Assasin's Shadow

[Lady Willow Rose]

Willow sighed. The journey would take a great deal of time. Time she wasn't at all sure they had.

"Is there not a faster way?" she inquired.

[rohirrim TR]

Ahead Curamir could see a group of wildmen going up the path to take out the beacon lighter. One jumped in front of him with a spear, he rode him down grabbing the spear and gaining ground on the ones further up the hill.

Colomir made it about halfway up the hill when he abandoned his horse and started sending arrows to clear his brothers path.

whem Curamir reached stone out post where the beacon was, the fire-lighter was already dead a big dunlender was waiting for Curamir with a bloody sword, Curamir looked at him and threw the spear so hard it stuck a foot out of its back.

"Curamir Hurry up theres more coming" Shouted Colomir from behind a circle of rocks.

"right" thought Curamir "hurry" as he picked up the wood pile that the dunlenders had scattered; when he got on top of the stone beacon he found several bundles of straw and finally got it lit. Miles away it was sighted and the alarm was spread from Dol-amroth to Rohan, that Gondor was under attack.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Curmaar shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lady Willow. This is the only way." She sighed, looking up at the sky.

"There has to be some way..." Eagles... She grinned. "Why didn't I think of that before? Elnar, do the eagles still rule the skies?" He nodded hesitantly. "Good. If I recall correctly, Lord Eagle still owes me a few favors."

[Curubethion]

Miles away, an army swept out of Ithilien. The few rangers who had stood against them were dead now. The Assassin marched on Minas Tirith.

"You cannot escape me, Faramir!" laughed the hooded leader.
~~~~
Curmaar shook his head when he heard, saying, "Nonsense."

Ignoring him, Lady Willow began to sing a song, carried by the wind...

[Lady Willow Rose]

Willow grasped at the threads of a memory, and began to sing.

"Orthannen im vi ól
Coll e dû
Or hiriath naur
Na rovail mae sui 'waew
Man prestant i ardhon?
Cerithar aen illiad dim úthenin?"

She sighed, deepy. "They will come." Curmaar snorted.

"Lady, I mean no offense, but it is highly unlikely that they will remember you." Willow sighed and dismounted.

"You may go on, if you wish. But I wait here," she replied.






*In a dream I was lifted up.
Borne from the darkness
Above the rivers of fire.
On wings soft as the wind.
What's happened to the world?
Is everything sad going to come untrue?

[Curubethion]

The warrior shook his head. He dismounted, holding his horse, and looked over at Elnar.

"I have to stay with you. Our tasks are intertwined, and to seperate them could mean defeat. Your past calls you to the North, and something calls me to the North. I'll stay."

He unsheathed his sword and tilted it, watching the light glance off of it like a bolt of lightning on a summer night. The wind rustled around his head.

[Acalewia]

"My past calls me as well," Elnar said as he dismounted. "Where ever you go, I shall go" He stood next to the others.
"Weither the Eagles remember you or not, I know they will help"

************************************************** *******

Acalewia released arrow after arrow at the Wildmen as Curamir ran for his horse.
"Hurry! Ride as hard as you can! This will not be our only battle today! Ride!"

[Lady Willow Rose]

Lady Willow heard wings on the air and smiled. "It seems they remember." Three large eagles landed in front of the travelers. She bowed to them and was then born away to the North, her companions following.

Willow closed her eyes and concentrated on her bond with Aragorn. The song of steel meeting steel ringing.... Blood spilt on already soaking earth... She pulled back with a gasp.

Battle raged in Minas Tirith. And it did not bode well for the city.

[Acalewia]

Colomir and Curamir rode on, trampling and cutting down Wildmen. As they came within the company of the others, Colomir turned. Acalewia was no where in sight.
NOO! he thought. Acalewia!

************************************************** *******

Faramir urged his horse on. He was badly wounded. He had to get to Minas Tirith. He had to get to the King and warn him of war marching upon him.

[Curubethion]

As the eagles soared over the land, Elnar bent over to his. The wind rustled past the three travelers, bringing his words to their ears.

"By what name are you known, friend?" he asked the eagle.

The bird calmly replied, "Landroval, brother of Gwahir Windlord. And these are my cousins-Dagorrama and Siluva. We have come because we were called by the words of ancient days..."

Curmaar gasped, and almost lost his grip. The eagle had spoken! Elnar and the bird continued to speak as the eagles flew northward: he told them of their visions, and of their mission. Landroval said that there had been word of a disturbance near Bree and to the north of Arnor. Something about winter...

When he said that, Lady Willow let out a small gasp, but nothing more. They flew on, over the Misty Mountains, until the birds wheeled down to rest on a snowy plateau on one mountain. The wind blew icy over them, and the Lady shivered. The sun was low in the sky.

"What is this place?" asked Curmaar from Dagorrama's back. "It is cold, and high..."

Landrover replied, shaking snow from his feathers, "It is the great peak of Zirak-Zigal! The very spot where Mithrandir and the Balrog of Morgoth dueled to the death. My brother remembers the spot well. It was he that bore Mithrandir from this place."

Curmaar didn't try to think about all of it; instead he slid down. As his feet touched the snow, he felt the ring on his finger glow, as if it would even shine through the sleeve that hid it. He looked down, and-below his feet-a patch of grass burst forward! The eagle glanced carefully at it.

"The Prophecy!" he whispered.

Curmaar looked at him, puzzled. "Prophecy?"

"Aye, Southron. The ancient prophecy spoken...

When spring returns to Gandalf's Spire,
Then springs forth Mithrandir's fire.
Bane of dragon, bane of ill.
Bane of rebel's darkest wills."

[rohirrim TR]

"Colomir, look over there it looks like a ranger, wounded perhaps, I can't make out who it is from here.." asked Curamir when a lull came in the battle.


"Oh No, come On! its father and theres a couple a rangers on foot behind, Osgiliath must be overrun" replied Colomir his mind racing, the day had grown dark first with the loss of Eruanna and now two armys were converging upon the whited city.

as soon as Faramir and the surviving rangers were inside the wall, Faramir becasme frantic in his search for the King, "where is he, I need to see him now and him alone, we may need to call for aid, and we need to get all of our people inside the white city, have all the farmers been called in quickly I ahh" until he collapsed from exhaustion, when he awoke he was in the very familiar house of healing.

[Acalewia]

Elnar glanced at Cumaar.
"Narya" he mouthed. he turned to the eagle.
"I have an idea of the begining, But what does the rest mean?"

[Curubethion]

"All these prophecies..." mumbled Curmaar. "It's not me. I know it."

Elnar turned to face him. "That is not true, son of the South! Listen-I know you were visited by a vision. Do you deny that? You have been chosen for a task-a task that you cannot fail! Do not stray and bring this all to ruin!"

"But...nonsense!"

"No. Not nonsense, my friend. It is what must be, what will be! Do not shirk your duty!"

[Acalewia]

Elessar shook his head when Faramir finished.
"The Assasin on one front. Wildmen on another. We have sent word to Rohan, but will Eomer King arrive in time?"
"Eruanna?" Colomir shook his head.
"We don't know, Father." he said. "She was last seen when we lighted the beacon,"
"Eruanna is a Dunedain, Prince of Ithilian. She can take care of herself"
Colomir stood by the window, looking out.
"I do not doubt that, my King." But is she alive? he wondered.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Willow curled up against one of the stone walls, listening to the winds. Her enemy's voice drifted to her.

"Go vegil tolo hi, egor Ã*riel firi. 'Ni men hen ú veth 'war." Willow pushed the voice aside and thought of her doomed love. Without much thought for it, she began to sing. The Eagles turned their heads to listen.

"I ngîl cennin erthiel
Ne menel aduial,
Ha glingant be vîr
SÃ*liel moe."

Curmaar and Elnar stopped talking. Her voice held a peculiar beauty, husky and soft. But there was a power in it that could not be denied.

"I ngîl cennin firiel
Ne menel aduial,
And-dúr naun i fuin a galad firn
Naegriel moe.

"An i natha
An i naun ului
A chuil, ann-cuiannen
Am meleth, perónen."

Willow buried her head in her arms to weep. Weep for what she would lose. Weep for what would never be.




*Come armed, or prepared to die. There is no other end to this road.
* I saw a star rise high in the
Evening sky,
It hung like a jewel,
Softly shining.

I saw a star fade in the
Evening sky,
The dark was too deep and so light died,
Softly pining.

For what might have been,
For what never was.
For a life, long lived
For a love half given

[Curubethion]

The Assassin grinned. His mouth was barely visible from under his hood. The bird had returned that day, unharmed. But the message tied to its leg had been removed. The Woodmen had received the message.

The vengeance of the Assassin was ready to be served.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Willow quirked her head to the side. There was evil stirring and she didn't like the feel of it. Maybe a little bit of mischief was in order.

She pulled into herself, concentrating on that glow of power. Willow focused on the wildmen and hummed softly. The air hummed with her. Magic pulsed in her blood and her heart spoke the words as her mouth did.

"Thangarim yassen templa."

In her minds eye, the wildmen all halted their attack and fell to their knees. She heard their screams of agony, saw them holding their heads in pain. With the slightest smile, Willow diminished the pain and let the wildmen decide whether or not they would continue their attack when their was such a price to pay.

Willow swung her magic hard and slashed out hard on the man who was only called the Assassin. "Yulma ten' lemar en' templa." Spirit fingers carved a symbol into his back. One woman standing over the writhing form of a snake, her sword thrust through its head.

She grinned. That would stir the pot a bit.

*Mass curse
*Mark

[Acalewia]

"Haleth!" The king of Rohan turned as the young Marshal appeared. Eomer didn't give him time to speak. "Gather as many eoreds as you can muster. the beacons have been lit. Gondor calls for aid and the Mark shall answer. Go! Now!"
Haleth saluted and disappeared.

************************************************** ********

Colomir and Curamir stood on the wall overlooking Pelennor Fields. Beregond stood beside them. He had been wounded protecting Faramir but refused to remain in the House of Healing.
"The Wildmen may be fleeing but we still have The Assasin's army to deal with. And he should be here any moment." Curamir paused. "Colomir?"
Colomir started. He had been staring at the charred spot where the fell beast of the Nazul had been burned 30 years earlier.
"She'll return. Father and King Elessar say she always returns."
Suddenly, a rider broke through the trees. Colomir squinted. The rider was slumping apparently wounded. The blood stained grey cloak was flapping like flag behind it.
"Open the gates!" someone called. The rider didn't stop, but rode through the City, straight to the House of Healing. The three men rode hard to catch up.
The Rider was staggering through the door when they dismounted.

[Curubethion]

The Assassin staggered as he felt the mark freeze itself into his back. The snake...transfixed by the blade...

You cannot scare me! I will hunt you down and kill you after Faramir is dead!

"Forward!" he screamed. "Minas Tirith is in sight!"

[Acalewia]

"Aragorn!" The king turned as the rider entered the room. Faramir's eyes widened.
"What in Middle-Earth did you get yourself into this time!?"
"The Assasin is marching upon Minas Tirith as we speak" she gasped. "He is planning a two pronged attack. The Woses were just a distraction. They are not a part of it. They only wanted the land they claim is their's." The brothers and Beregond arrived.
"What ..." Elessar held up a hand.
"How did you find this out?"
"The Woses. I have been among them. I escaped into the trees at the border of the Pelennor. I fled from there to warn you of the Assasin's army." Colomir now stood next to the King. He nearly shouted for joy. The rider was Acalewia! She had been wounded, a gash across her right brow and another on the side of her neck. Blood covered her face and the shoulder of her tunic. She held her hand over a rip on her side, but no blood seeped through her fingers. Acalewia staggered and Colomir steadied her. He pulled her arm over his shoulder and helped her to one of the beds.
"Your wounds must be tended to," he said as he laid her on the bed. Her only objection was a gasp of pain.
A horn sounded.
"The Assasin is upon us!" she breathed.