Return to our Destiny.

12. The King of the Golden Hall

Once the horses are put away, the group heads up to the main hall. Guards meet them at the door and approach the company as the each the top of the stairs. "Ah." Gandalf breathes out with a crooked smile. "I cannot allow you before Théoden king so armed, Gandalf Grayhame. By order of... Gríma Wormtongue." Gandalf gives this guard a look of disbelief and he returns it with a tired shrug.

With a sigh and a nod from Gandalf, Aragorn, Thilia, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli give their many weapons to the guards. Thilia takes the longest with all her blades and her sword belts. Gandalf gives her a look and she shrugs. But keeps her hood up, the brim coming down over her eyes. She can still see but all other can see is her nose and mouth. About to enter, the commander stops them again, "Your staff." he says with a nod to the long white scepter. 

"Eh? Oh. No, you would not part an old man from his walking stick?" the Commander thinks a moment, gives Gandalf a knowing look, then allows him to pass. Gandalf winks and takes Legolas' hand as they enter the hall. Boromir walks beside Thilia and chuckles, "I never realized till now that you had so many blades," he teased, she chuckles. "My Uncle gave me two and my adoptive father also gave me two. The longsword I made." she said and he nodded.

Entering the large open space, Thilia looks around and can see that no one looks familiar from the last time she was in Edoras. So she's safe to remove her hood, but for the sake of dramatics, she keeps it on. Gríma is at the King's side. Thilia can see the black dressed man and sees the control he has over the king, Gríma leans over the arm of the king's chair to whisper to him, "My lord. Gandalf the Grey is coming. He is a herald of woe."

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King." Gandalf says as Legolas backs up to walk behind Gandalf with the others who walk like a protective bubble to the gray cloaked wizard. Everyone has clocked the mercenaries lurking and following them from the back walls of the main area. "He is not welcome." Gríma hisses. The King speaks, "Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" he speaks then looks at Gríma.

"A just question my liege." Gríma praises patting the king's arm before he stands and addresses the Fellowship, walking to meet Gandalf as he speaks. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is in ill guest." Gandalf's had enough, "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 bites out before raising his staff.

 "His staff! I told you to take the wizard's staff!" Gríma gasps out before he turns to the mercenaries, Aragorn, Thilia, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli fight the guards, allowing Gandalf to walk to Théoden. Thilia is quick to knock on merc over by using the crook of her elbow to hit him in the throat, which flips the guy over and knock the wind out of him. Boromir hits the mercenaries so hard that he knocks them out with one well placed punch.

While Legolas and Aragorn are running around Gandalf to attack the mercenaries going right for Gandalf. One of the king's guards moves to draw his sword, but is stopped by the commander. "Théoden, Son of Théngel. Too long have you sat in the shadows." Gandalf says as he moves closer to the king. Gríma tried to sneak out but Thilia caught him, she stuck out her foot and the oaf of a man fell and landed next to her.

"Cousin, do you mind?" she asked and Gimli smirked. "Not at all," he growled as he moved to her spot and put his foot on Gríma's chest. "I would stay still if I were you." the nobles and two Rohiriam guards moved in closer, "Harken to me! I release you from the spell." Gandalf said as he held up his hand and closed his eyes. Théoden started to laugh. "You have no power here Gandalf the Grey." he mocks. Gandalf wanting his spell to work,

Turned to Thilia. The look on his face told her what he wanted, and she was more than happy to oblige. Pulling her cloak around her body she hunched over for a second, her glamour rippling before fading out and revealing her more draconic form, the one she used during the fight with the Uruks, a more draconic snout pushed out the front of her hood and her hands changed to clawed and scaled hands, and her haunches pushed her to her 8 foot height.

Throwing her cloak off, as the king continued to laugh, she crouched and roared. Those not used to it clamored over each other to get away or they covered their ears at the loudness of it. The king shoved himself as far back into his seat as he could get, and it was visible when they saw Saruman's fear behind the king's eyes, that loosened his hold on the king but it didn't get him to let go. So when Gandalf threw aside his grey robe, revealing his white clothes.

Théoden, startled even more, leaned even further back in his throne. "I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." Gandalf points his staff at Théoden, who squirms in his throne. "Aah!" The king groaned. Thilia returning to a more human form, losing the snout and having less scales, stood near Gandalf as an intimidation factor, Èowyn having heard the roaring and the laughter rushed in.

She tried to go to Théoden, but is stopped by Thilia who caught her arm and held her back. "Watch." she said softly. Théoden with Saruman's voice bleeding through spoke, "If I go — Théoden dies." Gandalf again points at Théoden with his staff, and the King thrust back against his throne again. "You did not kill me. You will not kill him." Gandalf snaps. Théoden still with Saruman's voice overlapping, growls out, "Rohan is mine!"

Thilia set her free hand on Gandalf's shoulder and pours more of her own draconic magic into him to give him a red hue to his pure white light, "Be gone!" Gandalf orders. Théoden jumps up at Gandalf, yelling, but Gandalf hurtles one last spell which shoots Saruman back and out of the king. Thilia releases the young maiden as she rushes to catch the king before he falls out of his throne.

Èowyn watches as the king, who's face was aged beyond his years returns to what she remembers. "I know your face. Èowyn — Èowyn." he breathes out happily and the evil that once filled the halls of this hall is gone and the air isn't filled with darkness. Théoden looks to Gandalf and is surprised to see him, "Gandalf?" Gandalf smiles and nods. "Breathe the free air again, my friend." he says a bit tiredly, Thilia sets her hands on his arms to steady him.

"Dark have been my dreams of late." the king muses worriedly, "Sorry if I over did it Gandalf," Thilia apologizes. He smirked and shook his head, "I've never teamed up with a dragon like that before, it was just new to me," he said and she chuckled. When he was steady, she let go and backed up, and moved to stand with Boromir who smiled up at her. Putting her arm around his shoulders she kissed the top of his head. 

Gandalf watched as the king tried to get a sense for his hands, "Your fingers would remember their old strength better — if they grasped your sword." the commander took that chance to rush forward and hold out the king's sword for him to draw out. Théoden examines his sword, then turns his gaze towards a cowering Gríma, now clutched in Gimli's hand.