Henneth Annûn Story Archive

Two Black Arrows

Chapter 3 – Reunited

"The eagles are back! The eagles are back! And they have Frodo and Sam!" Merry cried out excitedly, which gave Aragorn the cover he needed to stash the two black arrows in a tangled patch of undergrowth since it turned the focus of attention skyward. Later when he had the chance to do so in private, he would show them to Gandalf and ask if his initial implication of an allegiance was accurate.

In the meantime, the wizard in question had slid off the back of his eagle and landed on his feet with surprising grace for a man his age after the huge raptor had done so itself. Once it was airborne, again the wizard then deftly caught Frodo when the second eagle released the carefully cradled hobbit from its clawed foot as it glided low over his head.

"They are alive but in desperate need of your healing skills. Especially where a ring finger had once been on Frodo's hand and the large bump on the back of Sam's head," Gandalf said to Aragorn as he handed the weakly smiling Frodo over to the man.

"Strider!" the hobbit then gasped out as happily as one could be after surviving a volcano's violent eruption.

"It's good to see you again Frodo!" the man replied just as happily, while he quickly glanced at the hobbit's bloody finger stub. "Where is Gollum?" he next asked Gandalf who now held a similarly delivered Sam in his arms.

"The stinker is dead and good riddance!" the gardener croaked out so fervently that it caused him to cough a few times. "He and the Ring ended up in the fires ofMountDoomthanks to Mr. Frodo."

"Sam that isn't necessary," a now tensed Frodo begged as if he felt ashamed about it, which made Aragorn wonder why.

"The two of you can tell us all about your brave efforts later at your leisure. Right now you need tending and I suspect a good hot meal too," he then said as a way to change the subject so the hobbit would relax which worked.

Again, the soon to be King had no lack of helpers to fulfill his requests when he next began the process of tending to the hobbits by having two of the found bed rolls placed a few feet away from the pale and unconscious Legolas and a clean cauldron with water placed one over the fire.

"What happened to Legolas?" Frodo asked now upset over that while the man laid him gently down on the closest to the stricken elf.

"He was wounded while we fought a diversionary battle before the Black Gates…"

"Mr. Frodo now we know why Sauron's eye suddenly looked away from us when it did!" Sam excitedly interrupted like someone making a new discovery just as Gandalf grandfatherly deposited him next to the former ring bearer.

"Yes Sam it does…First Boromir and now Legolas…all of this because of me…" Frodo began disjointedly and regretfully.

"Now Frodo don't you go blaming yourself. The Fellowship knew from the beginning what the risks were when we pledged to help you. Besides Legolas is still with us and that is a good sign the devilry that fell him this day has not won yet," Aragorn firmly injected although the latter he was not so sure of himself.

Then he had an additional fire built for the fixing of a meal for the two injured hobbits.

"No hobbit sized celebratory feast. Just something, that is simple and filling. I have a good hunch Frodo and Sam have gone for sometime without eating and we don't want to make them sick with too much too soon," he gently teased and warned Merry and Pippin after they had expressed their eagerness in its fixing.

"Begging your pardon but please no lembas bread for me. I've lost my taste for it," Sam added.

"You're in luck! We do not have any lembas bread but we do have…" Pippin eagerly replied but he stopped and a look of disappointed disbelief appeared on his face when he looked into the bag of food after Éomer had handed him. Something he had the presence of mind to include when he brought the medicinal supplies.

"Come on Pip! What do we have?" Merry prodded verbally.

"Plain porridge. That's it," the younger hobbit finally said.

"You have got to be kidding!" Merry exclaimed. "We had apples and smoked meat…"

"Had is the operative word thanks to the Orcs," Gandalf reminded.

"Plain porridge will work. It is filling and not hard on the stomach," Aragorn pointed out.

"But you cannot eat it without cream and sugar! Otherwise it tastes like wall paper paste!" Pippin bemoaned.

"Hobbits!" Gandalf sighed while shaking his head disapprovingly.

Up until now, Gimli had remained silent since his attention torn between staying alongside Legolas and keeping an eye on the elf which he had taken upon himself to do and his desire to jump up and to happily embrace the rescued hobbits.

Suddenly his stout heart filled with fear and actually skipped a beat when next he returned his attention to Legolas.

"Aragorn, Laddie isn't breathing!" he then cried out in alarm since the elf had continued until now to gasp for breath even though the arrow in his chest no longer resided there.

Instantly, this drew the man to the still elf's side and after a swift but sure check for signs of life, he sighed out in relief and relaxed.

"Legolas is still alive Gimli. What you saw was his returning to a normal way of breathing."

Sure enough, the elf's chest now rose and fell in a steady movement and his breathing made no sound at all.

"I'm sorry Aragorn for causing you undue worry. He just looked…" the sheepish dwarf began but stopped when the man bade him to do so by holding up his hand.

"Like he was dead," the man finished for him. "It scared me too the first time I saw it happening although in that case it was to one of the Dúnadan rangers under my care. And speaking of care, Frodo and Sam could use some now so let us not make them wait any longer!"

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