Last chapter for the week!
I don't own Lord of the Rings.
(Kristy)
"Ow!" A little drop of blood trickled out of my finger after I pricked my finger for the millionth time. Embroidery wasn't my thing last week, and it hasn't gotten any better.
Eowyn laughed at me from her spot across the table. We sat in the inn, mingling with other citizens as we avoided Meduseld at all costs. Ever since Eomer and Theodred left, Grima has upped his creepy level tenfold. As such, we have resolved to hiding.
Our current company consisted of the wives, sisters, and mothers of the soldiers out fighting orcs. We all needed a good breather from worrying, so we decided to spend the day sipping wine and gossiping.
It was lovely.
"Lifhilde is betrothed to Bjorlen, now!" One of the mothers gossiped happily as she took a sip of hr booze. "I always knew that she would find a good husband. She's always been such a pretty little thing."
That'd be a cool story, if I knew who either of those people were. But hey, I love marriages. Good for them!
It was such a chill day. No drama in the city, no bad weather. It was so relaxing.
Finally.
Then again... I should have expected more from this twisted world.
"Lady Eowyn!" A sweaty Meduseld guard burst through the inn door, panting. "The soldiers have returned! You must make haste to Meduseld! Your cousin is gravely wounded."
Eowyn knocked over her chair and bolted for the door. All of the women immediately began to chatter in excitement and worry. Their own prince was hurt. How would their loved ones fare?
My heart sank. Theodred.
I quickly chased Eowyn up the steps to Meduseld, praying that Theodred would be alright. Wounds can heal, right? I've heard tons of crazy war stories, here. There's no way that they'd let their prince die.
We reached Theodred's bedroom just as the doctor was leaving. He gaveus a sad look before turning away, wiping the blood from his hands with a thin cloth.
Eomer was already bent down at the bed, holding his cousin's hand. The handsome prince was pale and sickly looking, with sweat running down his brow. I stayed behind Eowyn as she fell to the floor beside him, lifting the bed covers that shielded his wounds. We both gasped at the sight.
There was a hefty gash in his right side. Although such a wound could be recovered from, the dark coloring of it could not be healed with this world's technology.
He hand gang green.
The brother and sister before me exchanged panicked looks, tears in both of their eyes. They remained strong, though, for no tear fell.
"We must tell Uncle." Eowyn sighed, standing and turning away from her sick cousin. Eomer silently followed, his eyes sending me a sad gaze as he stood.
"Will you stay here?" He asked in a raspy voice. "He would want the company."
Silently, I nodded. I didn't plan on leaving, to be quite honest. Here before me was a dying man, who, in life, had been nothing but kind and helpful to me. I must return the favor.
I pulled a chair over to Theodred's bed and sat down, taking his hand in mine. I can't tell you how long I sat, simply listening to the silent of the day. Doctors came in and out of the room, just to check up on their dying prince. The looks on their faces told me that it was a hopeless cause.
Theodred shifted in his bed often, his breathing unsteady. He held on to my hand tighter and tighter, until I thought that it would break.
He mumbled something under his breath, so I leaned in closer.
"What is it, Theodred?"
"Th-th... Thank you." He mumbled, opening his eyes to look at me. "For being here."
My eyes prickled with tears as I gave him a little smile. "Thank you for being so wonderful, Theodred."
He smiled and was soon fast asleep.
Eowyn came back in, a look of defeat on her features.
"Uncle cares not for his own son." She fell to the ground beside Theodred and took his other hand. "It matters not, now. We will be here for him."
"I'm going to go get enough clothing for tonight, Eowyn..." I whispered, not wanting to bother her much in such a time as this. "I'll be right back."
I made my way through the halls quickly, not wanting Theodred to go without me. When I made it to the hall, I stopped.
"You see much Eomer, son of Eomund..." Grima hissed like a snake, and I hid myself behind a pillar. "Too much."
Peeking out, I saw Eomer being dragged out of Meduseld by a group of thugs, Grima at the head of them.
"You are hereby banished from Rohan, by order of the king!" Grima shouted, an evil grin on his lips. "By punishment of death!"
Oh, no...
Putting my hide and go seek childood skills to work, I made my way to the kitchens, where I clumsily climbed out of a window with the help of the cooks.
Once outside, I booked it to the stables- the one place I knew Eomer would be.
There he was; saddling his horse, barking out orders to a stable hand.
"Gather my men! Tell them that Edoras has fallen to Saruman. We have lost all hope!"
"What are you doing?" I cried, running towards my friend. "Stand and fight!"
Eomer shook his head, his lips thin in a frown. "It is no use."
"So, what, you're just going to leave your sister here with Wormtongue?"
Eomer froze. "Eowyn is safer, here."
I shook my head. "You have an entire army, yet you will not fight for your own city." Eomer remained silent. "Eomer, you cannot leave..."
"I will be back." He mumbled, preparing his horse. "I swear it. For now, Kristy, take care of my sister."
Just like this... Everything falls apart. "What should I tell her?"
"Tell her the truth."
I nodded. "I am sorry to see you go."
Eomer gave me a small smile, despite his current frustration. "I am sorry to go." He then mounted his horse and rode out to meet his men.
Could it get any worse?
I ran to the inn to gather my things, and quietly made my way back to Theodred's room. My number one goal was to avoid Grima without being scene, and it was no easy task. He had eyes everywhere.
"Eowyn?" The woman was knelt by her cousin, tears flowing freely from her eyes. The prince was still; no longer fighting for his life.
He was gone. I was too late.
"Eowyn... I... I am so sorry." Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, too, as my heart went out to my dear friend. So much pain, and yet so young...
"Where is Eomer?" She choked out through her tears. "Where is he?"
"He..." I fought myself in that moment, dreading what I must tell her. "Grima banished him... He is gone."
The young woman in front of me completely broke down, fighting hopelessly against sobs. She buried her face into her cousin's hand, weeping.
What do we do, now?
(Sophie)
James's heavy breaths held my focus as he carried me across the rocky land of Rohan. I was fighting to keep thoughts of Collin away. Fighting to forget the fact that I just left my best friend in the whole world to die alone, with no one to comfort him but piles of dead orcs.
His smile, his laugh... I couldn't get that silly young man out of my mind. I clutched to his camera bag for dear life- the one thing that I have to remember him by. My heart couldn't accept the fact that he was gone.
He said that he'd always be with me in spirit, but that's not enough. I spent all of my time crying over him, but now my eyes were sore and dry. I could't cry if I tried.
I was numb.
"Legolas!" Aragorn called out to the elf, who was running ahead of the group. "What do your elf eyes see?"
"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"
My heart sank. I knew very well what lurked in Isengard.
Our paces quickened, refusing to lose more friends to the orcs.
I opened my eyes and looked over James's shoulder to a familiar sight.
Horses.
"Riders of Rohan! Hide!"
Hide from what? If Collin were here, we'd find friends among these men.
Collin... Life was always easier with him around. He's only been gone a few days, but it still feels like forever.
Aragorn, right after demanding that we hide, hopped into view of the riders and waved them down. Of course, we all followed, and I was now on the ground, standing beside James and Gimli.
The horses circled us, their spears pointed at our necks. The dull ache in my heart slightened a bit when I caught sight of a familiar helmet.
"Eomer?" What was he doing so far away from Edoras? He hardly ever patrols this far.
"Sophie?" My old friend took his helmet off, and the men lowered their spears. "What are you doing, here?"
"We were attacked by orcs." Aragorn spoke for me, his voice grave. "They kidnapped two of our friends. We followed them, here."
Eomer nodded. "We killed them. There were no men among them."
"They were hobbits!" Gimli cried. "Little fellows! Like children!"
Eomer shook his head. "We did not see them. You will find the burned orcs yonder, but do not dare to hope. Saruman has gained control of these lands. We were banished for opposing him..." He looked at me in confusion. "Sophie... Where is Collin?"
I closed my eyes and looked down the thr ground, tears finding their way into my sore eyes. Eomer understood, a look of pain making its way onto his features. He took a deep breath and looked up to the sky, cursing fate and every orc on this earth.
"Hope has truely forsaken us... Turn away, my friends... Edoras is no longer safe." He turned to his men, placing his helmet back onto his head. "I am sorry, but we must go. If you still dare to go to the city, get Kristy and Eowyn out of there. Here, take these four horses. We have no need of them, now. We ride north, men!"
No... Kristy and Eowyn have to be okay.
It was like the world was falling apart around me.
"Come, Sophie." Aragorn took my hand and lifted me onto his horse. "Let's go find Merry and Pippin."
.
As we approached the giant pillar of smoke, Aragorn set me down.
"Stay here. You will not want to see this."
Too tired to argue, I fell to the ground and curled up into a ball. My eyes were heavy; it had been days since I had any sleep. When the men came back, there was a new member in the group. Rather, an old friend.
Gandalf.
He woke me up, stroking my hair. He looked at me with his bright eyes, a small, comforting smile on his lips. I thought that I was dead.
"Gandalf?" I mumbled in a groggy voice. The old wizard chuckled, taking my hand to help me up.
"Come, child. It is alright. You are still alive, so get up and live."
I stood on shaky legs, placing my hand on Gandalf's face. He seemed to shine, in an odd way. He was dressed in all white, looking more like an angel than the old wizard that I used to know. My friends were standing behind him, a new hope in their eyes.
"We ride to Edoras, young one." Gandalf said in his familiar deep voice. "Come."
(Kristy)
"Will he not come?" The thought that a father would refuse to see his only son is next to impossible.
Eowyn shook her head. "I give up. He's not coming. He will do nothing but sit on his throne, listening to every word that snake hands out."
I let out a sigh. "Is there any hope for us, now?"
Surprisingly, she didn't say no. "Perhaps... I saw some people arriving, just moments ago. One of them looked like old Gandalf the Grey..."
Gandalf... Sophie, Collin, and James must be with him!
I jumped up and ran out of the room, dying to see my friends again.
"Wait, Kristy!" Eowyn chased after me, hot on my heels.
What I saw was a bit more extreme than I first thought. Gandalf was there, that's for sure. And he was attacking the king.
"No!" Eowyn bolted forward, ready to kill anyone who would hurt her last remaining relative. Aragorn grabbed her, and moved her over to where Sophie was hiding.
Sophie!
I ran to her, completely ignoring all that was going on about me. I knelt down beside her, a huge smile on my lips.
"Sophie, you came!" Not the way I was expecting, but still! She's here!
She looked up at me with red eyes and a weak smile. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into big hug. It felt so good, seeing her again.
We stayed like that until all of the chaos had died down, and Grima was thrown out in the dust. We jumped up, more than excited to see Grima get his ass beat.
Our new and revived king stumbled outside, reveling in his new ability to walk. In his hand he held a beautiful sword, raised at the ready. Grima stumbled back, trying to hide from the now mighty king.
"I have only ever tried to serve you, my lord!" He pleaded, looking far less frightening than ever. It's almost a wonder how we ever feared this worm of a man in the first place.
The king raised his sword, and my heart panicked. I haven't seen a man die, before... I surely don't want to, now. All I've ever wanted was for him to be thrown into jail, or something.
"My lord!" Aragorn grabbed the king's sword just in time. "Enough blood has been spilt on his behalf."
While everyone was distracted by this odd new man halting their king, Grima fled. Quite honestly, no one cared enough to go after him. All eyes were on their fresh new king. People bowed in awe. From what I heard, Theoden had hardly been out of his room in years. Yet here he stood, old, but healthy.
It was a miracle.
"All hail, Theoden King!" Hama called out, and all of Meduseld cheered.
The king turned around, as though he was looking for someone.
Oh, no...
"Where is Theodred? Where is my son?"
Eowyn stood and took her uncle's hand. "My lord... Your son..." She stuttered, tears prickling at her eyes. "He... He fell."
Theoden eyed his niece for a moment in disbelief. Eowyn broke under her uncle's stare and quickly turned back to Meduseld, tears finally flowing from her eyes. The king followed, and Sophie watched it all with wide eyes.
"Theodred...?" She asked, and I suppose that my look said it all. She fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face. She clutched her stomach and covered her mouth with her other hand. I'd never seen Sophie in such a state before.
"Sophie, are you okay?" Of course she's not... She just lost a good friend. "Sophie?"
A gentle hand touched my shoulder, and my heart stopped when I found it to belong to Legolas. He looked down to me with sad eyes, his whole posture looking tired.
"It is Collin..." Was all he said.
Collin? "What about Collin... Sophie?"
Sophie just cried harder as Boromir came to pick her up.
No... This can't be happening... He was the best of us; he doesn't deserve to die.
I looked to James, whose eyes were fixed on me. His face said it all.
What is this world coming to?
(Sophie)
Boromir led me all the way to a random door in Meduseld. Opening it, he found it to be a storage closet, but having no other place to go, he walked us inside, anyways.
There was a small window that shed a little bit of light, but we were mostly in the dark.
My first instict was to slap the hell out of him. He pulled me away when Collin needed me most, and I wanted to kill him for it. He just took it, because we all know that the only thing I was hurting was his feelings, and that just made me feel even worse. No matter how furious I was, I needed a hug.
So, once I got my anger out, that's just what I did. Tears were falling from my eyes as I shook with sobs. Boromir rubbed my back and held me close; even he needed a hug.
"I am sorry, Sophie... I am so sorry."
I didn't know if I should be thrilled because Boromir was alive or crushed because Collin was dead. Right now, I just wanted to die.
A maid opened the door, but quickly closed it again.
Great, now she probably thinks I'm getting it on with Boromir in a closet.
(Kristy)
Collin... dead...
It's not something that I could grasp. I sat myself against the wall of Meduseld, looking out at the rolling plains ahead. It was so beautiful... Collin loved it here. You could tell by the way he talked about it.
Then again, he loved most things. He was the greatest man I'd ever met. His soul will live on in those he touched, no doubt.
I just couldn't grasp it, though... Tears were forming in my eyes, when a familiar face came and sat down beside me.
James pulled me into his arms, and the tears came flooding down.
I missed him.
He himself was sobbing, no doubt having held it all in. He clung to me just as he used to when we were little, and our grandma died. Through that rough exterior is a man full of heart, just dying to get out.
"It's my fault..." He cried. "I wasn't strong enough. He died to save Boromir and I. Then, I pushed Boromir out of the way, and it hit him again..."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "You were with Collin when he fell?"
James nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He came to save us; Boromir and I. We were trying to protect the hobbits... He got shot with arrows, and we had to leave him there alone to die. Can you imagine? Leaving your brother to die alone in a forest surrounded by the bodies of countless dead orcs?"
No, I can't imagine that... I don't want to know how it feels.
"He would not have let you die for the world, James." I tried to comfort him the best I could, but I was hardly helping myself. "He is with God, now. That's the only place he's ever wanted to be. If you hadn't been there, both he and Boromir would be dead. Sophie would have lost everything..."
I can't imagine what they went through...
Wait... "Are the hobbits alright?" I didn't see them outside.
James shrugged. "Frodo and Sam ran off to Mordor alone. They could be anywhere. Merry and Pippin got kidnapped by orcs, but Eomer and his men saved them..."
Thank goodness... Everything happens for a reason. I'm glad that they're alright. "Where are they now?"
"I don't know... But Gandalf said that they were alright."
Good...
"Oh, do I have stories to tell you..." James laughed through the tears. "Oh, Collin... Will I ever forgive myself?"
"You have to..." It will break him, if this continues.
James nodded, and we sat there crying together until we were called in for the night.
.
.
Everyone was out, lining the streets for Theodreds funeral. Still, for many of us, we were grieving more than just the prince.
It was silent.
Sophie had begged me to sing this one song... It's something that she said Collin would have wanted played at his funeral. I full-heartedly agree.
"Spend all your time waiting for that second chance,
for the break that would make it okay.
There's always some reason to feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day.
I need some distraction, oh beautiful release
Memories seep through my veins
They may be weightless, and maybe I'll find some peace tonight.
In the arms of an angel, fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an angel; may you find some comfort here..."
The song in this chapter is "Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, from the movie City of Angels. I don't own this song, I simply find it to be beautiful.
Thank you guys for your well wishes for my cruise. I'll miss writing this. :(
I'll be back next week. Be patient until then, and just keep waiting. Trust me. :)
These next few chapters will be hardcore. Promise. :)