We cantered at the first light of morning. The sky was a purple color with streams of gold and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Fortuantly. i held the king's banner proudly as we cantered and got closer and closer to my mother. I knew she would be proud of me. She'll say I'm like my father. A warrior.
As the morning ended. We heard the baying of hounds. Or what we thought were hounds. Falkas turned to me and whistled. I obediently trotted over and he flicked his head upwards to a cliff. "Climb that and tell me what's happening. I don't want to be surprised." I grinned at him and pulled Swiftfire's head to the side and we managed to get up the steep hill. I looked over and saw a rather large pack of grey and brown wolves charging at the jutting of a hill. I looked closer and my heart skipped a beat. There was men on those wolves. Men with green skin.
Bedtime storys of the Orc's and their horrible mounts, the Warg's came flooding back to me. Father promising to protect me. Mother kissing me good night. Snuggling down into bed, dreaming of being leader of an Eored. With reckless abonden which only comes with youth, I turned and kicked my heels into Swiftfires belly. He jumped and landed easily and I cantered with speed to Falkas and Bodor; Shouting out "Wargs! Wargs!" They looked at me in alarm and loosened their swords in their scabbards.
"What do you mean, Wargs?" Bodor asked and went over to investigate. Falkas was looking at me as if I was playing a practical joke on him. We heard Bodor curse and he charged down the hill. Falkas' mouth opened and closed as we took after him.
I rode Swiftire with recklessness. He charged ahead of Kicker and Flame, leaving them in his midst. We came upon the baggage train, Just above the wargs. I saw my mother and she had Shaggydog caged in a wagon, He was barking furiously and I could see the little wolf pup. I rode towards her and pulled Swiftfire to a stop and she looked at me with helplessness. She didn't want me to go and fight, But I had to. Without a word, I dismounted Swiftfire and handed him to my mother.
She was more than a match for the unwillfull colt and In return, an old lady handed me a big black beast. "Meet Giant," She cackled "He will be of great use to you." The black beast was neighing angrily and trying to pull away from the old women, who was surprisingly strong. "Thank you," I muttered breathlessly and leapt onto the black beast. He snorted and turned to regard me with one brown twinkling eye and I took up the reins and grabbed the spear with the king's banner.
Giant and I charged forwards and I managed to get to the front. In the midst of the confusion, I somehow managed to get my helm onto my head. But I didn't buckle it at all. I held the king banner high and Theoden glanced at me with approval. Then, the warg's and horses came together.
Giant somehow managed to get past a warg and it's rider and I clicked my tongue to him approvingly. I know why the old lady gave me Giant. He was bigger than Swiftire and he knew what to do. As I charged past a warg and rider, I somehow managed to swing the butt of my spear into the Orc. It fell back with a scream and I continued riding. A Orc was charging at me and I threw my spear..And missed.
We were cantering down a hill when I heard the sound of running feet. Giant screamed in terror and He slipped. He managed to slip unhurt, but even so, I was thrown from the saddle and a warg flew by us and crashed into a stone wall with a dreadful crunch. I rolled to my feet in a panic and tried to grasp onto my helmet as it fell. I was doomed. I looked up in horror as a Warg, riderless charged at me. I prepared to die. No..I can't die! I looked up and around for a weapon. Anything!
Then I saw it. It was a Orcish sword. Badly made, with black leather around the hilt. I dove towards it and I screamed out in pain and fear as the Warg's claw's cut through the back of my boot and into the skin. I crawled forwards on my hands and knees, a trail of blood beside me. Sure to draw over hungry Warg's. I gripped the sword tightly and turned just as the Warg leapt at me, Yellow teeth ready to tear my flesh apart.
I rolled and the warg landed where I was with a bark. It swiped at me and I rolled once more, my father's fine cloak soon turning dirty. Then I leapt up to my feet, wincing as my injured leg touched the ground. The warg leapt once more and I stumbled to the side, slashing weakly as it passed, a spray of red blood flying through the air. The warg cried and fell down. It's body convulsing up and down in pain. I didn't want to kill it. So I left it to crawl away in pain.
I stumbled around, realising the battle was coming to a close. I closed my eyes and breathed in softly. Then I heard it. A scrabbling sound. I turned and looked at the ugliest creature on the earth. The Goblin had dark green skin and small eyes. Pointed ears rose from beneath a thick mass of greasy black hair. It's teeth seemed to be filed to a point and I could smell it from here. I was paralyzed with fear
The Goblin's leapt towards me and I stood there in panic and fear. Than an arrow sped out of the air and smashed through the Goblin's eye. A spray of blood splashed the grass in front of me and the Goblin dropped lifeless. Already dead. I looked behind me and saw the elf Legolas. He raised his bow in salute and I raised the hand with the Orcish sword, arm trembling from fright and adreline. I heard the clop of hooves and I turned to find Giant. His black hide was streaked with blood from a long scratch on his shoulder and I hurried over to him. He pressed his head against mine in a sign of affection and I patted his neck and hugged him back. He had saved my life twice. Once Willignly, Once unwillingly.
After I checked him over for injurys, I mounted up and trotted up the small incile and found Bodor leaning on Kicker. He was chewing on a blade of grass and when he saw me, He spat it out and looked at Giant. Giant neighed warily and trotted up to Kicker. Bodor grinned at me and patted Giant's head and said; "How did you get Maggie to part from her beloved son's horse?"
"What? Is he looking for Giant?" I asked Bodor rather quickly and he shook his head slowly.
"Murs will never be riding this horse again. He died a year ago.." Bodor sighed and spit onto the ground. He had a nasty gash on his upper arm "Maggie loves that horse. She must have given him to you for a reason, Some say she can see the future."
"Come. We must talk to King Theoden." The two of us clicked to the horses and we were off. Through the battlefield. I looked down at the faces of the dead, I didn't know many. But I saw the chestnut horse and her rider. The one who had raced with me to Theoden, lie on the ground dead. Inseperable, even in death.
Theoden was sitting on Snowmane, looking over the field of damage silently. When we got close, Bodor and I bowed our head's down and muttered; "My King" .
Theoden looked at us and his gaze seemed to take in our appearences. He looked down at my leg and said. "Grimbold, get Dernhelm's leg wrapped and cleaned. Get Giant's shoulder seen to. I want them gone quickly." I looked at Theoden in shock as Grimbold, the officer gently took me from the saddle.
After cleaning my wound and Giant's shoulder, He remounted his horse a beatiful chestnut color. Theoden looked at me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "It was extremely foolish, what you did today. You would have been killed and Giant aswell. It was brave yet foolish." Theoden withdrew his hand from my shoulder and continued to stare me in the eye.
"Yet, it proved to me you are an able horseman. I wish for you. Just you. To ride and find Eomer and his eored. You have a day and two nights. Go with speed, My young friend." Then without a word, Theoden turned and walked away, green cloak streaming behind him.
I was handed provisions which I tied onto Giant's saddle. How would I find his eored? I was doomed. We needed those Two Thousand men despreatly. I didn't hear what Bodor said, but I remember trotting away from the long line of men. Several raised spears to me in salute and goodbye's. I glimpsed Farkas raise his bloodied ax and Bodor didn't look at me at all. For the first time in my life. I was alone.
