[Ealasaide]

Kaldir

"To the river, Mr. Kaldir, it’s the river! We are almost there!”

Kaldir heard Mrs. Banks calling to him and, turning, saw her wheel her pony and charge down the hill after Dúlrain and Benia, who had already gotten a good distance ahead. Knowing that he should not allow the company to be separated, he turned his horse to follow. With the hobbit, Toby Longholes, still clinging to his back like a terrified limpet, Kaldir kicked the gray horse into a gallop. Even so, by the time he caught up to the others, they had already reached the riverbank and dismounted.

"I will be a dangerous crossing," Dúlrain said grimly as Kaldir drew up to the rest of them.

Kaldir nodded and dismounted.

"Crossing?" echoed Toby doubtfully as Kaldir lifted him off the back of the horse and placed him on the ground. Then, seeing Kaldir's black expression, the hobbit nodded meekly. "I know, I know," he muttered under his breath. "Another word and you'll cut my throat and throw me over the falls." He sat down and, putting his chin on his fist, stared bleakly at the fast current of the river.

Kaldir let a brief shade of a smile touch the corner of his lips. How right Toby was! He had been hearing Naiore's voice and the Black Speech of Mordor as she urged her forces onward in their assault on Imladris in his mind for some time now. Unable to shut it out, the sound of her voice put him in an edgy, murderous frame of mind. All he needed was some sort of impetus, and he would be more than happy to silence the treacherous little blighter forever, whether he might be of use to the elves or not. Turning away from Toby, he reached into his pack and extracted a coil of rope, which he took a long look at, then tossed to the ground in disgust.

"It's too short." He had cut off of it one too many times in making bindings for one prisoner or another. It would never reach across the river. Seeing the questioning looks from the others, he threw up one hand in frustration. "I had hoped to run a safety line across the river to aid us in crossing. My rope will never reach."

"Use mine. I'm sure it will reach," answered Dúlrain immediately. He turned and pulled a deceptively thin coil of rope from the pack on the back of his horse. Kaldir recognized it instantly as being of Elven make. He nodded gratefully.

Looking around for something to anchor the rope, Kaldir pointed to a large boulder near the water's edge. It was almost as though it had been chiseled for exactly that purpose, as one end tapered to a narrow width, where it was notched deeply to prevent slippage. "We'll tie one end to that boulder. I'll find something to secure the other end when I get to the other side." As Dúlrain tied the one end of the rope to the boulder, Kaldir took the other end and tied it tightly around his waist. Once it was secure, he turned and remounted his horse. "Use what's left of my rope to secure everyone to the safety line before they enter the water," he told Dúlrain. "There should be enough left for all of you."

Dúlrain nodded, joining Kaldir again at the water's edge. "I'll feed the rope out slowly as you cross," he added, taking up a coil of the Elven rope.

Kaldir nodded and smiled at him with his one-sided smile. "Here's to a watery grave," he said cryptically. He nudged his horse forward into the current. Dúlrain said something in response, but Kaldir was unable to hear it over the rush of the water. The depth of the river increased rapidly. In a matter of several feet, Kaldir had entered the full force of the current, which flowed around him with an icy swiftness. One false step on the part of the horse and the two of them could easily be swept away and over the falls. Sensing this, the horse balked, but Kaldir urged him forward. The river bottom dropped off sharply, and, the next thing he knew, both he and Nico had been carried some feet downriver as the horse began to swim. Kaldir struggled to keep both his grip on the horse and his own head above water. Finally, the horse's hooves gained purchase on the river bottom on the other side and surged forward toward the far bank. As they emerged from the current, Kaldir looked back and saw that Dúlrain had already prepared Benia to follow him. He dismounted quickly and, leaving Nico at a short distance from the water's edge, began to untie the rope from his waist. Once he had finished, he secured it firmly to the base of a large tree trunk. Then, holding tightly to the newly placed safety line, he waded back into the river up to the waist. He signaled for Benia to move forward.

******************************************

Benia

When Benia arrived at the river bank and dismounted, her heart sank at the sight of the dark water and fast current. Surely Kaldir and Dúlrain did not intend for them to cross there. It would be madness. When Kaldir joined them a few moments later and began to make preparations to do just that, she swallowed hard and looked around for Gilly. She found her friend also staring at the fast-moving water but with a look on her face that was closer akin to horror than mere dismay.

"Oh, Miss Benia," whispered Gilly, barely audibly. "I can't cross that river. I shall be killed here on the bank by orcs sooner than go into that water."

Benia looked from Gilly back toward the two men just in time to see them exchange a few words. Then, with a rope securely tied to his waist, Kaldir rode into the thick of the current. She sucked in her breath sharply as the swift water took him and his horse. The only things visible to her on the bank were the shapes of their heads, struggling to stay above the surface. Unconsciously, she reached out and grasped Gilly's hand.

"They are rigging a safety line for us," she said quietly in an effort to comfort Gilly, not entirely sure that she was comforted herself. "We shall be fine. Neither Mr. Kaldir nor Mr. Dúlrain will allow anything untoward to befall us. They have taken good care of us thus far."

Gilly said nothing, but on looking at her, Benia could see that she was not convinced. Partly to encourage Gilly and partly just to get it over with, Benia gave Gilly's hand a final squeeze, then let go and approached Dúlrain, where he stood on the riverbank feeding out rope to Kaldir.

"I'll go next," she volunteered. "What do I need to do?"

Never taking his eyes off of Kaldir, Dúlrain gave her careful instructions on how to cut a length from Kaldir's rope and attach one end to her waist, the other to the safety line that would soon stretch across the river. "That way," he concluded. "If the current takes you, we shall have a way of getting you back. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Benia answered and did precisely as he had explained. Then, she mounted her bay mare and rode back to where Dúlrain still stood. By then, Kaldir had reached the far bank and was signaling for her to come. Dúlrain checked the knots she had tied that secured her to the safety line, tightened one, and then smiled up at her.

"Be brave. We shall make sure you get across safely."

"Thank you," Benia answered and tried to smile back, but found herself unable to manage more than a nervous grimace. Casting one final glance back at Gilly, she rode into the water. The cold hit her like the collapse of a stone wall. She gasped and grabbed tightly on to her reins. Seconds later, she found herself totally submerged as her horse lost her footing and began to swim. Benia panicked and struggled toward the surface, water rushing into her mouth. As her head broke the surface, she began to cough, but never for an instant let loose of her reins. She thought that surely she would drown as the horse swam on and on. Then, suddenly, she felt the firm grip of Kaldir's hand on her arm and heard his voice in her ear.

"You're safe now. Ride for the bank."

Still coughing, she kicked the mare forward and rode for the bank for all she was worth. When she had reached the safety of dry land, she turned looked back. Kaldir still stood up to his waist in the river on her side, while Dúlrain had turned to face Gilly. Her heart sank as she saw Gilly shake her head and take a step backward.

"C'mon, Gilly," she murmured. "You can do it!"