- Chapter 47 -


Elladan ducked just as the arrow sailed past his head, narrowly missing his left temple. He acted so quickly that she barely had time to register the fact they were under attack. With lightning speed swiftness, he had his bow in his hands and fired at a target she couldn't see behind a bolder that blocked her view. A spasm of terror ran through her chest, as the arrow made contact and with a mumbled yell, the man plunged down from the ledge to his death; Elladan's arrow sticking out of the side of his torso.

Acting on instinct, she drew her bow and they halted the horses with unease as the hillside remained quiet around them. The drop to their left was too steep and rocky for the horses, and their only option was forward or backward, both options potentially leading them to their deaths. They could not tell if they were heading into an ambush, or if they'd been surrounded on both sides, but the lingering fact that they had no hiding places weighed heavily upon the three riders.

Without warning, Elladan's horse jumped forward and Boss followed. Her horse trembled with anticipation beneath her and she twisted her fingers into his mane to keep herself in the saddle; not liking the thought of plunging down the hillside. Forward was the direction they chose and the three of them drew arrows and scouted above them and to the side, the possibility of an attack from lower ground lingering on their minds. Elladan did not stop until he reached leveler ground, then he jumped from his horse and scoped out the terrain.

"A scout?" Elrohir wondered out loud but his brother only shrugged a shoulder.

"I will check it out," he replied after a moment, then he disappeared from their sight and she felt her breath catch in her chest.

She looked to Elrohir for some sort of confirmation that they would be alright, that it had only just been a scout, and that it was only one man they no longer had to worry about but he did not meet her eye. Instead, his sharp gaze searched every possible area for any sign of danger, so she followed suit. She didn't like that Elladan took off on his own, but perhaps if you were scouting it was best to have the least amount of people.

She fidgeted nervously with her bow, and Boss shifted unhappily. She tried laying a hand on the side of his neck but the sweat that formed over his glossy coat told her the horse was scared. He was no war horse. He was not accustomed to the way of life a horse in Arda might need to be. He'd lived a carefree life with Beorn for a few years without much to worry about, and she almost wondered if the horse was really up for the challenge she was presenting him with. They would be passing through many dangers and this moment in time was only the tip of the iceberg.

As if sensing something was wrong, Elrohir's mount siddled up to Boss and the elf laid a calming hand on his sweaty neck. The words he spoke were low and soft but it did the trick, because Boss no longer pranced nervously. Before she could ask how he did that, Elladan appeared out of nowhere, startling them all.

"A scout," he confirmed as he snatched up his horses' reins and swung into the saddle with ease; bow still in hand.

"They are moving quickly considering they are on foot," Elrohir said unhappily, his face pulling into a tight frown.

"I do not know if the others are headed this way, but he had a camp set up not too far from here. He has been here a few days. It's possible he heard the horses and came to investigate."

"One against three?" she mused. "Doesn't seem like very good odds for him. Why would he attack?"

"Maybe he thought we were easy targets," suggested Elladan, but then he spun his horse around. "I wish I knew where the others were. There were definitely more than just one of them traveling."

"How are they traveling so quickly if they're not on horseback but we are? Shouldn't we be miles ahead of them by now?"

"It's possible," suggested Elrohir. "It is also possible that there are others hiding out in the hills. He's more than likely not the only one."

"Let's move," ordered Elladan.


Boss snorted and tossed his head. The river gurgled quickly over the smooth stones inches before his very hooves and he was not happy. Shyloh smoothed a hand down the length of his neck in a calming gesture, but the horse wouldn't move.

"It's a lot safer on the other side," she said sweetly, gently coaxing him forward after Elladan and Elrohir's mounts.

The other two already reached the opposite side of the river, their horses not having any issue crossing through the waters. She had hoped that Boss would not want to be parted from his companions, but he absolutely refused to take one step further. Elrohir and Elladan attempted to talk to him in elvish, and for twenty minutes they tried using soothing tones to encourage the horse to step into the water. Their last attempt was to make it look like Boss was going to be left behind. Clearly their last attempt was not working.

Elladan gave her an exasperated look. "Any other ideas?" he called out to her.

"We could leave him behind..." The suggestion caught her ears and she shot Elrohir a scowl. Despite the width between the two banks, she still heard him loud and clear.

"Not happening!" she snapped, and she knew he heard her because he rolled his eyes.

"We do not have all day to wait either," Elrohir called back, his unpleasant tone holding a heavy amount of irritation.

"I'm not leaving him behind," she shouted. Her raised and agitated tone made Boss take a step back, his ears flicking with uncertainty. She reached down to smooth a hand over his neck once more when something caught her eye.

Movement along the upper banks of the river behind the twins made her go still. At first, she thought she only imagined it, but then it happened again.

"Look out!" she screamed and she pointed to the rocky ledge behind them. Out of nowhere, a dozen Wildmen descended down the hillside behind them.

Boss shied violently and she clung to him with all her might, trying to steer him back towards the banks of the river. He trembled and rose in a half rear but she brought him down and spun him in a circle, attempting to keep his feet moving so he wouldn't be tempted to buck her off.

"Shyloh! Run!" someone shouted to her and just as metal on metal clashed on the opposite bank, a poorly shot arrow ricocheted off the stones by Boss' front hooves.

Her head snapped up and it was as if the world was moving in slow motion and several things happened at once. First she took a quick glance across the waters, noticing that Elladan and Elrohir had dismounted at some point and drawn their swords; their horses no longer in sight. She also spun around in the saddle and fear and surprise griped her chest as at least another six or more Wildmen raced towards her, scrambling down the steep bank, swords drawn and jeering shouts echoing in the air around her.

"Run!" one of the twins shouted again as her hand instinctively twitched toward the sword on her back. There were simply too many for her alone and she knew without being told that she'd easily be outnumbered.

The agonizing realization that she would be leaving her brothers behind in a fight struck her like a massive blow in the gut. She could not leave!

Elladan called over in elvish and it took her a second to realize he was not talking to her. Boss stiffened, his ears flicking towards the far bank to catch the words, and then without a cue or signal from her, he bolted.

She recognized the command he sent the horse beneath her: flee!

She jerked back in the saddle, a heavy jolt going up her spine and Boss ran.

"NO!" she cried, but he snaked his head out, causing the reins to slip through her fingers. Another arrow sailed past them, this time coming far too close for comfort. "We have to go back!"

He pinned his ears back and ran faster, ignoring her commands to stop and turn around. She chanced a look behind her when the sound of hooves following them met her ears. Thinking at first the twins had remounted and followed, she felt a little relieved until she realized the horses racing after them were not the sturdy grey mounts of the elves, but were instead the burly and dark coats of the Wildmen's horses. Brandishing swords at their sides, three of the riders raced after Boss. One shot an arrow towards her but with a quick swerve of her body it missed and sank into a passing tree.

Nocking an arrow to her own bow, she twisted around in the saddle as best she could and fired at will, praying she would hit either the rider or his horse. She knew that if she took down his horse he would fall, despite the fact the thought of killing the poor beast bothered her greatly, she didn't have time to be picky. It was an odd angle to shoot from and she didn't have much practice shooting her bow from the back of a racing horse.

To her surprise, the arrow sank into the side of the riders right thigh and he let out a furious shout. Cursing her poor aim, she nudged Boss faster, even though the ground was uneven. One wrong step and it would send Boss and her flying, possibly to their deaths. The horse followed a path she could not see, running blindly through the cliffs until they reached a high bank. With one swift leap, Boss' hooves touched solid ground. Below them, the river rushed wildly as they climbed higher and higher, and she felt her breath catch in her chest at the sudden drop to her right.

The riders still pursued her just as the sky opened up above her once more, and rain drops hit her bare face like sharp needles and she winced. The cold rain soaked through her tunic but she could hardly be worried about any of that now.

Taunts and jeers were shouted out to her, but she could hardly afford another glance back. She ducked just as Boss raced under a low hanging tree branch. His breathing was labored and she could hear it over the onslaught of rain that pelted down upon them, turning the once solid ground into a slick and oily surface. He caught himself as a hoof slipped, and he surged forward.

He was not an elvish horse, otherwise he would have easily left the brass looking mounts of the Wild Men behind.

One of them shouted in his foul sounding language, calling to her in words she couldn't understand. There was no way she was going to stop and find out though. She knew she was headed south, that much was obvious, but they cut her off from the river, forcing her to veer more southeast away from the flowing waters. This did not sit well with her at all. Lorien wasn't too far away from them, perhaps a two or three day ride from where they originally planned on crossing. This side of the river was mostly high cliffs and plunging drop offs, at least, that was what Elladan had told her. They would not reach river level for quite a few miles, and she also knew that would take her farther south past Lorien.

Twisting to get a better look at her pursuers, she noticed the archer had not fired at her again, and his pant leg was drenched in thick red blood that oozed out of his wound. If nothing else, perhaps he would die of blood loss. His quiver was also empty, which helped her odds just a little bit more.

The other two did not show any sign of backing off, and they whipped their already tired horses faster. But Boss was slowing down too, the sudden heavy onslaught of rain making their race even more challenging. She could hear his heavy breathing as they descended a rocky hillside. She chose to stay on the grassier parts, guiding him between the rocky edges of the bluff.

She nocked her bow once more now that they were clear of trees and obstacles. Her shot was clear this time, and the closest rider was shot in the chest. He clutched at the arrow shaft but then lost his balance, sending not only himself but his horse into a headlong dive straight into the ground.

One down, two to go.

The rider she shot in the leg drew back suddenly and veered out of sight and she hoped that he had given up the chase. With only one rider following now, she felt her odds of survival were just a little bit better. He called out to her, shouting words she couldn't comprehend, nor did she want to. He slapped the rump of his horse with the flat edge of his sword, making the horse thrust his hind legs even faster, his dark eyes rolling wide with fear.

She guided Boss to the left around a group of tall pines, hoping to at least create some distance between herself and her enemy. It seemed to work for a moment, that was, until another rider came out of nowhere. Before she could react, two galloping horses collided with each other with a sickening sound, and she was hurled from the saddle. She hit the man with such force that it knocked the breath clear out of her chest, and when she tried to suck in air the only thing she could taste was his foul body stench.

In a tangle of horse flesh, leather, and rain, Shyloh hit the wet ground.


Boss kicked his way free, somehow managing to disentangle himself from the other horse who squealed desperately in protest. Shyloh rolled onto her back, a groan escaping her lips. Pain seared through her entire body. She'd felt this kind of pain before. How familiar it was; how fresh in her memory. Twice now she'd fallen off of Boss but this time, it wasn't her fault...right?

Gasping for air, her chest constricted as the sound of metal gliding across stone met her ears. She flinched when she realized the sharp sound came from her left side. Turning her head, she registered the moment quicker than she cared to admit, and heaved herself out of the way as the third rider raised his arm and attempted to thrust his blade into her stomach. Her sword...where was her sword?

Scrambling despite the lack of air and searing pain flowing through her limbs, Shyloh rolled onto her knees as the man straightened himself. The sound of hooves thundering behind her told her the other rider passed them up but was returning.

The glint of metal caught her eye and she made a dive for her sword, realizing that both her quiver and blade had fallen off of her in the collision. The hilt slipped in her grasp but she was able to swing her arm around to block the next blow but she fell back to the ground. He lunged for her again and she swung her blade at an angle that would hopefully block his blow. He tripped on the uneven ground and his injured leg buckled underneath his weight in his desperation to kill her, and he stumbled to his knees, his sword hand falling to the ground to catch himself. Taking advantage of his clumsiness, she jerked herself up and dug the end of her blade through his chest, going through bone and tissue.

She withdrew the blade and shoved him back then turned to the rider who dismounted. He barely glanced at his comrade, who now lie dying before him. His dark eyes trailed over her body and she felt herself violently shudder, having no doubt in her mind the thoughts he was thinking.

Oh hell no!

Composing herself, she raised her arm and wiped her face on the already soaked sleeve of her shirt.

He grinned maliciously at her, baring rotting teeth.

"Pretty," he groaned, then licked his lips.

She clenched her jaw tightly and her eyes narrowed. Breathing in deeply, she tried to calm herself from the adrenaline rush that flowed through her veins, causing her hands to shake. He gripped his sword even tighter then lunged at her neck with his free hand instead of his blade. If he thought her killing the other man had only been a fluke and that she didn't know how to properly use her blade, then he was very mistaken. With quick reflexes, she swiped at him with her sword, catching his arm. He cried out in furious pain, then lunged at her with the tip of his blade and she stumbled backward out of reach. He thrust it again towards her abdomen with such force that she almost fell over when she twisted away.

He swung again in a blind fury but she blocked the blow and brought her knee up into his gut, making him stumble backward, leaving just enough distance between the two of them for her to draw her sword back and swipe through the air, beheading him where he stood.

With a final cry, she watched his body and head fall in two different directions and she was forced to take a few steps back, her eyes wide with horror. She stood there until her breathing calmed then she finally turned away from the bodies and walked a short distance away, doubled over, and retched.

Breathing deeply, she pinched her eyes closed, trying to clear her head. This was no time to break down, so she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, straightened, and surveyed the area, listening with her ears and looking closely with her eyes to make sure she was alone and that no more Wildmen lingered. Seeing and hearing nothing except the swish of Boss' tail, she slowly and carefully walked up to him and stretched out a trembling hand. The horse that collided with Boss lay thrashing on the ground, his front leg visibly broken. She could hardly leave him like that.

Groaning inwardly, she drew her sword once more. It would not be fair to let the horse suffer, she knew that, and his squealing would only attract unwanted attention.

"I don't want to do this," she said heavily, and with tears in her eyes she approached the horse slowly. Laying a calming hand on his neck, she spoke softly but had no clue if the burly animal could even understand her. She doubted the creature had ever known a gentle hand but he stilled beneath her touch and she apologized wholeheartedly.

She had killed animals in the past while hunting, so this wasn't exactly new to her, but this was a horse - one of her favorite animals - and her gut swirled again threatening to make her double over once more. Before she could talk herself out of it, she raised her sword and with all the strength she had, thrust it into the side of the horse while tears mingled with rain water, and she let out a sob when the horse gave a final heart wrenching cry.

Unable to stand there looking at what she'd just done, she made quick work of cleaning her blade. At least the horse was not in pain anymore and would not meet a harsher, more painful death. The men she didn't even look at as she sheathed her sword and took a trembling step towards Boss.

He sniffed her fingers hesitantly but didn't run off. Stepping a little closer, she snagged one of his reins and smoothed a hand up the length of his face.

"Easy boy," she said quietly to him, then pressed a kiss to his soft muzzle. "It's just me. Nothing to be afraid of. We're okay."

She didn't fully know about that last part just yet, but only when she smoothed her hands over all four of his legs and checked every inch of him did she finally look down at herself. Her palms were a little scratched up from scrambling on the ground, the blood mingled easily with the water that dripped off of her fingertips. She didn't feel any broken bones or misplaced joints despite the ache that riddled her muscles. The rain was relentlessly pouring down on them so she made sure she had all of her weapons and then hoisted herself back into the saddle. There was no way she could linger here.

"Yes," she sighed. "I think we're okay."

Looking back towards the north, she had no idea if the twins were alright or not. If she was a better warrior they would not have sent her away like they did. Were they dead? Were they alive?

"Now what..." she muttered. Boss only snorted as she turned him west, at least, she thought it was west.

Fool, she thought to herself. You can't be lost!

The cloudy dark sky above offered her no answers. She wasn't prepared to spend the night alone on the plains.

"Alright Shy," she told herself out loud. "Just calm down. You'll be fine. Where are the trees of Mirkwood?"

She squinted, looking in all different directions but other than the shrubby pines and scraggly weed like trees that grew out of the bluffs surrounding her, she could see no great forests on any side.

"What about the river?" She listened carefully but she couldn't hear much over the sound of the pelting rain. "Alright, we're lost, but it is only temporary. I think that was the direction we came from but honestly boy I can't remember. Everything that happened is like a blur. I think we should find somewhere safe to camp for the night."

How many miles did they run exactly?

The light of the day was almost gone and so she nudged Boss forward, hoping to get as far away from the bodies of her fallen enemies as possible in case it attracted anyone's attention. Their tracks were gone no thanks to the rain, otherwise she would have been able to follow them back to the crossing, but did she really want to go back? What if there were more Wildmen lurking around? What if Elladan and Elrohir were still on the other side of the river? What if they were...

"No!" she said firmly, startling Boss. "They're fine. Like they said, it'll take more than a few Wildmen to take them down. They know what they're doing. They're fine."

Boss snorted as if he agreed with her, and trudged onward like a trooper.


Elladan looked across the river for the hundredth time. Elrohir followed is gaze and frowned. For two days they searched for any sign or clue of her whereabouts but she was nowhere to be seen. The heavy rains made traveling even slower and the twins grew agitated. Before them, the waters had risen and were rushing.

A horse snorted next to Elladan and he turned his head just the slightest to let the marchwarden know he'd heard his approach.

"Still nothing," Haldir said grimly.

Elladan looked over at him, his face dripping with rain water despite the hood that covered the marchwarden's head.

"I doubt there will be any left in this weather," muttered Elrohir on his other side.

The company behind them waited for orders. Upon the unexpected arrival of the Galadhrim two days ago, they had searched both sides of the river frantically.

When the single rider they were waiting for appeared on the opposite side of the cliff, a shake of the head told them they were unsuccessful in their search between the banks of the Anduin and the trees of Lorien. She had not crossed the river.

She was nowhere to be seen.

"Where would she have gone?" Elrohir asked but more to himself than anyone else. Below them, the sheer drop off of the cliff told them there was no way she would have been able to cross for miles. Their first day of searching led them to what appeared to be remains of possibly two bodies and the remains of a horse, but whose bodies they were they could not tell, for the wild creatures that lingered in these lands had picked the bones clean, and any articles of clothing were long gone; picked over by other Wildmen perhaps.

Elladan was sure that she was not one of those bodies, but Elrohir was not so certain. Four riders had chased after her after Elladan commanded Boss to make a run for it. One rider, they found a ways back from the others; the broken shaft of an arrow lying in the trampled mud, telling them she had successfully killed at least one of them. Another broken shaft was found after, but no body to go along with it.

Rubbing his forehead in frustration, he hunched his back against the never ending rain.

"Darkness was coming, she would have looked for cover somewhere," Elladan said, but Elrohir's frown only deepened.

"Not unless she was still being pursued," said Elrohir. "She might have stayed along the river."

"About two miles south, the banks rise even more and it is not good footing for horses. She would have had to travel westward towards the plains to get back down to river level," Haldir said, his grim eyes scanning the land to the south of them. "You say she had studied maps?"

"Yes, she studied a few," said Elrohir. "But I am not sure how much she remembers."

"She would not have gone back to the crossing I don't think," Elladan said, ignoring the talk of maps. "She would have continued south until she could find a safe place to cross. We need to keep going south."

Nodding, Haldir turned his horse and the brothers followed. Behind them, half a dozen Galadhrim guards followed swiftly behind, continuing their search.