11. Epilogue
As the first gleam of sunlight crept over the Rohan plains, it brought with it a change in the air. Blowing softer and warmer from the South, the wind set the grass whispering and stirred Legolas' long hair about his shoulders. Lifting his eyes, the Elf was startled to find that he had dozed as he stood his watch. Immediately he was alert and cautious. To his sight, little of the world had changed. Aragorn and Gimli lay quietly nearby.
"But what mystery is this?" he exclaimed softly. His knife was removed from its sheath and lay in the grass at his feet. He picked it up and fingered it, baffled as to how it had come to be there. Had he reached for it while in the grip of a dream? Was some foe drawing nigh that he would seek to guard himself? But no – all around him the plains were empty. The land spoke only of urgency, of vigilance to the day ahead. And as he searched, Legolas found that he was glad to gaze upon the rolling hills before him, somehow familiar and welcoming despite the grim task he faced.
Very glad, actually. It was most peculiar.
Soon enough the thought was banished from his mind. The sky was aflame with the sunrise, and the sight of it stirred his heart. Swiftly Legolas turned and bent over his companions as they slept.
"Awake! Awake!" he cried. "It is a red dawn. Strange things await us by the eaves of the forest. Good or evil, I do not know; but we are called. Awake!"
The others sprang up, and almost at once they set off again. Slowly the downs drew near. It was still an hour before noon when they reached them: green slopes rising to bare ridges that ran in a straight line towards the North....
THE END
Coming Up: Notes, Acknowledgements, and Random Details
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
