Legolas POV

We are getting ready to head for Dunharrow. Since Aerlinniel is with Gandalf and Pippin, I have to now share a horse with Gimli.

"Horsemen! I wish I could muster an army of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy." Gimli complains.

"Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands." I tell him.

King Theoden then speaks, "Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan. Oaths you have taken. Now fulfil them all, to Lord and Land! Hah!"

~~~

"Make way for the King! Make way, the King is here."

"My lord!"

"Hail to you sire!"

"Grimbold, how many?" King Theoden asks.

Grimbold replies, "I bring 500 men from the Westfold, my lord."

"We have 300 more from Fenmarch, Theoden King."

King Theoden then questions, "Where are the riders from Snowbourn?"

"None have come, my lord." A soldier answers him.

"Six thousand spears, less than half of what I had hoped for."

"Six thousand will not be enough to break the lines of Mordor." Aragorn states.

"More will come."

"Every hour lost hastens Gondor's defeat. We have until dawn then we must ride."

King Theoden nods his head in agreement. We go over to Eomer who is saddling his horse.

"The horses are restless and the men are quiet," I state to him.

"They grow nervous in the shadow of the mountain," He tells me.

"That road there where does that lead?" Gimli asks, pointing to a pathway in the mountain.

"It is the road to the Dimholt, the door under the mountain."

"None who venture there ever return. That mountain is evil." Eomer mentions and then walks away.

He walks away.

~~~

Gimli and I watch as Aragorn walks through the camp towards the pathway through the mountain.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" Gimli questions.

"Not this time. This time you must stay Gimli." Aragorn instructs him.

"Hmmmm."

I walk up on the other side of Aragorn, leading my horse. "Have you learnt nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?"

"You might as well accept it. We're going with you laddie." Gimli says and Aragorn gives a smile.

We ride along the camp until we reach the road. At first, no one talks. After a while, Gimli decides to speak.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?"

I reply, "One that is cursed. Long ago the men of the mountains swore an oath to the last King of Gondor to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead."

When we get closer, we get off our horses and walk. Being right here, right now makes me wish I went with Aerlinniel. But, too late for that for that now. Anyways, I do not mind being here to help out. This better work. I do not want to have to have done this for nothing.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away," Gimli mutters.

We finally reach the doors. There is an inscription above the door. I read what it says out loud, "The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

Something comes out of the door towards us at a rush. It spooks the horses, they pull on the reins and run away.

"Brego!" Aragorn shouts. "I do not fear death!

Aragorn walks through the entrance, I follow after him. I hear Gimli behind me, "Well this is a thing unheard of. An elf will go underground, where a dwarf dare not. Oh. Oh, I'd never hear the end of it."

We continue farther and farther inside, Aragorn is leading us with a torch.

"What is it? What do you see?" Gimli questions.

"I see shapes of men and of horses," I tell him.

"Where?"

"Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following. They have been summoned." I continue.

"The dead? Summoned? I knew that! Huh. Huh. Very good. Very good." Gimli mumbles to himself, not realising we had kept moving. He shouts to me, "Legolas!"

Ghostly hands writhe around me. I then notice the same thing is happening to Aragorn and Gimli. Gimli tries to blow them away.

"Do not look down," Aragorn warns us.

We can hear the crunching of bones as we get out of there. We are finally out when we run around a corner. Looking around, I see a building.

"Who enters my domain?" A voice asks and appears suddenly.

"One who will have your allegiance," Aragorn answers him.

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass."

"You will suffer me!" Aragorn tells him.

He laughs menacingly. As he does a whole Kingdom of buildings appear all around us. Soldiers emerge from them. A deadly army surrounds us and they start to chant.

"The way is shut! It was made by those who are dead. And the dead keep it. The way is shut! Now you must die!"

I fire an arrow, but it just passes straight through him and clatters to the ground

"I summon you to fulfil your oath!" Aragorn commands.

"None but the King of Gondor may command me!" He states and approaches Aragorn to attack him. Aragorn retaliates and blocks his sword with Anduril.

He gasps, "That line was broken!" 

"It has been remade." Aragorn catches him by the throat and pushes him back. The ghostly army stand looking at him. "Fight for us and regain your honor. What say you? What say you?"

"Ach! You waste your time Aragorn. They had no honour in life and they have none now in death." Gimli says to him.

Aragorn ignores him. "I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled. What say you?" He laughs again and the army begins to disappear. "You have my word! Fight and I will release you from this living death! What say you?"

"Stand you traitors!" Gimli adds.

The army is gone. I hear a cracking sound and the walls of the building in front of us begins to collapse. Hundreds of human skulls fall down and are coming towards us.

"Out!" Aragorn shouts.

We climb up the thousands of skulls and try to climb over them. But we begin to slide down with them. Finally, we manage to move across towards the exit as the skulls continue to fall.

"Legolas! Run!" Aragorn calls to me.

We leave that horrible place, running out of the cave as the skulls continue to rain down behind us. The sunlight feels good on my skin. When I look down from where we are standing, I see ships on the river and a burning town. Aragorn sinks down on his knees in despair, tears in his eyes. I approach him and put my hand on his shoulder. Aragorn bows his head.

There is a sound behind us and I look around to see the King of the Dead come out of the rocks and approach Aragorn.

"We fight!"

~~~~~~

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Love you my elves from the realm of llamas,

~Ellethwen <3