CHAPTER 10
WARGS AND WARHORSES
AN: Hey people, so sorry this took soooo long to post. Here it is now, hope ya'll like it
-Luv
Elizabeth's POV
We walked on, I road beside Legolas, listening to one of Gimli's bizarre conversations, this one was about dwarf women. "It's true, you don't see many dwarf women," Gimli was telling Samantha and Eowyn, "And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they are often mistaken for dwarf men."
"It's the beards," I heard Aragorn whisper.
I grinned slightly.
"And this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf-Women, that dwarves just spring out of little holes in the ground."
Eowyn and Sam laughed.
"Hehehe, which of course is ridiculous. Whoa!" Eowyn lost her grip on the reins where she was walking the horse and it ran ahead and Gimli tumbled to the ground.
"Oh, jeez!" exclaimed Sam running forward.
"It's alright, nobody panic," said Gimli struggling to get up, "That was deliberate, deliberate." Samantha helped him up and brushed him off. Samantha looked back at me, smiling. I forced a weak smile back. I wasn't really in much of a smiling mood; I was too gloomy and sad. Millie was gone, and Sam seemed very distant and unreachable, she had Gimli and Eowyn, she didn't need me.
"Elizabeth? Are you alright?" Legolas asked suddenly, "You seem forlorn."
"I'm fine." I said half-heartedly. "My face still stings and I ache after being thrown across the Golden Hall, but I'm OK." I looked down and patted Rayma on the head.
"Are you sure you're OK?"
I let out a deep sigh, "No," I replied. "…..Millie's gone and I feel like Samantha's leaning more toward Gimli and Eowyn, growing distant from me."
"Oh Lizzie, you know that's not true, Samantha still loves you. You still mean everything to her."
"I know, I can feel it, a tiny little flame at the bottom of my heart, but I feel like we're drifting apart. I miss Millie, I wish she were here….I wish…." I broke down crying. "Oh Legolas, I don't know what to do anymore, everything has changed so much."
"We are experiencing dark times, something I wish we did not have to see, but we cannot do anything about it….except hope."
"I'm already beginning to lose hope." Legolas reached out and put his hand on mine.
"It will get better, I promise. I will help you power through this." Legolas took my hand in both of his and kissed the top of it.
It was night. Rohan had just settled down in camp and everyone was in their tents, sleeping after a long day. Not a single person was out that I noticed, except for me. I walked through the very middle of the camp, my bare feet practically frozen. I looked up at the sky and started to hum and then sing.
I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.
Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home, well I'm going home.
The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you
I've not always been the best girl or friend for you
But your love it makes true and I don't know why
You always seem to give me another try
So I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all and then some you don't want
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all, yeah
Oh, well I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
I said these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home, I'm going home
I couldn't help it anymore. I wrapped my arms around Rayma's neck and cried into her pelt.
"Elizabeth?" a voice called, "What are you doing? It's rather late don't you think?" I turned my head slightly to see Aragorn standing a few feet in front of me. I let go of Rayma and ran toward Aragorn and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug. And yes, at a time like this, I could even settle for the comfort of Aragorn. I cried into his chest, feeling his hand brush down my head and back.
As Aragorn looked down at Elizabeth, a tear slid down his cheek and he let her cry for as long as she wanted. He had never had a very good relationship with her, but they were both experiencing loss and heartache.
Samantha's POV
It was early in the morning and quite cold. We left our encampment quickly and set off again. I rode Hasufel behind Aragorn again, alongside me was Arod bearing Gimli and Legolas, Rayma, bearing Elizabeth and on the other side of me, Mikayla, bearing Boromir. We walked in silence, when suddenly; the horses began to grow restless.
"What is it? Hama?" asked Gamling.
"I don't know."
An Orc riding a wolf-like creature appeared over the mountain side. It attacked and killed Hama and began to turn on Gamling, but Legolas ran over and killed the creature with an arrow, and then killed its rider with a knife.
"A scout!" the Elf shouted.
"What is it? What do you see?" asked Theoden.
"Wargs!" Aragorn replied, "We're under attack."
The villagers arose in panic at the sound of the news.
"Get them out of here!" Aragorn yelped.
"All riders to the head of the column!" Theoden replied. I almost fell off the horse as Aragorn galloped forward.
"Help, someone get me up here! I'm a rider!" Gimli exclaimed. Gimli was finally able to mount Arod with some help. We looked ahead; the Warg-riders could be seen, little dots off in the distance, but getting closer.
"You must lead the people to Helm's Deep!" Theoden said to Eowyn. "-and make haste."
"I can fight!" she replied.
"No, you must do this, for me." Theoden replied. The lady went to tend to the people.
"Follow me," Theoden exclaimed. "CHARGE!" We all flew forward. The battle began. Aragorn and I flew through the mass of enemies lashing and severing them, counting them out loud as I went.
I looked back at Elizabeth, Arod and Rayma were side by side. They balanced a top their horses, shooting arrows at the Wargs and riders. Boromir was close behind them. Suddenly Gimli tumbled off Arod, he turned around to see a Warg growling at him. "Bring your pretty face to my axe!" exclaimed Gimli, he was about to kill it when one of Legolas's arrow hit it and it fell dead. Gimli jumped back as it fill. He killed another one with his axe, and it fell onto him, followed by an orc and yet another one. Gimli tried to pull himself out. Suddenly, Aragorn was knocked off of Hasufel. The horse veered up on his hind legs and I tried to steady him. I looked down. He was being attacked by a Rider.
"Aragorn!" I exclaimed.
"Go!" Aragorn exclaimed, "Don't worry about me! Hurry, make haste!" I did not protest. I ran off again to attack more orcs. The battle slowly winded down and I instantly looked around to make sure my friends were OK. I sighed with relief when I saw Elizabeth, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, but where was Aragorn? "Sam!" Elizabeth and Rayma ran up to my horse's side and we hugged.
"Aragorn?" we turned at the sound of Legolas's voice, he was looking around anxiously.
"Aragorn?" Gimli said.
"Aragorn?" Elizabeth called, "Ari?"
"Aragorn?" Boromir looked around.
We dismounted, walking our horses and approached the cliff. We heard wheezing and laughing. We found ourselves standing over a wounded and dying orc. "Tell me what happened and I will finish you off!" Elizabeth snapped.
"He's dead." The orc coughed and laugh evilly, "Took a little tumble off the cliff." Suddnely, risen in grief and anger, Elizabeth yanked her sword from her sash and stabbed the orc, "SHUT UP!" she screamed, "It's not true! You lie!" The orc died. She hung her head, "It can't be."
"Elizabeth…." Legolas began, suddenly, he bent down and took something out of the orc's fist; it was Aragorn's Evenstar pendent. Legolas ran to the edge, and looked down, we followed him. There was a deep drop and the water rippled, someone had definitely fallen.
Elizabeth fell to her knees and started to weep, "I've already lost enough friends, and now this." Legolas walked over and helped her up. He pulled her into a hug, still clutching the pendant. Elizabeth was sobbing loudly now. I buried my face in Hasufel's neck, crying softly.
"Get the wounded on horses!" Theoden was saying to his army, "The wolves of Mordor will return, leave the dead." He looked back at us, "I'm sorry." he said to us, with a voice full of sympathy. He left, leaving us standing alone looking down the cliff into the river.
Elizabeth's POV
"Make way for the king!" Gamling said as we made our way into the hall of Helm's Deep. Theoden with Snowmane came through first followed by Legolas, Gimli and Arod, myself and Rayma, Samantha and Hasufel, and finally Boromir and Mikayla.
"So few of you have returned." Eowyn said.
"Yes, many lives were lost during the battle, and we honor those who died for Rohann."
"Where is Lord Aragorn?" Eowyn asked, no doubt surprised to see only her on the back of Hasufel.
"He fell." Sam replied, hanging her head.
Eowyn teared up.
I looked up to the ceiling, again, wondering, again, why I had lost so much.