From Wyoming, to Middle-earth

Chap. 23 - Fangorn and Shadowfax

I fell asleep on the soldier's back, and woke up. My hands were bound again, and I had a gag tied around my mouth. I sat up, embarrassed that I had fallen asleep on his back. We rode in silence, and the sun was almost up. We past some rocks, and a voice sounded, "Riders of Rohan! What news from the mark!"

The rider in front raised his hand, and the riders turned around. 3 figures stood in the grass. The horses circled them, and stopped. Their spears were pointed at the mysterious travelers. The horse and rider I sat with stood in the very back, so I could not see the three horseless men.

"What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" The leader said.

An elf, a man, and a dwarf. I knew an elf, a man, and a dwarf! Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli!

I recognized Gimli's voice, "Your real name, horse master and I shall give you mine."

I almost laughed with happiness. They had found me!

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," the leader said.

"You would die before your stroke fell," Legolas said, and I pictured him raising his bow.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden your King," Aragorn said.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin," the leader said, "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his 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."

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive," Aragorn said.

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

"But there were two hobbits. And a woman! Did you see two hobbits and a woman with them?" Gimli asked.

"There was a woman. She is with us. She may be a friend of yours. But the hobbits, we left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," the man said. The leader called a name, and the horses in front of us made a small path. The man I was sitting with walked forward, and stopped in front of my friends. "Dead?" Gimli asked.

"Is this her?" the leader asked, and looked at Gimli, "I am sorry."

Aragorn nodded, and seemed relieved, "Alex!"

He lifted me off of the horse. I hugged him, and looked up at the man. I wasn't able to tell them about the hobbits until my gag was untied. I looked at Aragorn's hands. He was holding my sword.

The man whistled, and two horses trotted forward, "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 is forsaken in these lands." He looked at his riders, "We ride north!"

The riders galloped away, leaving us standing with a white horse, and a brown one. Legolas cut my binds, and Aragorn untied my gag. I stretched my jaw out, and muttered thank you. "The hobbits aren't dead! I made sure they ran into the forest. But an orc came after them. I tried to kill it, but I was captured by the riders."

Gimli's eyes lit up, "Let's not waste time standing here!"

Legolas and Gimli got onto the white horse, and Aragorn turned to me and handed me my sword. I sheathed it, and smiled. "I thought I lost you," I murmured, and he helped me get onto the brown horse. "And I found you," Aragorn eased the horse into a gallop, "I promised your mother I would protect you."