<The Three Hunters are still chasing after the Uruk-hai. It is dawn.>
Legolas: <Pauses and looks up> A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night.
<Camera pans over the rock and plains, alternating between the band of Uruk-hai and the Three Hunters giving chase. The trackers hear the sound of horses. Aragorn and company hide behind some boulders. A large group of horse-men appears, galloping quickly with their banners flying. Aragorn comes out of hiding as they pass, followed by Legolas and Gimli.>
Aragorn: Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?
<At a signal from Éomer at the lead, the riders make a quick turn and head towards them, surrounding them in ever-tightening circles. As they stop, they point their long spears menacingly at them.>
Éomer: What business does an Elf, a man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!
Gimli: Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine.
<Éomer hands his staff to another rider, and gets off his horse. Aragorn puts a hand on Gimli’s shoulder.>
Éomer: I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground.
<Legolas, in a lightning fast move, points an arrow at Éomer.>
Legolas: You would die before your stroke fell!
<The riders all point their spears closer at the travellers. After a tense moment, Aragorn pushes down Legolas’ arm.>
Aragorn: I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin and Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king.
Éomer: Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. <Takes off helmet> Not even his own kin.
<The spears are withdrawn.>
Éomer: Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets.
Aragorn: We are not spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They’ve taken two of our friends captive.
Éomer: The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night.
Gimli: But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?
Aragorn: They would be small – only children to your eyes.
Éomer: We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them. <Points to a smoking pile in the distance.>
Gimli: Dead?
Éomer: <nods> I am sorry.
<Legolas puts a hand on Gimli’s shoulder in grief. Éomer turns and whistles.>
Éomer: Hasufel! Arod! <Two horses move up.> May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell.
<Éomer puts on his helmet and gets back on his horse>
Éomer: Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands. <To the riders> We ride north!
<Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli look on as the Riders go off. They then ride towards the burning carcasses. Gimli starts to shift through the smoldering pile, and pulls out a charred belt and dagger sheath.>
Gimli: It’s one of their wee belts.
Legolas: <with his head bowed and eyes closed> Hiro îth… ab 'wanath... (May they find peace in death)
Aragorn: <Kicks a helmet and yells> AAARRGGHH!!! <He falls to his knees.>
Gimli: We failed them.
<Aragorn looks to the side as some tracks catch his attention.>
Aragorn: A hobbit lay here, and the other. <Flashback: Pippin yells as he looks up at a pair of thrashing hooves bearing down on him. He rolls over, avoiding the hooves.> They crawled.
<Aragorn starts to follow the tracks, with Legolas and Gimli behind him. Flashback: Merry and Pippin crawl frantically away from the battle.>
Aragorn: Their hands were bound. <Flashback: Merry rubs his bonds furiously against the sharp edge of a weapon.> Their bonds were cut. <Aragorn holds up a broken length of thick rope.>
Aragorn: They ran over here. They were followed.
<Flashback: Their hands freed, the hobbits run away from the battle scene, dodging under a horse and trying to stay out of harms way. As they flee, Grishnákh grabs Pippin by his belt and clings on.>
Merry: The belt!
<Pippin undoes his belt and Grishnákh is left holding it.>
Merry: Run!
Aragorn: The tracks lead away from the battle... <They break into a run and then stop> into Fangorn Forest.
<The Three looks up into a dense and dark forest>
Gimli: Fangorn. What madness drove them in there?
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