An- So yeah…it's been awhile hasn't it? I've been planning to rewrite this for AGES…but I just never got around to it. I've been working on stuff on my own profile (yes this is a shameless plug) for the first time in a good four years. Opps.

Anyway, this chapter is a rewrite of The Riders of Rohan. This was mostly written to introduce some Carla and Eomer interaction. Getting them together was quite literally a last minute, chapter before they had their little moment in Edoras waiting for the beacons to be lit. Basically, it was totally abrupt, and here was an opportunity to have their 'relationship' start earlier so it's not as sudden come Edoras.

Enjoy!

l.l.l

The word 'stop' had never sounded so good.

They had been running. For three days. Nearly straight. With practically no food or water.

To say the three girls were a tad irritated at all those facts would be an understatement.

So when Aragorn gave leave to rest (mostly due to Niori's very persistent, very effective bitching) the three girls collapsed to the ground.

Aragorn sent irritated glares at them, to which Niori glared right back at him.

"Screw off Aragorn. I'm not made for this kind of endurance."

Carla and Jane stifled snickers. What Niori said was true; the only one of the girls who could possibly keep up with this Carla and that was because she was a jogger. So Jane and Niori were royally screwed.

"We get that we have to save Merry and Pippin," Jane spoke in a much less nastier voice, "but if we catch up to the Orcs ready to pass out then we're dead."

"And Gimli over there isn't doing so hot either," Carla commented, jerking her thumb over to where the Dwarf stood panting.

Gimli looked offended "I'm wasted on cross country! We Dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

Eyes were rolled and when Aragorn looked ready to speak again, Niori cut him off before he could.

"Unless you plan to carry me, I'm sitting here for a full ten minutes."

Aragorn grumbled something under his breath but didn't give the command to move.

Exactly eight minutes later though he did, and despite the groans the girls did do as they were told. Without complaint.

"We've lost time! We must hurry!"

Because he hasn't been saying that for the past three days or anything, Carla thought sarcastically but didn't voice.

From the look on her friends' faces, both Niori and Jane looked ready to kill the ranger when he said anything about hurrying. Carla agreed with them even if she wasn't having as hard as a time. Thank God for her strict exercise regime she had kept up since she was in sixth grade.

At least the landscape was fairly flat. As they found out, Rohan was somewhat prairiesque with the occasional rocky hill.

Aragorn stopped running abruptly and Jane nearly ploughed into him. She only managed to catch herself because Legolas caught hold of her arm. The ranger bent down to retrieve something off the ground. He looked down at it a moment before speaking.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall."

"And in plain English that means…" Carla's voice held only a little less irritation than Niori's.

"That broach was tossed aside. It could be a token that the Hobbits are still alive."

"And less than a day ahead of us," was Aragorn's reply as he got back to his feet, "come on!"

"Here we go again," Jane mumbled as they yet again took off.

They continued to run…and run…and run some more.

I'm going to have a heart attack, Carla thought, or a stroke. Possibly both at once.

"Could you guys run a little faster?" Aragorn called back without slowing down let alone stopping.

"Shove…it…!" Niori managed to cry through her wheezing and panting.

"We can rest again in- wait," Aragorn tried to tell her but something caught his attention, "do you hear that? Legolas?"

"Yes," Legolas paused and squinted into the distance, "and I see something as well! Riders, at least a hundred and they're coming this way!"

"Get undercover!" Aragorn told them all, and they followed him as he dashed behind a massive boulder.

At least they got to sit.

Carla could feel the ground vibrate and then sound of what she could have sworn was thunder grow louder and louder. Then a blur of multicoloured horses rode past their hiding spot.

Carla had been assuming that they were doing the whole hiding thing for a reason, but not even ten seconds after the last horse passed them Aragorn jumped out and shouted.

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the mark!"

The riders swiftly turned, moving as though they were one body instead of many. It reminded her of a school of fish, and she was impressed by it. She knew how hard it could be to train one horse let alone train that many to work together. The six of them were surrounded in under a minute and found that spears were pointed dangerously at them.

"Oh great," Carla muttered, "more weapons pointed at us. Fun."

Then amidst the sounds of men and horses, one voice rose amongst them all.

"What business does an Elf, a Man, a Dwarf and three women have in the Riddermark?"

Of course Gimli chose that moment to make one of his snippy comments "Give me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine."

Carla glared at the Dwarf; did Gimli really think it was such a great idea to piss off the guy who was obviously in charge of the people threatening them?

He climbed down from his horse and removed his helmet. Carla studied him as he took a few steps towards Gimli.

There was something about him, she decided, but she couldn't name what it was, only that it was there. He was handsome sure, but it was more than that. And since Carla hated mysteries, she wanted to know exactly what that 'something' was.

Then he spoke, his voice harsh and maybe even holding some disdain.

"I would cut off your head Dwarf, if it stood a little higher from the ground."

Before anyone realized what was happening, Legolas had drawn his bow and had it held just inches from the rider's head.

"You would die before your stroke fell!"

The spears were back and closer than before, and had she been able to Carla would have smacked Legolas upside the head for sheer stupidity.

"Tell your boyfriend he's going to get us all killed!" Carla hissed to Niori.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she hissed right back, but then did turn her attention to Legolas, "Umm…that's probably not a good idea."

Between Niori's words and Aragorn's gestures to desist, Legolas lowered his bow albeit reluctantly.

For a reason unknown to her, Carla decided to speak up.

"What Gimli was trying to say before Elfboy threw his hissy fit," Legolas glared at her, "is that it's only polite that everyone introduce themselves. That's Aragorn son of Arathorn, Gimli son of Gloin, Legolas the Elf, Niori and Jane."

"And you?"

"Carla," she replied with an almost smirk, "and since we're properly introduced on out part, don't you think you should be polite and return the favor?"

"Niori," Jane whispered, "is she flirting with him?"

"I think she is," Niori whispered back, completely dumbfounded.

"I am Eomer son of Eomund, the third marshal of the Riddermark," he spoke, matching Carla's semi smirk, "now tell me Carla, what are you doing in these lands?"

"I think I'll let Aragorn take it from here," she replied, moving aside so that Aragorn could step up.

Aragorn was giving her the strangest look as he spoke.

"We are in pursuit of a band of Orcs. They have captured two of our friends."

"Then you need not search any longer," Eomer replied, "the Orcs were destroyed and bodies burned."

Jane gasped loudly while Niori made a choking sound. Carla for her part just stared, mind jerking at the statement."

He said that the Orcs had been killed right? That meant that the Hobbits had to be alive…

"Did you see two Hobbits?" Gimli asked the question they were all thinking, his voice bordering on desperation.

"They would be nothing but children to your eyes," Aragorn continued.

"We left none alive," Eomer clarified.

"Well you would have noticed if you killed something that wasn't an Orc," Carla argued, "I mean, Merry and Pippin look nothing like Orcs. So that means you'd have realized if you killed them."

Carla noticed that, as her comment went on, Eomer was regarding her with a look of pity. That sent Carla's infamous temper flaring; she couldn't stand pity from people she was close to let alone complete strangers.

"You better get that pity out of your eyes," Carla threatened, "or I swear to God…"

Eomer looked completely taken back and Aragorn took this opportunity to intervene.

"We do not doubt your word, but we must see for ourselves."

Eomer paused for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well. We will give you horses to make your journey easier," he gestured and then three horses were brought forward, "Search for your friends, but do not hold out hope…it is forsaken in these lands."

"Thank you," Aragorn replied with a grateful tip of his head.

Eomer remounted and gave the signal to continue riding. As he passed her Eomer paused to speak to Carla.

"Perhaps we will meet again."

"Maybe," Carla agreed, her voice saying that she wouldn't mind.

With that Eomer kicked his horse into action and he joined the other riders. Within moments they were becoming just figures growing smaller in the distance.

That encounter was…odd, Carla thought, to say the least.

"Carla Dawn Burchill! You were flirting with him!"

Carla turned to Niori's accusation, an unwanted and faint blush lighting up her cheeks. Niori was standing there with her hands on her hips while Jane was still a little stunned, and both of them were looking at her expectantly.

"No I wasn't!" Carla protested, "at least…I didn't mean to."

"Umm girls," Aragorn interrupted, "can you talk about this another time? We have to continue our search for Merry and Pippin."

"We're finishing this conversation later," Niori warned her cousin.

There were three horses, one white one black and the other brown, which meant that it would be two riders per horse.

"Ride with me?" Legolas automatically turned to Niori and asked.

"Don't you know it," was her smirked reply.

Legolas chose the snowy white horse and once he mounted held down a hand to her.

"Aren't you being a gentleman," she spoke as she took hold of his hand and let him help her up.

And Niori was accusing Carla of flirting?

"I call the third horse," Carla announced, "I've been riding since I was nine, so I'm the best candidate."

"Very well," Aragorn nodded and took the reins of the chocolate brown horse.

"Can I ride with you?" Jane asked Aragorn eagerly.

"Of course," Aragorn agreed, "you're more than welcome."

Jane was absolutely beaming, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Thanks so much!" she squealed in delight.

"And that leaves me with the Dwarf," Carla finished lamely, "Who has never been on a horse in his life."

"I'd rather walk," Gimli replied distastefully, eyeing the remaining horse in distaste.

"You must ride, or you will hinder us," Aragorn replied.

Gimli grumbled some words that Carla couldn't make out. She just rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Carla told the Dwarf, "we still have some Hobbits to search for."

And in the back of her mind Carla added, let's just hope they're still alive when –if- we find them.

l..

An- So as you can tell, that was rewritten so that there's a whole bunch of fun EomerxCarla interaction! Much fun! Though, knowing how they end up kind of makes writing when they first meet kind of bittersweet. Anyway, I have a paper to write so I'll see you all later!