A/N: Alright! Another chapter! Yeah! To the reviews!
DeLacus: That's okay. Nothing to worry about. People do that more than you would think. Glad you like, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
cutie5lexis: I'm glad you're liking it. Hope you enjoy this chapter and have a fantastic day.
Chapter 2: Please don't be dead...
Once we were mounted on our new horses, we set out towards the dwindling column of smoke on the horizon. The entire ride, I had an internal mantra of,"Please don't be dead!" stuck inside my head until we came over the crest of a hill, and my eyes locked onto the mound of smoking remains. Then everything in me froze, and I found it difficult to breathe as we all dismounted.
Gimli waddled over to the mound of bodies and started poking around with his axe while Aragorn and Legolas began inspect tracks and severed limbs. I began to carefully scan the ground with my eyes before I heard Gimli let out a small, mournful sound. I whipped around to see him gingerly pull a charred belt from the burnt hand of an orc. "It's one of their wee belts," he gasped, his voice cracked from shock.
My heart fell to the ground, and a wave of sorrow swelled up and threatened to spill over my eyelids in the form of tears. Aragorn kicked the severed head of an orc, which still wore an iron helmet, and fell to his knees with a scream of pain and loss. I blinked rapidly and took several deep breaths before Aragorn stiffened and began muttering to himself as he lifted a frayed rope from the ground. "They escaped in the confusion and somehow cut their bonds!" he exclaimed, following tracks through the grass until he saw where they were headed.
The massive, dark, dense trees of Fangorn Forest loomed over my companions and I as we glanced at each other. We all knew the stories of Fangorn Forest, and we all knew the danger that lurked within, but we also knew that our companions had fled into the forest with an orc in pursuit, and there was no way in all of the nine realms that I was going to abandon my cousin because of some intimidating, ancient forest.
"These trees are old," Legolas murmured after several minutes of walking through the thick forest listening only to our footsteps and the creaking and groaning of trees,"Incredibly old. Full of hate and anger."
As he said that, the trees let out a particularly loud groan, and Aragorn whirled around. "Gimli," I glanced back to see the dwarf holding up his axe as though to scare off an attacker,"Lower your axe." The dwarf let out a nervous laugh and quickly lowered his axe into a non-threatening position.
Aragorn and Legolas continued on ahead, but I hesitated until I was walking alongside Gimli. "Do you want to hold my hand?" I whispered, offering him my right hand.
"No, lass, I'll be alright. Besides, I don't think Aragorn would appreciate that all too much," he whispered back.
I stopped dead in my tracks. "What?"
Gimli froze and looked at me with mild horror. "I should not have said that. Forget I said that," he snapped, stomping ahead.
Utterly confused, I struggled to push myself forward again. Why would Aragorn care about me holding Gimli's hand? I shook my head and focused on my companions as Legolas stopped then called out to Aragorn in elvish. I saw Aragorn grip the hilt of his sword, and Legolas slowly draw an arrow from his quiver.
I slowly pulled my bow from my shoulder and nocked an arrow as Gimli readied his axe. Something was close, and it had my companions on edge. "Legolas," I called out in a low voice,"What do you see?"
He turned his brilliant-blue eyes to me with an uneasy look on his face. "The white wizard," he responded calmly. I knew he meant Saruman the White, and I tensed as I heard a twig snap behind me.
All of my companions were in front of me, and I sent a concerned glance to Aragorn whose face was set in determination. "Do not let him speak lest he place a spell over our minds," my companion ordered stiffly.
I nodded and pulled the bowstring taught as I prepared to loose the arrow into my enemy's heart. Another twig snapped, and we all spun to face the sound and were met with a man clothed in white and backed by a blinding, white light. Legolas and I both loosed arrows which were easily deflected, and Gimli and Aragorn both dropped their weapons which somehow burned their hands.
On instinct, I released a lightning bolt in the direction of my enemy, but the magical energy was easily absorbed by my opponent. "Do not waste your energy, Princess Artemis," the wizard commanded in a distorted voice as he lowered his staff, and as he lowered his staff, the light behind him dimmed. "For I do not believe you wish to fight me."
I almost dropped my bow in shock as I saw the wizard standing before me. "That's impossible," I breathed, staring at the old man before me,"Gandalf?"
"Gandalf?" The old wizard said softly, his face crinkling as he thought for a moment,"Yes. That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey."
I took a step towards the old wizard. "I am Gandalf the White," he stated with a smile, and I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly as though the wizard might disappear at any moment.
The old wizard chuckled and patted my back softly as I held onto him and refused to let go. "Artemis, you must let go. We have business to attend to," Gandalf stated gently, and I quickly released him and stepped back,"Amelia, Merry, and Pippin passed this way only yesterday, and I sent them away to be safe with someone I can trust."
His words sent a wave of relief washing over me, and I heaved out a sigh as I took several steps back. Suddenly, I lost my balance and started to fall backwards, and I let out a yelp of surprise before Aragorn caught me. I smiled sheepishly and gave a nervous chuckle as I righted myself stood on my own two feet with the knowledge that my cousin and the two hobbits were most definitely safe and not dead.