A Hell of a Ride

Andy walked outside the cinema with her friend Sara. It was a hot day and they settled under a tree and burst excitedly into conversation. They had both just seen the last installment of Lord of the Rings - Return of the King.
    "That was amazing!" Andy said breathlessly, a huge grin on her face.
    "Damn right it was! It was beyond amazing! It was - it was... amazing!"
    "Yeah! Aragorn was so cool! Stupid Arwen. Stupid, stupid Arwen."
    Sara laughed. "Yeah. But she was quite cool as well. Elves are so cool! I've always wanted pointy ears!"
    Andy rolled her eyes. "You mean, you've wanted pointy ears since you saw Llllllegolas." She rolled the 'L' in 'Legolas' extra long and she saw that it had the effect she wanted as a slight blush crept into Sara's cheeks.
    "Well, can you blame me? I mean, look at the guy!"
    "Guy?!" Andy wore an expression of mock surprse. "And all this time I thought Legolas was a girl."
    "Shut up! Aragorn has greasy hair!"
    "So do you!"
    "What?! No I don't!"
    "Yeah. I know. But that's the first thing that popped into my head."
They both giggled and Andy lay back against the tree, closing her eyes.
    "Well, that was some movie, huh?" she said contentedly.
    "Yeah. Wouldn't it be cool to live in Middle-earth?"
    "Hell yeah! I could learn archery for free."
    "Yeah, and you could miss the bullseye everytime for free, too."
    "Like you would be any better!"
    "I don't know... I've always had a good aim."
    Andy scoffed. "A good aim! I doubt you could hit yourself in the middle of your forehead."
    "I can and will! See, look! OW!"
    Andy laughed. "Yay. If U can't win the arguement at least I can entertain myself by watching you beat yourself up."
Sara contented herself by poking her tongue out.
    "Well," Andy stretched. "We better be getting off home."
    "Yeah," Sara stood up, yawning. "Mum said I had to be home by five."
    "Okay. Let's take a shortcut through the woods."
    "That's not a shortcut! It takes longer!"
    "So, ten minutes longer. It's better than walking on the sidewalk in the sun."
Sara shrugged and followed Andy towards the forest. It was beautiful, some of the leaves catching the sunlight and glinting. It looked bright and shady at the same time, warm and inviting. They walked in silence for a while and the forest grew steadily darker. Andy looked around her uneasily.
    "Aren't we supposed to be out by now?"
    "No. Just keep walking."
They walked further and further. The trees grew thicker and thicker and blotted out the sunlight. They ended up having to squeeze through them several times.
    "I think we should go back now." Andy stared up at the forest roof, trying to push down the panic that was rising out of her.
    "Maybe you're right." Sara looked just as scared as Andy. They turned around and went back the way they came. At first, it stayed as dark as it was, in some parts getting even darker but gradually the light and their spirits grew lighter again.
    "Probably just took a wrong turn somewhere." Andy said cheerfully. They walked in contentedy silence when Sara gave a cheer.
    "Hooray! There's the edge of the forest." They both broke into a jog. Andy was already envisioning her afternoon tea whe Sara gave a cry of dismay. Andy walked out slowly beside Sara, her gut wrenched in fear. What they saw was not the cinema or the familiar park in front of it but a gentle clump of hills spread unevenly below them. There was no sign of civilisation anywhere. Andy swallowed.
    "Where the hell are we?!" she choked.
There was no reply but an urgent tugging on her sleeve. Andy turned to Sara who was staring ahead, looking slightly to the left with a look of horror on her face.
Andy followed her gaze and her face soon wore the same look of horror. In front of them were a huge, smoking pile of black carcasses. A head of a monster was planted onto a stake in front of them. It's mouth was still open.
    "Isn't that an..."
    "Orc." Sara finished off Andy's stuttered sentence.
    "But this was in The Two Towers! Have we walked onto a movie set?"
    "I think so," Andy forced a smile. "Yes, that's probably it."
    She let out a long whoosh of air. "Let's check it out."
They walked up to the pile of carcasses and the nearer they walked, the more overpowering the stench became.
    "Gross!" Andy blocked her nose. Up close, the head of the Orc looked intensely real, from the blood collecting in its mouth to the scraggly hair formed on it's head.
    "Weta Workshop, remember?" Sara said shakily. "Really good effects."
They walked around the carcasses, frowning.
    "This looks so real." Andy said.
    "Yeah," Sara agreed. "But it's just a movie set."
    "Then where are all the people?" Andy wondered aloud.
Sara didn't answer. Suddenly, there came a shout from behind them. Three people were riding towards them on horses. The first rider rode right up to them and dismounted.
    "Who are you?!" he demanded.
Sara gaped. Andy's eyes widened in shock. Aragorn, son of Arathorn was standing in front of them. It was at least a minute before Andy remembered it was a movie set and she snapped out of her daze.
    "Aloha, dude." She greeted them.
    "The man stared at her confusedly. "I beg your pardon?
    "Hello, Viggo." Sara said. "We're lost and we don't know how to get back to Central Park."
    "Viggo? I know not of this Viggo whom you speak of," he said, frowning down at them. "Nor of Central Park."
The relief that they had found died away.
    "But - this is a movie set, right?" Andy croaked. "Where are we?"
    "Movie set?" Aragorn said the words slowly, as if he had heard them incorrectly. "I'm afraid that you are not in Movie Set. You are in Rohan."
The shock hit them full-force, like a train going at full speed. Then Sara began laughing. Andy stared.
    "It's a joke!" Sara said. "It's a joke! This is probably just some stupid joke they play on every random person that wanders onto the set!"
Andy began laughing too but Aragorn did not join in their jest. Their laughter quickly died.
    "This is a joke, right? We're not actually in Rohan, just a movie set."
    Aragorn sighed impatiently. "No, I have already told you once. This is not Movie Set. This is Rohan."
    "But we can't be here! That would mean we're lost..." Sara said dazedly.
    "Very lost..." Andy agreed, as dazed as Sara was.
    Aragorn frowned. "I'm very sorry. But I must ask you something - did you see two Hobbit's here? Halflings?"
    "Maybe you should try over there." Andy said, pointing to the ground where in the movie Aragorn had found imprints of Merry and Pippin.
Aragorn followed where her finger was pointed. He gave a laud exclaimation of surprise.
    "A hobbit lay here!" he said. He began saying the exact same script as in the movie. Legolas and Gimli dismounted and followed, looking curiously at Andy and Sara. When they had realized that Merry and Pippin had gone into Fangorn Forest, they began to venture in.
    "Wait!" Andy cried. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli paused, looking back.
    "Don't leave us here!" Sara said. "We don't know where we are!"
    "You are in Rohan, my lady." Legolas said.
    "We know - but we're lost! We don't know where to go."
    "I would invite you along with us," Aragorn said. "But it will be dangerous."
    "Fangorn isn't dangerous." Sara said, not wanting to be left behind.
    "You know of the name of this forest? But you told me you did not know where you were."
    "I know this forest though!" Sara said. "Please don't make us stay behind!"
    Aragorn paused. "Fine. You may come with us."
Andy and Sara breathed sighs of relief. Legolas gave to them one of his elvish knives each.
    "I regret these may not serve you well but you will need something in this cursed forest." he told them.
    "Well, we're changing the storyline a bit." Sara whispered to Andy, her eyes on Legolas.
They walked for a while. Gimli found a leaf with dark liquid on it.
    "Orc blood." Andy said lazily before Gimli had the chance to taste it. He tasted it anyway. "You're right!" he said, spitting out the blood.
Soon, Legolas informed them that the White Wizard drew near. They got out their weapons.
    "Throw your knives at him," Legolas whispered. "Don't let him speak."
Andy and Sara watched as the group tensed up. Then Gandalf appeared and detroyed their weapons. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli realised it was Gandalf and rejoiced, laughter in their voices.
    "But there are two I have not seen before," Gandalf said, turning to Andy and Sara. "Two... that are not from this world, perhaps?" He stared at them with a glare that seemed to go straight through them.
Sara and Andy were in awe. It was one thing to see Gandalf onscreen but this was real, life-sized Gandalf the White.
    "Not... not from this world." Andy spoke up finally.
    "I am not sure. But now, we must hurry to Edoras. Come! Quickly!" They followed him out of the forest, Legolas, Gimli or Aragorn occasionally glancing back at Andy and Sara, curiosity on their faces. When they reached the end of the forest, Gandalf let out a piercing whistle and Shadowfax appeared almost instantly, tossing his proud head and whickering.
    "That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes have been cheated by some spell." Legolas said.
    "Gandalf nodded "We must now ride to Meduseld, Golden Hall of Theoden. I believe Shadowfax can bear one of you." He said, gesturing to Sara and Andy.
    "You go." Andy said to Sara.
    "But what about you?" Sara asked. "I'm not going if you can't."
    "You forget, my lady, that there is one more horse who can bear another. With Brego's leave, I'm sure that our friend would be able to come." Said Aragorn with a smile.

A few minutes later, they were galloping across the rolling hills of Rohan. Andy's eyes were squeezed tight and she was clinging to Brego's mane as tight as she could. Aragorn's arms were around her, holding the reins gently. Scared as she was, she felt a sense of security and she knew that she wouldn't fall. Sara was feeling the same security on Shadowfax. Though there was no saddle, she knew somehow that Shadowfax would not let her fall. She had had horse riding lessons before anyway, and she knew vaguely how to stay seated on the horse. She glanced over at Any whose eyes were squeezed tight, her lips mouthing the words 'Help me' over and over again. She allowed herself a smile in spite of the situtation.

They rode into Edoras and right up to Meduself. Hama, the door guard, asked them to hand over their weapons. Sara and Andy giggled and earned a sharp glare from Hama. They handed over Legolas' Elvish knives.
    "Stay here." Aragorn told them when they went inside. They sat down near the door and Gandalf began walking forward. The scene played out exactly as in the movie, though they didn't see Saruman fall down when Gandalf knocked him out of Theoden's mind. Soon, Gandalf was advising Theoden to go to Helm's Deep. Andy and Sara were sitting next to Gimli who was devouring food like a starved pig.
    "So," Gimli said turning to them, wiping water from his beard. They could see bits of food hanging in it still. "What did Gandalf mean when he said you were from a different world? I did not quite recognise your way of speech, nor the clothing you don."
    "Well," Andy glanced at Sara. "It's kinda hard to explain really. We don't know how we got here either. We were only walking in a forest back home and we found ourselves here. We don't even know how to get back. As for the way we speak and the clothes we wear - the world we live in is much more advanced than yours, though we are enjoying your world too. Our world has flying machines called airplanes and we don't use horses for transport anymore but machines. There are a lot of things you don't have but there are also things we don't have in your world. Dwarves for example, nobody has heard of them in our world except in stories."
    Gimli frowned in disbelief. "Is it some sort of magical world you live in?"     "No... not magic, though it might seem that to you. I can't explain."
    Gimli shook his head. "That is most unbelievable. If it weren't for Gandalf I wouldn't have believed a word you just said."
Theoden and Gandalf finished their conversation. Theoden had just agreed to go to Helm's Deep. He approached them when he got up.
    "Greetings," he said with a short bow. "I have heard your strange tale from Gandalf. I will lend you a horse each and you will accompany us to Helm's Deep. It is not normal for women to take such an active part in my affairs but it is Gandalf's advice and I receive it gladly." He smiled down at them and Andy and Sara smiled weakly back. He bowed again, turned and left.
Sara grabbed Andy's shoulder.
    "What the hell was that supposed to mean?!" she demanded in a whisper.
    "I don't know... you don't think..." Andy's voice cracked.
    "Helm's Deep. Oh no..."

Andy and Sara followed the city out on their own horses. They were both wearing a shirt of mail (which felt extremely heavy) over their t-shirts and jeans and a sheathed sword stuck out awkwardly from their sides. Sara muttered quietly to Andy how to sit on the horse properly but to Andy it was both uncomfortable and unnerving.
They were riding just in front of Gimli and Eowyn was walking beside Gimli. Gandalf had ridden away on Shadowfax, though no-one except Andy and Sara knew why. Andy looked back quickly at Eowyn who had always been some sort of idol to Andy. She turned her horse around with difficulty and started riding beside Eowyn instead.
    "Hi." She said with a shaky smile.
    "Hello" Eowyn answered, smiling back. "My uncle has told me about you and your friend. He said that you were from a different world." Her expression was that of awe and curiosity.
    "Yes," Andy answered. "But I've heard a lot about your world too. I knew beforehand of you and your uncle."
    Eowyn's eyes widened. "How?"
    "Well, you're in the books of my world." Andy didn't want to have to explain about the whole idea of 'movies' so she just left it at books.
    "Why? How can this be?" Eowyn was awestruck.
    "I... don't know."
They soon came to a hill. Andy was happily chatting with Eowyn when suddenly Sara turned her horse around and rode up to Andy with an expression of fear on her face.
    "What's up?" Andy asked, worried.
    "Andy! This is the part where..." Sara trailed off, her terrified expression intensifying.
    "The part where what? Oh..." Andy trailed off with a curse. This was the exact part in the movie where the Wargs had come in.
Aragorn soon came running down the hill.
    "Wargs!" he shouted. "Wargs! We're under attack!"
He mounted the horse Eowyn had been leading for him.
    "Aragorn!" Sara cried. "Aragorn!"
    "He turned to them. "We must be hasty, my lady! The wolves of Isengard have come!"
    "But Aragorn! We don't know how to fight!"
    His face turned into a frown. "Then why would Gandalf..."
    "We don't know!" Andy said, frightened.
    "Stay beside me," he said, spurring his horse. "Gandalf would not have sent you if he had no faith in you."
Aragorn turned with one last look at Eowyn and began galloping up the hill. They followed him.
    "Sara! Help!" Andy was bouncing clumsily on her horse.
    "Squeeze in your legs! Move your body with the horse!" Sara called back.
Andy's bouncing stopped a considerable amount though she was still looking uncomfortable. They both grabbed onto the saddle with one hand (while still holding the reins) and with the other hand they unsheathed their short swords. They could see the Wargs and their riders in the distance, though too close for Sara and Andy's comfort. Their mouths ran dry and they gripped the saddle even harder. With a swallow, Andy raised her sword. The Wargs jumped forward and she plunged her sword into its body. The sword was wrenched back out of its body as her horse galloped on. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the sword with all the strength in her hand. She hadn't noticed it but tears were seeping out of the corners of her eyes from the fear that was coursing through her.
Sara was not so lucky. She had been knocked off her horse by a Warg but had successfully killed it and it's rider. She was left in the middle of a confusing tornado - horses, Wargs and their riders were going left and right and she couldn't see where Andy was. Legolas galloped by on his own horse and lifted her up with amazing strength.
    "Stay with me, my lady!" he cried over the wind that was whistling in their ears.
If it had been any time other than this one, Sara would have melted after Legolas had touched her but she was far too worried about Andy and herself to notice.
The battle played out exactly as in the movie and Aragorn had fallen over the cliff. Sara found Andy with a long cut on her forehead and she herself was sporting a similar one on her arm.
    "Oh my God! Are you okay?!" they both said at the same time.
    "I'm fine..." Andy replied, grabbing her friend in a hug.
    "Me too..." Sara whispered, her throat being chocked by tears of relief that Andy was alive.
Legolas walked slowly up to them, accompanied by Gimli.
    "Aragorn was not so luck..." He said softly.
Andy turned to him, her eyes shining with tears. Sara saw the tears but said nothing. Andy was not one for sentimentality and Sara was touched.
    "He will be lucky," Andy answered. "He's not dead. He will find us at Helm's Deep tomorrow."
    "How can you be sure?" Legolas asked, a frown upon his face.
    "Trust me."
    "Then my heart is lightened," Gimli said. "I believe what you are saying."
    "As do I. Let us go now to Helm's Deep and there we can await the arrival of Aragorn." Legolas said, a smile returning to him once again.

They rode slowly to Helm's Deep and when they entered, Eowyn rushed up to them.
    "Where is Aragorn?" she asked Gimli.
    "He has fallen. But not to worry, my lady, Andy here says that he is not dead."
    "How do you know this?" Eowyn asked, turning to Andy.
    "Trust me," she answered. "He is not dead. He will arrive here soon."

When Aragorn finally arrived at Helm's Deep, his companions rejoiced and greeted him gladly.
    "Then you were right," Legolas said, looking at Andy with a new, respecting expression. "And I regret to say that I did not trust what you said. Forgive me..."
    Andy frowned. "You didn't believe me?! How dare you!"
    Legolas looked taken aback. "I'm sorry my lady. But you must admit, the -"
    "I'm just screwing with you!" Andy laughed.
    "Screwing..." Legolas looked to Sara for explanation.
    "Screwing... kidding. I'm only kidding... joking?"
    Legolas smiled. "Oh. I do not understand your jest but my heart is glad all the same that you are not angry with me."
Andy raised her eyebrows and looked at Sara who was trying not to laugh. When Legolas went, Sara giggled.
    "Legolas is cool and all that," Andy said. "But I'll be glad if we ever get back to out own homes where people talk normally."
At this sentence, they forgot their happiness immediately. Would they ever be able to return home? Andy felt a sharp pang of homesickness and she was very glad Sara was with her.

Aragorn had informed Theoden that an army of at least ten thousand Uruk-Hai orcs were headed their way. Theoden was looking sick and Legolas and Gimli looked very serious. They had no choice but to fight. Theoden soon became confident.
    "No one has ever breached the walls of Helm's Deep." He said. "No one."
    "Still," Aragorn answered grimly. "We must be ready for them."
    "You're right... Hama!" Theoden called. Hama appeared at his side.
    "Yes, my Lord?"
    "Arm with weapons every man and boy who can fight. Clad them all in mail and armour."
    Hama looked surprised but he said again, "Yes, my Lord" and quickly left the room. Aragorn bowed and turned to leave, motioning to Sara and Andy to go with him. Legolas and Gimli followed.
    "Aragorn... are we supposed to be fighting in this battle?"
    Aragorn turned to them, a look of surprise on his face. "You did not know that?"
    "No..."
    "Well, if you do not wish to fight, then we cannot ask it of you." Aragorn said kindly, but they caught a quick flash of disappointment on his face.
    "No, we'll fight." Sara said quickly.
    "Yeah, we will." Andy agreed, just as quickly.
    The smile returned to Aragorn's face. "And I am glad. For we need as many people as we can get."
Andy forced a smile and in the corner of her eye she could see Sara do the same. Aragorn stared at them piercingly for a while.
    "You are afraid..." He said slowly.
Andy couldn't reply. A lump had arisen in her throat when she thought of the battle but she forced it and the lump away.
    "No." She said, but her voice betrayed her.
    Aragorn smiled, a look of pity on his face. "You do not need to fight."
    "Yes, we do!" Sara said. "You need all the help you can get."
    "And yours is much appreciated." Aragorn looked grateful.
    "But there's a little problem. We don't really know how to fight..." Andy trailed off, embarrassed.
    "There is time for you to learn the necessary skills. Come, we must hurry." They ran quickly after Aragorn and followed him to a secluded area behind a wall.
    "It would be preferable for you to learn both archery and swordsman skills," he said, laying his coat down in the corner. "But there is no time. Legolas and Gimli can help me."
    "Aye, but I will just watch for the meantime." Gimli said, settling himself on a rock.
    "One of you come here." Aragorn said, drawing out his sword Anduril. It flashed in the sunlight and Andy and Sara looked at each other nervously.
    "I will not hurt you. This is practise, though the Orcs will not be simply practising tonight."
A shard of fear wedged itself into Andy's stomach but she stepped forward anyway.
    "Then I shall teach you." Legolas said to Sara. This was something that she looked happy about, at least.
    "Draw out your sword." Aragorn said to Andy. She pulled it out. It wasn't as long as Anduril, nor as magnificent but it was good enough for her.
    "Now, you must block my sword. I shall pretend to attack you and get through your defence Are you ready?"
    "As ready as I'll ever be." Andy said, clutching her sword. With a huge swing of his arm, Aragorn brought the sword high in the air and brought it down, aiming for her head.
    "Ahh!" she yelped, bringing her sword up to meet his. There was a loud clang as the swords met each other. She had to use all her strength to push it up and away.
    "Good," Aragorn said. "I do not fear you won't be of any use to us tonight."

That night, they heard a knock at the door.
    "It's Haldir and an army of Elves from Lorien!" Sara shouted. People stared at her.
    "It was in the book!" she explained. They stared more.
    "Never mind." She muttered.
The door was opened and Haldir marched in with his army of Elves. They all turned at the same time to face Theoden.
    "Scary..." Andy murmured to Sara.
Theoden gladly accepted their offer of help and very soon (too soon for Andy and Sara) they were assembled behind the wall, awaiting the arrival of the Uruk-Hai Orcs they could hear stamping in the distance.
Andy began shaking. Her mouth tightened and she gripped Sara's arm who gripped hers back.
    "Do not fear, my lady..." Aragorn murmured quietly beside her. Andy breathed deeply and Aragorn clapped a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.
Sara felt hot tears sliding down her face but having Legolas beside her was some small comfort.
    "What if I can't fight properly? What if they... get me?" she croaked, saying her thoughts aloud rather than asking the questions. Legolas answered anyway.
    "Stay with me, my lady. From what you have shown me today, I can securely hold my faith in you."
sara swallowed and nodded.
    "You could have picked a better spot!" Gimli said loudly in his deep, gruff voice.
Though Sara and Andy had laughed in the movie, they could hardly even manage a titter at this point. Legolas however, smiled.
The stamping got louder. Andy's breaths became broken and Sara's tears flowed quicker.
    "Arrghh!" The orcs stopped outside Helm's Deep. They then began their dreadful stomping and yelling. It wasn't long before the actual battle begun. Arrows were firing in both directions and it was pure chaos to Andy and Sara. Aragorn directed Rohan's army and the Orcs tried to break down the door. Andy stayed by Aragorn's side. She felt secure with him, knowing that he had superb skills as a warrior. She looked and saw Sara running off, close behind Legolas.
    "Sara!" she cried.
Sara turned back and made as if to move towards her.
    "You can go!" Andy shouted suddenly, realising that her security with Aragorn was like Sara's security with Legolas. "Don't worry about me!"
    Sara hesitated. "Go!" Andy forced a smile which Sara returned. They then went their separate ways.
Andy encountered her first Orc as she was running with Aragorn. It looked huge and dangerous and she felt the cold prick of fear relentless stabbing into her gut but she brushed it away and drove her sword forward. Its aim was true and the Orc was lying dead on the ground within seconds. She fought more but she was beginning to tire. Her arms were screaming from the weight of the sword and her legs were aching from all the running around she was doing. She was very glad indeed when Theoden yelled for them to retreat to the Keep.
She followed them into the small room, where several soldiers were leaning against the door to stop the Orcs breaking in. Andy turned to Aragorn who was talking to Theoden.
    "Let us ride out and meet them!" Aragorn said.
    "For death and for glory..." Theoden said softly.
    "For Rohan. For your people." Aragorn said.
    "For cake." Andy said, unable to control the urge to ruin the moment. They both stared at her, confused. She blushed. "Sorry."
Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli mounted their horses.
    "Ride with me." Aragorn said to Andy and she climbed up clumsily in front of him. Theoden asked Sara to ride with thim and they galloped out of the Keep, charging through the door and knocking orcs off the pathway. Aragorn looked to the East and Gandalf appeared on Shadowfax, whose silky white coat shone in the sunlight. Behind him appeared the Rohirrim. The orcs growled and focused their attention on them instead. With a neight Shadowfax ploughed down the hill and they ran down the Orcs, fighting and slashing with their swords. Aragorn spurred his horse and galloped through the Orcs. The movement was so quick that Andy was caught off her guard and she fell. Aragorn turned to help her but a group of Orcs began to fight him and he was forced to take his attention from her.
Andy stood up and found herself surrounded by Uruk-Hai Orcs. She gasped and they grinned through their rotting teeth and charged towards her. She braced herself but then felt a sudden pain as an arrow from an Orc on the platform above pierced through her back in her shoulder. The force of the arrow pushed her forward and she cried out in pain. Any doubts she had about the reality of Middle-earth were pushed from her mind. She was not dead (and didn't feel like she would be any time soon) but at this moment, surrounded by those Orcs, she felt it was her best chance to pretend she was. She slumped to her knees, clutching her shoulder and rolled to the ground, careful to keep her face downwards so they would not see her eyes moving under their lids. They let out a sickening cry of triumph. It was cut short however as the Rohirrim, Gandalf, Aragorn and the others sliced through them.
Soon, a cry of triumph arose in the air, this time from the Rohan army. It sounded like they had won. Finally, the horror was over. Andy was about to sit up when a pair of arms lifted her.
    "I'm fine." She gasped.
    "Andy!" A familiar voice shouted. Andy looked up but she felt dizzy all of a sudden and her tongue was fuzzy. Her vision wobbled. She could see Sara running towards her, a look of alarm on her face. She looked up at the face belonging to the arms holding her. She recgonized the face - Aragorn.
    "Andy!" he said. But the words didn't reach her ears.

Sara stood over Andy, shock written all over her face. "Is she..."
    "No. Not dead. But she needs help soon otherwise there will be no hope left." Aragorn said, pressing his hand to the wound. He tried to pull the arrow out but in her unconsciousness, Andy cried out in pain. Aragorn looked to Gandalf for counsel.
    "Give her to me." He said and Aragorn lifted Andy onto Shadowfax. Gandalf took her gently and pressed her wound. With the other hand he grasped the arrow and pulled it. Andy groaned, still unconscious.
Gandalf tightened his mouth, twisted the arrow and pulled. It came clean and Andy gave a great cry and was jerked horribly from her unconsciousness.
    "Ouch!" she yelled, pressing her hand onto her should in a pointless effort to stop the pain. Shadowfax snorted uneasily.
    "Be silent, my lady!" Aragorn said. He was frowning at the wound. Aragorn stepped forward. "I have some of the Athelas plant left, though I do not know if it still holds some of its healing power. I have had it since Weathertop."
    "Well, it may be our only chance," Gandalf replied. "And it may be the thing that we need."
They went back into Helm's Deep and started a fire. They boiled some water in a pot over it and put the Athelas into it. Andy had fallen back into unconsciousness and did not stir when they pressed it to her wound. They then wrapped it with cloth Sara had ripped from her shirt and set her back onto Shadowfax.
    "We cannot stay here," Gandalf said. "We must now ride to Isengard."
Sara climbed up in front of Aragorn and they set off into the distance.

It was at least a week before Andy's wound fully healed and she had been forced to rest the whole time. She and Sara had met Merry and Pippin who were even funnier in real life, if possible.
At the moment, Andy was resting quietly in on the floor in one of the halls at Rohan. She was in deep thought and her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. She didn't even notice when Sara opened the door and stood in the room. She jumped when Sara cleared her throat.
    "Oh. Sara. Hi."
    "Hi. How's your shoulder?"
    "Fantastic."
    "That's good. I came here to tell you Gandalf wants to see us."
    "I'm allowed up now, am I?"
    "Yup."
    "Okay."
Andy stood up, stumbling a bit because her legs had not been used for a while.
    "Are you okay?!" Sara said, running over.
    "I'm fine, just a bit wobbly. Let's go."
They walked out of the room, Sara occasionally glancing towards Andy out of the corner of her eye.
    "Sara, I'm not going to fall over." Andy said, exasperated.
    "Oh, yeah. I knew that."
They found Gandalf back in Meduself. He smiled when they entered.
    "Are you feeling better?" he asked. Andy nodded.
    "Yes, thanks."
    "Good. Sit down." They sat at the same table they had been at on their first night there.
    "Gandalf stood in front of them. "The time has come for you to make an important decision."
They glanced nervously at each other.
    "A great battle draws closer and closer. The Armies of Mordor seek to destroy. If you stay, you must fight."
    "What do you mean, 'stay'?" Sara asked. "Are you saying..."
    "There may be a way for you to return to your world. But I fear that this may be the other time to do it. Therefore, you can stay with us and fight, or take this one chance and return to your own world."
Andy sighed, looking down. She had gotten so used to Middle-earth, had sometimes spoken like they had. And Aragorn... she glanced back at him, surreptiously and saw him standing near the door with a grim expression. She had thought that she loved him and she did, but more as a friend. She would miss him if she went back. She would miss all of them - Gimli, Gandalf, Theoden, Eowyn, even Legolas. But she did not belong there.
    "Let us think about it." Andy said. Sara stared at the floor.
    "And that I will," Gandalf said. "But think hastily! There is not time for time, it seems."
He walked away to Aragorn who began speaking fervently with him. Andy turned to Sara.
    "What do you think?" Sara asked hesitantly.
    "Well," Andy glanced back at Aragorn again. "I don't know... everything I had wanted back in our world seems so... stupid and unimportant now."
    "So you want to stay..." Sara said slowly.
    "I don't know. I've got no one and nothing to go back to... everyone here means so much to me now." Andy's mother had died when she was four and she didn't know where her father was.
    Sara took a deep breath. "If you stay, that means that..."
    "I know," Andy cut in quickly, not wanting Sara to finish the sentence. "I know."

The next day, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Andy and Sara rode to Fangorn Forest. They stopped outside.
    "This is the last chance both of you have to change your decisions." Gandalf said.
Andy and Sara nodded and dismounted. Andy turned to Sara.
    "Well," she said. "I guess this is it."
    "I guess it is." Sara said. For a moment they stood there, not meeting each other's faces. Then Sara grabbed Andy in a hug and Andy held her tightly, gritting her teeth.
    "Don't forget me." Andy said, tears pricking her eyes.
    "I will never, ever forget you Andy. Never. Do the same for me?"
    "It goes unsaid," Andy smiled through the watery wall in her eyes. "Well... good luck, Sara."
    "Good luck, Andy." They let go of each other and Sara turned to face the forest. With a deep breath, she strode forward and disappeared into the woods.
    "Goodbye, Sara." Andy whispered softly.
    "Goodbye, Andy." Sara said quietly, somewhere in the middle of Fangorn.

The End

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