Go down in flames

Pain of loss

I rose early in the morning. If the plans go well everyone will be ready and packed to flee to Helms Deep. In my personal opinion this was a horrible plan, I knew Aragorn felt the same. They were trapping themselves as Grima planned. But we had an advantage that they did not have and that advantage was me.

I had received my old black dress and was now wearing it. It felt good to be wearing it again. It was almost like returning home. The thick black silk brushed against my thin legs and the long cape and hood kept me warm. The dress concealed my daggers as well as my black leather riding boots. I had also gotten back my family dagger that lived in my braid. It brought joy to me to have it in my possession once again.

I had shoved all my earthly possessions in my deer hide back bag, which now included the white dress and beige night gown which had been giving to me as gifts for compensation for the incident.

My bag also contained dried medical herbs, arrow heads and feathers for new arrows I planed to make, a small carving knife for arrows, some needles for sewing and a bit of dried meat. I kept the bag under my cloak where know one could see it and it was safe. My bag was amazingly important to me because it possessed all of my worldly possessions.

I brushed myself off and took one last look around the room before briskly pushed my way out of the room into the hallway. I ended up walking straight into Aragorn who had been jogging down the hallway. " It is time to go!" He called as he jogged off.

I ran after him as quickly as my short legs could carry me. I followed him out of the castle and into the stables where the rest of the fellowship was waiting. Jumping onto the beige horse I stared at the rest of them. " No time to lose , let's go." I said blankly. I looked around and then asked quietly. " where is Gandalf?" They all starred at me strangly. " He has left, did you not know?" Aragorn asked confused. My heart dropped. " No, I didn't know." I whispered. Legolas jumped up onto the horse behind me. " Come my friends. We have no time to lose." With that Aragorn and Gimli jumped into the chestnut horse and we left the stables.

The smell of distress was rancid throughout the people of Rohan. I could feel Legolas shifting uncomfortably behind me. I laughed. " Improved sense of smell has its down sides does it not?" I said teasingly. He grunted his response. " The upside is you always can smell what someone else is feeling." I spoke a little more seriously this time. " What are you trying to get at Anastasia?" Legolas asked in a calm voice but I could tell there was some other emotion layered under it. " Truthfully Legolas, I don't know." I said quietly. " What I do know is you still have a lot of learning to do about dragons and riders." I said trying to make the conversation a little more on the lighter side again. I heard Legolas give a small laugh. " Your a slippery one to talk to, you know that right?" Legolas said laughing quietly. " I'm a dragon remember?" I laughed. " How could I forget." Legolas smiled.

The people were becoming weary I could smell it in the cold mountain air. Mothers clutched to their children in fear of losing them. Fathers watched over their family with the eyes of hawks. I followed Legolas , on foot, up ahead as look outs. The paths ahead were calm and silent. I took a deep breath of air searching for the scent of something unusual. " Do you smell that?" I whispered to Legolas. " It smells like wolf." Legolas said like it was nothing. The scent was similar to wolf but definitely not wolf. Something did not feel right. I took another breath. Then I realized what it was. " Warg!" I yelled right as a large warg came jumping out at us. On top of the warg sat a large ugly ork. I pulled out my sword as Legolas shot the ork through the eye with an arrow. I ran forward ducking out of the reach of the wargs jaws and stabbing it through the heart.

We swiftly ran back to the travellers trying not to panic. " Scout, there was an ork scout." I said as I came up to Aragorn and the king of Rohan. Confusion crossed Aragorn's face but was instantly replaced by worry as he processed what I had said. " We must gather those fit to fight." The king said.

The group went into a flurry of movement as panicked woman gathered their children to go on the other path and determined men prepared to fight. The stench of fear was now thick in the air chocking me with every breath I took. I moved myself over to where the men of Rohan prepared to fight. Go with the others Anastasia. I heard Legolas's voice. I turned expecting to see him but found no one was there. He was in my head. What kind of dragon do you take me for! My job itself is to fight! I growled. I thought your job was to protect. He replied wisely. Fighting, protecting same thing. I replied brushing him off. Not always. He replied darkly. I shivered at his tone. But if you must fight, then fight. He said ending the conversation. I pushed the conversation to the back of my mind as I mentally prepared myself to fight.

The orks and wargs came riding over the hill tops suddenly like the unwanted northern winds. Each one uglier than the next. The smell of fear disappeared from the air and was replaced by fierce determination. I was impressed by the courage of the men. I griped the thick handle of my sword with both hands. The battle started. Ork after ork came. Some killed us and others were killed by us. Stroke after stroke of my sword fell as everything became a blur. All I knew was death. Blood spilled to the ground around me as I kept fighting almost roboticly. Nothing stopped me. Ork nor warg they all died. Death after death went by almost meaninglessly. Why did it not affect me. The question almost screamed in my head. They were so meaningless to me, like the death of an ant and I could not understand why. Why is it when someone close to you dies it shatters your heart but when a stranger dies you can not even produce a tear?

Death, that is what lay around me as the battle came to the end. I looked down at a man who had been killed in battle. Blood trickled down his deathly pale skin from a large gash on his forehead. The blooded dried into his matted brown hair. He was somebody's father or somebody's husband. Another man not coming home to his wife, deeming her a widow. tears would be shed over him but here I was looking at this dead man and I felt nothing.

"Where is Aragorn?" Legolas asked as he came up to me. " I have not seen him" I jumped as Gimli spoke. I had not noticed he was standing beside me. " Aragorn?" I said distantly, I had not seen him throughout the last half of the battle. " Are you alright Anastasia?" Legolas asked putting his hand on my arm. I came out of my haze. " Yes! I'm fine." I snapped a little more harshly than I meant to. I saw hurt in his blue-green eyes as he removed his hand from my arm. " Where is Aragorn?" I asked. " We do not know." Gimli responded. " You!" Legolas demanded walking away from us. He grabbed a necklace out of the hand of a ork lying on the ground with a spear sticking out of its stomach. On closer look I realized that he was not dead but still stirring. " Where is the man you got this from!" Legolas demanded in a dangerous voice holding the necklace in front of the orks face. The ork laughed a cold, mad laugh. " Your friend, he fell." The ork wheezed as he laughed some more. My eyes went large. A cruel smile developed on the orks face showing his rotting teeth. " To bad that you did not fall with him she-demon." He said looking at me with his beady eyes. Legolas stabbed him the moment the words left the orks lips.

I ran to the edge of the cliff and fell to my knees looking down. I searched for any sign of Aragorn. I could see nothing. " No, no, no, no, no." I muttered shaking my head and backing away from the cliff. I squeezed my eyes shut wishing it all away. Wondering why I had let myself get close to people again like I had with my mother when all people ever do is break my heart. He could not be gone! But when I opened my eyes I was still sitting near the edge of the cliff where Aragorn died. A single tear escaped my eye as my heart shattered.

Sorry for the short chapter, my mind has been on other things lately so yeah... I will try to update soon again. You guys should check out my new book. I have posted one chapter and will not be posting more until I finish this book but you should check it out! Bye :)