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Sequel: An Acceptance ›
A Burden
Worming
The doors flew open and the Hall greeted them with darkness. In front of Legolas and herself, Raina heard the dull thump of some wooden object hidden from view.
So Gandalf got away with a few weapons of his own, she thought with a rye smile. Beside Gandalf, Aragorn led the old wizard by guiding him with his arm, and beside Raina, Legolas held her hand onto his forearm, making the group look much less threatening than Raina knew them to be. She leaned into his chest with a weary sigh, trying to portray herself as a helpless little girl who had been caught up in too much instead of the woman who was some what experienced in fighting. It helped that she was wearing her cloak from the Shire outside of her leather skirt and battle corset-vest.
At the far end of the Hall, the King sat with a gruesome worm of a man whispering things into his ear.
“My Lord,” he started hissing, “Gandalf the Grey had come. A herald of woe.”
Raina curled her lip up slightly, but did not give away that she had heard anything. No one here needed any clues to guess her heritage. At least not yet.
“The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King,” Gandalf said loudly.
“He is not welcome,” the worm hissed.
“Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?” the sick king slurred.
“A just question, my liege,” the creep assured Théoden before rising to the group’s level. Everyone stopped walking forward at the threat.
"Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is in ill guest,” he said, slithering forward. One he was only feet away, his slit eyes flicked to Raina for a moment, and Raina curled her lip up at him in disgust. There was no way she wanted to know what he was thinking. Legolas’s arm tensed as his grip on her hand tightened.
"Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind you teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!" Gandalf snapped. Behind him, Raina laughed coldly. Gríma’s eyes flicked over to her again, and she openly glared back before his attention was drawn back to Gandalf as he took his staff out.
“His staff!” Wormtongue gasped, throwing himself back. “I told you… to take… his staff!”
All at once the guards threw themselves at Gandalf. Raina let go of Legolas in an instant and threw herself into the battle with the others. At first she was hesitant at her strength, but found out that she was stronger than she remembered, so she was almost equally matched with the guards. Throwing punches soon became easy as she tackled one of the smaller men. Looking down through her sweaty hair at the man trapped under her foot and with a new black eye and broken nose. It was Wormtongue, looking up at her in horror.
She grinned, and whisked one of her daggers out and pressed it to his throat.
“Move, and die,” she whispered evilly, hoping for the chance to get back at the creature.
The four of them had soon taken all the guards that resisted down, and Gimli took responsibility of Gríma from there.
“I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound,” Gandalf thundered. For once the entire day, Raina was slightly scared. She stood next to Legolas and watched grimly.
Théoden was then thrown back into his thrown, his skull making an unnerving sound.
Right then, the swooping sound of a dress could be heard as a woman rushed into the Hall. Raina recognized her as the figure that had been in the window as she ran towards the king. Right as she ran past Raina and Legolas, Raina caught her arm and tried to pull her back without too much force.
“Wait,” was all Raina said, not taking her eyes off of Théoden king.
The woman stopped struggling, but watching in horror as Gandalf seemed to torture her uncle.
Thunk.
“You did not kill me. You will not kill him,” Gandalf said firmly. From beside Raina, the woman gasped.
“Rohan is mine,” Saruman growled from inside Théoden.
Thump.
“Be gone!”
THUMP.
This time, Saruman was really drawn out of Théoden, and Raina and the woman both let out held breaths. Raina let her go run to her uncle.
“I know your face… Èowyn… Èowyn,” Théoden spoke softly. Raina smiled before turning to the miserable weak creature that started this mess.
So Gandalf got away with a few weapons of his own, she thought with a rye smile. Beside Gandalf, Aragorn led the old wizard by guiding him with his arm, and beside Raina, Legolas held her hand onto his forearm, making the group look much less threatening than Raina knew them to be. She leaned into his chest with a weary sigh, trying to portray herself as a helpless little girl who had been caught up in too much instead of the woman who was some what experienced in fighting. It helped that she was wearing her cloak from the Shire outside of her leather skirt and battle corset-vest.
At the far end of the Hall, the King sat with a gruesome worm of a man whispering things into his ear.
“My Lord,” he started hissing, “Gandalf the Grey had come. A herald of woe.”
Raina curled her lip up slightly, but did not give away that she had heard anything. No one here needed any clues to guess her heritage. At least not yet.
“The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King,” Gandalf said loudly.
“He is not welcome,” the worm hissed.
“Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?” the sick king slurred.
“A just question, my liege,” the creep assured Théoden before rising to the group’s level. Everyone stopped walking forward at the threat.
"Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is in ill guest,” he said, slithering forward. One he was only feet away, his slit eyes flicked to Raina for a moment, and Raina curled her lip up at him in disgust. There was no way she wanted to know what he was thinking. Legolas’s arm tensed as his grip on her hand tightened.
"Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind you teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!" Gandalf snapped. Behind him, Raina laughed coldly. Gríma’s eyes flicked over to her again, and she openly glared back before his attention was drawn back to Gandalf as he took his staff out.
“His staff!” Wormtongue gasped, throwing himself back. “I told you… to take… his staff!”
All at once the guards threw themselves at Gandalf. Raina let go of Legolas in an instant and threw herself into the battle with the others. At first she was hesitant at her strength, but found out that she was stronger than she remembered, so she was almost equally matched with the guards. Throwing punches soon became easy as she tackled one of the smaller men. Looking down through her sweaty hair at the man trapped under her foot and with a new black eye and broken nose. It was Wormtongue, looking up at her in horror.
She grinned, and whisked one of her daggers out and pressed it to his throat.
“Move, and die,” she whispered evilly, hoping for the chance to get back at the creature.
The four of them had soon taken all the guards that resisted down, and Gimli took responsibility of Gríma from there.
“I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound,” Gandalf thundered. For once the entire day, Raina was slightly scared. She stood next to Legolas and watched grimly.
Théoden was then thrown back into his thrown, his skull making an unnerving sound.
Right then, the swooping sound of a dress could be heard as a woman rushed into the Hall. Raina recognized her as the figure that had been in the window as she ran towards the king. Right as she ran past Raina and Legolas, Raina caught her arm and tried to pull her back without too much force.
“Wait,” was all Raina said, not taking her eyes off of Théoden king.
The woman stopped struggling, but watching in horror as Gandalf seemed to torture her uncle.
Thunk.
“You did not kill me. You will not kill him,” Gandalf said firmly. From beside Raina, the woman gasped.
“Rohan is mine,” Saruman growled from inside Théoden.
Thump.
“Be gone!”
THUMP.
This time, Saruman was really drawn out of Théoden, and Raina and the woman both let out held breaths. Raina let her go run to her uncle.
“I know your face… Èowyn… Èowyn,” Théoden spoke softly. Raina smiled before turning to the miserable weak creature that started this mess.