Reminder:: Once again, I do not own anything related to Tolkien in any way! Love that guy for creating all this stuff though.

Sorry guys for such a dismal, depressing chapter right before Christmas. Kinda slammed you with that one. xD Sorry! But don't worry, it's not that I 'like killing off' my characters or anything. There's a method to my madness. =3

Here's chapter ten and I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas Hobiday!

Chapter Ten :: Rangers of Ithilien

What was I to do?

After the sun rose, I had finally made one last search for Beleg and decided that I would never find him. I doubted anyone would… All the horses were gone and as far as I could guess, Beleg had followed them where ever they went like the true horse master he was.

Not allowing myself to look at anything else gruesome, I picked my way through the burnt remains of the house for anything I could salvage. There was still the slim, very slim, chance that Beleg might return… I had to hope. What would happen to me if I didn't?

I found a few bowls that were burned badly and chipped, the remains of the stone fireplace standing like a ghostly dead tree, and parts of one of the bed frames. Everything else turned to dust the second I touched it or got too close. The smell was horribly hazy too, so I didn't spend much time in the ruins. It made me think how lucky I was to have disobeyed Linius and exited the house before it caught fire like the stables…

All I had was a horse, an old dog, and a well for water. I was lucky enough that there was a bucket! But I couldn't stay here if I didn't have food. As much as I wanted to wait for Beleg, I would starve. So I finally decided that if Beleg did not return by today's sunset, I would have to leave and go… somewhere.

The day passed by much too quickly for my last day at home. I felt horribly lonely and both Huan and Alatar were depressed and hungry. It made me wonder how I would get out of here at all. I couldn't leave Huan behind and I couldn't force him to walk. He was too old; he would die. I guess I would have to carry him with me on the horse. That sounds like a joy.

As the sun finally set, I picked myself up off the dank grass and clutched at Alatar's reins for support. I tied the quiver of arrows around my back and strung the bow over me like a sash. Getting Huan up on Alatar was a comical experience and it certainly helped to make the situation a bit lighter and give me a smile. I tried lifting Huan, but he was very heavy. He was a medium sized dog after all and trying to lift him over my head proved to be too much. I tried slinging him over my shoulder and climbing on, but I ended up doing quite a bit of falling so I had to give up on the route. Eventually, I figured out that, at command, Alatar could lie down and stand back up. Wish I figured that out earlier… But it didn't matter. I got on the saddle, called Huan to me, pulled him up in front of me, and clicked my tongue to make Alatar rise. And with a squirmy, nervous dog in my lap, I set off west.

Why go west? Well, last time I went west and found this place. I figured if I went further west, I would find another place where I could be welcome.

My sense of direction is terrible…

I was looking around me and holding the Wizard Alatar's map out in front of me. Huan kept sneezing and sniffing it, making things even more difficult. After peeking once more at the mountains to my back and the map in my hands, I decided I had gone south. Why couldn't I just follow the setting sun? Well, that proved difficult when I didn't know that the setting sun meant west until a few days ago.

Ugh, I wish I could just give up… My stomach growled. Huan had stopped grumbling and sat obediently. Alatar walked at a snail's pace. Wait, don't give up, don't give up. No more whining! You can pull through this. Just forget… Just forget… Everything will be okay if you treat this like any other day. Just forget about everything and keep going.

I nodded at my little self-pep talk, and gave Alatar a nudge. He seemed to get the message and sped up a bit. I don't blame him for sagging along though. We hadn't eaten anything for three days and we were travelling for two. I had a feeling though that it wouldn't last much longer. And really, it was good to have water. It was plentiful everywhere and as long as I had water, my stomach wasn't as upset as it could have been without it.

The landscape was changing. I left the tarnished golden fields of Rohan and was entering a snow filled climate. The area was more mountainous and there were many rocks and sloping cliffs. Alatar continued to follow along whatever safe path he could find and I didn't really direct him except forward. There were more trees here than I had ever seen clustered together before. It was strange to be able to reach out above my head and pick fresh leaves out of the trees. It was a little scary though when the leaves brushed against me and an insect decided I looked like an easy victim to scare. I would start screaming and making such a racket that anyone anywhere would know that a girl was in the trees yelling about something…

Too bad I didn't know that I would be discovered so soon. I would have been more careful. I heard the call of a bird like I had never heard before and feared that it was an orc signal of some sort. Alatar seemed to have the same fear too and sped up. Huan started to growl at shadows and whispers in the wind and I was severely jumpy.

"Hurry up, Alatar." I whispered in his ear and nudged his sides. I looked around me, feeling eyes. I hated that feeling. It was so eerie…

It all happened so fast. Like clockwork, four men came out of the brush at all sides bearing bows with arrows set and pointed at me. Their faces were covered by their hoods of their dark green cloaks. They were tall and I was clearly out of my league.

"I mean no harm." I declared in my bravest voice. Too bad for me that I hadn't spoken so loudly in quite awhile and my voice cracked horribly and ended in a squeak. They must've thought I was speaking another language.

The men did not move from their position, but three others came out from behind the trees and approached Alatar from the front. "Who are you? What business have you in the realm of Gondor?"

Gondor? The other kingdom of men Beleg was talking about… Okay. I kind of know where I am now. Helpful. "My business is my own, but I seek food and shelter."

The one in front prompted me to speak more.

"My home in Rohan was burned to the ground and all the horses stolen in an orc raid. I've nowhere to go." I explained.

"Why did you leave your borders?"

"I don't know where I'm going." I muttered. Wasn't that obvious? Thanks for making me say that out loud, buddy. That makes me feel real smart.

He saw my eye roll and found it amusing. He let out a soft chuckle and turned to his comrades. He spoke words I didn't recognize or they were so softly spoken I had no hope of hearing them from where I was. In the end, the man turned back to me and said: "You shall be escorted to our Captain. If you resist, you must face the consequences of death."

Super.

I followed the men willingly enough. Hey, they were help, right? They made me get off of Alatar though and when I hit the ground I felt very bow-legged and stiff. I had ridden all that day and it was nearly sundown.

They thought it was funny that I had brought Huan from me and had carried him this far. They mocked me a little, but I could tell it was all in good fun. Heck, these guys could say I smelled like sewage and dressed like an orphan skank and I would have been happy. These guys were leading me to food.

We walked on through the forest for quite awhile in silence. We came to a large river and I was told to cross. How to cross a river? Here are some tips: 1) Do whatever the man in front of you tells you to do. 2) Do not trust shiny rocks; they are slippery. 3) Repeat, if the man in front of you tells you to do something like 'jump', jump. Otherwise, you'll end up waist deep in a freezing sink hole of ice cold pebbles and gushing water. No fun.

After our little river adventure in which Alatar was nearly dragged across and Huan was carried and eventually I too was carried, there was another two hours of walking. My feet pounded on monotonously until, quite suddenly, the men turned on me.

"Sorry, lady, but now we must shield your eyes for the paths ahead are secret and sacred to us."

Feeling suspicious as the fabric was tied around my eyes, I followed along at an unsteady pace. I was led along the path carefully and by the hand. The person who was leading me was careful so that I didn't stumble. The path rose and dipped repeatedly and I was blind the entire time. Sometimes though, I could feel the last fleeting burns of the sun as it was slowly disappearing and other times it felt so dark around me that I could reach out and touch the darkness. Eventually, by sidling along between rocks and making me very claustrophobic, I had to assume we were in some kind of cliff side entering a cave. Then without another thought, my blindfold was taken off and my eyes were blinking in the area around me.

It seemed like a cave, but it was not. It was a… castle carved into a mountain. That is the best I can describe it. At various points windows were carven in and I could see out towards the starry sky. There was vine growth and ancient trees scattered about and at the moment I was at a cross section of many halls where staircases and other rooms were accessed.

Three men stood nearby to guard me, but I was very happy to sit on the floor while I waited for a person of more authority to judge me and give me food. I wasn't sure where Alatar was put, but the men assured me he was safe. I stroked Huan as I sat on the stone floor and waited.

A man dressed in the same clothes as the others but with more pizzazz stepped out from an adjoining room talking to the man who led me here. Both of them had their hoods down and I could clearly see that the man who brought me here had dark hair and dark eyes. The Captain had dark brown hair and obvious grey eyes. He looked at me through the doorway every once in awhile at the indication of the first man. He was probably explaining my situation to his Captain. I wonder what they're going to do to me…

Finally the Captain came over to me and stood before me. Since I didn't stand up immediately, he courteously squatted down to my height on the floor. He seemed kind when he asked: "What is your name?"

"They call me Lady." I said.

"Lady? Is that the name your father and mother gave you?"

"No. I don't think so." I answered vaguely. I was very tired of explaining my amnesia again and again and quite honestly, when I thought about it, it was very depressing.

The Captain looked me over for a minute and into my eyes. It strangely felt like he could read my story as plainly as if it was written on my face. "You do not remember, do you?"

I shook my head.

"You must have an interesting story to tell." He smiled. "But now is not the time for such tales. My men will bring you food and blankets. You may be at your leisure here."

I smiled back, very grateful for his hospitality.

He held out his hand to me and I took it. He lifted me off the floor and I adjusted my men's clothes a bit. "Who are you?" I asked. I realized a bit too late it was very informal. "…sir?"

"Faramir." He bowed. With a glance at the man at my right, he turned and went off with the man I recognized as my guide and they started talking again.

The men behind me were much more relaxed after their captain approved of me. I was given a cot, blankets, and food as promised. I ate dried meat like I had eaten at the camp in the east and there was ale and apples. I had my fill, but surprisingly, I wasn't very hungry. It must've been because of my recent fasting: my stomach was smaller. Instead of pigging out like I was first ready to do, I snuggled up into the blankets and planned on making it an early night. Huan hopped up onto the cot with me, making it creak under the added weight. He curled up at my feet and closed his eyes. I pat his head, silently promising him things would be better before I too closed my eyes.