Fields and Forests (Falling into the Night)

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

REPOSTING OP

FIELDS & FORESTS OF ROHAN

~ who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows ~

THIS THREAD MAY NOT BE FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, FOR AMIDST
THE TALES WOVEN LIE THEMES OF PERIL, GREED & MURDER

The seasons have wheeled, and the warm days of summer are now but fleeting memories. Drovers, shepherds and fisher-folk have struck their camps. There are crops to gather, and homes and storehouses to repair and weatherproof before Mettarë can be celebrated.

The days will be shorter now, and the lands and roads less easily travelled. Where will your trusty steed take you? Who might you meet on your travels?

Maps to help plan you expeditions - HERE

Threadiquette:

This Thread is open to all Kingdoms and Races.

All Plaza Rules Apply

Don’t post in RED, I’ll be using this for updates as the thread moves along.

Indicate your location at the top of your post.

If you’re travelling with others, a band of NPCs, mayhap, mention them too.

Allow two people to post, or 12 hours, before making your next submission.

Posts of 400+ characters are encouraged.

Be creative – entertain us!

[Nia]

Dusk in the alleys of Edoras (@Allacan ob Burzum, @Éolath, @Lailyn)

“I am no hælend but nothing can help him now,” Lailyn murmured, and Nia nodded grimly, trying but largely failing to keep her eyes from seeing the growing pool of blood on the ground, and the lifeless body of the man from which it flowed from. All of her concentration was spent on processing what she had just seen occur, that she had taken no time to look properly at the face of the woman who had been so brutally accosted. It was Lailyn’s piercing screech of “Allacan!” upon recognising the unconscious woman, which brought a sudden terror to Nia’s heart.

“No…” gasped Nia, falling to her knees at once beside Lailyn, leaning over and pushing the woman's hair from her face, desperately hoping Lailyn was wrong in her identification, or that it was another woman who shared the name of her old friend. But as soon as Nia’s eyes fell on her face, as swollen, and as bruised as it was, there was no question that it was Alla. Nia didn’t need asking twice, she knelt into the ground, and scooped Alla’s lifeless arms across her shoulder, and with all her might tried to stand. “We need to get her onto your horse,” Nia croaked through the strain of exertion of lifting the dead-weight of an unconscious body, her face steely with fiery determination. They were going to save her. They must save her.

[Calimir]

NPC: Olimir (Errand-rider of Gondor) on the Great West Road, heading east

Olimir dropped his messages at Helm's Deep and spent a night in a comfortable bed. No one in the fortress knew or had seen his friend Calimir and there were no letters or parcels to take back to Gondor.

So there was nothing left to do but head back to the White City. Cal's parents would be disappointed (and worried) that he brought back no news of their son. Ol' guessed that Verimir, their captain, would be worried too, and angry perhaps. Errand-riders weren't meant to vanish into the blue!

The tall lad spurred his horse down the road. He would spend the night in Edoras and see if he could find out anything about his friend's whereabouts there.

[Lail]

Lailyn, alleys of Edoras (with unconscious @Allacan ob Burzum , @Éolath (as dead Galulf) and @Nia, co-rescuer)

The single word Nia uttered pierced Lailyn’s heart. Until then, she had forgotten how familiar they were with one another at the festival, these two friends. There was so much weight and sorrow in that one word and for a moment, Lailyn felt rather like she was intruding on some private scene as Nia sank down beside her and saw for herself the identity of the fallen woman.

It was Nia who acted first again, sweeping up her friend with strength and determination that surpassed her stature. Lailyn immediately followed suit, taking up half of Allacan’s weight onto her own shoulders and together, they managed to lift the seasoned soldier up.

“We need to get her onto your horse,” Nia spoke.

“Yes!” Lailyn gasped. What blessed luck Fairmane was close at hand.

The pair shuffled toward the chestnut mare, taking slow deliberate steps and making every effort not to cause Allacan any further pain. Her head lolled between them, dark locks of hair sweeping down over her brow; still unconscious, still somewhere far away in her mind.

“Fairmane...” she said softly and reached out to lay a comforting hand on the horse’s flank. “You remember Allacan. She fixed your leg up when we got home. Now it is your chance to return the favour. Steady now, my love...”

The mare tossed her head sending her mane rippling in waves and turned her gaze to her mistress. Round, dark eyes blinked at Lailyn. Fairmane, seeming to understand and being a gentle creature, first lowered her neck, then her forelegs as if bowing down to allow Lailyn and Nia to shift Allacan into the saddle.

Even with the mare’s cooperation, it was difficult to move the woman but working together, they managed the task; the first of many challenging ones likely ahead of them this night. Lailyn took a few moments to steady her breathing and ensure that Allacan was safely upon the horse’s back before turning to Nia with a wrinkled brow, worry written all over her face.

“Have you any skill at healing?” she asked with a hopeful air. “She needs someone and I’m afraid I am hardly qualified...my skills leave much to be desired, only suited to the battlefield.”

After a pause, her hazel eyes looked past Nia at the body...the body sitting on a blanket of blood. There had been a moment of respite when she had forgotten it. “We cannot just leave the body here…” she whispered.

[Lail]

Night is falling in the alleys of Edoras (with Allacan and Nia)

Lailyn wished someone else had stumbled into this gruesome scene, but now she was here with Nia and there was no one else. And Nia was Allacan’s friend. The moment called for calm, strength, reliability. Nia seemed to be all of those things in spite of the growing fear that must be taking hold so Lailyn did her best to match her and keep her voice steady. The two women discussed in halting tones what they ought to do and soon they had a plan. The first person she thought of was the mute old woman she met the night of the fires and the summer festival whom she’d gathered had some skill with healing. Lailyn gave directions to Nia and promised to meet her and Old Mama Mute as soon as she could once the Cavalry was made aware of the night’s events.

Silence descended after Nia, Fairmane and Allacan left her behind and there was no more cause to delay the next task. The body. First, she reached out to sweep his eyelids shut with trembling hands. He may have threatened to kill them, he may have beaten Allacan, he may have been a wretched person, but he was still human and deserved some dignity. Unfastening her cloak, she laid it over his body, covering the worst of it. If it disturbed the scene, she did not care. If she should have searched him for a piece of identity or a clue, she did not care. She had done all she could and even that was too much.

The sight of the man’s corpse, the lifeless eyes, the blood, brought everything buried deep back to light. The summer night was cool and she shivered as she sat back, curling her knees up to her chest as the weight of haunting memories pressed in. She did not know how long she sat there, swept back by it all. When it finally passed, she slowly uncurled her limbs and peeled herself from the ground. Turning away from the body, she hastened off to the Dragon Room despite her weariness. The sooner she found someone else to investigate and pass this unpleasant news to, the sooner she could help Allacan. The final burst of strength Allacan had managed to grasp to defeat her attacker had faded and Lailyn feared the worst...

----

Reconvening with Allacan in the care of Old Mama Mute and Nia

By the time Lailyn caught up, she found Allacan laid on a bed as Old Mama Mute tended to her, using gestures to ask Nia for help. Soon, the wounds were washed and cleaned and poultices that were applied gave off an earthy fragrance that was not displeasing. She knew she was right to trust the old woman with her care and she already looked better...but what was that? Black lines criss-crossed Allacan’s bruised face, swirling around her right eye and over her cheek. Lailyn gasped audibly at the sight as the pieces fell into place. It was the second time in a few months her impression of someone had been shattered to pieces like a looking glass leaving her with a broken reflection of her misplaced trust. “I don’t understand,” she said, stunned, looking to Nia for answers. But did she have them? Did she know the truth or part of it or was this a shock to her too?

Once satisfied with her patient’s well-being, Old Mama Mute offered them food and drink and room to stay the night but Lailyn had no appetite and knew she would not sleep. Instead, she watched over Allacan and agonized over the details she could remember. From their first meeting at the stables when Allacan so rightfully chided her and then seen to her horse with tender care, to the wigend who took action in search of Pele’s assailant in the market...and then disappeared. The culprit was never caught. Then there was the very different Allacan who called Eowyn a traitor and the events tonight...

Running her fingers through her hair, Lailyn heaved a sigh. There had to be an explanation. There had to be one Allacan could give to reconcile the two sides of this person. She longed to understand but she had no idea the depth of malice that had been woven long before they ever met. Maybe there was some part of her that never could understand it, even if the demon inhabiting Allacan looked her square in the face and tried to wring her neck. If she knew, she would still believe that Allacan could win.

“She will be fine. She is strong.” Lailyn sought to assure Nia. As time passed, doubt began to creep in. The bruises and injuries healed and still Allacan remained in this half-awake state, barely cognizant, murmuring nonsensical phrases when she did stir. The three women did all they could, tending her day in and day out.

The days shortened and the weather cooled. Lailyn mopped Allacan’s brow with a cloth dipped in lavender-scented water and brushed her dark tresses into a sleek, neat braid. A somber crown for a mysterious soul. Lailyn thought the ink marking her skin did nothing to mar her beauty, though it lent her a distinct ferocity, one she hoped she held on to as she fought for her life against whatever this was. They spooned her tinctures of honeyed herbs and broths and food with patient and careful hands. Miraculously, Allacan took them during the moments when she wasn’t trying to push them away. Lailyn brought fresh flowers until the winter claimed them, then brought sprigs of pine and holly instead. There were times she felt helpless sitting there, but at least she had these little gestures, better than nothing.

Lailyn tried to ask questions, but it seemed that Allacan struggled to string the words together so she stopped. There were some strange moments when she felt a prickling on her neck as if someone were watching them. Every time it happened, she was slipping into slumber herself and when she started awake, there was no one else there. She brushed it off as a figment of her imagination or a wisp of the nightmares that slipped in unwelcome and unhallowed.

That was when she would pour herself a cup of tea and tell a story as much for her own sake as for Nia's and Allacan’s. She stuck to tales of victory, heroic deeds or those with happy endings. Elven tales of distant lands and times, Rohirric legends and occasionally, stories of her own past. The first time she rode a horse, the childhood adventures she took with her family into the wilderness, the time she conquered her fear of water and sailed on the Bay of Belfalas. Lailyn would tell as many stories as it took, sit and help for as many hours as she could while she waited and hoped for the best.

One night Lailyn came in bearing a single candle. She whispered the question that burned to be set free but she didn’t expect an answer.

“What happened to you?” Then, barely a hush, “who are you really?”

The candle flickered, faltering in a brief fight for life before it went out and the room was doused in darkness.

[The Good Hunter]

He Who Hunts
Outside the Village of Benton
(Private)

Andrādan’s aged face split into a self-satisfied grin. The little idyllic village was hard to find, the roads and trails that might have led to the hinterland spot seemed to work consciously against him, they went nowhere or turned away at the last moment and saw him ride into a stream or nearly off a cliff. Yet despite all the workings of whatever witchcraft this village held, he’d found it. No sorcery or magick could break him away from his task. He’d lost his horse on the search and been forced to take one from an outrider serendipitously travelling along the same road. He bore the man no ill will of course, but his mission was of far more importance than anything a mere messenger could have been relaying. He sniffed the air and fancied he could smell her. The grey dappled horse whinnied uncomfortably as he climbed off her and pulled her along by the reins. She was a willful beast, but she was close to breaking, he could sense it.

She wouldn’t be here, not even with his unnatural luck. A deserter like her would never try to come home to hide, it would be beyond foolish. She was cleverer than that. After all, the marshal had sent him, not some green trainee, to track her down and bring her back. The marshal new he was the best, not to be wasted on some random runaway. A merry hunt it had been so far as well. She went north, that much he could tell, but his first order of business was not to go north after her. Where was the thrill in that? He was a hunter. No, he was more than that. He was beyond that sort of thing. When he found her and caught her, he wanted it to be so inexorable, so complete, so total that it broke her spirit. Not only would she never try to run again, but she would be a cooperative tool for the marshal and himself, a blank slate upon which they could inscribe anything that wanted.

He wanted to know everything about the half-breed girl before he began to track her. He stayed in her room at the inn, stayed in the same space she occupied before she betrayed her oath and ran away. He walked the streets that she’d been seen on the day she disappeared. He ate lunch at the inn where she met the man she absconded with. A man far too old for her, by all accounts. After doing as much research as he could within Edoras he rode here, to her hometown, to her mother. From all the interviews he’d administered, the relationship between mother and daughter was strained at best, fractured at worse. Yet she could still give him vital information.

The village smelled of old hay and stale mead. It was a sad little village filled with dirty peasants who could barely scratch out a living. He had been plucked from such a village at an early age. He felt no pity for any of these people though. His nose wrinkled in distaste. He was aware of all the eyes on him, a dozen, a score, of mistrusting, suspicious eyes. He watched them too. He knew there would be at least one attempt, maybe two, to steal his horse or accost him. It would end in failure, naturally, but they would still try. He would spare the first and ply them for information in return for his benevolence, the second he would kill quickly and quietly and make sure the body disappeared.

He saw the man that would try first, a youngish looking man with hair more brown than blonde. His eyes were sharp and green, and his mouth was twisted and angular. He was dressed in what Andrādan barely recognized as clothing, same as the rest of the people here, but his were just a little cleaner, and fit just a little better. He could easily be turned into an informant. The lad looked full of himself. He stuck to the shadows, but he was not bent over like some hunchback freak. He was a watcher. Andrādan liked that. He gave a nod to the lad and sneered.

He came to an inn, the only inn in the wretched backwater village, the only building that was more than a story tall. He stabled his horse, she tried to bite him when he fed her an apple. “Tsk, tsk now,” he murmured in a singsongy voice. “None of that now.”

He sat in a table near the door with a clear view of the stables. A girl brought him a bowl of thin stew with barley and bits of beef.

“Tell me,” he said, his drawl slow and off putting. “Where can I find a woman named Aethelgifu? I need to talk to her about her daughter.”

[The Good Hunter]

He Who Hunts
The Village of Benton
(Private)

This town as filled with tiny, skittish mice. Andrādan scowled as the serving girl stammered something unintelligible and ran off, leaving him with a bowl of bad stewing steaming in front of him. He looked at it in revulsion. People didn’t know how to live out here in the hinterlands, this stew was barely edible. The smell coming off the steam was bland. Everything about this place was bland. There was nothing in this tiny town worth keeping. It would be a blessing, in the end, if everyone here suffered some unfortunate accident. A fire, especially at this dry time of year, would be a tragic necessity. The earth needed to be wiped of places like this. Once he left, no one would remember that this place ever existed. He fumed as he listened to the conversations in the inn. When he’d come in, everyone stopped and stared at him, slack-jawed and stupid, but no one dared to look him in the eye. This town was full of mice, and mice needed to be eradicated. He flexed his fingers over the spoon, cracking his knuckles as the tension coiled in his gut rose. A serpent was necessary when the mice were too thick, a necessary evil that would cleanse the land and disappear. He had long ago given over to the idea that he would be demonized, should he even be remembered, but that was okay with him. Villains were never sainted, but they were the ones that helped society become greater. IT was a sacrifice he was willing to make for his Rohan.

All of that was fine to think about, but none of it made his mood or his present situation any better. Eyes were still being cast his way, timid orbs hidden in shadow, and there were still murmurs of disapproval. What right did he have to just come inside and sit down? What right id did he have to even know that this backwater, sheep screwing village existed? What right did this interloper have to exist amongst them? He sat back in his chair, straightening his spine so that he stood taller than any of these farmers or foresters. It was a not-so-subtle way for Andrādan to show off his superiority. The castle forged sword at his hip, too, gave him an air of superiority. None of these mice would dare do anything to him. He wished they would though.

The marshal’s instructions had been clear: find Walpurga and force her to come back, don’t kill anyone unless it furthered the pursuit of his mission. There was no amount of mental gymnastics that he could see that would give him a way to kill every single person here. The marshal knew him well enough to give that stipulation. There was a reason she had his complete loyalty. Even though she didn’t allow him to kill whenever he wished, she would occasionally throw him bones to gnaw on. They’d met during the war, Andrādan was taking advantage of the chaotic opportunity to cleanse some of the Dunlending villages too close to the border. Instead of stopping him or threatening him with a court martial or prison, she joined him. More than that, she’d given a better strategic plan to wipe the villages out. Evidently, the marshal (before she was a marshal) felt the same way about Dunlendings and their corruptive proximity. They didn’t see each other again until after the end of the war, when peace broke out and covered the land in a slow, sweet decay. She, just like him, knew it was inevitable for their enemies to strike again. She employed him to strike before they had a chance. She gave him a clear mission, the first she’d given him: create chaos in Dunland by any means necessary. It was a mission he accomplished with relish. A contingent of diplomats made their way to Edoras to demand answers, but she cut them off at Dol Baran and, claiming they were assassins, slaughtered them all. She was raised to marshal for her heroism. She brought him with her to the city, a personal attack hound, an arrow ready to be pointed at the hearts of her enemies.

Walpurga had been a project of hers, a raw lump of steel for the uncivilized hinterlands. The marshal would turn her into a weapon, a hidden dagger she could use in the heart of her foes. But the wench betrayed her, spat at her generous offer, and betrayed the marshal’s loyalty toward her. She ran away, a thief in the night, a scuttling cockroach hiding from the blinding light of truth. The girl was a coward. She would pay for her disloyalty. Andrādan would see to that.

“Why are you looking for Aethelgifu?”

The strange backwater accent brought Andrādan out of his reverie. One of the men from the table next to him was staring at him. He was blonde with shoulder length hair. He looked cleaner than the rest, but still had old pig slop stains on his shirt. “I’m looking for her because I have questions to ask her,” Andrādan snapped.

The man was not taken aback, instead, he pressed forward, turning his chair so that he could face the dryhtguma. “It’s that daughter of hers, ain’t it? Walpurga,” he said the name with such disdain, if Andrādan wasn’t so put off, he would have laughed. “I always knew she was bound for trouble. Girl never fit in here, never wanted to. She looked us all like—”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Andrādan said, cutting the man off before he could go into a diatribe about how terrible Walpurga was, “but the conversation I intend to have with Aethelgifu is meant for her ears alone. I’m not at liberty to discuss why I need to talk to her.” It was not a confirmation that it was about Walpurga, but it wasn’t a denial either. If the girl ever tried to come back here, she would find the land even more toxic than when she’d left it.

He finished the stew, or the thing that called itself a stew. “Where does she live?”

The man pulled his greasy hair back and looked eastward reflexively. “She lives by herself up the road, the second farmhouse you’ll come across. She doesn’t come into to town much these days. Not since that girl of hers ran away. She join the Cavalry or something?”

Andrādan snorted, pushed his chair back, and stood. He tossed a gold coin to the man, stamped with the head of the old king. Like as not, that was more money than he’d ever seen in a single moment. A hushed murmur spread throughout the inn and all eyes returned to him as he stood. “Something like that.” He teased, “Thanks for the help.”

“I’m sure she’ll be in town later!” the man called back, staring at the gold. Now he thought the more information he gave the more money he’d get. Greedy little weasel. “She usually goes over the to market stalls to buy slop for her pigs! I can hold her there if you want—” Andrādan didn’t hear the rest, he exited the inn and the dingy, dirty atmosphere, He took a deep breath of fresh (or at least fresher) air and went around back to get the horse.

As he’d predicted, the boy he’d seen early was skulking around the stables, looking a dozen different directions as he struggled to undo the ropes keeping the horse in place. Andrādan caught him, laughed, and cut him off as the boy tried to run. He grabbed the boy’s arm and threw him against the wood of the stable. Horses whinnied irritably. Then, grabbing him by the neck, he pinned the boy to the wall.

“I was wondering if I’d see you again,” he said with a smug smile.

“I— I— I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please, please don’t hurt me. I won’t do it again. I promise, I’ll do whatever you want. I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me, please. I’ll do anything.

“Tell me about the woman Aethelgifu.”

“What?” the boy coughed. “What do you want with her? She’s just a pig farmer. Nothing special about her. A bitter old woman, that’s all she is. Angry at everyone and everything. What could you want with her?”

Andrādan smiled, a nasty twisted thing that looked like a shark. “Daughter’s gone and committed treason. Aethelgifu is going to have pay the piper.”

[The Good Hunter]

He Who Hunts
The Village of Benton
(Private)

The cottage was dull, nondescript, and without any distinguishing marks of personality. Even in a village as lifeless and solitary as Benton, the house in which Aethelgifu lived was banal. It was comprised of the same stone and thatch as any of the other houses he’d seen. It had large windows facing the east and the west with shutters that needed badly to be replaced. There were pigs about, Andrādan could hear their telltale snorts the closer he came to the house. Despite not being old, Aethelgifu had taken it upon herself to cast herself in the role of forest hag. The woods encroached upon her property on three sides, tall elm trees and thin willows looking regain their lost territory inch by inch. They cast a sort of twisted shadow across the entire farmette, dappling the land underneath them in deep purples and greens. The land itself was flat but away to the north was a hill and an arroyo running down the hill’s back that led to a neat little irrigation ditch. It was the wrong time planting and harvesting, but he could see the small field ready to be seeded. Despite his distaste for hinterland life, he could see the appeal of a place like this. It was quiet, it was isolated. Aethelgifu had chosen well. Hard to believe that the same woman gave birth to such a traitorous fool. He saw her a ways off too. She was the picture of Rohirrim beauty, tall and strong like an old oak tree with thick wavy blonde waving in the breeze. Her eyes were a wild green, as if she’d stolen some of the green of the trees for herself. If he was ever in want of a wife—

But no, he had other things to do long before settling down was something he could consider such a thing. In the meantime, he would have to hide his disdain for this prosaic, rural life. He cared nothing for the verdant fields and forests. He only cared that they carried on them the name of Rohan and that they would continue to hold that name til time immemorial. He put on a masque, as he often did. A masque of civility. His entire persona was a masque, a person suit designed to deceive so that he might walk amongst the sheep, a wolf searching out the plumpest and choicest. He’d managed to fool all sorts of people, from nobility down to the meanest commoner.

“Aethelgifu!” he called out, his horse whinnying.

She looked up, shading her eyes from sun. “Who goes there?”

He dismounted, smoothly leaping from his horse and landing without disturbing the ground beneath him. “I’ve come to discuss your daughter. She’s gone missing.”

--- * --- * --- * ---

She poured him a cup of cold milk and sat across the table; her green eyes unable to look him in the face. Beneath the masque of decency, he smiled. The letter from the marshal sat on the table between them, creating a gulf so wide and vast she looked as though she might slip beyond the horizon and fall off the edge. The letter marked out exactly what her daughter had done. It pronounced her a deserter and a traitor, the worst things one could be called in Rohan. It was stamped with the seal of the king and signed by the marshal herself, a massive “T” visible even from where he was sitting. Aethelgifu squirmed in her seat. Andrādan liked the position he was in. He leaned back in his chair and drank the milk, savoring it slowly as the tension built.

“Are you sure you have the right girl?” Aethelgifu’s voice was soft, subdued. “Are you certain it’s my daughter that’s done—done these things?”

“Quite certainly, ma’am, quite certain. There aren’t many in Edoras with your daughter’s particular description. Taller than half the riders with hair as black as midnight, build like a stallion herself? No, I’m afraid it’s true. Your daughter’s gone and deserted the Cavalry. She abandoned us not too long after she was given the rank of dryhtguma. Your daughter, Aethelgifu, is a traitor. She weaseled her way into the ranks of the eored, gained the trust of her marshals, then absconded in the night like a common thief. She’s fled, taking with her more than just the things she came to Edoras with. Not only has she stolen valuable resources Edoras desperately needs, but she wasted our time. We trained her, we educated her, we taught her how to hold a sword and fight. She repaid our trust and loyalty with desertion and cowardice. Tell me, Aethelgifu, if she were not your daughter, what would you think of her?”

The Rohir was silent for some time, eye darting between his face and the letter. There was disbelief, anger, frustration, worry, and dismay written all over her facial features. Either she was bad at concealing her emotions or she was too stunned to even try. Andrādan was, either way, disappointed in her. “So you think she’s come here? Back home?”

He laughed, a callous sound that spoke loudly of his hidden disdain. “No, no. My lady, I know enough of her story to know that Walpurga would never come back here, either to risk guilt by association or to suffer the same kind of scorn she endured for last twenty years of her life. No, I know she’s not here.”

Aethelgifu stiffened, but she didn’t deny the unspoken accusation. It was alright for her to think poorly of her daughter, to think that she would only amount to the pitfalls her father’s legacy set out of her, but to hear it from the lips of someone that she had in fact done exactly that and that she was partially to blame for her daughter’s desertion was difficult pill to swallow.

“I don’t care where’s she’s been,” he continued after a moment. “I only care where she’s going. So tell me Aethelgifu, where is your daughter going?”

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

& where now, across the world's sprawling lands, do they roam?

[The Good Hunter]

In Rubble and Spoil
The Fields of Rohan, a Few Days After
(Private)

His head still hurt. Likely, Drudkh knew, his head would hurt for the rest of his life. However long he was allowed to live, he would feel the pain of the thorns piercing and scrapping against his skull. Isengard and the horrors of the fetid waters were leagues behind now, but they were never far behind him. The Ent had let him live, promising a life of horrible servitude. The crown upon his head was to be an ever-present reminder of the Ents oath.

“Until the shadows of the forest return and cover the earth once more…”

The voice of the Ent still rang in the uruk’s stomach, a stone growing heavier and heavier as he moved away from the ruin and rubble.

He’d been forced to spend that entire night beneath the waters of what was now being called Treegarth. The Ent provided him with a reed to breath and told him that if he is caught, he would die a very painful death, crushed and squeezed like a grape, his head twisted round and round until he exploded, his limbs pulled off like fly wings. There was a malevolent glint in tree’s eye, a challenge, a wistful hope that the orc might try and make a run for it. Drudkh sank like a stone. The waters were cold and smelled of rot and festering swamp, slag swirled around his legs, cutting and scrapping against his submerged form. He did not dare to move. He stayed in that water until the sun’s rays vanished in the west and purple darkness swam across the surface of the water. Even then, when the watch upon the ruined fortress was lessened, Drudkh could feel eyes of burning wrath upon him. He could feel the cold regard of hungry things and knew just how fragile and vulnerable he was.

An uruk made to fear was a terrible thing. They were not meant to be afraid yet know that was all he could conceive. His fingers were stiff and unbending in the cold air, nearly breaking as he tried to form them into fists. He’d been in the water so long now that he could smell his wounds festering.

Once free of Isengard and free of the weight of the eyes of Ents, Drudkh ran. He ran for a day and a half in any direction that took his fancy. He was heedless and careless. His fear and trepidation were the only things that gave him the energy to keep moving. His feet hurt, his limbs ached, and his head throbbed. Yet he could not slow. There was no distance he could reach that was far enough away from the rubble and spoil of Isengard. The smell of his fellow uruk’s bodies, rotting and floating in fetid waters still clung to him like pond scum. He could still feel the cold of the dark waters beneath the forges, could still see in his mind’s eye the things that swam in those waters after they’d despoiled the ironworks, all tentacles and eyes and teeth.

He shuddered. The sun was hot and high above him but he felt not a bit of its warmth. He crested a hill and stopped, collapsed. The air in his lungs was thin, barely allowing him to breath at all. He lay there, an uruk, an abomination of nature and anathema to all goodness amidst a field of green and yellow and blue. He would have laughed at such divine obscenities if he but had the breath to do so. He lay then, silent, staring at the cerulean sky as the sun wheeled over him. Clouds drifted by, considering him before moving off, twisting like ever changing shapeshifters. He envied them. He wished he could shed the corporeal shell that he’d been forced into. He had been born without his consent, brought roaring and screaming into a world that hated everything he was and everything that he was believed to stand for. He’d been fed a diet of hateful philosophy and megalomaniac rhetoric until his own thoughts were naught but mirrors to the hatred of his masters and his fellows, a bright mass of shining dark malignancy, festering in the heart of Middle-earth.

What was he now? What is an uruk bereft of purpose? Drudkh had no one to hate but himself and no weapon upon which to bloody that hatred. He was trapped, just as the Ent had wanted. Trees were cruel creatures, spiteful with long memories and twisting plots.

Drudkh sat up and stared south, in the direction of Isengard. A small grove of trees stood at the bottom of the hill. They towered over the ground with shadows that dripped of verdant blood. There had been no trees there when he was at the bottom of the hill. They did not move, but he could see things that suggested movement to him, intent and consideration of him. Perhaps he ought to walk down that hill and enter the grove, waiting for an eternal embrace.

A crow appeared beside him, materializing out of the stone for all he knew, and cawed at him. The raucous sound startling him out of his existential stupor.

“Thornspawn!” the bird cried.

Drudkh stared fixed at the beast, not daring to speak or move.

“Thornspawn!” the creature repeated. “Find others! Find others! Thornspawn! Find others!”

Drudkh didn’t understand. He squinted at the bird, tried to reach for him but the bird hopped away and pecked at him. He winced, a thorn digging anew into his scalp.

“What are you talking about you infernal beast?”

“Thornspawn!”

“What is Thornspawn?” he roared. The crow fluffed up its feathers in agitation. “Oh,” the uruk said, realization coming to him with the cold grip of iron fingers. “The Ent.”

The crow bobbed its head. “Find others! Find others! Thornspawn! Wait! Find others! Wait! Find the Witch!”

The bird’s cacophonous voice was hurting his head. He tried to shoo it away but the bird bounced up onto his chest and pecked at his exposed face.

“You murderous little—”

The bird cawed and stripped off a piece of his nose. He howled and swung at the bird, but it was too light. It laughed and stared at him whilst swallowing the lump of bloody flesh.

“Thornspawn!” it cried like a protective ward.

Drudkh stopped. If he killed this vile little pest the Ent would know. He didn’t know how or why or when, but the Ent would find out and would crush him into oblivion or something much worse. He kicked a rock at the bird.

“How am I meant to do any of that?” he shouted at the bird. “Find others? What does that even mean? More orcs? What? What witch? Who are you talking about?”

“Thornspawn!” the bird cried again, unconcerned for the uruk’s consternation. “Find others! Find others! Find the Witch!”

Drudkh roared. The crow remained where it was but a flock of birds on a nearby hill took to flight, scattering and calling out angrily.

“How am I supposed to do any of that? I have no weapons. No resources. I don’t even bloody well know where I am! What am I supposed to do, eh you stupid bird?”

The bird cawed and a sound like laughter came from its bloody beak.

“Sod it,” Drudkh said and went for the bird, consequences be damned.

The bird, though, was too quick for him, too quick by far. It was hovering several feet in the air before the uruk had a chance to swing at it. He swung at the empty air anyway.

Then he saw a house, or the remains of a house. A fire must have torn through the area recently. The house was not in good shape. One wall was completely gone while another was on the verge collapsing. The roof sagged under its own weight. There was a stable made of stone nearby that looked in better condition. Drudkh thought he heard the sound of neighing, but that was surely just his imagination.

The crow cawed at him then fluttered away. Drudkh didn’t pay the meddlesome corvid any mind. The place appeared as though it had been abandoned long ago, long before the fire overwhelmed it. Still, there might be something inside. A weapon or something the uruk could improve into a weapon. And if there was a horse nearby. Well maybe the Ent’s mission might not be so impossible after all. Find others? He could find some of his fellows. Surely there were survivors from the battle, stragglers that escaped the slaughter and bloodbath? They would be hunted and harried of course, but they might still be alive somewhere.

Drudkh’s head hurt, the thorns scrapped against his pate with agonizing repetitiousness. His limbs hurt and his body ached. His lungs were afire, and his mind was far afield.

But he had a task in front of him now, and an uruk is good with a task.

[Rillewen]

Private - Flashback (Part 1)

Strawberry - Third Age, either late 3018 or early 3019
Encountering 3 teen boys and a bunch of Dunlendings
In the mountains of the Westfold, somewhere on the North-Western side of the mountain Starkhorn

She’d been traveling in the mountains for a few days. So far, she hadn’t encountered another person. So, Strawberry was startled to hear a commotion ahead. She swiftly ducked down behind a wide tree, and listened carefully. The language was unfamiliar to her. But she heard some shouting, and it sounded as if someone was making demands, and another person replied in a frightened voice. Frowning, she listened for a moment before moving cautiously closer, since the people were too far away for her to see them yet. Moving from tree to tree, ducking behind bushes and boulders, Strawberry gradually moved closer until she found herself having reached the top of a ridge, overlooking a shallow canyon at the base of a river. The sun was low in the sky already, but she could see the scene well enough to realize there was trouble.

Several people with dark hair and swarthy skin surrounded a young man, not much older than her. He had blond hair, and his hands were bound, hanging above his head from a post, and had bruises and wounds on him from being beaten. She couldn’t understand what the man was asking him because his accent was so strange to her, but she heard the boy respond, in an equally foreign accent, “I don’t know!” As she watched, the dark man struck the blond boy again in the stomach, and he cried out and sagged against the post, held up only by his bound hands.

Strawberry’s grip tightened on the rock in front of her, tensing as she watched this. Whoever those people were, whoever the boy was.. whatever he had done, he did not deserve to be beaten like that, with his hands bound and all. She narrowed her eyes, inwardly seething as she tried to think of how she could help him. But, there were too many of the dark haired men around him. She could fight some of them, but not all of them before she’d be overpowered. She bit her lip, trying to think of a plan as she stayed quiet, wincing with every blow the boy took.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to watch for long. The boy appeared to be unconscious, and the leader of the dark people gave an order to his people, and two of them dragged the blond boy off into a cave, dragging between them. Strawberry had not noticed the entrance before now, but she watched, green eyes following their progress until the dark opening swallowed them up. She felt tense, worrying about what might be happening to the boy. Was he being taken off to be killed? What could she do? She was only one girl. There were at least twenty or more of those men.

She saw nothing more of the boy, but both of the men came back out and sat by the fire with their friends. An hour, maybe, passed. The tribe or whatever they were, settled down for their evening, cooking food over a fire. The smell of food made her hungry, but Strawberry ignored it the best she could and took note of how many guards were posted around the camp, and where each was located. And still, she waited until everything had become quiet and the people had time to get comfortable. She watched until the majority of the camp had laid down to sleep. Another waiting a little bit longer, she figured those who were on guard must’ve had time to lower their guard a bit. Then, she began to move. Slowly. Stealthily.

Due to the course she took, only one guard stood in her way; at the mouth of the cave. She had taken a winding path that allowed her to creep past the others, but this one wasn’t going to be so easy. After a moment’s thought, she took up a pinecone and tossed it past the guard, so that it drew his attention away from where Strawberry crouched, almost directly behind him. As soon as he turned, she leaped, one arm wrapping tight around his neck, while the other clamped hard against his mouth. Surprised, he struggled a bit, but she had caught him by surprise, and soon he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. She breathed a sigh of relief as she let go of him, then hastened to tie him up, complete with a gag to make sure he didn’t wake up and call out a warning to his fellows.

After she felt confident that he was secure, she cautiously ventured into the cave, dragging the man along with her, with much effort. She left him just inside, so that he wasn’t out in plain sight of the others. Then, she continued on her way, eyes blinking as she tried to get them to adjust to the darkness a bit more quickly. The further in she went, the harder it was to see. But she kept going, slowly, steadily, her feet testing the ground while her hands groped along the walls.

After she had gone a long ways in, she finally began to see a little. There was a torch somewhere ahead, she realized, stuck into a crevice in the cave wall. Her progress slowed to a stop, realizing that could also mean that there was another guard in there. She crouched behind a stalagmite, looking and listening, turning her head this way and that to try and see where the torch was placed. Then, after a moment, she managed to spot the guard. The cave had a sort of ‘pocket’ of space, which the swarthy men had blocked off with tree branches, thus forming a cage door. One of the captors sat on a rock beside the blocked-off opening, so that no one would get past him. He was busy eating some cooked meat, and seemed to be taunting whoever was inside the cage.

Frowning at this sight, Strawberry took a moment to think, realizing she would need to either draw him away, or fight him. After thinking for a moment, Strawberry could come up with no better plan than the one she was already thinking. Therefore, she slipped her pack quietly off of her shoulders, rolled her shoulders slightly to recover from its weight, then stood up. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into view, kicking a rock to make enough noise to ensure she’d be noticed.

The man blinked, then leaped to his feet and exclaimed something in a language she didn’t understand.

Strawberry stopped and looked at him as if startled, pretending she hadn’t seen him until now. Then she turned and started hurriedly back the way she had come.

The man hesitated for a second in surprise, then pursued her.

As soon as she had led him far enough away from where he had left his torch, so the darkness began to close in around them, Strawberry dropped low and off to one side, and stuck her foot out, tripping him. As soon as he lurched forward, she came up behind him and looked to see if she needed to do anything more. He had caught himself against a stalagmite, unfortunately. He pushed off from it and turned to face her, and found a foot planted hard into his ribs, which knocked him forcefully back against the stalagmite. Strawberry followed up with a kick to the side of his knee, which brought a yelp of pain as she felt and heard a very uncomfortable ‘crunch’ type sound. He collapsed against the stalagmite, clutching his knee in pain. Strawberry paused, then finished with a swift, spinning, arching kick that struck his chin. She breathed a sigh of relief as he tumbled to the ground, unconscious.

Then she turned and hurried back to the barred-off section of the cave to find out who that boy was. Then, they still had to get out of this place without bringing the rest of those men after them, too.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone’s lured the guard away..”

“What? Who?”

Strawberry was surprised to hear more than one voice murmuring in hushed excitement and curiosity. As she approached, she saw that three blond young men were peering out, trying to see what the commotion was.

A chill went down her spine as she stared at this scene. Some sort of dark memories stirred, though she couldn’t seem to get it to surface, and quickly gave up as she decided she didn’t want them to. Shaking her head slightly, she cleared her throat. She must focus on the situation at hand, she told herself as she began to inspect the cage door. The captors had secured a thick upright beam to the side of the opening. Several smaller, thinner beams had been lashed onto it to form bars with cross pieces for extra security, and the ‘post’ was set between the ground and roof in such a way that it could swivel, thus forming a hinge. The other side had another post. But to her surprise, the primitive cell door was secured with a rusty-looking padlock, rather than any crude, handmade sort of lock. She frowned, examining this briefly, then looked through the gaps between the bars. She counted three young men inside, all with blond hair, and all appeared older than she believed herself to be. “Who are you guys? Why’re you in here?” She asked in a whisper.

The youngest-looking of the trio spoke up. “I’m Xyler, and this is Éadmód, and his brother Eódnere…”

“Those Dunlendings out there, they captured us weeks ago.. they’re going to kill us.” Eódnere explained in a frightened voice.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Eadmod asked.

“Can you get us out of here?” Xyler asked, cutting him off with a more important question. “I.. saw you take out that guard.. that was amazing.”

“I’m… well.. it doesn’t matter.” Strawberry hesitated, glancing at Eódnere and Eadmod, then back at Xyler. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here.”

“How do you plan to do that? The leader guy’s got the key.” Éadmód scowled. “Believe me, no one’s getting that door open.”

“Yeah, thanks for nothing.” His brother added gloomily. “Now you’ve probably just made them angry.”

Strawberry looked again at him, raising an eyebrow, then pulled out her thin piece of metal with a little hook at one end, and another that was bent into an L. These had worked for her so far, and so she would try it again. “Just hang on a second, alright?” Ignoring them for now, she slipped them into the keyhole of the padlock and focused on what she was doing. She put her ear close to it. She had done this a few times by now and mostly knew what she was doing. Some locks, she knew, were harder than others. She had no idea how or when she had learned to do this, but it was coming in very handy right now. The only problem was, this lock was rusty, so the pins weren’t moving very smoothly, which made it difficult.

After she had been focused on her task for a moment, she heard Éadmód comment, “See, told you. She’ll never get that door open.” he sighed.

Taking a deep breath, Strawberry tried to focus again. Tune them out. Ignore them. She listened closely, using the pick to feel around inside the lock. She frowned, trying to figure out what exactly she needed to push, or did she need to nudge that one in more?

“They’re going to replace the guards soon,” One of the brothers muttered.

“Yep... She’ll be caught and tossed in here with us.”

“Will you both shut up?” Xyler whispered, shushing them.

At last, she heard the click. Smiling in relief, Strawberry slid her picks back up her sleeve and swung the door open.

“How did you…” Éadmód sounded astonished.

“You did it!” Éadnere sounded amazed.

“Come on, best hurry, unless you want to stick around for them to replace the guards.” She suggested, shooing them out of the small chamber. She noticed, as they got up and joined her on this side of the cage, that they all seemed rather weak and shaky, moving as if they might collapse any moment.

“We’ll try,” Éadmód sounded doubtful, which hardly surprised her at this point. “But couldn't you give us something to eat?”

“We’ve had nothing to eat since they captured us.” Xyler explained quietly. "And only enough water to keep us alive."

Strawberry looked from the former to the latter, then nodded. She could certainly understand how that would make them weak, but she didn't have much to offer. She took a slow breath. “Well, we’ll do the best we can to get out of here. Then we’ll get some food as soon as we can.” She promised. “Can you all at least walk?”

Eadmod held onto the bars of the cage door to support himself. “I don’t know… I can barely stand.” He admitted. His brother looked pretty close to passing out, too.

Strawberry glanced around, then grabbed the chunk of meat off the wooden plate the Dunlending man had left behind, and tore the meat into three pieces. “Here, that should hold you over until we get out of here.” She handed a piece to each boy, then pulled the torch off the wall and glanced back down the tunnel. How much time did they have?

While they were eating, she went back down the tunnel a bit, retrieved her pack, then took a moment to tie up the other guard before he woke up. That being accomplished, she returned to the guys. “Are we ready to go?” She asked, feeling a bit anxious to get going.

They had made short work of the meat, and it had helped revive them a bit. “Well.. there were two others in our group,” Xyler mentioned uncertainly. “Theonere and Dernthain.. the Dunlendings took Theo first.” He explained. “Then Dern, a few hours ago. We haven’t seen either of them since.”

Strawberry paused to consider this. The other two could be dead. She was well aware that that could be possible, although she knew that one of them had been alive earlier, because none of these three were the one she had seen outside, earlier. But, why wouldn’t they have put him back into the cell with the others, if he was still alive? She frowned. And yet… what if they weren’t dead? She couldn’t leave without knowing. But.. before she could make a decision, the sound of voices could be heard, echoing down from the cave’s opening. She turned to look back the way she’d come, then back at the young men. “We’d best move, now.” She whispered. “Do you know if these tunnels come out another way?”

“I.. I think so. I mean, they brought us in through that way.” Eadmod answered, and pointed down the way the tunnel continued. “I think it was that way, right?” He glanced at his brother for confirmation, who nodded slightly.

Strawberry nodded and handed the torch to Éadmód, who appeared to be the oldest. “Lead the way, I’ll bring up the rear.” She suggested. “Come on, let’s go, hurry.” She urged them onward, keeping to the back of the line to guard from the rear, and together they hurried off down the tunnel.

---

(Private)

Strawberry
Late Sept, Year 1, 4th Age
In the mountains of the Westfold, somewhere on the North-Western side of the mountain Starkhorn

It had been a few years since she’d been in these mountains, but she thought she remembered the way fairly well. Still, Strawberry hadn’t been looking for this place the first time she’d come here. She’d simply stumbled upon it by accident, then. She hadn’t expected to have to come back to these parts, of course. So, it wasn’t like she’d made a map or anything, but her memory, ironically, was fairly good. At least, when it came to things that had happened after… whatever had caused her to forget her whole prior life.

For a moment, she stood still, looking around. The mountains hardly seemed changed, yet she had to take a little while to figure out what landmarks she was looking for. Which way had she come before? She hadn’t been trying to memorize her route then, she had only been traveling aimlessly, back in those days. Ironically, she had been trying to go somewhere where her foe wouldn't think to find her, then. Now, she was trying to encourage him to come after her. But not without reason.

After parting ways from the stranger who'd showed up at her campsite, Strawberry had traveled swiftly in one direction, heading toward a particular mountain, and pressed on as far as she could go for a few hours. But then, after the whole thing last night, she began to wonder if the guy was even coming after her. Maybe he'd decided to stay behind and enjoy the rest of the jousting event. But somehow, she doubted it.

After a while, having paused to eat, Strawberry considered whether to keep going swiftly, to make sure he didn't catch up to her, or wait someplace to see if he actually was after her. It would be nice to be sure... after all, the whole point of this was to lead him away from other people. And if she went through all the trouble of leading him on a chase, she'd be pretty annoyed to then find out that he didn't even bother to come. But on the other hand, she didn't want to let him get so close that she might actually be in danger of being caught by him. So, she had to come up with a solution before she went onward.

In the end, she decided to travel in a wide circle and leave a semi-easy trail for him to find, so that he would follow it and end up right back where he started. And that might give her an opportunity to wait somewhere to see if he was actually behind her.

She made a winding, meandering circle and ended up back at the cluster of boulders, where she had stopped for lunch, and it was nearly dusk by the time she returned. She found herself a hollow tree in which to hide, and stationed herself there to wait. And wait she did, until a horse and rider finally came along, around morning. It was him. She smiled to herself as she watched, hidden from view, as he set off following the trail she had left.

Strawberry waited a long time after he was no longer in view, and after she'd heard the sound of his horse's hooves fade away. Then she slipped out of her hiding place and set off, continuing on her way. But this time, she was careful not to leave a trail that he'd find easily. She took paths that on foot, she could cut across areas that a person on horseback could not access, and therefore, she managed to gain some distance on him despite his so-called 'advantage'... because he probably figured he'd be quicker than her, being on horseback.


Now, she had no idea how far behind her he was. She'd had to cross the mountain range to get on the opposite side of them. The Rohan side. It had taken her days. Occasionally, she'd leave some clue behind to encourage him to keep following. Like throwing him a bone, she thought with amusement. Just enough to let him know, if he even knew what to look for, that he was still on her trail.

Now that she'd arrived at the right area, it took her a while of wandering the mountainside before she came across anything that looked familiar. She knew she’d come this way before, but it had been years ago. So, she had to find the right path. She'd lured him out this far, but it wouldn't do much good if she didn't know where she was when he caught up to her.

The sun was sinking low in the horizon when she finally spotted the place she was looking for. Strawberry slowed her pace, approaching with much more caution. She looked carefully to be certain, then smiled in relief. Yes, it was just over that ridge was where she had once come upon a group of Dunlendings, tormenting a Rohirric boy. This was the place she had been seeking. Now, she would locate the Dunlending tribe, and commence with her plan.

But when she made her way cautiously over the ridge, there was nothing to indicate that anyone dwelt here now. Strawberry frowned as she came across years-old evidence of the camp that had once been here, but nothing recent. It was with some disappointment that she realized that they had moved on and abandoned this area. While she hadn’t exactly wanted a reunion with them, she’d been counting on the Dunlending tribe still being here. To be honest, she had sort of been hoping they might take care of her problem for her, although she really didn’t quite know how she truly felt about it, yet. Regardless, now she’d have to readjust her plan.

Maybe the cave, with all its tunnels, would prove useful? She still had no idea what exactly she would do with him, if she did catch him, but to be honest, she didn't quite expect to be able to. But she'd cross that bridge as she came to it, if she ever did.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
Somewhere around the base of the White Mountains, Gondor side

The woods seemed endless. Mar had grown up near a small patch of woods, and he thought he knew how to navigate in them. But as he reined in the horse, he found himself staring at a twisted tree that had grown strangely. A rather distinctive tree that he remembered passing a few hours ago. He looked down at the ground, searching for tracks. And they were there, just as they had been hours ago. Only now, they were that much older. And they still led in the same direction he had went in, hours ago. He swore as he realized she'd just led him around in a big circle, wasting hours of daylight. He sat for a moment, thinking about how to proceed from here.

Logically speaking, if she'd made a big circle, then she would have ended up right back here. Therefore, the trail that she must have left from this point on should resume from some point around here. He just had to find it. Dismounting, he tied off his horse to a nearby tree, then began to search around the area for any fresher signs. But he was not a ranger, nor had he ever had any training in the skill of tracking. He spent at least another hour, trying to find some sort of trail. He was fighting his temper, knowing she'd probably gained several more hour's head start on him. He should have seen this coming.

Finally, as dusk began to settle in around the young man, he clenched his jaw and stood with clenched fists, taking slow breaths. "Think you've beat me, huh?" He muttered. She was probably laughing, wherever she was. He remembered Reilly mentioning before that his father had taught him a few things about tracking, and he figured the girl must have learned the same sort of tricks. Which meant that she had an advantage over him. Muttering curses under his breath, Mar was forced to face the fact that he was outmatched, and that his chances of picking up her trail now were very slim. He glanced up at the darkening sky and let out a sigh of frustration. He was going to have to get help, as much as he disliked the idea.

Going back to the horse, he ignored the way she shied away from him. He grabbed the reins and mounted, despite her trying to dance away. Once back in the saddle, he yanked the reins to pull her around in a circle, making sure she knew who was in charge. Once the mare had reluctantly submitted to her rider, he kicked her sides and set off back the way he had come. It would take him half of the night to return to a little village he'd passed on the way here, but with any luck, he would find someone there to aid him in his quest.

He was weary by the time he rode in, and it was quite late. Fortunately, there was a small inn there, and a stable where he was able to put his horse for the night. He spoke briefly with the innkeeper and made inquiries about the possibility of hiring a guide to help him track a criminal in the mountains. The innkeeper promised to ask around, when morning came, and so Mar went to his room and slept until the innkeeper came to wake him, with news that he had located a possible guide.

Mar dressed as swiftly as his arms would allow him. His injuries were still rather quite painful, and his right arm still gave him much trouble. He was recovering, but it still hurt to move it in certain ways. He probably ought to have a healer look at it, but he didn't have that luxury right now. Instead, as soon as he was dressed, he came to the small common room to meet the possible guide. He figured he might also have a bit of breakfast while they talked, and if this person had not yet eaten, he would offer to pay for them something, also. He just hoped whoever it was, would be willing to help him.

---

Private - Flashback

|
Strawberry | Xyler
With npcs, Éadmód & Éadnere
In the mountains of the Westfold
Now somewhere on the North-Eastern side of the mountain Starkhorn
Third Age, either late 3018 or early 3019

They had only gone a short way down the tunnel before the boy in the lead stumbled and fell. The torch flickered a little as it hit the sand, before his brother hurried to grab it up from the ground. “Come on, Éadmód, we must go.” Éadnere urged his brother.

Éadmód seemed unable get up again. “I’m too weak,” He mumbled faintly, shaking his head slightly.

“I am too… but we can’t let them catch up to us.” The younger told him, resting against a rock formation, looking a bit shaky, himself.

Strawberry held back a sigh and glanced behind them anxiously, well aware of the sound of the Dunlendings not too far behind in the cave. They would soon arrive at the cage and realize their prisoners were missing. If they hadn’t already.

“Here, let me help Éadmód, and you see if you can help Éadnere.” Xyler suggested as he went over to help the boy, pulling the older boy’s arm around his shoulders so that he could help support him.

Strawberry watched, thinking Xyler must be pretty close to collapsing, himself, if they’d all had the same lack of food for the same amount of time. But he seemed determined enough, and she hoped that would be enough to keep him on his feet.

With a little nod, she went to assist the other brother, despite him being significantly taller than her. “We can’t stop, no matter how tired and faint you are.” She told them in a whisper. “Come on.”

The tunnel twisted and turned, and in places, forked. It seemed like it would never end. Not for the boys, who were weak from hunger, and not for Strawberry, who was having to mostly support one of them, while anxious about the enemy catching up with them. They didn’t move fast enough for her liking, and she kept her ears open for sounds that meant they were getting too close.

Fortunately, the sounds of pursuit faded after a point. She could only guess that the swarthy men had taken longer than she thought to discover that their prisoners had escaped, but she still didn’t trust that they were safe yet. And she had no idea whether they were taking the correct branches of the tunnel, since it seemed that the boys were rather uncertain which way they had come. But she figured it was better to keep moving even if they went the wrong way, than to stop moving, from indecisiveness.

Eventually, to her great relief, a glimmer of moonlight was visible ahead, accompanied by a breath of fresh air. The four of them hastened toward it eagerly, crawling through a tangle of brush that grew thickly around the opening, and finally emerged into the open. Strawberry looked around swiftly to check that there were no enemies around, but they seemed to be alone, on the side of the mountain. They seemed to be in a different area than where she had entered the cave, but she could tell by the position of the moon and stars above that she was still on the same side of the mountain as where she had entered. She estimated that they had traveled a couple of miles further along the side of the mountain.

“I can’t believe it!” Éadmód panted, collapsing onto the ground at last. “We escaped! We’re out!”

“Yes, but shush,” Strawberry warned him as she looked around, giving them a chance to rest. “We don’t know if any of those Dundelings might be lurking around. Do you want them to find us?”

“Right…” He looked properly chastised, glancing around nervously.

“Hey, wait..” Éadnere spoke up then, surprised as he realized something. “We’re almost home.”

“Eódnere, we must be leagues from home.” Éadmód disagreed, rolling his eyes.

“No, we’re not,” The other disagreed. “I think this is the place where we were camped when they captured us.”

“He’s right.” Xyler agreed. “It’s not far, anyway. That explains how they’re able to strike at our village and disappear so quickly…” He frowned, taking a look around in the moonlight. “I know this place. I recognize that patch of herbs over there. I’ve been here, foraging for Grandma, many times.” He marveled. “How did I never see this cave here?”

“No way. You’re nuts, Xyler.” Éadmód scoffed. “There’s no way this is-”

“Are you sure it’s the same place?” Strawberry asked, cutting Éadmód off, thinking it would be very good if they were close to their home, because they could get there quickly.

“Yes. Very sure.” Xyler insisted. “I remember that tree there, with the sorta twisted branch.. and this rock, I’ve sat here to eat lunch, many times!” He shivered slightly. “I had no idea how close I was to-”

“Don’t think about it.” Strawberry said softly. “Is there anything around here to eat?” She asked, for their sake, not her own. “Something that might help?” She nodded toward the two brothers, but she meant for him, too.

Xyler brightened at that question, and dragged himself upright before going a little ways off into the woods, without offering a reply.

Strawberry frowned, torn between following him, or staying with the other two, who were either weaker than him, or simply being more dramatic about it. She decided to wait with the other two. Xyler returned after a moment, with handfuls of small red berries. He held out one to each brother. “Here. Eat these.” He instructed.

They both accepted the berries with only a slightly questioning glance before eagerly eating them.

“What are those?” Strawberry asked, resting her back against a tree, with one foot propped up against the trunk under her.

“Schisandra berries,” Xyler answered. “They come from a vine, and the berries have energy-boosting and stress-fighting benefits. Do you have a knife?”

She blinked at him. “Ski… right…” She wasn’t even going to try and pronounce that. “A knife?” She focused on that instead. “Of course, why?”

“Come on,” He smiled. “There’s something else that’ll help, over here.” He took off through the underbrush, leaving her to follow in puzzlement.

Strawberry found him crouching by some blackish rocks, waiting for her.

“See this dark resin-like stuff?”

“Yeah…”

“I need some scraped off.” He explained.

Strawberry paused for a moment to check if he was serious. He looked like it. “What is it?” She asked, glancing around before crouching next to him. She cautiously touched a little and found that it was a bit sticky.

“It’s called Shilajit,” Xyler answered.

She shook her head at yet another weird, hard to pronounce name. “Right, of course that’s what it’s called.” She muttered. “So, what is it, exactly?”

“Well… it’s a sort of resin,” He shrugged. “It’s used to restore vitality, but not many people know about it. Grandma says it’s rich in minerals and nutrients, which makes it so great for overall health, and for boosting energy.”

Strawberry looked a bit surprised as she absorbed this information. She nodded as she began to scrape some of the stuff off of the rocks with her knife. She offered the first chunk to Xyler. “That’s intresting.” She commented. “So, how do you… take it?” She asked, unsure what the process was. “Eat it?”

Xyler smiled wryly. “Well, normally Grandma would go through a process of cleaning it and making sure it’s pure…. then she’d dissolve it in some warm milk, or else cook it down and make it into candy.” He looked at the glob of resin in his hand, wrinkling his nose a bit. “But this is… a special situation. We don’t have any of that, nor the time to do anything else.” He put it in his mouth, making a face as he chewed, and chewed, and chewed.

Strawberry watched, wrinkling nose nose in sympathy as she watched him suffer through the apparently unpleasant taste. While he was chewing the sticky tar-like stuff, she scraped off two more globs and placed them each onto the leaf of a poplar tree, and then they walked back to where they had left the other two.

“Here. Eat this,” She offered a glob to each of the other boys.

“What is this?”

“Ew, it’s all sticky…”

“Best eat it,” Xyler managed to say, having swallowed his own portion by now. .

Strawberry got her canteen out of her pack and poured a small amount onto her hands to wash the stickiness off, then offered it to Xyler after realizing he might need some water to wash away the taste.

“Thanks,” He said quietly, accepting it gratefully. There was still some stuck in his back teeth, but he had eaten the most part of it.

“No way.” Both brothers shook their heads and refused. “We’ll stick to those berries.” The elder declared.

Xyler sighed slightly. “Your loss.” He shrugged. “I guess I’ll bring the rest of that home to Grandma, then.” He decided, passing the canteen back. Then he paused as he looked at her. “You never told us your name.” He realized.

Strawberry nodded as she offered the canteen to Eódnere, making sure that he got a drink before passing it to Éadmód. “No, I didn’t.” She confirmed.

“Well? What is it?” He asked, waiting.

Strawberry smiled mysteriously. “I can’t tell you that.”

There was a brief pause, in which all three of them looked at her in surprise and confusion. The silence stretched on for a moment until Xyler finally broke it. “Why’s that?”

Strawberry shrugged. “Cause, I don’t remember it.” She paused with a glance around at them each, then added, “I lost my memory…” She sighed, a little tired of having to explain this to everyone she met, but at least she hadn’t met a lot of people so far. She glanced at him with a small smile. “I’m called Strawberry, though.”

“Strawberry?” Xyler repeated with surprise, looking a little amused. “Alright... Interesting. Well, thanks, Strawberry. You saved our lives.” He told her more seriously. “We owe you a lot.”

“Sure, but you aren’t entirely safe just yet, you know.” She reminded him, glancing at that cave opening. So far, there was nothing to indicate any danger, but she didn’t know if it would be wise to stay here much longer. Still, she figured they’d need to rest, and she’d like a little more information. “So, anyway…” Strawberry glanced around at them. “What happened? How’d you end up getting captured, anyway?” Without making it too obvious, she stood nearest to the cave exit, listening for any stirrings to indicate pursuit. But she felt it best to wait a bit before going back down there… give them time to settle down.

For a moment, none of them spoke. Strawberry looked at Éadmód, then his brother, then Xyler.

The latter was the one who answered her question after a lengthy pause. “The, uh, Dunlendings are always attacking and raiding our village.” He explained. “They’ve killed and taken captive many of our people, loved ones, over the years. So… a few weeks ago, one of our group, who’s... gone,” He glanced toward the cave entrance, which was rather well hidden, now that he looked. “Dern, he had this idea to go looking for their camp, to spy and see if we could spot any of the captives they’ve taken from our village. He thought some of them might still be alive,” He added, looking down. “So he suggested we could launch a rescue if we found anyone.” He sighed heavily and glanced up briefly.

“He talked us all into coming along,” Éadnere added. “He made it seem like such a great idea…”

“Right,” Xyler looked down again. “Anyway. So.. we followed some tracks, and then.. one night, they surprised us while we were sleeping. Took us all captive… and we’ve been there ever since.”

Strawberry nodded slowly, thinking it was lucky for them that she had happened along, and had seen.. was it Theo? getting ‘questioned’. Something about that scene had stirred her into wanting to help them.. although she couldn’t quite explain why.

“They took Theo and Dern away, one by one…” Éadmód added. “they weren’t strong enough to put up a fight.. Theo tried, but..”

“It’s a miracle you came when you did. I bet Éadmód would’ve been next… and then maybe me.” Éadnere said, wide-eyed. “They seemed to be starting from oldest to youngest.” He added, to explain his reasoning.

Strawberry nodded, slightly. She glanced toward the cave again, then back to them for a moment, thoughtfully looking them over. “You guys think you’re strong enough to get back to your village now, without help?” She wondered, hoping the answer would be yes.

“I… I think so?” Éadnere hesitated.

His older brother nodded. “Yeah. I feel a lot better now. I’ll be able to make it, and I’ll help Éadnere along if he can’t.”

“Same,” Xyler agreed. “I’m much better, now.”

Strawberry looked at Xyler. “You’re sure you know the way back from here?”

“Definitely…” He answered, but with a hint of a question in his tone as he frowned slightly at her.

“Good. Then lead them back home.” She suggested. “Try to move quickly, and for goodness sake… don’t let yourself get captured again.”

“Wait.. you talk like you aren’t coming with us.” Xyler’s frown deepened.

“That’s ‘cause I’m not.” She took back her canteen after making sure that they’d all managed to get a few sips from it, and put it back in her pack. “I’m going back in there.”

The other three stared at her. “You aren’t serious?” Éadnere asked, incredulous.

Strawberry frowned at him. “I’m very serious. I’m going to try and find your other two friends.”

“But.. they’re probably dead.” Éadmód mentioned, frowning.

Strawberry looked at him with a little frown. “Probly, yes.” She agreed reluctantly. “But there’s a chance they aren’t. I’m going to find out.”

“You’re… really going back in there?” Xyler asked in surprise, glancing at the cave, then back at her.

Strawberry nodded, wondering how many more times she’d have to say it before they believed her.

“Then you aren’t going alone.” He declared, frowning.

Strawberry folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. “You aren’t coming with me.” She stated. “You need to lead them back to your village, so they can get the healing they need.” She pointed out.

“But you can’t go in there alone.” He insisted. “And we’re not going to let you. Right, guys?” He looked at the brothers.

They hesitated, glancing at each other. “Look.. I mean, it’s nice and all that you want to try and find them, but.. it’s also crazy.” Éadmód informed her. “Don’t get me wrong… I mean, they were my friends, and I’m really sad that they’re gone. But, I mean, it’s suicide to go back in there after you just stirred up the hornet’s nest!”

Strawberry held back a sigh as she looked at them with arms folded over her chest. “That’s why I want you three to go home.” She pointed out. “So, go on. Shoo.” She looked at Xyler. “All of you.”

Xyler looked at the brothers, and then back at the cave. He drew a slow breath as he turned back to Strawberry. “Much as I want to go home,” he said, then slowly shook his head. “I’m not letting you go back in there alone.”

“You can’t stop me. And I’m not letting you come with me.” She began to get annoyed. “You need healing too, I bet. Or at least, you need time to recover from all this.”

“I’m fine,” He scowled. “And there isn’t anything YOU can do to stop me from coming with you.”

Strawberry raised an eyebrow. “I could always knock you out like I did the guard.” She pointed out, though she wouldn’t really do that.

“Just you try it.” He folded his arms, his eyes narrowing.

The two of them glared at each other, each waiting for the other to give in first.

The two brothers watched, looking a bit perplexed by their arguing. “Xyler.. you don’t even know how to fight or anything.. all you can do is patch up wounds.” Éadmód pointed out.

“Yeah.. you need to go back to your grandmother, she’s going to be worried about you.” Éadnere pointed out.

“Yeah, what he said.” Strawberry agreed, pointing to the sensible brother who had said it. “Get back to your grandma, so you can get healing, and let me worry about what I’m doing.”

“No. I’m going with you.” Xyler insisted.

“Why?” She frowned at him, feeling very annoyed now.

“Because you can’t go in there by yourself. It’s too dangerous.. what if you get hurt? You might need my help.”

“I won’t!” She felt even more annoyed to admit that he was right. “Did you happen to be sleeping through the part where I saved you three? I can manage quite well on my own, thank you.”

“Oh, yeah? And what happens if you get stabbed or break an arm or something? I can help with that.”

“You can barely walk.” She reminded him.

“I’m fine! Now that I’ve had some water, berries, and resin… I’m good as new.” He insisted.

“No, you aren’t.” She rolled her eyes. “And what about them?”

“They can wait out here if they can’t find their way without me, but I can’t let you go into that place by yourself. So stop arguing, we’re wasting time.”

“You’re the one wasting time.” Strawberry grumbled. She put her pack back on. “I’m going now. You lead them back, alright?” She tried to sound stern.

Xyler laughed, getting to his feet. “You aren’t bossing me around, Shorty.” He grinned.

“Do not call me that!” Strawberry snapped, irritated.

“What? Shorty?” He smirked. “But you are short. Even to me.”

Strawberry glared at him, then decided not to even answer that, and instead, turned and stormed off into the cave again.

“Did I make you mad?” Xyler started after her, smirking. Clearly, he was feeling much better by now.

“Xyler, you aren’t really going in there?” Éadnere gasped, stunned to watch him. “What about us?”

Xyler glanced back. “You two’ll be fine, just keep going that way until things look familiar.” He instructed, pointing toward the village. “Little Strawberry Shortcake here needs my help more than you do.”

Strawberry stopped at the entrance and stared back at him, anger boiling up inside. “I am NOT ‘little strawberry shortcake’,” She informed him through clenched teeth, then turned and went in, knowing it would be best if she didn’t retort back. She stood in the dark, slowly taking deep breaths to calm herself. Xyler surely wouldn’t really follow her. She was wrong.

“Shortcake?” He called softly.

She spun and glared at him, hands clenched by her sides. “I told you—”

“I know what you said, but if you’ll remember, I mentioned that I don’t take orders from you. Remember?”

“Well, I don’t want you to come.” She was annoyed at his persistence.

“Tough. I’m coming, because you could need my help, and I can’t in good conscience let you go in here alone.”

“I don’t need your help!” She hissed, careful not to raise her voice. She didn’t want to draw the Dunlending’s attention, after all.

“Oh? Really?” Xyler folded his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Well, just lead the way then. I’m very interested in knowing how you manage to find your way through all those tunnels, in the pitch dark.”

Strawberry glared at him and then set off down the hallway, trying her best to calm her anger.

Xyler trailed along, staying close, but soon the darkness made it nearly impossible to see each other.

Strawberry glanced back over her shoulder and frowned. What was with this guy, that he was so insistent on sticking with her? She wished he would have stayed with the other two and taken them back to town. By coming with her, he was putting himself back into danger, she just hoped he wouldn't jeopardize her own stealth attempts.

---

Strawberry
Sept, Year 1, 4th Age
In the mountains of the Westfold, somewhere on the North-Western side of the mountain Starkhorn

She stood for a long moment, remembering the adventure of several years ago. She'd made a friend that day, although she hadn't seen him since then. Hopefully, once this was all over, she would be able to go and visit Xyler without worrying about her enemy following her there. She couldn't bear it if he were to end up finding someone she cared about. If a friend of hers were to get hurt, because of her... no. She couldn't let that happen.

Taking a deep breath, Strawberry tried to think about her plan from here. She really sort of felt like she was winging it. And she mostly was, to be honest. She wasn't even certain what she meant to do. That strange visitor she'd had, he'd asked her what she planned to do, and she had no answer for that. She was thinking about that while she gathered up some firewood and built a small campfire, near the entrance to the cave, and began to cook a small meal.

She frowned thoughtfully while she speared some bits of vegetables, and a few pieces of meat onto a stick, which she then held out over the fire. The Dunlending tribe had apparently moved on. Which was probably good for the Rohirrim, but it meant that she had to think of something else, now. The caves were still there, of course. Along with all the tunnels and all the dangers that they held. Did she want to go that route, though? She wasn't one to resort to killing if there was any way she could avoid it, even if this guy probably deserved it. So, maybe it was for the best that the Dunlendings were gone.

She frowned as she weighed her options. She didn't want to kill him, but she also didn't want him to catch her. In all honesty, she realized, she'd really just like to get a few answers. In all the time she'd been hiding from him, she realized, she still had no idea why he was even after her. And she'd also like to know why he was posing as Gwand's nephew, and a few other things. So, she would have to find a way to capture him. Then, she could question him, somehow, and then she could decide what to do, from there. Her eyes drew to the cave, remembering that cell she had found Xyler and his comrades in. Maybe that could be useful to her, somehow? She reckoned she was probably several days ahead of him by now, so that ought to give her plenty of time to set up something. She just had to figure out what.

[Eldrith]

When you arrived down, the inn keeper caught your eyes and gestured to a man who was sitting at a table by himself. The scent of outdoor clung to him still. "You're in luck, Gerard isn't in that often." He added, with a glance towards the man who was eating with the quiet determination of people used to keeping to themselves, and not diluting their meal with unnecessary chatter. The meal was simple: Porridge. Something easy enough prepared in the wild, with maybe here the difference that it was made with milk, and sweetened, but aside from that, he hadn't seen the need to change his habits.

He was clean, mostly, the only stains were those that would remain even after washing and become part of someone's clothes. After all, who would throw out good fabric merely because of some unevenness of colour thanks to a wayward berry or something. There was something weathered about him none the less, something not quite tame, as if he was part of nature itself. His eyes were grey and calm, though of course there was nothing much exciting about porridge. There were lines in his face from a life spent mostly outside, which made it hard to determine his age. He didn't look old, but not quite young either.

"Wasn't who I was thinking of, but probably the best tracker to be found here in these parts, and that's saying something. The Halpert brothers are good too, but Gerard.. " He didn't need to finish that sentence. It was clear that Gerard was considered a class of his own. "Not too much of talker and he prefers a more direct approach to life than some are comfortable with."

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Mar nodded in reply to the innkeeper's words. "Thank you." He passed him a couple of coins, in return for the aid in finding him a guide. After placing his own breakfast order, he moved toward the table where Gerard was sitting. He'd barely had any sleep, so he still felt tired and fought the urge to yawn, but he looked presentable enough. And despite wearing travel clothing, he still looked like someone with enough money to buy the best quality of such clothing. No fancy embellishments adorned his clothes, but the fabric quality was clearly very good, and everything he wore fit him as if it had been tailor-made for him.

"Gerard?" Mar spoke up as he approached the table, although he already knew that was the man's name. "I'm told that you are the best tracker in these parts." He went on, remaining standing, rather than taking a seat at his table without being invited. Politeness was important in this situation, he figured. And, recalling the innkeeper's words about this man preferring a direct approach, Mar continued, getting directly to the point. "I'd like to hire you, to help me find a trail." He waited then to find out if the man would be interested enough to ask for more information.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Gerard looked up. You could find those eyes on you, looking you over as if you were a specimen in the wild. This was not a man who lived in hurry. He assessed. In silence. He took in your clothes, the way you stood, as if cataloging items or injuries just the way he'd assess a glen or a a herd of deer. That rugged, quiet face did not give away any of the conclusions, nor did he seem to be in a hurry to answer. He took the time to swallow the spoonful of porridge, and laying his spoon down before he sat back and nodded. While perhaps not impressed, he had at the very least decided to acknowledge you and allow you to interrupt his breakfast. That was a start.

"What kind of a track?"

You didn't seem like a hunter who wanted help finding good game in new territory. Not the right clothes, nor the right lines on your face, or wear on your clothes. He knew hunters. Had worked as a tracker for quite a few, from people who simply did so to put food on the table throughout winter, to larger hunting parties, for whom it was a test of skill. No, not a hunter, so what did you want to track?
He only gave you that question, not acknowledging the praise you had given of his skill, nor rebuffing it with platitude that there were others who were equally skilled, or any of the usual pleasantries. The innkeeper hadn't mentioned his habits to be scarce with his words. Not that it was unusual for someone who spent most of his time alone. One became comfortable with silences and didn't see the need to fill them. And people chattered on so needlessly these days. He wasn't interested in extensive conversation. You spoke of hiring him, and he was willing to listen to the particulars. Then he'd make up his mind.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

"What kind of a track?"

Mar had waited as patiently as he could. Which is, on the surface, he appeared calm and patient. But on the inside, he was urging the man to say something. Finally, he did. Mar had been thinking about how he would answer, when this question was inevitable posed to him.

"I'm a lieutenant, of the guards of Minas Tirith," He explained, as easily as if it were true. For he had often enough posed as the lieutenant, impersonating his brother. He slipped into the role easily enough. "I'm in pursuit of a criminal, who has fled justice, and has, therefore, led me a long way from home. Her trail goes into the mountains, and I have no skill in tracking. I'm afraid I got a bit lost in the woods yesterday, and, realizing my inability, I came to seek help. I would not want this murderer to escape justice while I am roaming in circles in the woods."

Having given what information he felt was relevant, he then waited for the man to think about it and decide whether he would take the job.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Gerard was many things. An experienced tracker. A good man. Intelligent. But he was neither wellspoken, nor was he one who looked for subterfuge in others. He could read the grounds, he could read the tracks. He knew the Mountains like few others. But he did not have a suspicious nature and what you said sounded as if it came natural toy ou, like an explanation you'd had to give a hundred times. He considered the words, as if he processed them a bit slower than he would what he saw before him, though he would be the first to alert you to a changing pattern of rain he heard or a different way the wind moved through trees or the keened through the passes.

"Criminal? A woman?"

The question once more was short. He wanted more explanation, but he didn't seem to doubt your word or your story. You looked Gondorian enough to him, not that he was an expert. And he had no reason to doubt you. But it wasn't any day one heard of a woman criminal fleeing into the mountains, not unless she was from these parts. And if that were the case he might need to speak with the family, not that he looked forward to speaking any of that. The people here kept to themselves when they could, but they formed a community none the less. CLose knit, but with plenty of space: a contradiction that held true none the less.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

The tracker seemed surprised that the criminal would be a woman, Mar thought. He gave a brief nod of confirmation. "A woman, yes. Small of stature," He added, since he knew that if the man knew as much as they said about tracking, he would surely be able to tell that much from her tracks, if they found any.

"May I?" He asked, gesturing to the empty seat across from him. He could see the innkeeper coming with his requested breakfast. "She's a ruthless one, so don't let her size fool you. She's killed quite a few, and I've hunted her quite far. I suppose she thought it'd be clever to take off into the forest, because," He gave a wry smile at himself, "I'm a city guy, I will admit. I guess she thought she'd shake me from her trail, by disappearing into the woods." He explained. "I don't intend to let this one get away, however. She's far too dangerous, and I don't want to pick up her trail again by hearing about some innocent person she's murdered," He frowned as if that thought troubled him greatly.

"I can pay you well for your services," He added. "And... I might also mention that there is a hefty reward being offered to anyone who helps in her capture. That would be in addition to what I pay you," He made clear. Not that he had any intention of paying out any such reward money, but Gerard wouldn't know that. There was also not much of a chance that he'd really get paid for doing this, but again, he wouldn't know that. "I believe I can take you to the point where I lost her trail, but from there..." He gave a slight shrug as if to say 'sorry'.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Once again, without words, Gerard gestured to the chair as you asked him if he could sit. He didn't speak. But he listened, working on his porridge but looking up now and again, with eyes that showed he was paying attention, he just didn't seem to find the need to waste words on things until you had said what you had to say. It wasn't the first time he had tracked a person of course. There had been the war. People like him were invaluable as scouts. Then after there were the stragglers, those that survived but were still intent on doing as much damage as they could. He knew how to follow a trace or how to follow what wasn't a trace.

The money didn't move him. Oh, he needed money. He wasn't a hermit and he'd expect payment if he helped you track someone down, just as he would expect it to lead a hunt for game, or a faster path to the other side of the mountains. He lived of the land but the land didn't make as good a pair of boots as a cobbler does. But the great reward seemed to have less of an influence than the fact that it was work that would gain an honest pay..

"I am not much of a fighter. Are you apprehending her by yourself?"
A simple statement that clearly said that he wouldn't be much help in a fight against the woman. And there was a hint of curiosity there too was to why a lieutenant from Minas Tirith would be traveling alone to apprehend a very dangerous criminal. It wasn't doubt or an accusation. Merely a calculation as to what would be happening. Just the same as he would go in his mind which paths she might have taken. That of course depended on her destination. Knowing that would be helpful to say the least.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

He took a seat after being 'invited' to do so. Just in time, for the innkeeper was bringing over his plate of food about that time. Bacon and eggs and pancakes; a more elaborate sort of meal than what Gerard was having. Because Mar could not stand plain, simple foods. He had grown up eating such things and he had been sick of it before he ever had the money to enjoy better meals. Even in this small village, he would not lower his standards to have something he disliked.

He nodded in thanks to the man before picking up his utensils to eat with, but then he paused when Gerard asked about him apprehending the girl by himself. "If I can." He answered with a nod. "That is what I intend to do, anyway. My orders are to bring her back to Minas Tirith, where she will face a trial. As my captain entrusted me alone with this task, I am the only one who is here to do it. I would never expect a civilian to fight such a dangerous criminal," He assured him. "I only need your help in finding her, sir. The rest, I hope to manage by myself." He paused. "Though, if you know how to set traps, that may be very helpful in capturing her." He mentioned with an eyebrow raised inquisitively. "And it would not add any risk to yourself," Mar hastened to add, since he seemed concerned about that.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

You had told him you were a city boy. And it showed in the breakfast. Not that he had anything against bacon and eggs. Good strong food, and pancakes were a treat he too enjoyed, but the casualness of the order, as if it was an easy daily thing, told him you were not just a city boy, but you were well off. He had no idea what a lieutenant made in Minas Tirith, but it seemed enough for some indulgence. Good. He liked seeing folks well paid for doing a hard job. And clearly you were out of your comfort zone here. And you thanked the man who brought your food, even if it was merely with a nod. Good manners showed good folk, his parents used to say long ago.

He was less concerned about his own safety than he was about your expectations of him. He wasn't a good fighter. Oh he could HANDLE himself. He lived in nature, he wasn't weak, but if the wars had taught him anything, then it was that there was a difference between a well meaning strong man, and actually trained fighter.

He gave a nod again. He hadn't spoken that much, but he processed. You seemed an honest man to him. Perhaps a bit pampered but clearly willing to do your duty, and that was a good thing. People doing what they set their word to, and then pulling through even though it wasn't an easy path. He respected that.

"I can set a trap well enough." It was after all how he lived most of the time. Snaring his supper so to speak. He didn't usually hunt humans, but well, they were just a different kind of animal, at least when it came to traps. And if he could help keep these Mountains safe, he'd do so. There had been.. things going on here a few years ago that he didn't want to see a repeat of.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

This guy really didn't talk much, Mar noticed. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, but at least he confirmed that he could set some traps. "Alright." He paused. "So can she, by the way. So, that might be something we need to take into consideration." He warned, remembering how she'd set up traps that caught those bandits.

"So, how soon can we leave?" Mar asked, as he started on his breakfast. The sooner they both finished eating, the sooner they could leave, after all. "She knows that I'm after her, and she has a headstart on me. She's killed people along the way, so the sooner I catch up with her, the quicker I can keep her from harming anyone else."

Mar took a few bites while giving the man a chance to give an answer. Then he mentioned, "I have a horse, and I believe I can take you directly to the place where I lost the trail." He paused. "Do you have a horse?" If he did not, then Mar could provide him with one.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Gerald scraped the last of his porridge from his bowls, before answering. He didn't seem to be the type that hurried and even when he spoke of hurried, it didn't FEEL hurried. There was a restless energy in you that he didn't quite seem to like, but he understood what it was to be a soldier under pressure. They'd all been soldiers at one time, whether they wanted to or not.

"You lost her already. Best not to take too long. She familiar with the lands here?"

No reproach was intentionally conveyed in those words. It was a mere conclusion after what you said yourself. You had lost her. And when you asked how soon they could leave, he wanted to offer agreement that it needed to be soon. Wind, animals, rain.. all could erase any tracks that might be left behind. But someone who knew the lands would take different paths than someone who'd merely oriented themselves to what they could see on the land.

"Yes."
That last was the short and practical answer to your question. He had a horse. Of course he had a horse. He'd had his horse stabled and had planned to spend a night under a roof, but considering you were in need of someone to apprehend a criminal that could wait. It wasn't that cold yet. Most winters he spent a few months in his own home, sheltering from the worst of winter, though he'd travel the paths if needed.

@Rillewen

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

The comment, that he had lost her already, did not serve to improve his temper. He knew that much. The fact that he had "lost her" was the very reason why he was here in the first place, wasn't it? He briefly clenched his jaw, but since he was in the middle of chewing a bite of food, it wouldn't be too noticeable to the other man. He forced himself to relax his jaw though, after a second, and it only appeared as if he paused briefly in chewing, before continuing. Inside, he was boiling with anger. But he had plenty of practice with keeping up a front. Acting the part. Impersonating his meek and polite brother. He drew from that experience, now.

The imposter guard let out a slow breath as he sat back as he finished his plate. Just the pancakes, left. He considered the question whether the girl was familiar with the lands here, while adding some syrup to his pancakes. "It would seem so," He answered thoughtfully. "She led me around in circles for a bit, like she knew the area." He frowned, thinking back of what he knew of her, and how the girl had eluded him many times before. "I think, perhaps, it's more that she's familiar with forest terrain, and how to..." He searched for the word briefly. "how to use the forest to her advantage, I suppose." He knew why, and he knew where that knowledge had come from, but he couldn't exactly admit to this guy that he knew things like that about her, and about her family. Or that she was taunting him with messages and such. "Wherever she's heading, she likely believes that she's thrown me off her trail." He added thoughtfully, since it did seem as if that was her plan. He did not understand her intentions, though.

He didn't take long to finish his pancakes, then slid his plate away. "Is there anything else to discuss then, before we set out?" He inquired, while taking some coins out of his pouch. He placed down enough coins to pay for both of their breakfasts. "I am ready to leave as soon as I retrieve my horse." He declared. He had not bothered to unpack anything more than he needed, so he didn't need to take any time packing his things.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

No, he didn't notice the clenching of jaw. He was a man who lived his life openly. Nature was harsh, sometimes it was surprising, but it wasn't deceitful. And he didn't see any reason why people would want to deceive him. He was a straightforward man who expected the same of others.
"So she's likely the know how to live outdoors, but not all the pathways."
It was a logical conclusion. He finished his porridge before you finished the pancakes and simply waited. "I reckon there's not much more to discuss." He added and as you paid for both of their breakfasts he nodded his gratitude and followed you out. He'd have stabled his own mount at the inn. He'd planned on taking a night here, then setting back out for the last time before winter set fully in. That still was the plan, he'd simply take his final out of the year with you, instead of on a hunt. You'd offered to pay and he'd had enough meat dried and cured to see him easily through the winter to forego the last hunt. He could always go set a few snares later in the winter if needed.

He waited for you at the stables. Ready to get into the saddle. The horse he owned was neither old, nor young, but a horse of good breeding and stamina that had served him well for a number of years and that was, like his clothes, well tended to. He took care of things, and he'd be meticulous in this hunt for you as well. Wouldn't want any criminals to run loose in these hills. It wasn't safe for the families living around. They'd had enough trouble a few years ago, with that sort of thing.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

"Sounds reasonable to assume so, yes." He agreed with the man's conclusion. He had nothing more to finish up here, and he had brought his saddlebags along with him when he came to the common room. So he grabbed those before heading outside to go to the stable along with Gerard.

He went to a large white mare that was impatiently pawing at the floor of her stall, apparently anxious to get out. Mar dropped his saddlebags in front of the stall, then went to the tack room, found his saddle and bridle, and came back to his horse to put them on. Soon, he had his horse ready to mount, and led her out of the stable. "I remember coming into town from that direction," He pointed. Even if he wasn't able to find where he had lost the girl's trail, if this guy was as good as the innkeeper said, then he should be able to pick up Mar's trail and backtrack to that point. The point where he'd found himself wandering in circles while the girl got further away from him.

He swung up into his saddle, and the horse tossed her head around rebelliously. He sighed as he had to make the horse turn around in a couple of tight circles before she was willing to cooperate. But it was only a brief delay. "New horse," He explained with a little shrug and smile. "Still getting used to each other." He patted her shoulder above the saddle's edge lightly, then nodded to Gerard. "Let's go then."

He figured it would take less time to return to the point where he had started for the village than it had taken him last night, due to the fact that he had a knowledgeable guide now, and last night he'd been a bit lost, wandering in the dark. Hopefully, they could get there within a couple of hours' riding. And from there, who knows where the girl's trail would lead them. With any luck, he imagined maybe he'd have her back in his custody within a couple of days. His hopes began to rise as he thought about it, and about what he'd do once he got her back. She would definitely regret her last taunting little note, that was for sure...

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

"mmmm"

That was the only comment on the way you had to turn your horse a few times, trying to get her to follow your guidance with the reigns. He didn't criticize but there was much one could learn from how a man treated his horse in these parts.

"Didn't have time to rest your horse?" That might be a gentler explanation. If you'd journeyed here, by horse, you'd need to give the horse time to rest, more than perhaps you'd allow yourself to, considering you were in pursuit of a wanted criminal. A deadly one. Every body she dropped on her way would feel like a weight of your shoulder. If you'd chosen a new mount from what was available at a traveling inn, you'd have to make do with what was there, even as you gave your horse a chance to rest and be tended to. Yes. It might be a kindness that put you in this situation. And because of that thought he didn't make anymore remarks, just followed the direction of the way you had come in.

Could he follow your trail? Yes. A tracker with barely a year of experience could. Well, it wasn't hard of course. There was one road this way and unless you'd veered up the hills it was likely you'd been on there for a bit.
"About how long between the path you came from and this road."
The assumption said a bit about his skill. He knew this place, he knew the terrain, and he'd likely already identified three potential entry points for you to have gotten on this road into the village. Time would tell him more.

@Rillewen

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Mar glanced over at the man's question, then nodded. "Correct. I prefer my own horse, but.." He shrugged and left the rest to assumption. It took a few tries before he got the horse to respond to his signals, but she eventually stopped resisting him. Hopefully, she'd soon figure out that he was the one in charge, and would be more obedient. His own horse was much more cooperative, and he couldn't understand how his brother got along with this animal, and he was annoyed that the stableman had gotten the two mixed up. But he hadn't had time to switch them, once he realized the mistake.

Fortunately, Gerard claimed to be able to follow his trail, and so they set off. He took a moment to think about his question. "Maybe.. ten minutes." He guessed. "Hard to be sure, of course. It was dark, so I do hope I can recognize some of the landmarks." He added with a bit of a concerned look. "I remember there was a gnarled old tree just before I came onto the road, if that helps. I thought for a brief moment that it might be a bear." He recalled.

It was close to ten minutes, give or take a few, before they came upon the place where Mar had come out of the woods of the mountainside, and found his way onto the road. From that point, he would have to fully trust in this man's abilities. He hoped the guy was as good as the innkeeper claimed. He knew that last night, in the dark, it had taken him hours to find his way from that spot where he lost her trail, back down to the village. Hopefully, in the light of day, with a knowledgeable guide, they would be able to cut that time in half and get back on her trail again. Whatever her little plan was, she surely wouldn't have anticipated him hiring a guide, he thought smugly.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

*He was a man who tended to live large parts of his life alone, but the parts he lived around people was with those he called friends, or those that needed him. He wasn't inclined to distrust people and the fact you were dealing with an animal you didn't prefer, more than likely because you had to rest your own, why it DID speak well of you. City boy you might be, but you were taking on a dangerous mission, you didn't mind asking for help, and you minded your manners.
As you gave him more information on where you had come on the road, he simply nodded. Once more, he didn't waste more words. He knew where you had entered the road, and as a matter of fact, turned at the spot where you had entered. THe ground wasn't as hard this time of year, and they'd had rain not that long ago, which made it easier. He didn't speak, merely steered his way along the paths, and at one moment cast you a glance as he veered OFF a path.

It was clear you'd had no idea where you were going because your direction changed several times. At one point.. he came down from his own horse to... apparently just walk between a left and right side of one boulder for a few times before climbing back on, without words, and taking the right side.
"Think we're heading up to the rocks." It was the first time in an hour or two he'd spoken, but it seemed he'd found a pretty good direction. "Rock formations. Some overhang. Some caves, grass and trees around or more southwest? No caves, no boulders grassland and not much more than a bit of rocks here and there that have been worn down?"

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Mar held back his horse as he let Gerard go ahead, letting him do what he believed he was going to get paid to do. Then Mar fell in line behind him, keeping Lady back enough not to bother the smaller horse. And so, he followed his guide as he backtracked where Mar had come from.

But then, to his surprise, he began to speak about the rocks and boulders. And the overhang. A bit startled, Mar was genuinely surprised by that. "Overhang?" He frowned as he stopped his horse. "I didn't realize I passed so close to there on my way back. Clearly, I was more lost than I thought. I passed there earlier in the day," He explained, thinking fast. "And... I came upon evidence that my quarry had been there already. Alas.. she left two victims. It was... gruesome, to say the least." He explained in a softer tone. "I was in haste to catch her before she could harm any others, so I hurried on, trying to follow her trail. But I was at least an hour or two further up in the mountains when I lost that. Then, realizing I needed help, I thought that I came back down by another path." He frowned. Most of that was true-ish, at least. "It seems that my path came dangerously close to that overhang, though." He sighed.

"I.. very much doubt that you want to see that." He ventured to guess, though from his tone, one might guess that it was he who wished to avoid seeing it. "Let's avoid that, please. It is really not a pleasant sight." There were times when it was very helpful, having a brother who was squeamish about blood. He knew, therefore, how to act like he was that way. "I.. don't think I could stand to see that again," He muttered, glancing away. "The trail should resume over there," He suggested with a nod in the correct direction, knowing that they could skip the scene he had left at the overhang. He did want someone to see it, but not this guy. Not the one who had been so highly praised as being a tracker. A guy like that might be able to tell that it had been Mar's doing, rather than the girl's. And he didn't want to risk that, when he still needed his help in finding her.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

Well, considering height and paths, I can deduce that you'd have to have passed there at least. You buried the victims? *Two whole sentences, with the latter a question. Beasts took care of clean up, but they owed the dead the respect to not let them be ripped apart and become fodder. They'd return to the earth one way or another but at least a burial, no matter how simple held some dignity.. *If you have a description, I can spread word. Let their families know when we are back."

*For him, that was positively verbose you might say. Several sentences strung together, questions that offered a reply.

Since your choice was the direction of the overhang, but avoiding the spot, he gave a simple nod, and followed the trail a bit further. Unless you hadn't buried them. He might leave you on the trail for a bit, if you hadn't to go pay them that final respect. If not, he would be following the direction you had indicated, your own trail. It was relatively easy, considering the ground had been soft enough. Not too far from where you had lost her you'd mentioned.

Good. She now must have a lead on you. You said she was experienced in this terrain, or at least in this sort of landscape, which again would allow him to make some guesses from that spot on. Unless she traveled heavy footed, so to speak, he'd have to make an educated guess, then confirm along. It' was just a matter of backtracking. But then again, what use would it be to explain that. You were a city boy, as you said, out of your depth, and it wasn't necessary to make you feel bad about not having a skill you'd never had to use before and likely would never have to again. You had followed the wisest course: find a local and find someone to help you.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

The question caught Mar by surprise a little. Did he bury them? Was this guy serious? In another situation, he might have laughed. Instead, he paused to look over at Gerard, but then his horse suddenly took off toward a patch of bushes she wanted to eat, and he had to circle her back around. She tried to resist him, and it took him a moment to get her to cooperate. In that time, he was able to think about that question, and how best to answer it. Because he did not want any further delays, and if he told him that he did not, the guy might decide that it needed to be done. And that would ruin the entire point of Mar's efforts! So, he couldn't have that.

"I did as well as I could." He answered, sighing at the horse's antics. As for a description, Mar stifled another sigh. What happened to the guy being all quiet? He kept his mouth shut for a moment while he focused on acting like his brother, instead of showing his own personal annoyance. "She didn't leave much to recognize," He explained with a grimace. "But I will try to describe them, as we ride."

He waited until they began to ride again before giving a basic description of the two men. Their hair color, rough guess at their heights and ages, and that was about all that anyone could tell from what Mar had left of them. It wasn't really much to go on, but if they had families anywhere, they might be able to figure out who they were. But he didn't expect Gerard to ever have a chance to pass on those descriptions anyway. He was only humoring him, at the moment, to let him think that Mar was a 'good' sort of person.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

"Some born men are more like beasts than beasts. Doesn't matter if they're woman."

Two whole sentences again. And perhaps he felt it even a bit more unnatural for a woman. In nature, women fought of course. For food, for survival. Defense or attack. But it was always because it was needed, and it was never done to be cruel. Considering your description, the woman you were following was cruel and unnatural, not just killing, but leaving the bodies torn and disfigured.
He noticed the trouble you had with your horse and refrained from shaking his head. What would you have gone through and seen in pursuit of this woman. Once you had the mount under control, he heightened the speed of the pursuit a bit, though his eyes remained on the environment.

"You crossed your own tracks here." He murmured, not as an insult, but pointing it out. The tracks seemed a bit.. fresher to him though he could be wrong. Still she must have rather a big headstart. Absent of a goal for the criminal he would presume she was mostly trying to evade. And that would mean staying away from the larger paths, sticking to the trails. And likely trying to get as far away from Gondor as she could.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

Mar merely gave a small nod in answer to Gerard's comment. Funny, he thought, that the other guy was now doing more talking than Mar. Of course, there were reasons. Mar was trying to focus on controlling his rebellious horse, and also making sure to steer the guy away from the murder victims he had left, and keeping his temper in check. It was a lot to focus on.

But once they were riding again, he relaxed a little. The man did seem to be good, Mar noticed. Personally, he couldn't tell much at all about the tracks. In fact, he couldn't really see any tracks at all, but he wasn't the guide. That's why he hired this guy. "The innkeeper says you're the best," He commented. "Seems he wasn't exaggerating." Another good reason why Mar thought it best that he did not let him see the bodies back there, he thought with a little smile to himself. He looked around as he followed Gerard.

It would likely be an hour or so before they would arrive at the place where she'd made a giant, meandering circle. "At some point," he spoke up, "she started going in a big circle. It took me a long time to come back around to where I started," he explained. "I remember there was a cluster of boulders about the place where this circle began and ended. Because, when I came back to that same spot, I recognized it, and realized what she'd done. So.. I figure somewhere around there, there must be a real trail, right? I just don't know how to find it." He figured telling the guide about that landmark should save them some time, because they could skip the circle and find the real trail. Hopefully.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

It was indeed a wise decision. He might not be reading the battlefield with the accuracy of a paethfindrian over at Rohan's side but he would have noticed things that were not right. Which tracks were fresh, and which one were older. Instead, he nodded in approval of your logic. He saw the description in his mind more than he would put it into words. A large circle trailed with a plan for her to get off it at or near the point where they started, potentially leading you through the hoop twice.

"If the boulders were the beginning point of your circle." He added almost as a condition. But even if they weren't they were the first big landmark that you'd recognized. They needed to go there, then follow what was left of both of your trail, a bit to one side, a bit to the other.. seeing if something diverged at one point. Then he laughed, all of a sudden.


"Three boulders standing up kind of weird. Then a few others nearby. Kind of like very large pebbles thrown together?" Oh if he was right she would have led you on a merry chase, and likely deliberately. Even after the laughter, it was a sobering thought. A criminal with common sense was more dangerous than the fanciful kind.

@Rillewen

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

"If the boulders were the beginning point of your circle."

Those words made Mar frown in thought. Right, that was a good point. "True." He admitted, feeling slightly annoyed at the realization. "I suppose it would be most accurate to say that at some point while following her trail, I saw those boulders a second time and realized that I had gone in a circle." He sighed. "Who knows where it actually began." Irritating. She was definitely going to pay for all this, once he had her in custody.

While he was working to suppress his irritation, his guide's sudden laugh surprised him. Mar glanced at him questioningly as Gerard asked him more about the boulders, describing them. "Yes, that sounds about right," He answered slowly, wondering what he found so funny. He took a slow breath and focused his thoughts on the end goal of this. He couldn't let himself lose his temper. Just keep acting like Ric, he told himself. "Clearly, you know the place." It was not a question, for there was no need to ask. "What's so funny about it?"

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

It's just...not that far. If you're comfortable... "He glanced at the horse for a moment, but it was with compassion, not criticism. "We will leave this path. There's a trail just a bit further up. We can make a straight cut towards those boulders, save us a lot of time."

He would not say that indeed she must have led you a merry dance or that it showed that you were a city boy. She might be extraordinary skilled, but with the sun and the shadows, you must have known somewhat which direction...
He glanced over, perhaps reassessing some of your skills. Then again he had no idea if guards like you ever left the city or it's environment. For all he knew you were extremely competent in.. well in paperwork perhaps? Or in the narrow streets that you knew like the back of your hand? Clearly not at finding your way in a new environment. Still, he was a bit less certain if he would be able to count on you to defend them both if they came eye to eye with the murderess you described. He had committed to finding her though, and his word was his bond. Besides, he doubted you'd give up and leaving you here would feel like abandoning a well trained lapdog in the wild. It was just wrong.

If you agreed he'd ride on a bit further in silence, then gestured towards the left.
"not likely a path you would have taken, but it will bring us right up." *Right up meaning where they could begin the circle and find where your steps diverted and where she had likely one from there.*

@Rillewen

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

He glanced at the guy, surprised to hear that it wasn't actually all that far. At the suggestion of leaving the path, for a second, Mar wasn't sure how to respond. Which let Gerard finish explaining that there was a more direct trail that would take them right to it. Her nodded slowly as he smothered his feelings of annoyance that she had led him on a much longer path to get there.. only to then lead him around in a big circle. She must be off somewhere laughing, thinking that she'd caused him a great delay. Well, she was wrong.

"You're the guide," Mar reminded him with a little smile. "Whatever helps apprehend this criminal more swiftly, I prefer." He assured him with a motion to go on with whatever he thought best. Lady was a bit reluctant to obey when he urged her to keep walking, but she eventually gave up and did as he asked. Soon enough, they were veering off on another path, and Mar shook his head in response to the comment about it not being a path he would've likely taken. "No, because I was following the path that she left." He confirmed. "And I had no idea that this path would take me to the same place that her trail would." He was not familiar with these woods, nor did he have any idea where the girl was heading. Fortunately, Gerard was good at what he was hired to do.

Soon enough, he saw the boulders that he recognized. "Yes, here is where I was when I realized she'd fooled me." He looked around, wondering where her real trail might be. "Do you think, if you pick up her trail, that you'll be able to tell where she's heading?" He asked, hopeful. Without knowing very much about tracking and hunting and the following of trails, he half expected there to be some magical way for the man to guess at exactly where she had gone, so they could hurry off to get there and eliminate as much of her headstart as possible.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

He had not replied again until they had reached the boulders and you confirmed that it was indeed the spot where she had fooled you. He heard you talk as if you were justifying yourself. It wasn't as if he suspected you to have taken that trail. SHe might not have either, but it would get us to the boulders quicker and from there he could see where she might have looped. He was used to tracking more animal prey, or in case of humans, merely those who were young and had wandered off. He tried to think in her set... if she had enough of a distance, enough of a head start on you.. she would likely have started the loop, and then at some point doubled back so her trail would feel like it kept going on past the point where she actually went off the beaten path.

He descended from the horse as soon as they reached the small clearing, motioning you to do the same. The second advantage of taking this trail that they weren't going over tracks already waning. But there was a clear set still that lead on the larger sandy pathway. You were lucky it had rained before your chase and hadn't rained since or there would be little enough to see. He motioned for you to descend as well.

"She must have doubled back partway through the loop." He offered after the long silence. "So we're following the trail, then seeing where it perhaps is still visible but comes thinner."
He wasn't quite certain if you'd grasp what he meant, city boy and all but he understood that you needed.. something to be able to make sense of what he was doing, as he motioned you to the path to follow it with him. It was in a way an interesting change of pace, but he was not quite certain he liked it. Chasing another person. Then again, someone who had killed and would kill again could not be left on the loose.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

Dismounting from the tall horse, Mar stood beside her and waited while Gerard began to study the trail. He looked around a little bit himself, but he saw nothing of interest that caught his eye. He held back a sigh of impatience and tried to mentally will the man to find something useful.

He understood Gerard's explanation of what he was doing, and nodded to show that he understood. Mar may not know how to follow tracks that were not obvious, but he did understand the concept well enough. He was hopeful that the man would know what he was doing. That he would be able to track that girl down. She was so close, Mar was determined not to let her get away again.

He waited near his horse, hoping it wouldn't take very long before he would pick up the trail. They were already arrived at the spot much quicker than he had anticipated, thanks to that shortcut that Gerard knew. So, with luck, perhaps he would have caught up to her by the end of the day. He could only hope.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
A village in the White Mountains, Gondor side

He started at the path that run near the boulders itself.. seeing the traces of both you and the girl.. then he turned around, finding the entrance to the clearing that you had indicated where you realized you had been going in a loop. He walked back and forth a few times between both spots. Double tracks. But only double. Hers. Yours. Not a second set of hers. It had meant.. she had not gone past this point again. She must have left from here in a different direction, after deliberately having lead you in a circle. That was... odd. If it was him and he'd been trying to avoid pursuit, he'd have let you on a path that looped back here and he'd have tried to leave that path halfway through. It was almost as if she was thumbing her nose at you. Or she must have had a reason to.. He stopped, standing still. Only reason he could think of was that she wanted to observe you, wanted to see your position or your direction. Increase the distance between you both by making certain you were on a false trail...

Throughout the half hour or so he had been walking between trails, then standing still and considering, he'd not spoken. Now you'd see the clear grey eyes scan the surroundings again, the boulders.. trees. Until he smiled and walked to one of the latter, again without any word, looked at it, looked to the side that wasn't facing the clearing and found the entrance. Large enough for a smallish person. He could see a disturbance of the moss that grew, as if something had wiped against it, leaned into it, and within the inside, where leaves and twigs and other things had settled into a layer over time, there were clear imprints of booted feet.

"She likely watched you go past from this spot, then choose a different direction than the one you went on."

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
In the White Mountains, Gondor side

It seemed to take forever as he waited for the man to find something. Mar was trying very hard to be patient, reminding himself that he'd been unable to find anything, himself. He sighed now and then, silently. Just to himself. Tying his horse off to a limb, he sat on a nearby log and waited. And waited. He watched Gerard as he walked around looking at the ground and stuff, and he wondered what the guy was seeing. What might he be finding? Was there even anything to find?

After he had waited for a few minutes, Mar very carefully eased his right sleeve up to reveal the bandage underneath, and looked at it to make sure he hadn't broken his stitches or anything. It was hurting a bit, but he didn't see any blood soaking through the bandage. He should have been more careful with his activity for the past few days, but he'd probably be alright. After checking on his right arm, he did the same with his left, wincing a bit more with that one. That one did have a little blood seeping through, but not enough to worry about. It mostly just hurt for him to move his arm certain ways. And that injury had been the sort that the healer hadn't been able to stitch it.

Frowning slightly, he pulled his sleeve back down with a little wince, then sighed quietly and looked over at his guide. He was still looking at stuff on the ground. Mar wondered how long this whole adventure was going to take. A day? A week? He hoped to have that girl in custody before too long. He had other things to do, after all. Not that this wasn't the topmost thing on his list, but he didn't want it to take too much more of his time.

He was drawn out of those thoughts when Gerard spoke again, after a long time of silence. Mar looked over at him, silently letting that realization settle over him for a moment. She had been there. Right there. She'd watched him ride past here, and then.. what? Took off in another direction? Had she been laughing at him? He remembered the message in that note, and narrowed his eyes slightly at the knowledge that she was taunting him. Apparently, she hadn't left any sort of message here, though. "Do you know which direction she went?" He asked, standing from his log seat, hoping that this meant they could continue onward.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
the White Mountains, Rohan side

*He nodded to that question, clearly immune to your impatience, and with his hand indicated a direction, almost perpendicular to the circle you had looped into. He didn't say anything about the time you had lost. Nor about the fact that clearly she had a rather large lead on you. It was probably more than just 'a good thing' that you hadn't hired him for his conversation because clearly, he had very little. Instead, he went back to his horse, and climbed into the saddle.

The next day were akin to this one, except for the fact that he didn't need to stop as often. He knew the terrain, knew the likelihood of paths taken or not taken. The silence to Gerard was a companion, so he didn't find the need to break it without reason. Now and again he stopped the progress to hunt, making sure they had food in their bodies aside from the porridge he made with what was in his saddle bags. He was too experienced to go out unprepared. Some of the terrain was inhospitable to say the least and they weren't always lucky enough to have meat. Passing by a large lake though, a duck was had, and while he couldn't smoke it, the fat was enough to preserve the grilled meat at least a day or two.

The journey would be easy for him... different for you. A trek that led them past the borders into the Rohan side of the mountains. He remarked on that, but didn't offer any advise. It wouldn't be the first time a patrol from one of the Eoreds crossed that border in pursuit. There were things just not spoken about, in silent agreement that justice was frequently meted out by those who could.

[Rillewen]

Private - Flashback

|
Strawberry | Xyler
With npcs, Éadmód & Éadnere
In the mountains of the Westfold
Somewhere on the North-Eastern side of the mountain Starkhorn
Third Age, either late 3018 or early 3019

As they reached the first fork in the path, Strawberry hesitated. She knew which way they had come from, but… where should she go from here? Back to the cell place, where she had found them? Or down another path? Where would these people be most likely to keep Dern?

“Where to?” Xyler whispered next to her, startling her slightly.

“You,” She turned to him with a frown as she kept her voice to a whisper, “will go right back down the path, and lead your friends back home.”

“Not happening.” He shook his head, then paused. “We could probably do a little better if we had some light?” He suggested.

Strawberry scowled and huffed a little in annoyance, although it was really too dark for him to see that. She decided to go back to the cell and see if there might be any sort of tracks to follow. No sooner had she taken a few steps down the right-hand tunnel, though, than she let out a little ‘ow’ as she bumped into a stalagmite.

“See?” Xyler mumbled. “I could light a torch or something, and you wouldn’t walk into things. And you’d have your hands free in case you need to fight or whatever.”

Strawberry hated to admit that he was right. She hesitated for a long time, trying to think of any possible way to avoid it. She could light and carry a torch herself, of course. She’d prefer not to have a torch, though, because that would announce their presence in case any of the Dunlendings were searching the tunnels for them. But, if they did show up, she’d rather have her hands free to fight. Like he said. Finally, she sighed. “Alright. Fine… I guess some light would be useful.” She admitted, grudgingly. She couldn’t exactly look at tracks if she couldn’t see, after all.

“Hm, yeah. I thought so.” He sounded like he was smug, and she hated it. “I brought the torch,” He added. “Do you have a way to light it?”

“Yeah.” She knelt and got out her fire-making kit from her pack. Together, they lit it, and before long, Xyler held up the blazing torch.

Slowly and cautiously, the pair made their way down the tunnels, following their own tracks in the dust, which they had made earlier. It was difficult to tell how long it took to find their way back to the chamber with the cells, but eventually, they arrived and took a look around.

Strawberry shivered as she looked around. The cell where she had found Xyler and the others was only one of a few. A couple of rats scurried off into darkness when the light revealed their presence. Strawberry shivered again with revulsion and looked away, looking for another way out. The guard she had knocked out earlier was still where they had left him, to her surprise. He was awake by now, and glared at them as he saw them, squirming and trying to get free. She paused and kneeled to check his bonds, to make sure he was still secure and that his gag would not let him call out and warn his buddies. She definitely didn’t want to end up being swarmed by the whole tribe or something.

“Strange,” She commented as she straightened.

“What is?” Xyler asked, having hung back as much as he could while still providing her with light.

“When we left, I’m sure I heard a bunch of those people coming down the tunnels after us, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.. that’s right.” Xyler frowned slightly. “I see what you mean. They didn’t catch up to us, but they didn’t seem to let him free, either. So, they must not have discovered him.” He nodded to the guard. “Where do you think they went?”

Strawberry looked around at the ground, and waved him to come over. “That’s a good question. Maybe they weren’t coming after us, like we thought?”

“Then, what? Where could they have gone?”

Strawberry considered the options for a moment. There must be somewhere else they could go from here, although it appeared like there was only one tunnel right here. She had seen that boy being brought into the cave, but he was not one of those who had been in the cell with the others. “Did you see Dern being brought back through here?” She asked, turning to Xyler. The way the tunnel went, they almost would’ve had to see him brought through, right?

“No.” Xyler frowned and shook his head slowly. “I heard a bit of commotion, a little while before you showed up. But I never saw the people who caused it.” He paused and thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, there was a sort or commotion like that before, sometime after they took Theo away, too.” He explained.

“There must be another tunnel, then.” Strawberry muttered. She frowned, thinking as she ventured back down the tunnel more slowly, looking this way and that, studying the ground. Xyler followed alongside her, holding the light where they could both see with it. Down the path she went, slowly and cautiously. Until, suddenly, she stopped and bent closer to the ground. “Hey, look at this,” She whispered, motioning Xyler to get closer.

Crouching next to her, Xyler held the torch out so that it cast a wide glow around them both. “Is that enough light?” He asked.

“It’s enough.” She replied. She was carefully studying the floor and wall in this spot. “Look, see those scrape marks?” She asked. The ground here was hard and stony, so there was not enough dust to leave footprints, but there were some sort of marks that made her pay more attention.

“Yeah,” Xyler frowned and looked down the tunnel, worried that someone was going to come at any moment to investigate the guards she had knocked unconscious. “What do you think it means?” He asked softly.

Strawberry looked down the tunnel thoughtfully, considering the state of the boy she had seen being dragged into the cave, and then back at the ground. “I think... Dern was dragging his feet, resisting them as they pulled him in here. And his heels left these marks.” She answered. Moving along a few more yards, she followed the heel marks. After a little way, they suddenly veered off, seemingly going into the wall. Strawberry paused, tilting her head. “Xyler, bring the light closer?”

He held the torch closer. “What’d you find?”

She tilted her head as the shadows moved across the wall of stone in what seemed like an odd way. She put her hand out and ran it along the rock, then gave a soft laugh as she realized that there was another opening there, but the cave’s wall was formed in such a way that the rocks sort of overlapped and formed a narrow gap that was difficult to see unless you were looking closely at just the right angle, and there was a stalagmite close by which also helped to conceal that there was an opening at all. “There is another tunnel here!” She whispered, pleased by her discovery. “It’s like a.. octipal lushion,” She frowned, thinking that didn’t sound quite right, but she couldn’t think how it was supposed to sound.

Xyler glanced at her with amusement. “Optical illusion, you mean?” He asked with a slight smirk.

Strawberry gave him a withering glance. “Yes, that.” She huffed and slipped in between the narrow gap, with Xyler close behind her.

* * * * *

“There’s.. something up ahead,” Xyler commented softly, coughing with a slight gag at the smell drifting down from the tunnel.

“Yeah... I smell it too.” She whispered, nervous suddenly. Why was she glad that he had come along, all of the sudden? She had been so angry and annoyed that he was insisting on coming, and now she was relieved that she was not here alone. Not that she’d let him know that, of course.

As they continued a little further, she also began to hear something as well. A voice, whimpering, quietly pleading. The same voice she’d heard outside, before. Her hopes flared as she cast a glance back at Xyler. “Dern?” She whispered, guessing.

He nodded, looking also hopeful as he peered ahead intently.

They turned the corner, and stopped abruptly at the rim of a great chasm at the end of the tunnel. Strawberry caught her breath, her first sight being of a dark void dropping away before her. As Xyler drew up beside her, stopping as she flung and arm out to bar his way, his light revealed hundreds of sharp spikes rising up from the bottom to meet them. And, among those spikes lay skeletons and remains of others who had ventured in here unaware. Suddenly, Strawberry was immensely glad that Xyler had insisted on a light.

Once she got over the initial surprise of the deadly drop-off, with a ceiling full of spikes that mirrored its bottom, Strawberry looked up and across, breathing slowly. “There,” She whispered, pointing, while hastily taking Xyler’s torch, and withdrew back into the tunnel a little way to keep its light from being spotted.

There was a narrow ledge running along the edge of the chasm, like a narrow ribbon of pathway leading from where they stood, to the far side. There, across the chasm from them, the ledge widened into a sort of porch where a few of the Dunlendings had made a campfire, and a couple of them were sitting around it.

Strawberry took a moment to think, then stuck the torch into a crevice in the rocks. Returning, she carefully looked across to see what she could. It was hard to tell much from here about what was going on, and she didn’t understand their language. But it soon became clear that they were making bets on some sort of entertainment.

Xyler drew in a soft breath and tapped her arm, pointing to something she had not yet noticed. From the men’s camp, suspended a few yards out into the chasm, was Dern. His wrists were bound together, and he hung from a rope, somehow attached to the top of the cavern’s roof, so that he was hanging over the spiked bottom. Now, the pleading and whimpering became more clear, as Strawberry assumed he was pleading with them to bring him back to safety. “We have to get him out of here,” She murmured, frowning as she squinted through the darkness to count the men around the fire over there. Without another word, she started toward the narrow ledge that traveled around to the other side.

“Wait,” Xyler hissed, catching her arm. “What will you do if you get over there?”

“Save him,” She replied simply, giving him a look as if to say ‘duh?’.

“How? There’s three of them, and only two of us. And I don’t know how to fight,” He whispered, panicky.

“Then stay over here.” She suggested, pulling her arm free. “I didn’t ask for your help, remember? In fact, I seem to recall repeatedly asking you not to come, and telling you I did not need your help.” She pointed out, keeping her voice to a low whisper.

Xyler frowned and watched as she began edging her way around the ledge. After she’d gone several yards, he began to follow, carefully. Nervously. Trying not to look down.

As she drew nearer to the other side, Strawberry felt a chill creep over her skin as she realized that Dern was in far more immenent danger than she’d realized from afar. The men had apparently smeared something, probably grease from cooked meat, onto the rope. And there were rats crawling on it, gnawing it. She could more easily make out that Dern was begging them not to let him fall, insisting that he didn’t know where their people were, and things of that sort. She didn’t know, or much care, what it was that these Dunlendings wanted to know from him. He was going to die very soon if she didn’t do something to stop him. The realization that the men were probably betting on how long it would take for the rats to chew through the ropes… that made anger burn in her veins.

Careful not to lose her balance, she crouched and found a couple of loose rocks that she would’ve otherwise had to be careful of, then straightened and moved a little further along the ledge. Once she was within a reasonable range, she threw the first rock. The first one missed, to her dismay. But the second one struck one of the rats and knocked it off the rope, causing it to plummet to the depths below. Good riddance.

This drew the men’s attention. They jumped up from the fire, looking confused as they tried to figure out why the rat had suddenly lost its grip and fell. Rats didn’t just lose their grip on a rope, right?

Strawberry moved along the ledge, perhaps more hastily than was wise, but she soon reached the wider part of it.

The first man caught sight of her movement, then. He called out to the others. They exclaimed in their language which she didn’t understand, and moved toward her.
Strawberry ducked the first man’s attempt at grabbing her, then spun and threw a kick that caught him in the gut. He staggered back a step, then his eyes widened in panic as he slipped off the edge with a scream.

While Strawberry was fighting the guys, Xyler ran over to where the end of the rope was tied, and started trying to work out how to get Dern back onto the ledge.

Strawberry turned to deal with the next two, having no time to spend at the moment for guilt or remorse at the loss of a life. She’d deal with those thoughts later. The other two came at her at once, and she hastily threw a punch to the ribs of the first, then drove her elbow back and upward, catching the other guy in the jaw. Grabbing him while he was stunned from the blow, she then pivoted so that he ended up being pulled around her side and downward, hitting the ground hard. She leaped to the side just in time to avoid the other guy when he tried to grab her, and they briefly circled one another. When he made his move to strike out at her, she dodged, then countered with a left hook to the ribs, skipping back a step before immediately followed with a diagonal kick that swung upward into the same spot. She use the momentum of her kick to spin in place, and flung her right hand out in a backfist that caught him in the face.
Dazed, and holding his ribs, he stumbled back, then received a powerful kick to the gut, which drove him to drop to the ground. She finished with a strike to his neck from the edge of her hand, and then he dropped, unconscious, then glanced over toward where Xyler was trying to undo the rope holding Dern over the chasm. It looked like he wasn't having much luck, and she was worried they wouldn't get him down before the rats had chewed through the rope.

“Shortcake, behind you!” Xyler cried, trying to warn her, just a moment too late.

The third guy had gotten up from the ground while she was dealing with his buddy, and he hastened toward her while she was focused on his friend. Just as she was aiming her final blow to the back of his friend’s neck, he grabbed hold of her from behind, trying to crush her in a tight grip.

Strawberry felt her feet come off the ground. This guy was big, tall, strong... and angry. Angry that she had managed to kill one of his friends, knock the other out, and had thrown him to the ground like he was a rag doll. She struggled for a moment, feeling his powerful arms restricting her breathing.

Her elbow slammed backward into his ribs. Then, as he doubled over from that, it put her feet on the ground again. That was all she needed. She swung one leg around behind his, and threw her arms out wide, like wings. Then as she straightened, the big guy could do nothing but topple over her leg as his balance was thrown off. She had not realized, however, how close they were to the edge of the chasm, until the man let out a shout of alarm, instead of hitting the ground, he landed partially on the ground, the rest of his body ending up over the edge. He began to fall, which she had not intended to happen.

Before she quite realized what had even happened, the man reached out desperately to grab onto something to stop his descent, but what he grabbed onto was her ankle, and they fell together over the edge of the chasm... toward the spikes of death below.

Her hands caught onto the ledge, frantically clutching at the hard ground, but hardly had she caught herself, than the weight of her own body, plus that of the big man, jerked abruptly on her arms. It was too much weight, and too sharp of a jolt. She felt her right shoulder pop out of socket, cried out in pain, finding herself clinging to the edge of the rock with only one hand. One hand with weakened knuckles. All that weight was dragging her down. Her grip was slipping, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her free foot desperately searched for a foothold in the stone. She couldn’t even raise her other arm to help bear the load. “Xyler!” She gasped in desperation, unsure how long she could hold on.

---

Strawberry
Sept, Year 1, 4th Age
In the mountains of the Westfold, somewhere on the North-Western side of the mountain Starkhorn

It seemed like ages since she had been here. Strawberry frowned at the memories as she ventured into the darkness. The tunnel was tricky to find, even knowing it was there. She held her torch down to look at the ground, wondering if there would be any tracks to see. The ground here was mostly stone, so there were no tracks here. She looked back where she'd come, remembering the day, long ago, when she and Xyler had found this branch-off of the cave.

Her tracks showed fresh in the dust of the path, and it was, to her, obvious where they stopped. She considered this. It would be nearly impossible for him to not see that, right? Or would it? She wasn't sure. Then again, if he was as delayed by her false trail as she hoped, then these tracks might be faded or gone by the time he found them. She thought for a moment about what she could do to mark her direction. Subtly.

After a few minutes of thinking, she noticed that her torch was already getting near the end of its life. She'd had it burning for a while, now. With this thought giving her an idea, she ended up taking another torch out of her pack and lit it from the other. Once she had the second torch burning then nodded slightly to herself and dropped the spent torch on the ground, so that it would show the way that she had went. Then she continued on down the tunnel, holding her fresh torch up so she could see where she was going. Even knowing to expect it, the drop-off came up almost surprisingly abrupt. She stopped, taking a look around to make sure it was the same as she rememebred it.

Then she kicked her boot against the ground a little, scuffing the edge to make it look like she'd stopped hastily or something. Then, she stepped carefully onto the narrow ledge, carefully edging her way around. Just like she had done a few years ago, only much more cautiously. She wasn't in a hurry, this time. This time, she was making sure that she didn't leave any trail on the hard-packed path that led around.

The cave had been abandoned for a few years, so the smell of death had faded, but there was a trace of it there still, lingering. The skeletons were of people who had died there, still littered the pit below. She took slow, steady breaths as she inched along, her back hugging the stone wall behind her, until finally, she reached the place where it widened. Where the Dunlendings had had their campfire, years ago. Once she'd reached the safe area, she found a spot to sit down and take a break, sticking her torch into a crack in the nearby stone so she could see well enough to dig out some food from her pack.

---

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
Somewhere around the base of the White Mountains,
Gondor side, moving toward the Rohan side

The following few days were tiresome. Mar was feeling strained, having to keep up the act. There were times, he got so annoyed at the guy's silence, he wanted to strangle him. But he focused on what his mentor would say. Patience. There will come a right moment. He'd find great satisfaction in it, when that moment finally came. In the meanwhile, he made himself keep up the pretense of being friendly. Of hunting down a criminal. He struggled not to be impatient, but it wasn't easy. There were a few moments when he may have shown some irritation, but he quickly resumed the polite act.

His horse continued to be stubborn and reluctant to follow his orders, which didn't really help his mood very much. She was pushy and disrespectful, and she did not want to accept that the human was the leader between them. How his brother controlled the stubborn animal, he couldn't guess.

He was very opposed to the porridge that was offered at some mealtimes. He had grown up with porridge being about the only thing to eat at breakfast, and he hated the stuff. Tremendously. Although he wasn't eager to have to stop so his guide could hunt, he decided he'd rather have a little delay, than to have to live on porridge. He had brought some supplies in his own saddlebags, but not quite as much as he probably should have. Still, having decided that he should not appear stingy, he supplied some of his provisions to supplement their meals. He only withheld a few things.

As they passed the border into Rohan, Mar was a little surprised that the girl would have gone this far. Really? Where was she going? He was curious, but so long as Gerard was certain that they were still following her trail, he was going to follow. He would not let her get away this time, he was determined about that. Whatever she was up to, he didn't care. Wherever she was leading him, he decided maybe she would lead him toward someone she cares about. Which could provide some sort of leverage, maybe... it was a thought, anyway.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
the White Mountains, Rohan side

"Tracks are becoming fresher. We're gaining on her."

He spoke again. Finally. It had probably been several hours since he last had said any word. He motioned to a broken branch, where he at least could discern that it had been made mostly a few hours ago, by the fact that the sap was still very sticky and hadn't formed that protective layer that would make it harden around itself, protecting the tree.

"I presume you want to intercept her?" If that was the case he really wished you'd get your horse under control. Didn't they teach guards to ride in Gondor? His own impatience was growing. You didn't complain, but he could sense a growing animosity, an impatience. It wasn't Gerard who'd lost you an entire day. Again, he was too nice to point it out. Besides, you were young. You had time still to learn. And the pace in a city was likely a lot different than here in the wild. Even the pace at Meduseld was a lot faster than the rhythm of his own days. He measured time by months or seasons, more than days or weeks.
"Once we close a certain distance, she'll likely notice that she is being followed. Well now.. isn't that.. interesting?" He added, looking at the tracks in front of him...

Three sentences. Three whole sentences. Weren't you blessed today?

[Rillewen]

Private - Flashback

|
Strawberry | Xyler
With npc, Dernthain
In a cave in the mountains of the Westfold
Third Age, either late 3018 or early 3019

It all happened quickly. Xyler was trying to loosen the knot holding Dern out over the chasm. Strawberry was, very impressively, fighting off the Dunlending men who were trying to prevent that. And suddenly, they went over the edge together. Xyler froze for a second, eyes widening in shock, before rushing over to the edge.

“I’m here!” He assured her, arriving at the edge just at the moment she called out his name. He dropped onto his belly and thrust both arms down, catching her wrist just in time. “Here, give me your other arm,” He encouraged desperately, though he was struggling to hold her. The weight of both she and the big Dunlending guy was dragging her down.

“I.. can’t.” She hated to admit to being unable to do something. She hated to admit to any weakness. But she simply couldn’t raise her arm. It wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t do what she was trying to tell it to do!

Below her, the man was also dangling by one hand, which held onto her ankle. Grunting with the effort of holding onto her, the big Dunlending began trying to climb up her leg like a rope, desperate not to fall into the pit of spikes below.

She couldn’t hold on much longer, and Xyler couldn’t pull them both up. And this guy... he had intended to kill them, and Dern. Strawberry clenched her teeth as she kicked at his face with her free leg, until he finally lost his grip. She cringed to hear his cry as he plummeted into that awful death. A death he and his friends had inflicted upon others, she reminded herself.

Without his weight dragging her down, Xyler was able to pull Strawberry back up to safety, where they both took a couple of seconds to catch their breath.

“Are you alright?” He asked, breathless.

"I.. think so," She answered shakily.

"Help me, you guys!" Dern's panicked voice cut off any further discussion.

Strawberry sat up, and saw that the rats were still working on the rope, and they had it half chewed through, by now. She shuddered at the sight of them crawling on the ropes, on Dern, and she felt a little sick by the sight of it. "Get him down, quick," She told Xyler.

"I can't get the rope undone!" He replied, eyes widening at the sickening sight. Starting to panic a bit at the situation.

Strawberry pushed herself up to her knees, her right arm hanging uselessly at her side as her left pulled out a dagger from her side, and held that out to him.

But, as Xyler took the dagger and started toward where the rope was tied off, Dern began shouting in Rohirric.

Strawberry stared at him, then turned to Xyler, who had stopped in his tracks and looked like he was at a loss for what to do.

"What's he saying?" Strawberry asked, wincing a little as she got to her feet, holding her arm cradled in the other.

"I wasn't thinking," Xyler told her, a little pale-faced. "Untying, or cutting, that rope will just make him fall." He pointed out the way that it was done up.

She looked over at Dern, followed the line of the rope up to the roof of the cavern. Now, she could see that they had rigged a beam from which the rope suspended. It began from the side of the shelf where they stood, extending out to where Dern hung. The rope followed it, and she could see, too, that undoing the rope would not help Dern at all. She had been so busy, before, that she hadn't really paid attention to that until now.

"You'll have to climb out there to him, and pull him to safety. Just like you did me," She added with a grateful look at him.

"Climb..? I can't! I don't know if I've ever climbed.. anything." Xyler protested, eyes wide.

"Well, I can't do it," Strawberry retorted. "Not with my arm like this. It's out of joint," She explained, frowning at the shoulder as if it had betrayed her.

"Well, then I'll put it back in for you." He decided, moving toward her. The most obvious solution, right?

"What? You?" Do you even know how to do something like that?" She asked suspiciously. "Cause the last guy who tried to do that without knowing what he was doing, he left me where I could hardly use my arm."

"I know what I'm doing." Xyler insisted, taking a glance toward Dern, as if checking what sort of time they had left. "Just let me see it," He tried to speak calmly.

"Forget about my shoulder for now, Xyler," Strawberry argued, shaking her head. "You're wasting time."

"You're the one wasting time, Shortcake," He pointed out, as he took a moment to inspect her arm.

"I told you not to call me that." She growled irritably.

"Did you?" He asked, with feigned surprise. "When did that happen?"

"You know good and well when that happened, Xyler!" She glared at him. "Now, will you go on, and- Ow!" She gasped sharply in pain as he unexpectedly pushed the joint back where it belonged. She clenched her teeth and balled her other hand into a fist, taking several gasps of air as she fought against the pain. As if she could simply will it away.

"How is it?" Xyler asked, glancing nervously toward Dern.

She slowly moved her arm around a bit, then closed and opened her fist, then closed it again. After which, she threw a jab to Xyler's arm, bringing forth a little 'ow!' from him. "That's for calling me Shortcake." She informed him, then gave a little nod. "I think it'll be alright."

"I'd wrap it for you and put it in a sling, but.." Xyler shrugged, while rubbing his arm with a little wince.

"Couldn't climb with a sling, anyway." She pointed out, getting to her feet. "Let's get Dern to safety."

"Hurry!" he yelled, panicked.

"I'm coming." She looked over, and saw how badly gnawed the rope was by now. She wouldn't have time to climb up the post and shimmy out to him on the beam. That would take too long. She had to come up with some other idea. Taking a quick glance around, she spotted an extra coil of rope off to one side, probably one they planned to use on their next victim. She grabbed it, tying the end swiftly around her waist, and handed the rest to Xyler. "Hold tight. I'm going to jump, and you're going to have to pull us both in." She informed him.

"Wait, what? I thought you were going to climb?" He protested, taking it.

"No time for that now. I told you, you were wasting time!" She shook her head, then took a few steps back, taking a few breaths. "Ready?"

"Wait.. no!" Xyler made sure he had allowed enough slack, then got a good grip on the rope. Unfortunately, there was nothing around to use as a leverage point. "Alright, I guess?"

Strawberry nodded, taking a few deep breaths, hoping this was going to work. She ran, heart pounding as she rushed toward the edge of the chasm. Somehow... it felt eerily familiar. The feeling was almost overpowering as she reached the edge and leaped... and for a couple of heartbeats, she felt as if she was about to plunge into icy water and sharp, cruel rocks. Then she caught her arms around Dern's middle, and all those phantom sensations were washed away. She was back in the present situation, as the other vanished into the past. The past which she could not remember.

Dern yelped as Strawberry's weight was suddenly added to his, yanking down on his bound wrists. Several rats squealed, a couple of them fell off, and another dropped into Strawberry's hair. She gripped the young man tighter as she fought against the instinct to fling the vile creature off of her. The last strand of rope snapped, seconds after she grabbed onto him, and they both began to fall. She could hear Dern screaming, but her own breath seemed to flee from her lungs as they plummeted. She had to remember that she must hold onto him no matter what, and trust that Xyler would not lose his grip on the rope. Hopefully.

They came to an abrupt, jerking halt after just a couple of seconds, reaching the end of the slack Xyler had allowed in the rope. Strawberry winced as the rope dug into her waist. Then, they dropped a little bit further, and she feared for a moment that their combined weight was dragging him toward the edge. Maybe he couldn't pull them up? Maybe he would be dragged over, too? But then their descent stopped. They hung there for several seconds, both with shaky breath and racing pulses. "Xyler?" Strawberry called up, checking with him. Her right shoulder hurt so much. She wanted to be able to give it a rest, but she had both arms wrapped tight around Dern's waist. The rope around her own waist was digging painfully into her skin.

"I got you," He called back, his voice strained.

She let out a little breath, relieved. But he wouldn't be able to hold them like this forever. "Dern," She addressed him a bit shakily. "You're going to have to climb up this rope." There was no other option.

"My hands are tied," He pointed out, his voice still a little shaky.

Strawberry closed her eyes, taking a breath, forcing herself to ignore the pain in her shoulder. She was afraid it was going to pop out again. "You can move your arms, right?" She asked.

"A bit.. yeah."

"Can you grab the rope?" She was feeling desperate for him to take some of the weight off of her arms, and her waist. "I need you to grab it if you can. I can't hold onto you much longer,"

"Yeah.. got it." He declared, once he had managed to get hold of it.

She immediately felt a bit of the pressure taken off of her. Thank goodness. "Hold on tight," She instructed him. "I'm going to let go of you now, alright?"

"Alright," he sounded nervous, but he was able to hold onto the rope with both hands, tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

Strawberry had passed one dagger to Xyler, so she had to take a different, smaller one out from her boot. She carefully cut the bonds around his wrists. "There, you should be able to climb now. Xyler can't hold us both forever, Dern. Go, now."

And Strawberry waited there, at the end of her rope. The circle she had tied around her waist, digging painfully into her sides. Her heart pounding as she looked down at the sharp spikes pointing up toward her, like greedy teeth reaching up to devour her. The bodies of the Dunlendings were down there, along with skeletal remains of other unfortunate people who had fallen, or had been pushed, over the edge.

All the while, she worried that Dern, in his weakened state, might not be able to climb the rope all the way. Or, that Xyler wouldn't be able to keep holding on. But finally, Dern was pulling himself over the edge. She looked up now and then to check on his progress, so she saw when he finally made it to the top. When he was no longer on the rope above her. She breathed out a sigh of relief. That meant that he could help Xyler, now.

Sure enough, in no time at all, they had hauled Strawberry up to the top, and pulled her to safety.

"I can't thank you enough," Dern declared, extending a hand to her. He was trembling,

Strawberry noticed, but she did not comment, and briefly shook his hand. "We'd better get out of here, right now." She declared. "It's only a matter of time before the rest of them come after us."

"Dern," Xyler hesitated. "Do you.. happen to know if Theo..?" He trailed off, unsure how to ask what he was trying to ask.

The young man bowed his head in grief, shivering a little in horror. "He... is down there," he informed them, gesturing toward the chasm. "I.. I saw him, while I was.. hanging there." he swallowed, while rubbing his sore wrists. "It was horrible." He added in a hoarse whisper, then looked up again. "I agree with her, let's get out of here. I want to go home."

---

Strawberry
Sept, Year 1, 4th Age
In a cave in the mountains of the Westfold, somewhere on the North-Western side of the mountain Starkhorn

Strawberry kept her fire burning low, so that it could be extinguished quickly. Just enough to keep her from getting too chilled, and to let her cook a small meal. She still hadn't decided what to do. She only knew that if she left the cavern, then her tracks would show that she left it. And she wanted him to find that her tracks led down the tunnel and right to the hidden branch of it. As it was, her tracks should lead him right here, if he was smart enough to find her tracks, anyway. So, she waited, while trying to plot out possible outcomes.

Nothing was certain, of course. Anything could happen, but she knew that he must still be following her. Which meant that he was not in Minas Tirith. So, that was good. That meant he wasn't anywhere near her friend, nor his family. And that was the whole point of this. She nibbled on the chunk of meat she'd cooked, while keeping an eye on the other side of the chasm. She had no idea if or when he might turn up, but she wanted to be ready if, and when, he did.

---

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
Somewhere around the base of the White Mountains,
Gondor side, moving toward the Rohan side

The news that they were gaining on his quarry was good. Mar gave a brief nod, acknowledging the man's words. He looked at the branch that Gerard had pointed out, but all he could see was that it had been broken. Which could mean anything, but he figured Gerard knew what he was doing. That's what he was hired to do, after all.

The question made him look back over at his guide. Intercept her? "I suppose so," He agreed. "I intend to take her back alive," he added, adamant about that part. "Those are my orders. She has a trial to attend."

As Gerard began to comment that she'd likely figure out that she was being followed, Mar kept his thoughts to himself; that she already knew he was after her. He just didn't know what she was up to. Then, he seemed to see something interesting. Mar pulled on his reins to stop the horse. She backed up a few steps, tossing her head with a displeased snort, before finally stopping. "What's interesting?" Mar asked, curious what he had observed. Honestly, he hated having to rely on someone else to achieve his goals. But it is what it is. He would endure this for as long as he must if it meant he'd get her at last. But what was so interesting, he wondered?

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
the White Mountains, Rohan side

Gerard pointed to the place where the tracks seemed to.. veer off the path they had been on and unto the rocky ground, harder to follow at first, but they footsteps didn't lead towards any path. Merely into the rocks. THAT was interesting. That was a choice not just taken for speed. The paths were easier to follow, safer, and even though the road was longer, it was much faster because the terrain fought one less.

"Unless she climbs rocks for sport, there's a reason for her to go up and not around."

That was a statement, not a question. He didn't think it likely she would climb around for no reason. There were paths through the mountains, as well as grassy slopes on some parts that could be easily crossed. And considering the tracks he had followed, she didn't seem to wander about idly. There was a direction. He looked closer, this time on the rockier underground. Tracks were harder to follow, but he could see where she could not have gone, where sharp jagged drops or unforgiving steep cliff faces kept near anyone from passage. This was no place for a horse.

"Put my horse's reigns over his head, he won't go anywhere. You might tie yours to a tree." He suggested, not yet knowing how far they would have to follow across a path unsuitable' for horses, or even if they would have to go back to tend to them. He was skilled though, within a few minutes finding the direction and then... the wide mouth of the a cave.. He walked past it at first to see if anything indicated her going past, but within his mind.. this might be an actual reason for her to have gone up and here instead of following the earlier path. Shelter. Or passage?

"Cave. Or Tunnel." Gerard said it with a simple gesture towards the dark opening that seemed to swallow any light. He would leave it up to you whether you wanted to follow her in there.

[Rillewen]

@Eldrith

Ademar Androllius / "Amardir Ansellidus"
September, 4th age, year 1
Somewhere around the base of the White Mountains,
Gondor side, moving toward the Rohan side

"I don't know what she does for fun," Mar muttered, looking at the rocks where, apparently, her tracks had gone. Was she trying to lose him, again? He was growing increasingly more curious what her plan might be, and he wished he could find out, so he could get a step ahead. But, he would figure it out as he went. He let out a slow breath. Pharak always said that Lord Zigur provided for his servants, in their times of need. He was having a run of bad luck lately, and he wasn't certain how much power Zigur had, these days.. but he would restore him in time. If he could just find this stupid girl, and make her tell where she'd hidden that thing...

Mar dismounted with some difficulty, his left arm hurting a great deal the past several days. He had trouble doing much of anything that involved his left hand. His right arm also hurt when he moved it certain ways. Things he used to never think about, now he had to be careful about, and that was frustrating. He pulled the reins of Gerard's horse over its head, as asked, and secured Lady's reins to a nearby branch. Then, he paused to grab one bag from his saddle, looping the strap over his shoulder, across his chest. Then, he set off after his guide.

Soon, they had arrived at the entrance to a cave. Mar paused as this came into view and frowned thoughtfully at the cave opening. Not because he was doubtful that Gerard knew what he was talking about, but because he was thinking about why the girl might have led him here. To a cave. Amusedly, his thoughts flicked briefly toward the last time he had been at a cave. Where he'd left that other girl, he recalled. Told her he'd be back. Looks like he wasn't coming back, after all. In fact, he'd forgotten about that until just now. Oops. A part of him was amused by that. Served her right for snooping into things that she should've kept out of. The other part was mildly regretful, because it meant that he wouldn't be able to take her back to Umbar with him.

"Her tracks go inside?" He asked, taking a look at the ground, himself. Indeed, it was pretty clear that she had spent a little time outside, around the cave, before going inside. He thought for a moment. "She may be setting a traps, perhaps," He mentioned thoughtfully. She was good at traps, apparently. As he had observed when he located those bandits which were now dead. "I suppose we'll need torches," He mentioned, with a glance around to try and find a suitable branch to use. "Do you know this cave?" He wondered, curious how familiar the man might be with it.

[Eldrith]

Gerard
September, 4th age, year 1
the White Mountains, Rohan side

He could see a momentary smile, following a frown at the entrance of a cave. Good. You'd been a pain to travel with these last days and there were a few times he'd been tempted to simply bring you to the closest settlement and leave you there till you had mastered your horse. Still.. you'd hired him, and they were gaining on her. So soon this assignment would be over, and you would go you were way to Gondor. He might help you bring her to a settlement so you could get some cavalry assistance in getting your captive back to Minas Tirith to face justice. That might be best. You might get lost on your own. Again.

"Traps.. " He repeated slowly, then nodded. "How good are you with traps? You want to go first?" Looking for torches was the first time you seemed to have a good idea of what was needed. Good for you, city boy. *I got pine sap in my saddle bag." He didn't say more than that. The information he believed was sufficient on it's own. Yes, the'd need a torch, or rather a few. And since one couldn't be certain fatwood would be there when one needed it, he carried basic supplies. Pine sap was one of them.

"I know it's there. Haven't been this way in quite a while though."
THe footsteps did seem to go in, but he made certain they didn't come back out. If you spoke of traps, it would be a perfect opportunity to lure them into a bear den. only when you had found several good branches, and had gathered the pine sap, would he move back towards the opening. "She went in. Did not come back out."

IN other words if you wanted to continue the pursuit they did have to go in.

[Eamila Bolger]

Out in the fields outside Edoras

NPC Haleth
Not aware of what had happened that night in Edoras, a boy of about 11 years old was riding towards the hills just outside the city. He was whistling a merry tune, and he pet his horse every now and then with a happy smile. What an extreme luck was he having today! Going out for a ride, on laundry day!
Ever since his mother had started to work in the Inn, it had been his job to help his grandmother out on laundry day. And while he loved his grandmother, he really hated any household work. He never minded feeding the pigs and chickens, nor cleaning out the stables and grooming their horses. But laundry, or cooking, or cleaning... those were the things he really hated. Things that one would like to have sister for. But Haleth was the only child of his parents. And they thought hard work was something good, whether it be inside, or outside the house. So on laundry day he would have to bring his grandma lots of water, boil it for her, and help her wring out the clothes after she washed them.

But not today! To his great surprise, his mother had come back from work quite early, with a serious look on her face. Haleth had no idea what was going on, but mom had just the same sad expression as grandmother had had earlier this morning. The two had a hushed conversation for a minute or so, and then mother had walked over to him. He was to ride out and find aunt Hilda for a sick guest in the Inn.
Wasn't that fortunate! So here he was, out riding in the free air, and not doing any laundry. He had checked his aunts little cottage first, but she wasn't there. So now he was extending his search to the hills and maybe forest. Aunt Hilda liked to make her own medicine and used a lot of herbs from her garden. But she also went to find things like bark from birch trees, or plants that could be found in the field.

It took him far too little time to spot her, sitting on her knees with a basket next to her. For a second he wondered if he could pretend he hadn't seen her and make an extra round. But then he remembered the solemn look on his mothers face. Perhaps this fellow in the Inn was really very sick. He couldn't make his aunt be late then, couldn't he?
Besides: it looked like she had heard him coming. Aunt Hilde was getting up and waving at him. He waved back, kicked his horse gently in its side and rode over to her.

NPC Hilda
The early morning was the best time to get fresh moss from the rocks in the hills nearby, or so Hilda had learned from her father, may his soul rest in peace. And this particular moss here, was good for skin problems and many other things. So this morning, she had packed a couple of loaves of bread, some cheese and a bottle of water in her basket, and started walking. With a warm shawl it wasn't so hard to be outside in this time of the year.

Just as she had found the perfect spot and started selecting the best moss plants, she heard the faint sound of horse feet in the vicinity. When she looked put, she recognized the style of her nephew Haleth. She smiled. This is what her work could be like. Never a dull moment. Most likely something had happened in town that acquired her skills. One of her neighbors was close to giving birth. Perhaps the first contractions had come? It really was too bad that this young man Xyler couldn't stay around longer. There was always too much to do.

Haleth was near now.
'Hi aunt Hilda!' Bless him, always kind to greet first before brining the news.
'Mama is sending me, there is a sick guest from Gondor in the Inn. She said to bring things for possible infected wounds or something like that.'
Hilda nodded. 'Thank you, Haleth. Very kind of you to come all the way here. Do you think Maeara can carry us both? It would perhaps take me too long if I walked all the way back.'
'She sure can,' was the answer. 'Let's go, then. Mother's waiting.'