At night, the captors of Merry and Pippin stopped near a forest. Hunger caused a quarrel between the orcs and Uruks over the hobbits. The orcs considered Merry and Pippin fresh for dinner whereas the Uruks were still with the objective of bringing the hobbit prisoners to Saruman alive and unspoiled. Pippin guessed that it had something to do with the Ring but Merry doubt that they would be alive for long. An Uruk decapitated an orc that attempted to kill the hobbits and the Uruks cannibalized the slain orc before being ambushed.
Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Jim, Swann, Stetmann, Kerrigan, Zagara, Dehaka, Stukov, Artanis, Karax, Talandar, and Alarak continued the pursuit during dawn the next day. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night," Legolas muttered.
"Then there must be a battle nearby," said Artanis.
The group stopped as there were sounds. "My queen, I'm picking movement closing in high speed," said Iszha.
"What would that be?" Kerrigan asked.
The group hid behind a boulder as a huge battalion of mounted men approached passing the group's hiding place. "Who are they?" Artanis asked.
"What are those beasts that the men are riding?" Karax asked.
"Horses, that was in the medieval ages of old Earth," Stukov replied.
Aragorn came out shouting, "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?!"
"You know them?" Jim asked and the Dunedain nodded.
The group came out as the riders wheeled to surround them and the men pointed their pikes at them. "What business does an Elf, an Man, a Dwarf, and … whatever have in the Riddermark?" the leader of the riders rode into the center. "Speak quickly!"
"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine," said Gimli causing Aragorn to place his hand on the dwarf's shoulder.
The lead rider handed his staff to another rider and dismounted, "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want the fury of the Swarm," Kerrigan readied her wings causing the riders to bring their pikes' tips closer to her.
"Sarah, wait!" Jim stood in between them. "Men of Rohan, stand down! We don't want any quarrel with you!"
Aragorn stood between in front of Jim, "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin. Legolas of the Woodland Realm. This is Commander James Raynor, Chief Engineer Rory Swann, Egon Stetmann. This is Sarah Kerrigan the Queen of Blades, Broodmother Zagara, Dehaka of the Primal Zerg, Alexei Stukov. This is Hierarch Artanis, Phase-smith Karax, Talandar of the Purifiers, and Alarak of the Tal'darim. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."
The riders and their leader were all baffled. "We're not from around here," said Artanis.
"They're strangers to the lands here," Legolas clarified.
"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe, not even his own kin," the lead rider took off his helmet revealing his long blond hair and the men raised their pikes. "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 no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive," said Aragorn.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night," the lead rider informed.
"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli asked desperately.
"They're small and would like children to you," said Kerrigan.
"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," the lead rider pointed to the smoke.
"Dead?" Gimli spoke with disbelief.
"I am sorry," the leader rider spoke with remorse.
"Why can't you and your warriors watch where you kill?" Artanis asked angrily.
"If I know there would be Hobbits among them, we would have been careful," said the leader rider and then he whistled. "Hasufel! Arod!" a brown horse and a white horse without riders approached them. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell," he put on his helmet. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands," he mounted onto his horse. "We ride north!" he ordered the men as they left.
Aragorn mounted on the brown horse while Legolas and Gimli shared the white horse. The group headed towards the smoking pile with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli going ahead on horses. The trio dismounted to investigate and Gimli took out something from the pile, "It's one of their wee belts."
"May they find peace in death," Legolas muttered in elvish.
Aragorn kicked a helmet and screamed.
"We failed them," Gimli muttered.
"I do not believe, we will not," said Jim as he and his allies caught up. "Stetmann, scan the pile for the hobbits' bodies."
Stetmann took a device and scanned the carcasses. A few minutes later he said, "Guys, I cannot find traces of hobbits. They're still alive." This brought relief to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.
"How come?" Aragorn asked.
"Merry and Pippin must have escaped," Jim showed the rope that was cut.
"Their bonds were cut," said the Dunedain.
"They might have taken shelter there," Alarak pointed to the forest nearby.
"Into Fangorn Forest," Legolas recognized the forest.
"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked.
Author's Note
Sorry folks, the next chapter will be on Frodo's group.