A.N. People, I need suggestions! I've thought up of two more worlds for them to go to after Middle-earth (Narnia and the Edge) and I need two more!
Disclaimer: You know by now. Or, you should…And, I don't own Narnia either.
Chapter 3Gandalf speedwalked to the stables with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Kestrel in tow. "Helm's Deep!" he muttered angrily. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight! Who will defend them if not their king?"
"He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep HAS saved them in the past." said Aragorn, the voice of reason.
Gandalf stormed, "There is no way out of that ravine. Théoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he's leading them to safety, but what they will get is a massacre. Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end, Aragorn. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses HAVE to hold."
"They will hold." Aragorn said quietly.
When they entered the stables, all the horses began whinnying and pawing the ground nervously. That is, all the horses except for Shadowfax, who waited patiently in his stall at the other end of the stable.
"Calm down, Lorthan." Kestrel soothed, pulling an apple from her pocket. "I've brought a little treat for you." She held out the apple to the black horse's muzzle, allowing him to eat it. "You've served me well."
Suddenly Shadowfax with Gandalf riding him burst out of his stall and Kestrel narrowly avoided being run over. Horses need headlights. Or horns. Cars do…
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
After exiting the stables, Kestrel made a beeline to the Golden Hall, hoping to get in a spot of sword practice. But when she entered, she noticed Éowyn opening a chest. Moving closer, and yet hiding behind pillars, she watched as Éowyn took out a sword. Unsheathing it, she ran a hand down the steel, testing to see if it was straight. Turning around, she sliced the air a few times.
It was then that Kestrel noticed Aragorn coming up behind Éowyn, looking pretty interested in what she was doing. Seriously. You never really questioned me using a blade, and yet…here's Éowyn, and you're probably like "OMG! A girl that can use a sword!" Stupid sexists. Éowyn whipped around with her sword up, and at the same time, Aragorn parried the blow with one of his knives. "You have some skill with a blade." he said, smiling.
Moving around again, Kestrel noticed that Éowyn's eyes were wide. Please don't tell me she's fallen in love with him. One Angel is more than enough. Éowyn suddenly pushed Aragorn's knife away with her sword, stepping back and sheathing it.
"Women of this country learned long ago – those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain." Kestrel silently cheered. If she's like me, I'll overlook the crush on Aragorn.
Aragorn stepped forward, asking, "What do you fear, my lady?"
Éowyn closed the chest. "A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."
"You are a shieldmaiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate." Aragorn said, sheathing his knife with a click and walking away. Éowyn stared after him.
Kestrel stepped from behind a pillar. "Well, Éowyn, warriormaid of Rohan, what do you say to a bit of practice with me?"
"I'd be glad to, lady Kestrel." Éowyn said, opening the chest again.
With a nod, Kestrel unsheathed Lemrocalir and stood in a fighting stance, waiting for Éowyn. Suddenly, the lady of Rohan struck her sword. Instinctively, Kestrel struck back, forcing Éowyn backwards. But this opened up her side, and Éowyn danced out of reach, striking back at Kestrel's side. Kestrel skipped back, leaping onto a bench and waiting for Éowyn to come to her.
In a sweeping arc, Éowyn hit Lemrocalir again and backed Kestrel onto the table. She leaped off, coming down to meet the lady of Rohan again. Éowyn feinted at her chest before striking at her head, but luckily, Kestrel brought her sword up just in time, parrying the blow.
They fought like this for a couple minutes, Kestrel leaping up onto some barrel, Éowyn backing off to go outside. Finally, after a hard-fought sparring session, Kestrel finally flicked the sword out of Éowyn's hands.
Smiling, she sheathed Lemrocalir. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was." Éowyn said, fetching her sword. "You're really good. May I ask where you learned how to handle a sword? You are not of either Rohan or Gondor."
Kestrel shook her head. "I was brought up in a remote village where I was taught swordplay and archery. It's what I'm good at." Well, I know that the village on Yetali was remote, because nobody ever stumbled upon it…that is, in the six years that I lived there.
"I trust that I can try again sometime?" Éowyn asked.
"Try what?" asked Kestrel, puzzled.
Éowyn smiled faintly. "Disarming you."
"Oh, of course! Any time." Kestrel agreed. "I haven't met any female warriors in all of Middle-earth. It makes me feel…weird. Like I'm an outcast."
Éowyn nodded. "Yes. The world is geared towards males, isn't it? While we're supposed to stay home and tend the fire."
"If somebody ever makes me do that…they're going to be in BIG trouble. The day I stay home from a battle will be the day that pigs fly." Kestrel said, smiling.
Somebody said from behind her, "Oh, look! See that flying pig over there?"
Kestrel spun around, seeing that it was Legolas. "You-you-you friggin IDIOT!"
"Sorry. I couldn't resist." he said, shrugging. But as soon as Kestrel turned around, satisfied, she saw Éowyn smile and wink.
"WHAT THE HECK?"
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
Kestrel went to bed early that night but she couldn't fall asleep. Especially with the things on her mind. Screw that friggin man/woman. Screw Sauron. Screw Saruman. Screw the Ring. Screw the Destroyers. Screw Angel. And then, just as she was thinking that, a big flash of pink came from the horizon. You have GOT to be friggin kidding me. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to ignore it, she got up, strapped on her sword and quiver, put on her cloak, and stealthily crept out of the room, trying not to wake Éowyn.
She took the steps of Meduseld two at a time, running on silent feet out of Edoras and towards the flashes of pink glitter that persisted in the distance. Angel. Idiot. Stupid Mary-Sue. Just what we need now. As she got closer to the flashes, she could see Angel in her hot pink glittery dress, fending off a rogue troop of Orcs with her magic. She's got it handled. She's a Mary-Sue. Of course she's got it handled. But if I let her fight it out, I'll never be able to bring her back to Edoras. Which I need to do. Unfortunately.
So she let fly an arrow, followed by another and another. The pack of Orcs turned around, snarling at this new assailant. "So, what do we have here? Another girl who thinks she can fight?"
"Oh, of course I can!" Kestrel said as she sent an arrow whistling into the mocking Orc's forehead. "Come ON, Angel! Let's get to Edoras!"
"wheres that?"
Kestrel sighed. "Um, that very prominent city on that hill that's very visible to us? The capital of Rohan?"
"whats that?"
Kestrel sighed again. "Never mind what Rohan is. It's a country. But you're coming back with me to Edoras, like it or not. Come ON!"
"is eragon there?"
Kestrel was about to reply no just to spite Angel when she realized that that might be the only way to get Angel to come back with her. "Yes. Now seriously!"
"2 busy fightin u cant!"
"In case you haven't noticed, I killed four Orcs in the time span of a minute!" Kestrel snapped, whirling around and plunging her dagger into yet another Orc's chest. "Five. In two minutes."
"im not going"
Shaking her head, Kestrel marched over to the pink glitter-clad figure, seizing her by the arm and bodily dragging her away. "If you ever want to see Aragorn again, you'd best come with me NOW!"
"ok then" They took off at a run, or rather, Angel did. And she more like glided/walked, as befits a Mary-Sue. Kestrel stayed back, finishing the rest of the Orcs off, though she did get a nasty gash on her arm in the process.
"hurry up!i need 2 c eragon!" Angel was yelling. Kestrel quickly collected her arrows for further use, sprinting back to Angel.
"yay!i get 2 c eragon sweeti agan!" I'm sorry, Aragorn. But it was the only way.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
They set out for Helm's Deep the next morning. It was a bright and sunny morning, but Kestrel's spirits were dampened by the amount of sleep she had had the previous night, plus the fact that the gash on her arm was throbbing. And that she had to look after Angel. And that Angel was blabbing on and on about "eragon sweeti". And that everybody else was in super high spirits, especially Gimli, Éowyn, and Aragorn. Even Lorthan, who she was riding, had an extra spring to his step. Legolas had run ahead to serve as a scout.
"It's true," Gimli was saying, bouncing along on Arod, "you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they are often mistaken for dwarf men!" Éowyn, who was leading Arod, smiled and looked back at Aragorn.
Kestrel, who was behind them, heard Aragorn whisper, "It's the beards."
"And this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women. And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!" Gimli said. Éowyn laughed heartily as the dwarf continued. "Which is, of course ridiculous!" He suddenly gave a shout as Arod galloped away. Éowyn scrambled to grab the reins again, but to no avail. Gimli fell off after a short distance, landing with a thump.
"It's all right, it's all right! Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate!" Gimli said, struggling to get up. Éowyn lended him a hand.
"Yeah, and I'm Angel." Kestrel muttered.
Aragorn looked back, waiting for her and Lorthan to catch up. "Is that a bright pink dress I see?" he said, smiling.
"You're the second person who's made fun of me in the past two days." Kestrel grumbled, turning aside.
The Ranger smiled. "Now, now. What's wrong? You haven't been yourself today."
"It's a lot of things. HER, for one." Kestrel turned in her saddle to send a glare at Angel, who stood out in the throng of brown- and black-clothed women and children. "And then there's the scant four hours of sleep I had last night, before YOU came and thumped on our door. And at the break of dawn, no less!"
Aragorn shook his head. "But you were happy back when we were searching for Merry and Pippin, and then, you didn't get any sleep for three days!"
"It's also this." Kestrel said, rolling up her sleeve to the elbow. The angry red gash had healed slightly, but it was still throbbing with every move she made.
Aragorn asked, "How did that happen?"
"Saving Angel's skin. Even though she didn't need to be saved. Stupid rogue troop of Orcs." Kestrel groused.
"A rogue troop of Orcs?" Aragorn asked, concerned. "Orcs don't run by themselves."
"Well, they didn't seem like they had any mission. Just fooling around, ambushing Angel. And of course, I couldn't let them get away." Kestrel said.
Aragorn shook his head. "Those weren't rogues. I don't know if there's any such thing as a rogue Orc. They must have been sent to attack the people of Edoras before they could make it to Helm's Deep. And you say you slew them single-handed?"
"No. Angel had already taken out a lot of them before I arrived. And most of the ones I killed were by arrow." Kestrel said, looking back at Angel again. It was clear that she was well loved by the others, but maybe it was just Sue-charm. Screw her. Idiot.
Suddenly a thought occurred to Kestrel, and she turned Lorthan around, guiding him among the villagers until she came to Angel. "Angel!"
"what do u want?"
Kestrel stopped, looking Angel in the eyes. "If there's a battle, you HAVE to stay with the villagers."
"y should i listen 2 u?"
"Angel! Listen to me! Yes, I know you have your stupid battle magic, but you don't know anything of real fighting. If you actually joined the fight, somebody would have to keep an eye on you. And that job would fall to lucky me. And then I wouldn't be able to seriously fight, which is what I do best." Kestrel explained.
"but eragon needs me!"
Kestrel, exasperated, shook her head. "No, he doesn't. And his heart will rest easy knowing that you're safe. Matter closed." She trotted away.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
The next day, Kestrel's spirits still hadn't lifted, although the gash on her arm was healing nicely after Aragorn took a look at it. The lack of action both irritated and worried her, ever since Aragorn had mentioned his own thoughts about the band of Orcs that had attacked Angel. There weren't that many. But either they were a backup troop, the remnants of a force, or a scouting party. But something's up. I can feel it.
Suddenly, Aragorn's shout broke her bubble. "Wargs! We're under attack!" A commotion broke out from behind her. The villagers were panicking, crying and running for cover.
"Get them out of here!" Aragorn shouted.
Théoden ordered, "All riders to the head of the column!" Kestrel urged Lorthan forward. Yes! A battle! Finally! She could see the small figure of Legolas standing on a ridge, watching the Warg-riders coming closer and closer.
As she rode to the front, she passed by Éowyn, who was heatedly arguing with her uncle. "I can fight!"
"No! You must do this…for me." Théoden said, looking into her eyes.
Seeing Kestrel passing by, Éowyn pointed to her. "Kestrel's fighting!"
"It was what she was born to do. And she has no commitments. What will happen to the people of Edoras if I fall? To Rohan?" Théoden asked. "Please, Éowyn."
Kestrel spurred Lorthan on, anxious to get to the battle. As she approached the ridge, she saw Legolas bring one, than another Warg and rider down. When he heard the sound of approaching horses, he turned around, and with a smooth move, he swung up onto Arod in front of Gimli. I've always thought that was totally impossible…whatever. Yay! Battle! Oh, holy crap. I forgot to check if Angel stayed with the villagers. She probably didn't, if I judge my luck correctly.
"CHARGE!" Théoden yelled, pointing forward with his sword. Kestrel didn't hesitate, and soon Lorthan was bounding amidst the Warg-riders, Kestrel gutting the Orcs with her sword.
"Five…second Warg…six…seven…third Warg…" she counted breathlessly with each kill. A riderless Warg leaped up from in front of her, startling Lorthan, who bucked. Kestrel fell off. "Holy crap!" Lorthan stood over her, lashing out with his hooves and teeth at anybody who came.
Kestrel shakily got up, flailing about for Lemrocalir. She couldn't find it. "Shoot. You have got to be kidding me." Unsheathing her dagger, she leaped back onto Lorthan. "Come on. We've got a lost sword to find." The Warg that had startled Lorthan before came back, leaping out and pushing Kestrel out of the saddle. It pinned her with its paws, snarling and baring its teeth. What I wouldn't give for Lemrocalir right now. Instead, I have this crappy throwing dagger, which really can't do anything in such a small space. She struggled to free herself from the Warg's viselike grip, but it was no use.
Finally, resigning herself to her fate, she relaxed, loosening the hold on the dagger in her palm. It slid, its sharp edge slightly nicking the Warg's back paw. It yelped, releasing Kestrel slightly. That was all it took for her to spring up and stab the Warg in the mouth. Dusting herself off, she stood there for a second, looking around for Lorthan. The black horse was nowhere to be seen. She swore loudly, not caring who heard her, and spun around to thrust her dagger into the chest of a Wargless rider..
A Warg and rider came bounding past, seemingly oblivious to her. Making up her mind, she sprinted after them, dagger in hand. But the Warg ran too fast for her, and she soon stopped, knowing that it was futile. She pulled her bow from its sheath, setting an arrow to it and letting it fly. It hit the Warg-rider's back with a satisfying thud, and the Orc fell off with a cry.
The Warg turned back, licked his lips when he saw Kestrel, and walked towards her as if on a leisurely stroll. Kestrel fitted another arrow to her bow, aiming and firing it right into the Warg's mouth. "That was…fifth Warg, ninth Orc? Dang it, Legolas and Gimli probably have like fifteen each. And the battle's pretty much over. Shoot. I'll never live it down."
She heard a moan coming from beside her. An Orc gasped, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth. She stabbed in the chest with her dagger, and it gasped and grew still. "Ten." Realizing that that might be a quick way to up her count, she was soon sprinting among the corpses, finding as many Orcs as she could that were still alive, but just barely.
"Aragorn?" she suddenly heard Legolas shout.
"Aragorn!" Gimli joined in.
It was then that Kestrel noticed that Aragorn was nowhere to be seen. "Aragorn! Where are you?" She noticed the tracks of a Warg in the dust, dotted with blood here and there. Something had been dragged by it, and the tracks led over the edge of a cliff. She ran to the cliff, looking down. At the far bottom, a swift-moving river churned. There was no sign of Aragorn.
A coughy, wheezing laugh came from behind her. She whirled around, noticing an Orc in the throes of death. "What is wrong with you?"
Gimli came up on the other side of the Orc with Legolas, holding the blade of his axe to the Orc's throat. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing."
"He's…" The Orc coughed before continuing. "dead! Took a little tumble of the cliff!"
Kestrel leaned down and snarled, "You little piece of crap!"
"You lie!" Legolas snapped, bending down and grasping the Orc's throat. But it would say no more, laughing one last time before dying.
"He's got something in his fist!" Kestrel noticed, glancing at its clenched fist. Legolas pried it open, revealing the pendant that Aragorn always wore. Kestrel guessed that it was a gift from Arwen.
Kestrel ran back to the cliff, staring down at the rushing river below. Legolas, Gimli, and Théoden King joined her. The drop down was sharp and rocky, not to mention far. She shook her head. Not again! Death is running unchecked in Middle-earth. And Aragorn was…not a Guardian, exactly, but trained like one.
"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return…Leave the dead." Théoden said to his men. Legolas turned to him, barely concealed fury in his eyes.
The King of Rohan put a hand on his shoulder. "Come." He walked away, leaving Kestrel, Legolas, and Gimli staring down at the river.
Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched scream. Whipping around, she saw a telltale pink dress. Running towards Angel, she shouted, "Angel! What are you DOING here? I TOLD you to stay with the villagers!"
Angel ran past her, stopping at the edge of the cliff. "no.i have 2 save myy is my job." She stood silent for a moment before jumping off the cliff. Kestrel rushed to the edge, too late to save Angel. She stood there, looking down as the pink-clad figure soon turned into a pink glittery speck in the water, rushing away. Good riddance.
"At least there is some small good in this great loss." Legolas remarked.
Kestrel was about to nod, but then checked herself and shook her head when another idea came to her. "Yes, but if we believe that Aragorn somehow survived that, then we have to believe that SHE did too."
"I am loath to leave this place, but the people of Rohan need us." Gimli said, before shouldering his axe and waddling off to the Rohirrim.
Kestrel strode after him, calling over her shoulder, "Come on, we'd best go." Legolas nodded and followed her, although he took one last look at the edge of the cliff.
Suddenly, he stopped and kneeled down at the body of a Warg. He picked something up, walking up to Kestrel. She gasped. In his hands, Legolas held Lemrocalir, her precious sword.
"I believe this belongs to you…" he said, offering it to her.
With a smile, she took it and sheathed it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome…Hunting Hawk." He was about to walk away when he stopped, turned around, and kissed Kestrel lightly on the cheek. Smiling at her, he strode away to where Arod and Gimli were waiting.
Kestrel stared after him, putting a hand to her cheek. Oh my gosh. What just happened? Legolas did NOT just give me a nickname. And he definitely did NOT just kiss me. What is this? Suddenly, the scene from the Mirror of Galadriel flashed before her eyes once again.
Angel was falling…falling…falling. Suddenly a wave of cold hit her, and she blacked out.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
Angel slowly opened her eyes. A lion's face loomed before her, and she instinctively yelped and tried to crawl away.
"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked.
The lion smiled and replied, "I am Aslan, the Great Lion. And you are in Narnia."
"Narnia?" she gasped. "You mean, where High King Peter lives?"
"Yes." Aslan nodded. "You have been called here for a reason, Angel Destiny Litwell."
Puzzled, Angel asked, "What do you mean?"
"Aragorn needs your help. His life is in danger. Go now, and you will rescue him." Aslan said. "I have a gift for you." An shimmering white unicorn trotted up, bowing when she saw Angel.
"Oh, thank you!" Angel said, climbing onto the horse easily. "Where do I go?"
"Where I will send you." Aslan breathed into the air, and the scenery changed once more.
And as you know, that was how the scene went to her deluded Sue eyes. But really:
"who r u?where am i?where is eragon?"
"nanria?where wiliam mosly lives?"
Aslan: "No. High King Peter lives here. Heed Kestrel. She knows what is best for you. If you followed her directions, you would never have ended up in the state you're in."
"yah lik im goin 2 litsen 2 tat crakjob."
Aslan: "You should. Go now, and you will be safe in the fortress of Helm's Deep."
"wheres that?"
Aslan's patience was wearing thin. "I will send you to someone who can take you there."
Aragorn slowly opened his eyes to see the wet muzzle of Hasufel, his horse. It kneeled down, helping him to get on. He clung on as Hasufel stood up, going at a slow but steady canter. Suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded him, and when he opened his eyes again, Angel on a unicorn was standing right next to him.
"eragon!"
Aragorn groaned. He would never be able to go at a gallop at his state, and anything less than that would make him have to deal with Angel. He chose the lesser of the two evils. "You're coming with me."
As Angel squeed with delight, Aragorn headmaned. You've got to be kidding me. And a note: The unicorn was made with her Sue powers. It really existed.
Well? How was it? Please review!