Remember

Life or Death

Disclaimer: Do I own Lord of the Rings? Hmm... let me check...mumbles while searching through portfolio I own Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney, Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes, Heinz, Coca-cola, Vernors, Nintendo...Nope, not Lord of the Rings. Sorry folks! XD

Authors note: Mwahahaha! I have NO idea what this chapter will contain. Isn't that reassuring? XD Well, as always, REVIEW!

It was still dark as they rode away from the shack they spent the night in. All was silent and still.

The silence was broken by Elrohir. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes Elro, I did."

Elrohir grinned, "Now, that wouldn't have anything to do with the sleeping..." he suddenly stopped. Rebecca turned and looked at him. His eyes were scanning the scene. "Something is wrong here. Something is watching us." He loosed his sword in its sheath and commanded the horse to keep going at a walk. Rebecca was becoming worried, loosed swords and uneasy elven lordlings are not good signs. Suddenly, both heard a snap and a crunch somewhere to their left. Elrohir's head whipped around and looked. "There is something in the shadows of those trees."

Rebecca could almost see it. A dark mass in the darkness. She bit her lip, it wasn't a friendly blob. She mumbled, "I wish I had a bow."

Elrohir kept gazing at the mass, waiting for it to move, then it did.

Before Rebecca could comprehend what was going on, a dark brown blur leapt from the shadows towards them. Elrohir shouted something, there was a flash, a swish and a silvery blur, and then the mass fell to the ground. She stared at it for half a minute before she realized it was a warg.

"Wargs never travel alone. There are more near here," Elrohir said. "Ithilnaur can outrun them, but it does us no good if he runs right into them."

"What are we going to do?"

"Ride on cautiously. You requested a bow, can you shoot?"

"I'm a decent archer. The last two schools I went to offered archery. I'm no elf, but I can hit my target."

He handed her a small bow, and quiver. "Here, this is the bow I use for small game. You should be able to draw it back all the way, you seem strong enough. Only fire if I command."

Rebecca nodded. Fear began to seize her, she had never been in so dangerous and unpredictable a situation before. Elrohir could sense it.

He looked down at the back of her head and bent his head down towards her hear. "Do not fear, the Valar shall keep you safe."

She nodded, feeling a little reassured. Her father had always said something on the topic, and it suddenly came to mind. "No matter how scared you are, you can't turn back. If you do, the enemy will be there too. Nothing for it but to face the enemy."

With those thoughts she steeled herself and ignored her fear. Elrohir felt her new resolve and smiled, but that quickly vanished when he heard the sound he had long been dreading: the snarl of a warg.

Rebecca's head whipped around towards the sound. There she saw it.

"Fire!" Elrohir commanded.

Before Rebecca could really comprehend what she was doing, the bow was singing and an arrow was flying right at the heart of the fell creature.

"Good shot!" Elrohir congratulated. He had just enough time to say that before four wargs leapt at them. Elrohir slew one with his sword, Rebecca shot two, and Elrohir flew off the back of his horse and fought the last warg, slaying it in good time. As soon as it was done, he cleaned off his sword and sheathed it.

Rebecca looked about at the carcasses surrounding them, it made her stick to her stomach. Blood, bodies, fur, and guts were everywhere.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Rebecca said, turning positively green.

Elrohir mounted the horse once more and said sympathetically, "First battle. It is always hard. I am sorry Mirë, but we have not time for you to be ill. I will help stop the nausea while we ride. I think that was all of the wargs in that pack, so we should be safe for a while." Rebecca felt to queasy to object. They started off at a walk and Elrohir said, "I hope you can forgive me." as he carefully placed his hand on her stomach. He began to softly sing words in elvish and the nausea passed. Rebecca was beginning to wish Elrohir could join her in her world. She would never have to be sick again!

"That's fine," she said, still feeling quite ill. A few minutes later she began to feel better.

"How are you feeling now?" Elrohir quietly asked.

"Much better, thank you!" Rebecca quietly replied. Now she was a little tired, so she turned her head and asked, "May I rest on you?"

"Certainly," he smiled.

They rode on til the sun rose with out incident. It was now about ten in the morning, our time, and it was turning into a dark grey day, with heavy snow fall. Visibility was limited, and then the wind began to howl.

"I see a cluster of pine trees to our right. We shall make towards them and wait out the storm. It will pass soon enough I think, but we cannot stay out in this weather much longer," Elrohir said.

Elrohir directed his steed towards the trees. A few minutes later Elrohir, Rebecca, and Ithilnaur were under the trees, away from the snow and sheltered from the wind. The horse was lying down and looking about.

"He is restless," Elrohir said. "He is eager to get back on the hunt for Halbarad. He knows that the ranger is ill."

"How do you know? Maybe he's eager to get back home and eat some carrots," Rebecca said with a grin.

"I can feel it. I can sense it. And even if I could not, I can see it in his eyes. The way he is looking about tells me he is restless."

"Is that an elven gift, being more in-tune with animals and nature?"

"Yes. But, I have learned that humans can sense much of the same. The only reason they do not is because they do not know how, or they do not want to know. I have met many men that could sense as much as my father, they simply paid attention, and knew what they were looking for."

"Would you teach me how?"

"Certainly," Elrohir grinned.

"So, are elves only more in touch with nature and animals, or does it apply to other elves and humans as well?" Rebecca asked. She suddenly regretted it, ignorance was bliss, but if he could sense...she didn't want to think about it!

"Elves and men as well. Even dwarves and hobbits, and human girls," Elrohir grinned.

Rebecca looked at him with her eyes wide in faux terror and shock. "Can you talk in peoples heads like your grandmother Galadriel?"

"No. There are... extenuating circumstances as to why she can. Her and Ada can speak mentally like that, and I can amongst my kin, but not to humans or anything else."

Rebecca nodded. They talked for a little while longer on this and that until Elrohir saw the snow had stopped. They left their pine refuge, mounted Ithilnaur, and kept riding.

It was now past two in the afternoon, and they were beginning to lose hope. Halbarad could not survive much longer. The temperature was plummeting and the healthy riders on horseback were beginning to get chilled. Rebecca got goosepimples, then began to shiver, at which point Elrohir wrapped her with himself in his cloak.

It was drawing near sunset when they finally found traces of him to track. Blood was on the snow, impressions could be seen where a man had been, they were light thanks to the heavy snow fall, but still visible.

Elrohir dismounted. "Stay on the horse. He will follow when I call for him." He followed the tracks a little ways and gave a whistle. Ithilnaur followed, slowly, stopping a yard behind his master. "Daro." Elrohir walked on a little ways while Rebecca waited. Fifteen minutes later Elrohir signaled again and the horse came walking up. Elrohir mounted and said, "Halbarad is not far. I think I know now exactly where he is."The horse went off at a trot and soon they were stopping again. Elrohir dismounted and told Rebecca to do so as well. "I may need help carrying him."

He led her into a thicket of trees and in the midst of it lied Halbarad. Elrohir could not see all of his wounds in the dim light.

"Elrohir!" Halbarad weakly called out. "You have come. I am afraid I am rather weak. Who is this with you?"

"Mirë. Can you walk at all?" Elrohir quickly said.

"Perhaps with help," Halbarad answered.

Rebecca and Elrohir helped him to his feet.

"Where is your horse?" Rebecca asked.

"I sent him on to Imladris a day ago, hoping that if the bird did not make it, he would," Halbarad replied.

"We must have just missed him then," Elrohir said. They were at Ithilnaur now. Elrohir helped Halbarad mount and commanded Rebecca to get on behind him. "You must help keep him up Mirë, would you please?"

"Certainly," she replied. Poor Halbarad was cut, bruised, and pierced. Blood was soaked and splattered all over him. That of men and orcs and wargs. She ignored the stench as best as she could, but it was rather hard to do so.

Elrohir led them back to the pine shelter he and Rebecca had used to keep out of the storm. After carefully helping Halbarad under the boughs, he got to work healing the injured Dunadain.

"Rebecca, would you go get my medicine bag? Oh, and the small lantern?" Elrohir asked.

She nodded and got it swiftly. "Here," she said setting the bag next to Elrohir. She lit the lamp and held it aloft.

"Mirë, I need you to help me, come kneel next to me here, hang the lantern on... that branch right there, do you see the one I am looking at?" Elrohir said. She hung the lantern on the branch and knelt next to Elrohir. She could see the distracted look in his eyes, already he was busy at work. Halbarad had been made to sleep by Elrohir so he would not feel as much pain. "There is part of a blade and an arrow head in him. While I search for those, get some water and a small fire going. Melt some snow in one of the tin cups I brought and get a cloth so I can bathe his wounds. And start it outside away from the trees."

"Yes Elrohir," Rebecca said and set to work. After making a nice little fire, she put the snow in the tin cup and wondered how she would accomplish the melting of the snow in quick time. In the end she decided to set the cup close to the fire and rotate every minute or so. In quick time the water was very warm and she was bringing it to Elrohir.

"Mirë, I am afraid you shall have to clean his wounds, I found the knife shard and the arrow head, but the tip broke off and now I must find that."

"Okay," Rebecca said. She knelt down next to the ranger and began cleaning his cuts and gashes. His tunic was in a bloody heap next to him, his skin was bloodstained from seepage. Some of the cuts were very nasty indeed, and she felt very sorry for the man and wondered how he managed to endure it all without complaint. It had to hurt! She began wrapping some of the cuts and looked over at Elrohir, his face was grave, his hands covered in blood. "What's wrong? Something is wrong," Rebecca said.

"He has poison in the wound on his chest. See?" Elrohir said pointing to the wound. To her awe and disgust she looked into the large gash and saw a black vein of viscous looking fluid. "We have to get him back to Imladris before sunset to tomorrow or we may loose him completely. The problem is, we cannot travel very fast because he is injured and cannot hold himself up on a horse. I do not think you could hold him up."

"Can't you?"

"Then you would have to walk. I wouldn't dare leave you behind while I rode ahead. Ithilnaur cannot hold all three of us."

"I see," Rebecca said. "Well, I think I could hold him," she valiantly offered.

Elrohir smiled at her. "We can try it I suppose," he said. I am going to wrap up his chest wound and then we shall have to get going."

Rebecca held up Elrohir as best as she could while Elrohir bandaged him. As soon as it was done, Elrohir woke him up.

"Uuuuugh. Where am I?" Halbarad asked. He saw Elrohir's face and said, "I remember now."

"We are going to put you on my horse, then Mirë is going to help hold you up while we ride back to Imladris," Elrohir said.

Halbarad just nodded. They put his shirt back on and wrapped him in a blanket. With the efforts of all three Halbarad got on the horse and Rebecca behind him.

Ithilnaur went off at a trot and Elrohir was jogging beside him.

Authors note: Will they make it to Imladris in time? Will Halbarad be safe? Tune in next chapter to find out! REVIEW! Ack! That was a Kris moment. AIO! AIO!