Chapter 14
The next day, the company woke to a steady snowfall. Merry and Pippin spent the morning chasing snow flurries and trying to catch them on their tongues. But by noon the wind was howling and the snowfall had turned into a swirling blizzard. Even Mel's elven cloak couldn't keep the wind from cutting through to her skin. Gandalf still led the way, trying to clear a path through the snow with his staff, but it didn't do much good. Mel had a firm grip on Pippin's hand, leading him through snow banks up to his shoulders in some spots, and all the while she was listening, waiting for that voice to find them on the mountain.
But despite her best efforts, Legolas still heard it first. He crept past her, walking on top of the snow, and listened intently as the wind whipped the snow around him.
"There is a fell voice on the air." He called back to them.
Everyone stopped and listened. And finally, Mel heard it too. It was indistinct, but she knew who it was.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf cried, as something above them cracked.
Mel grabbed Pippin and pulled them both back to the cliff wall as the avalanche of stone and ice crashed past them.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn shouted above the storm, "Gandalf! We must turn back!"
"No!"
The wizard pulled himself up onto the icy ledge and shouted defiantly into the wind.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!"
Mel felt Pippin try to tug free of her grip, but she held him tight.
"No, Pip! Stay with me!"
"But I want to see!"
"It's not safe!" She yelled.
Suddenly, lightning struck the tip of the mountain. Chunks of rock and ice went flying, catching drifts of snow as they fell, sending a wave of white sliding down and blanketing everything in its path. Legolas jerked Gandalf back from the cliff's edge and Mel covered Pippin's body with her own as they were all enveloped in cold white ice.
As soon as the avalanche had settled, Mel started clawing her way up out of the snow bank. When she finally broke the surface, she gasped like someone drowning, the cold air burning her lungs. She drove her hands back into the snow, digging frantically until Pippin's curly head was above the snow. She tugged up his hood and pulled his cloak tighter around him.
"You okay?" she asked, shouting to be heard over the wind.
The little hobbit nodded, but he was pale and shaking.
"Where's Merry?" he asked, his teeth chattering.
"I have him!" Boromir called out close by, just as he dug another shivering curly head out of the snow.
"Merry!" Pippin yelled, stumbling through the snow on hands and knees to reach his cousin.
"Hey, Pip, nice to see the cold hasn't got to you." Merry replied shakily, as his younger cousin clung to him.
"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir shouted over the wind, "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"
"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn protested.
"If we cannot pass over the mountain," Gimli shouted, "Let us go under it! Let us go through the mines of Moria!"
Everybody paused, undecided. Mel had managed to make her way through the snow to stand with Boromir and the hobbits, tucking Pippin under her cloak and rubbing his arms in a nearly futile attempt to keep him warm. Boromir had wrapped up Merry in the same way.
"Let the Ringbearer decide!" Gandalf said.
Everyone looked at Frodo, who's eyes were round and frightened.
"We cannot stay here!" Boromir shouted, "This will be the death of the hobbits!"
"Frodo?" Gandalf asked, patiently.
Frodo looked around and he caught Mel's gaze.
"What do I do?" He shouted, "Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"
She almost did. She nearly opened her mouth and made the decision for him. But she knew, somewhere inside of her, that this was not her decision to make.
"I can't, Frodo!" she yelled over the storm, "You have to make the choice! You know the way!"
She thought she saw a hint of approval flicker in Gandalf's eye, but she was more concerned with the flash of panic in Frodo's. Then the hobbit set his jaw and put his mind to work, weighing his options, before turning to Gandalf decisively.
"We will go through the mines."
Gandalf nodded.
"So be it."
"Gr… gr… great!" Merry chattered, "Can we get out of here now?"
Boromir chuckled a little, but Mel saw a dark look pass over his face. He wasn't happy. Mel nearly flinched away from him, but she caught herself and resisted the urge.
The company started to make their way back down the mountain, Aragorn leading the way, but even though the storm seemed to subside almost as soon as they turned around, it was clear they weren't going to make it out of the storm tonight. The hobbits were dead on their feet. Frodo stumbled into Mel and she managed to catch him before he went down in a snow bank, but only barely. Boromir finally spoke up.
"We cannot go further tonight. And I don't think we will find any better shelter than the cliff-wall we are now under."
"Shelter!" Sam muttered, "If this is shelter, then one wall and no roof make a house!"
But everyone seemed to agree with Boromir, and the four hobbits collapsed against the cliff in a shivering huddle. Legolas gathered some wood from the back of Bill the Pony and tried to light a fire. After several useless attempts, Gimli grunted and got to his feet.
"Let me have a chance at that, Master Elf! We dwarves know a thing or two about making fires blaze!"
Gimli stacked the wood in a different way and tried to light it again, but it was no good. The wind was too strong and even Mel could see that the wood was soaking wet. There was no way it was going to light. After almost an hour, Gandalf sighed and stood up. Gimli and Legolas both got out of his way, and the hobbits sat up a little bit to watch. The wizard thrust his staff into the middle of the wood and cried out.
"Naur an edraith ammen!"
Everyone jumped as green and blue flame burst out of the ground, but the wood finally caught fire, crackling merrily against the cold night air. The hobbits scrambled closer and held out their hands to warm. Gandalf just hung his head and muttered to himself.
"If there are any to see, then I at least am revealed to them. I have written 'Gandalf is here' in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the Mouths of Anduin."
Everyone was so happy to have a fire and eager to cook dinner that Mel thought she might have been the only one who heard him. She managed to suppress a giggle as she helped Sam pull out his pans and start roasting sausages.
They cooked a tiny meal that everyone ate quickly. Then they piled more wood on the fire and everyone started to drift off. Mel wrapped herself up in her cloak (which was already surprisingly dry) and leaned back against the cliff wall. The hobbits were in a sleeping huddle close by. Mel yawned, and thought that maybe they had the right idea. Gandalf had agreed to take the first watch, his cloaked shadow at the edge of the fire's glow, looking out into the snowy darkness. Aragorn and Legolas sat together by the fire, speaking in hushed voices, Gimli nodding off not far from them. Boromir was prodding the fire, adding an extra stick or two carefully to the blaze. He glanced up and caught her eye, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips.
Mel turned away, settling deeper into the warmth of her cloak. She still wasn't sure what to make of his comment earlier. She was hurt and angry, without really understanding why.
There's no need to fear… The mountain is only rock and ice… Do you have so little faith in us…?
"Melody?"
Boromir's voice startled her and she jumped. This in turn made her cringe and she couldn't meet his eyes, not after that. How pathetic he must think she was, jumping at every little thing…
"What's troubling you?" he asked, settling down beside her.
"What troubles all of us, Boromir," she snapped, "We're not exactly on a pleasure cruise."
"A pleasure cruise?"
Mel rolled her eyes, irritated at her use of the modern day idiom.
Idiot… she chided herself.
"I just mean that we're not on an easy, fun journey," she explained, "I'm worried about the same things you are."
"I don't think that's true." He said gently.
"Of course it is!"
"Then why won't you look at me?"
So, determined to make him believe nothing was wrong, she did look at him. His gray eyes were kind and concerned, the eyes of her friend.
"I don't want to disappoint you."
The words were out of her mouth before she realized how stupid they sounded. She dropped her eyes back to her hands, fidgeting with the hem of her cloak.
"I mean I… I just don't want you to regret standing up for me, you know? You had my back when Gandalf wanted to send me running back to Rivendell and I just…"
"You are not a disappointment," Boromir interrupted, his tone stern, almost angry, "Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?"
Mel shrank down a little further. It did all sound pretty silly when she said it out loud.
"Nowhere." She murmured, hating herself a little bit for the timid tone of her voice.
"Well, not a single word of it is true! My arguments to keep you in this company have been justified since the crebain caught us unawares in Eregion. You hid us from Saruman's spies!"
Mel shrugged.
"You would have hidden anyway."
"Regardless, you helped us to feel safe, and that is just as important as the hiding itself. And the joy you have brought to the hobbits! You cannot possibly think such a thing is irrelevant. Melody, look at me."
She did. He was staring at her, his eyes piercing.
"Ignore whatever put that silly notion into your head. I have not had one moment of regret since you've joined us. In fact, I couldn't be more pleased."
Mel believed him. She couldn't help herself. Maybe it was his eyes or his voice or just the way the firelight danced over his face, but despite everything, she believed every word that he said. She smiled.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He returned her smile, his shoulders relaxing. They both leaned back against the cliff face in comfortable silence. Mel didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep until she was woken by a quiet voice.
"Come Boromir, I will take your place with her while you stand watch."
It was Legolas. Her head was gently lifted up and she shifted sleepily. She must have fallen asleep on Boromir's shoulder. Before she had time to come fully awake, he slipped out from under her and was replaced by a different shoulder, this one not quite as broad. She nearly moved away, but Legolas ran his long fingers through her hair and soothed her with soft words that didn't make sense, but sounded slightly familiar. Some form of elvish… She sighed and shifted closer, settling onto his shoulder and drifting off to sleep again.