Part IV
The hobbits rose early the next morning. Breakfast was sausage and toasted
bread, which Aeocondren liked very much. After repacking their now bags,
now almost empty because Frodo had given most of their food to the elf, Sam
set about covering the ashes of the fire and making the camp look as
natural as it had been before they'd arrived. While Sam was doing this,
Frodo said goodbye to Aeocondren.
"You will be very careful, won't you?" he said wistfully.
"Yes," she smiled at him. "I made some more arrows last night, and my quiver is almost full now."
"Orcs, beware!" Frodo gulped, looking at the fine-pointed weapons.
"Frodo, I want to thank you for helping me so much," Aeocondren said.
The lad blushed. "It was nothing. I couldn't leave anyone lying in the woods hurt."
"You didn't have to stay with me all night, or give me all your provisions," the girl reminded him. He shrugged. "You'll need them more than me."
"You have a kind heart, Frodo Baggins. I wish you had a family who cared for you like you deserve." Suddenly, she put her hands lightly on the hobbit's head. This was not difficult, as she was almost a foot taller than he was, although she was a young elf.
Aeocondren closed her eyes, and spoke softly:
"May it be- a friend to guide you, Protect, love, care for you, To keep you until your day dawns bright- So may it be."
The young boy didn't know what she had said, but he understood her tone of blessing.
"Thank you."
She smiled and picked up her pack. "Farewell."
As Frodo watched her striding off through the trees, he swallowed the lump in his throat and called, "Will I ever see you again?"
She turned at the edge of the meadow and waved back to him.
"If I succeed with my journey, I promise you, my friend, that I will come back!"
Part V
( Aeocondren traveled steadily through the forest for several days without seeing anyone. The wound in her side rarely bothered her, except at the end of the day when she had to lie down for a while. She rationed the food that Frodo had given her to last more than a week.
She was almost positive that she was heading in the direction of Rivendell, but as she had never been there, she could only hope for the best.
The fifth evening, however, she had stopped for the night when she heard far off the sound of tramping feet. Something told her to hide; she pulled herself up into a nearby oak tree. Her gray, green, and brown clothes provided natural camouflage, especially in the dark.
Soon, to her great trepidation, a band of orcs appeared, marching carelessly through the vegetation. They seemed to be grumbling, and several were speaking in the Common Tongue, so Aeocondren listened.
"I don't see why WE should have to slog through this bagronk sha land on the idea of a few horses," one of them was growling to another.
The second orc shoved him, and roared, "You're under the orders of Urog, and what he says, goes! If you don't like it, then you can grigruk burfloshk dungrut..." his words died off into a string of curses. Aeocondren winced at the sound.
The first orc went on: "Those wretched horseboys are sure to catch wind of what's going on! There's no gain in a few miserable nags if half of us are killed."
"The Eye is the one who commanded us out," the other orc hissed, "and the horses are expressly his command. Nobody else knows about our plans, and we can even raid the village when we get there if we want!"
The orcs passed on, howling their approval at the thought of plunder and slaughter. Aeocondren tried counting them as they passed under her tree, but they were so many that she lost count around two hundred.
When the dreadful noise had died down into the distance, she jumped down from the oak. Evidently, the orcs were heading to the capital of Rohan, Edoras. Aeocondren did not know who was ruling there, but she did know that many of the men were away helping restore the city of Osgiliath; such information Aeocondren had heard just before leaving Mirkwood. If that many orcs attacked Rohan without warning, the people would surely all be killed!
Aeocondren breathed deeply. She must be calm, and think clearly about what was best to do. Her original journey to Rivendell was set aside. Her first thought was how to get to Rohan before the orcs did. There was almost no possible way to do that, she realized with despair, for although the orcs were on foot as she was, they were capable of traveling greater distances more quickly than she could. From the way they were heading, they must be taking the fastest course there, through a virtually hidden mountain pass that wound about and then led to a plain, where on top of a hill a short distance away, was Edoras. Aeocondren thought quickly: at the rate the goblins were going, they would reach the city in three days!
She had no choice. If the Rohirrim, people of Rohan, were to be warned in time, she must go as fast as she possibly could, for as long as she could.
The elf-maid set off immediately in the moonlight, shouldering her light pack. She ran at a light trot away from the path the orcs had taken. There was no chance she could sneak past her enemies and go through the pass first, so she planned to try and find a different canyon to go through. How glad she was that she had diligently studied the geography of Rohan while she was at Mirkwood! She knew that the Ered Nimrais, the chain of mountains dividing Edoras from the forest and plains on the other side, had a few mountain passes that were difficult to locate, but much easier to travel then going straight over the virtually impassable peaks.
Aeocondren squared her shoulders and ran faster.
Part VI
By morning, Aeocondren's side was throbbing. She had kept a steady pace all night, but now, with her almost healed wound aching, her legs threatened to give out. Her head spun with the pain. Finally, she stopped by a small stream for the first time since she had started out. It felt good to soak her feet in the cold water. She munched on the last bites of bread in her pack, and carefully peeled the bandage off the wound in her side. It stung so badly she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. With all her running, the arrow cut had reopened, and was bleeding again. After applying several herbs and a new bandage to the sore and drinking from the brook, she forced herself to start out running again.
All through the day, she tried to keep going in the general direction where she believed the Ered Nimrais lay. By nightfall, her stomach was aching also from lack of food. She dug several roots and ate them, then lay down for several hours to rest. However, by the time the moon had risen, she was back on her feet towards the mountains, which were now slightly visible above the tops of the trees.
As the sun rose the next day, she emerged from the forest onto the plain in front of the White Mountains. She could see where the orcs had rampaged through the waving grasses.
"Oh no!" she cried, looking along their path of destruction. The goblins had already gone across the plain, and she caught a glimpse of the last of their procession disappearing into the mountain pass.
It was several miles from the trees to the base of the mountains, and Aeocondren felt like despairing when she thought of the head start the orcs already had, and how tired she was. Nevertheless, she began running once again across the plain.
Halfway across, exhaustion, hunger, and the pain of her wound overwhelmed her. She stumbled, picked herself up, ran a little ways, and fell to the ground. Her breath came in short gasps, and she felt the stickiness of blood beginning to seep through her tunic.
"I must get up, I must!" she whispered, but her efforts were futile. She lay back and groaned, "Help me, Aldaron Orome, your child!"
Part VII
She slipped into unconsciousness. For several minutes, all was quiet on the plain. The wind blew over her still form, ruffling her long, dark hair.
Suddenly, a group of horsemen emerge appeared out of the forest. They rode fearlessly out onto the open grassland towards the mountain pass the orcs had taken. Since they were riding along a different way there, they did not see the marks of the orcs' path.
Most of the men cantered past the elf, not seeing her lying camouflaged on the ground, but then one man stopped. His horse had shied at the still body, and tripped in a hole, lodging a pebble in its hoof.
The man dismounted, picked out the stone, and was about to ride on, when he noticed the girl. He took a closer look, then gave a piercing call. The other riders wheeled around and came galloping back to him. They all uttered exclamations of surprise at seeing an elf. The first man raised Aeocondren to a sitting position and tried to pour a trickle of water into her mouth. She coughed, swallowed, and blinked, slowly opening her eyes. When she saw who they were, she became awake almost at once.
"You are men of Rohan?" she gasped, gratefully drinking the water the man gave her.
"Yes," the man (little more than a boy himself, she noticed) said, gazing at her with astonishment. He offered her more water, but she shook her head.
"You all must fly...fly to Edoras! You are being attacked by orcs!"
The men all shouted with disbelief, but she went on. "No, you must believe me! It is true! I have been following them for two days and two nights, hoping to somehow warn your people of their coming!"
The look of desperation in her eyes convinced all around that she was speaking the truth. One of the older men with gray in his golden beard approached her.
"If what you say has come about, then we must ride with all haste to Edoras. But, in case you are lying," he glared stonily at her, "you must come with us, and we shall see..."
"Oh, thank you!" Aeocondren cried weakly, "but we must go through a different pass, for the orcs have gone into that one," she pointed.
The men talked amongst themselves for a minute in their own tongue. The young man who had first found her gave her a piece of dried jerky to eat, and she changed the bandage on her side, hoping that it would stop bleeding.
Finally, the older man, who seemed to be the leader of the cavalcade, came over to her.
"We will ride now. You may sit with Eoren, here," he indicated the boy who had helped her, "while we go through a different pass nearby.
The party set off at a fast gallop towards the mountains.
"You will be very careful, won't you?" he said wistfully.
"Yes," she smiled at him. "I made some more arrows last night, and my quiver is almost full now."
"Orcs, beware!" Frodo gulped, looking at the fine-pointed weapons.
"Frodo, I want to thank you for helping me so much," Aeocondren said.
The lad blushed. "It was nothing. I couldn't leave anyone lying in the woods hurt."
"You didn't have to stay with me all night, or give me all your provisions," the girl reminded him. He shrugged. "You'll need them more than me."
"You have a kind heart, Frodo Baggins. I wish you had a family who cared for you like you deserve." Suddenly, she put her hands lightly on the hobbit's head. This was not difficult, as she was almost a foot taller than he was, although she was a young elf.
Aeocondren closed her eyes, and spoke softly:
"May it be- a friend to guide you, Protect, love, care for you, To keep you until your day dawns bright- So may it be."
The young boy didn't know what she had said, but he understood her tone of blessing.
"Thank you."
She smiled and picked up her pack. "Farewell."
As Frodo watched her striding off through the trees, he swallowed the lump in his throat and called, "Will I ever see you again?"
She turned at the edge of the meadow and waved back to him.
"If I succeed with my journey, I promise you, my friend, that I will come back!"
Part V
( Aeocondren traveled steadily through the forest for several days without seeing anyone. The wound in her side rarely bothered her, except at the end of the day when she had to lie down for a while. She rationed the food that Frodo had given her to last more than a week.
She was almost positive that she was heading in the direction of Rivendell, but as she had never been there, she could only hope for the best.
The fifth evening, however, she had stopped for the night when she heard far off the sound of tramping feet. Something told her to hide; she pulled herself up into a nearby oak tree. Her gray, green, and brown clothes provided natural camouflage, especially in the dark.
Soon, to her great trepidation, a band of orcs appeared, marching carelessly through the vegetation. They seemed to be grumbling, and several were speaking in the Common Tongue, so Aeocondren listened.
"I don't see why WE should have to slog through this bagronk sha land on the idea of a few horses," one of them was growling to another.
The second orc shoved him, and roared, "You're under the orders of Urog, and what he says, goes! If you don't like it, then you can grigruk burfloshk dungrut..." his words died off into a string of curses. Aeocondren winced at the sound.
The first orc went on: "Those wretched horseboys are sure to catch wind of what's going on! There's no gain in a few miserable nags if half of us are killed."
"The Eye is the one who commanded us out," the other orc hissed, "and the horses are expressly his command. Nobody else knows about our plans, and we can even raid the village when we get there if we want!"
The orcs passed on, howling their approval at the thought of plunder and slaughter. Aeocondren tried counting them as they passed under her tree, but they were so many that she lost count around two hundred.
When the dreadful noise had died down into the distance, she jumped down from the oak. Evidently, the orcs were heading to the capital of Rohan, Edoras. Aeocondren did not know who was ruling there, but she did know that many of the men were away helping restore the city of Osgiliath; such information Aeocondren had heard just before leaving Mirkwood. If that many orcs attacked Rohan without warning, the people would surely all be killed!
Aeocondren breathed deeply. She must be calm, and think clearly about what was best to do. Her original journey to Rivendell was set aside. Her first thought was how to get to Rohan before the orcs did. There was almost no possible way to do that, she realized with despair, for although the orcs were on foot as she was, they were capable of traveling greater distances more quickly than she could. From the way they were heading, they must be taking the fastest course there, through a virtually hidden mountain pass that wound about and then led to a plain, where on top of a hill a short distance away, was Edoras. Aeocondren thought quickly: at the rate the goblins were going, they would reach the city in three days!
She had no choice. If the Rohirrim, people of Rohan, were to be warned in time, she must go as fast as she possibly could, for as long as she could.
The elf-maid set off immediately in the moonlight, shouldering her light pack. She ran at a light trot away from the path the orcs had taken. There was no chance she could sneak past her enemies and go through the pass first, so she planned to try and find a different canyon to go through. How glad she was that she had diligently studied the geography of Rohan while she was at Mirkwood! She knew that the Ered Nimrais, the chain of mountains dividing Edoras from the forest and plains on the other side, had a few mountain passes that were difficult to locate, but much easier to travel then going straight over the virtually impassable peaks.
Aeocondren squared her shoulders and ran faster.
Part VI
By morning, Aeocondren's side was throbbing. She had kept a steady pace all night, but now, with her almost healed wound aching, her legs threatened to give out. Her head spun with the pain. Finally, she stopped by a small stream for the first time since she had started out. It felt good to soak her feet in the cold water. She munched on the last bites of bread in her pack, and carefully peeled the bandage off the wound in her side. It stung so badly she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. With all her running, the arrow cut had reopened, and was bleeding again. After applying several herbs and a new bandage to the sore and drinking from the brook, she forced herself to start out running again.
All through the day, she tried to keep going in the general direction where she believed the Ered Nimrais lay. By nightfall, her stomach was aching also from lack of food. She dug several roots and ate them, then lay down for several hours to rest. However, by the time the moon had risen, she was back on her feet towards the mountains, which were now slightly visible above the tops of the trees.
As the sun rose the next day, she emerged from the forest onto the plain in front of the White Mountains. She could see where the orcs had rampaged through the waving grasses.
"Oh no!" she cried, looking along their path of destruction. The goblins had already gone across the plain, and she caught a glimpse of the last of their procession disappearing into the mountain pass.
It was several miles from the trees to the base of the mountains, and Aeocondren felt like despairing when she thought of the head start the orcs already had, and how tired she was. Nevertheless, she began running once again across the plain.
Halfway across, exhaustion, hunger, and the pain of her wound overwhelmed her. She stumbled, picked herself up, ran a little ways, and fell to the ground. Her breath came in short gasps, and she felt the stickiness of blood beginning to seep through her tunic.
"I must get up, I must!" she whispered, but her efforts were futile. She lay back and groaned, "Help me, Aldaron Orome, your child!"
Part VII
She slipped into unconsciousness. For several minutes, all was quiet on the plain. The wind blew over her still form, ruffling her long, dark hair.
Suddenly, a group of horsemen emerge appeared out of the forest. They rode fearlessly out onto the open grassland towards the mountain pass the orcs had taken. Since they were riding along a different way there, they did not see the marks of the orcs' path.
Most of the men cantered past the elf, not seeing her lying camouflaged on the ground, but then one man stopped. His horse had shied at the still body, and tripped in a hole, lodging a pebble in its hoof.
The man dismounted, picked out the stone, and was about to ride on, when he noticed the girl. He took a closer look, then gave a piercing call. The other riders wheeled around and came galloping back to him. They all uttered exclamations of surprise at seeing an elf. The first man raised Aeocondren to a sitting position and tried to pour a trickle of water into her mouth. She coughed, swallowed, and blinked, slowly opening her eyes. When she saw who they were, she became awake almost at once.
"You are men of Rohan?" she gasped, gratefully drinking the water the man gave her.
"Yes," the man (little more than a boy himself, she noticed) said, gazing at her with astonishment. He offered her more water, but she shook her head.
"You all must fly...fly to Edoras! You are being attacked by orcs!"
The men all shouted with disbelief, but she went on. "No, you must believe me! It is true! I have been following them for two days and two nights, hoping to somehow warn your people of their coming!"
The look of desperation in her eyes convinced all around that she was speaking the truth. One of the older men with gray in his golden beard approached her.
"If what you say has come about, then we must ride with all haste to Edoras. But, in case you are lying," he glared stonily at her, "you must come with us, and we shall see..."
"Oh, thank you!" Aeocondren cried weakly, "but we must go through a different pass, for the orcs have gone into that one," she pointed.
The men talked amongst themselves for a minute in their own tongue. The young man who had first found her gave her a piece of dried jerky to eat, and she changed the bandage on her side, hoping that it would stop bleeding.
Finally, the older man, who seemed to be the leader of the cavalcade, came over to her.
"We will ride now. You may sit with Eoren, here," he indicated the boy who had helped her, "while we go through a different pass nearby.
The party set off at a fast gallop towards the mountains.