Chương 90: [The Two Towers - Part 2]

The tension softened as Gandalf spoke privately with Aragorn, assuring him that Sauron feared the man he was becoming and that leaving Frodo had been the right choice. Aragorn seemed to physically unburden himself, a detail Torren noted with a nod of respect for the wizard's leadership. The scene shifted to the Black Gate, where the Trio went silent at the sight of the towering iron walls. They watched, breathless, as Frodo and Sam nearly tumbled into the enemy's hands, saved only by their Elven cloaks.

When Gollum convinced them to follow him to a "secret way" through a tunnel, Sam's obvious distrust resonated with the group.

"Sam sees right through him," Rika muttered.

"He's playing them." Back in Rohan, the mood turned oily as Gríma Wormtongue cornered Éowyn with sickening, faux-sympathy.

"Leave me alone, snake!" Éowyn hissed, her words acting as a shield.

"Guy's totally a simp," Leo remarked with a grin. The other lads smirked, the modern slang cutting through the character's creepiness. The group eventually arrived at the doors of the Golden Hall. The Trio watched with amusement as the fellowship surrendered an absurd number of weapons.

"How many axes do you have, Gimli?" Rika asked with a laugh. They cheered as the group tricked the guards into letting Gandalf keep his "walking stick," with Legolas playing along by helping the "frail" old man hobble inside. In the dim hall, Torren leaned forward.

"He looks like a corpse," he whispered, staring at the sickly, grey-skinned King. Gríma began to mock them, but Gandalf's voice suddenly boomed, "Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth!" Rika let out a low whistle.

"I love this old man." Chaos erupted as the Three Hunters disarmed the guards in a whirlwind of motion. Gandalf approached the throne, casting aside his grey cloak to reveal brilliant white robes that seemed to physically shove the King back.

"I draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound!" The Trio watched, mesmerized, as Saruman was violently cast out of the King's mind. The transformation was miraculous, Théoden's pale, matted features smoothed out, and his clouded eyes cleared to a striking, piercing blue.

"Now that," Torren said, impressed, "is a King restored." The warmth of the reunion was short-lived as Théoden drew a sword to execute the cowering Gríma.

"Yes! Kill him!" Rika shouted. She slumped back in disappointment when Aragorn stepped in to show mercy, allowing the "snake" to flee.

"Terrible move, Ranger. He's just going to run straight back to Saruman." The mood turned somber as they moved to the burial mounds outside the city. Shai whispered, "Oh no..." as she watched the King break down at his son's grave.

"It must be a terrible thing," Torren noted quietly.

"To realize your child died while you were the thrall of another." Beside him, Rika's wings went limp, her usual bravado silenced by the King's lament. Later, in the grand hall, the warriors appeared weary as they debated the coming war. When Théoden announced they would flee to the fortress of Helm's Deep, the Trio felt the weight of the decision.

"I can see both sides," Shai said.

"The King wants to protect his people, but the threat isn't going away." Torren was less convinced.

"By hiding in a keep, they risk giving the enemy the initiative. It feels like a gamble." The tension rose again in the stables as Gandalf told Aragorn that Théoden was walking into a trap. He mounted Shadowfax, giving his famous instruction to "look to the east" on the fifth day.

"I don't like him leaving again," Rika muttered.

"Every time he leaves, something goes wrong." The mood darkened further as the scene cut back to Isengard. Gríma arrived to tell Saruman about Aragorn's ring, two serpents with emerald eyes.

"See? I told you!" Rika said, gesturing at the screen.

"Now the enemy knows exactly who he is." Back in the main hall during the final preparations for the exodus, the camera found Éowyn practicing with her sword. When Aragorn surprised her, she spun her blade in a fluid motion, showing the Trio her skill. She spoke of her fear of a "cage," of growing old and useless while others fought. Both Rika and Shai nodded in somber agreement.

"A sad end for any warrior," Shai said. Sam asked if human women in their world were often warriors, and Shai admitted it was uncommon, though more frequent in other races. On screen, Aragorn looked at Éowyn with respect, telling her he didn't think that would be her fate. Rika's eyes narrowed at the chemistry.

"He's being awfully charming," she commented.

"He's already got that nice Elf lady at home. This is how trouble starts." Phil shot a wide, knowing grin at Parmo, who simply rolled his eyes.

"He's just being a gentleman, Rika," Parmo muttered. The scene shifted to Isengard, where Gríma's intel prompted Saruman to unleash Warg-riders on the refugees. Rika threw her arms up in frustration.

"See, Aragorn! You let the spy go, and now he's sending monsters after the children. Terrible leadership!" Back with the hobbits, the tension over Gollum's presence reached a breaking point. Shai watched with growing worry as Frodo snapped at Sam, his empathy for Gollum clearly fueled by the Ring's darkening influence. When Leo questioned if Frodo could actually succeed where the great King Isildur had failed, Shai looked grim.

"I don't know, Leo. I really don't know." The mood lightened momentarily during Gollum's internal argument, a bit of cinematography Torren found "clever", and peaked when Sam delivered his famous "Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!" line. All five lads shouted it in unison, leaving the Trio in a state of confused amusement until Leo promised to explain the meme later. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Wonder soon replaced humor as the massive Mûmakil stomped into view.

"What in the gods' names are those?" Torren breathed. Sam explained they were "Oliphaunts," giant cousins to the elephants of their own world. The awe turned to somber respect as they met Faramir, whose sense of duty to his fallen men struck a chord with Shai.

"I can see his point," she murmured.

"To him, they're just strangers in a war zone." The movie then offered a brief reprieve with a bowl of Éowyn's famously terrible stew. The Trio winced as Aragorn struggled through a bite, but their amusement turned to shock at the reveal of his age.

"Wait, he's eighty-seven?" Rika blurted. Phil explained the long-lived Dúnedain, leaving Shai impressed by how well the Ranger had aged. Torren chuckled at Aragorn's diplomatic attempt to dump the soup.

"You'd be so aggrieved if someone did that to your cooking," Shai teased. The warmth faded into a bittersweet flashback of Arwen and Elrond. Watching the conflict between Arwen's love and Elrond's desire to keep her safe, Torren noted, "There are no good options there." Shai and Rika looked crestfallen as Aragorn tried to return the pendant, failing to break their bond. The peace of the road was shattered by the howling of Wargs.

The Trio watched in awe as the Rohirrim charged, Shai marveling at Legolas's gravity-defying horse-mount.

"I don't think even I could pull that off," she admitted. Rika laughed at Gimli being a magnet for Wargs, the pile on top of him growing larger. The laughter died instantly as Aragorn was snagged and dragged over a massive precipice.

"NO!" Rika shouted, half-standing. Torren and Shai sat in stunned silence as Legolas and Gimli found only a broken pendant at the cliff's edge, leaving the Trio and the heroes in a state of total shock. The screen panned over the massive walls of Helm's Deep, offering a brief moment of relief as the refugee children were reunited with their mother.

"Oh, thank goodness," Rika breathed. But the comfort was short-lived; the scene shifted to Isengard, where Saruman revealed a devastating black powder capable of blasting through stone. Sam explained it was like "gunpowder" from their world, and the Trio watched in dread as ten thousand Uruk-hai began their march.

"They have no chance..." Rika whispered. The hopelessness was punctured by Aragorn's survival. After a dream of Arwen, he was nudged awake by his horse, Brego.

"Aww," Rika and Shai cooed in unison, while Torren offered an approving smile. However, the emotional weight returned with Elrond's bittersweet counsel: Arwen would eventually have to watch Aragorn die of old age, regardless of the war's outcome. As she chose to leave with her people, Rika sighed, "Aww," in a much sadder tone. The focus shifted to Faramir, who was squeezed between two fronts of war.

The Trio froze as they realized he was Boromir's brother, seeing the hero Boromir was in a flashback before the Ring's influence took hold.

"He really was a good man," Shai said softly. The mood soured as they met Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. It became clear that Denethor's favoritism and greed for power were the true sources of Boromir's desperation to use the Ring as a weapon. Torren's expression turned to pure disgust.

"So that's where it came from," he said, his voice tight.

"He twisted a good man with his own greed for power he can't control. Boromir was just trying to do his duty in a war his father made impossible."

"What a vile man," Rika spat, comparing him to the worst nobles back home. Leo agreed, calling him a horrible person. Despite the gloom, Shai smiled sadly when Boromir stood up for Faramir against their father.

"They really loved each other." The scene shifted to the Forbidden Pool, where Gollum was splashing in the water, unaware of the archers aiming at his back. Frodo, desperate to save the creature, revealed that Gollum was their guide and went down to coax him away from the water. The Trio watched with bated breath, but their relief turned to horror when the guards lunged, grabbing and beating Smeagol.

In the darkness of the cave, they watched the "Gollum" personality resurface, twisted by the pain and the perceived betrayal.

"Frodo had to do it to save his life," Shai whispered, looking pained.

"But Smeagol won't see it that way. He thinks his master turned on him." The tension peaked when the Ring was finally revealed to Faramir. He stood over Frodo, the weight of the moment hanging heavy as he pondered what to do. The Trio looked nervous, their hope for the Captain fading as Faramir finally spoke: "The Ring will go to Gondor."

"Oh no," Rika groaned, sinking into the cushions.

"It's Boromir all over again. The family is cursed." The somber mood was broken by a sudden burst of joy as Aragorn finally arrived at the gates of Helm's Deep. The Trio grinned as Gimli nearly tackled the Ranger with a massive hug. Legolas's dry remark, "You look terrible," and the shared laughter between the friends had the Trio laughing along.

"It's good he's back," Torren said, a small smile on his face.

"They'll need him in the battle to come." But the victory was short-lived. Aragorn walked into the Great Hall and delivered the grim news: an army of ten thousand Uruk-hai would arrive by nightfall. As Aragorn and Gimli pleaded with Théoden to send for aid, the King's bitterness boiled over. He scoffed at the idea of Gondor helping, shouting, "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?" The Trio looked torn.

They had seen the maps and the flashback; they knew Gondor was fighting its own losing war on another front, but Théoden was blind to it.

"He's trying his best to be a strong leader," Shai noted sadly, "but he's letting his pride and his hurt make him choose isolation. He doesn't know they can't help, not that they won't."

"He keeps making the wrong decisions," Rika added, her wings twitching with anxiety.

"He's choosing to die alone instead of fighting together." The narrative shifted to the Entmoot, where Treebeard explained that the Ents would decide whether to go to war. Rika, still holding a grudge from the previous film, declared, "If they convince the walking trees to help, I might actually forgive the hobbits for all the stupid things they did in the first movie." The lads could only smirk in response.

The atmosphere at Helm's Deep grew heavy as the "peace" of preparation turned to the cold reality of a siege. The Trio watched as families were forcibly separated; women and children were funneled into the caves while boys and old men were handed rusted swords.

"They look so young... and so old," Torren noted, his voice thick with disapproval.

"To force them into this is a cruel fate." Shai's frustration peaked when Éowyn was ordered to the caves despite her skill.

"She should be allowed to fight," she insisted.

"They need every blade they can get." Even the heroes' legendary composure began to fray. Legolas, usually the picture of Elven calm, snapped at Aragorn, revealing the impossible odds: three hundred against ten thousand. The Trio sat in stunned silence as the two friends argued in a language none nearby understood, their nerves clearly shattered.

"He's not being pessimistic," Torren observed as Legolas walked off.

"He's being realistic." The tension was only deepened by Théoden's haunting "Where is the horse and the rider?" speech, which Torren called gripping yet deeply tragic. The mood briefly lightened with the Ents' glacial pace of conversation, which reminded Rika of her friend Bram, and Gimli's struggle with an oversized chainmail shirt. However, the humor vanished when a horn blasted from the valley. The Trio leaned forward as a disciplined company of cloaked archers marched into the keep.

It was Haldir of Lórien, leading a host of Elves to honor the ancient alliances of the past.

"Woah," Rika breathed, watching the Elves turn and stand ready as one. Shai was equally impressed.

"They are so organized... so well-equipped." Yet, as the camera panned out to show ten thousand torches stretching across the horizon like a sea of fire, Torren whispered the question on everyone's mind: "Will it be enough?" As the rain began to lash down and the Uruk-hai reached the walls, Gimli's grumbled remark, "You could have picked a better spot," offered one last laugh before the first arrow flew.