The return to Rohan
We ran as quickly as we could from Rauros and west toward the east emnet. We didn't speak much other than quick stops to look for tracks of the Uruks and to see to each other's wounds. Mine was the most irritating one as it was on my tight, but I managed well and didn't slow us down. It felt like a fire was in our blood and we ran hard. Well as hard as we could with two men and a dwarf with us. Except for short breaks, we didn't stop until that night.
"Legolas," I said with a question in my voice. "We need to rest or Estel, Boromir, and Gimli will fall on their own feet. He slowed down and looked back at me. "If we slow down we risk losing the Uruks" he argued before looking at our mortal friends. "But we cannot leave them here," he said sadly as he again looked west. "It will not be the end of Merry and Pippin" Tauriel added as she dropped her little pack and found some Lembas for us all. "We still need food and water if we are to catch them," she said while giving out the food. Yes, we elves needed less than the rest, but we still needed some food and some rest.
"I cannot fail them again," Boromir said as he breathed hard taking a few bites of the elfish bread. "Nor can we" Tauriel added to try and make him feel better. He smiled and bowed his head. "You are most kind, my lady." He said "A quick rest and we can start hunting again," I said with a smile at Boromir. Gimli on the other hand had taken two bites of the bread and was asleep already.
My own need was to look west as I ate. I couldn't see much, but I hoped to see something in the dark. "How is your leg, my lady?" Estel asked as he came up beside me with some Lembas of his own.
"It is well little brother," I said with a smile. "I do not think it helps you keep up with me," I said as a tease.
"Good, we will need you when we catch up with the Uruks," he said with a smile. "We are all needed in the days ahead," I said without adding any more context to it. For Rohan would burn soon and we would need to aid them in their defense.
"Can you see them?" he asked wondering. I only shook my head. "It is too dark and they are too far ahead," I said before I took a bite of the Lembas. "It was too much to hope for," Estel said and tried to smile as he sat down beside me, trying to get some rest.
I saw my wife looking to the east and the darkness mixed with the red light of the mountain of fire. Sauron was clearly on the warpath and he did not hide it. The great battles of our time were coming close.
"I hope they are safe" she whispered to me as I sat with her. "Frodo and Sam?" I asked. "Yes, maybe we shouldn't have let them go alone…" She asked me for confirmation that we had done the right thing and I gave it to her. It was no point in her worrying about the days and weeks to come.
"Frodo and Sam need to complete their journey alone, we were never meant to be a part of that journey," I said simply and she tilted her head. "Were we supposed to be here then?" she asked. "No, but here we can do the most good. As we did for the Dunedain we will do for Rohan and Gondor" I said smiling as I pulled her close. A few hours later we got up again and woke Estel, Boromir, and Gimli. Legolas had been standing watch over us that night and I for one was grateful for it. My leg was ok, but it still hurt from the cut I got fighting the uruks. Over the next few days, we ran from morning til sunset and only had short breaks for some Lembas and water. We did not dare to go any slower than with all the speed we could muster and rest when darkness fell and made the tracks hard to see. We did find a few dead orcs that had clearly not agreed with the Uruk Hai and paid with their lives for it. Talking was kept to a minimum until we after several days of running came up a hill, the skies were red and something was in the distance.
"Legolas, Tauriel, Elwen?" We heard Estel cry out. "What do your elf eyes see" and he pointed to a shadow moving over the field.
"Riders. Over a hundred" Legolas said in short. "Blond long hair, dressed for battle" Tauriel added. "The Rohirrim" I finished as we all looked at our human short-sighted friend. "Can you not see them old man?" I teased him as I knew it was soon his birthday.
"Ney I cannot old woman" He returned with a smile. Tauriel looked at me and grinned, "He is right. You are old" She added and kissed my cheek. My eyes followed her as she moved off.
"They are coming down the road, in the tracks of the Uruks" Legolas added and took us out of our teasing nature.
"We shall wait on them on the hill," Estel said with a smile and we moved off slowly. "Elves," Boromir said with a grin. "What of us?" Tauriel asked him and smiled. "You look like young women that live in my city and yet you are almost as old as Gondor itself." He responded looking at us. "I still do not understand how you two have been married for so long, men in my company of the white tower constantly complain of their wives driving them mad." To that, I could only grin before I responded. "First of all Boromir we are elves, we have different needs, urges, and ways of living than you men, and for the second. I bet their husbands deserve it" I said with a wink. "You two are such teases" he responded shaking his head. "They are. I have traveled with them from the north to Harad and west near the grey heaven to the far east. Their teasing following them like a south wind from the sea flying the banners of the white city"
"And still you can suffer it?" Boromir asked his king to be while he laughed some.
"I have. For you will find no more loyal, caring, protective friends to have to watch your back. For they have fought long against the darkness of the east and if we are at victory it will be as much theirs as it would be Gandalf" he said and his head dropped in sadness and Boromir put his hand on his shoulder. "He was a great man; he will forever be remembered in the white tower" To that Estel just smiled.
While the others rested we kept an eye on the riders and talked between ourselves. Something we had not been able to do much as of late.
"The riders look so very different from those we met before in Rohan…" Tauriel said as I cut her off.
"I had a weird dream," I said bluntly.
"Of Lord Elrond?" she asked as she knew it so well.
"Yes of Ada… How did you know?" I asked looking at her.
"He came to me as well before the battle at the falls. He was worried about us and he told me to follow my heart. Where ever it would take me. With you… and to save him" She said looking at Boromir. "Too much death have we seen already and if I can save one man it is something" she added.
"Yes…" I said "As long as the Gondorians believe he is dead when they find his shield and horn among the swords of the Uruks," I said in deep thought.
"I have faith in it. From what you told me the steward will not be hard to push over after all his years of mentally fighting the nameless one" She said very low so the others would not hear, not even Legolas.
With that, we got cut off hearing the horses' hooves and got the rest of the company up as we stood among the rocks. We could clearly see the riders looking at us, but not noticing us. It had to be the cloaks of Lorien so Estel, our leader, walked out into the field and we followed him.
"RIDERS OF ROHAN, WHAT NEWS FROM THE MARK" he cried out and the riders turned and came back up the hill and formed a circle around us as they lowered their spears and drew their bows. By reflex we elves held hard onto our bows ready to use them if the riders made a move on us. Even I that knew they wouldn't couldn't override my instincts. Then Eomer came forward.
"What business does three elves, two men and a dwarf have in the ridder mark? Speak quickly"
"Eomer, Son of Eomund, Do you not recall who I am?" Said Boromir and at that moment Eomer relaxed some and came off his horse. "Lord Boromir. Long has it been since we last met when you traveled west and here you are with strange companions. Tell me their names!" He demanded.
"This is Lord Aragorn, Son of Arathorn." He said putting his hand on Estel's shoulder "My king" he added proudly to Eomer's surprise. "Your king? I did not know Gondor had a king or had one for many long years. What is this?" Boromir nodded a little at first. "It is true we have been without a King for many long years and that the line of Anorion failed. But he is from the line of the last high King Isildur and even if he has not claimed the throne but to me he is still my King and his word is my bidding." He added proudly. It was strange to see him be so warm to Estel while he months earlier had been colder than ice.
"This is Gimli, son of Gloin," He said patting his shoulder. "Legolas, Son of King Thranduil" while Patting his shoulder. "And last but not least. Elwen, Daughter of Elrond Half elven. Lord of Imladris and her wife the lady Tauriel of Imladris" As he mentioned us we bowed our heads in an elven greeting to the horse lord and he looked pale white on his face.
"You come with those that we have only heard of in legends and songs my friend. How can this be?"
"Out of legends we may come" Estel then said "But we are here to stay now and once again will we aid its people, but first we need to ask about a group of uruk hai…" Before he could continue Eomer cut him off.
"The Uruks are dead, we killed them during the night Lord." He said looking questionably on Estel.
"Were there two hobbits with them?" Gimli then burst out asking.
"They would be very small in your eyes" Estel added before Boromir spoke "Like children in your eyes"
"No… we left none alive…" The horse lord confirmed and our heads bowed with the others.
"Dead?" Gimli said in disbelief.
"I am sorry… But if you are indeed here to help us I will lend you horses to look for them if you wish. Hasufel, Arod, Englon, Belgor and Bland." He cried out and five horses came forth. May they carry you to better fates than their former masters. Come to us in Meduseld when your quest is complete so the king may rule that my belief in you was correct. For hope we need as it has departed this land" He said in a sad tone and with that the riders of Rohan rode off and we stood there all thinking of Merry and Pippin. Some more than others.
"Do not despair" I finally decided to say. "Eomer did not have the full picture. Nor have you for news we will find in Fangorn" Estel, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir looked at me with curious faces before Estel spoke.
"Lord Celeborn warned me of those woods before we left. Are you saying we have to enter them?" A rare sound of fear in his voice.
"That is our way, little brother," I said and Tauriel nodded.
"Of what ill did he speak of the wood?" Boromir asked as we mounted the horses. "For as a child I remember my brother and I was told of scary stories of what could happen if one were to wander into it"
"He only mentioned the dangers of Fangorn. That what goes in rarely comes out again. Shepherds of the trees live there and control it, for a shadow lies over Fangorn" Estel then commented.
I thought not to say much, but my wife did.
"There are indeed shepherds of the trees there, I remember one of my commanders talking about it and how the wood had been covering much of the land in ages past." Legolas looked at her but said nothing. "Yes, the old Forrest is not far from the shire and Fangorn is kin" I added. "But long have they been parted thanks to the greed of men" I slowly added.
That last comment stopped the convocation then and there and we rode in silence up to the wood itself. The smell of the burning orcs and uruks was horrible, but we tolerated it for as long as we could. Looking for tracks that Pippin and Merry had indeed managed to escape and Estel found the rope and tracks into Fangorn. What a relief.
"It is too dark to continue" Boromir then added and the rest of us agreed. Even if we elves could see well enough the rest couldn't and would trip and fall none stop.
That night we heard many strange sounds and the horses ran off with an elderly man showing up. Who it was we did not know as he did not respond to our calls for him to come and join us and out of nowhere he was gone. The morning came and we had some Lembas and water before we set out into the darkness of Fangorn.
"Never before have I wished not to enter the woods," Tauriel said looking at me. "It will be fine my love," I said reaching for her hand and I led her in.
"If an elf doesn't want to enter the wood nor will I" cried Gimli. Legolas and Boromir shook their heads and pushed him in after Estel followed us and he took point once again.
"This forest feels as old as it is" Legolas commented from the back.
"It does, there is so much fear, anger, hate…" Tauriel said before she stopped talking. Unable to put a word to it.
"There is an ax wielder with us," I said lowly and nodded toward Gimli. "The forest has been ravaged by Saruman and his orcs. No wonder they have fear and hate towards one with an ax"
"The trees are speaking to each other" Legolas blurted out and Estel told Gimli to lower his ax at once.
"What is this devilry!" Boromir then cried out. "Talking trees that can feel or even see an ax and react to it! This is not natural, NONE OF IT! He cried out."
"They think the same of you son of Denethor!" I cried out. "Calm down now and let the trees settle. We do not want to hurt them and they will in turn not want to hurt us!"
Boromir did calm down, but he was still scared, and so was Gimli, but we had more pressing matters to care for and we moved on. It did not take long until Legolas Tauriel and I felt it. There was something out there and for me, I felt glad. Legolas less so.
"There is something out there," he said in elfish.
"Speak so we all can understand!" Gimli growled in return.
Legolas turned slowly looking at him and Boromir.
"The white wizard is approaching" By then they acted quickly and yet Tauriel and I stood still. For we knew as soon as the white light blinded us all, Legolas shot an arrow and it burst into flame. Gimli's throwing ax burst into bits and the swords of Estel and Boromir hit the ground.
"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," the voice in the light said, it was so mixed up that if you didn't know what you were seeing you had no idea who it truly was.
"Where are they?" Estel cried in response and to his and the other's surprise I started to walk towards the white one with Tauriel and we both bowed our heads and placed our hands over our hearts.
In elfish we spoke, "It is good to see you again Lord, your return lightens our hearts."
The man in the light returned the gesture.
"I am happy some of you still know who I am" Even if he spoke neither, Estel, Gimli, Legolas, or Boromir heard it as they were sure we were under a spell and would turn on them from the look in their eyes.
"What have you done to them? Release them at once!" Estel cried and at that moment Mithrandir stepped forward.
"I need not release them dear Aragorn for I have put no spell on them. They just saw who I was" The wizard said to their dropped jaws.
"You fell!" Estel cried out in disbelief
"It is a long story, but yes I did. But for all the darkness I was in I do not wish to repeat it. All you need to know is that I am back and the next part of this journey begins.
