Intara stood on the steps of the Golden Hall at Edoras. Merry and Pippin had tried to regale her with their tales of bravery in Fangorn and of their time with the Ents. She'd listened and acknowledged, but hadn't taken any joy in it. She could not manage to have a good time when her heart still ached dully in her chest. A roar of laughter came out through the open doors and someone started singing loudly and drunkenly. Intara would not begrudge them their victory over Saruman. These people had fought and died and lost much. She just didn't think she ought to join in. There was no joy in her heart, only anger, hatred and the desire for revenge. She wanted to kill Saruman, she wanted to destroy Sauron, and she wanted to avenge the death of her friends and family. She had finally become convinced that it was Sauron who brought the darkness to her life.
Legolas moved from the shadows and stood in the moonlight beside her.
"You feel it, don't you?"
"He's on the move. Sauron's army…"
"I believe so." Legolas glanced at the dark woman beside him, bathed in shadows and dressed in her ranger garb, she looked like a wraith. "Your heart died with Haldir didn't it…."
"My heart is not your affair." The woman stalked away into the deeper shadows and away from the elf who stood, taught as a bow string, in the starlight.
Gandalf and Pippin had left for Gondor. She had stood beside the stall as Gandalf had explained his reason for going to Gondor. Denethor must be forced to ask Rohan for help since Rohan would not offer themselves willingly to the insane steward.
"Take Intara with you at least." Aragorn pleaded. "She'd be an extra set of eyes…"
"I need no extra set of eyes. I will travel much faster on Shadowfax than she'd be able to ride on any other horse in all of Middle Earth. No, you take Intara with you," Gandalf had said as he swung into the saddle, his gray eyes rested kindly on her. "I believe she'll be able to help you much more than she'll be able to help me."
Merry had run up the stairs, forcing his way past the watchmen. Aragorn hot on his trail. Intara followed at a much leisurely pace. When she arrived at the top of the tower, Aragorn and Merry were concentrating on nothing more than a white speck on the horizon. Soon, even that disappeared over a distant hill.
And now they waited. She closed her eyes and yawned deeply. It had been nearly a full week and a watch had been set to keep an eye on the distant mountain peaks, waiting for the flame of the beacon that Intara was sure would never come. She had been up all night before, waiting, but the beacons had not burst forth. It was Gandalf's hope that Denethor would order the beacons to be lit, and Rohan and Gondor would join forces.
Mid stretch she heard someone running quickly through the city. She opened her eyes and watched as Aragorn sprinted up the steps and into the hall. Looking at a distant mountain peak, she saw a slight flicker of flame. She sat up straighter as the light grew brighter on the peak. The beacon had been lit.
"Cunning old man….I wonder what he did to convince that madman to do it…"
She went up the stairs slowly and arrived in the hall of the King in time to hear Aragorn give his report.
"Gondor calls for aid." The court milled about with baited breath as Theoden pondered his answer.
"Rohan will answer." He answered, a determined glint in his eye. "Summon the Rohirrim."
"Who is she?" Eomer asked of Aragorn as they left Edoras. "That woman from the keep?"
"She is my cousin." Aragorn said with a sigh as he watched Intara pick her way through the rocks above where the rest of the army rode. "She's a…solitary being."
"Eowyn said she fought at the Hornburg?" Aragorn nodded. "Rather extraordinary for a woman."
"She is an extraordinary woman. To say less would be an insult to her."
"From where does she hail?" Eomer asked, still following her with his eyes. She was a mystery to all of Rohan. People had seen her arrive with the elves and had thought she was an elf herself. She had taken a position on the wall with the rest of the men, and had supposedly fought valiantly up until the falling of the deeping wall. She had been feared dead. The wall had been overtaken by orcs, but apparently she'd fought on, alone. The next afternoon she'd arrived at the keep looking for surgical supplies and had accosted one of their surgeons in order to get them. She had wandered the Keep like a ghost until they had left for Edoras. No one knew who she was, where she hailed from or her purpose. Eomer turned his attention back to Aragorn who was answering his question.
"Somewhere near the sea; her village no longer exists." Aragorn turned to the Marshall. "Her story is hers to tell while she still lives to tell it. But she tells it to very few, so I wouldn't press your luck." He kicked his horse forward to stop the flow of questions from the other man's mouth.
Intara moved around the edge of Dunharrow while the rest of the upper ranking military and the fellowship made their way through it. She did not wish to stay on the high lofts and desired to find a place where she could be alone. She found just such a place in the camp where no man or horse seemed to want to go. Deep in the shadows, it was the perfect place for her to reflect and prepare for the coming battle.
The camp was eerily quiet. Intara watched over all from her place by the Dimholt Road, for she had found out that's what the place was called. Fires glowed softly and illuminated tents and cast forboding shadows up the steep and rocky walls of the mountain. It was calm; all knew that battle was upon them. Intara watched as a heavily cloaked figure made their way through the camp, without being acknowledged and made their way up the path to the high tents. Intara was curious but did not follow. She knew if it was grievous, she'd find out about it soon enough.
Within an hour, she knew what had transpired, for Aragorn made ready to leave and she followed suit. She waited at the mouth of the narrow road and watched as he came forward on Brego, and Legolas and Gimli rode together on another horse.
"You as well?" Aragorn said when he saw her mount.
"Of course. Elrond trusted me to ride after you and represent Rivendell. I go forth now to make sure you don't do anything stupid." Aragorn smirked, but did not say anything as she fell into step behind the other two horses and together they went into the mountains.
They rode throughout the night, and even when the sky was colored with the first rays of dawn, they continued to ride in cold shadows. By mid afternoon they had arrived at the gate.
"The way is shut. It was made by those that are dead. The way is shut." Legolas read from the door. A foul wind emanated from the hole in the wall and the horses reared and spooked, heading back for safety.
"Damn horses…." Intara muttered as she watched hers gallop away ahead of the other two. "Unreliable creatures all of them."
"Still bitter after all these years?" Legolas asked. He'd heard the story before, of how her horse had allowed her to fall into the Loudwater River and she had first been introduced to Rivendell. He also knew she'd trusted few horses since then. She glared at him but did not give him an answer. Gimli chuckled seeing the elf shut down so handily.
Aragorn stood staring into the blackness of the mountain and took several steadying breaths.
"I do not fear death." Aragorn said after drawing his sword. He lunged into the cavern and disappeared.
"I welcome it." Intara breathed as she drew her own sword and followed Aragorn in. She heard Legolas come in behind her and then Gimli. There was no turning back now.
They came out into an open space, faintly lit in the dank light of the mountain. The whole place smelled of death and rot. Intara looked around at the barren walls and wondered what kind of army could survive in such a place.
"Who enters my domain?" Intara turned, sword drawn towards a place where a man had materialized out of the stairs. His skin hung off his face and hands, his eyes, a milky white.
"One who would have your allegiance." Aragorn answered, squaring his shoulders towards the specter.
"The dead do not suffer the living to pass."
"You WILL suffer me." Aragorn answered. The specter laughed deeply, a watery sound that echoed across the hallow cavern. Intara turned to see a city materialize out of the rocks. A chill ran up her spine as thousands upon thousands of spectral soldiers oozed across the chasm and hemmed them in.
"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut!" The lead specter chanted as it strolled towards where Aragorn stood. "Now you must die."
Legolas drew his bow and fired a shot through the forehead of one of the specters that now had them surrounded. Intara grasped his arm and shook her head. She saw one of the specters start to move towards them, as if to attack, but put herself between the two members of the fellowship and the threat.
"I summon you to fulfill your oath!" That angered the being before them and he moved faster towards Aragorn. Intara held her ground and her breath.
"None but the King of Gondor may command me!" The ghost general swung his big broadsword at Aragorn but was blocked with a parry. Aragorn swept the spectral blade away. He grasped the throat of his attacker giving him a good look at the blade. "That blade was broken!"
"It has been remade!" Aragorn moved away. "Fight for us and regain your honor. What say you?" He challenged the ghosts. Intara saw him now, not as her cousin, or even as a fellow ranger, but as the kingly figure he had been born to be. "I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold our oaths fulfilled! What say you?"
They were met with silence.
"How do we know you won't go back on your word? Men are notoriously untrustworthy." The voice floated on the still air in the cavern. The lead spirit, who had been doing most of the talking up until now, nodded.
"Yes. How do we know you will honor your pledge and release us when our service is done?"
"You have my word. Is that not enough?"
"No." The ghost shook his head. "We require…collateral." If it was possible for the phantom to grin, Intara thought he did so then. His milky eyes settled on her where she still stood between him, and the other fellowship members. Softly spoken words floated through the cavern and a large gust of wind whipped through the cave and nearly knocked Aragorn and Legolas to their knees. Gimli's beard covered his eyes and he scrambled to pull it back down, lest he be unawares when the attack came.
Intara stared the ghost down, waiting for him to attack when the wind suddenly stopped and the room again became silent.
"Intara…" Legolas breathed as he stared at her. Intara turned to him and then looked at her feet where her body lay.
"What is the meaning of this?" Aragorn asked coming forward. Intara looked back to the specter.
"Am I dead?"
"One question at a time." The creature laughed. "When you release us, we shall release her." He said to Aragorn. Intara nearly laughed. Then she was dead…they had done what no one else had done in a thousand years. To Intara he said "We have merely disembodied your spirit. If he does not release us when the time comes, you will not return to your body, your spirit will be brought here, and we will torture you until the end of days. You will find no rest. Your body could be desecrated, but your soul would find no peace." He turned back to Aragorn. "Do we have an arrangement?"
"You have my word." Aragorn answered quickly.
"Aragorn no!" Intara said rushing forwards, her speed escalated by a lack of body.
"It is done!" The old soldier shouted. "Prepare to march, our king leads us on!"
"I'm sorry." Intara said to Legolas.
He was carrying her body through the narrow walkways that led to the exit of the mountain.
"You aren't heavy." He said. "How are you?"
"It didn't hurt, if that's what you're asking. I've been through much worse." They turned a narrow corner and heard Gimli grunt and struggle to get through.
"You were close to Haldir, were you not?" Legolas asked. Intara fell silent, the glow from her spirit casting shadows on Legolas's face and making him look nearly skeletal. She nodded.
"We knew each other long ago, in Lorien." She focused her eyes on his. "I mourn his passing every day." Intara became nearly transparent as sunlight poured into the tunnel ahead of her. The ghostly army spilled out of the mountain and over the land, waiting for Aragorn to emerge.
"How is she?" Aragorn asked Legolas as he looked down at the body of his cousin.
"I'm fine." Intara answered. Aragorn looked shaken. His cousin's lifeless body lay before him and yet she was right beside him carrying on a conversation. "You have to lead us Aragorn. No one else can." He nodded before climbing up on a rock and looking out over the vast mass of green that was his new army.
"Corsairs from the south are sailing up river. They plan to attack Osgiliath and the City of Gondor. Men from Rohan, and Rangers from the North have combined forces at Dunharrow. They are not enough to defeat the army of Sauron, they will not survive the added threat of the corsairs."
"What are your orders, my king?"
"We make for the river, take over the ships, and flank the orc army. They will be expecting reinforcements, they will find only death." A raspy cheer went up through the ranks and the host moved to the river.
The attack on the boats had gone very well, better than Intara could have hoped. She was slowly getting used to the lack of a body and the ease of movement that came with it. She was not impeded by her shoulder at all, her old scars did not hurt and her newest did not burn or chafe as it had before. She was faster than when she had a body and she had the added bonus of belonging to a host that no man could stop, for who could kill that which was already dead?
She went below decks to the cabin where Legolas had laid her body. She stared at it for some time taking in her own features.
For the first time she noticed how tired she looked. How thin and drawn her skin was. Deep circles rested beneath her eyes. Her hair was matted and tangled and spilled over the bed like ink through water. Her lips were thin and pale and cold. How could Haldir have loved someone like that? The thought ghosted through her mind so quickly that she did not have a chance to dwell on it. Gimli thumped down the stairs behind her and she turned away from the shell of what she'd formerly been.
"Lass…we are almost to Osgiliath. Aragorn asked me to fetch you."
"I'm coming." She glided up the stairs behind Gimli and out into the sunlight.
"You cast no shadow…and you glow far too brightly to hide in one." Aragorn said. "It looks like you'll have to come up with a new name."
"You too will have a new name…no more will you be Strider." Intara said she saw him crack a smile but went back to a somber face as he faced her. "What is your plan?"
"I want you to stay here and defend the ships." Aragorn said, but was stopped when Intara growled.
"I will fight. I will not be kept back here."
"You could be…."
"Killed? You can not kill that which is already dead." She dropped her voice to the lowest whisper possible and stood closer to Aragorn. "Even were I flesh and bone, I would not stay behind for that would still hold true. Do not ask me to stay behind."
"Intara, I know your heart is deeply troubled by the passing of Haldir."
"Do not talk to me about Haldir." She hissed angrily. "Your love lives on. You will return to her and…"
"Arwen is dying." Aragorn said quickly turning back to the river. Intara gasped and let her hand hover over his shoulder…she didn't think she could actually touch him. "When Elrond brought me Anduril, he told me that she is ill with the shadow that Sauron has spread over the land. She will die unless the ring is destroyed."
"Why did she not make for the havens?" Intara asked. "Why does Elrond not send her away?"
"She is too ill to travel. He said that he sent her away before and she returned. She refused to leave."
"This is my fault." Aragorn looked at his cousin and shook his head, but she continued. "No it is…years ago I told her that she could do anything she desired….that she could do anything a man could. She disobeyed her father because of me."
"Intara, do not hold yourself accountable for that."
"If she dies, I will hold myself accountable." Intara said.
"You were not responsible for Haldir's death." Intara flinched and looked up at him "You will not be responsible for Arwen's. Now, if it is your desire, you will accompany us. Follow the lead of the others since I'm not exactly sure how it is they plan on fighting." He smirked again. "Some leader, I can't even lead my own army because I don't know how they fight."
"You're doing a fine job." Intara moved off with the other spirits and prepared the boats for docking at Osgiliath.