Pursuit of Isengards Treason

[Daginae85]

(This is about a four year old story I did for LOTRO to sort of show off what I could and kick start my hunters legacy in Gray Council)

Daginiae sat slowly sipping on the stew Erolas had made, not much did the farmers of Rohan have these days with Mordor orcs and these strange new breed burning an pillaging lands these days Daginiae had finally lost it and snapped as he stood up from the table.

"Daginiae, where are you going?"

"I've enough of this mother. Orc's are running through our lands unchecked and unchallenged. We need to defend ourselves! Father would've had it any other way."

Erolas frowned and stopped eating, Saephera continued to sip annoyingly trying to drown out the commotion.

"Daginiae, he fell for the exact madness your suggesting now. Edoras will come to our aid."

"No mother, they will not. King Theoden is badly ill. Some evil has taken him. Theodred has barely moved from his side. I must do this for king and country, and my family."

Erolas stood up and sternly pushed her chair in and began to separate herself from the kitchen.

"You have your father's defiance in you. That, there is no doubt. You eagerly seek danger, and for what? So you can leave a poor mother and child to fend for themselves?"

Daginiae grabbed his bow and sword and headed for the door.

"I do it so that you wouldn't have to. Your skills are not as they used to be mother, I know you were once a shield-maiden in the younger years, but that time has long since passed. It is my job to do the protecting now. You and Saephera should ride to Edoras should I not return in two days time. I'm going to look at our western borders and should it be too many, I shall report to Lord Theodred."

"You had better Daginiae Besage! On your fathers soul you had better." Erolas commanded walking out of the kitchen finally.

Daginiae looked down to Saephera slightly smiling and frowning at the same time.

"The task lies to you my dear sister to ensure mother makes it to Edoras. I know you won't fail me Saephera." Daginiae whispered and she smiled and nodded.

With this he was off to the stable and began to saddle up Earoel, his fathers horse, old she was and had seen much of fighting, but she was indeed a splendid sight even in her old age. She nodded her head and whinnied. Fast and swiftly Daginiae mounted up and sped off westward accrossed the plains of Rohan searching for any sign of nightly activity.

For a day now he had been riding and came to the river Isen, night began to fall and an orange flare caught his attention. Daginiae dismounted and crept through the nearby tree's trying to get a closer look, and there of course they were. A bastion of Orc, but not the small orcs of Mordor, these were from elsewhere. They were large and bulky in their muscles, their armor was thick, their shields were broad. their weapons far more superior than that of Mordor. These were Urak-hai's. Daginiae had never seen them up close like this before until now, and a gut feeling told him to depart and raise the alarm in Edoras. These orcs were not here for some random gathering, they planned to attack, and by the looks of it, soon. Turning around and slowly trying to make his way back to Earoel, he was spotted. An orc grabbed a hold of him and spun him around. Just as quickly as that happen, Daginiae had unsheathed his sword and lopped off the orc's head in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for Daginiae, he turned back around to be met by a dozen more. This was a fight he could not win, and for his efforts was knocked out and rolled down a hill into the river.

Daginiae's mind swam as his body did in the Isen, he could hear the orc's mocking him and laughing and just as he was about to lose sight, something on one of their helmets caught his eye, a White Hand. Isengard! The pain was too much to bare after this as he drifted out of consciousness and for almost an entire day, he drifted down the Isen until he washed up on the Enedwaith coast. The sun had just about begun to go down as an elvish ship was sailing up the coast. One of the elves had spotted him, hope remained for our friend. The elves laid anchor and quickly paddled over and picked him up bringing him back on board where the healing power of elves took him. In a days time, they had reached the Grey Havens. As Daginiae had awoke he was surrounded by several elves and he immediately sat up and drew his sword.

"Who are you people, where is my horse, where am I? Speak quickly!"

"We are elves of Rivendell horse-master. We saved you from a certain peril Lord?"

"Daginiae...son of Dagain of Rohan."

The elves looked at each other.

"Rohan?!" One of them gasped.

"Yes, I tracked a war party of orcs westward from the Gap of Rohan. I must get back to Edoras, I must raise the alarm!"

"We dare not do such a thing Master Daginiae. You are still fairly wounded. You must rest."

Daginiae stubborn and angry began to approach the elf with force and his sword drawn and suddenly fell to his knee's not realizing exactly how much blood and damage he actually lost and went through. His face had a gash from slamming of a boulder in the Isen, and his legs and arms had been all cut open from the rough terrain of the river. Daginiae finally coming to realize this had dropped his sword and fell bent over and looked to the elves.

"I must...get to Edoras...Isengard has...be..." Daginiae fell passed out cold on the deck of the ship.

The elves placed him in a comfortable bed for a few days until he finally was back to a good portion of his normal strength. When he awoke he immediately ran to the docks and prepared to board the next ship.

"Lord Daginiae, whom do you wait for?" The dockmaster had asked.

"The next ship or course, I need to get back to Rohan."

"I must apologize horse-master, but these ships are bound to the business of Lord Elrond of Rivendell. We can not folly with such requests. I am sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry! One of our allies has betrayed us, and I can't gain passage to Edoras to warn my countrymen of the impending attack, and I only get sorry? Bah!"

The elf shook his head as Daginiae went off cursing and cussing every word of filth the elf had ever heard and even some he hadn't.

"Where's the closest Man town then elf? Where can I find a horse and shelter till I can reach my homelands?"

"The town of Bree Master Daginiae. It's a days travel due east from here."

"Very well. I uh...thank you for your people saving me, and it's more than enough, just, understand my country is in real danger and I apologize for my outburst, it was unacceptable." At this Daginiae took a bow and began his journey to Bree-Town. The two days were rough and calm at the same time traveling through Ered Luin and into the Shire. The Shire reminded him vaguely of his homelands, long distant fields as the eye could see, but the beings that lived there were quite different than anything he'd ever seen before. He made best not to speak with any of them though as they didn't seem too interested in him either. Finally he had crossed the Brandywine bridge and into the area of Bree. Night had fallen and bed was really inviting right about now as well as some food, and maybe just as a perk, a pint of ale and some pipeweed. Oh, how he missed his homegrown pipeweed he grew and was aching for it.

Once he reached the Prancing Pony, he indeed had all the above. A few silver pieces and he had a nice cozy bed and fluffed pillows, a warm piece of salty pork and roast chicken and though it was not his own, some pipeweed, Long-Bottom Leaf he recalled. He almost thought of it better than his own, then he gave a crooked smile, almost but not. Finally through with his meal, he sat down with his pint of ale and smoking the pipe trying to figure out a way to get back to Rohan. Isengard's treason would be the fall of Rohan if they did not deal with it immediately. Just then a man in grey robes, pointy hat and long scraggly beard sat down in the table next to him. To his surprise the elderly chap began to speak to him.

"Long trip I take it?"

Daginiae nodded.

"More than you could understand sir. More than I quite expected. Even more, no way to get back to my homelands in their most dire time of need." Daginiae sighed.

"Oh? Hmmph. Well, I think myself could aid you with potentially hurrying you on your way."

Daginiae snapped at the chap. "Oh really, and how is that, magically cause wings to appear, grow me another pair of legs?"

"No need to get defensive lad. All I'm proposing is a little bit of an adventure, and with aiding in this adventure, the people of Archet may be willing to aid you in your endevours."

Daginiae's ears perked like a dog. "And whom would I speak to?"

"I'm pretty sure Constable Underhill in Combe could point you in the direction of Archet, as I'm sure he would give you a few tasks as well."

Daginiae thought about this for a moment. An adventure? Dangerous, perilous, and something to hone his skills? Could it get any better?

"Who knows lad, maybe after you've aided them, they may be willing to lend you a horse, Horse-Master. Ooop. I must be off, big party in the Shire soon. A Baginses hundred and eleventh birthday. Till our paths cross again friend."

Daginiae nodded. Well, that could help out a bit and the thought of someone being a hundred eleventy was just mind blowing, but Daginiae shrugged and watched the elderly chap leave and retired for the night laying his head down. tomorrow, he was Archet bound.

[Isobel]

Nice story!  Looking forward to more.