Nuin Griffondor here again with another chapter of Daughter of Mordor, and Patchwork Person I would like to thank you for making the issue you commented about known to me so I could fix it. Now without further Adieu, Gandalf's Return
I had been staying with both Eowyn and Durhil for the past couple days, keeping the former company, and telling tales from my youth, and the different battles I had fought in. I had just finished telling the tale of when I had first met Demos, when that pasty man came into the room of the now Dead Prince, he was the man from yesterday, the one who was practically speaking for the king. I saw his heavily lidded gaze flit over Eowyn, like she was a piece of meat that he was contemplating devouring. He looked at the now dead prince of Rohan, with a mild contempt, then he organized his face into a seemingly caring look.
"Oh, he, must have died sometime in the night, what a tragedy for the king to lose his only son and heir."
"Indeed it is, but you don't seem to overly disappointed about it." I say, standing up, and the man turned his gaze onto me, which left me wanting to take a bath to wash away the feeling, I wished for Demos to be here, because then he would have probably growled or attacked the man, actually, it probably is better that he isn't.
"Oh I do feel the sorrow for our beloved prince, and feel even worse for our king, who, not only has his son died, but his nephew has attempted to murder someone, and has been thrown in prison."
I saw Eowyn stiffen, and I flashed a look at Durhil for her to go check on Boromir, I kept my own voice calm, "Really, he doesn't seem the type of man to murder someone, I would have taken him for more the duel to the death type of man, who did he attempt to murder?"
The man smiles maliciously, and I am very convinced that he provoked Eomer and had him arrested for it.
"Leave me alone Snake," Eowyn says, and the man moves to speak again, but I shove him out of the room, "You heard her, leave her alone you pathetic excuse for a man."
The man's eyes flash with anger. "I would tread carefully if I was you, Lady of Imladris."
"I have far more to fear that a Bastard with a Silvertongue," I respond, and shove him away, then turn to Eowyn, "Come, I am not going to leave you alone, Men like that will do horrible things to women whom are alone."
"I can defend myself," She responds, steadfastly
"I know you can, but if he manages to drug you somehow, then all of yous skill could be for naught," I tell her, and she nods, and we begin walking the palace together, Boromir and Durhil join us, and after a while, we enter the throne room. I was missing Elladan, sure we had been apart for longer, but I missed his constant presence around me, and I missed Demos, and his constant whining. I wondered if the others had found any sign of Merry and Pippin, when, the front doors of the hall opened, and I was half convinced I was dreaming, I hear the shocked gasps of Boromir and Durhil besides me.
"Impossible," I whispered, because walking through the front doors, with the others walking in behind him, was Gandalf. I saw him look over to me, his eyes having a quiet twinkle to them, he gave me a look that told me to wait for an explanation later, and I knew that it was going to get loud, but I notice that his hair seems more white, and he isn't wearing the hat's that he is so fond of, and his staff, it was white, made from a white wood, and intricately carved as well.
There was a silence in the hall, as everyone previously in the hall, looked at those who just entered and those who had entered looked at those who had already been there, Elladan looked at me, and I looked at him, and he seemed to have released a sigh of relief, Demos, as soon as he saw me, bolted over and sat at my feet, telling me never to leave him with the others again. The king did not move in his chair. From behind us I saw a group of, thug like men, watching the others. At length Gandalf spoke. "Hail, Théoden son of Thengel! I have returned. For behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed."
Slowly the king rose to his feet, leaning heavily upon a short black staff with a handle of white bone; and now I saw that, bent though he was, he was still tall and must in his youth, he must have been high and proud indeed.
"I greet you," The king says, "and maybe you look for welcome. But truth to tell your welcome is doubtful here, Master Gandalf. You have ever been a herald of woe. Troubles follow you like crows, and ever the oftener the worse. I will not deceive you: when I heard that Shadowfax had come back riderless, I rejoiced at the return of the horse, but still more at the lack of the rider; and when Éomer brought the tidings that you had gone at last to your long home, I did not mourn. But news from afar is seldom sooth. Here you come again! And with you come evils worse than before, as might be expected. Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Tell me that." Slowly he sits down again in his chair.
"You speak justly, lord," Grima Wormtongue says, whom had been sitting upon the steps of the dais. "It is not yet five days since the bitter tidings came that Théodred your son was mortally wounded upon the West Marches, and died several hours ago: your right-hand Second Marshal of the Mark. In Éomer there is little trust. Few men would be left to guard your walls, if he had been allowed to rule. And even now we learn from Gondor that the Dark Lord is stirring in the East. Such is the hour in which this wanderer chooses to return. Why indeed should we welcome you, Master Stormcrow? Láthspell I name you, Ill-news; and ill news is an ill guest they say." He laughs grimly, as he lifted his heavy lids for a moment and gazed on the others with his dark soulless eyes.
I practically bristled with anger towards the man, my fist clenching my fist at my side.
"Be silent, keep your forked tongue behind your teeth," Gandalf says, and I smiled at the smug look of that bastard fall off, "I have not fallen through fire and death to banter crooked words with a witless worm," and then raised his staff.
"His Staff," Grima says fearfully, "I told you to take the wizard's staff.
The men, now behind us, moved to run at the others, but I spun around, jabbing one in the throat, as Durhil and Boromir took out others, Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas Tauriel, and Aragorn can to help us, while Gimli took down Wormtongue with Arzaroth, whom had a smug look on her face, Demos went over and sat on his chest, growling at him, his midnight colored fur bristled.
"Theoden, son of Thengel," Gandalf says as the fight rages on around him, "Too long have you sat in the shadows," He then walks right up in front of Theoden, as the fight dies down, the men all lying unconscious on the floor around us, I walk up behind Gandalf, as he says, "Harken to me."
He then sticks his hand out, and says, "I release you from this spell."
Nothing happens except the king's laughter, as he then says, "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey."
Gandalf then sheds the grey cloak that he had been wearing and the room fills with a bright glow and the king cries out.
"I will draw thee Saruman as poison is draw from a wound," He says, and stretches his staff forth, Eowyn runs forward, but I stop her, feeling like something bad is about to happen. The king wriths in the chair for several seconds, then a black energy seems to flow over the man's skin, and I run forward, shoving Gandalf out of the way as it shoots forward, missing the two of us and hitting the fireplace, which seemed to increase the flames height and intensity.
"Saruman, does not have the control to command the king, but I do," The king says, except, it wasn't the kings voice, it was a voice that I had heard only once before, I turned around to see the King's eyes had glazed over, one of them turning into more of a slit, with a fiery orange seeming to engulf the eye.
"Together," I ask Gandalf, and he nods.
"Together," He agrees, then stands, and yells, "Son of Sauron, We draw you from the body of the king," Gandalf begins, and I finish, "And send it back to where it belongs, begone Morgul spawn in the name of Manwe, and Eru Iluvatar, begone."
The king shrieks, and falls back into his chair, and I feel a massive drain upon my energy levels, enough to send me down to one knee, holding my head as a splitting headache racked through my skull.
"NO, ROHAN IS MINE," My brother yells, and stands, jumping towards Gandalf and me, As he does so, Gandalf stretches forth his staff, and touches the forehead of the king with his staff, then I stood, and lunged my hand towards his chest, for a second, the both points of contact seemed to light up, as if stars had been caught between them, and the king slumped down in his chair, and a Dark ooze leaked out from the kings mouth, then seemed to take shape, and flew away, I then fell backwards, and Elladan caught me, as Eowyn ran to her uncles side.
From the king's hand the black staff fell clattering on the stones. He drew himself up, slowly, as a man that is stiff from long bending over some dull toil the years seemed to fall off of him, and he appeared any years of men younger than he had previously appeared. Now tall and straight he stood, his hair regaining a blond lustor, from its former old and white appearance, and his eyes were blue as he looked into the crowd around him.
"Dark have been my dreams of late," he says, "but I feel as one new-awakened. I would now that you had come before, Gandalf. For I fear that already you have come too late, only to see the last days of my house. Not long now shall stand the high hall which Brego son of Eorl built. Fire shall devour the high seat. What is to be done?"
"Much," Gandalf says, as the king stands with the aid of Eowyn, "But first send for Éomer. Do I not guess rightly that you hold him prisoner, by the counsel of Gríma, of him that all save you name the Wormtongue?"
"It is true," Théoden says, "He had rebelled against my commands, and threatened death to Gríma in my hall."
"A man may love you and yet not love Wormtongue or his counsels," Gandalf says.
"That may be. I will do as you ask. Call Háma to me. Since he proved untrusty as a doorward, let him become an errand-runner. The guilty shall bring the guilty to judgement," says Théoden, and his voice was grim, yet he looked at Gandalf and smiled and as he did so many lines of care were smoothed away and did not return.
"Come leave this dark and desolate hall, breath free air once again," I say, and clear a path to the door, and yell, "Open the door, The Lord of the Mark Comes Forth."
The doors open, and fresh air upon a soft breeze blows through, washing away the trapped, musty, dank air and, as he approached, Theoden seemed to regain his old strength, and walked through the doors, and took a deep breath of the clean fresh air. He rubbed his hands together, and then rubbed his fingers, as if to return the life to them, I looked around and saw my swords lying nearby next to Aragorn's blade.
"Perhaps my lord, your fingers would remember their old strength, if they held a sword," I say
"Indeed they would, bring me my sword." He says, and looks back into the golden hall, towards Grima, to whom Demos was currently still sitting on, one of the captains walked towards and as he approached, Demos got off of him, and The Captain walked away, dragging the man. I spun around, and grabbed my blade sitting there next to Elladan and Aragorn's blades, then went and knelt before Theoden.
"My lord, for now, draw my own blade, It is of elvish make, The dawnbringer it is called, the sword of my grandfather," I said, offering it to him, hilt first, his eyes meet my own, and I see nothing but gratitude in them, as he reaches for the hilt, and draws the blade. Which catches the glow of the sun, and seems to glow with an almost ethereal white light. Heavy boots seemed to tromp up the stairs, and I saw that the doorwarden, Hama, had returned with Eomer, who, having no helm on his head, no mail on his breast, but in his hand he held a drawn sword; and as he knelt he offered the hilt to his master.
"How comes this?" Théoden asks sternly. He turned towards Éomer, and the men looked in wonder at him, standing now proud and erect, like his forebears before him.
"It is my doing, lord," Háma the poor doorwarden says, trembling. "I understood that Éomer was to be set free. Such joy was in my heart that maybe I have erred. Yet, since he was free again, and he a Marshal of the Mark, I brought him his sword as he bade me."
"To lay at your feet, my lord," Éomer says, kneeling down, his sword , and turns his face towards me and nods, Háma must have told him what Gandalf and I had done.
Theoden's face turned to one of Joy at his nephew's action, and, after handing me back my Sword, stood Eomer up, and brought him him for a hug.
When he released him, he claps his hand to Eomer's shoulder.
"What is your counsel, Gandalf?' Theoden asks as turns to Gandalf
"You have yourself already taken it," Gandalf answers. "To put your trust in Éomer, rather than in a man of crooked mind. To cast aside regret and fear. To do the deed at hand. Every man that can ride should be sent west at once, as Éomer counselled you: we must first destroy the threat of Saruman, while we have time. If we fail, we fall. If we succeed – then we will face the next task. Meanwhile your people that are left, the women and the children and the old, should fly to the refuges that you have in the mountains. Were they not prepared against just such an evil day as this? Let them take provision, but delay not, nor burden themselves with treasures, great or small. It is their lives that are at stake."
"This counsel seems good to me now," Théoden says. "Let all my folk get ready! But you my guests – truly you said, Gandalf, that the courtesy of my hall is lessened. You have ridden through the night, and the morning wears away. You have had neither sleep nor food. A guest-house shall be made ready: there you shall sleep, when you have eaten."
"Nay, lord," Aragorn says. "There is no rest yet for the weary. The men of Rohan must ride forth today, and we will ride with them, axe, sword, and bow. We did not bring them to rest against your wall, Lord of the Mark. And I promised Éomer that my sword and his should be drawn together."
"Now indeed there is hope of victory!" Éomer says.
"Hope, yes, But Isengard is strong. And other perils draw ever nearer. Do not delay, Théoden, when we are gone. Lead your people swiftly to the Fortress of Helm's Deep in the hills!" Gandalf says, and I sigh as Elladan walked up behind me.
"Here we go again."
This Chapter took me forever to write, I had such a bad streak of writer's block, my suspicion for it was Karma paying me back for that cliffhanger. But I believe that I have my groove back, so I will see all of you next time for Daughter of Mordor.