A/N: Well I'm back again! Not such a long wait as last time thankfully. Thank you all so much for your support. I wasn't at all sure how that chapter would go. Okay, so far I've gone mostly by the movies, but now the plot begins to diverge a bit all should know: The first book will be over soon, so will this part of this story. It will be split in to three parts, like the books.
Galadrial: At last you enter my realm young author.
DDEC: (open-mouthed) Uh yes my lady. You don't mind?
Galadrial: Not at all, you don't actually own anything, so you can't do any lasting harm.
DDEC: (eye twitches) Uh thanks, I guess. I narn heria!
Aragorn, as much as he wanted to join in his companions grief, knew that they no such time to indulge in it. That would have to wait for later when they made it to safety. Even Legolas had been rocked to the core, or rather, especially Legolas as he was immortal and mortal death was just not expected. Tears were flowing freely down everyone's cheeks, and a feeling of despair flooded them all, it was up to Aragorn to take up the leadership of the fellowship and lead them on.
Aragorn had never wanted to be a leader, a king, yet more and more he found himself donning the role and it was disconcerting that it felt natural to him, his right.
But, he'd dwell on that later.
"Legolas, get them up." he called to the elf, who after a moments hesitation, started to follow the command. Boromir, was unhappy about it, until Aragorn pointed out that unless he wanted to be goblin food, they'd better get moving. It was already getting late, and kept getting later.
Hermione sniffled and rubbed her eyes, but was still unable to get up as she heard the others rising to her feet. She hated death! She had never really lost someone she had felt so close to before. A suuden light touch on her shoulder had her turning to see Legolas standing behind her with sympathetic eyes which echoed the pain she was feeling and so much more. He reched down with a hand and she accepted it, feeling better when the warm strong fingers closed around hers and pulled her to her feet. On impules, she hugged him and whispered, "Thanks." before she moved off to help her hobbit friends.
Legolas watched her go with clouded eyes.
They moved forward mostly in silence. The sky was dark and Hermione thought that appropriate considering everyone's moods.
Eventually though, they were forced to halt. Frodo and the other hobbits were starting to slow ans his labored breathing told them that he was in pain.
Aragorn called to his companions and asked one of the wizards to start a fire. Harry ran off to get some wood and Ron started the fire while Hermione slumped to the ground, her face a picture of shock a disbelief.
Aragorn started to move among the group and check for injuries. Sam had a nasty scratch on his arm, the only token of his battle. Frodo had a very nasty bruise spreading across his stomach and back and he winced whe Aragorn gently prodded his side to check for broke ribs. He was very fortunate that he did not.
Other than Frodo and Sam however, the group had not sustained anything more serious than bruises and some scratches. Besides the emotional pain they were in. Aragorn took on look at all their faces and started a pot of water on the fire to boil.
Hermione watched curiously as Aragorn pulled out some dried plant and crushed it up and poured it into the water. Immediately a sweet smell drifted up and surrounded the. It raised thei spirits and felt as if their minds had been wrapped in numbness. It blocked out the pain for awhile and acted as a balm to the soul.
Hermione was sure she had smelled it before, but she was unsure where. "Athelas," Legolas said, taking a deep breath to inhale more of the scent laden air.
Athelas...Where had she heard of that before?
The trees were dark and ominous, looming in the encroaching darkness. They had almost reached the safety of the forest.
Aragorn pushed them on, aware of how exhausted they were. He knew that they would have to rest soon, but he hoped to reach the Galadrhim before they did.
Gimli was unhappy about walking straight in to the elven realm and told them all to be careful in a hushed voice as he told of the 'fearsome elf-witch' who was said to inhabit the woods. Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes. Honestly! What was it with this stupid prejudice between elves and dwarves anyway? They weren't like that back home. And the way Ron agreed with Gimli made her irritated. Elves weren't all that bad! She glanced forward at Legolas, his long hair swaying in the wind. She remembered his kind eyes and strong hands, how polite he was. No, she thought, elves weren't bad at all.
"Well, here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" The Dwarf boasted, Sam smiled when he remembered a tale Bilbo. How he had told them over and over how dwarves were so loud and clumsy. Not very good burglars.
"Oh.."
Hermione gasped as they suddenly found themselves surrounded by elves. The stern faces coupled with their threatening stances and arrows pointed in their faces did not bode well for the fellowship.
One stepped forward and began to speak in the elvish tongue. Aragorn and Legolas
"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion. A Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen."
"Haldir o Lórien," Aragorn greeted. Hermione tried to follow the conversation, but she hadn't learned enough of the tongue to understand very well. From what she could gather they were arguing whether or not to let them in to the wood. Aragorn was saying something about goblins too, so she gathered that he was asking for this Haldir's help.
"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" Gimli excliamed, irritated. Ron nodded his agreement and scowled at the elves that surrounded them. Weapons were no longer being pointed at their faces, but that did not mean they wouldn't be in another minute.
"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days." Haldir said slowly in the Common tongue.
"And do you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" Gimli growled. Ron snickered at the look of confusion that flickered across everyone's faces and Hermione scowled at the dwarf and her friend. Harry figured that it wasn't exactly a compliment Gimli had just spat at the elf.
"That was not so courteous." Aragorn told the dwarf, which confirmed Harry's suspicion.
Haldir seemed to shrug it off and told them, "You can go no further. You bring great evil among us." Aragorn and Legolas started to talk with him again and the rest of the fellowship shifted impatiently. Finally a decision was reached. "Come," Haldir told them, "We will let you rest with us tonight and send a runner to the city. The Lady shall decide your fate." Then he turned and gave orders to the surrounding elves, some of which took off and some surrounded the fellowship and began moving forward.
It was long past sundown when they arrived at the talans they were to spend the night on. The Hobbits seemed very wary of their leafy perches and huddled in the center together in their talan while Harry and Ron had no problem being closer to the edges. "Very unnatural, this is. Hobbits don't have feathers. We weren't meant to roost in tress!" Sam grumbled as he warily eyed the ledge, "I shan't get a wink of sleep tonight and make no mistake."
Of course, as soon as they had curled up, the Hobbits were sound asleep and snoring.
Hermione was both extremely annoyed and extremely grateful to have her own talan. It was a relief to be able to stretch out without smacking anyone and to be away from all the maleness for a little while. Really! Men. She didn't think she'd ever understand them.
She sighed and rolled over, her brown hair twisted beneath her head, shivering. The moon's light was nearly nonexistent and she was having a hard time falling asleep alone. It wasn't like she was afraid of the dark...just the things that were in it.
Hermione closed her eyes tightly and willed the images of dead and dying goblins out of her head. She had never killed before, until that day. Sure, who she had killed was also trying to kill her and goblins were evil, but...it still didn't change the fact she had killed a creature who was sentient. She sort of felt sorry for the goblins. It wasn't their fault they were how they were. Hermione doubted any of the others were facing the problem she was. She was weak.
She sighed again and reopened her brown eyes to the black of the night. She wasn't going to get much rest tonight.
Hermione sat up and carefully scooted against the tree trunk and wrapped the blanket about her. Hugging her knees, she stared thoughtfully through the leaves. She listened to the night wind and the whispers of people from other talans. A sort of peace descended upon her as she slowed her mind and emptied it of all thoughts.
Slowly, she extended her consciousness, like a cat stretching its muscles, and floated calmly through the night.
Meditation. It had always helped her relax before. After a hard anxiety ridden day of exams or watching Harry at Qudditch or even just putting up with the cattiness of the other girls at Hogwarts, meditation had helped her survive.
She let herself drift, lost in the pool of awareness that was still not quite aware. Until a foreign presence entered her mind. It was so alien, with vague thoughts and feeling, ambitions and hopes, that were so fundamentally different from her own. It was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. Hermione knew that she had finally come to the "presence's" notice, though to such a powerful and clever being she felt as if she no more significant to it than an ant. She drew back and slammed the mental walls in her mind closed, completely terrified by the powerful alien presence and not wanting for it to notice her.
It was too late though, and even though she was completely free of her meditative state, she could feel the 'other' scratching at her mind, curious and testing. It did not seem malevolent, but Hermione couldn't be too sure. Then it left and she was left with a madly beating heart and a shocked mind. She looked about her wildly, wondering if whatever that was would come for her.
Suddenly, a hand was on her shoulder and she gasped, twisting away from it and in her terror. She stumbled, her legs tangled in the blankets and tripped. She realized that she was about to fall, but was too late to do anything but close her eyes as the looming dark below her talan reached up to swallow her.
A strong pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back, just a moment before she would have fallen to her death. She pitched forward in to a strong chest and managed to topple both her and her rescuer to the floor. Hermione barely paused to register that it was Legolas before throwing herself at him. She gasped frantically, "It....there was...oh my god...so...big..." she couldn't continue as she shuddered and buried her head in the masculine chest before her.
Legolas was at a loss at what to do.
He had just come up because there was a hint of goblins on the move and it was deemed safer if Hermione had an elvish guard with her. He had volunteered to be the one, he wasn't sure why, but he had.
Seeing her leaning up against the tree he had sought to gain her attention, what he hadn't expected was for the young witch to flail about in terror and nearly plummet to her death.
She was crying now, he realized. Her hands and face were still buried against his chest and her words were incoherent as she tried to express the terror she was feeling. He tentatively brought his own hands up to rest on her head and on her back. He whispered soothing words in elvish to her and simply held her, feeling a bit awkward but strangely content.
Eventually her sobs quieted as he continued to stroke her hair and her breathing deepened and then evened out in sleep. Legolas continued to stroke her hair as he gazed thoughtfully in to the surrounding darkness. It had been a very long and trying day for them all. They all had to come to terms with their own grief somehow, he hadn't even begun to do so, and this fragile mortal woman was far braver than any could have thought.
Among his people, females had a higher standing compared with the roles the daughters of Men had to assume. But Hermione...Where she and her two friends had come from was very clearly different. She had been struggling here in Arda, and that was mostly among the elves, who better tolerated her wearing men's clothes and fighting. How would she fare when they encountered other people? They would be scandalized at her behavior, and it wasn't like they could understand why she was the way she was.
He wanted to protect her from that, he realized with surprise. He wanted to protect her. It was strange, he thought as he ran his fingers again through the softness of her hair, it was strange that he should want to stay by this girl's side. He sighed and leaned back against the tree. These were far too heavy thoughts for now. He didn't really want to explore these newly unearthed feelings.
It was too strange.
A/N: Really short, but important and the first glimpse of Leggy and Hermione's burgeoning relationship. *cackles gleefully*
Translations:
i narn heria---let the tale begin
Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion. A Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen.----- Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil. And Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us.
Haldir o Lórien ----Haldir of Lórien
Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!------I spit upon your grave!
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