Authors Note: Apologies that this chapter is a little on the short side. But I promise a lengthy fight chapter is up next to make up for it. Hope you enjoy and as always, thank you for your continuing support.
Chapter 21 - Amon Hen
They were deep in the twisted valley now, perilous rocks jutting out of the water in all directions. A brisk current that rocked the small boats back and forth until Pippin complained that he felt sick.
They had only been going about an hour since the small island refuge but already the landscape had changed dramatically. Whereas they had been flanked on either side by thick tree lines, now there were two high barricades of rock. She had been fearful of what lurked behind those trees, what the low branches and shadows had hidden from her view, but now she found herself longing for them once more. The rock made her feel too enclosed, trapped like an animal trying to avoid a hunter. If anything were to happen here, there would be nowhere for them to run.
Although there was only one direction for them to head in, they were not sure of their exact location on the river. For sometime now they had all been guessing how long it would take to reach the falls. However the times that they had guessed had now been and gone with no avail. They were feeling somewhat lost and at the rivers mercy, pleading silently for it to lead them to safety. At least they could find some contentment in the knowledge that this river could not lead them anywhere other than where they desired.
After a few hours more that seemed to stretch without marking, they rounded a bend in the canyon to the most welcome of sights. The canyon ended, the river opening up to a large expanse before them where all other rivers came to meet . But the most awe inspiring of everything before them was the two great statues that loomed ahead. Striking and imposing on the river banks, the two towering men stood with their arms outstretched as a warning for the falls that lay beyond, was the magnificent statues of the Argonath. Expertly hewn from rock and standing so high she wondered who had built these statues. It was most likely the same who had built the watchtower of Amon Hen which she knew lay close by but they were both so far from civilisation.
"Long have I desired to look upon the Kings of Old, my kin" Aragorn said aloud from his boat, staring up at these remnants of his past with respect.
Looking over towards him she could see that every one of them had the same look upon their faces. As though it were a privilege to see these great monuments.
They continued beneath them, the statues growing evermore in height as they came closer, she felt minuscule compared to them. This must how an ant perceives the world she thought as the current from the falls dragged their small boats faster to journeys end .
The boats scraped up the gravelly shore, jolting her forward on the plank like seat and throwing her dark braided hair over her shoulder. She felt stiff but that was to be expected after two days of mostly sitting in the same position. Right now she wanted nothing more than to start walking, a prospect that after Moria she never thought she would hear herself say.
The feel of the ground beneath her boots was just was she needed and she closed her eyes and relished the sturdiness and stability that it provided her. Stretching up onto the balls of her feet she felt relief in the joints of her spine as they clicked back into place one by one. Standing still she could hear the roar of the falls, a booming and thundering cascade of water that fell in dizzying heights to the plateau below.
A sudden scratch of rock against rock beside her broke her from her thoughts, but it was just Legolas dragging the boat further up the shore, Aragorn and Boromir doing the same with their own.
As usual the hobbits had already made a makeshift home for themselves alongside a large boulder, putting their packs and capes down onto the ground and flopping down onto them. She was amazed that they could sit down so quickly again, after that was what they had been doing all day. However she did not question it. Instead she picked up her pack and blade from the front of the boat and placed them down with the others.
"When do we set out again?" She asked Aragorn as he passed her to bring some of Sams cooking equipment to the camp.
"We will cross at nightfall, hide the boats in the brush and continue on foot" he explained, going back to the boats again to get a second load
"Then we approach Mordor by the north" he finished, Lifting his own pack out of the bow.
"Oh yes?" Gimli piped up from where he was sprawled on the hard floor "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better!" He laughed, whilst Pippin looked on with fear plastered across his face.
"Festering, stinking marshlands for as far as the eye can see!" The Dwarf continued, wrinkling his broad nose in feigned disgust, which she found herself doing subconsciously as well.
"That is our road" Aragorn said matter of fact, sheathing his blade back into his scabbard in one sweeping motion.
"I suggest that you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf" He concluded, with a smirk, knowing that Gimli would be insulted that his stamina was being brought into question.
"Recover my...?" Gimli said irately as if on cue, before crossing his arms and letting out a large huff.
"We should leave now" Legolas said in an almost whisper drawing Aragorn over to the side away from the others and catching Arwens eye.
"We cannot, Orcs patrol the Eastern shore, we must wait for the cover of darkness" Aragorn explained, following Legolas' example by keeping his voice low, so as not to alarm the others.
"Why do you think we should leave now Legolas?" Arwen asked coming closer to them.
"Because it is not the Eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near... I can feel it, and you have felt it too." He finished looking straight at her.
"You mean that feeling I told you about, that something was watching us? I thought we agreed that was all it was.. a feeling" she questioned, the hairs rising up on the back of her neck once more.
"I wonder now if it is more than that, a warning" Legolas said solemnly glancing around nervously at the surrounding trees.
Following his gaze she turned as she saw Merry emerging from the woods with an armful of dry sticks, dropping them down into a pile on the ground so that some of them splintered.
"No Dwarves need to recover strength" Gimli was telling Pippin who still looked worried about the path ahead "Pay no head to that young Hobbit" he assured him, snapping off a piece of lembas bread and popping it between his beard shrouded lips.
"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked.
Those two words seemed to make her world stop and move at lightning speed all at once.
When was the last time she remembered seeing him? Why would he have gone off alone? Was Legolas right about the warning? Or was this what the warning was telling them about? So many questions span round in her minds that she could not grasp one long enough to answer it.
"Frodo!" Sam shouted aloud, sitting up quickly from his reclined position over near the boulder and then scrambling to his feet "Frodo!".
She felt her stomach lurch as the others all leapt to their feet, scanning the area, hoping for a sign.
She headed back towards boats which seemed futile, why would he be hiding there? but she checked nonetheless.
As she headed back towards the others, Aragorn muttered one word to her cautiously "Boromir".
She instinctively looked towards the last place she had seen the man of Gondor, he was missing , yet his shield remained propped up against the rock.
"We should split up to cover more ground" Aragorn instructed them before turning to the three Hobbits. "You three are to stay here, I do not want any more of you wandering off and getting lost" he said cutting Sam off as he was about to protest.
Arwen was already at the treeline, Legolas a few metres on her right and Gimli on her left. Hopefully if they stayed in their lines, then it would take them no time at all to find their two missing companions. It could all end up being completely innocent and that they are all over-reacting. But her thoughts kept flicking back to Boromirs face on Caradhras, how his desire for the ring had almost overtaken him completely. She managed to make a glance back at hobbits before she rounded a large tree and out of their view. They were huddled together on the bank, united in their fear and she prayed that they would be safe until they all returned.
After searching on her own for a few minutes with no success she found herself in a glade of sorts as the trees petered out. Legolas emerged into it the same distance from her as they started and he shook his head at her to signal that his search had been no more lucky than her own. At the same moment something caught the corner of her eye, moving fast and noisily through the forest on the opposite side of the glade. Her immediate thought was that it was Boromir as it was too big for a Hobbit, but then as she studied the darting figure she realised it was far too big for that of a man.
Her breath caught in her throat, as another hulking figure came into view behind the first, then another and another. Her hand flew to the hilt of Hadafang, drawing it as quietly as she could from its sheath whilst her other hand pointed towards the figures in case Legolas had not seen them.
Of course the blonde elf was already way ahead of her, notching an arrow securely into his new bow he padded silently over to her.
"Uruk Hai" They whispered as one.