Rivendell to Hollin: The Untold Story
By Izzy
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine and I make no money from writing about them.
Author's note: The first two weeks of the Fellowship's journey is covered in three paragraphs in the FotR. Plenty of time to have had an adventure or two. This is my take on what could have happened.
This story contains creatures called Olag-Hai, which are bred from Trolls. They are not meant to be the Uruk-Hai , but the idea is similar. They don't fear sunlight, they are nasty to fight and ugly to behold. They are also a Tolkien invention.
Rivendell to Hollin: The Untold Story
Chapter 1 – An Uneasy Beginning
"You know me…"
"Yes, Pip."
"I love a good walk…"
"Yes, Pip."
"But this is not a walk…"
"No, Pip."
"This is more of a forced march…"
Merry sighed.
"And I'm tired…"
"Pip…" There was a note of warning in the older Hobbit's tone.
"And hungry."
Merry rolled his eyes and forced himself to increase his pace until he was walking alongside Frodo and Sam. He could hear Pippin's grunt of outrage behind him, and he would have smiled if he hadn't been so tired himself.
At the front of the group, Aragorn glanced back. "The Hobbits cannot keep this pace for much longer." He told Gandalf quietly.
The Wizard looked behind him and nodded, feeling slightly guilty that he had not noticed their discomfort himself. "We shall rest here awhile." He announced to the company.
Frodo closed his eyes in thanks and then looked at Sam who seemed similarly relieved. All four Hobbits flopped down where they stood, exhausted. It was several minutes before they even started to remove their packs and make themselves more comfortable.
"What do you suppose they're talking about?" Pippin wondered out loud as he pulled his bag from his weary shoulders.
Merry looked up. The Dwarf, the Elf and the Man from Gondor were standing close to Gandalf and Aragorn. They were all engaged in what appeared to be a serious conversation in hushed tones. "Well, Pippin. From the way that they keep looking over here, I would say that they are talking about us."
-oOo-
" This is the third time we have had to stop today." Gimli the Dwarf grumbled, casting a glance at the halflings. "I thought that they were meant to be strong walkers!"
"At their own pace they are." Gandalf frowned. "But they are walking at our pace, and our legs are longer than theirs."
"My legs are not so much longer!" Gimli retorted.
"No, but there is a great difference between the strength of a Dwarf's legs and those of a Hobbit."
"Whatever the reason, if we are to make Hollin in 10 days then we must make haste." Boromir looked around his companions. "The Hobbits are slowing us down."
"Need I remind you that Frodo is the most important among us and he is a Hobbit?" Gandalf glowered.
"Then let him ride the pony and we shall send the others back to Rivendell. It is not far and without the Ringbearer they should be safe." Legolas the Elf suggested.
Gandalf sighed wearily. "Aragorn? What have you to say in this matter?"
The Ranger shook his head slowly. " Even if we tried to split them up, they would not heed us." He looked thoughtfully at the four Hobbits a short distance away. "Frodo's burden is already great. I do not wish to add to it by separating him from his friends."
"Nor do I." Gandalf agreed.
"You are letting your heart rule your head in this matter." Boromir said to Aragorn with barely concealed scorn. "Is Middle Earth to fall because you cannot bear for a Hobbit to be lonely?"
Legolas frowned at the man's tone, but Aragorn appeared unconcerned. He was still looking over at the Hobbits.
"Gandalf, this is folly." Gimli tried to reason with the Wizard. "Frodo Baggins is brave to undertake this burden and I have no wish to see him suffer needlessly, but the price will be great if we do not complete our task. The road ahead will be hard enough on us all without taking care of three Hobbits who serve no purpose."
"Gimli, son of Glóin, those Hobbits…" Gandalf was stopped from completing his angry retort by Aragorn's hand on his arm.
The Ranger spoke to Gandalf, ignoring for a moment those around them. "There is some truth to what they say, old friend. There is a need for haste. But a pace more suited to shorter legs will add but a little time to our journey if we can reduce time spent resting. The pony will take two of them if we each take a little of its load. Two can walk and two can ride. When the walkers are weary they can change places and so the group can keep going."
Gandalf nodded his approval. "A fair suggestion. Gimli?"
The Dwarf sighed. "Very well."
"Legolas?"
"Agreed."
Boromir?
The Man nodded, but still looked anything but content.
-oOo-
Frodo straightened slightly as he watched Aragorn leave the group and come towards them.
"What is it?" He said anxiously. He had watched the discussion from afar and noted the grim faces of those involved.
Aragorn knelt down in front of him and the other Hobbits gathered around. "We are concerned that we are not moving swiftly enough." The Ranger said honestly.
"We're going as fast as we can, Strider."
"I know, Sam, but it isn't fast enough. This is the easiest ground we will pass across and we must make good time."
Merry cast an angry look at the rest of the company still gathered around Gandalf. " Well lads, it would seem that our new travelling companions have been complaining."
"Our poor progress should be a cause for concern to all of us, Master Brandybuck." Aragorn's voice was stern. "And compared with the fate that awaits Middle Earth should we fail in our quest, a Hobbit's hurt pride is a small thing." Merry opened his mouth to defend himself, but on seeing the look on the Man's face, decided to remain quiet.
"What would you have us do?" Frodo said apprehensively.
" We are going to try putting two of you on the pony and letting two of you walk. When you get tired, you can change places."
"But Bill's already got a load to carry!" Sam cried out.
The Ranger smiled. "The rest of us will lighten his load. Rest assured, Samwise Gamgee, we will ask Bill to carry no more than he is able."
Satisfied, Sam nodded and got to his feet. Going over to the pony, he started taking some of the bags from its back and placing them on the ground.
Aragorn looked at the three faces before him. "Frodo. Pippin. You shall ride on Bill first." Both Hobbits were clearly relieved.
Merry's heart sank, but he tried not to show how tired he was. "When do we start off again?"
"As soon as we have divided up Bill's load." Aragorn looked over at Sam. "How are you, Sam? Feeling tired?"
"A little, but I can keep going for a bit yet."
The Ranger nodded. "Merry…"
"Yes, I'll be fine too." Merry said with forced brightness, although in truth he had no idea how he was going to stand up, much less walk.
"Really? For you look exhausted. I would be happy to carry you for a while if you would let me."
Merry had seldom felt such relief, but made a show of considering the offer nevertheless. "Perhaps for just a little while." He said finally as if he were granting the Ranger a favour. "Then I will take my place alongside Sam."
Five minutes later the extra load from Bill had been split up between them, Frodo and Pippin were on Bill, Sam was leading him and Merry was hanging onto Aragorn's back.
"Loosen your hold, if you will." The Ranger said, adjusting the Hobbit's grip around his neck. Meriadoc Brandybuck didn't answer him, however, because he was already fast asleep.
-oOo-
For the next two days of their journey the Fellowship travelled at a steady pace, although not as fast as some would have liked. They slept for the middle part of the day, huddled under bushes for cover, and walked the rest of the time, stopping only to allow the Hobbits to change places. Gandalf's insistence that a fire might attract attention meant that their one meal of the day was cold.
Such miserable circumstances did nothing to lighten the mood of the group who were, for the most part, still uneasy around one another. The Hobbits in particular spoke only amongst themselves and to Gandalf and Aragorn for, despite being open and friendly by nature, they were beginning to comprehend the dangers that lay ahead and how ill equipped they were to deal with them. In such a situation they had decided to trust only those they knew to be friends and that did not include all of their travelling companions.
Merry and Pippin were rather frightened by the fierce gruffness of the Dwarf. Even Frodo who knew quite a lot about Dwarves in general, and Gimli's father Glóin in particular, from Bilbo, hadn't warmed to him. Gimli made no secret of his distrust of Elves and took every available opportunity to point out the various ills committed by Elves against his ancestors – a habit that seemed to irk Aragorn more than it did Legolas.
Boromir of Gondor seemed ill at ease with everyone in the company and rarely spoke on matters not relating to the quest or the bravery of the Men of Minas Tirith. The Hobbits had not cared for the way that Boromir had treated Aragorn at Elrond's Council and avoided him when they could. Frodo was especially wary. He would sometimes turn around and find Boromir watching him, which he found unsettling, but more often Frodo would find the Man watching Aragorn, an unreadable expression on his face. Frodo had mentioned this to Gandalf, but the Wizard had merely nodded thoughtfully and said, "It is to be expected."
The Elf, Legolas, seemed serene and remote. Usually at the back of the group, looking out for signs that they were being followed, the Hobbits rarely saw him apart from when they all rested. It was obvious to all that he tried to keep away from Gimli, but his efforts were often in vain as the Dwarf sought him out to pick an argument whenever possible. Legolas appeared to be completely at ease around Aragorn and Gandalf, and the three often spoke together in Elvish, which drew dark looks from Gimli and Boromir who did not understand that language. He barely spoke to the Hobbits and so they remained unsure of him. All except for Sam that is who, unable to believe anything bad of Elves, had decided that Legolas could be trusted.
"He must be alright if Strider and Gandalf like him." He said to Frodo as they walked side-by-side, leading Merry and Pippin on Bill behind them.
"His name is Aragorn, Sam, not Strider." Frodo chastised his friend gently.
"Strider don't mind, Mr Frodo."
" He doesn't like that name." Frodo persisted. " 'Scornful' he called it at Elrond's Counsel. Remember?"
Sam's face fell a little, but Aragorn, walking just ahead of them, heard part of the conversation and fell back to walk beside them. "It is true I disliked that name, given to me as it was by those who treated me with contempt." He caught Sam's eye and his mouth quirked as he continued. " But no slight is intended when Sam uses it, and so I find that I do not mind it at all." With that the Ranger strode forward to take his place alongside Gandalf. Frodo's gaze followed him with a look of mild surprise and when he turned back to Sam, the other Hobbit had an enormous grin on his face.
"Like I said, Mr Frodo. Strider don't mind it." He said sounding very pleased with himself.
Frodo raised his eyebrows and looked over his shoulder to swap a smile with Merry.
-oOo-
On the third day the winds began to rise in strength from the East, making it difficult to walk and freezing them to the bone. By the fourth day all the Hobbits were walking again because the whole group had slowed so much. And because Sam had been fretting about Bill.
They walked for days mostly in single file, their heads down against the wind. The Hobbits stumbled wearily forwards; sometimes stopped in their tracks by a particularly strong blast, often hanging onto each other for fear that they would be blown away. On a few occasions they agreed to be carried by Strider and Boromir, but this was only a temporary respite as the men were also finding walking difficult and could not carry them for long.
Frodo had on every bit of clothing he had with him and still he felt the chill wind. The only person that seemed completely unaffected by the weather was Legolas, although as far as Frodo could see he wore no extra layers. And although the wind whipped his hair about his face and caused his cloak to billow around him, he appeared to have no difficulty walking. He moved continuously up and down the line of walkers keeping careful watch on both the company and their surroundings. More than once the Hobbits found themselves saved from falling over by the Elf's hand grasping their collar.
By the sixth day the wind seemed to have eased a little, to the relief of all, and the middle of the seventh day saw them taking shelter under three enormous slabs of rock. The rocks looked strange against the rest of the landscape, which was grassy, but Gandalf had explained that the area used to be home to a family of giants and the rocks were part of a game that the children used to play. Two of the rocks balanced against each other to form a tent and a third provided a back wall. The result was a shelter akin to a large cave, easily big enough for them all and Bill too. Whilst not keeping out the cold, the boulders did provide the company with some measure of shelter from the wind and all were relieved when Gandalf said that they would make camp there.
"Of course, as the only shelter for miles around, it will be the first place that our enemies will look." The Wizard had sighed. "But I sense that a time out of the wind will do much to revive our ailing spirits. If you can find fuel you may also light a fire, Sam. It can make us no more conspicuous than our choice of lodgings."
So it was that a fire was lit and the Fellowship had their first warm meal since they left Elrond's house. Fuel was scarce however and the fire did not burn for long, leaving them cold once more.
"Strider? How much longer until we are out of this wind and cold?" Sam said miserably. He had practically rolled himself into a ball to get as much of him under his cloak and blanket as possible, but there always seemed to be a bit of him left out in the cold.
" When we reach Hollin we should see a marked change. Five or six days." The Ranger smiled at the Hobbit. " But fear not Master Gamgee, the wind has been dropping steadily and I think that our next few nights journey may be more pleasant than our last"
Strider sat with his back against one of the rocks, wrapped in his long coat, but otherwise looking unconcerned by the temperature. Around him the four Hobbits lay in various states of discomfort. Gandalf was on watch at the entrance, but still the Ranger looked as though he had no intention of sleeping. With talk of the enemy being able to guess their lodgings, not to mention Giants and their children, Sam took comfort that there was a second pair of eyes to watch over them.
At the other side of the shelter, Sam could hear Gimli trying to goad Legolas into an argument over his father's troubles in Mirkwood years before. Legolas remained calm and polite in his defence of his own father's actions, but Sam thought that he could detect an edge to the Elf's voice that he had not heard before. Boromir was sitting aside from the others. He was silent but he looked to be awake. Sam yawned and tried once more for a comfortable position. 'Maybe Men and Elves and Dwarves need but a little sleep, but Hobbits need all they can get.' He thought just before slumber took him.
Next to Sam, Frodo was finding it impossible to get any sleep, exhausted though he was. He was too cold. Instead he lay beneath his blanket and thought warm thoughts in the hope that it would help. He had just lost the feeling in all his toes when he heard the Elf speak quietly to Aragorn.
"I will swap your charges for mine." He said with a smile. "You can deal with that annoying Dwarf and I'll mind the little ones."
Although he spoke in Elvish, Frodo understood what he said and took offence. He snapped back, "We are not children and we need no minding!"
Legolas raised his eyebrows in surprise and then bowed a little. "I meant no offence, Ringbearer."
Frodo sat up and watched as the Elf made his way to take his turn at the watch.
"Where did you learn to speak Elvish, Frodo?"
Frodo looked up at his friend unsure whether he was amused or angry. "Bilbo taught me a little."
"Ah, I should have guessed." The Ranger nodded and Frodo was relieved to see a smile playing on his lips. " Legolas will be a good friend to you, Frodo, if you let him."
"He called me a child!"
"He did not. He said you were little, which to us you are. And I might remind you that, to the immortal Elves, we are all children. Legolas is close to 3,000 years old." Aragorn's smile softened his words. " And you would surely not deny that you need some measure of minding on this quest?" Frodo began to look a little shamefaced as Aragorn continued. "You need to start trusting your companions, Frodo, for together we will face some dark times."
Frodo lowered his voice to a whisper. "I would feel happier if we were making this journey without strangers in our company. I don't trust them. How do we know that they don't want to take the Ring? They are always watching me."
"That is what they are here to do, Frodo. Watch you and ensure that you are safe at all times." Aragorn looked down at his companion. "And have you forgotten that you didn't trust me when we first met?"
Frodo was about to remind Aragorn that it was he who had cautioned that the Hobbit should be more careful around others concerning the Ring when a flapping of garments announced Gandalf's arrival. The Wizard sat close by them and settled himself against the wall, closing his eyes. A moment later he opened one eye and looked at Aragorn. "You should get some rest, my friend. You have had precious little since we left Rivendell."
Aragorn sighed. "I am tired," he admitted "but you spoke true earlier. This place may well attract the enemy and I wish to be ready for them."
" I have placed a simple protection spell on this place. Of course, it would be better with four walls instead of three, but we must work with what we have." He wrapped his cloak closer about him to ward off the cold. "Between the spell and the watch we should be safe from surprises."
"Can't you cast a spell to make us warm?" Frodo grumbled.
Gandalf regarded him seriously. "Even magic leaves a trail, Frodo. I cannot risk further spells, however simple." He smiled suddenly. "I almost forgot!" He said handing Frodo a blanket. "Legolas asked me to give you this. He seems to think that he has offended you."
Frodo took the blanket wordlessly and wrapped it around his shoulders, his embarrassment for his earlier outburst not helped by the look that passed between Aragorn and Gandalf at his expense. But the Hobbit's discomfort did not last long. The extra blanket did the trick and within minutes Frodo was asleep
-oOo-
Sam sat at the entrance of the shelter on a large rock, scanning the landscape before him. The wind had dropped and Sam was feeling a little warmer and a lot happier. 'Maybe the going will be easier tonight.' he thought to himself, hopefully.
When Sam had taken over the watch from Boromir, Bill had made his way to stand behind the Hobbit, his head hovering above his new master's shoulder. Every now and then Sam would reach up and pat him fondly. It was nice to share the time with somebody, even if it was a pony.
Sam had been sitting there for a little under an hour when Bill suddenly began to get restless. Sam twisted around to look at him and reached up a hand to calm him, but it was too late. The pony bolted outside. "Bill!" he whispered as loudly as he dared. "You come back here this instant!" But the pony had already disappeared from sight. Sam cursed beneath his breath and looked around at his companions. He briefly considered waking Strider, but couldn't bring himself to disturb the Ranger from the first sleep he could recall him having in days. So Sam ignored the last thing that Boromir had said to him and ran outside the shelter.
-oOo-
Frodo's eyes shot open and he sat up.
Aragorn was already standing, frowning in concentration as he listened intently. "I heard something." He whispered to the Hobbit.
"What did you hear?" Gandalf's voice came softly from the other side of Frodo.
The others were beginning to wake up around them, wondering what was going on.
"It sounded like…" The Ranger broke off as he moved towards the front of the shelter. "Where's Sam?"
To be continued….