Outside no one would know me. I knew that. But in here, with brightly lit braziers on the walls, and my hood down, she knew it. Even with the helm, she knew it. How much had she heard about her own future?
Eowyn opened her mouth. Before she could speak, I heard a shout, Theodan's voice echoing, "Eowyn!"
She startled, staring sideways, as he came down the hall, and to my surprise she actually grabbed my hood and yanked it over my head. Something was shoved into my hand. Her sword.
"I thought my weapon would be of use." I heard her say softly, "We will speak later," before she strode off down the hall.
"She is a good woman, my niece." Theodan said softly, watching her go. He moved to clasp Boromir's shoulder. "I see you found something remaining that fit. Good. Come, Boromir." Theodan didn't even really look at me, and when he did, my hood must have covered my face enough. "And friend. It is time."
"This is a friend from the Elves. He remains by my side for this."
Theodan didn't even blink at this request from Boromir, he nodded, and strode off, distracted. We followed him outside, Boromir ahead of me.
It was quiet outside. The only sound was of metal shifting against metal, armour rubbing, braziers sending thick smoke and the smell of coal into the air. The light of the moon cast down on Helm's deep, creating glinting silver shapes, and I followed Boromir to his position some ten metres along the highest wall from Theodan.
We were not on the front line up here. We weren't even close to it. I was honestly just happy to be apart of it, though 'happy' was the wrong word, and I knew that with my bow I could do a hell of a lot of damage. Probably more than with Eowyn's sword realistically.
In the distance, we felt it, we heard it, this 'thump, thump, thump', shaking the ground, a great stream of light coming slowly towards us. It had to be at least two or three miles away and yet it was already making the rubble dance on the edge of the wall in front of me.
"A river of light." I said quietly, gazing at it, at what 'ten thousand' really looked like. It was seriously frightening. As I spoke a rumble of thunder drowned me out.
"A misleading one, aye." Boromir nodded, gazing out, the wind in our face. "Sh."
Elves lined the lower wall, alongside men, and I remembered that I wasn't supposed to speak. But when I looked for them, Legolas was far along the lowest wall, right on the front line, and must not have heard me over the thunder. Phew.
The sky started to rumble, flashes casting a light briefly over the thousands of dark bodies marching to us, and as they got within five hundred metres or so, I heard the tinkering of rain on helm, metal, bodies. Yeah. It was time. Now I shivered. Now I felt afraid.
I felt a hand grasp mine, briefly, Boromir leaning closer to my side. In the darkness no one saw or cared. What surprised me was how this simple 'friendly' gesture suddenly made me want to hurl. It scared me. I didn't like being touched by him.
"You have skill with your bow, little sister." He said softly. "I will not be far."
Fine. I smiled a tense smile and felt relieved when he let go, though he probably thought it was nerves for the battle, my hand cold suddenly.
Boromir moved to the side, to men who had come to stand around him, offering orders from under his hood. I lifted my bow and gazed at it. It was Elvish. Why hadn't I noticed before? When or how had he gotten his hands on this? It wasn't Legolas bow, that was for sure. It was smaller and fit perfectly. It drew in my hands easily and yet I was sure it was incredibly strong.
He must have caught me staring at it because he said, between orders, "A gift from the Lady Galadriel. She said you would need it."
I nodded, agreeing with that, and grasped an arrow. The wood was pretty slippery in the rain but the bow held steady and I readied myself, watching as the terrible horde of monsters froze just metres away, a sea of black and fire. Fear was clogging the air.
Yeah, I knew it could end well, but I had proof standing beside me that things could change. That they did change. Hell, I thought I'd just told Eowyn who she'd marry by accident, and knowing how stubborn she was, I had a bad feeling about that.
They started to pound their spears, their armour, sending waves of fear through us. Everyone. The ground literally shook under my feet with every 'thud, thud, thud', their growls, screams, unearthly sounds echoing over the sound of the rain and the thunder, the moon gone. The stars gone. It was as if the storm had come with them.
Boromir stood beside me, a bow drawn, and I drew mine, gazing down. We heard the call, "They are weak at the neck and at the arm!" from down below.
Honestly, I couldn't see either target from this distance, but I kept it in mind for when they got closer. I knew they would.
I heard Aragorn shout, suddenly, and the Uruk Hai went silent.
"What happened?" Boromir said softly.
"We fired by accident." One of the men explained from lower down, voice soft. "Hold!"
"Why do we hold? They're scaring the crap out of us." I muttered. It made no sense to me. Were we just going to stand there while they exhausted us with fear? But I guessed we were in the keep, not them, we were supposed to be defending. Weird. Their accepted role? Scare us and attack. Ours? Stand here, be scared, and defend like frightened bunnies.
Either way, it was enough, and to my horror, they suddenly charged at the wall. Hundreds. Thousands. Even worse though was behind them, where more Uruk Hai moved forward, but did not attack. Waited.
Aragorn's voice rang out, echoing, the sing of arrows released. It was only when I heard Gamling shout 'Fire' that I let it go, firing into the mess, snapping my arm back to fire again, and again, and again, ignoring the strain in my muscle at the repeated action.
People in the keep started to fall, on our side, bodies falling. Horror filled me, the first stench of blood wafting up, but there was no time for that.
"Ladders!" Boromir shouted, to the men below, as we saw things lifting.
Uruk Hai were clinging to the ladders, and so I fired at them instead, trying to avoid shooting anyone from Rohan or Lothlorien. Sometimes I missed. I seemed to get more than I missed though,arrows usually cutting through, sometimes bouncing back off their heavy metal armour. Ladders dud what they were meant to though- suddenly, Uruk Hai were on the lower walls, and rushing up at the warriors, at the Elves, and at my friends.
"Keep shooting at those coming up the ladders." Boromir ordered to me and to those around him, no longer my 'friend', but my Captain. "Let us make this easier for our friends."
I nodded, aiming, and continued to fire at them. I saw Gimli standing on the walls further down, cheerfully knocking them off with his axe, my heart in my throat as I kept seeing HIM nearly knocked off.
But...
We were doing okay. Not many were getting up the ladders, they were getting knocked down, and …
The wall blew up.
I was flung down, Boromir knocking me and two other soldiers down as a man sized piece was flung into the wall right in front of us, falling down below us, and crushing someone who had been standing there. Not far behind was a body, an Elf, who lay very still, very quiet, collapsing.
I checked him, I couldn't help it, and found him breathing but unconscious.
One of the men cried, "How! How can they..."
"Leave him! We will tend to them later." Boromir dragged me up, standing, cringing. I saw blood seeping out onto his neck. He must have opened a wound with that one. "Keep firing! Fire at those coming into the keep!"
At the same time, I heard Theodan call, "Brace the gate!"
"I told Aragorn!" I hissed, raising the bow, trying to fire at the crowd of Uruk Hai throwing themselves into the giant hole. They were advancing on a body. Aragorn. Gimli appeared, suddenly, flinging himself at the horde alone. "Kill the one with the torch!"
There were so many dead. Even now, even when the wall had just been breached, I suddenly saw how many bodies lay still on the ground further below. I saw how many were dragged back, injured maybe, and though I didn't know them, horror filled me. Now the caves were tempting.
"Quiet!" Boromir hissed, nudging me in the side, and I almost kneed him in the groin for it. Like usual... the physical contact increased my fear to fever pitch and I edged sideways, trying to avoid it, too strained to deal with this fear of him. Too tired to tell myself mentally that he was 'safe'.
I could only continue to try and help, as I heard Theodan call orders, Boromir repeating them or adding to them from up higher. Arrows, seemed to be never-ending, until I realised that they were being refilled for all of us by a boy racing up and down with a bucket full of them.
Time dragged out.
They didn't seem to stop coming. No matter what, no matter how many I shot, or the soldiers slashed, axed or stabbed, it continued, and exhaustion dogged myself. Boromir had shoved fabric into the space he was bleeding, but he too looked exhausted, hiding it as best he could.
Injured people vanished. I had to assume that they were being dragged off somewhere, maybe, I saw them once, but I didn't have the energy or time to look. A great deal more men and elves were left under, beside and over the body of Uruk Hai.
I tried to not see the fight below- the thousands of Uruk Hai, the hundreds flooding into the hole, against a hundred or so men and elves. Where had the rest gone? I knew, I knew the answer, I knew that we'd already lost quite a few, and that others were being taken inside. Some part of me was a little surprised by this- that
"Go, go down to help!" Boromir called to the other men.
The soldiers around us dropped their bows and lifted axes, swords, spears, before rushing down.
"Theodan will pull back soon to the Keep." Boromir said softly, his arm coming to rest on mine. "We must go lower and help them make it safely to the Keep. Are you ready?"
I nodded, and he started down, the two of us running down, firing as I ran. The further we got, the worse it got, and just as we got to the bottom, we heard Theodan call those exact words to Aragorn.
"Haldir..." I stared at the Elf. It was like he was outlined, just for me, so fucking obvious against the top of the wall. I slid my bow up, holding an arrow, teeth gritted, ignoring as men rushed past me, retreating. I was going to try. I was going to fucking try and save his life.
"Cover me." I hissed to Boromir, who's sword was out.
"What?" But he didn't argue. He moved closer, shielding me from Uruk Hai who rushed at us, as I stared at Haldir.
This wasn't going to be good enough. I was too far. I ran, charging, Boromir right beside me, right past Legolas, ran straight for Haldir up onto the wall. Saw him slashed, injured. Three, two...
Something raised above his head, an axe, the axe that would cleave his brain in two. I flung myself at the heavy Uruk Hai, dislodging his aim, the axe nearly cutting off Haldir's shoulder instead, cutting flesh as it fell down his arm.
It turned, grasping my throat, lifting me up, ready to fling me sideways off the wall.
Time slowed. I stared at it, it stared at me, baring its teeth, muscles slowly contracting as it both crushed my neck and readied to throw me sideways. A blade cut through the arm, I thought it was Boromir, and at the same time an arrow went into the side of its head.
The world sort of turned sideways a moment, the smell of blood and stickiness coating one side of my head, I swore I was staring at boots, but the next thing I knew I was standing once more, an iron grip around my waist from behind... knowing it was Boromir, it had scared me, snapped me out of a daze, snapped me into 'fight and run' mode...
I spun around, trying to shove him off, wheezing through my bruised throat, eyes wild with fear and hurt, but it wasn't Boromir. He was some feet off. Moving in slow motion, dragging Haldir, yelling something that was just noise and nothing more.
I was dragged down the stairs, everything moving so slow around me, and found myself staring up at the stars. Wishing they'd grow brighter. I couldn't see who it was dragging me. And when they did, I felt no surprise, no surprise when I saw the world light up briefly for me and the person dragging me lit up by starlight as if he was some kind of beautiful angel.
Legolas.
This snapped me into my senses, he was calling in Elvish, shouting orders to other Elves that were still alive. Still alive. They hadn't died, not all of them, and the wall... when I glanced back... it wasn't as broken as I remembered. But there wasn't time to ponder this, a short stocky dwarf threw himself at something inches from my back, axe thunking into whatever it had been, and we were dragged behind doors, Gimli with us.
"You could not resist, could you?" Legolas had turned on me, speaking, even he was breathing hard. But he wasn't angry. I blinked at him, confused, as he reached up to touch my scalp. The touch made my head explode with pain. "Sorry. You dropped this."
The bow. I grasped it tighter, sliding it over my shoulder, defensively muttering through gritted teeth, "Haldir was going to die."
Haldir flinched, his face white, hands clasped hard around his leg.
He looked like he was about to faint. For long terrible second I wondered where we'd go, where we'd be safe, because those Uruk Hai weren't staying out there long- the lower gate was already being slammed hard.
"To the infirmary!" Someone shouted, as they passed us, Legolas nodding.
"Come, quickly, to the Hall." Legolas had turned to Boromir. "Both of you." He called something over our shoulders, an order again in Elvish, gesturing to the walls. Six, maybe seven, Elves sped up, leaping up as if they were magic bunnies with swords.
Boromir nodded. I saw only now, the panting, the blood seeping down his arm and stomach, the white face and pained expression. He stared at me, "Wait. You swore to come with me. When I retreated."
"Now?"
Boromir nodded.
Legolas grasped my arm tighter, for a moment, his eyes meeting mine. Affection, worry and... pride? It all burnt there, all unspoken, but sending my heart into a crazy rhythm, which was a crazy time for it to do it. I felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment. Then I remembered- you had to actually inhale for it to work. When he said, "This is your choice," I changed my mind about him being in the doghouse.
"All right." I agreed, panting for air, shutting my eyes a moment before moving up the winding stairs behind Boromir and Haldir. Legolas vanished, in a single leap, bow in hand, Uruk Hai climbing over the walls.
We didn't see them though, didn't even lift a blade to them, we were ushered inside.
This Keep had always seem huge to me, inside, but it made sense. There were various rooms off the main hall, including the armoury, with the only exit through the heavy metal-and-wood doors that protected us from outside. Right now, with Haldir's blood leaving a trail behind us, Boromir panting in pain, and my throat and head spinning, it suddenly seemed huge and complex, a maze, tunnels, doors and no sense to any of it. I stared ahead, dazed, Boromir trying to get me to tell him where to go.
"I don't... remember." I reached fr my head, confused once more, staring around.
It was lucky that one of the guards, a man who looked injured himself, was there to show us the way. His post, I noticed, was at the door to the caves, and he leaned heavily on the wall when he returned, pressing a dark red cloth to a bloody eye. Or lack of eye. I didn't know, I couldn't see anything under it.
"Inside." He informed us, coughing up blood onto a second cloth he dragged out of a pocket.
"Fine." Boromir didn't even seem to be bothered by that. The door was shut behind us and with it, the sounds of battle faded a little. The vibrations, I noticed, didn't grow softer.
"This way." Eowyn called, as she spotted us, waving her arm. We didn't argue this time. She led us in, a white dress apron thing over her under-dress, sleeves tied high on her arms by fabric, hair back, blood spotting her hands and face. She evaluated us with a quick look, myself and Boromir on either side of Haldir, all three of us injured but two of us able to stand. "Two of you are able to move? Good. I cannot help you but here..."
She dashed to a pile of blankets, tossing a couple in our general direction, and waved her hand at buckets. "One bucket for the three of you, if you want more water, you'll need to collect it."
"My lady!
Eowyn turned, hastily rushing off into the rows of injured men, shoving her sleeves back up into the fabric that bound them out of her way. Fires burnt, pokers hot and golden already waiting, other women moving backwards and forwards. Smoke must have been funnelled out somewhere, the air was pretty clear of it, but the stench of blood and other things filled my nostrils.
I picked up the blankets and the bucket, Boromir taking on Haldir's full weight. "Where to?"
"Come, down here." Boromir moved towards a stretcher, past elves, men, some I suspected were dead. I couldn't look long enough to find out. He lowered Haldir down, heavily, and sat down himself.
Haldir collapsed onto the mat on the ground, breathing hard, blood streaming down his leg and arm. Boromir was dragging his own chain mail armour off, tearing at fabric, and he threw me a piece.
"Tie this tightly around his arm, Wendy."
I nodded, trying to not hear the cries, the shouts, the screams around us, though it was hard to ignore, hard to miss the way the world shook. I focused instead on Haldir, his bleeding arm, trying to restrict the flow of blood to his arm so he didn't bleed out. He grasped my arm, nodding, his body shaking.
"See? Things can change." I muttered. "You're both alive. You were both supposed to die." Somehow though, I didn't feel triumphant about this, just exhausted. A bit worried.
"Two lives spared that should have been taken." Boromir tore Haldir's pants with a dagger. The wound was nasty, very deep, very black already. "The poison would bled out, thankfully."
"Thankfully." Haldir actually laughed, softly, shutting his eyes. He muttered something in Elvish before he asked,"What about you? Boromir? Wenduin?"
I hadn't even known that he knew my name. "I'm okay. Just ...sore." I reached up to touch that gash on my head. "Sore head."
"I am fine." Boromir stared down his shirt, then shrugged. "I am sorry, my friend, but I must seal this. I cannot bind it tight enough. Wenduin..." He pressed something against my head, ignoring the pain it caused me, and moved away.
I held it there anyway. "Not sure when I did that."
"You fell." Haldir explained. "Breathe, my friend." Haldir said softly beside me. He clasped his hand on his wounded leg hard, blood coming up between his fingers, cringing but not letting go.
"I should be comforting you. Where's that magic elf medicine when we need it?" I didn't remember falling. Supposed it made sense though- they had cut that Uruk Hai's arm off, the one holding me up, so falling was probably the natural result of that.
He smiled grimly and actually reached for his pocket. "I have that too, but Boromir is right to move quickly, for this is not something that heals fast. Not as fast as I need." Haldir grasped for a bag under his armour, tucked away, and held it out. "This powder, in warm water, pour it between three cups. It will help."
Doing as he said, I stood up, the world swaying. I felt a hand on my leg, Haldir steadying me, and I blinked, a little confused. Why was I so dizzy? I tried to breathe again, deeper, slower, and went to get us hot water, cups, still more or less ignored as the worse injuries were dealt with.
Powder, mug, hot water, cold water, and we had it. Warm water.
"There is more for others." Haldir took his cup, dropping another small bag, shutting his eyes as he drank it slowly. I was ashamed to admit, I did look for sparkles, I did look for skin knitting together. Nothing like that. But he did seem to get a little more colour.
I took it and drank, slowly, a pepperish taste flooding my mouth from the stuff. But I made myself drink the lot and felt a rush of heat flood my body, head to toe, as if someone had flooded my veins with hot water. My head seemed to clear of fog slightly.
He held it out to Boromir, who had returned with a glowing hot poker. Boromir shook his head, holding it to Haldir's mouth, saying softly, "Drink, friend. I will drink after. You need it more than we do."
Outside, a great bang made us all flinch, and I stared at the closed door to the little cave chamber. "That's not good, is it?"
"There are too many." Boromir said quietly. He reached out to grasp my arm. "Hold him while I do this. Haldir, bite on this."
I reached over to hold Haldir, who was quiet now, trembling, probably going into shock. He barely flinched when the poker was seared into his skin, though his eyes widened, and his teeth clenched around the wad of fabric Boromir had offered him. The smell of scorched flesh added to the stench of the air around us, and burnt hair.
"You will live, Elf. But you no longer have a pretty leg." Boromir joked softly.
"Not may have." Haldir said quietly. He shut his eyes. "I do not worry about a scar. It will not last forever."
Elves. Typical. "I'll get him a blanket." I stood, my own legs weak, and grasped a blanket to drag over Haldir's shoulders. "He's in shock."
We sat there quietly, the three of us, watching as injured were dragged inside. Eowyn rushed past, no sign of tiring, guiding the injured. Other women helped, here and there, but none left the caves. Not even Eowyn. She spoke to one of the men at the door, injured but guarding it, and we heard echos of battle suddenly increase.
"They are retreating soon." Haldir said, softly, his eyes still shut.
I nodded, grasping the Elf's hand, squeezing it. "I know."
"You heard?"
"Wenduin sees the future." Boromir sat down heavily and started to press fabric against his wounds. It wasn't as bad as it looked, I guessed, he didn't seem as bothered by it. Just exhausted.
"Not all the time. Just sometimes." I shut my eyes and rested down on the rolled up mat beside Haldir. Where had my helm gone? Must have lost it before I hit my head. Sleepy, dazed, I felt someone offer that peppery water and when it had made it easier to talk I muttered,"I hit my head a lot, don't I?"
"Yes." Legolas' voice surprised me. I blinked, opening my eyes with some effort, and found myself staring up at him.
Okay, that was weird. We weren't in the infirmary place. We were in the hall, in a corner, and ...sunlight poured through the windows. I stared around, disorientated, as Legolas ran a damp cloth over my hair.
"Um." I said, weakly. "I slept through the end?"
"The battle is over." Legolas gazed up. He had dirt, grime, even sweat on his face, but he was smiling, and he was the most beautiful sight I'd seen in some time. "The medicine of the Elves put you into a healing sleep. You have slept much of the day."
Oh man! "So I missed it all? The horsemen? Gandalf? The trees eating orc?"
He blinked down at me, amusement creeping across his face at my disappointed, and nodded. "You did."
"Aw." I shut my eyes and then quickly opened them, worried that I would sleep, but nothing had changed. "That's really anti-climatic. I thought..."
"Battle would end in a shower of glory?" A body collapsed beside me, and though I didn't see who it was, I felt it. Instantly, I felt my entire body flinch, adrenaline course through my veins, as an arm brushed across my side, a smell filled my nostrils.
Boromir.
He shifted aside, apparently not noticing the change in my body, adding, "It rarely does."
The smile on Legolas face faded ,somewhat, he must not have missed it, but I tried to smile weakly. Calm down. He was innocent. It wasn't his fault. I had to stop reacting like this. I had to stop blaming him. I had to stop freaking out every time I smelt or felt him touch me.
"Boromir, can you bring some food?"
Boromir nodded, getting up heavily, moving away.
Legolas stared at me, really stared now, and I tried to ignore it. "What did he do to you?"
I smiled weakly, trying to sit up, blanket sliding off me. Others lay, here and there, but Haldir was striding beside Theodan. Striding. On a leg that was holding him. "He's healed."
"Haldir is aiding the healing of human so that they may return." Legolas responded. "What did Boromir ..."
Theodan strode up, pulling gloves on, his face a lot less happy than I would have expected. Beside him was Gandalf, Haldir direction those few Elves remaining to aid with healing... or I guessed...
"Lord Legolas, Lady ...Wenduin..." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Were you not in the caves?"
"She was called to fight alongside her Kin, my Lord." Aragorn was moving across, his armour gone, exhausted. "The Elves. She did what her instinct called her to do when she saw her kin."
Oh yeah, because I was part Elf.
Theodan nodded slowly, distracted, muttering, "Fighting alongside your kin, both men and elves. Yes, I can see it, and Aragorn does not disapprove. Never mind that. We ride on to Isenguard."
"What about Saruman?"
"There is great clouds of smoke rising from Isenguard." Gandalf responded. "And I have seen the river rush across the land, where it was once stopped, returning to parched creeks and rivers. Something is going on there and friends await us."
"Pippin and Merry?" Aragorn asked.
Gandalf nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Saruman is defeated here and there, I feel. The sooner we leave to aid them, the better. We can rest soon."
Legolas stared at me as I stood up, slowly, and I saw that question still in his face. That tension, as Boromir rose heavily. It hung between the three of us, this thing I couldn't bear to tell him, this thing that ...somehow, I just felt too ashamed to admit. I knew it wasn't my fault. I knew that. But it felt like it somehow. It was easier to pretend it hadn't happened.
The problem was, I knew I had to tell Legolas. I knew he knew something was wrong. I could see it in his eyes. I also suspected that he wouldn't see it the way I did.
I swore softly, only he heard, trying to shove it down. Okay. Hobbits. Duty. Things to do. I followed the others to the stables, trying to focus, trying to relax.
There was a certain point people started to collapse, get tired, shut down. So much they could take before their minds and their bodies started to shut down.
For me, it was just about there, and I knew that I needed a rest for a few days.
We rode to Isenguard soon. First, apparently, we'd eat. Theodan had said 'a few minutes', or more or less a medieval wording to that effect, but it had already been an hour. I'd had a bit too much time to feel the effect of the past week and I sat there, dazed, feeling my body physically start to react.
"You're not hungry?"
I blinked at Aragorn, who watched me closely, and nodded vaguely. "Guess I am. Tired too."
Aragorn nodded in agreement, yawning, fatigue making his eyes cloudy even as he lifted his spoon to his mouth. Even Legolas seemed tired, sitting there, picking at the few fruit and vegetables that remained, face dirty, hair messy, surprisingly human looking.
Gimli was asleep on the table. All the food gone. He had ploughed through it and passed out.
We all sat in the Hall, men, surviving Elves, with more of us in the caves. Food was spread out, mostly soup and things that were hot and quick to prepare, sitting over the fires. It was more of a self-serve thing, the men moving up to feed themselves, the women somewhere else. There was this arid smell of smoke in the air, lingering under the smell of the pipes that some men smoked, and the smell of blood. Stress. Sweat.
When I tried to tell Gandalf, when I tried to let him know I couldn't take another fight, and I couldn't bring the energy to see anything of use, he didn't seem the least bit surprised.
"Soon, we will be able to rest." He reassured me softly, drawing me aside.
"I know. I'm just letting you know... I'm a bit tired."
I caught Eowyn staring at me. She moved away though, quickly, going to speak with Aragorn as he was packing a saddle pack for his horse. This wasn't good. I knew that. I was sure she'd heard the part about Faramir. I would see her being much more openly affectionate towards Aragorn and ...wonder. Was that because of me? Or was I being paranoid?
And on top of that, Boromir.
Now that he was here. Now that he was alive and breathing in front of me. The earlier 'I've got to save him' urge was long gone. I couldn't explain it, I couldn't even begin to understand why, but I was struggling to separate 'Boromir influenced under ring' from 'Boromir, the good guy'. And when he spoke to me, although I doubted Boromir noticed when I got tense, Legolas sure as hell did. The tension was really starting to build. Deep down my instinct told me that Legolas knew what had happened was far worse than Boromir punching me in the stomach.
I sat there, eating, these things rolling around in my head like a heavy stone, and the headache seriously didn't help much. I wanted to sleep but I didn't feel tired. It was just this feeling that I needed to sleep.
Things were starting to catch up to me. Post traumatic stress ...something? I didn't know what it was called.
"We are moving the horses." I heard Eomer speak to his uncle, at one point, as he stopped to stand beside him. Maybe he looked the least bit exhausted here, who know, but maybe he was just one of those people who didn't look tired.
"Where to?"
"To-" Some place, some word I didn't quite catch, I had to assume it was the name of the valley or something. Eomer thumped his heart and moved away, putting his helm on as he moved past us, several people beside him.
"Why are they moving them?" I asked Aragorn, who was reaching out to drop his empty bowl in the middle of the table.
"The horses can smell the stench of death and blood, the fires from the bodies outside, and it unnerves them." Aragorn explained. "The Rohirrim will take them a mile to to the west where there is grazing upwind from Helm's Deep. There, they will graze free for a day or two, until the last of the Rohirrim have left this place."
I nodded, and suddenly felt sick, knowing exactly what that foul smoke was. "They're burning Uruk Hai."
"Yes." Aragorn's voice went softer. "And they prepare their own."
"Not the elves." Legolas said quietly. "They have their own rites."
Burial rites for Elves. I was too tired to think about it.
The day drifted on, as we sat there, somehow not able to really fall asleep yet. Instead we tried to help the women inside the hall- cleaning the bowls, or dumping clothing into great cauldrons of steaming hot water, or just bringing water from a spring in the caves. Clothing had to be washed now, apparently, it had to be rescued and passed on. Armour repaired. It was their way. They honoured the dead by using their belongings, remembering them, and by using these things as a point of pride.
That was what surprised me. How much pride, no matter how grieved people were, was etched into everyone's face. They'd won. The dead had protected Rohan and were heroes. Herod that would be spoken about for generations, an impossible battle of only three hundred against ten thousand, a battle that would forever be in Rohan's memory.
It was the women scoured across the bloody battle field, moving rock as big as themselves, moving heavy Uruk Hai, women the ones to arrange each Elf and Man gently in the shelter of Helm's Deep so that they could be found by their loved ones. Husbands, sons, old men, children, lined up side by side, Elves alongside. Some women had to leave. Some were too upset to stay. But most of the women, even ones who'd lost everyone, refused to leave until every last Uruk Hai was burnt and every last son of Rohan, every son and daughter of Lothlorien, named and honoured. Seen.
I didn't think I'd ever forget that. I saw a woman with a boy in her arms, maybe nine or ten, walking on her own up the stairs into Helm's Deep, eyes blank as if she was in shock. Others, sitting there for hours beside bodies, or searching endlessly as they clutched a familiar weapon, shoe, anything, that they must have found separated from their family.
They would arrange them, side by side, ready for each burning. Take all their clothing and wash them, their faces, their hair, their bodies, before re-dressing them in simple clothing. I found out that there was a tomb waiting, within the cave, long ago carved out for the battles that would come in Helm's Deep, prepared. It was made to last for hundreds of battles. It would be filled today.
If they saw a man helping who was exhausted, if they saw me trying to help, they would literally order us to rest. Eoywn was determined to make sure every last survivor ate, rested and waited, with little care for how effective the Elven medicine was that Haldir and the other Elves had brought.
With a small group of guards- mostly horsemen from Eomer's group- took over helping the women, we were finally able to sleep. It was already evening by then. I followed my friends into the caves and really saw them for the first time.
They were incredible. Moria, but natural, great empty echoing caves with natural lakes, and not at all dark. I had to assume this was fungus or something, something that created such a natural light upon the rocks, but it lit the caves from bottom all the way to the top... which had to be a mile or higher. Here and there, mostly near the entrance, there were smaller narrower areas, which had clearly been the 'resting place' of women and children. Now they were for us.
"The glittering caves." Legolas said softly to my side. "I have made a pact with Gimli."
"A pact?"
"When the war of the age ends, Gimli shall walk beside me in Fangorn, and I shall see the beauty of these caves." He stared up, breathing out slowly.
"This is just the start?" I felt glad somehow though, glad that they had bonded to this extent.
"These caves go much further. This is just a tiny area." Gimli stopped at Legolas' other side. "Not an hour, a night, or a week would be enough."
It occurred to me suddenly that when this was over, Legolas and Gimli would... vanish. This bothered me big time. Okay, no, I didn't want to get between that. Not even a tiny bit. But he was Elf and he kept forgetting. I was human. Would he wander off into the wild, loose track of human time, forget that I aged?
When had I started to look forward to the future anyway? When had I started to hope to spend time with Legolas after this? The shock at feeling loss, already, at being alone, it shook me a little. I followed them, numb, through a smaller tunnel that led off the large chamber, barely as high as Legolas scalp. I clung to blankets, Gimli carrying pillows for the three of us, Legolas with the mats.
As they arranged them, I watched people pass by, haunted faces, stunned.
"Lie down, Wendy." Legolas' use of my nickname, the 'human' version, kind of surprised me. I stared at him, realising he'd already dropped mats and pillows down. I stared at the blankets I'd carried in, nodding, slightly numb. Gimli took his over Legolas, dragging it over him, and was almost back to sleep straight off.
I dropped his down and sat down on the hard ground, breathing in and out slowly, trying to sort out what the hell was going on in my head. I saw others, through the darkness, men moving past with blankets, or with steaming mugs of soup, as shell-shocked as I felt.
They barely looked at us or saw us- we were in a tiny nook against the edge of the wall, barely high enough for Gimli to stand, and the little candle barely gave any sort of light.
I curled up on my side beside Legolas in a private area, Gimli right on his other side, and knew we'd get no ...privacy. Not like that. Not even when Gimli fell asleep. This somehow was fine by me. The idea of being touched like that bothered me. His hand slid into mine though and that seemed to be okay. Didn't push my anxiety further.
Gimli was asleep within minutes.
We lay there, side by side, our hands entwined concealed between our bodies. In this dark corner, no one could really see me there behind Legolas or Gimli, and I turned onto my side to watch him. He was wide awake, staring up, his thumb brushing across my hand slowly.
"Crazy week." I offered, softly, and he pulled me closer, arm wrapping around my body. I breathed out slowly, trying to let go of the tension this action caused,feeling him drop the blanket over me so that I was somewhat concealed.
"I wished for you to stay in the caves." Legolas stared sideways at me, his hair loose now, but only faint disapproval. His behaviour confused me. Telling me to stay in the cave. Literally forcing me to lie to him and everyone. Then not seeming surprised at all by what I'd done, even expecting it, even looking out for it.
"Well, it worked out." Except for the 'missing the end of the battle' part. "Did you know I'd sneak into it?"
Legolas actually frowned then, leaning back against the cave, his voice barely over the sound of Gimli's heavy snoring beside him. "I tried to give you a chance to stay away. Give you an excuse. I feared you would be hurt. I was very afraid and..." He hesitated, reaching up to touch his hair, run his fingers through the tangled mass of blonde hair. "...more than I am used to. I let my fear control me. Never before have I been tested like this."
"Happens to the best of us." I muttered. I reached up to touch his hair, the tangles amusing me, the dirt on his face, the grime. It was the most natural Legolas had looked since I'd met him. The most real. "You look good with dirt. You look almost earthly."
Legolas reached up to touch his face, self-concious, probably not used to the idea of dirt. "I knew you would have to fight. I hoped to change what I had seen. I did."
I blinked at him. "You ...did?"
"You did not die." He shivered, adding softer, "Nor did Haldir."
Die? I was supposed to die? Why did that creep me out? My neck ached, reminding me of what had nearly happened, but I honestly hadn't thought about it before now. "That was close. Wait. How much of me have you been seeing?"
"An Elf will start to see his or her mate from the moment they have matured physically. Not just for children. For a partner. We believe..." He went quiet as someone moved past, voice lowering, suddenly giving me the impression that this was not the kind of thing Elves usually shared. "...in secret that we are only half a soul. That we have lost half of ourselves to another body. An equal. And when we are reunited, we regain all our strength."
I stared at him, shifting up so my arm was across his chest, breathing slightly faster as my heart thumped. But somehow this made sense. How? I had no clue. Somehow I saw Galadriel and Celeborn as he said it, this pair of Elves, and while I'd never spoken to the Lord Celeborn... I felt like he was equally as powerful as her, in a different way. But I wasn't Elf.
I felt tired, more than usual, feeling myself start to say the now all too familiar words."Legolas, I'm not-"
Legolas cut me off. "When I reached maturity. I started to see you. A woman. Blood streaming from her ears. In water. For many decades I would look in each river, in each lake, seeking you. It was only when I stopped looking did the waters bring you." Legolas traced his fingers along my neck, up the side of my head. "The woman that was not born of man, nor of Elf, but ...both."
"I'm not elf." I muttered. I wanted to sleep suddenly, resting my head down, shifting to his side. Hard ground or not.
"You are more Elf in your spirit than man. You are more man in your body than Elf. Do you not remember how the stars answered your call, long ago in Rivendel?" His anger was fading, slowly, as he traced the curve of my neck slowly. "Do you not recall how they grew bright for you? We do not always choose to be born in the body of our kin. Sometimes we return in a body that suits our purpose in life."
"That was the wine."
"I would not offer that intimacy with you. Elves are not that way."
I blinked him. Why did I have the impression of Elf orgies in Rivendel then? "But... the elves. Running around naked. Sleeping with each other."
"You misunderstood what you saw. We are not ashamed of our bodies or our pleasure. We can not be." Legolas spoke quietly. "For we hear everything. The love shared between our bodies, is heard by any Elf close or far, for we do not have selective hearing. We see more. Shame around love and around this-" He ran his hand slowly down my back. "-was long forgotten. But we do not sleep with any. Our love is always focused to one. It was ...difficult for me. I waited for you for four hundred years, since the time of my maturity, waited to pleasure you, to finally ..." He hesitated. "To finally reunite. I found you ashamed. Unable to let go of your protection with me."
An uncomfortable sense of embarrassment trickled over the exhaustion in at that reminder. Yeah. Okay. I had been a bit nervous. I muttered, voice heavier with sleep now. "I was-"
"I was too fast." Legolas smiled, shutting his eyes, resting his head back. "Elves pretend we have self-control. We do. But we must bury our urges very deep. Sometimes when we feel … when we first feel that love, we ...struggle to contain it. I have waited for you for a very long time."
I shut my eyes, hearing him murmur something in his voice, exhausted suddenly by this bombshell. Elf soul mate. Twin souls or something. It was too much on top of the last week and I didn't want to cope with it.
"Sleep, A'maelamin."
"You too."
Nightmares made the attempt at rest difficult. Nothing memorable, they'd be gone the second I opened my eyes, but they woke me over and over. It disorientated me, I couldn't tell if it was night or day.
My eyes flew open once again, as my mind fled from the nightmare again, only this time... I felt like I was still in it. I stared at the stone above me, around me, felt it under me, heard the water somewhere, no light, and suddenly I was sure I was still drowning. I felt my lungs fill with water, as I gasped for air, burning them as if it was fire. Felt my hands scrambling, bleeding, cutting on rock and stone, as I tried to grasp for something, and trying to push away ...an Elf?
He stared at me in the dark, face pale, hands on my shoulders as he said something. It took some time to ...remember who he was. Where I was.
"I need to get the f-"
"Don't swear." Legolas muttered. He almost cringed at the word. Was it that bad I blinked at him. Huh?
"I need to see the stars." I tried again, swallowing down panic, heart fluttering. I stood, hunched over, nearly standing in a candle that was knocked over and melting all over the stone. "It's too dark. I need to see the sky."
Legolas nodded, grasping my hand, and I trusted his eyes to lead us outside. The second we did, the second we emerged on the edge of Helm's Deep, all the tension faded, all the panic, and suddenly I wanted to cry. It was embarrassing. I didn't know why I wanted to cry, but I did, and I stared at the stars.
It was early morning, maybe, the sky was not as dark as I expected. There was a fainter blue glow on one edge of the mountains. The few guards remaining, mostly Elves, were scattered along the edge of the remaining wall or silhouetted in the dark against fires they were keeping alight. Most of the bodies had been burnt or moved now- there was only rubble. It was hard to tell in the faint light though.
"What did you dream?"
"I was drowning. In a cave." I could still feel it too. I could still feel my chest hurt, feel the memory of it, the panic still swimming around uneasily in my stomach. I felt selfish to feel so distressed about it. I clearly wasn't drowning. "It wasn't important."
"Maybe you remembered the moment before the river."
"Maybe, if there's caves in that river."
Legolas didn't answer. He stood beside me, arm brushing my arm, staring out into the stars. I wondered if he could see more with them, know more, wondered how he saw the world compared to me.
Our earlier conversation drifted into my head as I watched him stand there.
"The Elves at Lothlorien could hear us?" The question popped out before I could stop it.
Legolas actually smiled at that, twisting his head down to look at me, clearly amused. "Your first question is that?"
"Well..." I shrugged, face warming in the cool air, the tension fading as his smile eased it away. "I guess so. Yeah."
"Of course. Some heard."
Oh. Now that was embarrassing. It managed to distract me too. I ignored Legolas as he reached out to loop his arm around my waist.
"No shame, Wenduin. There is no shame."
"So why hide under my skirt?"
There was a flash of something across his face, a mischievous smile, amusement, even glee, as Legolas said softly, "To take a look at A'maelamin."
I gawked at him, this 'little boy up to no good' totally unexpected, and elbowed him hard in the side. When I smiled, I saw his shoulders relax, and wondered if he'd made that up to get me to smile. Maybe.
I leaned against his side, just slightly, breathing out slowly. The dream was fading away now. It barely made any sense. Drowning in a cave? Strange- I was sure the river I'd been found in was more or less in the open sunlight. Who knew.
Something in the back of my head suddenly tensed up, so sudden, and I didn't really understand where it came from.
Not until Boromir moved to stand on my other side, bare chested, yawning, a glass of something in one hand. "You both rise early. Tis good- I was just informed by King Theodan that we leave at sunrise."
It took me a few seconds to get past the 'Oh shit, it's Boromir', to what he'd actually said. I was shocked at my own reaction to it. Not to leaving early- I wasn't surprised by that- but that Boromir would be coming. Why was that surprising? I'd saved his life. Course he'd be a part of this from now on. Automatically, I felt myself do the 'Boromir's a good guy, a nice guy, it was the ring' mantra, as he stood there, apparently not noticing how tense I'd gotten.
Legolas had.
I didn't have to look at him to know that.
"Okay, well, in that case we'd better wake Gimli and eat." I said, trying to sound ...I didn't know, cheerful, bubbly? I wasn't sure if it was convincing.
"No need. Aragorn's awake and already doing it. Food's still warm from last night. Mostly the broth." Boromir responded, holding out his cup, showing us the remains of the soup from yesterday. They must have made a lot then.
"We'll get some." Legolas turned, more or less ordering me to follow, and I decided that this was a much easier choice than to stand there with Boromir and try and hide my unease from him. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault...
We were joined soon by Eomer, who only stopped for a few mouthfuls before continuing out with an armful of leather to recapture the horses we'd need, Aragorn, Gimli, King Theodan moving in and out of the Hall as he checked on the progress of everyone. It wasn't long before Eomer had returned, horses saddled outside, and it was time to go.
The horse I rode wasn't the one I'd been given before.
I stood beside it, staring at it, this giant towering black creature that more or less ignored me. Okay. This was a big one.
Hands grasped my waist, I flinched, immediately picturing Boromir, but it was Aragorn lifting me up as easily as if I were a child. "Don't hesitate, Wenduin."
I didn't really have much choice, leg over the giant black beast, the horse turned its head to stare at me as I tried to sit properly on the saddle... whatever 'properly' was, I wasn't sure, but I assumed it was the way it least hurt. Heart thudding, I waited, for it to rear, or to move, or …
It just stood there, blinking at me, still chewing on a mouthful of hay that had been hung on the wall in front of it. Like it wasn't sure what the big deal was.
"She is young but she is well trained." Aragorn ran his hand down her neck, almost affectionate, the mare nuzzling against him. He handed me the reins. "Squeeze just slightly, and use these to direct her. She will follow your lead without a problem. You do not need to pull hard or kick her. Her name is
I took them and watched as Aragorn leaped up easily. Nervous, I tried to squeeze my legs, trying to follow him as he was already riding to where the others were. He wasn't kidding. She shot forward, like she was glad to move, I barely had to do more than pull one of the reins towards the people and when we got there, pull her head back. It was amazing...
"Natural." Aragorn smiled, reaching out to squeeze my hand, as Eomer rode forward.
"Is the woman coming too?" He asked, bluntly, staring at me. It only now occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't have expected to come, being a woman, because this was clearly a boy's club. A boy's ride. "No offence, my lady, but-"
"We should expect nothing less from the sister of Aragorn and the daughter of an Elf. She is not one of us, Eomer, and she was one of the Fellowship. She is welcome." Theodan responded, not even looking at me, his gaze grazing over each of us. He seemed to have a lot more energy now. "Let us ride."
"We follow you, Theodan King." Gamling bowed his head slightly, a banner in one hand.
Theodan took off, just as the first rays of the sun broke over the Mountain and onto Helm's deep. We followed close behind.
I had never thought about riding, though admittedly I could only remember a few months of life, but now I suddenly felt the thrill and draw of it. We rode fast for some time, the hooves pounding, muscles flexing under my legs, the wind in my hair, my clothing flapping, before we slowed down, and even then, it was like flying. I was sure my horse, who I nicknamed Speedy, was loving it too, her ears were forward, her head all arched, and in the increasing sunlight, I found myself admiring her coat- it wasn't black, it seemed to be a very dark shade of grey, dappled with lighter bits that stood out only in sunshine. Very pretty horse. I decided to call her Tinkerbell till I knew her real name. Silly name? Yeah, okay, but it was one of the only things I remembered from my 'past life'.
Our horses easily navigated the dangerous plains, slopes, hills, somehow avoiding holes and other nasties. I had to assume this was because they'd grown up in this sort of land. There was no real 'straight' bit of the trip, not really, it was always slightly downhill or slightly uphill if there wasn't any larger slope. I had to trust that my horse would follow the others and not fall over- I couldn't stay alert, I fought sleep as the first and second hour dragged on.
Eomer did stare at me, from time to time, but more or less ignored me. Sort of. It was only when he'd gotten a glimpse at my ears, or lack there of, that he seemed to be satisfied. It was kind of infuriating. People around here assumed I was Elf. No human ears? Clearly Elf. It didn't matter that I was thicker bodied.
Or maybe he ignored me because Aragorn was my 'brother'. Who knew.
Boromir didn't. He talked to me. He rode beside me. And I wanted to knock him off his horse and scream at him to leave me alone. It was bizarre how hormonal, how weepy, and how badly I was reacting to it now. It. That thing he'd done. How come I'd been so cold about it before? How could I draw on that again?
I didn't understand. I didn't want him dead. I didn't want him unhappy. I just felt sickened now. Now that he made it clear he'd be around, I felt sick, like the sheer idea of it weakened me. Like it zapped life out of my body.
"Stay awake, Wenduin." Gandalf's voice came right beside me. He met my eyes, hands resting easily on the shoulders of his beautiful horse, as it clearly knew where to go. "Is something on your mind?"
"A lot of things." I muttered. Only Gandalf and Legolas would hear me like this, I knew, we were stretched out, at some kind of fast horse run. Gallop or trot or … I didn't know, I wasn't a horse person. Somehow I'd found a rhythm and just let my horsie go for it- at some point I must have been told horses were herd animals and liked to follow, because I wasn't that concerned.
"We will talk later." Gandalf promised, before leaning forward, an unspoken exchange between him and Shadowfax urging Shadowfax faster. Somehow my horse agreed and went faster too.
It wasn't a short ride. But after a time, slowly, we came to a thick forest, and Gandalf finally spoke up.
"Ride single file, behind me." He seemed anxious. No, not that, but … watchful. I didn't understand it, somehow helping my horse move into position behind Legolas, not until we started into the forest.
I got it when we got in.
It was hard to explain. It didn't make sense to me. But the forest felt angry, it groaned, it seemed threatening. I wasn't sure how to describe it, I just stared up at it, somehow anxious myself as the sun was cut out around us. In here, it was dark, as if it was dawn once more, and it was kind of scary. Even the horses were on edge. No one spoke and as the time dragged on, the smell of smoke and blood started to mingle with the smell of musky old forest.
I was sure it'd be late by the time we got out, sure we'd been in there hours, but we came out into bright sunlight, the sun still in the middle of the sky. The trees were thinning. The smell of smoke was increasing, blood, water, dust, and also...
Pipe weed?
I'd been around the hobbits long enough during the first part of our journey to know that smell anywhere. It was different to the stuff that Aragorn smoked, it was muskier, and I had more than once wondered back then if it was some kind of drug like weed. Very distinctive.
Up ahead, I saw the trees finally parting, and the remains of some ancient crumbling wall ahead, great mountains behind. This wasn't so surprising around here, not really, there was tons of ruins in Middle Earth.
Then I saw this great big phallic tower and knew we'd found it.
The sound of laughter, someone crying out, and I relaxed. Okay. Yeah, I remembered this part. I smiled somewhat as we came around toe bend to find Merry and Pippin sitting there, surrounded by food, drink, clouds of smoke rising from their pipes. Merry climbed his feet, slightly unsteady, probably a little drunk. Probably stoned too.
"Welcome, my lords!" He added, as he met my eyes, his smile widening, "And lady. To Isenguard!"
Gimli, in front of me, wasn't the least bit amused to find them drunk. "You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on and now we find you feasting and ...smoking!"
I moved up, slighly, and drew my pretty Tinkerbell to a stop beside them as Pippin responded, still with a mouthful of food.
"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well earned comforts." He gazed at the meat in his hand, relaxed, taking another bite, before adding, "The salted pork is particually good."
"Salted pork?" Gimli's anger was gone suddenly. Popped by the prospect of meat.
I couldn't help it. I laughed softly, as he relaxed back, shaking my head.
"We're under orders from Treebeard who's taken management of Isengard." Merry informed us.
"We can show you him if you'll give us a lift." Pippin added, standing slowly, as unsteady as Merry had been. "The water's a bit dirty. And deep. So can I..." His eyes went pointedly to Aragorn's back.
"Behind me." Aragorn moved ahead, reaching up to help Pippin across, expecting this.
"Boromir." Gandalf said softly. Somehow, I'd managed to forget him, and now he glanced up from behind me. "Wait here."
Eomer went ahead to get Merry, who nearly fell off the wall, quick to stand upright as he found himself face to face with a complete stranger. Gandalf and Theodan were already moving ahead into the water, through the rubble, kicking things away from their horses if they bobbed too close.
I let my horse more or less decide what way she'd weave through this water and debris, seeing as she was just following Legolas anyway, staring in awe at trees. Moving trees. I saw glimpses of faces in those trees, eyes watching us with as much curiosity as we showed them, and very much alive.
This distracted me long enough before I realised the others were breaking the single line formation and so, I eased 'Tinkerbell' to the side of Eomer which she didn't object to at all.
"Young Master Gandalf. I'm glad you've come." A tree spoke to Gandalf, low, deep, rumbling. A tree! No matter how much I had expected this, from the vision weeks ago, it still got to me. And the fact that he'd called Gandalf 'young' did not help with my awe. He led us slowly, confidant as he moved his 'legs' through the dark brown and murky water, leaves dancing in the wind along his body. "Wood and water, stock and stone, I can master." He turned to us, stopping, a few metres away from steep dark grey stairs, the faint hint of yellow eyes under the grey-brown bark. "But there is a wizard to manage here."
I slowed down Tinkerbell between Legolas and Eomer's horses, Gamling behind me, running my fingers down her mane as I stared at the hidious tower. All sharp edges, dark, nasty, dark grey that looked black in shadows, with no beauty to it. It made me miss the elves, reminded me too much of Orc or Uruk Hai.
"Show yourself." Aragorn muttered, staring up.
"Be careful." Gandalf said softly, his head turning slowly as he took in the ruins of this place, or maybe seeking Saruman in one of the balconies of the tower. "Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous."
This reminded me that Saruman had been looking for me at one point. Maybe even now. I shifted, uncomfortable, wondering if I should have come. Gandalf would have told me no though. He'd have known the danger.
"Well, let's just have his head and be done with it." Gimli grunted.
"No. We need him alive. We need him to talk." Gandalf responded quickly.
Eomer, I noticed, did not look impressed by this news. He stared at Gandalf with the same expression he'd given me when he'd realised I was coming, something that suggested he wasn't at all pleased by this, and it was probably only out of sheer respect for Gandalf that he didn't argue. I couldn't say I blamed him for hating that idea. Gimli's idea of just chopping his head off seemed much safer.
A voice came down, soft, and yet every word was somehow clear to me. A voice from very high up in the tower.
"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King, and made peace afterwoods." A figured appeared at the very tip of the tower, clothed in white, standing out against the darkness of the tower. I didn't have to see him properly to know this was the jerk who'd tried to capture me and the hobbits. He spoke again, somehow making himself heard even from that height, to Theodan. "Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend?"
That was rich, I wanted to mutter, that he'd ask for this bullshit after he'd literally posessed Theodan, sent his ork friends rampaging across the land, sent thousands of Uruk Hai to murder us, and to kill us all. Seriously. He wanted peace? He wanted to be friends?
"We shall have peace."
The answer kind of shocked me. I stared at Theodan's back, slightly confused, wondering if he was posessed again. But as he continued, I got it. "We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there!" The anger in his voice was a relief. He continued, voice risen now in a shout, anger threading through it, all the anger that must have built during the battle. "We shall have peace when the lives of the soliders who's bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornberg are avanged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows-" Ow, I had to admit ,I liked that one, "-we shall have peace."
I suddenly really liked this man.
"Gibbets and crows?" Saruman spat, the softness and fake plea gone now, probably back to his usual pleasant self. "Dotard! What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess- the key of orthanc. Or perhaps the Keys of Barad-dur itself along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!"
He sounded paranoid, almost, half mad. I blinked, the bright sky making it hard to see him properly, wondering. I didn't know what any of those things were but I couldn't see Gandalf caring much. Why would he? He had the Elvish ring of...
I blinked. Oh yeah. How had I fogot that? He had one of the rings of power. Cool.
Gandalf didn't even answer his accusations. "Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk. But you could save them, Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's counsel."
"So you have come here for information." Suddenly, I felt his eyes land on me, as if he was slamming them into me. It was scary. "Ask her."
I breathed out slowly, Tinkerbell edgy under me, the man seriously creeped me out somehow. I almost felt ashamed when I said, very quietly, "I don't remember that part," but I was sure that he'd heard. Sure that I felt his mocking. Yes, I'd remembered things, glimpses of fights, battles, lands, dragon-like things, but … I couldn't tell the difference between each place. I seemed to have a better chance of remembering things if they were connected to a person.
Gandalf glanced back at me, his kind gaze knocking my anxiety and guilt straight away, and I knew that he already had known this. That it was fine.
"I have some for you." Sarauman spoke up. He held something up, something that seemed to give me the creeps as much as he did, and he spoke once more. "Something feasters in the heart of middle earth. Something you have failed to see. But the great eye has seen it. Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon."
Gandalf moved closer, as Saruman spoke, his staff still held up.
"You're all going to die. But you know this, don't you, Gandalf?" Saruman's attention was on Gandalf now. "You cannot think this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the shadows, will never be crowned king. Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him … those he professes to love." No one spoke, as if Saruman was weaving a spell with his words alone, a spell that made me feel depressed. Hopeless. Let down even. "Tell me, Gandalf, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path you have set him on can only lead to death."
"I've heard enough." Gimli's soft growl cut through the spell. "Shoot him. Stick an arrow in his gob."
Leoglas moved, quickly, maybe expecting Gandalf to tell him to stop.
"No." Gandalf was quick. "Come down, Saruman and your life will be spared."
"Save your pity and your mercy. I have no need for it!"
A fireball exploded, suddenly, right around Gandalf. Tinkerbell almost reared, Eomer grabbing one rein as I lost it, somehow getting her back down with barely a touch. He gave me that exasperated look, briefly, as if this was all he'd expected, his attention focused on Gandalf.
Gandalf was on fire. The flames were so bright, so hot, that we cringed, the horses trying to back up, the heat almost blistering as it had been with the Balrog.
Not for long though. The flames cut out, fading, Gandalf completely untouched. "Saruman. Your staff is broken."
And just like that. Saruman's staff shattered. Pieces of it rained down and someone appeared behind him, all in black, hunched over as if in pain.
"Grima, you need not follow him. You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan." Theodan's voice was softer, gentle, as he said, "Come down."
It made me wonder. What had Grima looked like before Saruman? Been like? Had he been sickened too? Who knew..
"A man of Rohan?" Saruman's sharp tongue returned, staff or not, clearly disgusted. "What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigards drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dog? The vicotory t Helm's deep does not belong to you, Theodan, Horsemaster. You are the lesser son of greater sires."
"Grima. Come down. Be free of him." Theodan said softly. Had he ignored him? But his words made me wonder. Maybe he had been trapped.
"Free? He will never be free." Saruman hissed.
"No..."
"Get down cur." Saruman hit Grima hard, knocking him out of our sight, and I felt my hate increase for Saruman and vanish a little more for the other.
"Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's council. Tell us what you know!"
"You withdraw your guard and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!"
Something made him freeze, I could see it even from down here, and Legolas moved fast, an arrow let free before my mind really understood what I'd seen. Grima. Behind Saruman. Saruman moved, slowly, and then he was falling.
He slammed onto a spike on a wheel, dead suddenly, and Gandalf didn't even hesitate.
"Send word to all our allies and to every corner of middle earth that still stands free. The enemy moves against us. We need to know where he will strike."
I stared at the body. Literally, just a white shape, blood seeping at the edges. It slid, slowly, the wheel turning, until every last inch of whatever Saruman had been was gone into the muck and dirt of the water. Something slid out of his robes with a heavy splash.
"The filth of Saruman is washing away. Trees will come to live here now. Young trees. Wild trees." Treebeard said softly, as Pippin slid off his horse, almost as if he was half asleep.
Pippin's hesitation about the water earlier was gone now, he was wading through the water ot where the thing had splashed, the water waist height on him. He lifted it up and stared at it. A dark black ball, like glass, but it seemed to move under his hands. Like something was inside. A fire or something.
"Bless my bark!"
Gandalf was already moving ahead. "Perigan Took. I'll take that, my lad." When Pippin hesitated, Gandalf reached down, sleeve across his hand. "Quickly now."
Pippin slid it up to him, Gandalf hiding it in his robe, looking almost guilty. Gandalf stared at him a long time before he turned to us, as Aragorn helped Pippin back up.
"We shall camp here, higher up, where it is dry." Theodan said, moving closer. "So that we may return to Edoras tomorrow before it grows dark. There is food and supplies."
"A lot of it." Merry agreed.
"Then show us a place to make camp."
A/N:
Thank you for reading! Putting up with spelling errors, grammar errors, ect. I do intend on going back and editing this. What do people think about chapter lengths? Shorter? Longer? Been having issues with laptop- I accidently deleted the wrong user account. :S Woops.