Isolde left under the veil of night. She had almost been caught a few times, but Merry and Pippin were able to distract any guards that crossed her path. As Isolde came to the edge of the forest, she turned back one last time to gaze upon her home. A few tears escaped her eyes, but thoughts of her father pushed her onward.
She kept to the forest, running her horse most of the night, only stopping when she saw the lights of the armies' camps. She rested for a few hours, keeping her horse and herself, well out of sight. When morning came, Isolde unpacked her stuff, and dressed herself in armor. She rubbed some dirt onto her face, before hiding the rest of it under her helmet. She reached for the sword that Merry had packed and stopped short when she recognized the hilt. She remembered gazing at it many times from where it had hung in her father's chambers. It once belonged to her mother. She looked at the recently sharpened blade and, looking up, thought up a silent blessing for Merry before tying it around her waist. When she decided she looked enough like a man, she mounted her horse, waiting. When the horns finally blasted, and soldiers started to assemble, she snuck out of the woods and lined herself up besides a nervous looking soldier. She recognized him as one she had sparred with many times. His name was Merin. He coughed nervously.
"Is this your first battle?" She asked quietly, deepening her voice.
"As a matter of fact, it is," He replied, looking straight ahead. "And it's an honor to be fighting it alongside you milady," he whispered, glancing at her sword. Isolde looked up, shocked. He gave her a reassuring smile and pressed a gloved finger to his lips, letting her know he would not turn her in. She returned the smile and faced forward. Her heart caught in her chest a bit when she saw a dark cloud of goblins moving steadily towards them. King Ellesar began to shout a rousing speech, though Isolde heard very little of it. She was too busy listening to the shrieks of the goblins and staring at their gnashing teeth and dark eyes. She only felt her eyes drawn back to Ellesar when he ran his horse past and glanced in her direction. She looked down, hiding her fearful expression. He passed quickly and as Isolde looked up again, she caught sight of Eldarion. She suddenly thought of how this might be her last chance to speak with him, and as much as she wanted to ride alongside him, she resisted. The sudden shouts of her comrades snapped her out of her trancelike state and she kicked her horse into action. The battle had begun.
Isolde found herself surrounded by goblins. Their ugly faces sneered up at her as she kicked at them and trampled them under the strong legs of her horse. She quickly found her courage and cut the head off of another. A short while later she was thrown from her horse as one of the goblins attacked it. Isolde fought mercilessly, hacking at any foe she came up against. She only paused when a piercing shriek tore through the air. Isolde yelled in pain, covering her ears with her hands, looking skyward. She saw a grotesque, dragon-like creature land amidst the battle, not far from where she was. On top of the beast was Aglaramarth. Isolde ran toward the queen and her winged monster, shoving aside any goblin that got in her way. As she neared the clearing made by the creature, she saw at once what had caught the witch's eye. Eldarion and King Ellesar fought nearby. Isolde sprang into action, stabbing her blade deep into the side of the monster. It let out a horrific roar and with a swipe of its tail, flung Isolde to the ground, knocking her helmet off. Isolde laid there, stunned by the blow. When she came to her senses, she saw that the queen and her beast were now facing her and that her sword was out of reach.
"Well, well, well," The queen said, smiling mockingly, "It appears that my little warrior has come to fight. I'm so proud," Her creature let out a snarl and stepped forward. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it, what with your father and the rest of the world against it. Glad to see it all worked out. I am so eager to hear your screams of pain," The creature took another step and Isolde scrambled toward her sword. Suddenly, another soldier stepped in between the two. Isolde recognized his voice immediately.
"I won't let you harm her!" He shouted.
"Out of my way, you pathetic boy!" The queen scowled, a disgusted look on her face. When he stood his ground, she let out a command in a dark tongue that Isolde couldn't understand. The monster beneath the witch lurched forward, snapping its jaws at the young soldier. He dived out of the way and stabbed the beast at the base of its neck repeatedly. The monster roared again before finally falling dead. The queen slid off the lifeless creature and looked sharply at the young man. Cursing him in the foulest language of middle-earth she raised her arm up and twisted her clawed fingers. The soldier's neck snapped viciously.
"Merin!" Isolde screamed, watching in horror as his limp body fell to the ground. She looked up at the queen, who smiled wickedly.
"Stupid boy," she muttered, turning her back on his body. Isolde glared at the witch, a new feeling of hatred boiling inside of her. She picked up her mother's sword and slowly advanced on Aglaramarth.
At the same time, Faramir, who had been knocking on Isolde's chamber door for some time, let himself in. He looked around, shocked to find it empty. His eyes were drawn to some light strips of cloth sticking out from beneath her bed. As both Isolde's steps and Faramir's heart quickened, Isolde's arms raised the sword above her head; Faramir, the broken splint and ripped bandages to his chest. As he let out a horrified sob, she let out a furious scream. At the last second, the queen turned, connecting her blade with Isolde's. The queen smiled and murmured,
"So it begins,"
Almost there everyone! Just stick with it. The chapter that I've been itching to write for some time now is coming up next! Let me know what you think so far.