Chapter 7 – Rohan, Home of the Horse-lords
Disclaimer – I own nothing except my OC.
And so we begin our second third of the journey in Middle-Earth in my favourite kingdom of Men no less! Rate, review and enjoy.
The fertile forests of Gondor soon gave way to open grassy plains that had sparse growth. Rocks had been the only thing to break up this landscape as the six tracked the Uruk-hai that had survived their little confrontation at Amon Hen. Glyndwr was stood upon a large rock, scanning along the plains as Aragorn lay against another rock, seemingly asleep.
"Their pace has quickened…they must have caught our scent." He said quietly. Standing, he turned to them. "Hurry!"
"These Uruks don't bloody stop…" Glyn muttered as he jogged to catch up, hearing Gimli speaking as he breathed heavily.
"Three days and nights pursuit…no food…no rest…no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!"
"They're dead when we get a hold of them…" Fili muttered. "Come on, Gimli." He urged
Glyndwr managed to keep pace with Legolas as they followed Aragorn along the tops of many hills. It was clear that the Uruks had come through this way, given their heavy footfalls, making it easy to track them at least. They soon came upon a small canyon and they found that Aragorn was crouched down.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall…" He said softly as he held one of their brooches.
"Our Hobbits are leaving us a trail…" Glyn smiled.
"They may yet be alive…" Legolas said hopefully as Aragorn stood once more.
"Less than a day ahead of us." He took off once more just as Fili, Kili and Gimli caught up, the latter Dwarf quite literally falling down the hill.
"Come Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Legolas encouraged.
"I'm wasted on cross-country! We Dwarves are natural sprinters!" He replied. "Very dangerous over short distances!"
"Do keep up gents! I'd hate to get a head start on kills and rob you of your gold." Glyn challenged as he ran.
"Come, Kili…no Elf has beaten us before." Fili said with a grin.
Their run brought them to a brow of a hill that overlooked the plains and they all stopped. Glyndwr admired the beauty of the land before him, for though there were very few trees, it was untouched by the hands of Man, Elf or Dwarf.
"Rohan…Home of the Horse-lords…" Aragorn explained. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."
Legolas ran ahead then and stood upon a boulder. His head moved as though his sight was following something and Glyndwr soon noticed their black armour.
"Legolas! What do your Elf-eyes see?"
"The Uruks turn northeast! They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"
"Saruman…" Aragorn said darkly.
"He believes that they have the Ring…" Glyn realised and the Ranger nodded.
"If they get there and he finds out that they do not, he will either kill them or torture them until they give up the true Ringbearer…" Kili realised.
"If they would even give up Frodo's name…they're loyal…" Fili said grimly.
"We cannot stop now gentlemen…let's keep moving…"
Their pursuit continued on, relentless despite the aches in their joints now. The Uruks were nothing short of determined to lose their pursuers but Aragorn was ensuring that they gave them no chance to rest. Glyndwr was thankful for his Elven endurance as he was not sure he would lasted even if he was a Half-Elven. Fili and Kili, for the most part, had managed to keep pace with the main group but Gimli was behind them somewhat.
"Keep breathing! That's the key! Breathe!" Glyn heard Gimli say behind them.
"They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them!" Legolas observed.
"I normally applaud such determination but right now I really want to cut their heads off." Glyn said as they started to go down a slope, making their run a little easier.
"You and us both." Fili practically growled. "This had all better not be for naught…"
"We will get them back." Glyn said a tad breathlessly. "Saruman needs them alive. His not knowing which Hobbit bears the Ring is what will keep them alive in the event we catch up to them."
"Conserve your breath and just run." Kili said, pulling ahead of them a little bit.
"He's right…"
Night quickly began to set then and Aragorn stopped for a moment to listen to the rocks once more in the hopes he could hear footfalls. He got up then and jogged forward, slower this time but a jog it was, nevertheless.
"They've slowed to make camp." Aragorn said.
"We may yet catch them." Legolas added and Glyn smiled with relief as they continued to jog.
"Sounds good to me…goodness knows they will have earned what's coming to them."
All through the night, they moved. Sometimes running, other times walking in order to catch their breath. They were awake to see another morning rise but the sun was tinted pink. Normally, Glyn wouldn't be too concerned but now that he was an Elf, it seemed to bode ill. Legolas felt the same as he turned to face the sun.
"A red sun rises…blood has been spilled this night." He said as they continued. Aragorn stopped near the horizon of a hill and spotted fresh tracks, but just as they were to continue their run, the sound of thundering hooves broke the silence. He beckoned the others to follow him behind some rocks.
Just as they were out of sight from whoever was riding, many horseman rode over the hills then and the Ranger seemed to notice them. He stood and walked out, followed by the other five cautiously as he looked at them.
"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?!" He called to them.
The lead rider raised his spear and used it to tell his men where they were going. His armour differed from that of his men and so he stood out amongst them. The riders encircled them then and they all looked around cautiously before they found a great many spears mere inches away from themselves and their riders looked ready.
"Well…good morning to you too…" Glyn said but received no response as the leader approached.
"What business do two Elves, a Ranger and three Dwarves have in the Riddermark?" He asked, or it seemed like a demand. "Speak quickly!" He snapped.
"Give me your name, horse-master…and I shall give you mine." Gimli said, oddly diplomatic as their new company got off of his horse and approached him.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf…If it stood but a little higher from the ground." He sneered. It was a surprise to see Legolas draw an arrow in a split second and point it at the rider's head.
"You would die before your stroke fell!" He said fiercely and the spears pointed at them seemed to get closer. Glyn reached back and kept a hand on Dur Glas should he need it but Aragorn stepped in to force Legolas to lower his bow.
"I am Aragorn, Son of Arathorn…this is Gimli, Son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Fili and Kili of Erebor and Glyndwr of Rivendell…we are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king." The Ranger said evenly and the rider seemed to calm, taking off his helmet.
"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king...and claimed lordship over these lands." He said grimly.
"The White Wizard's influence grows ever larger…" Glyn removed his hand from his sword when the spears were raised away from them.
"Indeed…" The Rider nodded. "My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say...as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets."
"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn explained.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."
"But there were two Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with them?!" Gimli asked, almost desperate.
"They would be small…only children to your eyes." Aragorn explained and the rider looked almost a bit guilty.
"We left none alive…" He said softly. "We piled the carcasses and burned them."
"Dead?" Gimli asked in disbelief.
"They can't be…" Fili muttered softly as Glyn looked down sadly.
"I am sorry…" The rider said softly before he turned and whistled. "Hasufel! Arod! Helm! Tungol!" Four horses approached. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." The rider put his helmet on then before mounting his horse. " Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." He turned to his men then. "We ride north!" He shouted before the riders departed.
"I'll ride with you…" Fili said as Glyn approached Tungol, a beautiful horse with a grey coat.
"You alright to ride alone?" Glyn asked Kili, who nodded quietly as he mounted the other horse, his expression grim.
The six of them made their way up to the still smoking pile of corpses. The smell went unnoticed by all of them as they dismounted and looked for any evidence of them in the immediate area. Gimli had taken to looking through the pile whilst Glyn tried to gaze into the forest that was nearby but found it to be too dark.
"Anything?" Fili asked and he shook his head.
"I cannot see inside…"
"It's one of their wee belts…" Gimli said, catching their attention and they saw it. Legolas bowed his head and spoke a soft prayer for the Hobbits.
"Damn it…" Glyn buried his face in his hands and heaved a sigh of anger and sadness whilst Fili and Kili looked equally as devastated. Aragorn kicked a helmet in anger and shouted before dropping to his knees in despair.
"We have failed them…" Gimli said softly and Aragorn looked at the ground beside him. Something seemed to catch his attention then and Glyndwr walked carefully over.
"What do you see?"
"A Hobbit lay here…" He answered, feeling the ground. "And another…" He felt some marks in the grass next to where he was looking.
"It looks like they crawled…" Fili said and Aragorn nodded as they followed the tracks.
"Their hands were bound." He pointed out as they followed the Ranger, who had picked up some rope. "Their bonds were cut…" He followed the tracks once more. "They ran over here…"
"There's a heavier set of tracks not far behind them…they were followed…" Glyn noticed.
"There was a minor struggle…whatever grabbed a hold of one of the Hobbits was forced to let go." Fili pointed out.
"The tracks lead away from the battle…" He approached the forest with the others. "Into Fangorn Forest…"
"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked no one in particular.
"What is this forest, exactly?"
"Few dare step into the forest of Fangorn." Legolas answered. "It is guarded by beings of old. They do not take kindly to strangers…and Hobbits are not known to them."
"Well then it's quite simple. We track them in there and get them out before any harm can come to them." Fili said and Glyn nodded in agreement.
"The forest must be treated with respect. We cannot go in there and essentially tear through it. We must be methodical and we also must bear in mind what Éomer warned…Fangorn is very close to Isengard." Aragorn warned and very carefully, they walked in.
Despite the fact that the plains were currently being bathed in bright sunlight, the forest seemed to be darker in nature. Sunlight filtered through the branches but still, it felt like a very foreboding land to be in. Very carefully, the group walked through and kept their eyes peeled for any sign of Merry or Pippin.
Eventually, they came upon signs of a continuing struggle and Gimli noticed a thick black substance on one of the leaves. He tasted it and quickly spat it out.
"Orc blood…" He said quietly as the others joined him. They noticed strange footprints in the ground before them.
"These are strange tracks…" Aragorn said as Legolas looked around.
"This forest is old…very old…" The Elf prince said. "It is full of memory…and anger…"
A sudden rumbling sound had Gimli and the other Dwarves on edge as the others looked around for a source of the noise. Aragorn turned to the Son of Gloin and noticed he had his axe raised, which seemed to be causing more of the noise.
"Gimli!" He whispered. "Lower your axe…" The Dwarf did as instructed.
"They have feelings, my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."
"Of all the things you could have taught them…" Fili said good-naturedly as they relaxed ever so slightly.
"Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings." Gimli grumbled to himself as they continued to look around. Glyn felt something then, a very powerful presence but he could not put his finger on it. Kili and Fili also noticed it, for the seemed to go back on guard.
"Aragorn, nad no ennas…" Legolas said softly.
"Man cenich?" Aragorn whispered as Legolas looked around.
"The White Wizard approaches…" The blonde Elf said and Glyn reached back to grab his swords. Fili also had his ready to go whilst Legolas and Kili prepared arrows for their bows and Gimli gripped his axe tightly.
"Do not let him speak…he will put a spell on us…" They were all as ready as they could be. "We must be quick…"
As they turned around with weapons drawn, a bright light appeared before them. Gimli threw his axe only for it to be deflected by the wizards staff whilst Kili and Legolas fired arrows. Again, they were easily deflected. As Fili, Glyn and Aragorn lifted their swords, they began to glow red hot and so they dropped them. The light seemed to get brighter and though they could see a figure, it was too bright to make out any facial features.
"You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits." A voice said.
"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.
"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The voice asked and it seemed to change.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn demanded.
The bright light abated somewhat and the figure stepped into view. Glyn's jaw almost dropped when he saw that it was none other than Gandalf dressed in white robes and a white cloak that was stood before them. He looked at them kindly as the others looked at him just as shocked as the Welshman was.
"It cannot be…" Aragorn said softly.
"Forgive me…" Legolas said as all but Aragorn bowed before him. "I mistook you for Saruman…"
"I am Saruman…" Gandalf said with a small smile. "Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."
"You fell…" Aragorn said as they all stood.
"Through fire…and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak...I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth." The Wizard explained. "Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me...and I strayed out of thought and time." He recounted. "Stars wheeled overhead...and every day was as long as a life age of the Earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back...until my task is done."
"Gandalf…" Aragorn said softly.
"Gandalf?" He looked puzzled for a moment but then seemed to remember. "Yes. That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."
"Gandalf…" Gimli chuckled in disbelief.
"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now...at the turn of the tide."
And I think I'll leave it there for this one. So begins our foray into the realm of Rohan as well as its opening part in the war that is to come. Rate, review and enjoy!