Waited until the email notifications were back to post this, even though I've had it ready to go since March! Hopefully they keep working!
There are some deviations from both LOTRO and Lord of the Rings canon here, but they are changes that I felt made sense. As I have mentioned before, the Dunedain encountered some of these Oathbreakers, including Britou, on the Forsaken Road. Brenin is the term used to signify the leader of a clan of the Dunlendings, and this guy was definitely not a good one. Happy Spring!
Chapter 139When we awoke in the morning, it was to the surprising news that there had been soldiers hiding within Linhir's walls, as well as stragglers from the Blackroot Vale and Ethring, who had decided to join with us on our journey to Pelargir. Overcoming their fear of the Dead, they felt drawn to follow Aragorn after learning he was the Heir of Isildur and future King of Gondor. Clearly the banner was evidence enough, and I was feeling more optimistic about our chances of success.
However, we had a long journey through Lebennin to get to Pelargir, and many opportunities to face enemies along the way. Radanir had gone south from Linhir to scout for enemies, and there was a plethora of Haradrim and Corsairs at an abandoned lighthouse not too far from the main thoroughfare. We hoped the Dead and now swelled forces of our company would keep the enemy at bay, but we all had our weapons at the ready as we rode.
For the most part, the Oathbreakers did not acknowledge us, but Britou the Brenin of the Forsaken Road often had his eyes on the Dunedain, an eerie smirk on his ghostly face. "Candaith," I murmured, and he brought his horse closer to me. "Is it possible for one of the Oathbreakers to break ranks and attack us?"
Candaith thought for a moment, giving me a grave look. "Theoretically, Aragorn summoning them to fulfill their Oath and them agreeing to come should provide enough sway over them to keep them in line but…" he shivered. "They are traitors who cannot be trusted to keep their word, proven by their past. Who's to say they would not do the same again?"
"Do you see how Britou watches us?" I whispered. Candaith did not look the dead man's way, but nodded tightly. "Could he be planning something?"
"It is possible," Candaith replied with a frown. "Let us ride forward and speak to Aragorn of this matter."
We spurred our horses forward to Aragorn's side, and he greeted us with a nod and a shadow of a smile before it was replaced with a more serious expression as he beheld our worried countenance. "What troubles you my friends?"
Candaith relayed our concerns, mentioning Britou specifically. "Due to our history with him, especially mine…I worry he will try something, especially in the thick of battle when there is much going on and he can be stealthy about harming us."
Aragorn's eyes narrowed and he swept his gaze over the Oathbreakers, finding Britou easily. "I will speak with him." His voice echoed with a hint of power, which reminded me of how Elladan and Elrohir sometimes sounded when they used this skill.
"Hannon le," Candaith replied sincerely. "It may not help, but we appreciate the effort nonetheless. There are several of us who were impacted by his treachery, and if he can be brought to heel and unable to harm any but the enemy, we would see it done." Aragorn looked grieved by Candaith's words, and I knew he felt guilt over what happened on the Forsaken Road, however misplaced. With a nod in farewell, Aragorn turned around and rode over to Britou, who looked at him first with arrogance which changed to anger and then fear as Aragorn spoke with him. I wondered at what he was saying, but felt it was not my place to ask. The undead Brenin looked cowed, and melted into his fellows.
He did not trouble us again as we continued on, and I prayed it would stay that way until he had fulfilled his Oath and faded away to where Men go after death.
As we rode, men from Ost Anglebad and Aerthir joined our party, faces grim and eyes full of both fear and determination. I could see Pelargir coming closer and closer, its brilliant winged turrets standing tall in the murky, dim skies. I squinted and could see smoke coming from various areas of the city, and the flickering of fire. I worried it was under siege, and wondered what we would be facing when we arrived.
Unfortunately the gate was shut against us, sturdy and large. We would not be able to breach it with the equipment we had, or rather the lack thereof. Elladan and Elrohir rode off to investigate the possibility of entering some other way, and returned with a few soldiers from the city.
"They say we can enter through the sewers, but we would need to fight our way through the city to get to the winch we can use to open the gate. There are many foes, but he believes they are scattered into small groups, which may make it easier to overcome them," Elladan explained.
"Perhaps a group of us could take this path and open the gate, with the rest of you waiting outside," I suggested. "Once it is open you can come into the city."
"Whom would you send?" Halbarad asked, turning to address Aragorn.
His eyes immediately met mine, and I gave a tiny nod. Candaith squeezed my hand, and I knew he would be right by my side. "I would send Gwinthilnel, Candaith, Elladan, Saeradan, Calenglad, and Golodir," Aragorn stated, "If you all agree. It is a dangerous mission, and one not without great risk. Yet, it seems to me to be the most likely strategy to ensure success." He noticed Legolas and Gimli hovering nearby and asked, "Would you like to join them, my friends?"
Both shook their heads. "We will stay with you laddie," Gimli answered, giving me an amused smirk. "Gwin here can keep the others in line." I huffed a laugh, but I was glad they would stay with Aragorn. Once the enemy figured out he was the leader, they would target him, and I knew I could trust Gimli and Legolas to keep him safe.
Since the plan was now made, my small group gathered together and spoke with a Pelargir soldier to get a sense of the layout.
"We will enter in through the sewers, as the Lord Elf said," the man said nervously, eyeing Elladan with some trepidation. Perhaps he had never seen an Elf. "There is a narrow set of stairs alongside it, which will bring us right into the main streets. Once there, I and a small company of soldiers will join you to fight our way to the winch. Unfortunately, the streets are somewhat difficult to traverse, due to the rubble from the damage the city has taken while being under siege."
"Is the winch in a defensible area?" Calenglad asked.
The soldier nodded, "On either side, there are sets of stairs, one leading back to where we will have just come from, and another to a portcullis leading to a courtyard. We should be able to defend each side effectively, as we will be above any enemies wanting to stop us from opening the gate." I felt comforted by this; we had some talented archers in this small group, and if we could pick off the enemy with our bows, it would make things much easier. "Once the gate is open, everyone else can enter in and move through the city, hopefully defeating the corsairs as they go." I could sense he felt bolstered by the presence of Aragorn, and felt some hope.
"Sounds like it will be a piece of cake," Elladan said casually, with a wink my way. I rolled my eyes and shoved him lightly, appreciating the small moment of levity. He turned to Elrohir and added, "You should go with Estel, you know how he likes to wander off." Aragorn's lips twitched as he suppressed a smile, his eyes sparkling with mirth as both twins gave him a hug.
"Sometimes you make me feel like I am a small child again," Aragorn replied, and the twins gave him a fond smile. "Yet, today I must be the leader I am fated to be, however difficult it seems. While I do not fear being the Heir of Isildur, and will step into my role as King if I have the chance, it is not an easy path to walk." His expression was one of determination, and I knew he would do his very best to fulfill his destiny.
Elladan clasped his shoulder affectionately and replied, "We will be by your side every step of the way, even when you get annoyed at our hovering and ask us to stop being mother hens!" His eyes twinkled, but I could hear the sincerity underneath his humor.
After organizing our small group, we made our way into the city by stealth. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and I could hear the boisterous, crass voices of the Corsairs clearly. It made my blood boil to think of how they must have subdued the citizens of the city, likely with violence and some amount of bloodshed. I knew the pain of this from my past, and vowed to put an end to their suffering; I would protect and liberate them.
"Let's go," Candaith whispered, and our mission began.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It was tough going, like the soldiers had predicted, with some of the fighting occurring in very close quarters. Despite their numbers, the Corsairs did not fight with nearly as much fluidity and precision as our small group. They were surprised by our arrival and therefore disorganized. I could tell many were drunk, with their curved scimitars swinging sloppily through the air. However, once we made our way up to the stairs and to the winch, they seemed to be more organized and ready for us.
One of the soldiers of Pelargir was desperately cranking the winch to open the great gate, trying to go faster than the equipment would allow. We stood in groups of 3, and rained arrows down upon the Corsairs attempting to stop us. Some did end up breaking through, but we were able to stop them without too much difficulty. Elladan was a blur as his arrows flew straight and true, and once my arrows were spent, my knives cut down any who survived the volley. I tried not to think about how I was killing men and not orcs, because if I dwelled on it too much, I could hesitate and get injured or killed.
After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, the gate was open. There was a break in the fighting, and we looked over the wall to see Aragorn striding forward confidently, his troops following behind. The Dead came last, and I shook off the feelings of dread with some difficulty. Once they were further into the city, we ran down the stairs and met Elrohir at a closed gate. He pulled it up with a grunt, and we entered a large courtyard. We passed a soldier setting up a ballista on a bridge overlooking the wall below, ready to attack any corsairs that tried to get past the barricades which were set up to protect the courtyard. I startled as I spotted groups of townspeople huddled together, holding anything they could find to use as a weapon. Supplies were stacked up, likely for the use of the Corsairs but currently abandoned as they attempted to organize against our assault.
"Do not worry, we will protect you. The King has come again," I said confidently, and it gave the citizens a boost of morale and determination to take back their city. I then turned my attention to the narrow entryway, ready to attack any who should attempt to get past the barricades. Sure enough, Corsairs began to climb the walls with grappling hooks. Elladan and Elrohir ran forward and started cutting the ropes with efficiency, sending the climbing Corsairs toppling down to what could have amounted to their deaths. Yet due to their sheer numbers, many were able to break through, and came straight for us.
Predictably, Candaith stood in front of me, sword at the ready. "Meleth, I can hold my own," I said calmly. "You must focus on fighting the enemy, and not just protecting me. You cannot afford to make a mistake by getting distracted." Candaith grunted in frustration, but nodded in understanding, moving to the side slightly as to give me a better view of what was coming.
My eyes widened as I saw a massive Corsair captain striding forward. He had a fell-looking staff in his hand, and a strange glint in his eyes. I feared he had some type of sorcery in mind, but before I could do anything, the twins engaged him in battle. The other Corsairs seemed to shy away from the three of them, likely worried about being caught in the crossfire. The captain was powerful, shouting curses in a fell, unfamiliar tongue. Elladan and Elrohir used what power they had to combat them, but I could tell it was tiring them quickly. Due to their focus on the captain, the ropes were not being cut, so Calenglad and Saeradan ran forward to take over.
"Meleth, do not worry, I can handle this," I 'said' through our connection, and his eyes widened in fear of what I might do. Yet before he could stop me, I strode forward and shouted, "You will not harm them further, sorcerer!" The captain turned to me in surprise, pointing his staff towards me with a spell on his lips, but it distracted him enough for Elladan to drive his sword straight through the man's chest. He made an awful choking sound, and blood leaked out of his mouth as he collapsed to the ground. The fell light in his eyes faded as he died, and I held in a shiver at the sight of it.
Before I could think on this further, I heard a shout and saw some townspeople fleeing a group of Corsairs chasing them, and I and the brothers brought the pirates down before they could go any further. I turned back to the barricades and noticed the number of Corsairs had greatly decreased, and I spotted many climbing back down the ropes, running away from us and towards where I could distantly spot Aragorn and his army marching through the city. Yet they were far off, and I wondered if the enemy would run back towards us in fear after spotting the Oathbreakers.
We would need to be ready for it.
Running quickly ahead, our group made our way to the piers, fighting off any stray foe on our way. Once we arrived on the wall looking down over the piers, I grimly noted there was yet another large group of Corsairs gathered below us, waiting to attack Aragorn and his army as they arrived. If the other Corsairs did not turn back, as I hoped, he would be pressed on both sides with many enemies and I was not sure he could manage them all long enough for us to come help.
I told the others of my observations, and Saeradan narrowed his eyes in thought. "I spotted two catapults set up along the walls, ready for use. Perhaps we should fire at the Corsairs below and get them to turn our direction, eliminating this threat to Aragorn."
Candaith looked at him dubiously, "I do not think the six of us will be enough to combat all of them, as skilled as we may be."
"We do not need to defeat them all, we just have to hold them off long enough for Aragorn to defeat the Corsairs coming behind him," Golodir countered. "I believe they have enough fighters to be successful in that."
"They also have the Dead to…aid them," Calenglad added, looking worried. "I can only but pray we will not be betrayed by them once more." The thought of them turning on Aragorn and cutting him and the others down was horrifying, but I had to focus on what I could control. Encouraging the others was a small thing I could do, even if I myself did not completely believe it.
"Indeed, we must have faith," I stated firmly. "Not only in Aragorn, but in each other." I faced forward towards the enemy. "Let us ready ourselves." I was pleasantly surprised to see a small contingent of soldiers from Pelargir make their way towards us. "Welcome, my friends," I said gratefully. "We will have need of your skill and blades."
"And you shall have it," a man answered, likely their Captain by his garb. "We will hold the King's flank, and save our people." His eyes shone in determination, and I felt some hope that we might be successful.
There was no more time for talk, as Saeradan and Calenglad had launched some very heavy metal balls down at the Corsairs below. Their shouts of anger were indicative that they had taken the bait, and I firmly gripped my twin blades as I stood next to Candaith. I turned towards him and said, "Ready, meleth nin?"
He gave me a tiny smile, and replied, "As ready as I will ever be. I love you Gwin, always."
I felt some tears gather in my eyes at the thought that these could perhaps be our last moments, should the battle go ill, but blinked them away. "I love you too Candaith." The rush of emotions I felt suddenly made me want to throw down my weapons and kiss him, but I knew there was no time for it.
My thoughts were interrupted when a Corsair suddenly jumped over the wall in front of us, eyes blazing with the fire of battle. I noted he had climbed up on a grappling hook, and saw that many others were lodged in the stone. Elladan and Elrohir resumed their previous task of dismantling them while we clashed our swords with enemy's scimitars.
The fighting was fierce and more difficult than before. Candaith and I were back-to-back, and I dimly noted the other Dunedain were close by. Two soldiers had taken over catapult duties from Saeradan and Calenglad, raining stones down upon the enemy. All I could do was keep moving and hope that none of my friends and family were injured.
Suddenly, my eyes widened at the sight of someone I had hoped to never see again.
Galthrod the Dark Numenorian from Isengard was mere feet from me, but he was hiding behind a stone pillar with his weapon gripped tightly in his hand. He looked very little like the swaggering, arrogant man I had seen only a short time ago. I could see he was shaking, clearly afraid and overwhelmed. Blood had not stained his scimitar yet, but clearly he was here with his people to fight against Gondor, and by extension us. Why had he not joined his fellows in battle?
Unfortunately I had no more time to consider this because an arrow nearly went right through my neck. Luckily I noticed it just in time, pulling Candaith to the ground as I heard it whiz overhead. I looked up to see a massive Corsair archer aiming straight at me. I pulled Candaith back to his feet, and the archer was finally close enough to yell, "There is a pretty price on your head, she-elf!" He gave me a terrifying grin, several gold teeth glinting. "Sauron wants you dead or alive, and I, Thisarti of Umbar, am going to get the reward I deserve!" I was alarmed to know he knew enough about me to pick me out in the middle of a battle, and shook off my anger at this with some difficulty. Ever since I was noticed by Sauron and his powerful allies in Angmar all those months ago, he had dogged my steps tirelessly. Why he felt so threatened by me I could not say, for I was just an Elleth who happened to be a decent fighter and ended up in the middle of all kinds of conflicts that caused the forces of darkness to come after me.
"You are mistaken," I shouted furiously. "Sauron will never have me, and neither will you!" I sliced his next arrow straight out of the air with my knives, and he furiously threw his bow on the ground before pulling out a massive sword. Candaith was right next to me, so we both engaged him in battle. The man was very skilled, and when his fellows noticed he was fighting two to one, they joined in. I felt a zing down my arm, and noted Candaith cry out in pain. He had a lengthy slice down his left arm, which immediately began bleeding profusely. He staggered and I noted Calenglad quickly pull him out of the fight, and all I could do was turn my full attention to Thisarti as he focused solely on me. He was littered with various wounds, but they seemed not to bother him as his sword swung right at my head.
I brought my knives up in an 'x' in front of me, locking with his blade and pushing him away from me. I jumped as he tried to swipe my legs out from under me, landing lightly on my feet. He had me on the defensive, and I needed to find an opening. Finally, after what felt like forever, he fell for my feint to the left, and I managed to sink my knife right into his side. I pulled it out swiftly, and he automatically pushed his hand against it to stop the rapidly flowing blood. Enraged, he reached out faster than I expected him to move and grabbed me by my long braid. Put in a headlock, the man was squeezing my neck with all his remaining strength, and I was sure I was about to die. I scrabbled against his arm, and then tried to hit him in his bleeding side, but my energy was flagging as the lack of oxygen started affecting me. I could dimly hear the alarmed shouting of familiar voices, but my vision was too blurry to make anyone out.
Just when I knew I had mere moments to live, the man jerked suddenly and his arm released me. I fell to the ground, gasping and rubbing my aching throat. Looking up with watering eyes, I saw an unexpected sight.
Galthrod had rammed his sword right through the chest of Thisarti, and the man fell heavily to the ground as he died. The Numenorian, for his part, looked shocked at his own actions, his eyes wide as he saw the blood pooling on the stone in front of him.
"Galthrod," I gasped, and his eyes flew to mine as he came back to himself.
"Gwinthilnel?" He made to move towards me, but then Saeradan was there stopping him from moving any closer. Galthrod set his weapon down slowly and raised his hands in a sign of peace. I quickly looked around and noticed there were few living Corsairs left to harry us. How did we manage to defeat so many?
"Stay where you are," Saeradan said, voice quiet but firm in his order. "Now, how do you know Gwinthilnel?"
"He was…in Isengard," a pained, angry voice shouted. Candaith was staggering towards us, with his good arm thrown around Calenglad's shoulders. "A Dark Numenorian who caused us nothing but grief and pain." Galthrod looked ashamed, his dark eyes pointing towards the ground and his fists clenched tightly by his sides.
"Not…not just those things," I stuttered, still trying to catch my breath. "He helped me escape."
"With the promise of something more than you were willing to give," Candaith argued hotly, and I flushed in embarrassment as Galthrod clenched his jaw so tight that I worried it might crack. Candaith immediately noticed his slip up, and gave me an apologetic look. However, the damage was done. The twins and the rest of the Dunedain, who had since joined us, were staring murderously at Galthrod.
"This is…true," I replied. "Yet he did not assault me in any way. I deceived him." I painfully stood up, unwilling to share anymore details of my shameful actions. "Now is not the time to rehash old wounds. Galthrod, how do you come to be here? Last time we spoke, you planned to tell your Chieftain not to follow Sauron."
"This I did, but it was too late. We were under Sauron's heel, and it was either follow his orders or face death. The women and children were threatened with starvation and even execution should they try to flee, and the men were forced onto ships and brought here," Galthrod explained, still unable to look up from the stone under his feet. "I did not wish to fight in this battle, but when I saw what was happening to you, I could not stand by in my hiding place and watch you die." His voice became a little stronger, and he finally met my eyes. "You did not deserve to be slain."
"You betrayed your people by killing one of your own," Elladan warned, still standing with his weapon at the ready. "They will not let you return to your homeland without facing punishment, of which is likely death."
"I assume as much," Galthrod said quietly. "What will you do? Slay me yourselves?" Elladan went to rebuke him, clearly offended by the questions, but the words died in his throat as he spotted something. "It is Estel! He comes to route the Corsairs!"
We all made our way over to the wall overlooking the piers, and watched in amazement as trumpets announced the arrival of Aragorn and his armies as they drove the Corsairs away. Many jumped into the water in terror, likely drowning in their madness. Yet some engaged the Gondorians, but were quickly overtaken due to the sheer number of fighters including the Oathbreakers. I squinted, trying to see if any of the ghostly spirits had drawn their weapons, but it seemed like they were simply using their powers of fear and dread as their method of battle.
"Ready yourselves!" one of the Pelargir captains shouted, and we noted some Corsairs scrambling up the remaining ropes to flee. Suddenly a few of the Oathbreakers appeared, standing among us as we had all lined up to fight.
One of whom was Britou. I shied away from him and pulled Candaith behind me with some difficulty; he had refused to stay out of the battle due to his stubborn protectiveness over me. I would not allow this traitor to harm him any further. A strange expression was on the ghost's face, one of determination and regret. He turned away from us and made a horrible shrieking sound. I had to cover my ears, and saw Elladan and Elrohir do the same out of the corner of my eye. Any Corsairs in the vicinity jumped off the walls to their death, leaving few for us to fight. Once all were slain, I turned to look at the carnage where we had fought, and felt the urge to wretch. So many dead Corsairs were lying there, eyes blank in the endless stare of death, with some Gondorians among them. None of our small group were killed, but the wound on Candaith's arm looked serious. I worried it may need to be amputated, but pushed this horrible thought away.
My eyes widened as I spotted Calenglad and Golodir restraining an unresisting Galthrod, who was the only Umbarian remaining, at least up here. "We will bring you to Aragorn and determine what is to be done with you," Elrohir said roughly, and I knew he was wondering what had happened to me in Isengard and likely blamed Galthrod for much of it. Would he be ashamed of me if he knew what I had done? There was no time to think on it as we slowly made our way down the stone steps to the piers, leaving the dead behind. The living Pelargir soldiers began to gather their slain as we passed, and I sent a quick prayer to the Valar to guide them truly to wherever Men go when they pass beyond the circles of the world.
We had a King to reunite with, in a victory hard-won.
Well this was a doozy of a chapter! There is what is called an Epic Battle in LOTRO called the Battle of Pelargir, and I have done it so many times that I have the layout of the city crystal clear in my memory. I hope I was able to describe things clearly enough for readers unfamiliar with it. I knew a long time ago, even before I finished writing the Isengard chapters, that Galthrod was going to show up here. I hadn't yet decided what type of person he was going to be, or how he would react to seeing Gwin, but I ended up having him do something to try and make up for his past deeds. We will just have to see what happens to him going forward. Thanks for reading! Hopefully updates will come more frequently since I have several chapters written that just need some editing.