Author's note ~ I am so sorry about the extremely late update, but I have
not abandoned this fic! I can assure you of that! However, as I continue
into "The Two Towers", I will also be revising the earlier chapters of this
story, making them flow better, etc. I will probably revise from the
beginning to the end without jumping around, to make it easier on my
readers. Thank you so much for putting up with my late-coming updates, I
will endeavor to be less sporadic.
~ Arwen
Disclaimer ~ I do not own Legolas' quote to Eomer, that was Tolkien's invention. I do not take credit for it.
"And the Fellowship of the Ring Shall Be Ten"
Chapter XVII ~ "The Riders"
The hunters ran again, ever chasing the tireless Uruks. Near midday, Teneriel and Legolas halted at the same time, near the top of a large hill. Each looking in the opposite direction, Legolas saw it first. To the mortal eye, it was merely a cloud of dust that may or may not have been approaching. But to the two pairs of Elven eyes that were now trained upon it, the cloud did not obscure its creators.
"Aragorn, horses approach," Teneriel said, grasping her brother's forearm.
Before even looking at the dust, Aragorn glanced at Legolas, who nodded in confirmation. Aragorn's blue eyes narrowed as he gazed at it. Although he could not see the horses himself, he knew to trust the Elves' eyesight. "Behind that outcropping of rock, all of you!" he ordered, laying a hand on the hilt of his sword, Anduril.
Ere many minutes had passed, the horses thundered by. Although a few saddles were empty, most were occupied by a fierce warrior. The men bore the armor and the standard of Rohan, but their clothes were soiled and their chain mail shirts were stained with dark blood.
Once the horses and their riders were well past their hiding place, Aragorn rose and walked across the hilltop. "Horsemen of Rohan!" he shouted, gaining the attention of the warriors.
As one being, the riders turned their horses in a wide arc and rode back up the hill toward the rocks. By now, Aragorn had been joined by Gimli, Legolas, and Teneriel, all of whom looked at the fast approaching men apprehensively. In a matter of seconds, the Riders of Rohan had the four hunters surrounded. Spears lowered and squeezed the companions back-to-back in a tiny circle.
One particularly fearsome man ride through the others and stopped in front of Aragorn, his helmet hiding his features. "Who are you?!" he barked. "What is your business in Rohan?!"
"You give us your name and we will give you ours. You have no need to know our business," Gimli said, shooting a contemptuous glare at the man.
The Rider jumped from the saddle and approached Gimli, drawing his sword. "You dare to insult me in my own land! You will die for it!"
Before the man could even find time to lift his sword or blink, he found himself staring down the shaft of an Elven arrow at a pair of deadly cold blue eyes. "You would die before your stroke fell," Legolas said softly, his voice taking on a very dangerous edge.
"Peace, Legolas," Aragorn hissed. "Lower your bow." He turned to face the Rider again. "I am Aragorn. The Elves are Legolas and Teneriel, the dwarf is Gimli. We have been tracking a large pack of Uruk-Hai for days through these lands."
"I am Eomer, nephew to King Theoden of Rohan. The Uruk-Hai you speak of are dead. My men and I slaughtered them last night. We set the corpses ablaze near the boundaries of Fangorn Forest." He motioned to the north, from which a great plume of ugly black smoke was rising.
"No," whispered Teneriel, feeling a dead weight settle onto her heart. "The Uruks had taken captive two of our companions. They were hobbits, small beings, no taller than children. Did you happen upon them?"
Eomer's face clouded. "I saw no one like that with the Uruks. Nevertheless, we left no one alive. If your friends were with the Uruks, there is little chance that they escaped with their lives. I am sorry for your loss." He called for one of his men to bring forward three horses. "You may take these horses for your journey. I hope your fortune improves, wherever you choose to go." With those last few words, Eomer mounted his horse and the Riders of Rohan galloped away.
Aragorn swung easily into the saddle and patted his horse's neck absentmindedly, his eyes following the steadily rising cloud of smoke. "Come, my friends. If Merry and Pippin are still alive, then we must find them. If they are dead, we must at least give them a decent burial and mourn them while knowing the truth of their deaths."
Teneriel slipped the saddle and bridle off the chocolate brown horse she was to ride, laying the two items on the ground. She leapt lightly onto the horse's back and watched Gimli clamber onto the other remaining horse. "Gimli, have you ever ridden a horse before?" she asked, watching the dwarf's face.
There was marked annoyance in Gimli's voice as he answered. "Yes, but never such a magnificent animal as this. And never riding with another."
Legolas carefully slid into the saddle in front of Gimli and groaned. "I am not at all used to these saddles. But for Gimli's sake, I will endure."
Aragorn sighed, glancing at his companions. "I know not whether we will find Merry and Pippin. But I cannot believe that they would have been killed along with the Uruks. No one could have mistaken those two hobbits for Orcs."
The hunter rode again, now with fresh determination. Their quarry was near, despite looming fear that the young hobbits were dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were very much alive, crawling through the roots and brush of Fangorn Forest. The Forest was unlike anything either hobbit had ever seen or experienced, it almost seemed to be sentient. They had entered the place only a few hours earlier, after the Uruk-Hai had been destroyed by mysterious men on horseback. The hobbits had cut their bonds on a fallen sword and escaped into the massive, wild forest only a few yards away.
They were deep in the Forest now, stumbling over the uneven ground. The trees here were huge and broad, each branch seemed to touch a branch of a tree nearby. This created a canopy which cast shadows over the ground.
"Merry," Pippin panted, catching his cousin's arm, " I don't like this place. I feel as though it's watching our every move!"
"I think it is, Pip," Merry answered, casting an uneasy glance around. "I think it is."
Little did they know what was watching their trek through Fangorn.
Thanks to all my readers who have stuck with me throughout my lapses in updating. I apologize once again.
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! I would really like to know what you think.
Disclaimer ~ I do not own Legolas' quote to Eomer, that was Tolkien's invention. I do not take credit for it.
"And the Fellowship of the Ring Shall Be Ten"
Chapter XVII ~ "The Riders"
The hunters ran again, ever chasing the tireless Uruks. Near midday, Teneriel and Legolas halted at the same time, near the top of a large hill. Each looking in the opposite direction, Legolas saw it first. To the mortal eye, it was merely a cloud of dust that may or may not have been approaching. But to the two pairs of Elven eyes that were now trained upon it, the cloud did not obscure its creators.
"Aragorn, horses approach," Teneriel said, grasping her brother's forearm.
Before even looking at the dust, Aragorn glanced at Legolas, who nodded in confirmation. Aragorn's blue eyes narrowed as he gazed at it. Although he could not see the horses himself, he knew to trust the Elves' eyesight. "Behind that outcropping of rock, all of you!" he ordered, laying a hand on the hilt of his sword, Anduril.
Ere many minutes had passed, the horses thundered by. Although a few saddles were empty, most were occupied by a fierce warrior. The men bore the armor and the standard of Rohan, but their clothes were soiled and their chain mail shirts were stained with dark blood.
Once the horses and their riders were well past their hiding place, Aragorn rose and walked across the hilltop. "Horsemen of Rohan!" he shouted, gaining the attention of the warriors.
As one being, the riders turned their horses in a wide arc and rode back up the hill toward the rocks. By now, Aragorn had been joined by Gimli, Legolas, and Teneriel, all of whom looked at the fast approaching men apprehensively. In a matter of seconds, the Riders of Rohan had the four hunters surrounded. Spears lowered and squeezed the companions back-to-back in a tiny circle.
One particularly fearsome man ride through the others and stopped in front of Aragorn, his helmet hiding his features. "Who are you?!" he barked. "What is your business in Rohan?!"
"You give us your name and we will give you ours. You have no need to know our business," Gimli said, shooting a contemptuous glare at the man.
The Rider jumped from the saddle and approached Gimli, drawing his sword. "You dare to insult me in my own land! You will die for it!"
Before the man could even find time to lift his sword or blink, he found himself staring down the shaft of an Elven arrow at a pair of deadly cold blue eyes. "You would die before your stroke fell," Legolas said softly, his voice taking on a very dangerous edge.
"Peace, Legolas," Aragorn hissed. "Lower your bow." He turned to face the Rider again. "I am Aragorn. The Elves are Legolas and Teneriel, the dwarf is Gimli. We have been tracking a large pack of Uruk-Hai for days through these lands."
"I am Eomer, nephew to King Theoden of Rohan. The Uruk-Hai you speak of are dead. My men and I slaughtered them last night. We set the corpses ablaze near the boundaries of Fangorn Forest." He motioned to the north, from which a great plume of ugly black smoke was rising.
"No," whispered Teneriel, feeling a dead weight settle onto her heart. "The Uruks had taken captive two of our companions. They were hobbits, small beings, no taller than children. Did you happen upon them?"
Eomer's face clouded. "I saw no one like that with the Uruks. Nevertheless, we left no one alive. If your friends were with the Uruks, there is little chance that they escaped with their lives. I am sorry for your loss." He called for one of his men to bring forward three horses. "You may take these horses for your journey. I hope your fortune improves, wherever you choose to go." With those last few words, Eomer mounted his horse and the Riders of Rohan galloped away.
Aragorn swung easily into the saddle and patted his horse's neck absentmindedly, his eyes following the steadily rising cloud of smoke. "Come, my friends. If Merry and Pippin are still alive, then we must find them. If they are dead, we must at least give them a decent burial and mourn them while knowing the truth of their deaths."
Teneriel slipped the saddle and bridle off the chocolate brown horse she was to ride, laying the two items on the ground. She leapt lightly onto the horse's back and watched Gimli clamber onto the other remaining horse. "Gimli, have you ever ridden a horse before?" she asked, watching the dwarf's face.
There was marked annoyance in Gimli's voice as he answered. "Yes, but never such a magnificent animal as this. And never riding with another."
Legolas carefully slid into the saddle in front of Gimli and groaned. "I am not at all used to these saddles. But for Gimli's sake, I will endure."
Aragorn sighed, glancing at his companions. "I know not whether we will find Merry and Pippin. But I cannot believe that they would have been killed along with the Uruks. No one could have mistaken those two hobbits for Orcs."
The hunter rode again, now with fresh determination. Their quarry was near, despite looming fear that the young hobbits were dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were very much alive, crawling through the roots and brush of Fangorn Forest. The Forest was unlike anything either hobbit had ever seen or experienced, it almost seemed to be sentient. They had entered the place only a few hours earlier, after the Uruk-Hai had been destroyed by mysterious men on horseback. The hobbits had cut their bonds on a fallen sword and escaped into the massive, wild forest only a few yards away.
They were deep in the Forest now, stumbling over the uneven ground. The trees here were huge and broad, each branch seemed to touch a branch of a tree nearby. This created a canopy which cast shadows over the ground.
"Merry," Pippin panted, catching his cousin's arm, " I don't like this place. I feel as though it's watching our every move!"
"I think it is, Pip," Merry answered, casting an uneasy glance around. "I think it is."
Little did they know what was watching their trek through Fangorn.
Thanks to all my readers who have stuck with me throughout my lapses in updating. I apologize once again.
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! I would really like to know what you think.