More action, and sections from both points of view! Read on to find out what happens next!

Chapter 64

Gwin's POV: Present Time

My eyes were gritty when I woke up, and I was briefly disoriented. It took only a moment to remember where I was, and I sat up slowly. I felt just as tired now as I did when I fell into reverie, and even more anxious to leave despite the soreness of my muscles. My spirits dampened when I pulled the tarp door back and saw pouring rain falling from dark skies. It would be poor weather in which to travel.

I debated waiting to see if it would let up before setting off, but I knew the sooner I returned to the others, the better. They were surely worried sick, and I wanted to make sure they knew I was all right. Well, at least in the physical sense. My emotional state was another matter.

However, there was no time to dwell on it, as Levra had spotted me and ducked quickly into the tent. I gave her a small wave and said, "Suilad, Levra." She looked at me quizzically and I explained, "It means 'hello' in my language."

She smiled and said, "Well, in that case, hialthi, Gwinthilnel." I grinned, and she continued, "It is raining quite heavily; are you sure it is wise to head out in this weather?" She eyed me, looking unimpressed with my somewhat haggard state.

I shrugged, "Who knows how long the rain will continue? I cannot delay my journey, for there are others who are worried for my well-being, and I must return before they do something foolish while looking for me." If they hadn't already.

Levra sighed, but nodded in acceptance. She took a pack I hadn't noticed she was carrying and handed it to me. "I put some basic supplies in here, including a mostly waterproof cloak. Hopefully it will keep you at least moderately dry."

I smiled in thanks. "Any chance of borrowing a horse?" I asked.

She shook her head, "We have few horses, and I doubt I could convince the Brenin to let you borrow one, despite the aid you provided us." I agreed; although the Brenin had tolerated my presence and let me go free, his generosity only went so far.

"Fair enough," I replied softly. "Thank you for your help, Levra. You have been very kind to me; I am not sure things would have gone as well without your aid."

Levra blushed and shrugged her shoulders, "It was nothing," she mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. She hesitated, and then said haltingly, "I am sorry about how we treated your Gondorian friend…I hope he is all right."

I looked down at my boots, forcing the wave of emotions back before looking into her worried face. "I understand why you acted as you did, but perhaps learn from your rash judgement and behave differently in the future." There was an awkward pause, and unsure of what to say, I shouldered the pack and threw the cloak over myself, grateful it covered me almost completely. "Could you show me to the exit?"

The Dunlending nodded, and we quickly raced from overhang to overhang, trying to stay as dry as possible, and finally reached the main gate. The guards looked at me suspiciously, but when they saw Levra next to me, they seemed to relax slightly. I turned to her and put my hand over my heart, bowed in the Elvish fashion, and said, "Namarie Levra. If we should meet again, I hope it will be under better circumstances."

Levra nodded and clasped my shoulder, "Farewell." With that, we went our separate ways. I squinted, trying to get my bearings in the pouring rain, but it was difficult. I knew that it made the most sense to find the river and follow it west until I made it to the ridge that was hiding our camp, which was close to the road. If I got to the bridge, I would know I had gone too far.

The rain was relentless, but I was able to plot my way toward the river, careful not to get too close. The rapids were moving swiftly due to the heavy downpour, and I knew the land around the river looked unstable; it would be all too easy to slip into the water if the ground beneath my feet gave way.

I ducked under the canopy of a very large tree with thick foliage, grateful for the brief respite. I pulled out my waterskin and drank deeply; I felt exhausted already, even though I had only gone a short distance. My body had gone through a lot over the past week, and I knew I was still recovering. Since it was early, I sat down for a moment to catch my breath.

My mind drifted to Candaith, as it did frequently. Where was he now? Was he also out in this rain, searching for me? Any clues of my movements would have been washed away, and the only way to end this was to reach camp.

With this in mind, I pulled myself up using the low-hanging branches and slowly continued on.

Candaith's POV: The Same Morning

I tried not to grumble at the poor weather, and I felt the same as the twins did at the realization that any footprints or other visible signs of Gwin's journey were no longer visible due to the heavy downpour. They were both pacing, and speaking to each other rapidly in Sindarin, faster than I was able to interpret, and Elrohir looked like he wanted to pull his hair out in frustration.

Lothrandir, ever the level-headed one, stepped between them and halted their movements, "Let us work together to make a plan." Both Elves nodded tightly, and joined myself and the others around the weakly sputtering fire.

"Where do you think we should go next?" I asked.

Radanir furrowed his brow and suggested, "Would it be too risky to approach a village to see if Gwin had been there?"

I frowned, "There is a good chance we would be attacked on sight. They have no love in their hearts for the Dunedain."

"What about of Elves?" Calenglad added. "I know they are distrustful of them, but also fearful. Perhaps if Elladan and Elrohir approached, looking regal and powerful, they may give up information out of fear."

"It would be risky," I replied worriedly.

"Anything is worth the risk if Gwin is returned to us," Elladan said stubbornly.

"I am not sure she would agree with you," Lothrandir replied, and Elladan glared at him. "She would blame herself if something happened to either of you while you attempted to rescue her."

"She would understand!" Elrohir shot back angrily. "She must know we would give our lives to save hers, right?" He looked around at us, his eyes scanning our faces. "Right?" he repeated, sounding even angrier, and I noted he must have seen a little indecision in some of our expressions.

"Right," I said firmly, knowing it was at least how I felt. The rest of the rangers slowly nodded, and the twins took that as enough reassurance to continue discussing a plan.

It was decided we would make our way to the closest village, which was somewhat near the river and was the westernmost settlement. If we managed to survive an encounter with them and found they had no information for us, we would move on to the next. I was still unsure if what we were doing was wise (more likely suicidal), but I could not think of a better plan. We had surely searched almost all the surrounding landscape; we could avoid the villages no longer.

"We are coming, meleth nin," I whispered to myself. "Please be safe."

Gwin's POV:

I had not gone far before I felt the eerie sensation of being watched. There was little tree coverage around me, but the heavy rain would make it easier for someone to ambush me. I had the short sword and two daggers Ergothorn had given me, and put my hand on the hilt of the larger weapon, ready to draw it quickly if needed. Noting the large tree was still somewhat nearby, I sprinted toward it and threw myself up into the branches, but not before making sure it was unoccupied. I climbed as high as I could, and drew my weapon as I looked down at the ground. The foliage was thick, and even a skilled archer would have trouble shooting accurately through the canopy to hit me.

If there was an enemy stalking me, they must have chosen to either give up or wait in hiding until I came back down, because no one appeared below me or within distance of my gaze. However, the rain hampered visibility significantly, and it was possible I would miss something. I noted with some grim amusement that this was the second time in as many days that I had found myself up in a tree. It was quite appropriate; being a Woodelf, I had spent most of my childhood in them, and countless days moving quickly through them in the Guard. However, now I was somewhat trapped, as the enemy likely noted my actions. I decided it was worth the risk to see if this mystery person or creature would abandon its desire to hunt me due to the poor weather. How long could I wait?

What was I to do now?

Candaith's POV:

We approached the village cautiously, and the twins led the way. When we were within sight of the guards, which was quite close as the rain was still falling heavily, the Dunlendings pulled out their swords and stood in a threatening manner. Elladan, seemingly with no fear, dismounted, walked right up to them and said, "We come to speak with one who has knowledge of an Elichthi who may have dwelt here." I raised my brow at his words, and wondered if it would backfire.

"Why should we tell you anything?" a man shouted. I looked closely at his expression, and thought I noted a hint that he was hiding something.

Elladan seemed to agree, "Because if you harbor her here, you must release her immediately, or face doom upon your village." His voice echoed with something powerful, and it sent shivers down my spine.

Elrohir's eyes widened slightly, and I realized he had no idea his brother would say something so inflammatory, and tried to do some damage control, "We have no wish to harm any of you; all we want is information." Elladan gave him a look of frustration, but did not have anything to add except a nod of affirmation.

The Dunlending seemed afraid, but tried to remain tough. "I will find someone who may be able to help, but you cannot enter." He turned to his fellow guards and said something in Dunlendish, and I inferred he was telling them to keep a close eye on us. The man trudged off into the village, and the rest of us waited in tense silence.

After what seemed like an Age, a Dunlending woman came to meet us, and I felt some hope when I saw some familiarity in her expression, which turned to astonishment when she said, "Suilad," albeit with a thick accent. Elrohir went to rush to her, likely meaning to grab her shoulders and beg her for information, but Elladan held him back with a firm grip on his arm. The woman just looked amused. "My name is Levra, and I am a soldier here in my village."

Trying to stay calm but feeling a surge of hope in my chest at her unexpected greeting, I replied, "Suilad Levra, my name is Candaith, and these are my companions. We are looking for an Elleth who may have come to your village…and I sense you may have met her, due to your choice of greeting?"

Levra nodded with a smile, "Indeed, I have met Gwinthilnel-"

"-Where is she?!" Elrohir exploded, looking anxious. Levra narrowed her eyes at him, and he settled down with great effort.

"I will tell you, if you stop interrupting, Elichthi," she said firmly. He nodded, and she continued, "I came upon her yesterday, out on the plains, and brought her back here to face judgement from our Brenin."

My heart nearly stopped at her words; could Gwin have been punished by these people? Was she alive? The others seemed to have the same questions, but before we could ask them, Levra said, "She is well, at least she was the last time we spoke, which was only a few hours ago."

"Is she still here?" I asked, trying to sound calm but unsure if I pulled it off.

Sadly, she shook her head, "No, she left to go find your camp this morning. I find it likely she is making her way there now." She looked at the sky pessimistically, "However, I doubt she has gone far, due to the poor weather, and she is also on foot. You may be able to catch up with her, especially on horses."

"Do you know which route she intended to take?" I asked.

Levra furrowed her brow in thought, "I believe she meant to follow the river to the west, but she declined to tell me the exact location of your camp, so I cannot be sure how far she will follow it."

We made to head out, but Levra stopped us for a moment, "Wait, I must tell you more about what happened while she was here." The twins looked at her impatiently, but she insisted, "It will only take a few moments, but I believe she would want you to know."

"Very well," I said shortly. "Make it quick, if you could."

Levra took a breath and said, "When I found Gwinthilnel, she was in a tree next to the body of a gravely injured Rohir...er, I mean Gondorian. We bade her come down, and soon after, a Dundlending man made his way out of the forest, ranting about her trying to kill him." At this, she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I and another of my kinsmen escorted both of them back here, and they spoke to the Brenin, who heard both of their stories and ultimately decided to believe Gwinthilnel's."

"Stories?" I asked. "Stories about what?"

"Ah, well she claimed the man tried to kill her, while he claimed the opposite."

"What was his name?" Calenglad asked curiously. I looked at him with some annoyance. Why did that matter?

"Gevorch," Levra replied, and looked concerned at Calenglad's now alarmed expression. "I sense you know this man?"

"He attempted to kill me, and then Gwinthilnel, in a previous encounter," he said with some anxiety in his voice. "When Gwinthilnel used a trick to escape, which made him believe his village was under a curse, he ran off. I fear he has a vendetta against her, which is why he attacked her the second time."

Levra nodded slowly, "It makes what I thought were mere rantings make more sense. He kept calling her a witch who would put a spell on us all; clearly that is what he believes she can do."

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"The Brenin punished him in a humiliating way, at least to our people. He branded him with an x on his shoulder, as well as the symbol of our clan, as proof of what he did," she replied, looking worried. "He was escorted out of the village, but who knows where he went next."

My eyes widened in fear, "He could be out looking for her!" The others looked alarmed. "We must leave quickly!"

"Let me come with you!" Levra shouted. "I may be able to reason with him, should we come across him."

I nodded, and after I let Levra mount up behind me, we rode towards the river and headed west.

The race is on! Is Gevorch out there, looking for Gwin, or is another enemy on her tail? Will Candaith finally reunite with Gwin? Thanks for reading, and leave a review!