Chapter Nine: A Rather Less Pathetic Rescue Effort
(It has only been a few hours since last we left our friends. We now find that the ones who still remain safely inside Minas Tirith are standing before the Gate. It appears as if Aragorn is going out to meet with the Corsairs. He looks rather calm. It�s Amrothos who is being the fidgety one.)
Aragorn: Calm down, my friend. Everything will be just fine, trust me.
Amrothos: I know, I really do�it�s just that this is all my fault and I need to know that Kit is alright. Certainly you can relate to how I am feeling?
Aragorn: (smiles) Of course I can. (the gates start to open) Now you leave me to do the talking and soon enough you�ll have Kit back.
(Aragorn walks out the Gate with Amrothos, Faramir, two guards, and an anxious Bergil. Boromir wanted to go but he got a tad bit too riled up and Aragorn made him stay behind on the walls. Can�t go and negotiate peace terms with a guy going nuts and slaughtering everyone, can you? No, no you can�t. Anyway, outside the gate several hundred paces away wait the supposed leader of the Corsairs and a couple of ugly, fat, bad dudes.)
Leader Dude: I�m glad to see you actually sent a man out to talk to us, not that sorry excuse for a woman.
Aragorn: We are here to have you release the two women you hold captive. And not lightly would I call the Fair Lady of Tolfalas a sorry excuse. Where are they?
Leader Dude: They�re here somewhere. What makes you think we�ll give them back?
Aragorn: You really haven�t a choice. You number slightly over a hundred and within the White City number several thousand of my best men.
Leader Dude: How do you know we haven�t already killed them?
Aragorn: That wouldn�t be a smart thing to do. After all, as long as you have them you supposedly have some sort of advantage over us, or so you think.
Leader Dude: I don�t really see why you need both of them. The dark one is the only one with a title. (chuckling evilly) Might just keep the redhead myself!
Amrothos: (drawing his sword) I would kill you first!
Leader Dude: Ah! I see now why she�s wanted!
Aragorn: I have had enough of this nonsense. You will release both of them to us or we hall be forced to kill you all.
(A ruckus is heard a short distance off within the mussed ranks of the Corsairs. A few more moments pass and then both a bloodied Kit and Harper shove through lines of men. Kit is holding her daggers Bob and Dole in her hands while Harper has her sword at her side.)
Leader Dude: How did you get out here? We took your weapons!
Kit: Never separate me from my weapons named after a third-person speaking Republican minority leader of the Senate!
Harper: Or former one at any rate.
Everyone: (mightily confused) Huh?
Kit: You took my weapons, I�m bored out of my mind, and the man I love and really need to apologize to is here to rescue me. You got in my way so I killed your guys. This is the part where you let us go.
Leader Dude: I hate women!
Harper: And we hate bad guys who don�t bathe properly. I�m going home.
Leader Dude: But you can�t do that!
Kit: Watch us.
(And so Kit and Harper shove past the icky Corsair leader guy and walk for the gates which begin to open. Aragorn shrugs and turns to follow, as do the rest of the company with him. Though, when Bergil does to follow obediently behind he Corsair leader grabs him and pulls him back.)
Bergil: Help me!
(With that desperate plea everyone turns around and Faramir already has his sword drawn, but lo and behold the Corsair is already dead with an arrow through his chest. Wow. Somebody�s quick.)
Faramir: (to the Corsairs) Never try and kidnap a lad when his father�s on the walls watching. Come Bergil.
(They all rush inside the gates which close tightly behind them. Amrothos grabs Kit and hugs her tightly. His relief to see her in one piece is clearly visible. She smiles at him.)
Amrothos: I am so sorry. I never meant to upset you so; I was only looking out for your own personal safety. Can you ever forgive me? Can I make it up to you?
Kit: You have my forgiveness and you can make it up to me. Take me to that grungy tavern for a drink.
Amrothos: Deal�but will you do something for me?
Kit: Anything.
Amrothos: Marry me?
Kit: (squeals excitedly) Really, you mean it? You want to get married? To me?
Amrothos: Yes I really mean it! I realized that I really love you. Will you marry me?
Kit: Yes!
(So Kit jumps on Amrothos and they�re both laughing like happy maniacs while the rest of the White City looks on. Meanwhile Boromir has come stalking down the walls to Harper seeming more relieved to see her in one piece than peeved off.)
Boromir: What were you thinking, my Hannah? When little Bergil told us what you had done my heart nearly stopped its beating!
Harper: I don�t know what I was thinking. I guess I didn�t want Kit to be alone. I know what I did was stupid and I know I put myself and the baby in harm�s way and I�m sorry.
Boromir: Are you hurt?
Harper: No�
Boromir: Than that is all that matters. I am just glad you are all right. I couldn�t bear to live if I didn�t have you.
Harper: Come with me to the Houses of Healing?
Boromir: What for? You said you were fine.
Harper: Well it can�t hurt to check and today is my weekly checkup day anyway. Come with me?
Boromir: Of course. Little brother, I hope you can manage without me?
Faramir: I think Aragorn and I can. (watches Boromir and Harper walk off, then turns to Aragorn) It�s at times like this when I�m glad that Eowyn is with her brother at Edoras.
Aragorn: And it�s at times like this that I wonder about children. Eldarion has made Stevie act out less. Makes things easier.
Faramir: We make it sound like we�ve married monsters!
Aragorn: No. The only monsters are the ones outside these gates. Give them notice that they have until sunrise tomorrow morn to be gone or we will be forced to take action.
Faramir: Certainly. You think they�ll leave?
Aragorn: Of course not.
Faramir: Then I�ll see you out here tomorrow morning?
Aragorn: Bright and early. We�ll watch the sun rise from the walls, we�ll vanquish our enemies, and then when it�s all over, we can go be bored to tears with politics.
Faramir: Don�t you love being King?
Aragorn: (rolls his eyes) Yes, it�s wonderful. And people ask me why I waited so long to reclaim the throne! Stupid politicians!
