The packing was swift, as I ran about throughout the city of Edoras, aiding those who needed it.
Finally the hour came when the people of Rohan began to leave the city. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and I rode horses beside the King and his guards, my thoughts of him not improved much.
We rode and walked across the plains and through the mountains slowly, many sick and wounded, being pulled in wagons and such by warriors. I abandoned my horse, walking with the peasants, helping them in whatever they needed.
A child sat on my shoulders as we walked, her little hands in my hair and another boy smiling up at me.
"Me next Lady Alandia! Me next!" I smiled.
"Alright, young one." I said and took the young girl off my shoulders, letting her walk beside me. Smiling widely, she ran to her mother, laughing.
The woman looked back up at me, hoisting the boy onto my shoulders and spinning, the boy laughing. I sped up to walk beside the mother, handing her her boy.
"Oh, Lady Alandia!" the boy whined, "Please one more time?" I picked him up and held him in my arms, his legs wrapped around my middle. Blowing his deep red hair from his dirty face I smiled.
"I'll tell you what " I said, "Give me a few moments to check on others and I'll let you and your sister ride my horse, Niethen, with me, alright?"
A frantic, happy nod and the boy jumped down and held his mother's hand.
"Bless you, ma'am." The woman said and I smiled.
"Do not lose hope." I said and patted her on the shoulder, walking back to my company where Gimli was riding a brown horse that Eowyn was leading. Aragorn and Legolas rode behind them, Legolas looking at me with eyes that shone in the bright sun, even on that cold day.
"It's true you dont see many Dwarf women." Gimli was saying to her, "and if fact, we're so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for dwarf men." Eowyn looked back at Aragorn.
"It's the size." I said at the same time Aragorn said, "It's the beards." I held out my arms around my body as Aragorn put his hand to his face. Eowyn smiled and began to try to hold back a laugh as Gimli continued, "This leads to the belief that there are not dwarf women and that dwarfs just spring out of holes in the ground!" Eowyn laughed heartily. "Which of course is rediculo oh!" suddenly the horse that Gimli was on began to run and the Dwarf fell off right onto the ground! I let out a laugh.
"It's alright, nobody panic. That was deliberate, it was deliberate." Gimli said as Eowyn helped him up. Eowyn turned and smiled, her blonde hair blowing back in the wind. Aragorn and her locked eyes and for a moment I noticed a sense of spark between them. The only way I recognized that look is because this, coincidentally was the way that Legolas and I would look at each other.
"Lady Alandia! Lady Alandia!" Four children, two of which I had seen only moments before were running to me, their smiles lighting up their faces even in this dark time.
"May we ride your horse?" they cried, "May we, may we?" I smiled and closed my eyes, picking them up one by one as I mounted Niethen. Two on my back and shoulders and the others sitting on the saddle with me. Aragorn tried not to laugh but failed miserably and I scowled at him.
"Not enough of yourself." Legolas's voice came from the ground me, shaking with laughter, his face was troubled though.
"Oh be silent." I scolded him and rode ahead, letting my horse gallop to the great delight of the children.
Two hours went by and by the time it did, two of the three young girls who had been riding with me had fallen asleep, leaning their heads on my chest and back, soundly breathing.
Suddenly, from the hill ahead of us came screams of one of the guards, screaming in pain as a growl followed. Galloping ahead, barely aware of the children I pulled up next to Aragorn, who was watching Legolas kill an orc who was lying on the ground. A warg lay dead next to it, a great doglike creature whom the orcs rode on.
Legolas pulled the arrow out of the orc's neck.
"A scout!" he called back and my eyes widened, turning around and galloping back to the people, Aragorn at my heels. Three women approached me, asking what was wrong.
"Take them!" I cried and turned around, pulling out my bow as a warg came over the hill. Pulling the string I shot the arrow. It fell dead on the ground.
"What is it? What do you see?" Theoden cried from his horse as I finished giving the children to the women.
"WARGS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Aragorn cried and leapt onto his horse.
"Keep them safe, and find their families!" I cried to the women who had taken the little children.
"Where are you going?" One of them asked.
"I cant let them have all the fun now can I?" I asked and turned Niethen around, pulling out another arrow and shooting it quicker that sight as I came up next to Legolas. Pulling another arrow into my bow and shooting.
My eyes widened as at least thirty wargs, each with at least one orc on their back came running over the hill.
As I pulled another arrow and shot it the guards of Theoden and my companions came riding behind me on horses, all ready to charge against the wargs. Legolas leaped up onto the horse that Gimli sat on nimbly, riding out into battle.
Another arrow left my bow as Gimli fell off Hasufel and began axing as many orcs as he could, Legolas keeping him protected from all he could.
I needed only to use my bow from my horse during the battle, trying to keep one eye on my friends and the other on my life.
Suddenly, three wargs were around me on my horse. Cursing in Elvish under my breath I leapt from Niethen, shooting one of the orcs and its warg to let him through.
"Get out of here!" I said to him and watched as he galloped away through the battle and over the hill. "Go safe." I said. I knew I was overreacting but there was no use in getting your most trusted friends killed.
The two other wargs were closing in... the orc's faces curled into a sneer. I pulled my bow and...
"Rhasslairiel!" Legolas's voice rang out and an arrow flew right by my ear, causing my hair to whoosh around me. I turned to see an orc that had jumped at me fall, and a spear fall through the warg. Smiling at Legolas I yelled,
"You go on, I've got this one!" Legolas smiled and turned his horse as I pulled out my sword, digging it into the warg's mouth and sending my knife into the orc's face all in one swift move, a smile on my face as all the orc's sword managed to do was cut my face.
They both fell to the ground, dead.
A yell made me turn around to see Aragorn butt heads wit the orc that he has somehow managed to get on a warg with.
Suddenly, the orc kicked Aragorn off the warg, making him hang off the side. Looking over and pulling out an arrow I saw Aragorn dig his knife into the orc's heart, making him fall off of the warg.
Get off the warg, Aragorn... I thought, GET OFF THE WARG! They were approaching a cliff.
"Aragorn no!" I yelled and watched with horror filled eyes as my friend and companion of many years, Aragorn son of Arathorn Ranger of the North, tumbled off the cliff.