Gwendolyn

- 15 | R I D E R S O F R O H A N

We ran three days without stopping. It was exhausted but the thought of Merry and Pippin being tortured kept me going. I ran beside Legolas, trying to keep up. Aragorn placed his head to the ground. "Their pass is quickened. They must have smelled us."

I ran further, not bothering to look behind me to see if the others were following me.

"Come on, Gimli!" I heard Legolas say.

"Tree days and nights pursuit... no food, no rest and no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell."

Aragorn came running next to me but stopped abruptly. He kneeled down and picked something up.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorién fall."

I shared a glance with Aragorn. "They could still be alive," I said. Aragorn nodded. "Less than a day ahead of us, come!"

I took off again as Legolas shouted at the dwarf behind us. "Come Gimli, we're gaining on them!"

"I'm wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances." Gimli grunted.

We stopped when we were on the top of a hill.

"Rohan, house of the horse-lords," Aragorn whispered.

"Keep breathing, that's the key!" I heard Gimli's breaths heavily behind me. "Easy!"

"A red sunrise, blood is been spilt this night." Legolas said, looking at the dawn of the rising sun.

I gasped. It couldn't be Merry and Pip.

We ran further until we heard horses. We hid behind a rock. Two thousand men rode past us. Aragorn stood up and yelled: "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" I sighed. Way to go dad. Wait what? Did I just called him dad? No, no freaking way.

The riders turned and surrounded us. A single rider came forward. "What business does two elves, a man and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" I sighed. Great he thought I was an elf. No offense though but why keeps everyone saying that I'm an elf? My thoughts were interrupted when the man continued: "Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimi replied. I smiled. That's the spirit!

"I would cut off your head dwarf if it stood but a little higher from the ground." Well that wasn't nice, was it? In a second, he had two arrows pointed at him. "You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas said, glancing at me. Aragorn placed his hands on our shoulder and said. "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland realm." He stopped and I raised my eyebrow. Wasn't he going to introduce me? How unfair and discriminating. The man looked at me. "And who is she?" I smiled and put my arrow and bow away. "I'm Gwen," I held out my hand, "nice to meet you." He looked kinda surprised but shook my hand anyway. "Éomer," he introduced himself.

Aragorn interrupted our little talk. "We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king. "Theoden no longer recognizes friends from foe." He removed his helmet. "Not even his own kin." I was shocked. Before me stood Éomer, third Marshall of Rohan.

He looked at me and continued. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over this land. My company are those who are loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." He stopped. I looked at him and put encouraging my hand on his shoulder. He smiled sadly and continued. "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." I pulled my hand back. Did he think that we were spies? Aragorn probably read my mind. "We are no spies. We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." Éomer said.

"But there were two hobbits, did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli said.

"They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn said.

I looked up and saw Éomer looking at me when he replied. "We left none alive."

I felt my knees weaken. Someone placed an arm around me and I looked up to see Legolas. "Have hope Gwen." I leaned into him and looked back at Éomer, tears burning in my eyes. They can't be dead, can they?

"We piled the carcasses and burned them." He continued. "Dead?" Gimli said. He nodded. "I'm sorry." I looked at him. I couldn't believe it. He looked kinda guilty. "Hasidim! Arod!"

Two horses came running towards us. "May these horses bear you to better fortune then their former masters. Farewell!"

He mounted his horse. "Look for your friends, but do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!"

The riders rode away and I walked towards Aragorn, who helped me behind him. When Gimli sat behind Legolas, we rode in the direction, Eomer pointed.

We arrived at the edge of Fangorn Forest and I quickly jumped from the horse. I ran over to the burned bodies and tried to make out the little one's of Merry and Pippin.

It was Gimli who found their little belts first.

I screamed, frustrated because I couldn't have saved them and fell on my knees. Legolas say beside me and put his arm around me. I leaned against him. He kissed my forehead and murmured some words, I couldn't make out.

"There laid a Hobbit here," Aragorn began. I looked up when he continued. "Here laid the other one. They crawled. They were being followed." He followed their trail and looked into Fangorn Forest. "Straight into Fangorn Forest."

"Fangorn Forest? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli grunted.

"The madness of battle," I whispered, looking into the Forest. I walked into the Forest and looked back at the others, a smiled played on my lips. They could still be alive. "Are you coming or what?"

Aragorn smiled and shook his head, walking past me, taking the lead. I smiled and turned to look at Legolas and Gimli. "What about you? Ready to save the little one's?"

Gimli put his axe in the air as a signal he was ready for everything and followed Aragorn into Fangorn. I looked at Legolas and held out my hand. "You coming?"

He took my hand. "I go wherever you go." I smiled and pulled him after me into the Forest.

Merry, Pippin, we're coming for you.