My King: An Aragorn Love Story

Chapter 8: Hope Reborn

Energy.

It seems like I can't, an have not run out of it along the course of these past few days. I'm too determined to let fatigue overtake me. We've been running almost non-stop, but the fire in our feet to rescue our friends has been more than enough fuel. I'm trying not to think about what Merry and Pippin are going through; being held by Uruk-hai, but it's proving to be a more difficult than I'd hoped as my worry only increases. Even with knowledge of the future, I know it won't always be certain with little things that make to interfere with the storyline, such as saving Boromir's life. But I do not regret stopping that black arrow, and I will take responsibility for whatever I may have caused to shift within the storyline.

The land we're traversing is breathtaking per usual. A person's backyard here is a national park in my world. Imagine that? I'm beginning to feel more and more comfortable here with every passing day. Rhaegor has been keeping his watchful eye over us from above this entire time; sometimes I wonder if he enjoys the scenery as much as I do. Every now and then he will surprise me by landing onto my shoulder and perching there for awhile. His owl-y hoots are music to my ears.
Suddenly, a dark cloud falls upon me as I run behind Aragorn, when my thoughts turn to back home in my world. Will I ever get back, and do I want to go back? Will I get the choice to choose if I want to stay? All in all, what's going to happen? These thoughts terrify me, and produce great anxiety in my gut.
*Gasp* "Shit," I voice quietly, in the process of regaining my footing after nearly falling on my face from being too consumed within my thoughts. Thankfully it did the job and got my attention off those disturbing thoughts and feelings, to back in the moment and focused on what's in front of me.
Aragorn soon slows to a stop, and I come up beside him looking out at our surroundings. Boromir comes up to us just as Aragorn kneels down and places his ear to a boulder. I realize that he's listening for the vibration of the Uruk's footsteps. I glance to Boromir, thankful he is here with us.
"Their pace has quickened," Aragorn then says, stealing our attention. "They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" He then moves back into a run with Boromir on his tail. I remain where I am, waiting for my favorite Elf and Dwarf to catch up.
"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas urges, and Gimli replies out of breath, "Three days and nights pursuit...no food, no rest...no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell."
I run run as fast as my legs will allow, and then some. My attention still on making sure Gimli is not left behind.
Soon we come into a section of shaded rocks where Aragorn stops and crouches down to pick up what I recognize as Pippin's brooch. Placing my hand onto his shoulder, he looks up at me with renewed hope in his eyes and says, "Not idly to the leaves of Lórien fall."
I smile at Boromir who's relief is plainly evident upon his face as Legolas stops beside us. "They may yet be alive," he says, and Aragorn answers, "Less than a day ahead of us, come!"
The three of them are running again, and just as I'm about to follow after, a certain loud Dwarf seizes my attention as he ungracefully rolls down the hill, causing a chuckle to escape from me. And then I promptly hear Legolas shout from ahead, "Come Gimli! We are gaining on them!"
I jog alongside Gimli, smiling as he responds in heavy breathing, "I'm wasted on cross-country! We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances." This made me smile again.
The five of us soon come over a hill where we stop, gazing across the vast plains before us. Rohan...
"Rohan," Aragorn voices my thoughts. "Home of the Horse-Lords." He pauses, and realization washes over his face. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us."
Legolas promptly ventures a little ways ahead to scan the landscape.
"Legolas!" Aragorn calls out. "What do your elf eyes see?"
I look out on the plains to follow his eyes, and Legolas shouts, "The Uruks turn Northeast. They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"
I look to my king and he utters one word, "Saruman."

Our chase for the Uruks who have our friends continues on through the night, and the next thing I know it's the dawn of another day. However, this morning differs from the others.
"A red sun rises," Legolas speaks quietly. "Blood has been spilt this night."
I have always been amazed at his ability to perceive things he cannot see. And even though I knew he was going to say that, it was still as if I had only heard it for the very first time just now. And it sent a chill down my spine. Blood has been spilt. And we begin to run again.
Suddenly, I hear something in the very near distance, and it's getting louder with each passing second. I glance to my friends who share looks that tell me that they've heard the sound too, and without any delay all of us get out of open view just as armed horsemen emerge over the hill. It's Èomer! The joy I feel surges forward, and without hesitation; or even thinking, I come out of hiding and voice powerfully, "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" I've always wanted to say that.
At the sound of my voice, I feel the heavy stares of my friends as they come out from behind the rocks. I could feel they were going to say something in mild disbelief, but they thankfully held their tongues.
The cavalry turns around and starts to circle us, until we're surrounded with spears aimed in caution. In complete silence, Rhaegor swoops down onto my shoulder and stands guardedly while Èomer comes forward upon his horse, regarding us with suspician. "What business does a woman, an Elf, two men and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"
Aragorn takes my hand and smoothly moves me behind him, shielding me from the soldier on horseback in a protective manner.
"Give me your name horsemaster, and I shall give you mine," Gimli answers with one of my favorite quotes of his.
From behind Aragorn, I watch the great Rohan warrior with rapt attention as he gets down from his horse and steps toward Gimli with very thin patience upon his features. "I would cut off your head Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
In a mere blink of an eye, Legolas whips out his bow and has an arrow aimed at Èomer as he responds with fierceness, "You would die before your stroke fell!"
Boromir steps forward as Aragorn pushes down Legolas's arm, and speaks boldly "Èomer! We aren't here to fight. Let's put our differences aside and-"
Èomer cuts him off, "Boromir!" And he looks like he is about to say more, and not in a friendly fashion. I wonder what their history is.
Aragorn abruptly steps in, "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn." He then gestures to the others whilst speaking. "This is Gimli, son of Glóin, and Legolas, from the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king."
With a look of buried pain upon his face, Èomer's gaze then fixes onto me inquisitively as he is aware that Aragron is shielding me. "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin..." He removes his helmet and the spears are immediately 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."
I feel a chill as Èomer comes close where he utters in a low voice, "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say... As an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."
"We are not spies," Aragorn firmly states, "We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive."
With a stoic face he states, "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."
"But there were two Hobbits," Gimli says with distress, "Did you see two Hobbits with them?!"
Aragorn adds quietly, "They would be small, only children to your eyes."
With a flicker of genuine sympathy, Èomer answers, "We left none alive." He then points to smoke rising in the distance. "We piled the carcasses and burned them."
Boromir grits his teeth, and I can see the devastation on his face. I move to comfort him by putting my hand upon his shoulder and he quickly grasps it with his own.
"Dead?" Gimli utters.
Èomer nods. "I am sorry."
I chose to remain silent during these conversations, but finally I can no longer, as Èomer speaks to me directly. "Woman - I see you are being shielded; reveal yourself now."
Rhaegor eyes Èomer with caution as I move to stand next to Aragorn. "My name...is Octavia," is all I choose to reveal at this time, and he regards me questioningly before giving a curt nod and then whistles, calling out, "Hasufel! Arod! Tarok!"
I watch with smiling eyes as three magnificent horses appear. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters," he says handing them to us, and then gives a nod. "Farewell."
Èomer mounts his horse and says one last thing before leaving. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands... We ride north!"
The steady thunder of hooves resonates within my ears as the Riders of Rohan depart, leaving the five of us and three horses to continue on. Rhaegor briefly cuddles into my neck before taking silently to the sky once again.