Emmett and Queenie at Narnia's End

Emmett and some of the Ithilien Rangers were near the scene of the murder. Since a few persons HAD heard the imitation Dwarvish battlecry, it took all of the effort of the gunslinger and the Rangers to prevent a bloody clash from erupting between the Orcs and the Dwarves in the vicinity. Thus, they could not attempt to pursue the mysterious attackers.

Emmett was the first to think of looking toward Minas Tirith and shouting, "Hey, Your Majesty! If y'all got your palantir switched on, this is a good time for you to look this-a-way, pronto!"

= = = = = = = = = =

When the evildoers were far enough away from the good guys, they held a conference of their own about what to do next. They also had the possibility of long-range communication. All ten men in the expedition gathered in something like a football huddle, and whispered in unison the name of Weshgrod.

The shaman's voice came to them, saying, "I see your progress. Move away now; look for other places to stir up trouble. I do not expect you to be able to overthrow King Elessar, even with your superior weapons; but all disruption works in our favor. Another factor will soon make itself felt. The Haradrim gentleman called Sabseldu -- you gunmen can ask Rapnazak about him later -- has been persuaded to try my new formula for the improvement of his health. What he does not know is that this potion is like what you call 'addictive drugs' in your world. His body will come to feel a NEED for it. So, if he has not taken more of it with him as he left Gondor, he may die along the way. This, of course, will rouse resentment. The Haradrim are not strong enough, yet, to rise in war against Gondor; but every bit of bad feeling works in our favor..."

= = = = = = = = = =

By the time Aragorn Elessar did make contact via the Minas Tirith palantir, several Rangers had been able to leave the working area, to pick up the tracks of the unknown chariots. But Aragorn was not able to be as helpful as he himself would have wished to be.

"Some power is interfering, Master Emmett -- stopping my seeing-stone from being able to find where those murderers went. I must fetch my Queen, and see if she can overcome this opposing magic."
 
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Short installment, but it keeps the thread alive

Arwen found herself equally blocked from being able to track down the unknown murderers. Frustrated, she asked Aragorn if he had any objection to her going out in person to search for clues. Aragorn's reply was: "I did not marry you in order to lock you up inside the palace. Go forth as you think right; I only require that a _large_ escort goes with you; and let it include as many Rangers as are available, be they Ithilien Rangers or my own old comrades from past years of roaming the north."

When Arwen arrived at the railroad-building camp, one of the first things she did was to make an impromptu conciliatory speech, imploring Dwarves and Orclings to believe that some _outsider_ was to blame for the murder, and that this murderer doubtless would _love_ to see his crime causing hatred and strife among subjects and friends of King Aragorn. The Dwarf Tulbrin -- who had acquired a heroic reputation for his deeds against Shelob -- accepted Arwen's arguments, and promised the Queen of Gondor that, with the aid of the humanized Trolls, he would be able to keep the peace while the investigation proceeded.

Arwen thanked Tulbrin; then, with her escort of Rangers and regular soldiers, and asking Emmett to come with them, she left the railway route and began searching for _anything_ that might help identify the new enemy.

Aragorn, meanwhile, summoned the newly-accredited representatives of Khand, Bilnaru and her husband Romdrell. Without harshness, but persistently, he questioned them about anything and everything they might know about the distant Ainukuo people -- in case the merchants from that remote land might have some connection with the recent trouble.
 
After answering Aragorn's questions, Bilnaru and Romdrell accepted a luncheon invitation from Dwarf Tulbrin and his Orcish bride Yogpith. Also invited was Yamgatoko, leader of the Ainukuo merchants. Yogpith, although she was not and never would be a vegetarian, happened to be experimenting with meatless cooking for the fun of it. What she set before her husband and their guests was a complicated pottage containing four kinds of beans plus green vegetables, flavored with Umbaran mustard, plus bread that she had just baked. Everyone found this acceptable.

Not until they had finished eating and were nursing tankards of Dwarvish beer did Tulbrin say to the foreign merchant, "Master Yamgatoko, now that King Aragorn Elessar has agreed to take your Potion of Long Years himself, there will be a sharply increased interest in it. Since you did not come to Minas Tirith with an enormous pack train, you cannot possibly have enough of the potion with you to sell to everyone who wants to buy some."

Yogpith added, "And since your potion only _lengthens_ life, not gives actual immortality, there will be none of the objections one might hear, about the world overflowing with people who _never_ die. It is only, shall we say, a _reasonable_ continuation of youth. So, although I would not expect to come near the head of the line, I would like to purchase the potion if you can obtain more beyond your present supply."

"My dear wife is foreseeing what I was leading up to," Tulbrin clarified. "We Dwarves have a very good lifespan as it is, and so do the Orc-Mothers like Yogpith; but the common male Orcs, like my stepsons, are shorter-lived even than common Humans, no offense intended. So yes, we do wish to be able eventually to buy the potion for the boys. And to that end, I would like to be of service to you in making it possible for more of the potion to be transported into Gondor."

"It would certainly be a long trip," said Bilnaru; "for wherever the potion is made, it is noplace that Romdrell and I are familiar with." She was looking sidelong at Yamgatoko as she spoke.

"Is there no possibility that the unidentified maker of the potion might consent to _come_ in person to Gondor, and start producing it here?" Romdrell asked.

Although the merchant was unaware of any evil being associated with his selling of the Potion of Long Years, he had gathered that the potion's inventor greatly valued his secrecy. "Friends, I can understand your thoughts and your wishes; but the source of the potion is highly unlikely to change his residence. Consider that you Gondorians do have the benefit of much Elvish knowledge, whereas none of the Eastern countries enjoy the same. Thus, the maker of the potion feels a duty to stay in the East and minister to the needs of the East. This, however, does not rule out _bringing_ more of the potion here _from_ the East."
 
Chapter 20: A Winter of Disruptions


North of Mordor and Rhun sat a Dwarf-habitat called Stubborn Rocks, dug into and beneath four somber hills. This was the birthplace of Tulbrin and his sister Tiblis; and the latter, coming home with an aura of adventure about her, had found herself much sought after by Dwarf-men. The Dwarf-man she chose to marry was Bogli son of Gimli; his father was not the famous Gimli son of Gloin, but simply had the same name by chance. Tiblis had found Bogli particularly interesting because, unlike other Dwarves, he had developed an interest in farming above ground.

Now that it was safe for the Dwarves of Stubborn Rocks to venture outside their stronghold, Tiblis and Bogli had set up housekeeping in a stone house which Bogli had built almost singlehandedly before Tiblis had become a marriage prospect for him. On a day near the onset of winter, Bogli was showing his bride a field which he had cultivated.

"The men of Dale and Esgaroth have a very useful type of grain which they call 'winter wheat.' You plant it in the autumn, and it ripens in spring. I managed to buy some seed of that kind, and it's in this field now. It will mean a source of bread becoming available when most farmers in this region, of any race, have no new grain to supplement whatever they had saved from their latest harvest. We should earn good money with this." Bogli felt no guilt at the idea of making a profit -- not when he would be giving his customers fair value for what they paid him.

"You have a good head above your beard, husband. Cleverness like yours may help to reverse the decline of the Dwarvish people."

Bogli smiled, then grew thoughtful again. "If it can be so, well and good. But we know the news of different races being able to mate. My heart tells me that _this_ is the true path for the survival of Dwarfdom: for those of our men who can't find Dwarvish wives to intermarry with Humans and Hobbits. For my part, I don't know if I could ever have been attracted to any woman who didn't have lovely facial hair like yours; but it could work out for some."

Tiblis nodded. "As it seems to be working out for my brother with Yogpith."

Bogli lowered his voice. "Myself, I wish Tulbrin only well with her; but we probably should not _emphasize_ that particular marriage if the subject of cross-mating comes up among our neighbors."

Suddenly, Tiblis pointed across her husband's wheat field in a southerly direction. "Look there!"

A cloaked Human woman was approaching on foot, leading a donkey on which sat two small children; three older children walked with her. The two Dwarves could not tell the sex of the children; but all of the Humans appeared exhausted, and their donkey almost equally so. They did _not_ appear at all threatening, so Tiblis and Bogli strode forth to meet them.

"Strangers, we greet you in peace," Bogli called out. "You will pardon my wife and me, though, if we are curious as to what chance brings you up from -- from Rhun, I surmise?"

The six Humans only stared. "You forgot you were speaking in Dwarvish," Tiblis whispered to Bogli. Then, having learned some of the Easterling tongue during the time when she and Tulbrin had been captives during the War of the Ring, she spoke in that language with a similar greeting to Bogli's.

The cloaked woman, whose inborn manner seemed much more dignified than her present clothing, replied: "We are in great extremity, and we beg you for a single night's refuge."

Times being much happier now than during the war, Bogli and Tiblis met no resistance, though they did meet curiosity, when they brought the wanderers and their donkey into the central gallery of Stubborn Rocks. Zalbur son of Zaram, chief of the Dwarves here, was available to be introduced to the woman and her children. Zalbur was fluent in Easterling, so he undertook to interrogate the woman, though not in a hostile way. Soon the Human mother visibly committed her mind to making her dramatic disclosure:

"Honorable Dwarf-Chief Zalbur, I grieve to report that I have been widowed, my children robbed of their father, and all of us robbed of our home. The deceased, most foully murdered, is King Shumradek of Rhun; and I am Queen Jivlakra."

 
No one who knew Zalbur had ever seen his eyes as wide as they went now, except for one occasion before the downfall of Sauron, when Zalbur had had the displeasure of beholding a Nazgul flying by on a Fell Beast.

"Who did this? Is it an invasion by some rival Human kingdom? Have the Haradrim gone back to their warlike ways? Or the Umbarans?"

"No, my lord," replied Jivlakra. "It was treachery from within: it was the doing of my late husband's shaman Weshgrod."

Zalbur sent for his wife Ludsip. While awaiting her, he addressed one of his top warriors: "Flendak, post guards at all entrances, and ask our neighboring ravens to scout southward for any foes who might be marching in our direction." When Ludsip appeared, he said to her, "Wife, these are guests from Rhun, who will be sheltering with us until some better arrangement for their welfare can be made. Please order the preparing of a place where they can live temporarily-- as high-ceilinged a dwelling chamber as possible."

When he could turn his attention again to the fugitive queen, Zalbur asked her, "Does this Weshgrod believe that King Aragorn and his allies will be indifferent to his actions?"

"I do not know, my lord. But I know, in ominous hints, that the shaman has a new magic working for him. It seems to revolve around four strange warriors from an unknown land, but I know not what their powers are."

"I wish there had been a palantir for us to use," Tiblis murmured to her husband. "Then our Chief would be able to notify the Gondorians of these events immediately."

Bogli whispered back, "But no doubt Zalbur can ask a raven to fly to Minas Tirith for that purpose. King Aragorn and Queen Arwen both can understand the speech of the thinking ravens....."
 
Emmett, Queen Arwen and others were still searching the countryside for clues when a Talking Raven sent by Dwarf-Chief Zalbur flew into Minas Tirith. Finding King Aragorn, the Raven flapped her wings hard to get his attention, then told him in Raven-speech what amounted to: "Great King, a leading woman of the Easterlings has been forced to flee from Rhun. She has been given refuge by Zalbur's Dwarves, and has a tale of woe to tell."

Aragorn set aside a cup he had been just about to drink from. This cup contained the health-promoting potion offered by the merchants from Ainukuo. Telling a manservant to find some tasty insects for the messenger-bird to eat, Aragorn went to the chamber containing his palantir. Without another seeing-stone at the Dwarf stronghold, it was beyond Aragorn's skill to conduct a two-way conversation with anyone there. Instead, he willed his palantir to show him what was the cause for an important woman of Rhun to have to flee from her home.

What he was able to extract from the past was a scene in which he recognized King Shumradek of Rhun. With Shumradek was another Easterling, whose ornamented costume suggested a magician of some kind. The magician turned to summon or command someone outside the image. Suddenly there was a great noise, like Saruman's blasting-device at Helm's Deep; it also brought to mind the alien weapons carried by Sir Emmett. Holes appeared in Shumradek's body, and he fell dead. The scene changed to one of Queen Jivlakra with her children, riding in some kind of chariot until it broke an axle. Another scene showed the fugitives being welcomed by Zalbur's people. A final view depicted the treasonous magician meeting with five men. Of these, one young man looked like an Easterling. The others did not look like anyone in Middle-Earth, and they also differed in appearance from each other. But these four had one thing in common: all of them held weapons of the same general sort as what Sir Emmett possessed.

This much was all that Aragorn could make the palantir show him in connection with the apparent palace revolution in Rhun. The King of Gondor immediately called for three of his most reliable officers, and told them to take knights and Rangers to find the Queen and bring her safely home. The seeing-stone was able to tell them which way to go to find Arwen. This being attended to, he decided to use his palantir next to call to its counterpart in the capital of Harad.

It surprised Aragorn how quickly he succeeded in finding King Dbalgo himself. The King of Harad exclaimed, "King Aragorn! I was about to try to reach you!"

"And here I am," said Aragorn. "I needed to tell you: King Shumradek has been murdered by someone in his own household, who was aided in this crime by slayers from an unknown land. I have yet to discover what further evil the murderers may be planning."

"Then let me now tell my own tidings. First, I must know: have you, or has anyone in your household, consumed a potion created in Ainukuo?"

"I have not yet drunk it, because I did not want to take that on until more of Gondor's current business had been concluded; but some of my older councillors, both in the hope of gaining strength and out of a scholarly curiosity, have partaken of it."

"I was afraid of this," Dbalgo groaned. "You must not drink that evil brew, nor let others taste it! For those who have tried it, you must ask your Queen to use all her Elvish knowledge to try to identify what venom it contains."

"And how do you know it is poisonous?"

"It appears to be what slew a gallant man: Freeholder Sabseldu."
 
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Aragorn was horrified by his fellow king's news. "You must tell me more! What were the signs of poisoning?"

"Those who accompanied Sabseldu on the journey home saw that he gradually became nervous and agitated. He lost his appetite for food, and began asking everyone if they had any more of that potion with them. They did not have any, since no decision had been made, on my government's behalf or on any private merchant's behalf, about buying the Ainukuo potion. Sabseldu grew steadily weaker, until it seemed sure that he must die.

"As the end came near, he rallied his spirit enough to be able to speak with a sound mind, though his body was failing. He said to his companions: 'Convey my love to my wife and children. Tell Jalugo son of Jikvo that he has my blessing to marry Nerushi. And for the sake of all that is sacred, bear to our King my word that I do not believe the Gondorians to have knowingly caused my poisoning! Aragorn is true to his peace with us; he and his people simply did not know what that unfamiliar potion would do.' Shortly after this, he died, a gallant man who will be missed."

"I swear to you, Dbalgo, by Eru Iluvatar and by the Valar, that I am true to our peace, and that I never suspected the evil in that potion!" Indeed, neither Aragorn, nor his wife Arwen, nor anyone native to Middle-Earth, had any experience with addictive drugs.

"I believe you," Dbalgo assured him. "But alas, many of my lords and officers do not believe you. They are saying that you were planning to poison myself and all of Harad's highest leaders. The story is being spread that, rather than you showing the potion to Sabseldu openly, he bravely tested it in secret, thus revealing its harmful nature that you meant to keep hidden."

"Is there a threat of an uprising against you?" asked Aragorn.

"So there is, and it is growing. Ordinarily, I would ask you to send aid; but if Gondorian troops came to Harad now, the mutinous officers would say that this was proof of your treacherous plan to enslave us -- and proof that I was deliberately aiding your plan! Do you have any other course of action to suggest?"

"Yes. We can try to persuade others to go and help you: forces which were not in direct combat against Harad in the War of the Ring, and which are not under my orders. I have in mind my Dwarf allies, and the people of Grimbeorn."
 
Queen Arwen and Emmett Frankl returned from their clue-seeking to learn that things were in chaos once more. Lord Elrond having left a library of Elvish medical knowledge to Arwen, she began searching for clues to a remedy for the ill-named Potion of Long Years. The Gondorian councilors who had tried the potion were showing the same symptoms as had occurred with Sabseldu. Noting that this included a craving for more of the potion, and being stumped for the present where curing it was concerned, Arwen took the desperation measure of _letting_ the men have more potion.

The men quickly got better; but this was no true cure, only a reprieve. And the quantity of potion Yamgatoko had brought to Minas Tirith was limited. Arwen strove on, assisted by the healer-woman Ioreth.

Aragorn, meanwhile, sent the Thinking Raven who had brought him news of Queen Jivlakra back to the Dwarf-town of Stubborn Rocks, with news of what was happening in Gondor and Harad. She was also to tell Chief Zalbur that a special party would be coming in his direction, and _not_ to be alarmed or outraged at what sort of persons they were. It was requested further that some raven be sent to Grimbeorn, asking his help in the crisis.

The party which would be sent to Stubborn Rocks would ask for Dwarvish volunteers. With or without these, the party was intended, after that, to march past Mordor on the north, hoping to meet Grimbeorn as he came down from the Carrock lands.

This party would be led by Emmett the gunslinger, second in command being Timsarf of the Ithilien Rangers. With them would be the humanized Trolls Grup and Glag, bidding what they hoped would be only a temporary farewell to their Orc-wives Booshak and Kuzril. Tulbrin and Yogpith would help to look after them. Also going would be the Dwarf Lepnord son of Bifur; four of the adolescent Orc-boys, including Chaguzak; and Stella the Thunderpig, on whose back all of them could ride at need, if conditions proved too severe for horses to keep travelling.

For winter snows had begun by now.

At the same time as Emmett's party was getting organized, Prince Faramir mustered a troop of Gondorian knights and Ithilien Rangers; they would cross through the now-tamed land of Mordor, but would not enter Harad, lest they create the provocation Dbalgo feared. As a result of the palantir conference between the Gondorian and Haradrish kings, Blademaster Tebloru of Harad would come to meet Faramir just inside the eastern edge of Mordor. In addition, Romdrell of Khand would accompany Faramir, in order to speak to his people. Aragorn's observation by seeing-stone did not reveal any signs of Khandians actively aiding the apparent schemes of Rhun; but Romdrell would try to persuade his countrymen to help _actively_ in opposing the evil.
 
Setting out for Zalbur's Dwarf-stronghold, Emmett and Timsarf rode horses and led spare mounts behind them. Their four Orclings rode on Stella's broad back. Grup and Glag needed no animal to carry them; on foot, they could keep up with any horse that was moving no faster than a sensible travelling pace.

On the way, Timsarf shot a wild ox with his bow for meat -- pointing out to Emmett, "My arrows can be used again, unlike your bullets." In the context of hunting and shooting, the Ithilien Ranger later commented, "If we meet Grimbeorn coming down from the Carrock lands, he is likely to be in bear-form, so that he can travel quickly like our Troll friends. So do not be hasty to shoot at any bear you see!"

But Grimbeorn had not shown himself by the morning when they came to Stubborn Rocks. "Do y'all reckon he might be hibernating?" asked the gunslinger.

"No, Grimbeorn does not need to sleep through the winter; he simply takes care not to fall asleep in his bear-shape, so sleep for him continues to be the sleep of a man."

Several Dwarves greeted them. Fortunately, the Dwarf-woman Tiblis had already told them about the tamed Orcs; otherwise, Chaguzak and his peers would have been slain on sight. As it was, Tiblis and her husband kindly sheltered the lads in their house, avoiding any unpleasant incidents inside the Dwarvish caverns. Grup and Glag had become just sufficiently human-like that the Dwarves tolerated them, albeit with some grumbling.

Emmett and Timsarf conferred with Chief Zalbur, who told them that he could spare a few fighters. "But I prefer for them to wait for Grimbeorn to come, then proceed with him. If new evils are afoot, better one strong party than scattered travellers who could easily be ambushed. By the same reasoning, would it not be better if your own party waited for Grimbeorn also?"

"Your thinkin' is good, sir," said Emmett; "but time's on the gallop now. Tell you what: we'll pass the night, if you'll kindly give us a place to bunk down. But if Grimbeorn don't show by sunup, I'll feel better if my own posse starts out pronto."

Emmett would have suggested himself going on at once, only accompanied by Timsarf; but he could not in conscience leave Trolls and Orcs here surrounded by Dwarves, if there were no responsible Humans remaining to vouch for the semi-humans and keep the Dwarves calm. And he might get lost in the unfamiliar terrrain without the Ranger. So wait for the night they did.
 
Grimbeorn was leading a force which consisted of ten regular natural bears, four wolfhounds from his own household, and twenty-five armed men who looked to him as their chieftain; these men had similar skills to Rangers. Grimbeorn's men had horses to ride (also Grimbeorn's pets, and the men had the good sense to treat the horses well). In case of battle, the men would fight on foot; Grimbeorn would not ask his horses to fight, and for that matter the main job of the wolfhounds was to help keep the horses safe, not to charge into combat against armored foes.

A raven messenger came flying from the Dwarves at Stubborn Rocks. Recognizing this raven for what he was, Grimbeorn switched from bear to man, and courteously held up an arm for the bird to perch on. What the raven told him, in substance, was:

"A man from a far land will be meeting you, to join in the same mission. His name is Emmett Frankl, and he looks like a Rohirrim, only shorter in height. He will have one of the beasts of Mordor with him, but it is tame. He carries weapons like what Saruman used against Helm's Deep, but his weapons are used for good."

Grimbeorn passed the word to his followers, both human and animal, not to be frightened if they saw or smelled a Mordorian beast. He himself, though not afraid, was intrigued.
 
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Well, Sophia Renee just fell off the stack again. I just can't do everything at once. But I'm not letting Emmett vanish yet.
 
It was not until the next sunrise that Grimbeorn's party met Emmett's party. Grimbeorn was marching a bowshot ahead of his followers; from the other direction, Ranger Timsarf was taking point, since Rangers felt a certain kinship with the woodsmen of the Beorning tribe.

"Timsarf of Ithilien!" boomed the werebear, walking in his human shape over ground lightly dusted with snow. "I smell you, and I greet you! What news?"

Riding up to meet Grimbeorn, Timsarf hurried to tell him about the murder of Plogrith and other recent events, concluding, "We were sent to meet you before you reach Rhun; but Captain Beregond is leading other men to resume the tracking of whoever murdered the Orcling boy."

"Marvels do not cease," remarked Grimbeorn. "My father learned to think more kindly of Dwarves; I suppose it is now my fate to learn to think more kindly -- of _some_ Orcs. Meanwhile, I was told of an extraordinary warrior in your party....?"

"Yes, and here he comes now." Timsarf pointed back the way he had come from. Emmett was coming at a canter. When the gunslinger pulled up alongside the Ranger, he took off his hat as a courtesy to the beast-man.

"Hello to you, Chief Grimbeorn. My name's Emmett Frankl, and I'm friends with King Aragorn."

"As am I," said Grimbeorn. "I will be interested to learn about the far land of your birth, while we continue travelling. Also to learn how those two Trolls I see approaching come to be friendly with you."

Much interesting talk was exchanged that day, but no serious adventures occurred. The now-combined force camped overnight, and set out the next day to continue the bypassing of Mordor on the north.

Two of Grimbeorn's men shot wild goats that day for meat. Though Grimbeorn
was like his father in abstaining from eating flesh, he did not force vegetarianism on his followers, provided of course that they did not harm any of his own tame beasts. While they were taking a break for lunch, the same raven who had lately visited Aragorn found them. It had not been difficult for her to sight a party which had a Mordorian Thunderpig with it.

She spoke first to Grimbeorn: "Master of Bears, I have news from Captain Beregond of Ithilien!"


 
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Sorry I haven't been around. I've been busy with a lot of stuff. I still need to catch up with this. Very interesting that they're meeting some of Beorn's descendants.
 
Ranger Timsarf, also able to follow the raven's speech, impatiently asked, "What news?" The bird did not look at Timsarf, but did furnish the answer:

"Beregond and some of his soldiers were escorting a team of healers from Minas Tirith on a tour of the new human towns in the cleansed areas of Mordor. Winter being upon us, King Aragorn had sent them out because he realized that increased sickness was likely in bad weather. At one of the villages, many young persons were stricken with an unfamiliar ailment, whose signs included shaking fits and loss of appetite. Many were hesitant to say anything about the cause, but Beregond recognized the illness as resembling what killed the unfortunate Haradrim Sabseldu.

"So Beregond pressed the elders more strongly, and they finally admitted that strange men had come from the direction of Rhun, offering a magic potion to improve everyone's health of body; the Potion of Long Years, they called it. But when those who consumed it felt a desperate craving for more and more of the potion, the strangers demanded to be given...." the raven seemed uncomfortable having to say it. "To be given the most beautiful young woman in the village as a-- as a slave to their wishes."

Grimbeorn started to change involuntarily into a bear with sudden anger, but mastered his transformation and remained human to pose a logical question:

"Did they give the strangers a maiden?"

"Yes, they did. In part, because the chief elder's own son had fallen under the craving of the potion. For what it was worth, the strangers did hand over a supply of the potion -- but only enough barely to keep affected villagers from dying of the craving."

"Did Beregond go in pursuit of those snakes?" rumbled Grimbeorn.

"For a short distance, but lost their trail. He did, however, send a fast rider straight back to Minas Tirith, with an additional sample of the poison, so that Queen Arwen and the healers might more easily study it and seek a cure for its evil. The couple from Khand, and the travelers from Ainukuo, will surely also be consulted."

"That's good," said Emmett. "What's Beregond doin' now?"

"Visiting the rest of the settlements, including dwellings of pacified Orcs, to find out how many more persons are, uh--"

"We have a word for it where I come from," Emmett told her. "Addicted."

"There is action for us to take also," said Grimbeorn. "Sir Emmett, if this is agreeable to you, I wish you to follow this raven back to the village she spoke of. Take the Thunderpig, in case it becomes desirable to transport a large number of sick people to Minas Ithil for treatment. Take also your friends Timsarf, Grup and Glag; and one of my hounds to assist in tracking. He is a wise dog, who will understand whatever you say to him. The body of my followers will backtrack north for ten or twelve miles, then make eastward, parallel to your search. I, by myself, will proceed right through the mountains, also eastward, between the two parties. One or another of us ought to find some clue."

"I got no better idea than that," replied Emmett. "Only, I remind y'all that the strangers might be carryin' weapons like mine, which can kill from a long distance."
 
Keeping this alive

Grimbeorn's woodsmen were inclined not to take Emmett's warning seriously; but Grimbeorn seconded Emmett, saying, "Having a thing like an arrowhead pierce your skull from farther off than arrow range is not the way you would wish to learn you were mistaken." So the woodsmen, and the beasts who went with them, set out on their northern route with maximum caution and stealth.

Grimbeorn went back to bear shape, and galloped as nimbly as a mountain goat along mountain paths. A couple of surviving medium-giant spiders came in view, but fled from him.

Emmett's party headed for the indicated village, also with caution. Grup and Glag insisted on marching in front, because their Trollish hardness of skin would give them a better chance of survival than Emmett or Timsarf would have if struck by bullets.
 
Chapter 21: Changes For The Worse

Back in Minas Tirith, Aragorn and Arwen had received the latest raven-borne information, and were now meeting with Bilnaru of Khand and her husband Romdrell, joined by the Ainukuo merchant Yamgatoko. Most of their talk, as before, was about understanding and curing the addictive effects of the treacherous Potion of Long Years. Yamgatoko felt himself on the spot, anxious to convince the King and Queen of Gondor that he had sold the potion with no way of knowing its evil.

The discussion, however, strayed eventually to a matter touching the Khandian people, whose representatives in Gondor Bilnaru and Romdrell were. The Khandian man Romdrell had begged off of going east with Faramir at the last minute, saying he felt poorly.

"I have studied lore of Khand, as of other countries," said Aragorn. "The Varyags, as you called them, the heavy-infantry fighters who were your contribution to Sauron's war effort while he ruled you, were said to resemble Dwarves. The wizard Ladkinar, before he and Deggrosk sailed away to the West, told me that he believed your Varyags actually _were_ part Dwarf. What do you say to that?"

"It's true," replied Romdrell. "I know you have heard of Khand being bullied and harassed over its history by the stronger nations of Harad and Rhun. At a time over three centuries ago, some Khandian men took Dwarf-women as wives, hoping to breed fighting men with Dwarvish endurance. They succeeded."

"And also succeeded in worsening the unequal numbers of males and females among the Dwarves," added Bilnaru.

Romdrell shrugged. "It wasn't the fault of Khandian men that some Dwarf-women found them handsome, and better company besides."

"However, by all accounts," remarked Arwen, "the begetting of the Varyags did not do as much to strengthen Khand's position as the Khandians hoped. Those axe-wielders fought well, but Sauron used them up so they _wouldn't_ be around to make Easterlings and Southrons keep their distance."

"And yet," said Aragorn, "since the Varyags were never beings of literally _supernatural_ evil, they should not _all_ have perished when Sauron perished. I have wondered why you Khandians were left without _any_ Varyags after the war, to stop your neighbors from preying on you."

Wishing to seem helpful, Yamgatoko offered: "My fellows and I have heard that some remnant of magic _predating_ Sauron's reign was connected with the disappearance of the Varyags. A spell or curse originating with _Morgoth_ might still retain some force despite Sauron's death."

As Aragorn and Arwen were looking at the Far Eastern merchant with new interest, Romdrell and Bilnaru looked at each other with a strange expression on both of their faces. Then Bilnaru said, "Yes, in fact, there _was_ a remnant like that. It was something that the man called 'Mouth of Sauron' set aside, with Sauron's own approval, as a means of magical revenge, in case the Dark Lord of Mordor were vanquished beyond all expectation."

"It _does_ have something to do with the missing Varyags," Romdrell told them, rising from his chair.

Bilnaru also stood up, crying, "And, fools, they are HERE!!"

What had seemed to be a kindly old married couple was now proven to have been a fiendish illusion, worthy of the evil of Morgoth of Angband. The standing forms of Romdrell and Bilnaru abruptly split open like giant seedpods; and from each bursting false body, three bearded warriors, like Dwarves only taller, leaped forth, each one winding up for a terrible axe stroke. One was aiming at Yamgatoko, two at Arwen, and three at Aragorn.

The intended victims were unarmed, having thought themselves safe inside the palace. Arwen hurled her body against the legs of her two attackers, tripping them, then tried to grab away the axe of one of the fallen Varyags. But her Elvish skill and vigor did not guarantee her having stronger _hands_ than these burly slayers.

Aragorn heaved the nearby table in the way of his three assailants, then dived to tackle the one attacking Yamgatoko. Aragorn _did_ have stronger hands than this enemy, and before Arwen's two could get back up to threaten her, Aragorn had slain the one he had just disarmed, then begun to drive the others back a bit with wide yet well-controlled sweeps.

Arwen dug her thumbs into the eyes of one of the pair she had tripped; _that_ enabled her finally to capture a battleaxe also. Yamgatoko was shouting, as if crying for help; but in his fright, he had unconsciously lapsed into his native language, which no Gondorian understood. It was academic, though, because the palace guards were under attack themselves. Pack animals which had come with Romdrell and Bilnaru when they accompanied Faramir to Minas Tirith were _also_ part of the illusionary spell, and they had _also_ burst open to release Varyag warriors. Those Gondorian soldiers who escaped being immediately felled were proving able to stand up to the hostile axemen; but the axemen were numerous enough that some could slip past the remaining citadel guards.

Fighting side by side, Aragorn and Arwen had just managed to bring down the four still-standing Varyags in the conference chamber -- but Arwen had been wounded in one arm, because the battleaxe she held was an unfamiliar weapon for her -- when five _more_ Varyags crashed in.

"Out that window!" Aragorn yelled in Elvish, meaning a window which had a section of roof directly under it. Arwen realized that, although she had accounted for three of their six original attackers herself, she was no longer effective in the absence of a more suitable weapon. So she spared Aragorn from fatal distractions, by dragging Yamgatoko out through the window with her. Outside was commotion; she could not tell how many Varyags had just been revived inside the city, but there were enough to cause a terrible uproar. Her voice, though, rose above the noise, with a cry of, "Help for the King! The King is beset!"

Aragorn, meanwhile, was reminding his would-be slayers of how he had come to be feared on the battlefield. He now held _two_ battleaxes, and handled _each_ of these weapons _more_ easily than a Varyag did with _both_ hands.

At least for a while. He was having to move with spectacular quickness to keep five enemies threatened, _and_ prevent them from simply hogpiling onto him.


 
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One Varyag whom Aragorn had wounded, struck back even after falling, by using his axehead like a hook, to tug at one of Aragorn's legs and trip him. But Aragorn's decades of combat experience covered even a case like this. As his feet flew up, Aragorn _used_ this motion to kick another axeman in the kneecap with his untrapped foot. Then he rolled backward as he fell, and was up and defending himself before the two most-intact Varyags in the room could exploit the moment.

The King of Gondor kept his foes off balance by his unusual technique. Lunging forward now with the _tops_ of his axeheads, he created an effect like a boxer, and achieved a _reach_ longer than was usual with such weapons. Driving the standing attackers into retreat, he could spare a split-second to split the head of the man who had tripped him, because that man had not quit trying to get up and attack once more.

Arwen, meanwhile, had led Yamgatoko to a wing of the palace which did not seem to be under assault by the magically-conjured Khandian warriors. Finding two servant women who (NOT being Xena and Buffy) were keeping clear of the action, the Queen told them to lead the Ainukuo merchant to the guest quarters which he and the other Ainukuo visitors had been using. The women insisted on first binding up the slash in their Queen's right arm; she had been forgetting she was injured, and thanked the women for bandaging her. Arwen then took a sword from a wall mounting, muttering, "_This_ is more like it!" --and started back toward the noise of battle.

Having lived long enough to train in swordplay with both hands, Arwen was not greatly hampered by having to fight lefty; but she could not greatly fault the Gondorian soldiers who, seeing her join them, tried hard to protect her. She did nonetheless fell two more Varyags herself. But she wondered how there came to be so _many_ of the accursed enemy soldiers.

"Reinforcements!" one Citadel guardsman told Arwen. "Besides the first and second waves of axemen, five or six ordinary travelers _also_ suddenly exploded into squads of Varyags!"

In spite of everything, the defenders of Minas Tirith gained the upper hand. Yamgatoko and the women with him came into view, fleeing from STILL MORE axemen-- who had burst forth from what poor Yamgatoko had thought were two of his own fellow merchants. But Arwen and the soldiers with her were able to turn and dispatch these foes also, because all the rest were now being mowed down by Aragorn and the guardsmen closest to him.

When at last the horrid enchantment had exhausted itself, Aragorn and Arwen took stock of what had transpired. Four Varyags had been taken alive, and would be questioned; otherwise, there were sixty-three dead Varyags lying all around the upper city. The complete surprise of their appearing had enabled sixty-seven evil axemen to inflict harm beyond what their numbers should have been able to achieve. Twenty-one Gondorian soldiers and thirty-eight civilians had perished, with many soldiers and civilians wounded besides.

"With Sauron dead," Aragorn remarked, "there _shouldn't_ be any more evil magic remaining in Middle-Earth with SO much power and subtlety!"

To which Arwen replied, "This must be like the reappearance of Ungoliant's ghost, which the Wizards dealt with just before they departed for the West. It is a lingering remnant of evil from the times of Morgoth, _before_ Sauron became the ruler of all evil in this world."

"So it might well be. But in any event, this will compel us to take more care for the safety of our own capital. And we thought we were safe here!"

"Alas, husband, I fear that it is as you say. And perhaps whatever mind caused these Varyags to appear is thinking in the same way that the traitor Saruman formerly thought: thinking to pin down forces of good. If we have to fear threats at home, we may not be able to take action to help King Dbalgo in Harad."

Aragorn nodded. "Nor take as much action as we wanted to with respect to this Potion of Long Years deception, OR with respect to the overthrow that occurred in Rhun."

"We must hope that Emmett, Grimbeorn, and those with them will enjoy success."
 
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At the Easterling palace he had usurped, Shaman Weshgrod, now King Weshgrod, used the residual magic of the Mouth of Sauron to reopen the interdimensional portal by which he had communicated with the sexy vampires. He succeeded in contacting two female vampire supermodels as they were in the middle of a "walk-off," trying to outdo each other at looking sexy in all-red outfits.

"Oh, it's you," said the first vampiress, looking a bit bored because the spiritual atmosphere of Middle-Earth would not allow vampires to enter, so she had no chance of ever tasting Weshgrod's blood. The second vampiress showed more interest: "How are your plans proceeding, sorcerer?"

"Very well, thank you. I have been able to pull off a diversionary attack on Gondor's capital, which will hinder King Aragorn from sending any forces to help the friendly king now reigning in Harad. But I used up a great deal of power doing this. As things now stand, I need to strike in two places at once: in Harad itself, to overthrow their disgustingly just and good ruler, and on the northern borders of Mordor, to intercept the forces led by Grimbeorn which seek to aid Harad's lawful king. Would there be any chance of you helping me to obtain a few more of those 'gunmen' from Earth?"

"Hmmm, I'll get the others in on this, and we'll see what we can do."

An hour later, as the recently crowned Queen Frulzess and the original four Earth gangsters watched, the gate opened again, and three figures stepped through. One was a teenage boy with five or six piercings in his face; another was a masked terrorist; and the third was a hunter from Wyoming with an N.R.A. pin on his jacket.

"You three are now my servants," crowed Weshgrod. "You cannot resist my power; you must do whatever I command you to do! And I shall command you to slay my enemies!"

"Will I get to kill some children?" asked the teenager, with a sickening eagerness.

"Only if I leave you any," sneered the terrorist.

"It is very possible that you will be killing children as well as adults," Weshgrod replied. Then he looked at the Wyoming man. "Are you less enthusiastic for your new duty? No matter; all must submit to MY invincible will!"

"You and whoever's working with you made one mistake," said the hunter. "You don't understand who is, and who ISN'T evil." With that, he raised his deer rifle, and, in defiance of the magic that was supposed to make this action impossible, shot Weshgrod through the head.

Weshgrod's corpse fell in a heap; Frulzess shrieked in horror and grief; and the six evil gun-wielders all stared in disbelief. The hunter, seeing that the space-time gate had not yet vanished, hurled himself through it and was again safely back in his own world.

Desolated though she was at the loss of her lover, Frulzess found that the magic of the Morgul Lieutenant's cursed necklace passed to her, and SHE could command the six gun-armed evildoers now available to her. Her son Rapnazak, with the guards who were under his command, put out an announcement that King Weshgrod was "occupied with matters of high sorcery," and was delegating his authority to his Queen for the present.

Frulzess divided her "modern" fighters into two squads of three, to pursue the goals the late Weshgrod had had in mind. The ghetto thug, the barrio thug and the terrorist, having darker skin, might be mistaken by some humans for Haradrim; so they would go east to join the rebellion against King Dbalgo. The biker, the Triad gangster, and the depraved suburban boy would go after Grimbeorn and his followers.
 
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