Well here is Book 2 of the adventure, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed my story for their words and insight, I hope you enjoy the second installment.

We ran for 3 days, forever on the trail of the uruk hai who had kidnapped Merry and Pippin. I had never run so far for so long without rest in my life, my chest was burning and I had lost all feeling in my legs long ago. After a while we came upon a wide open plain, so flat was it that even I could see the black shapes of the uruk hai far off in the distance, a good day ahead of us.

"Rohan," Aragorn stated. "Home of the horse lords, ruled by King Theodan."

"I heard about this land from Gandalf," I said. "But wasn't there a rumor that they were paying tribute to Mordor by giving up horses for the black riders?"
"Nay, they would never. I believe that Rohan's defense has become lax and the dark lord took what he could by force."

"Whatever the case," jumped in Legolas. "The uruks advance ahead of us, even if we go all night I doubt we will catch up with them."

"Yet we must rest," said Aragorn. "This does not bode well; I have run farther and swifter and not felt as weary as I do now."

"It's as if a dark will is against us, driving the uruk hai onward while holding us back," said Legolas.

"Saruman's reach has grown long indeed," I said, the others looked at me.

"How do you know it's Saruman?"

"Didn't you see the white hand on their armor?" I said, a little worried that I was the only one who noticed them. "It's the white hand of Saruman, and if I remember my map lessons with Gandalf, we are heading straight in the direction of Isengard."

"Well thought," said Aragorn approvingly. "In our haste even I did not realize that is where we were headed."

That night we rested, I took the first watch, looking over the endless plains of Rohan.

Rohan, home of the horse lords, why do I get such a sense of foreboding for entering these lands?

I had nearly dozed off when Aragorn shook me awake to relieve me of the watch.

"The news is not good Aragorn," I said, leaning my ears to the ground. "We have rested well this night, but I fear the Uruks haven't, they are far ahead of us now."

"It was a necessary sacrifice," he replied. "Had we not rested we would have been exhausted when the battle came. You seem troubled by something other than our present situation."

Knowing I could not hide my thoughts from Aragorn I told him. "If only I could remember what occurs, people wouldn't have to get hurt, like Merry, Pippin…like Boromir, I feel so useless."

I felt Aragorn's hand on my shoulder; he seemed to have a smile on his face of wisdom beyond his years.

"You cannot be lost in the past my friend, if you remain in this state then you truly shall be useless to us and yourself. Instead use the skills you have been given, to fight alongside us, not as a prophet of things to come, but as a fellow man."

I could not help but smile as Aragorn shooed me off to bed.

I finally got some sleep, though the presence of shadow and flame was ever present within my dreams.

After hastily eating some lembas bread Galadriel had given us we began our great chase across the plains again.

We ran for hours, knowing we were more than a good day behind the uruks, after awhile Legolas jumped upon a rock, gazing out across the plains.

"I see 103 riders approaching us from afar, the same direction as the uruks."

"Riders of Rohan?" I asked, eager to see if they were friend or foe.

"I believe they are, though I cannot see the banner that they are carrying. Their mounts are great beasts, they shall be upon us soon."

"Well," Gimli added. "We can either run, or wait for them." We all agreed on the latter.

The great host came upon us, yet passed us by as if they had not seen us, agitated by this I jumped atop the rock Legolas had been standing on earlier and shouted. "Yo, Riders of Rohan! What news from the north?"

Immediately every rider checked their steeds and rode around with amazing speed, within seconds we found ourselves surrounded by spears.

A tall man I could only guess as their leader rode up to us, dismounting. He had golden hair, as did most of the men around us, his armor was thick and his shoulders broad.

"What business does an elf, two men and a dwarf have in the Riddermark…speak quickly!" he shouted.

"Tell me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine," said Gimli.

Gimli not now, I thought, massaging the bridge of my nose in embarrassment.

"I would cut off your head…dwarf, if it stood but a little higher off the ground."

Legolas set an arrow upon his bow and raised it to the mans neck so fast that the men around us hadn't noticed till he was already in position.

"You would die before your stroke fell," he said, pulling back on his bow.

"Calm down everyone," I said, raising my arms in a friendly gesture.

Fortunately Aragorn stepped in, lowering Legolas's bow and stepping up to the man.

"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin, Legolas of the woodland realm and this is Dunedan, a comrade of mine from the Dunedain rangers."

The man looked us all over before removing his helmet as a sign of friendship. "I am Eomer, third marshal of the mark, it is an honor to meet you Aragorn, a true legend come to life." He looked at us as he spoke, "And an honor to meet your companions, what are you doing in the Riddermark?"

"We hunt a band of uruk hai westward across these plains, they have taken two of our friends captive. Hobbits they are known as, they would appear as only children to your eyes."

Eomer sighed; I could immediately tell that he did not have good news to tell.

"I'm sorry to report that we came upon the uruks late last night, had you overtaken them you would have become the hunted, we ourselves lost fifteen men and twelve horses against them. We saw none like you describe."

"Is there no hope they live?" I asked, fearful of the answer. "We recently left the haven of Lorien and were ambushed by the uruks shortly afterwards."

"Lorien?!" sputtered Eomer with surprise. "Legends of that foul place have been told by firelight among my people for generations, and of the dark lady that resides there."

"They only tell those tales because they have never seen the lady Galadriel," butted in Gimli, obviously ticked off at Eomer's insulting of the lady. "It is one of the oldest and fairest places in the world, I'll forgive you however for you speak out of ignorance. Were you to actually see her and not claim that she is the fairest then I would have to cut off your head with this axe."

"Then I apologize master dwarf," he said bowing slightly. "Should I ever see her I hope to think the way you do."

Noticing we were getting off topic I buzzed in. "It's possible you missed them, they were wearing the same cloaks as us and you nearly passed us by in broad daylight. "Which way and how far from here did you slay the uruks?"

"Over that rise maybe a league or two," he turned to his men and shouted: "Hasufel, Arod, Lightfoot!" Immediately three horses were brought before us. "I give you these steeds in respect, that you shall return them to Edoras once you are finished, may they lead you to better fortunes than their former masters. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The mind of the king has been poisoned by the leech Grima Wormtongue. He commanded us to not patrol these lands, yet had we not those uruks would have walked unmolested all the way to Isengard. He may punish me, but I shall return to Edoras to stand against Wormtongue." He turned to Aragorn, "I know you knew King Théoden, yet do not look for friendship for he no longer recognizes friend from foe, not even from his own kin."

With that final word the company rode onward across the plains, leaving us with the three horses.

We divided up the horses amongst us, Aragorn rode atop Arod, Legolas and Gimli rode bareback atop Hasufel, and I rode atop Lightfoot. While I rode atop him, I sensed a great nobility and intelligence from him.

With our new mounts in hand we rode on, towards the smoke forming in the distance, the remains of where Eomer's company had burned the uruks they slew.

We came upon the pyre after only a few hours ride, it was hideously grotesque, and the smell made me want to vomit. Dismounting we searched the piles of corpses, finally I saw a shimmer of silver amongst the blackened orc armor.

"Their elvish belts," whispered Gimli, lowering his head sadly.

I slumped to my knees, I yelled out in anger and frustration. Damn this curse, if only I had remembered what transpired before we could have saved them, we…

"Dunedan!" shouted Aragorn, interrupting my self-berating. "Don't…move…"

I immediately froze, afraid of what Aragorn was talking about. He slowly approached me and began to examine the ground beneath me. As I glanced over I realized what he was looking at, next to my feet were what was unmistakably a hobbit foot print.

"They freed themselves here," Aragorn said, leading us around as he explained what the tracks around the battle told him. "They crawled here, on all fours, no doubt to avoid the Rohirrim fighting. And then they raced here into…" he stopped as he realized what he was looking at.

Before us lay a vast forest, it seemed dark within, and nothing could be seen ahead of more than a few feet.

"Fangorn Forest," Gimli whispered. "What madness drove them in there?"

"Whatever that madness was we must follow it as well," I said, mustering up some courage and stepping into the trees. "If they are in there then we must go as well."

The three of them nodded and followed me in, into the dark recesses of Fangorn.

The forest seemed to go on forever, yet never seemed to change; as I entered I felt an odd sense of foreboding, unaware of what was to come.

After a while of walking though the dense trees Legolas ran alongside Aragorn and told him in elvish, "There's something out there."

"What do you see?" I asked back, my hand finding my way to my swords hilt.

"The white wizard approaches," he said, fitting an arrow into his bow.

"Don't let him speak!" whispered Gimli quite loudly. "He will put a spell on us."

"Then we must be quick." I said, lunging out at the spot that Legolas pointed at.

What happened next was so quick I could barely follow it.

I was flung backwards by an invisible force, Legolas's arrows and Gimli's axes were deflected before they could strike the white wizard, and Aragorn's sword became so hot in his hands that he was forced to drop it. As I got up I realized we were now defenseless, staring at a now gray clad old man sitting upon a rock.

"My my what a greeting," he said, he voice seeming to reverberate as he spoke.

"Who are you?" Aragorn asked.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits. Indeed they passed this way yesterday. They met someone they did not expect, does that comfort you?"

Needless to say I was as confused as possible, so I finally stepped a little closer to the man and said quite loudly. "Who are you? Show Yourself!"

He stepped out of the blinding light, revealing his face to us, almost in instinct I fell to my knees, tears filling my eyes.

"Gandalf! Gandalf is that really you?" I shouted, finally getting to my feet and rushing up, giving the old man a powerful hug.

He let out the grandfatherly laugh I remembered from Rivendale; as I pulled back he spoke.

"It is good to see you as well Dunedan, my haven't you grown since we last met, not vertically, but inwardly. How is it that you did not know of my coming? I thought that you remembered all of these events."

I lowered my head solemnly, "Alas, I was cursed by the balrog when it struck me down in Moria. I cannot remember anything until after it has already occurred."

"Ah, the demon of the ancient world," he said, stroking his beard. "I bested him, we fell together but there was a mighty lake beneath Moria in forgotten parts not ventured into even by Durin's folk. There in the lowest dungeon on the highest peak I grappled with him. His fire was quenched and he became a creature of slime, but as we fought his wrath sprang his fires anew."

"You bested him?"

"Yes, after days of fighting I threw him down and smote his ruin upon the mountainside, then, I passed down roads few have seen and returned to tell. But I was sent back, for my task is not yet finished. I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide. I am Gandalf the white, but black is mightier still." (One of my all time favorite quotes from the book).

I could not help but feel awed at his presence, though he was clad in grey cloaks I could see a shimmer of white beneath it.

Legolas knelt before Gandalf, a look of guilt upon his face.

"Forgive me, we mistook you for Sauruman.

"I am Sauruman," Gandalf replied slowly. "Or rather Sauruman as he should have been."

After a few moments Aragorn finally spoke up.

"What of Merry and Pippin?"

"They are safe, their coming to Fangorn was no accident, nor was it a small event. Their coming is as the falling of the first few pebbles before the great avalanche. The ents are going to wake up, and find that they are strong."

"Well that's good news," said Gimli, turning his head towards a nodding Legolas.

"Ents?" I asked. "The Sheppard of the trees? But I thought they were just legends."

"All legends have basis in truth young Dunedan. Now we must be off."

"Off to where?"

"To Edoras, all is not well in Rohan," Gandalf continued. "They must prepare for war, but as long as the kings mind is trapped by Saruman this will not happen. We must ride for Edoras."

We made our way back out into the forest where our steeds were waiting for us, Gandalf let out a long sharp whistle, which echoed out across the plains before dying out.

A swift white steed immediately came riding up over the wide hills, with such haste that I could scarcely follow its movement.

"That is one of the mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," said Legolas, his voice filled with awe.

"The lord of all horses, and my closest friend, Shadowfax," said Gandalf as the horse approached and nuzzled him softly. Our horses seemed humbled while in his presence, they bowed their heads as he came, Lightfoot approached and they seem to speak to one another.

With our steeds gathered we rode with all haste towards Edoras, I could see the shine of the golden hall miles before we actually approached the gates of the city, there were no guards present to halt our approach to the kings hall.

Wont be too long until Helms Deep, I'll try to update fast.