~ Another chapter! ::Gasp:: I'm on a roll with these. Thanks MaverickGirl, Aislin and  Mrs. Ekeena Greenleaf for your reviews. I had a hard time thinking of what Galadriel could give Shantel, but the belt sounded good. Read on to find out what happened to Shantel and the others! They're so great! I'll work on the mis-spellings. There's just some things my word program doesn't catch. I'm really hyper cause the sun is out! So I'm going to go roll around in the grass… wait that has nothing to do with the story, here ya go!

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Everyone jumped up and looked around hearing that Frodo was gone. Shantel caught Aragorn's line of sight and turned to see Boromir's shield lying up against a tree. Boromir's going to get Frodo! Shantel didn't know where that thought came from but she did the first thing she could think of. As the others scuttled about to find Frodo, Shantel grabbed Boromir's shield and went off to find him. She tried to walk quietly but her foot seemed to find every dry leaf and branch on the ground. She paused for a moment hearing footsteps and looked eagerly for them. There was no one there but Shantel was bumped aside, almost pushed over by an invisible force. Turning Shantel saw the impression of feet on the dry leaves moving quickly then it slowly faded.

What in the world is going on? Still carrying the shield, Shantel set off in the direction that the footsteps had came from and continued up the hill. Shantel found Boromir looking around nervously, like a scared dog. She sighed loudly getting Boromir's attention.

"Shantel," Boromir chuckled nervously. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for Frodo," Shantel said nearly next to him. "And you as well. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Boromir looked away ashamed.

"I didn't mean to," Boromir slowly said. "I tried to resist but it was too strong. I understand Aragorn's words now."

"What words?" Shantel said quietly.

"He told me that he would not take the ring with in a hundred leagues of Minas Tirith," Boromir confessed. "It is because men are week and easily corrupted by the ring."

"You tried to take the ring." Slowly Shantel started to understand. Frodo had slipped the ring on to get away from Boromir, then when it went out of sight, Boromir realized what he had done.

"But you have learned from this, at least," Shantel said. Boromir looked up to Shantel in question. "I mean now you understand Aragorn's words better, and you'll know better than to let yourself be alone with Frodo so you won't be tempted…" Shantel paused as the sound of ringing blades were heard. "What the?" Shantel stood up.

"We are under attack!" Boromir stood up and took his shield from Shantel. "Run and hide, I will delay them as best I can."

"By yourself?" Shantel stood there in disbelief.

"Yes, now go," Boromir shouted as Uruk-hai and orcs came into view. Shantel's breath caught and she turned and ran into the woods. The orcs were nothing new to her view but the Uruk-hai sent shivers down to her very soul and made her lungs feel like they didn't want to breath. Ducking behind a tree, Shantel could tell they were behind, following her. Cursing herself for waiting she was too shocked to scream when a short person ducked behind the same tree, intending to hide. Seeing that it was Frodo, Shantel grabbed his shoulders to keep him from bolting.

"Be quiet Frodo, or we'll be found," Shantel whispered through clenched teeth. In truth she wouldn't mind running through the woods screaming her head off.

"Frodo, Shantel!" Both looked over to see Merry calling and Pippin waving from a safe hiding place.

"Hide here quick," Pippin motioned. "Come on!" Shantel felt Frodo shake his head and looked down in surprise. Did he prefer the tree to their spot?

"Wouldn't the tree?" Shantel asked but Frodo shook his head again.

"I have to leave," Frodo said. "Or this will be the end of us all." Shantel jumped when she heard Pippin shout no! Looking over Shantel saw both hobbits jump out of their hiding place then pause hearing the orcs. With a grim smile, Shantel squeezed Frodo's shoulder.

"God speed Frodo," Shantel whispered then gently slipped away towards Merry and Pippin.

"Hey! Hey you, over here!" Merry yelled, Shantel stopped next to him.

"Oh man why do we get to be the decoy?" Shantel grumbled and ran off after Merry and Pippin with the orc army behind them.

"It's working!" Pippin yelled.

"No crap!" Shantel yelled dodging branches and roots as she ran. This is the ultimate adrenaline rush.

"I know it's working run!" Merry replied. Clearing a few trees all stop dead in their tracks seeing another branch of the orc army ahead of them. Backing up to a tree, Shantel's blood was pounding in her ears and she closed her eyes as the orc brought up his ax for that fatal blow. A clash of blades was a surprise and Shantel opened her eyes to see Boromir fighting off the orcs, and the occasional Uruk-hai, keeping her and the hobbits safe. He paused for a moment and raised the horn of Gondor, blowing loud and clear.

"That will hopefully bring us help," Shantel whispered, standing back against a tree with the hobbits on each side in front of her, hands on the hobbits shoulders. "But it may bring the other things as well." She could feel the hobbits shudder.

"Run," Boromir shouted. "Run!"

"I hate running," Shantel cried as they turned and ran. When a Uruk-hai appeared in view, everyone stopped and Boromir was shot in the chest.

"Boromir, no!" Shantel shouted. He slouched for a moment as a new branch of orcs came through. Merry and Pippin rushed in to help but we picked up by the orcs as they ran past. Boromir fought a few off, only to be shot by another arrow. Shantel was in shock and horror and ran forward hugging Boromir around the neck.

"You can fight this, you can live," Shantel said to him then felt hands grabbing at her arms. She held on even tighter refusing to let go.

"Sing Shantel," Boromir gasped. "The one song from Rivendell you sang." Shantel remembered the song he was talking about and started to sing quietly in his ear, with the hands still tried to pull Shantel away.

Some where out there

Beneath the pale moonlight

Some one's thinking of me

And loving me ton…

The song was cut off as a blow to Shantel's head stunned her making her go slack for a moment. As she was being lifted, she saw Boromir rise up fighting again then get shot again.

"Boromir, fight them!" Shantel yelled before another blow sent her to blackness. Later, well it must have been later, Shantel assumed, she started to wake up and then wished that she didn't. Her arms were tied around the neck of an orc, and the left side of her face ached. She wouldn't be surprised if she found a bruise there. The bobbing from the orc running was making Shantel's stomach feel nauseous and she tried breathing deep to not throw up. The orc wouldn't be too pleased to be thrown up on, then again, who knew how often they bathed. Breathing deep only got Shantel a breathful of the orcs smell and she started to dry heave. Getting her stomach back under control the orc stopped running and Shantel twisted her head around trying to see what was going on. Merry and Pippin were tied up in the same fashion as her, though Merry had a gash on his head.

"What us it?" Shantel turned her head to the Uruk-hai that was talking. "What do you smell?"

"Man flesh," replied the other.

"Aragorn!" Pippin said loud enough for Shantel to hear. This brought Shantel some comfort but she had to shake her head. They weren't out of the woods yet.

"They've picked up our trail, let's go!" The first orc cried and took off running again. Shantel turned her head and saw Pippin pull off his Elven brooch and threw it to the ground. Like bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel, Shantel thought, then silently cursed as the orc holding her jumped hard jostling her.

"I still hate running," Shantel grumbled.

"I'm the one running why do you hate it?" The orc carrying Shantel snarled.

"I just do, and I'm in pain!" Shantel replied to him. Great she was having a conversation with an orc, she must be desperate for company. The orc's nasty laugh brought Shantel's attention back to the present.

"You think you're in pain now," The orc laughed again. "Just wait until Saruman is done with you, then it's our turn." Shantel clenched her mouth tight, the nausea returning stronger than ever. Their turn? Please don't let them be thinking what I think it could be. Please don't let them be like the orcs in Nick's role playing sessions. She remembered once when her characters sister was murdered and raped by orcs. Shantel couldn't hold it and started to dry heave again. The orcs ran until nightfall. By then they stop, throwing their captives on the ground, next to each other.

"We ain't going no further until we had a breather," one of the enemy shouted, Shantel wasn't sure, or cared who.

"Merry, Pippin," Shantel painfully twisted to look at them. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Pippin nodded.

"I think we made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin," Merry said wincing as he lightly touch his gash with his bounded hands. A rumbling from nearby tree's startled them.

"What's making that noise?" Pippin asked nervously.

"It's the trees," Merry said.

"Talking tree's," Shantel said then looked warily over.

"What?" Pippin asked.

"You remember the Old Forest? On the borders of Buckland?" Merry was talking to Pippin, Shantel had no clue about the forest they went through. "Folks used to say that there was something in the water that made the trees tall, and come alive."

"I was joking about the talking tree's thing, really" Shantel added. Pippin only looked a little confused.

"Tree's that could whisper, talk to each other," Merry whispered. "Even move." The enemy grumbled a bit but the three ignored them.

"I don't see them moving, think they'll help us?" Pippin asked.

"I hope so," Shantel said. "But I some how doubt that I if say excuse me Mr. Tree do you think you could protect me from these evil orcs and things, that it would only laugh and then walk away."

"What about them!" Shantel and the hobbits look up startled and alarmed when they see the orcs advancing them menacingly.

"They are not for eating," The leader Uruk-hai stepped forward.

"They want to eat us?" Shantel squeaked.

"Well they would do other stuff before eating you," Merry said.

"If I had anything in my stomach you'd be wearing it Meridoc!" Shantel scolded.

"Looks like meat is back on the menu boys!" The three look up tense then saw them tearing into one of their own.

"Come on you two," Merry started to crawl away, Shantel and Pippin following. Shantel saw one step in front of Pippin and flipped him over.

"Go on, call for help," The orc smiled at Pippin and Shantel showing nasty teeth. "Squeal. No ones is gonna save you." A spear suddenly hits the orc and Shantel looked up to see men on horse back invading the camp. With the hobbits, she had to duck, roll and scramble with bound hands to not get stepped on. They were close to the forest, almost there. A surprise gasp from Pippin made Shantel jump and she saw Pippin on his back looking up at the hooves of a horse ready to crush him.

"Pippin roll left," Shantel screamed as she pushed him with her bounded hands. The hooves stomped down inches away from Shantel's outstretched hands. Pulling them back she rolled away and found a discarded orc blade on the ground, at the edge of the chaos. Crawling as best she could, she inch her way painfully over, she was almost there when a rider stepped out in front of her sword raised.

"I'm human, I'm female, don't hurt me," Shantel screamed covered her face with her hands. When nothing hit her, she looked up to see the rider looking down at her in surprise.

"What are you doing with the enemy?" The rider asked. Exasperated Shantel held out her bounded hands in front of her.

"Not going with them willingly, will you help me?" The tone bordered on rude but Shantel didn't care at this point. The rider grabbed Shantel by her arms and laid her on her stomach across his horse then turned to continue fighting.

"I'm human, female, don't hurt me," Shantel quietly repeated to herself. She was pathetic! Then she remembered Merry and Pippin.

"Wait," The horse trotting around dodging the enemy made it hard for Shantel to talk. "My-friends-are-out-there." The man paid her no heed. "I'm-going-to-get-sick.-Please-my-friends-."

"Hush woman," The rider yelled and threw a cloak over her. This isn't going well, Shantel thought, and tried not to cry thinking of poor Merry and Pippin out in that chaos.

In the dawn, the sun shone a red that spilled across the hillsides. Shantel was still under the cloak not able to see it but she could feel its warmth. Surprised her that she felt anything besides numb. When the men finished killing the orcs and what they called Uruk-hai they burned the bodies. Shantel only cried, too scared to talk to anyone, or move except to utter the words, my friends. The men wouldn't let Shantel go and look in the woods and put her back across the horse, cloak over her again, as they rode off.

"It's for your protection," They insisted. Shantel snorted at this and turned her head into her arms. They left her hands tied not knowing if they could trust her or not. A cry of a familiar voice was heard and Shantel struggled to move, but was firmly held down.

"Rider's of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" It was Aragorn. Shantel could tell that the horse was turning to go back to Aragorn and slowed then stopped. Shantel struggled until finally the cloak was off her face, but all she saw was the side of a horse.

"What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" Shantel recognized this as the leader of this group. His name was Eomer.

"Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Shantel smiled and struggled some more hearing Gimli's voice. She heard the guy on the horse with her curse and put a firm hand on her back stopping her struggling.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf" Eomer said. "If it only stood a little higher from the ground." Shantel opened her mouth to protest but found she could barely make a sound above a whisper.

"Let me down confound you," Shantel yelled in a whisper. The man didn't hear her or loosen his hold. Shantel struggled even more, which got her nowhere but stopped hearing Gimli's voice distraught.

"But there were hobbits," Gimli pleaded. "Two hobbit's and a woman!"

"The hobbit's would be only children in your eyes," Aragorn said.

"We left none alive," Eomer said. Then paused hearing one of his horsemen cry out in pain. Shantel had managed to kick his hand almost toppling off the horse. "What goes on over there?"

"We have a woman, we found her," The rider holding Shantel said. He threw aside the cloak and pulled her up. Squinting her eyes at the harsh sun, for a minute Shantel couldn't see anything. Feeling arms circle her and take her from the horseman, Shantel looked up regaining some vision and recognizing Aragorn.

"Shantel, are you all right?" Aragorn asked her. Shantel felt her throat closing on her as she opened her mouth to speak. Legolas gave her some water, then Shantel started to cry.

"They wouldn't let me look for Pippin or Merry," Shantel sobbed. "They almost crushed us with their horses, and they wouldn't let me look." Aragorn hugged Shantel letting her cry and looked to Eomer.

"I am sorry," Eomer said. "Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell, look for your friends but trust not to hope. It has forsaken these lands." The riders turned and rode away. Legolas cut the ropes on Shantel's wrist and took her tear stained face in his hands.

"We will find them," Legolas said.

"We have to," Shantel said quietly. Legolas and Gimli shared a horse as Aragorn and Shantel did. When they reached the sight, Shantel gulped and looked around as Aragorn left to do the same. Stepping to the edge of the wood, Shantel looked in, then turned hearing the others.

"It's one of their wee belts," Gimli said sadly.

"Hiro hyn hidh ab wanath," (May they find peace after death) Legolas said with his eyes closed.

"AHHHH!" Aragorn kicked the burning pile as Shantel felt the numbness returning to her.

"They're not dead, don't tell them to find peace Legolas!" Shantel cried slumping to the ground.

"We failed them," Gimli said sadly.

"A hobbit lay here," Aragorn said. Shantel lifted her head to look at him looking at the ground. "And the other. They crawled." Aragorn moved as though he was following a path. Shantel watched from where she sat by the forest, Legolas and Gimli followed.

"Their hands were bound," Aragorn continued. "Their bonds were cut." Aragorn picked up some rope from the ground. "They ran over here and were followed. Tracks lead away from battle into… Fangorn Forest."

"See!" Shantel jumped up and looked to the forest again. "We were talking about the forest before the men came.

"Fangorn!" Gimli gasped. "What madness drew them there?"

"I could tell you Gimli," Shantel said. "It was quite a fright, I would have fled in there too."

"But you don't know these woods," Legolas said. "The hobbits do."

"What ever is in there can't be worse than the battle here," Shantel gestured.