Lizziecats: For the amazing review that left me warm and fuzzy through today… five days later according to my email, I thank you. It's been around a year I think since the first one and I now introduce the second one. Hope it holds a fraction of a flame to the first, enough of my babble and onto chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I own no part of this anything recognizable belongs to the creators, producers, and author of Lord of the Rings. I do however own Agarchara; please do not use her without telling me. If I did own it I wouldn't be writing fan fiction for it, Agarchara would have been a character in the books, movies and videogames.
Chapter 1Agarchara's PoV
Surprisingly my white clothes were still white, though with the cloak around me maybe it wasn't surprising. My hair was plaited back. Aragorn was lying on the ground with his ear to it, listening for the Uruks. He jumped to his feet with irritation written across his face.
"Their pace has quickened." He told us. My thoughts raced a mile a minute before stopping abruptly.
"They must have caught our scent." I responded. Agitation lined my face. I couldn't believe we were so careless.
"Hurry," he called back at Legolas and Gimli. Legolas paused to call back at Gimli.
"Come on, Gimli," he attempted to hurry him.
"Three day's and night's pursuit... no food, no rest, and no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." Gimli complained. I rolled my eyes moving in sync with Aragorn as per usual. The four of us ran across grass plains before entering a valley. I stopped Legolas and Aragorn passed me. I noticed something shine. In my palm was one of the brooches.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," I told them. Legolas looked at me with a glimmer of hope, instinct wanted to crush it and smear it across the grass but I didn't have the heart.
"They may yet be alive." He stated with that hope, again I wanted him to stop having it because it was more dangerous than all the Uruks put together.
"Less than a day ahead of us, come," Aragorn had investigated their tracks. I noticed Gimli stumble and roll behind us but wouldn't dare delay our progress further.
"Come Gimli, we are gaining on them." Legolas told him but continued without him. We made sure that he didn't fall too far behind but couldn't delay.
"I'm wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances," I heard Gimli say. We went over a hill and paused to gaze across the plains.
"Rohan," Aragorn stated.
"Home of the horse-lords," we stated in sync. We could feel something wrong.
"There's something strange at work here, some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Aragorn told us. Legolas scanned the landscape before us.
"Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?" I asked him. We waited silently as he looked closer.
"The Uruks turn northeast. They are taking the hobbits to Isengard." Legolas claimed.
"Saruman," Aragorn stated. We gave each other looks and ran after them again. As we continue to gain on them Gimli spoke.
"Keep breathing, that's the key! Breathe! Hooh," He was keeping up pretty well.
"They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas told us. I nodded agreeing silently as per usual. We kept running through the night and stopped only for a few short minutes to gain our breath and eat.
It was dawn and Legolas acknowledged what Aragorn and I noticed. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." Legolas mentioned. My head flew up as I heard what had to be horses. We hid in the only place we were capable of behind large rocks. A large cavalry rode past us. Aragorn removed himself from hiding as they passed, Legolas, Gimli and I were right behind him.
"Riders of Rohan," he called out to them.
"What news from the Mark?" We asked in unison. At a signal from the leader, the riders made a quick turn and headed towards us, encircling us. As they stopped, they pointed their spears at us. I rolled my eyes in irritation and casted a meaningful look at Aragorn.
"What business do an elf, a man, a woman, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" The leader from before asked. I really hated when people called me out from the others. "Speak quickly," he demanded. I gave him a look of anger hoping beyond reason that he would be intimidated; I was after all armed to the teeth. He didn't look threatened.
"Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimli stated without hesitation. The leader got off his horse. I resisted placing a protective hand on Gimli's shoulder while Aragorn did.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." He responded. Legolas and I had our bows out and pointed at him in seconds.
"You would die before your stroke fell!" we exclaimed in sync. Aragorn got between us and pushed our arms down with pointed looks.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Agarchara, daughter of Arathorn, Gimli, son of Gloin, and Legolas, from the Woodland realm." Aragorn stated before I had a chance to retort.
"We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king." Aragorn and I responded my voice was slathered in enough fake sweetness to make one sick.
"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." The leader removed his helmet, "not even his own kin." The spears withdrew. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over this land. My company is 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." He shot Legolas a meaningful look of distrust. I refrained from stepping in front of him and returning the toxic look, "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets." He finished.
"We are no spies. We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn told him. I shot him a lethal look wanting to slap him.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." I rolled my eyes at the sadistic word before alarm set in.
"But there were two hobbits; did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked as he was too alarmed.
"They would be small, only children to your eyes." I informed him.
"We left none alive." He responded. My expression had to have been one of horror. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." He finished and pointed to smoke in the distance. Aragorn looked physically pained.
"Dead?" Gimli asked disbelieving. I looked to Legolas who wore a look of pain. The leader nodded.
"I am sorry." He stated. I bit my lip trying not to scream or cry. Legolas rested his hand on Gimli's shoulder. The leader whistled. "Hasufel, Arod," he called. He was handed the reins of two horses. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters." He nodded. "Farewell," he mounted his horse. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north." They loped off away from us. We looked towards each other and the horses while they departed.
(A/N: sorry it's so short that's pretty much all I have to say.)