Hello everyone once again! I hope everyone's week is going good. Thank you all very very much for your reviews, they mean the world! I hope you like this nice long chapter. Let me know what you think!
Note: Dialogue in bold is spoken in Elvish.
Dislcaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 17
Carita ran ahead and stopped while Aragorn leaned down against a rock and listened for their pray. Her light eyes scanned the distance and she focused them amongst the large rocks and caverns of the rocks in the distance. She could make out their shadows, but she could not make them out fully; and what pained her the most was she could not distinguish Merry and Pippin amongst the large shadows.
"Their pace has quickened," Aragorn said and Carita looked back over her shoulder and at the man who slowly sat up and looked at her. "They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragorn called over his shoulder as he took off in a run. Carita let the man rush past her and then followed behind him with Legolas and Gimli taking up the rear.
"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas called behind her towards the dwarf who was further back do to his short stature. Legolas took off in a run while the dwarf puffed his way up the hill. Carita slowed and let Legolas pass her as well and looked back at the dwarf.
"Keep up Gimli," she called. "We are gaining on them!" She took off in a run again and she heard Gimli huff.
"Three days' and nights' pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!" Gimli yelled and Carita stopped and looked at him.
"Our quarry is not far!" she called back and took off once again. Hours later, they came upon the rocks, Carita saw their shadows and as Carita and Legolas moved passed a kneeling Aragorn, they stopped at his voice.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," Aragorn said and Carita looked at Legolas and then Aragorn before the pair moved over to the still kneeling man.
"They may yet be alive," Legolas said his hope returning and Carita smiled as she turned her eyes down the trampled earth of the path left by the Urks.
"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" Aragorn said and Carita and he took off at the same time with Legolas following, but stopping to call back to Gimli.
"Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!" Legolas called and then took off once again.
"I am wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!" Gimli yelled and Carita found herself laughing. Of course dwarves were dangerous over short distances, their legs did not allow for long strides. Legolas sent her a look of confusion, but she just smiled and shook her head as she continued to run. Legolas found himself smiling, but his attention was turned once more to the task ahead.
The party paused at the top of a hill and looked out over the rocky terrain. Carita scanned the distance, but could not even make out the shadows of their movement. Aragorn sighed heavily as he looked out.
"Rohan, home of the horse-lords," Aragorn said and Carita looked at him. "There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us."
"It is Saruman," Carita said and Aragorn looked at her while Legolas ran ahead. "I can feel him," she whispered as she turned her eyes to the distance, but Aragorn furrowed his brow. Turning his attention to Legolas he hoped that the elf could see just what path the Uruks were taking.
"Legolas, what do your Elf-eyes see?" Aragorn yelled and Carita turned her eyes to the elf in question.
"The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas called and Aragorn looked at Carita with surprise, but Carita took no notice as she stepped forward. Aragorn followed her with his eyes and then looked out in the distance.
"Saruman," he hissed and stiffened his resolve before he too followed the Maiar and the elf with the dwarf taking up the rear.
Their running never seamed to end and Carita was growing weary. Though she was immortal and had high stamina, she would still tire if she was unable to rest for a period of time to gather her strength.
"Keep breathing! That's the key! Breathe! Ho!" Gimli said quietly to himself, but Carita heard him and couldn't help but agree.
"They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them," Legolas said and Carita wanted to strike him. He didn't seem a bit weary and it suddenly got on her nerves.
"I know we are gaining on them, but when the sunsets could we rest for no more than ten minutes?" Carita asked Aragorn and the man glanced over his shoulder at her. He saw just how weary the Maiar was becoming and he nodded his head. Carita sighed in relief and continued to run as hard as she could and waited for the sun to set.
The sun had been down for more than an hour, and finally Aragorn allowed them rest for neither he nor Legolas could make out the trail in the night. Carita sighed as she sank to her knees and took slow breaths trying to calm her panting. Her body was protesting as she moved her sword to rest across her lap and sat down on the ground. She heard a chuckle and looked up at Legolas, who was smiling down at her. He kneeled next to her and held out his water skin to her. She took it and took a small drink in order to preserve what water they did have.
"You look tired," he teased and Carita tossed the water skin to him.
"I may be immortal," she said with a sigh, "but I do not have your luxury of not tiring when I cannot rest for a period of time."
"Well, rest now, then when we head out again, you will be strong enough to carry on," he said and Carita scoffed.
"I will be strong enough," she said and Legolas smiled as he raised his hand out to her face and ran his thumb across her slightly glowing skin.
"That you will be," he whispered and she smiled. All too soon for her liking he pulled his hand away and he stood and walked over to Aragorn, who was standing and looking out in the distance. Carita sighed and rubbed her aching legs before she let her eyes wander to where Aragorn's and Legolas' rested as they talked quietly. She squinted before she closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to see.
"Trees that could whisper; talk to each other; even move," Merry said in a barely there whisper.
"I'm starving. We ain't 'ad nothin' but maggoty bread for three stinkin' days!" came a snarled, raspy, and deep voice of a large Urk that sat
"Yeah. Why can't we have some meat?" an orc said before his eyes fell upon Merry and Pippin. "What about them? They're fresh."
"They are not for eating!" a larger Urk said as he pointed at Merry and Pippin who were quickly on their feet and were drug away by one of the Urks away way from the orcs of Mordor.
"What about their legs? They don't need those. Ooh… they look tasty!" a second orc said as his eyes too focused on Merry and Pippin.
"Get back, scum!" the large Urk said as he shoved at some of orcs who shifted restlessly. "The prisoners go to Saruman, alive and unspoiled."
"Alive?" the second orc asked as he took a step closer to the Merry and Pippin. "Why alive? Do they give good sport?"
"They have something; an Elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war," the large Urk said.
"They think we have the ring," Pippin whispered to Merry and the blonde hobbit looked at him with wide eyes.
"Shh! As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead," Merry said.
Carita gasped and snapped her eyes open before rose to her feet. She ran over to Aragorn and grasped his shoulder tightly and turned the man around to face her. "Legolas can make out the path, we must move and we must move now," Carita said and Aragorn frowned.
"You have to rest, you said so yourself," Aragorn said and Carita shook her head as she lowered her hand.
"Not anymore, we must move now!" Carita exclaimed and she turned from them and spotted the path in the moonlight. What she had seen had not yet happened, that much she was sure, but she would not let anything happen to her friends and if that meant chasing the shadows of the night, then that was what she was going to do.
"Carita," Legolas called as he caught up with her and grasped her arm tightly, doing much the same as she did to Aragorn and spun her around to face him. Carita slammed against his body from the force of movement and she stepped back as she looked up at him.
"Legolas, we must go," she said quietly, but the venom of just seconds before still there. "We cannot stop now."
"What has you so urgent to run?" Legolas asked her with a frown.
"Please, Legolas, just trust me. We cannot linger any longer than we have already."
"I trust you Carita, I only wish to know the reason why you are so convicted to start again."
"Only the thought of Merry and Pippin trapped in the hands of the enemy," Carita said in a whisper, but her voice shook ever so slightly. Legolas frowned as he looked down at her, there was obviously something she was not telling him, but for the life of him he could not read her eyes aside from the worry he saw in them. Legolas nodded and looked over his shoulder at Aragorn who was helping Gimli up from his seat on the ground. Aragorn nodded and spoke quietly with Gimli, whom Carita could hear sigh heavily.
"I know Gimli and Aragorn are weary," Carita said and Legolas turned his eyes to her once more. "I am still weary, but we must move on."
"Carita, I know there is something you are not telling me," Legolas said and Carita smiled a small smile. "However, I know you would not do something so rash to put anyone of us in danger, and I feel the same need to save our friends." Carita's smile grew and raised her hand to his face and ran her fingers across his face before she quickly lowered her hand and cleared her throat. Aragorn and Gimli came up to them and the man sighed quietly.
"Can you see the path clear enough in the moonlight Legolas?" Aragorn asked and the elf looked at him with a nod.
"Aye, I can see it," Legolas said.
"Let's move," Aragorn said and once again the four hunters were off to find their friends.
As the dawn approached Legolas paused in his run and looked up at the rising sun. Carita stopped when Legolas was no longer beside her and looked at him. "Legolas?" she asked in a whisper and Legolas turned around and looked at the ground.
"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night," Legolas whispered absently before he once again took off in a run. Carita stiffened, but soon took off once again following Legolas closely.
It was nearly midday when the came upon a tall hill and Carita stopped Aragorn from going on when she heard horse hooves approaching quickly. Legolas nodded towards a cove of rocks and the four of them quickly took cover and watched as about two thousand horseman came barreling down the hill. Aragorn looked at Legolas and the pair nodded at each other before they stood and walked out from their hiding place with Carita and Gimli following.
"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" Aragorn yelled and soon the four of them were surrounded by the horsemen with spears pointed at them. Carita held up her hands as she looked at the five or six spears settled on her and she turned her light eyes to the eyes of the man on the horse in front of her only to have that man move his horse slightly for another horseman to come forth. His helmet bore a long white tale and she figured the man was the leader of the group.
"What business does an Elf, a man, a woman, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" the man said heatedly.
"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine," Gimli said and Carita rolled her eyes as she lowered her hands. Now was not the time for the dwarf's games. The man handed his spear to another rider and quickly dismounted and stood before Gimli. Carita put her hand on Gimli's shoulder for she stood on his left with Aragorn on her left and Legolas on Gimli's right.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," the man said with a sneer and as fast as lightning Legolas had an arrow drawn and pointed at the tall man.
"You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas said and Carita stiffened as all spears were within deadly range and aimed at Legolas.
"Lower your arrow. Do not be foolish," she hissed and the man glanced at her before he looked back at Legolas. Aragorn stepped forward and lowered Legolas' arm with force. Legolas' eyes were set in a glare at the man of Rohan, just as the man's were set on Legolas.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin; Carita of Rivendell; and Legolas of the Woodland realm," Aragorn said and the man looked to him. "We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king." The man took a step back and sighed.
"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," the man said before he took off his helmet to reveal a rugged, young, bearded, and handsome face of the rider. "Not even his own kin. 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 man looked at Legolas again with a glare and moved over to him. "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." Legolas did not back down from the man, and his eyes were set on him.
"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive," Aragorn said and the man looked to him again.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night," the man said and Carita's heart raced in her chest.
"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked quickly and Éomer shook his head, slightly confused.
"They would be small – only children to your eyes," Aragorn said and the man shook his head again.
"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," he said and pointed to a tower of smoke billowing into the air.
"Dead?" Gimli asked his grief evident in his voice and the man nodded his head.
"I am sorry," the man said. Legolas slumped slightly and put his hand on Gimli's shoulder and Carita raised her hands to her face as she shook her head. She would not believe it. She did not feel it in her heart that they were gone. She took a deep breath and lowered her hands as the man whistled.
"Hasufel! Arod!" he called and two horsed stepped forward; brown and white steeds that looked as though they had seen m any battles. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell," the man said as he gave the reins to Aragorn and Legolas. He turned and put his helmet on before he mounted his horse again and looked down at them. Carita moved to stand near Legolas and laced her right hand with his left as she looked up at the man. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands," he told them before he looked to his men. "We ride north!" he shouted and the horsemen left them. Carita sighed and shook her head as she let go of Legolas' hand.
"I do not believe them," she said heatedly. "I do not think they are dead."
"Carita," Aragorn said and she shook her head again.
"No, Aragorn, I do not feel it here," she said as she put her hand over her heart. Aragorn smiled and nodded.
"Let's find our friends," Aragorn said and Carita made to mount Hasufel with Aragorn when they heard horse hooves pounding on the ground once more. Carita turned around quickly and smiled when her great white stallion, Moonlight, came running towards her. She laughed gently and smiled as he came to a stop.
"I wish you would have come sooner, my friend," she whispered before she effortlessly mounted his back. Legolas smiled at her from his position on Arod with Gimli behind him. Aragorn nodded and they quickly made their way to the smoke in the distance.