The next day, Alia woke up when the sun had already reached its highest
point. She stretched her muscles and jumped out of the bed and got dressed
to join her family. All her thoughts were with Elea and what she had seen
in her dream last night. They had to find Elea's mother so they could see
if there were some parallels between the dead rangers and the young woman.
She ran down the stairs , nearly too fast, and rushed into the big hall where she expected the others to be. The hall was empty and so she decided to look for them outside because it was a wonderful sunny day.
Her brother and Aragorn were inside the stables together with Faramir. They talked about a horse when Alia arrived but stopped talking when they saw her. Aragorn embraced his daughter warmly and said: " We just let you sleep this morning because we had the feeling that you were really tired. Are you feeling fine my dear? Or are you getting ill?"
He put one hand on her forehead but pulled it back when Alia slapped it. "I'm fine ada but we have to ride into the forest. Now! We should look there for some clues about what happened and maybe we'll find a clue who the murderer is."
She gave Eldarion a warning look as if to say: Don't tell them what happened last night, and than took her mare and went outside.
Her father and Faramir followed her a bit puzzled while Eldarion brought their horses.
"Alia dear, may I ask why you are that exited about riding into the forest out of a sudden? Is there anything I should know?" Aragorn gave her a worried look.
The young woman sighed and shook her head. "No ada, I just want to make everything a bit clearer. I want to find the one who did this to E... the young woman and the rangers! Can we leave now?"
She climbed on the back of her horse and kicked her feet into the mare's stomach. As fast as she could she galloped in the direction of the forest and didn't even look back to see if the others were behind her.
In front of the woods she stopped and tied the horse on a tree. She realized that the others were far behind her and that she had to wait for them. Alia was very nervous about what they would find in the forest.
When her father, brother and Faramir arrived, she stormed into the forest, exactly knowing where she had to go. In front of a very tiny house all of them stopped and she analysed the surroundings.
Alia slowly opened the door and automatically stepped back again when a bad smell hit her face and filled her nose.
Aragorn was immediately by her side and catched her when she stumbled backwards and nearly fell over a branch. He also smelled that there was something in the house and he wanted to pull his daughter as far as possible from this place but Alia had already freed herself out of his grip.
She took a deep breath and entered the house. She found Elea's mother lying on the ground covered in her own blood that had poured out of a deep cut in her throat but noticed that it had stopped bleeding some time ago. The blood the old woman was lying in was already dry and Alia realized that her body was rotting.
"Some one wanted to make sure that no one will misses Elea. The murderer killed her mother as well but he did not have enough time to kill her as cruelly as he killed the others. But he let her bleed...," said the young woman and turned around to face her father.
Aragorn gave her another worried look and covered his nose with his hand. He looked around. The house was dark, only small windows let in some sunshine. The house was not very big- only one big room existed with a table and two beds in it. No kitchen, nothing to have a bath in or wash the dishes. As he could see, not even a cupboard was there so he wondered if the people who had lived here had eaten from leaves.
"Who's Elea," he than asked. "You mentioned her name. Is she the young woman?" Alia nodded.
"Yes, she was the young woman. I think, her mother is dead since Monday, that means 5 days. Dead bodies normally don't rot that fast but it had been very hot the last couple of days . I also think that the rangers and Elea were murdered days or maybe weeks ago. The burned and peeled skin doesn't rot fast so it's nearly impossible to tell when exactly they've been killed. But it has to be at last 6 days. She was alive when Elea went into the forest and never came back," the last words were whispered and tears sprang into the young woman's eyes.
She wiped them away so her father didn't see them and became troubled again. She then left the house because she couldn't stand the smell of old blood and rotten flesh anymore.
Aragorn wanted to ask, why she knew all those things but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want Alia to get upset again and he didn't want her to think that he was overprotective. Even he was her father...
"We have to go to the river were Elea was killed. Maybe we'll find something there," said Alia and started to walk. When they already heard the water, she stopped because she had the feeling that someone was watching them.
She ran down the stairs , nearly too fast, and rushed into the big hall where she expected the others to be. The hall was empty and so she decided to look for them outside because it was a wonderful sunny day.
Her brother and Aragorn were inside the stables together with Faramir. They talked about a horse when Alia arrived but stopped talking when they saw her. Aragorn embraced his daughter warmly and said: " We just let you sleep this morning because we had the feeling that you were really tired. Are you feeling fine my dear? Or are you getting ill?"
He put one hand on her forehead but pulled it back when Alia slapped it. "I'm fine ada but we have to ride into the forest. Now! We should look there for some clues about what happened and maybe we'll find a clue who the murderer is."
She gave Eldarion a warning look as if to say: Don't tell them what happened last night, and than took her mare and went outside.
Her father and Faramir followed her a bit puzzled while Eldarion brought their horses.
"Alia dear, may I ask why you are that exited about riding into the forest out of a sudden? Is there anything I should know?" Aragorn gave her a worried look.
The young woman sighed and shook her head. "No ada, I just want to make everything a bit clearer. I want to find the one who did this to E... the young woman and the rangers! Can we leave now?"
She climbed on the back of her horse and kicked her feet into the mare's stomach. As fast as she could she galloped in the direction of the forest and didn't even look back to see if the others were behind her.
In front of the woods she stopped and tied the horse on a tree. She realized that the others were far behind her and that she had to wait for them. Alia was very nervous about what they would find in the forest.
When her father, brother and Faramir arrived, she stormed into the forest, exactly knowing where she had to go. In front of a very tiny house all of them stopped and she analysed the surroundings.
Alia slowly opened the door and automatically stepped back again when a bad smell hit her face and filled her nose.
Aragorn was immediately by her side and catched her when she stumbled backwards and nearly fell over a branch. He also smelled that there was something in the house and he wanted to pull his daughter as far as possible from this place but Alia had already freed herself out of his grip.
She took a deep breath and entered the house. She found Elea's mother lying on the ground covered in her own blood that had poured out of a deep cut in her throat but noticed that it had stopped bleeding some time ago. The blood the old woman was lying in was already dry and Alia realized that her body was rotting.
"Some one wanted to make sure that no one will misses Elea. The murderer killed her mother as well but he did not have enough time to kill her as cruelly as he killed the others. But he let her bleed...," said the young woman and turned around to face her father.
Aragorn gave her another worried look and covered his nose with his hand. He looked around. The house was dark, only small windows let in some sunshine. The house was not very big- only one big room existed with a table and two beds in it. No kitchen, nothing to have a bath in or wash the dishes. As he could see, not even a cupboard was there so he wondered if the people who had lived here had eaten from leaves.
"Who's Elea," he than asked. "You mentioned her name. Is she the young woman?" Alia nodded.
"Yes, she was the young woman. I think, her mother is dead since Monday, that means 5 days. Dead bodies normally don't rot that fast but it had been very hot the last couple of days . I also think that the rangers and Elea were murdered days or maybe weeks ago. The burned and peeled skin doesn't rot fast so it's nearly impossible to tell when exactly they've been killed. But it has to be at last 6 days. She was alive when Elea went into the forest and never came back," the last words were whispered and tears sprang into the young woman's eyes.
She wiped them away so her father didn't see them and became troubled again. She then left the house because she couldn't stand the smell of old blood and rotten flesh anymore.
Aragorn wanted to ask, why she knew all those things but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want Alia to get upset again and he didn't want her to think that he was overprotective. Even he was her father...
"We have to go to the river were Elea was killed. Maybe we'll find something there," said Alia and started to walk. When they already heard the water, she stopped because she had the feeling that someone was watching them.