Third Age: Shadow Rising
Kashira struggled from the darkness,gasping for air and opened her eyes, trying to scream. Strong hands held her down. She fought them, trying to throw off the shadows.
A man's voice close to her ear ordered her to relax, then less harshly he told her "You're safe now," and awkwardly patted her back.
Safe. She tried to speak again and was taken by a fit of coughing. Her stomach heaved and emptied water. The man - whoever he was - turned her body to the side and held her steady until she was finished.
"The girl lives then?" Another voice came from the darkness.
"She lives. Another few minutes..."
"Fire across the river. The work of Darkfriends, no doubt. The girl must be questioned as soon as she can speak."
"A few moments, milord. She's nearly drowned and half frozen."
Slowly, she became aware of other shapes in the darkness. Other men. Half a dozen at least. She could hear the distinctive chinking of chainmail, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the one that knelt beside her wore a sword at his belt.
She gasped for air and managed to choke out one word. "Trollocs," and pointed across the river.
"What's that you say girl?" the second man snapped, stepping closer.
The man who held her answered. "Trollocs, milord."
A moment of tense silence followed. "Send Balin and Nyle to secure the bridge." The second man knelt beside her and plucked at her skirt, scowling. "Tinker. Child Einan, take her to the camp. You pulled her out of the river. If she escapes, its on your shoulders."
"Yes, milord," the young man murmured, and touched her shoulder in a motion which she supposed was meant to be reassuring.
Child. Only one group she knew of referred to each other in that way. Whitecloaks. Fear rushed back into her. The Whitecloaks hated her people. According to her father, they hated everyone. Andthey were nearly as dangerous as Trollocs. More dangerous. Trollocs were children's stories. The Whitecloaks were real.
"Can you walk?" the man - Einan - asked.
She tried to stand and her knees buckled. He caught her around the waist and helped her to her feet, She staggered. Her whole body felt numb. How long she had been in the river, she could not know.
"Forgive me, milady, but we cannot linger here," he said, picked her up as though she weighed nothing and carried her up the hill to a sizeable camp. He deposited her unceremoniously by the fire. She was shivering violently by this time.
"We need to get you out of those wet clothes," he said, and she looked up at him, wide eyed, suspicion and fear flooding into her.
He took his cloak off and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Wait here. I'll find something for you to wear. I don't suppose you're in any state to run, even if you are a Darkfriend."
"I'm not..." she started to say, but he was already heading toward a row of tents across from the picket lines. She stared out into the darkness and thought about running. But the Trollocs were in the darkness. She turned her eyes into the fire and tried not to think about the screaming. The Leaf does not fight against the wind.
Tears burned in her eyes.
It seemed like hours, but it could only have been a few minutes before the man returned. He knelt beside her and set some clothes beside her. "They'll be too big, but they're dry." He turned his back on her.
She hesitated only a moment before struggling out of her wet clothes and into what he had brought. He took the wet clothes and spread them out by the fire, then sat down beside her.
She realized for the first time that he was not wearing his armor. Only a sword and...
She reached out a hand to run it through his damp hair.
"You must swim well. The current was strong.."
"Yes. I grew up on the coast. In Falme."
"Thank you."
"I was lucky to see you, in the darkness, but we had seen flames across the river... what happened?"
"I... I'm not sure. I had a dream, and I couldn't sleep. So I was walking by the river."
"Alone?"
"I had Leir - one of our dogs - with me, and I wasn't far from the camp. I just wanted to think, and be alone and see the moon on the water. I wasn't gone too long, but when I started back ... they... the... the Trollocs, they had to be Trollocs... I think... were there, and people were screaming..." she broke off in a choking sob.
"I'm sorry."
She leaned her head against his shoulder and wept. He made no move to comfort her, only stared into the fire. When her tears finally slowed, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and asked, "Are you going to kill me?"
"If you walk in the Light you will go free, although..."
She tried to meet his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
"The Tinkers refuse to fight against the forces of the Shadow. Everyone knows that. But being a coward does not make one a Darkfriend."
"We do not fight against anyone. My father would have said theat perhaps it takes more courage to accept one's fate than to fight against it."
"And do you agree with your father?"
"I don't know," she answered, in a voice barely above a whisper.
They sat in silence for a while. Her eyelids felt heavy, in spite of the fear she still felt. Sleep crept up on her like a thief and when the men sent across the bridge returned, they found the girl leaning against Einan, asleep.
Einanlistened from the shadow of the fire asBalin madehis report, and thought of waking the girl, then decided against it. Her pain could wait until the morning. The wagons had been completely destroyed. There were no survivors.