We were locked out. I didn't know what to do. I looked at Pippin who was laying on the ground in shock. What had just happened....? I paced back and forth. We couldn't be wasting this precious time. Faramir is going to be lit up like a dry christmas tree any time soon!
"What are we going to do?" Pippin asked in a panic, but stared at me funny. "What's Christmas?" he asked.
"Oh. Um...nothing. Just a holiday from the Old World. Come on, we have to do something." I stressed.
"Where's Gandalf?" Pippin asked. I stopped.
"Why?"
"Maybe he could help us?" Pippin suggested. It was like a light had flashed over my head.
"Of course! That's genius! Let's go!" I helped him stand up and we were off on a wild goose chase to look for Gandalf. We ran all over the city, asking guards and even orcs where they had seen Gandalf. Everyone had a different answer. We were running all over the place. I was starting to wonder if Faramir was already burned. I kept thinking that I was smelling burning flesh. I would ask Pippin and he wouldn't.
We traveled all over the place. I was starting to wonder if Gandalf was even in the boundaries of Minas Tirith! We found our answer when we came upon the middle level of Minas Tirith. There was a hoard of people fighting back orcs and trolls that had made their way into the kingdom. We looked all over for Gandalf and found him, fighting like usual, but he was on his steed, Shadowfax.
"Gandalf! Gandalf!" Both of us cried out for him. He trotted in circles, looking for the source of the person calling his name. We jumped and waved our hands. Soldiers ran past us, in large groups. It was difficult for us to stand, for we were so small and they were large and covered in armour. While I was jumping up and down, waving around, a solider knocked me down to the ground. In total shock, I stumbled and fell, my hand going to my stomach in a protective way.
"Ali." Pip looked at me and looked back up. The stomach pangs were getting worse. At the moment, I felt as if I was being clawed at from the inside of my stomach. I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut. I breathed in and out. Pip squatted down next to me. "Alice, what happened?" He asked me.
"I got..knocked...down. Get Gandalf." I told him. I was able to sit, watching as people rushed past me, carrying weapons, not even bothering to see that I was on the ground. I put my head between my legs and tried to breathe. I was getting vertigo and felt sick.
"B-b-but." He stuttered, worried about me, like he usually does.
"Peregrin...get Gandalf." I snarled at him.
"Lady Allison. I have already arrived. What are you doing the ground? Come." Gandalf reached down his hand and helped me up onto Shadowfax.
"I fell and...the baby is hurting me." I whispered to him. He nodded.
"Gandalf....Faramir is alive and Denethor is going to burn him alive! He locked us out!!!" Pippin told me. I looked at him...and looked back up at Gandalf. I look of worry came over his face.
"Peregrin, come with. We must find Faramir. Denethor has lost his mind." Gandalf said. Pippin nodded and also climbed up upon Shawdowfax. Gandalf lightly tapped the horse and it darted up the levels. My head nodded back and forth as the pain rushed through my torso. My stomach was twisting and my feet were tingling. I had to pee.
"Keep your mind together Allison. Hold on." Gandalf whispered to me. I lifted my heavy head.
"I...I can't...This is...so painful." I whispered back to him.
"Remeber what you said. You were not going to...deliver...while the war is going on." He reminded me. Gandalf seemed that he didn't want me to give up. There was something about his attitude that regretted telling me that i Had to have the baby during thw war.
"But..you said." I muttered.
"Forget what I said. hold on." He pleaded. Pippin peeked over my shouler.
"What are you all talking about?" he asked. I had almost forget he was behind me.
"Nothing. Just war plans...nothing you should be worried about Peregrin Took." Gandalf said sternly. Pip nodded and looked around, stressed. We all were. If we weren't quick enough, Faramir could lose his life. Each passing moment seemed longer and longer. Time was slowing to a stop. I was afraid that if the time stopped then Faramir would be lost forever.
It was about time when we made it to the top of Minas Tirith! Pippin talked Gandalf through the steps of getting to Faramir and Denethor. We trotted to the last stretch when we were stopped. From up in the sky, a loud screech echoed loudly. A sting went through my body and i instantly covered my ears to the loud noise. I looked up to the sky and saw a fell beast. Like a dragon but much more dangerous and louder. They carried death with them, most likely known as the Nazgul. The screeching beast slowly declined and landed before us, shaking the ground. It's wings as dark as night with bright red veins that shined through. A fould smell emitted from the creature. It's long neack stretched out wavering back and forth, looking at what it's rider had brought it upon. The tail of the fell beast waved around, smashing and crushing everything near it. Gandalf and I spotted the rider on its back. The Witch King.
"Go back to the abyss. Fall back into nothingless that awaits you and your master!" Gandalf said.
"Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour." The Witch King screeched and pulled out a dark long sword. It had jagged edges, already dripping with blood. Gandalf pulled out his staff. As Gandalf aimed it at The Witch King, the staff began to light up, alomst like fire, blazing it's brightest light, until the staff broke in two and all of us when flying off of the horse. I landed hard on my side, still in pain from the false labor. I cringed. Pippin stood up and grabbed his own sword and ran at the fell beast, but it screeched loudly, making all of us deaf. Pippin scurried back to me. The Witch King and his fell beast came towards us. Advancing, slowly, so our fear would build each step it took. There was no escaping the beast was too fast and the Witch King too smart. I cringed as it walked closer and closer to us, teasing us about our death. I closed my eyes and waited...for a long time. Horns sounded and I heard a flap of giant wings as the fell beast took off. i opened my eyes and looked up. THey were gone.
"Come on! We must reach Faramir!" pippin said, getting back up. I struggled, becoming weak, it was almost impossible for me to get up. Gandalf and Pip had to help me. I knew that I was becoming to weak for this. As I straddled the horse, I looked over the horizon of the field and saw a group of riders.
"Rohan...they've...they've made it..." I smiled weakly. Pip and Gandalf turned their heads to where I was looking.
"Then we have a chance." Gandalf said.
"You mean we never had a chance to begin with?" Pippin asked.
"Yes, Peregrin." Gandalf said as he and Pippin mounted. And we were off.
It really didn't take a long time for us to reach Faramir and Denethor. But we were worried...the doors were closed. And Locked. There was no visible way to get in.
"Hold on." Gandalf said.
"What?" Pip and I asked, but it came too late when Shadowfax reared up and kicked open the doors. I gripped the horse and Pippin to make sure I did not fall. The horse entered just in time. The guards were just about to light ablaze both Denethor and Faramir.
"Stay this madness!" Gandalf yelled. The guards froze. Gandalf trotted over, but Denethor knew he had been caught, so he stole one of the torches from the hands of the guards.
"You may triumph in the field of battle for a day, but against the power that has risen in the east, there is no victory." And with those words, Denethor set afire the pile of wood with him and Faramir on it, soaked in oil. I gripped Pippin. Gandalf rode forward next to eh wood pile, looking frantically around. From behind me, Pippin jumped and landed into the firey pit.
"Pippin!" I yelled, worried for the lives of Faramir and Pippin. I watched as he pushed and tried to get Faramir off the wood burning pile. With one final heave, both him and Faramir fell off the fire. As frantic as I was, i jumped off the horse, almost collapsing, but running to Pip and Faramir, checking them both over.
"No! You will not take my son from me!" Denethor screamed as he jumped from the fire and went to attack Pippin. Fearing that Pippin would be hurt, i threw my weak self in front of Denethor.
"You do not touch Pippin nor Faramir! You tried to burn your own son who is very much alive!" I yelled at him. Denethor seemed shocked. he stumbled backwards and into the fire. I watched as he burned, his eyes cringing with his own pain, as he saw that his son was not dead.
"Faramir." He said softly. Becoming angered, he leaped from the pyre and ran out of the building. I watched as he ran...far. He did not stop, which was unfortunate, because he had fallen from high up onto the battle field.
"Well...that....was." I struggled to find words.
"Come, we must get Faramir to the infirmary." Gandalf said.
The infirmary was down below the first level of Minas Tirith. It was like a basement, but they healed the wounded and sick there. We had learned that Faramir would make a smooth recovery within a couple days or so. I was relieved to find that out.
"What shall we do now?" I asked.
"Fight. Rohan is here and we have better defenses."Gandalf said. I nodded.
"Not you alice." Gandalf told me, looking my straight in the eye.
"But..I want to!" I whined.
"You know what would happen." He told me. I was confused.
"No I wouldn't." I shrugged. Gandalf sighed and took me by the wrist and tugged me to the corner.
"If you stress your body too much that could cause an early labor. And like we discussed, you will not have the child during this bloody war." He told me. I was shocked. Fighting could cause early labor!
"But you know me too well. i won't go down easily. I want to fight. One less person could throw the slightest thing off." I told him.
"I m surprised by the amount of time you have fought and survived. Usually a child--woman your age would not make it within the first or second battle. And within those large fights, you take your own small battles. You have fought enough to become a war vetran, but I fear that this time...you won't be strong enough." He told me. I bit my lip and knew that he was right.
"But Gandalf! I've got to do something! I can't just sit around!" I told him.
"You just might have to sit around. I am sorry." He apologized.
"Fine...but only once! And you can expect some racket coming from where ever you put me." Warning him about myself.
Gandalf chuckled, "I know that for sure. That is why I am putting you up in Denethor's old resicdence. You will wait for Faramir and watch over him when he comes to." Gandalf told me. I sighed. Great, alone in a great big house.
"Sure." i shrugged. Gandalf and I came out from the shadowed corner. "Pippin", I hugged him, "I love you. Be safe." I told him, gripping his shoulders. We put our foreheads together and stared into each other's eyes.
"Why? What's going on?" He asked. I frowned and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"I have to go. I cannot fight at the moment." I felt my throat close up. It stung so bad.
"But..why?" He asked why once more.
"Something is happening to me. I am growing weaker." I told him and held his hand. He seemed scared.
"Peregrin. Do not heed on this. you will see her again." Gandalf tried and coax him away from me. Pippin did leave with Gandalf and I was left in the infirmary. I was told to go back up the what I called the dome home and stay there. So I did. I took my time and walked slowly, trying not to stress my body. As I did, I could hear Rohan and their riders that were out on the battlefield. I hoped that everyone would be okay. It worried me that Merry, Eowyen, Eomer, and even Theoden were out there, risking their lives. I should be out there!! I should!!
As I reached the steps of the house, I pushed open the doors. I was really mad. I wanted to be there! I wanted to be down there! Angered, and hormonal, I screamed and knocked over a vase that was sitting on a pedastal. It shattered to the ground. I screamed and yelled. Punching things, hitting things, breaking fragiles. I was mad and could not control it. Eventually, I stopped and sat up in the thron were Denethor had sat. I huddled up in the throne. Rocking back and forth, I thought about any ways I could help. I cringed. There was no possible way! I hated being alone. My mind would go crazy. I sighed...It was going to be a long...month...week..day?