Eadhild had been running for what seemed hours. She heeded Treebeard's warning. She watched carefully for crows, and orc. She was relieved that she had not seen either, sense she left the forest. As the sun started to set, she remembered that Treebeard said not to travel at night. She started to look for shelter. So far though, she had seen only the green plains.

As she was beginning to lose hope of finding shelter for the night, she noticed a very large boulder. She approached the boulder carefully. She had almost missed the crevice. It was just big enough for her and her travelling pack. She prayed the boulder was sturdy, and would not roll on her as she slept. She quickly pulled out bandages from her pack, and treated her wounds. Then she slid under the boulder.

Just an hour after she had fallen asleep, she was awoken by a hideous stench. She forced herself to remain calm. She slid further beneath the boulder. She peered out from under the boulder, as the stench came ever closer.

"So what are his orders from Mordor?", she heard one harsh, raspy voice ask.

"To make Isengard a force worthy of Mordor.", another voice answered.

"Aye with both forces, the age of men will end.", the first voice replied.

She soon saw the source of the voices, and the stench. She counted four orcs in all. She choked as the smell came closer to her. Just as she thought things couldn't get any worse, she heard the death cry of their prey.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at their catch of the day. She sighed in relief when she realized that it was not the child that she thought it was, but only an oxen. She closed her eyes, and covered her mouth as tears of fear, sadness, frustration, and relief flooded down her cheeks.

When she awoke she realized that her hands were throbbing. She remembered that she had injured them climbing down Isengard. Since they had long since stopped bleeding, and she had banadaged them she thought she was alright. She was horribly wrong.

"Oh. Oh no! My hands!", she cried, as she saw how swollen her hands were in the sun light. "What do I do now? Galadriel. Galadriel, you said you'd be there for me. Please, tell me!"

"I am here for you. Keep Moving. You must rise. You must get up.", Galadriel's voice answered.

"Keep moving. Right. Stay awake.", she said, as she forced herself out of her hiding place and to her feet.

At first she seemed disoriented. Slowly though, she became accustomed to her surroundings. She used the forest as a landmark. She kept walking on the plains, away from the forest. She kept moving.

This was inspite of the fact that she was feeling very dizzy. As she sunk to her knees, she tried to force herself back to her feet.

"Come child. Just a little farther.", Galadriel's voice urged, as she fell yet again. "Keep moving. Then you will be safe."

She got up. She was barely able to stand, let alone walk. Yet she forced herself to move one foot in front of the other. She was so disoriented now, she didn't even realize that she whad wandered into a settlement. She took another step. Then another. Then another, only to collapse as a Rohan maid ran to her side.

"Miss? Miss? Wake up! Oh she's hurt! Gamling! My husband!", the woman cried out.

"I'm coming Argod.", Gamlling called out, as he ran to the side of his wife.

"Her hands. They're infected. I wandered what happened, to make them like this.", he said as he lifted the young maid in his arms. "You have a knowledge of herbs Argod. You'll have to take care of her. I've been summoned by the king."

Both Gamling, and his wife walked to their home. He laid the young girl down on a bed. "I'll be back wife. When I can."

"I will. Gamling? Do you think she was running from the orc? Perhaps they did this to her. Or it might have been the wild men."

"Her feet are bruised Argod. Her shoes. Look at them. What ever she was running from, she must have escaped. Even her lips are parched, and cracked from thirst. Take care of her Argod.", Gamling said, as he kissed his wife good bye.

"I will. She will be safe here.", Argod said, as she returned the kiss.

As soon as Gamling was out the door, Argod lifted the kettle from the stove. She lay down some compresses, when she heard a moan.

"No. I won't look. Father! Look out!", Argod's young charged moaned weakly.

"Easy lass.", Argod said, as she sat by the young girls side. "It is well for you, that I have a knowledge of herbs.", she added as she dripped drops of a healing tea down the young woman's throat.

As Eadhild started to gag, Argod held Eadhild's mouth shut. She then stroked her throat, forcing her to swallow the tea. Finaly after several more doses of the healing tea, Argod turned her attention back to the compresses. She soaked the compresses in other herbs, and lay them on Eadhild's hands and arms.

"Ow. It hurts.", Eadhild whimpered, still dazed. The infection had made her ill, and delirious. "I'll never serve your Saruman! I won't serve you! I won't serve Sauron."

Argod looked up in shock. "Oh no. You ran from Saruman the white? Wake up! Do you here?", Argod said. Her voice was little more then a shocked whisper.

A few hours later Gamling returned.

"Where is she?", Gamling asked, noting she wasn't in the bed. "How is she?"

"The swelling is going down in her hands. I believe her fever will break.", Argod answered.

"Where is she?", Gamlings asked again.

"She was running from Saruman the white.", Argod answered. Her voice laced in fear, and terror.

"What? Have you lost your mind wife? He is our ally 'against' Sauron!", Gamling exclaimed.

"She was delirious. She spoke of running from Saruman, and not serving Sauron.", she said her face white. "I thought it best to hide her in the storage room, behind the wine rack."

"No one else saw her. Only you and I. You will tell no one about this. I need to find some answers.", Gamling said, coldy. "If anyone will have them, Hamas will."