A/N:Meh… I haven't written in this is a while, huh? Bleh… I feel Evil. I doubt anybody is even reading it anymore… BUT in case you are… enjoy Amigos!
NOTE: I try to stay truer to the books, but the movie was very good. So I steal scenes from the book AND movie. Whoop for me.
Sisters
Chapter Three: Scared
Sleep came fitfully and uneasy to Tara, and when it did come it was fill with strange dreams. She found herself in a white misted room, clad only in a simple sleeveless white dress. The white mist went on for miles and miles… nothing to show walls or ceilings or even a floor. Her dark hair hung in her eyes, and tickled her arms. Feeling as though she was being watched she began to run in one direction, her bare feet thudding on the seemingly invisible floor. She ran for what felt like miles in what seemed like moments, then turned and ran the other direction.
"I'm lost…" She said looking around, talking to no one. "Why am I always lost?"
::Lost, Child? You are not lost.::
Tara suddenly glanced around looking for the origin of the voice. It was undeniably female, and seem to come from everywhere at once. She tripped over her own feet, and fell to the ground. Her hair fell into her eyes, casting a dark curtain of hair over her face.
"I'm too lost…" She stamped her foot on the ground, even though she sat, "I don't know where I am, or who you are! AND I'm not a child! I'm Seventeen…" She added as a last attempt. At what she'd never know. The Voice in turn laughed, a sound Tara would never be able to forget.
::A mere Child… A mere Child.:: Tara stood as the voice went on, ::And you are not lost. When you were younger, (and by that I mean younger than you already are), your parents would take you places you did not know of, yet you were not lost. You merely needed to ask where you were going.::
Tara stared open mouthed at the Sky, though she didn't know what direction to look at.
"YOU MAKE NO SENSE!" She screamed, "This world makes no sense! Why Am I here?"
The owner of the Voice smiled. How Tara knew… The Voice laughed again,
::You are part of the answer to a prayer. You have a job to do here. I have sent you here for one reason…::
"What?"
The Voice laughed again, but that faded into someone else's laughter. Someone Very familiar.
Tara woke to the sound of Charlotte laughing. For half a second she thought she was back home, in her own bed… but she rolled onto her wrist and gasped with sudden shocking pain. She heard somebody's footsteps crunching in the dirt, and then they leaned over and drew out her hand. She kicked with her good leg without thinking, and watched as Aragorn fell back.
"Sorry…" She said quickly, she sat up cradling her arm in her lap. "I- uh…"
Aragorn nodded, rubbing his ribs. "You have a sound kick."
Tara let out a nervous smile, "Um… Thanks." She let her eyes rove over the camp, as everyone packed in the early morning light. Charlotte sat with the dark haired little person- Hadn't Paige called them Hobbits? Charlotte and the… hobbit seem to be talking, and laughing. Tara racked her brain for his name, but couldn't remember. Aragorn's blue gaze fallowed her own, and he seemed to read her expression.
"Pippin… His name is Pippin." Aragorn smiled as they both stood, "Gandalf wishes to see your hand before we go. As for new pants…" He tossed a tunic and boots at her, from atop a nearby pack "Here. Legolas brought extra."
Tara tried to catch them with her free hand, but the boots dropped to the ground, landing on her toe. "Who brought what?" She asked stupidly. However Aragorn had already left, to help Boromir finish packing up camp. "I have shoes!"
"Wear the boots." Aragorn called back.
"Whatever."
"The hobbits gave me and Charlotte new clothes too." Paige came up behind her, "I have my jacket, but Charlotte…" Paige's voice faded off, and she pointed to a giant rock. "You can change over there."
Tara watched her middle sister walk over to the camp, and sit beside the dead fire. Feeling slightly guilty, Tara walked stiffly till she was behind the rock and changed out of her pants and into the leggings and tunic as fast as her leg would allow. She grimaced, while she tugged on the tunic. It was pretty, but it was too long reaching fall below her knees.
She came out, and shuffled over to Gandalf. The old gentleman took a quick glance, and efficiently hid a laugh behind a cough. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Legolas give Aragorn an amused look.
"Hey… He's taller than me." Tara said, upset. Aragorn let out a chuckle, and Gandalf let the smile spread across his face. He handed her a long knobbed stick.
"A walking stick?" Tara asked amazed. "Is that really necessary…"
Charlotte laughed, 'Cool! Can I try?" She asked getting up from her spot with Pippin. Gandalf's staff, came down in front of her, blocking her from her sister.
"Wait till later, little one." He gave a small brief smile. Charlotte backed off, smiling back softly. Gandalf turned back to Tara,
"We're leaving…" He stated mater-of-fact-ly. Tara rolled her eyes,
"So I noticed…" She muttered. She looked down only the slightest second, but when her eye shot back up, she was looking in Gandalf's dangerous blue eyes. She swallowed hard, and nodded. She didn't know what she was agreeing to, but Gandalf seemed pleased. He nodded, and narrowed his eyes as he went off.
"Don't anger a wizard." Aragorn said as he handed her a pack. She nodded at Aragorn, almost dumbly with eyes still wide, and watched her feet as he walked off. The pack was light, simply clothes, but even the slight extra weight, made it hard for her to walk on her leg.
"Don't baby your leg." Paige said angrily, coming up once again behind her sister. Her dark hair hung in her eyes, hiding what must have been angry tears. Tara didn't answer, as Gandalf called out to them all.
"We shall try to make the pass of Rohan…" Gandalf spoke loudly, though his eyes were only on Aragorn, "However if that shall fail-"
"Don't speak so, and it won't." Aragorn said, with a gesture toward the trail. Gandalf turned, and nodded.
"Ah yes…" he sighed and began to walk, "Frodo, Sam, and the girl Paige fall behind me. Then Boromir, Gimil, Merry, Pippin and the young one stay in the middle. Tara, You shall stay behind. We don't need to be held up by your bad knee."
Tara automatically threw back her shoulders and narrowed her eyes, "I'll be fine. I'll keep up."
Gandalf rolled his eyes and muttered something close to, "I'm sure you will. Aragorn-" He never finished his sentence, but merely nodded at Aragorn.
As the group set off, Tara tried to keep up after them, her leg throbbing, but much better than the night before. Not used to the wobble she fell over twice trying to hobble uphill, but Aragorn and Legolas helped right her.
"We've already missed a day's walk because of the disturbance you and your sisters caused last night." Aragorn said, as she fell over a rock. He bent to help her, but she pushed him away.
"I'm fine." She said, pushing herself back up. "We didn't mean to cause a 'disturbance.' I wanted to sleep but no…" She hobbled faster to catch up to the retreating backs of the two younger hobbits. Aragorn sent Legolas another amused grin, watching the girl hobble faster. Legolas laughed silently, and both caught up to her.
"Maybe we should just carry you?" Aragorn said lightly, making Tara turn with a glare as she tried to go up the hill. The blonde haired elf, laughed, "Or we could just throw you up the hill… It'd be faster."
"Funny." Tara grunted trying to stay close. "I don't-oomph!" She fell over again as she bumped into Boromir's back. She tumbled a short way down the hill, till she bumped into Aragorn's shins. Looking up through a curtain of hair, she rolled her eyes.
"Figures…" She mumbled as Aragorn dragged her up.
"Gandalf?" Aragorn called out, ignoring Tara. The grey cloaked man paid no attention to him as he stared off. Aragorn nudged Legolas lightly, and the blond elf nimbly ran up the rest of the hill, and jumped upon a rock. Gandalf, leaning on his walking staff, pointed at what seemed to be a whisp of dark cloud floating toward the group.
"Is that all, Gandalf?" Gimil asked loudly, "It's just a little bit of cloud."
"It's moving rather fast." Boromir answered, squinting his eyes, "And against the wind."
"Spies!" Legolas suddenly cried, jumping down from the rock. The word had great affect on the group, and everyone sprang into action. The next thing Tara knew, she was under a large rock, Charlotte thrown in beside her.
"Tara… I'm scare-" A hand came down on Charlotte's mouth, cutting off her words as Aragorn came in beside Charlotte. A flock of birds flew over the group, their loud caws sending a shock of cold into Tara for some reason. They circled the group for a good few minutes, before shooting back into the air and off.
Tara climbed out after her sister and Aragorn, shaking slightly. She watched as everyone climbed out of hiding places. Frodo and Sam were helping Paige crawl out of where she got stuck.
"What was that?" Charlotte's voice was barley a whisper, but Gandalf heard it anyways.
"Spies… We won't be able to go onto the Path of Rohan."
Boromir frowned, "Then were will we go, wizard?"
Gandalf didn't answer, but merely pointed to a tall snowcapped pass. Tara fell over as she looked up, and swallowed hard.
"I don't do cold." She whispered, but nobody paid her any mind. Again.