Gah, I have a massive headache right now. Stupid teachers are trying to cram everything in before finals (that is partially to blame for the slow update).
Izzy: How about you try a new technique. It's called study! Maybe then your homework would be easier.
MN9: Study? (gasp) Blasphemy, I tell you blasphemy!
Izzy: (rolls eyes)
Disclimer: Yeah…I really don't own Lord of the Rings…seriously I don't.
Chapter 39 Recap:
Abigail was aware of the conversation around her, and wished she could speak words of comfort. But she was in no position to make hopeful promises of faulty prophecies, even though in her mind it was suppose to be the truth.
Her body was begging her to rest, and she finally gave in, having faith that the morning would still bring a miracle.
Chapter 40: (oh my god…40 chapters…)
A sudden bustle of commotion awoke Abigail from her slumber.
She lazily opened her eyes and pushed herself into an upright position.
The room spun for a moment, but overall she felt pretty well.
She looked down at her right arm and saw a partially fresh bandage wrapped tightly around her wound.
'Hmm, did Legolas do that?' she wondered groggily.
She ran her hand through her hair, trying to get a grasp on what had happened.
Dried blood fell from her scalp.
'Looks like a hurt my head again. This can't be good for my brain,' she sighed. 'Maybe that's way everything is so blurred.'
She remembered the bracelet humming, trying to warn her. The power was building, and she wasn't acting like herself.
Abigail was certain she had used her power, it was probably the reason why she was still alive, she just what sure what she had did. If anybody had seen her…
"Maybe I should just tell them," she muttered under her breath. "Screw the Nazgûl. We're in the middle of a bloody war, it wouldn't be hard to find us either way."
She knew she wouldn't, though. Telling about her power would mean talking about the past and talking about the past would lead to the whole truth about her identity. That part she still wanted to keep a secret.
She stood up carefully and stretched out a little.
Her layer of leather armor did her some good. She could feel no gaping wounds on her chest or back.
Besides the one cut on her arm, it was all scratches and bruises (maybe a broken bone too). At least she wasn't dead.
She shuffled her way out of the hall to see what was going on.
As she rounded the corner, she saw a crowd of soldiers panicking and running throughout the rooms.
She recognized one and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me. Sir Gamling, right?" she asked.
He turned around and nodded kindly.
"Yes lady…Abigail?" he ventured.
She nodded as well.
'I'll correct the title later,' she thought.
"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering what has happened?" she asked out loud.
His face grew forlorn. "The enemy has breached our last wall and we are overrun. King Théoden ordered us to pull back in hopes of reorganizing, but you can see we're still a bit scattered," he said, gesturing around the room.
"What's the plan of action?"
"I'm still awaiting those orders."
She frowned ever so slightly. "I see, thank you," she said, before he took his leave.
'Well everything bad that's suppose to happen in this battle has come true. I hope the good news still comes, for all our sake's,' she pondered, but the facts were still unsettling.
"Are you lost, miss?" a young voice asked.
She turned and saw a young Rohirrim soldier, probably still in his 20's, staring curiously out her.
"I'm right where I'm suppose to be thank you. Or do you think I'd be out here for fun," she replied rather curtly.
She knew is was odd to see a female warrior, but some people looked like it was unfathomable to even have her outside. The young boy looked rather confused. Thankfully Gimli interrupted.
"Abby! Aren't yer supposed to be lying down?"
"Good to see your beard still attached Gimli," she smiled, discreetly changing the subject.
"Well of course. I wouldn't let 'em near this beauty," he said, stroking his hair proudly. "I am serious about ye not movin' around, though. The elf gave me a short briefing about what you've been up to."
She rolled her eyes. "I slept for about an hour, Gimli. I'm all better," she said sarcastically. "Now, where are the others?"
"They're fine. Aragorn went to go speak with the King and he's most likely going to come up with some reckless strategy to try to get us out of this mess…oh, and I have no doubt Legolas followed him," he added at the end.
As if it were timed, Legolas's voice could be heard coming down the stairs.
"…there must be something that can be done!" the elf pleaded.
"No! There is so much death…what can men do against such reckless hate?" Théoden hissed as he, Legolas, Aragorn and a few other men came into the hall.
The king was in despair; that was evident in his voice. No one dared to speak, incase they chose the wrong words.
"Ride out with me," Aragorn said suddenly. The request was simple, yet it sounded so powerful.
The King paused and looked at Aragorn, eyebrows raised in slight questioning.
Aragorn took a step.
"Ride out and meet them. Show them courage when we should be most fearful," he encouraged.
"For death and glory?" Théoden scoffed silently.
Aragorn shook his head. "For Rohan. For your people."
"The sun is rising," Gimli commented quietly.
Indeed, from the thin window came a hopeful orange ray.
"Yes…yes!" Théoden said, his energy rising. "The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall rise from the deep one last time!"
"Yes!" shouted Gimli, glowing with excitement. He dashed up the winding staircase leading to the tower.
Théoden was about to leave to go gather the troops, but when he passed Aragorn he grabbed the ranger's shoulder.
"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together," the king said, looking him straight in the eye.
Aragorn bowed his head in respect and agreement, and then Théoden went out.
"This means we'll need a horse?" asked Legolas.
Abigail, who had been caught up in the moment, finally realized what was about to occur.
"Aragorn!" she shouted, and walked briskly over to the pair.
Their heads snapped up to the new voice.
"Abigail, you shouldn't be walking," Legolas lectured unenthusiastically.
"Yes, yes of course I shouldn't," she ignored him. "Let me ride with you as well, it's the last thing I can do to help-"
"You've done enough, Abigail," Aragorn cut her off. "If you are trying to prove yourself, you need not. We know you are capable, but for now just stop."
"I'm standing, aren't I? I have a horse ready for battle, I want to do more!" she argued.
"And I am saying there is no need. Besides, are you going to try to hold a sword with that arm?"
"I can use my left a-"
"Dammit, you stubborn girl! You're the one asking for my approval and I'm telling you to stay! We already thought we've lost you twice in the past day, do not tempt fate again!" Aragorn said loudly, annoyed and frustrated.
Abigail looked surprised, but then her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. She limped to the stairs and followed them up to the tower where Gimli was.
Legolas, had again, watched the interaction silently, but was surprised as well.
Just a moment ago, Aragorn had talked so confidently with the King. But upon seeing Abigail, he had become stressed and nervous.
"Aragorn…" he tried to ask.
"Well, that made her leave," he smiled weakly.
Legolas gasped. "Th-that was all an act?" he stuttered.
"Not entirely," the man laughed sadly.
"I did not want her to go outside, Legolas. I will explain it to you, and apologize to her, later," Aragorn promised.
Legolas did not understand what Aragorn was hiding, but he understood that he had good intentions.
The elf prince nodded, and followed his friend to the stable.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Who does he think he his, ordering and yelling at me like that? He deserves a swift kick in the arse," she muttered furiously as she climbed the curved stones.
'But…you were asking for his permission and he gave you an honest answer. And look at yourself, you listened to him anyway," a little voice inside her mind said.
She stopped in the middle of the stairs.
"Why do I listen to him? Why do I bother seeking his approval? I never even asked Haldir about everything." She wondered.
"Because you love him," the voice said, sounding bored.
Abrupt, realization hit like a ton of bricks. It seemed to come out of nowhere…but…at the same time she knew she had always felt something. Naturally, though, she tried to talk herself out of it.
"No, he's leader, a king," she said quietly and she slowly walked along. "It's normal for me to hold his opinions in high esteem, right? Oh lord, I'm becoming one of those crazy characters who talks to themselves-"
"You know it's true. Why do you always deny the truth?"
She was good at denying the truth. That's what she had been trying to do for the past months since Lorien. Figure out herself and which was her reality. She guessed some would just call it lying.
But was love possible?
She thought back. All the times she couldn't stop thinking about Aragorn, like when she was wandering Fangorn. How she could stop breathing and get lost in his hazel eyes. Why she could become awkward and excited when close to him.
Yes…it had even started in Rivendell. She had been grateful at his attempts to be open and to be helpful.
Gratefulness turned into respect, respect faded into friendship and friendship had become love.
But there was pain as well. Pain every time he touched that damn necklace.
"No" she shook her head. "Arwen was kind to me, I can't do this. Their love is eternal, it's meant to be."
She chuckled mournfully. "How cruel fate is, to let me realize this now when it lets so much be forgotten." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Authion. Now I understand how unrequited love feels."
She leaned her back against the wall, suddenly feeling heavier. A small part of her wanted to run away. She feared being around anybody would cause her to blurt her feelings out.
But there were still reasons to make her stay.
"I've changed so much. 7 years ago I wouldn't give a boy the time of day. Now, out of the blue, I decide I'm in love with a man who used to be fictional," she smirked.
Suddenly, a low groan of a horn echoed throughout the walls.
"Well, I wouldn't want to miss the climatic ending, would I," she hurried up the rest up the stairs.
She took a relaxing breath to calm herself. Put a strong face no matter how weak you feel. An effective way to avoid enemies or even friends.
She reached the small doorway and entered into the small tower. The path was only a few feet wide and the stone was raised about 20 stories off the ground.
From up here, the battlefield was endless. Black dots were dead bodies and moving black dots were the uruk-hai. You could almost see the radiating stench of blood.
"How can there be so many left? We fought all night…" she whispered.
"It's not a pretty sight, lassie, but it's not ended yet," Gimli called down from the horn.
She mustered a small smile. "Your right, master dwarf. Give us another blow, for I believe it pains their ears!"
He grinned broadly. "Gladly, my lady!"
Soon, a rumbling note was blasted across the plains.
She took some satisfaction knowing that a few orcs would flinch at the sound.
Just to her right, she heard a bursting of wood and a crowd of horses came onto the bridge. Orcs fell and weapons clashed against shields.
"The pointy end goes into the gut!" she shouted, the fresh air and light of day giving her a bit of spirit.
Gimli chuckled. "There's some much-needed advice."
Abigail rooted her gaze at the gap between two stones, resting at the top of the steep hill.
"Any minute now…oh please come, Gandalf," she prayed.
Timed ticked by slowly, when suddenly a piercing whinny was heard ahead.
A white beacon rode on top of the hill, soon followed by a herd of Eorlings.
"Yes!" Abigail punched the air. "Gimli they came! The horsemen are here!" she cried, elated.
"This better not be some spell by the old fool," he replied.
"It's not, trust me. C'mon, Gimli, welcome them properly."
The dwarf smiled, and put his lips to the horn once more producing another rich tone.
Abigail watched hopefully as the charge was led down the mountainside and into the pit of uruk-hai, who had already started to run witlessly. For a moment her despair was gone.
Only one word could describe the thunderous sound. Majestic.
"Victory! Victory!" came the shouts from below.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Aragorn and Legolas wandered around, still atop of their steeds.
The uruks had left almost as quickly as Gandalf and Éomer came.
Unfortunately for the uruk-hai, they had made the mistake of fleeing into Fangorn Forest.
"The trees were moving, they sounded angry," commented Legolas, still sounding amazed at the entire occurrence. Did they really outlast 10,000 uruk-hai?
"The forest lost many men-erm, I mean-trees to their axes. Far be it for me to stop any being that has a vengeance on my enemy," Aragorn shrugged and dismounted.
"Hmm…" was all Legolas said as he jumped out of his own saddle. He stroked the white neck of Hasufel.
"Aragorn, will you now tell me why you felt the need to get angry at Abigail?" Legolas decided to ask.
Aragorn sighed. How could he summarize what he had seen? How could he sum up the shock and confusion?
"I just didn't know how to approach her," he confessed slowly. His face look slightly pained.
Legolas wondered if he really wanted to hear this.
"He died…Haldir died…right in front of my eyes-and in my arms" Aragorn hung his head.
A small gasp caught both their attention.
Abigail stood there, with a hurt expression of shock and sadness. Her eyes were wide but her lips were closed tight in horror.
Aragorn palled. He open and closed his mouth wanting to say something, anything.
"No…wait…A-abby," he tried to form a sentence.
Legolas took a step toward the poor girl, his arm outstretched in a peaceful gesture.
But she only shook her head and caused her auburn hair to cover her dark eyes. She took a few small steps backwards before turning around and sprinting back to the keep, going back to the dead.
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I'm so dreading reviews, because I know you are all going to yell at me. I know it's not what you guys wanted, but it had to be done for the sake of the story. Haldir's death is a fact I had been planning on from the beginning. I really am sorry! Je suis désolé! Gomen!
Thanks To Reviewers:
ArwenEvenstar83: Yeah, no one ever listens to the bracelets. I kind of cringed when imagining the orcs too, but I'm trying to make people understand how dangerous and powerful Abby could be (you'll understand why later). Oh, and no one knows about her powers (save for Haldir and Galadriel), because of the whole Nazgul situation, but that could change (hint, hint). Thanks for the great review!
Nightskylover: So, hopefully you got my email on the editing thing. It's not a bad idea; I just hope it doesn't make things to complicated or long if we did that. Like I said, just let me know if I'm improving otherwise we can try to work something out. Thanks!
writin4fun15: Well, it's not like you can't ask what is going to happen, I don't really mind, it's just that most of the time I won't tell you anything. Lol, thank you!
KeeperMusicNight: Yup, Abigail lived on though Haldir's time has ended (sorry I ruined you plans, there). Again, it's good to hear my actions scenes are fine and I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thanks!
Jupuffskin: Welcome new reviewer! I'm very pleased to hear you like the story, and I'm sorry to disappoint you about Haldir but it had to be done (reasons why will be explained later). Thank you!
Samantha-Girl Scout: I'm scared to know what else is on your list…Anyway, you can finally see the makings of a romance (at least from Abby's POV) and more clues will be coming. Thanks!
Narnian Sprite: Yeah, guess I'm a bad judge at what is a cliffy and not (since I know the story). My train of thought is slowly getting back on track, so hopefully I can keep expectations up. On the bright side, everyone can stop worrying about Haldir, because his fate was finally decided.
Readers: You call that a bright side!
MN9: (gulp) umm, thanks for reviewing!
To sum up this conclusion, I hope you can just trust me on my reasons for killing Haldir, I hope you don't hate me too much for it, and I hope you continue to read and review.
Izzy: Yah, perfect time to send hate mail!
MN9: As always, Izzy, you're not helping! (runs away to 'safe place')
Izzy: (whispering) She's in the broom closet.
MN9: Izzy!
Izzy: I didn't say anything!
MN9: Grr! (finds new hiding spot and shoves Izzy in closet)
Slight chance of me posting on Sunday; so be on the look out. If any of you are deeply saddened, please understand I try to have the best intentions.
Until next time!
-MysticNight9