Chapter 3
Bandit Hideout near Falls of Rauros
The trek through the wilderness hadn't been the most pleasant for Eolyn. After having a bag tossed over her head and tied around her neck to keep it there she was tossed, kicking and squirming, over the back of a horse. All that struggling had unfortunately reopened the cut on her brow and she could feel the blood seeping warmly down her forehead and temple. The blood caused part of the rough canvas bag to stick uncomfortably to her head and rub against her face and hair. But she ignored this and continued to struggle, trying to possibly get the horse she was on to buck and take off where she might hopefully be found by someone else who wouldn't try to kidnap her. But the man riding the horse kept it in check and her struggles did nothing but exhaust the young princess who was just too tired to resist by the time they'd stopped.
"Put her in the back room," the voice of their leader called out as she was slung over someone's shoulders, "Make sure the little princess is comfortable."
Coarse laughter followed that jab as she heard a door open and felt the guy carrying her duck down to get in through the door with her going in feet first. Once inside she heard nothing except what was being said outside and by those behind her as they walked in after her and the man carrying her. She could see light filter in through the fabric of the bag over her head, sometimes coming in slightly reddened by the blood that now seemed to be sprinkled chaotically upon the canvas.
It wasn't long until she was tossed down to the ground less than nicely to land on her side and her blindfold was loosened and removed. She blinked back the dark spots from having light flood back to her vision and saw the retreating forms of the man who'd dropped her leaving the room. As he left the leader walked into the room and kneeled in front of her. Eolyn felt slightly lightheaded both from the rush of blood going from her head after her having her head down so long along with the cut that hadn't sealed because of the roughness of the bag constantly rubbing against the cut.
"Now," he said through a mouthful of freshly cooked fish, casually pointing his dagger at her, "Make no noise, make no attempts to escape and you will not be touched. But if you try to call for help or try to escape we will catch you and you will suffer, our employer never said what condition you had to be in. But I suspect they will pay more for a virgin than they would otherwise, but not much. Are we understood?"
As he spoke he trailed the knife down her chin and neck to the strings of her shirt and popped the top knot. He then parted her shirt's unfastened strings to show the bare skin beneath. Once the cold steel touched the vulnerable soft skin just above her bossom he held the point right at her chest to emphasize his point when he asked if he was understood. Eolyn tried hard to quell a small whimper that was muffled through the gag tied between her teeth, but failed to do so. It was a sign of a weakness that only the threat of real harm could bring to the surface.
Up until now Eolyn had been angry and defiant, but now she felt very real fear creeping into her blood as she saw the sadistic and dangerous smile on the man's face. The fear plainly showed, and was enough to satisfy him, as he withdrew the knife the same way it had come to rest, dragging the cold pointed steel up her skin, over her neck and off the bottom of her chin in a cold thin glide that sent shivers emanating out from where the blade had touched. It was really the first time in her life Eolyn had felt this kind of fear, this was not her father or mother simply angered with her, or her tutor threatening to make her work or read for longer because of negligence, these were men who could do anything and would do anything without a guilty conscience.
The door behind him was shut and thus left Eolyn alone in the dark with no friends and no help, only the dark of the future which looked more and more bleak. She could hear them talking amongst themselves in loud tones as she tried to squirm over to the back where she could lean upright against the wooden wall more comfortably and think clearly. She didn't want to be here when these men's employer arrived and whisked off to become a slave for some barbarian and never see home or family again. She didn't care at this point if there was the risk of bodily harm if she were caught attempting to escape, Eolyn was refusing to give into the fear she could still feel creeping within herself as she heard her captors speaking and laughing as she tried pulling and twisting against the ropes binding her hands. There wasn't much movement to the ropes as they were bound far too tightly for even her thin wrists to slip through.
Eolyn could still feel the trickling of the blood against her temple as it slowly ebbed down her smooth skin as the bleeding tapered off and stopped after a little while. The dried blood upon her forehead and brow was thinly dried and with every movement she felt her skin sticking together from the dried blood cracking and giving way to the skin movement beneath it. Thankfully her eyes had remained untouched and she scanned the bare room for anything that might prove to be of use in aiding her planned escape. There were a few old planks leaning into the corner to her right along with a few chests and boxes with old broken locks dangling from them. There were a few skins from unknown animals nailed to the walls around her and stacked three feet high to her left, making this more of a storeroom than a real cell. There was, however, nothing sharp of serrated that could aid in cutting the binds on her hands and ankles, preventing all loose movement for her. But she did realize one thing that could be of use, the floor was dirt, and as she leaned against the wall she could feel her fingers digging through the soil and felt the wall underneath end and knew that she had a way to escape once she could get herself untied. But looking around, that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
Above Falls of Rauros
The river was a quiet place this far into the wild, no fishermen haunted its slow current. The banks were gravel and the forest above them were quiet. This was a wide and slow portion of the river, relatively near to a road on the western side of the river, a few dozen yards from the bank. Standing admiring this fine sight in the moonlight was a woman in full battle armor, a decorated steel cuirass, thin articulating steel strips on her shoulders over a long chainmail suit under a red tunic on her that fell to her knees where she had shin guards and knee guards and leather boots. She held the basket-hilt of her falchion in a leather scabbard on a steel-studded belt. Every piece of décor was odd, it was dragon themed.
Her long straight hair was a brilliant bright red, unusual for the folk who lived in these parts, and her eyes were a deep dark green. Her skin was slightly pale and smooth. On her face was a confident smile as she surveyed the opposite shore for any signs of opposition or life. She found none, and raised her gloved hand into a fist and opened it and waved it forward.
The sounds of clinking metal surrounded and enveloped her as hundreds of men in armor of black-stained steel marched from the woods where they'd been hidden. The first line of them carried a large wood and steel crossbow who ran forward, kneeling a foot from the water's edge with eyes sharp for anyone who might have seen them coming. Their kettle helmets and armor allowed for it, they each had a hood and tunic of leather and short-sleeved suit chain mail and a red tunic. Their weapons were of a new and relatively unseen design for Middle Earth. At the end of the crossbow, where the metal bow and wooden shaft ended and where the heavy armor piercing bolts were sent downrange was a metal loop where the soldiers could loop their feet into and pull back on the string to reload their weapon.
These troops wore a tall and flat rectangular four-foot by two-foot shield looped over their shoulder to protect them so that they could turn their backs on a target and reload with their large shields as protection. Their shields were colored red with a red and black dragon's head painted onto the shield's face, the head of the dragon facing out, at the opponent. A large steel knob was also on the shield where another symbol set the soldiers' units apart from one another. They also carried a similar sword to the ones their leader wore on her belt, but the hilts were not nearly as elaborate, being only enough to loop around to protect as a thin hand guard for the soldiers.
Those troops who didn't have crossbows carried a long eight-foot long winged spear with a long ten-inch penetrating head and six-inch crescent double-edged blade facing up towards the point and a more wieldable three-and-a-half-foot tall kite shield in their right hands with their shields held across their chests and a sword in a scabbard by their side. They stood shoulder to one another in tight box formations. At the head of each formation was a man carrying a carved wooden relief of a dragon with its wings outstretched and head held down with the chin on its neck. But the most interesting part was in place of its eyes were two carved red jewels that glowed a dull red in the dark of the night. Underneath the black dragon mini-statue was a set of metal plates with painted letters of a unique language that was returning to Middle Earth for the first time since the Second Age. Each line of letters signified the individual unit and its captain to whoever could read it.
These troops each had a suit of banded mail with the chain mail backing with riveted articulating strips of metal armor over it on the torso and shoulder armor plates. They had shin/knee guards and splinted armor on their thighs and arm guards on their forearms and leather gloves and hand guards. Over their armor they have red tunics with black dragon emblem that went down to their knees. Their heads were protected by a barbute helmet with black scarves pulled up over their noses, allowing only their eyes to be visible behind the T-shaped opening. They were imposing figures. But the crowning feature was on top of the helmet. It appeared to be a much more simplified dragon with the mouth open as it faced forward with glowing red stones in place of its eyes while the rest of the body melded back into the smooth metal surface as it trailed to the back with the wings broadening out to thicken and give some texture to the top of the helmet.
These soldiers numbered in the hundreds as they stood there, with mounted knights wearing a full suit of metal plate armor and fully encased and feather-topped domed great helms with ornate dragon crests holding somewhat different weaponry, mainly a ten-foot lance they carried in the stead of a halberd and a single edged falchion sword instead of a kopis with ornate basket hilts. Their status was also given due to their red capes with fur lining near the collar with gold and silver etching on their armor and helmets. They had their heater shields on their backs with their personal heraldry on them. More powerful and wealthy knights and nobles had more ornate armor and helmets and capes.
All around and behind within the woods, the glowing eyes of the dragons on the helmets in the dark of the forest signaled that there were many more yet to reveal themselves. Some of them were hefting large flatboats towards the water's edge along with lengths of rope as their comrades awaited their time to cross in disciplined quiet. As they did this they were watched by their leader, who had now mounted onto a white horse brought to her by a cloaked soldier with silver edging on his armor and a silver dragon crest on his helmet. As she watched her Legions start to cross the River Anduin she heard the rattle of the rocky riverbank beneath horse's hooves coming behind her.
"Your majesty, all Legions are prepared to cross on your command," a red-haired and heavily red-bearded man stated in a deep foreboding voice. His armor was decorated with the likeness of skulls upon silver, black, and red armor that formed the shape of a chiseled abdomen with segmented plates on his shoulders. He had a black cape with an elongated skull with narrowed eyes staring at anyone who watched it long enough.
"Cross at once brother," she replied in a smooth voice that emanated of calm confidence, "Once on the other side word will spread like fire of our movement. The Armies of Gondor will descend on us within days."
"I am not worried about these Men of the West. Let them come," the man growled.
"We mustn't rush a decisive battle yet, first we must weaken them. Once the army crosses march west, for Rohan."
"Yes your majesty," came the loyal reply, "When do you think they will know we're here?"
"They already do," she smiled, "The eyes of Amon Hen are watching."
"Good, then they know their doom approaches."
"Send forth the Skulls, wipe the garrison of Amon Hen off the face of the world. Make sure they know that it is Elda, the Queen of the Men of Drakonis on the East Shore that comes for them. Any word of our Reapers and their mission?"
"Not as of yet your majesty."
"Make certain General, much depends upon it. We cannot allow Eomer King to think with a rational head. But with his daughter in our grasp, he may just rush himself into a battle that he will regret."
"And Gondor will be without an ally, leaving us to deal with Elessar alone without his allies and friends. All he'll have is a weakened Rohan led by a whelp of a Prince."
"Vengeance will soon be ours General, soon the Dragon Standard shall fly over this land, and we shall cleanse this world of all of those who spat upon our people those thousands of years ago. They may have forgotten the Dragon Kin, but when I'm done, they will remember us forever."
Amon Hen, Outpost of the Rangers of Rauros
As they watched, and foresaw their new war eyes kept a close watch from on the great hill where the Rangers of Rauros stood a vigilant watch. Their Captain sat at the Seat of Seeing, seeing and hearing all that was being said. Now he took action, and rose from his seat where his officers waited for him.
His name was Captain Firfion, son of Denadein, and was well known for his absolute mastery of the art of forest fighting and using the strengths of his rangers to maximum effect. He'd won renown as a young man in the War of the ring fighting for Faramir until he'd been injured in battle at Osgiliath and was one of a handful of Rangers to survive the charge against Osgiliath because he was unconscious in the House of Healing and was barely able to take part in the battle for Minas Tirith by sitting in his bed at the wall and firing down with his longbow for more than two days without food or water or rest. That scar remained on his left cheek and neck. He'd shortly afterward, at the recommendation of Faramir, been given command of a new force of trained Rangers to man the old outpost at Amon Hen and to patrol the Anduin River Road and deal with orcs and bandits, which he'd done well.
He was a thin man, but strong with a hoarse and commanding voice that spoke with enough presence to gain the attention of anyone within earshot. He was able to command the utmost respect with sword and bow, and even more able with the command of his men. Under his command the Rangers had wiped out an orc horde numbering over six hundred that had taken up residence in Amon Hen itself and easily dealt with them with the two hundred Rangers at his disposal without the loss of a man. He now faced his own new and far more dangerous task with this unprecedented invasion.
"Gondor is now at war," Firfion whispered to himself, "Send word to Minas Tirith and Edoras with all haste, an army from the east numbering seventy thousand has crossed the Anduin and is marching on Rohan. Don't waste a rider, use the pigeons. The rest of you muster your men immediately we must get to the Anduin Road before they do."
"Sir we only have two hundred men within our post, and most of them are on patrol. By the time we have mustered the enemy will be across the river in full strength."
"I don't intend to meet them, I intend to shadow them and keep close watch on them and strike whatever small patrols they send to scout and forage ahead of their main body. The King must know what he is up against," he responded as he walked down the stairs with his officers behind him, "But there's worse. They are looking for Princess Eolyn of Rohan to capture and use as leverage against Eomer King."
"What?!" one of the Lieutenants responded with nearly a yell, "She is in Minas Tirith."
"That isn't all, yesterday I received word from the White Tower that Princess Eolyn had ridden off on her own going north from Minas Tirith. Why is not my business, but what is our business is that our Prince, the Son of the Steward, and the Prince of Rohan have ridden in pursuit of her, by now they'll be near here. We cannot allow them to catch them out here or the lines of succession to the Kingdoms of the West will be threatened. Now, sound the recall."
The officers were speechless at that, and simply followed their Captain to the stone and wooden shack that was both their barracks and armory. As they walked in the horn bearer was awoken and began sounding the call loudly for the Rangers of Rauros to return to their outpost with all haste.
All of them knew what their duty was and that their Prince and next Steward were out here in great danger along with the heir to the throne of their ally and their own future queen on top of that. So after rousing their men they prepared to become the first Men of Gondor to meet this new enemy and save their Prince from a danger he probably didn't even know was waiting right around the corner.
River Anduin Road, Below the Falls of Rauros
The six riders rode down the road at a quick trot with nothing but the clopping of their horses' hooves upon the dirt road to accompany them along with the loud arguing of the three new additions to their little band. It became quite clear which of the Dwarves was what type of person early on. Aiden was their leader, Furdi was the smart ass, and Furdi would always be the one to steer the conversation in the direction of food.
"My Lord Eldarion, when do you plan on stopping for the night?" Gondo asked.
"I don't," Eldarion responded smartly.
"And why would that be Prince?" Furdi asked grumpily.
"Because the Princess of Rohan is not one to stop Master Dwarf. Hence, we must travel as long as we can and stop to only rest the horses," Eoden replied.
"Truly she wouldn't travel in these woods at night and alone?" Aiden asked, "These roads are perilous for horses and people alike with many pitfalls and hidden hazards. Orcs still roam the Anduin's length, albeit they are not as common as the thieves and bandits that she is more than likely to encounter."
"The Rangers of Rauros have dealt with them," Borothir responded to that, "My tutor Firfion is their Captain. He wiped out an Orc horde just last year at Amon Hen. And the Rangers patrol these woods."
"Yes, they do, but the thieves are crafty, and their numbers are great. He can take care of a hundred and there'd still be more to deal with," Furdi responded.
"And with someone as important as you lads it would not be wise to walk yourselves into a trap for the sake of speed," Gondo added, "Just stopping for the night will do wonders. That way you can regain your strength with a good warm meal and allow the horses to rest and feed themselves. You see, you are only as good as your last meal. That's what my father always said."
"Your father always said pass the pork," Furdi replied, "With you saying 'me next' you fat oaf."
"It is not my fault that I have a taste for the finer things in life, you should find your own taste. Like shutting up!" Gondo yelled back.
"Oh be careful Gondo, when you get off your pony you might cause an earth quake."
"Shut up you fool, before you say something you're going to regret," Gondo growled.
"Master Dwarves I don't think-," Eldarion started, but was totally blown off by the arguing Dwarves.
"I'll show you shutting up!" Furdi snapped, grabbing Gondo by the cloak next to him and pulled and yanked the larger Dwarf from his saddle and followed him down as punches began flying as the Dwarves started to fight over something that so trivial to the three men watching with confused silence.
"Furdi, Gondo!" Aiden snapped, getting off his pony and walked over.
Eoden brought his horse over to Eldarion and sighed with anger seeping from his tone.
"Eldarion we'll never catch Eolyn if we have to keep dealing with these three," he whispered as Aiden started pulling the two apart.
"I'm tempted to agree my friend," Borothir added, "They just can't help us."
"We should just ride on, apologize if we must, but we must ride," Eoden urged.
"They did bring up a good point. These woods are dangerous my friends. They may be useful, especially in an ambush which is very possible. And…and if Eolyn herself is caught by bandits we may need their skills and numbers."
"Eolyn will never allow herself to be caught," Eoden snapped, "She's the finest rider on the Mark with the fastest horse yet seen in Middle Earth."
"That may be true, but on this road speed is not always enough. One must be able to fight when they must and do you honestly believe your sister can fight off a band of thieves on her own?" Eldarion said, "Do you, Borothir?"
"I see your point," Borothir conceded.
"Once we're to Amon Hen we can part ways. Hopefully we can use the Seat of Seeing to scan the land for Eolyn. Once that is done we can ride quickly and close the distance," Eldarion responded, "They did say they were on their way to Amon Hen anyway. This way we may also save a potential friendship and not insult the Dwarves. There is always a political connotation to what we do and say."
"Very well," Eoden nodded.
"That's enough!" Aiden finally bellowed and grabbed both fighting companions by their beards and slammed their heads together.
"Ow!" both yelled.
"You are holding up the young highnesses' quest you fools! Now mount up."
Then, a bellowing call echoed across the night and silenced all six of them. The Horn of Gondor was not a horn to be mistaken. It was a well-known and often heard signal within Gondor's borders calling out to distant patrols and signaling in between outposts. Eldarion even had a horn of his own but left it back at Minas Tirith but he knew that Borothir didn't go anywhere without his own horn and Eoden held his own Horn of Rohan on a string over his shoulder resting upon his hip.
"The Horn of Gondor, who's sounding it?" Eoden asked.
"And where is it coming from?" Furdi agreed.
"These woods obscure sound, it is impossible to tell," Aiden growled.
"More importantly why?" Borothir whispered.
"Quickly, we have to get to Amon Hen!" Eldarion ordered quickly, spurring his horse forward.
The group urged their horses forward, moving along at quite a clip until they started a steep climb up the path that was well used by travelers and Rangers making their way to and from their post upon the hill where the Seat of Seeing watched Gondor's borders for a long way. But as they began to ride up the hill a sudden and large ball of orange fire rose from the south and a rumbling boom met their ears.
"That fire, that's not natural at all," Borothir said, looking at the flames that now rose less than two miles from their place.
"It could be your Rangers calling for aid or signaling an attack," Furdi said.
"No, it's like any fire I've ever seen," Borothir shook his head, "Too large, too dangerous to be made by any Ranger."
"Then let's make haste, we must find out what's happening. Men are in danger," Eoden said, spinning his horse around and started back down the road, following the smoke to where they would find something else entirely.
Bandit Hideout, Near River Anduin
Eolyn hadn't known she'd fallen asleep. She wasn't exactly comfortable leaning against her improvised prison wall and had been too worried and paranoid to even contemplate falling asleep. But she had dozed off from complete exhaustion for a short while, until she was startled awake by a small rustling behind her, on the other side of the wall. She strained her ears to listen as the noise closer then stopped just outside the wall. Then, she heard a metallic squeaking noise against the wood and she felt her shirt get pushed by a sharp jab that surprised her with a small squeak. And then, Eolyn heard a voice that she couldn't have been happier to hear than in that moment.
"Eolyn? You there?" came the voice of none other than Stophen, the wizard in training she'd met just hours before. She carefully shuffled over to see a hole within the wooden plank where she saw Stophen's eye looking inside.
"Is it her Stophen?" another voice whispered, it was Doro, one of the Hobbits.
"Shutup Doro," the voice of William said in a testy tone.
"We're all here, stay calm and quiet Eolyn, we'll get you out. Eolyn felt a new feeling of joy and hope spread through her as she realized that someone had heard her calls for help and now she had a real chance of escaping for the first time since being captured. So, she tried making gestures with her head to get them to hurry up and get her out. She knew that these bandits were waiting on a prospective buyer who could show up at any time and they might very well get caught and killed. Obviously, speed was critical here at this point in time.
She couldn't hear very much from her captors and started to hear a quiet digging noise as the Hobbits and Stophen began digging with quite a bit of vigor and she quickly looked back and forth to see and listen if her rescuers had been discovered. She could see a few small wisps of dust rise from an ever-larger hole leading into her room and soon was able to see that the Hobbits and Stophen were using branches and their bare hands to break and shovel out the earth beneath the wall and it was working well.
"Here, let me in there," the voice of Peter said quietly and soon the black-haired Hobbit began squirming into the opening and crawled through after a first failed attempt, "We did warn you."
She couldn't help but smile into her gag as the young Hobbit drew a small knife and kneeled quietly in front of her. He then pulled the gag out of her mouth allowing her to breathe deeply and whisper to him.
"Thank you, but we need to hurry. They're expecting someone to sell me to."
"Right, not a moment to lose," Peter said and moved behind her and began cutting her bindings with quick precision.
Once that was done Eolyn was allowed to finally stretch her muscles and get to the process of escaping from this place. She quickly began pulling out bits of dirt as Peter broke it up with his knife, being careful to avoid hitting the hands of his fellows who were on the other side digging it out so that Eolyn could fit through the opening.
"Okay, try getting through your majesty," Kapper whispered as he stuck his head down into the hole so that Eolyn could see the young Hobbit.
"Go," Peter gestured, standing up to face the door just in case they were discovered. Eolyn knew that if they were discovered to be aiding her escape Peter would surely fight and die first among them and it would have been her fault. She wanted very much to make him go first so he would not have to face death for her but she saw that arguing now was the worst possible time to do so.
So, without a word, she laid on her back and pushed down into the hole where her head came out from under the wooden wall into a bright moon lit night where the faces of Stophen, Doro, William, and Kapper were waiting. She pushed her shoulders and arms through and felt William and Kapper grab her underneath the armpits and start pulling her out as Stophen got behind her and helped as Doro kept watch. Soon her torso was out, followed by her legs and she was free. And as soon as she was out Peter quickly scrambled through the much larger opening and was out without a word spoken.
She now saw that the Hobbits were all wearing their hoods up with Stophen holding a staff about five and a half feet tall made of a polished oak with a knarled end where he had carved several runes into it in Sindarin, which she wasn't able to read fully in this dark.
"I would suggest we make haste to anywhere but here," Stophen suggested.
"But I need to get Ruby, I'm not leaving my horse," Eolyn quietly protested.
"Oh no, he means it is not going to be safe here," Doro whispered.
"Yes I know but I can't leave her," Eolyn continued.
"No, as in, this exact spot," Stophen tried to impress upon her.
"Eolyn, very soon this little cabin is going to explode," William responded, getting a questioning look from her.
"I left your captors a little present in their chimney, it will delay their pursuit for quite some time," Stophen winked.
"A present?"
"My potions don't just provide an income my dear, they can be very useful in deterring unsavory characters," Stophen winked.
"Then I must get my horse away from here," Eolyn whispered with fearful purpose and quietly crawled to the front, with the protesting Hobbits right behind her.
"Eolyn, we can't risk it, we have to go," Peter said with an angry tone, "What's so special about a horse you'd risk your life for it."
"I raised Ruby, she's my best friend, I will not leave her to be killed or sold."
"Fine, I'll help," William bravely volunteered.
"Thank you," Eolyn said, smiling to the brave Hobbit.
The two of them quietly crept along, keeping under the dully lit windows where she was able to hear the quiet talking of two or three of the bandits within. She then poked her head around and looked out at the front of the cabin to see that it was unguarded and unwatched. There was a small grassy clearing in front of it where a small pond was situated and where she saw her horse tied to a poll pounded into the Earth, her head and eyes looking directly at her, her keen senses having sensed Eolyn's approach.
Eolyn smiled and began to creep backwards towards Ruby with her eyes on the cabin hoping that she wasn't going to be seen as she freed her horse. Thankfully all went well and Eolyn untied the knot holding Ruby in place and checked to see that her saddlebags were plundered and empty and her sword was gone. She'd be able to survive without it for now, and now made her way towards the woods with William right next to her, with a piece of rope in hand that had a small leather pouch in the center to make a fairly well-made sling which he'd loaded with a stone half as large as her palm. She could see the other Hobbits beckoning her towards a break in the forest to the left of the cabin where she quickly made to.
"Let's get out of here shall we?" Stophen suggested once they were several yards from the treeline and safe in cover.
"What about the explosive?" Doro asked, getting Stophen's attention immediately.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said as a thunderous boom ripped through the cool night, nearly knocking the group off their feet.
An enormous ball of flame ripped through the wood and mud chimney, sending splinters in all directions and peeling the fragile roof of the cabin back like a banana. Pieces of flaming debris started soaring into the sky as a great fire roared where the cabin had once been. The screams of the surprised bandits worked their way through the night as a couple stumbled out into the night with flames on their arms, hair, or bodies. The group rolled on the ground in a panic to put out the flames as Eolyn felt a tug on her sleeve and saw Stophen quietly nodding towards the hidden trail that the Hobbits were already beginning to scurry down to get away.
"Thank you," she whispered as they walked away from the fiery clearing.
"You're very welcome. But next time, it may be beneficial to heed sound advice," Stophen said with a warm grin.
"I will," she said and continued to lead her horse down the path as Stophen brought up the rear.
As they made their escape into the forest the fire caused by Stophen's explosive was dying away and the six bandits left were looking at their wrecked hideout with looks of shock and anger. They had been drinking and sleeping and thus the last thing they had expected to awake to was their cabin being consumed by a tremendous fire ball. But then one of them realized that they weren't the only ones in that cabin.
"The Princess!" their leader suddenly shouted, and he and several of his companions charged into the back to see what had happened to her, or if she was even still there.
What they found was a true surprise. There wasn't the slightest sign that she had been there, but there was a clue as to how she got out.
"She dug out, look," one of the bandits pointed, seeing the hole in the dirt floor from the flames next to their heads that were smoldering the walls around them.
"That insolent little bitch! She's going to pay for this," their leader snapped, spinning around to exit the building and get searching. But instead he saw a sight he had dreaded to see at this exact moment.
A solid wall of horses of and hooded and masked riders numbering well over twenty was standing before the building with his men standing there looking at them with fear and worry in their eyes. Each of them was clothed in black, with a red sash tied about their waists with a metal circle with the likeness of a curled dragon upon it. At their waists was a curved dagger with a hilt embedded with a red jewel. On their backs were two curved short swords with black hilts. Their faces were masked over with only their eyes showing in the darkness. The red trim upon their hoods and shirts was unmistakable, these were the Reapers, the personal daggers of Queen Elda.
"Where is the girl?" their leader asked, riding forward. The bandits said nothing, struck with fear of what these deadly assassins were going to do when they learned that their prize had gone, "Speak!"
"She, she escaped my lord. But don't worry, we won't make that mistake again."
The leader of the Reapers was totally silent, until he dismounted and walked forward to the leader of the bandits.
"I know," he calmly said. Then in a move so swift one would have to see it again to be sure, he swiped his arm up to his back and drew one of his swords and slashed evenly across the bandit's neck. As the body fell the dismembered head fell with it, until it rolled forward to the Reaper Captain's feet. Without even looking at his gruesome handiwork he turned away as his men pulled out small crossbows from their saddles and fired with quiet clicks that were accompanied by loud screams of pain as the small steel darts cut into the few bandits who learned that night that one does not ever fail the Reapers.
"Spread out, time is running short. The Queen expects us to meet her with the girl, find her and kill any who are with her."
The now joyful Princess of Rohan did not know that this new and deadly threat now sought her out as she walked through the thinning brush to where she discovered the wagon that the Hobbits and Stophen had hidden near the road.
"It would be wise of us to make some distance now," Stophen said as he walked towards he steps up into his wagon, "I would suggest you stay with us for the time being Eolyn. There is strength in numbers out here."
"I'd be a fool to argue with you Stophen," Eolyn said as she stopped Ruby next to the wagon.
"Most people are who do argue with him," William piped up as he walked over to the wagon along with his kinsmen.
"Aye, he's gotten around these parts and knows his stuff," Doro added.
"And so do we," Peter piped up, "Stick with us and we'll protect you," he bragged as he leaned against the wagon on one hand. But as he said that an arrow slammed into the loose part of his sleeve, pinning the arm there and surprising everyone as its steel head audibly hit the wagon. Another arrow hit Kapper's cloak where he stood near the wagon wheel almost at the same time. Then another arrow hit Stophen's shirt as he was reaching down to pull up William onto the wagon. Eolyn spun around to see that there was already an arrow pointing at Stophen's nose with a bow and an archer poised behind it. The bow seemed to have a shine to it on several bands of silver wrapped around the bow. The wood was colored darkly in the moon light and its user's face was totally masked by the shadow of his hood. The figure wore a well-made cloak with several metal clasps on it. The clothing appeared to be colored a grass green with a similarly colored shirt and sleeves with black leather wrist guards protecting the two pulling fingers and the inside of the wrist of the archer. On his back was a large totally filled quiver of arrows with an ivory sword handle poking out from behind his head.
"Do not move," a smooth but deadly serious voice commanded.
"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice now do I?" Peter piped up angrily as he tried to pull the arrow out his sleeve.
"Get away from her you!" Doro and William cried out as they drew a pair of small knives from their belts but were stopped short as another figure stepped out from behind the wagon aiming an arrow at Doro who was about as surprised as Eolyn was. He too bore the same well-made green cloak and his own wrist protection. But from here Eolyn could see that he bore a curve sword at his left side in a decorated scabbard.
"What is the meaning of this?!" she hissed at the figure who didn't even budge as she faced him, and felt the empty space where she had once had her sword.
"You're Elves," Stophen acknowledged curiously.
The hooded figure in front of Eolyn and the one in front of Doro and William turned to look at Stophen who yanked the arrow from the wooden stair of his wagon.
"How did you guess that?" the other Elf asked, not dropping his guard.
"Well," Stophen started with his usual friendly demeanor, "Your stealth was my first clue, then I see you bear the Leaves of Mirkwood, only Elves bear those. Next, is your arrow. This arrowhead, very leaf shaped, with a shaft of yew and feathers of a swan. Very well crafted, and well-aimed," Stophen said as he looked at the hole in his shirt, "Thank you for not pinning my hand to the wagon."
"Why did you attack us?" Eolyn demanded again, "I am Princess Eolyn, daughter of Eomer, King of Rohan so you'd best answer me Master Elf."
"We have been searching for you Princess," the first Elf said calmly, dropping his guard and lowered his bow and placed the arrow back within his quiver, "I am Holdiir, and this is my brother Holdiim."
He drew back his hood, revealing a delicate but handsome face that could only belong to an Elf. His hair seemed to shine white in the light of the moon and his eyes looked as if they could pierce the hardiest of men's souls. Then Holdiim took off his hood after doing likewise with his bow and arrow. But what surprised all of them was that his face was exactly like Holdiir's. They were twins.
"We have come to return you to Edoras. These men who seek you are a dangerous group from the Far East. We have been tracking them for three days and have only now realized their plans."
"Easterlings?" Eolyn asked, "Why would they want me?"
"Far East, beyond the Easterling tribes?" Stophen asked.
"We don't know. But we must get you to safety before they find your trail."
"What is this all about?" Peter asked.
"An army has crossed the Anduin. War is upon Middle Earth once more, and we are about to be caught in the middle of it."
"A war?!" Doro asked out loud, "I wanna try."
"Wars are nothing to look forward to master Hobbit," Holdiir responded wisely.
"Oh how bad can it be?" Peter responded with his arms crossed with the arrow that had pinned him to the wagon in hand.
"It can be worse than anything you can imagine," Holdiim replied, stepping towards the Hobbit, "First is the fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, and not being able to do anything you can to stop it. Then is the battle itself, your comrades and enemies all around you, their blood spilling onto the ground and flowing like a river. The sight of the dead staring at you from the other side, bidding you to join their peaceful rest. Then is the memory, the memory of those you've killed and those you've lost, forever haunting you until your dying breath," as he said that he looked at Eolyn with a look of the utmost seriousness, "We have seen war. We know its fire, it is not to be looked forward to. Especially when it is two Kingdoms of Men that are fighting one another."
All of a sudden the group turned to hear a shrill bellowing horn off in the near distance. It was unlike any that they'd heard before.
"It's them, quickly we must go West," Holdiir said, grabbing Eolyn by her arm as Holdiim walked to join them.
"Wait, I'm not going anywhere without my friends," Eolyn demanded.
"If they find you with them they will be killed," Holdiim responded.
"Now hold on a minute there Master Elf," Stophen responded, "How many times have you gone beyond your forest of Mirkwood? What do you know of the land between here and Rohan?"
"And I suppose you know more than I sir?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Stophen responded.
"Besides, these invaders sound like they'll be a handful, you can use fine Hobbits and our skills to help get the young Princess home," Kapper said.
"What skills would a Hobbit have that we might use to do battle with mounted soldiers and crossbowmen?" Holdiir asked.
"We're all fine slingers, and I can cook," Doro said.
"And I can fight just as well as you," Peter said standing right up to the two Elves.
"You're not going anywhere without us Master Elves, best accept it."
The two Elves looked at one another and without a word being spoken they seemed to come to the same conclusion that they'd best accept it. So with a nod Holdiir and Holdiim stowed their bows.
"Very well, this is a dangerous task you have taken so be prepared for the worst Master Stophen."
"Oh don't worry about us, we Hobbits have a habit of surprising," Kapper smiled as he jumped up into the back of the wagon.
"Eolyn," Stophen called out, "I think it would be best if I look after your injury. It looks like your captors didn't do you any favors. The last thing we need is for you to pass out on the road."
"I'm alright Stophen," she replied as she prepared to mount onto Ruby but felt a slightly light headed as she was about to get up.
"Eolyn remember what happened last time you said you were alright? You got kidnapped," William put in smartly.
"It'll be alright Eolyn, just an hour or two of staying off the saddle and keeping a bandage on your brow should be enough to suffice. Besides, your temple is covered in blood. Most unbecoming of a princess."
Eolyn furrowed her brow in confusion and felt her forehead to feel the rough dryness of the blood that had smeared over because of her captors' blindfold. She sighed and handed the reins to Holdiim reluctantly and walked over to the back of the wagon and climbed up and was practically pulled down to sit against the side on the folded up tents. Stophen handed control of the large wagon over to William who urged the four oxen forward and began seeing to Eolyn's cut once more after cleaning and most painful of all, sanitizing the wound. As he worked the wagon trundled along with the Elf twins in front of and behind the wagon making sure that there was nothing and no one that was going to surprise them. Eolyn should have felt some kind of relief from being freed of a very dangerous situation but instead she felt disappointment. The adventure she had wanted to have was now at an end, now it was simply a quest to return home without becoming a pawn in a larger game that she feared she was to be left out of. But, at least she was going to have a while to get home and on the way anything could happen.
Former Bandit Hideout (Two Hours Later)
In the predawn light the smoke of the fire that had burnt out recently guided the six riders right towards a scene that they hadn't been wanting to encounter. Strewn across the clearing were the bodies of six men, each having been slain some time ago.
"Check for survivors," Eldarion said as they scanned the area.
"I don't think anyone here is going to be able to share the events of what happened Eldarion," Furdi said as the group dismounted and spread out through the clearing.
"These aren't arrows," Eoden whispered as he yanked one of the all steel bolts from one of the bodies.
"No, their bolts from a crossbow," Gondo explained as he took another from the same body, "All steel, each of them is identical. These came from the same foundry."
"Then it couldn't have been the Rangers of Rauros who did this. They don't use crossbows," Borothir said as he turned one of the bodies over to examine it, holding his longbow and knocked arrow in his hands.
"A feud between rival gangs?" Eldarion asked as he used his foot to turn over the dismembered head of one of the men on the ground and had to stifle his disgust at the sight and smell of it all.
"Not likely, these bodies would have been looted and the bolts retrieved," Aiden said calmly.
"Well if it wasn't the Rangers and it wasn't bandits whose work is this?" Eoden asked as he began walking towards the burnt over cabin.
"You have me lad," Furdi said as he entered the cabin and began shoving bits and pieces around with his spear to look for anything of value or intelligence.
"They're definitely bandits," Borothir said as he too entered the cabin, "Just look at all this stuff."
He was right, there was a great deal of coin, goods, and other items scattered around the room with a good deal of soot on top of it which Furdi just rubbed off as he deposited any coins he found into a small sack on his belt.
"Well, one thing's for sure, they have no further need of these coins," Furdi said as he lifted an overturned table to look for more items, "Oh nice sword," he said as he bent down and withdrew a practically untouched steel short sword of the Rohirric style.
"Give me that!" Eoden snapped upon seeing the familiar blade. He snatched it by the hilt from the Dwarf's hands without even letting him acknowledge it.
"Well you could have asked lad," Furdi grumpily responded.
"Borothir, Eldarion," he whispered, examining the blade quietly, "This is Eolyn's sword."
"What?!" Borothir said walking up to him from where he'd been poking at a singed body within the room.
"Oh no," Eldarion whispered as he leaned heavily against the shattered door frame.
"It can't be, it just can't be," Eoden whispered as he started tearing apart the room, looking for any sign of Eolyn herself, "Eolyn!"
His cries were loud and pained from the fear that they may have been too late. He began tearing at pieces of the room, hoping against hope that he would find his sister alive or that she was nearby. He finally tried pulling at a heavy beam futilely as his anguished grunts and yells settled into cries of pain and loss. The three Dwarves stopped their scavenging and searching and gave Eoden a wide berth, lest they earn the saddened wrath of the young prince. They stood outside, weapons on the ground and held them as they hung their heads down in respect.
Borothir was standing there, absolutely stunned and unable to comprehend the entirety of this new and terrible revelation. All he could do was stand there, trying to wrap his head around the idea that she was gone, that they had failed. Eldarion too felt a deep sense of grief and failure well up into his heart as Eoden and Borothir began to visibly grieve for their lost family. The Dwarves quietly and respectfully kept their distance, giving the Princes time to themselves. Eldarion hadn't known Eolyn very well, but this was to be his wife, and that alone was reason to feel great sadness. In his time with her he'd gotten to know that she was spunky, quick witted, and fiercely independent, very much like him. His sisters had known her and were deeply fond of the young Princess of Rohan and spoke very often of planned trips to visit Edoras and go on adventures with Eolyn, riding off to the horizon with not a care in the world. But now, she was gone.
Eldarion walked over to his friend and wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him close to try and offer some sort of comfort to the grieving man. Eoden had by now settled into a fit of tears at the belief he'd failed, and that Eolyn was dead. Meanwhile Borothir knew that they would need to find her and stepped into another room where he saw that the walls were still mostly intact with smoke leaking from the top of the burnt-out building. He scanned the floor, finding no sign of a body but as he turned to leave he tangled his feet amongst a length of rope and stumbled and fell back against the wall and sank against it right into a hole underneath it. He sat there and pulled the length of rope up off the ground to examine it. After a second or two he rolled up off the ground to look at the hole he'd fallen into and then jumped to his feet.
"Eldarion! Eoden!" he yelled, "Come quickly!"
The two Princes looked over their shoulders at Eoden and then saw the cut ropes in his hands and rushed over.
"This rope, it's been cut," Eldarion whispered.
"That's not all," Borothir smiled, "Look."
He pointed at the hole, clearing away a few pieces of debris to reveal it was no accident or coincidence it was there. With the clues coming together in his mind Eoden rushed over to where the wall was burnt down enough to see that there was a plethora of tracks marked in the high grasses just outside the walls where the hole could clearly be seen. Along with fairly fresh piles of dirt on top of the grasses.
"What? What is it?" Gondo asked, running into the cabin.
"Eolyn was here," Borothir said, "She was bound in this room, but her bonds were cut and she dug her way out and escaped."
"She's alive, she's alive," Eoden whispered to himself as he smiled at the thought, freed of the grief of losing a sister and replacing it with the hope that she was still out there somewhere.
"Borothir, you and Furdi follow the tracks, see where they lead," Eldarion commanded, "We'll follow with the horses."
"Right," Borothir responded, jumping over the hole in the wall to begin following the tail of trampled grass and instantly noticed something as he paused to examine a particularly clear print. As he did so Furdi came up behind him and saw him with his face etched into one of complete concentration.
"What're ye looking at? It's just tracks."
"I've never seen tracks like these, and it isn't just one set from Eolyn. There are several of these…barefooted tracks, and one other track that is not Eolyn's," he said as he examined the grass as it trailed into the forest.
"Look, horse prints," Furdi pointed, "I'd say that these new fellows are not hostile to Eolyn as they allowed her to reclaim her horse."
"You're right, there's no struggle, but it is clear they were trying to make haste. Look here," he kneeled down again, "The tracks have a great deal of toe kick."
He pointed down at where one of what were most likely Eolyn's tracks with a very definite thin print set into the dirt but in front of it one could clearly see the lighter dirt kicked forward as the toe was moving along at a higher speed. Borothir could not have asked for a better time of day to track, in the rising and setting sun it the rays shined down at a steep angle, casting long shadows, revealing traces of imprints within the ground that could not be so easily seen in the high noon. It was with this manner that he continued forward with Furdi at his side, kneeling down to examine the strange barefooted tracks within the earth.
"I still don't understand, who would trek through such terrain barefooted?" he whispered frustrated.
"There are wild men that I know of in these woods, and those I do know of would not be so friendly to strangers," Furdi grumbled in agreement.
"Oh no," Borothir whispered as he got to a clearing and saw that they had reached the road.
It was covered in hoof prints from a great many horses which seemed to ride off down the path. But what he now realized and lamented was what he saw beneath him. There was a trace of Eolyn and her company's passage clearly set within a clearing off the road a few yards but it was what accompanied the traces that had him worried.
"She's being tracked," he said as he traced a finger delicately along one footprint in particular.
"Oh you don't say, I thought the proper term was following."
"No, not by us," Borothir said grimly, "This track has been examined before, look at the print there, it only of the front half of a boot and is deeply set. The clear sign of someone hunched over on the front of their feet as they are tracking. And see here," he pointed, tracing along the outside of Eolyn's print to show that his finger made an identical mark to the one just outside the heel, "And it's fresh. The morning dew on the ground has been broken."
He was right, the entire area from the hoof prints to the small trace he'd pointed at was discolored, showing darker in the early morning sun with the undisturbed parts a glistening lighter color because of the fine dew that coats the ground every morning.
"Borothir," the voice of Eoden called out as he led his and Borothir's horses into the clearing with a smile on his face as he now saw that they were on the road and had a clear direction, "Which way?"
Behind him were Eldarion, Gondo, and Aiden who was leading Furdi's horse right behind them.
"Something's wrong," Aiden instantly noticed after taking the grim faces of Borothir and Furdi.
"What?" Eoden asked confused.
"Eolyn's being tracked, by whom I do not know," Borothir replied.
"How can you tell?" Gondo asked.
"These signs are the exact ones I make as I examine a track. And it's fresh, not even an hour old."
"How many?" Eldarion asked.
"Several, maybe more than a dozen riders. I can't give you exact figures Eldarion, but it doesn't take a master tracker to tell you that their direction of travel."
"Then that is where we must go," Eldarion said affirmatively, "Let's hunt the hunters."
"Yes!" Furdi said with a wild grin, running to mount onto his horse, "The hunt is on!"
As Borothir was about to jump onto his horse he noticed something else, deep trails imprinted into the earth where the shadows cast a long shade into it, "A wagon…Eldarion, Eoden, we must ride hard, Eolyn is not alone and they are not travelling very quickly at all. These riders will catch them soon."
"Then let's catch them."
Next Chapter Preview: On the hunt, and the Kings of the West hear of the new danger.
