Rise (Lord of the Rings)

34 - On the Move Again

It hadn't been long since we had lost vision of Edoras. We were now in the open lands of Rohan, crossing the flat plain terrain. So far, the venture to Helm's Deep was uneventful.

Still, there was a slim chance we could be ambushed. If Saruman realized we were without cover, most of the villagers would be easy targets for his army. But in order for the Wizard to have such a revelation, he had to have spies everywhere to realize the entire population of Edoras had left the city.

Shockingly, despite my small grudge towards Aragorn for letting Gríma live, I was comfortable riding with him. At some point during the ride, my mind focused on other things, and the grudge had disappeared. I was sure Éowyn was right anyways, Aragorn probably had a good reason to let the snake live even though he probably, deep down, wanted the slime gone as much as anyone.

Our company was soon near a large pool of water. We took the long way around. We had stopped briefly, and then soon started moving again. We would not get another chance to rest until night began to settle over us. Taking advantage of the rest, Gimli finally managed to snag himself a horse, though Éowyn had to lead it.

Once everyone was ready, we continued our slow trek around the massive body of water. During the time, it didn't take long for Gimli to start talking to Éowyn. He engaged her in conversation about his own race. He was probably trying to impress her or something. If that was true, then there was a high chance that Gimli fancied the king's niece. The lengths men went to in order to impress a lady...

"It's true, you don't see many Dwarf women," Gimli went on. Aragorn and I were behind the two, seeing as that was where Aragorn decided to direct the horse. Of course, no matter where we were, we would still hear Gimli talking. "And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men."

Éowyn glanced over her shoulder at us, more likely at Aragorn than me. Aragorn must have made some sort of gesture, because a smile crossed Éowyn's lips before she focused her attention back to in front of her.

"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women," Gimli continued, "and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!"

This had me and Éowyn laughing. I now tried to picture Dwarves, a stout race, trying to pop out of little holes in the ground. My imagination amused me.

"Which is, of course, ridiculous," Gimli went on.

Suddenly, Gimli's horse charged forward. Éowyn hadn't had time to snatch the reins. We watched as Gimli slowly slipped to one side, falling off the horse, landing on his back. I had to cover my face with my hands to contain my laughter. Behind me I heard Aragorn chuckle low. I peeked through my fingers only to try and hold my laughter in again. Gimli lay on his back, like a turtle on its shell. Éowyn rushed after the Dwarf to help him up.

"It's all right," Gimli said even though mostly no one was paying attention, "nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate."

Sure it was.

* * *

It wasn't long before night had come to take over. We ended up resting a good yard or two away from the body of water that laid out before us. Most were able to make camps from tents they managed to grab before leaving Edoras. Some villagers brought along some pots, cauldrons and the like, giving some a good source of food. It beat having to starve.

Even though fires were risky, they still were scarce throughout the camp. Some villagers ambled over to the water, their figures shadows in the darkness. Éowyn was gracious enough to let me stay with her in her tent. I ventured out, seeking out someone who I wanted to talk to.