Rise (Lord of the Rings)

28 - "They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard."

The only way time passed for me was that I let my mind wander, though it was hard for it to wander to anywhere good. Mostly my mind was focused on Merry and Pippin in the hands of the Uruk-hai. They had to still be alive, they had to. The Fellowship had already lost Gandalf to the Balrog and Boromir at the hands of an Uruk, and it was split enough as it was. I wasn't sure how much more fractured the Fellowship could get.

Even though my mind wanted to stray to dark things—like finding Merry and Pippin dead—it focused on a positive outcome: us four slaughtering the enemy, finding Merry and Pippin in one piece and very well alive. It was what we all wanted, but I wanted that to be the future the most; I had more reason to want it than the others.

I also thought about Frodo and Sam, how they were making their way towards Mordor. I hoped things were going better for them than they were for us, but knowing their luck things were going just as bad, if not worse. I knew Sam would look after Frodo, I trusted that he wouldn't let Frodo do anything rash under the influence of the Ring.

I was taken out of my thoughts when I stumbled, landing on my hands and knees. I shuddered, feeling rock scrape my palms. Rocks again? There is no variety in terrain, is there? I hopped up, smoothing my grimy, silver dress that I had received from Arwen back in Rivendell.

Aragorn and Legolas were perched on a rock; I came to stand with them. Gimli finally caught up, puffing heavily behind us. He halted on my right, his heavy breathing sounding louder than it really was. If any enemies were around, they could surely find us by the Dwarf's breathing.

"Just where are we?" I said, looking out ahead of me. The ground looked level minus the occasional massive rock planted here and there.

"This, Marlena, is Rohan," Aragorn told me. "Home of the horse-lords." There was quick silence. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Legolas left our line, bounding ahead lithely. Gimli's breathing quieted somewhat; he was slowly regaining his breath. I watched Legolas curiously.

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

"The Uruks turn northeast," Legolas reported loudly. "They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard."

"Isengard...Why does that name sound familiar?" I said to myself.

"Saruman," Aragorn murmured, appalled.

"Wait...is that the place where the Wizard who tried to bury us in the snow back in those mountains resides?"

"That is the place, and it is the Wizard you speak of."

The idea popped into my head, clicking the pieces together. Saruman wanted Merry and Pippin so that he could interrogate them into revealing where Sam and Frodo were. I knew how loyal those boys were to my adoptive brother, there was no way they would break under any form of torture. My stomach felt queasy at the thought of what torture Saruman could use against them.

I grabbed my stomach, trying to settle my nerves, but hearing that the boys were being hauled off to Isengard didn't make things better. There was no way they would escape; the pack of Uruk-hai that had them was probably big enough to prevent them from escaping. They would fight all they want, but it wouldn't help in the end.

If they made it to Isengard, they were as good as dead.

"Marlena?" Aragorn put a hand on my shoulder.

My eyes fell to the ground. Breathe, breathe. There is still time to intercept them. They aren't at Isengard yet. There is still time.

"You don't look well, lass," Gimli noted carefully.

"I'm not well," I admitted, feeling the bile rise in my throat. "I haven't eaten in days, I haven't slept right for a while, and now I know that my two best friends are heading for their dooms as we stand here."

"We won't let them reach Isengard," Aragorn said fiercely. "We've come too far already to let them slip from our grasp. Have hope, Marlena. We're close."

* * *

Night fell in Rohan. The ground was level, which was a nice change since we had been maneuvering over and past massive boulders for a while. My stomach howled at me, I clutched at it. There was no food, and no animals to kill to make into food.

Since the four of us had no form of light to help us see in the dark, we continued running blindly. I stumbled a few times, I heard Gimli do the same. We all needed rest, even if it was for only an hour. Any could make a huge difference.

My legs had finally had enough, they buckled under me. I yipped, hitting stomach first on the dusty ground. I groaned, wanting to just stay down and close my eyes.

"Come, Marlena," Legolas whispered. I picked my head up enough to try and see him. "You must get up."

"I can't," I protested tiredly. "I'm worn to the bone. Can't we just stop for an hour or so?"

"You know we cannot do that."

"Look, Legolas, as much as I would love to keep going, I am exhausted. I'm sure you are as well, you just won't say anything. No creature in this world can go forever without sleep."

"I can carry you if you are that tired. You know we cannot stop to rest."

"We should." I felt Legolas' arms slip under my body, picking me up off the ground. "Becoming sleep deprived is not healthy. Sooner or later, one of us will collapse and never wake again."

"Legolas," Aragorn called. I heard his footfalls come to us. "What is the delay?"

"Me," I croaked. "Aragorn, we need to stop. We need to rest."

"Marlena, you know we cannot do that."

"Yes, we can! I know you want to keep going, I do too, but there are times when you need to think about what is best for you and the others around you. If we keep going like we are now, we will all drop dead and never catch them."

"I—I think I will agree with the lass on this one," Gimli huffed. He hadn't been far behind me. "She is right, Aragorn. If we rest for only a short while, it will be worth it in the long run."

There was silence amongst the four of us. Eventually, a sigh emitted from Aragorn. "All right, we will rest," he said reluctantly, "but only for a short while."

Thankful for Aragorn giving in, I dropped to the ground, lying on my back, closing my eyes. I didn't care that my dress got dirty, it was already that way. I heard Gimli hit the ground as well.

Everyone knew I was right; sleep would pay off in the long run. It would give us what energy we needed to reach the Uruk-hai and rescue Merry and Pippin.