Sword of Aendil

by Jason Finigan

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2007 by Jason Finigan, all rights reserved. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com.

From the last chapter:

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"We'll meet in the courtyard in two hours. I will send for you when it is time," Rodin promised.

"Good. There are some things I still wish to do before we leave," I said. Then I looked up at Lady Alatįriėl. "When should we expect the hunters your father has dispatched?" I asked.

"They should arrive within the hour, my Lord," she said.

"Then we will meet in the courtyard in a couple of hours," I said, and stood up from the table. Eadir and Weiss stood up after me. I bowed to Rodin. "If you will excuse us, my Lord?" I asked.

"By all means, Taey Elanessė," Rodin said. With his leave, we left the room, Eadir leading the way and Weiss walking beside me, a place I knew he would always be, no matter what the challenges we might face in the days to come.

Chapter 6

Two hours had passed, and I found myself standing in the courtyard just outside the main council building. Weiss was standing beside me, as was Eadir, the Lady Alatįriėl, and of course Dinendal. Before us stood Rodin Deeprunner, King of the dwarves, and head of the Pelianor council. Behind him were four dwarf hunters.

"My Lord Elanessė, may I present you with the best hunters in all of Pelianor: The brothers Farin and Gimin Stoneiron, Belar Grayhill, and Dor Grimfist," Rodin said, indicating in turn each of the hunters he had assembled. Each of them were dressed for battle. By the condition of their armor and weaponry, I could easily see that they were skilled warriors who had seen combat on many occasions.

"You honor us with the men you have chosen," I said formally to Rodin.

Just then, three elves stepped up beside the dwarf hunters, each of them clad in the armor of the elf king's personal guard. Alatįriėl stepped forward and spoke to the leader of these elves quietly, before turning back to face us.

"My father, Lord Thredian, has sent three of his elite guard to join us on this quest, My Lord," she said to me. "I present to you, Captain Alin, and lieutenants Thorongil, and Eärendur."

"My Lady, I thank you and your people for their support, and when we return, I wish to personally thank your father."

"My father acknowledges the ties that we as a people have shared in the past, and though times have recently not been kind to either of our peoples, his prime concern is that of his people and the lands he governs. He would do all in his power to ensure their safety and security, and he recognizes the importance of this quest. Alatįriėl stated.

"Your father and I have known each other for many years my Lady," Dinendal said, speaking for the first time since we gathered in the courtyard. "Before coming here with Taey and Weiss, I held council with him and informed him of the task I had been given by Aerandir. He recognizes the importance of this quest, and what it means for his people should Taey fail. I do not foresee that happening, but it is a risk that neither your father or I could allow. And though I have reservations about the size of this party, I can not find fault with Taey's logic for needing both Elves and Dwarves to join this quest."

"Well spoken master Dindendal," Rodin said. "My Lord Elanessė. Your company stands ready to follow where you lead, and awaits your orders."

"Then let us prepare ourselves, for speed is of the essence. I want us to be on our way within the half hour," I informed everyone.

"As you wish, My Lord," Rodin said, bowing slightly in acknowledgment. He then went over to his hunters and had a few more words with them, before retreating back into the council building. Alatįriėl was talking with the elves that were sent to accompany us on this quest, and Weiss was discretely holding onto my hand. Dinendal looked over at us, and smiled.

"How are you feeling my young Taey?" he asked.

"Honestly?" I replied, looking up at him.

"As always," he insisted.

"Scared out of my mind," I admitted.

"That is a good thing, Taey," he said softly. "Had you not been afraid, I would be very much more concerned. Just remember to use your fear, but not let it cripple you. Knowing you are afraid, and allowing it to dictate your actions are two different things. Listen to your instincts, they will lead you true. And I suspect you will have help from any of us should you require it," Dinendal said.

"Especially me, Taey," Weiss whispered in my ear.

"The two of you finish your packing in your rooms," Dinendal said. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

"How long will it take us to get to the Dunadeid mountains?" I asked him.

"About a two days ride," Dinendal answered.

"Ride?" I asked.

"Yes ride, young Taey. You did not think that we would speed from this place on foot when horses are capable of taking us to our destination much faster, did you?" he asked, with an amused tone in his voice.

"I hate horses," I mumbled.

"Well, we will have no choice but to use them, for the first part of this trip at least. Trust me, you will be glad for them in the end," Dinendal said. "Now go; get ready. I must speak with Rodin to procure the horses we will need."

"Get used to it, my love," Weiss chuckled. "Horses are the best way to travel."

"Speak for yourself. You're the one who loves to ride," I grumbled, absently rubbing my rear end as I remembered what happened the last time I had ridden a horse.

Weiss and I went back into the main council building, and headed up the stairs to our room, with Eadir following closely behind us. It was then that I realized that of all the Royal guard, only Eadir would be joining us.

"Eadir, why is it that you are the only one of the Royal guard here?" I asked him.

"For the simple reason, Taey, that I questioned the king's orders one too many times when it came to guarding his nephew. The king wanted his nephew to be schooled with the Aendil's education minister. But the minister was an old man, firmly set in his ways, and I'm afraid not very flexible where social issues were concerned. I found out that the minister had learned of Baldin's sexuality, and of his relationship with the other boy, and had decided to make Baldin's lessons more difficult than was generally allowed for one of Baldin's age.

"I questioned the king on his choice of teacher for Baldin, and made several comments which I'm afraid were made in frustration and were ill-advised. But the damage had already been done, and the king re-assigned me the next day. It was that failure that I'm afraid has placed me in virtual exile here in Pelianor."

"You did what you thought was best for Baldin at the time, it was not your doing that caused the royal family to fall, but rather the king's own stubbornness. Do not blame yourself, Eadir," I told him.

"Thank you, My Lord," he replied, giving me a brief smile of thanks.

"I just have one question for you. Should your instincts force you to disagree with a decision I make, would you in fact speak up, or would you keep it to yourself?" I asked him.

"My Lord, my job requires that I protect you, from dangers seeking to harm you, as well as you doing something to harm yourself. As such, if I feel you make a decision that I do not feel is the right one, I will speak up. I can do no less."

"Very good, Eadir. That is the answer I was looking for. A guard can not be effective if he or she solely follows orders blindly. I like the people around me to be able to think on their own and offer their advice. You have been alive longer than I have, and I trust your judgment. You have proven yourself already Eadir. But now, I have a task for you which I hope you will accept."

"You have but only to ask, my Lord."

"The Royal family depends on the strength of it's army to protect the lands, and people, but the army is ineffective if the one who governs their actions is inadequate to the task. Whoever the king's military advisor was, was obviously not up to the task that was put to him."

"That would have been Minister Tobin. He was responsible for the Royal guard as well as the kingdom's soldiers, and the overall defense of the land," Eadir said.

"When we get back, I want to offer you the position of Minister of Defense, Eadir. You have clearly proven to me that you are not a man of action only, but that you think things through before you act. And when action is necessary, you do not hesitate."

"My Lord, you honour me, but I am just a simple soldier," Eadir said, blushing slightly from the praise.

"That, Eadir, you may be, but your years of service to the Royal family have proved that you are a man with a very good head on your shoulders. That's who I want to help me protect our people. I need you Eadir. I trust no one else with this position. Will you accept?"

"My Lord, if that is your wish, then I will, of course, serve the best I can. But I must ask. What of my duties to the Royal family? I cannot be Minister of Defense and be captain of the guard at the same time."

"No, I agree with you there. That is why I do not wish to promote you to that position until such time as we return. And we will return."

"I understand, my Lord," Eadir said. We had just arrived at the door to Weiss and my room.

"Get your things ready, Eadir. We do not have much time before we must leave. And would you please start calling me Taey," I said, smiling at him.

"I will try, my... Taey. It is an old habit," Eadir said, returning my smile.

"Only in public will you be required to use my title. But in private, I wish that we could be friends. Both of us do," I said, indicating Weiss at my side.

"I am flattered, Taey. I would be proud to call you my friends. You are definitely wise beyond your years," Eadir said.

"Don't let that blond hair fool you, Eadir. He actually has a brain under there somewhere," Weiss said with a mischievous smile.

"I will get you back for that blond comment, Weiss," I told him, elbowing him gently in the ribs, the three of us laughing at Weiss' attempt at lightening the mood. And it worked. I could always count on Weiss to make things easier.

"I will be ready in ten minutes, Taey," Eadir said.

"Give us fifteen," I told him, looking over at Weiss, who still had that silly grin on his face.

"Or maybe twenty," Weiss said into my ear, causing me to blush. I opened the door as Eadir made his way to his room, and Weiss and I went inside ours. Once we were inside, I turned to him.

"Now, what was that about me being blond, hon?" I asked him. Advancing towards him slowly.

"Hey, now, come on, you know I was just kidding," he laughed, easily escaping from my hand which had just barely made contact with his tunic. He raced around the bed and looked at me. "Besides, how could I not love the most beautiful guy in all of Aendil?" he asked.

"Aw, now that was not fair!" I protested.

"I know," he giggled, then sat on the bed. I walked over to it and joined him. Wrapping my arms around him, and bringing us close so that I could kiss him one more time before we left.

"I really do love you, Weiss," I told him.

"I know, Taey. I can see it in your eyes. I love you as well," he replied. "Come on. We had better get our pack ready. Can't have the future king of Aendil be late for his own quest now, can we?"

"No, I guess not," I said reluctantly, and the two of us got back up, and went to the closet where we had placed the pack. Our clothes from the day before had been washed and were already hanging in the closet, which surprised us both. Taking them down from the hangers, we put them in the pack, followed by the rest of our things. We then straightened up the bed, so as to not have it appear that we were disrespectful to our host, and once satisfied that everything was as it was when we arrived here, the two of us left the room, closing the door behind us. Eadir was already in the hall waiting for us, and nodding my head, the three of us made our way back down the stairs and left the building where everyone was already waiting for us.

"Dinendal, that was fast. I wasn't expecting everyone to be ready so soon," I said, walking up to him.

"The dwarves are always prepared for travel, and the elves had only just arrived, so there was nothing they needed to do to prepare," he replied.

"Ah, I guess so," I said. "Are we ready then?" I asked him.

"All we wait for is for you to give us the word to move out."

"Then I guess the word is given, Dinendal. Let's get this started," I told him after looking at Weiss and Eadir.

"Attention everyone?" Dinendal announced, raising his voice to be heard over the various conversations that were taking place. Once he had their attention, and everyone had stopped talking, he looked back at me. Clearing my voice, I stepped forward and began to speak.

"My friends. It is time now for us to be on our way. Serin's forces are gathering strength very quickly, and we must make all haste to complete the task ahead of us. The first leg of this journey will take us to the Dunadeid mountains, where we will learn what we must do to rid the lands of Serin's evil, once and for all. I do not expect this to be an easy journey, and in all likelihood, there are some here that will not be returning alive. I would like to give each of you one last opportunity to back out now. No one will think differently of you if you decide not to come. But in order for this quest to be successful, we will each need all of us to be resolute in our determination. For only together will we be successful. I await your decision," I said, pointedly looking at each of them, trying to gage their resolve.

A feeling of pride swept over me as not one of the people assembled before me spoke up. At the same time, I was a little sad, for I knew that I spoke the truth when I said that not all of us would be returning. It would be too much to hope for to expect everyone to make it back alive. Upon seeing that no one was opting to back out of joining us, I looked over at Dinendal and nodded my head.

"Taey Elanessė, we stand ready to follow where you may lead. Mount up everyone, and prepare to move out," Dinendal ordered. There was a flurry of activity as the elves mounted the horses they had been standing beside. The dwarves moved towards the stables and each came back riding a horse, with four riderless horses trailing behind.

"These horses are for you and your party, my Lord," Rodin said.

"I thank you for your hospitality, my Lord, and I shall make it known throughout the lands of the generosity of the dwarves. Let no one speak ill of a dwarf in my presence, for if he does, he will answer swiftly for it indeed."

"You honor us with your words, my Lord. You will indeed make a fine king, and I for one will be proud to call you friend," he said, holding his hand out to me, which I grasped firmly with mine.

"Friends," I said, smiling at him. The four horses were brought to us, and Weiss, Eadir, Dinendal, and I got atop them. It had been a while since I had ridden a horse, but I soon got the hang of it. Weiss was a much better horseman than I, and had no difficulties with his mount. Looking over at Eadir and Dinendal, I was not surprised to see that both were well accustomed to riding horseback, and had already begun moving to the front. Weiss and I followed after them, and were then followed by the dwarves and then the elves.

The morning air was crisp, the wind brushing past my face as we rode hard out of Pelianor. Only Dinendal knew of where we were going, and Weiss and I simply rode behind him until we reached the forest that surrounds Pelianor. Eadir, of course, was ever watchful over us, refusing to allow us to be out of his sight for any length of time and he rode right beside us.

All I could do as we rode out of Pelianor was hold on for dear life. Never before had I ridden so hard on horseback, and if I had my way, I never would again. Now I remembered why I didn't like to ride horses. My rear end was getting quite sore, and my legs felt as if they were being pulled away from my body. Weiss, I saw, was having the time of his life. He had a huge grin on his face, and to me, it almost seemed as if he wanted to go even faster. How he could enjoy riding so much I will never know. I just know that it's not for me.

We rode like that for God knows how long, until finally, after what seemed like days, Dinendal called for a rest. We were in the middle of a small clearing, with only room for the horses and the people who rode on them. Seeing as how I was so unaccustomed to riding, to put it bluntly, my rear end hurt something bad, as did the muscles on the inside of my legs. Groaning slightly, I swung my leg over and dropped to the ground, stumbling slightly before catching myself, using the saddle on my horse to keep from falling.

"Steady there, Taey," Weiss smiled at me.

"Hey, just because you ride a horse all the time, doesn't mean that everyone does. Man how do you get used to that? My legs are killing me," I said.

"You learn by doing, I guess," Weiss said, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it soon enough. Just try different ways of seating yourself and don't squeeze so tightly with your legs. Don't worry. You're not going to fall off the horse."

"So you say. One minute I'm sitting on the horse trying to get comfortable, the next I'm holding on for dear life. I've never ridden that fast before, ever."

"Ah, it just takes time. But then again, some people never get used to it. You might just be one of those people."

"Maybe so. I've always preferred walking to riding," I said.

"Well it certainly shows," Weiss said with a smile on his face.

"Hey, what does that mean?" I asked him.

"Just that you look so hot the way you are so fit," he whispered in my ear. This comment of course had the effect of making me blush.

"Weiss, I grew up on the farm, and had to lug our crop around for my father. If I had my choice, I'd have rather gone out for adventures or something. But of course, being the son of a farmer, I was expected to follow in my father's footsteps," I said.

"I never did get why a man would push his son to be the same as him. It's like they automatically see their sons as nothing more than an extension of themselves, and not a separate individual."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad. I know that my father loved me," I protested.

"Sorry, I know he did, Taey. But I think he pushed you too hard. That's probably why you were like a different person when we were alone. I could see it in your demeanor when we were at your house. You were always so cautious around your father. Always afraid of saying the wrong thing. I knew the kind of temper your father had."

"I know," I sighed. "Sometimes I think the only thing that kept my father from going off on me more often was my mother. But then at the same time, there were times when she wouldn't step in."

"Your father was the master of the house," Weiss said.

"That's for sure," I said, finally finding a spot to sit down. I put my pack on the ground, and practically fell on top of it. My legs were really sore from all that riding, and to think, we still had a long ways to travel yet.

"Dinendal, how much farther do we have before we reach the Dunadeid mountains?" I asked.

"It will take us until the end of the day to reach the mountains, my Lord," Dinendal answered formally. "and another day's walk to get to the lake where I will contact the shade of Aerandir."

"We will need to hunt before nightfall then," I said. "I am sure we didn't bring any food with us that would hold us over till morning, and we will need to eat if we are to keep up our strength."

"You are quite right, my Lord. We will rest again in a few hours, which will give the hunters plenty of time to find us suitable food. For now, we rest here for another half hour, then we will turn north, until we get to the pass that will take us deep into the mountains," he said.

"Good. I'm starting to get hungry," Weiss said, rubbing his belly.

"Already? But you just finished breakfast not two hours ago!" Dinendal exclaimed.

"Has it been that long? No wonder I'm hungry!" Weiss said.

"Dinendal, are you not accustomed to the appetites of teenagers?" Eadir said, chuckling.

"No, but I am beginning wonder how there can be enough food in the world to fill stomachs such as these," Dinendal said, beginning to recover from the shock of hearing that we were hungry already.

"If we have the time, I suggest breaking out some of the emergency rations. We don't need the forest to hear our advance from the stomachs of these two," Eadir suggested.

"A good idea, Eadir," Dinendal said, and reached into his bag to pull out a large loaf of bread. Breaking off a couple large pieces, he gave it to Eadir who handed a piece to each of us, which we accepted gladly. I would even go as far as to say desparately.

"After seeing to the needs of the king's nephew, I am well acquainted with how much a teenager can eat," Eadir said.

"Hey, we're both growing boys," I protested.

"That you two are, and if you will permit, the two of you will make very handsome men when you finished growing up. The girls are going to be so jealous of you two," he replied. I don't think I've blushed as many times in one day as I had today. We both must have looked the sight because Eadir simply began to laugh upon seeing our reactions.

"That is so not fair you know," I told Eadir.

"I know, but it is fun to see young men such as yourselves receive a compliment. I did mean what I said though. When the girls see that the two of you are in love, they are going to be so jealous."

"They can look, but they can't touch," Weiss said, looking over at me.

"Uh huh," was all I could say. I looked into Weiss' eyes and all I could see was the love he had for me in them. I would have kissed him on the spot if it wasn't for the people we had in our company.

"Alright, mount up!" Dinendal's voice called out. "We ride until we reach the entrance to the pass." Groaning slightly, I begin to get up, assisted in part by Eadir. Weiss it seemed had boundless energy and was up in an instant.

"How do you do that?" I asked him.

"Do what?" he asked me in return.

"Have so much energy to be able to just get up after that ride we had."

"Eh, I'm used to it is all. You will too, soon enough," He told me, leading me back towards our horses. Weiss helped me mount my horse, and then got atop his as well. By then everyone else was astride their own mounts, and were waiting for me and Weiss to take the lead with Dinendal. As soon as we had made our way up to the front, Dinendal led the way through the forest, on our way to the Dunadeid mountains.

This time, the ride wasn't as painful as before. I guess what Weiss had told me was true, that I would get used to it, though I could still feel the pull in my legs. Shifting my position in the saddle actually seemed to help somewhat, but it didn't get rid of the discomfort entirely. About an hour into the journey, Dinendal suddenly began to slow down. I could tell from his posture that he had tensed up, possibly at having sensed something nearby.

"What is it, Dinendal?" I whispered to him, having come up beside him.

"I don't know, Taey," he whispered back. "We are being watched, but by whom I cannot say for certain. They are not human, however, this much I know." I looked back towards Weiss and Eadir, and noticed that Eadir had his hand placed upon the hilt of his sword, looking around cautiously at our surroundings. Just then Dinendal stopped, and grabbed a hold of my horse's reigns to stop it as well.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Get down!" he whispered back, forcefully. The strength of his words struck me, and I hurriedly dismounted, falling to the ground. I knew that if Dinendal was worried about something, that I should be very worried. The rest of the company had followed suit, getting off their horses, and lowering themselves as quickly as they could, each of them drawing their weapons.

I had no such weapons, a fact that suddenly began to concern me greatly. Eadir came up behind me and touched my shoulder, causing me to jump in shock.

"Sorry, my Lord," he whispered. "Here, you will need this," he said, and drew a large knife from his belt, handing it to me hilt first."

"What am I to do with this? I've never fought before," I said, fear beginning to take hold of me.

"Take it anyways. You may need it. I will protect you in any case, my Lord," he said. I nodded and accepted his knife. Suddenly at that moment, I heard a horn sound to my right. It seemed to echo throughout the forest, causing the birds to flee from their perches, and the air to suddenly go still. An uneasy silence followed the sound of that horn, and I could tell that Dinendal was now very worried, blue flames suddenly appearing in his hands, taking the shape of large glowing balls of fire.

From the forest there soon was a sound so deafening, I though it would make me go mad. I covered my ears to try and block out the sound, but it was no use. It got louder and I could tell that the sound I was hearing heralded the coming of something I knew I had never before seen. A dense fog soon appeared, making it almost impossible for me to see more than a few yards in front of me. I lowered myself to the ground, if that was at all possible, Eadir crouching over me, ready to protect me from whatever it was that we might face.

Then, from the forest in front of me, a brutish creature appeared. It's green skin, coupled with it's monstrous face, charging forward in a headlong rush, a huge stone mace raised above it's head as it roared out a battle cry.

As low to the ground as I was, I don't think it saw me, but it definitely saw Eadir, and charged right for him. I expected Eadir to get out of the way, but instead he met the attacker head on, raising his sword to block a blow that would have surely crushed his skull. More creatures soon charged out from the forest, flashes of blue flame shooting from Dinendal's hands, followed by screams of rage and pain. The sound of metal was also heard as the dwarves and elves met these creatures in battle.

I soon found myself lying beside Weiss, and I could see in his eyes the same fear that was in mine, as I witnessed the ensuing carnage about us. I saw one of the dwarves fall, and barely escape from being crushed under the blow of a stone mace as he rolled out of the way before getting back onto his feet.

"Orcs!" Weiss whispered to me, and my eyes opened wider in recognition, finally. I had heard stories of these creatures, brutal in their attacks, and leaving none alive who encountered them, save but a few. I noticed a group of rocks nearby that would give us more cover, as we lay in the open, hidden only by the fog that surrounded us, and the fact that we were lying on the ground.

Looking around me to ensure that no one was looking in our direction, I slowly began to get up, followed by Weiss. We carefully made our way towards the rocks, not looking back, and hoping that we would not be seen.

A sudden roar from behind us dashed both our hopes, and we turned just in time to see one of the orcs rushing towards us, it's mace held high. All Weiss and I could do is stand rooted to the spot in fear as the orc got closer and closer, until finally it was upon us. Not even slowing, it began to swing it's mace down, and all we could do was hold tightly onto each other with our eyes closed, and wait for the crushing blow to fall upon us.

Editor's Notes:

Alright, now that is a CLIFF HANGER!!!! How can he do that to us? I think Jason is definitely studying Str8mayb's techniques. I am really going to have to have a long talk with Jason about this. He is not supposed to do that to us. The proper authorities must be informed. I will not brook this kind of treatment of our readers. I shall punish him severely. Let me think, hmmmm, the rack, the bare feet on hot coals... No I think I shall have him sit and listen to Britteny Spears CD's for a week without stopping, that should be enough punishment.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher