Gandalf was tired of arguing with Sauruman. He had offered Sauruman a way to redeem himself and lend aid, which was desperately needed. Sauruman had refused. Mithrandir pitied him. Yes, Sauruman had cost them much, too much. Mithrandir wondered if he would have been able to withstand the temptation to look in the orthanc stone?
He would not do so now, of course, not now that he knew who held its nearest companion. Each of the seven seeing stones had been tied most closely to their immediate companion, stone then in turn less so tied to the other seven. It could be likened to the great beacons between Rohan and Gondor. One was lit and that led to sparking its nearest companion and so on. Sauruman in his greed had unwisely used the
orthanc stone, unheedingful of the fact that not all the stones had been accounted for.
Gandalf shook his head sadly. It was a shame and a pity that one so wise had fallen into foolishness. He was in the middle of contemplating these things and had come to a sad decision.
"Sauruman," He spoke in a cold clear voice, "Your staff is broken. Go!"
Had Gandalf's attention been before him instead of above him, he would have seen the slip of a girl running out of the tower before she almost ran headlong into him. Almost at the same instant a globe came flying over the edge of the tower from above. It glanced off the railing above and smote the stair on which he had stood, nearly missing the girl's head and shattering the stone work in a great flash of sparks. Gandalf turned to follow her down the stairs wondering what in Arda a woman would be doing in Orthanc. He then noticed pippin coming up the steps slowly, as if he carried a great weight.
*"Here my lad, I'll take that," He said.
He dared not touch the thing now that he knew how it had ensnared Sauruman, so he wrapped it in his cloak, then he turned his attention to the young woman. She was shaking, weeping, and babbling gibberish. Pippin had paused on his way past her, moved to pity by her tears and tone as she had sunk to her knees and was now crying openly and in more earnest.
"There, there, miss, don't cry. It's going to be all right. You are with friends now," Pippin had told her.
He watched as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She then looked straight at him, tilted her head, with a gentle smiled gently, and said something Pippin could not understand then fainted at his feet.
Gandalf reached out with his senses, wondering what new devilry this might be. She did not feel foul, indeed she seemed terrified and not a little hysterical, but he sensed no malice in her. Her arm hung at an odd angle and in the dim light it looked as though her face had been badly bruised. She wore strange garb and at first glance a less observant person might even have mistaken her for a male. There were things to do and places to be, he could not just leave a defenseless young woman alone in the midst of these ruins. He contemplated giving her to Treebeard's charge and then thought better of it. Treebeard would likely have his hands full keeping Sauruman inside the tower and caring for the fellow Ents whom he loved. This was a puzzle, which needed an answer, and there was no time just now to work it out.
Then the young woman had fainted. Legolas with his keen sight and elven senses had dismounted and was lifting her onto his horse before Gandalf had actually decided to take her with them. Well that settled it; if neither he, Legolas nor Aragorn sensed any ill will from her, they could at the least remove her from Orthanc and take her back to camp.
Many people had been captured and killed all over the westfold. Perhaps someone back at camp knew this strange woman. Too much blood had already been shed on Sauruman's account. Gimli had not been particularly pleased when Legolas had sprung down from their horse and gone to the side of the young woman who had just fainted at Pippin's feet. He was even less pleased when Legolas suggested that he should carry the girl on his horse and Gimli should ride with …omer. Gandalf had helped steady the woman while Legolas mounted.
She was short, even by mortal standards, and her condition spoke of the ill treatment she had received. It made Legolas' blood burn to think how this poor creature must have been tortured. She had floated in and out of awareness the whole while they prepared to depart, though she moaned in pain when he had touched her injured arm. Legolas took his wine skin and placed a few drops of miruvor on her lips, hoping this would revive her enough to make the long ride ahead of them .
Gandalf was occupied, conversing first with Treebeard then with …omer and lastly Theoden.
The strangest thing about this young woman Gandalf contemplated, was neither her clothes nor her injuries. It was unusual, but not unheard of, for a female to travel in male clothing for the sake of protection, or even for convenience if one had to ride fast straddling a horse rather than side saddle.
No, what was oddest about the young woman was her speech. He and Aragorn were both widely traveled and spoke, or at the least understood, every language in Middle Earth, and this young woman did not seem to speak anything recognizable to either of them.
It was night by the time they stopped to make camp amid the heather.
Legolas frowned as he lifted the woman down from his horse. She had injuries, of course, but none of them seemed so bad that she should still be in such a state. He had become more and more concerned by her condition as they forded the river and made their way toward the place they would camp. She had drifted in and out of consciousness and though she seemed warm and even a bit feverish to his touch, she had shivered as if chilled to the bone. Legolas gave her a little more miruvor when she roused enough to be able to accept it. It was precious liquid and it had not been easy to ask Mithrandir if she might have a bit to assist in her healing. Legolas's brows dropped a bit lower over his eyes in an expression so reminiscent of his father that it would leave no doubt to any who saw them together whose son he was.
"What is it Laddie?" Gimli asked, for it was unlike Legolas to frown.
The only answer Gimli had received was a slightly puzzled look, a shake of the head and silence. Gimli chalked this reaction up to the fact that elves were strange folk and he settled down to sleep. Legolas took it on himself to watch over the young woman while she slept. Her rest was fitful. Legolas also rested but did not sleep. Every time the woman cried out, in her sleep it made Legolas wince, almost as though he were the one who suffered. She had been through a great deal; of this he was certain. He could feel her pain in the very core of his being even before he had lifted her to his horse. On the entire road from Orthanc to Dol Baran her pain had impressed itself on him in an almost physical way, and he now had a slight headache, which was a thing nearly unheard of in elves. He did not want to touch her any more than he had to because of this and yet, whenever she would stir and cry out, he was drawn to her almost as a moth to a flame. He wondered at this strange reaction in himself. Elves had respect for every living thing and to see any of them tortured would of course stir them to a lesser or greater degree. This woman was different, however. She felt different, though how exactly he could not explain even to himself and this too troubled him. The fact that he truly did not know how to answer Gimli's inquiry when he had asked what was wrong troubled him even more.
While Legolas considered all of this, he noted that the girl's eyes were shifting back and forth under the lids as those of mortals did when they dreamt. It was quite obvious from her murmurs and tossing in her sleep that this dream was not pleasant. He lay his hand on her head, stroking her hair gently and whispering words of comfort as one would to a child having a nightmare. It was then that a Nazgul flew over and gave its eerie cry. Anna awoke screaming. Legolas, reacting out of instinct to calm her fears as much as to quiet her, found himself holding her in his arms.
"Do not fear little one. The evil has past".
She turned in his arms and looked at him. Her gaze traveled over his face and finally focused on his ears. A sardonic smile lit her face as she continued to stare. He had seen that look before.
"It is good to see you are awake at last, though it may be better if you return to your slumber. Why do you stare? Have you never seen an elf before?" He said in the tone that a parent would use gently correcting a child.
Instead of having the desired effect, it seemed to bring her even more fully awake and from the tone she was using toward him, the last thing on her mind now was sleep. Gimli chose this moment to appear.
"Ahem , excuse me laddie, but Aragorn and Gandalf need a word with you. Sorry for the intrusion."
"You were not intruding; the lady was in terror from the fell beast. I was merely trying to comfort her."
Gimli made a noise in his throat
" You do not believe me?" asked Legolas.
" Oh, of course I believe you." Gimli rolled his eyes as soon as Legolas' back was turned.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.