Chapter 8: Entering Rohan

"There. We made it to the edge. It wasn't that bad, wasn't it?"

Kelsie stood at the edge of the forest, surveying the scene before her. An array of rolling hills were spread before her. It was calm and still, and other than the soft breeze that ruffled the taller grasses, there was no sign of movement. It shouldn't be hard to cross these plains, she thought.

She heard heavy footsteps behind her, and Gimli burst out from the trees with Legolas still draped across his back. "Next time, I'd rather you run slower," he said, panting slightly. "You forgot I'm the one who has to carry the burden."

Kelsie raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that you just called your own friend 'the burden', right?"

Gimli growled. "Dwarves are not meant to be slaves to elves, do you not know that?"

The elfling backed away a little. "Yes, I know that. I never said anything about dwarves being slaves to elves."

Gimli just growled again and continued forward. Kelsie fell in line behind him, many thoughts crowding her mind. Now that he had agreed to her plan, the next thing she needed to worry about was the details. Would the people of Rohan welcome them or not? And would King Eomer still trust Gimli even if he saw Legolas paralyzed and an elfling stranger following them?

They walked over the hills and onto rocky plains. Kelsie could hear Gimli muttering to himself, even though she couldn't understand what he was saying. She was getting slightly bored by now, and she wished to either run or start a conversation. Running was more exciting than walking, but with Gimli here, that wasn't a good choice. She thought about asking him about Rohan, which did seem like a good idea, but she wasn't sure if he was angry or sad. It wouldn't be good, either way. She just decided to keep her mouth shut and continue walking.

After several more minutes of walking, Kelsie just couldn't stand the boredom anymore. "So how is it like in Rohan?" she asked.

Gimli grunted. "Okay, I guess. Though I prefer the caves and mountains more."

Kelsie gave up, knowing that it was no use talking to him at this point. He and Legolas had established a very strong and unusual friendship during their journey in the Fellowship. To see Legolas paralyzed like that, almost at the risk of death, would surely bring him loads of sorrow and fury. It was clearly not a good time to be optimistic.

With her mind still full of worries and unanswered questions, she bounded forward and stood on a large boulder. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked far, far away, covering great distance with her elven eyesight. Her heart suddenly leaped with hope when she saw something.

"I think I see Rohan!" she called to Gimli. "We're almost there!"

Gimli's head suddenly snapped up. "Where? I don't see it."

"Just follow me," Kelsie answered, not caring that his eyesight differed from hers. She lightly ran towards the direction of Rohan. After a minute (thankfully it was only a minute), Gimli gave a yell.

"Now I see Rohan!" he called. He wasn't sure why, but the sight of Rohan filled him with hope. Maybe it was because he now had a chance of saving his friend. He had been to Rohan with Legolas before and his visit held many good memories with him. He remembered all the competitions he had with his friend, with some of them held in the city. Seeing Rohan was a definitely huge relief to him. With Legolas still draped over his back, Gimli sprinted forward without warning.

"Wait!" Kelsie yelled at the sudden movement. It had surprised her much, since Gimli had been solemn just seconds ago. But soon, she realized how joyful he was feeling, so she quickly recovered and ran after him.

She was glad to see that they were making much quicker progress running than walking. And it came with more excitement, too. She remembered how she would groan loudly enough for her friends to hear whenever the coach announced that they were running two miles in class. Now she enjoyed the thrill of speed, the wind rushing past her, almost lifting her off the ground. The best part was that it wasn't easy for her to get tired, unlike before. She had always been good at sprinting, even as a human, but eventually, she would wear out and collapse onto the grass. As an elf in Middle-Earth, she had increased speed, agility, and perseverance. To her, it was one of the best parts of being an elf.

As she was enjoying the freedom of running, she noticed that something was wrong. It didn't have anything to do with her running. She had seen something in the distance coming up towards her. She slowed down her pace a little and looked closer.

That was when Kelsie realized that she hadn't spotted Rohan at all. The sound of clopping hooves reached her ears, like the rumble of distant thunder. They sounded to her like...horses. She didn't remember Rohan being lifted and transported on horses. She looked closer and saw the riding figures atop the horses.

"Nevermind, it's not Rohan!" said Kelsie, embarrassed that her eyesight had failed her. But that wasn't the problem right now. What would she do once she reached the them?

Gimli groaned loudly and stopped. "Then what is it?"

Kelsie stopped next to him and said in a quieter, more serious tone. "They are the Rohirrim, the Riders of Rohan."

Gimli couldn't decide whether to use a disappointed tone or a aggressive tone. "So is that good or bad?"

Unsure how to answer, Kelsie tried to look thoughtful. "Well, it's either that they will help us, or they will kill us. I'm expecting the first one, since they knew you and Legolas well."

This still did not stop Gimli from glaring suspiciously at the nearing riders. "Either way, I'm keeping my ax out." He then remembered that he couldn't, because he was carrying Legolas.

Kelsie smacked her forehead. "No, you shouldn't!"

"What do you mean?" Gimli turned on her. "I thought you learned to always keep your guard."

"But you know the Rohirrim!" said Kelsie. She tried to sound reasonable, so that she wouldn't start an argument with the dwarf. She just hoped it would work. "If you don't want them to mistake you as their enemy, you could at least try to act friendly."

Just then, she realized that she had probably revealed too much of herself. Having lived most of her life in a world that didn't involve so much danger and suspicion, she had learned to always be kind and cheerful to her friends. But here in Middle-Earth, it was different. Even if you had met someone before and had become good friends with them, you still couldn't relax too easily. There could be a chance that the person you were looking at was actually evil in disguise. Kelsie gulped and attempted to change her way of thinking.

"Actually, you're right," she said hastily, drawing her bow out. "Weapons out!"

Gimli narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to the advancing Rohirrim. He was startled at the pace the Rohirrim had ridden in such a short time. Now he could see each of their faces clearly, as if they were right in front of him. He braced himself for whatever was coming.

Within a few seconds, the riders had surrounded the two of them in a full and well armed circle. The nearest row had their weapons out and ready in case a fight was to break out. Their leader, a tall, blonde man with blue eyes, eyed them suspiciously. "Who are you and what is your business here?" he demanded.

Kelsie tried to look brave, but in reality, she was beyond nervous. She didn't remember being captured by a group of armed riders before, and this first time experience was an intense one. She waited for Gimli to answer, but then realized that most eyes were on her. Probably because she looked like the leader of the group. She mentally shook her head to release that thought. No, Legolas was supposed to be the leader, not me. I'm just a silly child who stumbled into this world for some reason.

"Well?" challenged the leader. "Are you going to tell us who you are, or will you just stand their and wait until our spears hit your head?"

Kelsie took a deep breath and thought over the words before she spoke. "This is Gimli the dwarf, and on his back is Legolas, who has been paralyzed by some evil force. We came here seeking help with hope that you'll be able to find a cure for him."

The leader made no sign of recognition. "And your name is?"

Kelsie wanted to smack her forehead. How did she even forget to introduce herself first? "Umm...I'm just known as Kelsie."

The leader finally called for the riders to lower their weapons. As the spears passed through Kelsie's gaze, she noticed how sharp they were. She shuddered to think of what would have happened if they were enemies, instead.

The riders formed a closed circle around the three of them, but this time, in riding formation. "You will need a horse," said the leader, even though it was quite obvious. Kelsie nodded, not daring to disagree. She would have to try her best to conceal the fact that she had never ridden a horse before.

She soon found herself face to face with a young horse with a white, brown-speckled coat. The horse whinnied softly as Kelsie hauled herself up, using the stirrups. She tried her best to act like she had done it many times before, but she couldn't help wobbling a bit as her foot almost slipped. When she had planted herself firmly on the horse's back, she let out a sigh of relief.

Soon, they were all ready to ride to Rohan. Gimli had taken his place behind the leader, and Legolas was being hoisted onto a horse by another man. Kelsie could hear the dwarf muttering something like "Could've done better with Arod" under his breath. Hoping that the leader didn't hear his remark, she urged her horse forward, along with the rest of the riders.

As they rode to Rohan, Kelsie found it surprising to see the leader talking to Gimli like old friends. He had been so suspicious and tense only moments ago. Kelsie strained her elf ears in the direction of their conversation, which was directly in front of her, and tried to listen.

"...paralyzed by the shadows," Gimli was saying. "We couldn't find any way to unfreeze him."

"Tell me more about the shadows," said the leader. "How did you discover them?"

"You'll have to ask Kelsie about that," answered Gimli. "She discovered them during night watch."

The leader said something to his men, and a gap wide enough to fit a horse in opened up right in front of her. Kelsie nervous rode forward to fill in the gap. Once she was in place, she waited for the leader to speak.

"Gimli here speaks greatly of your bravery and skill," he started. "He said that you discovered the shadows during night watch. Is that true?"

Kelsie nodded. "Yes, it is true."

"What do you know of the shadows, and how did you come across them?" he inquired, curiously.

She groaned inwardly, fearing the question. If there was one thing she was no good at, it was explanations. She tried to think of a nice speech before speaking, but the piercing gaze of the leader told her not to wait any longer.

"It started when I volunteered to take first watch. I saw a shadow zoom past me, so I decided to follow it. While chasing it, I saw more shadows fly past me. Soon, it started to get really cold, and it grew to the point where I could barely move, but I forced myself to keep on going. Then, I found myself in the middle of a small clearing with shadows floating all around me. I could barely move, since the cold was at a paralyzing point. That was when my sword slipped and the blade grazed a shadow that was just passing by...and the shadow just exploded!"

As soon as she said that, a few gasps of shock and mutters of disbelief spread around her like a wave. The leader, however, only gestured for Kelsie to continue.

"After seeing the shadow explode, I knew what I was supposed to do. I fought all the shadows that attacked me until everything was clear. By that time, I was exhausted, so I rested for a bit and ran back," Kelsie finished her story and waited for the reaction.

The leader looked at her with a new respect, now that she seemed to have proven herself a warrior in her story. He nodded and called out an order to his riders, then urged his horse to go faster. Kelsie did the same, though she almost fell off. She would have to get the hang of riding sooner or later if was to make it through this journey.

"We are nearing Rohan," the leader announced. He turned to a group of riders at the right. "Ride ahead and tell the king that we will be bringing some visitors."

The guards gave a quick salute and departed forward. Kelsie had to admire their efficiency and obedience. But that soon put another question in her mind. Wouldn't it be a bit harsh for guards to have to obey orders that quickly? She shook her head to get that question out of her mind. Stop worrying, you fool! You're supposed to adapt to Middle-Earth and its ways quickly.

They continued riding to Rohan at the same pace for the next several minutes. Kelsie was just starting to feel comfortable on the horse when suddenly, the leader shouted another command. Upon hearing the command, all the horses speed up to a full gallop. Kelsie just had enough time to grab on to the horse's mane or she would've fallen off. She glanced to the side and saw that Gimli wasn't faring any better. He was frantically waving his arms around to keep himself from falling.

Then, Kelsie realized that if she didn't act fast, he probably would fall. She quickly reached out and grabbed Gimli's arm, while managing to stay on her own horse without falling. Gimli muttered a 'thanks', and continued to mutter about the torture of riding horses behind the leader's back. Kelsie just pretended to be perfectly comfortable with horseriding, even though she would have been glad to join in on complaining. She knew she was never going to be the best horse rider.

"We are arriving at Rohan!" called the leader. Kelsie snapped awake to see if it was true.

The riders were starting to get off their horses around her. As they did, Kelsie could clearly see the abundance of stables surrounding her. There were stable boys assisting them, welcoming them back from their trip. Horses were being led back into the stables which looked like they were already filled up. Yet, there was always room for more. Kelsie could see all kinds of horses - different colors and different sizes. As different as they were, each of them bore the same proudness as a horse of Rohan.

"What are you still doing up there, Kelsie?" called a gruff voice she knew to be Gimli's. "Get down here already!"

Caught up in the wonder of horses, Kelsie hadn't noticed that she was the only one still sitting on her horse. Quickly, she leapt off and allowed a stable boy to take her horse back to the stables. Just then, Gimli suddenly grabbed her arm. "Where is Legolas?"

Kelsie scanned the area for the elf. Though he should be easy to tell from the others, even when paralyzed, she couldn't see him anywhere. She tried again to search for him, but again, it proved unsuccessful. Now that's was strange, she thought. Where exactly is he? She turned back to Gimli and shook her head. "No sign of him. But we could ask - hey, wait up!"

Gimli was already storming into the crowd of riders, grumbling loudly and demanding for his friend. Kelsie ran after him, but was blocked by a rider who had ran in to yell at him. Gimli only retorted with a furious expression and some angry remarks. Kelsie smacked her forehead. She couldn't blame Gimli for being so concerned for Legolas. But still, there were limits to anger. And Gimli was the one capable of crossing those limits. She was about to yell for the dwarf to stop when another call intercepted her.

"Master Dwarf! I would suggest that you quiet yourself immediately before you send the horses running across town! In case you haven't noticed, your elf friend has been brought to the guest rooms so that no further harm comes to him. You should be thanking us for our help, not yelling your head off!" the leader said forcefully.

Gimli continued to glare, but didn't say anything. Not wanting any more disputes among the dwarf and their helpers, Kelsie decided to answer for him. "We are truly grateful for your help and hope that we wouldn't cause too much trouble in exchange for your generous services."

She had no idea were those words came from, but it seemed to calm everyone down. The leader turned to her after glaring at Gimli. "If there aren't any more disputes to settle, then King Eomer would like to see you right now."

Wait, what?! I'm supposed to meet the king? Kelsie knew she would eventually have to face the king sometime during her adventure, but she still felt unnerved. She had no practice talking to people of high status, not even the president. And now she was about to face a king?

That was when she noticed the funny stares she was receiving. Gimli was still clenching his fists, glaring at the leader, so there was no way he could answer. Not to mention the fact that she had developed a strange talent for leadership which she had never wanted to get. All it did was cause people to expect her to answer their questions like a true leader. Other than being able to lead her friends to certain destinations.

"We do not wish to keep his highness waiting any more than necessary," she answered in her most dignified voice.

The leader nodded and turned. "Good. Then, we shall proceed at once."

Kelsie signaled for Gimli to follow her, as she fell in line behind the leader. She stood tall and tried to look as confident as she could. But even though she looked confident, she didn't feel confident. She really hoped that she wouldn't mess up too badly when speaking to royalty. After all, she was not the best at handling pressure.

As they walked up the stairs of the great building, she promised herself that she would do her best not to fail.