Travelers

Chapter 42 - The Road Once Tread

It wasn't long at all before the men on horseback reached them. Jacob watched as they galloped along the path towards Minas Tirith. They slowed when they approached the travelers, calling a greeting to them. Jacob called back with four different words. He couldn't make out whether the men were grey elves, high elves, or men.

"Mae govannen! Alla! Greetings!" he called deciding to simply speak the language of all three of the possibilities. The first was Sindarin, or grey elvish. He and Richard had started to study it in their own world both for the fun of it and so they would have some way to communicate at school without others really understanding them. The second was Quenya. The High Elven speech was less common in their own world, but he remembered at least the greeting from their last adventure in Middle-Earth. The last obviously was their common tongue, which he heard as English. That was one of the small details that Jacob had noticed during their travels. They always heard English when speaking the most common speech of whatever world they were in. It certainly made things easier than trying to learn a language whenever they traveled. The only places they might not have been affected would be at Hogwarts and in Gatlon City with the Renegades.

The men asked who they were, and Jacob and Mal Jumped into an explanation. He introduced himself as a ranger from Imladris, another name for Rivendell. Mal explained she was a rider of Rohan, and that Calen was her younger brother. Richard didn't say much about who he was, but introduced himself as a traveling partner of the rest of them. Cat went last, noting she was a shieldmaiden of Gondor and a squire of Captain Drinian Redwin. The men looked surprised at the diverse fellowship of travelers. When the riders continued on their way to Minas Tirith, Jacob felt something he hadn't for a long while. It had been over a year since they had travelled to Middle-Earth, and he had forgotten what it was like for his vision to float away from his body, rising above the lands as their group all saw many things. A new voice greeted his mind, though he had been expecting Shelob's speech when she was in her fair form.

"Far have you walked, and your journey was long. The circle comes complete when that which has come is gone. The legendary heroes fade into myths, and that which is known becomes forgotten. Your story comes to an end travelers, as with every path long trodden."

The message of the vision wasn't too clear, and it was shorter than all of the others they had in the past. Jacob felt his vision return to his form, and he could see the others stagger for a moment. Cat sat down where she was, Mal took a few steps to recover her wits, and Calen and Richard staggered wildly. Jacob focused his sight on the ground between his feet, which were shoulder length apart. He felt his balance shift from one foot to the other, disorientation washing over him. Finally, he felt like he was centered and could go about normally, though they would have to wait for Cat to recover. She always was the hardest hit when they had those visions. They made their way toward Minas Tirith after she finally stood, knowing they would need gear for their journey, and he wanted to greet his friend, Strider, the king. They reached the gate after a few minutes of walking, and guards asked for their identities.

"I am Jacob, a ranger of the North. My companions are a rider of Rohan and her younger brother, my traveling partner, and a shieldmaiden of your own city. She is a squire of Drinian Redwin," Jacob explained to the men on the gate. They knew Drinian's name, even after his demise, and opened the gate enough for the group to enter the city. Cat, Mal, and Calen split off to visit Enma while Jacob and Richard went to speak with Strider. He pushed open the door and was greeted by a friendly sight. There on his throne sat Strider, the crown of all.

Jacob felt many of the guard's eyes on himself and Richard, but he ignored them as he casually greeted Aragorn. He had made sure that the king was not currently speaking with someone before he had entered, so the king was able to greet him.