Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of its recognisable characters, places, etc. All though I really wish I did.
Note: Yes this is AU. No there is no slash, romance, or any kinda mushy lovey-dovey gush. Eww. Reviews are loved and cherished. Flames are warm and toasty and may be re-directed right back. This fic is a mix of book and movie verse and some complete random ideas I had. And it starts around the time of the chapter "The Ring goes South".
Now on with the tale!
Chapter 1: Two's company, three's a crowd, nine's...?
Rain poured from the sky, a torrential downpour that threatened to overflow rivers and flood valleys. Thunder boomed and lightning split the clouds with a fierce scream of electricity. The wind howled and screeched, driving the freezing rain in every direction. The forest trees swayed dangerously, every new gust threatening to topple them with a bang equal only to the thunder.
The forest spread across hills and caves and valleys for miles on end. It was in one of these caves that the oddest assortment of companions huddled, seeking some form of shelter from the cruel weather.
Nine companions traversing the wild in speed and in secrecy. In this company there was at least one representative for each of the Free Folk. Gandalf the Grey was a wizard and he led the company, calling upon his vast experience and careful planning to aid them.
For the race of Men there were two: Aragorn son of Arathorn, a Ranger of the North and secret heir to the throne of Gondor; and Boromir son of Gondor's Steward, Denethor. Boromir had made his dislike of the Ranger clear since the Council of Elrond, sometimes going as far as open animosity. Aragorn, however, seemed to treat Boromir with an open, yet slightly wary, mind.
There were also four Hobbits: Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Peregrin Took (Pippin), Frodo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee (Sam). Merry, Pippin and Frodo were cousins and Sam was Frodo's best friends, gardener and self-appointed bodyguard. Merry and Pippin were too busy stealing mushrooms from each other to devout themselves entirely to protecting the most important member of the Fellowship.
For the Dwarvish race there was only Gimli son of Glóin who, like Boromir, showed an open dislike of a member of the Company. But this hostility was not directed at Aragorn, but at Legolas of the Elves. Gimli, it seemed, hated everything he could find about Legolas. He was an Elf; His father had unjustly imprisoned Gimli's father; he was a Prince; he'd been to Mordor; he was blind.
Legolas, at Gandalf's request, had slowly, haltingly told much of his life's story to the Fellowship before they had set out. Despite his blindness, he was as good a warrior as any Elf. His only set-back was the shard of Sauron's spirit that nestled within him, clouding his sight and taking control whenever Legolas accidentally slipped into the Black Speech.
These nine companions were on the most dangerous Quest of their time: sneak into the heart of the dark land of Mordor and destroy the weapon of the enemy - the One Ring - that currently hung around the neck of Frodo Baggins. Aside from the nine companions there was also a pony named Bill, who was the beast of burden.
On this particular night, however, it appeared as though the Fellowship was going nowhere for at least a day. Trapped in a cave scarcely big enough to fit them all, tempers were frayed and patience was growing thin.
*.*.*
"ARGH!" Gimli yelled in frustration, throwing down his flint from his (very) unsuccessful attempt to start a fire.
"Guess we're not having a fire tonight, Bill," whispered Sam, stroking the pony's velvety nose.
Gimli glared at the damp wood in front him with more hatred than he'd shown towards even an Elf.
"Let me try, Gimli," said Aragorn, sitting down next to him and picking up the discarded flint.
"By all means, Aragorn, since this is the best wood our Elf could find," he growled. Legolas gave no indication that he had heard Gimli and simply continued to stare out at the rain as if he could see it.
"Gandalf," said Pippin turning to the wizard, "How long will the rain last?" Gandalf frowned.
"Good question. Legolas?"
"Hmm?"
"How much longer?"
"Oh, about five or six hours." He shrugged. "We can definitely leave by dawn." The rain had not bothered him as much as the others but the sheer noise of the thunder had tormented his sensitive ears. There was a collective sigh of resignation from all of the Hobbits. A gloomy silence fell over the cave, save for the sound of the flint striking and the rain outside.
"AHA!" Aragorn yelled delightedly as a spark caught hold of the wood and a small fire sprung up.
"Success!" roared Gimli. Almost immediately Sam was over with frying pan in one hand and bacon n the other. The sound and smell of the sizzling bacon soon filled the air and the Fellowship were able to treat themselves to a hot meal for a change.
"Mr. Legolas?" said Sam, looking up from his plate. "Don't you want some bacon, sir?"
Legolas turned slightly to smile warmly at the Hobbit. "No, thank you, Master Samwise. I'm not hungry."
Sam was about to reply when the ongoing bacon battle between Merry and Pippin caught his attention. Apparently while Merry had left his plate unguarded for a second to fetch something for Boromir, Pippin had seized the opportunity to steal some bacon from Merry's plate. Merry had noticed and the two had argued so fiercely over the stolen bacon that they had both accidentally knocked their plates into the fire and their bacon had become extra crispy. Both had, of course, blamed the other.
Gandalf sighed tiredly. Dawn surely could not come more swiftly.
*.*.*
Legolas did not sleep that night. He took no notice of the soft snores of his companions, nor the rain or the woodland animals that ran from shelter to shelter. His mind was far away in his memories of a cold stone room and a dark presence. And a voice as cold as the room and as dark as Legolas's sight. A voice that whispered to him endlessly: "Survive, I command thee. Thou will survive so long as I survive. Thou will obey me and be mine unto eternity."