "I know I am trying to keep you from coming and these words are not the wisest to do that so I'll be blunt. Aragorn does not love you Éowyn, he is meant for another who loves him with all her heart. I will not let you break it."
A tear slid down Éowyn's cheek as Rita continued. "His destiny has been forged long ago and though Aragorn respects you he will never be able to love you like he loves her. Let it go Lady of Rohan and do whatever it takes to keep your land safe from danger."
Éowyn's voice was hoarse and sounded like that of a child when she asked a question. "What will I do now?"
"Only you know what you must do Milady, I cannot decide for you. I only ask this of you, let Aragorn go for it burdens his heart to know he pains you."
The White Lady nodded. "You are wiser than one might suspect Lady Rita, allow me to aid you in getting ready."
Rita smiled at her. "I'd like the help thank you, but please call me Rita."
"Only if you call me Éowyn."
The White Lady grabbed the brush from Rita's hand and brushed it a few times before she started to braid the hair. "I will braid your hair in such manner that it will not burden you. Your road will be dangerous, it is said none have returned once they step on that path."
"If Aragorn is going, so am I." answered Rita and Éowyn nodded.
"I know" was all she said as she bound Rita's hair.
In silence they prepared Rita further and Éowyn aided Rita with pulling the gauntlets (thanks Aurumlupi!) over her arms and fastening the red cloak around her. Her pack was around her shoulders again and Rita was ready to depart. The last thing that was done was putting the helm on Rita's head and Rita smiled.
She put her hand on Éowyn's shoulder. "Remember to fight for what you believe in Éowyn, good luck." With that Rita turned and left. She didn't catch the White Lady's answer.
"Good luck to you as well Rita, may the Valar keep you safe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Their departure was swift and Rita held onto Elladan as they rode hard across the plains until they halted for the entrance of a cave. They all dismounted and Aragorn started to lead them into it while Elladan and Elrohir were behind them.
Legolas had to calm Arod because the horse was almost mad with fear, once he succeeded in calming him he also entered the cave and Gimli and Rita were the only ones still outside. The dwarf started to mumble.
"This is unheard of, elves go under the ground while dwarves fear to do so." He looked at Rita to see her trembling and grabbed her hand. "Come lass, we must follow or we will fall behind."
Rita swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat and nodded. She didn't release his hand as they stepped into the darkness together. She was attacked by a wave of fear as the dark started to surround her and her breath quickened.
The dwarf squeezed her hand. "It's alright lass, we will get through this. Look the elf shines even in this darkness."
He was right, Rita could faintly see the light of Legolas's aura and focussed on that. They caught up with the convoy and Legolas turned around when he heard them near. He grimaced when he saw the fear that shone in Rita's eyes and grabbed her other hand.
It must have been a weird sight to see; a girl hand in hand with a dwarf and an elf. Knowing she had her friends with her comforted Rita. She focussed completely on nothing but the walking and her breathing, so she didn't notice that the dead were following.
She also didn't notice when Elladan started to walk behind them, nor did she see Aragorn address the dead.
Rita blinked when she was in the light. She was shocked to see they were outside and let go of the hands of Gimli and Legolas. "We're there already?"
"Already?" exclaimed Gimli "ALREADY! Lass, we have been walking for over fourteen hours. I am very happy to be out of the caves by now, it was a terrifying place."
Rita gaped at the dwarf, never before had he admitted he had been afraid. Suddenly she saw ships in front of her. "We're going to sail? YES! No more walking."
The men around her grinned and soon they boarded the ships, a lot of men from the south had assembled as well and boarded on the order of the king.
Finally she saw Aragorn and smiled a huge smile. He stood tall and proud, Elladan and Elrohir beside him, directing all to the ships. Ships, she noted, that were black and looked dangerous. Legolas then mentioned that these were the vessels of darkness but now they would bring light.
The three boarded the lead ship and Elladan engulfed Rita in a hug that squeezed all the air out of her lungs.
"I feared for you Rita" he mumbled "For you did not respond to anything."
She didn't know what to say and hugged him back. "I'm ok now, no need to worry anymore." He still clung onto her and Rita wriggled her way out of his arms.
Elladan looked as if he didn't believe her so she shut him of by kissing him softly on his lips. "Really, I'm ok. This was nothing compared to Moria, although that might be because I remember more of the darkness there."
Then the ships started to move and the men settled across the deck. Legolas, Gimli and Elrohir were in a conversation as Elladan sat down on the ground, pulling Rita against him.
Rita however saw Aragorn all alone in the front and stood up again. "I have to talk to Aragorn." She explained to a confused Elladan and she made her way to stand beside Aragorn who was holding a large banner.
"What's wrong Aragorn, what is going through that mind of yours right now?"
He turned around to face her and sighed as he slid down on the ground. Rita followed and sat on the ground as well, waiting for him to start talking. She didn't have to wait very long.
"I am concerned for Gondor and how it will handle battle, for I do not believe we will arrive in time. We will take two days to reach them, if not more."
Rita frowned, she had forgotten to ask how long they would take. She figured she had to ease Aragorn's mind and started to speak softly.
"Gondor will be fine Aragorn, have you forgotten that Gandalf is there right at this moment? He will aid the city in any way. Not to forget about Pippin and the Gondorians themselves. If they are anything like Boromir they will put up a great fight."
A slight smile reached his lips, but disappeared as sudden as it had appeared. "The battle will not be without loss, I will loose many of my friends once we get to our destination. The men of the south followed me as if I were king already, what if I fail them, what if I lead them into nothing but death?"
Silence followed until Rita broke it by reciting something.
'Heart must be braver, courage the bolder, Mood the stouter as our strength grows less! Here on the ground my good lord lies Gory with wounds. Always will he regret it Who now from this battle thinks to turn back. I am old in years; I will never yield, But here at the last beside my lord, By the leader I love I think to lie.'
Aragorn looked at her with a question in his eyes so Rita began to explain. "These are the last lines of a famous work called The Battle of Maldon, it is about a great battle. One of the parties is completely slaughtered by the others and these were the words an old soldier spoke to the younger ones when they tried to flee."
"What does it have to do with our situation right now?" he asked and Rita sighed. *I really thought he was smart but I'm starting to doubt that*
"The men on these ships follow you because they believe in YOU, their lord. They will fight to the death if the situation asks it of them. I thought these words were fitting to your mood. You are starting to despair Aragorn in a time you should have hope. I didn't pass the awful darkness to let myself be killed by some stupid orcs and I will not let you think that either."
This time Aragorn did smile and he shook his head. "I have said this before, but what would I do without you? You always seem to say the right things to ease my mind and help me understand what bothers me."
"You would have figured it out on your own, I just pushed you a little so it you would figure it out sooner." She yawned and though she tried to hide it he noticed.
"Rest Rita, I had forgotten you must be tired. It will take some time for us to arrive."
She nodded and mumbled "Ok Aragorn" about a second before she fell asleep. Aragorn smiled and picked her up, carrying her to the place where Legolas, Gimli and the twins were already seated. He laid her on the deck and covered her with a blanket before he went to sit with them.
"What happened there Estel?" asked Elrohir.
"Nothing brother, she just opened my eyes to see the truth once again. She is very wise for her age and it keeps amazing me while it shouldn't."
Elladan looked over to where she was resting and his expression softened. "Tell me what happened to her until now my friends, you were about to answer my question earlier when she interrupted."
One by one the members of the fellowship started to tell what happened. Gimli told about the darkness of Moria and her shock afterwards.
When he heard the reason why she feared to be locked away so much, a flame started to burn in Elladan's eyes. How he longed to beat Jack Saunders into a bloody pulp.
Legolas told the story of how she had rescued young Salmir from drowning and how she had jumped in the river without fear for her own life.
When it was Aragorn's turn he spoke of her nightmares and her reaction to Boromir's death. Finally he gave account of what had happened at Helm's Deep and the dangers she had been in. His voice quivered a bit when he remembered how they had believed she had died.
Elladan and Elrohir listened with wide eyes. Elladan because of his fear for her and Elrohir because he was amazed by her courage. He silently agreed with his brother's choice of her, she was more worthy of Elladan's love than any other maiden.
~Elorhir's memory~
Elrohir had heard the conversation between his father and Elladan before they left. A conversation that contained more sorrow than he'd like to remember.
When he was confronted with the facts, Elrond started to realize he could do nothing about loosing his daughter to death but he would not see his sons do the same thing. For Elrond knew that Elrohir would follow his brother in any path he would take; be it immortal or mortal life.
It had broken his heart to listen to his pleading father who was begging for Elladan to reconsider his love for the girl. He then spoke words that caused for the bond between father and son to be damaged severely.
"She does not deserve you Elladan, she is mortal and you are immortal. She will never understand the sacrifice you want to make for her. Most likely she will not survive the quest for I did not foresee her survival."
This had placed a rage in Elladan and Elrohir watched his brother as he held his head high and state that he would die with her if that was his destiny and walk away.
Elrohir had found his brother in Arwen's room, actually weeping in his sister's lap. Arwen had tears in her eyes also as she tried to calm Elladan down and Elrohir kneeled beside them and took them both in his arms.
The three had sat like that for hours, silently crying in each other's arms. That night the rangers had come and the twins had joined them. Elladan had not talked to Elrond before they left and matters were unsolved.
~End Elrohir's memory~
Elrohir squeezed his brother's shoulder and Elladan seemed to understand what he was trying to say for a light began to shine in his eyes.
The journey seemed longer than ever and the two following days were hell for those on the ships, for they did not know what to expect to find once they did reach Gondor.
Would it be a battle or death of those who resisted the dark forces?
A/N: hihihi evil I know. This way I have you glued to your seats until I update again. Once more I'd want to say I'm sorry I won't be able to update until Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope you all liked this chapter.
Oh yeah, I kind of made up what happens on the Path of the Dead cause I: am not in the mood to study the book again have to deal with Rita's fear of locked places.
LanierShazar: Yes, I'm very sneaky, lol, now read this chapter and enjoy!
Meggers: Stupid teacher, I swear they are at school to torture you. My math- teacher especially, though we did laugh last week cause we convinced him to dance on a table and you just should have seen the faces of the people who saw that while they were passing the class. . . utter shock!
Legolaslover: Yeah I've seen TTT and it was soooooo good!!!!! I'm trying to write long chapters but I never know what they're gonna turn out like.
Blahblah: Thanks for your compliment, I am now really happy.
Chibi chingo: Glad we cleared our little thing up, my first language is Dutch so mistakes will be made for my English is pretty good but not perfect.
Arwen-evenstar: I'm sorry *hands stack of tissues* I didn't mean to make you cry. ;)
THEwriter Lioncub: The flu is going around here as well, lucky me I only have a bad cold. Hope you get well soon.
CC: Ah, brotherly love. Happy you like the way I portrayed their relationship.
Ithilwen: I'm happy too Elladan is back. (by the way, did you just consume a large amount of caffeine?????)
Kiku: I update to please you. . . :)
Evil Piggy: Hey I read your character in 'More insane people in Middle Earth' as well. I'm glad you started my fic and I hope you will reach this part soon so you can see me thanking you for your review.
Quiet One: Hihi, you couldn't stop reading this fic huh? I love it how you review every chapter, it makes me feel all warm inside.
Sindmellonwen: I'm typing so I'm keeping it up.
Aurumlupi: Thanks for the tip. . . gauntlets *writes it down in little book* have to remember that.
Musicgrl: I hope to read your fic soon, happy you liked this chapter.
Shinigami29: Hey Audrey, I'm sorry I haven't been able to mail you yet but I've been busy studying, sorry.
Sugar-is-sweet: Tongue and not tong. Thanks for telling me, I didn't even see that. And NO I do not mind when you point these kind of things out. It only motivates me to write better chapters.
Elvish princess: YAY you're gonna keep reading my fic. The movie will be different from my fic anyway cause I have some devilish twists in mind.
Audrey: You liked, now I'm very happy! ;)
DISCLAIMER: Nope, not in the mood!
The horses flew over the plains in great speed and after only a day they reached Dunharrow where they were warmly greeted by Éowyn. Well Aragorn was warmly welcomed and the others were normally welcomed.
Rita frowned when she saw the White Lady eye Aragorn and decided to save the future king from what could turn out to be a nasty matter. She walked towards them and put her hand on Aragorn's shoulder. And spoke to him in Sindarin.
"You should rest my friend. I know you did not do so last night and the path we will take will be long and dangerous or so I heard. You need your strength."
He nodded and answered her in Sindarin as well. "You are right Rita, I will take my leave shortly but right now I must speak with the Lady for I wish to make her see I am not the one for her."
"You can't make her see that Aragorn, only she can do that and she does not wish to do so, it is in her eyes." Rita forced herself not to roll her eyes at his naive point of view but recognized the look on his face, it said he had made up his mind.
She switched back to Common again. "Get some rest Aragorn, you'll need it."
Aragorn smiled and kissed her on her forehead. "I will Rita, now you should rest as well. The road we will take will not be easy. We will leave early tomorrow morning."
Rita smiled up at him and nodded at Éowyn, whose eyes were burning holes in her head. She had to fight a smirk, Éowyn was jealous of her. Se left the room and walked towards her assigned quarters.
Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and she almost stabbed the person with her dagger when she noticed it was Elladan. She put the dagger back into its place and took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat.
This was not happening however because Elladan kissed her deeply and Rita surrendered to the feeling of his tongue against her own. Her heart beat wildly now and she could feel the tingles again. She felt herself melt into the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her.
Rita sighed when he started to kiss her neck before he turned his attention to her mouth again, which she enjoyed very much until she remembered what he had done.
She broke the kiss and slapped his arm. "Don't ever do that again if you want to survive it. I was this close to stabbing you, you silly elf. What if I hadn't felt it was you and killed you huh? What would I have done then?"
He was taken aback at her outburst but knew she was right. Months of travelling in danger had made her weary of her surroundings and alert to any trouble. "I am sorry Rita, I just desired to kiss you and I could not control myself."
Rita smiled at this. "Well you'll just have to control yourself because I'm gonna bathe and sleep." When he opened his mouth to speak she interrupted. "Alone."
After giving him a short but sweet kiss she went back to her room where she found a hot bath readied for her and slipped in the water.
She stayed in the water until it turned cold and dried herself off. She found a nightgown laid out for her and she pulled it over her head and collapsed on the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rita woke early that morning and she had to think hard about where she was exactly. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs where she bumped into none other than Éowyn.
"I'm sorry Lady Éowyn, I did not see you there."
She didn't receive an answer as the White Lady stormed away again her eyes flashing with anger. Rita shrugged *The conversation with Aragorn probably didn't turn out like she had planned* She smelled food so she followed the scent and reached the dininghall where only Aragorn already sat, a really tired looking Aragorn.
"You didn't go to sleep did you, you idiot." Was the first thing she said to him. "And what did you say to Éowyn she was fuming when I walked past her.
He gave her a weak smile and answered her in a soft voice. "She wished to join us and I refused, this is what made her so angry. She asked me again this morning and once again I refused." He threw his hands up frustration. "What did I do to make her act in such a way?"
"Not a damn thing, just being your lovable self." She winked and started to giggle, this was enough to make Aragorn burst out in laughter as well.
They were desperately trying to stay in their seats when a gruff voice boomed through the room. "Well what is going on here? Some people are trying to sleep and you are waking them up right now. What is so funny?" There was Gimli in full gruff mode.
Rita looked at Aragorn but wished she hadn't for she burst in another fit of giggles at the warning in his eyes. *He's embarrassed* she thought.
The men looked at her when she slid to the ground, holding her stomach that was hurting from all the laughing. Aragorn was close to do the same but he had some restraint left.
Legolas entered with Elladan and Elrohir and shot Gimli a questioning glance but the dwarf shrugged as a sign he had no idea what was going on.
After a while Aragorn stopped laughing and Rita was able to sit up, both were wiping the tears from their eyes. *Actually it was a silly thing to laugh over so much* Rita mused *But I guess we really needed that.*
Aragorn pulled her up and she giggled once more when he winked at her, but suddenly she noticed they had an audience. "What?" she asked "Is it illegal to have some fun around here?"
"We were merely surprised Rita for it is very uncommon to see Aragorn almost roll over the floor laughing, pray tell what was so funny." It was Halbarad who answered her.
She glanced at Aragorn and then shook her head. "Nah, it would loose something if I'd explain."
The men around shrugged and went their own way, some went to get breakfast while others went to walk around for a bit. Rita got some breakfast and left the three hunters and the twins at the table.
"Long has it been since she laughed like that, or perhaps this was the first time she did." said Legolas "It truly is a good thing to hear."
The others agreed and Gimli was the one who voiced concern. "I worry for her Aragorn, you know what road the Path of the Dead will be. I fear she will be lost in the darkness of her mind once again."
This remark made Aragorn and Legolas grim and Elladan shot them a worried look. "What darkness, what are you talking of?"
"Rita fears to be locked in for reasons she must tell you for it is not in my place to say. I believe she will survive the dark once more, she has grown Gimli we have all seen it. No longer does she question her skill in battle nor will she come looking for protection." Said Aragorn.
Legolas interrupted. "She never did that anyway."
The future king shook his head. "Nay not really, yet she sought for it once or twice. She broke down after Boromir's death, but I believe you have known that already."
"Aye" said Legolas and he spent no more words on the matter.
Elladan was astonished. "What more has she gone through that I do not know of? What dangers did she suffer?"
His questions remained unanswered for Rita returned with while carrying six plates. The men quickly grabbed them and they ate in silence.
Rita wondered what had saddened the men but thought it had something to do with the road they were taking. The Path of the Dead was not a very positive name. When she finished she went back to her room to get her stuff, not noticing eyes followed her while she left.
In her room she grabbed her brush and she started to get all the tangles out of them. She was about to braid it when somebody knocked on the door. "Come in" she said and Rita was stunned when she saw who entered, it was Éowyn.
"I apologize for interrupting you while you are getting ready to leave but I had to ask you this. You seem to be very close to Aragorn, can you not convince him to let me come."
Rita sighed sadly. "I cannot do this Lady Éowyn, for it is not in my place. He did what he deemed best, for your place is with your people."
This angered the White Lady. "My place is with the man I love, the people of Rohan will be fine without me. I am a shieldmaiden and not a leader, I will never be their leader. As a woman this is not my place. When the king and Éomer return I will be locked in a golden cage again and I will not disappear again I WILL NOT!"
"I cannot say I understand what you've been through yet you must have hope." Rita thought for a while. "Where I come from women have equal rights but this is not always a good thing. Men still do not see all the things we are capable of and women have to fight for these rights."
She started to realize this was not a good speech to discourage Éowyn from coming and started to put a twist in her tale.
"Middle Earth is not ready for a change like that and women will be on the background, but this does not mean we won't do heroic things. We will fight gloriously and protect everything dear to us."
Rita sighed. "I know I am trying to keep you from coming and these words are not the wisest to do that so I'll be blunt. Aragorn does not love you Éowyn, he is meant for another who loves him with all her heart. I will not let you break it."
A tear slid down Éowyn's cheek as Rita continued. "His destiny has been forged long ago and though Aragorn respects you he will never be able to love you like he loves her. Let it go Lady of Rohan and do whatever it takes to keep your land safe from danger."
Éowyn's voice was hoarse and sounded like that of a child when she asked a question. "What will I do now?"
"Only you know what you must do Milady, I cannot decide for you. I only ask this of you, let Aragorn go for it burdens his heart to know he pains you."
The White Lady nodded. "You are wiser than one might suspect Lady Rita, allow me to aid you in getting ready."
Rita smiled at her. "I'd like the help thank you, but please call me Rita."
"Only if you call me Éowyn."
The White Lady grabbed the brush from Rita's hand and brushed it a few times before she started to braid the hair. "I will braid your hair in such manner that it will not burden you. Your road will be dangerous, it is said none have returned once they step on that path."
"If Aragorn is going, so am I." answered Rita and Éowyn nodded.
"I know" was all she said as she bound Rita's hair.
In silence they prepared Rita further and Éowyn aided Rita with pulling the gauntlets (thanks Aurumlupi!) over her arms and fastening the red cloak around her. Her pack was around her shoulders again and Rita was ready to depart. The last thing that was done was putting the helm on Rita's head and Rita smiled.
She put her hand on Éowyn's shoulder. "Remember to fight for what you believe in Éowyn, good luck." With that Rita turned and left. She didn't catch the White Lady's answer.
"Good luck to you as well Rita, may the Valar keep you safe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Their departure was swift and Rita held onto Elladan as they rode hard across the plains until they halted for the entrance of a cave. They all dismounted and Aragorn started to lead them into it while Elladan and Elrohir were behind them.
Legolas had to calm Arod because the horse was almost mad with fear, once he succeeded in calming him he also entered the cave and Gimli and Rita were the only ones still outside. The dwarf started to mumble.
"This is unheard of, elves go under the ground while dwarves fear to do so." He looked at Rita to see her trembling and grabbed her hand. "Come lass, we must follow or we will fall behind."
Rita swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat and nodded. She didn't release his hand as they stepped into the darkness together. She was attacked by a wave of fear as the dark started to surround her and her breath quickened.
The dwarf squeezed her hand. "It's alright lass, we will get through this. Look the elf shines even in this darkness."
He was right, Rita could faintly see the light of Legolas's aura and focussed on that. They caught up with the convoy and Legolas turned around when he heard them near. He grimaced when he saw the fear that shone in Rita's eyes and grabbed her other hand.
It must have been a weird sight to see; a girl hand in hand with a dwarf and an elf. Knowing she had her friends with her comforted Rita. She focussed completely on nothing but the walking and her breathing, so she didn't notice that the dead were following.
She also didn't notice when Elladan started to walk behind them, nor did she see Aragorn address the dead.
Rita blinked when she was in the light. She was shocked to see they were outside and let go of the hands of Gimli and Legolas. "We're there already?"
"Already?" exclaimed Gimli "ALREADY! Lass, we have been walking for over fourteen hours. I am very happy to be out of the caves by now, it was a terrifying place."
Rita gaped at the dwarf, never before had he admitted he had been afraid. Suddenly she saw ships in front of her. "We're going to sail? YES! No more walking."
The men around her grinned and soon they boarded the ships, a lot of men from the south had assembled as well and boarded on the order of the king.
Finally she saw Aragorn and smiled a huge smile. He stood tall and proud, Elladan and Elrohir beside him, directing all to the ships. Ships, she noted, that were black and looked dangerous. Legolas then mentioned that these were the vessels of darkness but now they would bring light.
The three boarded the lead ship and Elladan engulfed Rita in a hug that squeezed all the air out of her lungs.
"I feared for you Rita" he mumbled "For you did not respond to anything."
She didn't know what to say and hugged him back. "I'm ok now, no need to worry anymore." He still clung onto her and Rita wriggled her way out of his arms.
Elladan looked as if he didn't believe her so she shut him of by kissing him softly on his lips. "Really, I'm ok. This was nothing compared to Moria, although that might be because I remember more of the darkness there."
Then the ships started to move and the men settled across the deck. Legolas, Gimli and Elrohir were in a conversation as Elladan sat down on the ground, pulling Rita against him.
Rita however saw Aragorn all alone in the front and stood up again. "I have to talk to Aragorn." She explained to a confused Elladan and she made her way to stand beside Aragorn who was holding a large banner.
"What's wrong Aragorn, what is going through that mind of yours right now?"
He turned around to face her and sighed as he slid down on the ground. Rita followed and sat on the ground as well, waiting for him to start talking. She didn't have to wait very long.
"I am concerned for Gondor and how it will handle battle, for I do not believe we will arrive in time. We will take two days to reach them, if not more."
Rita frowned, she had forgotten to ask how long they would take. She figured she had to ease Aragorn's mind and started to speak softly.
"Gondor will be fine Aragorn, have you forgotten that Gandalf is there right at this moment? He will aid the city in any way. Not to forget about Pippin and the Gondorians themselves. If they are anything like Boromir they will put up a great fight."
A slight smile reached his lips, but disappeared as sudden as it had appeared. "The battle will not be without loss, I will loose many of my friends once we get to our destination. The men of the south followed me as if I were king already, what if I fail them, what if I lead them into nothing but death?"
Silence followed until Rita broke it by reciting something.
'Heart must be braver, courage the bolder, Mood the stouter as our strength grows less! Here on the ground my good lord lies Gory with wounds. Always will he regret it Who now from this battle thinks to turn back. I am old in years; I will never yield, But here at the last beside my lord, By the leader I love I think to lie.'
Aragorn looked at her with a question in his eyes so Rita began to explain. "These are the last lines of a famous work called The Battle of Maldon, it is about a great battle. One of the parties is completely slaughtered by the others and these were the words an old soldier spoke to the younger ones when they tried to flee."
"What does it have to do with our situation right now?" he asked and Rita sighed. *I really thought he was smart but I'm starting to doubt that*
"The men on these ships follow you because they believe in YOU, their lord. They will fight to the death if the situation asks it of them. I thought these words were fitting to your mood. You are starting to despair Aragorn in a time you should have hope. I didn't pass the awful darkness to let myself be killed by some stupid orcs and I will not let you think that either."
This time Aragorn did smile and he shook his head. "I have said this before, but what would I do without you? You always seem to say the right things to ease my mind and help me understand what bothers me."
"You would have figured it out on your own, I just pushed you a little so it you would figure it out sooner." She yawned and though she tried to hide it he noticed.
"Rest Rita, I had forgotten you must be tired. It will take some time for us to arrive."
She nodded and mumbled "Ok Aragorn" about a second before she fell asleep. Aragorn smiled and picked her up, carrying her to the place where Legolas, Gimli and the twins were already seated. He laid her on the deck and covered her with a blanket before he went to sit with them.
"What happened there Estel?" asked Elrohir.
"Nothing brother, she just opened my eyes to see the truth once again. She is very wise for her age and it keeps amazing me while it shouldn't."
Elladan looked over to where she was resting and his expression softened. "Tell me what happened to her until now my friends, you were about to answer my question earlier when she interrupted."
One by one the members of the fellowship started to tell what happened. Gimli told about the darkness of Moria and her shock afterwards.
When he heard the reason why she feared to be locked away so much, a flame started to burn in Elladan's eyes. How he longed to beat Jack Saunders into a bloody pulp.
Legolas told the story of how she had rescued young Salmir from drowning and how she had jumped in the river without fear for her own life.
When it was Aragorn's turn he spoke of her nightmares and her reaction to Boromir's death. Finally he gave account of what had happened at Helm's Deep and the dangers she had been in. His voice quivered a bit when he remembered how they had believed she had died.
Elladan and Elrohir listened with wide eyes. Elladan because of his fear for her and Elrohir because he was amazed by her courage. He silently agreed with his brother's choice of her, she was more worthy of Elladan's love than any other maiden.
~Elorhir's memory~
Elrohir had heard the conversation between his father and Elladan before they left. A conversation that contained more sorrow than he'd like to remember.
When he was confronted with the facts, Elrond started to realize he could do nothing about loosing his daughter to death but he would not see his sons do the same thing. For Elrond knew that Elrohir would follow his brother in any path he would take; be it immortal or mortal life.
It had broken his heart to listen to his pleading father who was begging for Elladan to reconsider his love for the girl. He then spoke words that caused for the bond between father and son to be damaged severely.
"She does not deserve you Elladan, she is mortal and you are immortal. She will never understand the sacrifice you want to make for her. Most likely she will not survive the quest for I did not foresee her survival."
This had placed a rage in Elladan and Elrohir watched his brother as he held his head high and state that he would die with her if that was his destiny and walk away.
Elrohir had found his brother in Arwen's room, actually weeping in his sister's lap. Arwen had tears in her eyes also as she tried to calm Elladan down and Elrohir kneeled beside them and took them both in his arms.
The three had sat like that for hours, silently crying in each other's arms. That night the rangers had come and the twins had joined them. Elladan had not talked to Elrond before they left and matters were unsolved.
~End Elrohir's memory~
Elrohir squeezed his brother's shoulder and Elladan seemed to understand what he was trying to say for a light began to shine in his eyes.
The journey seemed longer than ever and the two following days were hell for those on the ships, for they did not know what to expect to find once they did reach Gondor.
Would it be a battle or death of those who resisted the dark forces?
A/N: hihihi evil I know. This way I have you glued to your seats until I update again. Once more I'd want to say I'm sorry I won't be able to update until Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope you all liked this chapter.