This one is from Candaith's POV, right before, during, and after Gwin falls over the cliff. I always find it interesting to get into his head, and I hope you do too! I hope you, well, 'enjoy' the aftermath. Read on to find out more!

Chapter 55

Candaith's POV

The breath was knocked out of me as a Uruk slammed his shoulder into mine, and it brought me to my knees.

Gwin noticed me and briefly knelt down to check if I was ok. Trying to downplay my discomfort, I gasped, "I...I am fine, Gwin. Just winded." However, I wondered if this was really the case. It reminded me of how I felt after I was attacked on Weathertop, all those months ago, but thankfully I did not have an arrow sticking out of my shoulder.

My eyes widened as I could not say the same for Gwin. She jerked suddenly and I noticed the black-feathered arrow sticking out of the back of her right shoulder. She looked shocked as she spotted something, and my rage returned as I noted the Uruk leader, Núrzumgrat, stalking towards her. He grabbed her by her shirt, and raised her into the air. I could hear some of their conversation but was trying to focus on standing to attempt to save her.

"Then why did you shoot me? Did you want me to die? How will you enjoy your 'prize' then?" Gwin said angrily, but I could hear the flicker of fear in her tone.

The piece of filth pulled her closer, and growled, "Oh, this arrow won't kill you; I chose that place on purpose. It'll slow you down so you can't get away from me."

I squinted through the dizzy waves that were obscuring my vision, and noted Gwin looking around rapidly, trying to find someone to help. Elrohir was screaming her name, but was unable to reach her due to the three Uruks he was engaging in battle.

Noticing Núrzumgrat start to drag her down the slope, I finally found the strength to rise to my feet, and pulled the dagger out of my boot. I buried it in the Uruk's back, right over his black heart, and met Gwin's startled gaze. Which became fearful as the Uruk started to topple off the cliff, taking her with him.

I heard her scream, and then nothing. A shout of terror came out of my own mouth, and I staggered to the edge, ignoring the battle behind me. Looking down, I saw some bloodstains, and noted where she had likely scrabbled to find purchase before continuing to fall. The Uruk's dead body was partially on that ledge, but there was no sign of Gwin. My heart seized in fear as I noted there was a sheer drop into the river below, and it was likely where she had ended up.

Elrohir fell to his knees next to me, and his face was white with horror. "Candaith…C-Candaith…where?" He stuttered, and I could see grief in his wide, fearful eyes.

"She fell," I choked, and felt like I couldn't breathe.

"No…no, it cannot be true!" Elrohir replied, his voice raising. "Gwin! Gwin, where are you?" His voice echoed, but there was no reply.

I had the presence of mind to look behind me, remembering that we were under attack. Luckily, the battle had ended, and none of the others seemed injured as Calenglad pulled Corunir to his feet. Nar and Frithgeir were there also, and looked at Elrohir and I with confusion.

I found Elladan had joined us, and was gripping his brother's shoulder tightly, as it seemed Elrohir was about to jump down and try and scale the smooth rock walls. Elrohir looked at his brother, fury in his eyes. "Why do you hold me back?" he asked angrily. "We must save her!"

"This is not the way!" Elladan replied, but his voice was shaking. "If she fell into the river, we must make our way down, but trying to scale these cliffs will only lead to our own deaths."

"Perhaps Halbarad and his company noticed her fall and have gone ahead to find her?" I asked hopefully.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed as we saw Halbarad and a small company of Rangers coming up the slope from the bridge; Radanir had run swiftly to find them once he noticed what had happened to Gwin. They looked upon the scene with surprise, and Halbarad's eyes found mine. He must have seen the despair on my face, because he quickly went to stand on my other side. "Candaith? What has happened? Why do you kneel by the edge?" I noticed him cast his gaze around the area we were fighting, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Where is Gwinthilnel?" Clearly Radanir had not informed him of why they needed to come here in haste.

My voice failed me, and all I could do was gesture over the cliff. Halbarad looked shocked, and lowered himself to his knees by my side to see what the rest of us had noted. "A Uruk lies there, dead," he murmured, but his voice was unsteady. Clearly, he was trying to objectively assess the situation, but found it difficult. "Did she fall with him?"

I swallowed, trying to find the words. "He had grabbed her and was trying to drag her away from the battle, but I stabbed him in the back." My words shook and I noted I was crying, which was unusual for me; I couldn't remember the last time I had cried. "I…I had no idea he would drag her over the cliff. I should not have attacked him so near to the edge." The guilt I was feeling started to overwhelm me. "It is my fault."

Halbarad grasped my shoulder, "No, it is not. Gwin would not have you blame yourself. She would be the first to thank you for trying to save her from the Uruk." I tried to accept his words, but could not find it in me to let go of my guilt. My chest ached terribly, but whether it was from my injuries or the potential of Gwin's death, I could not tell.

"Halbarad, we must move quickly!" Elrohir said urgently. "If she is lying injured at the base of the mountain, or has fallen into the river, we need to leave with haste to rescue her!"

"I will stay and make sure Frithgeir and Nar are well," Calenglad said, but his face also betrayed his anxiety. "The rest of you should go find Gwin."

Hating that we didn't have horses, we ran as fast as we could back down the path, keeping a close eye for any clues that might lead us to her. As we searched and found no signs, I felt despair and an agonizing grief filling my heart. I feared I would see Gwin's broken body on a slope, or that we would never find her as she was carried by the current far away. Would she drown? Would the rocks damage her body beyond repair as she hit them? I started as I felt a hand on my back, and saw Halbarad looking at me with some confusion. I noticed I had stopped moving, and the others were looking back at me with some exasperation. "I…I am sorry. My thoughts caused me to lose track of where I was going." After a moment, I strode purposefully forward to join the others, and we continued on.

The twins were somewhat further ahead, using their superior eyesight to look far off into the distance. Perhaps she had dragged herself out of the waters and was lying on the riverbank, and they could spot her. Unfortunately, fog had rolled in, and it made the visibility significantly worse. Eventually we reached them, and my heart sank as I saw their identical expressions of frustration and fear. "We cannot see her anywhere," Elladan said brokenly. This only cemented my worries of her being swept far away down the river.

"Could she have been pulled out and taken?" Radanir asked.

I nodded, "It is possible." I looked at the sky and noticed it was getting close to sunset. "How will we find her in the darkness?"

"We must get to her before the sun has set," Elrohir said stubbornly.

Elladan hesitated and then said, "Muindor, I am not sure we will find her by then."

"Yes, we will! We must!" Elrohir exploded, and I noted his anxiety was starting to augment ours.

Halbarad took the initiative and said, "Let us keep moving. The closer we get to the river, the better chance we will find her, but keep an eye on the slopes as we go. Perhaps we will find a clue."

Without another word, we continued on. My heart felt like it was being squeezed with a vice, and beat rapidly. A distant part of me wondered if this was how Gwin would feel when I died, or if it would be even more horrific. She is not dead. I had to keep telling myself this, or I would fall into such despair I found I could barely breathe.

I found myself praying like I had never prayed before, begging Eru or the Valar or anyone to bring her back to me. I remembered in my studies that Uinen was a Maia of Ulmo, Vala of the Waters. She had once watched over the River Sirion, before Beleriand was flooded at the end of the 1st age. Did she still preside over the rivers and the seas? I decided I had nothing to lose and whispered, "Uinen, if you are listening…please save Gwin. She has done so much to fight against the evil that threatens these lands…she deserves to live." I saw the twins look back at me sharply, and when they met my anguished gaze, they nodded, and I thought I could hear them muttering in some form of Elvish. Whether it was Sindarin or Quenya, I didn't care enough to find out.

We got to the base of the mountain and came across Culang, who looked at us with some alarm when he saw our terrified faces. "Has something happened?" he asked quietly, but with urgency.

"Have you seen Gwinthilnel?" I blurted out, not wanting to wait for anyone else to speak.

Culang shook his head, and looked confused. "No, I have not met anyone since the rest of you ascended. I thought she was with you?"

I cursed in frustration, and Culang looked at me with some surprise. Halbarad hastily explained the circumstances, and asked him to watch carefully for any sign of her. "If she comes to your camp, please tend to her." He turned to Radanir, "Would you stay here with him? I would have you send a message to the main camp should you find her."

Radanir looked like he wanted to protest these orders, but after a moment, nodded reluctantly. "Thank you, mellon nin," Halbarad said, and we said our farewells as we conferred what to do next. "Should we split up and look along the riverbank?" he asked.

I nodded slowly, "That would be a good plan. If she has pulled herself out of the river, she may not be able to go any further, and we could find her more quickly."

Culang had a map, and we spread it out on the ground. Halbarad designated us to various areas, and the twins were surprisingly agreeable to splitting up. I mused they would likely do anything to find her.

"Good luck, and may we find her quickly." The unspoken words also included 'and alive', but no one had the desire to say them out loud. We mounted our horses and went our separate ways.

"Please be alive, meleth nin," I whispered desperately. "I cannot live without you."

Things are looking dire, aren't they? Hopefully by splitting up, they can find Gwin, or at least some clues to lead to her location. Will she be alive, or is it too late? Thanks for reading, and leave a review!