I groan as I once again become aware of the things around me and the pain my body is in.
"Peyson, are you well? Where are you hurt?" the voice washes over me and for a moment I do not answer as I just struggle to open my eyes and piece together the events that led to me being here.
"I… I," my voice is hoarse and it hurts to talk and suddenly like someone opening a curtain the memories of the fight come flying back to me and I sit up quickly my eyes flying open, "Pippin and Merry, they took them…" I trail off again as I see Aragorn standing over Boromir's body before quickly wiping away his tears and approaching me. "I wasn't strong enough… I failed again,"
"What are you talking about little one?" he asks in concern crouching in front of me while Legolas and Gimli silently set about getting Boromir's body ready for us to say farewell.
"I should have saved him but I wasn't strong enough," I whisper.
"He tried to kill you little one," he says and I look up at him in shock, "Frodo told me, how you saved him how you fought Boromir off, how he tried to kill you,"
"It wasn't him though, the ring had taken him, he wasn't himself," I say immediately and he gives me a tiny sad smile.
"Peyson you did what you could…"
"I wasn't strong enough though," I interrupt and am aware of almost sulking as I argue with him and he gives a frustrated little sigh in response to my words.
"Stop underestimating yourself Peyson, you are a strong and skilled fighter. You managed to survive this fight despite being injured and before you say you are not you should see your face and head as I do now…" I open my mouth to respond but he holds a hand up to me and so I shut it again and wait for him to finish. "Frodo told me little one, you were bleeding heavily from a head wound and those bruises on your neck are from Boromir," he replies and I hang my head slightly.
"I tried to fight him off but was scared to pull my sword as I didn't want to hurt him and with hand to hand he was just too strong,"
"No one is blaming you little one I am just sorry I wasn't there to protect you,"
"It is not your job to protect me, you should be protecting Frodo I should be protecting Frodo. Where is Frodo?" I ask suddenly as I look around and see that neither he nor Sam are with us.
"He has gone," Aragorn sighs and I jump to my feet despite the dizziness washing over me and only slow in my frantic movements when Aragorn pulls me back down and forces me to look at him. "Sam is with him, our path no longer lies with them,"
"But I promised Frodo I would look after him," I say staring at him and he smiles slightly again reaching up to pull some hair away from my face which makes me shiver slightly in spite of everything.
"He knows he told me to tell you that he understands and that you better be there to see him when this is all over," he says and I offer him a watery smile in response.
"So what do we do now?" I ask in a whisper and notice that Legolas and Gimli are beside us again.
"We say goodbye to Boromir and then we hunt for our friends, we shall not leave Merry and Pippin to that fate," Aragorn says and I nod.
"You mean not to follow Frodo and Sam?" Legolas asks and Aragorn shakes his head.
"Then we have failed and the fellowship is broken," Gimli sighs heavily.
"Not while we still have each other," I say quietly and they all look at me for a while before nodding.
"Come let us say goodbye to our friend and then hunt some orc and kill them for him," Aragorn says lifting me gently to my feet.
"We should tend your wounds," Legolas says sometime later as I run breathlessly beside him but I just shake my head at him.
"No time… later," I gasp out and he sighs before speeding up again slightly to run with Aragorn ahead of me. I think I may die soon if we do not stop to rest I don't understand where all their energy comes from. I mean Legolas fair enough he is an elf and all that but Aragorn, we are supposed to be the same sort of, so how is it that I feel like I am going to collapse at any moment and he looks like he still has limitless energy.
"What is it?" I gasp out as I see Legolas and Aragorn stop in front of me.
"Not idly to the leaves of Lorien fall they may yet be alive," Legolas murmurs and I feel hope surge through me as I smile down at them.
"You are tired little one maybe we should rest," Aragorn whispers to me now standing in front of me his handing on my cheek as he examines my face.
"I am fine we cannot stop now," I say stubbornly and he gives a short nod after staring at me for a moment longer and then moves off again with Legolas talking to him quietly in elvish so I cannot hear what they are saying while I wait for Gimli to catch up. The poor dwarf, I was struggling but he was really having trouble keeping up with everyone.
"Come Peyson, Gimli, we are gaining on them," Legolas calls suddenly and I feel a surge of energy rush through me as I sprint towards them looking over my shoulder every now and again to check that Gimli is still within sight.
We had been running for three days, with no sleep and very little rest and I was running on empty. My wounds were beginning to become infected too and I know that I need to get them treated soon if I was to avoid serious illness but I didn't have the heart to stop Aragorn or Legolas, they were both so desperate to find Merry and Pippin and seeing as I still held myself partly responsible for them being taken in the first place I wanted to, no I needed to not be the one that held us up.
"What do you see Legolas?" Aragorn calls pulling me from my thoughts as I once again come to a halt gasping for breath and wavering on my feet with exhaustion.
"Riders heading this way," he replies and I am suddenly pulled behind some rocks my hood pulled over my face and Aragorn's face mere inches from my own making my breath catch and me think that for a moment I have gone delirious.
"You must stay behind me Peyson and keep your hood up," he says urgently and I nod my head dumbly not really understanding his sudden worry.
The earth shakes beneath my feet as the riders go flying past us and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I had been holding before it catches in my throat again as Aragorn rushes out from our hiding place and calls out to them.
"Riders of Rohan what news from the mark?" the reaction is instantaneous as they riders expertly drive their horses round and are soon in a circle surrounding us where we have joined Aragorn. I can feel him shielding me and I make myself as invisible as possible as I stand behind him my hood up and my head bowed.
"What business do two men, and elf and a dwarf have here?" one of the riders growls and I tense slightly at the note of hostility in his voice.
"Tell me your name horse master and I shall tell you mine," Gimli says and I almost want to hit him for winding up the situation.
"I would cut off your head dwarf, if it stood but a little higher," the man replies and I can hear the smirk in his voice despite the fact that I still have my head down and my eyes fixed firmly on the ground.
"You would die before your stroke fell," Legolas' voice is cold and holds a deadly edge to it as he speaks and I am shaking with fear now as I know I am too weak to fight and surely we will all die if this escalates any further. I feel Aragorn move slightly and the spears are lowered slightly, the pressure released from where one was sticking into my side.
"We are not your enemies, we are friends of Rohan and of your king," Aragorn says calmly and I step even closer to him.
"Theodan no longer recognises friend from foe, not even his own kin," I sense a change in atmosphere at this point and risk a tiny glance up to see the man pull his helmet from his head but I don't recognise him so it means nothing to me. "I am Eomer son of Eomund, third marshall of the mark and nephew to the kin. We are loyal to Rohan and for that we are banished," he says and I gasp inwardly at the news, if the king of Rohan banishes his own kin he will surely kill us straight away we should get away from here. "… And everywhere his spies slip through our net," I am dragged from my thoughts again as the spears close in slightly and the tension rises notably.
"We are no spies I am Aragorn son of Arathorn and this is Gimli son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland realm we track a party of orc who have taken to friends of ours," Aragorn explains.
"You say you are not spies and yet you attempt to conceal one of your party from us," Eomer sneers and I tense in apprehension.
"We hide nothing," Aragorn says calmly although I can detect nervousness in his voice which scares me.
"Then why does he not show his face?" Eomer sneers and I tense further. For a long moment no one moves and then finally Aragorn turns slightly and taking my hand pulls me forward slightly squeezing my hand to let me know everything would be okay.
"She is wounded and we were attempting to help her maintain her pride," he says which makes me shoot him a look, as if I care about pride, I have never once cared about how I looked.
"A woman?" Eomer questions in surprise and Aragorn nods before signalling me to lower my hood and I do so with a small sigh raising my head stubbornly to gaze at the nephew of the king.
"You are not dressed as a lady?" he says after a while and I smirk a tiny bit, my tiredness making me bold.
"No I dare say I am not," I reply,
"How came you to be wounded?" I feel the others tense beside and behind me as the memories of our fallen companion and what he had done to me find their way into their minds but I merely smile sweetly at the man in front of me.
"I ran a foul of some Uruk Hai and one of them decided he did not like me so very much," I say and he raises an eyebrow.
"It is not wise for a woman to be wandering the wilds in these times dangerous foes are to be found everywhere,"
"Yes it would seem so although I will do my best to keep them from you," I smile and he smirks a little at me.
"Your name my lady?"
"Peyson," I reply simply and he lifts my hand to kiss it which causes Aragorn to tense beside me.
"Welcome to Rohan Lady Peyson I hope that you meet with no more danger," he says graciously and making me giggle for some reason.
"I cannot see that that will be a possibility I am a warrior and we are at war," I smile and he looks momentarily shocked before he smiles again.
"Then I hope that I may meet you again when this war is over perhaps," he says and I smile bowing my head slightly.
"Maybe," I say quietly,
"The orc my Lord?" Aragorn asks and I glance up at him as I hear the anger in his voice but no one else seems to notice.
"We slaughtered them in the night,"
"There were two hobbits with them did you see to hobbits?" Gimli yells pushing forwards while I stand rigid with shock.
"Halflings they would look like children to our eyes," Aragorn adds pleadingly and Eomer bows his head.
"We left none alive I am sorry," he says quietly and my legs nearly buckle, I think it is mere shock holding me upright as Eomer whistles and two horses come towards us as he mounts his own horse and speaks to Aragorn. "Look for your friends but do not trust to hope. It is forsaken in these lands," he says before calling an order to his men and they all ride away at a gallop leaving us alone and an emptiness surrounding us.
"Peyson come," Aragorn says pulling me towards him and pushing me up onto the horse before jumping up in front of me. I can feel the tension in him as we ride and the anger coming off him in waves anger aimed at me. I am not sure how I know it is aimed at me just that it is and it breaks my heart as I realise it is because he blames me for Merry and Pippin dying. Just when I believed we could be friends again I have managed to cause a wedge to grow between us.