They made their way through the streets cautiously, prepared for anything. "We should find somewhere to spend the night," Andúin suggested. "I'm exhausted."

"Very well," Jnían agreed. Her eyes had been a deep blue ever since they attack at the palace. She needed some sleep. She hadn't slept in two days. She needed energy to concentrate on what had to be done. There had to be some way to stop this darkness. She wondered if the delegates were involved with this somehow. Were these same questions running through Andúin's mind?

There was rain coming…she could feel it, maybe by tomorrow.

"Hey, look!" Andúin said. "There is a dim glow coming from an inn."

"Shhhhh….." Jnían whispered. She took hold of Andúin's reins, and led her into a small dark alley. "We're being followed. Be still." Andúin had noticed sounds from behind them, but disregarded them as a cat or dog. A few seconds later familiar figures past surveying…for them, no doubt. The girls dismounted and drew their swords. They crept up behind the delegates, and were following them as they cantered down the length of the street. A cold hand slipped around Jnían's mouth, and pulled her backwards. The clatter of Ranafëa hitting the ground captured Andúin's attention immediately. Jnían was ready to jab her attacker when he held the same dagger from the palace against her neck.

By that time the riding delegates had turned around, and were fully focused on Andúin. She was ready, and so was Andúril. She gave one last look at Jnían watching her being dragged into the night. She took on her attackers with stealth, annihilating them one by one. After she was finished, she picked up Ranafëa from the street. She needed to find Jnían.

Jnían was bound at the wrists and feet with a thick rope. They covered her face while they were traveling, so she couldn't recognize their location. Once they arrived, she was thrown into a stone cell. She almost lost every hope of escape, until she realized the ceiling was made of an exceptionally think type of wood.

Andúin carefully sheathed Ranafëa, and led Alata and Amáteria out into the street. She searched each delegate body for anything useful. On the last body she found a skeleton key, and a map. She slowly made her way to the inn, planning how she would go about rescuing Jnían. Once she lied down on her bed she instantly was asleep.

Once Jnían had released herself from the ropes with her dagger, she swiftly busted a hole in the filthy brown ceiling. It was the attic, to whatever building she was in. She hung from the rafters and pulled herself up into the abandoned room. She knew she needed to walk lightly. The slightest sound, and the delegates would surely be aware of her escape. Jnían tiptoed across the floor. It was completely dark except for a small sliver of golden light coming from the floor of a separate part of the attic. She peered through. Jnían observed the head delegate….as it seemed.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "Where is the key!"

"It appears to have been with Sherkin, sir," the other delegate answered.

"If you're not aware, solider, that key took us five years to find! It's the key to the chamber! It unlocks….you fool! You put it in the care of one of our most careless men! I suggest you find it, or it will be your head!" he nodded and walked out. Unlocks what? She asked him silently.

In a minute or two the man was back with a large brown journal. Jnían hoped dearly that Andúin had possession of the key they were speaking of. The man handed the book over, "Captain Lhach."

"Leave me!" the captain commanded. Jnían stared down as Lhach flipped though various pages, until he stopped at one. "Ah, here is it. The Dáe staff. For me second in command's sake, there had better be an alternate route to the staff." Eventually Lhach retired to his chambers in another room. Jnían was fortunate to find a trap door. She opened climbed down, and retrieved the journal. She contemplated leaving, but came to the conclusion that she should sleep, and escape the following day. She quietly made her way back up to the attic, and drifted into a heavy sleep.

Andúin awoke in a cold sweat. She feared for Jnían. Though the fear for her friend was engulfing her, deep down she knew Jnían was alright. Andúin rose to the shudders. It was almost dawn. She saddled Alata and began her quest to save her new best friend.

Osgiliath looked much different in the new day's sun. The streets were no longer empty, and the buildings once again looked inhabited. Andúin rode Alata through the streets looking for the building holding Jnían. She hoped they weren't too late.

Finally, Andúin found the building. It was abandoned, and wood covered the door and windows. There was a gaping hole on the third story, and Andúin guessed it had been there since the second war on the Ring and the siege of Osgiliath over 300 years ago.

She dismounted and walked over to the wall. Racks jutted from the wall, and she was able to use these to climb the wall up to the hole. Her footsteps sounded loudly across the marble. She searched every room on that floor before she went down to the first floor. She decided to check the second floor last. All the rooms on the third floor had been empty, but the first room she found on the first floor had a lot of things in it.

She walked over to the cupboard and, and upon opening it discovered fresh food. She gathered as much as she could carry in one arm. She noticed papers all over a desk in the corner, a candle still lit beside them. Andúin rummaged through the papers, but most of them were in a language unknown to her. The symbols were odd, neither Elvish, Dwarvish, or that of the Common Tongue.

random runes...they look better on our computer...use your imagination

She studied them, trying to notice any similarities within the figures and the ones she knew. She noticed small similarities with the letters themselves, but it helped her not. There were pages and pages of these symbols, and she didn't know whether they were of any importance.

Andúin looked to the floor beside the desk. There was a small leather saddlebag. She picked it up, and upon discovering it was empty, put some of the food in it. She then grabbed some of the documents. As she searched through them, she suddenly heard a creak above her head. Andúin froze, and then drew her sword out slowly. There was another creak, and then another crossing the entire room above.

The ceiling above was made of very thin wood, and the person walking along it cursed under their breath for all the noise they were making. The floor continued to groan, until it got to a certain point. There was a crack, and then a loud band as the floor collapsed.

Andúin jumped back in surprise as a figure come crashing through the ceiling, landing on the desk. But she quickly recovered and soon Andúril was laid against the figure's neck. They had long light colored hair which was currently concealing their face.

But then they spoke, "Andúin?"

Andúin immediately pulled her sword back in surprise. "Jnían!" she yelled. They pulled each other into an embrace.

Andúin pulled back. "Jnían, can you read this?" she asked, holding up the papers.

"No," Jnían said, taking them. "But this book is in the same language." She held up a large book. "But I know how to stop the black fog."

"Explain later," Andúin started, "we must retrieve Amáteria from the inn. I couldn't take her with me."

"Yes, let's go," Jnían agreed.

Once they reached the inn, not only Amáteria was there, but Aátrius as well. Jnían hugged Amáteria and pulled out a treat, and fed it to her.

"Andúin? This is Aátrius," Jnían introduced. Aátrius screamed.

"What is it?" Andúin inquired.

"It seems Aátrius had found archives we can use to translate this strange language.

"Where...oh wait, I found this key and map on one of the delegates yesterday. I have not the slightest clue what it is for," Andúin stated. Jnían pulled her hood back exposing her light hair.

"I heard the commander of the delegates, Lhach, speak of a skeleton key. I think she said it opened some cave leading to the destruction of the fog. I hoped you would find it. This is working for us; we're ahead of them already. Aátrius had told me that there are adequate archives in Rivendell. We should head there now while the day is young."

They set off, their horses galloping across Pelennor toward Rohan. They hoped to reach the border by nightfall. Aátrius soared high above them, his keen eyes picking up even the slightest movement. He watched for danger in every direction.

Alata's chestnut coat glistened in the morning light. He tail was held like a banner, his beck positioned straight and high. He was the perfect picture of all the glory of Gondor, and he moved knowing his high status.

Amáteria seemed to not run, but to fly. His hooves touched the ground for a very short time, just long enough to propel his white body back into the air. His mane blew like the grasses in Rohan, gently weaving back and forth, and his tail flowed behind him.

They were a picture perfect scene that day. Two girls, dresses blowing in the breeze, hair flying loose and free, two beautiful horses galloping as the wind, and a lone hawk soaring above them in the sky as they traveled over Pelennor fields, a place that at one time had been the picture of suffering and loss. Now white flowers and tall grasses grew over the devastation. Besides the few large pieces of rusted armor laying spread out on the ground, nothing remained to remind you of the battle.

They didn't stop until nightfall. The sun had set behind the mountains marking the edge of Gondor. They had not reached Rohan as they had hoped, but they were not very far away. They made camp under the shelter of a large rock. Andúin took all the tack off of Alata and allowed him to freely graze beside Amáteria.

Jnían started a small fire. The night was colder then usual. The girls huddled close to the flames. "Is it always this cold in Gondor?" Jnían asked.

"No," Andúin answered. "Even in the winter it isn't this cold down on the plain."

"That's what I was afraid of," Jnían answered.

"Do you know what it means?" asked Andúin anxiously.

"No," Jnían replied. "But I'm sure we will find out more when we translate the book."

"I hope so," Andúin said, giving the fire one last stroke before turning in for the night.

The morning sun warmed their faces while they blinked their eyes open. Andúin yawned and stretched her arms as did Jnían.

"Much warmer," Jnían conceded. "We'll find the cause of the frigidness without a doubt."

Andúin began to rummage through her saddlebag. "I collected some food yesterday, hopefully it will last," she said. They shared breakfast and were discussing their travel plans.

"If we keep up this speed we should make it there in about ten days," Andúin estimated.

"Yes, but I'm almost positive there will be a distraction or two," Jnían put out the fire and Andúin saddled Alata. Andúin flipped through the journal once again to be certain there was no known language inside. Once she got sloe to the back, a small noted fell tot eh ground.

"Jnían, I think I've found something."

"What is it?"

"It's been torn. All there is is the sender and the receiver."

To: Commander Lhach

From: Laiquenius

Matters of Great Importance

"I supposed Commander Lhach isn't the leader of the delegates as we had thought. This Laiquenius must be his authority," Jnían suggested.

"I continue not to see the relationship between delegates, and the black fog," Andúin said. "Speaking of…you said you had knowledge of the stop of it."

"Well, while I was watching the commander," Jnían began, "he spoke of the Dáe staff. I'm not completely aware of its power. All I know is that it can overpower the fog. We are sure to find more information on it at the archives."

In a small amount of time, the girls were back in Rohan once more. It was again dusk, and they were passed Rohan and headed past Fanghorn Forest. They settled down in a tall and wide tree. As they were dozing, Jnían heard a small giggle. She passed it off as her imagination and fell asleep. The next morning, Jnían and Andúin both awoke to the same sound. Standing in front of them was the most interesting creature they had ever seen.

"My tree! My tree! Get out!" it shouted in a small voice.