The one who lived

Seeing the Riders

   "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragorn said as he ran ahead.
"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas said as he ran.
"Three days' and nights' pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." Gimli said.
Tereza kept running until she saw something in the ground. She bent down to pick it up as the others ran over.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall." Aragorn said as he ran behind Tereza.
"They may yet be alive." Legolas said as he looked at the pin.
"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" Aragorn said as he ran off.
"Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!" Legolas said as he took off.
"I am wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!" Gimli said as he ran.
"Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Aragorn said as Tereza stopped and looked out at the plains below them. "Legolas, what do your Elf eyes see?"
"The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas said as they ran once more.
"Saruman." Aragorn said as he followed the others.
They ran the rest of the night until Legolas paused and looked at the sun as it rose.
"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night." Legolas said as he looked at the sun.
They ran until they saw riders and Aragorn pulled Tereza behind some boulders that were near by. He saw who they were and walked out to address them.
"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" he yelled as the riders turned around.
"What business does an Elf, a man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" one said as he stopped his horse. "A woman?" he added as he looked at Tereza.
"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine."Gimli said as the rider got off his horse.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." the rider said as Tereza and Legolas raised their bows at him.
"You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas said. They stayed like that for a moment before Aragorn pushed his arm down gently.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin and Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king." Aragorn said as he looked at Tereza. He gestured for her to put her bow down, which she did slowly. "The women is Tereza of Rivendell."
"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe.Not even his own kin. 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." the rider informed them.
"We are not spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn told him.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." the rider looked at Tereza as he said that.
"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked.
"They would be small – only children to your eyes." Aragorn informed him.
"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." he pointed to smoke in the distance.
"Dead?" Gimli asked as Legolas place a hand on his shoulder.
"I am sorry." the rider said as he whistled. "Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell. Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands.We ride north!"