A Burden

Her weight seemed to comfort him, but Raina wasn’t paying attention. In the back of her mind, two different scenes were playing. But now, instead of trying to force them away, she accepted them, and felt neither weak nor weary.

In one, the Ents were all marching from their home to Isengard.

‘The Ents… are going to war. It is likely… that we go to our doom. One… last… march… of the Ents.’

Atop the Ents branches sat Merry and Pippin, and Raina had to bite her tongue to keep from giving a shriek of pure joy that they were still alive.

In the other, Sam was still speaking.

‘The Ring drove your brother mad!’

Faramir’s face was shown staring down at Frodo intently. In his mind, the ghost’s voice replayed over and over, speaking words of disgust and encouragement to him.

Then the cries of the Ringwraiths could be heard, breaking the vision up. By that time, all of the horses that Raina had rescued were in line and ready to go to battle once more.

Raina grinned as she directed Hamson over next to Legolas, who was riding bareback as well.

“This should be fun,” she said, grinning at Legolas through her mess of hair. She had long hoped to see the looks of astonishment on the Uruks’ faces when they saw their weapon, which they had bred and created themselves, being used against them. She snorted, and lifted her twin blades from her cloak with a swoosh and swung them around testily. Ready, she nodded to Legolas, who nodded to Aragorn, who nodded to Théoden. With that, he gave a war cry and the doors were unlocked.

The rest of the battle, Raina was on autopilot. Her mind was not in this battle nor any of the other three completely, rather, all three at once.

In Isengard, only a few Ents were being taken down as Treebeard, the one that Merry and Pippin were sitting upon, was climbing to a nearby dam keeping back a great river.

‘Break the dam! Release the River!’ the Ent commanded, and the others broke the metal structure, causing a great rush of water.

Raina grinned as all of Isengard was flooded in moments.

With Frodo, Sam, and Faramir, Frodo was gasping for breath and leaning against a broke pillar.

‘I can’t do this, Sam,’ he moaned before Sam wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

‘I know. It’s all wrong. By rights, we shouldn’t even be here.’

Above, the Ringwraiths were flying away.

‘It's like in the great stories, Mister Frodo. The ones that really mattered.’

Back in Helm’s Deep, a great light was shining from above, and all the Uruks stopped to turn to see what it was, which made great easy targets for the Wolf-riding girl, fueled by the anger that rose in her as she saw the bodies of too many boys too many years he juniors.

No longer did the cries of the injured boys and injured Men curse her ears. Instead, Raina heard Sam speaking to Frodo as she hacked her way through orcs.

‘But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.’

Behind that, the rushing of hundreds of thousands of water could be heard, along with the many hoofbeats of the Riders here in Helm’s Deep.

‘Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mister Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't. Because they were holding on to something.’

Raina stopped Hamson and watched the remains of the battle around her through tears. The Riders had taken out most of the remaining Uruks, and she and her friends had gotten the rest.

‘What are we holding onto, Sam?’

Raina closed her eyes, and saw a rugged looking Sam turn to look at a wear Frodo. Tears slid down her face

‘That there is some good in this world, Mister Frodo. And that it’s worth fighting for.’

There was a long paused and Raina felt herself resting her head on Hamson’s and being lead away. The battle must have been over. It had been a long night.

Behind her eye lids she saw Faramir, now at eye level.

‘I think at last, we understand one another, Frodo Baggins,’ he said slowly.

And older man stood above Faramir, and warned him against what he was doing.

‘You know the laws of our country,’ he warned tersely. ‘The laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit.’

Do it, Raina whispered, hoping that he could possibly hear her.

Faramir stood and stared at the man in all seriousness. ‘Then it is forfeit. Release them.’

Raina smiled into Hamson’s fur before falling into a short, dreamless sleep.