The Veil
I do not intend to plagiarize either works by Rowling or Tolkien; I am merely using my imagination and applying it to their fantastic worlds. I've just tweaked some things to make the story relevant.
Chapters:12 of many
A/N: For some reason this chapter really reminded me of when Hermione took Polyjuice Potion and became Bellatrix when they broke into Gringotts. Speaking of the break in, what did you all think of the last movie? It's a little shocking to think it has all come to an end already, but not really, as it all remains in our hearts.
Thank you to all those who are favoriting and monitoring this story. And a special thank you to those who reviewed for the last chapter (RebeccaSeverusSnape, kyjori, TillyMe, crunchynoodles, Iriomote Yamaneko Nokomis, meshalok, and Death-Eater-Bellatrix)! It really means a lot to me. So do it more often! haha
oOo
Vrunak had been summoned to the tower.
An orc of lower status had come to collect him, telling him that the Great Eye had called for his service. He looked over at him, his dreaded hair falling over his yellow eyes, eyes that glared with intense force. The orc faltered in his explanation for a second, cowering back as Vrunak stood, dropping his grimy bowl to the floor.
He was angry that he had been disturbed; the orc had come to him in the middle of his meal time, a meal that consisted of maggot-infested bread and the meat of another orc, one that he himself had killed mere hours earlier. He grunted as he got up, shoving the orc over into some others nearby.
He trudged his blood and dirt-caked boots up the equally as dirtied steps as the furious throaty yells of the others descended upon each other. His boots left tracks in the sludge. Higher and higher he went, until the steps were no longer dirtied but a glossy black. It was scalding, hotter than perhaps it was in the over-crowded tents below, maybe even more so than the mountain itself. Hot enough to cook a babe in the mere air, and if Vrunak's hide wasn't as tough as it was, he probably would have seen his own skin begin to peel and shrivel due to the heat.
At last he reached the last few steps of the stairs; he must've climbed for nearly half an hour, but he showed no fatigue. Nor would he, for he was Uruk, built to be invincible to all stimulants and only able to feel the intense need to kill. There was nothing to cover the doorway as he approached where he knew he would receive his orders, so he stepped through, and as his did so, could not help but feel his insides clench as he penetrated and invisible wall- a wall he had learned from past experiences being the sheer power radiating from the Dark Lord.
The room was empty, nothing in it but the four stony obsidian walls and the matching floor shrouded in darkness; the cool look of the room was in stark comparison to the temperature. He made a step in, and as his foot made contact with the floor, the water from the mud on the underside of his boot sizzled immediately, the steam rising and evaporating just as fast.
-"My Lord." His voice echoed out into the silence, deep and scratchy, and if he'd never had a drink to sooth his throat his whole life.
There was no response.
"My Lord." He said again.
Nothing.
He was about to open his mouth again to call out to the darkness, when he was stopped. Something knocked his knees out from behind him, and he landed on all fours. Vrunak was strong, perhaps stronger than any of the other Uruk-hai, and had never been bested in battle, so he gave a grunt of surprise as he was knocked down. His hands and knees felt fire as they landed on the floor, and the feeling of the meat beneath the skin being cooked alive overcame him.
Then it came. An indescribable sound—for Vrunak could only describe it as so—that grabbed hold onto his mind and lit it ablaze. It was like a shriek with no sound; a sting with no puncture or poison. His head felt as if it would split into pieces, or combust with the sheer pressure.
Then he was suddenly struck with an image. A woman, with hair dark and untamed, skin so pale it was opaque. Eyes as dark as the stone that he had been doubled over. He knew who she was- a weapon, a pivotal asset to victory. He knew where she was. He knew who she was with, and who protected her. He felt the need to retrieve her, retrieve her for his master.
Find her. Bring her to me.
Abruptly released from the force which held him, he knew the task in which his master had ordered of him. Still on the floor, he raised his eyes to look forward at nothing.
But he did see something.
The face of the woman, a woman whom he would stop at nothing to find.
ooo
Someone's grimy hand was under her shirt.
Who in all of bloody Middle-Earth has the audacity to—to…
Hold on Bella! You're dreaming! Ah! That makes complete sense! Yes, I see it know! Your dreaming, no one is really touching you… I mean who would?
Her eyes shot open, but before her mind started to kick into real over-drive, she tried to rationalize with herself.
Yeah, it's all a dream. Who'd be able to hold down the bile in the back of their throats if they were really touching you? No one! That's right! They would have thrown up all over your back already if this was real. I didn't know you could feel warmth in dreams…
The hand started to creep lower on her back, and with it came the warm and slightly damp breath of the owner of the hand.
Bella, you dolt! You definitely do not feel in dreams!
"Graaaah!"
She screeched out into the face of whomever she was facing, as she realized that the hand behind her was real and not a figment of her quirky imagination.
There was enough light in the tent for her to recognize what was Legolas' face with his eyes already open blinking and becoming immediately alert. His daggers where instantly drawn and at the ready. At the same time she watched him, behind her, another voice grunted, and the familiar 'shling' of a knife being released from its scabbard sounded.
It only took a few moments for Bellatrix to gather her bearings after screaming to pick her wand up from where she placed it on the floor and turn around to face her would-be-molester (or what she thought of as her would-be-rapist who was about-to-be-dead). She could see the person on the cot next to hers who had been touching her flailing his arms in the air, attempting to get his body up to what she assumed was to fight, but falling over himself in the process.
Somewhere from the back of the tent a light was lit, and from it everything became alight. She raised her wand at the figure scrambling around beneath the blankets that it had managed to get tangled in and used it to whisk the blankets away, revealing the face of…
"Gimli?" She gasped.
He immediately sat up on his rump, rummaging around on the floor, searching for something. He seemed jerky, a contrast to his usual self. Legolas came up next to her, and grabbed her elbow of her now limp left arm, searching her face for something she did not know.
Aragorn, who had lit the candle that had illuminated the room, came up on her other side, placing his knife back in its proper place.
"What happened?" He asked her, eyeing Gimli wearily.
She stuttered upon her own words for a moment, trying to figure out the answer to that question herself. She lowered her wand, realizing that there was no actual threat.
"I think," she started, "Gimli is drunk."
They all turned towards their dwarven comrade.
"Gimli?" Legolas daintily asked.
He turned his head up toward them, stopping his searching within the sheets. He was wobbling, even on his arse, and it looked as if he was having a hard time keeping his head up to look at them.
"Have you seen my goblet?"He croaked, slurring over his words. Bellatrix could just smell the alcohol reeking off of him, even from her standing position. "It seems to have dissap—"
His voice faded, and with it the eyes rolled back. He fell back onto the blanket that he had gotten entrapped within.
"He has a serious drinking problem." She announced.
ooo
She left the tent when Aragorn 'pushed' her out so they could deal with the little problem that was Gimli (his inebriated state had caused him to become a bit more friendly with everyone than usual). He called her to come back when they had finished dealing with him, but she declined, figuring she wouldn't be able to sleep after that anyway (but didn't admit that to him), and he went back inside. It was cool outside in the night, the air nippy but not enough that she needed to warm her arms. The mountains next to Dunharrow seemed to be giving off the chill, and she could see and hear in the distance the spooked horses. The wind blew her loose hair into her mouth, and as she turned to spit it out of her mouth away from the breeze, she caught sight of something.
Her wand slipped down along her arm to her hand from under her sleeve. There was a cloaked figure slowly walking up the side of the cliff on horseback. She walked to the edge of the cliffside, and like a child scorned, looked straight down at the incomer. He didn't seem threatening, but the person was black-cloaked, and she knew from past experience that a black cloak meant business, and not necessarily of the good kind.
Deciding she would take care of this intruder on her own, she raised her wand to her forehead and cast a disillusionment charm, turning her body invisible.
The figure was nearing the end of the track, so she rushed over to where the path would meet leveled land once more and stood to the side, so that she might hex them as they walked past her.
The horse was white, and the thing atop it was hooded, she noticed as it got closer. She felt like she had seen someone like this before, perhaps in a dream? Anyhow, she knew it hadn't been a good dream.
They didn't look too threatening, but she'd better be safe than sorry… She raised her wand and aimed it at the rider. A simple Furnunculus Curse should do the trick—
"There is no use in hiding. I can see you perfectly."
Bloody Hell!
The voice was deep and angelic. A direct contrast to what she envisioned it to be. It actually reminded her a lot of Legolas' voice, like distant bells. The charm faded in her surprise, and she yelled out at him.
"Filthy wart! How did you see me?"
He stopped his horse, "Where is Aragorn?" he said.
She stepped back, "Aragorn? Who's asking?" she mimicked in a baby voice.
"I know who you are, and of your familiarity with Aragorn. Show me to him." He dismounted, and released the rein of his horse and releasing it to roam the grasses freely after taking a sword off its side.
"Show me to him." She mimicked again, "Blegh."
She heard him sigh, and reach up to remove his hood. Her eyes immediately went to pointed ears partially concealed by dark hair.
"Another house-elf!" she gasped.
His long face turned puzzled and he muttered 'house… elf?' before regaining his composure once more.
She could tell he wasn't like her house-elf, he seemed more ancient, wiser even. And, perhaps more importantly, he claimed to know her.
But honestly, it looks as if everyone knows me before I know them!
"Are you on our side?" She asked.
"Side?"
"Well, you know… Are you on our side or not?" She yelled.
His grey eyes looked upon her in disbelief and raised an eyebrow.
"Elen fëa, what side do you wish me to be a part of?" He had a slight accent, and she was intrigued.
She cocked her hip and raised her eyebrow.
"Is it hard for you to answer a question?"
His eyes grew wide and he looked a little surprised. She raised her wand to her lips and taunted him by licking the length of it then giggling.
"You have yet to endure the long and weary road ahead." He told her. "I fear you will not be able to bear it."
She looked at him, confused.
He looked down at her, "I have seen you, child, in a dream of a reality not so distant from this one. You will attempt to fight for those whom you love, but it will be in vain."
"You liar." She sneered.
"I only divulge the truth."
She almost turned on her heel to leave him stranded, but decided to hear what he had to say.
"Go on."
He sighed, "There will come a time when you will no longer know the ways of the world you thought you did, and you will have to decide between two different paths."
"How do you know this?"
"I have seen it." He tilted his head back and looked down at her once more, then stepped around her, making for the centre of camp swift-footed. She followed him, traversing the maze of tents and the occasional man until she caught up to him almost to the tent where her companions were sleeping.
"Stop!"
He halted, and turned to her.
"You will fail." He said. "You will choose the path of destruction in the end. And those closest to you will die by your own doing."
She glared at him and growled.
"You are not to be trusted." He emotionlessly stated.
She didn't know what to say. His eyes locked with hers, and she knew he was telling the truth without having to use Veritaserum.
"I trust her."
They both turned towards the voice.
"Aragorn!"
Aragorn stood, one arm lifting aside flap acting as a door to their tent, one foot on the grass outside of it. His face was stern, and if any time before then- now at least he looked a leader.
"My Lord Elrond." He walked over to where they stood, releasing the flap and letting it sway in the breeze. "What brings you here?"
"You waste your faith, Aragorn." He spoke as if she wasn't there, or as if she was too daft to hear. "She is worthless to you, and to those whom keep your company."
Bellatrix growled again.
"My Lord, your reason?" Aragorn ignored his comment and asked him of his purpose again.
Elrond released a heavy breath.
"Is there somewhere where we may converse without these prying shadows?"
Bellatrix didn't have to be a genius to know he was talking about her.
Aragorn motioned his arm off to the right, and followed Elrond as they trailed off, but not before catching her eye.
His gaze told her all she needed to know.
He didn't believe one word of it.
ooo
Finding herself now suddenly tired as she watched the two males disappear she returned to the tent.
It was once again dark inside, but not completely. Where there was once four sleeping areas arranged side-by-side, now there were three. All three were empty, two neatly folded, and one with the blankets tossed apart as someone had left them. Gimli, see could see, was lying atop his blanket sectioned of in the corner, snoring loudly and slightly choking on his drool.
Serves him right, the cow-clanking bugger.
Legolas sat off to the side of the mats, admiring his bow and wiping it clean. She could see him with the aid of the small candle, half his body illuminated, sitting with his legs out straight in front of him crossed at the ankles.
"You look weary." He said to her. "Come, I will watch you as you sleep."
Creep.
"You're not sleeping?" She asked, and blew out the candle as she made her way to the blankets, giving the tent next to no light at all.
"I hadn't any need of it. The few hours we received before Gimli woke us was enough to satisfy the urge." He replied and looked up at her, "Another 'ability', I think you called it, that those of my kind have." He said, referring to a time when she had asked why his eyes remained opened when he slept and why his ears were pointed.
"Sleeping with your eyes open doesn't seem to be that advantageous. They must be bone dry when you wake." She whispered so that he wouldn't hear as she lay down on the middle space.
"We can also hear better than humans." He said, clearly hearing her comment.
Taken aback by his words, she brought the blanket over her face, but then pulled it down and stuck her tongue out at him, at least in his direction she hoped.
"And see clearly in the dark."
She 'eeped' and retracted her tongue.
Far away, the distant neighing of the horses could be heard.
"They are frightened." He told her. "It is the mountain; it is cursed."
"Cursed?"
"Yes. Traitors, men from long ago, cursed to live under the mountain for all of time."
"Who was that man, from before?" She asked him, now knowing he would have heard.
"Lord Elrond?"
"Yeah, him."
"He is Master of Rivendell, an Elven city. One I have visited many times. It is very beautiful." He paused. "Perhaps you will receive the honor of visiting one day."
"One day?"
"Of course, that will only be after you have seen Mirkwood, my home."
Something inside her chest clenched, and everything had stilled for a few moments.
"He was in love with her."
It clenched again.
"Who was?"
"Aragorn loved his daughter, Arwen. Lord Elrond's daughter, Arwen." He said.
"Loved?"
"She has sailed to the undying lands. Elrond did not approve of their love, she merely obeyed her father's wishes."
Love. Stupid thing really.
"Oh, I see."
He drifted off with his talking, leaving her to sleep in peace.
ooo
She woke after what had only seemed like minutes to the sound of voices outside of the tent. Aragorn had returned. There was a shuffling of sheets in the tent as what she assumed was Gimli race out after him.
"Just where do you think you're off to?"
She had obviously slept longer than she thought she did, as Gimli seemed perfectly coherent. She shoved the blankets aside and made her way to the exit of the tent, noticing that Legolas was missing too.
"Not this time." She spotted Gimli standing next to Aragorn, blocking his way as he tried to move past, his horse fully packed and ready for a journey. "This time you must stay, Gimli."
"Oh no you don't!" She ran over to them and stood in front of Aragorn's path also. "Sneaking off in the night. You trying to avoid something?" She said in her squeaky voice, putting both hands on her hips.
"You must stay as well." He looked at her with sad eyes, "Legolas will protect you."
"So shall you." Came Legolas' voice from behind them, leading his tacked up horse.
Bellatrix found herself smiling, Gimli chuckled, and remembering the events that happened earlier, she scooted from him a bit.
"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves?" He told him, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"You might as well accept it." Gimli announced. "Were going with you, Laddie."
Aragorn let out a breath, admitting defeat.
Whispers swirled around them as Aragorn led them to the mountain pass, the Dimholt Road.
"Where's he going?"
"Why do they leave on the eve of battle?"
"Lord Aragorn!"
"What's happen—"
The voices faded as she followed the men into perhaps one of the spookiest places of her life.
Well, maybe not the spookiest.
ooo
It hadn't been very long when light started to shed its gaze upon the earth as Aragorn led Legolas, Gimli, and a whiney Bellatrix to where he supposed the Dark Door would be. Everything was a dreary shade of grey; the trees were all dead, grey also and leering down upon them, the branches nearly grabbing at their clothes.
She was at the end of the company, pouting slightly and dragging her feet in the rubble that made the road. Every once in a while she would groan it protest to all the walking. She clucked her tongue to past the time, and eventually resorted to creating little sparks of light with her wand to entertain herself.
Aragorn merely ignored her childish antics, and kept them all moving on. Gimli, to say the least, was scared shitless, and he tried to cover up his fear by striking up conversation with Legolas.
"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" He spoke in a breathy tone.
Legolas, almost as if he could sense Gimli's unease, Bellatrix thought, replied, "One that is cursed."
Happy that there was finally something that would divert her attention away from the freaky trees and grey upon grey upon grey, she listened in as Legolas began his story.
"Long ago the Men of the Mountains swore an oath to the last king of Gondor to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain."
It reminded her of some Death Eaters she once knew.
Suddenly, a pressure beneath her belly made itself known.
She had to pee, and badly.
"And so Isildur cursed them… never to rest, until they had fulfilled their pledge."
The pressure built, and it was getting to the point where she desperately needed to take care of it. Usually, in this type of situation, they would have been in some sort of plain or something where she would have been able to sneak away and well, piss or shit in the grass. But there was none of that here, just blackened trees that were too worn away to stand behind and have your business covered. And there was a perverted Dwarf lurking around…
Aragorn had finally led them to stand on a slope where a dark hole in the mountain—
BLOODY SHITES I NEED TO PISS.
Gimli was gasping something out, and Legolas was reading the inscription around the doorway but she couldn't pay attention to anything else.
"Uh, Aragorn?" She whimpered out.
But he didn't hear her.
A particularly cold gust of wind blew out from the hole, scaring the horses away. She heard him mutter something, and then, before she could try to ask him where in the hell she could relieve herself he disappeared into the hole, vanishing from sight.
"Uh!" She moped, turning to Legolas, but before she could reach out to him, he too vanished.
"Well this is something unheard of! An elf will go underground where a dwarf dare not?"
She could just feel it trickling down her leg now, and the only person left was Gimli. He was fidgeting around on his feet, deciding on whether not he should follow.
"WILL YOU JUST GO IN!"
"Ahh!" He heard her yelling at him, but didn't hear the words, and startled by her raised voice trailed in after them. "I'd never hear the end of it!"
THANK YOU!
She gasped out as she realized she was alone and immediately set about her business right where she was standing.
oOo
Well, there's another chapter for all you patient readers. Hoped you enjoyed it!
'Elen fëa'- "Star spirit" or my way of shortening 'fëa en e elen'; roughly translated as "Spirit of the Star", as Bellatrix is named after the star Bellatrix. (Don't ask me why Elrond knows this. Just believe that he has infinite knowledge! Hehe)
I don't get payed to do this, unless you count reviews. So, review please!