DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Lord of the Rings. Sigh. But I do own Gwen and her horse, Skeet.
Gwen stood staring at the dress that Eowyn had so kindly given to her. Gwen hadn't really realized it, but her other clothes were in a very sorry state. The dress was nothing fancy. There was an off white underdress to go underneath and a thicker, heavier burgundy dress to be worn on the outside. The only problem was the length. Well, that can be fixed, Gwen thought to herself as she pulled out one of her knives and began cutting the dresses up so they would go to the tops of her boots instead of all the way to the ground. She then began pulling the dresses gingerly over her head. Eowyn had put fresh bandages on her back, after pulling out the stitches. It was actually healing very nicely, as long as Gwen didn't start beating people up again. Gwen pulled on her boots and walked out into the hall. Eowyn walked up to her.
" There, you look very nice. Come, the others are talking. This way," she said. Gwen followed her down the hall. She entered a room and Gwen heard voices. There were two children sitting at a table, eating ravenously.
" They came from a village that was attacked by orcs and wild men," Eowyn informed her. Gwen looked at them. They look frightened and alone, she thought as she moved over to where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were sitting.
" What is going on?" she asked.
" Gandalf is giving advice to the King," answered Aragorn.
" Gimli, stop hogging all the food. What has the King decided to do?" she asked as she grabbed a plate of meat and some bread.
" Listen," responded Aragorn. Gwen focused her attention on what Gandalf was saying.
" This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash. He is driven by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on! Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight!" Gandalf said earnestly.
" You have 2,000 men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you. They will return and fight for their King," said Aragorn.
" Eomer cannot help us. I know what you want of me, but I cannot bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war," said the king, rising from his seat.
" Open war is upon you, whether you risk it or not," said Aragorn. Gwen glanced at Eowyn and caught her looking at Aragorn. Theoden walked over to where Aragorn was sitting.
" Last time I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan," he said irritably. Gimli let out a loud belch. Gwen looked at him and kicked him underneath the table. He grunted and glared at her. She put a finger to her lips, telling him to keep silent.
" Then what is the King's decision?" questioned Gandalf. Theoden looked up at him.
" We will make for the fortress of Helms Deep," he stated firmly. The king left to get ready. Gandalf and the others went outside and headed towards the stables.
" Helms Deep! They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight! Who will defend them, if not their king?" Gimli ranted.
" Theoden is only doing what he thinks is best. Helms Deep has saved them in the past," defended Aragorn.
" There is no way out of that ravine. Theoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he is leading them to safety. What he will get is a massacre," said Gandalf. Gwen walked over to Gimli and Legolas.
" Gandalf is right," she said softly, " fighting would be better. Saruman probably knows that they are going to Helms Deep. He is not stupid, especially if that Grima character went and told him."
" There is no reasoning with the king. We will just have to go along and help the best we can," said Legolas. Gwen's mind wandered to what had happened to her people.
" It is bad to have so much confidence in the safety of a place, because if danger does end up getting in, they will be unprepared to stop it," she said sadly. Legolas placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing what she was thinking about. After a moment, she brightened up.
" I guess if we are going along, I should try to get my horse saddled," she said with mock annoyance. Gimli gave a throaty laugh at her words.
" Have fun, missy!" he said. Gwen went to cross over to Skeet's stall and was practically run over as Gandalf galloped out on Shadowfax.
" Aragorn, where is he going?" she asked.
You know Gandalf. He would not tell me, but it must be very important," he answered. Gwen nodded and crossed over to Skeet's stall without almost getting run over.
Hello old boy! I brought you something," she said, holding out a small piece of lembas. The horse gobbled it down. Gwen then felt that it was safe to enter the stall. She began brushing him down. Soon, he was saddled and ready to go. Gwen saw Eowyn walk in and went over to talk to her.
" How do we get to Helms Deep?" Gwen asked.
" There is a path that we will follow. It will be very rough and hard going, but we should make it," she answered. Gwen noticed that her eyes kept on darting to where Aragorn was standing. Gwen looked over at him, then back at her, thinking should I tell her that he is already in love with Arwen? Before she could, Legolas turned to her.
" Gwen, go get your weapons, we are leaving soon," he told her. She walked up to her room and retrieved them. She then walked back to Skeet and mounted him. The column of people began to move. Gwen fell in line next to Aragorn; unease growing in her mind with every step her horse took.
The going was hard, especially for people who were old. The scenery was beautiful, though. Gwen took a deep breath of the clean, fresh mountain air, listening to Gimli tell Eowyn about dwarf women.
" Now, it's true you don't see many dwarf women. In fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men," he said. Eowyn looked back at Aragorn.
" It's the beards!" he said softly. Eowyn giggled and turned back to Gimli.
" This has given to the rise of the belief that there are no dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!" he said, throwing his hands up into the air. This startled his horse, which bolted, throwing Gimli to the ground. Gwen laughed and the sight. Eowyn ran over to him to help him up, laughing.
" It's alright! Nobody panic! It was deliberate, it was deliberate!" he said in an attempt to cover up his fall.
" Yes, Gimli! I am sure that it was!" said Gwen, with one of her eyebrows raised. Gimli glared at her.
" Are you questioning my honor? Keep silent, or I will make some of my special stew for you when we stop to make camp!" he threatened. Gwen widened her eyes in horror and spurred Skeet onward to escape the dwarf.
They stopped when darkness fell. Gwen tied Skeet up and sat by the fire with Gimli and Legolas. Eowyn came over to them.
" Here, I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot," she said, offering them some. All refused except Aragorn. Gwen watched him take a bite. His face lost all expression and he forced the spoonful to go down. Gwen laughed silently.
" I learned my lesson with stew long ago," she said softly. After Eowyn walked off, Aragorn dumped the bowl onto the ground.
" Now Aragorn, it isn't good to waste," Gwen scolded. Aragorn glared at her.
" Would you have liked a taste?" he asked.
" If I had wanted one, would I have refused as I did?" she questioned. He smiled.
" We should get some sleep," he said. The four of them soon drifted off.
Gwen awoke to Legolas tapping her on the shoulder.
" Come, we are moving on," he said. Gwen stood up and rubbed her back as she stretched.
" Oh, I think I will walk today," she moaned, quite saddle sore. She took Skeet's reins and began to walk next to Gimli. She was quite on edge, starting at every odd sound.
" A wee bit jumpy today, aren't you?" asked Gimli.
" Something has been bothering me since we left," she mused.
" You have felt it to?" asked Legolas. Gwen nodded her head in reply.
" I had just thought it was my imagination, but now that you sense it too, I know that it is real," she said.
" Come with me up ahead, we can keep an eye out," he said. Gwen mounted her horse and set him into a canter. She reached the top of a ridge and Skeet reared up and refused to go any further.
" What is wrong, boy?" she asked. Suddenly, she heard a snarl over to her left. She rode to the edge of the ridge and saw a huge wolf attacking Hama. Her eyes widened in horror.
" Legolas, help!" she yelled, trying to calm her horse. Legolas ran up and shot the wolf. He then slit the throat of the orc rider.
" A scout!" he yelled in disgust. Gwen wheeled Skeet around and headed back to Aragorn.
" Wargs!" she yelled. Aragorn passed the alarm on.
" All riders to the head of the column!" commanded the king. Gwen fell in behind Aragorn, her heart hammering in her chest. They crested a hill and she saw the Wargs coming towards them.
Oh, no, she thought as they drew closer. Choking down a cry of terror, she followed on, not knowing if she was going to survive this attack.
Yeah, this chapter was kind of long, but I love suspense! Now, for my lovely reviewer.
SandraSmit19: I tried writing a chapter with Fangorn, but for the life of me, I could not make it work out the way I wanted it to. I wanted to get on with the story, so I just skipped it. But you all know it happened!