Agarchara's PoV
"The ring bearer is setting out on a quest to mount doom. For you who travel with him, neither oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will." Elrond stated. "Farwell, hold to your purpose. And let the blessings of elves, men and dwarves help you." He continued.
"The fellowship awaits the ring bearer." Gandalf stated. Frodo walked forwards past us and on.
"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Frodo asked.
"Left," he answered. I refrained from giggling. Aragorn paused and looked at Arwen. I wrapped my arm around his neck and drug him forwards. I shot Arwen a smile.
We proceeded in the same general line until a ways after leaving Rivendell. After that we all took to different positions. I ended up between Legolas and Aragorn. Frodo and the other Halflings stuck close to Gandalf in the front. Gimli was just ahead of us and Boromir just behind. Boromir was stuck with the pony. We continued until Gandalf allowed us to stop. I was happy with the general silence while we walked.
We stopped on rocky flooring. Gandalf told Gimli where we were supposed to go. I didn't pay him attention. Boromir and two of the Halflings were sword training. I sat next to Aragorn eating our lunch. The Halflings were getting better. Boromir accidently nicked one of them and they attacked. It was funnier than it should have been. Aragorn went to break it up but was swept off his feet. He landed with a heavy thud. I laughed harder than I should have.
"What is that?" Sam asked. I had noticed Legolas' line of view.
"Nothing it's just a woodland cloud." Gimli responded.
"It's moving fast." I told them. Boromir caught what I meant.
"Against the wind," he stated. I hadn't expected that.
"Grabbi from Dunland," Legolas claimed.
"Hide," Aragorn and I called. We hurried to cover the proof of our existence. I poured water over the fire. Everyone was already hidden. Legolas grabbed me and we tumbled into a bush. It concealed us. I waited, holding my breath, for them to go.
"Spies of Saruman, the passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Perequis." Gandalf told us. I looked where he was pointing, it looked cold and snowy.
We started the long trek up the mountain not getting very far. Aragorn and I took up watch in the back. I watched as Frodo slipped and rolled down the mountain. We both shot forwards to grab him.
"Frodo," Aragorn called. I assisted him to his feet, watching as he felt for the ring. Aragorn and I gave startled looks when he did not find it. Looking up a bit farther it was lying in the snow, Boromir picked it up. Aragorn slowly and surprisingly subtly went for his sword, using Frodo so Boromir didn't see. I went for a knife strapped to my belt, copying his action.
"Boromir," I stated not quite trusting him to return it. He didn't look up. My unoccupied hand rested on Frodo's shoulder.
"It's a strange thing, that we would suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing." Boromir stated, dangling the ring from the chain. I gritted my teeth, speaking his name again louder. He looked up startled.
"Give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn stated, agitated from Boromir's idiocy. His voice though was flat, his face straight. Boromir took the two steps needed, holding the ring out still dangling from his finger by the chain. Frodo instantly grabbed it, putting it back on. Boromir reached out and ruffled his hair. I barely refrained from cutting his hand off.
"As you wish," Boromir responded, turning around and walking. We slowly removed our hands from the hilts of our weapons. As we got farther up, we had to start carrying the hobbits. Frodo was hanging onto my back, piggy back ride style. Aragorn was carrying Merry and Pippen. Boromir had Sam. Legolas used his light footedness to walk ahead of us.
"There's a foul voice on the air." Legolas warned with concern. I looked at Aragorn confused as shit.
"It's Saruman," Gandalf yelled. My eyebrow lifted wondering what he was talking about. Yelping when snow poured down over us from the mountain, I lost my footing. We slid off the edge, only my quick reflexes kept Frodo from coming with me.
"Agarchara," Aragorn called, he had seen my nasty slip. I grabbed hold of a rock on the cliff. I held onto the small thing not willing to fall. I looked up, seeing Legolas looking over. I swear I could hear him breathe a sigh of relief; he looked over his shoulder probably telling Aragorn I was okay. I watched in horror when the rock started pulling loose.
"Legolas, catch," I called throwing my pack to him, he caught it without a problem. I was hoping that losing the extra weight would help. I started to pull myself up. "He's trying to bring down the mountain." I told him trying to get my mind off of the fact that I was rock climbing thousands of feet in the air with no safety. I looked up again noticing movement. Legolas was about to scale down it, I viciously shook my head. "Stay put, Blondie, I'm perfectly capable of rock climbing. I'll be up there soon." I didn't have that kind of faith in myself and was surprised it didn't show in my voice. "You guys just figure out what we're doing." I lost another foot hold, swallowing when I heard it crash down until it was out of earshot. I tentatively turned to look down.
"Agarchara, don't look down." Aragorn called, he had managed to come up next to Legolas. My hand and foot holds were becoming sparse. I looked up along the rock wall looking for my next one. I spotted one two feet up. I felt along with my feet trying to get something I could balance on to jump. I found one; balancing very delicately I pushed my body and arms up as far as I could. I didn't dare look up fear of losing my balance too great for that. My fingertips just brushed it. I sighed, rocking down I found enough purchase to jump.
"Agarchara, what are you doing?" Aragorn asked I knew he was watching me with fear. I pushed off the small foot hold and shot upwards. My hands clawed at the wall looking for something to grab, I once again found something. Sighing with relief I found footholds. Unfortunately that was the end of my good luck. I was still four feet from the top and I was out of holds.
"Grab my hand," Aragorn called. I looked at him with my patent pending are-you-fucking-kidding-me look. He had reached down as far as he could, it wasn't far enough. I reached up not seeing any other way out of this disaster. Our fingertips brushed then we had each other's wrist in a death grip, seconds later my footing was lost. I slammed into the rock wall. Legolas was now reaching down too, I reached out. I was now dangling from a cliff with both wrists locked in death grips and no footing. This ladies and gentlemen is my life.
"We're going to pull you up, for the love of anything holy don't look down and don't let go." Aragorn stated. He nodded to Legolas; soon I was on my knees adrenaline seeping out of my blood stream and terror wrapping its claws around me. I was sucking in breaths and choking on air when a hand patted my back. I knew it wasn't Aragorn's because he was kneeling in front of me hands on my shoulders. I threw up the contents of my stomach so much so that once there was nothing left I started dry heaving in violent wretches. Aragorn had luckily moved before he was splattered in vomit.
"We've decided that we're going through Moria." Gandalf told me. I didn't want to think what had happened in that conversation. Aragorn picked me up carrying me instead of the hobbits. All the shit I just went through and now we're changing course again. I was almost outraged at least I was getting off of this fucking mountain. I released myself of Aragorn's hold now that I had a steady grasp on myself.
We were walking along the side of a swamp my lip curled in slight disgust. When we arrived at what I was guessing the door was, Gandalf started talking and I started tuning him out. He held his staff against the door and said something. I bit my lip to keep from saying anything. I tuned them out until Aragorn walked the pony and Sam away from the others. He was saying something. I had a damn good feeling that he was going to let it go, I got distracted by the blondes. Merry threw a rock in the water and Pippen was about to follow suit. I grabbed his hand.
"Don't disturb the water," I told him, about five minutes later I watched Gandalf sit down and Frodo rise. Aragorn and Boromir were busy watching the water move of its own accord, Frodo asked Gandalf something when he answered the doors opened. We filed in when we did Gimli started talking once again. I rolled my eyes doing everything in my power to tune him out until Boromir's voice caught my attention.
"… It's a tomb." He told us. Legolas pulled an arrow out of a skeleton.
"Goblin's," he alerted us, pulling his bow loose, I followed suit, having not heard the rest. Gimli was upset I could tell that much. I felt bad for him but we needed to pull our heads out of our asses and focus.
"We make for the gap of Rohan. We should have never come here." Boromir declared. I heard the hobbits feet shuffling behind us. I kept my attention at the stairs trying and failing to tune them out. I heard them all screaming; Frodo's got farther away from us fastest.
"Strider, Cain," Sam called for us. I rolled my eyes at the name but turned instantly despite it.
"Aragorn, Agarchara, help." I was only momentarily caught off guard. A giant octopus had just slapped the others away grabbing Frodo. Legolas and I started shooting at the tentacles that weren't holding fast to Frodo while Aragorn and Boromir started slashing the ones holding onto him. It lifted its head about to eat him. Aragorn cut the right one and it dropped Frodo less than gracefully into Boromir's arms. His weight took Boromir down with him. I couldn't get a clear shot at its head or face. Legolas shot another but couldn't get a shot either.
"Into the mines, into the caves," Gandalf called. Boromir had risen and was still carrying Frodo. He was ahead of Aragorn but barely.
"Legolas," Boromir called for him but since those two were right in front of him, he couldn't shoot. I fired happy to finally have a clear shot. I got it in the face but I think it only pissed it off. I fired again slowing it down enough that they could get in. Aragorn drug Legolas with him. I released one last arrow at it slowing it more and darting in with them. He lurched after me grabbing onto the stone door and crumbling it easily.
"We now have but one choice, to face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard everyone there are ogre and fouler things than orcs in the dark places of the world." Gandalf said being his usual cryptic ass self. "It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope our presence will go unknown." I rolled my eyes, determined to tune him out until he says something useful. We walked for maybe a day when Gandalf started talking again. "Moria's wealth was not from gold or jewels it was from mithril." I rolled my eyes knowing that already, I noticed I was standing almost too close to Legolas.
"Are you alright?" He asked. Now that I thought about it, my head pounded and my stomach hurt. I apparently wasn't eating again, eventually I knew that Aragorn would notice my lack of hunger but until then I wasn't going to say anything. Smiling in a way I hoped was reassuring, I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Legolas." I told him. We were walking again. Apparently Gandalf could officially walk and talk. Legolas gave me a disbelieving look. I thought about it and knew I hadn't spoken aloud. I was a damn good liar when I had to be.
"Then why haven't you eaten in three days?" he asked. I gritted my teeth, knowing someone had to notice eventually. I did what I do best. Lied until the cows came home, lie say they were still out and lie some more.
"I have just not that much. I don't need that much sustenance to keep me going. I'm female after all." I told him. I rolled my eyes and mentally face palmed. Nice going, he's been friends with Aragorn for years meaning he's known you for years you idiot. He knows that when you put your mind to it you can eat more than the two of them put together. The female crack too. Really you'd rather kill yourself with a dull spork than say something like that. I was pulled out of my mental rant by his voice.
"I know you haven't eaten anything since the mountain thing. Is that it? Are you still freaked out over that?" He asked. I shook my head. It wasn't that. I just haven't been hungry, when I'm not hungry I don't eat it's a very simple science.
"Just drop it, Legolas, I'm just not hungry." I told him. Slowing so that he'd walk past me, I dropped to the back of the procession. Another day passed, I didn't eat and Gandalf was fucking lost. I kept surprisingly calm and managed to take a bite of bread. I grimaced at the taste but got over it. We spent about a day in the same place. Finally Gandalf stood and directed up down a tunnel. He probably said something but I've got everything tuned out. My eyes were leading me for once without me jumping at every sound. I had ignored all the concerned looks and questioning stares. We came to a tomb.
