A/N: I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! I was rather shocked (and extremely pleased!) with the responses I received on the query in the last chapter. I had two guests and one member who said they'd like to know Shadow's identity now, but the overwhelming majority of you said you'd rather wait for the surprise. You have decided to put your trust in me and for that, I thank you. I will repay you by making Shadow's reveal one of the most epic, dynamic scenes in the whole story. As consolation for making those of you who answered "yes, tell us," there will be more minor tidbits about Shadow here in this chapter. I hope that you enjoy it!
~#*ITS*#~
Night had long fallen when the Company of the Ring stopped at the Nimrodel falls beneath the beautiful Mallorn trees of Lothlorien. The day had been refreshingly uneventful, but still it had been long and wearisome. A cloud of despair clogged the air around them, and despite the need for haste, the journey had been long and hard for Shadow and Sam.
Though the Jedi had considerable strength and the Force on his side, he'd taken quite a beating between the Orc chieftain and Boromir. He held his own for most of the trek, but had to rely on the strength of Aragorn and Legolas once or twice. He insisted that he could wait until they were in the safety of Lothlorien for his wounds to be looked at. The gash on Sam's forehead, however, burned and caused him to become considerably lightheaded. At one point, they had been forced to stop while Aragorn tended it.
Now, though, the Fellowship relaxed and enjoyed the moment of peace and quiet. Legolas sang them a song of old that told the story of Nimrodel and her lover. When he'd finished, it was decided that they should get off the ground in case they were being pursued by the Orcs.
They found a cluster of trees not far from where they'd rested.
"Are we really to sleep like birds in a perch?" Pippin protested.
"Or you could dig a hole in the ground," Legolas suggested in return. With that, he jumped, catching one of the tree branches high overhead. Before he could pull himself up, however, a voice spoke above him.
"Daro!"
Legolas fell back down and flattened himself against the tree's trunk.
"Be still!" he hissed.
Laughter echoed back at them from the branches. A voice spoke in an ancient elven language. Legolas looked up and answered them.
"Elves!" Sam almost bounced with quiet excitement.
"Yes," Legolas giggled, "They have been aware of us for some time. They heard me singing across the Nimrodel and let us pass...all eight of us..."
Legolas looked to Aragorn. They both frowned deeply, though Sam couldn't figure out why. Frodo was quicker. He looked around, counting silently. Legolas continued to keep from arousing suspicion.
"They say some of you breathe so loudly they could have shot you in the dark."
The quiet laughter in the trees suddenly stopped, however, and a familiar voice spoke in the same ancient elven-tongue that the voices had used earlier. Legolas grinned widely.
"Shadow just told them they wouldn't have had the chance to shoot us if they'd wanted to," the elf beamed. "He also informed them that there are nine of us." The others smiled and laughed quietly themselves-all but Boromir who stood frozen in fear.
Up in the tree, Shadow crouched behind the previous speaker. He held the metal of his deactivated lightsaber to the Elf's back. Two others sat beside them, unsure of how to act.
"Hello, Haldir," Shadow could no longer hold in his laughter.
"Dai," the elf's lips broke into a smile. The other two relaxed. In their tongue, Haldir continued speaking "How long have you been with us?"
"About half an hour," Shadow backed up, allowing Haldir to stand. "I slipped away when I sensed you here before the others crossed the water. Rumil, Orophin."
He grasped forearms with each of the other Elves in turn.
"Legolas! Come up!" Shadow called. Rumil rolled a rope ladder down to make his ascent easier. "Frodo, you too!"
When Frodo was within a few feet of the flet, he found that Shadow's arm was waiting to pull him the rest of the way up. He climbed one more rung and grasped Shadow's wrist tightly. When Frodo was safely among the Elves, Shadow reached down again for Sam.
"Where this one goes, that one goes also," Shadow explained to the Elves who were expecting one Elf and one Hobbit. Haldir smiled warmly.
"Such loyalty is to be commended," he said slowly in the common tongue. "You will have to forgive the slowness of my speech. We do not often use any tongue but our own. My brothers know very little, but I travel frequently to watch our enemies and gather news. I heard of your journey from Elrond's messengers."
"Allow me to save you some time and trouble," Shadow offered. "There is a troop of Orcs trailing us. They will be here before the night is over. It would be wise to send Orophin to the Lady now and avoid having their foul feet trapse any further on your lands than can be prevented."
Haldir turned to his brother and explained what Shadow had just said. Without a word, Orophin slipped down from the flet and sprang off into the night.
"There are nine in our company," Shadow continued. "Myself and Legolas, two more Hobbits along with Frodo and Sam, two men, and a dwarf."
Before Haldir could protest, Shadow continued speaking.
"He is of the Dwarves of Erebor, trusted by Lord Elrond, and he is our friend," he stated firmly. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would treat him as such."
"Yes!" Frodo insisted. "He has sacrificed as much as the rest of us on our quest. He is trustworthy."
"Alright," Haldir said after conversing with Rumil for a moment. "We will oblidge, though it is against our normal custom. If you will keep watch over him, we will let him pass, though he must wear a blindfold through Lothlorien."
"We'll see," Shadow said cryptically, mischief in his voice.
"For now, we must get your people off the ground. The Hobbits may stay here with us, and there is another flet in that tree, there, for the rest of you. You can call to us if anything is wrong...and keep an eye on that Dwarf."
"You have to leave too, Shadow?" Frodo frowned.
"It's alright, Frodo," Shadow said soothingly. "Though they seem rather hard-headed," Shadow shot Haldir a sideways glance. The Elf raised an eyebrow at him in return, "Haldir and his brothers are dear friends. They will take care of you."
Satisfied, Frodo nodded. Sam still looked unconvinced.
I'll be in the next tree. You can speak to me any time you desire. Shadow thought to the Hobbit. After a moment, Sam nodded as well.
~#*ITS*#~
"A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks!" Legolas threw up his hands.
The news that Gimli would have to be blindfolded while entering Lothlorien had been revealed. He wasn't taking it well.
As Gimli stood with his axe ready, the elves pulled out their bows in return. Aragorn rushed forward.
"I am leading this company," he stated, "and you'll do as I say. If one of us has to be blind, all of us will be. Even Legolas."
"But I am an elf!" Legolas protested.
"And now we can say, 'a plague on the stiff necks of Elves!'" Aragorn huffed.
By this point, Shadow was practically rolling with laughter.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Haldir accused.
"Of course I did!" Shadow cackled. "And it was even funnier than I imagined it being!"
Haldir shook his head, fighting a smile himself.
"This is...where your eyes are...right?" Rumil put a blindfold around Shadow's head uncertainly. The Jedi laughed again, confirming Rumil's suspicion.
"Sad are the days when friends and enemies are treated alike while the sun shines so warmly in the trees," Legolas lamented as his eyes were bound.
"Indeed," Haldir's expression grew downcast. "But we are on an island here, surrounded by enemies. Some have talked of leaving, but I fear it has grown far too late for that. Crossing the mountains would be perilous for the evil there. The east is nothing but a wasteland, and southward, the paths are blocked by Rohan and by the Enemy at the mouth of the Great River. Even if we came to the sea, we would find no shelter there."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Shadow mocked offense. Though he allowed his eyes to be bound for formality, he walked next to Haldir, still fully able to "see" through the Force.
"The Lady Daiel would never turn away her kindred, strange and estranged as they may be."
He shot Haldir a glance from behind the blindfold at this statement. The corner of the Elf's mouth turned up ever so slightly at the Jedi's teasing.
"I can tell you for sure that there are Elf-Havens west of the Shire where we Hobbits live," Merry offered.
The two of them spoke of the Havens and the Shire for many hours as the Fellowship wound its way deeper and deeper into the forrest. A night passed with their eyes blinded, and the next day, they came across a troop of Elves marching to the northern border. They had brought word that the Lady Galadriel wished for the Fellowship to see the land around them, so their eyes were unbound.
Haldir took Frodo by the hand and led him and Sam to the top of the hill of Cerin Amroth. Shadow watched them go from where he lowered himself to a rock.
"You are still in much pain," Legolas stated, crouching next to him.
"We are all lamenting the loss of Gandalf the Grey in this glorious place," Shadow returned, trying to deflect the Elf's concern.
"That isn't the pain I'm talking about," Legolas observed the way Shadow sat with the side where the Orc struck him guarded. "Why won't you let someone tend your wounds?"
"You know why," Shadow said softly.
Legolas pressed his lips into a thin line but fell quiet.
"Besides," Shadow continued, "Caras Galadhon isn't that far away. The Lady and her court know my identity. I'm sure one of them will be willing to tend me."
"I look forward to the day when this evil is past, and you no longer have to hide yourself from us," there was evident sadness in the Elf's voice. "You have become a dear, dear friend. It would be wonderful to be able to put a face with that friendship."
"I look forward to that day as well," Shadow nodded. "My identity is a very dangerous piece of knowledge. It would jeopardize everything we're trying to accomplish. Besides that, revealing myself would change everything. You and the others would not see me in the same light that you do now. I think part of me enjoys being without a face and a history...being only a shadow."
"I am sure that it would have its advantages," Legolas smiled sadly. He laid a hand gently on Shadow's shoulder and stood. "Are you sure you're going to be able to make it to the city? There are ways that we could get you treatment without risking your mask."
"No, no," there was a smile in Shadow's voice. "Don't you worry about me. I've fared far worse and survived. Just being in this place is enough to ease most of the aches."
Legolas nodded. He, too, felt revived here.
"This place might not be so bad after all," Gimli said gruffly as he joined them. "The Hobbits seem to be enjoying it quite a bit. If it offers comfort to them, I suppose I can endure it for a time."
"Yes," Legolas looked over to where Merry and Pippin were laying contentedly in the soft grass, staring up at the clouds that dotted the azure sky. "The little ones have suffered most on this road, I'm afraid. They are all wishing they'd never left home at all."
"And I fear their suffering is not nearly over," Shadow stood and stretched. "So, yes, Gimli, let us all enjoy this welcome time of rest, for our road becomes darker and more difficult than ever before the further we step from this Haven."
At that moment, Haldir returned, helping Sam down the embankment. Aragorn and Frodo came just behind them.
"Thank you for that ray of hope, Master Shadow," Gimli jested.
"Any time, Master Dwarf," Shadow replied with a sly tone. "Any time."
~#*ITS*#~
A/N: This seems like a decent stopping point. I'll keep going & have the next part posted soon, though, I promise! You know what to do!