The King’s Diamond: Lord of The Rings Derivative

Intro: Have you ever fallen asleep while reading a book? I have more times than I can count. The interesting thing is that sometimes my dreams continue on with the story of the book I am reading, or with events in the world. This still happens to this day, but usually I can’t remember it in a lot of detail. Once though, when I was in  grade 7, I fell asleep while reading Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. My dream naturally flowed out from the moment they left Tom Bombadil’s house and ended back at his house. Because of this cyclical starting and end, when I woke up and continued to read, I was actually convinced for many years that my dream was part of the book. That is, until the film came out. For my fellow anime fans you might also note that my dream incorporated a bell from Cardcaptor Sakura; I only noticed this later. The Christian themes of brokenness, sin, temptation and the problems of violence, worldly power, and taking our own path are fairly evident.

Written By Rev. Philip Stonhouse

Frodo awoke with a start, still thinking he was slowly being consumed by those siren-like trees, but instead he felt warmth and comfort. He looked around to find himself laying before a roaring fire, and Sam sleeping while sitting on a chair. There were two cups of tea steaming beside him.

“You are awake”, came the rich playful voice from behind the chair.

Sam woke up to attention, as if he wasn’t supposed to be sleeping, “Oh, hello Tom. Thank you for saving us and letting us stay here while we recuperate”.

There appeared a stocky man who looked equally like he was so joyous that he could break out into song, or at the same time grab you for a teary embrace. Without a word being said, you could tell there was more to this man than you would ever know.

Frodo exclaimed, in shock, “It was your voice that saved us! It was your song!”

“Not mine”, said Tom. “It is the forest’s song. A kind of sad lullaby that the trees teach to their saplings and I have been lucky enough to overhear.”

At that, the door opened and the midday sun poured in. There was the silhouette of Strider holding court, taking in the room before him. Mary and Pippen took no notice however, as they ran in and jumped on Frodo.

Speaking faster than is good for them and overtop of one another so one couldn’t tell whose voice was whose, they announced, “Thank goodness you're awake."

 “We were just out gathering food."

"And looking for those riders."

 “We also had a smoke, don’t forget about that.”

“And we met . . .”

Sam cut them off, “Get off Mr. Frodo you two. Don’t you see he is just waking up?”

They bowed half mockingly, “Sorry Mr. Frodo, sorry Mr. Sam”.

Strider walked into the light of the fire and the flames danced determinedly across his face, “It would seem that the evil is not far behind us. We would do well to make our way soon. I have convinced some of my fellow riders to join us, but if those dark horsemen attack, they will do little more than buy us time.”

Tom said, “I’ll be sorry to see you go. It’s been a long time since I had such joyous company”. This felt ironic in comparison to Strider’s grave face. “I will gather a few supplies for you and send you on the main road that will take you where you need to go.”

Frodo responded, “Gandolf said we weren’t supposed to take the main roads. That will be the first place they look”.

 “Isn’t there a shortcut or a different route?” questioned Sam.

Tom suddenly becomes grave, “There is one route, but shortcuts often come with dangers of their own”.

Mary announced, “We will take that”.

Pippen replied, “Maybe we can pick some food along the way”.

Tom warned, “It is a way that is known to bring death. Few escape the mist and the cold hands that haunt that place”.

“We stick with the main road”, decided Mary.

Pippen suggested, “Maybe there’s another tavern on the way."

To which Strider said, “We will stay just off the main road and move in the shadows”.

Tom suddenly brightened up again, “Good, it is a far better route. Just watch for the metal gate intertwined with bones. You will know that is the wrong way”.

Mary quipped, “That seems fairly obvious”

 “It’s meant to be”, offered Tom.

Pippen laughed awkwardly and Mary bumped him to be quiet.

Tom reached over to the table, grabbing the steaming tea, “Well, Mr. Frodo. Please wake up with this tea, and I will help you all get ready."

Preparations went smoothly and soon they had loaded food, clothes, and a few extra items into backpacks. Tom even had a few small horses for the hobbits, but Frodo rode with Strider. They said goodbye to Tom and he seemed to sing something to them as they left. As they slowly moved the first mile or so down the road, men in dark cloaks riding on horses joined up beside them, with only a nod from Strider. They followed in line. Strider suddenly diverted off the trail into the forest, with no markers or signs. He quickly found a hunting trail and they began to go faster than before.

There were a few moments where everyone stopped and listened. There was even a scream, but there was no sign of the dark riders. That is until they came to the river and night was beginning to fall. The river was swollen and rushing to such a degree that they couldn’t wade through it. They moved up to the closest bridge at the mouth of the town. Just as they were about to cross it, .....

…...we saw them.

The dark-horsed shadows darted in and out of the houses, knowing we were likely to come this way.

Frodo felt the pull of the ring once again. It suddenly felt heavy. It was like an itch and the only relief would be to put on the ring. Strider tried to hide him behind himself, but before he could, the dark rider stopped, and behind the blackness, he stared at Frodo.

“Ride”

They darted across the road to the other side. There was a smaller unused road that must hopefully meet another bridge, but instead, it led them to a gate.

Mary and Pippen tried to say something, but they were cut off by the running of the horses.

One of the men yelled, “They aren’t following us in”.

They turned around to see three dark riders at the gates as if an invisible wall prevented them from moving ahead.

Strider, “Something else rules here”

As soon as the gate and fence were out of sight, darkness fell. Their lamps and torches did little to light their way, as the darkness felt heavy, like it was fighting to take hold.

Frodo turned around, but in the darkness, there seemed to be fewer of them.

"Strider? Are there fewer rangers with us than there were before?”

Strider and Frodo both turned around again, but this time there were even fewer. It was only the five of them with two other riders. Strider whistled at them to come forward as he slowed down to meet them. Even the high pitch whistle seemed to stop in the darkness.

One of the men on the right spoke in a whisper, “There seems to be something in the darkness”.

The man on the left began to speak, but his voice faded away before a word was heard. As they turned to look, he was gone. Frodo quickly turned to the other, but he was gone as well.

Strider pulled out his sword and moved quickly to the other three.

“Little ones? This is a bad place. There is something in the darkness taking our men. We should put the backs of our horses together and put our lights in front of us. If we can see it, we can fight it.”

In moments, they could see what looked like hands made completely of darkness pushing against the light, but they would pull back before they could distinguish any detail. The darkness and the light seemed to be at a standstill. Eventually, the lights would give out or morning would come, but it would be a long night.

Frodo as the one without a light was the first one to turn around and look to his friends. There he saw it. There was darkness at the centre of their circle and now four shadow figures were coming out of it to grab them.

“Behind us”, he yelled.

Sam and Strider were the first to respond, by turning around. Frodo just saw those shadow hands grab and pull Mary and Pippen away. The horses must have seen it too because they spooked and knocked Sam, Frodo, and Strider off. Strider was quick to his feet, standing over Frodo. Frodo reached for Sam, but the shadow pulled at him and Sam disappeared into nothing as his hand reached out for Frodo. His lamp was still on the floor guarding Strider's back.

Time slowed down. Between the two flickering lanterns Striker's shadows danced. They moved uneasily as they were licked with the light. Strider seemed to notice the unnatural movement as well, so he moved his lantern back and forth so that the shadows would retreat and encroach. This dance continued in discontent. In the midst of it, Frodo could just hear the rhythm of a bell breaking through the deafening silence. Whether it was in his mind or not, it seemed to be the only living thing in this dead place. 

Behind a loud toll that resounded in the emptiness, a gust of wind blew through. It's cold hands scratching my bare skin. Then I saw it, the light, Sam's old light was snuffed out. 

Strider swirled around just in time for the shadow to grab him and pull him away. 

Frodo slipped into his back. Just as the shadows were about to leap at him, the shadows stopped for a second and floated there as if they were questioning. Then all of a sudden all was darkness. 

Frodo awoke, not knowing how long it had been or what had happened. 

He looked around. It was a strange room completely grey with no windows or doors. The room was separated in half by a row of bars. Frodo was on one side. The other side was full of bones. Rising above them were two pedestals carrying candelabras. Had Frodo been thinking about it, he might have noticed the strange fact that there was an equal number of candles to how many lanterns they had come in with. 

The most spectacular part of the room however was what sat between the pillars and upon the highest part of the bones. It was a blood red diamond. It immediately reminded Frodo of the ring, which he instinctively reached for. 

He breathed in relief and sank back down to sit. How did he get in here? What happened to the others? What were those shadows? Were questions that jostled around in his head, but there was another voice. A voice of desire. A voice urging him to take power for himself. The voices got louder and more urgent. 

Before he knew it he was reaching for the diamond. The blood-red diamond looked alive. The blood-red swirled within as if murders were being replayed within. The bones quivered at being disturbed. The pile shifted and the diamond rolled a little closer.

Just as he touched it with the tip of his finger, the pile of bones collapsed and the Diamond disappeared within. 

The bones were still moving though. They were rolling and piling themselves on top of one another until finally, the first one stood. This skeletal figure reached his hands into the still moving pile of bones and pulled out a saber. Still more had formed and we're doing the same. Already there was an army moving toward Frodo. 

He looked around, he picked up one of the spears that he could reach. He poked it between the bars at the closest one, but it just slid between its ribs and barely slowed it down for a minute. Now Frodo couldn't get it free. 

The skeletons kept moving closer. Frodo had hoped that the bars would keep them out, but first, a few of the smaller ones came through, and then the others moved their ribs around so they could fit through too. The Diamond became visible and Frodo forgot for a second about his imminent death. 

A little bell, almost like a morning dove could be heard in contrast to the raddle and death march of the skeletons. Then all of a sudden there was a crash and a resounding gong as dust filled the air. Pouring in through the dust were men with Strider leading the charge and they were hacking at the skeletons. 

Frodo had to kick and push a few away, but quickly he was picked up and pulled out. 

In the chaos of the battle, he could just see Tom stand in the space where once stood a wall. There was a strangely long and wide bell wrapped around his hand, almost like a glove. Decorative ribbon hung from the bottom. This was more than a decoration however because soon Tom began to punch with it and the skeletons crumbled to dust. All the other skeletons would regather and come back, but it was this bell that made this a winnable battle. 

As they were making quick work of the skeletons, the diamond rolled and hit Strider's foot. Something seemed to awaken in his eyes as he reached for it. Frodo wanted it too. For a moment they both looked like Lions ready to pounce, but just like that Tom picked it up in a cloth, put it in an ornate wooden box and everything settled. Even the skeletons settled to nothing. 

The sun rose and light pierced into the chamber. The nightmare of a night was over. Frodo and the others walked out and there was Sam, Pippin and Mary smiling back at them. 

Frodo, "Thank you, everyone, for saving me"

Mary, "We would have all been doomed if it wasn't for Tom"

Pippen, "We have to stop meeting like this"

Strider, "They are fools, but correct. Thank you again, Tom. There is more to you than meets the eye"

Tom, "No thanks, please. It is my fault you are here"

Sam, "You definitely deserve our thanks. You are a very kind and brave man"

Frodo, "But what is this place? What are those skeletons and shadows? What was that red diamond?"

Tom, "It is called the King's Diamond. It is said to carry all the power and authority of any king who has wielded it. That may be true, but the sad truth is that it carries with it all those who have died for it. Kings have been betrayed and murdered for it, wars have been fought over it and all that blood is forever bound to it. 

Those shadows and skeletons are what remains of those poor lost souls. 

I hid it here in this field in hopes that no one else would be drawn into its curse. 

Mary, "How do you know all this?"

Sam, "Know your place, Mary!"

Tom, "It's okay. That is a long and sad story that I don't wish to share. It is lucky for you that I have been layering in the forest's magic into this box and bell. The hunger of the trees should quell the diamond's hunger for blood and the bell is the song of the new day, the rising sun. It is the bell that tolls the end of darkness and living death"

Pippin, " You learned all of that from trees"

Tom, "Creation speaks more than we can imagine, if only we are willing to listen. Though that forest is waking up more and more. That is enough of that for now. You were in a rush"

Strider, "Yes, we were fleeing from the Nazguls. Do you know another way across the river"

Tom, "Yes there is one in this field. Let me take you there".

As Tom led us through the field our shadows still seemed to dance, but there was no more trouble. The other riders decided to accompany Tom back. Knowing that this was not their journey. We all said goodbye and made our way surprisingly not much worse for wear.