Hey everyone, look who's finally updated!
This chapter is a little longer than our previous ones, and we hope you enjoy it.
Cerys & Zoe xx
Celandine looked round the keep for Pippin. She desperately wanted to be with kinsmen in an hour such as this. Wizards and mourning city folk were of no comfort to her. Finally she heard his voice. Coming from the stewards chambers. She hesitated outside the door. Much as she wanted Pippin's company she was loath to spend even a second more in the presence of the steward. Something inside her perceived that he was a desperate man, blackened by grief and despair, blinded by insanity. A toxic combination. She pressed her eye to the gap in the door, her eyes pricked and alert.
The steward was hunched over his table, his clawed hands bringing food up to his grizzled face. He turned and for a heart stopping moment Celandine thought he was looking to her.
"Can you sing Master Hobbit?"
Celandine breathed again. He was addressing Pippin. She wondered how he would reply.
""Well, yes. At least, well enough for my own people. But, we have no songs for great halls and… evil times."
Indeed. Celandine could recall no hobbit ditty appropriate for such a dark occasion. They were all about fresh air and frivolousness, qualities lacking in this imposing tower.
"And why should your songs be unfit for my halls?" the steward asked, in a tone that bordered on offended "Come, sing me a song." It was no longer a request.
Taking a breath, Pippin began to sing.
"Home is behind. The world ahead. And there are many paths to tread"
Celandine sighed achingly. Pippin had chosen the oldest, most solemn song that hobbit folk knew. Their funeral song. Her mind was suddenly filled with images of soldiers, shining silver in the waning twilight, thundering forward on horseback.
Pippin's lament continued "through shadow, to the edge of night. Until the stars are all alight"
Celandine sank against the door, her face pressed to the cold wood.
"Mist and shadow. Cloud and shade. All shall fade. A-a-ll sh-aa-ll... fade"
Both Celandine and Pippin bowed their heads, overcome. Red ran down Denethor's chin as he devoured his meal.
The Mountain pass
Aragorn walked slowly through the encampment, in search of his horse. The man admitted that the feeling was strange, the feeling of not having his companions beside him. But he knew that he had to complete this task alone. It was time to accept his blood, and what that meant.
However, unknown to him, his companions had other ideas.
Bee had taken it upon herself to let the dwarf and the elven prince know of Aragorn's newly planned journey. The thought of once again escaping the annoying pain in her side that was Arbellason made her smile happily. And of course she had no quarrel with leaving the overly crowded encampment.
Now she found herself sat beside the dwarf whom she had once despised, comfortable waiting for Aragorn to arrive. A borrowed horse stood beside her wearily as it watched the mountains entrance, as if it knew it would soon enter it.
They saw Aragorn approach, stepping into the moonlight and stopping to saddle up his horse. They would have moved to approach him were it not for another figure who got there first. Eowyn, the rohanian shield maiden. She walked with hastened strides and her face registered earnest distress. Not wanting to intrude, the three stayed back. It was a cool calm night and even lowered voices fall clearly on elven ears. It was in this way they heard what was spoken.
"Why are you doing this?" The shieldmaiden's voice was breathy and thin as she rushed to his side. "the war lies to the east, you cannot leave on the eve of battle."
Aragorn turned to her, the look on his face prompting her to add "you cannot abandon the men"
Aragorn shook his head and went to move away. She would not let him go so easily "We need you here"
"Why have you come?" He asked. He knew it was not because of the men.
"Do you not know?" She sounded wounded.
The elves saw the depths of Aragorn's sadness, printed clear as day in his eyes. "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek"
She backed away, as if retreating from the statement, hoping to escape it.
"I have wished you joy since first I saw you" He touched a hand to her face before turning to leave.
Bee and Legolas hung their heads, embarrassed to have been privy to such an intimate and painful conversation. Gimli of course was just confused, for he had no elven hearing.
"What are they saying?"
"Shh!" both elves turned and shushed him sharply.
Gimli grumbled to himself, muttering about the rudeness of elves. The three soon became silent as Aragorn began his walk towards them, his head low in thought. The man knew he had hurt the young woman's feelings, but it had to be done. For his heart belonged to another.
Aragorn's line of thought was broken as the gruff voice of a dwarf sounded beside him "Just where do you think you're off to?"
The ranger did not look at all surprised to see the dwarf before him "Not this time. This time you must stay, Gimli."
"Mm." Was the only reply he was given, the sound almost saying that the dwarf had no intention of staying behind. Before Aragorn could move on with his quest two horses came up either side of him both accompanied by the elves. Both horses where clad in armour, and saddled and It now became apparent to Aragorn that the she elf had told them everything. This thought was confirmed by the smug look upon Bee's face.
Legolas stepped forward clutching his reins "Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?"
"You might as well accept it. We're going with you, laddie." Aragorn couldn't help but smile, even now his friends chose to risk their lives and join him on another quest. Taking his silence as his consent the two elves mounted their horses, Gimli was next as Legolas lifted the dwarf up onto the saddle.
"Well come on then. If we don't go now the battle will be over before we even get there" Bee said, adjusting her bow across her back. Not needing to be told twice, Aragorn swung himself onto Brego and the company rode off towards the cleft. The men exited their tents and watched in shock as the small company rode through the encampment, none had to ask their purpose for they all ready knew. They were leaving. They watched in awe as the four entered the cleft and into the darkness, not answering the calls of the men calling after them.
The pillars of rock rose around them like fingers ready to crush them. The slate colour of the crevice seemed to drain all other colors and make them pallid.
"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" Gimli asked looking around in dread and disbelief.
"One that is cursed" Legolas told him "Long ago, the men of the mountains swore an oath to the last king of Gondor, to come to his aid, to fight."
"But when the time came..." Bee said, picking up the well known story. "... when Gondor's need was dire, they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain"
"And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge." Legolas finished. Bee recalled something else of the story, a prophesy that had accompanied it, and began to utter it "Who shall call them from the grey twilight? The forgotten people." The air seemed to flash white and grey, her voice echoing in the air. "The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the north shall he come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the doors to the Paths of the Dead."
The wind echoed in the maw of the rocks. Cold willowy branches reached out to them, cruel hands that seek to steal and destroy, the fingers of the dead. They dismounted and led their horses closer to the entrance.
"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away" Gimli whispered to himself.
Legolas looked up, reading the scrawl above the door "The way is shut. It is made by those who are dead. And the dead keep it. The way is shut."
A ghostly breath, like a dying moan, rushed from the mouth of the abyss. It rushed over the horses like liquid fear, inciting them into frenzy. They broke away from the company, bolting in terror. They called after them but it was in vain. They were gone. They looked nervously round at each other, except Aragorn who steeled himself. "I do not fear death" No one disbelieved it. Without hesitation he walked forward into the darkness, sword in hand. Legolas took a breath and followed after him.
Gimli's eyes widened. "Well this is a thing unheard of. A elf will go underground where a dwarf dare not"
Bee smiled "You'll never hear the end of it."
Gimli grimaced and rushed forward. Bee followed him.
The company went further into the ground, Aragorn on point leading them into the unknown. A torch grasped tightly in his hand. Bee eyed the floor in disgust seeing it littered with the skulls of the dead, this was not how she wanted to spend her time. Underground with little to look at other than the remains of the dead.
Legolas looked into a cavern unblinking, "What is it? What do you see?" Gimli asked nervously looking around as if something were going to jump out at him.
"I see shapes of men" he answered "and of horses."
Gimli looked around once more as if to try and see what only Elven eyes could "Where?" he questioned.
"Don't worry its not something many would want to see" Bee offered then muttering to herself "They're ugly bastards anyway."
Legolas continued not one to be discouraged "Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter-thickets through a shroud of mist." Aragorn looked back a Legolas almost tempted to tell him to be quiet, the deeper they went the more unsettled he had become, and the elf was not all helping.
"The dead are following" This time Bee had joined him both seeing the swirling mist in the shapes of men coming closer to their position.
"They have been summoned."
Gimli spun in fear "The dead? Summoned?" trying to compose himself he added "I knew that" he laughed humourlessly to himself. "Very good" it wasn't until he had turned around that he realised the rest of his company had moved on without him. "Very Good! Legolas!" he took off after them not knowing that his friends were already within the clutches of the dead.
Bee moved cautiously through the mass of smoke that was the dead, their hands coming up from the mass, touching her. It seemed she was not the only one, Aragorn and Legolas seemed to be in the same position as she, trying not to panic as they were caressed by the hands of the dead.
The sudden crunching did not go unnoticed by the company as they continued to walk through the smoke "Do not look down" Aragorn warned.
Gimli however was the only one not to take heed, peeing down below him and seeing that with every step that he took he was walking on the skulls of the dead. They all sped up their pace, weaving in and out of the rocks not wanting to soil the graves of the dead any longer than they had too. Gimli decided that he no longer liked his position at the pack of the group and pushed past Bee rather rudely, the crunching of skulls echoed In his quick paced overtaking. Not soon enough they came to an opened space which appeared to be the centre of what looked like a town.
"Who enters my domain?" a voice questioned, the voice was that of an aged man. The image of a man took form in front of them, his clothes ragged and torn as they flowed out effortlessly behind him.
"One who will have your allegiance" was Aragorn's reply, and fear that the man had was not shown as he addressed the dead. Gimli jumped slightly at the sight of the ghostly man that had appeared before them, but his pride would not let him show it.
The ghost seemed to find Aragorn's words amusing "The dead do not suffer the living to pass."
"You will suffer me" Aragorn told him, his voice demanding compliance. It was now that he sounded like a King. This amused the dead King, as he tipped back his head and laughed. The sound began to echo and it soon began apparent that he was not the only one laughing as more shapes of men became visible around them.