Disclaimer: See Chapter 2
Notes to Reviewers:
Many apologies for the delay in updating. Life got a bit hectic, the London bombings didn't help and my son has been nagging me to level my World of Warcraft character since I now have a new computer that can cope with the game instead of whimpering in the corner and having a nervous breakdown like the old computer did.
Ellfine/Pink Panther: I guess the 'curse' is a cross we have to bear. I think men should have something similar except that they would all whine that they couldn't go into work today because their belly hurts. The lack of amenities in Middle-earth would not help a modern woman's dilemma.
Blackadder: Welcome! Thank you for posting the story as an Antidote, I appreciate that greatly, it's a wonderful compliment. You are second-guessing me about Celebrimbor, Curunir and the projectiles, but I don't mind at all. This is exactly what I had in mind when I devised this part of the plot. Curunir blew up the walls of Helm's Deep with his homemade bomb and it was that which gave me the idea. Celebrimbor always struck me as being a genius of sorts, so who else would be able to strip a modern weapon, figure out its mechanism and then come up with some way of making it work?
I have stated before to someone that Kim is not me, however, much of what is happening to her happened to me and many other female soldiers. I have been out in the field on exercise when my period started and have been unable to wash for four or five days, so these experiences that I am attributing to her, are, in fact all mine. I have to say though, that I didn't have a 'hot' guy lusting after me at the same time and to be honest it wasn't a situation conducive to romance! Kim is really out of her element just as many women who join the army are. Not all of them are 'ball busters' and behave more macho than the men, although there are a fair few who do. Unfortunately the situation for Kim will not improve terribly for the plain and simple reason that she is a woman of 2005 and not a woman of Middle-earth with all the attendant problems of inequality and the physical difficulties. The fact that she is a professional soldier, just like Gary and the Chief, doesn't weigh with the Middle-earth folk she meets up with.
LucyTia: I am very flattered that you like it and I apologise for disrupting the beta session! Yes there are a lot of personal experiences woven into the story. The character development side has come from my original fiction. One has little choice in original work but to develop characters from just an idea. I usually use composites of nearly everyone I've met. I think my friends dread it when I'm putting characters together in case they see something of themselves in them.
Reptile Lover: No problem. It can be confusing especially if you live in a different country where the rules are different. The situation would not be different if the situations were reversed. If the woman was a higher rank than the man, then she would have the quiet word in her ear and the man would have the interview without coffee!
Chapter 20 – You want me to do what?
"It is the unconquerable nature of man and
not the nature of the weapon he uses that ensures victory."
- General George Patton Jr
"Whenever you have plenty of ammo, you never miss.
Whenever you are low on ammo, you can't hit the broad side of a barn."
- Murphy's Law of Combat Operations
In the heat of battle and the ensuing cool-down of the aftermath, not even the Elves detected the presence of another being at the scene. Olorin, in non-corporeal form, watched in fascination as the person he had long known as Eonwe approached the young woman who had obviously just made her first kill.
He saw the Herald's tender gesture towards her as he cupped her chin and reassured her, he also saw the deepening of love in the dark blue eyes, although she looked too upset to notice. When she emptied the contents of her stomach all over Eonwe's boots, he smothered back a desire to laugh at the Maia's discomfiture, even though no one could have heard him.
Watching this version of Eonwe was by far the most interesting pastime. Seeing the nature of Morgoth's creation, the orc, for the first time was only marginally in second place. However, seeing the mortal's weapons in action utterly appalled him and for the first time since Varda Elentari had briefed him on his task, he totally understood the need for these hideous things to be eliminated from the equation. If they fell into the hands of Morgoth, all would be lost. Not even Eonwe, mightiest in arms among the Maiar, would be able to prevail against such weapons of mass destruction.
However, ridding Middle-earth of such things was not his appointed task. His instructions were quite clear. How to achieve them was less clear.
His gaze was drawn away from Eonwe and the woman and finally rested with the man sitting on the ground. Erestor and Melannen had cut away part of the jacket he was wearing and exposed a rather nasty, but not life-threatening, injury. The flesh had been sliced right down to the bone and the other mortal, who had a rather strange name that sounded like 'Zhim', had brought some water over from the river. He took over from Erestor and very efficiently cleaned the wound binding it with a bandage of sorts that the injured man apparently had in one of his pockets. (1). The injured man's face had a pallor that suggested loss of blood and the thin sheen of sweat indicated a fair amount of pain, yet in spite of that he bore it all with dignity and a ready smile for those helping him.
Olorin decided that he liked this mortal and a plan began to formulate in his mind.
"You should go and see to Chief Knowles." Kim wiped her eyes and took a swill of the water Gary offered her out of Chief's now battered hipflask. "He looks quite badly hurt."
He smiled at her. "He has enough competent people flapping around him without me getting in the way." He looked over at the two Elves and sighed. "I do wonder where the other guy came from though. One minute he wasn't there, the next he was. Not that I am complaining, it would have perhaps gone badly had he not arrived."
"Perhaps he was just passing by, or taking a stroll through the woods." Kim suggested.
"In a wild wood chock filled with nasty creatures? No. That's far too coincidental to my mind. He doesn't look that daft to me, and he's armed to the teeth." Gary frowned and nodded towards the crouching Melannen. "He came prepared for trouble and I think he might have been sent to look for our golden friend over there."
A strange little smile twisted Kim's mouth. "You don't like Melannen very much do you?"
Gary looked surprised. "Not like him? What gave you that idea? I neither like nor dislike him. I don't know him."
And neither do you. He wanted to finish off by saying, yet some deep intuitive part of him realised that it would totally the wrong thing to say to her. Instinctively he knew that he needed to box very clever in the subject of the Elf, but he also knew that he had already decided, against the Chief's advice, that he wanted to press his suit with her. Just not yet. It wasn't the right time. Anything he said or did could just make her hostile to him and wouldn't further his cause with her.
No, he would just grit his teeth, grin and bear it when she smiled that dazzling smile at the blond Elf. In the meantime he needed to marshal his troops and see what he could find out about the newcomer.
The first thing that met Cirdan's eye was the orc dead heaped on the ground. He reined his mount in and stared around him in disbelief. There had to have been at least twenty five to thirty dead bodies. Most bore the usual wounds inflicted by sword, knife and axe, but a group of dead were almost cut in half and their injuries were unlike anything he had seen in his long existence. The feeling of concern reared itself up into a distinct worry. If these weapons were capable of such destruction then nobody in Middle-earth would stand a chance against them.
He heard Rion's sharp intake of breath behind him and turned. The Vanyarin elf was staring at the tree line with a shocked look on his face. Cirdan followed his gaze and saw a tall man and a small fair-haired woman standing quite closely together and talking with each other. Their garb was strange to say the least, being baggy and multi-coloured in shades ranging from black to pale green reminiscent of the dappling of sun through leaves. It didn't take much intelligence or knowledge to realise that the clothing was deliberately coloured that way to make them blend into the background, but it was not that which had drawn Rion's attention.
The man was tall; in fact he dwarfed the woman beside him. He was every bit as tall as an Elf, but with a broader build. He was wide shouldered with a broad muscular chest, which narrowed down to a slim waist, but it was his face and demeanour that drew Cirdan's attention. He had the golden glow of one of the Ainur and those deep blue eyes were ancient.
Apart from his physical appearance, this man was not human in any sense of the word. Cirdan realised that he had the same ambience and aura around him as the Maia Osse who he had interacted with before and knew, in that moment, that the mortal in charge of these strange people from another place was, in fact, one of the Maiar. The look on Noruthalion's face confirmed this. He didn't look quite as shocked as Rion, he was perhaps more puzzled than anything else.
Cirdan dismounted and assessed the situation in front of him.
Erestor was still kneeling beside the injured man but Melannen's attention had now been directed towards the new arrivals. Cirdan recognised a Vanyarin elf when he saw one and this one's colouring and facial features were so reminiscent of Ingwe that he knew for sure that this was one of his sons; the one who had been captured. Cirdan sent thanks to the Valar for his safe rescue and approached him.
Melannen registered that this was a Teleri Elf and the neatly trimmed silver facial hair declared him to be Nowe who was now named Cirdan, which meant Shipwright in the Sindarin tongue after the task appointed him to remain in Middle-earth and build the ships that would ferry the Eldar to Valinor. Melannen bowed deeply to Cirdan hand over heart in the way of the Elves.
"Greetings Lord. I am Melannen son of…." He got no further before being interrupted.
"Son of Ingwe." Cirdan said gruffly. He bowed in return. "Yes, I know who you are Lord Melannen, well met. I am Cirdan. Your brother is most anxious for your safe return." Melannen smiled and the sun came out. Cirdan nodded briefly and gestured at Kim and the others. "What of these? Have you travelled with them long?"
Melannen shook his head. "Not long my Lord. They rescued me from the Orcs who were trying to take me to their master Morgoth Baugir and for that I am greatly in their debt."
Cirdan gave him one of his rare smiles. "Just 'Cirdan' will do Lord Melannen, I do not stand on ceremony. I am only a humble shipwright."
Melannen quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yet your name is known across Aman. You are Lord of the Havens of the Falas also if I am not mistaken." He grinned and suddenly looked like an elfling. "And it is Melannen an it please you to call me that."
"Melannen." Cirdan inclined his head. "The lordship of the Havens is a small role, and one which has been thrust upon me rather than looked for. Tell me what you know of these mortals and also why they should have a Maia with them."
A slightly shocked look appeared in Melannen's eyes. "You recognise him for what he is?"
Cirdan nodded. "Yes indeed. He carries the Light of the Two Trees on his face and in his eyes and the music of the Ainur is deep within him. I remember how Ingwe and the others looked when they returned from visiting the Valar. The same light shone in their eyes, yet much muted when compared with the Maiar. Osse and Uinen both shine the same way."
"Of course." Melannen breathed. "Even here in the Hither Lands you have had many dealings with the Maiar of Lord Ulmo."
"Indeed I have. It was they who taught us much of the lore and music of the sea." Cirdan acknowledged with another small smile.
Melannen glanced over at Gary who was now bending over the Chief. He could see Rion and Noruthalion still astride their horses along with the other warriors; both of whom had their eyes fixed on Gary.
He bit his lip and took Cirdan by his arm. "Cirdan I must have words with you. I believe that the man the mortals call Ga-ree is Eonwe, yet his memories seem impaired somehow. I have seen the Herald of Manwe many times and conversed with him in my father's house. I know Eonwe when I see him, yet he is with these people, he speaks their tongue and knows their weapons and does not appear to know me."
Now it was Cirdan's turn to look shocked. "Does he not understand the Elven tongue?"
Melannen shook his head. "Apart from a word or two he seems to know neither Quenya or Sindarin and I do not know the language of the Valar. He looks at me sometimes as though he does remember me and then his look changes and he seems to not know me at all. I cannot understand his presence here. Why is he here with the mortals and not leading the host? Has he handed over command to Lord Tulcas? All of these things are causing me great concern. I had hoped that with time he would remember but so far he has not." He huffed a deep sigh. "And then there is the matter of the woman, her name is Keem."
Cirdan looked over at the scruffy, dishevelled Kim in disbelief. Her eyes were red and swollen from vomiting, her hair hung in greasy tendrils around her face and her nose and cheeks were liberally smeared with black orc blood. She was hardly the epitome of Elven beauty and grace and hardly a sight to inspire a handsome Maia, one of the greatest of his kind, to fall at her feet. Instead she resembled a small and very grubby urchin.
"What of her?"
Melannen hesitated. He wasn't quite sure what to tell Cirdan about the Herald's partiality for the mortal woman or his jealousy of Melannen without sounding ridiculous. "I believe he has feelings for her." He said finally.
Cirdan frowned. "As in bonding feelings? Is she his chosen mate?"
Melannen turned a delicate shade of pink right up to the tips of his ears. "I do not believe that they have bonded with each other, but it is clear that he wishes to and he appears to resent the fact that she and I have struck up a friendship, as much as we can given the obvious language barrier."
"Bonding? A friendship?" Cirdan's silver brows reached his hairline. "You have been busy. Do you have feelings for her?"
Melannen's expression was priceless. "Indeed I have not." He said indignantly. "She is a mortal with the Gift of Men and not bound to Arda till the end of time as we are. Her lifespan is miniscule compared with that of the Eldar. To fall in love and bond with a mortal is to condemn oneself to grief and fading. We are merely friendly with each other and he does not like it at all."
Cirdan's lip twitched. "Peace Melannen. I was not making an accusation. I was just asking a question. However, if this Maiar is Eonwe as you say, then one must beg the question of why he is choosing to fall in love with a mortal whose fea will eventually fly beyond the circles of the world. The Maiar are as bound to Arda as the Eldar. More importantly we need to address the issue of why he is here and not with the main army." He looked over at Gary again and this time Gary looked back at him, his gaze steady and piercing. "This is a mystery to ponder and we may need to seek other counsel. Perhaps our two friends there can shed some light on Eonwe's behaviour and his presence here, but for now we have more pressing concerns and must take you all to Lord Gil-galad in haste. There are extra horses." He gestured to one of his warriors who dismounted and led four spare mounts over to him.
"Horses?" Kim's face blanched. "No. No horses." She took a couple of steps backwards and flapped her hands as if to emphasise the negative.
The Chief had been lifted in front of Erestor who had remounted and Jim was sitting one of the riderless horses with surprising ease. Gary decided that this young policeman was full of surprises. He himself had mounted another horse with a panache that spoke of excellence in horsemanship.
Neither Rion nor Noruthalion had attempted to speak to Gary yet and he had regarded them with little more than brief interest. With a combination of Sindarin words and sign language Cirdan, Melannen and Erestor managed to convey to Gary and the others that they would take them somewhere safe and where Chief could get some help. Had it just been Melannen or even Erestor Gary would have been unconvinced, but the older Elf had a very reassuring air about him.
The thing that finally persuaded him that they needed to go with these Elves rather than pursue Thadak and the weapons was the fact that the Chief looked as if he was fading fast. The blood loss had been much more considerable than they had thought at first and he kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Gary knew that if they didn't get some help he could well succumb.
Kim was another matter. No matter how persuasive Melannen or Jim tried to be, she obstinately refused to get on the horse that a young dark-haired elf was patiently holding for her. She had folded her arms and set her mouth in a stubborn line. Gary heaved a sigh and dismounted. He took her by her arm away from the others.
"For god's sake Sergeant, now what?" He couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice.
"I can't get on the horse." She said firmly.
Gary stared at her. "In the name of all that's holy, why the fuck not?"
"I just can't, that's all." She watched the scowl on his face deepen with some trepidation, but bravely stood her ground.
"Sergeant, I am going to give you an order and you will obey it. I am not leaving you here and you are not walking while everyone else rides because it will slow us down. Chief Knowles needs help; they probably have healers of some kind. I'm not going to let him bleed to death just because you're having a hissy fit over climbing on a horse." He stabbed his finger at the inoffensive animal. "Now get on the fucking horse…. oh for crying out loud Kim, don't bloody cry. Please."
The dam had burst and the flood of emotion produced from the past few days welled up and overflowed. She tried desperately to control the tears and the wobbling lip but it was no good. The sobs hiccuped out of her and Gary stood by helplessly in the manner of all males who simply don't understand why the bladders of the female gender are so close their eyeballs.
Melannen moved as if to intervene but Cirdan stopped him. "Let him handle it my friend."
"Kim." Gary's voice was gentle. "Why can't you get on the horse? Tell me. If you're afraid of horses it's okay. You can ride with me. I won't let you fall, I promise."
The gentle tone had the effect of calming her down much to Gary's relief. The sobs diminished to sniffles and Gary's mouth twitched with laughter when she wiped her face and nose on her already filthy sleeve.
"I'm not afraid of horses." She sniffed.
"Then what is it?" He persisted.
Her mood changed so abruptly that it made his head spin. "I'm bleeding okay? I'm in a mess because I have my period." She folded her arms and glared at him. "Satisfied? I'm a dumb girl and I have what all dumb girls have and I have no tampons or anything to stop the blood."
Gary blinked. "Oh Christ Kim, why on earth didn't you say something?"
"Because you all think I'm a dim-witted, stupid female and everyone knows that squaddies think female solders are a waste of space and menstruation is one good reason why they think that." It all came out in one rushed breath.
"I've never said that you were dim-witted or stupid." The protest left Gary's mouth before he could stop it. "And you can't help being female. We could have come up with something." He finished lamely.
"And then everyone would have known that I had my period. It's a personal thing Mister Clever Major Matthews. I don't want everyone to know that it's my time of the month. It's humiliating."
Gary's mind turned to practical matters despite the desire to take her in his arms and comfort her like a lover would. Keep focussed Gary. He told himself. You can't afford to let your emotions run wild. "How bad is it?" He asked out loud.
"I'm in a terrible mess." She admitted. "Riding the horse would make it worse."
Gary thought for a moment then he walked over to Erestor's horse and gently touched the semi-conscious Chief. The Chief looked up through glazed eyes. "Chief I'm sorry, but I need to know if you have another field dressing about your person." Gary said softly.
The Chief managed a weak chuckle. "As it happens I do. It's in the inside pocket. I was hanging on to them for Kim. Is she okay?"
Gary reached up, felt in the pocket and pulled out the dressing. It was still wrapped in its protective packaging. "She's fine, just a bit upset with having to tell a strange nasty man that she has a personal problem. Try not to worry about her; I'll look after her. Just conserve your energy."
The Chief's head slumped back against Erestor's chest and the Elf's strong grip tightened around him in firm support.
Gary took the dressing over to Kim and handed it to her. "Will this do? The Chief had two field dressings in his pocket but we had to use one for his arm." He pointed to a thick clump of bushes in amongst the trees. "Go in there and sort yourself out. I'll stand guard."
She nodded and headed off in the direction of the bushes.
None of the mounted Elves had said anything during the whole minor fiasco. They showed no impatience with Kim, only sympathy, almost as if they completely understood her dilemma, although Gary was hard put to see how they would have understood.
A few minutes later a slightly relieved Kim emerged and Gary re-mounted his horse. He reached down and held his hand out for her. She looked hesitantly over at the Elf holding the other horse. Gary turned and smiled at the Elf and gestured that she would ride with him. The Elf inclined his head with a smile and led the spare horse back to where his own mount awaited him.
Kim sat within the comforting strength of Gary's arms and tried not to think about the fact that a gorgeous man was holding her or that she must be stinking to high heaven. All she knew was that for the first time in days, she felt safe.
"How can he be here before us? We left him with the host just few leagues from Lord Gil-galad's camp. " Rion whispered to Noruthalion who shrugged.
"I know not. He is a Maia; they are capable of many things that are beyond our comprehension. What concerns me more is the 'why' rather than the 'how'."
Rion frowned. "Perhaps he does not trust us to carry it out, but if that is the case why does he not acknowledge either of us?"
Noruthalion's light laughter rippled out of him. "There must be something amiss then since he would hardly ignore his young protégé!"
"I am not." Rion's face turned as red as fire. "Is that what people are saying? That he shows me special favour?"
Noruthalion chuckled. "Well does he not? He picked you out of an army of thousands to be his messenger." His expression became grave. "To be serious, I do not believe that this is the Eonwe that we know. I think this Maia is masquerading as Eonwe for some reason that we are not privy to."
Rion grew pale. "Then he must have been sent from the enemy. We should unmask him before he harms anyone."
"I sense no evil or shadow in him." Noruthalion said calmly. "I do not believe he is from the enemy and neither does Lord Cirdan and he is an ancient and wise Elf Lord. There has to be another reason for his presence and the masquerade. I think it will be better if we wait and see. Let us keep our own counsel, but be vigilant. If he means harm then he will give himself away soon enough."
Rion nodded. "Yes, you are right. Perhaps the situation will change once we get back to the host. This impostor will not wish to come face to face with the one he is impersonating."
(1) The bandage Chief Knowles was carrying was a field dressing, which consists of a gauze pad with a long gauze bandage attached to it. They are normally carried in the soldier's webbing and are used for immediate battlefield first aid, usually as pressure bandages.