"Don't argue with me, Major, just do it!"
Jack listened intently for Sam's answer. In less than ten minutes the men planned to make one last stand against the orcs. The women's only hope was for Sam to blow the entrance to the caves, giving them enough time to make it out.
Sam was less then happy with the decision.
"Colonel?"
Jack looked up, peering down the long stairwell that lead to the caves. "Yeah?"
"Good luck."
"Don't go sappy on me now, Major," he answered. "I'm clear. Blow it."
Jack turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. Daniel and Teal'c were walking down the stairs, followed by the rest of their ragtag band.
"Fire in the hole!"
Both Daniel and Teal'c manhandled their friends to the sides of the corridor before the phrase was complete. It was followed by a satisfying roar as air and debris blew past them.
Jack looked. Where once he'd been able to see a glimmer of torchlight there was nothing but blackness.
____________________
"Pip?"
The hobbit in question groaned slightly, rolling over and taking a mutton leg with him.
Merry watched his cousin sleep, concern marring his features. At his voice the fine lines that had begun to gather around the other hobbit's eyes and mouth relaxed. It was the first night in a long time that he'd seen the younger hobbit sleep peacefully. Since the death of Gandalf Pip had been having nightmares, though he never said what they were about. In the morning he would look pale and haunted, until something else caught his attention and he seemed to return to the carefree hobbit his cousin had always known. Some nights, especially right after their capture, he would wake screaming, only to be cuffed to silence by one of the orcs. Their bruises had healed with time, but he doubted things would ever be the same for them again.
Merry closed his eyes and listened to the sound of water as it drifted outside. Othanc was free, at least for them it was. Tree Beard had given them free run of Orthanc after killing the orcs and imprisoning Saruman. They could hear the old wizard from time to time, yelling down at the ents in languages Merry had never heard. Whatever he said, it seemed to annoy the ents, an on occasion one of them would yell something back, silencing the man for hours on end. That worked just fine for him, because if Saruman was guilty of even half the things he was told, he deserved nothing better.
Merry sighed and rolled towards the door. Currently, they were sleeping in one of the store rooms that dotted the property. This one was on ground high enough that it was only slightly flooded when the dam went. Now, the floor was relatively dry, and a large piece of leather served as adequate ground cover for their sleeping pallets. Neither one of them wanted to sleep in the tower, even though Saruman was supposed to be locked into only the uppermost rooms. There was something off about the place, as if whatever evil the white wizard had been doing had seeped into the very stones.
Hearing Pippin's even breathing allowed Merry's attention to turn to other matters. Namely, his legs. Was it just his imagination, or were the cuffs of his trousers a little further up on his calves now, the fit of his shirt and vest a little tighter than before? He didn't know how to explain it, but things seemed a little smaller since they'd met Tree Beard and the rest of the Ents. The large beings had been fond of plying the hobbits with a strange, shimmering water at the Ent Mote, saying nothing more than it was good for them.
There's somethin' in there, Merry, the Gaff's words came back to him. Somethin' that makes those trees come alive and talk when they want. You seen trees grow that big anywhere else? Never! I've lived a long time, laddie, and I've never seen 'em as big as those of Buckland.
Merry's eyes widened. Was that what they'd been given, the same stuff that ran in Buckland? He'd ask Tree Beard about it later.
"Night, Pip," he whispered, pulling his blanket over his head.
_____________________________
"Tell me again what he's doing, Daniel."
Teal'c watched the colonel watch Gandalf as he ran his hands over the pile of rock and debris that blocked off the stairwell leading into the caves. Hours before the wizard had rode in with a host of at least a thousand men at his back, saving their meager force from defeat. The new force had managed to route those orcs that survived the initial charge back up the steep embankment that lead to the deep.
And into the trees.
Teal'c had been surprised to see a large forest after cresting the rise, a forest where before none had been. Gandalf yelled at them not to follow the orcs into the trees, and the jaffa had been glad to oblige. There was something wrong with those trees, a sense of waiting, of tension, that reminded him of an animal waiting to pounce. Then they began to move, the tall limbs bending inwards, followed by the sound of screams. Whatever fate had awaited the orcs in the forest, it was nothing more than they deserved. Afterwards the old wizard ordered every man into the structure, where they were to remain for the rest of the night.
"I'm trying to reason with the stones, Jack," Gandalf answered before Daniel. "It would make things easier for everyone over all."
Colonel O'Neill raised one eyebrow. "You ever hear the expression arguing with a brick wall?"
Teal'c smiled internally when Daniel flicked one of the colonel's ears, affectively distracting him. Whatever Gandalf was doing seemed to require his entire focus.
Suddenly, the stones seemed to shudder, and slowly begin to fall into dust. Gandalf stepped back calmly.
"Anything can be reasoned with, Jack. You need only know the language."
"Twenty bucks, Jack," Daniel's voice drifted over that of the disintegrating stone. "At this rate you'll have to sign all your checks over to me when we get home."
"Yeah, yeah," the colonel answered. "Those last two were lucky guesses and you know it."
"Ah, here we are," Gandalf interrupted, stepping up to the wall. A tunnel, a little taller than a man and several feet long, bored through the debris.
"Yo, Carter! You in there?" Colonel O'Neill called before following Gandalf.
"Colonel O'Neill?"
Teal'c stepped into the darkness as well. "I believe that is the lady Eowyn."
"Please, help us!"
Gandalf tapped his staff twice on the stones, and a bright light pierced the darkness of the cave. In moments they could see Eowyn, gray with dust, kneeling on the stone floor.
Sam was lying next to her.
"Sam!" Both Daniel and Jack rushed forward, nearly knocking the other woman over in their haste.
"She still breathes," Eowyn told them.
Gandalf and Teal'c walked over to their friend. Jack was lifting one of her eyelids.
"Come on, Sam," he said worriedly.
Slowly, the pupil began to contract in the light. He did the same to the other eye, sighing in relief when the response was faster. Gently, he began feeling along her neck and collar bone.
"Where are the others, Eowyn?" Daniel asked.
"The way leading through the mountains was blocked, whether from the explosion or from some other force I don't know." She pointed further into the darkness. "I ordered everyone to try and dig their way out. They should be no more than half a mile. I can show you, if you like."
Teal'c nodded. "Come DanielJackson."
Daniel nodded and held the torch aloft as they picked their way among the rocks. The jaffa was impressed by the surety of Eowyn's movements. Despite the rough hewn floor and uneven path, she walked steadily, only stumbling once before they reached a point where the large cave began to branch into several smaller tunnels. He had little doubt that the women would have been able to hide in them for some time before they were discovered, perhaps long enough to dig their way free.
A trilling chirp broke through the stillness, followed swiftly by two more. From far away there was an answering chirp, then three quick trills.
"They're all right," Eowyn said, relief plain in her voice.
______________________________________
"Quel kaima. Lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva"
The small group of surviving elves turned their faces to the west and the setting sun, watching as the smoke from the pyres drifted to the sky. Many of their brothers had died, but some still lived to sing the songs of their valor. Even as they watched the sun set they knew their friends were being reborn in the Halls of Mandos, were they would be welcomed by those who had gone before.
The survivors, those well enough to help, had been hard at work since their earlier victory, separating the dead elves and men from the orcs. The field where so many had fallen was empty now, the bodies of their fallen comrades had been stacked and soaked with pitch, the first time in five millennia that men and elves were mourned together. The bodies of the orcs were dragged deeper into the chasms, and left for the animals.
"May wolves pick the flesh from their bones," Salnith said, staring after the last pile to be taken. A bandage covered the place where her eye once was.
"We will see them soon," Alis, another elf whispered.
Legolas turned and looked to Aragorn, who stood with the elves, yet apart from them. Even now, after all they'd done, those who survived were looking to the west, to return to Valinor. Nothing had changed.
"We should return," he said after a moment. "They still need more hands."
"Their words trouble you, old friend?"
Legolas glanced at Aragorn. "They will still leave Middle Earth to its fate, rather than fight to protect it."
The ranger looked down, then out towards the dying pyre. "The elves have long lived in the world. Times have changed, and it is no longer theirs."
"That doesn't mean they shouldn't stand and defend it!"
Aragorn smiled sadly. "I never thought to argue this with an elf. If you'd never agreed to this quest, where would you be now?"
Legolas said nothing. For many years the elves of Mirkwood had been traveling to the Havens and over the straight road to Valinor. He himself had refused several times to make the journey. Mirkwood was his home, and like precious few of his people, he was determined to remain there, despite the call of the Valar.
"I wouldn't run from something this important," he said finally.
Aragorn latched onto the elf's shoulder and gave it a firm shake. "I know." He strode towards the entrance to the Deep. "You said something about helping, Legolas of Mirkwood. Surely you don't plan to shirk your duties?"
Legolas smiled.
Half and hour later the elf was helping stitch up a deep gash when Teal'c entered the main hall, Jack and Daniel following closely. He was carrying a small bundle, and at first the elf thought it was another shoulder. His eyes fell on short hair gray with dust, and delicate features, and fear stabbed through him. It was Samantha. The sight of her limp legs chilled his heart, and in an instant he was at her side.
"Gently now, my friend," Gandalf admonished as he knelt at her side. "She's taken quite a blow to the head, but should be fine in a few hours time."
The elf felt a blush start to threaten his cheeks, but fought it down. Bad enough that Aragorn taunted him almost mercilessly about his attraction to the woman, he could only shudder to think of what Jack would say.
"She's got a skull thick as a rock," Jack said offhandedly. "She'll be all right."
Legolas closed his eyes. He could feel her, through the necklace. The steady beat of her heart, the blood flowing through her veins. There was a large blotch on her energy, where something heavy had caused her some damage, but nothing truly life threatening. She was already fighting her way back from the blackness. She would wake sooner than he would have thought possible.
He opened his eyes as a sea of women and children came into the hall, carrying blankets, basins, and piles of cloth. The men had been able to see to the more grievously injured, but none among them was without injury himself. The arrival of the women was met with shouts of joy.
A hand came down on his shoulder. "I told you she would be fine, my friend."
"Worrying over her like an old woman, is he?"
The blush was back, raging hotter than ever. "At least show some concern for our friend, Aragorn. Gimli. She might have been truly injured."
"Hmmph, you'd think she was on her death bed," Gimli snorted from around his pipe.
" And you owe me eight taeles of silver," Legolas countered, turning to his friend. For once they were eye to eye. "I beat you by fifteen orcs."
Gimli sputtered, yanking the pipe from his mouth. "Now see here you pointy eared.... they kept the orcs from the wall, and I've no skill with a bow! If anyone should pay, it's them!"
The elf and dwarf turned to Daniel and Jack. And blinked. The two men in question were nowhere to be found.
__________________________________
Sam had several distinct impressions. The first was that she was lying on something soft. The second, that she was wearing something softer than she remembered. The third was that an evil gnome was in her head, slamming away with a pick axe.
Okay, scratch that. The first was there was an evil gnome in her head slamming away with a pick axe.
"Samantha? Can you hear me?"
The voice sounded far away, thin and watery. She tried to focus on it.
"Samantha?"
"Hm?" she turned her head towards where the voice was coming from. Something cool was pressed to her lips, trickled past them into the dryness of her mouth.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. The light was thankfully dim, and she focused on a fall of blond hair and a pair of deep blue eyes.
"Legolas?"
The elf smiled at her. "I was wondering when you'd awake." He set down the cup on a small table. "You've been sleep some time."
Samantha turned her head slightly. The room was large, and she could see more people laid out on pallets, some with women bending over them. She raised a hand and felt the top of her head. If it looked anything like it felt, she had a foot-tall knot sprouting from the center. She remembered the blast, remembered the quite that followed, the slight, tumbling sound of falling rock. Then, nothing. "We won?"
Legolas nodded. "Gandalf arrived to save us all. Most everyone who can is sleeping now. It's nearly dawn."
She blinked, puzzled. "Then why are you awake?"
"Someone needed to watch over you."
He stayed with us? All night? Hell YEAH! The Bitch was dancing in the back of her head. Samantha didn't care though, because whatever she was doing had stopped her headache.
"Where's Colonel O'Neill? Daniel? Teal'c? What about Aragorn and Gim-"
"All fine," Legolas assured her. "Gimli is currently searching for both Jack and Daniel concerning a lost bet. Apparently, they are good at remaining lost when others want to find them."
"You don't know the half of it," Sam muttered. She couldn't count the number of times they'd pulled a disappearing act when she needed to talk to them about something. "Oh," she said, reaching in side the long shirt she was wearing. Feebly, she pulled at the chain that held his pendant. "This is yours."
A hand settled over hers, stilling the movement. "Our journey is not over yet, Samantha. Keep it, for good fortune."
The hand was gone as swiftly as it had settled. "You should rest now," the elf said as he stood. "Gandalf means to leave after first light, and the road ahead of us is long. Jack assures us that if you were left behind, you would follow. On foot, if necessary."
Sam settled further into the warm blankets. For someone who'd apparently slept the best part of the battle away, she was rather tired. She remembered Janet telling them once about how the body didn't really rest when someone was unconscious from a head wound or from passing out. Sighing to herself, she closed her eyes and hoped for some sleep before they came and woke her up.
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reading this!!!! Special hot fudge thanks goes out to silver1, HaloGatomon, Tabitha, Misty, nina, Alexandra3, Alys, Yami Bite Yumi Me Chan, Mara Jade, Jedi, speacalphred, KokoAstra, Ptath, Technomage-Ranger, rolo-rooni, Wishful Thinking2, Kits, Fuzzy Hobbit, Cait, organized-chaos, Methrill, Popples, ChristalSteele, sammyjo3, jchild, Destiny's Dragon, kaitland, Twi, Shanna, CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur, fleetermouse, Crimson Starlight, AstralAgent, Majin83, FicLover, and last but definately not least JP for your wonderful reviews!!!!! Thank you so much guys!!!!!
Oh, and R.G.S.- reviews mean a lot to a lot of writers, because it means that we can see what people think of our work. We don't just put our work out there, its a part of us, and most everyone I would assume cares to at least some degree about how their work is received. And on voluminous blob...well... because I wanted to say it.
And, Acacia Jules, I said I changed it for dramatic purposes, and that I didn't know his lineage to begin with. And why Boromir? Because he would be the only person who the Ring could truly tempt with some success. It had nothing Aragorn wanted, nor Gimli, and I believe elves are somewhat impervious to its evil. What could it offer Sam and Teal'c? by this time I'm assuming that Daniel's wife is dead, and that he'd come to terms with it. Jack was a little more susceptible, but in the end I think he would've been able to fight the temptation. Now Boromir had something to gain with the ring. I tried to make him more human by showing how much he cared about his people, and that the ring used that against him. AND If you've read the book and/or seen the movies, you'd know that Boromir's death is a major plot point later on, it's kind of necessary. AND I think dying was the only way he felt he could truly redeem himself, plus the fact that he probably would have bled to death anyway, those arrows had huge shafts, even if the last two or three hadn't found their mark, and that's a lot slower and more painful that what really happens.
And Finally, the translation of the elvish:
"Quel kaima. Lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva"
Sleep well. Sweet water and light laughter till next we meet.