Well, look who's back?!!
I told you I was working on more Marie and here we go. I have snow and winter on the brain right now (even though I live in a desert!) So here's more fun with Marie and her favorite elf lord Elrond in the winter months. I shall warn you now: if you thought My Trip to Rivendell was even remotely self-indulgent...well, you ain't seen nothing yet!! (If by some chance you are starting this story cold as it were, it really helps if you start with My Trip to Rivendell, which is rather long admittedly, but you will certainly have a better handle on Marie and her relationship with the Lord of Imladris............)
The wind was cold as we crossed the high mountain plateau on our way back to Rivendell, our horses plodding along comfortably.
I had accompanied Lord Elrond on a visit to Rhosgobel on the edge of Mirkwood where he had met not only with the wizard Radagast the Brown (a cheery fellow who liked a good, deep glass of ale), but at last, Prince Legolas, who was an emissary from his father. The three had gotten together to discuss the rise of orcish intrusion into Mirkwood, and the passes of the Misty Mountains.
Now, let me tell you straight off: Prince Legolas was an eye-full: Tall, slender and blond, with deep brown eyes and a nice smile. He again, was nothing like the lovely Orlando Bloom, he was more unearthly and remote.
He was quiet, intelligent and did not speak a lot, but when he made an observation it was cogent and insightful. And his Elvish was a bit more lilting than Lord Elrond's, and inflected differently. I was grateful he spoke little because it was sometimes hard for me to pick up the nuances.
When it was quiet around the study because the three were reading something, or just taking a thoughtful pause, I could look at Legolas at my leisure. And all I could think of were all those fangirls in my world who would be disappointed (but probably not for long!) that he looked different. He was still very, very handsome.
Unfortunately for me, he did NOT speak Old Dwarvish!
We spent a little over a week at the wizard's home, I mostly acting as secretary, and taking notes and or doing little drawings of orc skirmishes if necessary.
Now don't get excited: I am not suddenly a wonderful Sindarin scholar, but it was good practice and if I did not understand a word, I could put it in Old Dwarvish. These notes, though ostensibly for the elf lord's benefit, were really just a record of the meeting. Elrond had a near photographic memory.
I had really enjoyed doing something practical, but I will admit, every now and then, I would get so caught up in what I was going on I'd actually forget exactly where I was! It was as if it were the most natural thing in the word for me to be a scribe in this paneled study of Radagast's. And then the reality of the situation would hit me and I'd practically swoon: here I am hanging out with a wizard, the Lord of Imladris AND Legolas the Fair! I drank a lot of tea to hide my amazement!
(I did do a couple of drawings.not great, but still, better than nothing! I wish I could show you them!)
Anyway, Lord Elrond and I were headed back. We had come escorted by outriders, but once crossing the high pass, he sent them on ahead as there was no danger in this part of the Misty Mountains.
I was a little nervous with the just the two of us, but I figured he knew what he was doing. He even admitted to me how much he enjoyed the excuse of leaving the Valley and riding to Rhosgobel as it had been probably a good 100 years since he'd left Rivendell for any length of time. Radagast was a not a homebody per se, but did not like to travel far from his home, and since Elrond knew this, he went to him.
And we were enjoying the ride. And sheesh, have to admit, once I relaxed, I enjoyed it being just the two of us! Elrond did not have to divide his focus obviously, so I was able to benefit from his complete attention. (Oh that's a trial to be sure!!) He is a good storyteller and I was kept on the edge of my saddle while he told tales of the Second Age. He even sang a few times, and boy, I was impressed. What a tenor he had. I love to sing, but trust me, I kept my mouth shut. Well, occasionally I would hum something to myself when he was leading and I was just following, half-dreaming in the saddle.
As we sat around the fire one night, about 4 days from Rivendell, he looked up at the night sky and said apropos of nothing, "There will be snow before we reach home."
"No kidding? You can tell by looking at a clear night sky? That will be fun! I haven't been in the snow much. It didn't snow where I lived, except in the mountains." I wrapped my cloak tighter around me in response.
"The weather changes send out signals, Marie, any village head wife can read."
"Right. Well not BEING a village head wife."
He laughed and went to the packhorse, pulling off an extra cloak. He dropped it in my lap and said. "You will probably need this tonight."
Nodding, I sighed and looked up at him. His eyes were on the stars again, which gave me a moment to enjoy looking at him unobserved. He was dressed in a dark maroon leather jerkin over a full-sleeved shirt and leather pants tucked into dark grey knee high boots. He was devilishly good- looking by firelight, his hair a dark curtain down his back, his eyes as deep as the night sky.
I hastily turned away when I heard him sigh and he went back to the fire. I smiled, staring into the flames opposite him. And he was a pretty good cook too! Though he did let me cook the fish he caught one day. I guess he wasn't disgusted by my culinary skills because he ate two trout.
I stood and stretched and said, "Well my lord, keep your eyes on the stars. I am going to sleep."
"Pleasant dreams!" Oh no problem there kiddo!
I rolled myself up in my blanket and the extra cloak and slept like the dead. Being out in the fresh air made me sleep like a log every night, even though I was never completely comfortable on the dirt.(Hey, don't get me wrong: it's not that the air isn't fresh in Rivendell.oh heck, you know what I mean. It's the outdoor exercise!)
The next morning it was darn cold with thin clouds across the sun when it came up and it took me a while to get my ol' engine running. Elrond, of course, was mister cheerful as he made breakfast and I saw to the horses. Brushing them out helped wake me up, but the hot tea with honey really did the trick, and warmed up my hands in the process.
Once the campsite was cleaned up, we mounted and continued on our way.
The day got cloudier and colder as we went along and I huddled in my cloak grateful for the warmth, though the erratic wind began to numb my cheeks.
After lunch, Elrond gave me a pair of his gloves to slide over mine, which didn't fit real well, but kept my fingers from going too stiff.
And the cold began to make the old arrow wound ache. I smiled to myself as I watched Elrond's stallion bob ahead of me. Just like an old farm lady in a rocker in the Midwestern United States."Ehhh my rheumatism is acting up Virgil! Storm's a comin' in!'
That night, there were no stars to be seen. And the horses stood closer to the fire than usual.
Hot dog! When I woke up the next morning, light-as-feather snowflakes were drifting down. And I did what any normal human would do; I stuck out my tongue to catch them. Elrond gave me a funny look and laughed, as he heated up breakfast. (Like elves never do anything silly!)
Once breakfast was done and put away, I bundled up in my cloak and a blanket and followed Elrond, enchanted with the weather! Everything became SO white and it was SO quiet. I loved it.
But even I noticed as the day slowly wore on, that the snow was not only falling faster, but was getting deeper, and the wind came up and started blowing it around, making it hard for me to see the trail. But Elrond kept plugging ahead so I guess he could see markers I couldn't.
By late afternoon, ice was forming around the horse's mouths and Elrond sported a pair of icy eyebrows! "You look like Gandalf the White." I said and then slapped a hand over my mouth. Maybe he hadn't caught that little slip.
"What?" He called back over his shoulder. "Gandalf the White? You mean Gandalf the Grey?"
"Of course! I just got the colors mixed up!" Whew! Watch it there, dingbat!
Before it got too dark, Elrond called a halt.
He found us a cave, which he assured me was uninhabited. It wasn't very deep, only far enough to tuck the horses in and us. But though the ground was freezer cold, it was at least dry and once Elrond got the fire going, it was nice enough. But with three horses and two people, it soon got damp from all our exhalations, and of course, it didn't help when the animals heeded their respective calls to nature. It got kind of ammonia flavored in there.
But Elrond remained ever cheerful. I was beginning to feel like the human icicle, but once I started working on grooming the three animals that helped me to warm up.
After the tea was gone, I sat in front of the fire, holding my now empty mug because it was still warmer than the outside air. Elrond was quietly mending a boot lace and I, getting sleepy in spite of the hour (couldn't have been much past four or five in the evening) enjoyed watching him work, his long fingers sure and smooth as he re-laced the boot.
As he finished slipping it on he looked up at me, his eyes crinkled with laughter. "You look miserable Marie! Too cold for you?"
"Sure. Do I look like a polar bear?"
"A "polar" bear, I do not know that..."
"A-a...Let's see, a snowman?"
"Ah, yes. Well, at least the ice has melted off your hair!"
"And your eyebrows! You looked so funny!" I started laughing, which ended in a cough.
I held out my mug. "Is there any more hot water?"
Nodding he took the mug and filled it, taking out some fresh herbs to steep. Soon the nice fragrance of peppermint filled the air. I took a deep breath and swallowed a cough. "Well, that certainly smells better than horse droppings!"
"I agree!" I drank the tea gratefully, enjoying mostly the warmth though the peppermint flavor was nice too. When I finished, I could barely keep my eyes open and deciding Elrond wouldn't care if I went to sleep early, I yawned and said, "I am going to call it a night."
"Fine. Here is another blanket. Sleep well."
Nodding I rolled up in the blankets and my cloak and tried to sleep. No trying needed. I drifted right off.
When I awoke, the fire had burned down to low coals and I could see Elrond's eyes half opened in Elvish sleep. Let me be frank...it was too creepy sometimes seeing him sleep like that. Of course, I never mentioned that in his presence. He couldn't help it if he slept like the half-dead or something!.
Anyway, I found I was freezing. I slipped past Elrond, who was only rolled up in a blanket and his cape and looked out side of the cave. It was still snowing and was deathly quiet. It was kind of neat.
I stepped out and noticed with some alarm the snow seemed to making deeper drifts. The mouth of the cave was not blocked but when I walked out, I saw drifts four or five feet tall tucked up against trees and rocky outcroppings. Even though there was just a fingernail moon out, the landscape glowed. It was beautiful, but I did wonder if we'd be able to go on tomorrow. I took a deep breath of the cold air and coughed again. It was just too dry up this high. I took a mouthful of snow and swallowed it gratefully. My feet were getting cold, so yawning, I went back into the cave, stepping around the sleeping elf lord. Rolling up in my cold blankets, I tried to get back to sleep, but this time, it wouldn't come and I just got colder and colder and I actually got tired of the steaming air and the smell of horse. How Lord Elrond managed I have no idea.
I got up when it was light enough to see and I noticed there wasn't much firewood left. But I used what we had though it smoked a bit because it had gotten wet from melting snow runoff. I coughed as I waved it away and made the horses a bit nervous. Of course this woke up Elrond, who sighing deeply when he sat up looked at the fire and then at me with a smile. "Good morning Marie. I see you are trying to smoke us all this morning."
"Stop! I was just trying to warm up," I coughed again as I waved at the smoke. "It's not my fault the wood got kind of damp." He shook his head and went out of the cave to take care of his morning rituals and I got the teapot going.
He was gone longer than usual and I was just about to look for him, when he came in bearing an armload of wood. "This seems fairly dry, but there is not much out there. I think we should try to move on today."
"All right. I am losing contact with my feet anyway."
He frowned at that and said, "You cannot feel your feet?"
"Figure of speech my lord. Sorry, did not mean to worry you." Actually my feet were really numb, but there was nothing he could do about it I figured, so I kept quiet. And my arrow wound really ached and I think I was coming down with a raw throat. But there you go. I blamed it all on the steaming smelly cave. And once we got through breakfast, I was more than ready to move on.
Once the horses were all set up, I tried to bound into my saddle with my usual aplomb but found I was too stiff and cold and made a terrible hash of it. Elrond turned around on his horse and then slipped off gracefully. Without a thought, he lifted my by my waist and put me on the horse. "Thanks my lord," I was shivering now. He eyed me curiously and then remounted and we headed out into the softly falling snow.
But my judgment during the night had been correct. We must have spent most of the day plowing through drifts and I don't imagine we got very far.
It was still the middle of the day when Lord Elrond reluctantly called a halt.
Wiping snow off my half-frozen face and rubbing it briskly I finally asked. "How far from Rivendell are we?"
"No more than two days Marie, but these drifts are getting too deep for the horses. I would like to try to go a little farther however, as there is a small dell a few miles from here that would be good for camping. Nodding, I shivered and hunched up in my cloak. Whatever he said. I was getting sleepy anyway.
He mounted up and his stallion Rhean plowed manfully through the drifts and we actually managed a few more miles.
I was beginning to wonder when the snow would stop because it seemed early in the season for snow, but this was Middle Earth, I am not sure how the months compared to my time. It was snowing, the elf lord was not surprised, and it must be winter. And the darn wind! Cut through everything and made the snow swirl until it was hard to see!
Yawning, I was just about to ask Elrond about the winter weather, when I heard a rumbling. I pulled my horse up, trying to determine where it was coming from. I happened to glance up.
"Elrond! Omigod! Avalanche! Run!!"
I told you I was working on more Marie and here we go. I have snow and winter on the brain right now (even though I live in a desert!) So here's more fun with Marie and her favorite elf lord Elrond in the winter months. I shall warn you now: if you thought My Trip to Rivendell was even remotely self-indulgent...well, you ain't seen nothing yet!! (If by some chance you are starting this story cold as it were, it really helps if you start with My Trip to Rivendell, which is rather long admittedly, but you will certainly have a better handle on Marie and her relationship with the Lord of Imladris............)
The wind was cold as we crossed the high mountain plateau on our way back to Rivendell, our horses plodding along comfortably.
I had accompanied Lord Elrond on a visit to Rhosgobel on the edge of Mirkwood where he had met not only with the wizard Radagast the Brown (a cheery fellow who liked a good, deep glass of ale), but at last, Prince Legolas, who was an emissary from his father. The three had gotten together to discuss the rise of orcish intrusion into Mirkwood, and the passes of the Misty Mountains.
Now, let me tell you straight off: Prince Legolas was an eye-full: Tall, slender and blond, with deep brown eyes and a nice smile. He again, was nothing like the lovely Orlando Bloom, he was more unearthly and remote.
He was quiet, intelligent and did not speak a lot, but when he made an observation it was cogent and insightful. And his Elvish was a bit more lilting than Lord Elrond's, and inflected differently. I was grateful he spoke little because it was sometimes hard for me to pick up the nuances.
When it was quiet around the study because the three were reading something, or just taking a thoughtful pause, I could look at Legolas at my leisure. And all I could think of were all those fangirls in my world who would be disappointed (but probably not for long!) that he looked different. He was still very, very handsome.
Unfortunately for me, he did NOT speak Old Dwarvish!
We spent a little over a week at the wizard's home, I mostly acting as secretary, and taking notes and or doing little drawings of orc skirmishes if necessary.
Now don't get excited: I am not suddenly a wonderful Sindarin scholar, but it was good practice and if I did not understand a word, I could put it in Old Dwarvish. These notes, though ostensibly for the elf lord's benefit, were really just a record of the meeting. Elrond had a near photographic memory.
I had really enjoyed doing something practical, but I will admit, every now and then, I would get so caught up in what I was going on I'd actually forget exactly where I was! It was as if it were the most natural thing in the word for me to be a scribe in this paneled study of Radagast's. And then the reality of the situation would hit me and I'd practically swoon: here I am hanging out with a wizard, the Lord of Imladris AND Legolas the Fair! I drank a lot of tea to hide my amazement!
(I did do a couple of drawings.not great, but still, better than nothing! I wish I could show you them!)
Anyway, Lord Elrond and I were headed back. We had come escorted by outriders, but once crossing the high pass, he sent them on ahead as there was no danger in this part of the Misty Mountains.
I was a little nervous with the just the two of us, but I figured he knew what he was doing. He even admitted to me how much he enjoyed the excuse of leaving the Valley and riding to Rhosgobel as it had been probably a good 100 years since he'd left Rivendell for any length of time. Radagast was a not a homebody per se, but did not like to travel far from his home, and since Elrond knew this, he went to him.
And we were enjoying the ride. And sheesh, have to admit, once I relaxed, I enjoyed it being just the two of us! Elrond did not have to divide his focus obviously, so I was able to benefit from his complete attention. (Oh that's a trial to be sure!!) He is a good storyteller and I was kept on the edge of my saddle while he told tales of the Second Age. He even sang a few times, and boy, I was impressed. What a tenor he had. I love to sing, but trust me, I kept my mouth shut. Well, occasionally I would hum something to myself when he was leading and I was just following, half-dreaming in the saddle.
As we sat around the fire one night, about 4 days from Rivendell, he looked up at the night sky and said apropos of nothing, "There will be snow before we reach home."
"No kidding? You can tell by looking at a clear night sky? That will be fun! I haven't been in the snow much. It didn't snow where I lived, except in the mountains." I wrapped my cloak tighter around me in response.
"The weather changes send out signals, Marie, any village head wife can read."
"Right. Well not BEING a village head wife."
He laughed and went to the packhorse, pulling off an extra cloak. He dropped it in my lap and said. "You will probably need this tonight."
Nodding, I sighed and looked up at him. His eyes were on the stars again, which gave me a moment to enjoy looking at him unobserved. He was dressed in a dark maroon leather jerkin over a full-sleeved shirt and leather pants tucked into dark grey knee high boots. He was devilishly good- looking by firelight, his hair a dark curtain down his back, his eyes as deep as the night sky.
I hastily turned away when I heard him sigh and he went back to the fire. I smiled, staring into the flames opposite him. And he was a pretty good cook too! Though he did let me cook the fish he caught one day. I guess he wasn't disgusted by my culinary skills because he ate two trout.
I stood and stretched and said, "Well my lord, keep your eyes on the stars. I am going to sleep."
"Pleasant dreams!" Oh no problem there kiddo!
I rolled myself up in my blanket and the extra cloak and slept like the dead. Being out in the fresh air made me sleep like a log every night, even though I was never completely comfortable on the dirt.(Hey, don't get me wrong: it's not that the air isn't fresh in Rivendell.oh heck, you know what I mean. It's the outdoor exercise!)
The next morning it was darn cold with thin clouds across the sun when it came up and it took me a while to get my ol' engine running. Elrond, of course, was mister cheerful as he made breakfast and I saw to the horses. Brushing them out helped wake me up, but the hot tea with honey really did the trick, and warmed up my hands in the process.
Once the campsite was cleaned up, we mounted and continued on our way.
The day got cloudier and colder as we went along and I huddled in my cloak grateful for the warmth, though the erratic wind began to numb my cheeks.
After lunch, Elrond gave me a pair of his gloves to slide over mine, which didn't fit real well, but kept my fingers from going too stiff.
And the cold began to make the old arrow wound ache. I smiled to myself as I watched Elrond's stallion bob ahead of me. Just like an old farm lady in a rocker in the Midwestern United States."Ehhh my rheumatism is acting up Virgil! Storm's a comin' in!'
That night, there were no stars to be seen. And the horses stood closer to the fire than usual.
Hot dog! When I woke up the next morning, light-as-feather snowflakes were drifting down. And I did what any normal human would do; I stuck out my tongue to catch them. Elrond gave me a funny look and laughed, as he heated up breakfast. (Like elves never do anything silly!)
Once breakfast was done and put away, I bundled up in my cloak and a blanket and followed Elrond, enchanted with the weather! Everything became SO white and it was SO quiet. I loved it.
But even I noticed as the day slowly wore on, that the snow was not only falling faster, but was getting deeper, and the wind came up and started blowing it around, making it hard for me to see the trail. But Elrond kept plugging ahead so I guess he could see markers I couldn't.
By late afternoon, ice was forming around the horse's mouths and Elrond sported a pair of icy eyebrows! "You look like Gandalf the White." I said and then slapped a hand over my mouth. Maybe he hadn't caught that little slip.
"What?" He called back over his shoulder. "Gandalf the White? You mean Gandalf the Grey?"
"Of course! I just got the colors mixed up!" Whew! Watch it there, dingbat!
Before it got too dark, Elrond called a halt.
He found us a cave, which he assured me was uninhabited. It wasn't very deep, only far enough to tuck the horses in and us. But though the ground was freezer cold, it was at least dry and once Elrond got the fire going, it was nice enough. But with three horses and two people, it soon got damp from all our exhalations, and of course, it didn't help when the animals heeded their respective calls to nature. It got kind of ammonia flavored in there.
But Elrond remained ever cheerful. I was beginning to feel like the human icicle, but once I started working on grooming the three animals that helped me to warm up.
After the tea was gone, I sat in front of the fire, holding my now empty mug because it was still warmer than the outside air. Elrond was quietly mending a boot lace and I, getting sleepy in spite of the hour (couldn't have been much past four or five in the evening) enjoyed watching him work, his long fingers sure and smooth as he re-laced the boot.
As he finished slipping it on he looked up at me, his eyes crinkled with laughter. "You look miserable Marie! Too cold for you?"
"Sure. Do I look like a polar bear?"
"A "polar" bear, I do not know that..."
"A-a...Let's see, a snowman?"
"Ah, yes. Well, at least the ice has melted off your hair!"
"And your eyebrows! You looked so funny!" I started laughing, which ended in a cough.
I held out my mug. "Is there any more hot water?"
Nodding he took the mug and filled it, taking out some fresh herbs to steep. Soon the nice fragrance of peppermint filled the air. I took a deep breath and swallowed a cough. "Well, that certainly smells better than horse droppings!"
"I agree!" I drank the tea gratefully, enjoying mostly the warmth though the peppermint flavor was nice too. When I finished, I could barely keep my eyes open and deciding Elrond wouldn't care if I went to sleep early, I yawned and said, "I am going to call it a night."
"Fine. Here is another blanket. Sleep well."
Nodding I rolled up in the blankets and my cloak and tried to sleep. No trying needed. I drifted right off.
When I awoke, the fire had burned down to low coals and I could see Elrond's eyes half opened in Elvish sleep. Let me be frank...it was too creepy sometimes seeing him sleep like that. Of course, I never mentioned that in his presence. He couldn't help it if he slept like the half-dead or something!.
Anyway, I found I was freezing. I slipped past Elrond, who was only rolled up in a blanket and his cape and looked out side of the cave. It was still snowing and was deathly quiet. It was kind of neat.
I stepped out and noticed with some alarm the snow seemed to making deeper drifts. The mouth of the cave was not blocked but when I walked out, I saw drifts four or five feet tall tucked up against trees and rocky outcroppings. Even though there was just a fingernail moon out, the landscape glowed. It was beautiful, but I did wonder if we'd be able to go on tomorrow. I took a deep breath of the cold air and coughed again. It was just too dry up this high. I took a mouthful of snow and swallowed it gratefully. My feet were getting cold, so yawning, I went back into the cave, stepping around the sleeping elf lord. Rolling up in my cold blankets, I tried to get back to sleep, but this time, it wouldn't come and I just got colder and colder and I actually got tired of the steaming air and the smell of horse. How Lord Elrond managed I have no idea.
I got up when it was light enough to see and I noticed there wasn't much firewood left. But I used what we had though it smoked a bit because it had gotten wet from melting snow runoff. I coughed as I waved it away and made the horses a bit nervous. Of course this woke up Elrond, who sighing deeply when he sat up looked at the fire and then at me with a smile. "Good morning Marie. I see you are trying to smoke us all this morning."
"Stop! I was just trying to warm up," I coughed again as I waved at the smoke. "It's not my fault the wood got kind of damp." He shook his head and went out of the cave to take care of his morning rituals and I got the teapot going.
He was gone longer than usual and I was just about to look for him, when he came in bearing an armload of wood. "This seems fairly dry, but there is not much out there. I think we should try to move on today."
"All right. I am losing contact with my feet anyway."
He frowned at that and said, "You cannot feel your feet?"
"Figure of speech my lord. Sorry, did not mean to worry you." Actually my feet were really numb, but there was nothing he could do about it I figured, so I kept quiet. And my arrow wound really ached and I think I was coming down with a raw throat. But there you go. I blamed it all on the steaming smelly cave. And once we got through breakfast, I was more than ready to move on.
Once the horses were all set up, I tried to bound into my saddle with my usual aplomb but found I was too stiff and cold and made a terrible hash of it. Elrond turned around on his horse and then slipped off gracefully. Without a thought, he lifted my by my waist and put me on the horse. "Thanks my lord," I was shivering now. He eyed me curiously and then remounted and we headed out into the softly falling snow.
But my judgment during the night had been correct. We must have spent most of the day plowing through drifts and I don't imagine we got very far.
It was still the middle of the day when Lord Elrond reluctantly called a halt.
Wiping snow off my half-frozen face and rubbing it briskly I finally asked. "How far from Rivendell are we?"
"No more than two days Marie, but these drifts are getting too deep for the horses. I would like to try to go a little farther however, as there is a small dell a few miles from here that would be good for camping. Nodding, I shivered and hunched up in my cloak. Whatever he said. I was getting sleepy anyway.
He mounted up and his stallion Rhean plowed manfully through the drifts and we actually managed a few more miles.
I was beginning to wonder when the snow would stop because it seemed early in the season for snow, but this was Middle Earth, I am not sure how the months compared to my time. It was snowing, the elf lord was not surprised, and it must be winter. And the darn wind! Cut through everything and made the snow swirl until it was hard to see!
Yawning, I was just about to ask Elrond about the winter weather, when I heard a rumbling. I pulled my horse up, trying to determine where it was coming from. I happened to glance up.
"Elrond! Omigod! Avalanche! Run!!"