Hi there everyone! Here are the responses to last time's reviews!

FairElvenMaiden: I'm glad you think my story is awesome, and I feel for you and your trouble with computerized emoticons! Thanks so much for being my first reviewer!

CherryTree360: Yes, Ishleen is very much human. Thanks so much for reviewing and being my VERY FIRST FOLLOWER!

Mental cookies to everyone else who read, and REVIEW, PEOPLE! I promise I will answer!

ONLY THE MIGHTIEST FORTRESS
We have ridden, day and night, for about two days now. I ache from saddle-sores, and Aragorn is just as hurt as when we started riding. Sometimes he will murmur unintelligible things in his sleep. Sometimes he will return to the land of the concious and talk to me. But today is different. Today I finally see a change in him. His deep brown eyes sparkle slightly in the sunlight. He woke up at dawn and has not fallen unconcious since then. However, he is still bleeding and very obviously in a lot of pain. I'm a warrior, not a healer. There is not one thing I can do for him, and it makes me feel rather helpless.
We trot over the crest of a ridge, talking to each other in hushed voices. There is something about the empty plains of Rohan that makes you feel like you have to ! be quiet...
The sound of many booted feet marching catches my attention, and I look down in horror at the army marching past me, snarling and growling at each other as they go. Orcs. I would recognize them anywhere. Turning in my saddle, I see that Aragorn is also staring down at this awful sight in abject horror.
"Ishleen," he says, "Take us to Helm's Deep. Now!"
I kick Arath into a gallop, trying to ignore the fact that I can feel Aragorn tense up in pain. We cannot stop, not now. Those orcs are heading for Helm's Deep, and we have to warn the people there.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After a hard day of galloping, we crest over another ridge. The sight on the other side takes my breath away. A deep gorge, filled with snaky tendrils of a bright blue river fills my view. Against the eastern wall, a huge fortress, seemingly carved out of the mountain itself, stands impenetrable, like an expressionless face. I have heard stories of the might of Helm's Deep, but nothing has prepared me for this.
Very gently, I ease a quivering Arath over the edge of the long, steep slope that leads into the gorge. There are little, scrubby plants growing along the slope; each of them bear one tiny, white, star-shaped flower perched on top of the leaves. The sight reminds me a little bit of Kyria, where villagers used to grow the "Medhyla Flowers" in their gardens. Apparently, according to Fionnuala (pronounced Fin-U-la), one of the village girls who was two years older than me, the word "Medhyla" comes from the elvish "Medhyl", meaning "Shining". The thought makes me smile, for sometimes the Medhyla flowers really did shine to me, on dark nights when I heard the howling wolves on the way to the privy. Later, when I told Fionnuala that she was right, the flowes do shine, she snorted and turned up her sculpted nose. "Fairytale nonsense, Ishleen." She said. And I despised her for every day after that, until the day of the sack, when I found her, shaking in the last tremors of death. "You were right, Ishleen," she whispers, " The flowers do shine." And she held out a Medhyla flower in the palm of her pale hand, and placed it in my hair. Then, she gave one last shuddering breath, and died.
A jolt brings me back to reality. Arath has slipped on some stones at the bottom of the gorge, nearly sending his two passengers and himself flying. Using as gentle a hand as I can, I rein him in and speak calmingly to him in nonsense language. It worked with the chickens we used to farm, so why not horses, too?
Once we are over the rivers, I resume our pace to a fast gallop, bringing us closer and closer to safety...and warning the other of the dangers that are following us like hounds.

How was that? Please tell me via review, I have 7 more chapters written, so the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update (although I'll probably do another 2 yet today).

I love ya'll, especially those who reviewed!

S4E

P.S. What did you guys have for lunch today? I had a salami sandwich on pita bread.