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I'm on an updating rampage right now. I updated two stories on the same day and this one the next. I doubt this will last long. HEHE.
Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings does not belong to me. I own only Anna and Umpra.
Thanks reviewers!
Chapter Ten
Conquer All Fears
'I've never been this cold before.' They had been on the mountain, going up for a day now. Anna was cold, tired and scared out of her mind. 'I don't do heights. Never have, never will again.'
Before they started the long climb to the pass of Caradhras, Boromir had advised her to not look down or behind her. Everyone had voted to go over (minus Gimli and Anna) so they packed up after breakfast and started going up.
"I hate heights." She mumbled, rubbing her arms quickly. "And I hate snow." Legolas looked around at her. "I hate the cold-"
"You hate a lot of things."
"Only when I'm involved with them." He laughed softly and headed to the front as it had started to snow slightly. "Urgh! More snow!" Pippin sighed and snuggled closer to her side. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder by nature. She was always looking out for the youngest hobbit and he had totally grown on her. She always liked him before, but now she loved the little hobbit. She loved all four, but Pippin had an attitude that she couldn't resist.
"Are you alright?" Aragorn's voice broke into her thoughts and she nodded at him. "Legolas is looking for some sort of shelter for us to stay in for the night. It is quickly becoming colder."
"We noticed. I'll help him if he wants."
"No, watch the hobbits." She nodded and hugged Pippin closer to her side. Boromir had care of Merry behind them at the moment and Sam and Frodo were up front with Gandalf and Gimli.
"What did he say?" Boromir's voice said into her ear.
"Legolas is looking for some shelter." He nodded and she smiled at Merry. "Alright there Merry?" He nodded numbly and Boromir helped him walk over a snow drift.
"We need to get them out of the cold." He whispered to her.
"I know. I'm worried about Frodo. He hasn't been eating very much." They continued to trudge on for a half hour or so until Legolas came back saying he found a small cave free of snow and well hidden. They pressed on until they reached it.
They got in and collapsed in various spots. "How much longer will it take to go over the mountain?" Sam asked Gandalf. He, in turn, sat back on the rock he found and began to think deeply.
"Another day or two of walking such as that we did today." The hobbits and Anna groaned.
"Another day or two?" Pippin dug his head farther into Anna's cloak and she wrapped it tightly around her and the hobbit. After a few minutes she had all four of the hobbits surrounding her in a warm circle. They soon fell asleep, but Anna couldn't. The males sat in a circle around a small fire they made and they tried to let her into the conversation, but it was hard. After awhile she gave up and fell asleep, her head on top of Sam's.
When she woke up, it was freezing. She was the last up as everyone else was around the fire, eating. She shuffled over and sat between Frodo and Sam. "It's cold without you four piled around me." They laughed.
"We almost woke you up." Aragorn said, sipping out of his mug.
"But you looked tired yesterday, so we let you rest." Gandalf finished.
"Thanks." She did feel better. "When are we going to leave?"
"In a few moments. I wish to leave in case it snows again." Gandalf explained.
"If it does snow, we should stay here. It's better than being caught in it." Legolas pointed out. Gimli nodded.
"I still say we should have gone into Moria." The dwarf muttered quietly. She nodded, looking out of the cave's mouth at the gray sky. 'It's going to snow and quickly.' When they left several moments later, it was obvious that the horses were restless.
'Why are we leaving? It will be safer in that cave than outside.'
"Because Gandalf wants to go and we do what he says." she told him.
'You didn't want to leave.'
"No, I didn't." He nodded and walked slowly over the snow. The wind began to pick up and she stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds drifted quickly. 'This is not good.' They were already far from the cave.
"Anna?" Boromir put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"We shouldn't have left the cave." He followed her gaze up into the sky and frowned.
"I believe you are right." He nodded at her and she frowned, the howling wind whipping her hair around her face. It blew the already fallen snow up and swirled around the Fellowship, taunting them of what was going to soon fall.
They continued the slow climb over icy patches and large snow drifts. They marched on slowly, never stopping, praying that the snow would hold off.
It didn't. After a two hour climb the clouds burst open and snow fell heavily around them in angry bursts. It quickly dropped temperature and Anna and Boromir had a hard time keeping the hobbits moving. Aragorn had moved to the front, clearing some of the snow out of the way. Legolas walked gracefully on top, scoping out the distance as best as he could.
After she picked Pippin up for the fourth time, she was really starting to get worried. Bill and Umpra were moving slow as well, behind the rest of them. The hobbits shivered and coughed, falling every few seconds. Her eyes met Boromir's and an agreement was made. The hobbits were important.
"We can't go on!" She yelled as loudly as she could. Gandalf and Aragorn stopped and turned around to look at the sixth of them.
"They can not take this much longer! The cold will kill them!" Boromir shouted as well. Gandalf's eyes searched their faces and then fell onto the hobbits. Frodo's shivering form, Pippin's blue lips, Merry's frozen hands and Sam's coughing.
"We need to take them back down the mountain and go into Moria!" Boromir shouted again. Gandalf's eyes flickered back to his face and he frowned, but nodded.
"Yes." He whispered softly. Anna would have shouted with glee had she not been so cold. She and Boromir turned the horses around and got the hobbits going back down the mountain, a lot faster than going up. "When we find the cave, we should stay in there again tonight." They nodded, having that idea already in mind. While the climb up was around three hours, it took half that to go back down. If it weren't for the snow drifts.
They hung above them, threatening to tip over the edge of the mountain and to bury them under their cold depths forever. Anna kept her eyes on them almost as much as she did on the hobbits. It made progress slow, especially if one of them fell. When one did in front of the group they would have to climb over it.
After the third fallen snow drift, Anna snapped her head up. "What?" Aragorn asked her. She shook her head.
"I heard something, I think." She looked around before up. "Look out!" The others looked up before a huge snow drift fall down. She threw herself on top of Pippin and Sam as the cold snow penetrated through her cloak and tunic. It weighed a ton as it tried to crush her and the hobbits. After several moments of heaving falling snow, she struggled to move.
"Are you two alright?" She asked. They nodded slowly and she pushed herself up, trying to push the snow off of them. Once she got enough off, they were able to help. Together the three dug their way to the top of the drift, gasping for air. She looked around to see Aragorn pulling Frodo out of the snow. Legolas and Gimli were getting Boromir out, who was dragging Merry with him. Gandalf was out as well, holding onto the two horse's reins.
"Everyone okay?" They all nodded, cold and nervous. "Let's get down to the cave."
"It will be night soon." Legolas agreed. Finally they reached the cave and collapsed, more tired than the night before. They didn't even make a fire.
They reached the bottom of the mountain after a few hours and followed Gandalf and an eager Gimli to a spot at the base of the mountain. There was a thin ridge leading up to a wall of rock. Around the ridge was a large black lake. The surface was glossy and black. The surface didn't move.
She eyed it warily, not sure what to think. "How do we get in?"
"The dwarf doors are invisible." Gimli whispered in a soft, excited voice.
"The moon will reveal all secrets." Anna looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Good luck with that." Gandalf smirked and soon after the clouds parted and let the light of the full moon travel to the wall and a large doorway appeared. It was arched and lined in silver. They was some odd type of writing on the door that she couldn't read.
"What does it say?" Boromir asked from beside me.
"Speak friend and enter." Gandalf responded. As he started muttering in an ancient language Anna didn't understand she turned to watching the hobbits. Pippin and Merry were by the lake staring at it.
"Careful you two." She said, stepping up behind them. They nodded, transfixed by the still water.
"That water is unnerving." Frodo whispered. Anna shivered.
"Come on, back on shore." She hustled them back by the others and sat down next to Boromir.
"Still not opening?" He shook his head no. Frodo stood up as Gandalf slumped against a rock, rubbing his head. After a few moments Frodo spoke up.
"Gandalf what is the elven word for friend?"
"Mellon." Instantly the doors opened and they stood up. Gandalf smiled and shook his head. "I will never understand you hobbits."
Okay, chapter stopping here. It's late or early (1:45 AM), so one more chapter done. Plus I have been heavily medicated and I'm not up to writing more. And short chapters now.
I'm on an updating rampage right now. I updated two stories on the same day and this one the next. I doubt this will last long. HEHE.
Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings does not belong to me. I own only Anna and Umpra.
Thanks reviewers!
Chapter Ten
Conquer All Fears
'I've never been this cold before.' They had been on the mountain, going up for a day now. Anna was cold, tired and scared out of her mind. 'I don't do heights. Never have, never will again.'
Before they started the long climb to the pass of Caradhras, Boromir had advised her to not look down or behind her. Everyone had voted to go over (minus Gimli and Anna) so they packed up after breakfast and started going up.
"I hate heights." She mumbled, rubbing her arms quickly. "And I hate snow." Legolas looked around at her. "I hate the cold-"
"You hate a lot of things."
"Only when I'm involved with them." He laughed softly and headed to the front as it had started to snow slightly. "Urgh! More snow!" Pippin sighed and snuggled closer to her side. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder by nature. She was always looking out for the youngest hobbit and he had totally grown on her. She always liked him before, but now she loved the little hobbit. She loved all four, but Pippin had an attitude that she couldn't resist.
"Are you alright?" Aragorn's voice broke into her thoughts and she nodded at him. "Legolas is looking for some sort of shelter for us to stay in for the night. It is quickly becoming colder."
"We noticed. I'll help him if he wants."
"No, watch the hobbits." She nodded and hugged Pippin closer to her side. Boromir had care of Merry behind them at the moment and Sam and Frodo were up front with Gandalf and Gimli.
"What did he say?" Boromir's voice said into her ear.
"Legolas is looking for some shelter." He nodded and she smiled at Merry. "Alright there Merry?" He nodded numbly and Boromir helped him walk over a snow drift.
"We need to get them out of the cold." He whispered to her.
"I know. I'm worried about Frodo. He hasn't been eating very much." They continued to trudge on for a half hour or so until Legolas came back saying he found a small cave free of snow and well hidden. They pressed on until they reached it.
They got in and collapsed in various spots. "How much longer will it take to go over the mountain?" Sam asked Gandalf. He, in turn, sat back on the rock he found and began to think deeply.
"Another day or two of walking such as that we did today." The hobbits and Anna groaned.
"Another day or two?" Pippin dug his head farther into Anna's cloak and she wrapped it tightly around her and the hobbit. After a few minutes she had all four of the hobbits surrounding her in a warm circle. They soon fell asleep, but Anna couldn't. The males sat in a circle around a small fire they made and they tried to let her into the conversation, but it was hard. After awhile she gave up and fell asleep, her head on top of Sam's.
When she woke up, it was freezing. She was the last up as everyone else was around the fire, eating. She shuffled over and sat between Frodo and Sam. "It's cold without you four piled around me." They laughed.
"We almost woke you up." Aragorn said, sipping out of his mug.
"But you looked tired yesterday, so we let you rest." Gandalf finished.
"Thanks." She did feel better. "When are we going to leave?"
"In a few moments. I wish to leave in case it snows again." Gandalf explained.
"If it does snow, we should stay here. It's better than being caught in it." Legolas pointed out. Gimli nodded.
"I still say we should have gone into Moria." The dwarf muttered quietly. She nodded, looking out of the cave's mouth at the gray sky. 'It's going to snow and quickly.' When they left several moments later, it was obvious that the horses were restless.
'Why are we leaving? It will be safer in that cave than outside.'
"Because Gandalf wants to go and we do what he says." she told him.
'You didn't want to leave.'
"No, I didn't." He nodded and walked slowly over the snow. The wind began to pick up and she stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds drifted quickly. 'This is not good.' They were already far from the cave.
"Anna?" Boromir put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"We shouldn't have left the cave." He followed her gaze up into the sky and frowned.
"I believe you are right." He nodded at her and she frowned, the howling wind whipping her hair around her face. It blew the already fallen snow up and swirled around the Fellowship, taunting them of what was going to soon fall.
They continued the slow climb over icy patches and large snow drifts. They marched on slowly, never stopping, praying that the snow would hold off.
It didn't. After a two hour climb the clouds burst open and snow fell heavily around them in angry bursts. It quickly dropped temperature and Anna and Boromir had a hard time keeping the hobbits moving. Aragorn had moved to the front, clearing some of the snow out of the way. Legolas walked gracefully on top, scoping out the distance as best as he could.
After she picked Pippin up for the fourth time, she was really starting to get worried. Bill and Umpra were moving slow as well, behind the rest of them. The hobbits shivered and coughed, falling every few seconds. Her eyes met Boromir's and an agreement was made. The hobbits were important.
"We can't go on!" She yelled as loudly as she could. Gandalf and Aragorn stopped and turned around to look at the sixth of them.
"They can not take this much longer! The cold will kill them!" Boromir shouted as well. Gandalf's eyes searched their faces and then fell onto the hobbits. Frodo's shivering form, Pippin's blue lips, Merry's frozen hands and Sam's coughing.
"We need to take them back down the mountain and go into Moria!" Boromir shouted again. Gandalf's eyes flickered back to his face and he frowned, but nodded.
"Yes." He whispered softly. Anna would have shouted with glee had she not been so cold. She and Boromir turned the horses around and got the hobbits going back down the mountain, a lot faster than going up. "When we find the cave, we should stay in there again tonight." They nodded, having that idea already in mind. While the climb up was around three hours, it took half that to go back down. If it weren't for the snow drifts.
They hung above them, threatening to tip over the edge of the mountain and to bury them under their cold depths forever. Anna kept her eyes on them almost as much as she did on the hobbits. It made progress slow, especially if one of them fell. When one did in front of the group they would have to climb over it.
After the third fallen snow drift, Anna snapped her head up. "What?" Aragorn asked her. She shook her head.
"I heard something, I think." She looked around before up. "Look out!" The others looked up before a huge snow drift fall down. She threw herself on top of Pippin and Sam as the cold snow penetrated through her cloak and tunic. It weighed a ton as it tried to crush her and the hobbits. After several moments of heaving falling snow, she struggled to move.
"Are you two alright?" She asked. They nodded slowly and she pushed herself up, trying to push the snow off of them. Once she got enough off, they were able to help. Together the three dug their way to the top of the drift, gasping for air. She looked around to see Aragorn pulling Frodo out of the snow. Legolas and Gimli were getting Boromir out, who was dragging Merry with him. Gandalf was out as well, holding onto the two horse's reins.
"Everyone okay?" They all nodded, cold and nervous. "Let's get down to the cave."
"It will be night soon." Legolas agreed. Finally they reached the cave and collapsed, more tired than the night before. They didn't even make a fire.
They reached the bottom of the mountain after a few hours and followed Gandalf and an eager Gimli to a spot at the base of the mountain. There was a thin ridge leading up to a wall of rock. Around the ridge was a large black lake. The surface was glossy and black. The surface didn't move.
She eyed it warily, not sure what to think. "How do we get in?"
"The dwarf doors are invisible." Gimli whispered in a soft, excited voice.
"The moon will reveal all secrets." Anna looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Good luck with that." Gandalf smirked and soon after the clouds parted and let the light of the full moon travel to the wall and a large doorway appeared. It was arched and lined in silver. They was some odd type of writing on the door that she couldn't read.
"What does it say?" Boromir asked from beside me.
"Speak friend and enter." Gandalf responded. As he started muttering in an ancient language Anna didn't understand she turned to watching the hobbits. Pippin and Merry were by the lake staring at it.
"Careful you two." She said, stepping up behind them. They nodded, transfixed by the still water.
"That water is unnerving." Frodo whispered. Anna shivered.
"Come on, back on shore." She hustled them back by the others and sat down next to Boromir.
"Still not opening?" He shook his head no. Frodo stood up as Gandalf slumped against a rock, rubbing his head. After a few moments Frodo spoke up.
"Gandalf what is the elven word for friend?"
"Mellon." Instantly the doors opened and they stood up. Gandalf smiled and shook his head. "I will never understand you hobbits."
Okay, chapter stopping here. It's late or early (1:45 AM), so one more chapter done. Plus I have been heavily medicated and I'm not up to writing more. And short chapters now.