The Lost Fawn

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So, I'm writing this from the Hotel, and I'm on a roll with The Lost Fawn, Protector in the Shadow will be updated on Monday, or on my own watch so don't fear! I'm currently having a tough time writing because I don't have all the letters on this key board, so if I have horrible writing don't hate me. I'm on my mom's crappy computer. Any way thanks so much for all the PMs I got wishing me a happy birthday! It means a lot to me! I'm still looking for a proof-reader for this story so if anyone is interested… I hope you liked the last chapter I posted, it required a lot more thought than expected, but it was still amazingly fun to write. Enjoy this chapter! – Ze

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Disclaimer: Has it changed? No. Will it? No.

†Past/Thought†

†Present†

Chapter Eleven: She Knows of Shadows

Her eyes had finally opened after an undisclosed amount of time, undisclosed to her at least. Her eyes were searching frantically for something she knew, some memory that she had hoped to find in the cold walls that held her spirit in her body. She was panicking, so many people that she did not know bustled around her. She could smell a darkness approaching, she could feel it in the air; the breathless touch of a death eater seemed to hover over the large Keep. She felt her body tense at the noise around her, shattering her sensitive ears, and even more sensitive mind. She shivered violently, she was so cold, and why was she so cold? There was rush of people and slight cry of children as war was nearing. She knew she would be late! She needed to fight, and she would die before being denied the honor of entering battle.

Her eyes moved around cautiously with little attention to detail, they were behind the keep for one thing. This must have been the cave! She slowly moved her head to see if she was being watched, and to her relief Éowyn was facing the other direction tending to some sleeping children. Now was Elain's chance. She soon located her weapons and everything important that she would need to fight. She ignored the pounding in her head, and the aching in her bones as she silently slipped away from the mother like creature she both loved and hated. She could feel her legs carrying her quickly as her strength returned in almost moments. She didn't hear the calling of Éowyn from behind her, she had known for many a month what she was to do. And she would be damned if someone tried to stop her now.

The second her foot exited the dark cave and came into the dark abyss of rain and the hellish scent of Uruk-hai she knew the battle was seconds from beginning. The charge was just beginning; she could hear the loud heavy footsteps of the Uruk running towards the stone keep. Sure the stone muted, but ten thousand heavy creatures approaching echoed through the mountains. Elain's body carried her up to linger within the pack of Rohirrim soldiers blending in almost too well. She could hear Aragorn's commands echoing over the firing of bows and arrows. Elain picked up her bow from her back and snuck out of the group, joining the violent front line. Her heart was thundering in her chest with fear and anticipation. She pulled her bow back with a soft motion, waiting for an order from her commander. He walked back and forth along the lines, unaware of her presence.

There was a moment of silence, a ringing that caught her ears as she was now soaked to the core she cursed the bitter rain for a moment before the command came, a volley escaped from the wall, taking out Uruks by the hundreds as another round was gathered again they exploded with a volley. She would spare no mercy for them, nor would she spare mercy for the creatures at her side. The ladders rose into the sky, and the hooks were cast to fire into the sky, killing a few men as the over shot and pulled back. The Uruks were upon them in moments as the climbed though everyone started to attack, swords were drawn and battle cries erupted. This was a war, a war to the black flag, no surrender would emit from either side. This would either turn to a complete unexpected victory (for the people of middle-earth at least) or complete genocide.

Soon she found herself with an unthinkable slashing; she spun, twirled, slashed, and hacked into the bodies around her. Surrounded, violent, and harsh didn't seem very girlish, she defended those few men around her and continued to go at work. She stumbled upon Legolas at one point who was more than shocked to see her. They had stuck together for quite some time, keeping track of how many kills they had in attempt to outdo both the other and Gimli. She had come across a small child attempting to battle an Uruk-hai Berserker on his own. She stepped in without thinking, slaughtering it, and other Uruks behind it. She swung her Elven sword and her Rohirrim blade with equal skill upon her enemy. Delivering such passion and skill in a bout of aerial movements, which seemed make her swifter and tougher to get. She touched the child pushing him away from where he stood as her hands made contact with him she snarled into his mind for him to run.

It was almost pathetic for her to see the fact that there were children in this war; there were boys who could hardly even lift a sword being slaughtered for a cause that was life or death. She knew why these children were needed, but with so much death, what could be done? One hundred men Rohirrim peasants, two hundred Hornburg soldiers, and two hundred warriors from Lothlórien were striking odds. 10 thousand Uruk soldiers stood in their way of victory, and survival.

She heard Aragorn shouting to Legolas about shooting someone down, and it didn't hit her until her mind flashed to the movie. With a gasp Elain soon found herself to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when the wall erupted in explosion underneath her. Her world was spinning for a moment before she found herself hitting the ground God knew how far away from where she was. She coughed a speck of blood for a moment. Her mind went dizzy, as she was in a small pool of water; she had landed not too far away from Aragorn. She snorted and coughed for a moment before standing shakily. She saw something that had completely shaken her, the boy whom she had just saved lay broken in a pool of his body's blood. An unspeakable terror plagued his face, and a fear held in his open blood shot eyes that rocked her to the core. She saw Aragorn turn to attack more of the horrid creatures, but all Elain could do was slowly give into the incessant rage that gnawed at the pit of her stomach.

Tired of the inconvionce cloak that graced her shoulders she ripped it off. Draping it over a large bolder, telling herself to remember where it was. She went into overdrive, her mind knocking all memories of pain, only fueling her anger even more. She exploded into action with one loft silent cry. There was pain and power in her wordless cries and her eyes a fiendish glow behind the demon like shadows of curls that covered any innocence or female qualities left in her childish face. There was nothing kind in her body, nor in her heart. She hardly even headed the warnings to fall back until she felt Legolas dragging her backwards. He tossed her cloak over her as he pulled her up the ramp at a run she swung heartlessly at creatures that blocked her way. Curses left her tongue in a language she didn't understand, only as hisses and snarls, animalistic tones no human could identify. Even after she was pushed into the keep though her curses died to simple growls as she helped build up the door.

"Heorot, have you gone mad?" Aragorn called finally taking notice of her almost as she took notice to him. There was a few moments of silence as she turned to face him, the new blood stains on her pale tunic, the fallen strands of demonic hair bellowed from her hood that covered her single normal eye. The fiendish glow of the emerald seemed to cause the king to shiver. What a sight she must have been, she was glad she had no mirror to see her horrible appearance. She wasn't pleased with his question of her sanity, but she knew already she was crazed. Having passed the limits of death two times, who wouldn't be slightly insane. The wild glow coated her eyes well, and seemed to put the men on an already tense mindset, "Ride out with me Heorot, I would have no other at my side." He said softly, finally approaching the female after quite some time of silence. She nodded, walking to walk past him, keeping silent the roaring of her throat. She wished she could make no noise compared to the frightening ones she made now, "I want an explanation on what I saw, and how did you show me such things." She was about to push him away, but Théoden came riding with Gamling, horse in hand. Kiivas fallowed behind allowing Elain to simply slip upon his back with ease. She was becoming much better at mounting so freely.

She heard the loud horn bellow from above as Gimli blew with all his might, the sound once would have frightened her, but now she took comfort in the sound. Soon it would be the Uruk-hai who would be out numbered. Soon they would see all they had doubted. Saruman would pay for his deeds, though not by her hand, she had already made her decision where her fate lay, and it was not in Isengard with the men. Yet there she found herself, trapped along with them in a keep which felt as prison walls. "Again we fight together Kiivas, let us not fail one another. Our strength is much fierce than that of the Uruks." She encouraged the stag beneath her, seconds before the doors burst open and a flood filled the room.

The horses charged the humans fought violently, their hearts full of wild yet useless hope. And when they reached the ramp, swords and shields clashing hardly against spear and blunt sword. The blood and death surrounded them like cloud and shadow, but her eyes rose to the top of the steep hill nearby. Her weapons stopped moving as she caught site of the white wizard. The shrill call of the horse caught attention to the creatures around, there were words exchanged, and behind the wizard Éomer of Rohan appeared. With a great cry they sped down the hill, sharply angled slope. The sun shone over the steep slope giving the wild charge an advantage. There was a mighty clash, and the creatures of Isengard were overtaken. Pushed back down a path that was wide as it was long.

There was a moment of hesitation to fallow as her eyes glanced backwards. She stared in a lonely manner after the men, the king calling victory. They pushed the Uruks toward the forest, and Éomer told the humans to stay clear of the wood, for good reason. The screams of death could be heard inside from the creatures who were ensnared into the seemingly welcome depths.

"Heorot." Gandalf's voice echoed coolly over the sudden silence of the battle field. "Take the Rohirrim along the mountain. Find the women and children, escort them home." He said lightly, patting her shoulder. Elain's eyes darkened at the command but she nodded waving her hand for the Rohirrim to fallow her. "Heorot!" Gandalf called again his eyes darkened with a hidden emotion, "Make haste. Much waits for you." He said with a wink, agitating a light snarl to erupt from her depths he laughed at the indignant noise before watching her ride off. This girl would find much that she was looking for.

They caught up to the unguarded creatures quickly, within hours actually. She had become rather fond of the brilliant riding skills and stories of battle that came from the Rohirrim. Though at first she was angered by the fact that she didn't speak, but soon they figured she could not, so they spoke in her stead. They knew she was not their leader, only riding with them as a precaution. But some of the men that rode had seen her fight, one of the young boys that had been given a horse stuck to her side like glue. Never leaving her sight more than she commanded of him.

Éowyn was pleased to see Elain well, though extremely angered by the fact she left without permission. It had been dangerous and rash on Elain's part, but little did she care of her own safety anymore. It was all fighting for the King of Gondor. Fighting to protect the Prince of Mirkwood, and the White Wizard. She was fighting for the Fellowship even though she herself wasn't a part of it. The princess had taken the time to rewrap wounds, and wrap new wounds. The contact allowing Elain to show the woman her fighting, and the things she had seen both gruesome. When all was said and done Elain was practically a mummy wrapped in bandages, but she didn't care mostly nicks and cuts she hadn't even noticed on her arms. Her face was almost completely unscathed.

The group of Rohirrim sat around a fire with Éowyn and Elain, speaking of the victories of old, and how excited they were to be going home. Elain had a pipe in her hand, which one of the men had insisted she use. Burning pipe weed made a soft almost delicious scent over power the need to bathe. Not that she didn't want a hot bath; the weed simply distracted her from the horrible scent of blood. Something caught her attention; a loud exclamation caught her hearing and distracted her from the stories. "Stupid child." She heard a woman snarl into the darkness of the night, "All you do is cry! You'd think your tears would have dried! Crying since we found you child." The woman continued. The name caused Elain to tense and Éowyn to shift her glances to the woman who cursed the girl under her breath. There was a moment where Elain stopped breathing, her body raising as tension cursed her features.

She raised slowly with Éowyn at her side, the men to busy speaking to notice her absence. There was a moment of silence between the two. More angry words escaped the same woman, and soon she found herself staring upon a crying form, even the dropping and the scent of the salted liquid caught her attention. "Who is this child Raytheon?" Éowyn asked in a confused tone feeling Elain's hand tense in her own, and seeing the uncomfortable movement of Elain gnawing restlessly on her pipe.

"A child I've adopted from the fields, we found her bare in the grain of our fields," The woman answered with a slight click of her tongue. "We picked her up to work in the fields with us, helping us rebuild," the woman explained pulling the small child roughly to stand, "but little she knows of farming, and hardly ever do tears cease to flow." The woman said with distaste evident on her voice.

The girl lifted her head to look at the people her adopted caretaker was talking to, but her eyes halted no further than "Heorot". There was a sniffling sound as the girl rubbed her eyes gazing at the face that was slightly aglow by the beaming of her pipe. Her single emerald eye watched those pale gems; those faded moss green eyes she knew so well. The pipe moved down away from her mouth as realization finally hit her. The girl knew much shadow, and so did this child. There were a few moments of silence that elapsed, but no more could Elain take it. The tears of her kin always made her heart ache. She stepped forward once, then again, then again, and then once more until the gap between the child and herself was closed. Her pipe fell needlessly to the ground. Her mouth opened and a haunting tune that soon erupted from her chest silenced the entire camp, not even a child cried in their mother's arms at the song. Her chillingly pitched voice caught even Éowyn off guard.

"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake, you shall have,

All the pretty little horses.

Dapples and grays, Pintos and bays

Go to sleepy my little baby,

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby,

When you wake, you shall have,

All the pretty little horses."

Her song paused as the girl came rushing into her arms. Elain did not hesitate to envelope the child deep in an embrace placing gentle kisses on the hairline of the child. Pulling the weeping girl into her body without any emotions holding back. Gandalf had known, just as he had known before about Éowyn. He knew she would find her kin. Her haunting lullaby started again after seconds of holding back tears.

"Way down yonder, down in the meadow,

Poor little baby crying "mama"

Birds and the butterflies flutter round its eyes,

Poor little baby crying "mama"

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleepy little baby.

When you wake, you shall have,

All the pretty little horses."

When her song ended the child was asleep in her arms. The world was momentarily as it should have been. Éowyn looked at Elain in such a way when Elain hoisted the child up and carried her back towards the fire, cradling her like a babe in her arms. The woman attempted to go after Elain, but Éowyn soon explained to the creature in simple words.

"They are kin… and she knows of shadows."

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Hope you liked it~ Sorry it's late, hope it's good, vote, the post closes at noon today. R&R I'm going to bed! Love you all! It was really fun to write! and honestly I hope the chapters to come are as fun! Between the battle, and her being reunited with kin I just had a blast! -Ze

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