When they all were mounted upon the horses, the three
companions raced over the hill under the cold sun, coming ever nearer to
where their hopes and fears lay with the finding of Merry and Pippin.
Coming near to pile of burnings, the black smoke rose high and thick in the clean air. To the right of it, a long spear was stuck far into the ground; upon the spear was the bloody, black head of an orc. The ground lay covered with darkness smeared upon it. Black, burnt bones of the orcs and Uruk-hai lay in the burning pile and round it. The ground was trampled by the footprints of the Uruk-hai and orcs; it became confused when the hoofs of the Riddermark men's horses had come by surprise attack. It looked almost hopeless that Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli would find any sign to reassure them that Merry and Pippin survived the night before.
* * * * * * * * * * *
An hour had passed. Nothing had been found. Gimli was upon his knees on the ground, searching through the pile of ashes and bones. The hope that remained in him was no more. Legolas stood silent, watching Gimli scuff through the ashes. He closed his eyes for a moment, praying to Galadriel that the hobbits still lived. And upon the opening of his blue, elven eyes, he discovered this had not come true.
Using his axe to search the pile, Gimli heard a tinkling sound, signaling his axe was hitting something of iron. As he brushed the ashes away from it, the expression on his face changed to shock and sorrow.
"It's the hobbits'..." Gimli did not finish.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Aragorn yelled furiously as he kicked an Uruk-hai's helm a ways across the field. Proof had been found in the pile of burning bones: proof that the hobbits were dead.
Legolas bowed his head in grief and said a lament for the hobbits.
"Hiro hyn hidh ab 'wanath. (Let them find peace after death.)"
Aragorn bowed his head, feeling something he hadn't felt since the death of Boromir: tears. He closed his eyes. All hope was lost. Faith in the hobbits no longer existed. Aragorn shook his head from side to side, very softly whispering to words of sadness to himself. As he looked down, he opened his eyes as a single tear fell, hitting the footprints he stood in front of. He studied them for a short minute. They were small footprints; bigger than the hoofs of the horses, but much smaller than that of an orc or Uruk-hai. Aragorn's eyes widened with curiosity and a feeling he could not describe in the tongue of Men or Elves.
"These are the footprints of Pippin. For his is smaller than the other one...Merry." His head turned sideways, observing the footprints with intensity.
The words of Aragorn immediately caught the attention of Legolas and Gimli. They stood in their places though, so as not to get in the way of Aragorn or mess any footprints around them up.
Aragorn looked up to see where the footprints lead. There were more. Aragorn sprang up from the ground.
"Look here!" he shouted. "Here they were. It seems they had been tied up. They were lying down on the ground...more as thrown on their back. The Uruk-hai carried them like I thought."
Aragorn looked carefully at the markings in the ground. Suddenly, he cautiously got up, following the markings and footprints, still fresh in the ground, telling what had happened.
"One of them rolled over here," he said, pointing to the slid- looking markings. "Pippin...he was trying to get away, away from the battle. And he rolled here. But something else was here; a horse. He rolled under one of the men's horses. It was about to trample Pippin." Aragorn said with a pause.
"But he rolled away...over here where it looks like Merry was. Merry was also tied up. But here...they must have found something to cut the cords; an orc's knife probably. After their bonds were cut..." Aragorn stopped, confused for a minute.
"They crawled; but stopped here. It looks like they were caught...by an orc, their guard maybe. But they got away from it, running this was which leads to..." Aragorn's voice trailed off as his eyes saw the place to where the hobbits had gone: Fangorn Forest.
I'm terribly sorry to make this chapter so short but...well, let's just say something's about to happen, something unexpected that deserves its own chapter! LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER REALLY SOON!!!OH! AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thank you! ^_^
Coming near to pile of burnings, the black smoke rose high and thick in the clean air. To the right of it, a long spear was stuck far into the ground; upon the spear was the bloody, black head of an orc. The ground lay covered with darkness smeared upon it. Black, burnt bones of the orcs and Uruk-hai lay in the burning pile and round it. The ground was trampled by the footprints of the Uruk-hai and orcs; it became confused when the hoofs of the Riddermark men's horses had come by surprise attack. It looked almost hopeless that Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli would find any sign to reassure them that Merry and Pippin survived the night before.
* * * * * * * * * * *
An hour had passed. Nothing had been found. Gimli was upon his knees on the ground, searching through the pile of ashes and bones. The hope that remained in him was no more. Legolas stood silent, watching Gimli scuff through the ashes. He closed his eyes for a moment, praying to Galadriel that the hobbits still lived. And upon the opening of his blue, elven eyes, he discovered this had not come true.
Using his axe to search the pile, Gimli heard a tinkling sound, signaling his axe was hitting something of iron. As he brushed the ashes away from it, the expression on his face changed to shock and sorrow.
"It's the hobbits'..." Gimli did not finish.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Aragorn yelled furiously as he kicked an Uruk-hai's helm a ways across the field. Proof had been found in the pile of burning bones: proof that the hobbits were dead.
Legolas bowed his head in grief and said a lament for the hobbits.
"Hiro hyn hidh ab 'wanath. (Let them find peace after death.)"
Aragorn bowed his head, feeling something he hadn't felt since the death of Boromir: tears. He closed his eyes. All hope was lost. Faith in the hobbits no longer existed. Aragorn shook his head from side to side, very softly whispering to words of sadness to himself. As he looked down, he opened his eyes as a single tear fell, hitting the footprints he stood in front of. He studied them for a short minute. They were small footprints; bigger than the hoofs of the horses, but much smaller than that of an orc or Uruk-hai. Aragorn's eyes widened with curiosity and a feeling he could not describe in the tongue of Men or Elves.
"These are the footprints of Pippin. For his is smaller than the other one...Merry." His head turned sideways, observing the footprints with intensity.
The words of Aragorn immediately caught the attention of Legolas and Gimli. They stood in their places though, so as not to get in the way of Aragorn or mess any footprints around them up.
Aragorn looked up to see where the footprints lead. There were more. Aragorn sprang up from the ground.
"Look here!" he shouted. "Here they were. It seems they had been tied up. They were lying down on the ground...more as thrown on their back. The Uruk-hai carried them like I thought."
Aragorn looked carefully at the markings in the ground. Suddenly, he cautiously got up, following the markings and footprints, still fresh in the ground, telling what had happened.
"One of them rolled over here," he said, pointing to the slid- looking markings. "Pippin...he was trying to get away, away from the battle. And he rolled here. But something else was here; a horse. He rolled under one of the men's horses. It was about to trample Pippin." Aragorn said with a pause.
"But he rolled away...over here where it looks like Merry was. Merry was also tied up. But here...they must have found something to cut the cords; an orc's knife probably. After their bonds were cut..." Aragorn stopped, confused for a minute.
"They crawled; but stopped here. It looks like they were caught...by an orc, their guard maybe. But they got away from it, running this was which leads to..." Aragorn's voice trailed off as his eyes saw the place to where the hobbits had gone: Fangorn Forest.
I'm terribly sorry to make this chapter so short but...well, let's just say something's about to happen, something unexpected that deserves its own chapter! LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER REALLY SOON!!!OH! AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thank you! ^_^