FELINA woke with a start. She looked around slightly confused when she remembered what had happened. She groaned and held her head in her hands. She gazed upon her surroundings to see it was incredibly dark and not even the light of the moon aided her. The temperature of the area was chilly and she could hear the sound of crickets.
She took out her phone and squinted her eyes from the blaring blue light of the screen. It was 3 am in the morning. She sighed at this. She turned on her flashlight to her pack being a makeshift pillow and someone else's cloak covering her. Looking around seeing everyone else have their cloaks but Legolas. She quickly deduced it to be his.
Her companions were fast asleep near her. Seeing as they were put in the open, they did need to stick together closely.
Everyone was asleep save for her and Legolas who was on watch. He nodded at her when he saw she was awake. "Good to see you have recovered Felina" he said smiling warmly at her as she sat down beside him. "You deeply worried me when you suddenly dropped"
"I'm sorry I delayed us. If wasn't for the headache I-" she was saying before Legolas cut her off placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You didn't delay us Felina. We are closer to the Uruks now more than ever. We are definitely going to catch them soon"
Felina handed him his cloak. "Thanks for this" she said.
"You're welcome"
Felina just nodded in response. Legolas handed her some lembas and flask of water. "Eat and drink. Recover your strength. Aragorn said we would continue once you've awakened but I will not let you go on until you've nourished yourself"
Felina didn't need to be told twice. She quickly grabbed the lembas from Legolas' hand and the flask of water. She finished nearly a half of a loaf and chugged down almost the whole flask but didn't knowing she would need to save some for later.
"Do you feel better now?" Legolas asked her, concerned.
"Yes I do. Thank you Legolas" she said giving him a small smile to ease his worry.
"Do not push yourself so hard next time. You may have strength and abilities Felina but when your body is fatigued you must rest" Legolas scolded her but in a gentle concerned voice. Felina could tell he was worried for her.
"I understand your concern Legolas but I couldn't simply just give up" she replied.
"Resting isn't giving up Felina" he said as he shook his head. He gave her a certain look of worry but there was something else there that she couldn't place. He placed a hand on her arm just above the elbow. "You musn't over work yourself. You will function better if you take even just a shortwhile to rest. You have to promise me you won't do that again"
"Who is he my mother?" She thought. He was really concerned for her and Felina could see he was sincere. She thought the concern was pretty much unnecessary, she had gone through worse. Still she couldn't help but feel touched at Legolas sincerity and concern for her. That made her smile inside.
Felina sighed and nodded. "Alright Legolas I promise. Now if our enemy has stopped as well, we have an advantage if we start earlier than them. We must wake the others" she said.
Legolas nodded and went to wake Gimli. First thing the dwarf did was grumble about wanting more sleep. Felina went to wake Aragorn and Lou who were sleeping in each other's arms. Felina gazed at them for a short while. They looked so happy and content with each other. Would that even last? Anything can happen and it could easily end. She shook her head at those sort of thoughts. It was Lou's relationship anyway. None of her business.
She shook the couple awake and they both instantly got up. Felina suggested they take flight once more but both Lou and Legolas shook their heads disagreeing.
"And why not?" Felina asked a bit irritated.
"Because you've only recovered. We need you to save your energy. I do not want you to tire yourself and get hurt in the process" Legolas said.
"He's right. I know you're strong but you need to take a breather for a while. We're already hot at their heels anyway for the boost you gave us yesterday. It won't matter" Lou continued.
Felina went to protest when she saw they've already made up their minds on it as Aragorn also nodded. "We might encounter trouble on the road Felina. Save your energy and power for that"
Felina sighed. "Well if we go on foot I suggest we get moving now then"
They jogged on and Gimli was apparently the only one supporting Felina in her suggestion of flight. He said something about not being able to feel his legs and cutting them off. Soon, the sun had begun to rise. Though it wasn't its usual orange, peach, and pink hue. It was a deep gushing red. It was a bit alarming to see.
"A red sun rises" Legolas said as they stopped to gaze at it as the sunlight peeked over the heels and crept into the land. "Blood has been spilt this night"
The question was, whose blood? They continue to run as the sun had fully risen into the early morning. They were running across the plain when Felina stopped in her tracks and the others follow as well. Her ears fidgeted and moved.
"Do you hear that?" She asked. They focused and kept silent and they could all hear it. Footsteps. Lots and lots of footsteps. They quickly hid behind a rock just in time before a legion of horses with their armed riders passed. Their footsteps echoed on the valley like thunder and they rode with small flags dancing in the air.
Aragorn sees them and decides to step out of their hiding place. Lou looks at him alarmed and tried to pull him back but failed. "Aragorn stop! What are you doing?" She whisper-shouted to him.
Aragorn didn't listen to her and even shouted to the strangers as they all went out from behind the rock "Riders of Rohan! What news from the mark?"
Lou winced. The riders turned back from their course and rode towards them. They formed formation in a disciplined synchronized manner and soon closed them in a circle. The riders pointed their spears at them and they stood back to back looking at the riders warily.
"What business do two elves, a man, a woman, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" Said one man. He was obviously in charge of the whole group seeing how he spoke up for them and how others made way for him.
"Give me your name horse master. And I shall give you mine" Gimli replied. The man didn't seem too pleased at this. He looked visibly irritated. He got off his horse and strides to them. The men backed off their spears a bit as to not harm their leader. Aragorn kept Gimli back with his hand as the man came closer.
"I would cut off your head dwarf. If it stood but a little higher from the ground" the man spat.
"Who pissed in his coffee?" Lou thought having her hand ready at her sword. She saw Felina had one palm open ready to swipe them off if anything happens. Legolas became quickly defensive however and drew his bow aiming at the man. "You would die before your stroke fell!" He shouted. That caused quite a commotion and the men drew their spears nearer, threatening to stab them. Felina brought up her hand and all their spears flew out of their hands and she took control of them making them float on the air to point at their owners instead. The men gasped in shock and a few horses whinnied in panic. Chaos was about to happen when Lou shouted "Alright everyone calm down! No one is cutting anyone's head off! Just chill!"
Aragorn made Legolas lower his bow and everyone settled down as per Lou's instruction. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn" Aragorn introduced himself and basically did the talking for everyone else. "This is Gimli son of Gloin, Lou Stark, Felina Niter of Lothlorien and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan and Theoden your king"
"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe" the man said. He then removed his helmet. "Not even his own kin"
Felina relaxes and returns the spears to their owners. The men take their weapon back in their hands reluctantly.
"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. For that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning" the man growled. "He walks here and there they say. He's an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slipped past our nets"
The man looked at them suspiciously. Aragorn immediately replied "We are no spies"
Lou and Felina felt like scoffing at that statement. How truly ironic that was for him to say when he was traveling with two but they weren't spies for Saruman anyway so they got his point.
"We track a hand of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive" Aragorn explained.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night" the man replied.
"But there were two Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli asked in a panic.
"They would be small. Only children to your eyes" Aragorn said.
The man gave them a sad look. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them" he pointed to a field not that far from them to show a smoke rising.
At this, Lou and Felina share a shocked look rendered speechless. "But that can't be" Lou muttered to herself in disbelief.
"Dead?" Gimli rhetorically asked more to himself.
The man nodded and lowered his head. "I'm sorry" he said sincerely.
The whole Fellowship was silent. None knew what to say. They have come a long way for this? For nothing?
The man whistled and called out "Hasufel! Arod! Magnar!"
3 horses cameforth. One was white, another brown, and other black. They had a saddle but no rider. "May these horses bear you better fortune than their former masters. Farewell"
He places his helmet on his head and got on his horse once more. "Look for your friends. But do not trust in hope. It has forsaken these lands" he said with a grimace and turned to his men. "We ride north!"
The riders slowly but surely disappear. Aragorn and Lou mounted on the brown horse. Legolas and Gimli on the white horse and Felina on the black horse. They rode saying no words to each other. They were all trapped in their own thoughts.
"They're not dead. They can't be" Lou thought in her head. Felina accidentally heard it when she lost a bit of control from her tire.
"I don't believe they're dead either" she replied to Lou in her mind. Lou glanced at Felina who was riding beside her and Aragorn in shock.
"Sorry" Felina said. "My control slipped a bit. You know it happens when I'm tired and overwhelmed"
"You know, you barely use this power that I forget you even have this ability sometimes" Lou replied.
"I use it only when necessary. I've no interest peeking into people's minds and stick my head into their private problems which I shouldn't concern myself with in the first place" Felina explained.
If anything she didn't understand why she even had this power. She had no interest in it except for using it in interrogations. Other than that, it is an ability of hers that remains dusty on the shelf. People saw it as a shame really seeing as the power to read minds is a great power but that was exactly why Felina was very careful with it. Great power isn't to be thrown around like a toy. She wanted to use it wisely.
They soon came upon a field near a dark forest. They shared looks as they passed by a spear sticking out from the ground with an Uruk head impaled to the sharp end. The Uruk's head looked ghastly with its black tongue twisting out from its mouth in an awkward manner. Not far from it were atleast 3 hill full piles of charred bodies scorched from the heat of the flame.
The air reeked of death and corpses burning. The smell was horrid and suffocating. Lou felt like gagging and covered her nose and mouth with her hand. Felina's nose slightly crunched up in disgust. It was all over a sick sight. They searched the bodies for any sign of Merry and Pippin. They hoped they wouldn't find any at all. To find one would mean they are truly dead. To not find any would mean they might be alive and had escaped the attack.
They checked each body Uruk after Uruk with Lou trying not to gag and Felina staying away using her powers. This was yet another moment that Lou hated Felina's telekinetic butt. The aura of the enviroment was tense as they all worked silently not knowing what results their search may bring.
Everyone had a bubbling hope seeing as they have found nothing so far until Gimli pulled something out from the pile of the dead. It was a burnt belt. Gimli looked down sadly. "It's one of their wee belts" he said.
At that moment, everyone stopped looking. Their hearts dropped and shattered to the ground. They were dead. They ran all that way for two burnt little corpses. They couldn't imagine the horror and fear Merry and Pippin must have had. They must have been so scared.
"May they find peace in death" Legolas muttered sadly with his head bowed. At his words, Felina felt a pang of sadness course through her. Through out their journey four people had died now. First Gandalf. Then Boromir. Then Merry and Pippin. All this for a ring. She began to wonder if any of this was even worth the cost of lives?
Aragorn kicked a helmet on the ground and screamed in agony. The pain his foot felt failed to numb the pain inside. He felt like he failed as a leader. As their leader. At his cry of emotional pain more than physical Lou visibly flinched and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. She didn't like hearing his cries and seeing him suffer. Her heart felt heavier as Aragorn knelt on the ground with his head in his hands. She went over to him and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We failed them" Gimli sighed sadly.
That was when something on the ground caught Aragorn's eye. Lou looked where he was looking but couldn't see anything of particular interest. He stretched out his hand sifting through the dirt. "A Hobbit lay here" he moved his hand to a different spot. "And another"
Lou frowned confused not really being able to understand how Aragorn got that out of the dirt but she then realizes she barely had the same experience in the wild as he did.
Aragorn continued to inspect the ground for more clues as to what happened to the Hobbits. "They crawled" he stood up and followed the tracks and the others went after him. "Their hands were bound" he continued on his trail and picked something up from the ground. It was a cut rope. "Their bonds were cut"
He pointed to a spot on the ground" "They ran over here" his gaze then lands upon an extra set of footsteps "They were followed"
He continued to follow his way through the tracks. "The tracks lead away from the battle!" There was clear hope and excitement in his voice. The Hobbits they've been looking for may have fallen upon a blessing and have escaped.
Then suddenly the tracks stopped upon the line of trees. "Into Fangorn forest"
"Fangorn!" Gimli gasped. "What madness drove them in there?"
Without another word, they themselves delved into the forest and lost themselves in the shade of the trees.