Chapter 5: Gathering the Rohirrim
(updated 7/17/2005)
Riding back from Isengard, they soon joined the column of people moving from Helm's Deep back to Edoras. Théoden king planned to send out a summons to all of his riders, and assemble his army before riding off to Gondor. Thanks to the recently departed Saruman, they knew that they still had some little time before the dark armies would march on Gondor. With any luck, they would be able to prevent the Enemy's forces from ever reaching the White City.
On their first night back in Théoden's seat of power, Faith caught the hobbit Pippin trying to boost the palantír from Gandalf. She had woken from a rather disturbing dream about the 'Paths of the Dead' and Aragorn. It was a Slayer's dream, so she made sure to remember to mention it to the ranger come monarch.
After dragging Pippin away from the wizard, she had one of the Rohirrim find her a stout wooden box and several long steel rods. Without waking Gandalf, she herself swiped the stone, placed it inside the box, and finally bent the rods around it to make a big metal bow. Now it would be nearly impossible for a curious hobbit to get at the dangerous magical artifact.
When the wizard awoke to find himself holding a metal bound box instead of the stone, Faith was forced to confess the events of the previous night. Although relieved she had prevented a possible catastrophe, he was concerned about what future trouble the halflings cause.
"Faith, I fear for the defenders of Ithilien; they may not even hold at Osgiliath, should they be pushed back that far. They are the last line of defense before the citadel of Minas Tirith. If the Enemy realizes that Saruman told us of his plans, he may attack sooner than planned. Also, I do not trust the Steward of Gondor, Denethor, to prepare his city for war. I fear that I cannot wait for the Rohirrim to gather. Need dictates that I go on ahead."
"My girls are ready to travel," she replied, thinking it would be better if they went with Gandalf. "Five hundred Slayers could greatly increase the defenses of this Ithilien place, don't you think?"
"I need to travel in great haste, my lady, and your soldiers do not ride horses. Other than those who pull your wagons, you do not even have horses."
"Slayers can travel fairly fast, even on foot. If you feel that our best pace is not fast enough, then you should go on ahead of us. We have maps of the realm, and will be able to make our own way behind you. In fact, that may be better in the long run… we can invade Gondor in three waves. First a wizard, then the Slayers, and finally the Rohirrim will come to their aid. Oh, and as a final touch, the future king can bring the dead to fight."
"What do you mean?" he asked, curious.
"My kind… Slayers… are cursed with the gift of prophetic dreams. Sometimes, our dreams give us warnings about the future, or caution us on a course of action. Last night, I caught the wee thief because I awoke from such a dream. It involved Aragorn and something called the 'Paths of the Dead'. He needs to walk those paths, for the dead will answer his call. They will be a great boon to the battle that lies ahead."
"Are you certain of this dream of prophecy?" he queried.
"I am fairly certain of it, yes," she replied. "Just to be completely sure, I can check if the other girls had the same dream. Since the witch cast the spell that allowed more then just one girl to be the Slayer, we have discovered that when Slayers gather together, the dreams are more detailed and have greater accuracy."
"Very well, then I think you should get your soldiers ready to travel. Ask about the dream while you do so. I have my own preparations to make. We shall depart at first light tomorrow morning."
"Cool," she grinned. "Now all I have to do is convince Théoden to allow his niece to leave with us." In response to Gandalf's questioning look, she told him, "She was Chosen. When given the option to accept or refuse the Calling…"
"She accepted, of course," finished the wizard. "To a woman such as Éowyn, that offer would be irritable."
"Yeah, she accepted before I could even finish speaking. That girl was born to be a Slayer. Once she gets a little more training, I think she will be a wonderful addition to our ranks."
"I don't envy you the task of stealing away the king's daughter," said Gandalf. Then he grinned before adding, "Isn't that usually the job of a foreign prince?"
Faith made her way among her captains, giving the order to prepare for departure with the dawn. It soon became evident that all the Slayers had had the same dream. Even Éowyn had shared in it; she was able to explain its meaning to her newfound sisters. That is why Faith later approached the shield maiden.
"We need to inform Aragorn," stated Faith. To her dismay, the woman got all starry-eyed when the ranger's name was mentioned. "Éowyn, you need to get over him. The future king is betrothed to the lady Arwen. You cannot have him." The dark Slayer paused to think for a moment. "He is nice to look at, though."
"Oh my, yes," purred the woman of Rohan.
"Just try to keep in mind that what attracts you to him is mostly the idea that he could take you away from the life of a regular woman. You are a Slayer now, girlfriend! That life is gone now, Éowyn, and it cannot be yours again. You will forevermore be a warrior."
"Lord Aragorn is a man who would not confine a woman to the kitchen and the laundry," she pouted.
"There's an important Slayer motto you should learn. Actually, it is more of a life path: Get some, get gone."
"And what does this mean, to get some and to then get gone?" asked Éowyn.
"It is all about sex, girl. You know, a man and a woman in a bed… sometimes on a table," teased Faith, making her companion blush. "Sometimes, it works with two women and a bed…" she reached over and caressed the Rohan woman in a manner she had never been touched before. "Slayers often prefer to get what they need, sexually, then move on to bigger and better things. You don't need to buy the cow, if you can get the milk for free." At her look of incomprehension, Faith added, "Who needs marriage when a tumble gets the job done."
"You are a wicked, wicked woman!"
"And it is ever so much fun!" agreed Faith. "Come, Éowyn! Let us find the gorgeous Lord Aragorn. He needs to know that his immediate future lies along the Paths of the Dead."
"Hello boys!" Faith greeted the trio of Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn. "Ranger boy, we have to tell you something, something important." The ranger looked a bit nervous, being confronted by both Faith and the woman he had to turn away not long ago. "In private, if you please."
"Very well," he replied with a great deal of hesitation. Éowyn led them into a side chamber, and Faith secured the door behind them. "What can I do for you, ladies?"
"If you weren't betrothed to the Evenstar, I would suggest something involving the three of us, heated oil, and a really big bed," teased Faith, "but you are so I won't." The girls shared a grin when he blushed. "Seriously, the Slayers have shared a vision concerning the forces that we will face at Minas Tirith. Éowyn, you understood it best. Why don't you explain what we shared?"
"Lord Aragorn, I have learned that Slayers possess the dubious gift of prophetic dreams," began the first Slayer of Rohan. "It is a part of who and what we are…"
"You are a Slayer, Lady Éowyn?" he interrupted.
"The Valar selected me as a… Potential, was it?" she asked Faith, who nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, a Potential Slayer. Due to changes made to the method in which Slayers are Chosen, unlike those on their home world, I was given the option to accept or decline the Calling."
"As a shield maiden of Rohan, you obviously accepted such a destiny," he grinned.
"How could I do anything else?" she replied. "When I accepted my Calling, I learned many things about becoming a Slayer. Among them were the dreams that come to guide us. They convey warnings when evil draws near, and they also give us insights into how to defeat the coming evil. Last night, all of the Slayers on Middle Earth dreamed about you."
"And what did these dreams entail? Am I to become a force for Mordor?"
"Nay, my Lord," denied Éowyn, "you will not. I do not believe that would be possible. In this dream, which was the same for all of us, you left the Rohirrim before they reached Gondor. You traveled the Paths of the Dead to secure the services of the oath breakers. If you promise to hold their oaths fulfilled, they will come with you to battle the Enemy's forces."
"They will not come easily," cautioned Faith. "The dead have little cause to trust the living. Just remember that their curse is a result of their failure to answer your ancestor's summons to war. Until a king of Gondor releases them, they will rot in their tenuous existence forever. Oh, and one more thing… When you give them the promise to release them, make certain they will remain until the end."
"What do you mean?"
"Promise to release them either when the Enemy's army has been broken, or when Gondor's has failed," commented Éowyn. "The dream warned that the oath breakers will demand release once the force threatening Minas Tirith has been overthrown. Sauron has forces still in Mordor, and those forces must be confronted while the ring bearer does his duty. Retaining the services of the oath breakers for that second battle will save countless lives."
"Just make certain that they will still be released in the event that the armies of Man fail," warned Faith. "The dead will be more likely to accept your call if they know that release will come so long as they fight. Now, if you will excuse us, the Slayers need to prepare for our own departure."
"You are leaving already?" asked the ranger who would be king.
"My girls can travel faster than the riders. We will be ready to leave with the dawn. Together with the white wizard, we will prepare Gondor for the arrival of her allies. Gandalf doesn't trust the Steward Denethor. The old man fears he will not have the city properly prepared for a siege. One way or another, we will protect your city, Aragorn."
"It is not my city yet," he demurred.
"Soon, it will be," she countered, smiling back at him.
The Slayers easily finished their packing that day, and when dawn broke over the plains their army was waiting to leave with the white wizard. As soon as it was light enough to see, he led the five hundred and one women out on the road to the white city. Only he and Éowyn had mounts, and she left hers tied to the wagons for the start of the journey. Also, she had lacked the courage to confront her king and uncle. Instead, she left a note that would be discovered long after they had gone.
"Wagon drivers!" called out Faith, "give us best possible speed. Ladies! I expect every single one of you to easily pace these brutes! Mr. Wizard, show us the way to Gondor!"
The Clydesdales that the Slayers had brought to haul their wagons were endurance champs. They did not reach racing speeds, but what they could do was maintain their ground devouring canter all day long. It soon became evident that Gandalf had not expected the girls to be able to run at the same speed as the draft horses. Not only did they match that pace, they were able to run without suffering from fatigue like a human would.
It was clear that the wizard would have liked to travel faster, yet he did not seem too disappointed by their rate of progress. What really amazed him was the fact that after setting up camp each evening; the girls would spend another two hours training in combat. Their newest recruit, Éowyn, struggled a bit at first. By the second day of travel, her newfound Slayer abilities had 'grown in' to the point that she could compete with her sisters. Apparently, all the training she had managed while still a mere human translated well into her Calling.
Finally, they rode up to the gates of the greatest city of the race of Man.