The evening was about to set in again, banishing the little light that seldom managed to penetrate the thick woodland. Your unconscious body was still bloodied and bruised from the battle. Luckily you had not hit the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff, but rather you had plunged into the deep pale waters of the Anduin River which carried your body for miles, until the waters connected to the river of the Entwash. From then on you floated through valley of the Emyn Muil until you reached the banks of the Derndingle in which your body lay for almost half a day, before the large creaking figures had found you.
You begun to feel the cold breeze on your face as your eyes fluttered open. Pain racked your body, and your lungs burned like hell. Coughing and spluttering you sat up, clutching your damp head. You rubbed your eyes before looking around. You were sitting in a small circle of grass that was bordered by thick woods and looming trees that had thick gnarled branches that twisted and curled. The small amount of moonlight that peeked above you in that circle cast a silver light, illuminating the land around you. A crooked wooden bowl lay to your left, it was filled with crystal clear water that looked almost enchanting in the silver rays. You pushed your self up off the damp ground.
"Anyone there?" You called, knowing it was probably a bad idea to do. Who knows what lurks in the depths of the forest? Who knows what watches you silently? You got no reply, apart from the creaks that were emitted from trees that swayed softly in the cool breeze. 'Where am I?'
"Hey dol! Merry Dol! Ring a dong dillo!"
You jumped, snapping your head around frantically. Who said that? You could hear more singing echoing from the forest, and it seemed to be getting closer. You scrambled to the nearest tree and hid behind it. Did they know you were there? Your fingers dug into the bark as you held your breath, listening to the approaching song.
"Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow! Comes hopping home again. Can you hear him singing? Hey! Come merry dol! Derry dol! and merry-o! Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o!"
You gulped as you saw the silhouette of a person break through the edge of the opposite forestry. They were getting close...
"He has not spoken a word since." Aragorn dragged a whetstone down his swords edge before placing it on the ground and turning to the dwarf who was perched on the edge of a large boulder, puffing at his pipe.
"Give him time. He is in shock, we all are laddie, we all are." Gimli said, hopping of the rock to place a hand on the rangers shoulder. "It is a shame the lassy is gone, but we must focus on getting the other men and boys ready for tomorrow night. Durin knows if we will survive." Gimli patted Aragorn on the back.
"In my heart I know she was not telling me something. I do not talk about the business with Sauron being her father, but of something else. I do not know what though." Aragorn sighed and looked down over the wall of the great Helms Deep, surveying the land as if it would give him the answers to a question he did not even know.
"Come on, let's go to hall and try and find something to eat before it runs out." Gimli huffed and waddled past Aragorn.
"I will go look for Legolas, wherever he may be." Aragorn said, but Gimli had already stomped towards the food hall. 'Typical dwarf.' Aragorn thought. The ranger turned carried on down the concrete steps and made his way through the crowds of woman hushing their children, and the men who gulped down as much ale as humanly possible. The passages were tight and dark, smelling of horse dung and vomit. A black cloud could be seen rolling slowly towards Helms deep; a precursor of the war to come.
"My lord Aragorn," Eowyn called out after spotting the Dúnedain through a haze of people.
"Yes my lady?" Aragorn asked, he did not have time to speak to Eowyn, he needed to find his friend.
"I am sorry about the loss of your friend Y/N, but I was thinking you might like to join me for a walk?" She asked. Aragorn sighed and looked down, he did not know how to tell her he could not love her as she wanted him to. He had to change the subject before he got himself roped into an unnecessary hindrance.
"I would like to my Lady, but I must find Legolas, he has been hit very hard by the passing of Y/N. Have you seen him?" Eowyns face fell slightly, but she pressed on.
"I have not seen him. Maybe I could help you find him?" She asked to Aragorns dismay as he started backing away. He needed to find a way to get out of this offer.
"I will find him myself thank you, he does not like woman...anymore." That did not come out as he wanted it to. An awkward silence fell upon them. Eowyn stared at him in confusion before taking her leave.
"I will see you soon then Lord Aragorn. And I hope Legolas is happy with his...new found path."
It took Aragorn almost an hour before he found his elf friend. Legolas was standing in the tallest watch tower by himself, watching clouds roll over the stars, squashing out their light.
"I have finally found you, mellon nin." Legolas turned around and looked at Aragorn with empty eyes, but he said and did nothing except slouch back down on the window of the tower. Aragorn walked closer, placing a hand on his friends shoulder.
"I do not know what to do." Legolas said after a while and faced Aragorn. "Elves only love one person in their immortal lives, and I loved...And now she is gone." Legolas stuttered, he couldn't bring himself to say your name. He always made sure to keep his emotions in check, and never show his weak side but he could not help it. The one person he loved was dead.
"My friend, do not weep, for Y/N is in a better place now. A place where no one can hurt her, protected by the Vala. She will be laying on the silver shores, watching the sunset on green lands." Aragorn finished as Legolas begun to tear up.
"I hope she is happy."
"She was in life, and she will be even more so in death. Now come friend, you must eat. Come to the hall and get some food before Gimli drains the ale stores."
A few hours had passed in the hall, the three companions had finished feasting on the left over pork scraps. Legolas had only nibbled a small amount of bread before he took his first sip of ale that night, letting the bitter taste wash down any sadness he had left. On the other side of the table Gimli was on his ninth pint of ale and his second pint of mead. The liquid poured down his ginger beard as he slammed the cup down and let out a loud belch.
"More ale!" He shouted above the bustling noise of the hall. Aragorn sat by the open fire, placing new logs on every now and again. The men seemed to be drinking as much as they could, trying to forget about what was to come the next night. Many would not survive it. Theoden sat at the head of a great table, his hand gripping a mug of ale as the other hand tapped on the table in front of him. He had things other than war on his mind. He had you in his thoughts. He did not like your disappearance, not one bit. In fact he entirely believed you had betrayed them, because how could you know they were about to be attacked by an Orc pack before it even happened? And then to 'fall off a cliff' in the midst of a battle? And Wormtounge could not have just escaped right? No, he would not have it.
"I think she betrayed us." Theoden said at last, causing Eowyn and the other guards around him to give him a confused look.
"Who?" One gaurd asked after chugging a pint of mead.
"Y/N, the girl Gandalf and the others brought. I believe she let Wormtounge out, and that she had planned the attack on the road here, and then bolted before I could punish her." Theoden said, becoming more and more agitated by the second.
"Uncle I do not think that Y/-" Theoden stopped Eowyn.
"Hush woman, what would you know of it?" The king snapped before peering around the other men sat with him.
"I asked her before we left Rohan." One gaurd started. "I asked her if she let Wormtounge out, she said she did not but I satisfied myself that she was lying. Before I could ask anymore that blond woodland sprite," He stuck his thumb over to where Legolas was sitting. "Stopped me and said that she was telling the truth. If I am honest Sire, I would not trust him either." Theoden watched the man, listening intently. The king stared at the elf on the other side of the room for a moment, misjudging the elf's grief for guilt.
"Keep an eye on him. If he does anything abnormal, report to me." Theoden took one last swig of his drink before standing up. "I will deal with him in the morning."
The singing continued as you hid behind the tree. Your eyes were trained on the figure of a man who seemed to be inspecting the area you woke up in. The man picked up the bowl of water, and poured it's contents out. He poured more water into the bowl from the bucket he had clutched in his hand, and in the other he held a closed wood woven basket which he laid on the grass.
"Down sinks the sun! Soon you will be groping, when the night shadows fall, the door will be open! Out of the windows panes light will twinkle yellow! Fear no alder black, heed no hoary willow!" The man continued to sing and dance around as he opened the basket taking out four small plates. He was now directly below the tree you were hiding behind now. What is happening? And why the hell is he singing? You thought as you crouched down to try and get a better view. As you leaned forward, your hand slipped and you went tumbling down the small slope, banging your head in the process. Oh shit. You had landed right at the mans feet, cursing your luck, you spat out the grass in your mouth and opened your eyes. The first thing you saw was the old mans bright yellow boots.
--Thanks for reading! Sorry for the short chapter! Who do you think this old man is? Why was he setting out four plates? I will give you a clue to who it is: The ring has no hold over him!