Agardess was alone. Well not completely, but alone all the same. She had walked off by herself, needing to be alone and alone she was. Of course she knew that somewhere near to her the Fellowship had gathered and someone was out away from them because she had heard the snapping of twigs. Agardess was alone and by the time she realized that they were under attack, all she could do was fight. 

She drew her twin long swords and charged in, ducking and whirling while dragging blades through flesh. She attacked, feeling energy coursing through her. She was a whirlwind of death, killing anything that dared confront her.

"Caela ie'lle! (Have at thee!)" She yelled pulling away from the Orcs and Uruk-Hai before launching herself back into them. It was almost as if they weren't trying, or Agardess was just too good. She cut through the monsters, avoiding blows easily. It was only when she remembered Legolas that she began to move. She now moved forward, running towards Orcs and killing any that she deemed in her way, all whilst moving her way through the woods. 

"Kill the She-Elf!" An Uruk-Hai rasped and Agardess turned. Blood dripping from her blades she turned to the one that spoken, or at least the one she thought had spoken, for it now cowered in fear. 

"Fight me," She said swinging her arm out at anyone that came towards her. She ducked and whirled all while moving towards the Uruk-Hai. "Or are you too scared? Needing to order others to kill me whilst you cower in fear. Nadorhuan rim (cowardly dog)." She hissed and raced towards him. She knew he had the advantage over her. She was one and could only attack as one. However he had Orcs to command and they could attack as many rather than the mass of one. Yet she challenged him and she knew she was going to kill him, even if he somehow managed to kill her in the process. 

"I will fight you She-Elf," The Uruk-Hai sneered as more henchmen attack her. "Prepare to lose." Agardess bounded forward, pairing his blow with one blade and striking with the other. 

"Are you too much of a coward to fight me one on one?" She hissed as he moved his blade to block her second blow. She had to stop fighting him to fend off an attacking Orc. "Why do you hide behind an army?" The Uruk-Hai growled and charged forward.

"Do not insult me when I so obviously have the upper hand," He growled swinging his blade almost carelessly as he tried to hit her. 

"I see a coward, not someone who is winning. For I am afraid you have drawn your last breath." She attacked him then, one blade swinging for his head whilst the other for his neck. He had two options, kill her and die or simply die. The Uruk-Hai died and his head toppled over hitting the ground with an unsettling thump. 

A horn sounded from somewhere and Agardess perked her ears up. 

"The horn of Gondor," She murmured and listened hard. It sounded again and she raced in the direction of the horn. 

Agardess twisted her arm while running, exposing the sharp end of her blade to the neck of an Orc. It sliced straight through, Agardess not having to break her stride for a second. 

When she reached Boromir she knew she was too late. Aragorn was leaning over him. 

"No," She whispered seeing the three black arrows sticking up from Boromir's chest. Legolas turned at the sound of her voice. "No, no, no, no..." She fell to her knees then just watching Boromir and Aragorn. Legolas resting his hand on her shoulder. Aragorn pulled the arrows from Boromir's torso, flinging them aside before scooping his arms under Boromir's body picking the other man up. Legolas squeezed her shoulder and Agardess stood, unshed tears standing in her eyes.  

Aragorn laid Boromir in a boat, Agardess walked up to him she set a gentle hand on Aragorn's shoulder before walking to Boromir. She gently rearranged his limbs, placing his sword in his hands and his shield behind his head. She stroked the hair from his face. 

"You were a good man," She told the body gently. "And I thought highly of you." She stepped back then, nodding to Aragorn who pushed the boat into the water and the four of them stood there, watching as the boat drifted away and over the waterfall. 

"Hurry Frodo and Sam will reach the eastern shore," Legolas said pushing the boat to the water. No one moved, however Agardess wasn't paying attention to him, simply staring out at the water. "You mean not to follow them." 

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

"Then it has all been in vain The Fellowship has failed," Gimli said starting to walk towards Aragorn.

"Not if we hold true to each other We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death Not while we have strength left," The boys exchanged looks, distraught faces lifting slightly. Agardess still did not move, her eyes never strayed from the water. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let us hunt some orcs! Agardess," Aragorn said softly as the dwarf and the elf gathered supplies. Agardess turned to him. 

"Why is it so hard?" She asked. "Losing someone you care for?" 

"Because you cared for them." 

"Then I wish my heart was as dead as I thought it was. It hurts too much to care." Aragorn came close to her, setting his hand on her shoulder. 

"Come," He said smiling slightly. "Let us go save some Hobbits." Agardess gave him a sly smile before running off, the boys on her tail. 

~*~

"A red sun rises," Legolas said stopping the sprint for a moment. "Blood has been spilled this night." The sound of running horses thundered from afar. Aragorn ducked down and raced towards a rock, he slid behind it and waved the others in. 

An army of sorts came from the hill, horses galloping across the field. Aragorn looked at them and slowly began to sit up. Agardess grabbed his sleeve but he shook her off and stood up from the rock. Legolas too sat up, followed by Agardess who in turn seized the dwarf by his shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. 

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" The riders turned around circling around the companions before coming to a stop in a circle. Their spears were raised and the companions pressed together. Aragorn raised his hands as the spear points pointed towards their chest. 

"Brilliant idea," Agardess murmured. "Get us all killed." Aragorn nudged her and she glared back at him before turning her attention to the more important matter at hand. The fact that if a horse stepped forward she'd be dead. A man on a horse rode through the others, Agardess assumed him to be the leader. 

"What business does an elf, a man, a dwarf and an assassin have in Riddermark?" Everyone turned to him. "Speak quickly!" He barked. 

"Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimli turned to the leader, proudly. The leader dismounted his horse, drawing his blade.

"I would cut off your head dwarf if it stood but a little higher from the ground."  Legolas nocked an arrow on his bow and pointed it at the leader's head. Agardess drew her knives pressing a little closer to the leader.

"You would die before your stroke fell!" He hissed and the spears pointed closer. Aragorn walked to Legolas, pulling his bow down, in turn Agardess sheathed her blades. 

"I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin, Agardess and Legolas, from the Woodland realm." The leader switched his gaze between the four of them. "We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king."  

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." The leader removed his helmet and stood before them. The riders lowered their spears. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over this land. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." The man, although his face was revealed Agardess did not know who he was. "The white wizard is cunning.  He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked." He turned to the two elves, who stood side by side then lowered his gaze to Gimli."And everywhere his spies slip past our nets." 

"We are no spies. We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn drew the leader's attention back to himself.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." 

"But there were two hobbits, did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli cried nearly charging forward, but held himself back, not wanting to upset the riders, or the elves. 

"They would be small, only children to your eyes," Aragorn added.

 "We left none alive."  The leader spoke slowly as if afraid they would attack at any moment."We piled the carcasses and burned them." 

"Dead?" Gimli asked his voice choked. Agardess looked to the sky afraid tears may fall. 

"I am sorry," The leader said a sense of kindness in his voice."Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses trotted forward. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters. Farewell." Legolas started forward swinging himself up onto the white one and helping Gimli up behind him. Aragorn mounted the brown one, Hasufel, and Agardess paused for a moment before sitting behind him."Look for your friends, but do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" The sound of hooves hitting dirt sounded and the Riders of Rohan vanished, leaving nothing but dust in their wake. 

The companions took to the white smoke, prepared to find the bodies of their Hobbit friends. They got to the carcasses and Agardess jumped down before Aragorn could even bring the horse to a complete stop. She stepped with caution among the Orc bodies looking for anything that resembled a child. 

"It's one of their wee belts," Gimli said holding the thing in his hand and looking at it with sorrow. It was silent for a moment before Aragorn lashed out, kicking on the stray helmets before shouting with grief. Agardess stayed standing and headed to Legolas, leaning her head on his shoulder as she stood there desperate not to cry. Legolas murmured something under his breath but Agardess didn't care at the moment.

"We failed them," Gimli's voice cracked ever so slightly and Agardess wrapped her arms around Legolas tucking her face into his chest. She gripped the fabric of his tunic in her hands and she just held him. Legolas wrapped his arms around her, showing exactly what she needed in that time. Support. 

"A Hobbit lay here," Aragorn said. Agardess pulled away from Legolas turning to Aragorn. "And the other." He sat back down on his heels continuing to stare at the dirt. Agardess turned back to the original position, her head on Legolas' shoulder and his arm looped around her waist. "He crawled, their hands were bound." Legolas and Agardess broke apart following Gimli who in turn was following Aragorn. "Their bonds were cut!" He exclaimed, pulling a bit of rope from the ground. Agardess felt for Legolas' hand gripping it tightly and daring to hope. "They ran over here..." Legolas and Agardess passed Gimli now, just a few steps behind Aragorn. "They were followed." Aragorn was running now, his eyes scanning the ground quickly. "The tracks lead away from the battle!" They stopped. "And into Fangorn forest." 

"Fangorn," Gimli whispered. "What madness drove them in there?" 

"We seem to crave high death situations," Agardess said stepping into the forest. "Are you coming?" She asked turning back to the men standing behind her. They chuckled softly and stepped inside following her into the trees. 

Gimli paused, dipping his finger into a dark substance. He placed his finger in his mouth before spitting out whatever he had just tasted.

"Orc blood!" He spat again wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"These are strange tracks," Aragorn said after a while, kneeling down to examine them closer. 

"The air is so close here," Gimli shuddered. 

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory... and anger." Legolas stepped a little ways away from the group, staring at the trees. "The trees are speaking to each other." Agardess looked around at the trees and they drew her mind elsewhere.

"Gimli!" Aragorn snapped drawing Agardess' attention back to the moment. "Lower your axe." 

"They have feelings, my friend. The Elves began it: waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." Legolas looked around the forest, in awe almost. 

"Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about, hmm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings," Gimli growled. Agardess ignored him and she pricked her ears forward straining for a sound she thought she heard.

"Legolas..." She started, a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Aragorn, nad no ennas! (Something is out there!)" Legolas whispered it in a hushed concerned voice and he darted forward.

"Man cenich? (What do you see?)" Aragorn asked he took now peering into the forest where Legolas had stopped. Agardess hung back, wanting to stay close to the dwarf in case anything too big for him to handle showed up. BUt she'd never say that to Gimli, she didn't want to have dealings with an angry dwarf. 

"The White Wizard approaches."

"Quickly Gimli," Agardess murmured to him, bowing down so her mouth was near his ear. "We should not stray from the group." 

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us! We must be quick." Aragorn voice was low and the four of them crept forward. They all armed themselves, stepping lightly, or as lightly as possible for some, around tree roots, not wanting to give hints about their presence. 

A brilliant white light shone before them. It deflected every arrow or axe slung at it. At the same time both Aragorn's sword and Agardess' knives glowed red hot and Agardess dropped her knives with a yelp of pain. 

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits." A voice from inside the white light said, Agardess raised one of her hands to shield her eyes from the brilliant light. 

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The voice stated again.

"Who are you?" Aragorn barked. "Show yourself!" The white light faded and in front of the companions stood Gandalf, a cleaner, whiter, version, but Gandalf all the same. "It cannot be," Aragorn whispered as if speaking loudly would make what was happening a dream. 

"Forgive me." Legolas knelt and Agardess followed suit, bowing her head and letting her knee hit the mossy ground. "I mistook you for Saruman."

"I am Saruman. Or rather Saruman as he should have been." Gandalf stated, Agardess was afraid to look up, thinking that if she looked up it was all dissolve before her eyes leaving her nothing but a fragment of what could have been. 

"You fell," Aragorn's whisper was hoarse. 

"Through fire. And water." Gandalf responded. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought him, the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as the life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt light in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf..." Aragorn stepped forward. 

"Gandalf? Oh yes..." Gandalf remembered. "That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide."

~*~

"One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed." The old man once again leading the way. 

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli exclaiming trying to keep up with the others.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn said to Gandalf.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured..." Gandalf seems to trail off, once again slipping into his thoughts, but the dwarf brought him back, sharply and quickly. 

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank tree-infested...I mean charming, quite charming forest." Gimli seemed to try to smile at the trees around him, as if a small smile would change their mind of him. 

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf stopped the group at his own words, turning to look around the forest.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend. You still speak in riddles," Aragorn smiled at the wizard, who returned it. 

"A thing is about to happen here that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong."

"Strong? Oh, that's good." But the dwarf could not hide the small amount of fear that seeped into his voice. 

"So stop your fretting Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf turned on his heel and started the forward march again, everyone else falling into step behind him. 

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one," Gimli complained causing Agardess' face to split into a real smile. Legolas turned his head at Gimli's words, but once he saw Agardess' smile he turned away speeding up a little in order to not fall behind, a small written on his own face.