The companions walked in silence for most of the rest of the day, each lost in their own thoughts…thoughts of the future, the past, of what might be lurking in the forest around them.
Around five o'clock, Savina noticed that the forest was thinning and she could faintly hear the sound of rushing water. She guessed they must have been getting close to the Great River. Any other time, she would have been overjoyed at the chance to see the Great River, she'd wanted to see it ever since she was a little girl, but Tika's terrified, blood-covered face kept popping into her head. The barmaid's words echoing in her mind, along with the strange, hissing voice of the black-cloaked figure, made her dizzy with fear and confusion.
Tas, sensing the mood, took a hint for once and stayed almost completely silent, breaking the silence by singing songs under his breath.
Suddenly Aragorn broke the silence, "we're going to stop and rest up here next to the river."
Savina stopped and stood on her tiptoes, eager to see the river.
Tas, who was walking behind her, accidentally trod on the back of her feet, "oops, sorry."
"That's ok," she said absently, starting to walk again but still trying to see around Aragorn.
As they walked, the forest thinned until there were only a few scattered trees.
Savina could see a wide, yellow meadow with white flowers in it, and beyond that, a sandy strip with middle-sized boulders and flat rocks…beyond that was the river.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The river was beautiful. It was wide, with rippled and currents running through it. The water was light blue in the shallow parts and navy blue in the deep portions, which were mostly out in the middle. The water glittered and shined in the evening sunlight.
It was everything she had dreamed it would be…beautiful.
The companions walked across the meadow, which was sweet smelling and fragrant.
Tas reached out and picked a white flower. After examining it, he reached up and tucked it behind Savina's ear, telling her she looked like an Island Girl.
Savina laughed, she'd heard of the Island Girls from her father. There was a legend of an island that floated in the sky and was inhabited by the most beautiful women in the world, of all races. Their clothes were made of air and sky and clouds and flowers. They wore flowers in their hair and sang songs all day long. A large green dragon named Sliteshir lived on the island and watched over them, killing any man who dared to come on the island. It was a silly tale, really, and it hurt her to remember it, reminding her of the many nights when she was younger. Her father would sit on a bench near the fire and tell her and her brothers stories while filing and sharpening his swords to perfection.
Aragorn stopped at the edge of the river and set his pack down, stretching his back and looking up and down the shore.
Savina set her pack down against a boulder and crouched down at the very edge of the water, dipping her pointer finger into the water and swirling it around. Tiny silver and gold specks rose from the bottom of the river and swirled around her finger. With a contented sigh, Savina stood up and walked back to where her pack was and sat down on the boulder, looking around.
Tas was crouching down, looking into the water, chattering happily with Gimli, who was splashing water onto his face.
Legolas had set his pack down and was staring across the river, a miserable look on his face.
Savina followed his gaze across the river, her feeling of contentment fading.
Beyond the river rose up great mountains, dark and formidable looking.
And beyond that…
Mordor…actually, it was Mount Doom, tall and black, spewing smoke and ash and fire into the sky.
That's where we're going, Savina thought suddenly, tears rising into her eyes. She raised her arm to wipe her eyes on her sleeve but stopped, her sleeve was covered with the blood she had wiped from Tika's face. She felt tugging at the bottom of her tunic and looked down to see Tas' face, unusually solemn, peering up at her.
"Don't cry, Island Girl," he said quietly, "I think we'll come out ok."
Savina bit her lip and nodded, they wouldn't be to Mordor for another few days. At least they weren't actually going to Mount Doom; they were going to the Dark Tower, which wasn't much better.
Aragorn crouched down in front of her and glanced at Tas, "can you leave us for a moment, Little Kender?"
Tas pouted, "anything you can say to her, you can say to me."
Aragorn raised his eyebrow.
"Ok, I'll just be over here," Tas stood up and readjusted his pouches, "hello, Legolas."
Aragorn studied Savina intently for a moment, "how are you doing?"
"Tired," she answered, rubbing her forehead.
"Savina," he paused, "I need to ask you something, you need to answer honestly."
"I would never lie to you."
He nodded and bowed his head, "you know as well as I that something is going on, something that involves you. The drawing, you hearing voices and losing control of your body, the dragon necklace…some powerful force is at work."
Savina was silent, gazing at Aragorn.
He continued, "I need to ask you if you have any idea what is going on…any at all, even the slightest idea."
Savina shook her head, "I don't know anything more than you do."
Aragorn nodded and stood up. He reached down and stroked her cheek tenderly, "so young to carry such a burden…" he paused and pulled his hand away, glancing in the direction on Mordor, "if any of us make it out of Mordor, I would have it be you."
Savina bowed her head, "if we rescued Merry and Pippin, I would be satisfied even if I died doing it."
Aragorn's dark eyes flickered, "this quest does not belong to you, you've never even met Merry and Pi-"
"Aragorn, you are my king, if you love these hobbits enough to walk into Mordor for them, then that is good enough for me."
His dark eyes softened, "but what of your quest?"
"I…I have given up on finding my father. I never wanted to admit…" she shook her head and blinked tears back, "my father has been gone for over two years. If he went willingly, he doesn't mean to return. If he was taken by force, he is probably dead by now. It's time I move on."
Aragorn gave her a look of pure understanding, then kissed her on the forehead, "don't give up on your father, little elf, you may yet find him, someplace unexpected." He got up and sat down on another boulder, shutting his eyes and resting for a moment.
They all sat and stood in silence for a few moments, even Tasselhoff, until Aragorn stood up and put on his pack, "we have to cross the river."
Tas looked at the river incredulously, "cross it? Are you serious?"
Legolas stared at him, "are you scared of water?"
"Of course not, Kender aren't scared of anything," Tas motioned to his numerous pouches, "I don't want these to get wet."
Legolas sighed, "take them off and give them to me, I'll put them in my pack and make sure they don't get wet."
Savina put on her pack and walked to the edge of the river, she could see a narrow strip of land that went across the river that was only two or so feet deep. She pulled her boots off and rolled her pant legs up and stepped into the cool water.
She started across, wading through the shallow water, feeling the smooth stones beneath her feet.
Suddenly, Tas, who had just handed his pouches to Aragorn, who was putting them in Legolas' pack, looked up the river and cried out, "look at the water!"
Aragorn dropped the pouches and looked.
The water up stream was turning black and ripping as if it were alive.
As it got closer, Aragorn could make out hundred of creatures he'd hoped he'd never see again…Badiras.
Badiras are black, shark-like creatures that grow to be about four feet long. They each have two heads with mouths full of long, sharp teeth that can kill a man in moments.
Aragorn realized Savina was standing in the middle of the river; he jumped up and yelled to her, "run! Get to the other side."
Savina looked at him in confusion, then saw the wave of black coming toward her and leaped foreword, trying to run to the other side. She got a few feet when her foot caught under a rock and she pitched foreword, the wave of black only fifteen feet away.