Kaali felt around for her staff, she was unable to grasp it. Her most important source of power lay halfway across the encampment. She let her fingers splay out in the air, about to will it to come to her before the atmosphere around her darkened.
"You touch that staff, I can't be responsible for what happens next." The newly White Wizard said to her. Strange, she thought, that a White Wizard would darken the sky.
Kaali laughed bitterly. "It's high time we saw each other again isn't it, staff-bearer?"
"Gandalf, do you know this woman?" Eomer stepped forward slightly, unsure of how to react to the Wizard being so suddenly aggressive, and Kaali's strange reaction. Surely she wasn't from anywhere near, her clothes revealed her chest and shoulders, all in black, she wore no cloak, and had all manners of tattoos. Her hair was white and had a bit shaven from both sides, and her ears, though pointed, were far longer than any elf he'd ever seen.
"This is no woman. This is Shaman Kaali of Dunland. She, on her own, is not so powerful. However, she is espoused to the God Rokka. Everywhere she goes his predisposition to disaster follows, and nothing good can come of her presence here." Gandalf explained. Eomer knew little of Rokka, he belonged to a pantheon of Gods that belonged to the Dunlandings, but they learned of it from Orcs. Many stayed very far away from mentioning Rokka and those types.
"I am not here to let him terrorize you, Gandalf." Kaali assured.
"I've learned not to trust Mountain Elves."
"I was on my way across the country, to a place called Edoras." Whatever it was about that statement, it was inflammatory. Gasps and murmurs could be heard about her and Gandlaf, the two of the in stillness. He seemed distracted, and after a quick nod between him and some man she could not see, he no longer stood above her. She was afraid to get up. However, she certainly wasn't going to stay on the ground. Not with that Wizard so near. Wizards liked those fancy wood elves. There's nothing a mountain elf could give them that they would want.
Upon standing, she noticed all eyes were on one man, tall, blonde like the rest, but she could read his authority. He must lead these men.
"What business have you going to Edoras?" He demanded.
"My brother is there, or, he should be anyway."
"We haven't any Mountain Elves among our people, I'm very sorry but you'll have to leave this land now."
"My brother is not a Mountain Elf. He is my half-brother, and our mother was human, but I don't ever care for the idea of 'Half-siblings'."
"What is your half-brother's name?"
Kaali gritted her teeth. This man was trying to anger her now, she could tell. Grima was her brother. He was. It didn't matter that they didn't share a father. She answered, keeping her composure, "Grima." Now was not the time to be angry. Now was the time to put her head down and acquiesce and pray she didn't say the wrong thing and get herself killed.
The leader of the company immediately grabbed her by the arm, rather roughly, and growled, "I'll need to talk to her in private, Gandalf." He said.
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Eomer led her far, far away from the encampment. They stood in a little hollow, fairly sheltered from all views. He still held onto her, and upon reaching the hollow, threw her against a nearby rock.
"Tell me about Grima." He yelled.
Kaali felt her stomach lurch. This was a bad situation.
"He told me he had gotten into some trouble, made a deal with a Wizard. I can walk right into his dreams if it's an emergency, it's shaman thing, you know. Anyway, I told him that was dangerous, wizards are bad news." The man reached for the hilt of his sword, but didn't unsheathed. She remembered Gandalf. I really should think before I speak, she thought. But off she went again, "Especially that rat bastard Saruman." He seemed significantly less offended by that one. "Anyway, Grima said that if he made the King of Rohan into a vessel for Saruman's use, he himself would soon become King. And something about the King's niece. I warned him he'd be double-crossed. But wizards avoid me like men avoid plague, so he asked me to look for him at Edoras in about a month, and if he was not there, go for Saruman. Trouble is, I cannot find my way."
The man nodded. "You knew." He sounded level, but he made her uneasy.
Kaali nodded.
"You let it happen. You've helped your brother usurp the natural order of things."
Kaali laughed. "Fuck the natural order of things. Grima wanted the crown and he took it, I hope. I'm proud of him."
He was silent. She could feel anger radiating from him. It permeated her personal space.
After a long moment of stillness, Kaali backed away, saying, "I think I had better go now. My brother needs me."
"Wait!" He bellowed, coming closer to her. She found herself frozen, unable to run, she just backed away. "You say you can contact him in emergencies."
Kaali said nothing. He lunged at her and she hardly cried out before cold steel tore into her right side.
"It's Grima's fault my sister is dead." He whispered, coming near to her, pressing her body against another rock, twisted the sword. He leaned in, their heads almost touching. "Is this enough of an emergency?" Kaali only groaned.
"Tell your brother Eomer is coming for him."
She just nodded, and the sword was ripped out of her body. She fell to the ground, and heard footsteps walking away. Her vision darkened, she could only barely see the grass and dirt infront of her as her blood left her body.
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"Eomer, where is Kaali?" Gandalf asked.
"I sent her on her way back to Dunland."
"You set her free?"
"I told her Grima was dead, that I saw him die. Some trouble making wise woman is the last thing we need, don't you agree?" Eomer said tersely.
"I suppose. Suspicious that she left her staff, though, Eomer." Gandalf eyed Eomer, almost sure he was lying. He couldn't possibly have... could he? But how could Gandalf investigate without invalidating Eomer's judgement?
"She informed me she can summon it any time, and she really didn't care to come back here.
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Dagaz heard the new King was nuts. Then again, he had heard that from Surtr, and sometimes Surtr could be a damn liar. Nonetheless, it would be smart to get on his good side. After all, weren't they all working toward a similar goal? Power? Perhaps varying degrees of it, but the ambitious have to stick together.
This world needed a new order.
He and his men made their way to Edoras. Dagaz was fairly confident in himself, surely This new King, Grima was his name, would be easier to please than Saruman.
He knew he'd kept that girl for a good reason.
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Grima?
Kaali?
They are coming.
Who is coming?
.
.
.
Kaali?
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That was for all you Dagaz lovers out there, even though he was only in there for a little bit, because he seems fairly popular. ( I'm really trying to get him back in the story, heh.)
Also, I feel like everyone and their douchebag brother is going to Edoras right now, so let me clear up why they aren't all bumping into each other and tearing the fuck out of each other.
Eomer & Gandalf: heading in from the North
Aragorn & Co: Coming from the South
Dagaz & Co: Coming from the Northwest
Kaali: Should have been coming from Northwest but ran into Eomer as a result of being hella lost
Draugen: Going to the Northwest, so would only ever run into Dagaz, and there's no reason for them to fight
There we go, clear some of that up. Thanks for reading!