She left Frodo by the river, wishing sorely she could have gone with him, but, being able to list more important reasons on why she shouldn't than why she should, she left him with Sheba. She ran uphill, towards where she had heard the horn of Gondor blowing. Jumping over roots, logs, and clumps of leaves that she didn't know what was under, she made her way through the thin forest. Soon she saw Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir surrounded by the intruders. Gimli was on the side attacking them fearlessly. Or stupidly. Either one, he wasn't the brightest of the bunch. Still trying not to be spotted, she went behind a fairly wide tree, which there weren't very many of in this forest. Not seeing Boromir's injuries, she thought that they were holding off the creatures just fine by themselves.
They didn't need her help, and she was off again, running, jumping, and falling through the forest after the shrieks from Merry and Pippin. Apparently they had gotten themselves captured. Not unexpected, she thought dryly. They ran surprisingly fast for their large stature. Normally, they would have been made for strength, and not for speed. They had to have one weakness, she hoped helplessly. A few minutes of pursuing them, and definitely not pacing herself, she had to stop, panting. She wasn't trained for speed either. 'Years and years of training' She thought, 'And those senseless elves couldn't train me to run.' (Note: Her father made the elves and dwarves train her, she only met her father himself twice.) She had been closing in on them, but slowly, and now they were running way ahead. She leaned up against a tree to catch her breath, watching with pity, as they carried the struggling halflings away. Thumping her head against the tree, she was about to give up. She started off again, but knew it was hopeless, for she could hardly even hear them anymore.
"If only I had Sheba!" She scolded herself. But she would have given up Sheba to Frodo a thousand times. Two inexperienced hobbit, with or without a fierce tiger, stood no chance in Mordor. At least she could keep in touch. She had ways of communicating with Sheba. The bond between her mothers family, and that feline family went way back.
She had been running, jogging, and walking for hours now, and her lungs hurt. At least the open plains were reasonable for running. Imagining the mountains, she started feeling grateful. She was losing speed, and she sensed people behind her. She heard them. Their shouts of 'Keep up!' and 'Don't stop!' could be heard every few minutes. They seemed to be following her, or the hobbits. She suspected it was Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli, and sure enough, they caught up close enough for her to recognize the voices. It was dark now, and this only proved that what she was doing was completely useless. She figured that she could hide, and let her ex-companions pass. They would eventually catch up, and she didn't want it to be daylight when they did. She found a small, rocky flat, and decided that she would sleep for the night, think about what was to be done, and get up early in the morning.
A little over a half hour later, she hid herself behind the rocks, and watched silently as the Fellowship passed. She looked closely, and noticed that there were only three. Boromir was missing. 'Hopefully he went to get help, or horses.' She thought, dreading what else could have happened.
She lie down sleeplessly that night. Her body rested, the aching bones from running hurt less, but her eyes didn't even doze. Morning came, but she didn't get up. She was to tired. But she wasn't about to go to sleep any time soon. Eventually, at what she predicted was nine o'clock or so, she forced herself up. She then went exploring to try to find something that might be somewhat helpful. If she couldn't catch up by speed, she would try to by brains! There were forests nearby, and she was happy of that, but it didn't seem to help much with what she needed to get done. A faint whinny could be heard, but even with her superb hearing, it was very faint. For all she knew, it could just be an animal deep in the forests. But it ha come from the grassy plains on the other side. It was worth a try. She went out in search of the horse that she had heard. Maybe there was a rider that would help her. Hopefully not a pack of wild horses. She knew little about wild horses, only tame ones. Or, maybe, a town. Yes, a town. That would be nice. She was drifting off, not thinking quite straight.
Walking, still to tired to run, she got around a curve of the forest, and spotted the horse. There were two horses, she eventually picked out. But she only heard one rider. This could be good. If there were two horses, maybe the rider would let her ride one. She didn't get her hopes up. People weren't that nice. But it was a good deal of positive thinking that she did, knowing the exact chances of them actually happening. Most of it had a sarcastic tone, even in her head.
The plains she walked on were bordered by the forest, and scattered with groups of rocks. It was pretty easy to pick out the rider once he was in better sight. She still walked around the borders of the forest, though the rider was coming from an angle towards her. Sure enough, he had two horses and traveled alone. Strangely, the second horse didn't even carry any packages. It didn't even have a saddle, she noticed once she got close enough. 'A few more minutes of walking,' She thought, 'And I can see him.' b But before the mysterious rider got close enough for her to recognize, he turned around started leaving.
"Wait!" She called, but he was already galloping at his full in the opposite direction. She looked at him like he was a maniac, even though he couldn't see her face. He had left his second horse. Strangely, he had left it to trot towards her. She was so confused now, she was about to turn around and call it all a mirage. But it seemed so real. And she was so desperate. Who the heck was this guy? She started jogging towards the horse, hoping it wouldn't run away, because if this person didn't want it, she sure did! The horse kept going straight for her, even looking straight at her. She stopped dead in her tracks when it was only a few yards away. Suddenly realizing that the horse could have been sent to attack her, she backed up a few steps. She should have thought this through more. The horse kept going right at her, but not threateningly. It had slowed down to a walk now, and stopped a few feet in front of her. She recognized the horse. It had a cream colored mane, that matched the cream-colored spots that appeared on its fur. Blotting, and blending with the cream was a light brown, about the same color, maybe a little lighter, as the softer sand that ran along the river she slept at just the day before. Cautiously, she reached out to touch the horse on its half cream, half brown face. It closed its eyes, and moved a few steps closer, accepting and enjoying the praise. Now she was smiling widely. Chuckling to herself, she pulled its head closer, and whispered softly to herself.
"Elrond."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Around the horses neck was a light, and weak, piece of twine with a small scroll tied to it. Pulling it off easily, she unrolled the message, and read the few word that were addressed to her:
His name is Diame. Take care of him, along with yourself. Best of wishes, Elrond
Well, she was glad to finally know this horses name. She had been wondering when she had seen in in the stables at Rivendell.
She could hardly recognize his signature, for not only was it written, of course, like a normal signature was(which sometimes became difficult) but it was written in a form of Elvish. She was familiar with the language, but it still would have been helpful if it were English, or a different form of elvish she knew as her first language. Either way, she knew it was Elrond. But what puzzled her wasn't how he managed to find her, how he managed to get that far in such a short time, or how he knew she would need a horse. It was how he rode away as soon as he was close enough for the horse to see her. Her heart sank as she thought about this. Maybe he was busy. He might have other things to do. He might have needed to find out what happened to Gandalf! But if he wanted to know what happened to Gandalf, he could have just asked Rogue. Maybe it wasn't him. No, this thought was canceled out immediately, for she recognized the signature as saying 'Elrond'. Sure, she didn't recognize it as his signature, she had never seen it so she couldn't make that judgment. Maybe it was an enemy trying to trick her into thinking the horse was friendly, and had fled before she could recognize him. No, she just plain knew it was Elrond's. She had seen that horse in the stables. It had been her favorite. She sighed, letting her worst fear, but her most likely idea embrace her. At the moment, he was the only one that seemed to... well, not hate her. Or at least he was the only one that seemed to trust her. Opening a package of grain she found strapped along Diame's side, she let him eat a small handful of grain from her. Maybe, she thought sullenly, he wanted to help her, but didn't want to get close to her. Didn't want to see her. Didn't want her to see him. Maybe, he was afraid of her, too.
*~*~*
Note: In order to understand how bad the situation is, you first need to understand how much Elrond really means to her. Let me just point out a few facts, in case you don't. The ring she gave to Frodo was to be given by the women in her family to the men they loved. Elrond wears one of these rings, and if you didn't notice, he's not a girl! (lol) So... she thinks that that he is her step-father. (Technically, he isn't, but they eventually get the facts straight and say he is anyway, since he acts like on to her.) She has no friends, she has no family, and no one trusts her. She has practically nothing, except Sheba and Frodo, who we can cancel out since they are going to Mordor. And now she believes that Elrond, the only person that trusts her, and doesn't hate her, is afraid of her.
They didn't need her help, and she was off again, running, jumping, and falling through the forest after the shrieks from Merry and Pippin. Apparently they had gotten themselves captured. Not unexpected, she thought dryly. They ran surprisingly fast for their large stature. Normally, they would have been made for strength, and not for speed. They had to have one weakness, she hoped helplessly. A few minutes of pursuing them, and definitely not pacing herself, she had to stop, panting. She wasn't trained for speed either. 'Years and years of training' She thought, 'And those senseless elves couldn't train me to run.' (Note: Her father made the elves and dwarves train her, she only met her father himself twice.) She had been closing in on them, but slowly, and now they were running way ahead. She leaned up against a tree to catch her breath, watching with pity, as they carried the struggling halflings away. Thumping her head against the tree, she was about to give up. She started off again, but knew it was hopeless, for she could hardly even hear them anymore.
"If only I had Sheba!" She scolded herself. But she would have given up Sheba to Frodo a thousand times. Two inexperienced hobbit, with or without a fierce tiger, stood no chance in Mordor. At least she could keep in touch. She had ways of communicating with Sheba. The bond between her mothers family, and that feline family went way back.
She had been running, jogging, and walking for hours now, and her lungs hurt. At least the open plains were reasonable for running. Imagining the mountains, she started feeling grateful. She was losing speed, and she sensed people behind her. She heard them. Their shouts of 'Keep up!' and 'Don't stop!' could be heard every few minutes. They seemed to be following her, or the hobbits. She suspected it was Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli, and sure enough, they caught up close enough for her to recognize the voices. It was dark now, and this only proved that what she was doing was completely useless. She figured that she could hide, and let her ex-companions pass. They would eventually catch up, and she didn't want it to be daylight when they did. She found a small, rocky flat, and decided that she would sleep for the night, think about what was to be done, and get up early in the morning.
A little over a half hour later, she hid herself behind the rocks, and watched silently as the Fellowship passed. She looked closely, and noticed that there were only three. Boromir was missing. 'Hopefully he went to get help, or horses.' She thought, dreading what else could have happened.
She lie down sleeplessly that night. Her body rested, the aching bones from running hurt less, but her eyes didn't even doze. Morning came, but she didn't get up. She was to tired. But she wasn't about to go to sleep any time soon. Eventually, at what she predicted was nine o'clock or so, she forced herself up. She then went exploring to try to find something that might be somewhat helpful. If she couldn't catch up by speed, she would try to by brains! There were forests nearby, and she was happy of that, but it didn't seem to help much with what she needed to get done. A faint whinny could be heard, but even with her superb hearing, it was very faint. For all she knew, it could just be an animal deep in the forests. But it ha come from the grassy plains on the other side. It was worth a try. She went out in search of the horse that she had heard. Maybe there was a rider that would help her. Hopefully not a pack of wild horses. She knew little about wild horses, only tame ones. Or, maybe, a town. Yes, a town. That would be nice. She was drifting off, not thinking quite straight.
Walking, still to tired to run, she got around a curve of the forest, and spotted the horse. There were two horses, she eventually picked out. But she only heard one rider. This could be good. If there were two horses, maybe the rider would let her ride one. She didn't get her hopes up. People weren't that nice. But it was a good deal of positive thinking that she did, knowing the exact chances of them actually happening. Most of it had a sarcastic tone, even in her head.
The plains she walked on were bordered by the forest, and scattered with groups of rocks. It was pretty easy to pick out the rider once he was in better sight. She still walked around the borders of the forest, though the rider was coming from an angle towards her. Sure enough, he had two horses and traveled alone. Strangely, the second horse didn't even carry any packages. It didn't even have a saddle, she noticed once she got close enough. 'A few more minutes of walking,' She thought, 'And I can see him.' b But before the mysterious rider got close enough for her to recognize, he turned around started leaving.
"Wait!" She called, but he was already galloping at his full in the opposite direction. She looked at him like he was a maniac, even though he couldn't see her face. He had left his second horse. Strangely, he had left it to trot towards her. She was so confused now, she was about to turn around and call it all a mirage. But it seemed so real. And she was so desperate. Who the heck was this guy? She started jogging towards the horse, hoping it wouldn't run away, because if this person didn't want it, she sure did! The horse kept going straight for her, even looking straight at her. She stopped dead in her tracks when it was only a few yards away. Suddenly realizing that the horse could have been sent to attack her, she backed up a few steps. She should have thought this through more. The horse kept going right at her, but not threateningly. It had slowed down to a walk now, and stopped a few feet in front of her. She recognized the horse. It had a cream colored mane, that matched the cream-colored spots that appeared on its fur. Blotting, and blending with the cream was a light brown, about the same color, maybe a little lighter, as the softer sand that ran along the river she slept at just the day before. Cautiously, she reached out to touch the horse on its half cream, half brown face. It closed its eyes, and moved a few steps closer, accepting and enjoying the praise. Now she was smiling widely. Chuckling to herself, she pulled its head closer, and whispered softly to herself.
"Elrond."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Around the horses neck was a light, and weak, piece of twine with a small scroll tied to it. Pulling it off easily, she unrolled the message, and read the few word that were addressed to her:
His name is Diame. Take care of him, along with yourself. Best of wishes, Elrond
Well, she was glad to finally know this horses name. She had been wondering when she had seen in in the stables at Rivendell.
She could hardly recognize his signature, for not only was it written, of course, like a normal signature was(which sometimes became difficult) but it was written in a form of Elvish. She was familiar with the language, but it still would have been helpful if it were English, or a different form of elvish she knew as her first language. Either way, she knew it was Elrond. But what puzzled her wasn't how he managed to find her, how he managed to get that far in such a short time, or how he knew she would need a horse. It was how he rode away as soon as he was close enough for the horse to see her. Her heart sank as she thought about this. Maybe he was busy. He might have other things to do. He might have needed to find out what happened to Gandalf! But if he wanted to know what happened to Gandalf, he could have just asked Rogue. Maybe it wasn't him. No, this thought was canceled out immediately, for she recognized the signature as saying 'Elrond'. Sure, she didn't recognize it as his signature, she had never seen it so she couldn't make that judgment. Maybe it was an enemy trying to trick her into thinking the horse was friendly, and had fled before she could recognize him. No, she just plain knew it was Elrond's. She had seen that horse in the stables. It had been her favorite. She sighed, letting her worst fear, but her most likely idea embrace her. At the moment, he was the only one that seemed to... well, not hate her. Or at least he was the only one that seemed to trust her. Opening a package of grain she found strapped along Diame's side, she let him eat a small handful of grain from her. Maybe, she thought sullenly, he wanted to help her, but didn't want to get close to her. Didn't want to see her. Didn't want her to see him. Maybe, he was afraid of her, too.
*~*~*
Note: In order to understand how bad the situation is, you first need to understand how much Elrond really means to her. Let me just point out a few facts, in case you don't. The ring she gave to Frodo was to be given by the women in her family to the men they loved. Elrond wears one of these rings, and if you didn't notice, he's not a girl! (lol) So... she thinks that that he is her step-father. (Technically, he isn't, but they eventually get the facts straight and say he is anyway, since he acts like on to her.) She has no friends, she has no family, and no one trusts her. She has practically nothing, except Sheba and Frodo, who we can cancel out since they are going to Mordor. And now she believes that Elrond, the only person that trusts her, and doesn't hate her, is afraid of her.