Thank you to my reviewers! Please keep your comments and encouragement coming.

The Red

Elladan and Mendir had gone on foot down the path Gilraen had taken while the riders were preparing to leave. Now they stood examining the ground where they saw Gilraen's footprints had disappeared and a man's boot mark was clearly visible. The prints were muddled together as if there had been a struggle. Mendir looked at his uncle in horror as he realized that Gilraen had met with foul play. He turned a frantic gaze into the forest.

"Gilraen!" he yelled.

"She is not here anymore Mendir. She has been taken out of hearing range," Elladan said as he put a steadying hand on Mendir's shoulder. Elladan's heart filled with sorrow at the thought of the niece he had come to care for greatly. They turned their heads as the King and the others came riding up the path. The King slowed his horse as he looked at their faces, a feeling of deep dread filled his chest.

Aragorn slid off his horse and approached Elladan, taking in the scene with his keen eyes. His heart began beating faster and his head jerked around frantically. "Who would do such a thing?" he said as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and fell to his knees in anguish while he committed the tracks to memory. Legolas had bent down and retrieved a pearl which had lain hidden under a bush. He looked at the object in the palm of his hand remembering how it shimmered in Gilraen's hair. Emptiness filled him which he had never felt before and he shut his fingers over the pearl.

"I will find you," he vowed in a whisper to himself.

Lord Celeborn was now standing next to Aragorn and Elladan. He looked at the tracks and then at Elladan. "Can it be?" he asked Elladan. Aragorn raised his face to Celeborn in question.

Elladan sadly said, "I believe it is so." Aragorn now stood and faced Elladan, his gaze demanding the meaning of the words.

"It is the one who attacked Gilraen north of Rivendell. I recognize his tracks. He was alone this time," Elladan told the King.

"Then we must hurry!" yelled Elfwine who still sat on his horse. His face was a mask of anger and retribution and he pulled his reigns to turn his horse and speed off in pursuit.

Eldarion stopped him. "Wait Elfwine! We must prepare ourselves. We do not know how far he has taken her. We will need our weapons, supplies and more men. Let us hurry father and prepare. We shall hunt this scoundrel down and rid the land of him!"

Aragorn felt a bit of pride that Eldarion was so level headed during a time of crises. He nodded at his son and headed for his horse. All mounted quickly and rode back to the tower to prepare and inform the Queen of the ill news.

-

Gilraen swayed with dizziness and pain as she tried to keep upright in the saddle. The man sat behind her, pulling her up each time she leaned over too much. At times she could feel that he was putting his nose to her and sniffing her. Once when she felt his tongue on her neck she leaned forward to escape him but he only ended up putting his hand in front of her, groping her as he pulled her back.

After hours of riding, they came upon a small camp of people. Gilraen squinted to see them better. Dawn was beginning and she could just make out bulky figures of men bustling about the camp. They stopped to leer at her when they rode into the midst of them.

Gilraen then recognized them as the type of men she saw when she had been attacked before. They were the rough looking snow people. Her abductor slid off the horse and pulled her down, holding her tightly by the arm. He brought her over to a fire where there were some men eating. They stopped talking and just stared when he sat Gilraen down on a fallen log across from the fire. Then he turned and faced a man who sat to the right of Gilraen. This man was tall and covered completely in a warm travel cloak. He sat stiff and still with his hands folded in his lap.

"What have you done Ciril?" the imperious voice asked from inside the hood of the cloak. This was the first time that Gilraen had heard the name of her evil enemy and she shivered in the frosty morning despite the blazing fire.

"I have procured me a wife," Ciril answered. "You can't expect me to marry one of these hairy barbarians. I have chosen a Queen of fine lineage. It will legitimate my claim to the throne once we have taken power."

The hooded man turned his head towards Gilraen. "This is the Princess Gilraen?"

"The one and only," said Ciril casually.

"You are a great fool Ciril. We are not prepared yet for our war on the King and your lust shall undo all we have been planning. Now instead of invading the King's lands, the King shall invade the ice lands. For all your fine lineage you did not inherit much wisdom!"

Ciril looked disturbed at the man's words and paced around in front of the fire. "Well, let the King come! We shall be ready!" He stopped pacing in front of the man and pointed his finger at him. "You are a wizard. You think of something!" Ciril strode angrily away from the fire to talk to the men.

Gilraen now looked towards the man in surprise. A wizard! She was shocked at all she heard. Ciril wanted to marry her! She would rather die than have a husband such as him! The wizard gazed upon her as well. Then his hands went up to his hood and pulled it down, revealing an old but sharp featured face. A large hawk-like nose, a protruding chin and dark eyes hid under bushy grey eyebrows. His hair was long and grey as well, reminding her of Radagast.

His eyes probed her dizzy ones and he examined all of her injuries. His vision also took in many other things about Gilraen that could not be seen by anyone else, except perhaps by Celeborn.

Finally the old wizard said, "You are indeed a treasure."

Gilraen found her voice and said, "You are a wizard?"

"Yes child, allow me to introduce myself. I am Falcroun the Red."

Gilraen gasped at the name he gave her. The Red! Memories of warnings flooded back into her mind. Falcroun watched her carefully, noting the change in her fear level when he introduced himself.

"You hold a wisdom which is unusual for one as young as you," the wizard continued. "I am much intrigued by the knowledge you possess Gilraen. It is clear to me that you have been given much by your grandfather, Lord Celeborn. Perhaps more than you are even aware of."

"Can you not help me? My father would reward you well," Gilraen asked in desperation.

Falcroun smiled a bitter smile. "I'm afraid your view of wizards has been limited to your friend Radagast. I am not interested in rewards or good deeds. My only interest is in power and obtaining more of it." He looked at Gilraen thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can help you in another way, however. Allow me access to your knowledge and I will keep Ciril from taking you as his wife. You can serve as an assistant to me." He placed his one hand over the large bump on her head and the other over her eyes. Gilraen felt a warm tingle on her wound and when he drew his hands away her pain was gone and her vision was clear.

"I can teach you many things as well, Gilraen," Falcroun smiled. "You can have wisdom and power."

Gilraen blinked her eyes in surprise. She had never seen a healing occur so quickly. She was intrigued by Falcroun even though she still feared him. "How will you stop Ciril from claiming me?" she asked. Gilraen could only think of the immediate danger to herself and that danger seemed to be Ciril and his planned rape of her. She had read his thoughts and intentions while they rode up here as his lust thickly smothered her senses. She did not want to align herself with Falcroun in any way but her sense of survival told her that he would be the safer of the two.

"Do not worry over that. I can control Ciril," he promised, taking her words and demeanor as an agreement to his plan. "Let me find you a warm cloak, for I am afraid we are about to have a very bad storm." Falcroun rose and walked off to one of the tents.

A little bird hopped onto the log next to Gilraen, looking at her with it's small black eyes. "You must get help," she whispered to the bird. "Go to Radagast. Tell him where I am and tell him to go to the King. Tell him of Falcroun the Red." She had to stop speaking as the wizard came back to the fire with an old fur cloak on his arm.

"I apologize for the ragged garment, Princess. I promise better when we reach my tower," he said.

"Your tower? Where is this tower?" she asked.

"In the Northlands, where it is always winter." He glanced at the little bird which had quickly taken flight. Then he looked back at Gilraen. Gilraen shifted her gaze to Ciril as he walked up to them.

"Let us leave now. We will put men at the pass to deter anyone the King sends and we will gather more men along the way," Ciril stated. He grabbed Gilraen's arm roughly and jerked her up to a standing position.

"You will not mishandle the girl," Falcroun ordered.

Ciril bunched up his face in anger. "I will do as I please with the girl! She is to be my property!"

Falcroun looked around at the snow men who stood staring at the scene. Then he said to Ciril, "These men are the first subjects of your new kingdom. If you want their respect, you will have to follow their laws. You wish to make Gilraen your Queen, so you will need to treat her as one. The snow people will not respect a man who treats his wife as a whore." Gilraen winced at those words. Ciril glared at the wizard and then at Gilraen. He then looked at the faces of the snow men watching him and knew that the wizard was right. He swore in frustration. Then he pushed Gilraen towards the wizard.

"Fine! Keep her chaste a little longer! But I will have her soon, make no mistake about it."

-

The search party from Annuminas left as quickly as possible after obtaining all they thought they needed. Arwen stood watching them ride off. She held her remaining daughters, Celebrian and Galadriel, in her arms, not wanting to ever let them go. The children clung to her in fear and anxiety for their sister.

"Will they find Raenie?" hiccupped little Galadriel through her tears.

"Yes my darling," whispered Arwen, "they shall." She hoped with all her heart that her words would prove true.

Please send me a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!