Silverhelm: A Tale of Two Enemies

Bad Horsie! Bad Horsie!

This is basically what Lyrasael looks like, since I do not have a scanner or a phone to upload images, nor am I very good at digital art. This is courtesy of Azalea's Dolls.  She's not supposed to be pretty, I tried to make her as non-pretty as possible, but, well... elves.

We rode through the night in our haste to get to Isengard. We even rode through the forest of Fangorn, but faced no trouble- Gandalf said it was because the Ents were in Isengard, having business with rock and stone.

A while after dawn the next day, we rode through the outskirts of Fangorn. The black tower of Orthanc, with its prongs, loomed overhead. As we cleared the trees, I saw the utter destruction. Isengard, except for the tower of Orthanc, had been leveled, and the remnant of the land was flooded. The water was so deep that not only the pits but also the regular level of land were flooded, debris floating in the dirty water. On the walls, next to the gate, sat to diminutive figures. I exhaled in relief. Merry and Pippin were safe.

"Greetings, my lords, to Isengard," Merry said, standing up and swaying slightly. He performed an elaborate bow. I snorted. He was behaving like an inebriated sheep. More than usual, I mean. Aragorn grinned at the two young hobbits, and I found myself doing so as well.

"You young rascals!" Gimli spluttered. "A merry chase you've led us on, and now we find you feasting, and-and- smoking!"

"We are sitting on a field of victory, earning a few well-earned comforts," said Pippin. "The salted pork is particularly good."

"Salted pork!" Gimli exclaimed.

"I would much rather like to know where they got the wine," Legolas interjected. I smiled. Me too.

"Hobbits," Gandalf said, shaking his head. After the two of them recounted what Treebeard had told them to say, they were also given horses- Merry rode with Aragorn, and Pippin, to my surprise, rode with Gandalf. As our horses went through the felled gate and into the water, Daelen went crazy.

At the sight of water, he reared, then slammed his hooves down on the broken flagstones, making a big splash. Those near me moved out of the way to give my horse some space as I scrambled for control of the reins. We were riding on the narrow strip of land between pits, so the water to the side was deeper than the knee-deep water about our horse's legs. Daelen, naturally, went to the edge as fast as his hooves could take him and threw me in, despite my efforts to stay in the saddle.

My friends and the Rohirrim looked in shock at where I had disappeared, only bubbles remaining. My accursed horse had thrown me deep underwater; my cheeks bulged with air as I clawed my way to the surface. This water was disgustingly murky, I could barely see. Barely any light filtered down from the surface. I had been underwater for a long time. Surely I must be dead!

Then I broke the surface, spluttering. My hair was sopping wet, plastered to my back. My clothed were also drenched. I gasped for breath in the deep water, then swam to the shore with powerful strokes. Finding the normal level of the land, I sloshed towards Daelen, scowling.

"Accursed horse," I muttered as I mounted up. Aragorn was barely holding back his laughter, Legolas, Gimli, and the two hobbits were laughing outright. Legolas moved his horse closer to mine and reached out an arm. I leaned away.

"Hold still," he ordered. I reverted to a normal riding position. I felt him pull something from my now-tangled hair. Curse him, Legolas Ilvanyafinda. When I turned to him, he was holding an honest-to-Iluvatar salmon. A fish. In my hair.

"That is the SECOND TIME I had have had a fish in my hair because of this ACCURSED HORSE," I declared. Legolas laughed and tossed the gasping fish back into the water.