Ilhan and I rode along The Great River, swiftly. We had to take minimal
rests, as we had to get to Rohan as soon as we could. To my left I could
still see the trees of Mirkwood blur past me, as Ohtar was a very fast
horse. As we rode I found Ilhan eyes were constantly darting in every
direction. "Ilhan do you see anything unusual?" I asked. He had fixed his
eyes on something on the other side of the river. It seemed he hadn't heard
me, as he didn't answer. I decided not to repeat the question. He would
have alerted me.
"Fatima we need to make haste." Ilhan said. Then his horse began to gallop faster. I wanted to know what was wrong with him, but he was already ahead of me.
"Ride faster, Ohtar!" I urged the horse. Suddenly I could feel the horse lift, and I felt I was flying, but I knew it was just because of the acceleration. The cool wind in my face and my hair flying freely, it felt so right. I felt free and I knew that this is who I am. I am like the horse I have my own spirit and I want to control it and do as I please. I looked around but I couldn't see Ilhan any more. "Hey, stop Ohtar, stop!" The horse stopped and I turned him around. Ilhan was standing on the ground leading his horse towards some water. I quickly jumped off the horse and I lead him towards the water too.
As I got closer to Ilhan I saw there was a smile on his face. "Didn't you hear me when I called to you?" Ilhan asked me.
"No I didn't." I said. I felt a little embarrassed because I knew why I hadn't heard him. But he just continued to smile at me. Ilhan took out his water bag and drank some water.
"This is a pond and its called Loeg Ningloran." He said. Around the pond I saw it was surrounded beautiful golden flowers.
I sat on the ground. "Loeg Ningloran, Loeg Ningloran." I kept repeating it as I took the book Isilme had given me out of my bag. First I looked up Loeg, and found it means pool. Then I looked up Ningloran, and all I could find was Ninglor and that meant golden water-flower. I looked up 'an' and it meant by. "Pool by golden water-flowers!" I shouted. My face all of a sudden was burning. I knew I had shouted really loud. I quickly put the book back in my bag.
"What did you say?" Ilhan asked me. He looked at me curiously. He had a mischievous look on his face. He looked like a little boy who had just found out somebody secret.
"Uh, I just said pool by golden water-flower. Is there anything wrong with that?" I asked. I acted as innocent as I could. Ilhan continued to look at me.
"But." He paused. "That is the definition for Loeg Ningloran, how could you know the definition. I thought you didn't know any elvish." He said. Now I looked at him mischievously and I decided against telling him about my gift from Isilme.
"Well I saw these golden water-flowers, and I can see this is a pool, so I just put it together. Elvish isn't really hard to figure out actually. Loeg Ningloran means pool by golden water-flowers." I said it in a matter-of- fact tone.
"Well Lady Hannas, I think we should be on our way." Ilhan said. He stood up and got onto his horse. I just looked at him but I didn't want to let him know I was annoyed. I quickly took out my book and looked up Hannas and found it means intelligence. I quickly put my book back in my bag and I got onto my horse.
"Hmm, Lady Intelligence, I think that fits me just fine." I said. I looked at Ilhan and he just had a look of shock on his face.
"How is it all of a sudden you can speak elvish?" Ilhan asked me. He continued to look at me. I decided to leave him guessing.
"I think we should be on our way. Ride Ohtar!" I said, before Ilhan could say anything. I could feel Ilhan's eyes piercing the back of my head. He was saying something but I couldn't hear him. I turned around and saw he was trying to catch up to me.
"I think I should be leading since I know the way." He said. I just motioned for him to ride in front of me with my arm. He then began to ride faster and I rode after him.
We continued to ride for a long time without rest. Finally we could no longer see the trees of Mirkwood. Ilhan stopped and he was looking to his right. He looked mesmerised and I didn't know why. I followed his glance and saw he was looking at some trees. They didn't seem to be anything special about them, but he kept looking.
"Ilhan, what is the matter?" I asked. He looked at me with a sad expression on his face. After seeing his face I felt sad too. I didn't know why but there was something about the woods that made both Ilhan and I sad.
"Fatima, that is Lorien. But the elves of Lorien no longer live there. They have passed to the undying lands. What will become of me when the elves of Mirkwood leave the middle-earth?" He asked me. He didn't really expect an answer and I was glad, as I couldn't give him one. But I did want to, I just didn't know what to say. Then I remembered Isilme.
"Ilhan not all the elves want to leave middle-earth." I said. I didn't want to tell him what Isilme had said. "Arwen, she didn't leave middle-earth. She stayed for Aragorn, you don't know if every elf wants to leave." I said. I was trying my best to cheer him up but it wasn't working.
"Arwen had a reason to stay here, she loves a mortal. But the other elves don't have a reason. They will not stay here, it is their duty to travel to Valinor with all their kin." He said. The thought of the elves leaving did bring tears to my eyes. Ilhan saw my tears and then gave into his own. A tear ran down his cheek. "They are my family, I have no one else." He said.
Seeing Ilhan hurting was killing me inside. I wanted to tell him it would be all right, but I couldn't because I didn't know of it would. Then I said something I never anticipated. "Ilhan you have me." He looked up at me shocked. I smiled at him and then he smiled back. He wiped his tears away and then he sat up straight on his horse.
"I think we should continue riding. Fatima." I looked at him. He smiled warmly, "Thank you!" He said, and I just smiled. He took a quick drink from his water bag and I from mine, and we began riding again.
We came to the Field of Celebrant, and what I saw maddened me. The crops were all destroyed my fathers and others were ruined. "Now we must be cautious as we approach Rohan. Fatima you must be strong as you might not like what you see." Ilhan said to me. I tried to calm down but I was having trouble. I prepared myself for battle, and I would not spare any evil creature.
We crossed the bridge and once we wee on the other side of the Great River, we rode to Fangorn. We decided to ride till the end of Fangorn as it was our best shield. "Ilhan at the end of Fangorn lies the Gap of Rohan. From there we can ride to Helm's Deep, and see if Eowyn is there. If she is not some one there can inform us of her location and it will make our job easier." I said. Ilhan just nodded.
We continued to ride through Fangorn and we were on our guard. When we came to the end of Fangorn we still had no encountered any foe. We arrived at the Gap and continued from there to Helm's Deep. Helm's Deep was under attack, but the attack was useless. We had to find a way into Helm's Deep without being seen by the enemy. But it seemed impossible, as the enemy was everywhere.
"Is there no other way into Helm's Deep?" Ilhan asked. I thought as hard as I could. I tried to remember my father's stories. Then it struck me.
"The caves!" I shouted. "Behind these mountains are caves that lead into Helm's Deep." I said. "Follow me." I said. I began to ride back to the Gap. "The only way we can get past these mountains besides climb them is to go around them, and we have to go back to the Gap." I said as we rode.
We arrived at the Gap and there was the clearing between the mountains. We rode around the mountains. "We have to look for the opening in the mountains." I said to Ilhan. We hadn't been riding for a long time when I spotted the caves. "There are the caves!" I shouted excitedly. We got off our horses and lead them into the caves.
"Fatima we need to make haste." Ilhan said. Then his horse began to gallop faster. I wanted to know what was wrong with him, but he was already ahead of me.
"Ride faster, Ohtar!" I urged the horse. Suddenly I could feel the horse lift, and I felt I was flying, but I knew it was just because of the acceleration. The cool wind in my face and my hair flying freely, it felt so right. I felt free and I knew that this is who I am. I am like the horse I have my own spirit and I want to control it and do as I please. I looked around but I couldn't see Ilhan any more. "Hey, stop Ohtar, stop!" The horse stopped and I turned him around. Ilhan was standing on the ground leading his horse towards some water. I quickly jumped off the horse and I lead him towards the water too.
As I got closer to Ilhan I saw there was a smile on his face. "Didn't you hear me when I called to you?" Ilhan asked me.
"No I didn't." I said. I felt a little embarrassed because I knew why I hadn't heard him. But he just continued to smile at me. Ilhan took out his water bag and drank some water.
"This is a pond and its called Loeg Ningloran." He said. Around the pond I saw it was surrounded beautiful golden flowers.
I sat on the ground. "Loeg Ningloran, Loeg Ningloran." I kept repeating it as I took the book Isilme had given me out of my bag. First I looked up Loeg, and found it means pool. Then I looked up Ningloran, and all I could find was Ninglor and that meant golden water-flower. I looked up 'an' and it meant by. "Pool by golden water-flowers!" I shouted. My face all of a sudden was burning. I knew I had shouted really loud. I quickly put the book back in my bag.
"What did you say?" Ilhan asked me. He looked at me curiously. He had a mischievous look on his face. He looked like a little boy who had just found out somebody secret.
"Uh, I just said pool by golden water-flower. Is there anything wrong with that?" I asked. I acted as innocent as I could. Ilhan continued to look at me.
"But." He paused. "That is the definition for Loeg Ningloran, how could you know the definition. I thought you didn't know any elvish." He said. Now I looked at him mischievously and I decided against telling him about my gift from Isilme.
"Well I saw these golden water-flowers, and I can see this is a pool, so I just put it together. Elvish isn't really hard to figure out actually. Loeg Ningloran means pool by golden water-flowers." I said it in a matter-of- fact tone.
"Well Lady Hannas, I think we should be on our way." Ilhan said. He stood up and got onto his horse. I just looked at him but I didn't want to let him know I was annoyed. I quickly took out my book and looked up Hannas and found it means intelligence. I quickly put my book back in my bag and I got onto my horse.
"Hmm, Lady Intelligence, I think that fits me just fine." I said. I looked at Ilhan and he just had a look of shock on his face.
"How is it all of a sudden you can speak elvish?" Ilhan asked me. He continued to look at me. I decided to leave him guessing.
"I think we should be on our way. Ride Ohtar!" I said, before Ilhan could say anything. I could feel Ilhan's eyes piercing the back of my head. He was saying something but I couldn't hear him. I turned around and saw he was trying to catch up to me.
"I think I should be leading since I know the way." He said. I just motioned for him to ride in front of me with my arm. He then began to ride faster and I rode after him.
We continued to ride for a long time without rest. Finally we could no longer see the trees of Mirkwood. Ilhan stopped and he was looking to his right. He looked mesmerised and I didn't know why. I followed his glance and saw he was looking at some trees. They didn't seem to be anything special about them, but he kept looking.
"Ilhan, what is the matter?" I asked. He looked at me with a sad expression on his face. After seeing his face I felt sad too. I didn't know why but there was something about the woods that made both Ilhan and I sad.
"Fatima, that is Lorien. But the elves of Lorien no longer live there. They have passed to the undying lands. What will become of me when the elves of Mirkwood leave the middle-earth?" He asked me. He didn't really expect an answer and I was glad, as I couldn't give him one. But I did want to, I just didn't know what to say. Then I remembered Isilme.
"Ilhan not all the elves want to leave middle-earth." I said. I didn't want to tell him what Isilme had said. "Arwen, she didn't leave middle-earth. She stayed for Aragorn, you don't know if every elf wants to leave." I said. I was trying my best to cheer him up but it wasn't working.
"Arwen had a reason to stay here, she loves a mortal. But the other elves don't have a reason. They will not stay here, it is their duty to travel to Valinor with all their kin." He said. The thought of the elves leaving did bring tears to my eyes. Ilhan saw my tears and then gave into his own. A tear ran down his cheek. "They are my family, I have no one else." He said.
Seeing Ilhan hurting was killing me inside. I wanted to tell him it would be all right, but I couldn't because I didn't know of it would. Then I said something I never anticipated. "Ilhan you have me." He looked up at me shocked. I smiled at him and then he smiled back. He wiped his tears away and then he sat up straight on his horse.
"I think we should continue riding. Fatima." I looked at him. He smiled warmly, "Thank you!" He said, and I just smiled. He took a quick drink from his water bag and I from mine, and we began riding again.
We came to the Field of Celebrant, and what I saw maddened me. The crops were all destroyed my fathers and others were ruined. "Now we must be cautious as we approach Rohan. Fatima you must be strong as you might not like what you see." Ilhan said to me. I tried to calm down but I was having trouble. I prepared myself for battle, and I would not spare any evil creature.
We crossed the bridge and once we wee on the other side of the Great River, we rode to Fangorn. We decided to ride till the end of Fangorn as it was our best shield. "Ilhan at the end of Fangorn lies the Gap of Rohan. From there we can ride to Helm's Deep, and see if Eowyn is there. If she is not some one there can inform us of her location and it will make our job easier." I said. Ilhan just nodded.
We continued to ride through Fangorn and we were on our guard. When we came to the end of Fangorn we still had no encountered any foe. We arrived at the Gap and continued from there to Helm's Deep. Helm's Deep was under attack, but the attack was useless. We had to find a way into Helm's Deep without being seen by the enemy. But it seemed impossible, as the enemy was everywhere.
"Is there no other way into Helm's Deep?" Ilhan asked. I thought as hard as I could. I tried to remember my father's stories. Then it struck me.
"The caves!" I shouted. "Behind these mountains are caves that lead into Helm's Deep." I said. "Follow me." I said. I began to ride back to the Gap. "The only way we can get past these mountains besides climb them is to go around them, and we have to go back to the Gap." I said as we rode.
We arrived at the Gap and there was the clearing between the mountains. We rode around the mountains. "We have to look for the opening in the mountains." I said to Ilhan. We hadn't been riding for a long time when I spotted the caves. "There are the caves!" I shouted excitedly. We got off our horses and lead them into the caves.