Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

by E4me100

The world has changed. With the absence of the Fellowship, Sauron's power has been growing in ways that none could ever have imagined. Destruction and doom are on the horizon, and with the assistance of Kaia, Kathryn, and Erin, the Fellowship must now race to complete the mission they once left behind. Part 2 in a series (obviously). Self-inserts. Not the plot you'd expect.

21. A Cry For Help

A/N: Happy late birthday dearest Kathryn 333 Sorry I'm a shit author who doesn't update regularly D:

Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-One

Erin's POV

"Aragorn!" I rounded the bend of a hallway in the citadel, jogging up to the dark-haired ranger. "Aragorn!" The man stopped and turned to face me as I caught up to him, eyebrows raised. "I, uh...I meant to talk to you." I started walking again, and he matched my pace. Ever since we'd entered Minas Tirith, the subject had been burning in the back of my mind, but I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Aragorn in private to discuss it. Once Gandalf had dismissed us from our initial meeting in the main hall of the citadel, I'd been determined to speak with the elusive ranger.

"What is on your mind?" he asked politely.

I exhaled. "Okay. This might be kind of awkward coming from me since we're not really that close, but I'm going to ask you anyway." I lowered my voice to make sure no one else would hear and watched him carefully. "...What are you going to do about this whole 'reclaiming the throne of Gondor' business? Is that still a thing?" Immediately, he bristled, and I regretted ever opening my mouth. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I slowed, preparing to head back the way I'd come. "I'll just go, you don't have to-"

"No, Erin..." His voice stopped me. "It's alright, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"...Okay," I said. "You just looked...not happy about me asking you that."

He sighed. "It is not your curiosity that upsets me." His gaze dropped to the floor. "In truth, I do not know what to do. Part of me wishes to continue on with the quest and never return to Minas Tirith, leaving everything in Faramir's hands. But another part of me knows that I cannot turn away from my own birthright."

And then it hit me. "Wait. You don't have the sword, do you? The sword of the king?"

He shook his head. "No, I do not. Lord Elrond offered to reforge it while we were in Rivendell before setting off on this quest, but...I did not accept it."

I frowned. "And there's no way for you to get it now?"

Aragorn shook his head again. "No. Elrond's people are leaving these shores for Valinor. There would likely be none left in Rivendell by this time."

I looked at him for a moment, genuinely feeling for the man. "Aragorn, I...I know that I can't even begin to imagine what kind of burden that must be on you. I'm sorry that you have to carry such a huge weight on your shoulders."

His stormy blue eyes met mine, and I could see the weariness in them. "It is one that I have never wanted. I do not want the power of a king."

"I get that," I nodded. "It's a lot of pressure." A pause, and then I spoke again. "But, for what it's worth...you'd be one of the best kings this world has ever seen."

He tried on a smile that didn't fit. "Thank you for your consolations, Erin, but-"

"It's not a consolation," I interrupted, now slowly starting to back away. "It's me having faith in you." Quickly, before the ranger could reply, I turned and hurried back down the corridor. He seemed more discouraged about taking over Gondor now than he had been in the movies, and that bothered me. Faramir was a great guy and all, but it was Aragorn that deserved to wear the crown. The people of Gondor needed a true king. Someone to unite them. And seeing how far those Men had already fallen...it seemed like Aragorn might be the only man left alive who could do that.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

"What now is to be done?" I looked to Boromir as he spoke from where he stood with his brother and Éomer next to the throne. "The road to Mordor will not likely be easy in any way."

"It will be difficult, yes," Gandalf agreed from beside me, "but the quest to destroy the Ring must see its end. The question now becomes this: which path shall we take?"

"I would not advise you approach from the north," Faramir said. "Our scouts report that the Enemy uses many of those mountain passes to funnel his foul creatures in and out of Mordor. Those entrances will be heavily guarded."

"What of the south?" Éomer cut in. "I have heard the men speak of tunnels that run beneath the mountains at the Crossings of Poros."

But Aragorn shook his head. "That would be miles upon miles of extra travel. We cannot afford to waste such time, nor do we have the provisions for such a long journey."

"We would provide you with food and water," Faramir countered. "That is no large expense."

"Still, it is a route we cannot take. We must reach Mordor as quickly as possible."

Gandalf nodded. "Aragorn is right. We cannot take the southern paths, nor can we infiltrate the Black Lands from the north..."

"Then what choice do we have?" Boromir asked with a slight scoff. "We cannot simply march up to the Black Gate and expect to be let in!"

"No," Gandalf agreed. "We must find another way in."

For a few precious seconds, dead silence fell over the room. I glanced around, noticing the equally puzzled looks on everyone's faces, waiting until someone finally spoke up.

"...What about the pass that's near where the Nazgûl are at?"

All ten of us turned to Kaia, with most of the men looking at her like she'd gone insane. "What? It could totally work! Oh God, I can't remember...what's the name of the spooky green place? Erin, help me out."

"Minas Morgul," the brunette answered quietly from beside her.

"Yeah!" Kaia exclaimed. "Yeah, that's it! The pass next to Minas Morgul. Couldn't we use that?"

"Are you mad?" Boromir openly gaped. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"Uhh, no, actually! I'm trying to get us all into Mordor without being seen!"

"And you think that's the best route we could take? Trying to sneak past some of the most evil beings in all of Middle-Earth, second only to Sauron himself?!"

"If you can come up with something better, then by all means, go ahead," Kaia shot back. "But according to you guys, we need to get to Mount Doom as quickly as possible, and that tunnel is the best way to do it."

"To go by that road would be an incredible risk," Éomer also warned. "If they were to catch you-"

"Yeah. Game over. I get it." Kaia's gaze was hard; it was clear she'd made up her mind already. "But we're capable. We'll just have to plan carefully."

"Uhh..." I hesitantly spoke up. "...Are we not going to talk about how there's also a humongous spider living in the tunnel that's on that path? Cause I feel like that's something we shouldn't overlook."

Pippin's eyes bulged. "There's a spider?"

I nodded, suppressing a shudder. "Yeah. A very big spider."

Kaia waved her hand dismissively. "We can avoid that."
"Kaia!" I shot her an incredulous look. "Giant. Spider."

"I know what it looks like, Kathryn."

"You've seen this beast?" Éomer jumped in. "How?"

We both froze. Panic flashed over Kaia's face as she realized her mistake. "Oh, well I...P-Pictures. I've seen...pictures." I slowly closed my eyes and let out a breath. Jesus, Kaia. "It looked pretty disgusting."

"So now you want us to not only brush right past the front door of Minas Morgul, but also travel through a tunnel that's inhabited by a spawn of Ungoliant?" Boromir was beyond the point of shock. Now he just looked like he'd given up.

"No idea who that is," Kaia said. "But sure."

"Are you accepting this?" The redheaded man turned to the wizard, who up until this point had just been listening quietly. "Gandalf, this is madness!"

At that moment, Aragorn took a step forward. "No." Kaia blinked, raising her eyebrows in surprise as the man defended her. "Kaia's plan could prove to be worth the risk. Not all of the Ringwraiths reside in Minas Morgul anymore."

Boromir threw his hands up in exasperation. "Excellent. So we'll only have to worry about eight of them instead. Perfect plan."

Aragorn sent a mild glare his way. "It may not be as difficult as you imagine. And if we can reach Shelob's tunnel...in all honesty, I believe we could easily best her."

"The pass of Cirith Ungol..." Gandalf slowly nodded again, as if getting used to the idea. "Perhaps Kaia is right. Yes... I think that would be wise." He scanned the room, eyes slowly grazing over all of us. "If there are no further objections..."

Kaia shrugged. "Guess it's settled, then. Class dismissed."

A light chuckle rippled through the group, but quieted down once Gandalf cleared his throat. "Now, there is one more matter left to discuss. Faramir?" The younger Gondorian looked up. "By the suggestions of Boromir and Kaia, we wish for you to join us for the remainder of our quest."

If I could've described the look on Faramir's face in words, I'd probably win a writing award. Clearly this was news to him. He looked over at Kaia, and then turned to stare at his brother, but Boromir deliberately refused to make eye contact.

Gandalf just kept going. "What is your decision?"

At first, Faramir hesitated, but then slowly began to nod. "Yes...yes, I will come. I want to do more than remain fenced in here in Minas Tirith," he said. "Middle-Earth is as much of a home for me as it is for all others...and I would be honored to help save it, if I can." He looked to Frodo with a small smile. "If the Ring is meant to be destroyed, then Gondor will see it done."

"And we are in need of another archer," Aragorn pointed out.

"No!" Again, all heads turned towards the person who'd cried out, only this time it wasn't Kaia. "We don't need another archer. Aragorn has a bow; he can hunt perfectly fine," Erin argued.

"But Faramir is far more skilled than I," Aragorn countered. "And it would benefit us to add another seasoned warrior to the Fellowship."

Still, Erin shook her head quickly. "We don't need more people," she said, now almost sounding like she was angry. "We can do just fine on our own."

I frowned, confused by her sudden outburst. What? Earlier she said she was fine with adding Faramir to the group.

Apparently Kaia was thinking the same thing. "Erin, you said back at camp that-"

"I know what I said." The subtle hostility in her tone was enough to silence even Kaia for a second. "But what I'm saying now is that I don't think we need it."

Kaia stared at her for a minute, then glanced to me, mouthing 'what the fuck?' as Gandalf spoke again. "The Fellowship has put their trust in Faramir's ability to protect the lives of both the Ringbearer and you. If Faramir wishes to journey with us, he is more than welcome to do so."

My eyes widened, and I looked from Gandalf to Erin in shock. Never had I seen him scold someone so openly like that in front of other people. Oh my God. What the hell is going on? Erin looked like she was torn between wanting to punch someone in the face and cry. What's her problem?

Again, it was quiet in the room for several seconds. The tension in the room was so thick I felt like I couldn't breathe. Faramir eventually broke it by saying something else about how he'd love to be a part of the Fellowship, and Gandalf agreed, and then I guess someone must've said something funny, because everyone laughed a bit. I just kept my eyes on Erin as she stared blankly ahead, obviously not happy with the decision to add Faramir to the group. But why? What changed? Before Gandalf could even finish his closing statement to dismiss us, Erin was gone, turning on her heel and getting out of the throne room as quickly as she could. I watched her go as Kaia came up to me, looking just as confused as I was. "What was that?"

"I have no clue," Kaia replied. "I don't know what her deal is, but I'm about to find out." Before I could stop her, she went striding across the room as well, headed towards the door.

My eyes widened. Oh no. Oh God, this can only end badly. "Kaia, no!"

Too late. She was out the door and gone, and I had no choice but to follow. "ERIN!" she shouted, the name bouncing off the empty stone halls in an echo. Kaia broke into a run, now sprinting down the corridors. "ERIN!"

"Kaia!" I cried again, but she ignored me. I let out a groan of frustration and picked up the pace as well. This is about to go to shit. This is all about to go to shit.

oOo

Kaia's POV

"Erin!" I skidded to a stop, finally catching up to the shorter girl. "Are you okay? What the hell's going on?"

"Kaia!" Now Kathryn was here, too, coming to stand in front of us and stop us in our tracks. "Erin!" Her gaze lingered on our friend, concern written all over her face. "Erin, are you okay? Why are you so upset about Faramir all of a sudden?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked in disbelief. "You literally said, like, two weeks ago that adding him into the Fellowship would be a good idea!"

"Yeah, and I was wrong about that. I should never have agreed to it in the first place."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't need him!" she exclaimed. "We don't need another archer in this Fellowship! People are so quick to replace him, thinking it's a fucking joke-"

"Woah, wait. What?" I stared at her. "This is about Legolas?"

"Erin, no one's trying to joke about his death," Kathryn explained.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're one to talk. That's all you've been doing for the past month, Kathryn! Making jokes about – I don't know, anything, instead of taking this mission seriously. People have died, Kathryn! And you're standing here trying to joke around about it? Thinking it'll make things better somehow?"

Now Kathryn looked exasperated. "It was an honest mistake, Erin! I didn't mean to joke like that when I did; it just slipped out. And just because I'm joking around from time to time doesn't mean I don't take things seriously! I'm just trying to make it easier for everyone else instead of wallowing in my sadness the whole time!"

"I'm sorry, is that supposed to mean something?" Erin drew back. "My bad, I guess I'll just skip over the fact that people are dead and it's on my hands!"

"Except Kathryn's fucking right," I said. Now she was just pissing me off. "You've gotten so wrapped up in this whole Middle-Earth adventure, getting up close and personal with these people, and I think you're forgetting that this involves me and Kathryn too. You're the one that got us all here in the first place; have you even once thought about trying to get us home?"

"That's not really my priority at the moment!" Erin shot back.

"Then what is?" I snarled. "Trying to save some fantasy daydream of yours? You're just going to throw us aside for the sake of some goddamn medieval stunt like this that might not even work?"

"I don't think you're in the position to be calling me out on my alliances and motives right now," she said. "You don't think I've noticed how much time you've been spending with Frodo lately? Because everyone's fucking noticed. For all we know, you could be going after the Ring! Maybe that's your entire plan! I sure wouldn't know, cause you haven't talked to me about anything in ages! If you cared that much about how I was doing, you could've at least made an effort to show it!"

Oh no. Oh, you stepped out of line. "Excuse me?! You're trying to pin this on me now? What the fuck is your problem, Erin?"

"My 'problem' is that you've been growing just as attached to some of the people in this world as I have. You don't get to call me out on shit that you do yourself."

"Says the girl who spent every damn SECOND of this adventure chasing after some golden-haired dick thinking that you had a chance!" I was beyond pissed now. "You knew it was never going to go anywhere! You always knew it! But you just couldn't give up your little third-grader crush on some guy who was never going to fall in love with you!"

Erin jerked back like I'd punched her square in the face, and in a second, she was on me. "Who the FUCK do you think you are?! I cared about him! And sorry to burst your bubble, but it wasn't love! I know it wasn't! I didn't love him!" Her face was red. "But I cared about him more than you will ever fucking understand! It was not some elementary bullshit like you're trying to make it out to be!"

"Oh, shut the hell up," I fired back without even thinking. "That's a filthy lie and you know it!"

"KAIA!" Kathryn had rounded on me now, angrier than I'd ever seen her. "You shut the hell up! That was rude and fucking insensitive, especially coming from you!"

"Especially me?" I mocked. "Whose side are you on, anyway? I was defending you!"

"I don't need you to defend me!" Kathryn said. "I can fight my own battles, unlike you!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"You know damn well what that means," she said lowly. "You've been avoiding Aragorn for weeks over that one stupid argument because you can't admit that you were wrong! He's being a fucking adult about it, and you're over here running around like a coward because you can't bring yourself to face him and apologize!"

What the fuck did she just say to me?! "You've got a lot of nerve talking about apologizing, Kathryn, when you're the reason any of this shit happened in the first place! You and your stupid jokes are what pissed everyone off to begin with, and now look where that got us!"
"You're in this just as much as she is!" Erin yelled, catching my attention again. "You don't get to call her out on that, either!"

Oh my GOD. "You know what? I'm done! I'm fucking done." I took a step back, glaring at both Erin and Kathryn with equal ferocity. "You can both go fuck yourselves as far as I'm concerned. You're both full of shit."

"I'd rather be that than a coward!" Erin cried. "Fuck both of you. I was better off when I wasn't talking to you about this shit." She too turned and started walking off at a brisk pace.

Kathryn also sent icy glares our way. "Do what you want! I don't care. Just remember to take a joke next time and not have a meltdown over it!" And with that, she was gone too, leaving the three of us split apart and each going our own separate ways.

oOo

Erin's POV

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. I couldn't think straight as I ran through the halls of the citadel like a drunk, finally stumbling to a stop once I'd turned a thousand corners and rounded a thousand bends and gone as deep as I thought I could into the winding passageways of the huge establishment that all looked the same. It was nearly pitch black wherever I was, with the moonlight filtering in through the tall, thin windows, casting just enough of a soft glow about the place for me to be able to see where I was going. And when I finally stopped running, I leaned back against the cold stone wall, sliding all the way down until I was curled up in a ball on the floor, staring out at the twinkling stars as I started to sob.

"Oh God...Oh God, I'm sorry." My voice shook, and I made a feeble attempt to wipe tears away. "I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry...I'm sorry." The stars were fair and cold. "I can't do this. I can't pull myself out of this. I keep trying, and I keep failing, and... Oh God, why did you have to leave?" My hands curled into tight fists. "I promised I would keep you safe. I promised, and I didn't do it. I lost you, and now I've lost the only two other people I ever cared about in this world. I'm so sorry. I keep losing." I swallowed hard and looked at my toes. "Why do I keep losing? What else can I do?" I looked up again. There were clouds passing over the stars now. "Please...Tell me what to do."

But no help came. Not for a long time. I sat there, in the darkness, for what seemed like a lifetime, consumed by my own thoughts. I'm a wreck, I thought, fingers tangling in my hair. I've hit rock bottom. And I can't even save myself...I've sunken so low that I'm praying to dead people in hope of rescue. What's wrong with me? It was even darker now in the hallway than it had been before. I didn't even know were I was. Maybe I could just stay here, forever. Just here, alone. In the dark. Away from the people I care about. Maybe if I stay here, I won't ruin anything else for them. Maybe if I stay away, I can keep them safe.

And then I laughed. A bitter, scornful laugh. "Who am I kidding?" I wondered out loud. "That doesn't work. Look where it's gotten me." I stared out the window for awhile longer. I feel so hollow. So...empty. Please, let me change that. Give me something. Anything.

And then I felt it. A...pull. Not physical, not mental...like a pull on my soul. Something was calling me. I blinked. My face was sticky. "...What?" I stared out at the few remaining stars in disbelief. ...Is this...is this it? My something? I pulled myself to my feet, tearing my gaze away from the window and taking a few hesitant steps forward. The further I moved in that direction, the stronger the pull was. Something was calling me.

I was on edge the entire time that I walked, moving further and further into the darkness. Everything felt hazy and surreal. I had no idea what was happening, but I wouldn't dare risk ignoring this if it was a sign. Could it be a sign? The floor disappeared, and I quickly caught myself before falling down a flight of steps that had appeared in the midst of the blackness. What is this place? Slowly, keeping one hand on the wall, I edged my way down the stairs. They seemed to spiral on forever and ever until finally...

My hand reached out and touched it. A door. I felt along the edge until an old, rusted lock formed between my fingers. What's down here? I pulled on it, but it would not come loose. The pull was so strong now, I couldn't walk away...

Heavy. I need something heavy. Within minutes, I'd found such an object. I had no idea what it was, nor did I care. All that mattered was within four blows, the lock broke and clattered to the floor. I froze for a moment, expecting the sounds of shouts and running feet to appear.

Nothing.

The pull was so strong.

I pulled open the door, just enough so that I could slip inside. There were no windows here, and no natural source of light...yet the room was bathed in a soft teal glow. And as I laid eyes on the object to blame, a sudden anger came over me like I had never felt before. You! This is all your fault! I started towards the damned thing, knowing immediately what I'd found. It isn't my fault at all that this has happened, is it? It's your fault. Your evil is what ruined this world, not mine. Your evil is what keeps taking people from me! I pulled my own One Ring off of my finger and held it open in my hand, determined to make him pay. As I came up to the pedestal and closed my hand around the palantîr, something I could only describe as an electric shock of fire shot through my body, and in an instant I was half a world away.

There was pain, a burning, searing pain everywhere. I heard myself scream, but ignored it. I heard my own voice, vengeful and hurt, screaming. YOU! YOU VILE SERVANT OF MORGOTH! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!

The voice that answered was deep, rumbling, and made from the stuff of nightmares. You are a fool, girl. There is no light that can defeat the eternal darkness. The harshness of the Black Speech grated against my ears. They felt like they were bleeding. They may as well have been.

I WILL DESTROY YOUR DARKNESS! I WILL DESTROY THIS PRECIOUS RING OF YOURS AND THROW IT BACK INTO THE FIERY HELL HOLE THAT IT CAME FROM! I felt myself opening my hand, felt myself showing him the Ring.

Instantly, I screamed. My lungs were on fire. There was a wild roaring in my ears that was inhuman. He was angry. You cannot destroy the power that rests in your hands. The city of Men will fall. Your world will burn. You are nothing.

WE ARE COMING FOR YOU! I was screaming, screaming back to him at the top of my lungs. WE-

And then he was in my mind. I saw memories, faces from every inch of my life flashing before me. An intense pain, more so that all the others, shot through my arm, and I screamed so loud I thought my vocal cords would snap.

The next thing I remember was an impossibly loud bang like a gunshot. I stumbled back, fell, and hit the ground hard. The replica of the Ring was still in my hand. And when I sat up, I stared at the palantîr, now rolling away from me on the ground, a huge crack shooting up through the glass of the seeing stone.

Just like that, the pull was gone. I stared at the stone, looked down at the ring in my hand, and then back at the stone, the realization hitting me hard and fast. ...Oh no... I scrambled to my feet, tripping over myself as I ran like the room was on fire, feeling the burning pain seeping up my arm. My hand was numb. I had to tell someone. Someone had to know.

I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

A/N: Wowie dramatic ending there

Hopefully I didn't make that last bit sound really stupid lmao