UPDATES! WOOOO! Legolas's POV is also in this, plus a Gandalf part!
Tauriel felt terrible. She hadn't been sick in a very long time, but she knew that this was one of the precious few times that she would be sick. The world spun around her and made her dizzy, and it didn't help that her wrist was throbbing. Before, Tauriel had thought that a few nerves were severed, but upon closer examination, she guessed that the arrow had shattered some of the more fragile bones in her wrist.
Tauriel slid off her borrowed horse and sank to the ground. She realized that she had no idea where to go to find Legolas, and she was in no condition to be galloping across Middle-Earth to find him. She didn't know what to do. She looked at the clear blue stream run past her, and felt at ease. It had been weeks since she had been able to see any sign of nature, and now she was finally free. She stripped off her clothes and slid into the water.
She lay there for a few minutes, letting the stream wash away the dirt and grime from her back. Then, she held her breath and slid under. She emerged, her teeth chattering. The cold had done a little to ease her headache, but she could still tell that her body temperature was too high to be healthy. She let herself air dry and put her clothes back on. Tauriel looked back and saw that the water was tinged with pink. Her hand flew to the marks on her back, but found no blood. She turned to the knife wound in the small of her back- no blood. Finally, she looked at her mangled wrist. It was seeping out, but it was cleaner than it had been before.
There was nowhere to turn. Rohan had been corrupted by Saruman, she knew, and Gondor was also falling under the influence of human desire. Rivendell was across the way- too far to be able to reach and then return in time. Lothlorien could be a possibility.
Tauriel reasoned that she could also travel to Saruman's tower and hope that he had an idea of where Legolas and the others were. She swung herself onto the horse and kicked it into motion.
Legolas:
We had been running for a long time and I was beginning to lose hope of ever catching up to the hobbits and their captors. Aragorn seemed to still have hope, but the orcs had had a large start in front of us. Soon, however, there was a noise like thundering horses. Aragorn whisked us behind a rock and we watched the Riders of Rohan on their large steeds gallop past. Aragorn looked at us and then, without warning, stepped into the open area and hailed the riders.
"Riders of Rohan, what news of the Mark?" he shouted after them. The lead rider motioned with his spear and the company turned around and galloped back to us. Aragorn, Gimli and I were surrounded by hostile warriors on abnormally large horses.
"Who are you? What is your business here?" the lead rider demanded.
"I will give you my name if you give me yours." Gimli replied. I rolled my eyes. The hostility of dwarves would be the death of us.
We conversed for a while, and then Eomer (the lead rider) gave us horses so that we might find our lost hobbit friends. We rode away, and after the riders were out of sight I let out a breath of air.
Gandalf:
Gandalf soared over the tops of the forests on the back of a great eagle. Suddenly, surprised, he saw a flame of red hair weaving through the branches far below. Gandalf calculated that the rider was heading toward Saruman's now corrupted and dangerous tower.
"Intercept the rider. Let me down a few feet ahead of them." he commanded the eagle, which obliged. Gandalf dismounted and hurried through the trees. There was a rustling noise and a horse burst through the underbrush and reared into the air. Gandalf quieted the skittish horse with a few words.
"Gandalf the Grey!" a voice exclaimed. Gandalf looked up from the horse's muzzle and was met with a surprising sight.
"Tauriel, Captain of the Guard." he responded. Tauriel slid down. Gandalf's sharp eyes perceived that she was injured. Her right hand she held to her waist, relaxed, and used only her left hand. "I was not expecting to see you so far from home."
"I was aiding Lord Aragorn in his quest to deliver the hobbits to Rivendell." Tauriel began to explain.
"Then I should have seen you there, unless-?" Gandalf began to comprehend what had happened. He finally took in the bright, somewhat feverish eyes and the bloody tunic that Tauriel wore.
"I was intercepted by orcs and taken to Angmar. I remained there for quite some time. I only recently escaped and I wish to consult Saruman on the best path to intercept Legolas." Tauriel explained quickly.
"Saruman is corrupt. I suspect he is serving Sauron. I will pass on a message for Legolas, if you wish." Gandalf offered. Tauriel's brow furrowed.
"I could accompany you to wherever you are going, and see him myself." she replied suspiciously. "How am I to know that you are not corrupted yourself, and plan on drawing me away from the wizard whom I seek? I have been through much, Gandalf, and have no time for trickery."
"Fangorn is a distance away and I suspect you are tired from your ordeals. I want you to travel to Lorien, where Galadriel will heal you there." Gandalf replied. "I am concerned for you, Tauriel. The orcs are not a gentle race, and you have been through more than others."
"Very well. Tell Legolas that I will meet him in Edoras in a few weeks, and I will expect to see him there with the hobbits." Tauriel said, and swung back onto the horse. Gandalf frowned.
"What happened to Elen Dome?" he asked. Tauriel averted her eyes.
"I do not know. Legolas had her when I left, but I have not heard from either of them. If Elen Dome is dead, my heart will be also." she said. "She has endured with me through the Battle of Five Armies and we have a very close bond. I do not know what I will do if she has died."
"Then I will hope that you see her again.
