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Chapter 2:
It was dawn and Zefron and Legolas were still trying to see who could catch up to the uruk-hai first and so far they had been tied for the most part. Templa even joined in but only to try and make Legolas to lose his balance.
"Farewell elf," said Zefron jumping onto Templa and galloping ahead. Aragorn finally caught up to Legolas when he stopped to look at some tracks on the ground. He heard a horse whinny in the distance and knew that it wasn't Templa.
"Get out of sight," said Aragorn running over to the rocks on the side with Legolas and a panting Gimli close behind. Zefron somehow managed to get there too but Templa was still nowhere in sight. Eomer and his group of riders came over the hill within seconds of their disappearance. Once they had passed Aragorn thought that he would see his luck and called to them.
"Riders of Rohan! What news from the mark!" with that Eomer turned his group around and quickly surrounded the three. Eomer rode into the middle where Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli were looking around a bit surprised.
"What business does an elf, a man, a cloaked figure and a dwarf have in the ridda-mark?" he asked while still atop his horse. "Speak quickly!"
"Give me your name horse master," said Gimli. "And I shall give you mine." Aragorn looked at his small friend slightly troubled. Eomer looked at the dwarf for a few seconds before handing his spear over to a fellow rider and getting off his horse.
"I would cut off your head dwarf," started Eomer. "If only it stood a little higher from the ground." As he finished his little speech, with the blink of an eye Legolas had an arrow pointed at the leader's face at the ready.
"You would die before your stroke fell!" he stated.
"You needn't be so hasty Legolas," said Zefron standing in front of Eomer. Eomer looked at him quite surprised and all of the spears were then pointed at Zefron. Aragorn pushed Legolas's arm down and looked sternly into his eyes.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathron. This is Gimli, son of Gloin and this is Legolas and Zefron of the woodland realms." Aragorn replied looking to Eomer. "We are tracking a pack of uruk-hai across the plains. They have taken three of our friends captive." Eomer looks at him sadly.
"The uruks are destroyed," said Eomer. "We slaughtered them during the night." Zefron let out a strangled cry in his throat.
"But there were two hobbits and a she-elf! Did you see them?" asked Gimli.
"The hobbits would be small. Only children to your eyes," said Aragorn
"And the she-elf has brown hair with lighter parts and hazel and aqua coloured eyes," said Zefron. Eomer looked sorrowfully at them.
"We managed to save the she-elf but we left none other alive," replied Eomer. "We piled the carcasses and burned them."
"Where is she?" asked Zefron walking over to the leader and would have shaken the answer out of him if Aragorn hadn't grabbed him by the shoulders and held him back. Eomer motioned a rider forwards who was holding a semi-conscious Naurrîn in front of him.
"Thank the Valar you are safe!" stated Zefron running over and taking Naurrîn off of the horse and carried her weak form over to the middle of the circle.
"What happened to her?" asked Legolas as Zefron set Naurrîn down on the ground to look at her wound and Aragorn bent down to see too.
"An uruk-hai wounded her arm," replied Eomer. "I bandaged her up the best I could. She has lost a lot of blood."
"Allow me," said Zefron taking off Naurrîn's bandage and looking at it. Aragorn stood up and backed away. "I will do it in the later hour." Naurrîn, who had been closing her eyes the entire time, finally opened them up and looked at him.
"Look for your friends but do not trust to hope," said Eomer after giving the other three horses. "It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" and with those words Eomer and the rest of the outcasts rode away to the north. When they left Naurrîn managed to stand up with Zefron's help.
"Are you alright now?" asked Legolas watching Naurrîn take a few unsteady steps and nearly fall over.
"Just a little lightheaded," replied Naurrîn.
"Do you remember anything of the hobbits my lady?" asked Aragorn. Naurrîn closed her eyes trying her hardest to try and remember as Zefron looked over her wound and started healing it with a small healing spell.
"No, I am sorry," said Naurrîn opening her eyes once more and sighing. "Thank you Zef." Zefron nodded in acknowledgement.
"Come, we must get to the pile." Aragorn said as he jumped onto the brown horse he was given. Legolas and Gimli had to share a white horse and Zefron and Naurrîn shared Templa who had landed a little ways away.
"Can't you use a spell to read my mind and find out where Merry and Pippin are?" asked Naurrîn sitting in front of Zefron.
"No, I am sorry but I am not powerful enough to do a spell as powerful as that." Zefron replied sadly kicking Templa into a gallop to keep up with the others.
At the boarder of Fangorn Forest…
As they rode up to the burning pile Naurrîn tried again to try and remember but couldn't.
"Come Naurrîn," said Zefron jumping down and then helping the she-elf down too. "You must not give up hope on your memory." Naurrîn gave him a weak smile and walked over to see if anything looked familiar all the while trying not to be sick from the horrible stench coming from the burning pile. Gimli was picking through the pile when he stopped and picked a belt up.
"It's one of their wee belts," he said sadly. Legolas started saying a small prayer to the hobbits and Aragorn cried out in exasperation and dropped to his knees. Naurrîn put her hands up to her face and silently cried into them.
"We have failed them," said Gimli. Zefron was about to go over to Naurrîn when he stopped and a vision started playing in his mind.
-Vision-
Merry and Pippin running trough the forest… being followed… Treebeard… hobbits in front of a white figure and two words being spoken… 'Saruman', 'Gandalf'.
-End-
Aragorn looked over from his stop on the ground and started looking at the tracks.
"A hobbit lay here," he said. "And the other." Naurrîn heard him talking nearly to himself and her memory started coming back from the previous night. Aragorn started shouting out about what the tracks said and with each description Naurrîn's memory came back.
"Their tracks lead away from the battle!" cried Aragorn walking over to the boarder of the forest and stopping.
"And into Fangorn Forest…" whispered Naurrîn. Zefron had been talking to Templa while still listening to Aragorn. The winged horse took off running with the other two following her and Zefron went over to Naurrîn.
"They will be alright," whispered Zefron to the sad she-elf.
"What madness drove them in there?" asked Gimli.
"I did… I sent them in there to get away from the battle," said Naurrîn looking at the dwarf.
"You remember now?" asked Legolas.
"Thanks to Aragorn," was the reply. Aragorn started walking into the forest.
"So we are going after them?" asked Zefron watching the ranger. As a response Aragorn continued into the forest followed by Legolas and Gimli. Zefron and Naurrîn walked in after a few seconds.
A few days later…
"What did you see?" asked Naurrîn quietly referring to Zefron's vision days before, as he had not told her yet. Zefron shook his head.
"My visions are getting less and less distinct. Half the time now I do not know what they mean now," he replied after which he proceeded to tell Naurrîn of his vision. Legolas had been up ahead a bit, but still managed to hear a fragment about what they were talking about before their voices dropped lower then even his keen hearing could pick up.
"What are they saying Legolas?" Aragorn asked his elven friend.
"I do not know. I heard a small part about another one of Zefron's visions but they are talking too low for even I to hear," replied Legolas a bit ashamed at that.
"Is there a problem about that?" asked Naurrîn walking silently up behind the three.
"A problem about what?" countered Aragorn.
"About me not wishing to reveal what I know," said Zefron pulling his sliding hood back over his face. Gimli reached over to a leaf to inspect what was on it, and then to confirm what it was he put it into his mouth. Quickly spitting it out.
"Orc blood," he stated gripping his ax tighter.
"I could have told you that just by smelling it. I have lived with them long enough," muttered Zefron looking at the leaf in disgust. Naurrîn stifled a laugh and Legolas looked at him strangely.
"These are strange tracks," stated Aragorn after jumping over a small stream over to some large footprints.
"The air is so close in here," said Gimli looking around.
"This forest is old… very old," said Legolas. "Full of memory… and anger." The trees groaned and Gimli picked up his ax.
"The trees are speaking to each other!" said Naurrîn.
"Gimli, lower your ax." Aragorn said. Gimli did as he was told.
"It would seem that trees do not appreciate ax's," said Zefron earning a laugh from Naurrîn. Legolas stopped suddenly and turned sharply.
"Aragorn (someone's out there,) " stated the elf walking briskly over to a tiny clearing. Naurrîn followed and Zefron was about to too when a small vision crept up on him.
" (What do you see?) " Aragorn asked walking up beside Legolas.
"The white wizard approaches," was the reply nodding slightly over to his right.
"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us," said Aragorn putting a hand on the hilt of his blade. Gimli took out his throwing axes and both Naurrîn and Legolas drew their arrows. "We must be quick." As Aragorn said those words Zefron finally came out of his trance where he had saw that it was Gandalf not Saruman who was the white wizard.
"Valar!" cursed Zefron scrambling over to the four. Naurrîn and Legolas shot their arrows same with Gimli, Aragorn was about to go in with his sword so Zefron drew his sword too and quickly knocked it out of Aragorn's hand with much force. Startled Aragorn drew his dagger and stabbed Zefron in the stomach.
"Traitor," muttered Aragorn not taking notice to the man in the white light. Zefron winced in pain.
"You are following the footsteps of two young hobbits," said the man behind the blinding white light.
"Where are they?" asked Naurrîn not taking to notice what Aragorn and Zefron were doing.
"They passed this way. The day before yesterday," replied the man.
"Who are you?" asked Aragorn taking his attention away from the 'traitorous' elf.
"Gandalf…" whispered Zefron taking Aragorn's dagger out of him before trying to stand against the tree before two things happened. One, Gandalf stepped out of the light and two; Zefron passed out much to the great distress of Naurrîn… who then attacked Aragorn.
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you knw whats really surprised me? the fact that no one has asked why the uruk-hai have confused Naurrin for the wizard Zefron? just asken is all. please review!!!