A/N: I have been working on this! My co-author BoL and I talk about where were going to go with the story almost constantly. Okay, I can't be stuffed babbling anymore…Happy New Year! And enjoy ;o)
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After dinner with Ereinion, he escorted me back to his tent with a quick kiss and whispered to me instructions to go to sleep, because he would be up late writing a number of reports the required his immediate attention. I was somewhat disappointed by that, but all the same- at least I'd get uninterrupted sleep.
I hadn't realised just how exhausted I had been because of everything until I woke up late the next morning. There was no sight of Ereinion, though a quick check with my mind revealed that he was in the middle of yet another meeting (it seemed that was all anybody ever did in the Last Alliance.) and since the guards didn't make to hold me captive in the tent, I took the opportunity to go to my sister Rhiannon and tell her my Plan.
Upon entering Glorfindel's tent- where else would she have been?- I called, "Rhiannon?"
"Back here!" came the reply.
"Hey," I greeted as I strolled into the inner section of the tent after checking that Glorfindel wasn't there. Rhiannon turned, but immediately I could tell… "There's something different about you."
Rhiannon, guilty look on her face that wouldn't deceive anybody, suggested, "Well…my face is no longer bruised all to hell." Her guilty look changed to one of unquestionable defiance, the sort of look she adopts when she's indignant about something. "And I can move my shoulders." She added.
I was not fooled, but decided to play along. "Yeah. There is a glow to your face; it must be that healing trick that Glorfindel did."
"Probably." Rhiannon's cheeks reddened and realisation hit me.
"You've bonded with him!" I squealed, looking at her, just daring her to deny it.
Rhiannon's look was that of a deer that stands frozen still, caught in a truck's headlights.
"Hah!" I shrieked in delight and victory. "You did! You bonded with Glorfindel!"
"Well, you bonded with Gilly first!" she retorted hotly, trying to turn the tables. "And you didn't even bother to tell me!"
"How the bloody hell do you know that?" I asked, just trying to figure out who'd told her- not me or Ereinion- and when she turned the accusation back I me, I realised that it had hurt her. But I hadn't known what bonding was at the time and I hadn't been given a real opportunity to tell her…but still…
"I'm your twin," she replied. "Not to mention, you run around half the time looking like you're having a conversation with him when neither of you are speaking a bloody word. And you got all quiet when Elrond was blathering about 'bonded pairs' being able to hear one another's thoughts." As she spoke, she seemed to realise that the evidence had been before her all along. I felt bad for not telling her…but in defence, it was between Ereinion and me, and given that I hadn't really understood what it was or what it meant and then we'd ended up kidnapped, I hadn't been given a chance to rethink about telling her or not. Rhiannon continued, unaware of my own guilt. "Don't worry though," she added bitterly. "I understand why you didn't tell me. Eru knows I would have blathered the story out at some point before this war is over."
Actually, that thought had never crossed my mind. I felt a trickle of relief that I hadn't told her, but quickly squashed it.
We stared at each other for a moment before we said in unison, "I'm sorry."
After another moment's silence, I suggested, "Lunch?"
Walking in the direction of the dining tent, Rhiannon seemed to palpably leap off the ground, startled. She looked around before realising that the speaker wasn't as near as he sounded. I was well aware what was causing her to act like that; Glorfindel. I hadn't yet told her my plan, and I was glad that I had decided to wait. Or we'd have been caught doing something we knew we shouldn't be, yet again.
When it seemed Glorfindel had finished talking, Rhiannon was grinning. It was contagious; without knowing what for, I started grinning too. "What are you grinning at?" I asked curiously.
"What? Oh…nothing, really," Rhiannon stuttered. "Just…"
"Glorfindel?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Hee hee!" Rhiannon giggled.
"I thought as much."
We were silent once more, but obvious Glorfindel was back in Rhiannon's mind for she started spinning round and round as we walked along.
"What are you doing?" I asked. I shouldn't have asked what was obvious, but I was hoping for an explanation, seeing as she wasn't letting me in on her chat with Glorfindel.
"Dancing," she replied, after a moment's thought. She immediately resumed dancing, adding to it a little song I could tell she was making up on the spot. I felt a little embarrassed to be accompanying her at that point, but I have gotten used to Rhiannon's idiosyncrasies and just smiled as we walked past a number of Elves who also couldn't help smiling at her antics.
It was cute for the first five minutes, but then my mind went back as always to my plan and her twirling started annoying me.
"Will you quit that?" I asked, still smiling but my anxious mood broke through my tone. "I need to talk to you."
Rhiannon caught my uneasiness and stopped. "What's up?"
With the dining tent in sight, I didn't reply straight away, but it was soon after that, over lunch, that I told her my plan. I said it quietly, but not a whisper- 'cause other wise it would've been obvious that we were trying to hide something- and nobody paid either of us any attention.
Rhiannon sighed as I finished. It was the kind of sigh one makes when dealing with an over-enthusiastic child. I felt stupid at that point and sometimes wished I didn't fit the blonde stereotype quite so often. I almost regretted having said anything at all, except that I had a firm belief that this was the only way we could help.
"Fiona, you're bloody nuts!" she exclaimed firmly. I winced at the volume of her voice. Making a quick check to make sure no one was listening, she continued. "This plan is even stupider than something I would come up with!" Then I'm at an all-time low then…but it seemed such a good idea at the time! "It's the dumbest damn plan you've ever had!" I tried not cringe like an admonished child. The number of times she'd come up with hair-brained ideas- most of which she never bothered to inform me about before she put them into motion- and I'd gone along with it…surely…surely, she could just go along with one of my crazy ones for once. Usually I'm the sensible one, and Rhiannon's the nut-case, but it seemed our roles had suddenly become reversed and I was failing miserably at being 'wild'. But Rhiannon hadn't stopped her appraisal of my idea. "Not only are we going to end up dead from this, but – on the off chance we make it back alive – our respective Elves are going to kill us just for trying! Do you have any idea what this'll do to them?"
I kept my face down, trying not to let her see that tears were slowly forming in my eyes. I wanted to help! "I know." I said softly. "But what else can we do?" I looked up, knowing that she wouldn't have any betters ideas.
Rhiannon shrugged and snorted with an unidentifiable emotion. "So when do we start?"
Given how reluctant my twin sister had been, she was very helpful in pointing out some of the minor flaws I'd made, and making sure that my- our plan, now- gave us maximum possibility of being put into action and for us to have a chance of getting out of it alive. For example, how I would keep this from Ereinion since we were bonded and thus our minds linked together. It was a miracle that he hadn't found out already…I was very glad I hadn't thought more about the plan, or else we would have been imprisoned in a tent and guarded constantly once Ereinion discovered what we were planning to do.
I hadn't anticipated that we might need to act fast, but this obvious flaw Rhiannon had cleverly thought out (I'm so glad she did! The trouble I would've been in with Ereinion for thinking up such an absurdly impossible and dangerous idea!), made it necessary that we put the plan into motion immediately.
First of all, we were careful not to think anything that would transfer itself to the mind of Glorfindel or Ereinion. Secondly, we had a few implements that we would need to prepare beforehand.
Rhiannon headed off to our old tent while I went back to Ereinion's to retrieve my backpack. I toyed with the notion of just sneaking what I needed back underneath my tunic, but decided either it'd be too obvious or that it was entirely possible that Ereinion would come back and then demand to know what I was doing and we'd be busted- so definitely, I was taking the whole bag.
It was only on my way out that the guards made any move.
"Lady Anórmír?" one of the said, standing my way. I raised my eyebrows to indicate that I wasn't sure what he wanted. "You are not going anywhere?"
"My sister and I wanted to catch up on stuff- that is, talk about times past- and I needed my bag, since it's got some of the stuff from home in it and we were going to go over it for a while. I'll be in Lord Glorfindel's tent with Minaimír if there is any need for concern." I replied, glad that I'd thought up my lie before I'd left the tent.
It wasn't long after I'd gotten back to Glorfindel's tent that Rhiannon came back. She noticed the packs and seemed to think of something and then her eyes widened and she squeaked in alarm. I knew immediately that Glorfindel was back in her mind. We'd agreed that even if we could have blocked out our bonded Elves that would have only given them cause to be suspicious, so it was necessary for Rhiannon to converse with him but keep her mind off our plan so that he wouldn't find out.
Rhiannon turned away from the packs, focusing on the tent wall. It seemed an eternity to me before she turned back to face me, and for one dreaded moment I thought we were caught.
"Sorry," she said. "I don't think he picked up on anything about…Silver bells! Silver bells! It's Christmas time in the morning!"
I stared at her, wondering if suddenly she'd gone insane or was having seconds thoughts about the plan and was trying to find some un-cowardly reason for not going. "What are you doing?" I asked.
She pointed to her head. Ah, so it was Glorfindel…but what was the point of singing? Oh…it distracts him and he'll leave her mind…nice thinking Rhiannon, even if it does sound rather ridiculous to anybody standing nearby.
"He's thinking about work again," she sighed in relief at last.
"Good," I replied dryly. "Because that rendition of 'Silver Bells' was not the best I've ever heard."
"Meh," she shrugged. "It's what came to mind, and it worked, from what I can tell. I'm certainly not picking his every thought."
"Yeah, but he's had
more…" I racked my brains for the right word. "…experience." That of course is
completely illogical, given that an Elf only bonds once in life (unless they
get 'divorced', but that's another issue), but maybe there's a manual or a book
on it, because Ereinion certainly didn't have any of
the troubles I seemed to have at first either. Or maybe it's just a male thing.
How typically annoying and unfair.
Ignoring the issue, I opened my packed
and began the process of selecting my 'outfit'. Trying to figure out what would
entice an army of orcs to open the Black Gates is not the easiest of things.
Especially if I'm trying to make sure Ereinion won't
be too upset with me for making myself a target to the orcs and not appealing
to him. If that makes sense…
In the end, I selected a lacy black bra and matching ladies' knicker-shorts, over which I wore a translucent crimson robe that reached down to my knees, a blessing I was most grateful for, however see-through the material was. I was not going to enjoy revealing so much of myself, especially given the number of people who would be seeing me. I had a sneaking suspicion Ereinion was going to kill me for this. But it was for him that I was doing it, I reminded myself. For him and the Last Alliance.
As I threw my cloak- full length, thank the stars!- over my shoulders and making sure nothing could be seen, a familiar voice called to Rhiannon from outside. As we walked into the outer 'room' of the tent, Elrond entered it from outside.
"My Lady Anórmír, my Lady Minaimír," Elrond inclined his head politely, an unsuccessfully-concealed grin on his face. "My congratulations upon your bonding with the Lord Glorfindel and the High King Gil-galad." Normally I would have gone red, but I found myself almost giggling as Elrond went on. "The morale of the troops is heartened to hear that, even in such dark times, two flames of love burn brightly against the Evil that would swallow all."
Elves are such romantics. I was glad to be counted among them, being a hopeless sap myself.
"Thank you," I said, Rhiannon repeating the gesture just moments after.
"Now to business, I'm afraid. The High King Gil-galad and King Elendil request your presence in the practice ring," Elrond said, almost apologetically. He held out two sets of Elvish armour out to us. "I shall await you out yonder while you prepare yourselves." He put down the armour and swords, bowed again and withdrew from the tent.
Rhiannon and I exchanged glances. Not good. This wasn't going to plan at all.
"Now what?" I whispered, hoping Elrond wouldn't hear.
"We get creative," Rhiannon replied quietly, grabbing some of the armour and pushing it into my arms. We carried it into the inner section of the tent and put it down again. "Start singing!"
"What?!" I exclaimed. Singing!? You have got to be joking!! I hate singing!! Correction- I hate people listening to me singing; and that was clearly Rhiannon's intention, for Elrond to hear me singing.
"Just sing!"
Swallowing my pride and giving Rhiannon one last look to be sure she knew I was going to strangle her later, I thought of my Elven love and how much the Alliance needed this break in the war; I opened my mouth and sang the first song that came to my head…
When the summer sun is shining on
Australia's happy land
Around countless fires in strange attires you see many solemn bands
Of glum Australians watching as the lunch goes up in flames
By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell that it's barbie
time again.
When the steaks are burning fiercely
when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snags all taste like fried tooth paste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate let's have a BBQ.
The Scots eat lots of haggis, the French
eats snails and frogs
The Greeks go crackers over their moussaka and the Chinese love hot dogs
The Welshmen like to have a leek, the Irish like their stew
But you just can't beat that half cooked meat at an Aussie BBQ.
When the steaks are burning fiercely
when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snags all taste like fried tooth paste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate let's have a BBQ.
In the meantime, Rhiannon opened the bottom of the back wall of the tent and rolled up some of the canvas, checking that nobody was watching us do it. It's lucky we were in Glorfindel's tent- Ereinion's tent is surrounded on all four corners with guards, then the extra two that guard the door. It's really quite unnerving sometimes.
I suddenly realised that I'd stopped, and glanced back at the tent hoping Elrond hadn't busted in while I'd stopped watching the 'door'.
"How's the next bit go?" Rhiannon asked loudly, gesturing at me frantically to keep continuing. I was starting to get sick of singing.
"I dunno. I think I've forgotten." I replied truthfully. So Rhiannon started on the chorus again, until I picked up where I'd left off, recalling words as I went along.
There's flies got to the margarine,
the bread has gone rock hard
The kids are fighting and the mossies are biting,
"Who forgot the Aerogard?"
There's bull-ants in the Esky and the beer is running out
And what you saw in Mum's coleslaw you just don't think
about.
When the steaks are burning fiercely
when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snags all taste like fried tooth paste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate let's have a BBQ.
And when the barbie's
over on your homeward way you wend
With a queasy tummy on the family dunny many lonely hours you'll spend
You might find yourself reflecting as many often do
Come rain or shine that's the bloody last time that you'll have a BBQ.
And while I had to keep singing, my oh-so-clever sister slipped around the front and peered out carefully to check on what Elrond was doing.
When she came back she was grinning. "Come on," she hissed excitedly. "He's settling a dispute. We've got our short bit of time!"
I crawled out and dropped the wall again- hopefully it'd give us a few more moments of time when Elrond finally came in and found we were gone, if he couldn't see how we'd done it….though I suppose it'd be bloody obvious anyway.
We ran away from the tent, careful to keep something in the way of Elrond and us in case he happened to look in our direction. Eventually we were far enough away and we grabbed each other's arm to stop, the thought having been simultaneous.
"Are you sure you want to be doing this?" Rhiannon asked, not looking entirely certain about what we had begun to undertake. "It's not too late to turn back."
But I was steadfast. I came up with the idea, it's the only chance we'll ever have before Ereinion and Glorfindel find out about it.
"It's the only way," I said softly, conviction filling every fibre of my being.
Rhiannon nodded. "Let's get this over with then. We have hot Elves to be returning to."
Neither of said it, but we were thinking it; there was the palpable fear that we would not return at all.
Our hair was loose and flew out in rich brown and shining red-gold streams behind us. We were so different, and yet so alike. Crazy was the first likeness that came to mind.
Luck was on our side, as we found two white horses unattended, their owners not in sight, the horses saddled and ready to go. Neither one was Minras or Gostanc, but I wasn't all that fussed on what horse I took, so long as I had one. Since coming to this camp of the Last Alliance, Rhiannon and I have developed an unfortunately bad habit for lying or evading truth, and stealing other Elves' horses. I hope that I won't have to ever again, but then again, if I get out of this alive, I doubt Ereinion will be letting me do anything at all. Chances are, he'll send me off to Minas Ithil or Minas Anor just to make sure I'm not going to be in the way of any trouble.
Rhiannon and I rode to the front line of the camp, where guards watched ceaselessly for any sign that the enemy was preparing to do battle. We had trotted up to this point, but slowed to a walk upon sighting the front, and now, as two guards moved to stand in our way.
"Careful, tis the High King's lady and her sister," I hear one of them whisper to the other.
"Lady Anórmír," the second one greeted with a quick bow. "What brings you so far from your Lord and so close to where battle has raged many a time?"
"It was decided that we needed to study the lay of the battle grounds so we could better understood what tactics might be used to successfully push the Enemy back so that we could pass through the Black Gates," I said with a shy smile. What the guards didn't need to know what that it had been me to decide that reason just now. So it wasn't completely a lie…
The guard hesitated. "I do not think it would be safe, my Lady. The Enemy has been known to attack without warning. It would be best if you stayed within the camp."
"But we cannot see all of the grounds from here," I pointed out evenly. I was starting to get worried that they wouldn't let us past or that we'd be discovered for lying and stealing horses- yet again. "You need not worry about the Enemy; I have a guard with me, she is a warrior of great skill. She will protect me if any such situation should arise." I gestured to where Rhiannon sat as tall as she could atop her horse, giving one of her 'just-you-dare-to-contradict-me' glares. Very few people have ever won against her, when she stares like that, and just as few have come out even (Elrond, to name one).
The guards exchanged a nervous glance, still extremely hesitant to let us pass. "My Lady, if we may inform the High King Gil-galad about this before you leave the camp?"
Damn! I just knew it would come to this!
"I tried to tell my Lord Gil-galad myself, but he was otherwise occupied with an important council." The guards' relaxed slightly. Encouraged, I continued. "We will not venture far, if that is your fear. Be sure to tell my Lord High King that we will return at sundown." I nudged my horse forward into a walk, passing them unchallenged, then I urged my horse into a trot, then a canter as Rhiannon caught up.
I heard the guards call us, "My Lady, stop! Daro! That is too far!" but we did not stop. I glanced over my shoulder and slow for a second, coming to a complete stop to turn and look back at them, Rhiannon following suit ahead of me some way. The guards seemed to be in a panic, one calling for horses while the other ran further into the camp- no doubt, to let Ereinion know where we were and what we had done.
We didn't have much time left.
I turned the mare I rode back around to face the black gates and nudged her into a trot again. Rhiannon waited for me to reach her before she started her horse off again. As we neared the gates, we slowed to a walk, and the horses, sensing our fearful tension, stomped the ground and fidgeted nervously.
Dagorlad was deathly quiet, as if all things held their breath in silent wait. No orcs could be seen atop the Gates, which was both curse and blessing. If they did not notice us, Gil-galad and Glorfindel would have time to pull us back before our plan succeeded, and if the orcs were there, it was likely they would shoot at us and with the exception of Rhiannon's sword, we were defenceless.
I did not glance back at the camp of the Alliance. I knew that the elves would soon be racing down onto the battlefield.
'Anórmír!' I heard Ereinion cry within my head. It seemed that the guard- or Elrond- had reached the main council tent. Time was running out quickly.
"Have I mentioned that what we're doing is entirely stupid?" Rhiannon asked conversationally, seeming for all the world that we had just taken a ride through a park.
"Yes." I replied nonchalantly.
"Okay. Just making sure." I glanced at Rhiannon who looked about as good as I was feeling deep within. Probably one of the few times I will ever see my sister when she is really afraid.
"I still think you should have stayed behind to be the one to tell Gil-galad what I had done," I said, still eyeing those terrifying Gates. Never mind that she had helped me escape from Elrond and had been one of the determining factors that got us past the front guards, my original plan had kept her away from these Gates, though it would have let her fight (though Glorfindel probably would have ordered her to his tent).
"And let you have all the fun? Nah," she answered, giving me a slightly nervous grin. "Although, I still say we should have come up with a slightly different plan."
Too late for that now. "Probably." I replied. But then again, we'd already agreed, there basically wasn't any other way. Suddenly I was glad she had accompanied me. I grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
'Anórmír! Come back! Get away from the Gates!' The desperation Ereinion exuded almost caused me to start trembling. The reality of what we were doing was creeping up slowly and a small part of me was frightened, though I would never admit it. I was surprised at how calm I felt as well.
Rhiannon glanced over her shoulder, checking for any sign of Glorfindel or anyone else. The look she gave me let me know that nobody had yet moved out.
"Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and ne'er brought to mind!" Rhiannon began singing. We had agreed that Elf-maidens, half-naked and singing on their doorstep had to be a certain enticement for orcs. However, we hadn't thought of a song, and 'Auld Lang Syne' didn't seem quite the thing we should be singing at Mordor's Gates.
My hands reached for the clasp of my cloak as I joined in singing. Just because I didn't think the song appropriate for the occasion (our deaths?) didn't mean I was going to make my sister sing it alone. I let the cloak slide from my shoulders and float gently onto the ground, revealing my kinky outfit to all.
I don't like the word 'kinky'. Hell, I didn't like the outfit either, but I had to wear it if our plan was to work.
Beside me, Rhiannon had removed her cloak as well, and was now sitting atop her horse in nothing but the skimpy chain-mail that Captain Dumbass had made us wore that first day when we had been told we were having sword lessons.
By now you will have gotten the general idea of the plan. Two sexy singing Elf-maidens on Mordor's doorstep, for the purpose of luring the orcs out, as which point we go riding back towards the Alliance and the armies take over from there. Of course there are a number of factors involved which could end up with us getting killed, but I'm basing it all what our former orc-captors had said 'Master said bring any pretties to him!' and while they had not gone out of their way not to harm us, the orcs hadn't killed us…so I hoped that would still the way of things.
I shivered as a chill wind blew over us. It was normally quite hot and muggy in Mordor, but that wind was icy. As our song finished, the horses danced about nervously, staying in place only because we had not order them to go back. There was no reaction from within the Black Gates. No horns of war, no clanking of armour or swords. No challenging roars.
I glanced over my shoulder. It was palpable that the armies of the Alliance were getting ready as fast as they could and it would not be long before our plan failed altogether.
"We need to sing louder," I said urgently. "And something more beautiful."
Rhiannon nodded, forcing her hand to relax rather than grab the hilt of the sword she wore. Vulnerability and beauty is appealing to orcs and we had to remain both until they emerged.
It was my turn to pick a song, and I did so quickly, lifting my head to let my voice soar against the metal gates and the rocks.
Kas tie tādi, kas dzjedāja
Bez saulītes vakarā?
Tie ir visi bāŗa bērni, Bargukungu klausītāji'.
I may be wrong (if I am, don't blame me!), but I remember the teacher who taught us this song telling us that it was Latvian and it was about the children who worked in factories during the industrial age and how in the bitter cold of winter they walked down to the river to soften the rock-hard bread they were given as their meal so that they could eat it. I realise this little story bears no resemblance to what we were doing in the middle of a war, but it is a beautiful song, and I felt sure that the orcs could not sit there any longer just listening. Needless to say, the song is longer than what I have accounted here, but I could never write it in full, due to the many harmonies that intertwine with the sweet melody.
Rhiannon, not knowing the words, added a beautiful harmony for the song nonetheless.
The wind picked up our song and carried it far, our combined voices soaring over the land, rock and the Black Gates all around us.
We had hoped for nothing less. If you will give me a moment of pride, we sounded damned good.
Horns blew loudly and the sound of the metal gates grinding against the earth as they opened hurt my ears, though I could not cover them for fear of losing control of the horse I rode. The pretty white mare reared, backing up as the orcs came into sight. My eyes widened and I was glad that the mare took the initiative to keep slowly walking backwards away from that terrifying sight. I had thought seeing one battle was bad. Here were thousands and thousands of orcs, just waiting to kill Rhiannon and I…or whatever other evil they had planned for a pair of Elf-maidens.
'What are you doing!?' Ereinion shouted in my mind. I kept singing, intent on finishing the song. 'Get out of there! Anórmír, come back! Come back to me!' I felt his fear, knew that he wouldn't show it to the others around him for he is their king and he cannot lose face before them. His presence seemed closer than before and I knew instantly that the armies of the Last Alliance had finally been assembled and were approaching quickly.
It was not until after Rhiannon had slashed at several of the foremost running orcs that we turned our horses around and the horses needed no urging to get them moving faster than they had ever galloped before. It was a flight of pure terror, a race to beat the orcs to the armies of the Alliance, amongst which my sister and I would be a lot safer. Arrows whizzed past in uncountable numbers, many of them directed at orcs- their aim being true, we could tell by the orcs' screams- but also a number of them aimed at Rhiannon and I. There was nothing we could do but duck low and continue riding back towards safety.
Suddenly, I found myself falling off the horse that I rode and tumbled onto the ground. Pushing myself up, I looked back to the white mare and was distressed and horrified when I saw her thrashing about on the ground, her eyes wild with fear and a black poorly-fletched arrow protruding from her flank. I felt deeply for the beautiful mare, she'd obeyed my every order even when she knew that I myself was tempted to give up on the whole idea.
"Fiona!" Rhiannon's voice cried over the din of the armies.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that she'd stopped and was tugging the reins to convince her horse to turn around. My attention was drawn back to my horse and the fast-oncoming orcs. Scrambling over as fast I could, I put a steadying hand on the mare's side, then pulled the arrow out of her side. There was no damned way I was letting this horse die.
"Come on!" Rhiannon yelled at me, holding out a hand to pull me up. "We have to go!" She glanced at the armies who were nearing all so dangerously now.
I pulled off my torn robe and pressed it on the mare's wound, as if I could stop the blood from flowing with that insignificant gesture. The fabric was thin and the blood seeped through too quickly. "I can't leave her!" Tears welled up in my eyes as the mare tried to rise again, her pain obvious in every movement.
"You have to! There's no time!"
"I can't leave her to the orcs!" I pleaded with Rhiannon. The look on my sister's face revealed that she was upset by the idea that my horse would die, but Rhiannon's priority has always been my safety and she would not compromise. I refused to let the mare die. I have never felt so…I don't know the word. It was as though I absolutely had to do it, there was no way I could just leave such a beautiful mare to die after she'd been so brave as to take me to fulfil my whacked-out plan. A plan which may or may not work- that had yet to be seen.
I threw the blood soaked rag away and put my hands on the mare's flank and closed my eyes in concentration, calling on a power I hadn't been consciously aware that I had. I felt the energy being pulled from within me and wash over the mare's wound, knitting together muscle, veins, flesh so as to stop the bleeding and then yet more of this energy of mine to repair skin and hair until there was no longer any trace there had ever been a wound at all.
My head was dizzy, and I fell forward, grasping the mare's mane to steady myself. I must have put a leg over her back, because once my head cleared, the mare was standing once more and I was riding her.
"Are you alright?" Rhiannon called from where she was positioned like a guard between me and the orcs.
"Go!" I yelled, and my mare, sensing my urgency, leapt away gracefully heading where she knew I would be safest- our camp.
Rhiannon rode alongside me as we continued trying to outrun the orcs who had reached the Alliance army but still tried desperately to follow us through. I glanced at Rhiannon for a split second before a black arrow pierced through her shoulder and her horse stumbled badly for some other reason I could not see, sending Rhiannon flying from the saddle.
I wanted to turn around and go and help her, but somehow an orc had gotten in front of me and my horse, causing a rather large problem in that I could not pass without an injury but if I didn't get through there were a dozen more orcs damned close behind that prevented any chance of my being able to go back to help my sister. I felt like a coward and it sickened me to think I would have to leave my sister behind, but I had no weapon and my meagre fighting skills would not suffice against the armoured goblins.
It seemed like an eternity, but it could only have been a few seconds in reality, from when I realised my dire situation to the moment that I suddenly realised that I could sense the mare's anger. She was angry, not at me, but at the orc before us. The orc had dared to stop her in her headlong gallop to the camp and she was peeved that he would interrupt us.
No shit, really. That's what I sensed of the mare's emotions emanating from her. It was strange to say the least, but as the mare reared and struck the orc a lethal blow, I was suddenly very glad that I'd stayed and healed her. We had a sort of bond, not like the one between Elves, but it still meant that communication with words was largely unnecessary. The mare sensed my fear and regret and she was determined to get me to the safety of the camp and hopefully to someone who could help me find my sister.
The mare bucked and reared at the orcs who tried to attack me, and I just sat on her back and let her do it. It's not like I could really do anything about it anyway. It wasn't too hard for me to stay on the mare's back though; our connection gave me a feel for riding that I had never understood before, every way she turned I knew just how to adjust my weight so it would not hinder her nor throw me from the saddle. If we hadn't been in the middle of a war, I would have laughed with pure glee at the connection between me and my horse.
Eventually a small path between all the combatants opened and the mare neighed loudly, announcing to all that she was coming through and they better not get in her way!
I was relieved when the mare brought me to Ereinion and many of his guards and close advisors, Elrond, Gildor and Glorfindel just to name the ones that I knew.
Ereinion paused after cutting down the last orc who came up to him and glanced at me gravely. 'Anórmír,' his voice in my mind greeted, but I could tell he was not happy with what I'd done.
"Where is Minaimír?" Glorfindel demanded, interrupted by the arrival of an orc that was alone in this section where the fighting had basically been totally dealt with.
"She is back some ways," I said, pointing the general direction I thought my sister was in. "She was shot in the shoulder, her horse stumbled, I had no weapon and the orcs closed in…"
Glorfindel growled. "Why is it you always manage to come out of these foolish incidents unscathed and Minaimír always gets so badly injured?"
Gee, thanks Glorfindel. As if I don't feel guilty enough. I swallowed and responded truthfully. "In my original plan, my sister would not have come with me to the Black Gates to entice the orcs to come out, she would have stayed to prevent anyone telling you what I'd done until the last moment at which time she would have informed you of our plan herself. It was Minaimír's decision that that part of my plan should be abandoned- she refused to let me go out there on my own."
"This was your idea?" Elrond blinked in astonishment.
I nodded, glancing guiltily at Ereinion who stood stoically, thinking. Ereinion commanded, "Gildor, go with Glorfindel and find Minaimír. Quickly! You may need to chase the orcs back further. We may yet salvage victory from this unexpected battle."
Ereinion turned to me and I knew I was in for it. Hoping to press my advantage before he could admonish me for my stupidity, I dismounted gracefully from my mare (first and probably only time I will display any of the grace renowned of Elves), I strode over to my Elven love with my shoulders back and my head held high, not caring that I was only dressed in lacy black bra and knickers. As I knew he would, I could sense Ereinion's pride in me at the moment for my bravery (even if it was facing up to him) and how beautiful I looked walking over to him (hey, I'm allowed to gloat just a bit!). The stormy look on his features relaxed slightly.
Also as I knew he would, Ereinion's eyes drifted toward my rather revealing cleavage. I couldn't resist smirking at his obvious distraction. He strained to pull his eyes upwards from where they had been firmly fixed on my breasts, and when our gaze met, I raised an eyebrow. 'What do you think of the view, my love?' I whispered seductively in his mind.
Ereinion blushed slightly, and covered his mouth as though in thought, but I knew he was just trying to hide his grin.
"I am only doing what the Valar sent me to do, my Lord," I said aloud for the benefit of those watching our exchange. "Whilst I did wrong to go ahead with my plan without informing you or King Elendil first, I would still have done it this way, a thousand times over if it had been necessary." I could see from the corner of my eye that the orcs were retreating at a fast pace and none of them even tried to stand their ground when the Elves and Men of the Alliance chased them into Mordor.
Ereinion spent a moment composing himself, and when he removed his hand from his mouth, there was no trace of the grin that had been there just seconds before, but an expression that seemed almost hurt. "Lord Elrond…if you could find a cloak for the Lady Anórmír?"
As Elrond inclined his head in acquiescence, I used my bond with Ereinion to heal his hurt. 'I'm sorry,' I whispered remorsefully. 'It was all I could come up with…I knew you would never approve if I tried to explain it to you before I went ahead with it.'
Ereinion pulled me close, placing his arms around me in such a way that I could not have escaped them if I had wanted to. 'You would look much better in white, my love.' His deep voice chuckled within my mind as I gaped in shock.
Elrond returned moments later with a grey Elven cloak, which he handed to Ereinion, who was forced to release me so he could drape it over my shoulders. Ereinion pulled it close, so that I would no longer be revealing my almost-naked body to the appreciate glances of the Elves who had been watching me. When he was done, he stood back and spoke with the King Elendil and various other generals who had just arrived.
I felt a nudge at my shoulder and turned to smile at my mare, her emotion almost felt like she was trying to say 'he likes you' in a very teasing sort of way. I rubbed her neck, trying to stop myself from giggling. I found that I was more tired that I had anticipated, and I supported myself by leaning heavily against the mare, who nuzzled me as she would a foal to make sure I was still alright.
Glorfindel rode up in Minras with a battered Rhiannon held tightly in front of him, looking rather the worse for wear with several arrows sticking out of her, a variety of gashes and slits where swords and axes had gotten past her defence, all the while covered in the black blood of the orcs even as her own flowed freely from her open wounds. It took me a few moments to settle my stomach as I recognised her, and to fight against the tears of shame and fear as I surveyed the wreck she had become when I had been unable to help her. "Rhiannon," I breathed, hoping to all things holy that she would be well.
"Hey," she mumbled exhaustedly. "You still alive?"
I couldn't help grinning at my brave and foolhardy twin. "You couldn't ever get rid of me."
"Good…same here." Came her reply. Glorfindel helped her onto the ground and she hobbled over to me, an orc arrow still protruding from her leg. "You're not wounded," she observed dryly. "That's entirely unfair."
Whilst that's probably true, I was glad I wasn't wounded all the same. I seem to have a talent for avoiding really bad wounds in a battle. I had cuts and scratches but all of them were minor and were now hidden by the cloak that I wore.
"And entirely fortunate," Ereinion said, turning his attention to us. His face once again portrayed his anger. "Though I do not think others present see it that way." He glanced meaningfully at Glorfindel who gritted his teeth and tried not to look so defiant.
"You have won us the Battle of Dagorlad, my Ladies, but your foolish actions will not come without repercussions." Elendil added gravely, coming to stand next to Ereinion. "As the Elf-maidens sent by the Valar to help us, you cannot just go running off weaponless to call out the Enemy. There are others ways of getting them to open the gates."
"But then they would have been prepared and suspicious," I argued.
"Then we would have been prepared, unlike what happened just now," Ereinion countered sternly, his intense gaze forcing me not to look away.
I sighed. Males; they never understand anything and they're always convinced that they alone must be right. After all- how many attempts have they made without success? Rhiannon and I made the whole of one attempt- and succeeded. So what's their freaking problem?
"What is done, is done," I said calmly, though I really felt like I could happily beat them over their dorky helmets with a Teflon stainless steel frying pan. "We have entry into Mordor and no more lives were lost to Elves and Men than might have been in other battles. Right now, my concern is for Minaimír- she is losing blood whilst we stand here and argue the merits of a past event. If you will berate me on this matter, then save it for later. My sister may be dying-" I wasn't entirely sure, but given the number of wounds on her, it was a safe bet. If she'd have been a balloon, no amount of rubber-repair kits would have been able to fix the punctures. "- and she needs the attention of the best healer available if she is to live." I glanced at Elrond, who nodded discreetly to my request. Nothing but the best for my sister, even if Elrond isn't exactly the most gentle of healers.
Rhiannon herself was leaning on me and my horse in an attempt to stay upright. I suspected that much of our conversation had passed by her unnoticed and uncared for. Her every concentration was on standing. She was trembling now and I knew that it would only seconds until-
Ah! There she went. I let go of my horse to catch my now-unconscious sister as she collapsed.
"Elrond, take her to Glorfindel's tent and tend to her immediately," Ereinion ordered, though Elrond needed no urging.
Elrond picked up Minaimír, being careful not to knock the arrows still stuck in her and quickly headed for Glorfindel's tent, issuing orders to have his healing kit brought to him.
Glorfindel tried to follow, but Ereinion put a hand on his shoulder and held him back. "We have further matters to discuss right now. You can go to her promptly once we are finished."
Glorfindel nodded reluctantly.
"Berialagor!" Ereinion summoned.
A female Elf dressed in armour stood forth. There were other female Elves here! It was a notion I was grateful to discover. This Elf looked to be many years older than Rhiannon and I- let's face it, I doubt there were any Elves below the age of a hundred in the Alliance- and she had dark hair that was no longer than that of any other Elf's (my point being here that Rhiannon and I had the longest hair, which made us much more obviously feminine than we had realised). She was quite dirty, naturally from being in the fight, but she was tall and her face was unreadable as she looked ahead, standing straight at attention as her King had bid her into his presence.
"Berialagor, I know it was your wish to join my personal guard such as your uncle is a part of…but would you be disappointed if I asked you instead to be the personal guard of my Lady instead?" Ereinion enquired.
Berialagor seemed shocked, and for a second I felt down-hearted that our only hope for female companionship other than myself and Rhiannon would be denied. But Berialagor glanced at me and broke into a broad smile that she could not contain. "You honour me far more than I could ever hope for," she replied, resuming her forward gaze at the air before her.
It was explained to me later, that as Ereinion's bonded mate and his future-queen, I was supposed to require the best protection that Ereinion could offer. That he had chosen Berialagor to be my personal guard- the one who would always be with me if I went anywhere beyond an Elven city- was supposed to be a high honour. I, however, thought it a cruel punishment to force this warrior Elf-maiden into being my caretaker.
"Your duty may require you do take on tasks that are not ordinarily that of a guard," Ereinion warned.
"Your Majesty, I have dreamed of becoming a royal guard since I was a child, as I am sure you well recall," Berialagor said breathlessly. "That you would ask me to be the personal guard of your Lady…I am willing to take on any additional tasks that may be necessary for me to perform for your peace of mind and your Lady's comfort and safety."
Ereinion smiled contentedly. He turned to me, his look becoming sterner but still not unkind. "Berialagor is your guard, Lady Anórmír. You are not to, under any circumstances, try to escape Berialagor's watchful eye or do anything without first informing her."
"Or run off to do something rash without bringing her along?" I suggested teasingly.
Several of the Elves and Men around me, choked with laughter, trying to conceal their mirth from their lords who still stared at me. Elendil seemed unrelenting on this condition that I must be guarded constantly, though Ereinion's expression was softer, trying to make me understand that in the event that I did manage to get past him to do something else that was completely crazy, at least Berialagor would be there to protect me.
I sighed. If Rhiannon wanted to go along with some stupid idea, that was her business, like it was mine to choose to go along…but Berialagor had orders from Ereinion and it seemed unfair to drag her into any such messes when she didn't really have a choice.
"I understand, my Lord." I replied. I looked to Berialagor who seemed to wait anxiously for me to say something. I gave her a small cheeky smile. "I'm not entirely sure I understand why you think being my babysitter is such an honour, but I'm glad for other female company." I held out a hand for her to shake. When she clasped my hand still beaming in delight, I couldn't help breaking into a grin.
"Berialagor, I will speak to you later about selecting other guards for Lady Anórmír," Ereinion said. "For now, I would like you to escort her back to my tent-"
"Your tent, my Lord Gil-galad?" a silver-haired Elf remarked, strolling up. I assumed correctly that this was Círdan the Shipwright.
"Upon her return, I felt it best to keep Lady Anórmír close- to avoid any further incidents." Ereinion defend himself, his cheeks tinged slightly with pink.
"Mayhap that was a wise decision before, but you are not yet married to her and despite your feelings that it would be best- I think perhaps that it is not." Círdan replied. "My Lord, you do not set a very good example for your people when you let your Lady-maiden reside in your tent and yet no oaths or vows of marriage have passed between you. You are not even engaged, for shame!" Ereinion was going red right to the tips of his ears. I caught Elendil's eye and we both struggled to stop prevent ourselves from laughing out loud. Círdan continued. "You know of the rumours that have been whispered amongst your own soldiers and the news of your bonding with the Lady Anórmír could not be kept secret either."
"I thought bonding was the equivalent of marriage among Elves," Anórien, Elendil's younger son, speculated aloud.
"No. A bond can be created among Elves without it being solidified, so to speak," Berialagor explained as Círdan to reprimand the High King of the Elves. "Only the physical consummation of a marriage or union makes the bond unbreakable." She glanced at me slyly.
I couldn't help blushing either. "We've done no such thing," I replied shortly. "And I had no idea that my bond with Ereinion could break. But still, I would not have let him…" I struggled for a polite way to phrase it. "…touch me in that way…even if I had known."
The sound of Círdan's voice caught our attention back to the main argument. "Oh, for Elbereth's sake, Gil-galad! Do us all a favour and just marry her!"
There was a stunned silence around the verbal combatants as Ereinion tried to think of something to say.
"I do not know about my Lord Gil-galad, Lord Círdan, but I am inclined to marry Lady Minaimír as soon as she is well, and hopefully that will prevent anymore foolishness on her part." Glorfindel announced. "Lord Círdan, I ask that you stand in for my father as it were, since my own is unable to attend-" Yeah, he's probably in Aman…and Glorfy's not willing to wait another until he gets to… "-and if you will now all excuse me, I wish to see how Elrond goes with healing my own Lady." He strode off, obviously very pleased with himself for getting out of having to stick around.
Ereinion was still blushing deeply as he glanced over at me. I raised an eyebrow as if to say 'well?'. He palpably regained his regal composure and declared, "Lady Anórmír and I shall wed, at the latest, 7 days hence, here before the Gates of Mordor where she and her sister led us to victory." A great deafening cheer sounded all around.
SEVEN DAYS?? I HAVE SEVEN DAYS TO LEARN EVERYTHING I CAN ABOUT ELVISH WEDDINGS???? And of course, the ceremony would be in Elvish, which I don't know so I'd have to try and learn what I had to say along with- oh, grrrrrrr, Ereinion! That's not enough time!
"Tis prudent that he does wed you elsewhere than before Barad-dûr where Sauron resides, for if Sauron should guess at how much Ereinion loves you, you will be in great peril." Berialagor whispered in my ear. Apparently my thoughts had been written over my face. She put her hand on my shoulder. "Come, my Lady. We need to see about getting you into some proper clothes and those cuts and scratches tended to. Come."
'Have fun organising our wedding, my love.' I bethought Ereinion warningly. 'You had better hope that I can learn enough to save embarrassing us both in that time.'
I felt, more than saw, Ereinion wince. His mind-voice sighed within my head. 'I would we have been given more time and that we could have wed in some fair and beautiful Elven city than in this desolate place, meleth nín, but I do not what tomorrow may bring and I do not think I could wait much longer until you are wholly mine at last.' As he spoke, his voice had become more and more low, tinged with desire.
Unaware of my inner conversation with my soon-to-be-husband, Berialagor led me onwards to wherever it was that Círdan had deemed I must say whilst I waited for my marriage to Ereinion Gil-galad.