Chapter Nine: Dunharrow
They rode at a steady pace, one that would not tax the horses. As they rode, Kendra was really glad for the riding lessons that she had been given. At first, she had been deathly afraid of riding a horse by herself. Now, she was more than comfortable riding alone. As she had grown in confidence, she had found that she could ride without using the reins. She and her horse, whom she had named Magic, had been able to work together quite comfortably. At first, Kendra only used one hand to work the reins, after she had grown comfortable riding. Then, she had tied the reins to the saddle, giving Magic enough to move her head with the reins pulling her head up, and she rode only using her legs. Doing this, Kendra could work on her powers.
"You are utterly amazing, you know that, Kec?" she heard some one say.
Kendra turned to face Legolas, who was smiling as he watched her hands. She had been working with her wind powers again, so as not to frighten Magic. Kendra grinned, at him and the use of her nickname. They had traveled together for so long, and in the longest time had they not used her nickname.
"What do you mean, Master Elf?" she asked.
"You come here, ignorant of many things. Then suddenly, you are caught up in our problems and adapting to fight them. We come into Rohan and you reveal that you have never seen, nor ridden a horse, and here you are now. I never thought you would so quickly ride a horse without your hands. It takes years for a horse rider to be able to trust the horse well enough to ride with only using your legs. Yet, you are not only doing that, but honing your powers while doing it."
Kendra grinned again, "I have to learn to adapt to survive. What would you do if you were running down a street, fighting a creature that you have seen before? Then suddenly, it changes into something a little different right before your eyes. New powers, new strengths. You can't fight it like it was still the same. It adapts, so you adapt. That is the one true rule of survival in my home."
Before they knew it, they were riding into an encampment. Kendra looked around in amazement. There were so many men, more than you would ever think of living in Rohan. She heard men calling numbers to Theoden before they rode up a steep path. This led to where they would be camping. Once up there, they began setting up camp. Kendra noticed something else. The horses seemed unable to stand still. They pranced around, pulling at the reins, wanting to get away.
"They fear the shadow of this mountain," she had heard several men telling her.
"What shadow?" she asked, with no answered received.
They just looked at her and went around their work. Just like in Edoras, she felt like someone had dumped ice water on her. This time, the feeling didn't fade, it grew.