Rise (Lord of the Rings)

51- Dunharrow

During the time it took to ride to Dunharrow I let Merry take the reins. My mind had too much bouncing around in it that I would easily get distracted. No amount of pony steering would clear my head.

As our herd of soldiers finally made it to Dunharrow, the place was filled with tents, horses, men, and supplies. But that was just the ground level. Craning my neck up, I noticed that there were tents set higher up on the cliff.

As our group made its way through the camps, the king asked for reports of how many men were gathered. I barely paid attention to the numbers; I was drinking in the sight of all the cream colored tents, the horses, and the men. Seeing all this reminded me just how real this situation was.

We made our way through the ground level of Dunharrow; the horses went single file up the path of the cliff, to where we would all be stationed. I made sure to keep my eyes on the wall as we climbed, not on the way down.

Once we all made it to the top, the men disassembled to head to tents. They all dismounted and got settled in. Merry helped me down.

"That was the longest ride I've ever been on," I said, rubbing my back.

"It wasn't that bad," Merry assured me. "Help me un-tack him."

It took a little while, but eventually Merry and I removed the pony's gear and tied him up with some company. Éowyn met us just as we were leaving our pony. Like usual, I was to be with her in the tent she was stationed in. Merry and I parted ways as I followed Éowyn through the camp. I made sure Merry handed my sword to me before I left.

Éowyn led me to a tent that had two cots in it. Really, it was no different than our room in Edoras. I sat my sword near the cot. I swallowed, my heart thumped in fear. Battle was close, I could feel it. I was sure the men in the camps here at Dunharrow could all feel it.

"Marlena?" Éowyn questioned, snapping me out of my panic. "What troubles you?"

"When do we ride for Minas Tirith?" I asked her, sitting on the cot.

"We leave at dawn tomorrow."

"Tomorrow..." The word was shaky coming from my mouth. To know that battle was so near frightened me. Was I ready? Was Merry in way over his head about bringing me along for the fight?

"I am not happy about it either, you know, about Merry taking you along with us to the battle," Éowyn voiced quietly. She looked at me with solemn grey eyes. "I would have preferred you stayed in Edoras. Still, there is time for you to head back. I am sure the pony is smart enough to know his way home."

"My lady, with all due respect, I'm sure the pony would be as lost as I would be if we tried to ride back to Edoras." I cleared my throat. "Even though you say there is still time for me to turn the other way, I feel as though there is none left." I wrung my hands anxiously.

"You aren't the only one who worries about what will come in the near future. Everyone here is worried, you just can't see it."

"I wish that could comfort me, but it doesn't." I rubbed my neck. "Well, I say let's not have our qualms get the better of us. Let's enjoy what time we have before we go into battle."

A smile touched Éowyn's lips. "I could not agree with you more."

* * *

I was mainly on my own for the duration of the day. I never really encountered Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli since Aragorn's announcement after bursting into the Golden Hall. I hoped to see them sometime before we all put our lives on the line. Maybe they could inspire me to have some courage going to Minas Tirith.