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Chapter 28

The fire crackled in the night, showering sparks into the air. Alianor was hunched over the fire, preparing a concoction of beans and other assortments of foods. It looked rather gut-wrenching, Kelsey thought, as she watched Alianor stir the brown, lumpy grime in the pot. The crew sat in awkward silence, observing each other with skeptical looks. Kelsey felt uneasy with this tension, and decided casual conversation would bring no harm.

"So you are from Rohan?", she asked, directing her question more to Alianor than anyone else.

"Yes, the small settlement of Snowbourne, but we have been banished" Alianor said, flatly.

"But why?" Kelsey asked, hardly taking a moment to consider that her inquiry may be intrusive.

"Grima Wormtongue", Alianor said, her voice full of spite, "the advisor of the king, has poisoned his mind. We only meant to serve justice, my brothers and I, but our efforts were to no avail. Orc savaged our lands, killing all who came in their path. My husband, was among the dead".

At this. Alianor stopped her story, to take a moment's breath; the mention of her husband had caused tears to well in her eyes. Her brothers shifted uncomfortably, and their expressions spoke of could feel her thoughts drift to Legolas, thinking of what she would feel if she were to lose him to the sword of the enemy. She tried her best to swallow the hard lump that rose in her throat. It was only a brief pause, before Alianor began her story once again.

"We came to our King", she began again, slowly, "beseeching him to give us aid. Our lands were being burnt to the ground, we were lucky enough to escape, but we could not hold back the Orcs for much longer. We spoke of how the Orcs were advancing, and how they would eventually reach his palace doors, and ruin Rohan. It was not until the slippery snake Grima whispered in his ear that he turned us away, banishing us from Rohan and accusing us of treachery. He blamed us for subjecting our people to this danger, that we had allowed our lands to be taken by the Dark Lord. Brom was in Rohan when we came there, and he too had suffered from the radical actions of the King. So here we are, living as nomads, and enjoying each other's company".

Kelsey thought about her story, pondering on the suffering their newfound friends had undergone. She was beginning to feel fortunate that her and Eraisuithon's journey had not dealt them a miserable hand. The misfortune of Rohan had begun, she thought. King Theoden had sucuumb to the worm, whispering words of hatred and malice that were all a device to drown Rogan into ruin and control of Sauriman. She hoped that she would by chance see Legolas, to warn him against the dangers of Rohan. But she knew, the chances of this were seldom, and she could only hope the words of Gandalf would prepare him. Kelsey's thoughts were interrupted by Alianor placing a wooden bowl in front of her to grab. Kelsey gratefully accepted the warm meal, and began to feast on the stew. It was not fit for a King, she thought, but it was a nice change from the bread and scrawny rabbits Eraisuithon and her had eaten for weeks.

"Where is your heading?" Jarin asked, with a mouthful of stew. Kelsey had discerned that the only difference in appearance of the twins was Jarin had a noticeable scar on his right eyebrow.

"We are unsure", Kelsey answered, looking to Eraisuithon for guidance.

Eraisuithon face still held a guarded look, but after a pause he answered.

"We must make our way across the Misty Mountains, but we have not decided how" he said, carefully.

"Why do you wish to journey across?" Jarin asked.

"They have already said they wouldn't tell us why", Josef said quickly, "and we told them we would not pry".

"But how are we to help and trust them when we have no idea what they are doing?" Jarin rebutted, "they could be here to kill us".

"Wouldn't they already have done this if they wished to?" Josef said, his voice beginning to rise with his temper.

"Enough!" Alianor said.

Jarin and Josef stopped bickering, and Brom looked up from his meal at the harsh rise in Alianor's tone.

"We only mean to protect you from danger" Kelsey said, trying to calm their suspicions, "please understand that is all we mean to do. Our quest is to mean to serve against the Dark Lord, and that is all we can tell you".

Jarin and Josef seemed mildly pleased with her response, and Alianor nodded protectively while Brom dumbly went on eating his stew. Kelsey was beginning to discern more and more from this group as time went on. Brom was strong and loyal, but he was slow and dimwitted. Jarin and Josef advised as to what their next destination would be and would loyally protect their sister and friend, but they could hardly make decisions of their own; they would disagree too much to come to a conclusion. This was what Alianor was for; he was the leader. She would have the final decision, and her words would not be refuted by any member of their company.

"How do you plan to make your way to the eastern side of the Misty Mountains?" Alianor asked.

"The Gap of Rohan" Eraisuithon said, and Kelsey felt her heart sink to her toes.

The Gap of Rohan; where Sauriman and his army of Orcs were preparing for the Battle of the Hornburg, and to hunt down and kill the Fellowship. The one place where Kelsey wished never to go, and Eraisuithon was going to take them straight there. Before she could retort, Alianor spoke.

"It is no longer safe there", she said, darkly, "the White Wizard has turned to serve the Dark Lord. His army of Orcs were the ones who savaged our lands. We had to make our way through the White Mountains and down the River Adorn until we were well into the Enedwaith to avoid the wrath of the Orcs that riddle those once sacred lands. You cannot pass through without being seen".

"But you are a group of four", Eraisuithon said defensively, "and we are only a group of two. We could easily pass through the foothills of the Misty Mountains and remain unseen".

"The Orcs will find you", Alianor said, "I can promise you that. To think you will pass unnoticed is naive, you cannot possibly think you are skilled enough to escape the clutches of Sauriman".

"So what do you suggest?" Eraisuithon said, sounding angrier by the minute, "us to pass through Moria, where the dwarves live? They would welcome us with steel to our throats".

"Moria has been taken by a darker hold than the Gap of Rohan itself", Alianor said, "goblins and orcs have taken over the dark mines. All that awaits you there, is death".

"So we make our way through the Pass of Caradhas?" Eraisuithon said, "We would freeze to death before we even made it halfway across the mountains".

At this, Alianor removed a withered roll of paper from her tunic, and laid it so the light of the fire could illuminate the markings on the scroll. It was a roughly drawn map of Middle Earth, almost as if it were drawn by J.R.R. Tolkein himself.

"You can travel across the River Adorn and pass through the White Mountains, and make your way through to Gondor" she instructed, pointing to them on the old map, "it may take time, but it would save your lives".

"We do not have time for that", Eraisuithon said, "we must make it across to The Wold, where we will head east from there". As he said this, he pointed to a brown spot on the map, where the scrawled handwriting read "The Wold". This was where the battle of the Ents would take place, Kelsey thought, but said nothing.

"You must listen to me" Alianor said, insistently, "all that you will find there is death".

Eraisuithon abruptly rose from his seat by the fire, and stormed away into the darkness. He was never one to be told what to do, and Kelsey knew that Alianor had pushed him to his limit. She hoped that Alianor would have talked some sense into the stubborn elf, but her efforts seemed to have no avail.

"I am sorry", Kelsey said, apologetically, "he is stubborn, it is in his nature. I believe you, and I trust your guidance. Please forgive him".

Alianor's expression lightened, and she nodded in understanding. Kelsey then rose from her seat, and followed Eraisuithon into the night. She could feel her temper rise as she made her way to his shadowy figure; the moonlight had lit the land so well that she could make out his silhouette standing by the ruin walls on a few feet from the group. She could hear the group whispering as she ventured away from the fire, and she could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Eraisuithon heard her approach, and turned to face her. His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at her, and she could see that his temper was still high.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?" she asked, accusationally, "all they wish to do is help us, yet you attack them as if they wish to mean us harm".

"We need to get to the other side of the mountains as fast as possible", Eraisuithon exclaimed, "we have no more time. If we lengthen our journey anymore, we will not make it in time for you to save the dragons. We cannot delay!"

"I understand that", Kelsey said, insistently, "but we cannot put our lives into danger all because we wish to save time".

"We will not be in any danger!" Eraisuithon said loudly, but then hushed his voice, so as not to arouse the attention of the group by the fire, "we will be safe. We have only us, and no one else. Trust me, I am your guide, I would not put you into danger".

Kelsey apprehensively gazed at him. She knew that the dangers Rohan were far from his comprehension, but she couldn't tell him how she knew of this. It would ruin all the cover that she had worked towards; she did not wish anyone to know that a series of books from her world had given her glimpses into the future. Besides, she thought, maybe he was right. Maybe because they would be only two, they would go by unnoticed. She reached for both of his hands, and looked into his eyes.

"I do trust you", she said, "I am just scared of what lies in the Gap of Rohan. But if you feel we can cross, then we will".

Eraisuithon smiled at her, and grasped her hands tightly. Kelsey couldn't believe what she had agreed to, she was to make her way through the Gap of Rohan. She tried to mask her pensive expression, so as not to alert Eraisuithon of her doubt.

"We must keep this between us", Eraisuithon said, "our newfound friends will not appreciate us not taking their advice".

Kelsey nodded in agreement, but disliked the thought that she would lie to them. She quietly followed his lead back to the fire, keeping her thoughts to herself.

"We have decided to take your plan" Eraisuithon announced, as they reached the group.

Alianor smiled in approval, and Kelsey tried to avoid eye contact. She couldn't look at her face, she was too ashamed of lying to them.

"We must get rest, though" Eraisuithon said, "we leave early tomorrow".

"You can make camp with us" Alianor said, and her brothers and stoutly friend agreed.

As the company made their way to set up camp, Alianor and Kelsey spent a moment amongst themselves.

"I take it you two are in courtship?" Alianor asked Kelsey, with a inquisitive smile on her lips.

Kelsey stifled a laugh. "Hardly", she said, "we are only friends. My true love is up north, in Rivendell, beginning a quest of his own".

"You have left him behind?" Alianor asked carefully, studying Kelsey's face attentively.

"Yes" Kelsey said, a painful note in her voice, "but he should be alright".

Sensing that Kelsey did not wish to speak anymore of it, Alianor ceased her interrogation and continued to set up her bed.

"Thank you", Kelsey said, "for everything you have given us. Eraisuithon and I are very grateful".

"It is no trouble" Alianor said, smiling at her, "we are lost souls ourselves. Anything to help those that have suffered from these dark times".

Kelsey smiled back at her, and began to burrow herself in her bed. She looked up at the stars and breathed in the night air. She closed her eyes, and imagined she was there once again, with Legolas by her side. It was almost as if she could feel his breath on her face, and feel the touch of his hand on hers. His presence gave her comfort, and she felt that everything would be alright; that she would make it through the Gap of Rohan and one day see him again. If this was a dream, she wished it would never end.