They were running since three days without stopping, following Aragorn that led them throw the fields in south direction. Three days. The two elves were still not showing any sign of tiredness, and if Aragorn was making a great effort to do same, Gimli had troubles to follow them.
'' Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent'', Aragorn whispered, the ear against the rock. '' Hurry !''
He stood up and ran again , still leading them. Tauriel followed him without asking questions, she totally trusted him. Legolas was encouraging the dwarf to go faster behind them.
'' Come on Gimli !''
The dwarf had just begun to climb to little hill while the tree others were already at the top. He breathed with difficulty, tired.
'' Three days and nights of pursuit. No food, no rest. And no sign of our quarry. But what bare rock can tell ! ''he yelled, making an effort to run faster.
He finally reached the top of the hill and joined them in the plain. They ran, again and again, without stopping. Aragorn was still the first one, the two elves to his side, tireless. The dwarf's heavy breath was rythming their steps. They arrived, a few hours later, to a rocky place. The ranger stopped running, knelt, and took something on the ground.
'' Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall'', he declared.
It was the little green leaf, like the ones that closed their cloaks. Pippin and Merry had been there with the orcs , few time before.
''They may yet be alive'', Legolas said
''Less than a day ahead of us. Come '' Aragorn added.
The two elves ran again, without looking at Gimli. The dwarf had just getting down the hill, rolling around. He stood up, grumbling.
''Come Gimli, we are gaining on them !'' Legolas told him, still running.
''I wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters, veru dangerous over short distances ! ''
They got up a little craggy hill, so they could see the plains. Tauriel stopped on a big rock, looking right in front of her. The lands seemed to do not have end. She recognized them, because she had been there, a few years before.
'' Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There os something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures and sets its walls against us.''
The blond elf got down the hill and jumped on a headland, so he could see better.
''Legolas, what do your elf-eyes see ? '', Aragorn asked him.
''The Uruks turned northeast. They are taking the hobbits to Isengard !''
She could see too far from there a group of orcs running in that direction, but without details. It was impossible to say of the hobbits were with them.
''Sarouman'', whispered the ranger.
After this little break, that allowed the dwarf to rest some seconds, they kept running again, still following the orcs, all the day and all the night. They did stopped, and ran, again anf again. When dawn came, a bloody red sun rose.
''A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night'', Legolas said worried.
Red color quickly disappeared, and the sky became blue, while they kept running in the plains of Rohan.
Aragorn stopped a second at the top of a hill, and knelt, looking for cluses. At the same moment, they heard a neigh, and the ground began to shake. They swiftly hide behind rocks, waiting for the coming of the riders. Isildur's heir grapped the dwarf's arm to push him behind him at the same time that the men appeared.
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The Odyssey of the daughter of the forest
FanfictionIn the dark forest of Mirkwood, shadows are growing, again and again. The leaves are becoming black, as the roots, and as the trees. Birds are not singing anymore. Flowers have disappeared. Even the sun has trouble to light the ground of the forest...
