**Orc Hunt**
Miranda walked out of the woods and onto the beach where their camp was. She could see Frodo and Sam rowing one of the boats across the lake. They were safe. That put her mind at ease about them, but she realized what was happening. Frodo looked back at her with a sad look on his face. He and Sam were going on alone. Miranda gave him a smile and waved. He smiled back and kept rowing.
"Good luck, ring bearer," Miranda said softly.
Miranda sighed and started cleaning up the camp. She was trying not to think about Boromir, but she couldn't help herself. Losing Gandalf had been horrible. Losing Boromir was devastating. If she lost another friend on this trip, she just knew it would kill her. She glanced at the two remaining boats and remembered her dream about the waterfall. It had been a funeral boat she saw. She choked back the tears and took the supplies out of one of the boats to get it ready.
By the time the camp was cleaned and packed, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli emerged from the woods with Boromir's body. No one spoke, but Aragorn noticed the prepared boat and the packed luggage. The men respectfully laid out Boromir's body on the boat with his sword and horn. Aragorn set the boat adrift and they watched the current carry it toward the falls. Legolas and Aragorn each sang a few verses praising the heroic passing of their friend. When they had finished, Aragorn asked Miranda if she wanted to say anything.
"No," she said softly. She couldn't make up songs like they could, and she wouldn't spoil things by stumbling through a speech. She would miss him, and no words could explain how much.
Legolas went to get in the last boat, "We must hurry," he said. "Frodo and Sam have a good head start." No one moved to get into the boat, and Legolas looked back at Aragorn. "You do not mean to follow them."
"Frodo's fate is out of our hands," Aragorn said.
"Then the fellowship has failed," Gimli said bitterly. "It was all for nothing."
"No," Miranda said firmly. "He was always meant to go on alone, eventually."
Aragorn looked back at Miranda and wondered what else she might know about this quest she was not telling. He quickly shook off the desire to question her about it.
"The fellowship will not fail as long as we remain true to each other," Aragorn said. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death, not while we have strength left."
The foursome looked at each other's faces in silent agreement to the plan. They would follow the Orcs and rescue their friends.
"Leave all that can be spared behind, we travel light," Aragorn said. "Let's hunt some Orc!"
"Yes!" Gimli agreed heartily.
Miranda quickly emptied her leather pouch of unnecessary items, like her dress, and loaded it with that elf bread they had been given in Lorien. The others prepared similarly. Legolas refilled his quiver and Miranda's as well, with the extra arrows they had packed. Then Aragorn took off at a run with the others following. Miranda had gotten into decent shape from all the traveling on foot, but a marathon was going to be hard. She hoped she could keep up.
*****
Aragorn led the pursuit at a relentless pace. The foursome ran in single file, pausing only to read the trail, or for a brief respite when moonlight was not enough to reveal their quarry's trail. Miranda was beyond exhausted, but somehow managed to continue. The first day had been the worst, but somewhere during the late hours she had found her second wind and managed to keep pace.
Three days into their chase, Aragorn paused to read the trail and found one of the hobbits' leaf brooches, a gift from Lady Galadriel. The others caught up to see what he had found.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," Aragorn said.
"They may yet be alive," Legolas said.
"Less than a day ahead of us," Aragorn said as he handed the leaf to Miranda. When she took it, she suddenly caught her breath. Gimli noticed her hand shaking slightly as she pocketed the small treasure.
"What is it?" Gimli asked. The three men looked at her expectantly.
"They are alive," Miranda said quietly. "We should hurry."
Aragorn gave her a curt nod and took off onto the trail again. He was followed closely by Legolas and Gimli. Miranda paused a moment to consider what had just happened, but realized she did not have the moment to spare, so she took up the pursuit with the others. Her visions were not only in her dreams anymore, but came to her in flashes during the day now. She wished she could talk to Gandalf. She missed his wisdom.
The group came to the top of a hill, and Aragorn recognized the landscape.
"Rohan," Aragorn said, "home of the Horse lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, and sets its will against us." Aragorn shouted ahead to Legolas who was scanning the horizon. "Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?"
"The orcs are turning northeast. They are taking the hobbits to Isengard!"
"Saruman!" Aragorn said bitterly.
*****
They followed the trail all night, and Miranda didn't know how they were managing this pace. She was sure she would collapse if this went on much longer. The sun was rising, and Legolas made an ominous observation.
"A red sun rises," Legolas said. "Blood has been spilt this night."
"Charming," Miranda said under her breath.
They continued on during the morning until they saw a large company of riders heading in their direction. They hid between a rock formation and a few boulders until they passed, but Aragorn decided to speak to them. He stepped out into the open and announced his presence.
"Riders of Rohan," he shouted to them. "What news of the Mark?"
Legolas, Gimli and Miranda came out of hiding to stand with Aragorn as the riders turned. Miranda pulled her hood up and tried to hide behind Legolas and Aragorn. The riders quickly surrounded them, and pointed spears at them as if assuming they were enemies.
"What business does an elf, a dwarf and a man have in the Riddermark? And you there, show yourself," their leader demanded harshly.
"Give me your name, horse lord, and I shall give you mine," Gimli challenged. Aragorn placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder as a warning but the damage was already done.
The leader dismounted and held out his sword toward Gimli in answer to his rude introduction. "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood a little higher from the ground," the leader retorted angrily.
"And you would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas said as he quickly aimed an arrow at the leader of the riders. Miranda was always impressed by the lightening speed at which the graceful elf moved.
The riders aimed their spears at him in answer to his threat against their leader, but Aragorn put his hand on Legolas' arm to have him lower his bow.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm," Aragorn said.
"And your silent companion?" the leader asked suspiciously as he pointed at Miranda.
"Miranda," Aragorn whispered to her as he pointed at her hood. She frowned, but complied with his request by lowering her hood.
"This is the Lady Mirada," Aragorn said.
"A woman?" the leader said in surprise. "You truly are a strange company." He looked her over a moment and even with the dust of travel he could see that she was very beautiful. He was about to say something else, but Aragorn interrupted his thoughts.
"We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden your King," Aragorn said.
"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," the leader said as he removed his helmet. "Not even his own kin. I am Ẻomer. I and my company are those loyal to Rohan and for that, we are banished. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over these lands," Ẻomer said sadly. "The white wizard is cunning. He walks as an old man, hooded and cloaked, and everywhere his spies slip through our nets." He looked at Aragorn suspiciously.
"We are no spies," Aragorn said quickly. "We track a party of Orcs westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive."
"The orcs are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night," Ẻomer said.
"There were two Hobbits," Gimli spoke up quickly. "Did you see two hobbits with them?"
"They would be small, only children to your eyes," Aragorn said.
Ẻomer shook his head sadly at their obvious loss, "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," he added as he pointed in the direction of the battle.
"Dead?" Gimli said sadly.
"I am sorry," Ẻomer said as he looked at the devastated expressions on the four companions' faces. He glanced at Miranda, but she was staring at the ground. "I am sorry, Lady Miranda," Ẻomer said.
Miranda looked at the horse lord and gave him a nod of thanks. Her eyes were misty, but she did not cry.
Ẻomer felt a tinge of guilt at not noticing prisoners among the enemy. He gave a sharp whistle and called two horses over. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." Ẻomer put his helmet back on and mounted his horse. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands."
*****
Miranda rode with Aragorn, and Gimli rode with Legolas. They continued to the battlefield on the edge of Fangorn forest. There was a huge pile of smoldering Orc bodies, and they dismounted to search for the remains of their friends. Miranda couldn't bear to look at the massacre; she just walked to the edge of the forest. She just felt drawn to it. Gimli fought back tears as he used his ax to dig for signs of the two hobbits. Gimli found one of the hobbits' belts.
"We've failed them," Gimli said dejectedly.
Aragorn stared at carnage and let out a harsh yell of frustration as he fell to his knees. Then something caught his eye. He studied the tracks on the ground, and saw signs of the hobbits. He tracked their movements across the battle field while Legolas and Gimli followed.
"The tracks lead away from the battle," Aragorn said with hope in his voice. "Right into Fangorn forest." The trio followed the tracks to the edge of the wood, but Miranda was already standing there.
"You knew?" Legolas asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't know, I just felt drawn here," Miranda said. "I …do not understand the things I see, Legolas. Don't be angry with me for not talking about what I don't understand."
"It's all right, Miranda," Aragorn said.
Aragorn followed the tracks into the forest. Gimli found signs of Orc blood and Legolas regarded the trees with great respect.
"This forest is old," Legolas said. "Very old…full of memory and anger."
"The air is so close in here," Gimli said.
"These are strange tracks," Aragorn said as he studied the ground.
The trees started groaning and creaking. Miranda felt an icy chill run up her spine, and Gimli raised his ax to be ready for an unseen foe.
"The trees are speaking to each other," Legolas said.
"Gimli, lower your ax," Miranda said quickly.
Gimli immediately complied. Legolas suddenly started speaking to Aragorn in elvish, and the group came together.
"The white wizard approaches," Legolas whispered to them.
"We must not let him speak, he will put a spell on us," Aragorn said quietly.
Everyone put their hands on their weapons in ready, except Miranda, who just waited. Aragorn said they must be quick, and then they all spun around to face him. There was a shining light, and Legolas shot the wizard with an arrow, but the wizard deflected it. Gimli's ax was also easily deflected. Aragorn's sword burned in his hand until he was forced to drop it, and Miranda just stood there staring at the white figure angrily. She knew who it was, and she had a thing or two to say to him.
"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," the wizard said.
"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.
"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" the wizard asked.
"Who are you?" Aragorn whispered. "Show yourself!"
The light from the wizard faded, and they could see that it was Gandalf, dressed all in white, and carrying a white staff. He smiled at them.
"Gandalf?" Aragorn said.
"Yes, that was my name, Gandalf the Grey," he said to them with a smirk. "I am Gandalf the White, and I come back to you now, at the turning of the tide."