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Lacy here kids and we are at The Two Towers. Lots of fun stuff coming our way now. I'm not sure how far this chapter is going to take us so you'll know when I do! Have fun!
Disclaimer: I own Zera. That's it.
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Zera knew her brother could move fast, they'd spent most of their lives traveling from place to place, but this was new, even for him. They'd been following the trail of the Uruk Hai for three days now and hadn't stopped for a rest or food once. Well, except for now while the two listened to the ground, Aragorn through the rock and Zera through the soil, for the path of their prey.
"Their pace has quickened." Aragorn said.
Zera nodded. "They must have caught our scent." The two stood.
"Hurry!" Aragorn called over his shoulder to Legolas and Gimli. The poor dwarf was having trouble not collapsing from exhaustion.
Zera took off after her brother, knowing Legolas was keeping an eye on their smaller companion. Their travel had been anything but easy. She knew Aragorn was feeling some sort of guilt towards Frodo and Merry and Pippin and her own grief over losing Boromir was still close to the surface. On top of that, they were all still feeling the loss of Gandalf.
Zera pulled from her thoughts as she watched Aragorn kneel down to pick something up.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." He said. He was holding one of the brooches they were all given in Lothlorien.
Zera took the brooch. The sight of it gave her hope.
"They may yet be alive." Legolas said.
Zera's eyes scanned the ground. While tracking was more her brother's thing, she was gifted at it as well. "Less then a day ahead of us."
Aragorn took off again. "Come!"
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It wasn't long before they came to the crest of a hill and paused to look out over the land.
"Rohan," Zera said. "home of Horse Lords."
"There is something strange at work here." Aragorn said. "Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us."
Zera watched Legolas move further ahead of them to get a better view. "Legolas! What do your elf eyes see?"
"The Uruk Hais turn north!" Legolas said. "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"
Aragorn glared at the open land. "Saruman."
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Zera looked around as the horsemen surrounded them, their spears pointed at them. She wanted to nod. This was going well.
"What business does an elf, a man, a dwarf and a woman have in the Riddermark?" The lead horseman demanded. "Speak quickly!"
Gimli rested his forearms on his axe. "Tell me your name, Horsemaster and I shall give you mine."
The horseman got down and moved over to the four. "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
Legolas pulled an arrow before anyone could blink. "You would die before your stroke fell."
The spears moved closer and Aragorn pushed Legolas's arm down.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." Aragorn introduced them. "This is my sister Zera, Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."
The horseman's eyes flitted between Aragorn and Zera, as if he recognized them. "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." he removed his helmet and Zera understood the recognition. Eomer. "Not even his own kin." the spears withdrew and Zera allowed herself the relax. "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 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."
"We are not spies," Zera said. "We track a party of Uruk Hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive."
"The Uruk Hai are destroyed." Eomer said. "We slaughtered them during the night."
"But there were two hobbits," Gimli said quickly, fear in his voice. "did you see two hobbits with them?"
"They would be small," Aragorn said. "no more the children to your eyes."
Eomer looked grief stricken. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed just over the ridge where smoke could be seen billowing up into the air.
"Dead?" Gimli said, his voice soft and small.
Eomer nodded. "I am sorry."
Zera shut her eyes against the tears she felt coming. This was no time for them.
Eomer whistled. "Hasufel! Arod!" two horses, one brown, one white, came up to him. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." he looked at Zera. "I am sorry, we only have two."
Zera shook her head. "Don't worry." she let out a shrill whistle of her own that had all the men, minus her brother, wincing. A beautiful black stallion came running over the hill side. "She has been following us since we left the mines." she stroked the horse's mane. "Riniel,"
Eomer nodded and climbed onto his horse. "Look for your friends but do not trust to hope. It is forsaken these lands." he looked at his riders. "We ride north!"
Eomer and his riders took off and Zera rested her head against Riniel's muzzle.
Aragorn handed the reins of Arod, the white horse, to Legolas. "Come, there may be a chance."
Even in a long dress, Zera easily mounted Riniel. Taking a moment to adjust her skirt, Zera spurred Riniel on and they four set off to the area Eomer had pointed to.
They arrived quickly and fear hit them all as they took in the field and the pile of bodies that were slowly burning. Climbing off their horses, they started looking around for signs of Merry and Pippin. Gimli used his axe to shift through the burning bodies while Zera, Aragorn and Legolas looked for any sign on the grounds.
"Oh," Gimli's shocked voice caused the others to turn. "it's one of their wee belts."
Legolas bowed his head and started praying in Elvish.
"AAARRGGHH!" Aragorn cried out, falling to his knees.
Zera felt dizzy as the news hit her. They were dead. Two more gone and these two were innocents that shouldn't have even been involved in the first place. She sank to the ground as tears once again fell down her face.
"We failed them." Gimli said.
Aragorn looked to the side and some of the marks on the ground caught his attention.
"A hobbit lay here," he said. "and the other." he bushed his hand over the ground. "They crawled."
Zera wiped her eyes and moved behind her brother as he began to follow the tracks.
"Their hands were bound." Aragorn said, moving along, staying crouched down. He picked up a length of rope. "Their bonds were cut." He got up and moved faster. "They ran over here. They were followed."
They broke into a run.
"The tracks lead away from the battle," the group came to a sudden halt at the tree line. "into Fangorn Forest."
They all stared at the dark, dense forest.
"Fangorn," Gimli said. "what madness drove them in there?"
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Zera watched as Gimli touched a leaf with black on it before putting his fingers in his mouth. He spit.
"Orc blood,"
Zera wrinkled her nose. "And you had to taste it to know that?"
They moved through the trees and Aragorn knelt down.
"These are strange tracks." he said.
"The air is so close in here." Gimli said.
"This forest is old." Legolas said, looking around. "Very old. Full of memory and anger."
They all started as groans reverberated through the forest. Zera knelt down and touched the soil.
"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas said before turning sharply to Gimli.
"Gimli," Aragorn whispered, seeing the dwarf had his axe raised. "lower your axe."
Gimli went wide eyed and did as he was told.
"Aragorn," Zera said. "nad nâ ennas." Something is out there.
Aragorn knelt next to his sister. "Man cenich?" What do you see?
It was Legolas who answered. "The White Wizard approaches."
Aragorn pulled Zera to her feet and tried to look relaxed. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us. Zera, use your sword, not magic."
Zera nodded. She had to open her mind to use her sorcery and it would be easy for the enemy to control her when she was like that.
"We must be quick." Aragorn said.
With a yell, the four spun to attack. Gimli threw an axe, Legolas shot an arrow but both were deflected and Zera and Aragorn's swords burned so hot they had no choice but to drop them. They shielded their eyes from the bright white light that was glowing.
"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." the light said.
"Where are they?" Aragorn asked.
"They passed this way the day before yesterday." the light answered. "They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"
"Who are you?" Zera demanded. "Show yourself!"
The light faded and to the shock of the four, Gandalf, dressed completely in white, hair included, stood before them.
"It cannot be."
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*grins* Okay, that's getting Katie back for her six chapter story with five cliff hangers. And I also thought it would be a good place to end. Have no fear, as soon as this is posted, I will be working on chapter six. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks, as always, for reading.
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