The Lost City Of Cirus
Author's Note:
Sorry this chapter's only a short one but I'll try to get the next one up quickly to make up for it. Thanks so much for your reviews, they keep me motivated.
Hope you enjoy and please review.
Twenty-two
It Will Not Be Enough
"Aragorn, even with the Elves from Lothlórien and the few Dwarves Gimli is bringing will not be enough." Faramir sounded agitated as he paced back and forth across Aragorn's study.
Servants had been sent up in the early hours of the morning to fetch everyone down to Aragorn's study to discuss the growing threat of the Chameles and what they were planning to do about it.
Chairs had been arranged in a circle about the room and everyone but Faramir was seated. Aquila was settled into the high back chair with her legs tucked beneath her and her head resting on her hand. Legolas sat to her right and was listening intently to Faramir as he continued to pace back and fourth. Pandion sat to her left and he too was paying diligent attention. Aragorn had been sure to seat Eomer and Faramir as far away from Aquila and Pandion as possible, despite the fact that Faramir was now pacing the room.
"I know Faramir but where else can we draw forces from? I thought numbers this large would be more than enough." Aragorn sighed.
"I've seen them, it's not enough Aragorn." Glorfindel protested. "They covered the entire beach and more came from the ocean to bring out the weapons. Who knows how many more are still hidden beneath the water?"
"Well what do you propose we do about it Glorfindel?" Elrond questioned.
The other Elf remained silent and looked away from Elrond. A heavy silence fell over the room before Pandion's voice broke it.
"I will ask the Rocs for their help."
That certainly gained everyone's attention and all eyes were on him, including Aquila's startled ones.
"I am captain of our armies, they will do as I order them to if it comes to it."
"Yes but do we want a hostile army on our hands?" Elrond asked in concern.
"You will not get them to fight any other way. You think they will volunteer to aid the race of Men in this war?"
Elrond shook his head. He knew Pandion was right but he also didn't want the Roc to lead an unwilling army into battle, such a move could prove disastrous.
"You can't go back Pandion." Aquila objected. "As soon as you are back in the city father will never allow you to leave. Let me go instead."
"You cannot command my armies Aquila."
"But maybe I can convince father to send them instead."
"He did not listen to you all those times before, what makes you so sure he will listen now?"
"What if I went with here?" Legolas questioned. "Perhaps if tell him that my father has sent his armies and that other Elves are fighting he might be more willing to change his mind."
Pandion seemed to consider this option very carefully but Aquila was never one to be very patient.
"At least then I will have to leave again in order to return Legolas home and father is less likely to entrap me within the city than you. Plus let's face it, I can disappear more easily than you can."
"If Legolas goes with you, you might just have a chance at changing father's mind."
"How many Rocs do you think will come?" Aragorn sounded like he was about to burst.
"If they come, Aquila could bring near 10,000 perfectly capable warriors and still leave the City with more than enough Rocs to defend it."
Eomer's jaw dropped and he stared wide-eyed at Pandion.
"How is that possible?! Surely there are not that many Rocs left?"
"You forget King of Rohan, that our women fight as well as our men."
Pandion's eyes flicked to the weapons that hung about his sister's waist as he spoke and Eomer's gaze followed. He swallowed hard as he noticed the sword and Scimerang she carried for the first time.
"You will come with me then Legolas?" Aquila asked as she stood from her chair.
The Elven Prince nodded and too rose.
"You wish to leave now then?"
"It will take at least five if not six days of hard flight to reach Cirus from here; the sooner we leave, the better."
"We will see you off." Gandalf offered.
"I'm sure that wont be necessary Mithrandir." Legolas then addressed everyone in the room. "You must continue preparing for this war in anticipation that we cannot bring any Rocs back with us."
"On your way out stop by my kitchens and have them quickly pack some food for you."
Legolas nodded and then the two were gone.
Those remaining in the room looked at one another in silence. Faramir and Eomer looking at Pandion in a new light, realizing that regardless of their personal opinions as to whether he was trustworthy or not they were going to need his help and they were just going to have to learn to accept that fact.
"Do you think this is particularly wise move Aquila?" Legolas grasped her arm as he caught up with her.
She turned to face him, looking anything but confident about what they were about to embark on.
"No, I don't think it is. But it's the only move we have left to make."
"What if he wont let you come back?" Legolas sounded hurt and he cast his eyes downwards.
She reached a hand up and lovingly stroked his cheek before running her hand back through his hair.
"Aside from locking me I the dungeon, he could not stop me from coming back."
Legolas covered her hand with his before bringing it to his lips to kiss her palm.
"Then let us hurry." He whispered into her hand.
The two hurried onto the kitchen where the chef simply packed up as many nonperishable, or food items that would keep for at least a few days, as he could into a pack, which Legolas slung over his back. They thanked the chef and hurried out to the Citadel.
In moments they were in the air and lost from sight as Aquila began the long flight to Cirus. Legolas had no idea where they were going except that at the moment they were headed in the direction of his home. He began to wonder if, in fact, the Rocs really hadn't gone that far at all.
As Aquila and Legolas flew in silence those remaining in Minas Tirith went busily about preparing the gathered armies for war. The Lothlórien Elves arrived early the next day with Haldir at their head. Upon being greeted as they entered the city Haldir remembered this time to bow to Pandion as he passed by and Elrond smiled in amusement. It would be another two days before the Dwarves arrived and another three before Aquila and Legolas finally reached the lost city of Cirus.
"Your cavalry is going to be your greatest advantage. From what I've read of these Chameles they have come from the sea and have only recently adapted to life on land. This suggests, and I think Tinarandel will support me on this one, that they are not particularly agile on land. What that be correct Tinarandel?"
Pandion stood before the others gathered, once again in Aragorn's study, his arms folded behind his back as he addressed them. Seated in the room were Aragorn, Gandalf, Elrond, Glorfindel, Tinarandel, Aniond, Haldir, Elrohir and Elladan who had recently recovered enough from his injury to vacate the houses of healing.
"Yes, in fact I'd say that their mobile abilities out of the water are limited to a sort of hunched walk and run. They not particularly quick and for the time we were there had trained no beasts for them to ride on."
"Thank you Tinarandel. Horses will enable us to attack swiftly and proficiently, which will be needed as the majority of their weaponry seemed to be long ranged."
"Earlier you suggested a defensive strategy, do you have any proposals as to how we could go about that." Glorfindel asked curiously.
Pandion faltered for a moment before continuing.
"You must forgive me all, I have never actually stratagized for a battle. I have fought in battles but I was still too young for father to appoint me to a more prominent position in his army. I have also never had to strategize for an army who lacks the capability of flight."
"Yes it certainly would be most advantageous to have the Rocs fights with us." Elrond mused.
"But we cannot guarantee that we will have them so until then Pandion I'm afraid you'll have to make do with what armies we have." Aragorn checked them back to reality.
"Of course King of Gondor." He paused to try and gather his thoughts. "We have Elven archers, plus Faramir's archers from Ithilian and Gondor's archers so we can assault from a distance as well…Rohan can provide the majority of the cavalry, backed by horsemen from Gondor, Mirkwood, Lothlórien and Ithilian…we may have to form some sort of shielding front line…our best bet however, would be to lure them to Gondor."
"They wont fall for it." Tinarandel interjected. "They're too smart for that."
"Then we'll have to work very carefully on our plan of attack." Glorfindel nodded to Pandion as he spoke.
"Perhaps this is better left to you and Pandion, Glorfindel. If we leave the two of them to sort out our strategy the rest of you can rest and ensure your respective armies are well prepared and you Aragorn have an entire city to reassure." Elrond suggested.
"I think that is a good idea." Aragorn rose from his seat. "Please, would all but Pandion and Glorfindel follow me, we'll take an early lunch in the dinning hall."
All but Pandion and Glorfindel vacated the room but before he disappeared out the door Aragorn turned and addressed them.
"I will have lunch sent to you in here."
"Thank you King Elessar but I think Pandion and I may have our work cut out for us, you may have to send us dinner as well." Glorfindel said with a smile.
Pandion nodded and Aragorn flashed them a grin before shutting the door quietly behind him.
"Well then Prince Pandion, how shall we begin?"
"Parchment and ink, lots of it. We'll need to make notes and sketches as we go."
Glorfindel rose from his seat and set upon gathering up as much ink and blank parchment as he could while Pandion cleared a space on the floor for them to work, Aragorn's desk was already far too cluttered and they didn't wish to disturb the work the King had pilled up there.
While Pandion and Glorfindel filled Aragorn's study with drawings and notes on various plans of attack and battle strategies for the next two days the other's busied themselves with organizing their armies and keeping everyone clam and sane while remaining prepared for the worst. No one was quite sure what to expect when this war did begin but what they were defiantly not expecting was the strange figure that approached Minas Tirith at high noon the day after the Dwarves had arrived.
"You don't suppose another Dwarf decided to come do you Gimli?" Aragorn asked as he stood upon the battlements with Gimli, Gandalf and Faramir.
"No, too tall and they have an odd walk."
"You don't think it could be one of them do you?" Faramir sounded worried.
"One of who Faramir?"
"A Chamele."
Aragorn stared out at the creature as it slowly approached the city and the more he stared at it the more it seem to take on the appearance of the drawings Tinarandel had show them.
"There is only one, perhaps they have sent it as a messenger?"
"Have Tinarandel meet me at the front gates. He's been working with his notes to try and decipher the Chameles language, he says he has a basic grasp of it and he might be able to translate."
Tinarandel hurried down to the city's main gates and found Aragorn already waiting for him. A small group of guards seated upon horses milled about as they waited for further orders.
"We're going to go out and meet this creature before it reaches the city. I will need you to translate as best you can."
"Of course King Elessar."
The small band of King, Elf and mounted guards emerged from the city's large gates and made their way over to the lone Chamele. As they approached it stopped walking and straightened itself as best it could. As they halted before it they could see it was a brown crested Chamele and Tinarandel noted it's eyes were pure black with no visible eyelids, just a thin film of skin that would shutter across the eyes to wet them.
The creature sounded out a series of odd noises, mostly guttural sounds make at the back of its throat and on occasion it's remnant gills would flare out.
"I think it said something along the line's of 'I have been sent by my king to bargain with you so that war is not necessary'"
"Ask him what his terms are."
Tinarandel conveyed Aragorn's short message as best he could in the unfamiliar tongue and held his breath as he waited for a response. He breathed a sigh of relief as the Chamele responded. Tinarandel blinked in confusion and coughed uncomfortably before turning to Aragorn.
"It would appear that his king's wishes are for you to turn over the rule of Minas Tirith to him, he would also like you to suggest an appropriate female for him to take as his new queen."
Aragorn lunged at the Chamele but the creature didn't flinch, even as Aragorn's fist was mere millimeters from his face. The creature spoke again and Tinarandel translated.
"He says if you refuse then we will go to war."
"Then to war we go." Aragorn spat.
Tinarandel quickly translated before hurrying after Gondor's King and his guards. From behind them the Chamele was uttering a strange noise, which Tinarandel supposed would have been laughter before it too turned back the way it has come and began the long track back to his waiting King.
Legolas woke on the fifth day of flying to find they were passing over his home. He leaned over slightly to get a better look at the woods rushing past below them. He saw the Mountains of Mirkwood rising up from the green woods. That was where they would have been flying to, had the Rocs never felt forced to leave Middle Earth. That was also where his father's palace was located.
He sighed and pulled the jeweled ring from his tunic pocket and carefully rolled it between his fingers. Lost in thought he failed to notice as Mirkwood's northernmost boundary slipped by beneath them and yet they still flew in the same direction.
When Legolas finally put the ring away his brow furrowed at the sight of the grey mountains looming before him. He peered back down at the earth below them and had to look back in order to see any sign of Mirkwood.
Realization dawned on him as his eyes swept forwards to taken in the mountains before them.
"Aquila…why are we headed toward the Iron Mountains."
When the Elf didn't receive a reply he knew why and his felt his stomach tighten in fear and anticipation. It had been so long since he'd found himself amongst the Rocs and he'd dreamt of it for many years.
It made sense why the Rocs would hide themselves here. No one dared approach the mountains let alone explore them. Rumors of the Ocrs that once inhabited them being driven out by beasts too fearsome to describe had created an air of foreboding about the Iron Mountains. Legolas let out a small laugh as he realized that the rumors started around the time the Rocs left, they were the fearsome creatures who has driven the Orcs from their hiding places.
The mountains drew ever closer as Legolas started to worry about exactly how close they were Aquila swerved sharply to the right. The mountains rushed passed to Legolas left and he waited in barely contained excitement to see where they would go next.
Suddenly Aquila banked sharply to the left and they were plunged into total darkness. Legolas blinked several time to try and adjust his eyes to the gloom but all the could see where his hand in front of him, clinging gently to Aquila's feathers, and her enormous wings rising and falling to either side of him.
The darkness didn't last as a shaft of light drew into focus before them. Aquila flew faster as they drew closer and closer to it. It was the exit from whatever tunnel they were in, of that Legolas was sure, and as they burst through into the fresh clean air he shielded his eyes against the sudden onslaught of light invading his vision.
To be continued…