The sound of the horses' hooves echoed eerily between the barely visible ruined walls, the only light showing the riders the overgrown path were the stars in the clear sky. Both the horses and their riders were exhausted, the orcs had pursued them for over a day. This was their first opportunity to rest. Everyone were tense, sitting rigid in their saddles, their hands never straying far from their weapons. They'd all had enough surprises to last them till the end of the year.
Theydras rode at the front of the group, holding Erwan infront of him as best he could, the Captain didn't seem concious. Eordric kept to the rear, constantly looking over his shoulder. The stranger rode beside him, he still hadn't said anything, but then again neither had anyone else. Escaping the orcs and finding shelter was the first thing on everyone's mind. Suddenly, the walls on either side of them vanished, and Theydras called for the company to stop.
Eordric and the stranger rode up to the front and saw what must have been a square in whatever settlement the ruins once had been. Theydras had already dismounted and was carrying Erwan's limp body to a patch of soft grass by a partially crumbled section of wall. Eordric dismounted and went over to help, taking Erwan's left arm as Theydras held the right one, they carefully laid him down on the grass. Theydras motioned for Eordric to follow him and they walked a bit away from the Captain before speaking.
"He won't make it, his wounds are severe and he's been getting worse all day." Theydras' voice revealed nothing of his feelings, but Eordric knew Erwan was his best friend. "So what do we do now? The men are exhausted, and so are the horses, and many of us are wounded." Eordric's voice, however, revealed his still smoldering bitterness over being forced to retreat. "We make camp, see to the wounded and rest."
When they returned to the centre of the square, the men were already setting up the campfire and laying out blankets for the wounded. Eordric sat down by the almost ready fire, next to the dark-haired stranger. He glanced at the man, wondering who he was and why he was there. As if the man could read minds, he answered. "My name is Finrendir of Gondor, I suppose you are the next in line to lead this company, now that the Captain has fallen. So it is only right that I introduce myself." Eordric was first startled by the man speaking, but quickly regained his composure and answered in a bitter tone. "I am Eordric, and the Captain is not dead yet, Finrendir of Gondor. Even if he were, I am not the next in line, that would be Theydras."
"Oh." Finrendir nodded and acted as if that was the end of the conversation. But now that he'd gotten the man to speak, Eordric was not about to miss the opportunity to find out why he was there. "Gondor is far from here, what brought you to the Mark and to us?" Finrendir shrugged. "I was passing through, and joining up with a patrol heading my way seemed like a good idea." By now, Theydras had joined them, sitting down next to Eordric. Finrendir shifted his attention from Eordric to the newcomer. "So, Theydras is it? I am Finrendir of Gondor, I recieved permission to travel with your company from your Captain. Now that we are out of Rohan, I plan to continue north and I wish to extend my gratitude for your dutiful hospitality." Theydras bowed his head slightly. "You carried your own weight in the battle, your presence was welcome."
The fire was burning bright and warm now, and the men were busy tending to the wounded. But plans needed to be made, they couldn't stay in the ruins forever. They didn't even know where they were. "Theydras, do you know where we are?" Eordric was getting impatient, he wanted to get back to the Mark as soon as possible. Theydras looked around and shook his head. "I've never been on this side of the Isen before.."
"If my memory doesn't decieve me, this is Tharbad. Never been here before myself of course, but I've studied many maps." Finrendir looked around and nodded to himself. "You should be able to follow the decrepit road going south, back the way we came from." Theydras glanced towards the patch of grass where a couple of men were tending Erwan's wounds. "We're not leaving anytime soon unfortunately.."
Eordric sighed and unceremoniously stood up, heading towards the wounded men. He couldn't sleep, might as well make himself useful. Besides, the sooner the wounded got better, the sooner they'd head home.
