Staying Strong: Chapter Four
-Éomer-
I strode through the remains of the small band of Uruk-Hai, my seething anger slowly slipping away as I saw evidence of our victory. We had easily overtaken them with the ambush, as I'd expected. No living creature to walk this earth knew the terrain better than my men and I. It had almost been too easy. Still, my eyes scanned the ground for signs of movement, and I was quick to place a spear through the head of anything that showed life in the foul creatures. Not one of them would escape my wrath tonight. Not one. Black bodies littered the ground, their thick, oily blood oozing from various wounds. The air was thick with the stench of death, and a grim satisfaction settled over me as the last of the Uruks were finished off. I pulled my spear free from one's chest, preparing to quickly return to my horse and relay more orders to the others. Quick work would need to be made of the bodies before long.
"Lord Éomer!"
The sudden shout caught my attention, and I turned to see one of the older men running towards me, carrying something in his hands. "They were found among the beasts, my lord," he said. He stepped in my path, unsheathing two twin blades for me to see.
I glanced away without a second thought. "Weapons of the Enemy. What use are they to me?"
"No sir, these aren't Uruk weapons," he insisted. "The men and I believe them to be of elvish make."
That caught my attention, and I turned back to the man, pausing in my stride. I took the swords into my own hands, my curiosity growing as I examined them closely. Now I saw they were made of a dark, almost black metal, from the tip of the blade to the base of the hilt, though not as crudely fashioned as an Orc or Uruk's weapon would have been. I had never seen such a metal before, and this puzzled me. Where had these mysterious blades come from? After studying them for a moment longer, I resheathed and returned them to the man. "Keep them for your own use. They are curious, but I have no need for them." The man nodded, and I continued on past him, continuing to make my way through the corpses of the Uruk-Hai.
–
-Kaia-
My heart pounded wildly in my chest and my breath came in heavy, ragged gasps. Pippin and I had barely slowed once we'd entered the forest, dodging low-hanging branches and jumping over tree roots, all the while thinking of escape. My grip on his small hand never lessened, pulling him further, just a little bit further... But even now, I could sense his exhaustion. We can't be even remotely close to the battle now... I can't even hear it anymore. Finally, I skidded to a stop, dropping to the ground as the hobbit collapsed beside me. For a few seconds, all was still as we sat together on the forest floor, catching our breath. Pippin glanced around, still anxious. "Did we lose him? I think we lost him," he panted.
I closed my eyes and sighed, leaning back against a tree behind us. "Thank God."
As if God was purposely mocking me, a rustling noise came from nearby not two seconds after I'd spoken. Pippin and I looked to our right, the color draining from our faces as two Uruk-Hai came crashing through the trees several yards away. Immediately, I grabbed Pip by the jacket and yanked him back, pressing him between the roots of the tree trunk to keep him hidden. Fuck, fuck, fuck! They're going to see us!
The little redhead looked up at me, eyes wide with fear. "Kaia, what do we do?!" he whispered.
"Shh! I don't know, I don't know!" I glanced out from behind the tree, panicking as the Uruks drew closer. They were veering slightly off-path to the left, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they found us. They were out for blood. I withdrew back into hiding, still breathing hard, knowing we couldn't outrun them anymore. They're going to find us. They're going to come over here and haul us back to Orthanc. Oh my God, we're going to die. One of the Uruks let out a fearsome growl, and I saw Pippin flinch. My gaze snapped back to him, and seeing him so scared made a fierce anger start to bubble up inside my chest. No. No, fuck that noise. Pippin's going to make it out of this alive. "Pip," I whispered, gripping his shoulder. "Pippin, listen to me. You have to get out of here."
Again, he looked up at me, though now with a shocked expression. "And leave you behind? No, Kaia!"
"Pippin, you have to," I sad, my voice low and firm. "They're looking for you more than me, and if they find you, they'll kill you." Part of that was a lie, but I didn't care. I needed him to know how urgent it was that he got away. I reached into my left boot, hand closing around a hidden knife tucked inside. "I'll draw them off. I promise, it's going to be okay." Should I do this? God, this is probably a terrible idea.
"Kaia, you can't!"
"Pippin!" I hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm serious. We don't have time to fuck around - you have to trust me. As soon as I have them distracted, you run." I pointed deeper into the forest. "Head that way. Find the Ents; those talking trees I told you about earlier. One of them is named Treebeard, find him and he'll keep you safe." He frowned in confusion, but I cut him off before he could ask any questions, squeezing his shoulder tightly to make sure he was listening. "Once you find the Ents, tell them what happened in Isengard. Tell them that Saruman destroyed their forest and they have to march against him. No matter what happens, you have to make sure the Ents go to war, do you understand me?"
He nodded, but still looked lost. "How do you-"
"I can't explain right now," I whispered quickly. The Uruk's growls had gotten closer. "I'm just telling you this in case I don't catch up with you right away." I pulled the knife from my belt, ready to spring to my feet. "You just have to trust me. Everything will be fine, I promise. Make sure the Ents go to war!" After Pippin gave me one last nod, I turned, slipping out from behind the tree without any kind of formal goodbye. Holy shit, what did I just do? No, no time to think about it. I've got to take these guys out. Quickly and quietly, I snuck through the underbrush of the forest, crawling a good distance away from our hiding spot before I was within sight of the Uruks. I took a second to calm down, gripping my knife tightly before standing up and making my presence known. Here goes nothing.
The Uruks latched on to me immediately, one of them sending a filthy sneer my way. "Can't run forever, can you, wench?" He ripped a filthy, crooked blade from his belt, as did his partner. "I'll have your guts for sneaking off!"
Despite my hammering pulse, I snarled right back at him. "Come and get it, asshole."
With a fearsome roar, the Uruks leapt forward, pouncing on me without any hesitation. I answered their growls with a cry of my own, stepping forward to meet their attack as I crossed my arms in front of me to block the first blow. I shoved hard against the Uruk and forced him back, quickly swinging my knife at him, hoping to catch him in the face. I missed, though, and my momentum had me taking another step forward with no defense, which the Uruk took full advantage of by slamming his meaty fist into my gut.
I gasped as I stumbled back, doubling over in pain. Another roar came from my left, and I barely moved out of the way in time to avoid an axe coming down on my head. Out of sheer anger, I balled my hand into a fist and threw a punch of my own, hitting the second Uruk in the side of the head. He stumbled back a few feet as well, allowing me a chance to attack the first guy again by jumping forward and trying to jam my knife into his shoulder. But again, he stopped me, grabbing me by the arm and trying to hold me still so he could stick his blade in my stomach. I kicked forward, knocking him away, but a split second later a strong arm wrapped around my shoulders and dragged me back, throwing me down into the dirt. I grunted in pain as I hit the ground, and would've retaliated had there not been a jagged sword at my throat a second later. I froze, staring up at the Uruk who now loomed over me. Shit.
"That's enough outta you!" he spat, stepping on my stomach and forcing the air out of me. I grit my teeth, the grip on my knife tightening as I prepared to lash out again, but then the second Uruk came over and stomped down on my left wrist, forcing me to drop it. I cried out as a burning pain shot through my wrist, feeling something snap.
"We'll not let you escape so easily this time!" Before I could react, one of them grabbed me by the hair, yanking me up, and I winced again. I bit back another scream as they forced my hands behind me to be tied, sending fire through my wrist again. I raised my head, blinking back tears as I realized what was happening. Oh God, no... No, I was supposed to beat them! Then it hit me, and I frantically scanned the forest, searching for any sign of Pippin. Shit, please tell me he ran away, please tell me he listened... Both the Uruks were behind me now, tightening the ropes, and I prepared to kick back at them again, ready to fight my way out of this. I can't go to Isengard. No way. Who knows what Saruman has in store for me there, especially now that things are different, I can't-
But then I stopped as an alternative came to mind. ...No. No way. That's insane, I shouldn't even be thinking about it. Saruman is dangerous, I need to stay away from him. Even though I tried to push myself away from the idea, though, the gears slowly started to turn in my head. What if I gave Saruman what he wanted? What if I went to Isengard willingly as his prisoner, for just long enough to gather information about what he was planning? If he knows about Erin, Kathryn and I, and he knows we'd normally be able to predict the future, he might try and change things up on his end to throw us all off. Sauron and Saruman could be developing something terrible, and no one would know about it. No one except me.
I winced again as the two Uruks behind me yanked on the rough ropes now binding my wrists. It was a dangerous move. Probably the riskiest thing I could've chosen to do. But if I was right... if our enemies weren't doing things according to schedule anymore, we had to know. Things could go really, really badly if we didn't. I glanced around again, a strange mix of both relief and fear tangling together when I still didn't see Pippin anywhere. He's gone. He has to be. Pippin would've leapt out to try and save me by now if he knew I was captured again. The Uruks threw some cruel insult my way, but I wasn't paying attention. Now I was too focused on playing the part of prisoner for the journey ahead. One of them prodded me forward with his sword, forcing me to either walk or be skewered. I glanced back, noticing the long end of the rope was securely tied to his belt, and swallowed. Well, I guess the decision's made now. So I faced forward, ready to begin the march to Isengard, desperately clinging to the hope that Pippin would remember everything I told him as I started moving, a captive of the Uruk-Hai once more.
–
-Kathryn-
I brushed my dark hair out of my eyes, doing my best to keep up with Aragorn and the others as we pressed onward. It was late in the morning now, with the sun struggling to peek through the clouds covering most of the sky. I watched them as I ran, hoping they didn't mean rain. My boots are already caked with enough mud as it is, I thought. As we started moving down the slope of a large hill, our pace slowed, and for a moment we stopped completely as Aragorn knelt to check and make sure we were still following the trail. I placed both hands on my hips, bending over briefly as I got my breath back, and reached for my water to take a few well-earned gulps.
As I lowered the skin and tied it back to my belt, my gaze swept across the plains, admiring the view from up on the hilltop. But then I frowned, locking on to a dark mass off in the distance. That can't be the Uruk-Hai, but...it's moving. I took a few steps forward, trying to figure out what I was looking at, and then we heard it. The whinny of a single horse, faint, but unmistakable.
My eyes went wide, and I spun around to the others. Clearly they'd all heard it, too. Aragorn stood, the rest of us looking at him expectantly as he watched them. "We should hide," I warned. "They might not be friendly." He glanced my way, then nodded, running off to the side and motioning for us to follow. The five of us quickly ducked behind a large group of boulders nearby as the group of horsemen drew closer. I slipped in between Legolas and Gimli, my back pressed flat against the rock, and glanced over at Erin, who still clung to Legolas' back. She gave me a slight nod, as if to say this was normal, but I only frowned. For the life of me, I couldn't remember this part of the movie. What's going on? The thundering of hooves on the ground grew closer and closer, a rolling, rumbling sound that I could feel vibrating up into my boots. Within five minutes, they were on us, and I looked over to see horses of every size, shape, and color passing us by in blurs of speed. But when I noticed the banners they carried, I drew in a sharp breath. I know that flag.
As they passed us by, Aragorn shared a look with Legolas, then rose to step out of hiding. I was already on my feet, following him out as he stood at the top of the hill. "Riders of Rohan!" he shouted, calling down to them. "What news from the Mark?"
Hearing his call, the one at the front of the group tilted his spear to the left, leading his horsemen into a U-turn. I pushed past Aragorn and Legolas, stepping out in front of them as the riders came charging right towards us. Within a matter of seconds, we were being surrounded, Rohirrim closing in on all sides. My eyes were everywhere as I spun, trying to get a closer look at the banner to make sure I'd been right, and my pulse quickened when I realized I was. Edoras. These riders are from Edoras. By now they'd formed a tight circle around us, pointing their spears inward to keep us still. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Erin slip off of Legolas' back, moving to stand in front of me while still gripping the elf's arm for support. We all stood back to back, and I scanned the faces of the horsemen in front of me, trying not to look too intimidated as I searched for a face I knew.
But then I heard a voice break the tense silence from behind me, and I nearly collapsed. "What business do elves, men, and dwarves have in in the Riddermark?" I whirled around in the blink of an eye, my jaw going slack as I saw Éomer himself sitting proudly atop his horse Firefoot. He seemed to have hardly any patience as his dark eyes narrowed in on Aragorn. "Speak quickly!"
"Éomer!" All eyes turned to me as I shoved past the others, hardly believing what I was seeing. "Oh my God, it's you!"
In an instant, I saw the stony expression melt right off of his face, looking equally as shocked when he saw me. "...Kathryn?"
It took all my effort not to scream out of sheer joy as he slid off of his horse. I threw myself at him, arms wrapping tightly around his torso as I hugged him hard. "Oh my God, Éomer... I can't believe it, it's really you!" I heard the other Rohirrim withdraw their spears, knowing we were no longer their enemy.
Éomer returned the embrace for a moment, but then quickly pushed me back, looking me over a second time in disbelief. "Yes, but... how are you here?" he asked. "It's been ages..." He trailed off.
"I know, I know," I nodded. "Oh God, Éomer, I'm so sorry, I never meant to be away for so long, but it's been so crazy." Just then, I realized I'd forgotten to introduce him to the others, and stepped aside so Éomer could see them. "This is Aragorn, Legolas, Erin, and Gimli," I said, gesturing to each of them in turn. "We've been traveling together."
My dear friend's eyes darkened again, and already I could tell he was suspicious of them. "You travel in interesting company," he noted, his eyes lingering longest on Legolas. Éomer didn't like most elves, I knew. He'd always thought they were all stuck up and entitled. I noticed the elf in our party also narrow his gaze slightly when he saw Éomer's judgement.
"We mean you no ill will," Aragorn spoke up, taking a small step forward. "A party of Uruk-Hai moves westward across the plain; we have been tracking them for a fortnight. They have taken two of our friends captive."
Éomer turned to the other man. "You search in vain. We slaughtered the Uruks not two nights ago and left none alive."
At his words, a hush fell over the company. I could see the shock and fear reflected in the eyes of the others, but I shared a knowing glance with Erin. Obviously Kaia and Pippin had survived. They had business to take care of in the forest.
Gimli was the first to sputter out words after the pause. "But there was a hobbit! Did you see a hobbit with them?"
"He would've only seemed a child to you," Aragorn went on. "And a woman was with him, with dark skin and hair. She was dressed in elf-mail and armed with two twin blades."
Now it was Éomer who went quiet. He hesitated before answering Aragorn, eyeing him oddly. "We saw none other than servants of the enemy," he replied. "But one of my men found something of interest in the aftermath." I frowned, watching as he turned, calling to one of the riders behind him. A moment later, an older looking man rode forward, withdrawing something from within his cloak. At first, I couldn't see what he held, but as they were handed off to Éomer, I froze. A familiar pair of blades were in his hands... black from tip to hilt. Wait...what?
It went dead silent for a few seconds until Erin spoke first. Her voice was quiet. "...Where did you find them?" I glanced in her direction. She would've looked calm if not for the panic in her eyes and tightness in her jaw.
"One of my men discovered them on the ground after battle." I looked back to the weapons as Éomer spoke. "Do you know them?"
Erin said nothing. Her eyes remained locked on the swords, slowly stepping forward on her good foot as she reached out and took them from him, cradling them in both hands. As she held them, her neutral expression wavered, and she stumbled back. Legolas caught her to let her lean on him again, and she went back to tightly gripping his arm, but now I guessed it was more out of fear than anything else. Kaia would've never just left her blades behind. What happened? A sense of foreboding settled on me. Did something go wrong?
I heard Aragorn finally speak to Éomer again, answering his question. "They belong to the woman that was taken from us. You did not see her?"
"No," he replied.
"Did you see anyone run off anywhere?" I asked, turning back to him. My own voice sounded distant and strange.
He shook his head, sympathy written all over his face. "We let none escape."
I felt like I couldn't breathe. He can't be serious. Did Kaia and Pippin not make it? They were supposed to make it! My gaze went back to Erin, who was still staring at the swords in her hands in horrified shock. Legolas was whispering elvish into her ear, trying to comfort her, but she didn't even remotely respond to him. ...No. No, this can't be real. Kaia and Pippin are fine, they have to be! They can't be dead!
"Kathryn." Éomer's voice grabbed my attention again, and I met his gaze, my fear only growing stronger when I saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I'm sorry." I didn't answer, my eyes falling to the ground as he continued to speak to Aragorn. "We piled the carcasses and burned them. The Uruks have been raiding our lands and terrorizing our people under Saruman's orders. He has taken over the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands." At that, my eyes widened again, and I looked back to Éomer in horror. "Théoden is no longer himself. He is a pawn of the White Wizard's now." His eyes briefly met mine again, and now I saw urgency in them. "He no longer recognizes friend from foe, or even his own kin." My face fell. Theodred...
Then Éomer turned, pointing behind him. "The pyre on which the Uruk-Hai burn is there, if you wish to search for your friends." All five of us followed his gaze and saw the smoke floating up into the sky off in the distance. Again, he was met with no response. We were all too shocked to say anything. Seeing the conversation was over, he whistled. "Hasufel! Arod! Frania!" Three horses trotted forward at his command; brown, white, and a pale silvery-grey. I absentmindedly took the reins of the third one without thinking. My mind was a blur. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters," Éomer said. His eyes swept over our group once more, finally landing on me again. "Look for your friends," he repeated, "but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." Aragorn and Legolas had now taken the other two horses, and I noticed Éomer preparing to mount Firefoot again as well. "We ride north!" he called to his company.
Instantly, the Rohirrim surrounding us broke formation and moved back, leaving us to our own devices. I blinked, realizing what was happening, and then reached for Éomer, grabbing his arm before he could remount. "Éomer, wait!" He turned to me, and I stepped closer, keeping my voice low so the others wouldn't hear. "Why are you so far from Edoras?" I asked. "What happened?"
"You were right, Kathryn," he said grimly, a darkness in his gaze. "Gríma Wormtongue was a spy of Saruman's. He's been working from within to destroy Rohan so that Saruman can attack us at our weakest."
"Then why aren't you there to defend your uncle?" I pressed him.
Éomer paused. "...I was banished."
My face fell. "What?!"
He nodded, closing his eyes. "It was the worm's doing," he said, struggling to hide his anger. "He manipulated Uncle into signing the decree. Now I am never to return, or I face execution."
"Oh my God..." I stared at him, at a loss for words. "Éomer, I'm so sorry." But then the realization hit me like a sack of bricks, and my hands shook as I remembered who my biggest concern was. My voice dropped to a whisper as I spoke, though I was terrified to even get the words out. "...Éomer... what about Theodred?" The horse lord was silent, continuing to fiddle with the reins on his horse, and my hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to look at me. I was shaking. "Éomer, tell me he's alive. Please."
Again, he didn't answer right away, and I wanted to scream. My heart thundered in my chest so hard I thought it would explode as we stared each other down. I was determined, yet so, so afraid to get an answer out of him, and I could tell he didn't want to say anything to me at all. But finally, after what seemed like forever, Éomer sighed, lowering his gaze. "...He is alive," he said, "but barely. He was nearly gone when I left Edoras."
My knuckles were white from how hard I was gripping his shoulder. ...No... no, not Theodred... oh God, please... I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to prepare myself for the question I already knew the answer to. "...Was it the Uruk-Hai?" More silence. "Éomer, answer me."
"...Yes. A battle at the Fords of Isen. He is gravely wounded. I... I was too late."
At his last statement, my eyes opened again, and I frowned as I looked up at him. I was surprised to see guilt and shame on Éomer's face until I realized he must've been the one who'd found the prince. Knowing that made my own guilt even worse - Éomer wasn't to blame for this. "No, no listen to me. This wasn't your fault, Éomer."
He shook his head. "No," he agreed. "But if I had known he were in danger... I would never have let him go."
I jerked back, the words hitting me like a bullet. Suddenly, I felt tears in my eyes, and the world was spinning, and all I could hear was the voice in my head that had been screaming at me the night I'd left Edoras - tell him, tell him, TELL HIM, SAVE HIM -
"Kathryn?"
I blinked, focusing on Éomer again. He looked concerned. "It's nothing, it's fine," I said quickly. "I just..." ...I knew.
Éomer still looked skeptical, but nodded, turning back to his horse. As he did so, his gaze flicked behind me. "Your friends are waiting for you."
I nodded. "Yeah... I-I should go." I felt Frania scuff the ground at my side, remembering she was there. "Thanks for the horses." He said nothing, just gave another simple nod, and I turned away, preparing to walk over to Aragorn and the others.
"...Kathryn."
I turned back. "Yeah?"
Éomer stood by his horse, ready to mount, but his eyes were once again fixed on me and filled with worry. "If you return to Edoras... look after my sister. She is alone in Meduseld now, and I... I fear for her life."
I bit my lip, nodding. "I will."
"Thank you." Another beat of silence passed between us, and then Éomer turned back to Firefoot, swiftly stepping into the stirrups and mounting his horse like an expert. "Be safe, Kathryn. These lands are dangerous now."
"You too," I softly replied. "I hope I see you again soon."
Éomer only looked back at me with a doubtful expression. "...Farewell."
And then he spurred Firefoot forward, moving past me in less than a second, sharply turning and riding off to rejoin the rest of his men. I stood there for a moment longer, watching him go until I heard Aragorn shout for me. Only then did I turn away, knowing I couldn't abandon what was left of the Fellowship now. But still, as I turned my back on Éomer and his company, it hurt more than anything in the world. And as I obediently marched towards the others, all I could think about was Meduseld, set atop its great hill, with death descending on the great hall like a vulture. It's my fault. It's all my fault. My hands shook as I forced myself to hold back tears. My priority was Theodred now. The only thing I cared about was getting to Edoras fast enough to save him; to fix all that I'd ruined by not telling them what I knew. Theodred was all that mattered now. I had to see him. I had to save him. We had to get there in time.
Please let there be enough time...
–
-Erin-
We divided the horses between the five of us - Gimli and Legolas on Arod, Kathryn and I on Frania, and Aragorn on Hasufel - before riding up to the grisly remains of the Uruk's encampment. Smoke rolled across the hills from the burning pyre, the nauseating stench of rotting, charred flesh growing stronger as we approached. The closer we got, the harder it became to breathe, and I coughed on the ashes in the air, cringing at the sight of an Uruk's head grotesquely speared on a pole in the ground. The Rohirrim had been merciless in their slaughter of the Uruk-Hai, that much was obvious. But as the pyre came within sight, the terror I'd struggled to control earlier came rushing back, and I was acutely aware of the extra weight at my hips. When Éomer had brought forward Kaia's swords, I'd nearly gone into shock. There could be a million different reasons why Kaia's swords weren't currently on her person, and most of them I didn't like to envision in my head. I swallowed hard as Kathryn slowed Frania down. God, I hope I'm wrong about this.
Once we reached the pile, we all dismounted, trying to figure out how to piece this mystery together. Gimli immediately stepped up to the dead Uruks, using his axe to pick through the bodies tangled up with one another in an effort to actually find more evidence. Kathryn stayed by the horses, silently staring at the pyre, deep in thought. Aragorn was walking around in circles, scanning the ground, and Legolas and I stood nearby, each of us also quiet and sullen. I was also staring at the pile of corpses with a hand over my mouth, racking my brain to try and figure out what could've gone wrong. Of course I remembered what happened in the movie, but it was undeniable now that just the simple fact of us three girls being here changed everything. If our presence alone was enough to get Merry killed somehow, then was it too far-fetched to say that Kaia and Pippin might not have made it into the forest safely? I shuddered as I watched Gimli flick away what looked like a charred arm bone. If he pulled a human body out of there...
I felt a gentle squeeze on my hand and looked up at Legolas, who was watching me with evident concern. "You mustn't worry, Erin. It will do you no good."
"How am I supposed to not be worried when my best friend might be in danger?" I snapped, irritated by his lackluster advice. As I turned to glare at him, though, I stopped, remembering who I was talking to. "...Shit, I'm sorry," I muttered, dragging a hand over my face. "I didn't mean that, I just..."
"I understand," Legolas replied, glancing at his feet. "Forgive me. I should not have spoken."
I shook my head. "No, it's okay. You were just trying to help." I let out a breath, turning my attention back to the pyre. Come on, I thought, waiting for Gimli to find the belt like he was supposed to. Give me at least one little sign that everything's still going the way it should.
But a few minutes later, Gimli stopped picking through the burned stuff and turned around, shaking his head. "Nothing."
For a second, I froze. ...What? Where's the belt? Why didn't Gimli find the belt? It's supposed to be in there! Then it hit me, and I swore, recognizing my mistake. Of course he wouldn't have found it. It was Merry's belt. I closed my eyes, spirits sinking once again. So much for things going according to plan. I heard Aragorn let out a scream of fury as he punted a metal helmet off to the side. We were so close. If not for the Rohirrim, we probably would've caught them in another day or two.
Legolas' grip on my hand tightened as he whispered an elvish prayer. "Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath." [May they find peace in death]. Hearing him say it out loud shook me to the core, and I felt a lump form in my throat. No. They can't be dead. They can't be! I raised my head, looking across the pile to Kathryn, needing her reassurance, but even she looked lost and confused. What are we supposed to do?
There was silence for awhile as grief started to settle over our company, the stench of death swirling around us and making the whole situation seem even worse. But then I noticed Aragorn look up, gingerly reaching out to touch the dirt beside him. "A hobbit lay here..." he said, "...and here, a woman." My eyes jumped to him instantly, following along as he continued to assess the impressions in the ground. "...They crawled." Continuing on, he moved a few feet to the left. "Their hands were bound." More walking, and now all four of us were following him as the ranger's eyes roamed everywhere, searching. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee again and reached down. A worn, dirt-covered rope had ben stomped into the grass, and as Aragorn held the ends up, his tone shifted. "Their bonds were cut!" Now he seemed a bit more excited, and I felt a spark of hope within my own heart as I hurried behind him as best as I could. "They ran over here... they were followed...then here..." We zigzagged back and forth, and the entire time I kept glancing up at what was in front of us, hoping I was right... "The tracks lead away from the battle!" Aragorn ran forward a few paces, and then finally stopped, right at the edge of our newest area to explore. "Into Fangorn Forest." We all stopped behind him, looking up at the gnarled, twisted trees. The forest seemed like it'd been there for ages, as old as Middle-Earth itself.
"Fangorn..." Gimli whispered, his voice echoing the strange mix of awe and trepidation that I felt. "What madness drove them in there?"
A/N: Things have taken a different turn for Kaia, it would seem. ;) She's headed to Orthanc, where I can promise you lots of interesting things are going to occur. And what's all this crazy stuff awaiting Kathryn in Edoras?! Stay tuned, guys! I'll do my best to try and get the next chapter out next week sometime!
(also HELL YEAH ÉOMER POV IN THIS CHAPTER CAUSE I FEEL LIKE GETTIN' ADVENTUROUS)
