Chapter 4
For the past three days, Adrianna had woken up to find herself still captive. She had given up trying to escape, and if the Uruk-Hai were thinking of killing her they probably would've done so by now.
It was dark by the next time Adrianna had awoken, she slowly sat up and rubbed her head before opening her eyes, sighing when she found herself still inside the lantern.
Adrianna shivered, and pleaded that the hobbits would find a means of escape. An ugly face popped into view, and the faye screamed. It began grinning maliciously, and his mouth moved up and down as he spoke, although she couldn't hear a word he was saying. Another Uruk pushed the other one out of the way and began to speak himself and then he suddenly roared in pain as an arrow pierced through his neck. He fell limply to the ground, his body having a spasm. The other Uruk's then fell one by one, and Adrianna looked out of the glass window to see many horses riding through the Uruk troops, slaying all that stood in their way.
Adrianna saw maybe one or two of the riders fall, and as she kept her eyes open for any signs of the hobbits, she felt her lantern jolt as someone grabbed it. Adrianna looked at her new captor, and felt slightly warmer seeing as it was one of the riders. He was a good swordsman, Adrianna noted, as all the Uruk's that stood in his way didn't land any attack on him.
Once all the Uruk bodies were piled up and burned, the sun began to rise and the riders began to flee the grounds after setting fire to the burning bodies. As he didn't do any lifting or burning, only roughly moved his mouth as though he was shouting and pointed in different directions, Adrianna assumed that her rescuer must have been the Captain of the mysterious riders.
From inside the lantern, she couldn't hear a word they were saying, which was neither good nor bad. She wanted to know where they were going and what they were going to do with her, but the bad thing was that they couldn't hear her screams and shouts.
"I demand that you release me!" She shouted, growing more impatient and angrier by the second. The rider didn't even look at her, and Adrianna stomped her foot in frustration.
They must've been riding for half a day before three cloaked figures appeared from behind a rock. The riders slowed down and circled the people, and Adrianna cheered happily when she saw Gimli standing in the middle of the other two - who she assumed to be either Aragorn or Legolas...she remembered Boromir had fallen to his knees, and grief filled her when she realised that he must've perished in the woods.
Aragorn spoke up to the Riders, "I am Aragorn." He began, "This is Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."
"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." He took off his helmet, "Not even his own kin." He gestured for the riders to lower their weapons before he continued, "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." Aragorn stated, "We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They've taken three of our friends captive."
"The Uruk's are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." The Captain of the riders stated.
"But they had two Hobbits with them!" Gimli exclaimed, almost pleadingly.
"And a woman." Legolas added.
"They would look nought but mere children and an elleth to your eyes." Aragorn stated.
"I'm sorry." The rider stated, "We left none alive...and we didn't see any hobbits or an elf. But we did find this." He held out the lantern. "A fairy."
"Adrianna!" The three of the Fellowship exclaimed. Aragorn was handed the lantern, and they also received two horses from the riders. Aragorn waited until the Rohirrim riders were safely away from the fiery temper of the faye before he released the angry woman from inside the lantern.
Adrianna darted out of her prison and grew to her full-sized form, "How many times?" She shouted towards the retreating riders. "I'm not a fairy!" Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli began to laugh from behind her, and the faye turned around to fixate her anger on them. "It's not funny!" She snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. "How-"
"-You're so temperamental, Princess." Gimli chuckled.
Aragorn sucked in a breath and Legolas winced as the faye brought her fist down upon the dwarf's helmet - pounding on the top and causing the metal headgear to fall over Gimli's eyes - effectively cutting off his laughter. The faye growled, but calmed down once the blonde elf placed a peaceful hand upon her shoulder.
"It's good to see you again, Ade." Legolas smiled, warmly. "We've missed you these past few days."
"It's good to see all of you again." She replied, suddenly shy in front of the elf Prince, "Thank you for not thinking me dead."
"We wouldn't think you were dead." Gimli huffed, pulling his helmet back into place. "You're too strong willed to go down without a fight...we did not, however, expect a lantern prison!" Adrianna's face flushed slightly; from both anger and embarrassment.
"Did you see Merry or Pippin?" Aragorn asked, his face turning serious.
Adrianna sighed and shook her head, "No." She replied, "I couldn't hear anything from inside the lamp...and I was at the front with the leader Uruk-Hai...if they were there, then they must've been carried somewhere towards the back."
"What about during the battle with the riders?" Legolas asked, "Did you see them then?"
Adrianna blushed a little, "No...I was...being carried by the man you were talking to." There was a pause before she continued, "He's a great warrior."
Gimli chuckled, "Judging by the blush, I'm assuming you're an admirer-" He cut of his sentence by a warning look from Aragorn. "-But I can fight much better, Princess." He chuckled again.
"Let's go search the Uruk remains." Adrianna stated, attempting to change the subject.
Aragorn climbed onto the back of the brown horse; to which Adrianna formed into her fairy size before sitting on top the pony's forehead. Legolas helped Gimli onto the white horse before mounting on himself as they all began to ride down the hill and towards the smoking piles of the Uruk-Hai bodies.
They jumped off the horses and began searching the remains as soon as they arrived. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli began searching different piles of bodies whilst Adrianna shivered, sensing a growing force of something in the woods. It was not bad, yet judging the forest on appearance, Adrianna wondered if the smoking bodies of Uruk's was throwing her senses off.
She quickly snapped out of her thoughts once Gimli held up one of the hobbits belts, "It's one of their wee belts!" He gasped. Adrianna looked down and fought against her tears, wishing that she had been able to do something to save the hobbits, or at least know something of their whereabouts. Legolas placed a hand on her shoulder, and they both looked solemn as Aragorn dropped onto the dry grass and cried out at the sky. The Faye fought against her tears, and she could feel the sadness from her three companions.
"A hobbit lay here." Aragorn stated, from his spot on the ground, "And here. They crawled here; their bonds cut-" He held up two pieces of bonding rope, before carrying on crawling closer and closer to the forest. "They got up and fled..." He stopped suddenly and looked gravely at the rows of trees, "Into Fanghorn Forest."
"Perhaps that's why you're alive." Gimli stated, turning to the faye. "They were using your light to guide them through the forest...aren't faye's friends with the trees?"
"That's elves and fairies." Adrianna replied, stepping passed Aragorn and leading the way into the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for anything moving or anything that looked dangerous. "We're friends with them...but only enough so that they'd let us pass through their lands unharmed." The Princess hoped that mutual grounding was still true to that day.
"Orc blood!" Gimli growled, spitting onto the floor.
"These are strange tracks." Aragorn stated, kneeling on the floor to examine the dirt and moss covered path.
"The air is so close in here." Gimli stated.
Adrianna nodded, and turned to look towards the dwarf, "This forest is old."
"Very old." Legolas agreed. "Full of memory... and anger." A loud groaning sound reverberated throughout the forest, and Adrianna stepped closer towards the three men, just incase something was going to jump out at them. Gimli raised his axe. "The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas stated, looking up in awe at the numerous, thick branches above the four Fellowship members.
"Gimli!" Aragorn whispered, "Lower your axe!"
"Aragorn, nad n ennas!" (Something is out there.) Legolas stated.
Adrianna continued to look up at the tall trees as she tiptoed forward, accidentally catching her footing on a root and screaming as she fell towards the ground. Legolas grasped her wrist and pulled her back onto her feet before she caused herself any damage and he pressed a finger to his lips.
"Man cenich?" (What do you see?) Aragorn replied.
"The White Wizard approaches." He whispered, drawing his bow and slotting an arrow into the string. They walked slowly and silently forwards, moving closer and closer to the white cloaked figure hidden within the trees. They placed their hands on their weapons; ready. But Adrianna was confused, if this was the White Wizard Saruman, then why wasn't she swarmed with evil? Despite this thought, she followed her three companions and looked around warily.
"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." The males suddenly drew their weapons. "We must be quick."
Legolas fired his arrow, and Gimli threw his axe - but they rebounded off a magical white dome. There was a burst of almighty white light, which the four had to shield their eyes from. Aragorn's sword turned fiery hot, and he threw it to the ground with a cry and a loud clatter.
A familiar voice reached Adrianna's ears, yet she couldn't quite place how she knew it, "You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits."
"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded, standing in front of the faye protectively.
"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"
Adrianna placed a hand on Aragorn's upper arm and gently moved around the side of him, "Who are you?" She asked warily. There was slight hesitation, and they faye took a nervous step towards the fading light. Tears of pure joy began to trickle down her porcelain cheeks as she threw her arms around the old man - her tears dampening his white robes. "Gandalf!" She cried.
"Gandalf?" The old man chuckled, "Yes... That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name. I am Gandalf the White and I come back to you now at the turn of the tide." He grinned at each of them before turning back to the faye, pulling out of the embrace to look down at her tear stained face. He wiped a tear away from her cheek, "And I've got plenty more of my adventures to share with you." Adrianna smiled and stepped back so that the other three of the Fellowship could greet their long missed friend.
Aragorn placed a gentle, comforting hand on the faye's shoulder and as they walked as a group out of Fanghorn Forest, Gandalf explained what had happened to him in Moria, "Through fire and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again." He looked at each of them in turn until his eyes came to rest upon Aragorn. "I've been sent back until my task is done."
As they finally arrived at the edge of the woods and stepped into radiant golden sunlight, Gandalf let out a high pitched whistle which was returned by the neighing of a powerful steed. A magnificent white stallion rode over the hill towards them, his mane and tail rippling in the breeze.
"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas stated in awe.
"Shadowfax." Gandalf stated, patting the magnificent stallions muscular neck. "The Lord of all horses. He's been my friend through many dangers"
The faye looked at the stallion with respectful, admiring eyes and as the white wizard mounted the horse. The fairy form of Adrianna mounted the forehead of Arod, which Aragorn was already riding as Legolas and Gimli mounted Hasufel.
Gandalf turned to his companions, "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed."
A/N: I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas :) And I wish you all the happiest New Year :)
Dear 'theimprobableone'
I apologise if you feel as though I am immature. But I have to disagree, because I am not. However, I am not going to argue with you anymore about your review. If it was meant to be constructive criticism, then I apologise that I saw it as a flame.
I do know that there are nine of the Fellowship to balance the nine of the Ring Wraiths, so can I say that (for this story) there are ten dark riders? Would that be okay?
I do hope that you will continue to read this story, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Yours faithfully, xxz0eyxx
Thank you to all my reviewers, favouriters and alerters! Have a good one this News Years Eve, and don't forget to drink a shot or two for me ;) xx