Arial

Chapter 14

The Appearance

by Bethuviel

Disclaimer: The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing The Lord of the Rings. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site.

Author's note: All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated.

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Two lone figures laden with bulging bags moved silently in the darkness of night, their silhouettes intermittently lit by the silver moon that would peek occasionally between the clouds overhead. Pressed as he was for time, Saruman wished to remain as inconspicuous as possible on the trek that lay before them. How many lifetimes measured by the standards of man had he spent on this Middle Earth, only now to wish he had more to spare. This predicament with Ariel had certainly thrown a wrench into his mechanics. She was like an unwelcome spider that had suddenly made its presence known at dinner inside a cooked dumpling that had been cut open with a fork.

There were so many pressing matters weighing on his mind. He knew that the ring had been discovered and from what he had deduced from Ariel, the elves of Rivendell were in possession of the cursed thing.

"I alone possess the strength to bend it to my will," he thought. "The army must be created…Sauron will not rest until I have accomplished the task."

Without the power of the one ring, Saruman knew he could not overthrow the Dark Lord. Saruman hated and greatly feared him. Nevertheless, until he had the ring on his finger, he would bow to the Malevolent One. Daily, he fought the insanity that threatened to overtake him. He could feel the tendrils growing inside his mind, and its grip was like a vise, tightening with each passing day. He sighed.

He looked behind him. There she was, stumbling in the darkness, determined to follow him in hopes of returning to her home. He could understand her longing to be restored to her own world where she would be reunited with her loved ones. He would feel the same way if he were in the same position as she.

"Come along, Ariel. Time is of the essence, we must hurry," he called out to her. She looked up at him and nodded her head.

Saruman had slipped the palantir in his own bag that he carried over his shoulder. His malicious master knew he was coming and was sending orcs and horses to aide them. They would meet on the opposite side of the Misty Mountains and be escorted for the remainder of the journey.

Without warning, he stopped. Ariel bumped into him and promptly fell back onto her behind. Saruman ignored her cursing and stood still. He felt different. Massive waves of energy passed through his body. Feeling dizzy, He gripped his staff to steady himself. His legs were ready to give way to his own weight when at last the atmosphere surrounding him returned to normal. His breathing steadied and his heart stopped hammering, and slowly began beating in its usual rhythm. He glanced at his charge and noticed she was lying on her back with her eyes closed.

Saruman quickly knelt at her side and placed his hand on her forehead, "Lasto! Edro chuil lin!" (listen open your eyes)

Ariel began to stir under his hand. She squirmed from his touch, opened her eyes and sat up. "What happened?"

He sighed and answered her truthfully, "The fabric of our worlds," he gestured to her and himself with the same hand he had held on her forehead, "is tearing apart. The worlds are no longer in balance. Your presence here on this earth, threatens all worlds." He paused to allow her to absorb his words, then continued, "You do not belong here and must return to your own world."

Ariel paled. Her breathing was shallow, "What happens if you can't get me back?"

"Then all worlds and all life will cease to exist. That is why we must hurry." He grabbed her under her arm and assisted her up. "The ripples have started…what you just felt before you fainted. The ending has already begun. Once the energy is constant, unwavering, all will implode upon itself and become a void. No life will survive the event, and all will be forever lost." He walked hurriedly ahead of her.

"Holy shit!" She squeaked. "I don't wanna die! Oh my God! How did this happen?"

"Believe me, my dear, when I tell you that no one else wants to die either. As to how it happened…who can be sure? This has never happened before."

"Well, if you ain't sure how it happened, how you planning on sendin' me back?" Her voice was shrill in her panic and she waved her arms and hands through the air frantically.

Saruman stopped, turned around and glared at her. His patience was at an end. "Well, if I knew the answer to that, I would not be preparing to traverse those accursed mountains, and after that, half of Middle Earth!" He drew a deep breath and calmed himself, "Ariel, I am sure that none of this is your fault. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted on our journey by worry and questions that have to certain answer. Now come along, we must hurry with all haste."

He turned away from her, and quickened their pace. Ariel closed her hanging jaw and followed him.

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Ariel was afraid. She had trusted Saruman to send her home. Now he had told her in so many words that he did not know how to do the feat. She desperately wanted to know where they were going but she was afraid to ask. She did not like being lectured, even if the fate of the worlds were hanging above their heads.

"Great!" She thought, "Because of me, everything's gonna end if that old man can't figure out what to do and send me back. Where are we going? Are we going to walk all the way there? I thought we was in a hurry…How come he looks like a walking rainbow?"

She shivered and drew her cloak tighter about her body. It was hard to walk in the dark. She stepped on a rock causing her to slip sideway and cursed again.

The mountaintops glowed in the dark when the moon briefly peeked out from the cloudy night skies above them and a feeling of dread knotted in her stomach. Ariel knew that they glowed because of snow. She was not dressed for extreme weather conditions and did not cherish what lay ahead of her. The land was difficult to travel, especially in the dark.

Her eyelids were getting heavy and she yawned, but she dared not to ask for a respite. She was afraid everything would end because she stopped to rest.

Saruman had told her the truth. She did not know how, but she knew he had spoken the truth, and it scared her near witless. Ariel quelled her fears and drew strength from her mind. She was determined not be the cause of failure and eminent destruction of everything she knew and loved.

Ariel knew they were walking up a slow incline. It was gradual, rocky and miles from what she judged to be the base of the looming mountains.

"Well, if that old man can do it, so can I," she mumbled to herself. She adjusted the slings of the two bags hanging on her back. "Who knew water could be so blasted heavy!"

She spied the outline of the wizard in front of her. She was following him to some place in the middle of the night to meet someone he was sure that could help them. "Good lord, how did I get myself in this mess?"

A harsh shush came from in front of her and she knew to shut her mouth. Apparently, he was just old, not hard of hearing.

Hours had passed and Ariel felt like she was ready to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. Her back and shoulders ached, her legs cramped, and her feet screamed in agony with every forced step of her haunched walk. The darkness of night had begun to recede as light slowly broke the horizon.

Her spirit lifted somewhat when she could discern the progress they had made on their forced march.

"Gotta save the worlds, gotta save the worlds," she kept chanting to herself. "If I have to crawl to get there in time…gotta save the worlds…"

Sun light suddenly broke free, flooding the awakening world; the brightness made Ariel squint her eyes from the discomfort. Onward she plodded, until at last she collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

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Saruman heard her fall. Still, he was impressed with her determination. He knew they would not be able to travel any further without allowing the human to rest for a few hours. A familiar feeling washed through him.

"No! Not so soon!" he thought. The dizziness overtook him and he crumbled to the ground grasping his staff. He collapsed unconscious a few feet in front of Ariel.

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