It had been a week since Ellawyn's Visit in Mirkwood, after a day's rest in the King's halls her and Vorondil had continued their journey. After backtracking through the dark paths of the forests, the pair began towards Imladris. Ellawyn had spent most of her life accompanied by her horse, Radagast, Beorn and herself, and was beginning to find herself quite overwhelmed with the new experiences she was facing. She had traveled great distances across Middle Earth in her Ventures to rid the world of the filthy Orcs that roamed, but had never visited the realms of Elves, Men, nor other Free Folk. She found herself wondering what the Rivendell elves were like. She had heard that they were wiser than their woodland kin. Would they look like her? Surely she had not hailed from Mirkwood she assumed, perhaps Rivendell? She did not know who her parents were, or where they came from. She had been curious as an elfling, but Radagast had never provided her any answers, she even began to doubt if he even knew. Now, however, Ellawyn found herself indifferent, if but a little curious, about her heritage. She had long ago figured that it was insignificant to her life, as her parents had clearly either not wanted her, or were killed, leaving her orphaned. It did not matter where she came from, for she had ones who loved her like their own. Radagast and Beorn. Her heart ached at the thought of them. Had Beorn made it home by now without trouble? Has Radagast found Gandalf yet? Was he waiting for her in Imladris? Shaking her head, she refocused on her course. No, she would not worry about them. Solidifying her resolve, she urged Vorondil into a gallop, the Bruinen not being far off.
The afternoon sun sank in the sky as the rider continued her trek, the air began to smell moist and she could faintly hear the rush of fast-moving water in the distance. She would reach Imladris before nightfall. Slowing to a walk, she ran the palm of her hand down Vorondil's strong neck, ending the stroke with a firm pat.
"We've nearly made it boy," she muttered, the corner of her lips twitching up in a small smirk. Oh how she hoped Radagast would be there already. She allowed her thoughts to stray, pondering about wha the future would bring once the Counsel had discussed the revelation of Sauron's return. Sauron. She had not been there when the Dark Lord was defeated by Isildur, she was nowhere near old enough to have been present, she knew of the fear and disruption he had dealt though. The thought of his return made fear course through her veins. A nervous hand reached down to grip at the simple black tunic she wore over her chest. Ellawyn decided then that regardless of the decision of the White Counsel, she would not stand by and watch Middle Earth be slowly taken by darkness as it once had. She had trained her whole life to reach proficiency with her weapons, this was her purpose. Sauron would not win.
Ellawyn was pulled from her thoughts by a loud screech from a short distance behind her. The earth reverberated the pounding of heavy feet rushing from the forests close behind her. Whipping her head around, her stomach dropped. No less than one hundred Orcs emerged at a sprint from the cover of the forest, the sun now low enough as not to prevent their ambush. Her brows drew in as she looked forward once more. The Bruinen, and the safety of Imladris, was about twice the distance of the Orcs in the opposite direction. She could not take one hundred Orcs on her own, no one could, regardless of skill. Besides, she was not the most skilled of any elf. Sparing one last glance behind her at the charging Orcs, Ellawyn spurred Vorondil into a gallop. As if sensing the danger and her urgency, the stallion mustered a great leap forward before taking off in the direction of the river. There was no risk of the Orcs catching her, but she raced nonetheless in hopes of informing the Lord Elrond of their presence so close to his borders. She may not have been to many realms or communities, but she knew that it was not a common occurrence for the beasts to lie in wait so close to Imladris. Heavy hoof falls splashed through the rushing, white water before Vorondil clamored onto the Western bank. Only sparing a glance behind, Ellawyn noticed the orcs nearing the river, not seeming to slow at any rate before the great waters. Shaking her head, she once again spurred the stallion forward, not stopping until they were outside of the front entrance to the Last Homely House.