Thirty Nine - Alive

“What is that?” I asked, looking out into the distance as Le crouched next to me. “Warg scouts,” He answered. “Warn the people. I’ll take care of it,” He said. “Not by yourself,” I said and grabbed his arm. 

“I won’t be,” He said and nodded to the knights riding towards them. “Hurry,” I said. “You as well,” He called back as we ran in different directions. 

Theoden galloped towards me. “What is it?” He asked. “Wargs, we're under attack!” I said loudly, making the people panic. 

Aragorn got on Hasufel with Gimli and I got Arod’s reins from Eowyn. “Take this with you,” I said, handing her my small bag of necessities. “Won’t you need it?” She asked. “Not for this fight,” I said.

“Follow me!” Theoden shouted and we galloped away from the women and children.

Legolas fired arrows from a distance at the Wargs. When he heard us, he turned quickly and I reached my hand out and he grabbed it, swinging onto Arod. 

I pulled out one of my swords and held the reins with one hand as Le continued firing arrows. The wargs clashed with us and Gimli quickly fell off of the back of Hasufel. A warg ran toward Gimli and we arrived just next to it and Legolas killed it. “That one counts as mine!” Gimli shouted and I rolled my eyes. 

“Ver,” He said. “What is it? Are you hurt?” I asked. “No… It’s Alek,” He said. I looked in the direction he was looking to see Alek on a Warg, looking at us. 

I redirected Arod, facing my brother. “What are you doing?” He asked. “Take the reins,” I told him and he held the reins on the left. We charged toward Alek as he made the warg run at us. 

“Ver, be careful,” He warned. As we got closer, I turned sideways on the horse, cutting the wargs legs and sending Alek flying off of the beast. Le pulled me back up as we circled around and looked at Alek standing up. 

I got off of the horse and put my sword back in its sheath. “Verena, he isn’t in control of his mind,” Le warned as I watched him walk toward me with a blank expression. “Gimli looks like he needs help,” I nodded to the Dwarf stuck under two wargs and an Orc. 

“I’m not leaving you,” He said. “Yes you are,” I looked up at him. “I need to do this alone, Legolas,” I said and he looked at Alek then at me. “Go,” I said and he nodded reluctantly, riding over to Gimli.

“Oh, Verena,” Alek said as he got closer. “You’ve grown since I last saw you,” He said and swung his sword at me. I ducked quickly and moved around him. “I want my brother back,” I said as I looked into his icy blue eyes. 

“Aleksander?” he chuckled evilly. “All you have to do is take this,” He said and held up his hand with a silver ring. The Tempest Ring. “Fine,” I swung at his head but he backed away then lunged at me with his sword. 

I grabbed his wrist and threw my head back to hit him in the face, which made him lose his grip on the sword and I took it, then melted it. “So much for a legendary fighter,” I looked at Alek, or Sauron, holding his nose.

“Bitch,” he hissed at me. “Just evening the odds,” I said and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled back and fell then kicked my legs out from under me and got on top of me, gripping my neck. “You are weak,” He snickered. 

I kicked him in the crotch, making him release me and I quickly switched the rolls, holding him down by his wrists and pinning his legs. “If I was weak, you would have killed me already,” I snapped back.

“Ver, please,” His eyes flickered from blue to brown. I looked at him in shock and concern as he closed his eyes. 

I released one of his wrists, only to punch him in the face. His head fell back on the ground, his eyes closed and made no signs of movement. 

I took the ring off his finger and stood up. I looked over at Le, who was staring at me. “Help me get him on a horse,” I said and he nodded, running over to me and getting on of his arms while I got the other. 

“Where is Aragorn?” I asked. Legolas didn’t answer and I looked at his sad expression. We lifted Alek onto a horse and Legolas turned back to me, holding Arwen’s Evenstar. Oh, Aragorn.

~~~

“Las, you need to leave this room,” Gimli said as I put Esme’s healing mixture across Alek’s forehead. Theoden spared a small room with a bed for me to keep Alek in while he heals.

“Not until he wakes,” I said and glanced at the Dwarf and Elf. “He is right, Verena, you’ve spent all day here, if you looked outside, you’d see it is already past dusk,” Legolas agreed.

“We are leading the women and children into the caves. Would you please-” “I do not need you to tell me where to go,” I snapped at a guard who had walked in.

“Ver, calm down,” Le said and caught my hand. I looked back at the guard, who quickly left the room. 

“That is why I should not leave this room,” I pointed back at the door. 

“I need to stay with my brother. When he wakes, he will not know where he is and someone he knows needs to be here to tell him what happened,” I said calmly and sat back down next to him.

“I do not need to be anywhere but here,” I said and Le nodded. “Come, Gimli,” Le said and turned to the door, closing it behind them.

~~~

I fell asleep resting my head on the bed and woke to a hand on my head. I looked at Alek smiling. “Hello, Ver,” He whispered. “Alek!” I hugged him tightly. 

He winced and I pulled back and looked at his pained face and brown eyes. “Did I hurt you?” I asked. “No, just don’t speak so loudly,” He said. 

“Do you remember anything?” I asked as I sat next to him on the bed. “I remember all of it,” He said slowly. 

“Where is the Tempest Ring?” He asked. “Don’t worry about that. You won’t ever have to look at it again,” I assured him. 

“I am happy to be alive and to see you again,” he said and I kissed his head. “We missed you, little brother,” I smiled. 

*Saruman POV*

“What is your plan now, Saruman? You have lost the Tempest boy, leaving me without his foresight,” Sauron asked me in the Palantir. “My Uruk-hai march to Helm’s Deep, where the Men of Rohan and two Tempests, the Visionary, Aleksander, and the Elemental, Verena, will meet their end,” I explained. 

“Do you remember the prophecy? The Elemental still has a part to play,” He said. “Not all prophecies are true, My lord. The future changes-” “I need her alive, wizard,” He snapped. 

“The Telepath, Hadessa, already knows you move against them. They march with Rivendell and Lothlorien Elves as well as their own Men,” Sauron said. “Their numbers will never match mine, I assure you,”

“Do you know anything of their kind?” He asked. “More than you think, old friend,” I assured him. 

“They are dangerous, violent storms who will rip apart any foe in their way. Edrick was a conqueror who killed for his throne and his wife. The Elemental is like him, a storm who will tear her enemies apart. She is what I need to win this war,”