Hello again! Aren't you surprised to see an update so quickly? ^^ I'm excited I was able to write this so quickly. I appreciate all the feedback and love for Chapter 1! Thank you so much to everyone for you continued support, and I hope you enjoy!

(PS - I know nothing about horses or horse riding. Apologies if anything is a bit inaccurate!)

2.

"Have you ever mounted a horse before?"

"Negative, Ghost Rider."

Éoheort looked at her curiously. "Where do you hail from, that you speak such?"

"Listen, sometimes you sound just as weird to me as I do to you, okay? Don't worry about it. Now how do I climb this thing?" She pointed to the horse.

Éoheort moved behind her, one hand on the reins as the other guided her. "Place your foot here," he instructed. "And then pull your body up and over."

"Éoheort, I know we don't know each other well, but I'll just go ahead and let you know: I am not what you'd call flexible. There's no way my foot is getting all the way up there." She stared at him blankly.

"I shall hold you. Please, try. It is a good skill to learn, riding."

She hummed doubtfully. "Fine. But you tell him," she gestured pointedly toward the horse, "not to move."

"Arlo, please do stay still."

Narrowing her eyes, she whipped her head around to glare at Éoheort, who was smiling leisurely. "You're hilarious. I'm starting to think you're more like your brother than I first thought."

A sudden shout from Éomer caused her to startle. "We must hurry," Éoheort urged.

"I'm going, I'm going," she muttered. "Okay, foot here," she hiked her leg up as far as it would go and placed her foot gingerly in the stirrup, "up and over." She placed her weight on her hand, gripping the saddle and pushing up from her foot. She felt Éoheort's hands guiding and pushing her as she swung her leg over and settled uneasily on the horse. It shuffled a bit as she moved forward, hands against its neck, and she froze, hesitant.

"You did well for your first time. A bit unsteady." Éoheort saddled much more quickly, sliding smoothly behind her. "It will be too loud to speak much during the ride. Sit straight as you can against me for support. If you must, lean against Arlo's neck, but try to limit this if you can. He is now bearing two riders. The less you lean, the more strength he has to bear us."

Éomer gave the call to ride, and Éoheort grabbed the reins more tightly. "We ride," he said in a strong voice. "Whatever you do, don't fall off."

Her nervous laughter was cut short when Arlo reared back, turned by Éoheort's guiding reins, and then the air was passing by so quickly that it rushed into her ears, dulling the sound of horse hooves. She leaned back instinctively, legs squeezing the sides of the horse as she tried not to be thrown off. The movement made her shoulder ache, but she gritted her teeth and tried to bear it. Only a few hours, she thought, only a few hours of this and we'll meet up with the others.

It turns out, among the many things Arianna was not a fan of, horse riding was one of them. It took only a few minutes for her legs to start to ache and cramp. An uncomfortable pain began to crawl up her back, and no amount of support from Éoheort could abate it. She had to settle for leaning back against his chest entirely, jostling both back and shoulder, and she wanted to scream. Can't believe people do this for fun…

The sun was high overhead, bearing down, and though it was not overly warm, she still felt heat pervade her body. Sweat beaded the side of her temples, and she wasn't sure if it was from the pain or her continued fever. She wished she could pass out again, sleep through all the unpleasantness until she met back up with the others, but the jostling of the galloping horse made it impossible.

She peeked her eyes open. She'd kept them shut for much of the ride; she wasn't used to the stinging of the wind against her eyes, and watching the landscape pass so quickly made her dizzy. They were pulling up on a small hill, cresting the top of it, and she allowed herself a long moment of awe as the breadth of Rohan spread out before her. Though it was nothing but half-dead grass and hills rolling for miles, the sight of it still struck her as somehow beautiful. Something rustic and endearing - something she never could have seen at home.

Closing her eyes again, she thought back slowly. How long had it been, since she had thought of home? She was constantly jumping from one worry to the next here in Middle Earth, it felt like ages since she had thought of her parents, her friends. How long had it been already, since she'd been here? Several months, at least. What would they have made of her disappearance? Did they think she ran away? Kidnapped, maybe? Dead, even? For a moment, she felt guilty. For the longest time now, she'd been doing what she could just to get by, to help Frodo and the Fellowship, without a thought to how she was supposed to get back home. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her own dirty clothes as she wrapped her arms around her torso, a strange feeling overcoming her. Was there any point in trying to get back?

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?"

She'd barely heard it over the wind rushing past her ears, but her heart gave a great seize as the Rohirrim changed their course, turning about. Opening her eyes as Arlo slowed, she sat straight as the horses all huddle together, trying to see overtop the heads of the other riders. They were toward the back of the cluster, and Arianna shuffled eagerly. She heard Éomer dismount and address Aragorn, and she struggled against the cage of Éoheort's arms. She turned, opening her mouth to tell him to let her go, but he cut her off.

"Quiet," he said sternly under his breath. "We do not know who these strangers are. They may wish you harm if they see a woman amongst us."

Arianna snorted quietly, shaking her head. Still, she did as she was told, closing her mouth and pressing it into a tight line. Surely Éomer would call them forward in a second, when he told Aragorn and the others about the Orcs and the weird woman they had saved. So she waited.

"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, hooked and cloaked…and everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

Legolas held the man's gaze, anger roiling under his skin. The threat to Gimli was unacceptable, but he held his tongue from making further comment. If they were to track the Orcs and find the others, they needed free reign of Rohan.

"We are no spies," Aragorn returned immediately. "We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain; they have taken three of our friends captive."

Legolas watched as the man's eyes narrowed. "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with 'em?"

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

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." Éomer shook his head. He paused momentarily, glancing back at his company. "Two Hobbits, you say," he said slowly, "and your third companion?"

"A woman," Legolas said immediately, eyes hard. This rider knew something, he was certain.

"Loud?" Éomer asked in return. "Crass and ill-mannered?" Gimli barked out a laugh.

"You've seen her?" Aragorn asked.

"Where is she?" Legolas demanded. His knuckles turned white against his bow.

Éomer spared him one last glance before he gave a sharp whistle. "Éoheort!"

Legolas watched like a hawk as the horses parted. A dappled gray horse trotted forward, stopping just behind Éomer, and Legolas felt a weightlessness like no other. Atop the horse, just barely being held from jumping off by the horse's rider, was Arianna.

The air pushed out of her lungs in a delirious laugh. She knew she'd be happy, relieved, when she finally met back up with them, but the rush of emotion was so strong she barely knew how to cope with it. "Legolas!" She struggled, trying to slide off the side of the horse haphazardly.

Legolas pushed forward immediately, meeting her as she reached for him. He grasped her around the waist and lifted her easily off the horse, and she wound her arms tightly around his shoulders without pretense. Surprised as he was, Legolas took her embrace in stride, resting a hand on her hip as he set her feet back on the ground.

"She was unconscious when we came upon the Uruks. I have cleaned her wound, but it should be kept close eye on." Éoheort said to Legolas.

Aragorn addressed Éomer. "You have our gratitude."

Éomer nodded in response, calling forward the other horses. Arianna didn't care to hear the rest. She breathed in deeply, squeezing Legolas tight and groaning into his tunic when her shoulder protested angrily.

"We ride North!"

Head shooting up, she pulled away from Legolas. "Wait, Éoheort!"

Arlo pawed the grass a few times as Éoheort gripped his reins, waiting to ride off. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Éoheort inclined his head. "It was my pleasure, Arianna. May we meet again under more favorable circumstances."

She smiled. "I hope so, too."

A call from Éomer was all it took for the horses to rear back, setting off quickly again, and Arianna closed her eyes against the storm of dust they kicked up in their wake. When she finally opened her eyes again, she breathed easily. Turning toward her companions, she made to smile, happy to see them, but their expressions were anything but cheerful.

Legolas fixed her with a stare so intense and angry she wanted to fold into herself, though she knew his anger was not directed at her.

She gave a wry smile. "Is it that bad?"

"If they were not already dead, I would hunt them down and make them know the meaning of pain."

"So pretty bad, then?"

"Aye, lass, you look a sight."

"Gimli is right, Arianna," Aragorn said. "How are you faring?"

"Um, I don't know," Arianna responded timidly. Suddenly being the center of attention felt weird. "I mean, yeah I hurt. But I think a lot of it is just bruising. I mean, nothing feels broken, anyway? And Éoheort cleaned my shoulder. That obviously still hurts but I think it's fine."

"Your shoulder?" Legolas inquired, stepping forward and pushing the shoulder of her tunic down. The makeshift bandage Éoheort had wrapped was still tight around her wound.

"Oh, yeah," she said suddenly, laughing. "You weren't there when it happened." He gave her a puzzled look. "I got stabbed."

"Nadorhuanrim!"

She flinched at his loud tone, the Elvish spat from his mouth like a curse. She suspected it might be…

"Let us rest, briefly." It was Aragorn who now stepped forward. "We will inspect your wound, and you can tell us what has happened."

They moved only as far as the large cluster of rocks to the left. Arianna settled herself atop one with a heavy sigh. She ached everywhere. She certainly wasn't looking forward to getting back onto a horse. The horses milled about lazily as her companions settled beside her. Aragorn turned his attention immediately to her back. Through gritted teeth, she let him remove her tunic.

"When was it last wrapped?" He took in the dark blood stained through the fabric.

"Last night. We didn't do anything with it this morning before we started riding."

Legolas' cool hand came to rest on her cheek. "You are warm. Were you with fever all this time?"

"Low-grade, maybe? Been kinda hot. I'm feeling better now."

Aragorn began unwrapping the bandage slowly. "Tell us what happened, Arianna. What of Merry and Pippin?"

She hated this already. She didn't want to relive this moment again and again with each person she talked to. She wished she could just project all her memories like a movie. That'd be so much easier.

"Merry and Pippin were drawing the Orcs away. I," she cleared her throat, pointedly ignoring Legolas and staring straight ahead of her at Gimli, instead, "went into the forest to try and help and I came across them and…and Boromir. He was trying to fight them off, but there were too many. Lur—the one with the bow, I saw him and I tried to stop him before he could shoot anyone. He kept knocking me down but I kept trying to get back up. I guess I wasn't paying attention; I was too focused trying to stop him that I didn't notice more of them come up. One of them stabbed me and before I knew it, I was being dragged off with Merry and Pippin. That's, uh, about as much as I remember." Clearing her throat again, she sighed. "I guess I was out for most of the time. When I woke back up, the Rohirrim had already killed the Orcs. Merry and Pippin are safe. They ran into Fangorn to get away when the fighting broke out."

"How can you know this, if you were unconscious?"

Shit. Shuffling her eyes, Arianna glanced at Legolas. She had forgotten he was the only one who knew about her. "It…makes the most sense? They definitely weren't in the giant Orc pile, and there was really no where else for them to go. I'm sure they ran into the forest."

"Then we are to follow them into Fangorn?" Gimli asked.

"Yes," Arianna said at once, "we have to."

"Arianna," Aragorn spoke softly, "this wound. It came from the Orcs?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"This does not have the look of a wound from days ago."

"Oh, that." She shuddered at the memory. "They said something was stuck in it. They had to dig it out. It wasn't a pleasant experience."

Aragorn nodded. "What was it?"

She blinked. "What was what?"

"The debris."

"Oh. I'm not sure."

"Were they unable to remove it?" Legolas asked. He peered around, eyes hardening at the sight of the gash on her skin.

"No, I think they got it out. I just wasn't conscious to see it." She laughed uncomfortably and Legolas pulled around to glare at her again. "Don't look at me like that! I told you it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"They scarred you even more deeply than the Orcs and you laugh?"

"They were only doing what they could. Without removing it, the wound would have continued to fester."

"He's right," Arianna said. "Don't be mad at them. Éoheort was a little heavy-handed, but he still helped me."

Legolas didn't respond. Instead, he sat in silence, watching Aragorn work. He made a paste from his short supply of medicinal herbs and carefully applied it to Arianna's wound before wrapping it again. She winched here eyes shut in pain as she pulled her tunic back on. Letting out a deep breath, she smiled wryly at Aragorn.

"So what's the verdict, doc? Think I'll live?"

"That you have not succumbed to sickness already is no small feat. With the debris removed, it should begin to heal." Aragorn stared at her momentarily. "You are incredibly resilient, for such a slight woman. I am surprised you are so spirited even now. I have seen seasoned soldiers succumb to lesser wounds."

For a moment, Arianna wondered herself how she wasn't worse off. She'd been unconscious for the journey with the Orcs, but once she'd woken up, she truly felt…pretty all right? Why wasn't she sicker, after what was, essentially, a short coma? Frowning, she fingered the sword on her hip. Was the stab not as bad as everyone was making it out to be? Or, she thought with sudden clarity, suddenly remembering she came from a century with far more advanced medicine, perhaps it was the many vaccines that she'd been given at home. Maybe her tetanus shot had finally come in handy?

Legolas watched as she retreated into her thoughts. Aragorn did not seem to be overly worried about her wound, which put him at ease. Though he was sure it was serious, it was not life-threatening. Still, it seemed to have taken a different sort of toll on Arianna. Though she was attempting to appear her normal self, he could tell she was tired and weak. An uncomfortable emotion settled in his chest. If she had just stayed by the shore where he had told her to—

"Arianna?" Aragorn prompted at her silence.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Um, I don't know. You know me. Refuse to…be sick," she finished lamely.

Aragorn eyed her pointedly. "You must be tired."

"I'm fine," she insisted immediately. "Really, I'm okay." Legolas narrowed his eyes. Still she refused to acknowledge her situation. "I'm with you again, safe and sound! What we need to do now is get to Fangorn to find Merry and Pippin! Though I'm not thrilled about being stuck on a horse again, at least this ride will be a bit more comfortable!" She tried to laugh, but quickly stopped when no one else joined her. None of them looked even mildly amused.

After a beat of silence, Aragorn sighed. "Very well. Arianna is right. We must make for Fangorn."

It was decided without much more conversation. Aragorn began to help Gimli onto the horse they would share, and Legolas moved to assist Arianna.

He grasped her hips, settling her on the back of the horse. As he swung himself quickly behind her, Arianna turned in his arms, looking up at him. "Don't suppose we could do more of a leisurely trot? All this galloping is seriously killing my…everything."

"We must make haste," Legolas responded shortly, frowning. Is she not concerned for Merry and Pippin?

Glancing up at the other two quickly, Arianna lowered her voice to a whisper. "Merry and Pippin are fine. They're safe. Someone else saves them in the forest." She pushed out her lower lip. "Surely it wouldn't hurt if we took it a little slower? Trust me, there's nothing exciting between here and there."

Legolas stared (pointedly, if she didn't know any better, ignoring her pout). She very rarely saw Legolas angry, so she wasn't exactly sure what it looked like, but if she had to guess, it was something like this. A deep frown marked his face, sure, but it was something in his eyes, something steely. She opened her mouth to tell him to forget it, but he turned from her in that same moment.

"Aragorn!" After catching the ranger's attention, Legolas began to speak in Elvish. Oh, that dick. That's cheap, talking in Elvish. They conversed back and forth for a few sentences, and Aragorn seemed to consider something quite seriously before nodding. He reared his horse, and he and Gimli began to ride away.

"They will ride first and Aragorn will survey area. We cannot enter Fangorn without having some idea of which way they went. We will ride behind…a little slower."

He bid the horse into a trot without another word. Blinking, Arianna turned forward, the slower pace a welcome respite to her sore muscles. Her shoulder was tingling, but it didn't hurt as much anymore. She wondered if the medicine Aragorn had put on it had some sort of numbing effect? The rode in silence for a few minutes, before Arianna began to feel tension in her chest.

Why isn't he saying anything? Normally by now, he'd be grilling me about everything. Asking how I was. Apologizing for not protecting me or whatever.

Arianna frowned. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You're acting kinda weird."

"Weird?" Legolas repeated quietly, his breath ghosting over the top of her head. He stared down his nose at her, for once, looking very much the royal that he was. She felt small under his gaze, as if he were looking down upon her. "I am acting no different than usual."

At his look, Arianna felt her stomach flop. Between his steely eyes and his detached tone of voice, Arianna was sure now. This was angry Legolas.

"Are you mad?" she posed, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Mad?" His nostrils flared, as if the very word was enough to set him off. He stared for another longer moment, and then, "I am furious."

It hurt more than she expected. Worse than being loud or irritable, Legolas was still soft, a stern, disappointed whisper that sent her heart into fits. She didn't have a single urge to fight back, no witty remark on the tip of her tongue, not this time. He had never been truly angry with her before, and Arianna felt the guilt twist in her stomach. She did not like this feeling one bit.

Arianna sighed. She was so tired. The last thing she wanted to do was have this argument, but she realized - ultimately - it was her own doing. Best to just bite the bullet and get it over with. "You can say it, you know," she resigned quietly. "'I told you to stay by the river. Why did you go into the forest? Why didn't you just do what I said? If you had, you would not have been injured or taken captive by the Orcs.' It's what you're thinking, right?" He stared down his nose at her again. "…Yeah. That's what you're thinking."

"You," Legolas responded quietly, voice even, "are the most reckless, infuriating woman I have ever known."

"To be fair, you already knew that when you tried to tell me to stay put. Don't really know what you were trying to accomplish." She tried to make light of it by grinning, but Legolas didn't seem to find it very funny. His frown deepened.

"I was trying to protect you, and you continue to make it extremely difficult by undermining my every effort." She made to respond, but Legolas wasn't finished. "Do you have any idea," he continued, voice quiet now incensed, "what could have happened to you? In the captivity of Orcs? A party of wayward soldiers? Lesser men would have done much more than tend your wound while you were unclothed, and Orcs need no reason to partake in vile acts." His words shocked her and she blinked, disgust now mingling with the guilt in her stomach, a bubbling concoction that made her dizzy. "I do not know what life you led in your world, but we are at war, and you need to begin to recognize that there are real dangers here." He narrowed his eyes further. "Dangers that your wit and derision will not save you from. You cannot continue to act so indifferent in the face of threats and throw yourself so rashly before them."

Arianna finally dropped her gaze, thoroughly chastised. Legolas had never spoken to her so harshly before, but he was right. Secretly, Arianna was thankful that she had been unconscious for her journey with the Orcs. Even in the chaos of battle and grief, as she was being tied up, she had been frightened of what the Orcs might do to her. She swallowed thickly.

Legolas gave a heavy sigh through his nose. "More than that, though," his voice had softened, back to the gentle lilt she was used to him using with her, "I must admit that much of my frustration stems from concern. I have been driven to near-madness thinking of what might have befallen you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know. I know it was stupid. But I couldn't just stand around and do nothing. I'm sorry…for not taking everything seriously. It's a really bad habit of mine. Sarcasm is a coping mechanism." She laughed bitterly, staring down at her hands. "Thank you for always looking after me. No matter how infuriating I make it."

"Do you intend to listen to me from now on?" Legolas posed quietly. "The greatest apology is changed behavior." Though his voice was still gentle, she could sense the genuine question.

Arianna bit back any snark remarks. "I will…try. When you're reasonable."

At this, Legolas laughed. "Reasonable!"

Grinning weakly, she leaned back against his chest, feeling more tired by the moment. She let her eyes fall shut and sighed heavily. He watched the movement carefully, all previous anger swept away in a single moment.

"I am glad you are safe," he concluded softly. "And I wish that you could rest after all you have been through. Alas, we must continue on."

"Merry and Pippin still need us," she responded without opening her eyes. "I can rest after that."

He tightened his arms around her body, feeling the warmth of her seep into his chest. "I will make sure that you do."

Yay chapter 2! If anyone feels this is rushed, I apologize. I started to feel that (taking a long time to update notwithstanding) I was dragging things out a bit too much. If you enjoy the new 'faster' pace of the story, please do let me know (or not). Again, thanks to everyone for reading! Until next time! xx