AN: It's been a while since my last update, so here's a long overdue double update. Enjoy!

Scylla's revenge: Thank you for your continued support! Hopefully, an extra chapter makes up for the wait :)

Chapter 25

The morning had long stretched into the afternoon, evidenced by the warm yellow rays shining down on us. The dull edge of sleep had subsided, though each step still sent a stab of pain through my feet. But, the sun was out, and today was a new day. The Emyn Muil was behind us, and I hoped my dread had remained with it.

For now, it seemed like it had. Out in the openness of Rohan, more signs of the Uruk-hai pack were springing up. A crust of stale, half-eaten bread here. Frayed bits of cloth and rope stinking of sweat there. All over, these signs littered the plains, but why? Were they getting careless after running for so long, or was it arrogance?

At any rate, there weren't any more corpses, but we all kept our eyes peeled anyway. While it was less noticeable with the others, finding the bodies earlier had rattled them. Considering the sight of even the slightest hill had my stomach in knots, it'd rattled me pretty significantly, too. What if their lifeless faces were just over the next ridge?

Barely a day had passed since Boromir's death. I couldn't bear two more losses on top of his. Sparing a glance at Rose's carefully neutral face, my chest sank. If I couldn't, there was no way she could.

My foot slipped on my next step, pulling me from my thoughts while I nearly careened to the side. A hand caught my arm, and slender fingers dug into my right bicep. Deep in my heart, I half-hoped it would be Legolas, but he was up with Aragorn. The only person around was Rose, whose green eyes were dull when I faced her again.

"Watch yourself there." She dropped my arm like it was a dead fish and took off.

I almost tripped again trying to catch up. "Thanks for that." When she didn't answer, I went on more awkwardly, "So how are you doing?"

"Can we talk about this later? I heard you loud and clear last night." She wouldn't look at me, but the hollowness of her words sounded tired, not irritated. That was good, right? Not only had she said something, but she also didn't appear upset with me. Maybe I would get to the bottom of this.

I was saved from responding as we rounded a corner. Aragorn, his fall frame stooping low yet again, held something in his palm. Unlike a rind of gray bread, this glittered in his hand.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," he murmured, traces of hope swelling in his voice.

Legolas drew closer, peering over him. "They may yet be alive."

Alive? A weight eased off my chest. I caught Rose's eye and gave her a small smile. By some miracle, the side of her mouth quirked in answer.

Walking with a renewed energy, Aragorn looked to the rest of us. "We mustn't keep them waiting then. Come."

Just as we took off, a great thump followed by a grunt of pain erupted behind us. Turning mid-step, I coughed back a laugh as Gimli tumbled into view. His axe tight in his grip, he rolled to a stop as a slew of grumbles and curses flew from his lips.

"Come, Gimli!" Legolas called, not bothering to hide his amusement. "We are gaining on them!"

After a breath, Gimli pulled himself to his feet and shot back, "I'm wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters!" More quietly, he puffed to himself, "Very dangerous over short distances."

Unable to help it, a bright smile worked its way to my face as I rolled my eyes. Even if that was the truth, why was I only hearing about this now? The claim almost warranted a contest to prove it, but I wasn't fast enough to take him up on it. Who to challenge him, then? Aragorn might, in the right mood.

Speaking of the man, he'd stopped at the next hill. After getting closer myself, I wasn't surprised to see another frown on his face. As for the traces of confusion, those were new. His eyes roved over the pale terrain. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Something darted out in the corner of my vision. Legolas's blonde head was moving ahead, jumping down the rough slope to get a better look at something. He must have found it because his back stiffened almost instantly.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called. "What do your elf-eyes see?"

"The Uruks turn northeast," his voice rang back. "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard."

Wait, what?

Frowning, I almost took a step back. I had no idea what Isengard was, but for some reason, it felt like I'd heard those words somewhere before. The inkling of a memory formed, but it was too faint and murky for me to make any sense of. Fragments of a melody tickled my brain. Was it some sort of song?

It made sense to Aragorn, though. "Saruman," he breathed, wasting no time following Legolas. "We must hurry!"

Their words may have been confusing, but the sudden gravity of the situation came across just fine. This Saruman character was clearly bad news, but maybe the worst case scenario could be avoided. We just had to intercept the pack first. Letting out a long breath, I silenced my thoughts and prepared myself for another afternoon of running.

Several hours later, Aragorn finally stumbled to a stop. Overhead, the last light of dusk was fading into a cloudy twilight. Bending over at the waist, a bead of sweat ran down my forehead. Another long day in the books and at no expense to my arm.

Nearing Legolas's side, Aragorn braced a hand against a nearby boulder and sighed, "At last, we've come to a difficult choice." Scanning our faces, he gave each of us a quick once over. "Shall we press on while our wills are still strong or take rest for a few hours?"

I wasn't quite sure whose will he was talking about, but mine had steadily waned throughout the afternoon. There had been a few short breaks during the run for us to eat and catch our breaths, but they still weren't enough. Rowing for a few days had been one thing. Running, it seemed, was an entirely different beast.

"Unless the Uruks also rest tonight, we will only fall behind." Legolas gave Aragorn a respectful, yet pointed, look.

"Surely the Uruk-hai need food and sleep after two days, too?" Gimli, standing off to the right, leaned on his axe. His brow was raised, but the weight of exhaustion weighed on his back.

"Considering they aren't affected by the daylight, I doubt it." Legolas turned to the dwarf and met his eyes squarely. "They will take no rest tonight."

Gimli refused to back down. "If we continue tonight, we may lose their trail. What would we do then?"

"From what I could see," Legolas said, crossing his arms, "their path is quite straight."

"That may be true, but I don't want to risk straying," Aragorn cut in, diffusing the growing tension. "Even with all of my skills, we could still miss an unexpected turn. Finding our way again would cause a significant delay, which would only be to our companion's detriment."

"That's a good point, lad." Gimli's tone warmed as he smirked. "We may also miss it if the hobbits were to escape or get carried off."

"The host outnumbers them considerably. Their escape is unlikely," Legolas countered, his voice much frostier in comparison.

Gimli sighed. "Look, laddie. I don't want to fight you. You want to help the hobbits. As do I, but I'll be in better spirits after a few hours of rest." His expression softened as he added with a chuckle, "I know you think highly of me, but even I cannot run all the way to Isengard without pause."

The growing unrest surrounding us broke in that moment. Legolas, to his credit, scoffed at the dwarf, shaking his head with a smirk.

Honestly, I was secretly relieved Gimli had spoken up. There was no way Rose or I would be able to keep running all night. In fact, since we'd stopped, my eyelids had grown much heavier, and keeping them open was requiring more effort and concentration than before. After the meager nap I'd had yesterday, those were both in short supply. It was honestly a miracle I hadn't collapsed yet.

Like Gimli, I also wanted to rescue Merry and Pippin. I just wanted to keep my wits about me to be helpful when that time came.

"How are we settling this?" Aragorn didn't seem immune to the pull of fatigue, either, as the gleam in his eyes was more subdued. The man had never looked old or anything, but after today's sprint, he looked to have aged at least a decade.

Silence ensued. No sum of money would have been enough to tempt me into speaking up, but the pressure of the hushed atmosphere pulled at me anyway. I was not as seasoned as they were, so did I really have a dog in this fight? And even if my opinion was requested, what would I say? I couldn't deny that I was on Gimli's side with this, but I didn't want the others to think less of me for those feelings. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was true.

"Oh, you determine it, lad. You've led us all this way so far," Gimli grumbled at last.

Turned to peer into the east, Legolas pursed his lips. "I feel called to continue, but it's wiser to remain together." His voice devoid of any animosity, he added, "Whatever you decide, Aragorn."

"What about you two?" The man fixed his attention on Rose and me.

There went staying out of it. I swallowed. "You should make the decision." Rose nodded beside me, catching me off guard. She didn't want to keep going or even have a thought to vocalize?

That was not the Rose I knew.

That did it. Something was definitely wrong, and it was more serious that I previously thought. Not only did she rarely agree with me, but she always had something to say when asked. Always. Without fail, if she could have a strong opinion, then she had one. So what was wrong? At this point, blaming it all on Boromir's death seemed too superficial. The man's death had been devastating, and I was sure it was harder for her because she'd been there to witness it. She'd also witnessed Gandalf's death, though, but she didn't stonewall me then. No, something else was going on. If I didn't know any better, she was hiding it from me.

This ended tonight. I wasn't going to keep standing by, not while her safety and sanity were on the line.

Aragorn chuckled, but the sound was hollow. "You all place more faith in me than I do." Avoiding our eyes, he studied the night sky as if he could spot the moon or stars behind the thick clouds. Finally, he sighed, "We will stop. For me, the risk of missing something outweighs the ground we'd cover. Had the night been more favorable, maybe things would be different."

Legolas nodded and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Get some rest. I can watch over us tonight."

Now was my chance. Locating Rose several paces away, already starting to clear a spot for herself, I made a beeline for her. I tried to meet her eyes as my fingers dug into her shoulders. "It's later now. What's wrong?"

That was a tad aggressive out loud.

Her only response was a terrible attempt at shaking me off.

She was not going to deter me anymore, but I did make an effort to back off a little. "I know you aren't big on feelings, but I'm worried something's going to happen to you." If I wasn't mistaken, she winced. "I care about you, Rose. What's wrong?"

Her lower lip trembled but still nothing.

Grasping at straws, I asked, "Is it Boromir? If you're grieving him, we can—"

Something shiny slid down her face

Oh no.

My heart started racing. Had I said the wrong thing? But, what else was I supposed to say? It wasn't like I had much to work with.

Instead of dissolving into a mess of tears and sobs, two thin lines trailed down her face, cutting through the grime that had accumulated during the day. The sight of it made my stomach twist in fear. Rose was supposed to be loud, so this quiet nature of crying felt like a curveball.

"I..." Her voice, usually so strong and confident, wobbled. Swallowing, she freed one of her hands to wipe her eyes. "I keep seeing his face. Boromir's. And I...I keep thinking about what would happen if it was you next time." Fresh tears poured down her face. "You, or Aragorn, or one of the others. Boromir was a seasoned warrior. He knew what he was doing. We hardly know anything. I know I learned fast, but speed doesn't make up for experience." Her watery eyes finally met mind, causing her lower lip to tremble. "I can't help but think I made a mistake, and I dragged you into it."

"Oh, Rose." Giving her hand a squeeze, I felt at a loss. Silent support didn't feel appropriate, but I didn't want to say the wrong thing either. No, I needed to say something, but what? Taking in a deep breath to steady my nerves, I started with the truth. "If you're talking about Rivendell, I don't blame you for that." When she made a face, I gave her a gentle look. "Really. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm getting stronger because of that push." Which I needed, because if Galadriel's leads fall apart, we're stuck here, I added silently.

"Besides," I gave her a playful nudge with a hand, "you've gotten stronger, too. Give yourself some credit."

A flicker of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I don't think you made a mistake. Not in Rivendell, and not in Lorien. Otherwise, our departures wouldn't have been up for debate like they were. We'll be fine." I gave her hand another squeeze. "We've got your back."

Her breath was shaky, but her smile was bright as she wiped another stray tear away. "Thanks, Kat. I really appreciate it." After a second, she added, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you before. I was a jerk, and I didn't need to be."

I shook my head. "You don't need to apologize. You were kind of a pain, but I don't blame you. I can't imagine what it was like to wake up here alone." Across the clearing, Aragorn was finally settling down, having finished a conversation with Legolas. Catching my gaze for a second, he gave me a nod.

Turning back to Rose, I tried to cover the smile fighting its way to my face. "You should get some rest. Who knows when Aragorn is going to wake us up."

She gave me one last smile before curling up on her side.

Standing with a sigh, tight bubbles of pressure in my back released with a few pops. Now that that was taken care of, a new weariness settled on my shoulders. Drained as I was, finding sleep was going to be no issue.

Selecting a spot in the middle of everyone, I was about to squat down when Legolas approached. "How is she?" He nodded in Rose's direction. Already, her breathing was slower.

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "Boromir's death kind of freaked her out, but I think she's better now. At least, I hope so. I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow."

Nodding, Legolas didn't answer, and the two of us were engulfed in an awkward silence. Was that it? Fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, I opened my mouth to tell him goodnight, but he cut in, asking, "Any pain in your arm?"

"Oh." Lifting it instinctively, I looked at it as if I could see the stitches through the bindings. "I don't think so." I shook my head. "I mean, no. There's no pain. You can take a look at it anyway, if you want."

Like the other night, he gripped my arm at the elbow and deftly unwrapped the bandages. After a second of frowning, he murmured, "It's improved from earlier. There's no new blood, and," he pressed two cool fingers near the sutures, sending a shiver up my spine, "the surrounding skin isn't warm. I doubt it's infected."

My throat as dry as a desert, I managed to squeak, "Great." I cleared my throat. "Thank you."

Silence descended again, broken only by one of Gimli's throaty snores. As he wrapped me back up, I assumed this was the end of it. Once again, I was wrong. His attention on securing the cloth, he said, "For what it's worth, I think you two are stronger than you realize. Finding us on the river was quite the feat." With that, he bid me goodnight.

Oh my gosh.

A lightness overtook me, and for a second, I couldn't do anything except stand there and be thankful that Legolas's back was now facing me. Thousands of questions bombarded my thoughts. What was that, and where had it come from? He had noticed me?

I was being ridiculous. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I laid down and nestled on my side, but my heart continued hammering in my chest. It had merely been a nice compliment from one traveling companion to another and nothing more. A quick morale booster. I was not going to overthink a simple remark. Just because he was nice did not mean he was into me. Besides, it had been aimed at both Rose and me.

Clearly, my best attempts at rationalization weren't good enough, because I couldn't wipe the smile from my face. Buzzing with an almost electric energy, I squeezed my eyes shut and willed sleep to come for me quickly.