Merry was snoring. They had set up camp on the outskirts of a small wooded area, and already the hobbit had devoured much of their food before falling into a deep sleep. Alarain smiled as she watched him twitch in his dreams. She wished she could join him, but she was not tired. Well, that was a lie. Alarain was exhausted, but she refused to sleep. Jumping at the slightest noise, she stayed awake to watch over her hobbit companion.
"Pippin." he mumbled.
Poor Merry. He must miss his cousin terribly. Turning from the hobbit, she tended to the fire and sat back against a tree. The air was cold, but the heat of the fire kept her from shivering.
She began to wish for Aragorn's arms around her, but soon pushed those thoughts away. He was going to be the King of Gondor. Even if he did want her to be his queen, she had no idea how. "What am I thinking?" she whispered into the night. "I'm just a homeless peasant from Rohan."
No. You're one of the Dunedain from his past. That's got to count for something, a little voice in her head whispered back.
"I'm still a homeless peasant. What do I know about kings and queens? The people of Gondor would never want me as their queen." Alarain grumbled.
What are you going to do then? The voice in her mind asked. If you go back, you'll have to face him eventually.
That's the moment she decided. She wasn't going back. No one really needed her there. Brenir would be taken care of. Eowyn had assured her of that. None of the fellowship really relied on her for anything. Aragorn surely didn't need her. He was going to be the King. He wouldn't need her for that.
Next thing she knew, Merry was shaking her awake. "Alarain. We've slept in." Jumping to her feet, she realized she had fallen asleep and went to saddle Fayna. "Alarain? Won't you eat anything?" a small voice asked behind her. She turned to see Merry watched her looking quite worried.
She didn't have an appetite at the moment. "Don't you fret, Merry. Big folk don't get hungry as often as hobbits."
He seemed content with her answer, so she helped him onto the horse. Not long after, they were riding north at a steady pace once more. Hours passed in silence as they rode through a forest, and Merry began to sing after a while. The song was about a road that went on and on... or something like that. She wasn't really paying attention.
"Can you sing?" he asked when his tune was finished.
Suddenly, she was back at Rivendell and was sitting in the forest with Aragorn. He had just overheard her humming and told her she had a lovely voice...
"Alarain?" Merry interrupted.
She shook her head, but offered no explanation. Alarain was glad when he dropped the subject and didn't ask further questions.
Merry suddenly gasped. "Look out!" he shouted.
Fayna let out a frantic scream as an orc leaped out from behind a tree and swung it's sword towards her. Five more orcs came out from hiding and Fayna bolted, throwing Alarain and Merry to the ground in the process.
Alarain jumped up and brought her sword out just in time to block an attack. Merry scrambled to his feet some ways off and she yelled for him to run. Ducking as a blade flew by her ear, she stabbed her enemy in his leg. He let out a sputtering yell and his face twisted in rage.
Turning to run, Alarain came face to face with another orc. It punched her in the stomach and she keeled over from the blow, clutching her middle in agony. Another impact smashed into her side and she was knocked to the ground. Her vision blurred and all she remembered was yelling for Merry to run before she was bashed in the head by a fist and blacked out.
Opening her eyes, Alarain was met with a blurry world. Something collided with her cheek and she whimpered.
"Look at this, Runk." came a stomach churning voice. "She's waking up."
Another slap to the face and Alarain could see properly. Not to say that she liked what she saw. She was sitting in an orc camp against a tree with her hands bound around the back of it. The five orcs that had attacked them were there, as well as three more.
The orc she supposed was called Runk came over to investigate. He gave her a long sniff and spoke in a growl. "She smells tasty. We'll have some fun with her before we eat her." he announced, much to the excitement of the other orcs.
Alarain's heart pounded with fear and she felt her hands begin to tremble. There was no one she could think of to save her now. Merry was somewhere safe, but what could he do?
"Who gets her first?" a little orc asked Runk, who appeared to be the leader.
"Who do you think?" Runk yelled. "Go keep watch on the path!" he snarled. The small orc mumbled something, but left without argument. "Glabrag! Go with him!" The orc that had hit her gave her a smirk before walking off in that strange orc-like manner.
Alright. So, now there's Runk and his six followers. Not as many as eight. Maybe I can escape.
Another orc caught her thoughtful look and sent her a rot filled grin. "Not thinking of running off now, are we?" he taunted, coming closer. As he did, Alarain caught the stench wafting off of him. He was definitely the smelliest of the bunch.
She brought her legs up as he crouched down in front of her and he scowled. Suddenly, he leaped forwards and grabbed onto her knees. Before he could get any farther, she brought a leg up and kicked him right between his own.
"Akrashk!" Runk snarled. Finally noticing what was unfolding, he came barreling over and kicked 'Akrashk' over onto his side. Still having problems from the kick he'd received between his legs, he didn't fight back when Runk hit him several times more. "She's mine!" the leader shouted in rage.
A stone suddenly flew out of the woods and hit one of the other orcs in the forehead. He yelled in anger and turned to the orc beside him, thinking that was who hurt him. The camp then seemed to erupt as the orcs began blaming each other for their injuries. Alarain however, actually noticed the stones being thrown from the woods.
Small hands fumbled at the ropes around her wrists and she heard a whisper. "Come on, Alarain." She was relieved to hear Merry's voice, but at the same time, terrified for his safety.
When she was free, she slipped away quietly as the monters behind them continued to fight. Merry led her through the woods to Fayna. The horse was now standing calmly, having completely forgotten the orcs.
"My sword!" Alarain exclaimed quietly, stopping in her tracks. Aragorn's sword.
Merry grinned. "Don't worry. I have it." he said, carrying it over to her. "You dropped it and they didn't bother to pick it up when they took you."
Smiling, she took hold of the handle and gave it a long look before returning it to the sheath at her side. "Thank you."
"I know how much it means to you. It used to belong to Aragorn, didn't it?" he asked.
Her smile fell at the mention of the man, but she nodded and helped him onto the horse. Her change of attitude didn't go unseen by Merry however.
"Alarain." he said as she mounted. "While you were captured, I found out that we're right beside the Great River."
Her spirit's grew at his words. "Which way?"
Following his finger, they soon found themselves on the riverbank. "Look!" he exclaimed, pointing upriver. "There's the island!"
Again, her spirits fell when she saw the figures of orcs on a bridge. "No..." she whispered. "I was wrong. Gondor doesn't hold it any more."
Merry looked back to her dismayed face and his own expression fell. "What do we do now?" he asked quietly.
She let out a sigh and turned Fayna from the water. "We must make camp. It's close to dusk."
They found a suitable spot far from their orcish friends and settled in. Alarain insisted they not start a fire for fear that the enemy would see the smoke. So instead, they huddled in the crook of a boulder and nibbled on some food as darkness fell. Merry didn't even eat much, his appetite gone at the knowledge of orcs having control of Cair Andros.
The hoot of an owl sounded nearby and Alarain jumped. Sighing, she calmed and looked over to check if she'd woken the hobbit beside her. He was fast asleep though, and she doubted he'd wake if the Horn of Gondor sounded right next to his ear.
Like the night before, her thoughts soon turned to a certain ranger. She also pondered what they would do. They could not cross here. The only bridges were guarded by orcs. Her eyelids fell occasionally and after a while, she could no longer keep them open.
She was woken at sunrise by Merry, who handed her some bread and cheese, insisting she eat. Following his orders, she washed it down with water after checking to be sure it wasn't wine she was drinking.
Merry sat down across from her and sighed. "What now?" he asked.
Looking at his downcast face, Alarain felt guilt overwhelm her. This is all my fault. "Will you give me a day to think?" she asked. The hobbit nodded and sent her a half hearted smile.
The day passed quickly with no ideas in sight. Alarain knew swimming was out of the question. The river was far to fast and wide for Merry to cross and she wouldn't just leave him. They could not slip past the orcs either. The bridges were too heavily guarded. All she could think of was to go back. If they crossed at Osgiliath, they wouldn't even get to the fight in time to help. They would have to return to Minas Tirith.
The sun was setting when she told Merry of her decision. He looked dismayed, but did not argue. He knew she was right. There was nothing else they could do.
"We'll leave in the morning." Alarain said, setting a blanket on the ground in the boulder's crook.
Merry said nothing, but went to join her. He stayed awake longer than usual, but still fell asleep before she did. Her dreams were horrid. For the entire night, she saw nothing but the mutilated faces of her friends, especially Aragorn. She woke before Merry, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Wiping them away, she got to her feet and wandered off. The river was close, so she stepped onto the bank and kept her ears open for trouble.
Sitting down in the sand, Alarain watched the sun rise. It was beautiful, but did not give her any ideas so she ignored it's loveliness. She looked way upriver and saw the orcs still patrolling the bridge. A horn sounded somewhere, but she did not give it any attention. It was just a horn... or was it? She sat up straighter. That was not the guttural sound of an orc horn.
Alarain leaped to her feet and watched with growing interest as the orcs seemed to panic. "That was a Rohirrim horn." she said out loud. Darting off, she ran to wake Merry. He was just sitting up and looked around in alarm when she burst into their little camp.
"Merry, come quick." was all she said before running to the riverbank again. The hobbit stumbled out onto the sand after her and stared at the island. The fort in the middle of the river was slowly being overrun by soldiers as more horns sounded.
Alarain grabbed Merry and led him back to Fayna. Throwing their gear into the saddlebag, she tacked the horse quickly. "This could be our chance. We can slip past in the chaos."
"Brilliant!" Merry smiled, eyes wide with excitement.
They mounted the horse and shot off. "Be ready to take the reins if I need you to." Alarain said to the hobbit in front of her as she unsheathed her sword.
As they neared the bridge, the sounds of battle became apparent. Emerging from the forest, they saw many Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers as well as the many orcs. To Alarain's eyes, it looked as if the men were winning.
She urged Fayna into the fray and wondered why the horse would bolt at the sight of five orcs, but was fine with thousands. They moved through easily as everyone was too busy fighting. Alarain slid her blade through an ugly face here and there, but was mostly ignored.
Fayna trampled an orc at one point and Alarain glanced back to see the dead face of Runk staring up into the sky. That brought a smile to her face.
They soon found themselves at the other bridge and crossed it easily. The forces of Rohan and Gondor had entered there, so there were no enemies about.
As Fayna's hooves touched dirt on the other side, Merry let out a yell of victory before clamping a hand over his mouth and looking back guiltily.
Alarain laughed at the excited hobbit. "Don't worry. Everyone is too busy fighting to hear that." she assured.
With Cair Andros behind them, the two were soon on their way, hidden from prying eyes in the cover of the trees. They were not there for that fight. They were headed for another battle.