A/N: Sadly, I don't own LOTR
***Chapter 8***
**Saffron's POV**
Oh, my thighs were sore from sitting astride Aldred for so long. Admittedly, I had ridden a horse for longer than this already, as the journey from Helm's Deep to Isenguard was decidedly longer. But the irritation was still there. I glanced towards the head of the column of riders that my party traveled in. We were towards the front, only about ten people back from the king, so his voice carried back to us when he gave orders to the riders about him.
Cries sounded in the air to make way for the king as we made our way through the newly established encampment. There were loud voices thundering throughout the camp along with laughter and the sound of hammers banging away at an anvil making last minute changes to weapons and armor. A woman's laugh pervaded the air, causing me to glance to the side and see a young maiden with a great cauldron of steaming stew making her way among the men in the lower ground and laughing when she interacted with the men. The higher up the steep cliff face that we seemed to go, the more restless that the horses began to feel. There was the echo of neighing horses sounding from the large plateau that our part of the camp was built on. I could feel Aldred shifting slightly uneasily beneath me.
"Grimbold, how many?" Theoden's voice questioned as we passed one of the men who had been at Edoras.
"I bring 500 men from the Westfold, my lord." Grimbold answered strongly.
"We have 300 more from Fenmarch." Sounded the voice of a young soldier on foot; his head bowed slightly in reverence to the king.
As we cleared the path completely, the sight of the camp which we would be staying in became apparent. There were several hundred tents resting atop our plateau, an especially large one standing out as it overviewed the terrain below. While the sight of so many tents up on our part encouraged me slightly, I was harshly reminded that many of those tents were intended for the women of the court who would return to Edoras as well as different weapons and armorers that needed to be set up to hold the equipment until it was time to depart.
"Where are the riders from Snowbourne?" Theoden asked, rousing me from my thoughts.
"None have come, my lord." Another soldier replied after a moment of silence, there was a slight frown on the man's face as he spoke.
A grim silence fell over our company as those words rang out. It was the first really bad news on our growing army, and hopefully that was going to be the only area of Rohan which did not heed soldiers for the cause. My eyes flitted over towards Nimiwen as she rode by my side, the dread in my eyes was mirrored in hers.
"There is yet time before we must ride for battle." She reassured me quietly, reaching out and grasping my hand.
"Of course. More will come." I restated, squeezing her hand slightly before looking back towards where Aragorn and Theoden were dismounting.
I moved my horse closer to the pair, being met by a young boy. His charge must have been to look after our horses, and so I passed the reins to him as I dismounted and moved closer. Once I was standing beside Aragorn and the king, I laid my hand gently on Aragorn's shoulder to reassure him that he had support.
"Six thousand spears, less than half of what I hoped for." Theoden said grimly, his gaze ranging over the lower level of the encampment.
"Six thousand will not be enough to break the lines of Mordor." Aragorn stated bluntly, a frown settling on his visage when he spoke.
"More will come." Theoden announced, confident in the muster of his people.
The words struck me, since I had just a few moments before said that exact same thing in order to reassure myself. It seemed to me that he wanted someone to tell him that it would be alright, instead of him having to reassure all the others. Just in that moment it struck me how incredibly difficult it had to be to be king, especially during war time. Not only did he have to do what was best for those closest to him, but also for his people. Even his allies had to weigh heavily on his mind, how much he would risk of his own people for their safety. The burden which fell on Theoden's shoulders grew as I watched his face, marks of his grief over his son passing still were etched into his features. But it seemed more than just that, it was his responsibility to keep his people safe, and during war each and every death fell back on his shoulders, on his decisions.
"Every hour lost hastens Gondor's defeat. We have until dawn." Aragorn commented, staring at the king. "Then we must ride."
With grim determination, Theoden nodded his head. He looked towards where Eomer was standing near his horses and began moving towards him. My gaze returned to Aragorn, his face was a mask of determination. There was fear and dread filling his grey eyes, as he looked out on the army below.
"Is there any chance for Gondor? Or are more lives being thrown away in this battle because of me?" Aragorn questioned, though it seemed that he was more talking to himself rather than to me.
"You of anyone should know Aragorn," I began, causing the older male to turn and face me. "there is always hope."
He gave me a crooked smile and rested his hand on my shoulder, it was a motion that I had seen him do to Legolas several times. In that moment it seemed as though the cares of war were stripped away for only a moment and he could just smile and be the ranger, not the heir to an endangered throne. The moment of calm shattered with the cry of a horse, neighing and pulling against it's handler as it backed away from a passageway in the mountains.
His face dissipated back to its stern mask as he strode over to see what was causing the commotion, but before we arrived at the horses where Legolas and Gimli stood, Aragorn paused looking at the passage. Between two sides rent open in the mountain, there was a twenty foot across gap, a single pathway winding into the mountains. Amidst the mist which cloaked the path, I thought I spied the shape of a face watching our camp from the mountains. But it seemed to slip back into the mist before any details were visible.
"Aragorn," Gimli's gruff voice called, pulling Aragorn from a similar reverie to my own. "let's find some food."
With a nod, Aragorn began to move away from the pathway into the mountains. But still I paused for a moment, taking a step towards the ravine. The mist spilled out from the ravine towards me, wrapping around my ankles like tendrils as I inched closer to find something within. Just as a hand was appearing within, beckoning me inwards, Nimiwen rested her hand on my shoulder.
"Come on, melethnin, we should rest. Word has begun to spread that we depart at dawn." She whispered gently into my ear, before taking my hand and leading me towards where our tent was erected.
The tent was of a deep green color, undistinguishable from the outside from any of other tents around. Yet inside, there was a layer of cloth lain across the floor in one large bed. I realized that there were no furs in our bed, unlike the halls of Edoras where the beds were lined with furs to keep out the cold.
As we entered the structure, Nimiwen unclasped her cloak from about her shoulders and removed the quiver and bow from her back. She moved with an elegant grace, every motion seemed to be like a dance. There was a candle lit resting on a stool, the golden light striking her features and gleaming off her hair. I moved forward to where she was disarming herself, and pushed her hair away from her ear so that the delicate point was exposed to the air.
"I don't believe we will be waiting until morning to depart, darling." I murmured softly so that my breath ghosted over her ear and sent a shudder rippling through her. "We will probably be leaving during the night with Aragorn and the others."
"Where will be leaving for if not to battle with Rohan?" she asked in a tone that seemed only slightly interested, it struck me that such things must have been less shocking due to her long life.
"The mountains I believe, though I will admit I am not entirely sure." I responded, spinning her around so that we were facing one another.
"Then perhaps we had best enjoy our privacy now, since I fear we will find any amongst our companions." She replied seductively, her soft pink lips curving up wickedly.
Instead of verbally agreeing, I pressed my mouth to hers, lightly brushing them together. She returned back the kiss, placing her hand down onto my shoulder to guide me down to the blankets beneath. The silkiness of her hair slid across my calloused hands, roughened by the harsh weather and the sword hilt. She brushed her soft hand across my cheek before tangling it in my hair, even after years of battle and training she still had incredibly soft skin aside from the minor calluses on the fingertips of her right hand.
With the slightest tug of my hair she tilted my head backwards, exposing my neck to her kisses. She brushed her teeth gently across the sensitive area of my neck, eliciting a gasp from my lips. My cloak was gently removed from my neck, falling backwards onto the blankets beneath us. Just then the tent flap was pulled open and a harsh cough sounded from the opening.
I glanced up, and standing there were Legolas and Gimli, both had averted their eyes but wore smirks on their faces. I let out a sigh of annoyance when Nimiwen pulled away and turned her eyes to glare at the two.
"Did you need something?" I questioned my voice slightly rough.
"We came to find you for dinner." Legolas announced finally returning his gaze back to the two of us on the ground.
"But we can always leave you be if you are too busy." Gimli teased, the smirk on his face growing as he spoke.
I rose from the ground, pulling my cloak up after me before helping Nimiwen from the ground. With a sigh, I shook my head back and forth. "You two are incorrigible."
***End Chapter 8***
Sorry that it has taken so very long for me to update this story. I would say that I was busy, but that really isn't excusable reason that I hadn't updated for so long, other than the fact that I had some trouble deciding what I wanted to put in this chapter.
Please let me know what you think of the chapter. So Read and Review please.