Running, running and more running without ceasing is how Gimli would have described the next three days. He, Legolas, Amdiriel, and Aragorn had been tracking the band of Uruk-hai since Amon Hen with little to no rest in between. They traveled across the wilderness, nothing but vast plains, hill, and rocks.
Amdiriel and Aragorn were ahead of the two others at the top of a rocky hill. They both laid their heads upon the rocks and listened to the pattern of the uruk-hais footsteps. They were steady but then all came to a stop, it was silent for about a minute before the pounding of the earth resumed. "Their pace has quickened." Amdiriel remarked almost immediately her eyes opening as she still concentrated on the sound. "They must have caught our scent." Aragorn added as he raised his head, looking at Amdiriel. The two shared a brief nod before Amdireil turned to the two behind them. "Hurry!" she told them, getting to her feet, joining Aragorn as they ran again.
"Come on Gimli." Legolas encouraged and followed after the two.
"Three days and nights of pursuit. No food. No rest. No sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell." he said more to himself as he followed behind but Amdireil heard him.
She looked to Aragorn as they ran "We are going to have to stop. We can't fight exhausted." She told him. Aragorn agreed. "They are going to have to stop soon too." he said referring to the uruk-hai. "They may be strong but they are not invincible. We will rest when they do." Aragorn told her.
A couple of hours later into the afternoon, they came to a valley-like space. Aragorn and Amdiriel stopped for a moment to catch their breath and let Legolas and Gimli catch up. At Amdiriel's feet, she noticed something but the ranger had noticed it before her and got down on his knees, picking up a shiny green metal from the dirt and grass as Amdiriel joined him on her knees. The two automatically recognizing the leaf brooch as the ones they all carried since their visit to Lothlorien. "Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall." Aragorn stated. "No, they do not." Amdiriel agreed and took the slightly bent brooch in her hand. Legolas almost passing the two but stopped to see what they were looking at, noticing the brooch immediately. "They may yet be alive." Legolas said, this fact giving them hope.
"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" Aragorn said as he pushed off his knees to get to his feet to continue running.
Gimli then suddenly comes tumbling down the hill behind them with a loud grunt.
"Come Gimli. We are gaining on them." Legolas calls out as he ran. Gimli picks himself up and continues running. "I'm wasted on cross country. Us, dwarfs are natural sprinters. Very dangerous on the shorter distances." he yelled back. Amdiriel didn't know whether to believe the dwarf because of her lack of interactions with any in the past but then again, strange things have happened.
The hunters then ran up a large hill, stopping to look out over the vast plains of land that laid before them.
" Rohan, home of the horse-lords." Aragorn said as he looked over the land. "Something strange is at work here. Something evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Amdiriel knew there was a lot of truth to his words for the last time she had passed through Rohan on her way to Rivendell before going to Bree to help escort the hobbits, she had felt a darkness harbor over the land.
Legolas runs ahead and looks out to the horizon. "Legolas, what do your Elf eyes see?" Asked the ranger. "The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas replied. "Saruman." said to himself. "He knows. He sen them after us because he knew of the quest, The uruk-hai were to intercept the Ring by bringing the hobbits to him. Saruman would then deliver the Ring to Mordor." She put the puzzle together.
"But what happens when Saruman finds out they have the wrong set of hobbits?" Gimli asked. "Nothing good, I can tell you that." Amdiriel said. This caused them to start running again. They had to reach Merry and Pippin before their captors reached Isengard.
The hunters run well into the night until they could hear the Uruk-hai pack stop for the night. They gathered around and made a small fire, resting their feet and muscles for the first time in days. Gimli was almost fast asleep as soon as he finished eating his bread. Not too long later, Legolas rested as well, since his watch would be up next.
This left just Amdiriel and Aragorn awake, with the fire dying next to them. It was technically was Aragorn's watch but Amdiriel's mind was too filled with thoughts to find sleep.
Aragorn watched as Amdiriel's fingered the pendant, he could tell a lot was on her mind, probably the reason she wasn't sleeping. "What plagues your thoughts?" he asked. Amdiriel looked up at the ranger. "That obvious?" she asked even though she knew it was evident for him, it always had been easy for him to read her. Aragorn chuckled but nodded. "Telling me might help." he said. Amdiriel sighed and let go of her necklace. "Running helps to not be able to think about it." Aragorn knew she was referring to her brother's death just days ago. "I'm sorry, Amdi." he said. "He knew..." She could tell Aragorn didn't understand. "Boromir knew he was going to die. The night before on the river, he told me that if anything happened to him he could go knowing that I and Faramir would do what was best for Gondor. We knew the risk of being soldiers let alone Captains but we never vocalized anything should we pass. We just knew the others would take care of things." She sighed loudly as her thoughts came together, the unspoken words between Galadriel and Boromir, the warning from both her grandparents about the future.
"When we were in Lorien, my grandparents knew and they warned Boromir... to prepare him but not me. They knew if they told me that I would protect him, even if it meant sacrificing myself for him and they were right. Galadriel warned me that things would get worse before they got better, that I had to keep hope and continue to fight on no matter what came. If not all deaths past and those to come would be in vain. I could see it in his eyes, he was ready, but I was not." She explained as a tear fell.
Aragorn took her head in his hand and leaned her onto his shoulder, he wondered if she would push him away but Amdiriel actually just snuggled into him. "He loved you so much, I could tell all he wanted to do was protect you." he whispered to her. The tears continue to fall in silence as Aragorn hummed a tune to calm her. He felt like no other words could provide her the comfort she needed at the moment. Aragorn felt her breath steady and knew she had fallen asleep against him minutes later, this caused Aragorn to smile.
Legolas woke about an hour later for his watch, he smiled at his two friends. "Do you want me to take her?" Legolas asked. Aragorn shook his head not wanting to wake her for her shift was right after Legolas's. Aragorn just arranged his things to make a pillow for the two of them and then laid her down before he laid behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist to let her know he was still there, unconsciously pulling her close, her back meeting his chest. Legolas then grabbed Amdiriel's cloak and tossed it over the two. Aragorn mouthed a thank you to his friend while the elf just smiled at them.
Legolas then moved to the edge of the camp and looked out but not before turning, seeing his two friends peacefully sleeping in each other's arms. There was still hope for the two.
Amdiriel woke up a couple of hours later in her former lover's arms wrapped around her waist. Amdiriel smiled and left a kiss on his cheek. She felt Aragorn stir but she hushed him. "Sleep, while you can." that seemed to calm him. Amdireil rose and went to Legolas to relieve him.
Legolas gave her a cheeky smile "Not a word." she told him while pointing her finger at him. "I didn't say anything." he replied. "You didn't have to. I've known you for 30 years, I know what that look means." she told him. Legolas didn't try to argue with her, he knew she was telling the truth.
They were up before the sun the next morning, already running when they didn't hear the uruk-hai, worried they had already started again before they woke.
Legolas suddenly stopped and looked to the rising sun. "A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night." he told them. They kept onward hoping that it wasn't their friends whose blood was spilled.
They slowed for a moment as Aragorn bent down to look at the ground in search of tracks. A noise caught their attention, a loud thumping was coming around the valley and it was coming fast. Aragorn rose from the ground and motioned for the others to follow him and hide behind a large pile of rock.
Just then a large group of soldiers on horses rode past them and down the hill.
They watched as the men passed them, unnoticed. Aragorn then rose to his feet, recognizing the banners on the men and yelled: "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?!" Legolas and Gimli soon at his side. Amdiriel immediately recognized their leader and smiled but stayed behind the rocks, knowing this would not end well. Thee riders turned around and formed a tight circle around the three, spears pointing at them. Aragorn then raised his hands in slightly surprised.
The leader of the riders rode up, spear in hand "What business does a man, an elf, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?!" he demanded. Everyone turned to face the rider who grew impatient "Speak quickly!" he ordered. It was at the moment that Aragorn realized that Amdiriel wasn't with them, worry washing over him.
"Give me your name horse-master and I shall give you mine." Gimli said. Aragorn rolled his eyes at the dwarf and placing a hand on the dwarf's shoulder.
The rider passed his spear to the man next to him and got off his horse and took a couple steps forward "I would cut off your head dwarf if it stood but a little higher from the ground." he said, just as the words had finished leaving his mouth, Legolas had his bow loaded and an arrow pointing at the man's head.
"You will die before your stroke fell." Legolas sneered while all spears rose at the ready. Aragorn stepped in front of Legolas and lowered his bow.
"Really Éomer is that how you greet friends?" said a female voice from outside the circle. The riders separated and there stood Amdiriel with her arms crossed.
"Amdiriel?" asked the blond-haired rider.
"You need to work on your first impression or you will not have any friends." She said with a straight face as she walked to the circle in the center, the riders closing it once she entered. The two stared each other down until Éomer cracked with a smirk, making Amdireil break her facade. The two then hugged. "It is good to see you, many believed you were dead." Éomer said. "Why does everyone want to kill me?" Amdireil joked. "You traveling with them?" Éomer asked. "I am. This Aragorn son of Arathorn, Gimli son of Glion, Legolas of the Woodland realm They are friends of Rohan and of Théoden." Amdireil told him.
"Théoden no longer recognizes friend or foe. Not even his own kin." Éomer replied while removing his helmet. "I am Éomer, nephew of the king and commander of this company." the riders pulled back their spears.
"What do you mean?" Amdireil asked. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands." Éomer told them. Aragorn gave Legolas a worried glace while the elf looked at the soldiers. "My company is 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." he said as he looked pointedly at Legolas while Legolas glared.
"Please, Éomer you think I would travel with people I did not trust." Amdiriel reasoned, Éomer nodded and backed off.
"We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn told him.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." Éomer replied. "There were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked urgently, Éomer looked at Gimli strangely, apparently, he never heard of nor met a hobbit before. "They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn explained.
Éomer shook his head. "We left none alive." everyone's eyes widened at his words. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." Éomer said and pointed over the hill in the direction they came from. Everyone looked behind him and saw the smoke rise with sad eyes.
"Dead?" Gimli asked in disbelief.
"I am sorry." he said sincerely. Legolas placed a comforting hand on Gimli's shoulder. Éomer looked behind himself and whistled. "Hasufel! Arod!" he shouted and two horses walked up. A white one came up to Legolas, the brown to Aragorn.
"Take these horses may they bring you a better fortune then there former masters." Éomer looked at all of them "Farewell." he said and put his helmet on before getting back up on his horse.
"Éomer." Amdiriel called out. "What of Théodred?" Éomer shook his head. "He was ambushed by orcs two nights ago. His company was killed but miraculously he survived but his wound is bad.." Éomer could see the look in his long term friend. "There is nothing you could do, Amdiriel. Grima has the king under his thumb, he would know that you would pose a threat to his hold over the king. He would banish you or have you executed before you could get to the prince." Éomer explained. "He is fate's hands now." he said, Amdiriel could only nod, feeling useless.
"Look for your friends but do not trust to hope." Éomer instructed them then looked up "It has forsaken these lands."
"We ride North!" Éomer shouted to his men and rode off his company in follow.