Pov narrator

The Rohirrim speckle the landscape of Rohan in a single line leading from Edoras. "Théoden will not stay at Edoras." Wormtounge says to Saruman, who patiently listens to Wormtounge in Orthanc. "It's vulnerable. He knows this. He will expect an attack on the city. So they will flee to Helm's Deep, the great fortress of Rohan." the worm continues. The Rohirrim make their way towards the mountains where Helm's deep lies...some falter...some ride in carts... ever so slowly, they draw closer to their destination. "It is a dangerous road to take through the mountains. They will be slow." Wormtounge is still speaking with Saurman. "They will have women and children with them."

Saruman's eyebrows rise in response, and a grin crosses his face. Opportunity! In the caverns of Isengard, Saurman makes haste to an orc commander within the caverns. "Send out your Warg-riders," he says, and the orc commander sits above a pit...shadows of fierce creatures dance on the walls, alit by fire, growling impatiently. The orc smiles and nods with pleasure.

-with Gollum, Sam and Frodo-

Gollum watches the water silently... Suddenly he thrusts in...loses his balance...and falls wholly into the stream...a fish, his prize, flies out of the water...Gollum grasps at it, desperately causing him to slide downstream. Frodo and Sam come over the rise behind him. "Hey, stinker, don't go getting too far ahead!" Sam calls, and fordo asks. "Why do you do that?" Sam stops and turns to Frodo. "What?"

"Call him names. Run him down all the time."  Frodo explains. "Because. Because that's what he is, Mr. Frodo. There's naught left in him but lies and deceit. It's the Ring he wants. It's all he cares about." Sam says. "You have no idea what it did to him... what it's still doing to him," Frodo says now, suddenly angry. he pushes past Sam and stops. "I want to help him, Sam," Frodo says, and Sam walks up to him. "Why?" he asks. Gollum looks about for the fish...slowly, he realizes it is lost...he looks up at Frodo and smiles. Frodo's eyes dart to the side away from Gollum, worried. "Because I have to believe he can come back." Frodo says, and Sam says kindly, "You can't save him, Mr. Frodo." suddenly, Frodo spins to Sam and growls, "What do you know about it? Nothing!" Sam is taken aback. Slowly, he walks past Frodo. Frodo turns to him.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I don't know why I said that," he says, and suddenly a calm and soft voice enters his mind. "It's the Ring. I've seen you. You're not eating. You barely sleep. It's taken hold of you, master Frodo. You have to fight it." it's Daenerys's calm voice. She soothes the anger in him.

Frodo and Sam sleep. Frodo clutches the RING in his hand. he hides it fast as he hears Gollum's voice. "We want it. We need it." Gollum watches them from a distance...hatred is etched across his face. "Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little Hobbitses. Wicked. Tricksy. False." he hisses to himself. Suddenly, his expression softens, and he shakes his head. His eyes grow wide as if looking at his Gollum half. "No. Not Master." Smeagol says. His expression turns to hate again. His head turns as if responding to the Smeagol half. "Yes, precious. False. They will cheat you, hurt you, lie!"

"Master's my friend."

"You don't have any friends. Nobody likes you." Gollum says, taunting.

"Not listening. I'm not listening."

"You're a liar and a thief. ""

"Murderer." Smeagol sniffles. "Go away," he says quietly.

"Go away?" Gollum laughs at the very notion. Smeagol acts as if the exchange stresses him. He holds his head and speaks in a small voice. "I hate you. I hate you."

"Where would you be without me?"

"I saved us. It was me. We survived because of me." the other side hisses. Smeagol raises his head and looks at Gollum. "Not anymore," he says. "What did you say?" the other asked, startled. "Master looks after us now. We don't need you."

"What?"

"Leave now and never come back."

"No."

"Leave now and never come back," Gollum growls and bares his teeth. "Leave now and never come back!" Smeagol looks scared for a moment. Gollum does not respond. He looks around quickly, desperately. A smile breaks on his face. "We told him to go away. And away he goes, precious," he exclaims happily. He leaps from where he is sitting and dances about. "Gone! Gone! Gone! Sméagol is free!" he signs.

Frodo rests against a rock. Sam stands off, looking into the distance. Gollum suddenly runs up, clutching two coneys in his mouth. He spits them onto Frodo's lap. Frodo jumps, startled. "Look. Look. See what Sméagol finds?" Smeagol exclaims and smiles deliriously and then bounces around laughing proudly...Frodo smiles at Gollum and looks over toSam... Sam is not so amused...Gollum raises a triumphant fist to conclude his happy little dance. He picks up one of the coneys. "They are young." he continues and snaps the Coney's back. Frodo cringes, disgusted with this particular display. "They are tender. They are nice. Yes, they are. Eat them. Eat them!" Smeagol says and offers them to Frodo, but Sam takes them, disgusted. "You'll make him sick; you will..." Sam says.

Sam snatches the Coney from Gollum's hands, tossing him to one side. "...behaving like that!" he continues and holds up the coneys. "There's only one way to eat a brace of coneys," he says. A pot of stew simmers over a fire...Gollum screams, horrified. SAM stirs it and adds herbs to the mix...Gollum looks into the pool. "What's he doing? Stupid, fat Hobbit. It ruins it." Smeagol sneers. Sam looks at Gollum, offended. He returns to stirring. "What's to ruin? There's hardly any meat on them." Sam says. A faint bird-call rings across the camp. Frodo turns to find its source. What they didn't know was that someone was watching them. She sits in the trees, listening. When she sees fordo, her face pales. She knows who that bird call belongs to.

She can't interfere, not in this form. She sighs and follows Frodo, silent in the trees as a shadow. sam continues stirring the stew, ignoring Gollum. "What we need is a few good taters," he says. "What's taters, precious? What Are taters? Eh?" Gollum, ask. The calling sound continues...Frodo starts walking, searching for its source, unbeknownst to the shadow that follows him. "Po-ta-toes. Boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish." Sam answers impatiently. Gollum spits at the very thought. SAM looks to him, proud of his imagery. "Even you couldn't say no to that," he says to what Gollum immediately starts to deny it, saying. "Oh, yes, we could. Spoil a nice fish." he then scrambles up close to SAM.

"Give it to us raw and wriggling. You keep nasty chips." Sam brings up the spoon to have a taste of his stew...Gollum hops away. sam shakes his head. "You're hopeless," he mutters and sips the stew. Frodo walks through the woods, still searching. The sound ensues again. Frodo looks in that direction and continues towards it. His mind has still not noticed the woman's presence, but maybe it's the best. sam brings down his spoon and looks about. "Mr. Frodo?" he calls but gets no answer. Frodo crawls to the edge of an overlook. The woman growls lowly, too low to any human or hobbit ear to pick up. A haradirm army marches across the land below him. Sam and Gollum come up behind him.

"Who are they?" Sam ask. a voice rings out in their ears; even Gollum hears her. "Servants of Sauron. They are called to Mordor. The Dark One is gathering all armies to him. It won't be long now. He will soon be ready." they spin around, trying to find the source of the voice but see nothing. "not yet, my dear hobbits. The time will come, and we will meet. Until then, take care" the voice fades, and now they see the glint of the shadow who is gone in a mere moment. Sam and Frodo turn to each other. Knowing who she was, they nodded and turned back to the army.

"We've got to get moving. Come on, Sam." Frodo says and starts to leave...SUDDENLY, SAM grabs Frodo's arm, entranced with the sight. "Mr. Frodo. Look. It's an oliphaunt." he says. Gigantic mamukil carrying soldiers and supplies on their backs. These creatures look like elephants but stand at least seven men tall. They tower over the formations of soldiers below them. SAM looks upon them with rapture. "No one at home will believe this," he says. Frodo looks at Sam and smiles. They both gaze in wonder at the enormous creatures. The call sounds again. All three of them look about warily...Gollum slips off...Frodo looks after him. "Sméagol?" he calls. Suddenly, pandemonium ensues; the army is being ambushed. The mamukil react to the onslaught...they throw from their backs, who fall to their deaths.

Cloaked archers fire deadly arrows...the soldiers fall one by one. Finally, one of the archers, Faramir, runs to the forefront to survey the battle.   One of the mamukil starts trumpeting and stomping towards Frodo and Sam, swinging his vast trunk and tusks, throwing men from his back. Frodo and Sam back away from the overlook in fear. Faramir nocks an arrow and fires at the mamukil's driver. The Soldier falls from the mamukil and lands dead behind Frodo and Sam. The mamukil tromps off in another direction. Frodo and Sam back away from the edge and look behind them. "We've lingered here too long," Frodo whispers and starts running off when he notices Sam is still watching the battle.

"Come on, Sam," he calls. Frodo turns and runs right into a gondorian ranger, who grabs hold of him... Sam draws his weapon and charges the ranger, but another comes out of the trees and knocks him onto his back...the ranger with Frodo lifts him briefly and tosses him to the ground. A ranger holds his sword to Sam's neck, pinning him. Frodo desperately tries to escape, but the rangers detain him. "Wait! We're innocent travelers!" Sam calls out, and Faramir appears to challenge Sam. "There are no travelers in this land. Only servants of the Dark Tower," he says and walks past them to lead on. "We are bound to an errand of secrecy," Frodo speaks up, and Faramir stops and turns to him.

"Those that claim to oppose the enemy would do well not to hinder us." Frodo continues. "The enemy?" Faramir says and turns to the fallen Soldier. "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem," he says and rolls the Soldier over with his foot and looks upon his dead face. "You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And if he was evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. Suppose he would not rather have stayed there...in peace." the steward's continue. He breaks from his reflection and turns back to Frodo. "War will make corpses of us all. Bind their hands." Frodo makes a final fruitless effort to escape, but to no avail... Sam is violently lifted from the ground.

You ride beside Gimli on a mare. gimli's horse is led by Eowyn, among the crowd of traveling Rohirrim. "It's true you don't see many Dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men." Gimli says that both Eowyn and Daenerys smile, and Eowyn looks at Aragorn. "It's the beards," he says with a smile and gestures to his face. daeyners chuckle, and Eowyn smiles, sushing Aragorn. "And this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women, and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground..." now both eoweyn and Daenerys laughs. Gimli joins them and continues. "...which is, of course, ridiculous." The horse suddenly rears up. Eowyn loses her hold on the reins, and the horse gallops through the crowd, throwingGimli to the dirt...Eowyn rushes forward to Gimli, who struggles to get up like a turtle on its back.

"It's all right. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate." Gimli says. Eowyn helps him up. Theoden rides up to Aragon and Daenerys, riding side by side, laughing at the sight... THÉODEN glances at both before he says. "I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time. She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief." deniers and Aragorn look at each other; both of their expression turns dark and mournful... Daenerys turns away, and Aragorn turns to Eowyn. ÉOWYN laughs and looks at him as she brushes GIMLI off. ARAGORN looks back to THÉODEN. Daenerys listens quietly, not looking at the king as she does. Her horse neighs a little, and she smiles softly, patting its coat.

"Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father." Theoden continues his earlier words. ÉOWYN looks back at ARAGORN with the sun behind her and the wind in her hair, smiling at him.

later ÉOWYN walks through a makeshift ROHIRRIM camp, carrying a pot of stew...she sees GIMLI and offers him some. "Gimli." the dwarf takes one look and shakes his head, saying, "No, I couldn't. I really couldn't." GIMLI walks away. ÉOWYN continues walking until she comes upon Aragorn and days. they both look up at her approach. "I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot," she says and draws them a bowl, and they take it. She then hands them a spoon. "Thank you." they both say. Daenerys waited as she knew that the stew wasn't that good, but she didn't want to be rude, so she took it. Aragorn dips the spoon in the bowl and fishes for a bite of meat. Immediately upon putting the morsel into his mouth, he freezes...his face registers the distaste of this morsel...meekly, he looks up to Eowyn...he swallows hard, and nods with the word "Yuck" written all over his face.

Danny looks away to hold her laughter and sets down the bowl subtly so Eowyn doesn't see. "It's good," Aragorn says, and Eowyn lights up. "Really?" she says, and Aragorn nods, and she walks away. Aragorn offers the bowl to deniers, who chukles and shakes her head, so Aragorn starts to tip the bowl to pour out the distasteful mixture...ÉOWYN turns suddenly...ARAGORN tries to catch himself but ends up soaking his arms in the steaming brew. Daenerys holds back a chuckle, and Aragorn scowls at her. "My uncle told me a strange thing. He said that you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather. But he must be mistaken." Eowyn says, making the both of them turn to her. Daenerys smiles but lets Aragorn do the talking for now. "King Théoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time," he says.

Eowyn kneels to him, shocked. "Then you must be at least 60." Aragorn chuckles uncomfortably and looks away. "Seventy?" Aragorn looks down and still doesn't respond. Finally, Daenerys nudges him, and he looks up at her, seeing her calm blue eyes glint. she smiles, and he mirrors it. "But you cannot be 80!" Eowyn exclaims, breaking Aragorn's eye contact with Daenerys. He looks at her calmly and smiles. "Eighty-seven," he says, and Eowyn's jaw drops. .she stands, momentarily speechless. "You are one of the Dúnedain." her eyes drift to Daenerys beside him, and she meets her eyes, smiling softly. She nods humbly. Eowyn then turns back to Aragorn. "You are one of the Dúnedain." she begins. Daenerys pats Aragorn's shoulder, and he looks at her briefly before turning to Eowyn. days then speak up this time. "A descendant of Númenor, blessed with long life," she says and looks away. She knows of their story; it's a tragic one.

" It was said that your race had passed into legend." eoywn says, and Daenerys turns back, leaning softly as it argonrs shoulder. "There are few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago." Aragorn says sadly. "I'm sorry." Eowyn says and then smiles a little, gesturing to the stew and says, "Please, eat." deniers chukles as she watches her friend eat the unpleasant mess he was given.

Aragorn sits alone this time, smoking a pipe. His eyes stare off into the distance ... his mind elsewhere. "The light of the Evenstar does not wax and wane. It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart." Arwen's voice enters his mind. Aragorn's pipe lowers along with his head. Another agent enters then. "you remember and miss her. the evenstar of ilmadris" its daenrys. She speaks to him in his mind, herself being another place on the campsite. "you know her strength is falling. But have no fear, Mellon. The time will come for the one, and he will fail, I will help," Aragorn answers her, his voice heavy with conflict. "what if I'm not sure she will make it?" deniers voice chuckles, and her image flashed in his mind. "do not bother, do not greve. The time is still here, in Mellon" the voice of Daenerys fades out of his mind along with her presence.

later that day, Aragorn leads his horse to Helm's Deep, distracted by the memory of both Arwen and Daenerys's voice. "Where is she?" Eowyn asks, and Aragorn turns. days is leading her horse a little in front of them, and her ears catch their voices. "The woman who gave you that jewel," Aragorn says nothing. it's now a flashback before he leaves for the fellowship. "Our time here is ending. Arwen's time is ending. Let her go. Let her take the ship into the west. Let her bear away from her love for you to the Undying Lands. There it will be evergreen." Elrond says, his voice strained with anger. Daenerys hasn't yet entered their hearts of thoughts, and they don't know she's listening. "But never more than memory," Aragorn says sadly.

"I will not leave my daughter here to die." Elrond snaps, falling to control the tone of these words. "She stays because she still has hope," Aragorn says, and Elrond answers, anger now visible on his flawless face. "She stays for you. She belongs with her people." Isildur's heir leaves the lord of Rivendell without another word. now, he walks down the stairs to join the fellowship at the Rivendell gate. He checks his weapons and garments in preparation as he walks...arwen emerges from behind a pillar. "Nach gwannatha sin?*" ARAGORN pauses and turns to her...he continues walking...she follows. "Ma nathach hi gwannathach or minuial archened?**" she continues. ARWEN finally stands in front of him, forcing him to stop. "Ú-ethelithon," Aragorn tells her.

Her face pains. He tries to walk past her. "Estelio guru lîn ne dagor. Ethelithach." arwen says. " Ú-bedin o gurth ne dagor.****" Aragorn answers. "ARWEN gently grabs his arm and stands before him again...he stops, trying not to meet her gaze. "O man predict?*****," she asks. ARAGORN looks at the ground momentarily, then into her eyes. "Idhren emmen menna gui ethwel. Hae o auth...a nîr...a naeth.******" he answers, his voice strained with difuclyte. ARWEN is mortified. "Why are you saying this?" she says. Aragorn's gaze softens. "I am mortal. You are Elf-kind. It was a dream, Arwen. Nothing more." he says gently. "I don't believe you," Arwen says and shakes her head. "He takes ARWEN'S hand and turns it open...she looks down....he opens his hand to reveal the EVENSTAR PENDANT...he looks back to her.

"This belongs to you." He says. ARWEN looks at Aragorn with all the composure she can muster. " It was a gift," she says and closes his hand around the pendant. "Keep it."

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I know that the title isn't exactly the story, but I just thought of it. I had a meaning with it, but it seems like I didn't write it. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. 

-Saph