The Parting Glass

Kili stirred from his sleeping spot on the ground. He sighed and rolled onto his back, slowly sitting up. As he rubbed his tired eyes, he turned to look over at Nerida. Although, he only found an empty space. Kili quickly stood to his feet and looked around, wondering where she could have possibly gone. Behind him, he saw that her pony was gone and only his remained. The pony snorted and shook his head, pawing at the ground. Kili walked over to his pony and cursed under his breath. She had left him and he didn’t understand why.

Her words echoed in his mind. The words she had said yesterday evening, how she didn’t want to lose anyone. Kili pinched the bridge of his nose and decided he had to follow her. She had no idea that he was a skilled tracker. It wasn’t a common skill in dwarves, but Fili and Kili had been tracking all sorts of animals through forest and mountain sides since they were children. He could find her, he was certain of it.

The morning sun rose over the mountains in the distance and Kili closed his eyes, soaking up the warming rays. He quickly untied his pony and pulled him into the middle of the camp. It didn’t take him long to saddle his pony or gather his belongings. He looked down at the soft earth around them and saw a fresh trail, heading in the direction of Fangorn. This would be the farthest that Kili had ever gone, but he couldn’t let Nerida do this alone. Whether she liked it or not, he was going to help her. No one could make a journey like this on their own, besides he felt he owed her. She saved his brother’s life, so until he felt that debt was settled he would help her.

Kili mounted his pony and turned him around, having him trot down the trail left behind by Nerida. She couldn’t have left much before him, maybe an hour or so. If he kept a steady pace, he would catch her before sundown. He clicked his tongue and urged his pony to pick up the pace, going at a gentle lope. There was no telling who they would run into when they made their way through the mountain pass. If anyone knew about Lacrima Vesperum, they’d be sure to take Nerida down without question. He just hoped he would find her before she ran into that kind of trouble.

The morning red-gold ray stretched over the vast plains of Dunland. It stretched for miles and miles of glorious open territory. For some that would be a paradise, but anyone who was carrying precious cargo knew they were sitting ducks. Kili hated to think about the attacks they could see. They weren’t far from Isengard, in fact they’d have to travel along it’s boarders in order to get through the pass. It would take them into Rohan just outside the reaches of Fangorn Forest.

Kili pulled his pony to a complete stop as they stood upon a rocky hill over looking Dunland. He let out a breath and gripped the leather reins tightly in his hands. His eyes scanned the area to see if he could see Nerida, but he had no such luck. All he could see were endless grasslands with a few rolling hills and the mountains in the distance. On the other side of those rocky slopes would be Fangorn, so he knew Nerida would be heading that way. Kili swallowed hard and slapped the reins on his pony’s neck. The little pony nickered and trotted down the rocky hillside.


Nerida kept her hood up and looked around before kneeling down by the creekside. She looked down into the clear water and cupped her hands under it. Nerida splashed the water onto her face and closed her eyes, soaking in the rays of the sun. The heat was coming on strong and she knew summer was finally upon her. She rubbed her hands on the back of her neck and cupped her hands beneath the water. As she drank the water, Nerida turned to her pony. When she finished drinking, Nerida stood up and walked over to her pony and patted the side of his face.

“I did what I had too,” she said to her pony with a soft smile. She was trying to convince herself it was the right choice, but she still felt guilty leaving him. Nerida licked her lips and grabbed hold of the reins and saddle. She lifted herself onto the pony’s back and clicked her tongue. “If we hurry, we’ll make it through the mountain pass before it gets dark.”

Her pony started loping down the main trail that went through Dunland. Nerida wasn’t entirely sure if traveling on the main road was a good idea, but she also knew that hiding in plain view was the best way to stay away from the enemy. She hadn’t seen many people out on the road either, but she wasn’t sure what to think of that. This was the most use route to get the Rohan.

The loud horrendous howl of a warg sounded behind her. Nerida’s pony came to a stop and snorted, kicking at the ground in fear. She tried her best to calm him, but he reared up a few times. Nerida pulled hard on the reins, trying to stay in control of the frightened pony. The pony whirled around in a tight circle and Nerida, tried to ease him. Her eyes scanned the area in a panic for the warg.

Another howl sounded and Nerida caught sight of five warg scouts standing a top a cliffs edge less than a quarter of a mile away. She didn’t expect to see them out in the early morning. Nerida cursed and turned her pony around, urging him to gallop as fast as he could. She went off the main trail and across the grasslands of Dunland. There was no way she’d be able to out run them, they had nowhere to hide. Nerida slapped the rains on her pony’s shoulders, begging him to go faster.

She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the wargs were gaining on them. When she looked back in front of her, she gasped. Three more wargs were charging towards her at full speed. Nerida swiftly yanked the reins hard to the left, causing the pony to swerve.

Dust and dirt flew into the air. The wargs snarled and the orcs shouted in Black Speech. Nerida was beginning to panic, she wasn’t sure if she would survive this. All she could do was run and fight for as long as she could. She had to protect the jewel.

“NO!” Nerida screamed when a warg finally caught up with them.

It lunged and caused her pony to topple over.

Pain shot through her body with the heavy collision onto the earth. The wind was knocked out of her and she was gasping for air like a fish out of water. She was laying flat on her belly and her vision was blurring. A warm sticky goo came from her head and when her fingers came in contact with it, she yelped. Blood was on her fingers and trickling down the side of her face. She felt like she couldn’t breath.

Her eyes landed on the pony and she gasped.

He was dead.

Tears started to pool in her eyes and she looked around her as the warg pack circled her. They snapped at her, growled, and snarled. She tried to stand, but only fell back over. Nerida swallowed hard and could taste the blood in her mouth. She spat some of it out and forced herself onto her feet. Nerida stood in a circle of wargs on shaky knees, thinking that this would be the end.

Her lips were chapped, her skin covered in sweat, and her hair was sticking to her face. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she closed her eyes as a warg crouched low, getting ready to strike.

The low bellow of a horn and the thundering clamor of horse hooves sounded in the distance. Nerida’s eyes came wide open when two dozen riders stormed around them. They attacked the wargs, blood and dust flinging into the air. Nerida stumbled back and tripped over a rock. She scrambled back as best she could, trying to avoid the horses stomping all around her. The ground was shaking, the dust was stirring, and the sound of pain yowls and screams from the warg scouts overwhelmed her.

After a few moments the noise turned to silence. Corpses laid on the ground and blood stained the grass. She let out a shaky breath and looked at the horsemen that surrounded her from all sides.

“Early for a warg pack to be out,” a man spoke as he dismounted from a sorrel colored stallion. When he came onto the ground, he pulled off his helmet and looked down at Nerida. “They must have been tracking you then.”

Nerida only stared at him not sure what to do or say.

“Now my only question is why,” he said gruffly as he knelt down before her.