The Stranger in Middle Earth

by JJAndrews

REMAKE COMING SEPTEMBER 1ST 2020. Book One. John Harris is a faithful servant of the House of York. After the Battle of Bosworth he and his family were journeying home when he was pulled into a war greater than any ever fought in England. He must fight in defence of not only his new world but in defence of his old one and in defence of Christendom.

12. Chapter 11 Waiting for the Flame

The Stranger in Middle Earth

I do not own a single damned right to Lord of the Rings but if I did I would give Arwen something to do apart from nearly die and make Haldir live.

Chapter Eleven

Waiting for the flame

Since my uncle and Rickard had left Edoras the Council of England had made a few decisions such as commissioning a cross of Saint George standard that we would carry into battle. Slowly time went by and we eagerly waited for the day when we would ride to Minas Tirith and battle.

It was the night of the fourth day of waiting. We were due to leave the next morning and we were all eager to go. Markus, myself and Jason Bridge were leaving the Inn and were heading to where each of us slept. Jason and Markus in their tents outside the city and me at Sunniva's house.

'Well I don't know about you two but these Rohan lot make a good ale,' Jason declared.

'Yes they certainly do Jason,' I agreed with him. I then asked Markus, 'When will our flag be ready?'

'They said that it will be finished by tomorrow morning,' my cousin answered. 'I'm worried about how far our collective funds will keep us going though.'

'I thought that merchant fella who came through with us will be paying for that damned Saint George flag you and the rest of the council wanted made.'

'Jason,' Markus addressed the old soldier, 'I do not like the idea of relying on Edmund the merchant who's only purpose for living is fame and wealth. I overheard him the other day speaking with some of the locals about buying land in Rohan.'

'Well it looks like one of us isn't worried about not going home,' I told them both.

'Well I don't think you're worried about not going home,' Markus said with a slight smirk.
I rolled my eyes at him while Jason laughed.

'Will you stop going on about that?' I asked my cousin.

'No. I'm taking every opportunity I get to make cheap jokes at your expense.'

'When did you turn into your brother?' I sarcastically asked him.

'I haven't but even I enjoy a joke now and again and what you did while you were drunk at the party.'

Jason barked out a laugh at the memory of the party.

'You two, for the final time, I was drunk and danced with Sunniva and kissed her in a drunk stupor. That was all. If I'd been sober it wouldn't have happened.'

Markus let out a sigh before saying, 'If you say so.'
I rolled my eyes and kept silent.

'How many Orc's are you two planning to kill?' Jason asked us.

'I'm not sure,' I answered. 'I'll just try to leave some for you two.'

'Is that a challenge?' Markus asked me.

'Perhaps it is,' I answered.

'Then I accept your challenge John and I look forward to killing twice as many Orc's as you.'

'Count me in you two,' Jason agreed. 'I'll put me bill'ook to good use.'

'Well I can promise the both of you that Alaric will do plenty of work,' I told them with a smile as I patted the sword which was always at my side.

'We'll see cousin,' Markus joked. 'We'll see.'

We came to Sunniva's house just then. Through the small window I could see a light from candles.

'I'll see you two in the morning,' I said to them.

'See ya in the morning Harris,' Jason said and then walked on.

'I'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast in the Inn,' Markus said and then walked off.

I stepped into Sunniva's house to the smell of stew being cooked. Sunniva was sitting by the hearth stirring a pot of thick stew, thankfully for me, and I do hope that she will forgive me for writing this, Sunniva was far better at cooking than Lady Eowyn. When I stepped in she looked up at me and gave me a small smile.

'How are you John?' she asked me.

'I'm fine thanks. What about you?'

'Same as ever. Cenric isn't with us tonight though.'

'Why not?' I asked her.

'He said he was staying at a friend's house tonight. I'm not sure why.'

'Well when I was his age Rickard and I would go into Markus's room and have some fun with food we stole from the kitchens.'

'Were you allowed to?' Sunniva asked me.

'Not really but I think my uncle turned a blind eye to it.'

'Good for him. How was your cousin Markus?'

'Same as ever. He's still reminding me about the party,' I told her.

Sunniva rolled her eyes. 'To be honest I'm surprised your cousin can remember it. Everyone was completely drunk there.'

'Not really. My uncle, the king and Gandalf were sober. That said, even Father Harold was a bit unsteady on his feet for a while.'

'That reminds me John, why do you all call Harold "Father"? Even some of your company older than him call him "Father".'

'We have a reason,' I answered. 'You see, we believe that there is one god who is Father to all of us. Harold is a Priest, basically making him a representative of God and the religious father to a community so we call all priests Father.'

'I see,' she said and then rose from her chair. 'Can you get the bowls out?'

'Of course.'

I got two wooden bowls and two wooden spoons out of the cupboard and put them on the table. Sunniva filled each bowl with stew and we started to eat.

'I wish I knew why you and the rest of the English Company are so determined to ride out when you have no hope,' Sunniva eventually said to me.

'We're riding out for the same reason I fought at Helm's Deep,' I told her. 'Because it's right and there are always miracles.'

'I hope you're right. About miracles.'

'We had a miracle at Helm's Deep,' I reminded her. 'Well, that and a lot of luck.'

'I suppose so. You and the others have more to fight for now than you used to.'

'Well, knowing that an evil lunatic wants to destroy your home can drive men to do things that we'd always call reckless.'

'Just don't get carried away with being reckless,' she said and arched her eyebrow. 'If you do I'll kill you.'

'In that case I'll stay as far away as I can from Edoras,' I joked.

'I hope not. I'm actually used to you being here now. I might just be sorry to see you go.'

'Well I'll try to come back as often as I can then.'

'Good.'

A while after that Sunniva was getting ready for bed while I packed my few possessions. I only had one set of clothes, two cloaks, my armour, weapons and a few coins. Markus was right, our funds wouldn't last much longer. Maybe I could become a mercenary, I thought to myself. It would definitely solve my money problem. When I was finished packing I blew out the last candle and climbed onto my bedroll. I hadn't slept in a real bed in weeks but I was starting to get used to it.

'Goodnight John,' I heard Sunniva say from her bed.

'Goodnight,' I responded and then I drifted off to sleep.

My eyes opened and I sat up. Looking out of the window I saw that it was still dark. I must have only been asleep for an hour or two. I tried to get back to sleep when I heard something. It sounded like a panting. Looking around the room my eyes came to Sunniva's bed. She was turning beneath her sheets and breathing heavily.

'Are you alright?' I asked her but she didn't answer.

She was still asleep and kept twisting in her bed like a wounded animal. I felt worried so I got up and walked towards her.

'Sunniva are you alright?' I asked as I nudged her.

Instead of answering me she kept twisting in her bed. As my eyes properly adjusted to the darkness I saw that her forehead was dotted with beads of sweat. I patted her on the arm to wake her up but instead she kept shaking and twisting until her eyes snapped open and she threw herself. Trying to calm down she grabbed my hand and sighed.

'Are you alright?' I asked her.

'Yes. It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare. A nightmare.'

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'Yes. It was my dad,' she told me, her voice barely above a whisper, 'I saw him dying in the Warg attack.'

In the low light I saw a tear trickle down her face and her grip on my hand tightened.

'I never want to see that again,' she whispered to me. 'Never.'

'Sunniva,' I whispered, 'it was just a dream. You can't spend forever resting on dreams.'

'But I can't forget the dream and I can't forget my dad. He's dead and gone forever,' that was when she broke. With her free hand she grabbed her sheets, pushed them into her face and started to sob.

While she wept I remained silent. Looking back I remembered how I was when my own father died. I put up a strong face when I was with other people but alone I wept. I realized that was what Sunniva had been doing. She had been keeping up a strong face for her brother all this time. I put my arm around her to comfort her and I waited until she stopped crying. When she took the sheets away from her face her eyes were puffy and red, like they were when I first met her at Helm's Deep.

'You will see him again,' I softly told her. 'Your father and your mother.'

'What do you mean?' she asked me, daring to let hope onto her face.

'Remember what I told you earlier about God?'

'Yes I remember.'

'Well, not only do we believe that he is Father to us all but we believe his is a King and his kingdom is named Heaven. When we die our souls will go to his kingdom and live there in peace for all eternity. When my father was killed and my mother died the comfort I had was knowing I would see them again in Heaven.'

She looked at me for a few moments which felt like hours. She was silent and then turned her face away from me.

'That sounds nice,' she quietly said to me. 'Do you truly believe that?'

'All my life,' I told her. 'In my darkest moments I have turned to God to give me strength.'

'How do you know it's true though?'

'I don't need to know. I only need to believe.'

We looked at each other again and said nothing. I felt her grip on my hand slacken and I took my arm off of her.

'I think I'll try to get back to sleep now,' she said and rubbed her eyes with her hand.

'Are you sure you're alright?' I asked her.

'Yes I'm fine,' she answered. 'Good night again.'

'Good night again,' I repeated and then I went back to my bedroll and we both slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

Early the next morning I woke up and climbed up out of my bedroll. Sunnvia was sleeping peacefully, thank God. Not wanting to wake her I quietly got dressed and put the blankets of my bedroll away in the cupboard.

'Getting ready to go?' Sunniva, who had only just woken up, asked me.

I turned to face her. She was sitting up in bed and looked better than she did when she woke up in the night. Her eyes had returned to their normal blue instead of the painful red.

'I'm afraid so,' I answered. 'I have to get everything ready by midday.'

'Do you need some help getting ready?'

'No thanks.'

'Alright then. I'm going to get dressed.'

Understanding what she meant I stepped outside wearing my Rohirric cloak I wore at Helm's Deep and had Alaric hanging from my belt. Markus and I had a breakfast of porridge and honey at the Inn before we had to have a meeting of the Council of England in the Golden Hall. I sat at the table in the Hall with the other four members of the Council. The point of the meeting was to finalise all of our expenses in Edoras. Father Harold was working on the calculations while Markus read out the number of prices.

'Add to that the cost of one hundred and five mugs of beer and twenty mugs of mead, that have so far not been paid for, which comes to nineteen silver pieces.'

'Do you want me to catch the Rob here when he falls after you read the amount of money?' Jason asked as he smoked on a pipe.

'We're not finished,' Markus said and the rest of us groaned. 'Lastly is the cost of six courser horses and twenty four horse shoes which comes to a total of one gold piece.'

'Get ready to catch him Jason,' I said to the old soldier.

Father Harold hissed through clenched teeth when he finished the last sum.

'We owe the city of Edoras four pounds and two shillings.'

'How large is our treasury?' I asked Robert.

'Eighty five pounds and two pence,' he answered. 'It's not too bad but we need to find a source of income soon.'

'Well I've spent 'alf me life fighting for whoever pays me the most,' Jason told us.

'We will not become mere mercenaries,' Robert told him. 'Our duty here is to defend our world and our faith. Our best chance is to gain land here.'

'Or we could try going home,' Jason suggested. 'If this Sauron fella knows how to get to England then I say we beat it out of him.'

'No offence Jason but trying to beat anything out of Sauron will kill you,' Aragorn, who was passing us, told Jason.

'I've been trying to get meself killed for years Arag'n. It'll take a lot more than a lunatic with a stupid name to kill me.'

Aragorn shook his head as he left the Golden Hall.

'Where's he going?' I asked Markus.

'He's keeping an eye open for the beacon,' my cousin told me before addressing the rest of the Council. 'Who's giving His Majesty the money?'

'I will,' Robert volunteered himself. 'Father Harold, can you count out the money?'

'Of course Robert,' Father Harold said as he placed the chest containing our treasury on the table.

Our treasury was made up of money which all of us had to contribute to. We each had to donate half of our money to the Treasury. By the time Father Harold had counted out all of the money Markus and I were getting ready to go to the stables to get our horses ready.

'I can't wait for some action at last,' I said to Markus.

Just as I said that the doors of the Hall were thrown open by Aragorn who then ran in.

'THE BEACONS OF MINAS TIRITH!' he shouted. 'THE BEACONS ARE LIT! Gondor calls for aid.'

Everyone in the Hall froze. Suddenly all eyes turned towards Theoden who was speaking with Father Harold. We all knew that the fate of both worlds would hinge on his decision.

'And Rohan will answer,' Theoden declared. 'Muster the Rohirrim!'

'John, Markus,' Robert said to us. 'I need the two of you to get all of our men ready to ride within the hour!'

'We understand,' I told him.

Markus and I hurried out of the Hall and then hurried to alert the rest of the company. I started at the Inn. I ran in there where about ten English were having breakfast.

'The English Company rides within the hour!' I shouted. 'The beacons have been lit! Spread the word!'

At that the English dropped what they were doing and ran for the door. As I hurried through Edoras bells started to ring and every soldier in the city was getting ready to ride out. At last I reached Sunniva's house where I had to get my supplies. I hurried in the find Sunniva and Cenric.

'Is it true?' Cenric asked me. 'Are they riding out to war?'

'We are,' I answered as I threw my pack on over my back.

'Can I come?' he asked.

'You're staying here with me,' Sunniva told her brother. 'I don't want to see you going out to battle until your old enough.'

'Ah,' Cenric pouted. 'I've been in battle before.'

'I remember,' Sunniva and I said at the same time.

I picked up my poleaxe, which I recovered after Helm's Deep, and got ready to leave.

'Goodbye Cenric,' I said to the boy and then I looked at his sister. 'Bye Sunniva.'

'Bye John. And good luck.'

'I'll see you soon,' I said to her.

I was about to leave when Sunniva stopped me.

'Keep safe John,' she said and then leaned forwards. I froze when she planted a kiss on my cheek.

'Thank you, I mean, I'll try to keep myself safe. Goodbye.'

I left the house and walked to the stables. The city was now crowded with soldiers who were getting ready to leave the city. I found Julius where I left him in the stables. Once I walked in he impatiently stomped his hooves.

'Calm down Julius, calm down. We're going off to war now.'

I put on his saddle and reigns then climbed onto him. We rode out into the streets where I found my cousin on his horse next to Father Harold on his ambler horse.

'Here we go again,' I said to Markus. When I saw that most of the English company was roughly where we were I asked Markus, 'What are we waiting for?'

'I don't know. Apparently Robert asked us all to wait here for something.'

'I hope it's important,' I commented.

'Don't worry John, I'm sure it will be important,' Father Harold assured me as we heard a cheering.

'What's that?' I asked myself and then I saw them.

Robert, on his white horse was riding towards us followed by Jason on his horse. Jason though was carrying our Saint George Standard. It fluttered in the wind showing the red cross on the white background for all to see. When we saw it we cheered as well.

'Now Englishmen!' Robert shouted so all of our company could hear him. 'We rode out not to fight for a king or a noble house! Now we fight for all of England and all of Christendom!'

We cheered again, pride filling our hearts.

'Ride out in the name of the Lord!'

We cheered one final time as we, with the riders of Rohan rode through the streets of Edoras. We passed Sunniva's house where I saw her and Cenric standing waving at us. I smiled and waved as I rode past and then we left Edoras behind and ahead of us was war.

AN: Sorry for how long it took to update. I've had a lot of stuff to do. By the way I've started college so updates may be a little less frequent.

Also I apologise for how much rambling I did here. It went a little longer than I intended it to go.

Review responses:

Amateur Bacon Cook: Thank you for your review. I also regard reviews with useful criticism to be the best kind. Also, thanks for thinking that it's a good idea. Originally John Harris was going to be a British soldier from WW1.

On another note, I must repeat the request for a cover image from someone. If anyone can do a cover image of John Harris for me I would be most grateful.

Keep reviewing, keep reading

Have a nice day.