Her Sun, His Moon

4.

We have been tracking the enemy for 3 days and nights getting ever closer to them. Aragorn has his ear to the ground, listening. 

"Their pace has quickened, they must have caught our scent" Aragorn growled as I pulled him to his feet, "Hurry!" he yelled.

"Come on Gimli" Legolas called back. He touched my shoulder as we began to run again after Aragorn. He smiled at me.

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." Gimli grumbles but continues to run after us. I slow down a little for him as not to lose sight of him.

We ran across wide plains of land and Aragorn finds a leaf of Lorien brooch on the ground.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." he says. I step forward and gently touch the brooch.

"They may yet be alive" I mutter.

"Less then a day ahead of us!" he says and takes of running again.

"Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!" yells Legolas to Gimli.

I follow Aragorn and stop with him when we gaze over the plains of Rohan, I have many wonderful memories of my time in Edoras, made friends and family. But something felt off, a darkness blankets the land of Rohan and I fear for them now.

"Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." says Aragorn.

Legolas runs up a nearby hill and scans the distance.

"Legolas what do your elf eyes see!" yells Aragorn.

I join Legolas on the hill, "They turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard" he yells back.

I fear for the hobbits as we take off after the trail again, running well through the night......As the sun rises the next morning it is red, fear courses through my heart.

"A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night." I say. 

Legolas looks to me and holds my hand in his, trying to reassure me that things will be fine. We continue our pursuit until we hear the sound of many horses. We hide behind some boulders as the large group of horse riders appear, galloping quickly with banners of Rohan flying. Aragorn and us come out of hiding.

"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" he calls to them.

The riders make a quick turn and head back towards us, surrounding us in an ever-tightening circle. As they stop, they point their long spears menacingly. I pull my hood further over my face en case these men are enemies flying under false banners.

"What business do you have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" the leader shouts.

I recognize the voice and lower my hood. "Eomer?" I say and step towards him, his eyes land on me and he removes his helmet and dis mounts his horse.

"Luna!" he says and I rush to him and embrace him.

"Its been to long" he says with a laugh and smile.

"Indeed" I grin.

We part and he looks back to Aragorn, 

"Who are you?" he says in a rough tone. 

"Give me your name Horse master and I shall give you mine" says Gimli in the same tone.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground"

"Eomer!" I gasp.

Legolas readies his bow and aim's it at Eomer.

"You would die before your stroke fell" he growls.

I ran to Legolas and place my hand on his arm and he looks at me before lowering his bow, he reaches out and holds my hand in his. I smile to reassure him and he smiles back. Aragorn steps in and explains.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, you already know of Luna daughter of Lothlorien and this is Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe.....Not even his own kin." Eomer says sadly.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. 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.

"Eomer, we are not spies Gwanur (brother)" I say to him, he meets my eyes and relaxes a little at my reassuring words.

"We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn cuts in.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asks urgently.

"They would be small, only children to your eyes" continues Aragorn.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." Eomer points to a smoke cloud in the distance.

"Dead?" whispers Gimli.

"I am sorry" says Eomer.

Legolas puts a hand on Gimli's shoulder in grief while still holding my hand in the other. Eomer whistles and 2 horses move up to us.

"Hasufel! Arod!, May theses horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters" he says as he mounts his horse again.

"Farewell" he calls as he and his company start to ride off north. 

Legolas mounts Hasufel and holds his hand down to me, I take it and he pulls me up behind him, Aragorn mounts Arod with Gimli behind him. We take off towards the smoke and hope they are still alive. The smell is horrid as the pile of bodies burn, Gimli starts to shift through the smoldering pile and pulls out a charred belt and dagger sheath.

"Its one of their wee belts" he cry's.

With his head bowed and eyes closed Legolas whispers a prayer, Aragorn yells in frustration and pain before sinking to his knees, defeated. 

"We failed them" says Gimli. 

I kneel next to him and wrap my arm around his shoulder as he grieves. Aragorn's gaze turns to the side and he looks at the tracks on the ground.

"A hobbit lay here, and the other. They crawled. Their hands were bound." He finds a cut rope on the ground, "Their bonds were cut. They ran over here but were followed......their tracks lead away from the battle!...into fangorn forest."

Gimli gasps, "Fangorn, what madness drove them in there?"

"The will to survive" I say and walk into the forest, the others close behind me.