Middle Earth's Last Hope
Horn of Gondor
Aragorn rushed into the forest. Along with Merry and Pippin. “Wait!” Vaeri shouted to the hobbits, “You should not travel by yourselves.”
“Well hurry up then!” Pippin shouted back and Vaeri rushed forward quickly catching up with the pair. They scoured the woods, finding no sign of Frodo. Vaeri heard movement in the trees around them and ducked behind a large tree followed by Merry and Pippin. They heard the roar of orcs.
“I thought they couldn’t travel in day light?” Merry asked looking up at Vaeri in concern.
“These are no orcs, they are Uruk-Hai. They are something fouler and much stronger.” Vaeri whispered and shushed the two. She peeked over the tree seeing a large group of orcs splitting up into groups, one coming straight towards them. “Stay here. Don’t move and make not a sound or you will be lucky to see the light of day again.”
“What…” Pippin began to ask Vaeri before she stepped behind the cover of the tree.
“Over here!” Vaeri said waving her hands in the air, one of the group of orcs running straight towards her. Vaeri ran the opposite direction of the hobbits still yelling. “Over here, you blubbering oafs.”
Vaeri ran, turning around every once in a while to release an arrow. Vaeri stopped another time, continuing to walk backwards as she fired her arrow and tripped over a branch. She rolled down a sharp incline, being scrapped and bruised on the way down. She quickly got to her feet ignoring the ache of her body. Vaeri came to a clearing and she saw that she had cleared out a little less than half of the original pack of Uruk-Hai.
She saw a crude arrow and she quickly rolled to the side, hearing the wind of the arrow by her ear. That was too close, Vaeri thought to herself as she pulled out her short-swords and fought off the first orc to her. Three more quickly followed behind its companion.
“Find the half-lings!” One of the Uruk-Hai shouts his voice gruff and they start to move away from her. Vaeri quickly cut down two more and turned around shooting off two arrows at the small group moving away from her. A sound pierced the air, not to far from her; it was the horn of Gondor.
“Boromir..” Vaeri mumbled to herself as leader of the small pack approached her, a nasty cleaver in his hand. He lashed out and Vaeri jumped back avoiding the blow. She cut the hand holding the cleaver and it went clattering to the ground. The Uruk-Hai charged, Vaeri rolling out of the way of the brute. He came back at her again, Vaeri scrambled to her feet clutching her short-swords tightly. At the last moment, Vaeri jumped to the side and plunged her sword into the Uruk-Hai’s back. It fell to its knees with a roar. Vaeri removed her blade and the beast fell to the forest floor.
Hearing the Horn of Gondor again, Vaeri ran towards the sound. Running into the clearing, right as a third arrow was plunged into Boromir’s chest. Vaeri looked on in horror seeing Merry and Pippin being grabbed by the Uruk-Hai. Vaeri started toward the hobbits, but instead she was surrounded by a small group of Uruk-Hai. They attacked her simultaneously, Vaeri barley able to block all of their blows. She heard a shout and turned to see Aragorn tackling the Uruk-Hai to the ground that was about to give the finishing blow to Boromir.
Vaeri dispatched two of the five Uruk-Hai, she spun in a circle, slashing her blades out randomly. Another fell to the ground, while she heard another roar telling Vaeri that she had injured one of the brutes. A blade swung towards her head, and she quickly ducked below it and lashed her sword out at it’s legs. The Uruk-Hai crumbled to the ground, she quickly dispatched the one closing in behind her before killing the one lying on the forest floor.
Turning, Vaeri saw Aragorn crouched before Boromir clasping his hands. Aragorn’s head fell and she knew that Boromir was dead. Vaeri looked away, not wanting to see the loss in Aragorn’s eyes. Aragorn picked up his brother and headed back to the shore.
They arrived at the shore, Legolas rushing towards one of the canoes trying to get it back into the water, “If we are quick, we will catch them before nightfall.” Aragorn shook his head no and Legolas stared at him confused, “You mean not to follow them..”
“Frodo’s fate is no longer in our hands.” Aragorn said simply as he placed Boromir in the canoe already partially in the water.
“Then this has all be in vain. The fellowship is broken.” Gimli said glumly, leaning against his axe.
“No! We cannot allow Merry and Pippin to be at the will of Saruman. The only path before them is torment is death. We still have strength left, let us use it!” Vaeri said not wanting to think of the tortures that they would endure.
“We must travel light.” Aragorn said agreeing with Vaeri and began to rummage through their belongings.
“Ha, yes!” Gimli exclaimed grabbing his axe, “Let’s hunt some orc!” Vaeri grabbed her pack following, closely behind Aragorn along with Legolas and Gimli surprisingly keeping up.
“We will not stop.” Aragorn said, “If we do, they will surely die.” They ran, through the forest not stopping until darkness closed around them. Aragorn quickly made a fire and led the rest of the company through the dark forest. By morning’s light, they reached the plains of the Rohirrim. The plains were full of hills and jagged rocks sticking up randomly on the plains.
They stopped to grab a small bite to eat and quick drink of water before they started again. “Come on, Gimli!” Vaeri shouted behind her, seeing that Gimli was starting to fall behind.
“Do ye not see my legs?” Gimli huffed, “They a third the length of yours!” Vaeri laughed keeping up a light jog next to Legolas.
“We are beginning to catch up to them.” Legolas said, nodding toward the horizon, where Vaeri could see a small black blob. Worry struck Vaeri hard in the chest.
“You don’t think they will have killed them by now?” Vaeri whispered barely audible to Legolas.
He turned towards her, “They were looking for the hobbits, they probably think they have the ring.”
“But they don’t.” Vaeri said back.
“Uruk-Hai are only a tool of Saruman, he will not have told them what the little ones could be carrying, for they would become greedy and take the ring for themselves.” Legolas replied, a small amount of relief lifting off Vaeri’s chest. Vaeri ran on, not wanting to know what tortures Saruman would have in store for Merry and Pippin when he found out they didn’t have the ring.
“Well hurry up then!” Pippin shouted back and Vaeri rushed forward quickly catching up with the pair. They scoured the woods, finding no sign of Frodo. Vaeri heard movement in the trees around them and ducked behind a large tree followed by Merry and Pippin. They heard the roar of orcs.
“I thought they couldn’t travel in day light?” Merry asked looking up at Vaeri in concern.
“These are no orcs, they are Uruk-Hai. They are something fouler and much stronger.” Vaeri whispered and shushed the two. She peeked over the tree seeing a large group of orcs splitting up into groups, one coming straight towards them. “Stay here. Don’t move and make not a sound or you will be lucky to see the light of day again.”
“What…” Pippin began to ask Vaeri before she stepped behind the cover of the tree.
“Over here!” Vaeri said waving her hands in the air, one of the group of orcs running straight towards her. Vaeri ran the opposite direction of the hobbits still yelling. “Over here, you blubbering oafs.”
Vaeri ran, turning around every once in a while to release an arrow. Vaeri stopped another time, continuing to walk backwards as she fired her arrow and tripped over a branch. She rolled down a sharp incline, being scrapped and bruised on the way down. She quickly got to her feet ignoring the ache of her body. Vaeri came to a clearing and she saw that she had cleared out a little less than half of the original pack of Uruk-Hai.
She saw a crude arrow and she quickly rolled to the side, hearing the wind of the arrow by her ear. That was too close, Vaeri thought to herself as she pulled out her short-swords and fought off the first orc to her. Three more quickly followed behind its companion.
“Find the half-lings!” One of the Uruk-Hai shouts his voice gruff and they start to move away from her. Vaeri quickly cut down two more and turned around shooting off two arrows at the small group moving away from her. A sound pierced the air, not to far from her; it was the horn of Gondor.
“Boromir..” Vaeri mumbled to herself as leader of the small pack approached her, a nasty cleaver in his hand. He lashed out and Vaeri jumped back avoiding the blow. She cut the hand holding the cleaver and it went clattering to the ground. The Uruk-Hai charged, Vaeri rolling out of the way of the brute. He came back at her again, Vaeri scrambled to her feet clutching her short-swords tightly. At the last moment, Vaeri jumped to the side and plunged her sword into the Uruk-Hai’s back. It fell to its knees with a roar. Vaeri removed her blade and the beast fell to the forest floor.
Hearing the Horn of Gondor again, Vaeri ran towards the sound. Running into the clearing, right as a third arrow was plunged into Boromir’s chest. Vaeri looked on in horror seeing Merry and Pippin being grabbed by the Uruk-Hai. Vaeri started toward the hobbits, but instead she was surrounded by a small group of Uruk-Hai. They attacked her simultaneously, Vaeri barley able to block all of their blows. She heard a shout and turned to see Aragorn tackling the Uruk-Hai to the ground that was about to give the finishing blow to Boromir.
Vaeri dispatched two of the five Uruk-Hai, she spun in a circle, slashing her blades out randomly. Another fell to the ground, while she heard another roar telling Vaeri that she had injured one of the brutes. A blade swung towards her head, and she quickly ducked below it and lashed her sword out at it’s legs. The Uruk-Hai crumbled to the ground, she quickly dispatched the one closing in behind her before killing the one lying on the forest floor.
Turning, Vaeri saw Aragorn crouched before Boromir clasping his hands. Aragorn’s head fell and she knew that Boromir was dead. Vaeri looked away, not wanting to see the loss in Aragorn’s eyes. Aragorn picked up his brother and headed back to the shore.
They arrived at the shore, Legolas rushing towards one of the canoes trying to get it back into the water, “If we are quick, we will catch them before nightfall.” Aragorn shook his head no and Legolas stared at him confused, “You mean not to follow them..”
“Frodo’s fate is no longer in our hands.” Aragorn said simply as he placed Boromir in the canoe already partially in the water.
“Then this has all be in vain. The fellowship is broken.” Gimli said glumly, leaning against his axe.
“No! We cannot allow Merry and Pippin to be at the will of Saruman. The only path before them is torment is death. We still have strength left, let us use it!” Vaeri said not wanting to think of the tortures that they would endure.
“We must travel light.” Aragorn said agreeing with Vaeri and began to rummage through their belongings.
“Ha, yes!” Gimli exclaimed grabbing his axe, “Let’s hunt some orc!” Vaeri grabbed her pack following, closely behind Aragorn along with Legolas and Gimli surprisingly keeping up.
“We will not stop.” Aragorn said, “If we do, they will surely die.” They ran, through the forest not stopping until darkness closed around them. Aragorn quickly made a fire and led the rest of the company through the dark forest. By morning’s light, they reached the plains of the Rohirrim. The plains were full of hills and jagged rocks sticking up randomly on the plains.
They stopped to grab a small bite to eat and quick drink of water before they started again. “Come on, Gimli!” Vaeri shouted behind her, seeing that Gimli was starting to fall behind.
“Do ye not see my legs?” Gimli huffed, “They a third the length of yours!” Vaeri laughed keeping up a light jog next to Legolas.
“We are beginning to catch up to them.” Legolas said, nodding toward the horizon, where Vaeri could see a small black blob. Worry struck Vaeri hard in the chest.
“You don’t think they will have killed them by now?” Vaeri whispered barely audible to Legolas.
He turned towards her, “They were looking for the hobbits, they probably think they have the ring.”
“But they don’t.” Vaeri said back.
“Uruk-Hai are only a tool of Saruman, he will not have told them what the little ones could be carrying, for they would become greedy and take the ring for themselves.” Legolas replied, a small amount of relief lifting off Vaeri’s chest. Vaeri ran on, not wanting to know what tortures Saruman would have in store for Merry and Pippin when he found out they didn’t have the ring.