Whew. Another chapter done. I shall definitely reward myself with a nap...or something :)
The names for the commander and Rìan's friend were taken from a name generator. My abusive ex boyfriend's name gave me Caruryn and my brother's name gave me Guddry. Do not worry, justice will come to Caruryn just as it did to my ex boyfriend but obviously not in the same manner.
As always, enjoy and review if you would like. No flames!
~:Elven Kat:~
They rowed in silence, camping at night, and returning to the boats in the morning. One day, Rìan felt a great evil pursuing them and she knew Legolas felt it too. She glanced back at the other Elf and he nodded, looking towards the bank of the river. After passing through two huge statues of Men carved out of rock, Aragorn decided to make camp. Rìan sat on a rock, looking out to the other side, her ears picking up every sound.
"May I join you?"
She turned to face Legolas who had appeared behind her.
"If you wish," she replied.
Legolas leaped onto the rock with ease and sat down beside her. They were silent for a moment.
"We are bonded," Rìan said bluntly.
Legolas nodded.
Destined to be together, she thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice call out from the camp.
"Where's Frodo?"
Both Elves jumped off the rock and returned to camp.
"And Boromir," Rìan pointed out, noticing the Man was gone.
As they searched the forest for them, all hell broke loose. A large group of Uruk-Hai descended upon them, obviously the evil Rìan had felt. Whipping out her sword, Rìan slashed at the ugly beasts who surrounded her. These were not Uruk-Hai from Mordor. These were marked with a symbol of a white hand. Saruman of Isengard. After realizing they were separated, Legolas fought his way over to her, protecting her as Galadriel said he would. Together, the Elves were unstoppable. When the carnage was over and the remaining Uruks fled, Rìan turned to the other Elf.
"We make a good team," she said.
A smile broke out on his face. Rìan reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, accidentally brushing the tip. The tip of an Elf's ear was very sensitive and Legolas shuddered slightly, his eyes clouding with lust for a brief moment. He regained control of himself quickly as she apologized. Aragorn appeared, carrying something. Rìan realized it was the body of Boromir and she gasped. In silence, the carried their fallen friend back to camp.
After a quick funeral for Boromir, Legolas readied a boat to follow Frodo and Sam, who had crossed the river to the other side. Aragorn did not move.
"You don't mean to follow them," Legolas realized, letting go of the boat.
Aragorn nodded slowly.
"Frodo and Sam are on their own now," he said. "But we cannot leave Merry and Pippin to their doomed fate. Boromir did not die for nothing. Let us hunt some Orc!"
Rìan lowered her gaze for a moment. Boromir had died, protecting Merry and Pippin from the Uruks. If only she had been there to protect them as well. They would've never been taken. Legolas seemed to notice her inner battle and placed his hand lightly in her shoulder. She wished to be back in Caras Galadhon. She didn't want any of this.
~:✿:~
They ran for what seemed like days, only making camp whenever it got too dark to follow the tracks of the Uruks. Poor Gimli was always behind, his short legs making it difficult for him to keep up. Rìan ran alongside him to keep him company.
"Keep breathing. That's the key," the Dwarf said to himself.
Rìan could not help but smile at him. It was nearing sundown and she knew they were going to have to stop. And stop they did, Gimli falling to the ground in exhaustion. Rìan felt the tiredness in her legs creep into other parts of her body. They made a small fire, hidden by the rocks as to not attract any unwanted attention. Gimli was soon snoring, the coarse hairs on his beard fluttering with his breath. Rìan pulled out an apple from her small pack and carved it piece by piece with her knife, savoring the sweet and juicy fruit in each bite. She avoided Legolas and his stare. She really did not want to think of the prospect of them being wed and settling down.
No! I just became free! she thought.
After finishing her apple, she settled down near Gimli, curling into a ball and drifting off into a disturbed sleep, plagued by nightmares and memories.
~:✿:~
Rìan sat in the back of a tent, tending to an injury she had sustained during battle practice. The commander, Caruryn, had been extremely harsh with her in practice even though his eyes glinted dangerously with lust and laughter. For weeks now, he had been bringing her to his tent, threatening to kill her one and only friend in Mordor.
Guddry.
Guddry had been there for her as long as she could remember. Guddry tended to her each and every night she returned from Caruryn's tent, wiping away her tears. He was always making sure any injury she had was looked after. Even now as she finished binding the wound, he was making sure all was well.
"Guddry," Rìan said smiling slightly. "I am perfectly fine"
Guddry scowled at her.
"He has no right to do this to you!" he said angrily.
Guddry served Caruryn directly, second-in-command of sorts. Although Guddry was well-built and muscular, he was still nothing compared to Caruryn. And he dared not defy Caruryn.
Even though Rìan's Elven ears picked up the sounds of heavy footsteps outside, she still jumped a bit when the tent flap was thrown to one side. Caruryn stood there, illuminated by the fire light.
"My Lord," Guddry said, bowing his head slightly in greeting.
Caruryn ignored Guddry for a moment.
"You," he sneered at Rìan, eyes mischievously dancing. "Come."
Rìan swallowed hard. She knew what this meant.
"Make sure the soldiers are up early tomorrow," Caruryn snapped at Guddry as he departed from the tent.
Guddry looked sadly at Rìan as she stood up and hurried out if the tent. As she exited, a large hand descended on her, slapping her face with a loud smack.
Rìan sat up with a start. Looking around, she saw the still figure of Gimli not far from her. He was still snoring.
"Are you alright?"
Rìan looked beyond the fire to see Legolas sitting against a rock, watching her intently.
"Nightmare," she said quietly.
Legolas stood up and walked over to her. He sat down on his haunches next to her, still peering into her eyes.
"Mordor?" he asked, guessing what her dream was about.
She nodded, not saying a word. When he realized she wasn't going to say anything else, he stood up to leave. Her hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.
"Stay. Please," she whispered.
Legolas sat back down behind her, each leg stretching out on either side of her body. His arms slid around her waist, cradling her. Though she made no noise, Legolas felt her body shudder slightly and the hot tears that dropped onto his hand. He held her tightly to his body, reassuring her that she was safe. He never moved during the night, even after she fell back asleep. He was happy like this with the Elf he was falling so hard for wrapped in his arms. If it were up to him, they would never move.
~:✿:~
The next day found them hiding behind a cluster of rocks as a large group of riders passed by them. It was Aragorn who stood up first.
"Riders of Rohan!" he called out as his friends joined them.
The men turned their horses and soon the small group were surrounded, spears pointing straight at them. Legolas instinctively pulled Rìan closer to him, wrapping one arm around her slender waist.
"What business does a Man, two Elves, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?" one if the men asked.
"Give me your name horsemaster and I shall give you mine," Gimli said boldly.
From beneath his helmet, the man's eyes looked very amused by this statement.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," he said, his voice filled with laughter.
Upon hearing this, Legolas strung an arrow onto his bow, pulled it back and aimed at the man in the blink of an eye. His actions caused the men to advance with their spears.
"You would die before your stroke fell," he hissed.
Aragorn placed his hand on Legolas' arm and pushed the bow down.
"My name is Aragorn, this is Gimli, Legolas, and Rìan," he said.
"We wish to speak with the king."
"The king does not recognize friend from foe. Not even his own kin," the man said, dismounting and removing his helmet.
As he did this, the other men lifted their spears and the glistening points disappeared. Legolas removed his hand from his bow and placed it back on Rìan, making sure she was still close to him. Aragorn was telling the man about their predicament.
"We killed a group of Uruk-Hai during the night," the man said.
"Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli asked, holding up to fingers, sounding almost desperate.
"They are small. About the size of children," Aragorn explained.
The man shook his head.
"You are welcome to look for them. We burned the bodies," he said grimly, gesturing in the distance towards a plume of smoke.
It was silent for a moment. The man whistled and two horses were brought forward.
"May these horses bring you to better fortune than their former masters," he said, offering them to us.
As Aragorn and Legolas took the reins, the man mounted his horse and with a sharp yell, ordered his men to follow. They watched as the riders left, disappearing over the next hill. Only when the last one was gone did they mount the horses. Rìan sat behind Legolas and Gimli behind Aragorn. They spurred the horses onwards towards the slowly diminishing column of smoke.
As they reached the smoldering pile, the acrid smoke still billowing from between the bodies, Rìan's stomach turned violently. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth and nose.
"That smells disgusting," she muttered.
Legolas dismounted and offered his hand to help her down. Gimli was already combing the pile, pushing burnt limbs to the side with his axe. He stopped for a moment, pulling something out.
"It's one of their wee belts," he said, holding up what looked like a small sheath for a dagger.
Aragorn let out a loud cry of frustration, anger and sadness. The noise of his foot hitting the metal of an Uruk helmet made Rìan jump a bit. He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. She didn't know whether she should comfort him or let him be. He was quick to notice something in the dirt. Legolas and Gimli went to his side as they realized he had found something.
"They lay here," Aragorn said, brushing bits of grass away from the area.
He got up and followed the tracks.
"They were bound."
He then held up a frayed rope.
"Their bonds were cut!"
Rìan could hear the hope in his voice as he kept following the tracks.
"They lead away from the battle!"
"Straight into Fangorn Forest."
He was silent for a moment.
"What madness drove them there?" Gimli muttered.
No one answered him.