Chapter 3
"I'm hoping you can help me get home." I say getting straight to my main concern. I realize that's probably vague and unhelpful, but I don't know how much Lord Elron told him. "I'm not from here. One moment I was at my home on Earth and the next I'm here on… Middle-Earth." I say slowly, looking at Legolas for support. It still sounds strange to me.
"Do you recall your activities before waking here?" Gandalf asks, seemingly unfazed by my unnatural entrance. I swallow and look down.
"Um… I was falling down my apartment stairs." I bite the inside of my cheek.
"That does not seem like an uncommon event, tame really for humans." Gandalf says puzzled.
"I'm not sure why it matters, but it was a particularly nasty fall. My boyfriend pushed me pretty forcefully. I was worried the fall would severely injure me, or worse." I rush out and look back up. Gandalf and Aragorn look like they're trying to solve some mystery, but Legolas looks… well, I'm not sure, disturbed? Angry? Confused maybe. Or all of the above?
"Perhaps an act of the divine then, granting you more time. Though why here is odd." Gandalf ponders aloud.
"I worry it was not an act of good by the divine." Aragorn adds.
"What makes you say this?" Gandalf asks in return. Aragorn looks to me and nods. For a moment I'm confused, but when I go to rub the stone in my palm, I'm reminded it's the reason we didn't stop travel last night. I place my palm face up on the table. "May I?" he asks gesturing to my hand.
I nod and Gandalf gently removes the silver cloth covering the scorch marks left below. His brow furrows and he shares a look with Aragorn. He neatly tucks the fabric back in place then examines the stone itself.
"So strange, yet so familiar." He comments, rotating my hand from side to side. The light catching it makes it look like the colours are glowing. "Have there been any strange occurrences?" Gandalf asks Aragorn who looks to me.
I explain my dreams, and the heat, and the whispers. I describe the thing that was calling to me. Aside from my dreams though, the only physical proof I have of anything happening is the scar on my hands. For all we know my dreams could be explained away by stress of this whole situation.
Gandalf releases my hand and is quiet while he thinks. I look down to the stone and feel suddenly anxious. All four watch as I stand and walk to one of the windows. 'You should leave.' But where would I go? 'They're going to deem you unstable.' Maybe I am. I reason with the little voice in my head. I start slowly pacing to distract myself.
"It cannot be." Gimli says. I'm too busy watching the floor to watch the men at the table, but they sound tense. "It was destroyed."
"He can't be back. Gimli is right, Frodo destroyed the ring." Aragorn agrees.
"Perhaps not he." Legolas offers.
"What are you suggesting?" Gandalf questions.
"Perhaps Sauron's fëa acquired enough of its own power it did not require the hröa any longer." Legolas explains.
"Go on."
"Mayhap it developed strength of its own, could transport its essence temporarily, without physical form."
"It's not out of the realm of possibilities." Aragorn says. "I saw the starting's of it when I first saw Frodo in Bree. He fell and the ring conveniently landed around his finger."
"Aye, the ring could also manipulate those around it." Gimli adds.
"But then, why now?" Aragorn leaning forward in thought catches my eyes as I turn and pace in the direction I just came from.
"Transporting itself to another world entirely would take an immense amount of power. It could have been a final act of desperation, preservation, and just now regained enough strength to return." Legolas suggests.
"It has been nearly 7 years to the day." Gandalf reasons.
"So how do we finally be rid of it?" Gimli asks.
'They wish to be rid of you.' They wish to be rid of some kind of evil. 'Evil you brought to them and carry on your person.' I have no argument against that, I pace faster.
"I'm afraid it must be reunited with its goal." Gandalf mutters.
"Absurd!" Legolas stands suddenly and slams his hands on the table. "You wish to let that darkness connect with its power?" I stop to watch Legolas' vehement protest. Gandalf simply looks up at the elf.
"Of course, I do not wish it. However, destroying Sauron and the ring separately proved not enough." Gandalf tries to reason. Legolas stares at Gandalf before pushing away from the table and turning to leave. Our eyes meet momentarily before he lowers his gaze, and he leaves the room. I follow him with my eyes as he goes.
"Do not fret child, come sit." I linger for a moment longer before taking the seat Legolas just vacated. "I suspect journeying to Mordor was Legolas' first encounter with death happening to more than just those that oppose him." Gandalf offers by way of explanation. I nod dully.
"So, what do we need to do then?" I ask.
"Do you remember any identifying structures from your most recent dream?" I try to pull back the image. It starts out as nothing more than swirling smoke surrounded by darkness, but I force myself to try harder.
"There were mountains in the background. I don't recall any grass or trees… There was a broken tower… and broken gates. Maybe a volcano? I don't know, it was so dark." I do my best to give as much detail as I can.
"Mordor." Gimli says grimly.
"I fear it to be true." Gandalf confirms. I slowly look at each of the men at the table, they all hold their own solum looks of desolation, hopelessness, despair. I remember Legolas' pained expression as he left just moments ago. I resolve myself to do everything I can to keep them from having to experience anymore loss. It is partially my fault since I brought this cursed thing with me. Guilt creeps in and I lower my gaze, unable to view their private moments of pain anymore.
Sleep has a difficult time of finding me and I lay in my bed looking out at the stars again. I can't lay here anymore, and I get up to go for a quick walk. A light at the end of the hall we're in catches my attention and I wonder who is still awake.
Gandalf sits at a desk looking through an old book. I walk quietly to his side. His desk is littered with many books and a hand drawn map. I study it for a moment before deciding it must be Middle-Earth as there's nothing familiar on it.
"You are currently here." Gandalf says, pointing a weathered finger to a spot on the bottom of the page.
"Where are we supposed to be headed?" I ask quietly. His finger slides right, over to a place surrounded by mountains.
"Let's not focus on that now though." He moves to point at a spot higher on the map. "Rivendell was lovely, wasn't it?" I agree absentmindedly but focus on the path from Gondor to Mordor. It's not super detailed, or too difficult, but I try to remember it anyway. "And you must have met Lady Arwen in Arnor." His voice is muffled in my mind as he points to another spot but again I agree half-heartedly. I can't stop my eyes from repeating the path and committing it to memory.
Gandalf clears his throat, breaking my concentration. He gives me a stern knowing look before folding the map up. I straighten and take a step back.
"You should get some rest." He says to me softly. I nod.
"Goodnight Gandalf. Sleep well." I say quietly.
"You as well my dear." He gives my arm a pat and I give him a small smile before retreating to my room. Sleep finds me much quicker this time.
Everyone is quiet and in their own little world while we eat the morning meal. It substantiates the potential danger we may run into on this journey. Gandalf theorized that once this Sauron is defeated, I'll be sent back home. He is sending us ahead while he goes off somewhere else. He didn't say much about where he was going, just that he'd be sure to meet us before the battle.
Now that we have an idea of what I carry the urgency that existed in our last few days getting to Gondor is gone. Making good time to Mordor is a necessary evil. We're not dragging our heels on our travels, but we do stop for a few breaks. We left when we were done eating this morning and are just stopping now. The sun is still above the trees, but we are done for the day.
Aragorn and Gimli start to set up camp while Legolas and I tie the horses up. I tighten the tie and smooth down the hair on the side of this strong creature's neck. My hands slow to a stop and I take a deep breath.
"What is it?" Legolas asks from beside me. I drop my hand and turn to face him.4
"Perhaps I should continue learning how to fight. If we're going to be facing danger, I don't want to be a hinderance." Legolas considers me for a moment before nodding. I'm about to go ask Aragorn when Legolas unsheathes a sword. I look at it skeptically when the handle is offered to me.
"Try it. Enchanted with elven magic, it is much lighter than any sword or axe my friend could train you on." To my surprise he's speaking the truth. I step back and raise the sword experimentally. It's easy enough so I slash down on an angle and it whistles through the air.
"Alright." I meet his gaze. "What do I do?"
He spends the next few hours walking me through some of the stances Aragorn taught me previously, along with some new moves. We don't do any sparring yet since we've agreed to train a bit everyday.
"How are you feeling?" He asks later while we're sitting around the fire, Aragorn and Gimli fast asleep.
"I'm alright so far." I say pushing my hair away from my face.
"Would you like me to braid it for you again?"
"Hm? Oh, my hair, sure. Thank you." I say and he moves to sit behind me like he did all those nights ago. The fire popping is the only sound while his fingers expertly pull my hair into a long braid.
"In Minas Tirith-" I turn my head slightly, trying to look at him in question. "Gondor," he clarifies then turns me back to face the fire in front of us. "You claimed you fell after your partner pushed you." I nod and he gives my hair a gentle tug, telling me to keep still. I keep myself from laughing by keeping my lips in a tight smile. "Is this… common practice where you are from?" The question catches me off guard and an inappropriate laugh escapes me before his question sinks in and the smile falls from my face.
"No, it's not." There's an awkward silence and I continue talking trying to lessen the accusation hanging between us. "He wasn't always like that… but he has some struggles of his own. I know that's not right or fair to me and that I should leave but…" I shrug not sure how to finish. He lays the braid gently down my back and returns to sit by my side.
"So why do you remain by his side?" I study his face while I think about my answer.
"A couple reasons. Hope that things will go back to the way they were, hope that I can help fix things for him, hope that… I'm enough." I bite the inside of my cheek and look down to my hands in my lap. "But, also, he said he'd… take his own life if I left. I hope he's not serious about it, but I don't want to be responsible if he is." I move my gaze to the swirling oranges and yellows of the fire.
"It would not be your guilt to carry."
"Hm, maybe. I guess it doesn't matter now though. I've been gone for who knows how long now." It's quiet again. "Dick wasn't-"
"His name is Dick?" Something in his tone causes me to look over at him. A mocking smirk plays at his lips.
"Very mature." I say dryly.
"If the name fits." I stare at him with incredulity. This is the first time I think he's been anything than proper.
"His name is Richard; Dick is a nickname. Anyways, I was going to say he wasn't inconsiderate like that at the beginning."
"Le boe hirpen meru nan lín mîl." I finally look over at him again.
"I don't know what that means." I say gently. He studies me and gives a soft smile before turning to watch the fire. I watch the light of the fire dance on his face until he speaks.
"Sleep. I will keep watch." I stare at him for another moment before a yawn escapes me. The corner of his mouth twitches up in the smallest triumphant smirk and I roll my eyes but do as he suggests. I tuck myself into my bedroll and close my eyes.
"Ugh." The air is knocked out of my lungs and Legolas' sword drops from my hand as I land flat on my back, the point of a sword under my chin. This seems familiar. Anxiety seeps through my body. I knock the sword away with the back of my left hand, the metal of the sword sounding against the metal of the chain on my hand piece. I stand quickly and take a nervous step back. Legolas' face shifts to something unreadable.
"That's enough for today." I grab his sword and return it to him without meeting his eyes, then make my way over to where Aragorn and Gimli are sitting. They both watch me as I sit down between them. Gimli's gaze focuses on my hand. Aragorn gives him a look and he clears his throat.
'They are planning something.' Are they planning something? Or was he just warning him not to be rude. 'They want to be rid of the stone and ultimately you.' If that were the case, they would have gotten rid of me by now. My mind is quiet for a second. But we are on our way to Mordor, maybe they're just waiting until we're closer…
I need to stop having conversations with myself. The uncertainty is too much. I smooth my palms over thighs then stand. I need to walk to pace or something, away from my company until I come to some sort of conclusion of how to proceed. I barley know them… but they're better fighters than me. They could disarm me easily if they chose to. I wait for a moment. Nothing to say now unhelpful inner voice? I sigh. Maybe I am going crazy. I'll just have to assume for now they don't wish me any harm, but I'll stay distant and cautious.
I try to ignore Legolas joining them at the fire. I keep my distance and pace until the cold and the exhaustion from todays travel outweighs my anxiety. Silently and quickly, I climb into my bedroll to sleep for the few remaining hours of the night.
It's another day on the road before we come upon the next village. I dismount from the horse quickly and make my way to the man running the inn. I haven't said much to the guys since my little internal breakdown questioning their integrity and none of them have pushed me to talk either. They probably think I'm PMSing or something. I internally groan.
"Good evening, Sir. Please tell me you have a couple of rooms available. Preferably with access to warm bathing chambers?" I place my hand on the counter, smile, and bite my lip in hopeful anticipation. The man leans forward and places his hand on mine.
"I'm sure we can make some arrangements." He offers a crooked smile. He stares into my eyes for a moment before they flicker to something behind me. He straightens and the smile drops from his face. My brows furrow at the sudden change and I turn to see what caused it. Legolas is in an intense, not entirely friendly, staring contest with the owner.
"We require 4 beds." Legolas says unblinkingly.
"Of course." The man says breaking eye contact to consider how many weapons Legolas is carrying. He swallows and removes his hand from mine. Quickly, he retrieves a key and hands it to Legolas. The elf grabs it and walks away.
"Thank you." I say to the man and smile apologetically to him before chasing after the blonde.
"Hey!" I call. "You didn't have to be rude." I grab his arm and turn him to face me. "I had it handled I was just getting us a room."
"You were going to be taken advantage of." He says looking down at me.
"He… I… What? No. He was being friendly." He slightly lifts an unconvinced eyebrow at me. "Okay, maybe not entirely friendly but I was trying to get us somewhere warm to bathe." I whine and he considers me for a moment.
"I will provide you with somewhere warm to bathe when we stop tomorrow." He says then turns and continues to walk. I'm frozen for a second while my brain tries to process what just happened.
"No, wait!" I chase after him again. "That's not the point. You can't just scare of anyone who talks to me." He unlocks the door to our room and moved to recline against one of the headboards. I stand in the door watching him. He pays me no mind and it's clear he's not going to say anything else. I throw my bag down on one of the beds and stomp out.
Aragorn and Gimli are at a table eating and I join them, sitting beside Gimli. Aragorn motions and quickly another plate of food is brought over. It's not the most appetizing looking meal but at least it's warm and we didn't have to cook it. Legolas still hasn't joined us by the time we finish our meal but we decide to stay a little while longer for drinks. Gimli tips his mug back with two hands and I laugh as most of it spills down the front of his beard.
"Are you even drinking any of it Gimli?" I say teasing him.
"Of course lassie, but I've got to save some for later." I laugh again as a warm fuzzy feeling radiates through me. So this is the part people like about drinking. Aragorn gives us a concerned look.
"Alright, time to retire." Aragorn says helping Gimli stand. I watch the interaction, the fondness for each other is clear. I smile, then push myself up as well. I'm more tipsy than I thought and a pair of hands stead me.
"Whoa there, steady now." A mans voice soothes. I don't get a good look at him before another cuts in.
"I will take it from here." Legolas' hands replace the strangers. "You are drunk."
"I'm not that bad." I slur and trip over nothing. I grab onto his clothes to try and steady myself. He considers me for a moment before looping an arm around my waist and bending down. "Whoa, what are you doing?" He just continues to pick me up with an arm beneath my knees. I throw my arms around his neck for stability.
I lay my head against his chest as he carries me to our room. Gimli is snoring in bed already and Aragorn is turning down the blankets to his bed as we, well as Legolas, walks through the door. Aragorn stops to look at us, then down to me where I'm resting against his friend before he goes back to minding his own business.
Legolas lets my feet drop gently to the floor so he can turn down my blankets. The arm still around my waist pushes me toward the bed. I resist and study him. A few strands of his blonde hair fall over his shoulder.
"You're beautiful." I whisper. We regard each other, less than a foot a part.
"Sui van lín." I furrow my brows in question, but he only nudges me toward the bed again. This time I let him guide me down. "Ollo vae." He straightens then returns to his reclining position on his own bed. I fall asleep facing him.
"No." I groan and turn over in my bed. A million little hammers are banging around in my brain.
"Maer amor." I squint one eye open.
"It's too early for this." I groan and receive a smirk in response.
"I've let you sleep as long as possible. Gimli and Aragorn are waiting with the horses." I sigh and sit up. Legolas wears an amused smile. I eye him suspiciously.
"What?" He gives me the slightest raise of his shoulder then strides out of the room. I scramble out of bed, grab my bag, and follow after him. When I catch up he is standing by Arod while Gimli and Aragorn sit atop Roheryn. He still looks amused. Oh god, what did I do last night?
It looks like this is a secret he's going to keep for a while and my head is pounding too much to push him for more, so I accept the unknown embarrassment and let Legolas help me up. Once he's settled behind me, we take off for another day of travel.
By midmorning my headache has mostly subsided. 'Come to me.' The voice doesn't sound like my own this time, so I look around to see who called me. Neither Aragorn nor Gimli ahead of us give any indication of saying anything. I look over my shoulder to Legolas and he looks down at me in question.
"Sorry, I thought I heard something." I notice his concern before I face forward again. Aragorn turns to the right, and we follow his lead. 'Good, good. You are on course now.' I stiffen as the voice speaks to me again. It's not an unpleasant voice, just strange hearing something other than my own in my head.
Legolas insists we train more when we stop for the evening. He reasons we're getting closer and that it's strange we haven't run into any trouble yet. I need to be prepared in case. He motivates me by saying the longer we take to start training, the colder the stream he's stopped us near will be. Aragorn gifts me two smaller daggers to keep and become proficient with. Our goal is for them to stop anything before it gets close to me but in the event they fail to do so, I'm to be prepared to fight close range enemies.
Surprisingly I'm not awful with the daggers. I'd never land a hit on Legolas but at least I have a chance if worst comes to worst. Between the hangover and training I'm exhausted, but as Legolas promised, there's a stream nearby that's not freezing. It's so nice, I take my time washing even though I know he's close by keeping watch.
I've heard the voice in my head a few more times now but I'm choosing to ignore it and put it down to a side effect of stress and exhaustion. I've managed to minimize it so it's just a background hum when it has something it decides it wants to say. Aragorn and Gimli are fairing much better than I am today. I end up being the only one who decides to turn in early today. I start to doze off to the sound of them talking around the fire.
"Strange we've not seen a single orc." Gimli comments.
"Indeed." Legolas agrees.
"Perhaps no one builds an army this time." Gimli's accent is hopeful.
"Perhaps." Aragorn sounds less convinced. "Or perhaps they realise spreading out previously was part of their downfall." He suggests.
"We shall know soon enough." Legolas' voice is the last one I hear before sleep claims me.
I roll onto my back and blink my eyes open. It's still light enough to be very late evening but I can't focus enough to make out any details. I linger somewhere between asleep and awake. My world shifts and suddenly there's something under my feet. Experimentally I move forward. I don't trip on anything, so I continue.
Something tugs at me to go right so I turn and blindly follow it. I think I hear a muffled version of my name, but I can't do anything except follow the tugging in my chest.
Something wraps around my arms and torso, and I thrash about to get free. The tugging in my chest becomes desperate and a feeling of panic overtakes me. Someone screams and I fall to my knees, the rough ground probably bruising them. I grab at the daggers on my hips and swing. The arms release me to protect themselves.
The now familiar sound of metal on metal rings in my ears. I swing blindly a few more times before my right wrist is caught tightly and shaken roughly. The dagger slips from my hand and falls to the ground with a thud. I try one last time and slash out with the dagger still in my left hand.
"Agh!" Legolas cries out in pain. The tugging feeling snaps, and the dark trees and grass come into focus around me. Legolas has fallen back, supporting himself on one hand while the other clutches the side of his face. The dagger in my hand glows a slight orange and has a spot of blood on it. I drop it horrified. Legolas sits up straighter and pulls his hand away to inspect it. There's an inch and a half long cut across his cheek. I clamber over to him as quickly as I can on my knees.
"Oh my god." I hold my hand out in front of me but hesitate to touch him. "I'm so sorry." I breath heavily.
"I am alright. I shall heal quickly." He tries to comfort me before my left hand catches his attention. I follow his gaze to the stone just as the orange flow fades from it. I look back at him worried only to find his expression matching mine.
I stay frozen as he stands. A small trail of blood has leaked from the cut and I can't look away. He moves to grab my wrist, presumably to pull me up, but I flinch back. He pauses briefly before pulling me up anyway. I look down over my shoulder at the blade laying in the grass.
"Aragorn will retrieve them." I look back to his face and guilt and stress overwhelm me, along with relief that he appears to be alright.
I sag against his chest and cry, terrified of what came over me and that I was able to hurt someone I've come to care about. One arm wraps around my back while his other hand comes up to cup the back of my head gently, offering comfort I don't feel I deserve. I barley hear Aragorn come and collect the daggers. After giving me a few moments, Legolas leads me back to the fire.
"What was that lassie?" Gimli asks me once we're all seated again.
"I…" I shake my head slowly, eyes focused on the fire. "I don't know." I look up at him, then at the other two. "I was, awake. But I didn't have any control over myself."
"Aye, your eyes appeared empty. Legolas called ya' but ya' didn' respond. Don' worry I'd ignore him to." He gives a small chuckle probably trying to lighten the mood. Legolas gives him an unimpressed look before focusing back on me.
"Sleep for now. We can discuss more in the morning." Aragorn instructs. He and Gimli fall asleep quickly, but I sit on my bedroll unable to shake the unease. I need to move, to do something. I grab a piece of fabric from my bag and move to soak it in the stream. When I turn back to where Legolas is keeping watch, I see his focus has shifted to me. I make my way over and kneel in front of where he's seated.
"May I?" I ask, lifting the cloth and looking pointedly at his cheek. He gives one nod in response. I gently dab at the blood while he holds still. "Why do you take most of the night watches?" I ask quietly.
"I do not require as much sleep as the rest of you do." I pull the cloth back to fold it in favour of a clean spot. My mouth pops open in surprise to see the cut mostly healed. Only a small pink scar and some dried blood remains. "I also heal much quicker." I dab away the rest of the spots and sit back on my heels.
"I really am sorry. I never would have…"
"I am alright, it was merely a scratch. Thought, it is concerning the stone allowed you to harm me at all."
"I wish I could take this thing off, or that I never picked it up in the first place."
"How did it come to be in your possession?" He inquires.
"I found it at a flea market." His confusion at the term is obvious. "Um, a travelling vendor." He nods. "It was just on display. The guy gave it to me for free saying he'd had bad luck since it came into his possession. I figured he was exaggerating, and it was too pretty and unique to pass up, so I took it." We both examine the stone. It's much less intense in the moonlight; dull greyish brown edges and a white centre.
I turn and sit beside him. We both just sit in the quiet, Legolas keeping watch and me just enjoying the comfort being next to him brings. At some point my head falls to his shoulder and that's where I fall asleep.
I hesitantly accept the daggers Aragorn tries to return to me at Legolas' encouragement. I'm uneasy but Legolas seems to trust me with them. Either that or he's just going to be better prepared from now on. He even pulls me up onto Arod without hesitation for our travelling today.
I don't hear anymore voices and I can't tell if I'm grateful to be left alone or upset that now all I have left to do is replay and stew over the events of last night. Legolas seems to be over it thought and is as comfortable as usual around me.
We stop later than we normally do so Legolas and I forego training. That's fine by me as I'm nervous to touch a blade in combat again anytime soon. We sit around the fire and eat quietly instead. Aragorn is the first to finish and he looks at me.
"Has anything happened that we do not know about yet?" He asks.
"I don't think so." I say and try to think back. I repeat the bad dreams, the burning of my hand, the voices, and of course the strange events of yesterday. They all seem some variation of disturbed concern at my retelling of the experience through my eyes. It's quiet as they let everything sink in.
"I know none of us are in a rush to return to Mordor," Aragorn starts, "but the sooner we are rid of this the better. Starting tomorrow we travel with minimal stops. We get there as quickly as possible."
We are all in our own little worlds of dread and trepidation as the meaning of Aragorn's words sink in. It's my fault. I have to do something so they don't have to go through such horrors again.
"Wake me up through the night. I'll keep watch the second half so you can sleep before we travel through the night." I offer. Legolas nods reluctantly in agreement. "Okay, I'm going to get some sleep then." There's not much talking as I fall asleep tonight. It makes it difficult but eventually I manage to let darkness claim me.
Legolas gently shakes me awake after a few short hours of sleep. It takes me a moment to be fully aware but he's patient. Once I'm standing, he walks over to his things and grabs a full length sword.
"I do not think you will require it; however, it will allow me to rest easier if you keep it with you for the night." I nod and accept the sword. It's impossibly light. Elven magic.
"Thank you. You're welcome to my bedroll if you'd like." I offer knowing I'll miss it later, but I can't help myself. I move to sit facing the open land and wait. It doesn't take Legolas long to get comfortable and fall asleep.
I wait for what feel like hours but is likely closer to one hour. It feels like I'm moving in slow motion as I push up to stand. I check no one has moved before checking my daggers are secure. I quietly root through my bag to find something to tie Legolas' sword to my hip. The best I can come up with is a replacement tie Gandalf in gave me in Gondor for Arwen's dress. It's not perfect but it'll work.
While I'm down by my stuff I give myself a moment to take in Legolas' sleeping face. I hope to spend more time with you if I make it out of this alive. A tear slides down my cheek and nearly lands on his hand laying between us. I back away and stand again. I say a silent 'thank you' to Aragorn and Gimli for helping me get this far.
I carry my pack, sans bedroll, to the horses and attach it to Arod like I've seen Aragorn do. I look to Roheryn. You need to be free, or they'll catch up to me to quickly for me to finish anything. I leave Arod and untie Roheryn. I walk him some distance away before telling him to go back home.
By the time I'm back to Arod the moon is starting to set. I look back to the sleeping men by the dying fire. The sun will be up soon and so will they. I turn away and untie Arod. I lead us a fair way away then pull myself up. I give my legs a tight squeeze and we take off, following the direction of the pull in my chest.
Notes:
Le boe hirpen meru nan lín mîl. – you must find someone worthy of your affections
Sui van lín – as are you
Ollo vae – sweet dreams
Maer amor – good morning