Erin nearly fell to the ground as they stopped to take a break. They had
been running after Merry and Pippin all day. She was slowing them down and
she knew it. She sat on the ground, panting. The guys were not nearly as
tired as she was. She looked up at Legolas who looked as though he had just
taken a nap. He was perfectly fine, not even breathing hard.
Even Gimli was faring better than she was. "What is wrong, Erin," Aragorn asked.
"I am not....... used to........ running....... This much.... in my....... world......." She said in between gasps.
"Do you ride horses everywhere you go?" he asked.
Erin had caught her breath by now and was able to compose herself. "No, we don't ride horses, we have cars."
"Cars?"
"Nevermind."
There was silence while they rested. They hadn't had time to eat all day, and they didn't have time now either. They would be leaving in about one minute. Erin thought for a moment. What was that whole thing that she did back in the woods? How did she do that? If she could just float again, then she would be able to keep up with these guys easily. More than that, she would be able to go far ahead and get Merry and Pippin herself.
She wished that she only knew how, but it only seemed to work when she was cornered, and Ladhwen said something about her not being able to control it. Would Ladhwen always have to save her? This sucked...... She was going to end up slowing these guys down so much that they would never catch up to the Hobbits. They were just being nice and not saying anything about it.
She felt terrible for all of this. She wasn't even supposed to be with them in the first place. It had been her who had been stubborn and followed without permission, now it would be her fault if Merry and Pippin were killed.
Her decision made, she turned to the guys. "Leave me," she said sternly. They all turned to look at her.
"What?" Aragorn asked. Erin looked down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact. She placed her hands on her knees and squeezed them, trying to reassure herself.
"I said leave me!" she half yelled, trying to be strong. Since she'd gotten to this place she'd become weaker. She had to stop relying on others so much. Everyone was looking at her in disbelief. "I am slowing you all down way too much. You have to go on without me."
"But Erin we-"
"Leave me!!! I will not allow Merry and Pippin to be hurt because I am out of shape. You all HAVE to go on without me and save them." She looked up at them and smiled. "Besides, I'll be fine."
They stared at her, unsure of what to do. Legolas stepped towards her. She held her hand up, telling him to stop. He did. "I said I will be fine. I can take care of myself, I've been doing it for years."
"Erin, things are worse now, there are Orcs and Uruk-Hai about," Aragorn said sternly. Erin smiled again, trying to reassure them as much as herself.
"You know I can take care of them. I have long knives as weapons. And, if all else fails, maybe I'll go all apeshit and do that fire thing again." She laughed at herself. She knew that she probably couldn't take care of herself all that well, but she was sure as hell not going to let them know that.
They needed to leave, their break had taken too long already. "GO!" she yelled. Legolas stepped forward and hugged her.
"I am not going to leave you all alone."
"Legolas, you have to. Think of Merry and Pippin. You must go after them."
"I can carry you."
"No you can't. You may be an Elf but even YOU couldn't keep that up forever." Erin gave Aragorn a stern look. He nodded once at her and started running off.
"I'll find some nearby village or something. Go." Legolas began to walk away. He turned and looked at her, searching for some sign of fear or doubt. Erin just smiled. He turned and ran after Aragorn. Gimli was last to leave. As he began to jog off, Erin called after him. "I'm still going to get you back for that whole boat thing!"
He turned his head and looked at her, smiling. "I am looking forward to it!" he called back. Erin remained sitting on the ground. Now what was she supposed to do? 'Hmm, I'll find a village. That's what I told them I'd do, so I'll do it." She began walking in an aimlessly. She was bound to run into somebody if she walked long enough, right?
Erin dropped to her knees. One week. She had been alone one week. She'd barely found food, and had only run into a few streams. Luckily, she had a container made to hold water. She wondered if Aragorn and the others had found Merry and Pippin yet. It was so boring to be all alone. It reminded her of when she first arrived. Even then she hadn't been completely alone. She'd had Aegnor.
Even now she wondered where he was. She hadn't seen him since Moria. She knew that he would be fine, though. He probably found some wild herd and was with them, having the time of his life. She looked to her right. There was the edge of some woods. She walked the twenty feet to them and sat down, leaning against a tree. Her eyes began to shut slowly.
She knew that she shouldn't sleep here, but she was so tired. She shook her body, trying desperately to stay awake, but it was no use. Her eyes shut and before she could react, she fell into the world of dreams.
Thumping. There was that thumping. But it was not the steady drum beat that she was used to. It was a different type of thumping, in sets of three. It sounded almost like a horse cantering. But it couldn't be. Erin's eyes opened. She turned around to the forest behind her. She was awake now and she could still hear it. Was this really a dream?
She looked around her. No, it wasn't a dream. This was the place where she fell asleep. The hoof beats were drawing nearer. She looked at the woods with fear and anticipation. Whatever was coming, she would be ready for it.
Jumping back, she saw a blur burst through the bushes just in front of her. It was Aegnor. The horse turned and trotted up to her. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She did several motions with her hands, asking 'how did you find me?' The horse flared its nostrils.
"Oh, you could smell me." Erin grabbed her pack and threw it over her shoulder. Now she could catch up with the guys for sure. She jumped swiftly onto Aegnor's back and urged him forward. Her broke into a gallop immediately, running over the grassland.
2 hours later
Erin halted Aegnor. She did not have a clue as to where they were. She looked around at the surroundings. They had not changed for hours. She continued onward, never knowing quite what she was getting herself into.
They stopped again when they reached a town. It was set amongst hills. Erin shielded her eyes from the sun and squinted at the flag. On it there was a horse. 'Hmm,' she thought. 'A town like this out in the middle of nowhere.' She pushed Aegnor forward at a walk towards the town.
As she entered the gates she got a chill. Every person was staring at her as she rode by. She stared back at some of them, reaching her hand up to her face to see if perhaps she had something hanging out of her nose. 'Jeez. You'd find more cheer in a graveyard!' Erin continued riding until she came to the top of the hill where guards stood, eyeing her suspiciously.
Before she knew what was going on she was surrounded by them. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. What the hell was all this about?
"Dismount." One of the men commanded. All she could do was agree, since she was surrounded by spears and had no way to get out. She slowly got down and held her hands up in front of her, showing that she held no weapons. One man walked up to her and pulled her long knives from her back. She scowled at him as he backed away.
"You will come with us to see the king," the person, who she guessed was the leader of this little group, commanded. They led her to what she would describe as a castle and inside the doors. She looked ahead of her and saw an old man sitting on a throne.
Something seemed wrong about him. It was as though he was a corpse. She continued to watch him as she was led closer. Slowly, a bent, greasy looking man stepped out from behind a pillar and began whispering in the king's ear. Erin knew right away that she was going to want to kick the crap out of that grease-ball. She waited for the king to speak.
"What is your business in Rohan?" he asked slowly, as though his jaw was rusted.
She looked at him, never breaking eye contact. "I was separated from my companions and am now seeking refuge here," she answered honestly.
"Who are you companions?"
"Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Gimli, son of Gloin."
The greasy man stared at her. He spoke to her now. "You expect his highness to believe that YOU, a woman, are a member of the fellowship?"
Erin rolled her eyes at him. What a chauvinistic pig. "Yes I do. Although I am not an OFFICIAL member, but I do travel with them."
"You lie," he said. Erin wanted to jump on him right then and beat the snot out of him. She hated it when people accused her of lying, especially when she was telling the truth. Movement caught her eye as a cloaked figure stepped out from behind one of the pillars.
"She tells the truth," the feminine voice stated. "She followed them." Erin stared as the woman threw her hood back. As she looked upon the woman's face she could have sworn that a dog like growl came out of her mouth. Arwen.
"What the hell are YOU doing here?" Erin spat.
"I followed you."
Erin blanched. "The entire way here. All the way from Rivendell?" Arwen raised her chin proudly.
"Yes."
"You're kinda creepy ya know.......... " Erin said. Arwen's gaze seemed to burn into her.
"Be silent! How dare YOU call ME creepy!"
"Well you are! I mean you stalked me all the way here. It's been months!"
"What is your point you stupid woman?"
"Well, my first point is that I am not stupid. You are the stupid one. What kind of a person would follow another one all the way across a country for absolutely NO reason. Don't you have a life?"
Arwen was furious now, which only made Erin smile. Arwen lunged at Erin. She stepped to the side easily.
"My my, Arwen, you are getting slower," Erin taunted, keeping her voice completely calm. Arwen bared her teeth and jumped at Erin again, this time knocking her to the ground. They wrestled around for a moment. Arwen reached up and slapped Erin. Erin glared down at the woman whom she was now sitting on top of.
Erin remembered the last time Arwen hit her. That's right, she never did get her back for that, Legolas had interrupted........... Erin smiled evilly. She raised of her right hand and brought it down across the Elf's face hard, punching her in the jaw. Arwen's head snapped around, then slowly turned back to Erin.
They began to wrestle around on the ground once more, never noticing the castle doors opening.
Erin pulled the Elf woman's right arm up behind her back and used her knee to press the woman's face into the hard stone floor. She used her free hand to pull her hair. Arwen was using her free hand to beat on Erin's back, attempting to get her to let go of her hair and arm. It had no affect on her, she just remained sitting on Arwen's back, pulling her hair with her arm locked up behind her back.
This was the scene that the fellowship walked in on. "Erin?" Legolas asked. Erin's head snapped around. Arwen's head, which was still pinned to the floor at the neck by Erin's knee, slowly turned her head around to face the door, her cheek now pressed down on the floor.
"What are you two doing?" Gimli asked.
"She attacked me first," Erin said the way a child would say, 'she started it!'
Legolas gave her a stern look. "Can't I just finish-" she asked.
"No." Erin dropped her head and pouted, releasing Arwen's hair and arm, slowly standing up. Arwen got to her feet quickly. Aragorn didn't seem to know what to do.
Erin pouted as Legolas continued giving her a stern look. He'd been giving her that look for days now.
"Whaaaaaat?" she asked.
"I cannot believe that you did that."
"Bite me."
Legolas leaned over and bit her shoulder.
"ACK!" she yelped. "I didn't mean literally!"
Legolas smiled. "Well, then you should not have said it." Erin smiled back at him.
It seemed that all of the people were leaving the town. They were going to some place called Helm's Deep. They were all on their way there right now. Legolas had explained the situation to her, and she thought it was stupid that they were running to that place. She continued walking, looking down at the grass. Aegnor was being ridden by two of the children, since it would be easier for them to walk than her.
Erin's attention was brought back to Legolas as his head snapped up. There were two men ahead of them on horses, scouting the area. One of them was now gone. Legolas jogged ahead of her and stood on top of a hill.
Erin smiled at how much he looked like a cat, perched atop the hill like that. Her smile faded slowly when he began knocking arrows and firing them.
"Warg!" somebody cried. A confused looked passed across Erin's face. 'Wargs?' she thought, 'What are Wargs?' Her question was soon answered as an ugly beast made itself visible atop the hill. The women and children were told to run to Helm's deep, while them men began to mount their horses. Erin ran towards Legolas and stood next to him atop the hill, pulling her long knives out.
"Go with the women," he said.
"No, I can stay and help."
"No, you must go." Erin gave him a stubborn look. He grabbed a free horse that was running by and lifted her up onto it quickly. She frowned down at him.
"What are you doing?" she asked, nearly frantic. He didn't answer her, he only whispered something in the horse's ear. It turned and began to run after the women. Erin could have killed Legolas right then.
"Does he really expect this to work?" she mumbled to herself. When she was out of sight she stood up on the horse's back and hopped off, rolling across the ground when she hit. She ducked low and ran behind a rock, making sure that Legolas didn't see her.
A peculiar noise caught her ear. She turned around. Nothing. The rock was there. There was that noise again, coming from above her. She looked up and saw a warg. It jumped down at her, knocking her to the ground. She cried out as her long knives were knocked out of her hands. They skittered across the ground a few feet away from her.
Movement caught her eye again as an arrow planted itself deep in the creature's neck. She couldn't see who shot it, so she knew that they could see her. The arrow was Elven. Legolas had save her and he didn't even know it. She looked up just as the warg's body fell on her, covering her body and pinning her to the ground. Oh great, how the hell was she supposed to get out of this one? It was covering her entire body, she could barely breath. Would anybody notice that she was gone? If they didn't she could die here and nobody would ever know where she was or if she was even dead. She couldn't hear anything under this heavy, smelly creature.
She truly couldn't breath now. She gasped under it, feeling her consciousness fading. Then everything went black.
Even Gimli was faring better than she was. "What is wrong, Erin," Aragorn asked.
"I am not....... used to........ running....... This much.... in my....... world......." She said in between gasps.
"Do you ride horses everywhere you go?" he asked.
Erin had caught her breath by now and was able to compose herself. "No, we don't ride horses, we have cars."
"Cars?"
"Nevermind."
There was silence while they rested. They hadn't had time to eat all day, and they didn't have time now either. They would be leaving in about one minute. Erin thought for a moment. What was that whole thing that she did back in the woods? How did she do that? If she could just float again, then she would be able to keep up with these guys easily. More than that, she would be able to go far ahead and get Merry and Pippin herself.
She wished that she only knew how, but it only seemed to work when she was cornered, and Ladhwen said something about her not being able to control it. Would Ladhwen always have to save her? This sucked...... She was going to end up slowing these guys down so much that they would never catch up to the Hobbits. They were just being nice and not saying anything about it.
She felt terrible for all of this. She wasn't even supposed to be with them in the first place. It had been her who had been stubborn and followed without permission, now it would be her fault if Merry and Pippin were killed.
Her decision made, she turned to the guys. "Leave me," she said sternly. They all turned to look at her.
"What?" Aragorn asked. Erin looked down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact. She placed her hands on her knees and squeezed them, trying to reassure herself.
"I said leave me!" she half yelled, trying to be strong. Since she'd gotten to this place she'd become weaker. She had to stop relying on others so much. Everyone was looking at her in disbelief. "I am slowing you all down way too much. You have to go on without me."
"But Erin we-"
"Leave me!!! I will not allow Merry and Pippin to be hurt because I am out of shape. You all HAVE to go on without me and save them." She looked up at them and smiled. "Besides, I'll be fine."
They stared at her, unsure of what to do. Legolas stepped towards her. She held her hand up, telling him to stop. He did. "I said I will be fine. I can take care of myself, I've been doing it for years."
"Erin, things are worse now, there are Orcs and Uruk-Hai about," Aragorn said sternly. Erin smiled again, trying to reassure them as much as herself.
"You know I can take care of them. I have long knives as weapons. And, if all else fails, maybe I'll go all apeshit and do that fire thing again." She laughed at herself. She knew that she probably couldn't take care of herself all that well, but she was sure as hell not going to let them know that.
They needed to leave, their break had taken too long already. "GO!" she yelled. Legolas stepped forward and hugged her.
"I am not going to leave you all alone."
"Legolas, you have to. Think of Merry and Pippin. You must go after them."
"I can carry you."
"No you can't. You may be an Elf but even YOU couldn't keep that up forever." Erin gave Aragorn a stern look. He nodded once at her and started running off.
"I'll find some nearby village or something. Go." Legolas began to walk away. He turned and looked at her, searching for some sign of fear or doubt. Erin just smiled. He turned and ran after Aragorn. Gimli was last to leave. As he began to jog off, Erin called after him. "I'm still going to get you back for that whole boat thing!"
He turned his head and looked at her, smiling. "I am looking forward to it!" he called back. Erin remained sitting on the ground. Now what was she supposed to do? 'Hmm, I'll find a village. That's what I told them I'd do, so I'll do it." She began walking in an aimlessly. She was bound to run into somebody if she walked long enough, right?
Erin dropped to her knees. One week. She had been alone one week. She'd barely found food, and had only run into a few streams. Luckily, she had a container made to hold water. She wondered if Aragorn and the others had found Merry and Pippin yet. It was so boring to be all alone. It reminded her of when she first arrived. Even then she hadn't been completely alone. She'd had Aegnor.
Even now she wondered where he was. She hadn't seen him since Moria. She knew that he would be fine, though. He probably found some wild herd and was with them, having the time of his life. She looked to her right. There was the edge of some woods. She walked the twenty feet to them and sat down, leaning against a tree. Her eyes began to shut slowly.
She knew that she shouldn't sleep here, but she was so tired. She shook her body, trying desperately to stay awake, but it was no use. Her eyes shut and before she could react, she fell into the world of dreams.
Thumping. There was that thumping. But it was not the steady drum beat that she was used to. It was a different type of thumping, in sets of three. It sounded almost like a horse cantering. But it couldn't be. Erin's eyes opened. She turned around to the forest behind her. She was awake now and she could still hear it. Was this really a dream?
She looked around her. No, it wasn't a dream. This was the place where she fell asleep. The hoof beats were drawing nearer. She looked at the woods with fear and anticipation. Whatever was coming, she would be ready for it.
Jumping back, she saw a blur burst through the bushes just in front of her. It was Aegnor. The horse turned and trotted up to her. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She did several motions with her hands, asking 'how did you find me?' The horse flared its nostrils.
"Oh, you could smell me." Erin grabbed her pack and threw it over her shoulder. Now she could catch up with the guys for sure. She jumped swiftly onto Aegnor's back and urged him forward. Her broke into a gallop immediately, running over the grassland.
2 hours later
Erin halted Aegnor. She did not have a clue as to where they were. She looked around at the surroundings. They had not changed for hours. She continued onward, never knowing quite what she was getting herself into.
They stopped again when they reached a town. It was set amongst hills. Erin shielded her eyes from the sun and squinted at the flag. On it there was a horse. 'Hmm,' she thought. 'A town like this out in the middle of nowhere.' She pushed Aegnor forward at a walk towards the town.
As she entered the gates she got a chill. Every person was staring at her as she rode by. She stared back at some of them, reaching her hand up to her face to see if perhaps she had something hanging out of her nose. 'Jeez. You'd find more cheer in a graveyard!' Erin continued riding until she came to the top of the hill where guards stood, eyeing her suspiciously.
Before she knew what was going on she was surrounded by them. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. What the hell was all this about?
"Dismount." One of the men commanded. All she could do was agree, since she was surrounded by spears and had no way to get out. She slowly got down and held her hands up in front of her, showing that she held no weapons. One man walked up to her and pulled her long knives from her back. She scowled at him as he backed away.
"You will come with us to see the king," the person, who she guessed was the leader of this little group, commanded. They led her to what she would describe as a castle and inside the doors. She looked ahead of her and saw an old man sitting on a throne.
Something seemed wrong about him. It was as though he was a corpse. She continued to watch him as she was led closer. Slowly, a bent, greasy looking man stepped out from behind a pillar and began whispering in the king's ear. Erin knew right away that she was going to want to kick the crap out of that grease-ball. She waited for the king to speak.
"What is your business in Rohan?" he asked slowly, as though his jaw was rusted.
She looked at him, never breaking eye contact. "I was separated from my companions and am now seeking refuge here," she answered honestly.
"Who are you companions?"
"Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Gimli, son of Gloin."
The greasy man stared at her. He spoke to her now. "You expect his highness to believe that YOU, a woman, are a member of the fellowship?"
Erin rolled her eyes at him. What a chauvinistic pig. "Yes I do. Although I am not an OFFICIAL member, but I do travel with them."
"You lie," he said. Erin wanted to jump on him right then and beat the snot out of him. She hated it when people accused her of lying, especially when she was telling the truth. Movement caught her eye as a cloaked figure stepped out from behind one of the pillars.
"She tells the truth," the feminine voice stated. "She followed them." Erin stared as the woman threw her hood back. As she looked upon the woman's face she could have sworn that a dog like growl came out of her mouth. Arwen.
"What the hell are YOU doing here?" Erin spat.
"I followed you."
Erin blanched. "The entire way here. All the way from Rivendell?" Arwen raised her chin proudly.
"Yes."
"You're kinda creepy ya know.......... " Erin said. Arwen's gaze seemed to burn into her.
"Be silent! How dare YOU call ME creepy!"
"Well you are! I mean you stalked me all the way here. It's been months!"
"What is your point you stupid woman?"
"Well, my first point is that I am not stupid. You are the stupid one. What kind of a person would follow another one all the way across a country for absolutely NO reason. Don't you have a life?"
Arwen was furious now, which only made Erin smile. Arwen lunged at Erin. She stepped to the side easily.
"My my, Arwen, you are getting slower," Erin taunted, keeping her voice completely calm. Arwen bared her teeth and jumped at Erin again, this time knocking her to the ground. They wrestled around for a moment. Arwen reached up and slapped Erin. Erin glared down at the woman whom she was now sitting on top of.
Erin remembered the last time Arwen hit her. That's right, she never did get her back for that, Legolas had interrupted........... Erin smiled evilly. She raised of her right hand and brought it down across the Elf's face hard, punching her in the jaw. Arwen's head snapped around, then slowly turned back to Erin.
They began to wrestle around on the ground once more, never noticing the castle doors opening.
Erin pulled the Elf woman's right arm up behind her back and used her knee to press the woman's face into the hard stone floor. She used her free hand to pull her hair. Arwen was using her free hand to beat on Erin's back, attempting to get her to let go of her hair and arm. It had no affect on her, she just remained sitting on Arwen's back, pulling her hair with her arm locked up behind her back.
This was the scene that the fellowship walked in on. "Erin?" Legolas asked. Erin's head snapped around. Arwen's head, which was still pinned to the floor at the neck by Erin's knee, slowly turned her head around to face the door, her cheek now pressed down on the floor.
"What are you two doing?" Gimli asked.
"She attacked me first," Erin said the way a child would say, 'she started it!'
Legolas gave her a stern look. "Can't I just finish-" she asked.
"No." Erin dropped her head and pouted, releasing Arwen's hair and arm, slowly standing up. Arwen got to her feet quickly. Aragorn didn't seem to know what to do.
Erin pouted as Legolas continued giving her a stern look. He'd been giving her that look for days now.
"Whaaaaaat?" she asked.
"I cannot believe that you did that."
"Bite me."
Legolas leaned over and bit her shoulder.
"ACK!" she yelped. "I didn't mean literally!"
Legolas smiled. "Well, then you should not have said it." Erin smiled back at him.
It seemed that all of the people were leaving the town. They were going to some place called Helm's Deep. They were all on their way there right now. Legolas had explained the situation to her, and she thought it was stupid that they were running to that place. She continued walking, looking down at the grass. Aegnor was being ridden by two of the children, since it would be easier for them to walk than her.
Erin's attention was brought back to Legolas as his head snapped up. There were two men ahead of them on horses, scouting the area. One of them was now gone. Legolas jogged ahead of her and stood on top of a hill.
Erin smiled at how much he looked like a cat, perched atop the hill like that. Her smile faded slowly when he began knocking arrows and firing them.
"Warg!" somebody cried. A confused looked passed across Erin's face. 'Wargs?' she thought, 'What are Wargs?' Her question was soon answered as an ugly beast made itself visible atop the hill. The women and children were told to run to Helm's deep, while them men began to mount their horses. Erin ran towards Legolas and stood next to him atop the hill, pulling her long knives out.
"Go with the women," he said.
"No, I can stay and help."
"No, you must go." Erin gave him a stubborn look. He grabbed a free horse that was running by and lifted her up onto it quickly. She frowned down at him.
"What are you doing?" she asked, nearly frantic. He didn't answer her, he only whispered something in the horse's ear. It turned and began to run after the women. Erin could have killed Legolas right then.
"Does he really expect this to work?" she mumbled to herself. When she was out of sight she stood up on the horse's back and hopped off, rolling across the ground when she hit. She ducked low and ran behind a rock, making sure that Legolas didn't see her.
A peculiar noise caught her ear. She turned around. Nothing. The rock was there. There was that noise again, coming from above her. She looked up and saw a warg. It jumped down at her, knocking her to the ground. She cried out as her long knives were knocked out of her hands. They skittered across the ground a few feet away from her.
Movement caught her eye again as an arrow planted itself deep in the creature's neck. She couldn't see who shot it, so she knew that they could see her. The arrow was Elven. Legolas had save her and he didn't even know it. She looked up just as the warg's body fell on her, covering her body and pinning her to the ground. Oh great, how the hell was she supposed to get out of this one? It was covering her entire body, she could barely breath. Would anybody notice that she was gone? If they didn't she could die here and nobody would ever know where she was or if she was even dead. She couldn't hear anything under this heavy, smelly creature.
She truly couldn't breath now. She gasped under it, feeling her consciousness fading. Then everything went black.