Chapter Twenty-Seven: The King and the Knight

Elennar smiled, putting her arms around me as she pressed her face against my shirt. A moment later she looked up again and told me, "You smell like flowers."

My mind flew back to a day long past and almost forgotten. When an orc held a little girl in her arms as she breathed in the scent of his tunic and whispered those same words.

Glancing silently up at Denethor, I saw a slight smile playing on his lips. Something tugged at my heart, and I knew exactly what I had to say.

"Elennar," I said quietly, "do you remember when Merry and Pippin were brought to Saruman's tower? There was an orc with them…"

"That was no orc," Elennar cut in. "That was you."

I gasped. "How did you know? Did Merry or Pippin tell you?"

"No," Elennar said sincerely, shaking her head. "I just knew." Then her eyes grew somewhat pained. "But… why didn't you just tell me when you were there?"

My eyes stung with tears of guilt as I replied, "I didn't think you'd understand… I didn't know you knew. Why didn't you let me know?"

"I didn't think you'd understand," Elennar confessed.

"Forgive my interruption, my lords," said a voice by the door. A servant was poking his head into the room. "I'm here to inform you that the coronation of the King is taking place in the courtyard, immediately."

"Thank you," said Denethor, nodding. "You may go."

The servant bowed and hurried away. The Steward rose, and spoke to all of us. "We'd better hurry. This is an event that no-one, I'm sure, will want to miss."

----

The courtyard was full of people when we reached it. Gondorians politely moved aside to let us by. I found myself next to a tall, slim elf-woman in a pale green dress. Her fair face was framed by a curtain of wavy, dark brown hair, and her deep blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. I bowed my head in respect, noticing Elrond on the woman's other side.

Once we all found a place, humans and elves alike, we turned to look up at a flight of stairs, on which stood Aragorn and Gandalf. The former was clad in kingly attire, standing with his back to the crowd; the wizard was facing the courtyard, and held a winged silver crown in his hands, which were poised above Aragorn's head.

He brought it down in a slow, deliberate movement, so that it rested gently upon Aragorn's brow. When he spoke, his words were loud and clear.

"Now come the days of the King," said the wizard to the people in the courtyard. "May they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!"

Aragorn drew a deep breath and turned, and the citizens of Gondor raised a mighty cheer. Even the White Tree was no longer withered, but had put forth many white blossoms, as if it were dressing up for the joyous occasion. The cheers died away when the King spoke, a smile upon his lips.

"This day does not belong to one man," he said, "but to all. Let us rebuild our world together, and share in peace."

The Gondorians cheered again, and Aragorn stepped forward through the crowd, singing as he walked. The Gondorians all bowed their heads as he passed them.

"Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien… Sinome maruvan, ar Hildinyar, tenn' Ambar-metta!" (Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I have come. In this place I shall abide, and my heirs, until the world's ending.)

He stopped not far from me, in front of Legolas. The King placed his hands on his friend's shoulders and said quietly, "Hannon-le." (Thank you.)

Legolas only smiled, glancing furtively to his right, where Elrond stood holding a banner emblazoned with the White Tree. He moved it aside, and I saw Aragorn's face light up in delight. The woman who stood next to me stepped out from behind the standard, her eyes shining.

The woman lowered her face, but Aragorn lifted her chin and met her eyes. A few moments passed silently, and then Aragorn swept the woman into his arms and kissed her passionately as the Gondorians all applauded.

I glanced to my left, and saw that Elrond was weeping openly, but smiling. The woman must have been dear to him, I thought. He smiled as the woman embraced the King, laughing.

After a short while the King and his Queen pulled away slightly and walked forward, pausing right in front of me. I could feel the King's gaze boring into my soul as he smiled and said, "Isilden, would you please kneel." It wasn't a question; it was a command.

I dropped to my knees and bowed my head, hearing the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. The weapon in question was then placed, flat side down, upon my shoulder as Aragorn spoke quietly to me, words I couldn't quite hear.

The sword was moved to my other shoulder as the King continued to speak, and at last spoke for all to hear. "Arise, Sir Isilden, Knight of Gondor."

Feeling a sudden thrill, I climbed to my feet, a smile spreading across my lips. The people of Gondor were all cheering. Elrond nodded to me, smiling broadly, and mouthed the words, "Well done."

----

That evening, I lay on my bed alongside Elennar, absorbed in a conversation about our experiences through the past several weeks. I had been rather reluctant at first, not wanting to dredge up any memories that might hurt my sister.

But contrary to my expectations, she had insisted on the subject, with the reasoning that talking about all of our old scars would help them to fade faster. Surprisingly, she was right.

"What did becoming an orc feel like?" Elennar asked from her curled-up position in my lap.

"I couldn't really feel very much of it," I replied. "Basically, it felt like being shoved into a big pit full of mud, and being stabbed and slashed at for a long time. That's pretty much what they did to me."

"Why didn't you change completely?"

I smiled slightly to myself as I said, "There's a very special person whom I still need to thank for that. This person was in my mind all through that time, and it was because of her that I kept my soul, and my identity. Try to guess who it was."

I couldn't help but laugh at how Elennar's little face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to come up with an answer. At last she gave up and sighed, "Tell me."

"Are you sure you don't know?" I asked, smiling even more broadly. "I'll give you a few hints: She's very young, she's very pretty, and very, very special to her big brother. Her name has seven letters, and the first one is an E."

Elennar's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?" she gasped.

"That's right," I beamed at her. "I was thinking of you the whole time. You saved me from becoming one of Saruman's slaves. You are the one I owe my life to."

Reaching down, I fingered a corner of the blanket we lay on, the one made for me by Elrond's daughter. "Do you know where I got this?"

Elennar shook her head. "Where?"

"Queen Arwen made it for me," I answered. "She made it based on something I told her father, Lord Elrond. The color of it – that's the same color as your eyes. It feels silky when you touch it; that reminds me of how your hand felt when we were together in Orthanc, and you wiped away my tears and told me not to cry. And if you smell it, it smells like flowers. And I know how much you love flowers."

Elennar nodded as she traced the silver embroidery along one edge with her fingertip. "Love is forever," she read aloud. "That's pretty."

"And it's true," I told her, folding my arms gently around her body. "Love never fails. You and I are living proof of that. I never stopped thinking about you, and I bet you were always remembering me."

Elennar nodded. "I never forgot you for a second." She rested her head wearily against my chest. "I love you, Isilden," she murmured.

"I love you, too, Elennar," I smiled. "You look tired. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," my sister protested, stifling a huge yawn.

I smiled to myself. "All right, if you say so."

I began humming a vaguely familiar tune. Once I remembered the words, I sang softly:

"Once you had gold, once you had silver,

Then came the rains, out of the blue.

Ever and always, always and ever.

Time gave both darkness and dreams to you.

Now you can see, spring becomes autumn,

Leaves become gold, falling from view.

Ever and always, always and ever.

No-one can promise a dream come true,

Time gave both darkness and dreams to you…"

As I sang, I began to realize that the words I was uttering were more true to me than my sister, particularly the last line of each verse. When I had become an orc, I had thought my world was to be in darkness forever. But in the end, it was my thoughts and dreams of Elennar that had pulled me through.

"What is the dark; shadows around you,

Why not take heart in the new day?

Ever and always, always and ever.

No-one can promise a dream for you,

Time gave both darkness and dreams to you."

Glancing down, I saw my sister gazing silently up at me, a smile upon her lips. Her eyes were glazed, as she was sound asleep. I laid her down carefully, so as not to disturb her.

"Sweet dreams," I whispered fondly, allowing my own eyes to cloud over. "I love you."

But only the silence replied.