The Dark Tower

Chapter 7 - Dumped and Defences

It was Katy who found me, sitting with a now sleeping Percival, staring at my engagement ring which I’d taken off, wishing I could do the same to this stupid bangle. The ring was still a dull red, not flashing so angrily while we were simply under siege as I twisted it between my fingers.

‘Gwaine just bit my head off when I asked where you were,’ she said.

‘He’s dumped me,’ I said.

‘What? No! He can’t have!’

‘Well tell him that, because he has.’

‘Oh Beth. Oh I’m so sorry.’

‘Yeah, it’s just great isn’t it? I’ve got Aragorn fighting Gwaine over me, all because of that stupid naiad. And Gwaine’s dumped me, and now we’re stuck here waiting for the battle to start. Oh, it’s too much, Katy, it really is!’ I released a sigh of disgust. ‘I’d better check on Gwen, see how she is.’

Gwen was also sleeping, so I continued up to the battlements to view the army. Gandalf was there. ‘Why aren’t they attacking?’ I asked.

‘I’m not sure,’ he said slowly. ‘Could be waiting for the right time, or are happy just to lay us under siege . . .’

‘Or?’

‘Or are waiting for reinforcements.’

‘Oh.’ I wished I hadn’t asked as there were several hundred soldiers already camped. ‘Does Camelot know?’

‘Camelot, the elves and Rohan are now aware.’

‘They will come to our aid?’

‘This is part of a concerted attack I’m afraid. They are all under siege themselves.’

‘Did you know this is what they had planned?’

‘Not to the extent that Sauron has managed to gather his armies together.’

‘Oh. And what happened with Sorvad?’

‘Sauron didn’t want him back. In fact, he got very annoyed that we had brought him to the South Pass and . . . that may have triggered them going to war.’

‘So, erm, we kind of started this?’

‘We may have . . . exacerbated it?’

‘Oh dear. You were lucky to get away then?’

‘Very. And we were ambushed on the way, but Percival took out three of them with one blow. That’s when he was injured. At least you were here.’

‘He will mend. Although that was a nasty wound on his leg. Gandalf, can’t we do something with Sorvad? Use him as a bargaining tool?’

‘Sadly not. Sauron does not want him back. I found that out at the South Pass. He is no use to us against the orcs, so we must keep him as our prisoner.’

‘Gandalf, how was Gwaine?’

‘I take it that you are glad to see him.’

‘I am. But . . . he’s broken off our engagement.’

‘Oh, Beth, no! Oh, I am sorry. Is there anything I can do?’

‘Get him to change his mind? I suppose it doesn’t really matter if we’re going to be fighting THEM at some point, but I can’t help the way I feel about him. I love him with every cell in my body.’ And then the tears started to fall and I sobbed against Gandalf’s chest. He patted my shoulder in a fatherly manner and I snuffled against him.

Despite the tower being not that big, Gwaine managed to avoid me. Gandalf spent the rest of the day and most of the night with Katy, Merlin and Mordred who knew the most about the secrets of the Dark Tower, and if we could use them to our advantage when required. I was still having to cope with Aragorn mooning after me, but now that Merlin, Mordred and Gwaine were no longer a threat to him it was more low key and considerably less annoying. In fact, not that unpleasant.