Chapter 8
They had been running for almost five days now and still hadn't seen any sign of the Orcs who had taken Merry and Pippin. Legolas looked at the rising sun which had turned the sky a blood red colour.
"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." She commented to her companions.
However Aragorn was concentrating on getting to the Hobbits too much to acknowledge her, while Gimli was having trouble breathing properly let along speaking.
Aragorn stopped running and listened to the sounds around them. The sound of horse hooves running towards was heard and they hid behind some nearby rocks to see if they were friend or foe.
They horses passed and she recognised them as men of Rohan; Aragorn did as well as he moved out of hiding and call to them.
"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?"
The entire formation of horses moved as one to surround the three companions and moved in around them so they couldn't escape if they wanted too. Spears were aimed at them from all directions so they could be killed at any moment.
"What business does an elf, a man and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly." One of the ridders asked from his mount.
"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli stated.
Legolas closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to the Valar, asking why Gimli had to be so stubborn.
"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
Her eyes snapped open and she drew an arrow before anyone could comprehend what she had done, aiming at the man, who had dismounted from his horse she said, "You would die before your stroke fell."
She felt some of the spears around her brush past her head ready to kill her if she attacked their leader, but she stood her ground.
Aragorn however pushed her bow aside and addressed the man.
Legolas turned her attention away from Aragorn as he introduced them all; she concentrated on the men around her and their words amongst themselves. Many of them were talking about her, she assumed that many of them had never seen an elf as it had been many years since Elves had travelled freely in the realms of men; it had been come too dangerous as some men had started to take elves for their own pleasure.
One conversation attracted her above the others however,
"Are you sure it's male, looks female to me." One of the men said.
"Yes it is rather feminine but from what I've heard of elves they are all very pretty." Another said.
"I saw an elf once, looked masculine but I wasn't sure with that one either." Stated a third.
"Maybe there isn't a difference between male and female." The first said.
She turned her attention back to Aragorn,
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them in the night." Eomer was saying.
"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli said, distraught.
"They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn prompted.
"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them."
"Dead?" Gimli said dumbly as if not believing it.
"I am sorry," The man whistled, "Hasufel, Arod," two horses approached from amongst the ranks. "May these horses bear you better fortune then their former masters. Farewell." He remounted his horse and started to turn away from them, "Look for your friends, but do mot trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" he yelled to his men, they left leaving the three fellowship members behind with the two horses.
Legolas refused to believe that he Hobbits were dead until she saw there bodies with her own eyes, she stated so to her companions.
"Then let us find them, hopefully alive." Aragorn said mounting Hasufel.
"I refuse to mount that animal." Gimli told Legolas as Aragorn started away, trusting the others two to follow.
"Then you will be left behind, Master Dwarf, and then I will have no one to taunt." Legolas stated mounting Arod.
"More like there will be no one to keep you out of trouble," Gimli grumbled before allowing Legolas to lift him up onto the horse. Once he was safely secure atop the horse Legolas requested to Arod in elvish to move forward in a canter, forcing Gimli to grab a hold of Legolas's waist to keep from falling off.
They caught up with Aragorn and continued on at a gallop towards the smouldering pill of Uruk-Hai in the distance.
When they got the to remains of the fire they dismounted and started to search the area for any sign of the two Hobbits.
Gimli found the first sign of them, "It's one of their wee belts."
"Hiro hyn hidh ab 'wanath. May they find peace after death." Legolas quietly said a prayer for the two Hobbits.
Nearby Aragorn kicked one of the nearby Orc helmets before falling to his knees with a cry of despair.
"We've failed them." Gimli said sadly.
"A hobbit lay here." Aragorn said suddenly, touching the ground he was examining. "And the other." Legolas and Gimli moved over to their friend and leader. "They crawled. Their hands were bound." He moved forward with the marks that the hobbits had made until he found a piece of rope which he picked up and inspected
"Their bonds were cut." He continued to follow the marks, "They ran over here. They were followed. The tracks lead away from the battle... into Fangorn Forest." He paused here, the other two closes behind him.
"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli said staring into the dark, tangled mass of trees.
"Come on," Aragorn prompted running forward into the trees.
They moved silently through the forest looking for signs of Merry or Pippin, which was difficult as the trees were so close together and the ground was very uneven because of roots and the leaf litter that covered it in huge quantities.
Gimli found a black substance on a leaf and tasted it. "Orc blood." He stated spitting the blood out again.
They continued on still watching the ground for any sign of the Hobbits but instead found a set of strange tracks, which Aragorn pointed out the them.
"The air is so close in here." Gimli complained.
"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory... and anger." Legolas said looking around at the trees. A low groan filled the air and Gimli raised his axe in case something was going to attack them.
"The trees are speaking to each other."
"Gimli! Lower your axe." Aragorn said. When Gimli complied the groaning settled down.
Legolas saw something in the trees,"Aragorn, Nad no ennas! Something is out there."
"Man cenich? What do you see."
"The White Wizard approaches." She said in common for Gimli's benefit.
"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us."
They all readied their weapons.
"We must be quick."
They all attacked the wizard but their weapons were all deflected and they heated to an unbearable level till they were forced to drop them. The wizard was shrouded in a bright white light which was hard, even for Legolas to look at.
"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? Show yourself."
The white light disappeared and before them stood Gandalf, clothed in white in place of his usually grey. Legolas fell to her knees in shock and respect for the greater being while Gimli bowed. Aragorn however just looked at him in disbelief.
"It cannot be. You fell." Aragorn said disbelievingly,
"Through fire and water from the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. The stars wheeled overhead and every day was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back, until my task is done." Gandalf explained.
"Gandalf?" Aragorn asked, still not believing his eyes.
"Gandalf? Yes. That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."
"Gandalf." Gimli stated happily.
"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide."
Legolas got to her feet and moved over to the wizard, whom she had known all her life. She reached out cautiously to touch his shoulder just to make sure that he was real, before wrapping her arms around him when she had proved to herself that he wasn't a figment of her imagination.
"I am glad that you are alive," she whispered in his ear when he moved his arms around her.
"And I am glad that you are all well, M'lady," he whispered back, making the sound low enough that Legolas's enhanced hearing could make out what he was saying but the others couldn't, "however we need to move on."
Legolas let go of him and bowed her head in respect before moving out of the old mans way.
Kermit - Please do me a favour and GROW UP.
Thanks to all my other reviewers
