Lady of the Elves

Chapter 3

For the next few days, I ran in front of the others scouting out the path. I found no dangers, but we remained very cautious, the eye of Sauron was always watching. Strider, though rather reluctantly had related the tale of Frodo and the ring to me.

Eventually a few days from Rivendell we reached the ruins of a temple I had found in my searches. "This was the great watch tower of Amon Sûl. We shall rest here tonight," Strider said. "Aelia, will you fetch me my pack?" I did as he asked and handed it to him. From it he extracted four small swords. He placed them on the ground in front of the Hobbits leaving them to choose their own swords. "These are for you. Keep them close, I'm going to have a look around. Stay here. Aelia come with me."

I followed him out into the open where we sat down, back to back. Strider drew his pipe and lit it. "You say you were in the fellowship of Thorin Oakenshield?"

"I was, and never a more hard-headed dwarf have I met. He was terrible under the dragon-sickness, though at moments he would have relapses in which he returned to his normal self.

The other dwarves were kind enough to me, though they did not accept me at first. There were two, Fili and Kili, brothers closer than two links in chainmail. They were my greatest friends of all of these. They treated me like one of them, but now they're... they're dead." I said as sudden tears streamed down my cheeks at the memory.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Strider said surprised by my rambling.

A Nazgûl's scream echoed through the ruins. We both leapt to our feet our swords drawn as we ran to the Hobbit's aid. "Aelia! We need fire!" Strider shouted as he jumped in front of the Hobbits protecting them the best he could from the nine. Immediately I understood. I fell to my knees and started in my attempts to create a fire. The wind seemed to be against me because it took several tries to get the fire started. Eventually I had two torches. I tossed one to Strider and we attacked the Riders.

Suddenly to my great horror dropped Frodo his sword and turned to run as the largest of the Ringwraiths pursued him. It was as though time had slowed. In slow motion he tripped and fell to the ground, his hand jumping to his pocket. One of the Nazgûl stalked slowly towards him. Then as I leapt forward to his aid he disappeared. I was shocked and paused in my attack standing still, dropping my defenses to see the Ringwraith lunge forward and stab where Frodo lay just moments before. A startled, pained cry echoed through the ruins as Frodo reappeared, his hand clutching his shoulder.

Without warning my family's deaths flashed into my eyes. My father, cut down by Sauron himself in the first battle against the ring. My mother, my sisters and I traveling through a pass only to be attacked by orcs, I the only survivor. My brother, the last of my family, stabbed in the chest during the battle of the five armies as I looked on helpless to do anything.

An extreme fiery pain erupted in my arm returning me to the spot. I turned to shocked to see a Nazgûl, withdraw is blade from just above my elbow and pull back to stab again. Instincts took over as I screamed and attacked, throwing my knives and slashing with my swords completely disregarding the fire in my arm. I picked up my torch from the ground and shoved the flame into the Nazgûl's face. I chased after it as it fled, fire engulfing its long robes.

My adrenaline left me as the Ringwraith quickly outdistanced me and I fell to the ground sobbing from revisiting my family's deaths. "Aelia!" Strider shouted, "Where are you?" I stood and walked over to him clutching my wound. My tears had left long clean marks down my face. "Aelia! Oh, are you alright?" Strider asked upon seeing me.

"I am okay, I guess, I saw my family die again," Then I saw Frodo in his arms. He was deathly pale, "Oh Frodo, no. Strider we have to hurry. We are six days from Rivendell; we might be able to make it."