For Greater Things (An LOTR Fanfiction)

chapter 19

"The Golden Hall of Meduseld. There sits Theoden, whose mind has been overthrown."

I gazed upon the rustic beauty of the Rohirric Capitol city. The sunlight reflected off of the golden horseheads adorning the top of the hall and the other golden decor on the walls. But what caught my attention the most, was the cloud of despair that seemed to hang over the city.

Even though it was quite beautiful, it still looked to be falling apart. The tattered flags whipped wildly in the wind, and the guards looked tired and wary as we past them by the gate. The townspeople stopped and watched us climb the road to the top of the hill. Their eyes, oh their eyes, they held such despondency in them. My heart felt heavy as I watched the children just sitting outside their homes instead of running around playing.

"Legolas, the children..." I whispered in his ear.

He looked around and nodded as his eyes took in every little detail that they could.

"You could find more cheer in a graveyard."

Gimli's voice floated back to me from his perch behind Aragorn. I silently agreed with him as we watched the people as they were watching us.

We stopped in front of the stone steps leading to the entrance of the hall and dismounted. As we stepped onto the landing, guards came bursting out of the doors.

"Ah!" Gandalf said with a smile.

"We cannot let you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhelm, by order of....Grima Wormtongue."

I could tell very easily that the soldier held contempt for this man. He very nearly spit out his name. Taking a good look at him, I concluded that he must be a captain of some sort. He stood tall and muscular, with aging red hair tumbling across his shoulders in a wild mess. A beard of the same color hid most of his facial features from me, but from what I could see, lines and wrinkles were spread across his tanned skin.

Gandalf turned to us and nodded his head once to tell us to hand over our weapons. I sighed and started to unstrap my daggers and quiver. A soldier stepped in front of me to take them. I placed them and my bow rwlunctantly into his hands but grabbed his collar when he started to turn away.

"If I find one single scratch on them, it will be you to pay," I threatened calmly.

The soldier bowed his head in respect and turned away once I let go of him. I turned back and noticed that all of us had surrendered our weapons. Gandalf smiled innocently at the captain as we stood waiting for them to open the gates. He glanced at Gandalfs staff and hesitated for a split second.

"Your staff."

Gandalf hunched over slightly and leaned against his staff. "Oh, well, you would not part an old man from his walking stick."

I stifled the urge to smile at his scheming ways. The soldier rolled his eyes and gave the order to let us through. In order to play the part correctly, Gandalf pulled his grey robes tighter around himself and hunched over as he took ahold of Legolas' arm.

The hall was dark and dismal in it's countenance. Men dressed in dark robes stood in the shadows and followed us stop for step as we slowly made our way into the room. On the throne sat a withered and sickly looking man. His hair was grey and falling out; the skin was ashen and flaky in places. What caught my attention the most however, were his eyes. They were blue, an eery blue, and we're glazed over. It looked as if he was not even aware of what was happening around him.

A man dressed in black robes and furs sat to his right. A shudder ran through me at the sight of him. He was pale, with a yellowish tint to his skin and the whites of his eyes. His hair hung limp and greasy around his face. As we walked in, he leaned forward and whispered into Theoden's ear.