Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings is property of Tolkien and there are many references throughout to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I only own what you do not recognize. The character Chinky is not meant to cause offence and is named after a real horse whose name has been shortened from a Fiat Cinquecento (Chinky – Chento).
Authors Note: Wow, I'm sure this one is up quicker than the last one. I'm so proud of myself. Might have to write faster as I really like the next chapter and can't wait to post it. But I am also very lazy, so duno when it'll be done. Really should be revising (as usual) but it's my birthday tomorrow so woooo! Just been told however that the football is also on, so will be spending my evening watching that. Not so woooo. Don't think its Middlesbrough playing thank god. My flat mate sulked for ages after their defeat last Wednesday (4-0 ha losers). Anyway someone asked me why the queen of the Mearas was called Chinky. As it's not a very queenly name. Well if you remember Amy didn't know that she was the queen of the Mearas, she just found a horse wandering the new forest and called it Chinky. And no I didn't get any A's in English for GCSE I got B's (I got A's in Physics, Art and Geography). My spelling is too bad to get A's. Sorry this is a really long Authors Note.
Happy reading!
(Happy Birthday to me; for tomorrow)
Chapter 41: A symphony of horns
Amy sucked in a breath as she heard the king's final confession. Wing, the blonde elf child she had helped, no wonder he had looked so familiar to her. It also explained the guard's uncharacteristic coldness towards him.
'The guard probably know and see the child as a threat to the king's honour.' Moridin said into Amy's mind so that the king could not hear.
"My King, does Wing know of his parentage?" Amy said.
The king looked away briefly before turning back to her and nodding. "Yes, he needed to know, yet he knows that he must not tell anybody. I bought him the colt to silence him."
Moridin snorted loudly. "Do you think that will make up for it? He's a prince of elves, some day he will have to face that fact. Does Legolas know?"
Amy patted the black mane gently, and was curious to know the King's answer, yet she knew in her heart that the answer was no. Surely Legolas would have mentioned it before if he had a little brother.
The king stared icily at the black horse, "hold your tongue black horse of death, you know nothing of these matters."
Amy wanted to flinch at the sheer anger and venom in those words yet she did not, instead she shifted her balance as Moridin kicked out at the king mid stride. One of his hooves connected with the king's leg, and Amy heard a sickening crunch as bones snapped. Without thinking about it she healed his broken leg instantly, yet she left a bruise there, and she knew that it would still pain him. "You deserved that Thranduil."
BREAK
Pippin sank down behind a table in the quarters that he and Gandalf had been given to share. His hands were clamped over his large Hobbit ears and he brought his small hobbit knees up to his chin where he buried his face. Every couple of minutes he would hear the thunderous crash as another boulder got hurled into the shining city. Every time he heard another scream of rage from the Ring Wraiths he would flinch. He was scared, no he was beyond scared he was terrified and not in the slightest bit afraid to say it. Another terrible scream, this one sounding closer, he flinched again and drew even further into himself.
Gandalf had left him here, told him to stay put and be safe. A battle was no place for a hobbit he said. Pippin had scoffed at him and shown him the uniform they had put him in; it had belonged to Faramir once! He had unsheathed his sword and danced around the room proudly showing Gandalf all the moves he would use on the Orcs.
Yet now he sat here cowering in the corner, wishing for all the pipe weed he owned that he would either be swallowed up by the room itself or the Orcs decided to go back to Mordor and not return. At the thought of Mordor his heart skipped a beat. At this moment Frodo and Sam would be making their way through the terrible land and if the Orcs all went home, they would be killed. He shuddered again and slowly a tear leaked from his eye. He was only a hobbit; the world was too big for him.
Another tear leaked down his face as his ears twitched. The screaming had stopped; the sounds of battle had quietened. Slowly he raised his head from his knees and looked out the window, the sun had arisen and from somewhere deep in the city a cockerel called. His ears twitched again as another collection of sounds reached him, horns, and these were no Orc horns.
Ignoring his terror he stood and walked to the balcony, opening the doors he stepped outside and surveyed the sight in front of him. The bright dawn sky lit up the battle field with a golden light. In the centre drawing the light was a writing mass of black Orcs. Their skin as horrible and tainted as their hearts, yet they did not notice what brought joy to Pippin. For although they were attacking the city they were surrounded themselves. To the West was a shining army of bronze, at the front stood a golden king on a shining horse, aloft was the flag of Rohan, a white horse on green grass.
To the East was a fleet of ships docked on the Anduin River, beside them ready to face battle was an army seemingly to be clad in silver. A blue flag was aloft before them with the white ship and silver swan of Dol Amroth upon it.
To the North was the army that brought him the most peace, for although it was too distant to make out anything but size he saw a banner floating in the wind. A dragon pranced upon it, and the sign of that dragon brought him the most hope.
He took another step forward and hoisted himself up so he was standing on the broad stone wall, fear fled from his body as he heard the sounds of four different horns mingling together, taking a breath he started to sing.
"Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread.
And there are many paths to tread,
Through shadows, through the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Mist and shadow, cloud and shade.
All shall fade, all shall fade."
Pippin sung for all he was worth it lessened his fear and calmed him. What he did not know was that some magic captured his words and played them out across the city and battle field, giving hope to all those with a heart of light and freedom.
BREAK
Théoden stood at the front of his army, a shadow of doubt filled his heart as he looked over at the army before him. How could they defeat this army? His men had been galloping for days; sleep beckoned to them with their every breath, yet a battle they still had to face. All the horses were tired yet still strong in heart; they had all seen battle before, for it is said that great warriors from the past come back as horses to see their new masters through battle. He idly wondered who Snowmane had been in times past, yet that did not seem to matter now. Leaning forward slightly he stroked the shimmering mane, and Snowmane whinnied softly. Moridin's strong features came into his mind as he thought of Amy.
'That you have sired such a horse is worthy of renown' he said silently to his horse.
Amy should be with him now, yet he knew she would arrive in time. She had at Helm's Deep and he knew she would now. For he knew they would need her help before the day was out.
From his vantage point high upon Snowmane's back he could see the white tower was failing, huge gaping wounds in her sides were filling with the poison of Mordor, and ever more men and Orcs surged towards it. Men who had been corrupted and twisted by the rank of Sauron. In that moment a sneer appeared on his kingly face, no more shall his land be corrupted.
He turned Snowmane fast and faced his men holding his sword aloft he called;
"Down fear of darkness. Arise. Arise, Riders of Théoden. Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered. A sore day … A red day … Ere the sun rises!"
Snowmane spun on his haunches and faced the writhing mass of darkness. The horn of Rohan sounded and resonated across the battle field, it was met by the shrill call of the horn from Dol Amroth. A grim smile slid across the king's face as he heard that horn. Aragorn the king of all men lived, and he had gathered an army worthy of his kind.
He was about to call the charge when a song floated gently to him on the wind. Its words were filled both with hope and despair. Yet it was the hope that Théoden held onto as he could hear his men behind him sigh slightly at the sound of the voice and he knew that it filled them with a semblance of hope as well. There was a brief silence before the song started up again, and in that silence the sound that gave his entire army the most joy bellowed across the fields. Two horns sounding together, their voices pitching against each other yet they sung in harmony.
"Those are elf and dwarf horns!" He heard Haldir call out from beside him.
A merciless smile lit his face. Amy. Standing up in his stirrups he raised his sword aloft again and a shaft of sunlight hit it illuminating him in his glory of Lord of the Golden Hall.
"Ride now … Ride now … Ride. Ride for ruin and the worlds ending!"
Snowmane leapt forward and six thousand horses trained for war leapt after him.
In the distance a horse bellowed out his challenge of death.
BREAK
There was no humour in his laugh as Legolas watched the leader of the Orcs fall dead at his arrow. Yet as he pulled out his arrow from the things eye he stopped laughing and simply smirked. He watched the rest flee back to the rough safety of the main battle. He hoped they died there. It was sadistic he knew, yet he came to the conclusion that he really did not care. These things had caused him misery all his life and now he was going to enjoy killing a few. Plus he also had to beat the dwarf; there was no way he was going to admit to killing less this time.
"There's plenty here for the both of us." Gimli said from beside him.
Legolas nodded and smirked again.
"Let the best dwarf win!"
Just as he was about to comment that encase the he had not noticed he was the only dwarf in the battle he stopped. The sound of Rohan's horns called to him, Imrahil somewhere to his right lowered his arm quickly and the sound of Dol Amroth's horns blared out to join the horse lords. Both their calls were loud and clear as they sung together.
Legolas closed his eyes as Pippins voice played in his ears as it drifted on the breeze. Its words so fitting yet so hauntingly beautiful. He wondered what would become of them all, what his father was doing now, whether he worried about him or wanted him to come home.
Just as these thoughts were travelling through his head the sound of two more horns came at him. One high and beautiful as it appeared to sing, the other harsh as it called for a challenge.
His crystal eyes snapped open and stared to the north. A look of horror passed his face as a commotion built up around him.
"Elven and dwarven horns! It cannot be!" One of the twins exclaimed.
"Amy's done it! She's united the two races!" The other said.
Legolas looked at Aragorn. "Tell me she has not done it! Tell me she hasn't!" He said almost pleading.
"She has Legolas, she never rode with the Rohirrim, she must have ridden north and got the dwarves from the Lonely Mountain and the Elves of Mirkwood! Is this not amazing! She has united the two races!" Aragorn said back placing his hands on the elves now shaking shoulders.
"Aragorn! My father is among them!"
BREAK
Aragorn grinned at his friend's exclamation as he ran forward into the main battle. All the men followed for they would do no else for their king. The tide had been changed in this war, and now slicing across the battle ground was the sound of a horse screaming. And he knew that the horse was screaming in lust of its name sake.
Death.
Moridin.
