Author's note: As allwaysI own nothing except the nifty Dragon! he's mine. special note for song theft and alteration.
Roads go ever, ever on…
That's the song the hobbits sing,
In wafting months of summer sun,
Fading autumns, budding spring…
Roads go ever, ever on…
When the winter drops her snow,
Beyond the mountains bleak and dark,
And still beyond the oceans tow.
Far beyond the ringing bells, of Gondor's city circled white,
Beyond the fords and fragrant dells,
Beyond all hope, or love, or light…
Roads go ever, ever on…
And that's how it ought to be…
But though that may be true for some,
It has never held… with me.
Khamul picked his steps carefully, they passed without a sound. Adunaphel, Hoamurath and Ren followed not far behind him, and Frodo walked at the back. (I wonder what's become of the others…) Khamul turned, as if sensing a foul breeze and steered them clear. (Sam… I think I begin to understand it, somewhat… I see shadows again, as if wounded by the ice blade. I see as they see." Ren stopped suddenly, refusing to go further.
We cannot pass this way… the great shadow resides here.
Khamul nodded, looked quietly into the deeper shadows. But we must go closer still. Uvatha is near, I feel it.
Frodo shivered, yes, the dark was stronger here. He opened his mouth to speak, but the protest died on his lips. It seemed hopeless suddenly, all of it, hopeless. They had expected the Nazgul to follow them; they had expected Indur's help. They had expected the Witch King to help them return through the gate of iron and ice… they had expected…
…
… …
… So much more than this…
Ren looked down at the Halfling quietly, his eyes still to cold to do anything but worry the hobbits mind. Khamul stopped and turned again, shying away from where it seemed they had to pass. Perhaps we can call him out to us… Is itbeyond our abilities… can we not reach him? Hoamurath snorted,
Were it that simple… it would already be done, but our ring bond is shattered… we cannot reach him there. Khamul hissed his frustration, paced the edge of the shadows
Sauron is dead, what we believed to be the worst is now behind us, and yet we are just as powerless now as we stood before. We cannot leave him!
"Perhaps we must…" the wraiths turned to regard Frodo. "...For now, until we rejoin the others. Gandalf may know what to do, what must be done." Khamul hissed and shook his head dismissively. We have not the time to wait on them; the dark one will not permit this game much longer. I will go myself, alone if I must. I will not fail again…I will not be weak once more…
Frodo smiled softly, hummed a little something under his breath, the Nazgul paid him no mind. "Roads ever on… but bolted stands the door…
Faded and lost, far from sea and Valinor…
In the mists and shadows, bound within their shade…
...
...All shall fade…all shall fade…"
A mad dash to safety, Gandalf motioned to a large tree not yet faded. Up they sprang.
Aragorn helped Samwise into the boughs, Gandalf and Legolas pushed the Merry and Pippin up after, and Faramir was left with the dwarf. "Gimli put some muscle into it!"
"If Dwarfs were meant to climb trees we would grow Bark instead of Beards! Do I look an Ent to you?"
"You are as heavy as one!"
Bilbo stood and watched the approaching wraiths with confused and betrayed eyes. They lingered on Indur for a moment before Legolas tossed him up as well. "It should not have come to this… not another tree at any rate. We have no eagles here old friend." Gandalf smiled.
"No, no eagles. The Windlord cannot hear us now." Legolas held his side and clutched his branch.
"We cannot remain here, I have no doubt they can climb."
"They can climb, and you are putting me in a tree!"
"Quit yourself Gimli or I shall do so for you!"
"Steady yourself Steward before you would clash blades with me!"
"You have not your ax!"
"HA! Coward! Challenging me when I'm unarmed!"
"I will leave him down here Gandalf! I will leave him!"
Gimli took the warning and pulled his weight up. Now all the fellowship save Frodo sat in the tree, the wraiths glared at them from below. "…Did I ever tell you about the last time I was in a tree with Gandalf? And there were goblins and wolves and many dwarfs?"
"Only many times Bilbo, many times."
"Those Dwarfs weren't meant to be in the trees either, had I but my ax…"
They drew closer, Indur looked upon Gandalf with crazed eyes. All the wisdom had bled from them, bled out and filled back in with hatered, suffering. But not madness… not yet, the mad cannot mourn as he did, as he was.
"He is in pain Mithrandir…" Legolas closed his eyes and shivered. "Pain from betrayal and fallen pride. I would rather not die for it." Gandalf closed his eyes, furrowed his brow a moment, nodded.
"Pain, yes. Encouraged by Khamul's attack, Murazor's fall… the dark ones presence. I cannot reach him, he will not permit me." Aragorn had closed his eyes and turned his head away, he could feel them still. He raised his head for a moment; a dull red glow replaced hiseyes for a momentbefore it sank beneath the surface.
"We remove those that we can, kill the others if we must. We must do what we came here to do. It may be that none of them will ever leave here, but we have not the time. The door is opening as I speak."
Gandalf did not have the chance to reply. The wraiths below were no longer alone. Khamul had appeared with the rest of the Nine at his side. And Frodo as well, looking surprisingly in place amongst the cursed kings of old. Indur turned to meet them, hissing below his breath and spreading his steel clad fingers wide.
...In a moment they were upon each other. Centuries of hatred and resentment struck out at once as Indur met Khamul fire to fire. They grappled, slashing mercilessly at each others unprotected skin. The screams were wild and maddening, Faramir collapsed against the trunk with his hands over his ears, the rest of the fellowship fared little better. Merry stared into space with the look on one trapped in a nightmare, Pippin crawled out to him, tried to rouse him. Frodo had curled up upon the ground, a hand gone to his shoulder where it clenched the fabric desperately, sweat forming on his skin.
Indur crashed to the ground; Khamul beat him down, lunged for his exposed throat. He withdrew swiftly, black ichor seeping across the slashes in his cheek. Aragorn's hands curling into fists with shoulders shaking, trying to suppress the sound, too familiar to him, too real. The other Nine standing silent. Unearthly in their stillness with the scene playing out at their feet. It was insanity; they would tear each other apart!
Gandalf was the only one to see the fiery glow that was covering Frodo Baggins as he gasped on the ground. The only one to see the hobbits struggle… He was powerless to do anything but watch as Frodo fell still, as the light was noticed by the Nazgul nearest, how they recoiled in shock and fear. Until like a flame he stood above the deadliest of the Ring wraiths as they bled each other, and spoke in a voice of power.
"Puzg zaug- latu."
Translation: You must stop
Yay LOTR!