In Gondor
3. To Minas Tirith
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3.
kicking the door shut behind him. "Do you know what they
whisper about you?" he asked, his voice shaking with anger.
"I
can imagine." Orenin smiled at him and
finished fastening her coat. "Probably nothing I haven't heard
before." She pulled on her cloak and did the fastening at her neck.
He
picked up the pauldron that he had earlier carefully
placed over the back of a chair and threw it into a corner. "Those
ungrateful..." and stopped. He looked at her and frowned.
"Orenin, why are you dressing?"
She
looked down at the ground and sighed. "I'm going to Minas
The
fear Legolas kept far away slammed back into him with a force that was almost
physical. She could not go to Mordor without him! He said nothing
but nodded to himself and walked over to pick up his weapons.
She
was there before he was, her hand covering his.
"Legolas, you and Gimli are to stay with Aragorn," she said
gently.
But
Legolas could not push away the panic beginning to
overwhelm him. Minas Tirith
- too close to Mordor, too close to her finding what she was sent here to find,
too close to her being taken from him again!
She
watched him, waiting for his decision.
Would he ask her not to go? And
if he did, what would she do then?
He
looked into her dark eyes and made his decision.
but...please," he whispered. "Love, please,
There
was nothing she could say to that. "Come and say goodbye to
me."
The
Countess pulled out of Legolas's embrace as they
could hear Gandalf approaching the stables. "Hurry, hurry," he
was calling. Legolas helped her up onto
Medusand.
Gandalf
entered the stable and, ignoring Legolas's glare, walked past them back to
where Shadowfax was waiting for him. Merry and Pippin came in after
him. Gandalf lifted Pippin onto Shadowfax.
"How
far is Minas Tirith?" they heard Pippin ask.
"Three
days ride as the Nazgul flies," replied Gandalf. "And you'd
better hope we don't have one of those on our tail.”
Legolas
took the Countess’s hand and kissed it. "I will not be far
behind, Orenin. I will find you.
Please wait for me there, Love."
Then
Gandalf was up on Shadowfax, behind Pippin. “Run Shadowfax.
Show us the meaning of haste."
And
then there was no more time. Shadowfax began his run and Medusand
followed.
Legolas
ran out of the stables and up the watchtower, followed by Merry and Aragorn
and, together, they watched the riders leave Edoras.
They
stayed with Legolas, talking quietly, knowing the elf
would watch the riders as long as he could see his Lady. Finally, Legolas
turned to Merry and gently said "I can see them no more." They
started back down the tower.
“I
wish there was something I could do,” said Merry.
Aragorn
said “We will watch the beacon…”
Merry
straightened then, glad not to feel useless.
There was something he could do!
“Right!” he said.
“I’m taking the first watch.”
Aragorn
and Legolas smiled at each other and Legolas said “Not yet, Merry; even
Shadowfax will take three days to get them to Minas Tirith.”
“Oh.
Night
had fallen on the travelers and Shadowfax slowed and stopped and Medusand
slowed and stopped with him. They
dismounted and Gandalf said that they could proceed no farther until Shadowfax
decided to proceed. Gandalf told Pippin and the Countess that as Shadowfax
could travel harder than any of them, he probably wished to give them a
rest. Pippin was exhausted and had been falling asleep on Shadowfax
during the ride; after he’d had a chance to eat what he'd pocketed from
Edoras, he’d fallen asleep before he could light the pipe he’d
prepared.
The
Countess paced up and down, looking off into the forest, shooting glances at
Gandalf.
He
finally sighed and said "Go and hunt then, Lady. Shadowfax means to
rest here for a while." He looked over at her but she was already
into the forest.
The
next day's ride brought them to a small brook and after they crossed it,
Gandalf shouted "We've just passed into the realm of Gondor." A
short time later, they were up to the top of a ridge and they stopped and the sight
took her breath away. What she'd heard about the
could not have prepared her for the magnificent sight.
"Minas
Tirith," said Gandalf. "City
of
They rode down the hill and to the road that led to the gate of the city set
into the mountain. The guards opened the gate and they watched the White
Rider come through followed, like a shadow made solid, by a black rider.
Up the levels of the city they went, the Countess marveling at this City; she
thought it a large and rich city, even though it was so close to Mordor.
Finally they came to the top level of the City, past the guards on duty and out
onto a wide courtyard.
The
Countess dismounted and she helped Pippin off Shadowfax. They gave the
care of their horses to the guards standing before a dying tree in the center
of the courtyard.
Pippin
slowed to stare at the tree as they walked by it. "It's the
Tree," he said. "Gandalf! Gandalf!", he called,
running after the Wizard and the Countess.
"Yes,"
Gandalf replied. "The White Tree of Gondor, the Tree of the
King. Lord Denethor, however, is not the King. He is a Steward
only, a caretaker to the throne." Gandalf thought very
quickly. He had no fear that the Countess would speak out of turn.
He
turned to Pippin. "Now listen carefully. Lord Denethor is
son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo.
'Was
that everything?' he thought.
“And
say nothing of Aragorn either." Then, turning back to Pippin -
"In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all, Peregrin Took."
Pippin
nodded and they followed Gandalf through the great door the guards opened for
them and they walked down past the statues of previous kings of Gondor, down
the bright hall to where Denethor, Steward of Gondor, sat, head bowed.
They
had covered almost half the distance down the hall to the Steward when the
Countess saw what Denethor held in his lap.
"I
see it," he replied.
This
might be more difficult than he anticipated.