Okay so I'm a terrible terrible person for not writing in so long please don't hurt me I love you guys...
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Edoras had been completely abandoned. Not a single soul occupied the houses that surrounded the palace. What few men had been left to guard the palace must have heard, Grima mused. But it hadn't been ruined, not in the slightest, everything was as it was and shuld be. The air was positively erie. That didn't matter.
"Anything you find in the houses is yours." Grima addressed his men. "But the palace belongs to me." He added, fully establishing early on that he intended to stay in charge.
"And just why should you get it?" A goblin man stepped out from the motley crew, growling and taking an aggressive posture.
"Because I actually know how to spell my name." Grima retorted. "And I happen to know that a select number of you lot couldn't lead a parade."
A heavy silence fell on the company, as they stood in the courtyard of Edoras, made dreary by the overcast clouds. The Goblin spoke,
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" The scimitar in the goblins sheath was freed of its prison, and pointed right in Grima's face.
He looked down the length of the scimitar, crooked, rusty, old. There were many things that struck fear into Grima Wormtongue, son of Galmod. But most of those things had blonde hair and a significantly larger physique. Most of those things were also dead.
"I would strongly advise that you not." The self-appointed leader of the group held a hand out to Draugen, who placed a daggar in it. His own sword, surely, would be overkill. Reluctantly, the scimitar lowered it's position. Grima made to turn and walk away before saying, "And one more thing?"
The goblin turned, mouth open, perhaps to say something. Regardless of the intentions of that open mouth, they did not come to fruition as the Goblin's cheek was split open, his face and the ground beneath him most immediately pooling into blood puddles.
"Just in case anyone else had any ideas." Grima said. "Now go and take your spoils of war!" He shouted to the company and they obeyed. All except Draugen, who stayed behind.
"That... was quite the display." Draugen commented, watching the others scatter to find treasures hidden within the houses surrouding.
"My father once told me, 'Grima, if ever you have to lead a pack of madmen, the only way to get them to respect you and follower your orders is to be madder and more unpredictable than they.'"
"It works." Draugen mused. After a short silence between the two, Grima said,
"Draugen, can I ask a favour of you?"
"Of course."
Grima moved closer to his friend and lowered his voice a bit. "In the mountains, near where we stayed after crossing the gap of Rohan..." Draugen nodded in understanding. "There's a woman who lives in the mountains there. Now, I would very much appreciate it if you would bring her to me." He explained. "Alive." Grima hastily added.
"Very well."
"And when you return, I'd like for you to take your place as second-in-command. We shall rule this country together."
Draugen cracked a rare smile. "Of course."
Grima smiled back. Things would work out just fine here, he thought.
And as time moved on, and many a man would come looking for King Theoden, it never felt less than perfect to say,
"I am King of Rohan now."
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Aragorn, Logolas, and Haldir had done their best to warn the country-men. With Aragorn and Legolas stll battle weary, and Haldir both battle weary and damaged internally beyond repair, it had been quite difficult. They had been lucky in their travels. A kind woman, the wife of a farmer they met, had at least stitched him up. Yet still his stomach and intestines had ben marred not beyond working condition, but beyond repair. He'd never be the same. A very serious injury, especially with elves' notoriety for healing well and fast.
The plan was to go to Gondor and warn there also, perhaps help rally an army. However, the small company was discouraged, and had switched their main priority to reconnecting with Gandalf, wherever the Wizard could be. They tred a path around Rohan, surely he could not have gone out of the country by now. They moved in the direction of Helm's Deep, wishful thinking.
Haldir wasn't happy about the decision.
Then again, he was never happy these days.
And Legolas, no one knew about Legolas these days. Once perceptive and alert, he had become very drawn in. It made Aragorn want to weep. It was as if the dark energy that had swept over the land since the defeat was penetrating their souls and sucking the life out of them.
Arwen hadn't come to Aragorn since. Not in a dream, nothing.
His love had abandoned him, the world was quickly going to shit.
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Eomer had elected to go back to Meduseld. It made little sense to stay near Helm's Deep, where surely the company had already been seen, and risk attack. Far easier, he had decided, to plan for war in a palace than on the plains or in the mountains. Gandalf rode next to him, silently. He had decided for himself that anything he could say to try to console the young man would not help. Eomer was on a mission now, and his autonomy would not cease until every orc and Goblin were dead and Mordor was a pile of dust. So, on they rode to Edoras, the noble Rohirrim.
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Kaali was having a rought time indeed, finding this Edoras place. She had not ever been there. All she ever remembered were the stories Gareth had told her, about the golden halls, the open spaces, the men all blonde. She remembered telling Gareth he was stupid, only elves were blonde; she'd never seen a blonde man in her life.
Regardless, Edoras sounded awful.
She wondered why Grima would ever want it.
But Grima always did have strange tastes.
She wandered the wilderness, her trip not made any easier by the fact that Rokka would not help her find her way. Would it be blasphemy to call a God useless?
She had finallly stumbled out of mountain country, which was a start, but all that was left was vast unkepmt prarie least Grima had told her that meant she was close.
Yet, she could very faintly hear people talking. Perhaps, she thought, they would know where to go. Better to wait and see, Kaali thought. Keeping to the shadows, she crept closer to hear the conversation. If there was one thing she hated, it was fact the forest elves had been blessed with better senses.
"We'll camp here, and set out in the morning. I have faith that by afternoon tomorrow, we'll be at the city."
"I'm sure we'll be a sight for those guards King Theoden left, are you not?"
"I am certain."
It was clear these men were heading to the same place she was trying to get to. A large company of men. It was bad news, but she needed to get to Edoras. Coming out of hiding, she walked around a large stone, separating her from the mystery company. All blonde men she saw, and was afraid. Grasping her staff, she gripped the talisman she kept around her neck, hoping Rokka would protect her. Surely if she made a run for it, it would make too much noise, as the other side of the boulder had gone silent, save for dull murmurs and the quick, heavy beat of her heart.
"What is it, Gandalf?" One said.
Gandalf the Grey. She knew the name. He was very powerful, she knew, she only hoped her Gods were more powerful than the wizard.
"Another is here." He said. She waited and listened in a panic.
She wasn't sure when or just how quick she was dragged out of her hiding space, but when she regained the ability to think, she was on the ground beneath the staff end of a White Wizard.
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Thank you friends! I am glad you all are reading.
I might feel as if the first part Grima was a bit OOC. But I guess my reasoning is that we have already seen that he can be aggressive (IE in the canon story when Gandlaf first arrives at Edoras and he thinks he's in the position to lord over the city, yeah?), so why not?
Anyway, I dun got you all a chapter and I'm super duper very sorry for the (What was it weeks? Months?) long wait! I suck.
At least we get to check up on most of our lovely characters. Except Dagaz, still trying to fit him in somewhere... I'll shut up now. 3