Protecting Them (Book Eight in the Aerlinniel's Secret Series)

Chapter 5: Minas Tirith

Aerlinniel POV

Legolas and I are standing outside, side by side. Neither of us were able to sleep so we decided to get some fresh air. Aragorn walks out and comes over to us.

"The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East, a sleepless malice." Legolas tells him. "The eye of the enemy is moving."

After a few moments of silence, Legolas exclaims, "He is here!"

They start to run inside and I follow him. What did Legolas mean, 'he is here'?

"Help! Gandalf help!" I hear Merry yell as we enter the room everyone was sleeping in. What's going on? "Help him!"

I hear Pippin struggling and Aragorn goes over to him and he starts to struggle. I want to help, but I have no idea what is going on.

"Pippin!"

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf says angrily. "No."

I gasp. Pippin. Why can I not hear his heartbeat?

Gandalf mumbles something and I then hear Pippin's heartbeat again. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Look at me," Gandalf commands Pippin.

"Gandalf, forgive me!" Pippin pleads, sounding scared.

"Look at me! What did you see?" Gandalf questions.

"A tree, there was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead." Pippin replies. "The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?"

Pippin doesn't answer but says, "I saw... I saw him! I could hear his voice in my head."

"And what did you tell him? Speak!" Gandalf demands.

"He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me!" Pippin whimpers. How did this happen?

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

~~~

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool... but an honest fool he remains." Gandalf explains to King Theoden and the others who weren't there or weren't awake when it happened. After everything last night, I found out that Pippin looked at the palantir and that's how he was hurt and how he spoke to Sauron. "He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantir a glimpse of the enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the Heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still. Strength enough, perhaps, to challenge him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raise Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the throne of men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me! Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?" King Theoden questions.

"I will go!" Aragorn offers.

"No!" Gandalf refuses.

"They must be warned!"

"They will be." He whispers to him, "You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the black ships." Then he speaks to all of us, "Understand this, things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith, and I won't be going alone."

Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin head to the stables. I don't want Gandalf and Pippin to leave me. I must go with them. To protect Pippin and to help Gandalf. I follow not far behind them, Legolas comes with me.

"How far is Minas Tirith?" I hear Pippin ask when we reach the stables.

"Three days ride as the Nazgul flies. And you'd better hope we don't have one of those on our tail." Gandalf tells him and I ask a stable boy for a horse. I do not want to leave Legolas without a horse so I need to use a different one.

"You're going with them?" He asks.

"Yes, I am. I have to protect Pippin. I've almost lost him and Gandalf, I can't-- I need to go with them." I explain to him and he takes my hand, helping me mount the horse the stable boy brought me.

"Stay safe." He tells me.

"I will. You stay safe too. I will see you soon." I say, giving his hand a small squeeze before letting go and grabbing on to the reigns.

"Let's go, Aerlinniel. Run, Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste." Gandalf commands his horse and we take off.

"Merry!" Pippin shouts. I feel bad, I don't think they ever been separated for a long period of time before. They will see each other soon. I will do everything I can to protect Pippin.

~~~

We cross through a river and Gandalf informs us, "We have just passed into the realm of Gondor. Minas Tirith. City of Kings."

We gallop down a hill and then up some steps. Pippin tells Gandalf, "It's the tree! Gandalf, Gandalf."

"Yes, the white tree of Gondor. The tree of the King. Lord Denethor however, is not the King. He is a steward only, a caretaker of the throne. We stop for a moment and Gandalf explains, "Now listen carefully. Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all Peregrin Took."

Boromir's father? He's a steward here? I definitely won't talk at all either. If I talk with him, I might just start to cry. I still miss Boromir. Even if he was rude. But, that was because of the Ring. I am sure that Boromir was a great man.

"Hail Denethor son of Ecthelion, Lord and Steward of Gondor." Gandalf greets him. "I come with tidings in this dark hour and with counsel."

"Perhaps you come to explain this. Perhaps you have come to tell me why my son is dead." Denethor mentions.

"Boromir died to save us, my kinsman and me. He fell defending us from many foes." Pippin explains to him.

Pippin! You weren't supposed to speak! I understand you feel bad, but you should not have said anything. I wish I could tell him that, but I keep my mouth shut.

"Pippin," Gandalf warns.

"I offer you my service, such as it is in payment of this debt." Pippin offers and I internally face palm.

"This is my first command to you. How did you escape and my son did not? So mighty a man as he was." He asks.

"The mightiest man may be slain by one arrow and Boromir was pierced by many." Pippin answers.

"Get up!" Gandalf tells him, clearly upset. "My lord, there will be a time to grieve for Boromir but it is not now. War is coming. The enemy is on your doorstep. As steward, you are charged with the defence of this city. Where are Gondor's armies? You still have friends. You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Theoden of Rohan. Light the beacons."

"You think you are wise Mithrandir. Yet for all your subtleties you have not wisdom. Do you think the eyes of the White Tower are blind? I have seen more than you know. With your left hand you would use me as a shield against Mordor and with your right you would seek to supplant me. I know who rides with Theoden of Rohan. Oh yes, word has reached my ears of this Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And I tell you now. I will not bow to this Ranger from the North. Last of a ragged house long bereft of Lordship." Denethor tells Gandalf angrily.

"Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the King, steward."

"The rule of Gondor is mine and no others!" Denethor shouts angrily.

"Come!" Gandalf says to Pippin and I. We leave quickly from this room. When we get outside, Gandalf speaks to us, "All had turned to vain ambition. He would use even his grief as a cloak! A thousand years this city has stood and now at the whim of a madman it will fall! And the white tree, the tree of the King will never bloom again."

"Why are they still guarding it?" Pippin asks.

Gandalf replies, "They guard it because they have hope. A faint and fading hope that one day it will flower. That a king will come and this city will be as it once was before it fell into decay. The old wisdom born out of the west was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the old names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high, cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of Kings failed. The white tree withered. The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."

"Mordor." Pippin states.

"Yes, there it lies. This city has dwelt ever in the sight of its shadow."

"A storm is coming," Pippin says and I start to wonder what a storm would look like.

"This is not the weather of the world. This is a device of Sauron's making. A broil of fume he sends ahead of his host. The Orcs of Mordor have no love of daylight, so he covers the face of the sun to ease their passage along the road to war. When the shadow of Mordor reaches this city it will begin."

"Well, Minas Tirith, very impressive. So where are off to next?" Pippin questions.

"Oh, it's too late for that Peregrin," Gandalf tells him. "There's no leaving this city. Help must come to us."

~~~~~~

Here's another chapter for you all! Don't worry, Legolas and Aerlinniel will be back together again soon. There's a lot coming up! Updates are every Sunday and Thursday!

Love you my elves from the realm of llamas,

~Ellethwen <3