Chapter Ten: Travels South
For two months the newly created Fellowship of the Ring stayed in Rivendell. Elizabeth was gifted with a new bow, which she preferred over the sword Aragorn gave her on Weathertop, and she learned archery from many elves, including her new companion Legolas. She was both intimidated by his skill and attracted to him; his eerie similarity in looks to her husband kept her on her toes. The others were offered new weapons, but did not take any for they were accustomed to their own swords. Frodo was given the elven sword Sting by Bilbo, though the other hobbits kept their blades.
The group from the Caribbean was given a few pairs of new clothing more suitable for travel through the wilderness in the middle of the winter. Other than Elizabeth, who found a more suitable traveling dress back in Bree, the only clothing the others wore that was appropriate for northern Middle-earth's climate were the cloaks given to them by Tom Bombadil. After they began to wear their new clothing, they looked as if they belonged to that world- well, almost. Jack insisted on keeping the dreadlocks, the beads, the eyeliner that he carried in one of the many pockets of his coat (which he also took), and, of course, his hat. Other than warmer clothes, he looked just like his old self.
One day in December, Jack sat with Strider in the lower levels of Rivendell. They were watching Narsil, the broken sword Aragorn had shown at the council, in the final stages of forging. Will was often in the forges with Aragorn during the process, since his background made him interested in the process, but that day he was spending time with Elizabeth and the pirate had unexpectedly offered to accompany him instead. Jack looked on wordlessly at their methods; it was somewhat different from the little he saw of the process in the Caribbean.
Once the sword was forged and cooled, an elf gave it to Aragorn. He gazed at it admiringly and said, "I shall call you Andúril, Flame of the West."
Jack snorted. "Why do you name your swords?"
Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "Why do you not?"
"Because it is downright strange." Jack paused as he thought about his words. "Then again, perhaps it's not such a bad idea..." He looked down at his pistol, which he always carried with him even while in Rivendell. He pulled it out and smiled at it. "I shall call you Bonnie!"
Aragorn, looking less than impressed, sheathed his new sword and walked away.
O0O0O0O
The Fellowship left Rivendell near the end of the year 3018 of the Third Age. Even though they were called the "Fellowship", some members of the Company did not get along that well with one another. Gimli and Legolas stayed away from each other as much as possible, their grudge against one another formed in the Council and still as strong as it was then. Jack had unspoken issues with Legolas and his uncanny resemblance to Will, and Will himself was not quite sure if Boromir was the right man to go on this quest. As it was, each member of the Fellowship was united in mood that day; they was about to set out and each one of them looked solemn. Bill, the pony that had joined them in back in Bree, was the only one of the Company who seemed unaffected by the atmosphere and remained content.
Others who were there only for the council left weeks ago, and so only elves and Bilbo were there to see them off. They could see Glorfindel, Elrond, and his children standing nearby. The crowd about them fell silent as Elrond spoke to the Company. "The Ring-bearer is setting out on a quest to Mount Doom. To all of you that travel with him, there is no oath, nor bond to go further than you will. Hold to your purpose, and may the blessings of elves, and men, and all free folk go with you."
"No oath to go further than you will?" Jack muttered to Will. "This should turn out to be interesting."
Will shook his head. "I thought that we were supposed to stick together. It sounds wrong that we may leave whenever we wish during such an important task."
Gibbs, who was right behind them, stepped forward and muttered, "Do you think anyone will leave?"
"Perhaps," Jack replied vaguely.
"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer," Gandalf stated. Frodo looked up uncertainly at his companions before stepping out of gate.
"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Anamaria stifled a chuckle.
"Left."
The Fellowship went through the gate one by one, soon leaving only Will and Aragorn in the courtyard. Will, who had grown close to the other man over the last two months, was patiently waiting for Aragorn, silently wondering what was taking him so long.
Will followed the other's gaze and saw that it led to Arwen. While she was trying to remain stoic, it was obvious that she was distressed and could not look Aragorn in the eye. Aragorn stood there for a moment, gazing at her face as if he were attempting to engrave it completely in his memory. While he had seen the hints over the last few weeks, at this moment Will was completely sure that Aragorn was in love with Arwen, and she with him.
Aragorn at that moment turned and saw Will staring at him. He strode past quickly without acknowledging the other man.
Will finally turned away from the elven refuge and jogged up to him, a few of paces away from the main group. "What is the matter?" Will murmured, the concern in his voice evident.
"I am well," Aragorn replied. Will, not believing him for a moment, put a hand on his shoulder.
"I may have not known you long, Aragorn, but I know love when I see it. It is clear that you love her deeply and that she loves you."
Aragorn laughed bitterly. "If only it were that simple."
The other man frowned. "You two are in love with one another, and while she is the daughter of an elf-lord, you are an heir to a throne or two! It is a wonderful match."
Aragorn stopped and glanced at the other man, a strange look on his face. "You do not have elves in your world, do you?"
"None that I know about; what difference does that make?"
"A great difference, my friend." Aragorn shook his head. "I had not realized you did not know that elves were immortal."
The other man stopped in his tracks, stunned by the revelation. "Immortal? That would explain a few things, but I did not realize that at all. Still, could you not be married? I imagine that your death would cause her grief, but she still would have her family."
"It is not that simple. She has bound herself to me, and with that bind she gives up her immortality. She would have to leave her people and her family."
Will frowned. "I did not know. But you say that she has already bound herself to you. Why are you then not wed?"
The man smiled grimly. "Her father has decreed that she would marry no one less than the king of both Gondor and Arnor."
"A lofty title."
"I would give her no less." Aragorn smiled wistfully. "Still, I know that my beloved watched you and your wife and wished that it could be us." Will only nodded sympathetically, understanding well the feeling of longing.
"Hey, you two, are you coming?" Pippin called out to them. The two ended their conversation and quickly went to join the others.
O0O0O0O
They tread many miles throughout many days. In that time they began to learn more about each other, becoming closer as the days passed, and soon old grievances were forgotten, or at the least put aside for their quest. They walked swiftly through the wilderness, led by Aragorn who knew those lands well. At the rearguard was always Legolas, constantly on the lookout for danger. As the days grew colder and the winds became stronger, everyone was grateful for the warm cloaks that Elrond provided them for the journey. They ate twice a day, only lighting a fire when necessary, and were constantly on the lookout for spies.
One beautiful morning, just at dawn on their fourteenth day of traveling, the Company stopped to look out on the lands they were to tread.
Gandalf smiled. "We have done well," he said. "We have reached the borders of the lands which Men call Hollin. For forty-five leagues we have traveled by foot. We are near Khazad-dûm, the Dwarrowdelf, otherwise known as Moria, deep within the Misty Mountains, over there in the mists." He pointed to a long chain of mountains not too far ahead. "Right above Moria are the mountains of Celebdil the White, Fanuidhol the Grey, and of course, cruel Caradhras." He pointed to the largest mountain, right above Moria, which looked very foreboding even from where they were. "We make for the Dimrill Dale, a valley cut across the Misty Mountains. We will go through the Redhorn Pass, then down the Dimrill Stair to the Mirrormere, the waters of Moria."
"Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram," said Gimli. "It chills me to think I shall see them soon."
"So, in short, we are going over those mountains to some lake?" Gibbs asked, looking at the tall peaks with a frown.
"I suppose you could say that," Aragorn answered him.
"Where then after that?" Elizabeth asked.
"We make for the Golden Woods of Lothlórien, then to the Great River, Anduin, and then…" Gandalf paused.
"Then?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, and then to?" Merry repeated.
"To the end of our journey… in the end," Gandalf said quietly. "But we cannot look too far ahead. Let us now make for the Dimrill Dale."
A couple of days later they reached the Dimrill Dale. It was a steep passage to cross, but was not nearly as steep as the mountains that loomed overhead. The lands were rocky and overgrown with large shrubs and weeds.
On the second day of their journey across the dale, the Company was taking a quick mid-day break. Gandalf sat on a rock a bit away from the group, smoking on his pipe thoughtfully. Legolas looked out into the distance, keeping watch for his resting companions, and Gimli conversed with Gandalf quietly. Aragorn, Will, Gibbs, Elizabeth, Anamaria, Frodo, and Sam sat near one another, some eating, some talking to one another, and some quietly musing. Jack and Boromir were practicing swordplay with Merry and Pippin.
"Two, one, five! Good, very good!" Boromir stated as he practiced with Pippin.
"Your style is good, but how is your footwork?" Jack asked Merry as he practiced with him. Merry shot him a confused look. "I mean, if I step over here, where do you step?" Merry uncertainly stepped over to one side. "Yes, but with more speed, and don't look down!" Jack lunged at him and his blade accidentally poked Merry in the hand. Merry yelped.
"Oh, sorry-" Jack started, but was interrupted by a kick in the leg from Merry. He reflexively knelt when he was kicked, and then felt something jump onto his back, causing him to fall down; Pippin and Merry were now on top of him. Boromir stood a few paces away, laughing his head off while the others on the rocks chuckled at the sight.
"A little help!" Jack yelled to Boromir. Boromir, still chuckling, went over to help him, but instead was pulled down by Pippin and landed on top of Jack.
"Get off me!" Jack yelled to the three of them, trying to push the large man and two hobbits aside. When the two men started to succeed in pushing off the two hobbits, Gibbs went over and threw Jack back down, helping the hobbits keep the two men down on the ground. Anamaria was now laughing so hard that tears were forming in her eyes. Elizabeth leaned against Will, laughing into his side; her husband did not even try to keep a straight face. Aragorn chuckled, stood up and went over to help Jack and Will.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, that is enough," he said, trying to pull the hobbits and Gibbs away from Jack and Boromir. The hobbits looked at each other, grinned, and quickly tripped Aragorn. He landed on his back, grunting and dropping his apple in the process. Anamaria laughed so hard that she slipped off her rock and to the ground, but continued laughing nonetheless. Elizabeth now had tears in her eyes, and Will finally let his amusement burst out in loud guffaws. Frodo and Sam somehow kept their composure and only smiled at their companions, likely used to Merry and Pippin's antics.
Finally the group managed to calm down. Sam, who had forgotten the scene in front of him, was now frowning as he looked to the south; there was a large black cloud in the bright blue sky. "What's that?" he asked.
Gibbs, who had finally lifted himself off his captain, helped Jack off the ground. Jack muttered something that sounded like "mutinous dog" before he glanced southward. "Looks like only a wisp of clouds," he muttered, but even as he spoke he was not quite sure of himself- a rare occurrence.
"It is only a wisp of clouds!" claimed Gimli.
"But it is moving fast, and against the wind," Boromir said with a frown.
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas yelled when he could make out the dark spot completely.
"Hide!" Aragorn shouted. He grabbed some of the baggage on the ground and beckoned Frodo to follow him. Sam put out their small fire and threw some of the baggage into the bushes. Legolas sprang lightly from rock to rock, made sure that the pony was hidden, and then hid himself. Gandalf, along with Gimli, lunged behind a rock while Boromir and Jack took Merry and Pippin and hid themselves. Anamaria and Gibbs saw that everyone was hiding, grabbed the remaining packs and hid behind some large rocks. Will grabbed Elizabeth's hand and they hid in some shrubs and weeds.
The crebain, which resembled large, black crows, flew over them just as the last traces of the Fellowship ever being there were hidden. The birds flew over for a moment, cawing loudly as they searched the area, and then soared away until they were only a black speck in the sky once more.
Anamaria crawled out of her hiding spot first. She took a large breath and frowned. "What was the point of that?" she asked. "They were birds!"
"Not just birds, but spies of Saruman," Gandalf clarified. "Now we know that the passage south is being watched by him. We must take the Pass of Caradhras." He pointed to the largest, nearest mountain to the north; it was covered in snow, and its ragged peak looked wicked.
"We have to go up there!" Pippin exclaimed in wonder and not without a small amount of fear. "Is there no other way, Gandalf?"
"There are other ways, but they are more perilous than the mountains. We must try Caradhras."
"This is going to be one long, miserable journey," Elizabeth muttered to her husband.
O0O0O0O
It took a day to backtrack and find the pass that went over Caradhras. Once they did start climbing, nearly all in the Fellowship soon wished that there was another path to take. By the time the snow was up past their ankles and closer to their knees, most of them were freezing and exhausted.
Frodo was right behind Boromir when, in his exhaustion, he tripped and fell. He rolled down the mountain to Aragorn, who stopped him in his path and helped him up. Jack, who was near Frodo when he fell, saw a glint of gold in the snow, and a sudden desire flooded his mind. The One Ring was lying but a few feet away, and this was his chance to see it a bit more closely.
However, Boromir was closer than he was, and the Gondorian grabbed the chain that held the Ring from the snow before he could make any sort of move. Boromir stilled and fell into a sort of trance as he gazed upon it. The Company focused on him and did not notice that Jack, too, was looking at the Ring rather than the other man.
"Boromir," Aragorn said, slight trepidation in his voice.
"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing… such a little thing…" Boromir whispered, his hand slowly approaching the Ring. Jack silently agreed with him. It was only a little golden ring. What harm could it do?
"Boromir," Aragorn said again, this time more firmly. Both Boromir and Jack fell out of their trance. "Give the Ring to Frodo," the Ranger said sternly.
Boromir uncertainly stepped over to the hobbit. "As you wish." He reluctantly gave it to Frodo, who took it very quickly. "I care not…" A short laugh came from his lips as he looked upon Aragorn and ruffled Frodo's hair as if he was a child. Will, who watched the scene with the others, glanced at Aragorn's hand and saw him take it away from the hilt of his sword. He paled slightly but looked away before others could see his face. Had the Fellowship already come down to that?
Jack turned away as well, keeping his eyes off Frodo and ignoring the siren call of the Ring that even now remained with him. One person, however, had seen the look in the pirate's eyes.
"Jack," Gibbs muttered to him when there were no others to overhear, "don't even bother with it."
"Bother with what?" Jack asked, a clueless expression upon his face.
"You know what I'm talking about. It's like the Aztec treasure. It brought no good to Barbossa and your old crew, and this certainly won't do you no good, either."
"Now why in the world would you think I want some gaudy old ring?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I saw that look in your eyes, Jack, and I feel the same way you do!" Gibbs muttered quickly. "I want to take it and look at it and even wear it, but I know that I can't. I saw those Black Riders and what they can do. I heard stuff in that council. And all that I'm feeling proves it! It's black magic, it is."
"Hmm," the pirate replied noncommittally. "Sure you ain't imagining all this, eh?"
"You know I'm not!"
"Oh, yes, because your judgment is certainly the best I've ever seen," Jack bit back. Gibbs growled under his breath something inaudible.
"I'm not saving your skin if you try and take it."
"Oh, I never expected you to." With that, the conversation ended and they continued their trek with the rest of their Company up the slopes of Caradhras.
O0O0O0O
"It's… cold…" Gibbs whispered through chattering teeth. They were on top of the mountain, and to say that it was snowing a lot would be the equivalent of saying that Sauron was not a very nice person.
"Bloody weather," Anamaria muttered as she wrapped her cloak tightly around her body and trudged through the nearly waist-deep snow. "I'd like to go home now." Jack muttered curses under his breath as he pushed through the snow, Elizabeth was silent as she tried to think of warmer places, and Will was fulfilling his husbandly duty as he held her close while they slowly progressed on the snowy path.
"Gandalf, this is folly!" Aragorn yelled through the blasting winds. "We must turn back!"
"No! We can defeat the mountain!" Gandalf rebutted.
Fifteen minutes later, they had made little, if any, progress. The snow was tightly packed and difficult to push through, and the fast winds filled with flurries of snow only made their situation more difficult. Only Legolas seemed to be doing well. He ignored the snow-filled wind and lightly stepped on the top of the snow, barely making any marks as he passed.
"That… is… not… fair…" Anamaria muttered darkly, her teeth chattering with every word. Jack glanced at the fair elf, who looked as if he did not have a care in the world, and wondered for a moment if anyone would miss Legolas if the pirate 'accidentally' shoved him off the path.
Will pushed his way up to Gandalf, Elizabeth still close to his side. "We must get off the mountain! We cannot trudge through this any longer!"
Gandalf shook his head, but at that moment a shot of lightning burst through the sky and hit the mountain, and a great amount of snow fell down from above. Before they could move away, the large pile fell upon them, covering them all from head to toe.
Legolas was the first to emerge, followed by Will. He quickly helped his wife out of the snow as Jack, Aragorn, Gibbs, and Boromir helped the hobbits and Gandalf out. Gimli and Anamaria stubbornly managed to get themselves out of the drift without any aid, though both looked more murderous than before. Once all of them were free, Boromir shouted above the high winds.
"We must get off the mountain! We can make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West Road to my city!"
"The Gap of Rohan will lead us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued. As greatly as he desired to get off Caradhras, he knew that Saruman would be an even greater peril.
"We cannot pass over the mountain, so let us go under it!" Gimli suggested. "We should go through the Mines of Moria."
They fell silent as they pondered this new road, and Gandalf fell deep into thought. Boromir shook his head in frustration when the wizard did not answer right away. "We cannot stay here!" he said, trying to keep Merry and Pippin warm. "This will be the death of us all!"
"Let the Ring-bearer decide," Gandalf finally decided.
Frodo looked at all of his companions and could easily see that even the great, grim warriors would fall to this cold if they did not leave soon.
"We will go through the mines," the hobbit replied.
Caradhras has defeated them.