Chapter Ten: Attack and Reaching Safety

They were on the move again. This time, Kendra rode the horse. Solo. Aragorn was walking beside the horse, deep in thought. Kendra had found and talked with Legolas and Gimli for most of the night, just some simple conversation. Kendra had told them about some of the games she had played when she was little. Legolas had told her about his childhood, growing up in the dense and dark forests of Mirkwood. Gimli had gladly told them about how they had started mining again in Lonely Mountain, with Smaug gone. Kendra had asked who 'Smaug' was and both elf and dwarf had looked at her and replied, "A dragon."

Kendra smiled a little at that memory. Both elf and dwarf had had the same look of disgust on their faces. It had been too funny. Kendra had seen dragons before, but they had been small and hardly dangerous at all. Gimli had told her that dragons were hundreds of feet tall and they were always looking for humans to eat. Legolas had looked at the dwarf like he was crazy before telling her that Smaug had been sleeping for several years when he had been awakened by Bilbo Baggins, the uncle of Frodo. After that, a human by the name of Bard, had defeated the dragon, saving the dwarf's gold. Neither elf nor dwarf elaborated on anything after that.

Eowyn had walked up and had been talking to Aragorn when Kendra pulled her attention back to the here and now. Something wasn't right. There was danger nearby, she could feel it.

"Aragorn," Kendra said, "can you help me down?"

Aragorn looked up and stopped the horse, allowing her to get down. Kendra walked a little ways forward before stopping. She closed her eyes, straining her ears. There was a sound up ahead. It sounded like something moving. Several somethings. Aragorn walked up behind her, watching her. Eowyn was also watching her, but not with a friendly look.

Kendra let her mind's eye wander the plains. She could see the changing colors of the landscape. It was easier to pick things out in the dark of the night with this technique, but it still worked. The color of the land was a vibrant array of greens. The people moving ahead of and around her were different shades of warm colors, depending on their age. She could easily pick out Legolas, who was beyond her human sight. His color was a light yellow, signifying a long-lived life. She wandered past his color to pick out several more colors moving towards them. All were dark. The moving shapes were black with evil.

"Wargs!" came the shout.

The Rohirrim went into a panic. The women and children started to scream while the men all started mounting. Aragorn quickly mounted his horse before turning back to watch Kendra.

"Kendra, stay with them. If any of the wargs get passed us, you'll need to protect these people. Get them to Helm's Deep."

"You can count on me, Aragorn. Just be careful."

Kendra watched Aragorn as he rode off with the Riders. Then she turned and started shouting at the Rohirrim to continue moving. Eowyn stood there, watching the men ride. She had argued with Theoden about going to fight with them, but Theoden had convinced her to stay with the people. She turned and helped Kendra to get the people moving.

Several hours later, they topped a hill. There, nestled between two mountains, was their destination. Kendra stopped and looked at it. Her eyes roamed the area. It was defensible enough, if nothing ever got in. Otherwise, it would be a slaughter. If a large enough army ever came down this pass, nothing would ever make it out. Unless there was a secret hidden in there.

"We've made it."

"Thank you, oh thank you."

Kendra looked down at an older woman who had grasped her hand. Kendra let the shocked look cross her face. Why were they thanking her? Eowyn had led them here, not her. Kendra looked over at Eowyn who was also being thanked. The woman let go of Kendra's hand and continued moving. Kendra looked down to the ground before turning to look the way they had just come.

"You're worried, aren't you?" she heard someone ask.

Kendra turned to face Eowyn, who also had a worried look on her face. "Yes, they are the first people I have met who have truly accepted me for what I am. Nobody, not even my parents cared for me. The only person who did truly love me was my brother."

"You make it sound like he is no longer alive."

Kendra bowed her head, "He isn't. He sacrificed his life to save mine, which turned my parents against me."

Eowyn looked up at Kendra in shock. "I am sorry. I didn't know."

"It's alright. I still have my little brother and sisters. No matter how much my mom and dad try to turn them against me, they trust me. They give me hope for a bright future. And," Kendra turned to look Eowyn in the eye, "I intend to help them reach their bright futures."

"You sound like an older sister, alright. Well, let's go. They are probably waiting for us."

'Please be safe you three,' Kendra thought to the wind, hoping her message would carry.