The Fellowship

"You!" an uruk sneered as Aelinaras changed back to her elf form. She glared at him, pulling out Eden she cut his head off. One of the riders had fallen off his horse. A wide Uruk-hai had its arrow aimed at him. Memories flashed back in the she elf's mind. Pulling out a dagger she tossed it. Landing in the Uruks neck it fell dead. "Are you alright?" she asked the rider he nodded quickly pushing her out the way and stabbing an Orc that was behind her. "we’re even now" he stated, she smiled and continued to fight off the uruks. After a few hours all the Orcs and Uruk-hai were dead. Aelinaras whipped her sword clean and sheathed it. Before collapsing to the ground "here I think you really need this" Eomir said handing her a cloak with his head to the side. Aelinaras gladly took it covering up her exposed Corset. An Uruk-hai had ripped her shirt “thank you" she tiredly. "Come were leaving you maybe should ride with me" he stated pulling her off the ground.

It was just before Dawn. Aelinaras awoke groggily "morning" Eomir said with a smile looking down at her. The she elf smiled in return before stretching. “You know you cry in your sleep?" Eomir spoke softly. "I do...do I" Aelinaras spat with bitterness. "Then again in these times who does not" she added quickly flashing a half hearted smile.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli kept their pace along the extensive valley. The sun had just peeked over the hills, it was now dawn. Yet this sun was odd it burned brighter, it rays were darker, and it hued the sky scarlet. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." Legolas stated as a somewhat pained worried expression found its way on his face. The sun had risen fully. The sound of horses in full gallop thundered loudly shaking the ground. The three hide as the Rohirrim cavalry could be seen coming over the hill. Aragorn seeing they were not Orcs came out of hiding with Gimli and Legolas behind him. "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" Aragorn waited and watched. Eomir gave a quick signal, and the Rohirrim riders turned around. Heading back to the three companion’s surrounding them without stretched and pointed spears. "What business does an elf, a man and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" Eomir asked in an dangerous tone before barking "Speak quickly!". Gimli looked up at him with a superior look. "Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Aragorn rested his hand on the dwarfs shoulder as Eomir dismounted his horse. "I would cut off your head dwarf if it stood but a little higher from the ground." Eomir threatened, whilst mocking him. Legolas quickly aimed an arrow at the Rohirrim captain. "You would die before your stroke fell!" his hissed the Rohirrim raised their weapons higher in reaction.

Aragorn pushed his hands down with a stern look. "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn." he paused turning to the peeved elf and dwarf. "This is Gimli, son of Glin, and Legolas, from the Woodland realm." he turned back to face Eomir. "We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king." "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." Eomir commented taking off his helmet. "Not even his own kin." he added grimly the spears were withdrawn. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over this land. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." Eomir's eyes had gone dim for a minute. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked." Eomir sent Legolas a weary look. "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets." "We are no spies. We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friend’s captive." Aragorn said not liking the fact they were being accused as spies. The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." Eomir spoke as if this were old news, and something he was used to telling others. "But there were two hobbits; did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli said in panic. "They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn added in his tone drench with hope, though none was given. "We left none alive." Aragorn looked at the captain with lost look riddled on his face. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." Eomir continued pointing at some smoke in the distance. "Dead?" Gimli asked his breath taken from him. Eomir nodded "I’m sorry" Legolas rest a hand of the dwarfs shoulder looking down at his feet.

"Wait! Did you see a girl an elf? She ran off and left us in the night" Legolas asked with very frantic eyes. "About yea high, long red hair?" Eomir asked. Legolas gave a short nod half expecting the rider to say he saw her body among the dead. Eomir nodded to one of the other riders. "Milady?" the rider said shaking Aelinaras awake. "Hmm?" she asked rubbing her eyes. "We found your friends" he said timidly. Aelinaras smiled. "Thank you" she said happily dismounting the horse and pushing her way to the front of the circle. "Hello miss me at all?" she asked standing next to Eomir. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rushed over and hugged her. “I take that as a yes" Aelinaras spoke through her laughter. “I swear if you ever do that again" Aragorn mocked. "I'll cut off your legs" Gimli added in this made Aelinaras laugh more. "Ah but I thought you didn't like elves?" "You’re an exception" he added quickly. "uhuh...Legolas you may let go now" she whispered Hesitantly he let go. Eomir sent him a weary look before whistling."Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses came trotting up. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters." he said handing the reins over to Aragorn. "Farewell" he mumbled mounting his horse. "Wait" Aelinaras said walking up to Eomir signaling for him to lean over. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for letting me ride with you until I found my company." she said backing away. Legolas rolled his eyes. "Look for your friends, but do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands....We ride north!" The four companions look on as the riders galloped over the hills. Aragorn looked back at three friends as if saying let’s go.

"What’s wrong? Why have you become so bearish" Aelinaras asked after becoming irritated with Legolas' new found sour attitude. "Nothing" he snapped. Aelinaras rolled her eyes. "Let me down, stop and let me down I’ll walk" she said said getting off of the horse and turning into a deer. They didn't have to travel far to find the burning carcasses. Gimli and Aelinaras quickly went to work rummaging through the pile. The she elf's antlered deer form proved useful with moving limbs and what not out of the way. Gimli pulled out a Black charred belt. "It's one of their little belts." Gimli stated his tone was grim. Legolas bowed his head and said an elvish prayer "Hiro hyn hdh ab wanath/May they find peace in death." Aragorn kicked an Orc helmet, yelling as if he had been physically stabbed before falling to his knees. "We failed them." Gimli muttered as Aelinaras turned back into her elven form. Looking to the side tracks caught Aragorn Attention. "A Hobbit lay here.... and the other." He pointed out after looking at them for a while. "They crawled." he continued finding another set of tracks with a longer shape. Aragorn followed the tracks the three confused companions did as well. "Their hands were bound." Aragorn looked over and saw an axe that had been smashed into the ground. "Their bonds were cut." he stated picking up a broken rope. "They ran over here and were followed." the ranger paused as he lost sight of the tracks, yet he found them again. "The tracks lead away from the battle! Into “Aragorn’s breath seemed to have been taken from him. The four looked up into the dense edge of "Fangorn Forest." Aelinaras breathed. "Fangorn! What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked.

Merry and pippin ran into the forest and collapsed onto the ground, panting. "Did we lose him? I think we lost him." Pippin said tired and frantic. Grishnk came stammering through the braches. "I'm gonna rip off your filthy little heads! Come here!" he sneered advancing on the two hobbits. Merry looked around before shouting "Trees! Climb a tree!" both hobbits wasted no time and climbed a tree nearest to them. Once merry was at a height he thought was safe he stopped and sighed "He's gone.". But relief was short lived. Merry was pulled down by his legs. Grishnk leaned over him earning some defensive kicks from merry. "Merry!"
Pippin called looking down at his cousin. Turning his head slightly pippin did a double take as brightly glowing yellow eyes blinked in the tree. The tree then began to move. Losing his grip pippin let out a gasp and fell. The tree quickly caught him before he had gotten near the ground. "Let's put a maggot hole in your belly." Grishnk sneered holding a knife over merry. The tree brought down it leg smashing the Orc. "Run Merry!" Pippin called but the hobbit wasn't fast enough and he also got caught in the tree's grip. "Little Orcs! Brarum." the tree growled before starting to walk again. "It's talking Merry. The tree is talking." pippin said shocked and panicked. "Tree! I am no tree! I am an Ent." the tree bellowed with a small hint of pride. "Treeherder! A shepherd of the forest." Merry said with a grin coming to his face. "Don't talk to it Merry. Don't encourage it." Pippin said wanting nothing more to be sitting at the inn with his pipe back at the shire. "Treebeard some call Me." the Ent continued. "And whose side are you on?" pippin asked. "Side? I am on nobody's side. Because nobody is on my side, little Orc." Treebeard said speaking as slow as he walked. Nobody cares for the woods anymore." he added under his breath. "We are not Orcs. We are Hobbits!" merry said stressing the word hobbits as much as he could. "Hobbits? Never heard of a Hobbit before. Sounds like Orc mischief to me." The Ent growled strengthening his hold on the two. "They come with fire, they come with axes. Biting, breaking, hacking, burning. Destroyers and usurpers. Curse them!" Treebeard ranted, get angrier by the second. "No! You don't understand. We are Hobbits, Halflings. Shirefolk!" merry called trying to get the Ent to understand. "Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. The White Wizard will know." Treebeard said rather broadly as if he was falling asleep. "White Wizard?" pippin asked slightly confused. "Saruman!" merry stated in that we're doomed manner. Treebeard suddenly dropped the two hobbits on the ground in front of a tall man dressed in white robes.

Gollum lead Frodo and Sam through rocky terrain. "See, see, we've led you out! Hurry hobbitses, hurry. Very lucky we find you." he cheered pleased with himself. he jumped on a large rock and aloud Frodo to walk ahead of him as Sam neared Gollum cowered and eyed him "Nice Hobbit." he mused before running off ahead of the two. After hours of non-stop walking the three came to a misty area. Sam’s foot plunged into something wet. "Whoa! It's a bog! He's led us into a swamp!" he called. "Swamp, yes yes. Come master. We will take you on safe paths, through the mist. Come Hobbits come! We move quickly." Gollum said gesturing for them to follow him. "I found it. I did. The way through the marshes. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go round for miles and miles. Come quickly. Soft and quick as shadows we must be." he added. After some time the three final stopped to rest. The hobbits shared a piece of the elven bread. But when Sam saw Gollum eat a large earth worm he found his need for food to have vanished for the moment. "I hate this place. It's too quiet. There's been nor sight nor sound of a bird for two days." Sam said completely miserable. "No, no birdses to eat. No crunchable birdses. We are famished! Yes! Famished we are, precious." Gollum whined. "Here" Frodo sighed tossing him the rest of the piece of bread he had taken out. "What does it eats? Is it tasty?" Gollum asked after looking at the bread. Eating it he began to spit it out and choke. "Aggh! It tries to chokes us! We can't eats Hobbit food! We must starve!" he screeched. "Well starve then, and good riddance!" Sam snapped Gollum had gotten on his nerves. "Oh! Cruel Hobbit! It does not care if we be hungry. It does not care if we should die. Not like Master. Master cares. Master Knows." Gollum stated trying to pull on pity strings. "Yes, precious. Once it takes hold of us it never lets go." he continued reaching out for Frodo. The bracelet Aelinaras gave him began to glow. "Don't touch me." Frodo said backing way before turning his gaze back at the bracelet which had stopped glowing. Frodo walked a few paces away from Gollum and Sam holding the bracelet to his heart. He closed his eyes and the bracelet began to pulsate.”I’m with you” Aelinaras’ voice echoed in his head.