"We make camp upon the ledge," Théoden announced.
Dawn watched as the group they'd been travelling with for the past few days split in two. The soldiers made their way across the plain they'd just arrived at, jumping down from horses and beginning their organisation while the more royal party headed toward a steep path hewn out of the side of the mountain leading upwards. Dawn was forced to dismount like everyone else when she reached the foot of the path as it was too narrow for a mounted rider. This was mildly annoying as it meant she had to lead Mildred up, stepping carefully and hoping whoever was behind them had enough sense to stay out of range of Mildred's kicks.
More than a few soldiers swallowed nervously on the way up. Not that Dawn could blame them – with hard mountain on one side and empty space just a foot or two on the other, the way didn't exactly have the safest feeling. It was funny though. Even though Dawn knew this, even though the sensible part of her was saying she should probably be breaking out in a sweat when she looked at the steep drop, she actually felt fine. Better than fine really.
On the way up she found herself trailing her hand along the hard stone of the mountain at her side and smiling faintly. There was something – something about this place.
The royal party reached the ledge Théoden had spoken of and Dawn took in the vast expanse. When he'd said ledge Dawn had been put in mind of a small outcropping of rock on the mountain face but this was anything but. It was as if someone had carved a small island in the rock face and then thrown a layer of grass down. Dawn fell head over heels in love almost immediately.
The next few hours were passed setting up camp. Dawn had become almost good at it since landing in this world – she supposed it was due mostly to practice. Every now and again she would stop though and look up. It was strange but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off the distant peaks of the mountain-top above. Those who noticed her distraction told her not to worry – that the shadow of the mountain sent a shiver down the backs of the strongest men. And yet that was the strange thing. When Dawn gazed up at the mountain and pressed her hand against the cold stone she didn't feel fear as everyone else seemed to. Strange as it was, she felt like she'd come home.
When the camp was set and dinner set spitting over the fires Dawn, along with many others was left with very little to do. It was amazing how shiny swords became at times like these as men sat around absentmindedly rubbing a cloth over a blade. Dawn had spent most of her life polishing swords – mostly for someone else's use - so she didn't think much of sitting down now and joining the masses. Instead she headed for the wall of the mountain. She felt the need to explore pumping through her in an almost uncanny way.
She never even realised she was looking for something until she found it. A path. Well more of a road really. It cut right through the middle of the mountain. Shrouded in mist and practically dripping ominous tidings, Dawn had never seen a road look less inviting. And yet she itched to walk down it. She had taken the first steps before she even realised what she was doing.
"Lady Dawn?"
Dawn spun around guiltily and tried to look like she wasn't about to wonder into a big fat haunted crevice in the mountain. She didn't think Hama was all that convinced from the look on his face.
"Are you well?"
"Yup! Just dandy."
If she could have cringed at her words without looking more stupid, she would have. She watched as Hama's gaze flicked from her, to the path behind her and then back again.
"You would seek to walk the dead road?"
Anyone else would have said it accusingly or at least with a bit of suspicion. Hama made the question sound like he'd just asked her how the weather had been. Dawn glanced over her shoulder.
"No. Well yes. I don't know, where does it go?"
"To the dead," said Hama.
"Oh."
Dawn looked back towards the path.
"Well that would be why it's called the dead road then I guess."
The sheepish smile she turned back on the man was met with a seriousness Dawn honestly thought she should be used to by now considering who Hama was.
"Nothing living walks that way and survives," he said ominously.
"And that would be why I'm not walking down it see," she said, stepping around him. "All with the walking back to camp here."
She could practically feel the frown on her back as she walked away.
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That night Dawn dreamed.
She ran along the path. It was so much fun. She knew everything. Every nook and every cranny. Jobas would never think to look for her where she was going. He was good, but not as good as her. She breathed the mountains. They were hers. She could hide forever if she wanted to.
If she wanted to –
- but the blood would give it away.
She watched as it dripped across her palms, snaking its way from her wrists through her fingers. The cuts were deep. She'd meant them to be. She would hide forever. She would hide and she would take him with her.
She laughed.
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Dawn stirred awake and blinked a few times in the light of the fire.
"You fell asleep."
Dawn lifted her head and turned blurry eyes on the figure beside her, the only other besides herself around the campfire. She assumed everyone else had been smart enough to make their way to a tent before passing out. Legolas looked back at her and Dawn felt her heart give a little wheeze as she noticed the fire was turning his eyes strange and hypnotically beautiful colours.
"Did you dream?"
Dawn nodded slightly as she sat up and stretched muscles that were obviously never going to become accustomed to sleeping on the ground. She noticed in passing that someone had folded up Legolas' cloak and placed it under her head. Three guesses who. She blushed.
"Yeah. It was weird. I was playing hide and seek…" she trailed off as her eyes slid automatically in the direction of the path through the mountain somewhere off to their right.
She didn't even realise she'd gone quiet until a cloak dropped around her shoulders and Legolas resumed his seat beside her. Some part of her couldn't help noticing that he was a little bit closer than before. For the longest moment the two of them just sat there in companionable silence before Dawn got up the courage to speak.
"I think…I think something's happening to me."
Legolas looked up at her in that way he had. He didn't say anything – that was perhaps the worst part. With him not talking you just sorta went right ahead and filled the silences yourself. Granted Dawn did think she needed to talk. It was just that…well Legolas seemed to know that too – and in his silence he seemed to be the one doing something about it. It was a confusing play. Dawn could only assume it was an elf thing.
"I don't know what to think anymore. Me being here, the fighting, all of it. I don't know what it means. And now these dreams. Legolas I could swear I've been here before."
Legolas frowned.
"In Middle Earth?"
"No. Well yes but…these mountains," Dawn swept her arm around their camp, "I know this. I can feel it."
"How is that possible?"
Dawn opened her mouth and paused. It was the right on the tip of her tongue. 'Well Legolas, what you don't know yet is that I'm the Key, a big green thing used in my world to break down the barriers between realities and basically bring about the end of the world. Now I suspect that the me that's a big ball of green energy was here once, long ago in another girl that made a big boo-boo and helped give the big evil guy a way to take over the world. I suspect that she lived here in these mountains. And wouldn't you know it? I'm getting the really strong impression that she killed herself.'
"I don't know," Dawn said.
Legolas looked at her in that annoying way of his again. Dawn dropped her eyes to her lap to avoid it.
For the longest few moments everything was silence. Dawn sat, poking at the fire with a stick, feeling the weight of it all too well. She hated secrets. They hurt. It didn't matter the reasons or how good the intentions were in the first place – when everything came out it all usually went to hell.
"I…" Legolas faltered. That alone was enough to make Dawn look up. Legolas never faltered. When he spoke he did so with his eyes fixed firmly on the fire.
"You once spoke of feeling safe with me. I would have you know that I would do anything within my power to keep it that way." He looked up then and met her eyes. "I will never let anything happen to you."
Dawn could have sworn her heart stopped. Without a word Legolas rose gracefully to his feet and disappeared into the darkness. For the longest time Dawn just sat there, mid-poke, staring at where Legolas had been. Then of course the fire climbed its way up the stick and singed her fingers.
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It was as she was making her way towards the tent she was sharing with Eowyn that she saw it. A shadow making its way up the mountain side. For a brief moment she was uncertain whether she should tell someone but it took only a brief glance around to tell her she didn't have to. She wasn't the only one up late – far from it, most of the camp seemed lively. Two sentries had already seen the cloaked figure and were getting all pumped up to meet it. Dawn left them to it, too tired to care what new tid-bit of information this messenger had. She likely wouldn't be allowed to hear it anyway. Despite her little performance at Helms Deep the king still hadn't gotten over his little 'men's business' stint.
When she pushed open the flap of her tent she was only mildly surprised to see Eowyn was still out. She wondered idly where she might be but only for the length of time it took to get changed and fall onto her cot. Strange dreams really did nothing for the rest aspects of sleep. She was exhausted.
Of course she was woken up only a few hours later. The laws of irony demanded it. Those that needed sleep the most just did not get it. It was Eowyn who woke her. Dawn would have growled at her but for it being the shield-maiden's crying that had stirred her in the first place.
"Eowyn?"
A sob cut off with a mild hiccup.
"Eowyn, what's wrong?"
"I-it's nothing Dawn. Please go back to sleep."
"It's not nothing," Dawn said sitting up. "You're crying."
"I'm just being stupid."
"About what?"
"About the L-Lord Aragorn."
Oh boy. Sometimes Dawn just hated being a girl. She was willing to bet guys didn't need to deal with this stuff. Well they did she supposed. She just figured their way of cheering up a crushed friend was to slap each other on the back and go get drunk. There would probably be grunting too she supposed. There was always grunting with guys.
Climbing out of bed and putting away any silly notions of rest for the night she made her way over to Eowyn's cot and sat down beside her. A customary arm around the shoulders later she asked her the needed question.
"What happened?"
It took about half an hour in all for the woman to spill it all. Aragorn had only said one thing really but in a situation like this there was a lot of pausing to blow noses and the like. Plus Eowyn had a lot of sentences beginning with 'But I thought maybe…' to get out of her system. Dawn sat beside her and listened, nodding at the appropriate intervals and rubbing circles on her friends back. It was about all she could do. She'd seen this coming a mile off. She was just glad it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. At least now it was over. Eowyn could get over it and move on. And Aragorn could…hold the phone…
Dawn sat up suddenly.
"Repeat that last bit again."
Eowyn looked mildly shocked for a moment before something seemed to filter past the Aragorn-induced fog.
"T-they're gone…"
For a full moment Dawn sat trying to process what was going on.
"They didn't tell you." It wasn't a question. The silence stretched as Dawn swelled up like a bullfrog.
"I'll kill them."
Eowyn opened her mouth to say something but never got the chance as Dawn leaped to her feet and headed for her pack.
"I'll find them and I'll kill them."
Eowyn could only watch helplessly as Dawn ripped around the tent gathering her belongings.
"Dawn, they left over an hour and a half ago. You couldn't catch them-"
"Oh I'll catch them. You watch me. I'll catch them so bad they won't know which way their heads are on anymore."
Eowyn opened her mouth.
"And no you can't come with me," Dawn interrupted. Eowyn blinked. For the first time since the news had been broken Dawn grinned a little. "I know you were going to ask."
"I probably would have eventually yes," Eowyn conceded. Dawn slung her pack over her shoulder and stepped in to hug Eowyn.
"You're needed here. These men aren't going to win this war on their own."
Dawn had known of Eowyn's plan to fight since they'd left. Her own plan had been left rather unclear. She had been waiting to be faced with the decision of following Eowyn into disguise or sitting out not knowing what she was going to do. Now it didn't much matter.
Stepping back, Dawn hefted her pack more securely over her shoulder. Eowyn nodded.
"Be safe Dawn."
"You too."
It was a brief and swift goodbye. As Dawn hurried from the tent she found a treacherous part of her mind wondering if she was ever going to see Eowyn again. She shut it down fairly quickly though. Of course she would see her. She had to. Dawn was almost to the crevice un-bothered when a shadow stepped out from behind a tent and resolved itself into Haldir.
"I thought you would come."
Dawn almost rolled her eyes. Of course he did.
"Well here I am."
For a second Haldir simply looked at her in that way he had. You couldn't call it blank because you knew that there was a lot going on in his head but his face just wasn't giving any of it away.
"It is dangerous."
"I know."
"You may not return."
"I know."
"I will accompany you."
"No."
Haldir blinked in much the same way Eowyn had.
"You can't," Dawn struggled to find the words to explain why but she couldn't seem to grasp them. "I…I just need to do this alone. Please. I know what I'm doing."
It was ridiculous and about as un-reassuring as you could get. Which was why Dawn was surprised when, after a moment, Haldir nodded.
"We will meet again tinu."
Dawn was still trying to get over how easy her getaway had just been.
"Ah…okay."
"Keep a steady, fast pace. The mountain is treacherous. Keep your footing and know you're objective and you will find them."
Dawn nodded at the words and then, on a complete whim stepped forward and gave Haldir a short hug. She immediately regretted it of course because Haldir was just not someone you hugged. Even so, he did try and pat her on the back, however uncomfortably. Dawn pulled back and grinned at the stoic expression on his face.
"Keep an eye on Eowyn and Merry for me will you?"
Haldir frowned.
"I will be fighting in the battle Lady Dawn."
Dawn grinned secretively.
"I know. Just keep an eye on them okay? I'll see you 'round."
With one last smile she turned back toward the Dead Road. The path stretched out before her, as ominous and misty as ever. Dawn took a deep breath and stepped forward.