Chapter???
(A.N. MUY IMPORTANTE! Okay, in the beginning, remember when we skip the whole mines of Moria, and the trek in the Misty Mountains? Well, we're going to make another time jump. Past the death of Boromir, and to when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are chasing after the Urikhai who have captured Pippen and Merry. HERE WE GO!)
The remaining fragment of the Fellowship ran across the plains of Rohan. Until the air they breathed was like fire in their lungs, and the ground they ran across was littered with stumbling blocks, but still harboring patches of grass to fall upon.
Three day and night's pursuit, no food, no rest. And no sign of their quarry but what bare rock could tell. They crossed into Rohan, the land of the Horse-Lords. With Gimli stumbling and mumbling all the way. Legolas couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew that if Gimli had the same length of legs he did, Gimli would outrun him. Such was the heart of the Dwarf.
A fine sweat was on Legolas's forehead, as they ran to a rock formation overlooking the plains.
"Legolas!" Aragorn yelled from a little behind the archer. "What do your elf-eyes see?"
Legolas paused, letting his eyes adjust. Concentrating on the farthest distances not even a hawk could make out. Along a cloud of dust into the far off. "The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard."
"Saruman." Aragorn breathed.
***Later***
They ran until night fell, but still they kept along in their speed. "Come Gimli!" Legolas called over his shoulder. "We're gaining on them."
***Still Later***
When dawn came in her warmth and glory, the clouds were crimson. Legolas eyed them with a question. "A red dawn rises." He muttered, half to himself and half to Aragorn. "Blood has been spilled this night." But the question being, just who's blood?
Suddenly, a horse-cry rang through the air. It almost hurt Legolas's ears because it was so abrupt and unexpected. He had gotten so used to hearing only the sound of feet crashing against the ground and the hard breathing of Aragorn and Gimli that anything louder was almost deafening.
Aragorn motioned for them to hide in some nearby rocks, and so the companions did so. They watched as fifty or so riders ran past. They were Rohans.
Aragorn stood up as soon as they had all passed, and walked out onto the open. Legolas and Gimli followed. "Riders of Rohan!" He called. "What news of the Mark?"
The lead rider motioned for his company to turn, and so they did. But they didn't slow their pace as they came up on Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. Soon the riders had the small running party surrounded.
The leader came forward. "What business does an Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the River Mark? Speak quickly!"
Gimli, in his usual brash fashion said, "Give me your name Horse-Master, and I shall give you mine."
The leader dismounted his horse. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf." He growled. "If it stood but a little higher from the ground."
With that, Legolas drew his bow, aiming a deadly elven arrow at the leader's throat. "You would die before your stroke fell!"
The horse riders closed in, but Aragorn motioned for Legolas to put away his bow. And so the elf did. Later they learned of the Urukai's slaughter during the night and the bewitching of Rohan's King. Gimli asked concerning the Hobbits, but the leader replied that he and his men left none of the enemy alive. The leader also said that they took the bodies, and burned them.
At this, the remaining of the Fellowship's hearts fell like rocks to the bottom of an ocean.
"I am sorry." Said the leader of the horse riders. He paused, seeing their mournful and weary features. He turned to his right. "Hasufel, Arod." He beaconed with his hand, and two horses came at his bidding. One a brown mare, and another being a white stallion. "May these horses bear you to better fortunes than their former masters."
Legolas took the bridle of the white stallion. There was no mistaking the stallion, even though it wore the saddle and bridle of Rohan. The horse was elvish. Legolas ran his hand down the fine stallion's neck. It was Lazaro. Once again Legolas moved to touch the crystal veil which still hung around his neck, pressing the cool crystal against his chest. Somehow it seemed to soothe the terrible thirst from the run over the past days.
"Farewell." The horse-leader said, remounting his horse. "Look for your friends." He said, glancing around. "But do not trust a hope. It has forsaken these lands."
***Lothlorian***
"It is time to leave My Lady." A young elf said, his voice clear but soft in the golden wood. "If you still wish to leave, it must be now, there is no others afterwards leaving Lothlorian." Orian looked up from where she sat next to the deserted riverside. Briano, her night-black stallion, stood obediently next to her. She looked up into the Wood Elf's blue eyes. "Are you leaving with the last?" She asked quietly.
"No." He answered. "I was sent by Lady Galadriel to accompany you to the shores."
"Then why do you linger?" Orian asked.
"Middle Earth is my home." The tall elf answered. "I will not see it corrupted by the Dark Lord." He paused, and Orian could see he was much younger than herself.
Orian looked up at him. She wanted to scold him, and ask him bitterly what had troubled her mind for many days now. What could he do? There were so few elves left in Middle Earth, they could not amass an army to fight the Dark Lord. Gondor did not want their help, a madman ruled as reagent, and would see his own son die before he accepted from the elves. It was all so inevitable that she could not do anything. So ironic that she could not help. So angering that she couldn't help even though she wanted to.
Suddenly, Orian again remembered the elf standing beside her, and she looked at him once again. "Shall we go?"
***LATER***
Two-dozen elves rode through the forest in silence. Their horses barely only making soft noises as they walked through the brush. They were like spirits, not truly real, but not truly fantasy as they silently bid farewell to their home.
Orian rode next to one of her friends, who had not said a word since they had left the golden wood. And Orian knew why. Her friend had loved an archer, but the archer had died, and now she was succumbing to her grief. But still Orian had hope for her. There was always hope. "Tell me Liannon, what knews has there been from Rivendell? It is from Rivendell that you had come?"
"It is true." Liannon said, her light skin and hair catching the light for an instant but faded quickly. "It is nearly deserted now. So many have taken the voyage that there are none left to guard it."
Orian sighed. Than it would be quite different from the Rivendell she remembered. She had been there a hundred years before, when there was still laughter in many elven hearts. "Tell me, how is my cousin Arwen?" Orian asked.
"She is sad." Liannon answered. "Her heart belongs to a mortal man, while she is an elf." She pulled her extremely long black hair over her shoulder.
Orian turned again to her young guardian, the blonde elf. "So you wish to stay." She said. "What could you hope to do against the Dark Lord?"
"I have to admit I am in haste to return to Lothlorian." He answered. "I have enlisted to be one of the company of Captain Haldir."
"Captain Haldir?" Orian asked.
"Yes." He answered. "To honor an ancient alliance between Elves and Men."
Orian paused. "He never told me of such a company."
"Lady Galadriel has foreseen a threat to Gondor." The young elf warrior answered. "And we are to meet tonight to march for a day."
Orian pulled up on Briano's reigns. "Then I think it fit that you should not have to wait any longer." She turned to Liannon. "I am sorry." She said. "But I cannot leave yet, there is still work for me to do in Middle Earth. We will meet again on the white shores. Farewell my friend."
Liannon turned her sad eyes to Orian. "Farewell Orian. And may your fate be better than mine."
Orian paused, looking into her friend's blue eyes. "There is always hope." She whispered. "Someday I know, you will laugh again."
With that, she turned Briano to the side and he tossed his head and whinnied with excitement. "Come good warrior." Orian said to her guardian. "If I had known earlier I would never had left the Golden Wood, but I thank the Valar you spoke of this."
The younger elf turned his gray around to stand beside her. "So you will join us than My Lady?" He asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes." Orian answered, her voice low and determined. "Even if the Dark Lord rains down fire from the heavens, you and I will fight until he is cast down upon the mountainside."
Then, Orian spurred Briano forwards, and she and her guardian raced back to the Golden Wood. She had made her decision.
(A.N. MUY IMPORTANTE! Okay, in the beginning, remember when we skip the whole mines of Moria, and the trek in the Misty Mountains? Well, we're going to make another time jump. Past the death of Boromir, and to when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are chasing after the Urikhai who have captured Pippen and Merry. HERE WE GO!)
The remaining fragment of the Fellowship ran across the plains of Rohan. Until the air they breathed was like fire in their lungs, and the ground they ran across was littered with stumbling blocks, but still harboring patches of grass to fall upon.
Three day and night's pursuit, no food, no rest. And no sign of their quarry but what bare rock could tell. They crossed into Rohan, the land of the Horse-Lords. With Gimli stumbling and mumbling all the way. Legolas couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew that if Gimli had the same length of legs he did, Gimli would outrun him. Such was the heart of the Dwarf.
A fine sweat was on Legolas's forehead, as they ran to a rock formation overlooking the plains.
"Legolas!" Aragorn yelled from a little behind the archer. "What do your elf-eyes see?"
Legolas paused, letting his eyes adjust. Concentrating on the farthest distances not even a hawk could make out. Along a cloud of dust into the far off. "The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard."
"Saruman." Aragorn breathed.
***Later***
They ran until night fell, but still they kept along in their speed. "Come Gimli!" Legolas called over his shoulder. "We're gaining on them."
***Still Later***
When dawn came in her warmth and glory, the clouds were crimson. Legolas eyed them with a question. "A red dawn rises." He muttered, half to himself and half to Aragorn. "Blood has been spilled this night." But the question being, just who's blood?
Suddenly, a horse-cry rang through the air. It almost hurt Legolas's ears because it was so abrupt and unexpected. He had gotten so used to hearing only the sound of feet crashing against the ground and the hard breathing of Aragorn and Gimli that anything louder was almost deafening.
Aragorn motioned for them to hide in some nearby rocks, and so the companions did so. They watched as fifty or so riders ran past. They were Rohans.
Aragorn stood up as soon as they had all passed, and walked out onto the open. Legolas and Gimli followed. "Riders of Rohan!" He called. "What news of the Mark?"
The lead rider motioned for his company to turn, and so they did. But they didn't slow their pace as they came up on Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. Soon the riders had the small running party surrounded.
The leader came forward. "What business does an Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the River Mark? Speak quickly!"
Gimli, in his usual brash fashion said, "Give me your name Horse-Master, and I shall give you mine."
The leader dismounted his horse. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf." He growled. "If it stood but a little higher from the ground."
With that, Legolas drew his bow, aiming a deadly elven arrow at the leader's throat. "You would die before your stroke fell!"
The horse riders closed in, but Aragorn motioned for Legolas to put away his bow. And so the elf did. Later they learned of the Urukai's slaughter during the night and the bewitching of Rohan's King. Gimli asked concerning the Hobbits, but the leader replied that he and his men left none of the enemy alive. The leader also said that they took the bodies, and burned them.
At this, the remaining of the Fellowship's hearts fell like rocks to the bottom of an ocean.
"I am sorry." Said the leader of the horse riders. He paused, seeing their mournful and weary features. He turned to his right. "Hasufel, Arod." He beaconed with his hand, and two horses came at his bidding. One a brown mare, and another being a white stallion. "May these horses bear you to better fortunes than their former masters."
Legolas took the bridle of the white stallion. There was no mistaking the stallion, even though it wore the saddle and bridle of Rohan. The horse was elvish. Legolas ran his hand down the fine stallion's neck. It was Lazaro. Once again Legolas moved to touch the crystal veil which still hung around his neck, pressing the cool crystal against his chest. Somehow it seemed to soothe the terrible thirst from the run over the past days.
"Farewell." The horse-leader said, remounting his horse. "Look for your friends." He said, glancing around. "But do not trust a hope. It has forsaken these lands."
***Lothlorian***
"It is time to leave My Lady." A young elf said, his voice clear but soft in the golden wood. "If you still wish to leave, it must be now, there is no others afterwards leaving Lothlorian." Orian looked up from where she sat next to the deserted riverside. Briano, her night-black stallion, stood obediently next to her. She looked up into the Wood Elf's blue eyes. "Are you leaving with the last?" She asked quietly.
"No." He answered. "I was sent by Lady Galadriel to accompany you to the shores."
"Then why do you linger?" Orian asked.
"Middle Earth is my home." The tall elf answered. "I will not see it corrupted by the Dark Lord." He paused, and Orian could see he was much younger than herself.
Orian looked up at him. She wanted to scold him, and ask him bitterly what had troubled her mind for many days now. What could he do? There were so few elves left in Middle Earth, they could not amass an army to fight the Dark Lord. Gondor did not want their help, a madman ruled as reagent, and would see his own son die before he accepted from the elves. It was all so inevitable that she could not do anything. So ironic that she could not help. So angering that she couldn't help even though she wanted to.
Suddenly, Orian again remembered the elf standing beside her, and she looked at him once again. "Shall we go?"
***LATER***
Two-dozen elves rode through the forest in silence. Their horses barely only making soft noises as they walked through the brush. They were like spirits, not truly real, but not truly fantasy as they silently bid farewell to their home.
Orian rode next to one of her friends, who had not said a word since they had left the golden wood. And Orian knew why. Her friend had loved an archer, but the archer had died, and now she was succumbing to her grief. But still Orian had hope for her. There was always hope. "Tell me Liannon, what knews has there been from Rivendell? It is from Rivendell that you had come?"
"It is true." Liannon said, her light skin and hair catching the light for an instant but faded quickly. "It is nearly deserted now. So many have taken the voyage that there are none left to guard it."
Orian sighed. Than it would be quite different from the Rivendell she remembered. She had been there a hundred years before, when there was still laughter in many elven hearts. "Tell me, how is my cousin Arwen?" Orian asked.
"She is sad." Liannon answered. "Her heart belongs to a mortal man, while she is an elf." She pulled her extremely long black hair over her shoulder.
Orian turned again to her young guardian, the blonde elf. "So you wish to stay." She said. "What could you hope to do against the Dark Lord?"
"I have to admit I am in haste to return to Lothlorian." He answered. "I have enlisted to be one of the company of Captain Haldir."
"Captain Haldir?" Orian asked.
"Yes." He answered. "To honor an ancient alliance between Elves and Men."
Orian paused. "He never told me of such a company."
"Lady Galadriel has foreseen a threat to Gondor." The young elf warrior answered. "And we are to meet tonight to march for a day."
Orian pulled up on Briano's reigns. "Then I think it fit that you should not have to wait any longer." She turned to Liannon. "I am sorry." She said. "But I cannot leave yet, there is still work for me to do in Middle Earth. We will meet again on the white shores. Farewell my friend."
Liannon turned her sad eyes to Orian. "Farewell Orian. And may your fate be better than mine."
Orian paused, looking into her friend's blue eyes. "There is always hope." She whispered. "Someday I know, you will laugh again."
With that, she turned Briano to the side and he tossed his head and whinnied with excitement. "Come good warrior." Orian said to her guardian. "If I had known earlier I would never had left the Golden Wood, but I thank the Valar you spoke of this."
The younger elf turned his gray around to stand beside her. "So you will join us than My Lady?" He asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes." Orian answered, her voice low and determined. "Even if the Dark Lord rains down fire from the heavens, you and I will fight until he is cast down upon the mountainside."
Then, Orian spurred Briano forwards, and she and her guardian raced back to the Golden Wood. She had made her decision.