Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Liv, David, Saya, and Lily rode up to the smoking pile of charred remains and dismounted. Liv held Lily's hand tightly as she approached the scene. Lily's wide eyes searched the destruction around them.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Lily asked, her voice trembling.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Liv said soothingly, though her own concern was palpable.

Gimli hefted his axe and began to dig through the pile of burnt bodies with grim determination. "It's one of their wee belts," he said, holding up a tattered piece of leather. His face was a mixture of sorrow and anger.

Aragorn, who had been surveying the area, kicked a discarded Uruk helmet in frustration. He fell to his knees beside the remnants of the battle. "We failed them," he said, his voice heavy with regret.

Legolas, standing close by, watched Aragorn with a look of deep sympathy. "We did everything we could," he said softly.

Aragorn's gaze turned to the ground, where he studied the marks and tracks left behind. "A Hobbit lay here," he said, pointing to a set of impressions in the dirt. "And the other..." His voice trailed off as he followed the tracks with his eyes.

In a flashback, the scene of Pippin rolling over and dodging the hooves of a charging horse unfolded in Aragorn's mind. Pippin and Merry, bound and desperate, crawled away from the chaos, their faces stricken with fear.

"They crawled," Aragorn said aloud, tracing the tracks with his fingers. "Their hands were bound."

Another flashback showed Pippin furiously cutting through his ropes with a blade, his movements frantic and determined. Aragorn picked up a fragment of rope from the ground, examining it closely. "Their bonds were cut," he said, holding the piece of rope up for the others to see.

Pippin and Merry were seen running through the battlefield, narrowly avoiding the clash of combatants and the stamping hooves of horses. The scene shifted again as they darted into the safety of the trees, disappearing into Fangorn Forest.

Aragorn continued tracking the trail, his face set in determined lines. "They ran over here. They were followed," he said, his voice filled with urgency.

In another flashback, Merry and Pippin fled into the dense embrace of Fangorn Forest. The two Hobbits, small and determined, disappeared among the trees as the forest swallowed them.

Aragorn quickened his pace towards the forest, with Legolas, Gimli, Liv, David, and Saya following close behind. "The tracks lead away from the battle," Aragorn said, his voice echoing through the trees. "Into Fangorn Forest."

They stopped at the edge of the forest, staring at the dark, brooding woods.

"Fangorn?" Gimli said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "What madness drove them in there?"

"Oh, I don't know, Gimli," Liv said, her tone sharp with irritation. "Maybe they were trying not to get killed."

David pulled Liv aside, his voice low and urgent. "Honey, don't let your mood swings get out of hand," he said, his hand resting discreetly on her still flat stomach. "Otherwise, we risk the others finding out about the baby."

Liv's expression softened slightly as she looked at David. "You're right. Sorry, Gimli. I don't know what came over me," she said, giving a small, apologetic smile.

Legolas, who had been observing from a short distance, caught the brief exchange between David and Liv. His eyes lingered on David's hand on Liv's stomach, a hint of curiosity crossing his face.

Aragorn, shaking off his own weariness, turned back to the group. "We need to find them. If they've gone into Fangorn, it's possible they're in more danger than we can imagine. Let's move."

With renewed determination, the group pressed forward into the shadowy depths of Fangorn Forest, the weight of their quest pressing heavily upon them.