Author's Note: I'm bacckkkk, with Braelyn's story! Woot, I know a have received a lot of requests for continuation, and to be honest this story has been kicking around in my head more, so I've been inspired to continue it. If you're new to this series, please read How Little You Know, and There and Back Again. These are the prequel to this story and it'll make much more sense reading these three in a series. So this story will follow J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers, so this will follow both the movie/book plot. Please read and review the chapters as they come out guys! It really inspires me that you guys give me feedback, it fuels the fire so-to-speak. I hope I can do this story justice just as much as I have the prequels.

Lots of Love,

Breaiden0413

Chapter One

My feet ached, my clothes clung to my body like a second skin, and I'm quite certain my aroma was less to be desired. Yet we stood there in the blazing sun, the day was unseasonably warm. Yet these ghastly creatures shown no sign of stopping or slowing. My body was tired and hungry, we had been traveling non-stop for three days, yet we pressed on. A hand resting on my aching shoulder, nearly causing my knees to buckle at the weight. Blue eyes like the storm bore into my own, their depths reflecting a question. I shook my head and gave a wary smile. To be honest I wasn't certain whom I was trying to convince I was ok, him or myself.

He probably looked the least grimy of us all, it made me a little jealous. His pale blonde hair wasn't perfect, but it was damn near. A few hairs here and there were out of place but it didn't detract from his ethereal beauty. His eyes were blue, dark and stormy like the sea after the storm. His clothes seemed the least germy of us all. There was dusty upon them, but no stains to be seen, and they didn't seem to cling to him.

Upon the ground beside me was a just as dirty and raggedy brown haired ranger. His hair was greasy and stringy. There was at least a four day shadow upon his face from the lack of shaving. It clothes were just and dirty and grimy as my own, yet it didn't seem to bother him nearly as much. Perhaps it was a female thing. He owned the dirt and dinge, he seemed very much like the ranger I knew when I first met him, not so much the heir to the bane of men.

"Their pace has quickened, they must have caught our scent! Hurry!"

With that statement he dashed off, groaning slightly I picked up the pace behind him. A heard a crash behind me but I dared not turn around, from the scent Gimli but have caught up to where we were. He was probably the most aromatic of the four of us, dwarves were not know for traveling long distances. He was dirty and grimy, and sweaty and smelly. He complained but he seemed to catch up with us relatively well. I was half debating on changing into an animal more suited for this travel, but I doubt Aragorn would allow me the time enough to change, in fear we may lose the trail. So we ran, long and hard.

I paused when I saw something glitter on the road by my foot. Aragorn turned and caught my stare that I had stopped. Bending over, my spine groaning in protest, I picked up a leaf, it was the same as the broach I wore around my own neck.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," Aragorn whispered.

"They may yet be alive," Legolas murmured coming up behind the two of us.

I clutched the broach and put it in a pouch on my pack.

"Less than a day ahead of us, come." Aragorn stated he took off again and my own two feet trailed behind him.

"Come, Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Leogolas called.

Gimli was wheezing not too far behind us.

"I'm wasted on cross-country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances."

I chuckled at his attempt to pacify his slow going. We soon arrived at the brow of a hill looking over the plains, with my keen eyesight I was able to see the Uruk's in the distance, they moved like a dark cloud over the plains.

"Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Legolas traveled about a fifty feet in ahead of us, to get a better look.

"Legolas! What do your elf-eyes see?"

Legolas took a moment before answering.

"The Uruks turn northeast. They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard."

I growled lowly in my throat and Aragorn turns and looks at me warily.

"Saurmon…" I hissed.

Saurmon and I were not friends. We hadn't been since the moment I came to Middle Earth. He despised me. Said was unnatural, and that I should be left in the middle of nowhere and left to my own devices. Luckily Gandalf thought that cruel, he brought me to Rivendale and the rest is history. I knew he was no longer good when I returned to Rivendale, Gandalf was betrayed…tortured and now…dead. I held no love for the White Wizard. I had a feeling the feelings between us were mutual.

So we run.

This made day four, no rest, no sleep, no food. It was beginning to take a toll on my body. Humans need sleep and sustenance to survive. Lembras bread only worked for so long. I prayed we were well on the way of overtaking these damn Uruk-hai. Their smell alone was burned so deep into my scent glands it would take months to get the smell completely out. Suddenly I pause, beneath my feet I feel the ground shaking slightly. Aragorn pauses looking at me confused before we heard the sound of neighing and thundering hooves. He beckons us to follow him as we took cover behind some rocks on the plains. Not a minute later a large group of well-armed horsemen thunder past us over the bow of the hill.

They were seriously well armed to the teeth. Even their horses wore a form of armor. These must be the horsemen I had heard so much about. Personally I had never been to Rohan, it was too close to Isengard, too dangerous to be so near Sarumon. From my view point I could see the horses were well taken care of, more so than their carriers. They were dirty and I could faintly smell death on them. Aragorn suddenly pops out from behind the rock, internally I curse him. They could be unfriendly, and I would rather not be made hostage today.

"Riders of Rohan….what news from the Mark?" He called out.

The leader raised his spear and the horsemen circle around in a gallop and began to circle us spears ready to skewer us at a moment's notice. Almost without realizing it I noticed my trio of men hand more or less placed me in the middle behind themselves, their backs were to me to protect their own backs but to also make sure I was covered around them. I had to hold my smile back, these men were so protective of me, and while I valued it…I was not some weak maiden. The leader rides through the men and stops in front of us.

"What business does an Elf, a man, a woman, and a Dwarf in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" He demanded.

He looked at all of us, but his eyes lingered on me longest of all. I saw no ill will, curiosity and worry etched in his eyes. He was tired, he held heavy burdens on his shoulders. He had seen much and he didn't look much older than myself.

"Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli stated, planting his feet apart.

Aragorn looked at Gimli warily, we all knew Gimli could be a bit…testy when it came to authority. Something he had inherited from his father.

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

The animals in me bristled at the threat.

"You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas stated, drawing an arrow and aiming for the leader's head.

The spears closed further in on our group. Gently I lowered Legolas's arm, giving him a pointed look.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas and Braelyn of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan of Théoden, your king." Aragorn stated trying to diffuse the tension.

I vaguely remembered Théoden, I knew Aragorn had more dealings in this part of the world than I did. I rarely traveled so far.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." The leader states slowly.

The leader takes off his helm, he had dirty blonde hair, golden and brown. He wore a goatee at his mouth and nose. His hair stuck in multiple places from the helmet, but I was right in response that he was tired. He looked more so now that he was relatively relaxed.

"No even his own kin," the leader continued.

He made a motion with his hand and the horsemen that traveled with him raised their spears. My animals relaxed slightly, but didn't waiver their attention.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king…and claimed lordship over these lands. 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. His spies slips past our nets everywhere."

I frowned, if Saruman gained a lead over the king that did speak ill news for the lands. Saruman was a strong wizard and would not relinquish his hold so easily. I wondered vaguely how long this had been going on.

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friend's captive." Aragorn stated.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

I froze.

"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli asked urgently.

"They would be small. Only children to your eyes." Aragorn added.

The leader looked saddened and shook his head.

"We left non alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." The leader pointed to a smoking pile a ways back across the plains.

"Dead?" Gimli asked in disbelief.

I felt Legolas's shoulders sag, my hand still on his chest, lest he do something. The animals in me yowled in anguish and I was urged to join them, but bit my tongue to prevent it.

"I am sorry," the leader stated.

He whistled suddenly.

"Hasufel! Arod!"

Two horses came out of the pack, one was a brown and black, the other a white and grey speckled horse.

"May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell."

He put his helmet back on and mounted his own horse. I gently clicked my tongue and the two horses came to me. The white shoved his muzzle into my chest and the brown nibbled my armor at my shoulder.

"Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands."

With a yell from their leader they turned northward and rode off in a thundering herd of clopping hooves. We gazed at them a few moments before turning our gazes to the smoking pile a few leagues away. With heavy hearts we saddled, I with Legolas and Gimli road with Aragorn. We rode to the smoking pile and if I had thought they smelt bad in life…the smelt worse in death. Luckily we hadn't eaten so there was nothing to throw up but it did not stop my body from wanting to wretch. Once we were close enough we dismounted and began looking for any signs for the halflings. In my heart of hearts, something didn't feel right here. I heard a slight cry of despair and I turned and saw Gimli pull out a charred belt.

"It's one of their wee belts…" he said brokenly.

Legolas bowed his head and says something in elven. I don't really pay attention, there were marks on the ground that confused me. I hear Aragorn kick a helmet belonging to one of the vile creatures and cry out angrily.

"We failed them," Gimli mumbled.

Looking at the marks I followed them to where Aragorn crouched on the ground.

"Aragorn…" I whispered.

He looked at the marks with me, his brow furrowing.

"A Hobbit lay here, and the other.."

He traced their tacks as did I.

"They crawled…they were bound," I whispered following the tracks.

I felt Aragorn behind me as I read the floor like a book. We came across several pieces of rough rope, blood on the strands indicated they had cut into their skin.

"The bonds were cut, they ran over here," He gestured to the ground, I was aware now that Legolas and Gimli were now following us.

"They were followed," I indicated the footprints behind them.

We followed the tracks to the edge of Fanghorn Forest.

"The tracks lead away from the forest…"Aragorn began.

"And into Fanghorn Forest," I said softly.

We all looked at the dark looming forest.

"Fanghorn…what madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked.

I bit my lip, I spent time in Mirkwood, a forest diseased with black magic and sickness, yet I never felt afraid. The aura that was coming off Fanghorn, it made the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand.