The Other Ranger [ Lord Of The Rings x Silmarillion ]

House of Beorn

Elrohir sighed. "Actually, we were. We arrived late that night and spoke to Aragorn and Halbarad."

Miril looked surprised. "I forgot about that. Still, you did not see the body. You did not see what the orcs and warg did to him."

"True enough," he said. "I cannot imagine what it was like for you. The closest I've come is finding my mother after... after..."

The pause was palpable as both half-elves were lost in their own, dark thoughts. Miril thought back to the horror of that bloody day when Eldir was brought home dead. Elrohir could not get his mind off finding his mother after her time captive by orcs. Both had been the toughest of days.

"I will hunt, I will kill, every last orc in Middle Earth," Elrohir hissed angrily, a fire dancing in his grey eyes that seemed to reflect the anger, the wrath, inside him.

"I'd gladly join you." Miril nodded her head fiercely. After all, she had done her fair share of orc hunting in the past.

Miril, at the age of thirty, was placed in command of a small unit of Rangers centered out of the ruins around Annuminas. Six rangers were at her command, four men and two women. Strong, capable warriors and trackers were they. Solid hunters, too.

The ancient city of Annuminas, once the center of Dunedain life, housed but a small Ranger settlement now. Nonetheless, it worked well as a base of operations for the Dunedain who operated north of the Shire.

Halbarad had sent Miril north towards a small area around Lake Uial, a lake that was hidden from most and thus did not appear on the majority of maps. Here, rumors that warg riders had been sighted were widespread among the rangers.

"Track them down. Make sure the settlement by Lake Uial is safe," Calenglad, the leader of Annuminas' dunedain told her.

Miril rounded up her rangers and sped off towards Lake Uial. It would be several days' travel before they reached the settlement there. She hoped, praying to Eru, that there would be plenty of orcs to hunt.

Elrohir sighed and unclenched his fists. Now was not the time for vengeance. Vengeance would come, but for now he had a mission to complete in bringing news to his grandparents.

He turned instead to his companion, "What do you remember about your brother, Miril?"

"I remember he was always there for me," she murmured. "He would hold me when I was frightened. He would tell me stories of mother and father. He kept me entertained when I was bored. He was wonderful."

"Hold on to those memories, those feelings. Cherish them, little one. Eldir will always be with you if you do that."

The next day passed like the previous, just without goblins. Again that night Miril was restless but she restrained herself and managed to fall back to sleep. After all, that morning they would leave the mountains at last.

"How long until we reach the end of the High Pass," Miril asked Grimbeorn as they saddled their horses.

"A few hours. Certainly by lunch we will be free of the cold and rocks." He looked satisfied with his saddling job and led his horse to the gate of the settlement.

"I will not miss this weather," Miril heard Mirmegil tell Garavon. "It is already treacherous and only but the beginning of November."

Silently Miril agreed. She was worried about returning this way later the next month.

"Mount up," Glorfindel ordered. "Let us be off."

They did as instructed. Following Grimbeorn and Glorfindel on the steadily downward path, the horses and riders began to feel warmer by the hour. Soon enough the snow was gone and small patches of weeds were seen growing out of cracks in the rocks.

"We are approaching the exit of the Misty Mountains," Grimbeorn announced. "Once there we shall travel together for a short time more as I intend to reach the Carrock by evening. You are welcome to stay in my house, as once another company did with Beorn, for the night."

"We would be honored, Grimbeorn," Glorfindel nodded. "We will not turn down an offer to avoid an extra night in dangerous territory."

Soon, indeed, they reached the exit of the mountains. Grass and dirt was beneath the hooves of their horses once more. The air, though not warm by any stretch of the imagination, was not as frigid as up in the mountains. Miril rode alone between the Twins in front of her and Mirmegil and Garavon behind her. She looked all around, taking in the greenery she always took for granted back near the Shire and Rivendell. The last time she's been East of the Misty Mountains had been when Gandalf and Aragorn asked for her help in tracking Gollum. That had been what felt like ages ago.

"The Carrock is about three hours travel from here," Grimbeorn announced to the company. "I must, however, stop at a settlement not far from here to alert them to the growing threat."

They all nodded in understanding. As chief of the Beornings, Grimbeorn had a responsibility to his people more so than to the company from Rivendell.

When they eventually did reach the old house of Beorn, now Grimbeorn's estate, Miril was surprised, but things also began to make more sense to her.. Kind of. The giant behives described in the wood carvings of the great houses of the Beornings were made true to life as there appeared rows of behives that came up almost to her chin.

"I can't go in there," she muttered.

Her fear of bugs was magnified when the bugs were as big as her arm and could fly.

Elrohir looked back when he noticed she wasn't there. Already half way through the bee hives, he looked at her in confusion.

"Coming, little one?" He called back to her.

She hesitated. She didn't want to look weak in front of Grimbeorn or the elves she didn't know well. Miril inched her horse forward. It didn't seem to mind the bee hives.

"Just keep moving forward," Elrohir said as he rode back towards her. "Don't think about the giant bees flying around you. Oh. And don't make them angry, at least that's what Grimbeorn said."

She glared at him as her knuckles were turning white from her intense grip of the reins. Miril continued to simply look straight ahead. She tried to focus on something other than the sound of loud buzzing that was all around her.

"You're doing well," Elrohir encouraged her. "Almost there."

At last they were through as the fading light of day was just hiding behind the house. Elrohir and Miril stabled their horses and went inside. Grimbeorn was finishing placing supper on the table.

"Did they give you any extra trouble?"

"Nay, it was fine." Miril stiffened at the question before sitting down at an empty place.

"Good."