The Mission (Book Seven in the Aerlinniel's Secret Series)

Chapter 12: Riders of Rohan

Aerlinniel POV

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return." Aragorn says.

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Legolas tells us. "You mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn explains to Legolas.

"Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed." Gimli mutters.

"Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let us hunt some Orc." Aragorn advises us.

"Yes! Ha ha!" Gimli shouts, excitingly.

Good. I am glad we are going to rescue Merry and Pippin. I promised to protect them, and I failed. So I know I need to save them.

We all head off in the direction the orcs took Merry and Pippin. We need to hurry if we want to get to them in time.

~~~

We have been running for a few days now. I am getting more worried with every step I take. I have to be really careful. Aragorn stops, so we all stop too.

"Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragorn informs us.

"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas shouts to him.

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell." Gimli mutters to himself.

Aragorn all of the sudden stops again.

"Not idly the leaves of Lórien fall." I hear him say.

Legolas then adds, "They may yet be alive."

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come." Aragorn finishes.

Thank the Valar. Merry and Pippin are alive. I am so relieved to hear that.

"Come, Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Legolas exclaims.

"I'm wasted on cross-country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances." I hear Gimli shout from behind us.

After a long while more of running we all stop and Aragorn speaks, "Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Legolas goes a little more ahead of us.

"Legolas! What do your Elf-eyes see?" Aragorn shouts to Legolas.

"The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the Hobbits to Isenguard!" Legolas shouts to us.

Isenguard? We have to get them back before they reach that tower.

"Saruman." Aragorn states.

We continue on running, Gimli keeps muttering to himself, "Keep breathing. That's the key. Breathe."

"They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas mentions.

~~~

Legolas stops for a moment and tells us, "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night."

I hear the heartbeats of men and horses. I follow Aragorn, it seems we are going to hide.

They start to go past us and Aragorn walks towards them and shouts, "Riders of Rohan, what news from the mark?"

They come back towards us until we are surrounded. One of them speaks, "What business does two Elves, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly."

"Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli says to him.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." The man threatens Gimli.

"You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas threatens him back.

Aragorn then tells him, "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn. This is Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas and Aerlinniel of the Woodland-Realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Thèoden your king."

"Thèoden 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, that say as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets." He explains to us.

"We are no spies," Aragorn tells him. "We are tracking a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two Hobbits, did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli asks.

Aragorn adds, "They would be small. Only children to your eyes."

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them."

No. They can't be. I refuse to believe it, they have to still be alive. I cannot lose them too. I won't even say it, because it just can't be true, but Gimli does,

"Dead?"

~~~~~~

I've so many idea's of what I want to do for the next few chapters. But, I also want to do what you all want. What would you like to see happen in the next chapters? Updates are every Sunday and Thursday!

Love you my elves from the realm of llamas,

~Ellethwen <3