Thud.
Marian's eyes flickered.
Thud.
She sighed through her nose. If only the thudding would stop, she could get some rest…
Thud.
Giving in, Marian opened her eyes up to a great blue sky above, and from what she could see, a grayish sort of wood surrounding her. Strange, she thought, I usually don't sleep outside.
THUD.
Bewildered, she sat up fully and was astonished to find herself in a beautifully carved boat, set adrift on slightly rough waters- many little eddies here and there tossed the boat into rocks that protruded only just above the surface.
"How…" Marian's voice died in her throat as she looked ahead, further than before, and saw even more dangerous-looking waters, with a misty spray rising up from the surface. But beyond that, Marian saw only sky.
A tumultuous rushing noise fell on her ears, and suddenly she knew what lay beyond the mist.
Jumping into action, she looked desperately around the boat for something to use, anything, but it was quite empty. Casting her frantic gaze on the shoreline, she spotted a large tree ahead that grew rather close to the water- so close, she saw, its roots reached past the land and were waving in the river's current.
Marian gripped the edge of the boat, then placed one foot next to her hands, keeping the other leg outstretched behind her. She took a steadying breath, then pushed off- as she placed both feet on the edge, the boat tipped, and Marian launched herself into the water.
The cold shocked her into a temporary stillness, but then she felt the strong pull of the current and began swimming as hard as she could toward the tree. It was a laborious task: for each stroke Marian made, the river seemed to pull her back just as far. Her shoes and dress were waterlogged; she choked and sputtered as she fought to reach the tree root.
As she was just about to pass the tree, Marian made one more desperate lunge forward and felt her fingers skim the root. She grabbed hold as tightly as she could, willing her arms to have strength as the water flowed even more powerfully now around her stationary form.
She turned her head just in time to watch the boat tip over the edge of the waterfall, vanishing from sight. Shivering at the thought of her fate had she stayed in the boat, Marian turned back to the task before her.
One hand over the other, she managed to heave herself out of the water, gripping the thick roots of the tree with numb fingers and clambering onto the rocky shore. She dropped gratefully to her knees, taking in great gulps of air.
Having caught her breath, Marian looked around at the water, shore, and trees… it all seemed strangely familiar. The nagging feeling that she had forgotten something was becoming overwhelming- if only she could remember.
Remember.
The word swirled around in her head, bringing forth images and echoing words.
Who did this?
Aragorn, who is she?
I think I'm dying!
Remember me.
Marian gasped, hands flying to her side as the memories flooded in. And her car, she had been in her car, too! And then woken up in the boat…
She thought hard, trying to sort dream from reality. First the car crash, then waking up in the forest. Then being stabbed, waking up in her car again, and what she thought must have been a lightning strike sent her back here- wherever here was.
If it was a dream, it was unprecedented by anything she had experienced, because Marian vividly remembered the pain of that dagger. But the dagger was gone now, she noticed as she looked down at her dress, so that must mean she was in a dream.
Or perhaps… perhaps those people she met had removed the dagger before putting her in the boat? And, Marian thought, she must have truly appeared dead, for they apparently intended for her to go over the waterfall. It was a nice idea, given you were actually deceased.
As she turned all these things over and over in her mind, Marian could not reach a definite conclusion on her situation. It seemed impossible that what she was experiencing was real, and yet… she could certainly be harmed and feel every bit of pain that she would in reality.
This realization was the turning point. In a strange world, dream or otherwise, she needed to find somewhere safe. And preferably, she shuddered, free of any more of those monsters.
And so Marian gathered her thoughts, wrung out her dress as best she could, and walked cautiously back into the trees.
When he heard news of orcs travelling down out of the East Wall, Éomer could not turn a blind eye.
A company of men rode out with him, although they were warned the journey had been forbidden by the king- but everyone knew King Théoden was no longer the sole ruler of Rohan. Saruman, with his attacks against the Rohirrim and his slimy servant Grima, who whispered continually into the king's ear, had nearly conquered the land.
And now that Éomer's cousin was slain, grief mixed with a sense of foreboding fell upon him. He was next in line, and although the king still lived, that meant very little in the current situation.
But still, he thought, lifting his face to the sun, it felt good to be doing something. If Grima had his way, Éomer would be locked in his chambers like a disobedient child. He scowled at the notion, but any dark thoughts fell away as a shout rang out- the orc trail was spotted. They urged their horses forward, bent on pursuing the creatures to their doom.
If there was no justice left, then they would forge it themselves.
Endless, Marian thought. The plains were endless, and grassy, and so very dry- what she wouldn't give to be back on that boat, even with the threat of the waterfall.
It was pure ignorance that led her to leave the forest without any provisions. And although she knew there was really nothing she could have taken with her even if she had thought about it, Marian still had never felt more incapable in her life.
Her life had been very simple up to this point, she realized. It never occurred to her that she might not eat or drink for days, or not find people around for miles, or not survive the journey… But with each passing hour, Marian became well-acquainted with how many 'nots' can exist in a person's life.
As she trudged through the grass for what seemed like days, stopping only to sleep fitfully in the shadow of the occasional boulder or rocky outcropping, Marian felt her presence of mind slipping away. Lack of food and water does a number on a person's body, and Marian no longer felt fearful of what she might encounter- in fact, it had been a while since she felt anything sensible through the haze that had descended on her brain.
Just over that next hill, she told herself. Now past that rock. Then through that tall patch of grass.
And just when Marian thought she could walk no longer and had almost made up her mind to simply lie down and let herself drift away, she heard a thunderous noise sounding just over the horizon- and then, bursting forth and silhouetted against the sun, a multitude of riders coming straight for her.