The One {A Legolas Love Story}

The Paths of the Dead

Chapter 17 - The Paths of the Dead

"He's going in the mountain... In the paths of the dead..." I whispered as I understood what he was about to do.

"Who?" Legolas asked me.

"Aragorn." I answered as I looked up to him. "He will try to go alone. We mustn't let him go alone." I said and he nodded. Just then Aragorn arrived beside us with his horse.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" Gimli asked him. I had not even seen that he was beside us.

"Not this time. This time you must stay, Gimli." Aragorn said.

"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?" Legolas questioned.

"Might as well accept it. We're going with you, Aragorn." I said and he smiled. Aragorn made me go on his horse with him, this time, and Legolas and Gimli rode together again. As we approached the entrance of the path, I heard the soldiers talk among themselves, wondering why we were leaving now. I heard someone shout before we disappeared into the mountain pass. And suddenly, as the darkness of the mountain surrounded us, I could not hear the soldiers at all.

We rode slowly on the rocky path for hours. We were all very silent, the only thing we could hear was our horses neighs or snorts.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" Gimli questioned, breaking the silence we had kept since we had left the camp.

"One that is cursed." I answered. He looked at me questioningly and I decided I would tell him the tale I had read in a book long ago, at the library in Rivendell. "Long ago, the Men of the Mountain 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." I said. Legolas and I exchanged a look, he knew this tale as well. "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 of the Paths of the Dead." I finished the story. Gimli did not say anything else, so we continued in silence once more. We finally saw a doorway, covered with skulls, a while after. Hieroglyphs that I did not understand were carved out of the stone just above the doorway. It seemed to get colder and darker and that sent a shiver down my spine.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away." Gimli said. We all climbed of our horses and stared at the doorway.

"The way is shut," Legolas began to translate for us. "It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut." He said. Suddenly, a strong and cold wind blew out of the doorway. The horses neighed behind us and began to flee.

"Brego!" Aragorn shouted, but the horses were gone. "I do not fear death!" Aragorn said as he looked at the doorway before running through it. I took a deep breath before doing the same thing. My eyes easily adjusted to the darkness that engulfed the mountain. I heard footsteps behind me so I turned around to see Legolas and Gimli, further behind. We walked deeper and deeper into the mountain, the air getting damper. Aragorn had a flaming torch, so we could see where we were going. Piles of skulls were everywhere around us.

"What is it, what do you see?" Gimli asked. I turned around and saw Legolas looking around.

"I see shapes of men and horses." Legolas answered. I looked around and saw the figures as well. I had not noticed them for I was focusing on where I was stepping.

"Where?" Gimli asked, not seeing hat Legolas was talking about. The Dwarf seemed very worried, maybe even a little scared.

"Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist." Legolas said.