Day 5 and the final day of my midterm marathon! In this chapter, reunions start to fall into place as part of the Fellowship is recovered.

Chapter Twenty-One

~ Legolas ~
I felt Estel's shock and dismay radiate through the air as we surveyed the pile of dead, smelly Uruk-hai. She had already killed some Uruk-hai and had certainly seen us kill many more, but never had the killings related to the deaths of people whom we had close connection to.

Assuming, of course, that Eldarion had managed to get Boromir to Lothlórien in time.

Gimli set about digging through the pile as Estel hung back, biting her lip as though she was trying to remember something. But then Gimli raised up a burned object. "It's one of their wee belts," he said.

"~May they find peace in death,~" I murmured quietly.

Aragorn let out an anguished yell as though he had been physically wounded by this stunning knowledge of the death of the Hobbits, falling to his knees in despair. Estel moved quickly over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't mourn them yet, my lord," she said quietly, her gaze flitting across the tree lines. "They still have a few cards left to play for us."

Gimli turned to stare at her. "What are you talking about? They can't have survived this," he exclaimed. "And you heard the Man – they saw no one and left no one alive."

"If they didn't see them in the first place, then they can't have known if they died," Estel replied tartly. "Anyways, they still have much more to do. If they are dead now, then Minas Tirith is as good as doomed."

Aragorn lifted his head to look at her, confused. "Minas Tirith is safe."

"Not for long," she said steadily. Estel turned to look at Aragorn. "Minas Tirith has no defense against the Witch-king of Angmar."

"And the Hobbits will help us in this how?" Gimli demanded. "They are nothing near warriors. They would only be a hindrance."

"Gimli, was that not what the Council said of Frodo?" Estel demanded in exasperation. "Yet now he has become one of the only three who will be gifted the only chances to destroy the Ring at Mount Doom."

Gimli stared in wonder – and a bit of fear – at Estel. "Are you a witch of some sort, one that can see into the future?" he demanded in return.

I shook my head when Estel didn't answer as she still gazed in the distance. "She is a daughter of the Rangers; Aragorn is, in a way, her Chieftain. She is no witch."

Gimli didn't look any more reassured, but just then Aragorn interrupted, saying suddenly, "A Hobbit lay here . . . and the other."

~ Estel ~
Aragorn knelt on the ground to examine a track. It was a very large one that certainly did not belong to a Hobbit. I heard Gimli suddenly spit out something from behind me before growling disgustedly, "Orc blood!"

Aragorn gave me a worried glance. "These are strange tracks," he said quietly, standing. I shrugged, trying to pretend I knew nothing. In truth, I had a good idea of what had made those tracks. In the old legends, it had been said that Mithrandir had prophesied that the Ents, the care-takers of the forest created at Yavanna's request, would wake up and find out they were strong. And later it had been said that because the aid of the Ents alone was Isenguard destroyed and Saruman defeated. But such things, I knew, should not yet be revealed to the others.

"The air is so close here," I heard Gimli say uncomfortably, waving his arms around. I glanced at the Dwarf, amused by his reactions. The Elves suffer unbearably underground, and the Dwarves suffer unbearably in the forests. It's as almost if these two kindreds were created merely to annoy each other and be the polar opposites, for Men and Hobbits fare equally well in both places.

But instead of saying that aloud, I replied, "The air is just as close underground, if not more, for in the forests, the air moves on the wind much more than underground, in the dark and cold."

Gimli snorted, obviously not appreciating my point. "I take, then, that you did not like the Mines of Moria?"

I shook my head. "Dwarves may have awoken in mines and call them home, but Men awoke under the sun and Elves under the starlight skies. Our kindreds were not meant to linger and live our whole lives in others' homes."

I suddenly heard low groaning and creaking ripple through the forests, as though a tree was being uprooted and was complaining terribly about it. Gimli hefted his ax without hesitation as Aragorn and Legolas looked around sharply, startled.

"The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas exclaimed, whirling to face Gimli.

"Gimli!" Aragorn hissed, gesturing to the Dwarf.

Gimli and I stared, confused, at Aragorn. What was going on here? Gimli voiced a "Huh?" that expressed my sentiments perfectly.

Aragorn elaborated, "Lower your axe."

Gimli slowly lowered his axe as understanding flashed through my brain. The trees probably recognized Gimli's weapon, and they wouldn't be too understanding of it. Axes were axes to them, and assurances that Gimli's axe was meant for enemies and not for trees would probably fall on deaf ears.

Legolas smiled faintly at us. "They have feelings, my friends," he said softly, resting a hand on my shoulder and looking fondly over the forest. "The Elves began it – waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

I smiled back. "~Pity that this tree-loving Elf can't speak to them for us and tell them Gimli's just a big softie,~" I teased. Legolas's smile grew as he processed the words, and he squeezed my shoulder gently, his blue eyes twinkling.

"~Best not tell Gimli that,~" he remarked, laughing gently.

"Talking trees," Gimli muttered from behind us, obviously annoyed that we had reverted the Elvish tongue and that he could no longer understand what we were speaking of.

Which was probably a good thing, considering that he was the subject of our conversation.

"What do trees have to talk about, hmm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings."

I turned to the Dwarf as Legolas became interested in something else and his hand fell away from my shoulder. "Well, that too," I said neutrally. "But also how open and fresh the air is; how unusual it for so many strange creatures to come in and remark on their forest –"

"All right, all right, I get the point, lass!" Gimli cut in gruffly. "You need not go on and on forever!" But his eyes expressed the laughter he was hiding from me, and I smiled again before pivoting back to the chase, my heart considerably lightened by the merry conversations.

"~Aragorn, something is out there!~" Legolas said suddenly. The air thickened with invisible tension. Even Gimli seemed to understand that something was wrong, even if he could not understand the Elvish tongue in which Legolas spoke.

Aragorn joined Legolas. "~What do you see?~" he asked him quietly.

I frowned. It wasn't like Legolas to be so anxious. But then, when Legolas replied, I realized why.

"The White Wizard approaches."

~ Eldarion ~
I woke with a start. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and it was then that I realized that for the first time, I had managed to fall asleep on a horse and actually stay on.

Although . . . that was probably more of a credit to Shadowfax than me.

The mearh was still running, I noticed. But Shadowfax's pace was slower and smoother now, as if the mearh was waiting for some kind of signal as to when to run and where to run.

I shrugged. Well, as long as I was the passenger, Shadowfax really had total control over where I was going. And as I didn't feel like walking all the way to Edoras, I couldn't really tell Shadowfax to do anything.

It was then that I realized that we weren't going to Edoras.

I had been with Shadowfax for four days now; I should have encountered either the Rohirrim or villages by now. But it seemed like everything was deserted; I could see nothing but open plain and clear sky for miles in every direction.

Unless you counted the forest. . .

"Where are you taking me, Shadowfax?" I muttered.

Then a whistle cut through the air, shooting straight to my air like a well-aimed arrow. It seemed to have been the signal Shadowfax was waiting for, for the mearh reared, whinnying in response.

I yelped, clutching at Shadowfax's silver mane and trying desperately to stay on. Someone just had to whistle now, didn't they? I thought in annoyance, barely managing to stay on. It was probably some cowherd or something, trying to round up their stock.

Shadowfax's speed picked up alarmingly now, and I wondered, as the wind roared in my ears and distracted me, where he was going.

~ Aragorn ~
When at last we had left the forest, I saw Gimli sigh in relief. The Dwarf really had not enjoyed being in the forest. However, Legolas was throwing wistful looks behind him.

Estel met my eyes, nodded at Legolas and Gimli, and rolled her eyes. I smiled. They really are an unlikely pair, I thought, agreeing with Estel's silent point.

Mithrandir whistled then, long and piercing. It hung in the air for what seemed like a long time, sounding like a magical plea sent over the plains. I exchanged a confused glance with Legolas. What was Mithrandir waiting for?

Then a piercing whinny rose through the air in answer. I saw a magnificent silver horse appear over the hill, rising like a silver flare under the light of sun. Its strides were smooth and even, and its silver mane and tail shone in the distance.

"That is one of the Mearas," I heard Legolas say, his eyes wide. "Unless my eyes are cheated by some spell."

It was then to our collected amazement that a rider slid off the horse when it came to a halt in front of Mithrandir. And that rider was –

"Eldarion!"

Estel, once again, recognized her brother first, and threw herself at him, hugging him so hard that I wondered briefly if he could still breathe. Sure enough, Eldarion gasped, "Estel – air – would – be – helpful."

"Sorry."

Estel drew back, allowing Eldarion to catch his breath and looking apologetic. Mithrandir smiled at the reunion of brother and sister, and a suspicion grew in me that Shadowfax bearing Eldarion to us was not a mere coincidence.

But then Eldarion, who had apparently sufficiently recovered, glared at us. "Who had the grand idea of whistling?" he demanded.

Estel nodded at Mithrandir, whose eyes were twinkling with laughter. "My apologies, Eldarion, if Shadowfax reacted quickly to my summoning," he answered.

"Quickly?" Eldarion snorted, continuing to glare at Mithrandir and not showing the slightest surprise that he was still alive. "He nearly threw me off, Gandalf!"

Estel stared at her brother for a moment. Then she burst out laughing. Legolas, Mithrandir, and I all joined her while Gimli stared at us as though we had all grown three heads apiece.

And Eldarion could only glare at us. "It's not funny!"