Here is the third party of my tale: I don't usually write anything here but
I figure, if you have gotten this far, I should tell you that I am really
enjoying this story, and as I said at the beginning this story is more than
it seems...another LOTR character will soon make his appearance.. I hope
you are having fun and please we scribblers live for reviews! (and if you
do like it, please, tell a friend!)i
As the sun rose, Thera watched the landscape for a place to rest, out of sight of the road. She felt that if they could Fisel and Mother Cali would track them, because what good was a cart without a horse? Hoping that they hadn't left too many signs of their passing, Thera urged Lily to a low hill, hoping there would be somewhere behind it to hide. When they reach the top, she saw with a smile there was a small dell there, even a spring, which trickled off into a weedy pond. Once down among the long grass, Thera spread their blanket and the two slept in the shade of a complacent Lily who was happy to pull at the plants nearby.
It was quite warm when they woke up and Thera, feeling slightly silly, decided to go wading in the pond and Thim joined her. They had a great time chasing frogs, polliwogs and minnows. At one point, Thim made a big grab for a large toad and fell in the water. Thera froze, afraid Thim would hate being all wet but grinned when he looked at her, started laughing and then splashed her. She splashed him back and they spent another half and hour getting wet and shouting.
Flopping on her spread cloak, Thera hugged a happy Thim and then, wringing out as much water as she could, she rummaged in their makeshift rucksack and pulled out some cheese and dried fruit. She pulled up some cattails whose bottoms are edible when peeled and tasted like cucumber. They finished lunch with a nap, Lily once again providing shade.
That evening, Thera frowned at her still muddy feet. She and Thim hadn't dried off as quickly as she had hoped and she had found a few leeches on her legs. Pulling them off had left several small bleeding sores. Luckily, she had found none on Thim. But Thim sat next to her shivering slightly even though he was wrapped in both their blankets. Looking around, Thera decided they need to get away from the water and find another camp.
Getting all their things tied up in her cloak, Thera picked up the bundled Thim and set him on Lily. Leading her over to a nearby boulder, Thera hopped on, hugging Thim and then clucked to a rested Lily who trotted off, tail high. Once back on the road, Lily stretched into a canter.
Thera and Thim rode hard through the night. But just as the sun was coming up Thera knew they had to stop. Thim's breathing was getting heavy and poor Lily was winded. Looking around for some place to hide, Thera, getting desperate, slipped off Lily carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping Thim, and pulled Lily by her halter, peering around in the predawn dark. She smiled grimly. Well, if she couldn't see, Fisel wouldn't be in much better shape.
Aha! At last, she found a place. A jumble of boulders from a line of small hills would be perfect. She walked cautiously in the rising light, the damp dewy grass stretching before the hills soaking the bottom of her skirt. Going in and around the boulders she led the horse deep into the hills hoping the dirt was hard enough not to leave Lily's hoof prints.
Finally, she found what she was looking for, a mound of rocks, with brush around them. And better yet, a cave under their branches. Yanking a reluctant Lily into the gloomy interior, it took a minute for Thera to realize that the cave had been used as someone's home. There was a pile of brush near the entrance and as she stepped further in she noticed a few pots and piles of cloth, a basket with a broken handle, even a small and much battered wooden chest. Too tired to care about the previous owner, Thera tied Lily to a narrow spike of rock, pulled a still shivering Thim down and wrapped herself around her brother to fall deeply asleep.
Thera woke, stiff and miserable later in the afternoon. Worried Thim was still sleeping, she shook him until he stirred uneasily. "Wha-what? Where are we Thera?" He looked around rubbing his eyes and then, exhausted, lay against Thera.
"We are in a cave I found. We can stay here until you feel a little better."
"When are we going to see the elves?"
"Soon darling. Maybe in about 10 days, if I have calculated the distance correctly. Only, no one knew exactly where the elves live."
Nodding, he played with the fingers of her hand. "I'm hungry Thera."
"That's great, so am I." She gently disentangled herself from him and went over to Lily who stood with head lowered by the cave's entrance swishing her tail, eyes half closed. Coming up to her, Thera, ran a hand gently over Lily's smooth hide and scratched her behind her ears. Untying their bundle, she was a little dismayed to see how low their store of food had gotten. She shook their water bottle. It was half full. Hopefully tomorrow she could find some more. Glancing around the cave, she noticed that just past Lily there looked like there was the remains of a fire pit. About to get out her tinder and flint, her shoulders drooped as she realized smoke would just let anyone out there know where they were. And slightly worried about Fisel and Mother Cali, she decided against it. Maybe once it got dark, when the smoke wouldn't show, she could make some tea. Thim really needed some willow bark.
"I'm afraid its just cheese and fruit again Thim."
He sat up and smiled. "That's okay. I'll eat it."
Sitting with her knees up and chewing on dried apple, Thera looked out at the afternoon light and smiled. It seemed as if Thim's chill had worn off and with the air in the cave dry and not too fragrant, perhaps it wouldn't come back. Shaking the water bottle, she ruefully took just one swallow and then passed it to Thim who took several. The bottle was almost empty when he handed it back. Hopefully more water wasn't too far away!
As she put the few items she had taken out for their meal, she noticed Lily's ear perk up and swivel towards the bushes in front of the cave. Oh dear, it couldn't be Fisel or Mother Cali could it?
Signaling to Thim to go to the back of the cave, Thera waited anxiously while he scurried to hid behind rocks. She hastily threw their cloak of goods behind the stacked wood . Taking a deep breath, she stood as ready as she could. Hearing the crack of a twig, she glanced at her feet and picked up a branch from the pile and brandished it like a sword. If it were Fisel or one of his cohorts, well, Lily wouldn't come easy!
An old woman wearing bits and pieces of odd clothing came quietly into the clearing and rubbed a complacent Lily on the nose. The two woman stared at each other, the older woman had a mild expression on her face and Thera found her own face relaxing.
"Well my dear, you can put down your stick, I shan't hurt you." Thera let it drop. She heard Thim scramble out from his hiding place and stand next to her.
"I am Thera and this Thim. And I guess were are trespassing in your home."
"Such as it is my dear. But I don't mind the company. It has been sometime since I had any visitors." She walked past them and before Thera could turn around, the woman had lit a torch and walked further back into the cave, showing the two that there was more to the shelter than they thought.
Thera and Thim went back into the dark looking around at what the wavering torch illuminated for them. The cave made a turning, and what they saw around the corner was a bed with furs and a quilt, two large wooden chests, a table and a chair, one leg held up by a rock.
Lighting a bowl of oil on the table, the woman put the torch in a bracket and turned to them and said, " I am Nolda. What brings you here?"
Nolda indicated the chair for Thera, and Thim crawling in Thera's lap watched Nolda as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Well, " Thera felt a little foolish telling this stranger why she was dragging her sick brother across the Wild. But the truth was the truth. "Well, we are trying to find Riverdale, and the elves. My brother is very sick, and I well, I heard that..."
Even though the woman's face didn't change, Thera just felt more foolish, and she dropped her head and stared at her clasped hands lying in her lap.
The woman stood and lighting the fire in a small pit behind the table, she filled a tea kettle and set it near the flames.
"I have heard of the elves up in the mountains. I have actually met a few. They don't talk much, but they are not cruel. And the place you are headed to is called Rivendell, I believe. It is deep in the Misty Mountains and is hard to find. But why take your brother there? Are there no doctors in, where are you from?"
"Bree."
"Bree! Well you have come a long way already. Are there no doctors in Bree? Why take him to the elves?"
"The doctors can do nothing." She ran he fingers through his hair. "He gets no better. It is some kind of wasting sickness." Laying her head on Thims, she added, "He is all the family I have."
Sighing, Nolda rose and pulled out a pottery jar. "It is just herbal tea, a blend of my own devising, but it may help your brother. It always helps me when I get a cold."
Thera nodded and then laughed at Thim's look of disgust. "It won't hurt to try it Thim! Perhaps Nolda has some honey to sweeten it with." The woman nodded with a small smile. Thim sat up, arms folded across his chest. "That's what you always say Thera! 'It won't hurt to try!' YOU never take the medicine!"
"Fair enough. I shall have some too, all right Nolda?"
"Certainly." Getting a small bowl down from a shelf, she set it next to a mug. "But my dear, you didn't say why you are taking him to the elves?"
"I-I heard a story in the Owl's Roost about a man and his dad and the elves helped him out and.."
"Thera says they are good healers."
Nolda shook her head. "It's as good a tale about them as I have heard."
Thera's face fell at that. WAS it just another tale about a secretive people of whom tales abound, but little fact? Well, they had gone this far. At least Nolda said they weren't cruel. And if the elves couldn't help, maybe they would know someone who could.
While they drank their tea, which Thim declared was all right, Thera heard a steady breathy sound coming from outside the cave. Lily snorted and Thera could hear the click of her hooves on the cave floor. She stood nervously, clasping her hands. Nolda stood as well and stretched, saying calmly, "Ah, good, a little more rain. It has been dry in these parts for most of a month. And though the rain we had a few days ago was nice, we need a bit more. My cistern was getting low!"
Thera nodded. Well at least the rain would keep Fisel away and muddy their tracks.
Nolda helped Thera settle Thim by the fire, wrapped in his blanket, with and extra one from Nolda's meager store.
As Thera helped tidy up she said, "If you don't mind me asking---"
"---what is an old women like me doing out here all alone?"
"Yes, exactly. If I am prying at something painful---"
"No dear, it is a natural question. But I am afraid there is no great tale of abandonment or exile here. I have been a widow for many years and I lived in Laketown most of my life and then after my husband died in an accident, I got wanderlust. After months of wandering, even through some of Mirkwood, I found myself here, sheltering out of the rain, like tonight. And here I'll stay until my bones are all dust." She banked the fire and said softly, "It's as good a home as any. I have been here six years, I think. And you my dear, are my first visitor this year."
"Well, I am glad we found you! This is much more cozy than it appears from the outside."
Nolda stood in front of Thera and put her hands on her shoulders. "What are you frightened of child? The elves? I have said they are not cruel."
"No, no, not the elves. At least I don't think I am afraid of them. No, ah, we were stopped by some traveling traders the other day. And they seemed friendly and we had a nice meal with them, then I heard two of them discussing stealing Lily and our cart." She looked sightlessly at the fire. "I have no idea what they planned to do with us. So we snuck away and here we are. I am afraid they'll come after us, because what good is the cart without the horse?"
"Ah, Fisel and his crew? I know them well. I have done some trading with him over the years. We get along as it so obvious I have nothing of value to steal. But you are right, he will not rest until he takes your horse. And the elves are many days away yet. You cannot stay here, I'm afraid. This will be the first place Fisel will look."
"All right. We'll leave in the morning."
"Now, why don't you sleep in my bed. My old bones will keep me up most of the night because of the change in the weather." Suddenly tired, Thera yawned and nodded. And a few minutes after getting under Nolda's threadbare quilt, she was asleep.
Nolda looked down at Thera's vulnerable face and softly brushed a lock of hair away. "Poor chick. Poor chick. The elves!" She shook her head and went and sat at the table, pulling a bit of pipe and weed out of a pouch at her side and soon a curl of smoke rose to the cave ceiling. "The elves." Nolda muttered again. "Whatever possessed her to bring her brother out here chasing a fairy tale?"
The next morning, it was still drizzling a little, but Nolda told her it would be better to get out and as far away from here as possible because the rain would wash away their tracks. Besides, if Fisel came, Nolda needed a few staples and it wouldn't do to have Thera here. Fisel was one of Nolda's only connections to the world outside her cave.
"So you see my dear, you really must go."
"I understand Nolda. Thank you so much for your hospitality, and the tea!"
"You are welcome my dear. And if you don't find the elves, do come back and visit with me!"
"Of course!"
Thim, wrapped up snugly on Lily, turned and waved back at Nolda just before they went under the trees and began weaving among the boulders again. "She is a nice old lady."
"Yes she is. Poor lonely thing." Thera clucked to Lily once they got on the Road again and Lily, catching some of their anxiety kicked up her heels and cantered down the road.
The next few days saw more rain and less sun, which set Thim's health back, and by the night of the third day, he had gotten a ragged cough. Thera was grateful for Nolda's tea, which did seem to ease Thim's cough and allow him to sleep some during the night.
Lying under the deep skirt of an old shaggy pine, Thera shivered as a wind from the slowly rising mountains moaned through the tree tops. Thim coughed and she hugged him hard. "Hang on Thim, not much farther now! I hope."
But once the rain had moved on over the mountains, the air remained cold and damp and the road, slowly rising into the foothills of the Misty Mountains curled muddily between stands of stunted pine and maple throwing cold shadows across the road. She was so cold that she wore her blanket wrapped around her most of the day pulling Thim into her shivering warmth. Lily, not happy with the weather either, walked slowly, head hanging unless Thera, getting anxious, would kick her into a half-hearted trot.
About seven days out from Nolda's cave, Thera realized they would have to stop somewhere and let Thim recover a bit. He was cold and shivering all the time. And their meager supply of food had little to tempt Thim's appetite with.
Late in the afternoon, the Road dipping in and out of shadows cast by the foothills, Thera was getting desperate to find shelter and water. The stream that had followed the Road for many miles had curved off and away two days ago and there were no signs of anything further.
Not for the first time Thera debated with herself of the wisdom of their leaving Bree. Here they were deep in the Wild, with River-Rivendell a least a week away and Thim succumbing to fevers and chills again. She had such hopes for the elves. But what, what if Thim didn't make it because of her pig-headed assurance that they could, and that the elves would indeed be able to help her brother? Tears of exhaustion leaked from behind her closed lids. Oh, she was so tired.
Her mind drifting, it took her a moment to understand what she was hearing: horses! Several of them! Lily quivered under her and then let out a loud neigh. She was lonely too!
Thera immediately pulled a reluctant Lily of the Road and using a stand of young trees and a collection of boulders as a screen, Thera kept fearful eyes on the Road.
In a few minutes, a troop of horses swung into view, cantering smartly in the evening light, sun glinted off spears and dull armor. There were five men all armed and grim looking. They were dressed uniformly in dark colors, forest greens, browns and blacks. They reminded her of the occasional solitary strangers that came into the Owl's Roost known as Rangers. But she had never seen so many together. One in the middle seemed to be holding a bundle to himself, wrapped in a cloak. They looked tired and worn as if they too had come a great distance. Where were they headed?
Taking a deep breath, Thera called out in a barely heard squeak "Hold! Sirs! Please hold!" Trembling, she nudged Lily out onto the Road just as the last of them rode past her hiding place.
The last soldier turned and called out to the others to halt.
Biting her lip, Thera looked down at Thim who shook and shivered in an uneasy doze, his raspy breathing easily heard above the horses.
When she looked up, the last soldier had his sword out and balanced on his hip. The other horsemen circled around the man holding the bundle.
"Mistress! What brings you here this deep in the Wild?"
"I, I... my brother is very sick and I am trying to get to the elves!"
Silence greeted this, and the soldier frowning, looked over his shoulder at the other men.
"Why do you seek the elves? They do not seek contact with Men."
"For healing. I have no other hope."
The soldier with the sword sheathed his weapon and brought his horse along side Lily. He leaned over and uncovered Thim's sweat-sheened face. He shook his head. "Mistress you are six days from Rivendell. Your brother will never make it. And our task is too desperate to stop."
Just then a toddler's angry wail was heard.
"You have a small child with you?" Thera was shocked. Why would they have a child with them? Was the baby being kidnapped?
The soldier's face went still and he just shook his head. "We must away mistress! I am sorry we cannot help! When we reach our destination, we will tell them of your plight. Good luck!"
The troop whirled away at a gallop, the toddler's wail unexplained.
Thera sat on Lily stunned. How could they leave her and not take Thim at least?
"Please! Just take my brother with you!"
But the troop had disappeared in a cloud of dust and Lily was too tired to follow at such a breakneck speed.
Thera finally gave into tears and nudged Lily, who uncertainly went down the Road after the soldiers.
As twilight descended, Thera turned Lily to the side of the Road, too tired and disheartened to look for any place more permanent. They spent a cold night on the ground where Thera cried herself to sleep, hugging an increasingly thin Thim to her. Somehow, she knew those soldiers had been her last hope for a speedy arrival in Rivendell.
When the sun came up and woke the two of them, Thera used the last of the tea from Nolda for Thim. He barely got half a mug down, before feebly brushing her away and sinking into uneasy sleep again. Thera, feeling a bit weak herself, finished the tea and then got Thim back up on Lily. Today they would find somewhere warm for Thim. And at least she knew she was only six days away from hope. But the soldier didn't think Thim would make it. Biting back a sudden sob, Thera got on Lily from a boulder and immediately kicked her hard into a canter. They couldn't delay! Thim WAS going to make it to Rivendell if she had to carry him herself.
As the weather remained cool but dry, Thera decided to keep going and not stop except for water in the form of a small stream that crossed their path late in the afternoon. But once the water bottle was filled and Lily and had a drink, she pushed the horse on mercilessly. "Lily we have to keep going! We just do!" She kissed Thim on his sweat damp hair. "Hang on sweetheart! We will be in Rivendell before you know it."
But Lily was not a rested, fleet-footed Elvish horse, and finally Thera had to admit defeat the next morning. They had been riding all night, though a lot of it had been a stumbling walk, when Lily's breathing became as was ragged as Thim's and she began to cough as if she was choking. Thera pulled under some pine trees and slowly slid off the horse, patting her heaving sides. Laying Thim down and wrapping him in their blankets, she knew she had to let Lily rest. Making sure Thim was comfortable, on a bed of nice dry pine needles, she left a mug of water next to him in case he should waken. Then she led the exhausted horse to the small stream, which had curved and now was some way from the Road. Careful to not let Lily drink too much, she brushed the tired horse thoroughly and untangled her mane and tail as much as she could. When she finished, she hugged Lily and found her eyes full of tears as she still heard the sounds of ragged breathing, but a least they sounded as if it had eased some.
Looking around with a sigh, she grabbed her water bottle and headed back to the Road.
Thim was still asleep and his breathing still raspy. Patting an inquisitive Lily who brought her nose down to sniff Thims hair, Thera lay next to her brother. Not hungry, she fell into an uneasy doze.
The sound of the wind through the trees woke Thera next. She could feel the moisture in the air, which meant more rain was coming. While she secured their increasingly smaller mound of supplies in her blanket, she smiled. Well at least Nolda would be pleased.
Lily, her breathing only slightly better than the day before could only manage a trot, but she was able to maintain that pace for most of the day as well as the next. But the rain didn't hold off, and Thera, pushed a sickening Lily even harder the next day, but by nightfall Lily was dragging her feet through the now muddy road and Thera knew they were going to have to stop again. Pulling Lily under the trees, she was too tired to hobble the horse. Thim, now tossing fretfully and half awake, did manage to eat a little dried fruit. There were only a few strips left.
Sighing as the afternoon darkened, she sat in a half doze herself, when she heard the sounds of a single horse coming up the Road the way they had just traveled. Jumping up, she paused a moment and then put a hand on Lily's nose. She didn't want the horse revealing their position. Holding her breath, she looked through the branches of a cluster of young maples and stifled a gasp.
It was Fisel! And he didn't look happy, wet and miserable from the rain. He paused, glancing around in the lowering twilight, obviously trying to read the welter of hoof prints. Thank goodness for the Rangers! The tracks of their passage had not quite washed away. With a muttered curse, Fisel got back on his horse and spurred it on further up the Road.
Terror made Thera move quickly. She bundled Thim back up on Lily and turned further into the trees, hoping they could still follow the direction of the Road, but stay off of it.
They kept the thin gray strip of the Road to their right until it was too dark to see, the drizzle thankfully dampening the twigs and leaves beneath their feet. She rolled in her blanket and slept where they stopped.
The morning sun did not come through the cloud cover. When Thera reached a stream and filled their water bottle, she slipped and fell in the rushing icy water. Dragging herself out angrily, she wrung out what she could. Thim, more awake this morning than usual, said with a thin smile crossing his face, "You can't take a swim now Thera! It isn't summer! But fish would be nice."
She brushed damp strands of hair out of her face and grinned ruefully back, "You are right, not time for a swim. But maybe I can catch a fish! I still have my tinder and flint. Wouldn't that be fine?"
Thim nodded and rubbed a hand across his face and said tiredly, "Sorry I have been sleeping so much. I haven't been able to help you with Lily."
Thera came up and hugged him carefully, trying to keep water off of him. "Oh honey, it's okay. When we get to Rivendell, I bet the elves will let you take care of Lily then. As soon as you get well."
She wrung more water out of her skirt and Thim fell silent, running his finger back and forth across a maple leaf by his left foot.
"I am not going to get well, am I?"
"No Thim, don't say that, of course you are. Of course you are." She hugged him tightly now heedless of her damp clothing. "Don't you worry, the elves will know what to do, you just wait and see. They---"
"What a touching scene!" Fisel stepped through the trees, leading his horse. Thera hugged Thim, aghast. "You two have led me on a merry chase, but I want the horse now and no nonsense."
"No, you can't take Lily! I have to get Thim to Rivendell and besides, Lily needs rest too. I-I've pushed her too hard in my haste. Please, I beg you!"
Fisel just waved an impatient hand at her and went and lifted Lily's head. She blinked at him and yawned, swishing her tail. "Naw, she's fine. Without carrying you two, she'll move a lot more easy." He started to turn Lily around, and lead her back to the Road. Thera ran after him and tried to pull his arm off Lily's reins. Fisel whipped around, a wicked knife suddenly in his hands. He slashed her right arm as it reached for the reins and shoved her back into the stream. Before she could get up, Fisel had swung back up on his horse and trotted off. Thera dragged herself out of the water and ran after Fisel, holding her bleeding arm but he had kicked the two horses into a canter and in no time, they had disappeared down the Road.
"Come back!" Thera screamed until her voice echoed off the rocks. "Come back!! We need to get to Rivendell!! Please come...BACK!"
But once the echoes faded, all Thera could hear was her own hoarse breathing and the drip of rain off the nearby branches.
Wearily, she went back to Thim, and taking her hand off her bleeding arm she, assessed the damage. It was deep and clean and bleeding steadily. Oh now what? She said thickly, "Well, I shall just have to carry you Thim. It's not like I haven't done that before."
Thim, his eyes suspiciously shiny, nodded, biting his lip.
Thera ripped a strip off the bottom of her skirt grimacing in pain as she had to use both hands to do so. Wrapping the strip around her arm, she was dismayed to see how quickly the blood seeped through. Feeling a bit dizzy, she smiled at Thim. Taking a deep breath, she stood weaving some and said, 'Well I shall just go catch us a fish, all right? I saw a pool up stream a little ways."
Swallowing dryly Thim nodded again.
"Why don't you watch me fish from yonder bridge? I don't suspect we'll have any more trouble from strangers on the Road now that Fisel has Lily." A sob caught in her throat and Thera turned her face away. But straightening her shoulders, she turned and went back to Thim. "Come on sweetheart, go sit on the bridge there. Maybe the sun will come out. She looked at the sky and noticed the clouds were breaking up. "See, look, the rain's stopping! And look Thim, over there, over the mountains there, a rainbow! That's good luck! So make a wish!"
Thim coughed suddenly, a deep wracking sound. He smiled when it stopped and got up stiffly, taking his blanket with him. In a few moments, he was sitting on the old stone wall kicking his feet. Thera grinned back at him. He almost looked like a normal boy again. She waved and slowly went upstream to the pool she felt would give them a couple of trout.
She sat on the edge of the water out of Thims sight and gasped aloud. The pain was excruciating and she could barely think. She knew there would be no fish tonight. She leaned against a sagging cottonwood behind her and closed her eyes. If she could just gather her strength.....
When she next opened her eyes, it was deepening towards twilight and raining again. "Oh no! Thim!" She stood too fast which almost made her fall into the stream. She held herself up from behind by using the cottonwood tree as a crutch.
Heedless of the noise, she crashed through the waterside brush and in a few minutes scrambled her way up the embankment to the stone bridge.
No Thim. Terrified, she hunted all along the bridge on both sides and then ran down horrified, when she saw could barely make out a small form crumpled near the water. Rushing and slipping, she gathered her brothers cold body next to hers sobbing his name over and over. Climbing slowly up to the road holding Thims still form, she started walking.
Over and over in her head she heard the Ranger's voice say, "He's not going to make it. He's not going to make it. He's not going to make it." She fervently kissed his cold face over and over. He was too still, but she couldn't let him go. They had to keep going. They had to keep going. She had to get them help.
Stumbling up the Road, she wandered in the increasing rain until she could go no further. Attempting to get under the trees, her head whirled and she sank to her knees with her precious burden and keeled over.
The still forms lay in the mud unmoving, when the two elf scouts came across them an hour later. The rain had stopped and a high wind was blowing the clouds away. One slid gracefully off his horse and inspected the two. Easily lifting the woman, he set her across his horse. Picking up the smaller form, he frowned and put an elegant ear against the boy's chest. Lifting his head with an uncertain shake, he gave Thim to his companion, mounted his saddle-less steed and adjusting the weight of the unconscious woman, took off in a fast gallop.
To Rivendell.
As the sun rose, Thera watched the landscape for a place to rest, out of sight of the road. She felt that if they could Fisel and Mother Cali would track them, because what good was a cart without a horse? Hoping that they hadn't left too many signs of their passing, Thera urged Lily to a low hill, hoping there would be somewhere behind it to hide. When they reach the top, she saw with a smile there was a small dell there, even a spring, which trickled off into a weedy pond. Once down among the long grass, Thera spread their blanket and the two slept in the shade of a complacent Lily who was happy to pull at the plants nearby.
It was quite warm when they woke up and Thera, feeling slightly silly, decided to go wading in the pond and Thim joined her. They had a great time chasing frogs, polliwogs and minnows. At one point, Thim made a big grab for a large toad and fell in the water. Thera froze, afraid Thim would hate being all wet but grinned when he looked at her, started laughing and then splashed her. She splashed him back and they spent another half and hour getting wet and shouting.
Flopping on her spread cloak, Thera hugged a happy Thim and then, wringing out as much water as she could, she rummaged in their makeshift rucksack and pulled out some cheese and dried fruit. She pulled up some cattails whose bottoms are edible when peeled and tasted like cucumber. They finished lunch with a nap, Lily once again providing shade.
That evening, Thera frowned at her still muddy feet. She and Thim hadn't dried off as quickly as she had hoped and she had found a few leeches on her legs. Pulling them off had left several small bleeding sores. Luckily, she had found none on Thim. But Thim sat next to her shivering slightly even though he was wrapped in both their blankets. Looking around, Thera decided they need to get away from the water and find another camp.
Getting all their things tied up in her cloak, Thera picked up the bundled Thim and set him on Lily. Leading her over to a nearby boulder, Thera hopped on, hugging Thim and then clucked to a rested Lily who trotted off, tail high. Once back on the road, Lily stretched into a canter.
Thera and Thim rode hard through the night. But just as the sun was coming up Thera knew they had to stop. Thim's breathing was getting heavy and poor Lily was winded. Looking around for some place to hide, Thera, getting desperate, slipped off Lily carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping Thim, and pulled Lily by her halter, peering around in the predawn dark. She smiled grimly. Well, if she couldn't see, Fisel wouldn't be in much better shape.
Aha! At last, she found a place. A jumble of boulders from a line of small hills would be perfect. She walked cautiously in the rising light, the damp dewy grass stretching before the hills soaking the bottom of her skirt. Going in and around the boulders she led the horse deep into the hills hoping the dirt was hard enough not to leave Lily's hoof prints.
Finally, she found what she was looking for, a mound of rocks, with brush around them. And better yet, a cave under their branches. Yanking a reluctant Lily into the gloomy interior, it took a minute for Thera to realize that the cave had been used as someone's home. There was a pile of brush near the entrance and as she stepped further in she noticed a few pots and piles of cloth, a basket with a broken handle, even a small and much battered wooden chest. Too tired to care about the previous owner, Thera tied Lily to a narrow spike of rock, pulled a still shivering Thim down and wrapped herself around her brother to fall deeply asleep.
Thera woke, stiff and miserable later in the afternoon. Worried Thim was still sleeping, she shook him until he stirred uneasily. "Wha-what? Where are we Thera?" He looked around rubbing his eyes and then, exhausted, lay against Thera.
"We are in a cave I found. We can stay here until you feel a little better."
"When are we going to see the elves?"
"Soon darling. Maybe in about 10 days, if I have calculated the distance correctly. Only, no one knew exactly where the elves live."
Nodding, he played with the fingers of her hand. "I'm hungry Thera."
"That's great, so am I." She gently disentangled herself from him and went over to Lily who stood with head lowered by the cave's entrance swishing her tail, eyes half closed. Coming up to her, Thera, ran a hand gently over Lily's smooth hide and scratched her behind her ears. Untying their bundle, she was a little dismayed to see how low their store of food had gotten. She shook their water bottle. It was half full. Hopefully tomorrow she could find some more. Glancing around the cave, she noticed that just past Lily there looked like there was the remains of a fire pit. About to get out her tinder and flint, her shoulders drooped as she realized smoke would just let anyone out there know where they were. And slightly worried about Fisel and Mother Cali, she decided against it. Maybe once it got dark, when the smoke wouldn't show, she could make some tea. Thim really needed some willow bark.
"I'm afraid its just cheese and fruit again Thim."
He sat up and smiled. "That's okay. I'll eat it."
Sitting with her knees up and chewing on dried apple, Thera looked out at the afternoon light and smiled. It seemed as if Thim's chill had worn off and with the air in the cave dry and not too fragrant, perhaps it wouldn't come back. Shaking the water bottle, she ruefully took just one swallow and then passed it to Thim who took several. The bottle was almost empty when he handed it back. Hopefully more water wasn't too far away!
As she put the few items she had taken out for their meal, she noticed Lily's ear perk up and swivel towards the bushes in front of the cave. Oh dear, it couldn't be Fisel or Mother Cali could it?
Signaling to Thim to go to the back of the cave, Thera waited anxiously while he scurried to hid behind rocks. She hastily threw their cloak of goods behind the stacked wood . Taking a deep breath, she stood as ready as she could. Hearing the crack of a twig, she glanced at her feet and picked up a branch from the pile and brandished it like a sword. If it were Fisel or one of his cohorts, well, Lily wouldn't come easy!
An old woman wearing bits and pieces of odd clothing came quietly into the clearing and rubbed a complacent Lily on the nose. The two woman stared at each other, the older woman had a mild expression on her face and Thera found her own face relaxing.
"Well my dear, you can put down your stick, I shan't hurt you." Thera let it drop. She heard Thim scramble out from his hiding place and stand next to her.
"I am Thera and this Thim. And I guess were are trespassing in your home."
"Such as it is my dear. But I don't mind the company. It has been sometime since I had any visitors." She walked past them and before Thera could turn around, the woman had lit a torch and walked further back into the cave, showing the two that there was more to the shelter than they thought.
Thera and Thim went back into the dark looking around at what the wavering torch illuminated for them. The cave made a turning, and what they saw around the corner was a bed with furs and a quilt, two large wooden chests, a table and a chair, one leg held up by a rock.
Lighting a bowl of oil on the table, the woman put the torch in a bracket and turned to them and said, " I am Nolda. What brings you here?"
Nolda indicated the chair for Thera, and Thim crawling in Thera's lap watched Nolda as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Well, " Thera felt a little foolish telling this stranger why she was dragging her sick brother across the Wild. But the truth was the truth. "Well, we are trying to find Riverdale, and the elves. My brother is very sick, and I well, I heard that..."
Even though the woman's face didn't change, Thera just felt more foolish, and she dropped her head and stared at her clasped hands lying in her lap.
The woman stood and lighting the fire in a small pit behind the table, she filled a tea kettle and set it near the flames.
"I have heard of the elves up in the mountains. I have actually met a few. They don't talk much, but they are not cruel. And the place you are headed to is called Rivendell, I believe. It is deep in the Misty Mountains and is hard to find. But why take your brother there? Are there no doctors in, where are you from?"
"Bree."
"Bree! Well you have come a long way already. Are there no doctors in Bree? Why take him to the elves?"
"The doctors can do nothing." She ran he fingers through his hair. "He gets no better. It is some kind of wasting sickness." Laying her head on Thims, she added, "He is all the family I have."
Sighing, Nolda rose and pulled out a pottery jar. "It is just herbal tea, a blend of my own devising, but it may help your brother. It always helps me when I get a cold."
Thera nodded and then laughed at Thim's look of disgust. "It won't hurt to try it Thim! Perhaps Nolda has some honey to sweeten it with." The woman nodded with a small smile. Thim sat up, arms folded across his chest. "That's what you always say Thera! 'It won't hurt to try!' YOU never take the medicine!"
"Fair enough. I shall have some too, all right Nolda?"
"Certainly." Getting a small bowl down from a shelf, she set it next to a mug. "But my dear, you didn't say why you are taking him to the elves?"
"I-I heard a story in the Owl's Roost about a man and his dad and the elves helped him out and.."
"Thera says they are good healers."
Nolda shook her head. "It's as good a tale about them as I have heard."
Thera's face fell at that. WAS it just another tale about a secretive people of whom tales abound, but little fact? Well, they had gone this far. At least Nolda said they weren't cruel. And if the elves couldn't help, maybe they would know someone who could.
While they drank their tea, which Thim declared was all right, Thera heard a steady breathy sound coming from outside the cave. Lily snorted and Thera could hear the click of her hooves on the cave floor. She stood nervously, clasping her hands. Nolda stood as well and stretched, saying calmly, "Ah, good, a little more rain. It has been dry in these parts for most of a month. And though the rain we had a few days ago was nice, we need a bit more. My cistern was getting low!"
Thera nodded. Well at least the rain would keep Fisel away and muddy their tracks.
Nolda helped Thera settle Thim by the fire, wrapped in his blanket, with and extra one from Nolda's meager store.
As Thera helped tidy up she said, "If you don't mind me asking---"
"---what is an old women like me doing out here all alone?"
"Yes, exactly. If I am prying at something painful---"
"No dear, it is a natural question. But I am afraid there is no great tale of abandonment or exile here. I have been a widow for many years and I lived in Laketown most of my life and then after my husband died in an accident, I got wanderlust. After months of wandering, even through some of Mirkwood, I found myself here, sheltering out of the rain, like tonight. And here I'll stay until my bones are all dust." She banked the fire and said softly, "It's as good a home as any. I have been here six years, I think. And you my dear, are my first visitor this year."
"Well, I am glad we found you! This is much more cozy than it appears from the outside."
Nolda stood in front of Thera and put her hands on her shoulders. "What are you frightened of child? The elves? I have said they are not cruel."
"No, no, not the elves. At least I don't think I am afraid of them. No, ah, we were stopped by some traveling traders the other day. And they seemed friendly and we had a nice meal with them, then I heard two of them discussing stealing Lily and our cart." She looked sightlessly at the fire. "I have no idea what they planned to do with us. So we snuck away and here we are. I am afraid they'll come after us, because what good is the cart without the horse?"
"Ah, Fisel and his crew? I know them well. I have done some trading with him over the years. We get along as it so obvious I have nothing of value to steal. But you are right, he will not rest until he takes your horse. And the elves are many days away yet. You cannot stay here, I'm afraid. This will be the first place Fisel will look."
"All right. We'll leave in the morning."
"Now, why don't you sleep in my bed. My old bones will keep me up most of the night because of the change in the weather." Suddenly tired, Thera yawned and nodded. And a few minutes after getting under Nolda's threadbare quilt, she was asleep.
Nolda looked down at Thera's vulnerable face and softly brushed a lock of hair away. "Poor chick. Poor chick. The elves!" She shook her head and went and sat at the table, pulling a bit of pipe and weed out of a pouch at her side and soon a curl of smoke rose to the cave ceiling. "The elves." Nolda muttered again. "Whatever possessed her to bring her brother out here chasing a fairy tale?"
The next morning, it was still drizzling a little, but Nolda told her it would be better to get out and as far away from here as possible because the rain would wash away their tracks. Besides, if Fisel came, Nolda needed a few staples and it wouldn't do to have Thera here. Fisel was one of Nolda's only connections to the world outside her cave.
"So you see my dear, you really must go."
"I understand Nolda. Thank you so much for your hospitality, and the tea!"
"You are welcome my dear. And if you don't find the elves, do come back and visit with me!"
"Of course!"
Thim, wrapped up snugly on Lily, turned and waved back at Nolda just before they went under the trees and began weaving among the boulders again. "She is a nice old lady."
"Yes she is. Poor lonely thing." Thera clucked to Lily once they got on the Road again and Lily, catching some of their anxiety kicked up her heels and cantered down the road.
The next few days saw more rain and less sun, which set Thim's health back, and by the night of the third day, he had gotten a ragged cough. Thera was grateful for Nolda's tea, which did seem to ease Thim's cough and allow him to sleep some during the night.
Lying under the deep skirt of an old shaggy pine, Thera shivered as a wind from the slowly rising mountains moaned through the tree tops. Thim coughed and she hugged him hard. "Hang on Thim, not much farther now! I hope."
But once the rain had moved on over the mountains, the air remained cold and damp and the road, slowly rising into the foothills of the Misty Mountains curled muddily between stands of stunted pine and maple throwing cold shadows across the road. She was so cold that she wore her blanket wrapped around her most of the day pulling Thim into her shivering warmth. Lily, not happy with the weather either, walked slowly, head hanging unless Thera, getting anxious, would kick her into a half-hearted trot.
About seven days out from Nolda's cave, Thera realized they would have to stop somewhere and let Thim recover a bit. He was cold and shivering all the time. And their meager supply of food had little to tempt Thim's appetite with.
Late in the afternoon, the Road dipping in and out of shadows cast by the foothills, Thera was getting desperate to find shelter and water. The stream that had followed the Road for many miles had curved off and away two days ago and there were no signs of anything further.
Not for the first time Thera debated with herself of the wisdom of their leaving Bree. Here they were deep in the Wild, with River-Rivendell a least a week away and Thim succumbing to fevers and chills again. She had such hopes for the elves. But what, what if Thim didn't make it because of her pig-headed assurance that they could, and that the elves would indeed be able to help her brother? Tears of exhaustion leaked from behind her closed lids. Oh, she was so tired.
Her mind drifting, it took her a moment to understand what she was hearing: horses! Several of them! Lily quivered under her and then let out a loud neigh. She was lonely too!
Thera immediately pulled a reluctant Lily of the Road and using a stand of young trees and a collection of boulders as a screen, Thera kept fearful eyes on the Road.
In a few minutes, a troop of horses swung into view, cantering smartly in the evening light, sun glinted off spears and dull armor. There were five men all armed and grim looking. They were dressed uniformly in dark colors, forest greens, browns and blacks. They reminded her of the occasional solitary strangers that came into the Owl's Roost known as Rangers. But she had never seen so many together. One in the middle seemed to be holding a bundle to himself, wrapped in a cloak. They looked tired and worn as if they too had come a great distance. Where were they headed?
Taking a deep breath, Thera called out in a barely heard squeak "Hold! Sirs! Please hold!" Trembling, she nudged Lily out onto the Road just as the last of them rode past her hiding place.
The last soldier turned and called out to the others to halt.
Biting her lip, Thera looked down at Thim who shook and shivered in an uneasy doze, his raspy breathing easily heard above the horses.
When she looked up, the last soldier had his sword out and balanced on his hip. The other horsemen circled around the man holding the bundle.
"Mistress! What brings you here this deep in the Wild?"
"I, I... my brother is very sick and I am trying to get to the elves!"
Silence greeted this, and the soldier frowning, looked over his shoulder at the other men.
"Why do you seek the elves? They do not seek contact with Men."
"For healing. I have no other hope."
The soldier with the sword sheathed his weapon and brought his horse along side Lily. He leaned over and uncovered Thim's sweat-sheened face. He shook his head. "Mistress you are six days from Rivendell. Your brother will never make it. And our task is too desperate to stop."
Just then a toddler's angry wail was heard.
"You have a small child with you?" Thera was shocked. Why would they have a child with them? Was the baby being kidnapped?
The soldier's face went still and he just shook his head. "We must away mistress! I am sorry we cannot help! When we reach our destination, we will tell them of your plight. Good luck!"
The troop whirled away at a gallop, the toddler's wail unexplained.
Thera sat on Lily stunned. How could they leave her and not take Thim at least?
"Please! Just take my brother with you!"
But the troop had disappeared in a cloud of dust and Lily was too tired to follow at such a breakneck speed.
Thera finally gave into tears and nudged Lily, who uncertainly went down the Road after the soldiers.
As twilight descended, Thera turned Lily to the side of the Road, too tired and disheartened to look for any place more permanent. They spent a cold night on the ground where Thera cried herself to sleep, hugging an increasingly thin Thim to her. Somehow, she knew those soldiers had been her last hope for a speedy arrival in Rivendell.
When the sun came up and woke the two of them, Thera used the last of the tea from Nolda for Thim. He barely got half a mug down, before feebly brushing her away and sinking into uneasy sleep again. Thera, feeling a bit weak herself, finished the tea and then got Thim back up on Lily. Today they would find somewhere warm for Thim. And at least she knew she was only six days away from hope. But the soldier didn't think Thim would make it. Biting back a sudden sob, Thera got on Lily from a boulder and immediately kicked her hard into a canter. They couldn't delay! Thim WAS going to make it to Rivendell if she had to carry him herself.
As the weather remained cool but dry, Thera decided to keep going and not stop except for water in the form of a small stream that crossed their path late in the afternoon. But once the water bottle was filled and Lily and had a drink, she pushed the horse on mercilessly. "Lily we have to keep going! We just do!" She kissed Thim on his sweat damp hair. "Hang on sweetheart! We will be in Rivendell before you know it."
But Lily was not a rested, fleet-footed Elvish horse, and finally Thera had to admit defeat the next morning. They had been riding all night, though a lot of it had been a stumbling walk, when Lily's breathing became as was ragged as Thim's and she began to cough as if she was choking. Thera pulled under some pine trees and slowly slid off the horse, patting her heaving sides. Laying Thim down and wrapping him in their blankets, she knew she had to let Lily rest. Making sure Thim was comfortable, on a bed of nice dry pine needles, she left a mug of water next to him in case he should waken. Then she led the exhausted horse to the small stream, which had curved and now was some way from the Road. Careful to not let Lily drink too much, she brushed the tired horse thoroughly and untangled her mane and tail as much as she could. When she finished, she hugged Lily and found her eyes full of tears as she still heard the sounds of ragged breathing, but a least they sounded as if it had eased some.
Looking around with a sigh, she grabbed her water bottle and headed back to the Road.
Thim was still asleep and his breathing still raspy. Patting an inquisitive Lily who brought her nose down to sniff Thims hair, Thera lay next to her brother. Not hungry, she fell into an uneasy doze.
The sound of the wind through the trees woke Thera next. She could feel the moisture in the air, which meant more rain was coming. While she secured their increasingly smaller mound of supplies in her blanket, she smiled. Well at least Nolda would be pleased.
Lily, her breathing only slightly better than the day before could only manage a trot, but she was able to maintain that pace for most of the day as well as the next. But the rain didn't hold off, and Thera, pushed a sickening Lily even harder the next day, but by nightfall Lily was dragging her feet through the now muddy road and Thera knew they were going to have to stop again. Pulling Lily under the trees, she was too tired to hobble the horse. Thim, now tossing fretfully and half awake, did manage to eat a little dried fruit. There were only a few strips left.
Sighing as the afternoon darkened, she sat in a half doze herself, when she heard the sounds of a single horse coming up the Road the way they had just traveled. Jumping up, she paused a moment and then put a hand on Lily's nose. She didn't want the horse revealing their position. Holding her breath, she looked through the branches of a cluster of young maples and stifled a gasp.
It was Fisel! And he didn't look happy, wet and miserable from the rain. He paused, glancing around in the lowering twilight, obviously trying to read the welter of hoof prints. Thank goodness for the Rangers! The tracks of their passage had not quite washed away. With a muttered curse, Fisel got back on his horse and spurred it on further up the Road.
Terror made Thera move quickly. She bundled Thim back up on Lily and turned further into the trees, hoping they could still follow the direction of the Road, but stay off of it.
They kept the thin gray strip of the Road to their right until it was too dark to see, the drizzle thankfully dampening the twigs and leaves beneath their feet. She rolled in her blanket and slept where they stopped.
The morning sun did not come through the cloud cover. When Thera reached a stream and filled their water bottle, she slipped and fell in the rushing icy water. Dragging herself out angrily, she wrung out what she could. Thim, more awake this morning than usual, said with a thin smile crossing his face, "You can't take a swim now Thera! It isn't summer! But fish would be nice."
She brushed damp strands of hair out of her face and grinned ruefully back, "You are right, not time for a swim. But maybe I can catch a fish! I still have my tinder and flint. Wouldn't that be fine?"
Thim nodded and rubbed a hand across his face and said tiredly, "Sorry I have been sleeping so much. I haven't been able to help you with Lily."
Thera came up and hugged him carefully, trying to keep water off of him. "Oh honey, it's okay. When we get to Rivendell, I bet the elves will let you take care of Lily then. As soon as you get well."
She wrung more water out of her skirt and Thim fell silent, running his finger back and forth across a maple leaf by his left foot.
"I am not going to get well, am I?"
"No Thim, don't say that, of course you are. Of course you are." She hugged him tightly now heedless of her damp clothing. "Don't you worry, the elves will know what to do, you just wait and see. They---"
"What a touching scene!" Fisel stepped through the trees, leading his horse. Thera hugged Thim, aghast. "You two have led me on a merry chase, but I want the horse now and no nonsense."
"No, you can't take Lily! I have to get Thim to Rivendell and besides, Lily needs rest too. I-I've pushed her too hard in my haste. Please, I beg you!"
Fisel just waved an impatient hand at her and went and lifted Lily's head. She blinked at him and yawned, swishing her tail. "Naw, she's fine. Without carrying you two, she'll move a lot more easy." He started to turn Lily around, and lead her back to the Road. Thera ran after him and tried to pull his arm off Lily's reins. Fisel whipped around, a wicked knife suddenly in his hands. He slashed her right arm as it reached for the reins and shoved her back into the stream. Before she could get up, Fisel had swung back up on his horse and trotted off. Thera dragged herself out of the water and ran after Fisel, holding her bleeding arm but he had kicked the two horses into a canter and in no time, they had disappeared down the Road.
"Come back!" Thera screamed until her voice echoed off the rocks. "Come back!! We need to get to Rivendell!! Please come...BACK!"
But once the echoes faded, all Thera could hear was her own hoarse breathing and the drip of rain off the nearby branches.
Wearily, she went back to Thim, and taking her hand off her bleeding arm she, assessed the damage. It was deep and clean and bleeding steadily. Oh now what? She said thickly, "Well, I shall just have to carry you Thim. It's not like I haven't done that before."
Thim, his eyes suspiciously shiny, nodded, biting his lip.
Thera ripped a strip off the bottom of her skirt grimacing in pain as she had to use both hands to do so. Wrapping the strip around her arm, she was dismayed to see how quickly the blood seeped through. Feeling a bit dizzy, she smiled at Thim. Taking a deep breath, she stood weaving some and said, 'Well I shall just go catch us a fish, all right? I saw a pool up stream a little ways."
Swallowing dryly Thim nodded again.
"Why don't you watch me fish from yonder bridge? I don't suspect we'll have any more trouble from strangers on the Road now that Fisel has Lily." A sob caught in her throat and Thera turned her face away. But straightening her shoulders, she turned and went back to Thim. "Come on sweetheart, go sit on the bridge there. Maybe the sun will come out. She looked at the sky and noticed the clouds were breaking up. "See, look, the rain's stopping! And look Thim, over there, over the mountains there, a rainbow! That's good luck! So make a wish!"
Thim coughed suddenly, a deep wracking sound. He smiled when it stopped and got up stiffly, taking his blanket with him. In a few moments, he was sitting on the old stone wall kicking his feet. Thera grinned back at him. He almost looked like a normal boy again. She waved and slowly went upstream to the pool she felt would give them a couple of trout.
She sat on the edge of the water out of Thims sight and gasped aloud. The pain was excruciating and she could barely think. She knew there would be no fish tonight. She leaned against a sagging cottonwood behind her and closed her eyes. If she could just gather her strength.....
When she next opened her eyes, it was deepening towards twilight and raining again. "Oh no! Thim!" She stood too fast which almost made her fall into the stream. She held herself up from behind by using the cottonwood tree as a crutch.
Heedless of the noise, she crashed through the waterside brush and in a few minutes scrambled her way up the embankment to the stone bridge.
No Thim. Terrified, she hunted all along the bridge on both sides and then ran down horrified, when she saw could barely make out a small form crumpled near the water. Rushing and slipping, she gathered her brothers cold body next to hers sobbing his name over and over. Climbing slowly up to the road holding Thims still form, she started walking.
Over and over in her head she heard the Ranger's voice say, "He's not going to make it. He's not going to make it. He's not going to make it." She fervently kissed his cold face over and over. He was too still, but she couldn't let him go. They had to keep going. They had to keep going. She had to get them help.
Stumbling up the Road, she wandered in the increasing rain until she could go no further. Attempting to get under the trees, her head whirled and she sank to her knees with her precious burden and keeled over.
The still forms lay in the mud unmoving, when the two elf scouts came across them an hour later. The rain had stopped and a high wind was blowing the clouds away. One slid gracefully off his horse and inspected the two. Easily lifting the woman, he set her across his horse. Picking up the smaller form, he frowned and put an elegant ear against the boy's chest. Lifting his head with an uncertain shake, he gave Thim to his companion, mounted his saddle-less steed and adjusting the weight of the unconscious woman, took off in a fast gallop.
To Rivendell.