Chapter Ten
They ran through most of the night and she welcomed the cold air it brought until dawn which cooled her drenched skin, and when dawned broke with a red mist she knew this ordeal was nearly over.
"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night."
Aragorn acknowledged the elf and slowed the pace leading them slowly over the plains of Rohan until morning was gone and afternoon waning.
She felt it the same time as Legolas did. The ground shook.
He turned and saw the dark blur in the distance riding towards them. "Aragorn! Horses!" He warned.
Aragorn beckoned them to hide behind a large pile of boulders until he could identify the livery of the riders. Seemingly satisfied he sprung out with no warning to his companions and called out. "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?!"
Anticipation coursed through Amy's veins. She did not know whether to be fearful or just relieved that they had stopped running. Her mind was fatigued as she tried to think of where they were. Everything was blurred in her mind though and she could not recall anything.
The lead horseman signalled his men at Aragorn's voice and quickly the riders had them surrounded in an ever-tightening circle. As they stopped their spears came down and pointed perilously close to their captive's heads.
Amy did not notice it happen but Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas stood round her in her own protective circle.
"What business does an Elf, a man, a dwarf and a woman have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" Demanded the lead rider on top of his horse.
"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimli's pride pricked smartly.
Clearly displeased the lead rider handed his staff to the rider beside him and jumped gracefully of his horse. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, beard and all if it stood a little higher from the ground."
Legolas in a lightning fast move that had Amy losing her breath, drew an arrow and fixed it to his bow pointing directly at the Horsemaster's head. "You would die before your stroke fell!"
Amy closed her eyes as the spears drew closer. She could feel the tension radiating off everyone and was glad that when she finally opened her eyes the men with spears had backed off slightly.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland realm." Aragorn paused when it came to Amy deciding carefully of how to introduce her. "This is Amy friend of Lothlorien, and we are all friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."
The man seemed content with this and pulled off his helmet although landed a questioning glance at Amy. "Theoden no longer recognises friend from foe. Not even his own kin." Aragorn recognised the man before him now as Eomer.
Amy strained to read his lips. She wanted to know what he was saying so she could check it against what she remembered should be happening. She briefly chastised herself for not picking up the books again later in life as everything was getting slightly confused in her head. She wondered if it was something to do with the endless running or whether she just had a memory like a sieve. It was strange however, as there were certain memories that were crystal clear, almost as if she had seen them, rather than read them.
She shook her head, none of this was helping her at the moment. Her eyes were too tired to strain to understand the man's hurried and tense words.
She must have given off some visible sign as all eyes turned on her and her three companions took her distress as a warning.
"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked, his voice full of panic.
"They would be small – only children to your eyes." Aragorn added feeling the dread wash over him.
"We left none alive." Eomer answered now with regret. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed into the distance where smoke rose.
"Dead?" Gimli managed to choke out.
Amy was still trying to play catch up with what they were saying as she tried to work out what the hell she was going to do and Legolas took her confused expression as if something had gone wrong.
Eomer nodded. "I am sorry." He whistled as he turned away. "Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses obeyed his call and moved towards him. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." He put his helmet back on as Aragorn clasped the reins of the horses. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands." He mounted his horse and with one last call the riders were gone.
Immediately Legolas turned to Amy. "Is everything all right?"
"What way do they ride?"
"What way? North, that is north that they ride? Amy, has something changed?"
She ignored his last question and continued with her own. "Rohan, the city..." She stopped. She could not remember the name of it. "That man, where does he come from?"
"E.o.m.e.r is from E.d.o.r.a.s." He spelt out the unusual words.
"Where is it, what direction is it?"
"E.d.o.r.a.s is to the south. Amy please, what is wrong?"
South. If Edoras was south, then why was Eomer heading north? He could not be going north. He was supposed to go south. He was supposed to go back to Edoras. She did not know how to answer Legolas' question. Did she say yes, yes something was wrong? Or did she lie and say everything was fine as to not cause the three of them to change anything further.
"What is it? Have we strayed from the path?" Aragorn asked Legolas. He needed to know, he had led them on this path and he prayed he had not led them to ruin.
Legolas could not give him an answer. "Amy?"
She looked at the three faces staring at her desperate for answers she could not give. She needed them to get to the next significant event. She so needed them to get there, not just for them but for her. She needed wise words. She needed Gandalf.
"We need to continue."
"She says we need to continue." Legolas told Aragorn.
"Continue where!?" Gimli barked. "Where does our path need to go now?!" Amy took a step back as she felt the anger radiate from him.
Legolas looked to Aragorn. "You said we were not to ask her the future."
Aragorn began to pace. "We continue as we would."
"And where would we continue?" Gimli posed.
"We cling to hope, we look for our friends. Legolas take Gimli on Arod. I will take Amy."
Amy sighed with some relief as they seemed to come to some decision but was a little surprised when Aragorn beckoned her forward and helped her up onto Hasufel. He followed suit and settled in front of her. He turned in the saddle and slowly spoke. "Hold on."
She did as he bid and wrapped her arms around him clinging on tightly. He smelt of earth and stale sweat and scowled when she realised that is probably how she smelt. She wanted to speak to him, but felt the barrier of her hearing keenly.
She had built up her own fair share of barriers at home but this one had been put upon her and in this world, she seemed to resent it more than she ever had back home. She had so much she wanted to say and yet was restricted by time and duty and the signs only one person knew. She never had a lot to say and now when she was bursting with words she was kept silent.
There was another barrier that she had noticed not of her own making. A barrier between her and Legolas. He was very tactile with her, she again assumed this was an elven trait. Something about their hands that they needed to impart comfort with. Yet, with the need to communicate with her using his hands he was always confusing his movements. She had noted it often. He would go to touch her, perhaps on the arm or the face then change his mind as the situation required words, words that could only be spoke with his hands. And every time he withdrew his touch she cursed her deafness for stopping him.
She had never been a tactile person. In fact, many of the profoundly deaf people she had met were not especially tactile. They tended to keep a modicum of personal space around them as that space was needed to communicate. Even those that spoke and lip read proficiently needed some space, you couldn't lip read someone who was too close to focus on. So why had she chosen now to become irate with her situation? She felt incredibly lonely here, but then she had felt lonely for a long while now. She looked across to Legolas upon Arod and wished it was him she was holding onto, and that thought alone was enough to catch her breath and bury any other thoughts like that at once.
When they reached the smouldering pile of burning carcasses she placed her hand tightly over her mouth and nose lest she gag at the smell. She did not know how Gimli stood the stench as he began to sift through the pile.
She watched as he pulled out a charred belt and dagger sheath from the pile. "It's one of their wee belts." He shook his head. "Is this the purpose of the Fellowship, for us to die one by one?!"
Legolas did not answer, bowing his head instead. "Hiro ith ab 'wanath."
Aragorn could not bear the silence and let out a mighty roar as he kicked a helmet with all his might and dropped to his knees in despair. He swore to himself he would not ask Amy the future, he trusted that she was keeping them to their path. But could their path really include the death of so many dear to them.
Gimli's words were no help. "We failed them."
Amy looked at the sorrow on their faces and her heart ached for them. Then she realised it did not just ache for them it was aching for her. Merry and Pippin were her companions too, and despite what she did or did not know she was not going to be satisfied until she knew they were in safe hands. It was if the cloud of doubt lifted from her, no longer was she hanging onto the idea of a coma or stupid tumour. She was fully immersed in this world and she was fighting for it too.
She was sure that Eomer and his men were heading in the wrong direction but that did not mean Merry and Pippin fate was different.
Sod standing around silently watching, it was time to be proactive. The quest so far had been draining her of not only her energy but it seemed that little bit of fire that she still had. Even after all the years of loneliness she managed to keep it kindled and now was the time to make it spark. She had no idea what she was looking for but she started looking.
She paced around staring intently at the ground.
"What is she doing?" Gimli asked although he did not expect anyone to know.
This caught Aragorn's attention. It was obvious she was looking for something, he looked at the ground she was looking at and he saw what she could not see.
"A hobbit lay here, and the other." Aragorn sighed but then saw something else, tracks imprinted in the ground. "They crawled." He pushed himself up to his feet and looked at Amy. She nodded knowing now that he had seen what she had been hoping for. She knew what the forest was that loomed over them and so she hoped the hobbits had made it into the darkness.
"Their hands were bound." He continued on as Legolas, Amy and Gimli followed him. "There bonds were cut!" His voice now lightened as renewed hope filled him. "They ran over here, they were followed. The tracks lead away from the battle..." He broke into a run as if he had to keep up with the tracks and then stopped abruptly as they ended. "...into Fangorn Forest."
Amy could not help but smile. So, they had made it into Fangorn, and that at least was good news.
"Fangorn. What madness drove them in there?!" Gimli stared into the darkness. "I hope you are not going to tell me that we are to follow them in there!"
"That is exactly what we are going to do Master Dwarf. Not yet though. The evening draws in and I do not relish the thought of entering at night. We wait until first light. Let's set up camp for the night."