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: This note goes out especially to The Last Temptation of Homer who showed amazing will power. After hating the first two chapters they went on to review on chapter 53, amazing. Noting here the heavy sarcasm. Really what is this world coming to? Snorts.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed (nicely).
Chapter 54: Never Talk of Fantasy
A day and night later they arrived at the city of Osgiliath; all the villages they had passed through had said the same things. All the men had been sent to war and nothing had been heard since.
"Hail, people of Osgiliath. What news of the war?" Came Elessar's voice as they rode into the city.
Whispers had answered him as people recognised him, for they too had long believed him dead.
'Is it true?'
'Has the prince returned?'
'Our tides have been turned.'
"Prince Elessar! You are alive, thank the heavens above. Where have you been? It has been over two years since word of you reached us from Arnor." Said a man as he ran down some steps from the main court of the city. Amy recognised him as one of the king's advisers and the Mayor of the city. One of the few of his advisers that she vaguely trusted. "And the Lady Amy. We have need of your powers now."
"Queen Amy, Rabath. Amy is the queen of Mirkwood." Elfking said looking at the girl beside her.
"Rabath what news is there of the fighting to the south?" Amy said.
"All the men have been sent to the southern realms of Gondor, only myself and a few other advisers remain. We are led to believe there is a standoff between our army and the army of the Harad. No ground has been gained in this past week." Rabath said bowing his head.
"Well Elessar, no rest for the weary, it seems we have a battle to win." Amy said looking at the Prince.
"Where are our forces marshalled and what size is against us." Elfking said turning to Rabath.
"Our force is a mere five thousand trained infantry and another two thousand farm labourers that were forced into battle. We are marshalled across the Anduin from Dol Amroth the fighting has ceased for the moment. Yet the Harad have over ten thousand." Rabath said.
"Is that it? Ten thousand against seven thousand! I fought in the battle of the Hornburg in the third age; there were less than a thousand of us, most young boys and old men, against ten thousand Uruk-Hai. They were tainted goblins, bred from Orcs and Men; they did not fear pain and could still fight when peppered with arrows. We were victorious, and you cannot fight seven thousand against ten thousand, I give up. What has the world of Men come to?" Amy said in disbelief.
"We do not live in that fantasy world anymore. You are the last of elven blood on this continent. The dwarves have vanished and all other means of fantasy creatures do not exist." Rabath said affronted.
"Do not exist? I know for a fact that there is a dragon waiting in the misty mountains. Raken is her name and she awaits my, very delayed, call to take me to the Undying Lands where I can be with the rest of my elven and Maia kin. Most of all my husband, the King of Mirkwood awaits me there so does my war horse Moridin, King of all horses.
"There are still hobbits in the Shire, for we visited them on our travels and they hold dear the stories of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. There are still Ents in Fanghorn forest. The only reason you cannot see these things is because you do not want to see them. You and your kind have dropped in honour since the age of Aragorn. I pity you.
"Yet still I linger here; I cannot leave Gondor unless accompanied by someone from the throne. Each time a new prince or princess is born I wonder if it is my time to be joined again with my friends and husband. Each time I am rejected. There is no honour left in men. I will fight and win this battle for you. I am bound to, I can do nothing else. I pray that I am released after it, for I do not know if I can stand it any more." Amy said. The angrier she got the more her power whipped around her, until it could be felt by everyone around her. Rope thick weaves of Air had grabbed Rabath and lifted him in front of her shaking him ever so slightly. When she finished talking she threw her power outwards and the man flew into a wall and hit it with a crunch. She did not wait to see if he was okay as she spun Narraw around and galloped out of the city towards Minas Tirith.
OOOOOO
Elfking sighed as he dismounted Dusk and helped lift the adviser up. The man stood on his own two feet and leant against the wall behind him, a trickle of blood ran from his skull.
"She is right you know. I have spent the last three years travelling with her; she taught me everything she knew about all the races that once resided on Middle Earth. We travelled to Fanghorn and I conversed with Ents, huge fourteen foot talking trees. I enjoyed the company of hobbits in the Shire, I went to the last resting place of the elves in Rivendell. We battled our way through the mines of Moria and saw the pits of Mithril. That shining metal on the gates of Minas Tirith is Mithril, mined by the dwarves in the second and third age.
"I saw the great forests of Lothlorien and stayed in the Talon that once belonged to the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. This sword at my side belonged to the Lord himself, and he took it to many battles. We travelled to Mirkwood, and that was the first time that Amy had ever stepped foot in the palace that is rightfully hers. Yet it was abandoned an age ago, a ghost palace it is now, lifeless and haunting. Her husband Legolas, which means Greenleaf, is the king yet he sailed at the beginning of this age.
"Then we travelled through the Dead Marshes and saw the results of the battle that took place at the beginning of the third age. Through the Black Gates we went and we travelled through a land that is still poisoned by the wrath of Sauron. The tainted air preserves all that falls and I saw the carcasses of Orcs and Uruk-Hai. Before I believed them a dream, now I know they were a nightmare. We only have to fight against Men, she and the people before her fought against pure evil.
"Never talk to her of fantasy, because that is her reality. She is an elf, a Maia sprit, fantasy has no place in her heart. I will go now and we shall gather the forces of Rohan and ride to the battle." Elessar said his own anger mounting.
"Rohan did not answer us. The old allegiance is broken." Rabath said his voice slightly slurred by his head.
"The king swore allegiance to me. If I call they will come." Elfking said and he quickly mounted Dusk and galloped off after Amy.
Rabath stood leaning against the wall and looked at the man that had just ridden off bare back. Before the darkness of unconsciousness hit him, he could not help but think that peace would be restored with the Prince rising to the throne.
OOOOOO
Amy carefully climbed up on Narraw's back until she was standing, she whispered softly in elvish telling the stallion not to panic, and more importantly not to make any sudden movements. She looked to the East and saw the first signs of banners that heralded the army of Rohan.
"They ride swiftly; they will be here before nightfall." Elessar said from below her.
Amy murmured in agreement and jumped lightly to the ground, landing beside the prince who had his ear to the ground listening for hoof beats.
"They will be tired; it is a long gallop from here to Rohan, especially as they will be fully armed. A good night's sleep will refresh them before we ride again for the battle tomorrow. If all plans out well the battle should be over and done with tomorrow evening." Amy said leaning against her fire coloured mount.
Elessar looked at her in disbelief. "Tomorrow evening? It will take us till tomorrow evening to get to where our forces are marshalled! Let alone organise fighters and actually fight!"
Amy smiled and looked at her fingers, as she did fire danced over her fist lighting up her face in an orange glow, the same colour as her mount. "You forget Princling that I can manipulate the elements and a few quick earthquakes will destroy the other army. As for how we get there so fast, lets just say I learnt a few tricks in the last age." She said smiling at him and sending the fire on her fist dancing into the sky.
"I'll take your word for it."
OOOOOO
Elessar vowed never to underestimate the small dark haired girl again. It was midday and here they were riding into the marshalling point of the Gondorian army. Of course he did not particularly like the way in which she had twisted the time so they rode so fast, it made him feel ill. In fact watching all the trees, fields and houses rush past so fast had made him sick, luckily he managed to lean right of Dusk's back before he emptied his stomach all over the floor. From that point onwards he kept his eyes shut and leant forward onto the black mane and tried to fall asleep.
"I do not care how long it takes me to get anywhere; I am never riding again whilst you are doing that!" Elessar said to the girl beside him.
"Is your stomach all right?" Amy said trying desperately to hide her smirk.
"Oh yes, it feels a lot better after it was emptied so suddenly. Note the sarcasm."
"Here I am thinking you were being sincere. Oh look, sharp adviser coming this way." Amy said slapping the Prince's leg making him sit up tall rather than the slouch he had been in.
Elessar straightened up and looked at the adviser, he saw the older man take in his appearance first and the fact he was riding bareback, before looking at his face. The man's jaw dropped.
"Elessar? Is that you?" The man asked, his tan face not looking out of place amongst the soldiers surrounding them, all of whom now raised their heads in interest.
Boron was another of the advisers that if Amy did not trust, she valued the opinions of. A soldier first and foremost he had risen in social class through achievements in skirmishes and duty to the kingdom. His face was crisscrossed with hundreds of small scars where a wooden door had exploded and splintered onto his face. It gave him a grizzled appearance that was only enhanced by the biggest moustache that Amy had ever seen.
"Yes Boron it is me. Amy said she would educate me and educate me she has. Tell me news." The prince said dismounting smoothly and placing a hand on Dusk's nose.
"You have grown into a fine young man. Nothing like your father. Speaking of which, he is in the hospital tent receiving care. He was caught in a skirmish this morning with the Harad. I'm afraid he might not pull through." The man said, not looking as upset as he should have.
"Tell me, why is this war happening? What was its purpose? The people of Harad have lain peacefully for the last nine centuries why now have they gone to war against us?" Amy said dismounting also.
"For the past ten years King Edaining has been trying to expand his land, and looking back through old records he found that the land now occupied by the Harad belonged to Gondor. So six months ago he decided to invade, not thinking they would be a problem. No one agrees with this war, but as we all thought you were dead Elessar, we had no other choice but to go along with him." Boron said his large walrus moustache twitching as he spoke.
Elessar placed a hand on Amy's shoulder to calm her down as he could feel her anger building at the useless reason they went to war. "I suppose my father over looked the fact that this land had been given to the Haradrim in beginning of this age as a peace offering. I really do wonder if he thinks sometimes. Still I suppose I better go and see if he is ok." Elessar said.
Amy turned to look at the prince. "No time." She said cocking her head.
As soon as the words left her mouth there were yells as the Haradrim renewed their attack and started using crude catapults to launch burning rock onto the Gondorian soldiers. Amy raised her hand and the rock stopped mid air before turning and flying back towards the Haradrim landing with a loud explosion.
Yells filled the crude camp as men grabbed swords and rushed forward to get in their lines. "Elessar, these are your men, now organise them." Amy said hurling another flaming boulder back.
Drawing himself up the prince raised his head. "Archers in front, I want two flanks, Rohirrim you will ride down the middle, break up their defence. Scatter them and then get the hell out of there. Then Amy it is all up to you." His voice carried across the field and all that did not know he had returned looked at him with renewed hope.
Amy nodded at the plan and smiled at the prince. "You will make a good king." She whispered something in elvish and sent Narraw away from the battle. "I will win this for you. Stay on Dusk, and guide our army do not get yourself caught up in the fray. I do not want to hurt you, yet if you get in the way you may get singed!"
Before long two flanks had been formed and the archers were shooting high into the sky their arrows all hitting the mark and rows of Haradrim fell before the long bows. The Gondorian longbows being far superior to the Harad composite ones, yet it was not long before arrows were coming back and hitting their mark on the soldiers of Gondor.
"Rohirrim! Ride!" Came Elessar's call. The thunder of three thousand horses covered the sounds of battle as they charged down between the two flanks and carved paths through the defence of the Southrons.
No sooner than they entered the horse lords galloped out again, leaving a huge dust cloud in their wake.
OOOOOO
The leader of the Southron army looked stared in shock at where the mounted soldiers had just gone. This war had lasted months with neither side gaining any ground and now somehow the Gondorians had found a mounted cavalry and in the space of half an hour had carved gaping wounds through his ranks. The captain thought back through their tribal histories to the last time they had fought the men of the West in front of the shining walls of Minas Tirith. Then they had rode the mighty Mûmakil, great towering beasts with towers upon their backs full of armed soldiers. Their skin was over a foot thick in places and so were near invulnerable of damage.
So they had ridden to Minas Tirith in all their glory and had nearly gained entry to the city when a mass of mounted soldiers had charged over the plains. Following that another army had come from the north, a girl had ridden with them wielding balls of fire and tearing up the earth. It had been nine hundred years since the people of Harad had gone to war with Gondor, and they were about to be defeated again.
For when the dust had settled from the horses' retreating hooves the captain had expected to see more of the mounted warriors, instead he gulped. There was not thousands of warriors waiting for him and his army, there was one girl. A small girl with black hair and an angry expression on her face. He heard many of his fighters laugh and cursed them for not listening to the tales of the age before as children. He gulped again as he let loose the signal for arrows to be fired.
His face screwed up in fear as the arrows hung in the air and slowly turned around to face his army. In a yell of rage the girl started running towards them as the arrows were shot back at their own masters killing all that they fell on. Fire danced on the girl's fingertips as balls of flame shot towards his army, the ground erupted beneath their feet and only one thought ran through his head as he witnessed the carnage.
"Flee! Flee for your lives."
OOOOOO
The Gondorian soldiers looked on in horror as they watched Amy run forward into the fray. Her sword and blade were still sheathed at her side and her bow and arrow still clasped to her back. They watched as she raised her hands and suddenly the air was filled with the stifling heat of flame and fire. She burnt huge swaths of the army and the smell of burning flesh reached their nostrils and made them want to retch. Many turned away as they watched the earth beneath the Haradrim's feet explode and send them flying into the air. Even though they turned away they could not hide from the sounds of desperate screams and howls of pain as the flesh alit. They watched as the remaining army turned and ran back towards the empty desert, following them huge dust clouds and towering thunderstorms as lightning rent the ground from the sky. Smoke caught up from the fires and many of the running men went down grabbing their throats and retching, only to start screaming as fire burnt them.
All eyes widened as the small girl turned around, not a hair was out of place nor a mark on her. Yet all recoiled as they looked into her eyes that shone black.
"You were not alive in the first three ages of this land. You have never seen war." She said as she walked calmly back towards them. She looked ahead and whispered something in a foreign language to their ears and a fire coloured mount galloped towards her.
They watched in surprise as she leapt onto its back and leant over its neck. With no saddle or rein she galloped back towards the white city.
