Chapter 5:
A/N: Grr, wish I could write and post more often, but that darn school thing gets in the way. Eowyn and Dani talk about the guys, Eowyn and Legolas deal with a fallen Aragorn. Hope this continues on in the vein you all seem to like.
Disclaimer: I own none but Dani.
Oh, and on another note, for all those who might be scared, this will not turn into a romance any time in the near future, probably ever.
- thoughts-
/flashback/
~*~
A dark and grisly thought entered his mind as he stared at the cliff's edge. -He is gone. It is finished.- It lasted less than a moment, the dark haze, but it left the Elf sickened and wrought with guilt. He shook his head, the muscles in his cheek flexing as he ground his teeth. He knew not from where the black thought came, but he banished it quickly.
--
In Orthanc, Saruman lifted his hand, touching his nose with his fingertips. He had just begun to reach out again for the Elf. But somehow Legolas had felt him, and cast him away with a surge of anger. He rubbed the blood that dripped between his fingers with disdain. His expulsion from the Elf's wakeing mind had been violent, a blow to the face. Still, he was pleased. Aragorn was felled, or so it seemed to him then, and his march on Rohan could now begin.
--
Gimli and Legolas joined Theoden at the edge, peering down the rocky precipice and into the gorge. Far below them on the rocks, lay the mangled, bloody body of the Warg. Legolas' eyes desperately scanned the river bank on both sides, and the water, as far as he could see, but their was no sign of Aragorn. His knees threatened to betray him and he felt at once hollow.
"Estel," he whispered the man's Elvish name, too softly for the other's to hear. He rarely called Aragorn by that name in outside company. It was a name between old friends, of family. Yet here he could think of him as none other than the little boy, then the young, bold ranger he had grown to know and love as a brother. He was stricken with grief beyond words.
"Gather the injured," Theoden ordered. "Leave the dead."
At those words Legolas' head snaked around, thunderclouds rolling over his eyes. They could not leave him. His feet would surely not allow him to tread steps away from his friend. "Aragorn may yet be alive," he snapped. "We must search for him."
"Many lives here today have been lost. The Wargs of Isengard will return. We must got to sanctum at Helm's Deep." The argument, at least to the mind of Theoden, was over. He turned on his heel, striding away from Elf and Dwarf. His men needed guidance, and the two friends needed a moment to mourn. They would not likely get another.
The blonde Elf Prince turned to his companion. "I would know Gimli, if he had passed on from this world, but I do not feel it. I do not believe Aragorn is dead." His voice lowered. "He cannot be."
Gimli reached up to grasp the Elf's shoulder. He too, held hope that the man was still alive. He only hoped that their grief was not deluding their minds. "Then he will return to us. Come on lad, there is little more to do here," he said gruffly. The Elf stood rooted to the rock. "He would want us to go on with Theoden," he urged. Legolas' eyes were glassy. He cast one final look into the precipice, then followed Gimli away from the cliff.
--
Eowyn and Danuriel worked side by side in silence. The people of Rohan crowded the alleys behind the Deeping Wall. There were many, frightened, who had left homes burning at the hands of the Wildmen. Children hunkered down in the grasps of their mothers, crying softly. Others searched frantically looking for loved ones. Eowyn, Dani and a few others readied supplies for the return of the Riders. The injured would require tending, clean bandages and water.
Eowyn dragged a cot over to one wall. She smoothed the edges of the wispy sheets time and time again, losing herself in the motion. "Eowyn," the Lady did not heed the call of her name, running her hands over the cot again. "Eowyn," Dani set her hands over that of her lady, stilling them. Eowyn gazed up at her friend. "Be still. We need your level mind when the men return." Nodding silently, the Lady of the Mark sat heavily upon the bed. "They will return," she reassured her. "He will return."
"Of course Theoden will return."
"That is not of whom I speak, though I am sure he will. Your eyes betray you Eowyn. They do not roam from him when he is near. Already you care for him. Though I don't suppose wandering eyes could have settled upon one better."
Eowyn's breath came out in a rush and she smiled thinly. "Of course. You know me too well Dani, though funny it is to be lectured by you on my eyes. Your eyes roam as well, but let's not forget," a teasing tone came to her voice, "I am not betrothed."
Dani shrugged, grinning slyly. Her lady's mood had brightened a little and she was glad of it. "And what is the harm in a look? The men look. Eorman's eyes do not remain riveted on me. But even still, I know not of what you speak. This new company is interesting indeed, but my eyes would not to them ROAM as you say. The wizard is aged and his manner upsets me. Aragorn, it seems, already has himself an admirer, and the dwarf, however desirable to his own, is not of my preference."
Eowyn's smile widened then, and a light reached her face. "You would do well not to attempt to feign innocence. It does not suit you Dani."
"So again I ask, what is the harm in a look?"
"There is no harm, so long as a look it remains. So long as your heart does not roam with your eyes. The match with Eorman is a good one. He will long keep you in health and home."
Dani grunted. "I do not wish to be KEPT. My life lies in the Mark, with the herds. Eorman will not have that. He seeks only a wife, a keeper of his home. He does not want me. It pains me milady, the thought of a union to a man that does not love me wholly for myself. I am torn, between a life of my choosing, and a life of stability. Yet Theoden himself approved the match, and loathe I am to dissent with the will of my King."
"Then you must ponder the matter further," Eowyn counseled, "and decide where your life will lead you. With Eorman, or down some other road. If you would truly find no happiness with him, none would fault your decision." A call from the gates interrupted their discussion. Eowyn's features hardened once more, the worries that had temporarily set aside came flooding back. "I go to meet them." She stood.
"My place is with the horses. I will find you again later." The two women turned in opposite directions and left.
--
Eowyn rushed forward to meet the returning Riders, led by the King. She saw the Elf Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf dismount from Arod near the rear of the group. Head bowed, the blonde handed the horse off to a servant and vanished. Her stomach flipped, a fear gnawing at her mind. "So few," she breathed, "so few of you have returned."
Theoden would not meet his niece's gaze. He had no heart to speak of Aragorn, of one he sensed that Eowyn cherished. "We have lost many men this day," he spoke while helping one of the guard down from his horse. "We must prepare now, for the battle ahead." Theoden moved away then, berating his own cowardice.
She watched her King walk away from her, and didn't notice the Dwarf till he stood beside her. "My Lady." His voice caught, and even half hidden by his beard she could see his stricken expression. His eyes shone.
"Lord Aragorn, where is he?" She dreaded the answer she already felt. Around her the world seemed to spin, fading away into a grey din. She blinked back tears. The sounds of Helm's Deep dimmed and faded in her ears.
"He fell," Gimli choked out. "From the cliffs." Blood rushed into her head, screaming in her ears and she felt dizzy and lightheaded. She spun, her skirts swirling around her and she fled away from the gates, tripping up the stairs as she ran. Her vision was obscured by tears. Her flight led her up to the Keep, back to the cavernous room where the horses were kept. A guard was ahead of her, leading two horses.
One was Hasufel, the mount given to Aragorn by Eomer. The chestnut had a deep, wide gash across one shoulder. Dark blood, congealed into his hair, marred his glossy hide. The tall gelding limped with every step and blood had leached down his entire leg. The sight of him brought a new flooding of tears. Her shoulders shook as Eowyn took the geldings' reins from the guard. He blew a breath out in her hand. The horse sighed, pressing his forehead into her chest, eyes half closed.
"My lady?" Dani touched her arm, breaking Eowyn from her thoughts. The blonde woman started. Tears swept the dust of travel from her cheeks, leaving fair tracks beneath her eyes. Standing at the stable girl's shoulder stood her own horse, unrestrained by lead or halter. Dani looked from Hasufel to her friend and her stomach clenched. "Aragorn?"
"He fell," she sobbed. Eowyn covered her face with her hands. Her grief would not be stayed nor her tears dammed. Dani embraced her, not knowing what else to do. After a few minutes the shaking of her shoulders slackened. Hasufel lipped at her golden tresses. The Lady of the Mark smiled sadly then, laying one hand on the gelding's nose and swiping at her eyes with the other. Dani took a step back. "Such foolishness. Here I stand beside myself when there are those that might yet be saved. I must go to the men and do what I may."
She held up a hand to halt the protests that lined Danuriel's lips. "Nay. I will be fine. Filling my mind with other thoughts will stem this hurt for a time. Worry not for me, but now I must go. Will you take Hasufel?"
"Of course," Dani bowed her head in obedience. Eowyn left then, striding purposefully back out of the Keep. Her face, which had been so full of pain just a moment before, was now a stoic mask. Dani watched her till she receded from view, then led the gelding forward, clucking her tongue. He followed haltingly, Dani's bay ambling at his side.
Hasufel drank gratefully the bucket of water laid before him, draining it. His ears flicked with each swallow. He sighed when she undid his girth. Her left arm, injured by the Warg, protested sharply when she lifted her arms to drag off the heavy saddle from the chestnut's back. The skin stretched, parting the wound and she hissed. The stab of pain nearly made her drop the saddle, but she gritted her teeth and set it down on its stand.
"You are injured." She had not heard the Elf enter the chamber, and his proclamation made her jump. Keen blue eyes glared at her accusingly. Gimli stood just behind him, studying Aragorn's horse sadly.
"Must you always do that?" she snapped.
"Do what?"
"That," she shook a finger at him, "that soundless approaching thing that you do! It is all well and good for battle and surprising ones enemies, but it reeks havoc upon my nerves. Must you always be so.........so..." she searched for the word.
"Insufferably elfish?" Gimli supplied helpfully.
"Exactly!"
Legolas shot them both a withering glare. "Do not attempt to sway my attention. Your arm, you are injured."
Dani turned, keeping her wounded arm on the far side of the Elf. In truth she had barely noticed the injury till she'd dismounted, and by then the blood had soaked through the dull red of her shirt and congealed, forming something of a bandage. Now however, it had opened again, and she felt a warm trickle of blood slide down her arm. "There are others far more grievously injured than myself. It is no more than a scratch."
"That," he said with a sigh and a roll of his eyes, "is hardly the point." Moving with lightning quickness he grasped her wrist, steering her to a nearby stool. Dani hissed and swatted at his hand when he pulled the fabric of her shirt back away from the gash. She attempted to pull her arm from his grasp, to no avail. Legolas' mouth quirked. "A scratch?" The slice of the claw was a good three or four inches long and half an inch deep at least.
"Never said it wasn't a bad scratch," she muttered darkly.
"Stop fidgeting," Legolas ordered as he surveyed the gash.
"Then stop poking me!" She returned irately.
Gimli laughed, drawing their attention. "The two of you are a wondrous source of amusement. You are both stubborn beyond imagine. Heads thicker than stone you both have."
"Come now Master Dwarf," Dani chastised, a gleam coming to her eye, "surely my head is nowhere near as thick as his."
"Wonderful," Legolas said, half to himself, "now I am gifted with two thorns to my side. Gimli, don't help. You Danuriel, just.........just stay." The blonde Elf left as quickly and silently as he'd come.
As soon as he was gone from sight, Dani was back on her feet beside Hasufel. "Didn't he tell you to stay?" Gimli questioned, smiling thinly beneath his beard.
"I am staying," she returned, digging through a pack by her feet. her hands returned triumphant, holding a small jar of ointment that she began to apply to the chestnut's shoulder. "I'm just not sitting."
Gimli grunted. There were a few moments of silence then, before Gimli asked, "Will he mend?"
She ran a hand down the sleek neck and gave the horse a conciliatory pat. "Ay, the wound has been cleansed by its own bleeding. He will heal, in time, though a scar to remember this day he shall always bare."
"It is a day to remember, though not gladly." His tone was somber. "Now lass I beg you sit, should the Elf return an berate me for your stubbornness. I care not to listen to his mutterings."
"I will not faint if that it your concern."
"It is not, I concern only to spare my ears."
"A poor liar you make Gimli, son of Gloin. This," she gestured to her arm, "stitched by its own blood would too heal on its own. Such a bother over such a small thing."
"Ay, but nevertheless allow him to fuss. He grieves, his mind is restless and idle hands do not suit his manner."
She sat heavily on the stool again. "You are a good friend to him Gimli."
He grunted. "You are mistaken." He was gruff, but the words seemed weak even to himself.
A figure appeared in the doorway. Eorman stood, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A small cut cleaved his cheek, but aside from that he stood unscathed. Gimli watched the tightening of Dani's face. "I'll now take my leave of you milady, and leave you to your counsels." With a curt nod to Eorman at the door he left.
Eorman's eyes were fixed upon her. "You did not look for me when the Riders returned." There was accusation behind the words, bubbling anger. "Instead I found you here, carousing with those whom I forbid you to speak. They are treacherous Danuriel. Already they turn you against me."
Dani cried out, exasperated. "They turn me against nothing but this growing black tide! Their presence has inspired me to fight, for us all to fight. How can you not see the good in their coming? They have warned us, allowed us to prepare for the coming evil. I am blind and still I see it!"
Eorman fisted his hand before her face. "They have led us here, bottled us for the slaughter. They are quick, very quick to turn us away from those we have long trusted. Saruman has been friend to Rohan for years before the White Rider came. Does this mean nothing?"
"His friendship was an illusion. Saruman poisoned Theoden's mind."
"Did he?" Eorman's gray eyes narrowed. "How do we know which Theoden is himself? Perhaps Gandalf placed some new trickery upon him, some spell of his own to send us to ruin. I feel we are brought here to death and would leave with all haste, but first implore you to come with me."
"You would run? You would leave your people on the eve of battle?"
"I would run from what will surely be my end, and yours. You are too quick to trust my love. Come, we will ride to Isengard and form allegiance with Saruman, our ally. I will not stand behind this company."
"Does the fact that I believe them mean nothing to you?"
The burly man smiled, touching her cheek with his thumb. "You are too kind Dani, too soft. You do not see the truth. I do not blame you for it. But I love you, and wish to deliver you from harm. Come with me, end this foolishness."
"Blame me? I am some wispy maiden who picks flowers while the men tarry in the fields. If you cannot trust me, then you do not love me."
"But I do. What be your answer?"
She swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. "I do not yet know my answer."
"Then I will return when you have had time to consider."
--
Legolas came back a few minutes after Eorman had gone. He balanced a basin, some bandages and a small jar. He set them down at her feet, placing half the bandages in the bowl of clean water. Dani's bay sniffed at the offerings curiously.
"There is nothing for you here," she told him, laying a hand upon his side. "Go on now." The bay snorted as if giving answer and moved away, though he always kept one ear trained to the woman and Elf.
"He follows you like a dog," Legolas marveled.
"He is the last colt by Valhuriel and thus he is Legacy. He was breech at birth and his dam did not survive. I helped save him, raise him. His sire died protecting me. We are bound to each other."
Legolas nodded. Squeezing some water from the bandages he set to work cleaning her arm. "Sit still at least if not silent," he implored. His hands were cool against her skin, his touch unnaturally light.
She gnawed edgily on her lower lip for a while, and neither spoke. Finally the silence became too much and she blurted out, "Eowyn came to me with ill news." Legolas paused, stiffening slightly, and his guilty thought flooded back to the forefront of his mind. "I am sorry Legolas."
He dropped the now bloodied bandage into the basin. "He fell from the cliffs during the attack," he confirmed. He applied a thin layer of salve to the wound before wrapping it. "Athelas, from Aragorn's pack," he explained. "It would be better if given from his hand, but works well enough from mine."
"My lady will grieve for him."
His thoughts wandered to the crystal pendent in his pocket. He did not relish the thought of delivering Arwen news of her love's demise. "She will not be the only one. Though still, I hold a sliver of a chance for him." It was a foolish, reckless wish, but one he clung to dearly.
"You do not believe him lost?"
"My heart would tell me not to despair, that Estel is not yet gone from us. But my mind seeks to steel me for the battle ahead without him."
"You do not believe we have a chance."
"There is always a chance," he said bitterly.
Eorman's words played in her mind. "You could still leave, if you find us so hopeless. Nothing ties you here."
Blue eyes glared sharply. "My heart ties me here. Full of a promise to a man I consider a brother. Estel would stay, would fight. He is a great champion of lost causes. And so long as I live and breathe I will not give up."
"The price of your loyalty might be your life."
"It is a high price," he agreed, nodding. "But sometimes, even a high price is worth what is gotten in return."
"And the return?"
He shrugged. "A chance maybe, if not for ourselves than for others. A chance for Estel to rally the race of men behind him, or for two, dear to me, who travel alone in dangerous times. A chance for the people of Rohan to prove their worth. We may never know the hope borne of our actions."
"We need hope. The people here cling to the smallest thread of it, for a chance, for the sight of a new dawn. We are lost without it."
He straightened, lifting his chin. "We are not finished yet. By the will of the Valar, Estel will return before the battle sweeps us."
Dani's head tilted. "He has many names, does he not? He is Strider the Ranger, heir of Elendil, Lord Aragorn, yet this name Estel only you have called him. It is strange to me."
"Estel is the name given to him by the Elves. He was raised by the Lord of Rivendell," he explained. "Elrond. Not many know the name, fewer call him by it."
"What does it mean?"
Her own words replayed to him. /We are lost without it./ His shoulders sagged and a new weight bore down on his chest. Somber blue eyes lifted to meet her gaze. "Hope Dani." His voice was low and hollow. "It means hope."
Chapter 5
I know this chap had a lot of my OC in it, but it just came out that way I swear! I needed some more character development and allow for some things later on, so bear with me.
By the way, I'm a review hound, please feed me.
A/N: Grr, wish I could write and post more often, but that darn school thing gets in the way. Eowyn and Dani talk about the guys, Eowyn and Legolas deal with a fallen Aragorn. Hope this continues on in the vein you all seem to like.
Disclaimer: I own none but Dani.
Oh, and on another note, for all those who might be scared, this will not turn into a romance any time in the near future, probably ever.
- thoughts-
/flashback/
~*~
A dark and grisly thought entered his mind as he stared at the cliff's edge. -He is gone. It is finished.- It lasted less than a moment, the dark haze, but it left the Elf sickened and wrought with guilt. He shook his head, the muscles in his cheek flexing as he ground his teeth. He knew not from where the black thought came, but he banished it quickly.
--
In Orthanc, Saruman lifted his hand, touching his nose with his fingertips. He had just begun to reach out again for the Elf. But somehow Legolas had felt him, and cast him away with a surge of anger. He rubbed the blood that dripped between his fingers with disdain. His expulsion from the Elf's wakeing mind had been violent, a blow to the face. Still, he was pleased. Aragorn was felled, or so it seemed to him then, and his march on Rohan could now begin.
--
Gimli and Legolas joined Theoden at the edge, peering down the rocky precipice and into the gorge. Far below them on the rocks, lay the mangled, bloody body of the Warg. Legolas' eyes desperately scanned the river bank on both sides, and the water, as far as he could see, but their was no sign of Aragorn. His knees threatened to betray him and he felt at once hollow.
"Estel," he whispered the man's Elvish name, too softly for the other's to hear. He rarely called Aragorn by that name in outside company. It was a name between old friends, of family. Yet here he could think of him as none other than the little boy, then the young, bold ranger he had grown to know and love as a brother. He was stricken with grief beyond words.
"Gather the injured," Theoden ordered. "Leave the dead."
At those words Legolas' head snaked around, thunderclouds rolling over his eyes. They could not leave him. His feet would surely not allow him to tread steps away from his friend. "Aragorn may yet be alive," he snapped. "We must search for him."
"Many lives here today have been lost. The Wargs of Isengard will return. We must got to sanctum at Helm's Deep." The argument, at least to the mind of Theoden, was over. He turned on his heel, striding away from Elf and Dwarf. His men needed guidance, and the two friends needed a moment to mourn. They would not likely get another.
The blonde Elf Prince turned to his companion. "I would know Gimli, if he had passed on from this world, but I do not feel it. I do not believe Aragorn is dead." His voice lowered. "He cannot be."
Gimli reached up to grasp the Elf's shoulder. He too, held hope that the man was still alive. He only hoped that their grief was not deluding their minds. "Then he will return to us. Come on lad, there is little more to do here," he said gruffly. The Elf stood rooted to the rock. "He would want us to go on with Theoden," he urged. Legolas' eyes were glassy. He cast one final look into the precipice, then followed Gimli away from the cliff.
--
Eowyn and Danuriel worked side by side in silence. The people of Rohan crowded the alleys behind the Deeping Wall. There were many, frightened, who had left homes burning at the hands of the Wildmen. Children hunkered down in the grasps of their mothers, crying softly. Others searched frantically looking for loved ones. Eowyn, Dani and a few others readied supplies for the return of the Riders. The injured would require tending, clean bandages and water.
Eowyn dragged a cot over to one wall. She smoothed the edges of the wispy sheets time and time again, losing herself in the motion. "Eowyn," the Lady did not heed the call of her name, running her hands over the cot again. "Eowyn," Dani set her hands over that of her lady, stilling them. Eowyn gazed up at her friend. "Be still. We need your level mind when the men return." Nodding silently, the Lady of the Mark sat heavily upon the bed. "They will return," she reassured her. "He will return."
"Of course Theoden will return."
"That is not of whom I speak, though I am sure he will. Your eyes betray you Eowyn. They do not roam from him when he is near. Already you care for him. Though I don't suppose wandering eyes could have settled upon one better."
Eowyn's breath came out in a rush and she smiled thinly. "Of course. You know me too well Dani, though funny it is to be lectured by you on my eyes. Your eyes roam as well, but let's not forget," a teasing tone came to her voice, "I am not betrothed."
Dani shrugged, grinning slyly. Her lady's mood had brightened a little and she was glad of it. "And what is the harm in a look? The men look. Eorman's eyes do not remain riveted on me. But even still, I know not of what you speak. This new company is interesting indeed, but my eyes would not to them ROAM as you say. The wizard is aged and his manner upsets me. Aragorn, it seems, already has himself an admirer, and the dwarf, however desirable to his own, is not of my preference."
Eowyn's smile widened then, and a light reached her face. "You would do well not to attempt to feign innocence. It does not suit you Dani."
"So again I ask, what is the harm in a look?"
"There is no harm, so long as a look it remains. So long as your heart does not roam with your eyes. The match with Eorman is a good one. He will long keep you in health and home."
Dani grunted. "I do not wish to be KEPT. My life lies in the Mark, with the herds. Eorman will not have that. He seeks only a wife, a keeper of his home. He does not want me. It pains me milady, the thought of a union to a man that does not love me wholly for myself. I am torn, between a life of my choosing, and a life of stability. Yet Theoden himself approved the match, and loathe I am to dissent with the will of my King."
"Then you must ponder the matter further," Eowyn counseled, "and decide where your life will lead you. With Eorman, or down some other road. If you would truly find no happiness with him, none would fault your decision." A call from the gates interrupted their discussion. Eowyn's features hardened once more, the worries that had temporarily set aside came flooding back. "I go to meet them." She stood.
"My place is with the horses. I will find you again later." The two women turned in opposite directions and left.
--
Eowyn rushed forward to meet the returning Riders, led by the King. She saw the Elf Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf dismount from Arod near the rear of the group. Head bowed, the blonde handed the horse off to a servant and vanished. Her stomach flipped, a fear gnawing at her mind. "So few," she breathed, "so few of you have returned."
Theoden would not meet his niece's gaze. He had no heart to speak of Aragorn, of one he sensed that Eowyn cherished. "We have lost many men this day," he spoke while helping one of the guard down from his horse. "We must prepare now, for the battle ahead." Theoden moved away then, berating his own cowardice.
She watched her King walk away from her, and didn't notice the Dwarf till he stood beside her. "My Lady." His voice caught, and even half hidden by his beard she could see his stricken expression. His eyes shone.
"Lord Aragorn, where is he?" She dreaded the answer she already felt. Around her the world seemed to spin, fading away into a grey din. She blinked back tears. The sounds of Helm's Deep dimmed and faded in her ears.
"He fell," Gimli choked out. "From the cliffs." Blood rushed into her head, screaming in her ears and she felt dizzy and lightheaded. She spun, her skirts swirling around her and she fled away from the gates, tripping up the stairs as she ran. Her vision was obscured by tears. Her flight led her up to the Keep, back to the cavernous room where the horses were kept. A guard was ahead of her, leading two horses.
One was Hasufel, the mount given to Aragorn by Eomer. The chestnut had a deep, wide gash across one shoulder. Dark blood, congealed into his hair, marred his glossy hide. The tall gelding limped with every step and blood had leached down his entire leg. The sight of him brought a new flooding of tears. Her shoulders shook as Eowyn took the geldings' reins from the guard. He blew a breath out in her hand. The horse sighed, pressing his forehead into her chest, eyes half closed.
"My lady?" Dani touched her arm, breaking Eowyn from her thoughts. The blonde woman started. Tears swept the dust of travel from her cheeks, leaving fair tracks beneath her eyes. Standing at the stable girl's shoulder stood her own horse, unrestrained by lead or halter. Dani looked from Hasufel to her friend and her stomach clenched. "Aragorn?"
"He fell," she sobbed. Eowyn covered her face with her hands. Her grief would not be stayed nor her tears dammed. Dani embraced her, not knowing what else to do. After a few minutes the shaking of her shoulders slackened. Hasufel lipped at her golden tresses. The Lady of the Mark smiled sadly then, laying one hand on the gelding's nose and swiping at her eyes with the other. Dani took a step back. "Such foolishness. Here I stand beside myself when there are those that might yet be saved. I must go to the men and do what I may."
She held up a hand to halt the protests that lined Danuriel's lips. "Nay. I will be fine. Filling my mind with other thoughts will stem this hurt for a time. Worry not for me, but now I must go. Will you take Hasufel?"
"Of course," Dani bowed her head in obedience. Eowyn left then, striding purposefully back out of the Keep. Her face, which had been so full of pain just a moment before, was now a stoic mask. Dani watched her till she receded from view, then led the gelding forward, clucking her tongue. He followed haltingly, Dani's bay ambling at his side.
Hasufel drank gratefully the bucket of water laid before him, draining it. His ears flicked with each swallow. He sighed when she undid his girth. Her left arm, injured by the Warg, protested sharply when she lifted her arms to drag off the heavy saddle from the chestnut's back. The skin stretched, parting the wound and she hissed. The stab of pain nearly made her drop the saddle, but she gritted her teeth and set it down on its stand.
"You are injured." She had not heard the Elf enter the chamber, and his proclamation made her jump. Keen blue eyes glared at her accusingly. Gimli stood just behind him, studying Aragorn's horse sadly.
"Must you always do that?" she snapped.
"Do what?"
"That," she shook a finger at him, "that soundless approaching thing that you do! It is all well and good for battle and surprising ones enemies, but it reeks havoc upon my nerves. Must you always be so.........so..." she searched for the word.
"Insufferably elfish?" Gimli supplied helpfully.
"Exactly!"
Legolas shot them both a withering glare. "Do not attempt to sway my attention. Your arm, you are injured."
Dani turned, keeping her wounded arm on the far side of the Elf. In truth she had barely noticed the injury till she'd dismounted, and by then the blood had soaked through the dull red of her shirt and congealed, forming something of a bandage. Now however, it had opened again, and she felt a warm trickle of blood slide down her arm. "There are others far more grievously injured than myself. It is no more than a scratch."
"That," he said with a sigh and a roll of his eyes, "is hardly the point." Moving with lightning quickness he grasped her wrist, steering her to a nearby stool. Dani hissed and swatted at his hand when he pulled the fabric of her shirt back away from the gash. She attempted to pull her arm from his grasp, to no avail. Legolas' mouth quirked. "A scratch?" The slice of the claw was a good three or four inches long and half an inch deep at least.
"Never said it wasn't a bad scratch," she muttered darkly.
"Stop fidgeting," Legolas ordered as he surveyed the gash.
"Then stop poking me!" She returned irately.
Gimli laughed, drawing their attention. "The two of you are a wondrous source of amusement. You are both stubborn beyond imagine. Heads thicker than stone you both have."
"Come now Master Dwarf," Dani chastised, a gleam coming to her eye, "surely my head is nowhere near as thick as his."
"Wonderful," Legolas said, half to himself, "now I am gifted with two thorns to my side. Gimli, don't help. You Danuriel, just.........just stay." The blonde Elf left as quickly and silently as he'd come.
As soon as he was gone from sight, Dani was back on her feet beside Hasufel. "Didn't he tell you to stay?" Gimli questioned, smiling thinly beneath his beard.
"I am staying," she returned, digging through a pack by her feet. her hands returned triumphant, holding a small jar of ointment that she began to apply to the chestnut's shoulder. "I'm just not sitting."
Gimli grunted. There were a few moments of silence then, before Gimli asked, "Will he mend?"
She ran a hand down the sleek neck and gave the horse a conciliatory pat. "Ay, the wound has been cleansed by its own bleeding. He will heal, in time, though a scar to remember this day he shall always bare."
"It is a day to remember, though not gladly." His tone was somber. "Now lass I beg you sit, should the Elf return an berate me for your stubbornness. I care not to listen to his mutterings."
"I will not faint if that it your concern."
"It is not, I concern only to spare my ears."
"A poor liar you make Gimli, son of Gloin. This," she gestured to her arm, "stitched by its own blood would too heal on its own. Such a bother over such a small thing."
"Ay, but nevertheless allow him to fuss. He grieves, his mind is restless and idle hands do not suit his manner."
She sat heavily on the stool again. "You are a good friend to him Gimli."
He grunted. "You are mistaken." He was gruff, but the words seemed weak even to himself.
A figure appeared in the doorway. Eorman stood, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A small cut cleaved his cheek, but aside from that he stood unscathed. Gimli watched the tightening of Dani's face. "I'll now take my leave of you milady, and leave you to your counsels." With a curt nod to Eorman at the door he left.
Eorman's eyes were fixed upon her. "You did not look for me when the Riders returned." There was accusation behind the words, bubbling anger. "Instead I found you here, carousing with those whom I forbid you to speak. They are treacherous Danuriel. Already they turn you against me."
Dani cried out, exasperated. "They turn me against nothing but this growing black tide! Their presence has inspired me to fight, for us all to fight. How can you not see the good in their coming? They have warned us, allowed us to prepare for the coming evil. I am blind and still I see it!"
Eorman fisted his hand before her face. "They have led us here, bottled us for the slaughter. They are quick, very quick to turn us away from those we have long trusted. Saruman has been friend to Rohan for years before the White Rider came. Does this mean nothing?"
"His friendship was an illusion. Saruman poisoned Theoden's mind."
"Did he?" Eorman's gray eyes narrowed. "How do we know which Theoden is himself? Perhaps Gandalf placed some new trickery upon him, some spell of his own to send us to ruin. I feel we are brought here to death and would leave with all haste, but first implore you to come with me."
"You would run? You would leave your people on the eve of battle?"
"I would run from what will surely be my end, and yours. You are too quick to trust my love. Come, we will ride to Isengard and form allegiance with Saruman, our ally. I will not stand behind this company."
"Does the fact that I believe them mean nothing to you?"
The burly man smiled, touching her cheek with his thumb. "You are too kind Dani, too soft. You do not see the truth. I do not blame you for it. But I love you, and wish to deliver you from harm. Come with me, end this foolishness."
"Blame me? I am some wispy maiden who picks flowers while the men tarry in the fields. If you cannot trust me, then you do not love me."
"But I do. What be your answer?"
She swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. "I do not yet know my answer."
"Then I will return when you have had time to consider."
--
Legolas came back a few minutes after Eorman had gone. He balanced a basin, some bandages and a small jar. He set them down at her feet, placing half the bandages in the bowl of clean water. Dani's bay sniffed at the offerings curiously.
"There is nothing for you here," she told him, laying a hand upon his side. "Go on now." The bay snorted as if giving answer and moved away, though he always kept one ear trained to the woman and Elf.
"He follows you like a dog," Legolas marveled.
"He is the last colt by Valhuriel and thus he is Legacy. He was breech at birth and his dam did not survive. I helped save him, raise him. His sire died protecting me. We are bound to each other."
Legolas nodded. Squeezing some water from the bandages he set to work cleaning her arm. "Sit still at least if not silent," he implored. His hands were cool against her skin, his touch unnaturally light.
She gnawed edgily on her lower lip for a while, and neither spoke. Finally the silence became too much and she blurted out, "Eowyn came to me with ill news." Legolas paused, stiffening slightly, and his guilty thought flooded back to the forefront of his mind. "I am sorry Legolas."
He dropped the now bloodied bandage into the basin. "He fell from the cliffs during the attack," he confirmed. He applied a thin layer of salve to the wound before wrapping it. "Athelas, from Aragorn's pack," he explained. "It would be better if given from his hand, but works well enough from mine."
"My lady will grieve for him."
His thoughts wandered to the crystal pendent in his pocket. He did not relish the thought of delivering Arwen news of her love's demise. "She will not be the only one. Though still, I hold a sliver of a chance for him." It was a foolish, reckless wish, but one he clung to dearly.
"You do not believe him lost?"
"My heart would tell me not to despair, that Estel is not yet gone from us. But my mind seeks to steel me for the battle ahead without him."
"You do not believe we have a chance."
"There is always a chance," he said bitterly.
Eorman's words played in her mind. "You could still leave, if you find us so hopeless. Nothing ties you here."
Blue eyes glared sharply. "My heart ties me here. Full of a promise to a man I consider a brother. Estel would stay, would fight. He is a great champion of lost causes. And so long as I live and breathe I will not give up."
"The price of your loyalty might be your life."
"It is a high price," he agreed, nodding. "But sometimes, even a high price is worth what is gotten in return."
"And the return?"
He shrugged. "A chance maybe, if not for ourselves than for others. A chance for Estel to rally the race of men behind him, or for two, dear to me, who travel alone in dangerous times. A chance for the people of Rohan to prove their worth. We may never know the hope borne of our actions."
"We need hope. The people here cling to the smallest thread of it, for a chance, for the sight of a new dawn. We are lost without it."
He straightened, lifting his chin. "We are not finished yet. By the will of the Valar, Estel will return before the battle sweeps us."
Dani's head tilted. "He has many names, does he not? He is Strider the Ranger, heir of Elendil, Lord Aragorn, yet this name Estel only you have called him. It is strange to me."
"Estel is the name given to him by the Elves. He was raised by the Lord of Rivendell," he explained. "Elrond. Not many know the name, fewer call him by it."
"What does it mean?"
Her own words replayed to him. /We are lost without it./ His shoulders sagged and a new weight bore down on his chest. Somber blue eyes lifted to meet her gaze. "Hope Dani." His voice was low and hollow. "It means hope."
Chapter 5
I know this chap had a lot of my OC in it, but it just came out that way I swear! I needed some more character development and allow for some things later on, so bear with me.
By the way, I'm a review hound, please feed me.