"What news from the mark?" Aragorn called and within a moment the three guys were encircled by the riders. It all seemed incredibly tense and she wondered if she should intervene but really, how could she help in this situation? So she continued to sit on the ground until eventually the horsemen rode off into the distance. Aragorn approached her holding a horse, as did Legolas and Gimli, well that was a score.
"What happened?" Lily asked.
"It seems Theoden, King of Rohan has fallen into shadow." Aragorn looked pretty much suicidal. "But more than that our friends have likely been slain." He looked furious with himself for a moment then he sprinted off towards a billowing tower of smoke and Gimli followed. Legolas passed the reigns to Lily lingering on her hand for a moment too long, her heartbeat quickened and she knew he could hear it. He look at her for a fleeting moment before sprinted off after his companions.
As Lily made her way towards the smoking wreckage of an orc raid, Aragorn led out a scream of rage which seemed to echo endlessly around the valley. Lily tried to remember how the hobbits died, she just couldn't recall it. Legolas put a comforting hand on Aragorn's shoulder and the three guys stood solemnly around the smoking wreckage. They stayed like that for a while until suddenly Aragorn seemed to pick up a trail. Lily walked closer just as the guys neared the edge of the forest.
"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked disbelievingly.
"They're alive?" Lily said enthusiastically. "That's brilliant" She continued, they looked seriously sombre considering they'd just found out their 'dead' friends were alive. "Isn't it?" She asked slightly confused. Aragorn looked preoccupied, Gimli was stubbornly ignoring her but Legolas turned to face her.
"We'll find out." He said solemnly as Aragorn ran into the forest, Gimli and Legolas swiftly ran after him.
"Don't worry guys, I'll take the horses." Lily said sarcastically as she lead the horses into Fangorn, she hoped their friends were alive and for some reason, she felt they were.
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"Orc blood." Gimli spat as Lily finally caught up to them.
"These are strange tracks." Aragorn examined the soil closely. Gimli started to look a bit edgy, the horses bristled slightly, this forest did have a strange vibe.
"The air is so close in here." Gimli said bitingly. Legolas began looking around, as if he was listening to or feeling the forest.
"This forest is old, very old." Legolas commented. "Full of memory...and anger", well that was not at all reassuring. Suddenly the trees started to groan, Lily was suddenly glad she was sandwiched between two horses. "The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas told them.
"Of course they bloody are." Lily said, what the hell was this place? Gimli seemed to be just as freaked out, as he was waving his axe around menacingly.
"Gimli," Aragorn hissed, "Lower your axe". Gimli lowered his axe and held his hands up in surrender.
"Aragorn, something is out there!" Legolas whispered urgently as he ran off into the trees.
"Legolas!" Lily whispered, Aragorn gestured for her and Gimli to follow. Aragorn stood behind the elf trying to see what he saw.
"What do you see?" Aragorn asked his friend quietly, Legolas narrowed his eyes.
"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas whispered. Lily tried to remember who the white wizard was. Oh I think I remember that guy, Gandhi? No of course it wasn't Gandhi.
"Do not let him speak, he will put a spell on us." Aragorn told the company. He readied his sword, Gimli gripped his axe and Legolas prepared an arrow. Lily was very aware that she had no defensive weapon.
"Get behind me." Legolas turned and whispered to her, she couldn't exactly 'get behind him' holding two horses but she tried. They launched an attack but Legolas' arrow was deflected, Gimli's axe clammered to the ground and Aragorn's sword grew red hot in his hand and clattered to the forest floor. The four of them had to shield their eyes from the blinding light the wizard emitted.
The wizard posed a few riddles before Aragorn got exasperated. "Who are you? Show yourself!" He demanded, the light dimmed and there before them stood Gandalf. "It cannot be." He whispered astounded. Gimli and Legolas bowed before him. Lily stood there in a state of slight confusion, trying to understand Gandalf's monologue about his battle for life and eventual rebirth.
"And who is this?" Gandalf asked Aragorn, as he inclined his head towards Lily. Aragorn opened his mouth to speak but Lily cut in.
"I'm just tagging along." She told him honestly, Gandalf looked at her, slightly amused.
"You're 'tagging along'?" He repeated, looking at Aragorn for confirmation.
"She's from another realm, she's no threat...we hardly could have left her in the wilderness." Aragorn explained quietly. Lily was looking aimlessly at the forest around her as if to prove his point.
"Well come along," Gandalf commanded as he led them out of the forest into the daylight. "One stage of the journey is over, another begins," He told them "We must travel to Edoras with all speed". Aragorn took one of the horses off of Lily, Legolas took the other, looking at her briefly before he looked out over the horizon.
"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli said disgruntled, how the hell were five of them suppose to get to Edoras on two horses? Oh god, they're going to leave me behind.
"We hear of trouble in Rohan, it goes ill with the king." Aragorn told the wizard solemnly. Gimli voiced his annoyance that they were just leaving the two hobbits in the forest now they'd found Gandalf, which Lily completely agreed with.
"Merry and Pippin are quite safe," Gandalf told him. "In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." He finished.
"I don't like the sound of that." Lily said to herself, Legolas gave her reassuring smile which made her stomach flutter. Gandalf whistled and a white horse began galloping towards them over the plains.
"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas commented reverently, Lily nodded knowingly even though she had no idea what the Mearas was.
"Shadowfax, he is the lord of all horses...and has been my friend through many
dangers." Gandalf said softly as he stroked the horse's neck before mounting. Aragorn got on his horse and pulled Gimli up behind him. Legolas came up to Lily looking slightly bashful. He held her by the waist and eased her up onto the horse, then he swiftly got up and sat in front of her.
"Hold on to me" Legolas commanded as the company set off, riding fast across the plains. Lily wove her hands round his waist, he felt incredibly athletic and muscular. She told herself to get a grip, she was definitely not going to start crushing on blondie.
After a while she kept nearly falling asleep but stopped herself just before she did. "You can go to sleep, I will not let you fall." Legolas told her softly. Lily smiled to herself but she felt a little guilty, she barely knew the guy after all. However, she did really want to sleep right now.
"Are you sure?" She checked, he nodded his head. She laid her head against his cloaked back and began to fall asleep.
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