Disclaimer: I don't know Nsync. I don't know Justin Timberlake in real life. This will be a Justin Timberlake centered story. Also this story is in no way meant to imply that he is homosexual in real life. This piece of literature is simply the work of a fan and is pure fiction.
I don't own The Lord of the Rings or any other works of the series. The rights of the series goes solely to the series author J.R.R. Tolkien.
Now that's out of the way. This story appeared in my head when I was trapped in the car with my relatives for a 24-hour road trip. I was really really bored! I shudder just thinking about that trip. Anyway, if your below legal age to read this where your from, then all I can tell you is stop and don't let your parents catch you. He he that's not much of a warning, but hey what else can I do.
If you have any comments, feedback or you just want to drop a word. Send them to SilvenFox@yahoo.com
Chapter 23
It took four days for the Justin, Gandalf, and Pippin to reach the White City of Gondor. They stopped on a hill overlooking the city. Justin had to admit that it lived up to all of Boromir's stories. Minas Tirith's white walls seemed to gleam under the rays of the noonday sun. It was an impressive city built into the face of a huge cliff. Minas Tirith was a seven-tiered citadel, each layer rising higher than the lower one.
Pippin and Justin looked with bright eyes at the city before them. Even Gandalf looked delighted to see the city again. "We've just passed into the realm of Gondor. Minas Tirith... City of Kings!"
"Or lack thereof," muttered Justin.
Pippin smiled a little happy that Justin was fine enough to make jokes. Justin had been particularly depressive, moody, and downtrodden depending on the hour for the past four days. Justin didn't want to talk about it to anyone, not even to Gandalf who encouraged he tell him his feelings. Justin refused to talk about how his breakup with the Prince of Mirkwood was affecting him. Inside, Justin felt like his heart had broken in two after the fight. His guilt and sorrow was eating him up inside and Justin wanted nothing more but to fall back into Legolas's strong arms. But it was not to be. They were on two different paths now. But some paths come together after separating...
Gandlaf and Justin spurred Shadowfax and Lightwings, their steeds, across the short distance to the city gates. The guards made way seeing that it was Gandalf riding so urgently into the city. Gandalf cried, "Make way!" dozens of times as they rode through the city streets, quickly rising up in levels. Till finally the came to the top level of Minas Tirith. The top level was a great stone courtyard with a white tree planted near the middle for all to gaze upon.
They jumped down from the horses and Gandalf helped Pippin down. Justin looked around at the tranquil area. 'To think,' he thought internally. 'All this will probably be destroyed in a few short days'.
Pippin gasped, pointing at the white tree. "Gandalf, it's the tree! I saw it when I touched the Palantír."
Gandalf nodded placing a calming hand on Pippin. "Yes, the White Tree of Gondor. The Tree of the King. Lord Denethor, however, is not a king. He is a steward only; a caretaker of the throne."
Justin's eyes lit up at the name. "Lord Denethor is Boromir's father isn't he? I remember Boromir mentioning him."
"Yes, he is," answered Gandalf, walking between next to Justin with Pippin on his other side. They approached a pair of large doors guarded by two armored men. The men let them through, opening the pair of imposing doors.
They found themselves now in a long hall. At the end of the hall were to thrones one white and seated higher than the lower black throne. On the black throne was a man that had to be Lord Denethor. He looked like an older and haggard version of Boromir. Gandalf extended his arms and called out welcoming as they walked down the carpeted floor:
"Hail, Denethor son of Ecthelion, Lord and Steward of Gondor. I come with tidings in this dark hour. And with counsel."
Denethor lifted his head from the scrolls he was reading for the first time and graced Gandalf with a smile. "Mithrandir, it had been many a moon since last we parted. What brings you to Minas Tirith after so long?"
Gadanlf sighed heavily leaning heavily upon his tall, white staff. "I must confess that I do not come with good tidings."
"Has something happened to my son?" asked Denethor quickly, traces of panic swimming in his dark eyes.
"Boromir is fine, Lord Denethor. He is in Rohan now helping gather forces. War is at your doorstep. The Black Army of Mordor is coming to lay waste to this city and the entire free realms of Middle Earth. You must muster up Gondor's army because in a few short days this entire city will be seized."
Denethor slumped down in his chair and said gravely, "Gondor does not have the forces to stand off an attack against the forces Mordor."
"You still have friends. You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Théoden of Rohan. Light the Beacons. The Rohirrim will respond and come to your aide."
Denethor looked surprised at this information and said, "Hope has entered my heart knowing that Gondor will not have to answer the threat of Sauron alone."
Gandalf smiled and replied, "Help comes in other forms also. I introduce Peregrin Took a Hobbit of the Shire. A Halfling as you know his people by."
The Stewards expression was one of wonder as he looked upon Pippin who ducked his head shyly. For him and the rest of the people of Gondor, Hobbits were nothing but legend. Gandalf placed a hand on Justin's shoulder and introduced him.
"This young lad by my side is Justin Timberlake who hails from a land very far from here."
Denethor's eyes took in Justin's fine features and short hair then gazed upon his ears that ended in delicate, triangular points. "Is the lad an Elf? For I have never heard of an Elf with shorn off hair."
Justin looked to Gandalf. They had never told Théoden where Justin came from, he merely assumed that Justin was an Elf from a far away country. Gandalf took the lead luckily for Justin since he didn't know what to say.
"Yes, Justin is an Elf from lands far to the North. He will be a great asset in the battle to come, for he carries with him the grace of the Valar."
Justin was about to say something but he caught sight of Pippin from the corner of his eye. The Hobbit seemed to be struggling to make a decision within himself. Finally, he came to one and he half-stumbled half-walked forward to kneel before Denethor. Pippin kneeled on his right knee with his head bowed and fist held over his heart. Gandalf was just as shocked by this sudden display as Justin. The wizard started forward to pick him up but Denethor waved his hand giving Pippin a humoring smile.
"I-I- I would like t-t- to pledge my allegiance to Gondor. I offer you my services," stuttered Pippin slowly but surely.
Justin beamed with pride. 'Way to go Pip'.
Denethor nodded and held up his hand motioning for Pippin to rise. "Stand up, Halfling," he commanded with a half smile. "Do not make hasty decisions such as this. I will give you one day to think of this and then if you have not changed your mind you can swear your oaths to Gondor."
"Yes, my lord," said Pippin hesitant his cheeks reddened.
"You have had a great journey, friends, with many hardships. We shall have talk again, soon. But for now, I am weary, as I know you are after such a swift ride." Denethor said, suddenly looking as weary as he claimed. "Let us go and find rest as we may, tomorrow we shall look to the defenses of Gondor." Then he said goodbye to them, and left the hall.
Justin looked at Gandalf and Pippin as they too started for the entrance doors. "Well, he was much nicer than I thought he would be. I had this whole Magneto picture in my head when Boromir talked about him."
They found their rooms alright with the help of a handmaid. Justin would get his own room and Pippin and Gandalf would share one. Gandalf didn't trust the Hobbit to have a room to himself. Night had spread quickly across the sky, bathing the land in moonlight and starlight. Justin sat with Pippin and Gandalf that night each worrying about tomorrow's outcome. The three of them stood on the balcony of the room that had an overlooking view of the land.
Justin shivered as his elvish sight allowed him a sharper view of the distant shapes. The land of Mordor could be seen clearly to him. Like a red star the Eye of Sauron gazed about aflame on top of its position on the black tower of Barad-dûr. Unconsciously, Justin's hands clenched the railing as he stared at the Great Lidless Eye. He wondered idly where Sauron's gaze was fixed, but hoped to God that it wasn't on Minas Tirith. The less they had to worry about.
Beside him Pippin touched the suit of armor that had been given to him by the handmaid. She had been told of his promise to Denethor. "So I imagine this will just be a ceremonial position... I mean, they won't actually expect me to do any fighting? Do they?"
Gandalf gave Pippin a long look. "I have nothing to say on the matter. When the time comes you must chose wisely to either be in the service of the Steward or not."
Justin leaned on the railing brow wrinkling as an uneasy feeling went up his spine. Something wasn't quite right. He didn't know what it was, but something was off. Then with a start he realized what it was. "It's so quiet tonight. Too quiet."
Gandalf nodded, sighing a long breath. "It's the deep breath before the plunge."
Justin shook his head a smile on his face, "Where do you get those sayings from? The only good one I ever remember is 'A penny saved is a penny earned'."
"Its comes from being wise, child," said Gandalf winking.
Justin found his mind running to Legolas again. How he was doing, where he was... Thoughts he really didn't want to think of at the moment. Thinking of Legolas only brought down his mood.
"Gandalf?" he asked suddenly to clear his mind. "What kind of forces does Mordor have? I know the battle ahead is going to be more bloodier than Helm's Deep, but what can we expect."
"Our enemy is ready. His full strength's gathered. Not only orcs but men as well, legions of Haradrim from the South. Mercenaries from the Coast. All will answer Mordor's call. This will be the end of Gondor as we know it. Here the hammerstroke will fall hardest. If the river is taken, if the fort in Osgiliath falls, the last defense of this city will be gone."
Pippin looked to Justin and Gandalf hopefully and said, "But we have the White Wizard and the Child of Three Races."
"Child of Three Races?" asked Justin smiling. "Never heard of that one before."
Gandalf didn't seem to find the suggestion that hope aspiring. In fact his eyes were serious as he looked to Pippin. "Sauron is yet to reveal His deadliest servant, the one who will lead Mordor's armies to war. The one they say no living man can kill: The Witch-king of Angmar. You've met him before."
Remembrance came over Pippin's face. "He stabbed Frodo on Weathertop."
"He is the lord of the Nazgûl, the greatest of the Nine. Minas Morgul is his lair."
Justin held up his hands stopping them. "Wait, wait, hold the phone. What the fork do you mean, Frodo got stabbed?"
Pippin nodded. "Yes, it was when we were on our way to Rivendell. On Weathertop the Nine attacked us. Frodo got stabbed by one of their blades and it was only by Elrond's healing hands that Frodo survived the wound. For the blade would have made Frodo into one of the Wraiths."
"Whoa," muttered Justin. 'Why didn't I ever know about that?'
He stopped mid thought as his 'spidey sense' suddenly started tingling. He snapped his head around in the direction of Mordor. Gandalf seemed to sense it too for he followed Justin's gaze looking into the distance with sudden fearful eyes. All was still for a moment, then from the mountains bordering Mordor in the distance, erupted a column of green and blue light, towering up into the cloud-filled sky.
"What the fuck?!?!" Justin cried as he and Gandalf both took collective steps back from the railing, as the column of green light illuminated the sky.
The sense of evil radiating from the light overwhelmed him. Justin clenched his hands into fist unaware that his nails were digging into his palms drawing blood. His whole body felt numb as the wave of evil hit him at his very core. Justin barely even noticed the crowd of soldiers hurry into the room to view the light from the balcony view.
"Gandalf?" Justin found himself saying, his voice coming out small.
Pippin mirrored his fearful posture and Gandalf drew them both in his arms and let his presence comfort them. Slowly the gripping sense of evil started to leave Justin. The three stood a little apart from the gapping soldiers all gazing into the distance at the rising column of green light.
Gandalf began to mutter under his breath, low enough so only Justin and Pippin could hear. "We come to it at last... The great battle of our time. The board is set. The pieces are moving."
Justin bowed his head and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Legolas. I hope your okay, blondie."
Gimli, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas made camp with the rest of their company. Soon they would come to their destination and Aragorn would take the first steps he would need to prove him the King, he was born to be. The moon and stars shinned their light down upon the slumbering men. Legolas stood on a hill a little ways from the sleeping group. His blue eyed gaze stared at the astral bodies in the sky, thoughts not on them but on a certain person.
Aragorn walked up behind Legolas, placing his hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Are you well, my friend?"
Legolas turned to him his eyes seeming to look through him. His skin glowed with an almost ethereal glow as the moon bathed him in its light. A glow that marked him as one of the Firstborn, the race created first by Iluvatar to inhabit Middle Earth. "Do not worry for me, Estel. I am well," answered Legolas, using Aragorn's Elven name given to him by Elrond long ago.
"No, you are not," argued Aragorn. "I can see it. It is clearly seen that you worry for him."
Legolas nodded. "I do, my friend. How I wish that we never parted the way we did. I love him with everything that I am. It pains me that Justin and I will never be together again. If I could see him again, I will grovel and beg till the end of time until he takes me back."
Aragorn smiled and said, "Your feelings run deep. I know exactly what you are feeling." His hand rubbed over the Evenstar hanging around his neck. It twinkled in the light.
"Aye, you do. I just have a troubling feeling now," voiced Legolas solemnly. "Something is wrong or bothering Justin. I can feel it."
Aragorn followed his gaze to the sky, looking up at the stars. "Then let us make haste tomorrow so that we may get to the White City even sooner."
Legolas nodded and closed his eyes. 'I love you, Justin. By my grace given to me I pass unto you. Please be well.'
********************************************************* Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, it should have been out a couple of weeks ago... but complications happened.
Me and my twin had a Vengeance War going. Don't ask. Long story short, we took turns doing the meanest things we can to each other. He ended up going on my account and erasing emails sent by everyone, SORRY IF YOU SENT ME AN EMAIL! So for payback I pissed on his PS2 games. Then the bastard erased the chapters I had written, so I destroyed his Buffy DVD's (Mess with my computer, so the shit had to die). That's only some of what we did to each other. Anyway, that's the reason for the delay. LOL. It seems funny now that I look back on it, but it really wasn't at the time.
If you have any comments, feedback or you just want to drop a word. Send them to SilvenFox@yahoo.com