Author's Note: Just as a little note, I've read a lot of good fan fictions lately. I've enjoyed them all, and have a sudden feeling to encourage you all to continue writing! OK, I'm done with my "goody-two-shoes" quote. Isis the Sphinx and Angel Gunner Lenne, thanks for your comments! Another chapter completed! Everything's moving quickly now, so enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 27: An Interception from Dartz
By the next couple of days, the Fellowship was half-way through the pass of Caradhras. As they climbed up the snowy mountain, it got harder to breathe due to elevation. The higher they climbed, the less oxygen there was to breathe. Not to mention that everywhere they looked, a thick blanket of snow covered all the rocks of the mountain. Each day, they all grew weaker.
Yugi, most of all, felt the lack of strength in his muscles. After a while, he was almost unable to keep up with the Fellowship's pace and nearly fell all the way to the back of the group. The cold wind burned his face as he moved forward, and the snow beneath his bare feet made him go numb. As he climbed, his hands flayed everywhere to keep his balance. But soon, he was unable to walk any further, and groaned loudly as he tumbled down the steep hill, head first. Summersault after summersault, Yugi found himself getting dizzy as his head touched the freezing snow every second.
Just when Yugi thought he could take no more, he felt his body suddenly halt against something else. Yugi groaned at his spinning, hurting head. The snow burned into his skin as he lay there. Then Yugi felt two firm hands grab the back of his traveling cloak and pulled him to his feet. Yugi stood there, swaying for a moment, not sure of what just happened. Then he looked up at the person who had helped him stop and realized that it was Seto. Then he looked around at the others and found that all eyes were upon him. Mahado, who was in front of the group, was starring the most contently, making sure that he wasn't hurt.
Yugi whipped the snow off of himself hurriedly, trying not to grab more attention. Then he realized that something was missing around his neck. It was the Ring. Yugi gasped, and then hurriedly searched all around him, patting his pockets, shirts, jackets, and bags for a sign. When he found that it wasn't on him, he looked at the snow around him. Yugi caught a shining glimpse a little above him and saw that it was the Ring. But just when he had started to run for it, another hand had picked it up.
It was Boromir.
Boromir stood there in silence, staring at the Ring in awe. He made no motion to give it back to Yugi. All he did was stand and stare. Mahado realized that something was wrong, and he slowly walked toward Boromir and the Ring. The rest of the Fellowship stood there and watched the events taking place.
When Boromir made no motion, Seto grew impatient. Loud enough for Boromir to hear from the distance, he tried to wake him out of his reverie, "Boromir . . ." Still, Boromir took no notice of anything around him. All he did was stare at the Ring. But then he suddenly spoke.
"It is a strange fate that we should all suffer such fear and doubt . . . over so small a thing," He murmured, just loud enough for the ones closest to him to hear. He stared open-mouthed at the Ring now. "Such a little thing . . ." He pulled his hand up to touch it. Slowly, it grew nearer to the Ring, and Yugi felt a strange pull at his heart.
"Boromir!" Seto yelled. Boromir immediately snapped out of his trance and looked at him. He had a confused look on his face. "Give the Ring to Yugi," He commanded. Boromir looked at Yugi and saw the wanting in his eyes, yet a look of a child, as well. He could tell that Yugi was longing for the Ring in Boromir's hands at that moment, yet fighting with himself not to. Then Boromir started to step forward, his hand outstretched to Yugi. Making sure that no one noticed, Seto moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. Boromir was acting too strange to be trusted at the moment.
"As you wish," Boromir said. He held the Ring out to Yugi, and Yugi snatched it back in a flash. Boromir smiled. "I care not . . ." He looked into Seto's cold, glaring eyes, and then back at Yugi. Then he laughed and ruffled Yugi's hair. Yugi looked disgusted at the touch, but Boromir seemed not to notice. He swung his shield onto his back, and continued to walk, nearly slamming into Mahado, who was a few feet away from him. Seto, still glaring, released his hand from his sword.
Black birds flew everywhere in the wasteland of Isengard. Down they dived, into the holes in the ground. Flying through tunnels, caverns, and around Selendrills, they seemed to be heading toward a certain destination. Then, flying into a large, open space, in the caves, they circled around a man with aquamarine hair who was wearing white robes. They cawed loud at him, and the man raised his head at their arrival.
Dartz listened to what his spies had to say intently. Standing there for a second, he decided what to do. He turned around and started to head for his tower. Murmuring to himself, he said, "So, Mahado, you try to lead them over Caradhras. And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you, will you risk a more dangerous road?" He then laughed hysterically.
The Fellowship was almost through the pass of Caradhras. Now they were fighting an unbearably cold snow storm, nearly at the top of the mountain. The snow was knee-deep, and everyone's faces were stinging from the wind. Not to mention, the amount of oxygen that was available.
Mahado used his wooden staff to pierce through the snow and help create a path. He and Atem also used their magic to create a barrier to stop some snow particles from touching them. But that didn't mean that they were safe.
Some of the hobbits were, by now, out of energy, and had to be carried along the mountain's edge. Jonouchi carried Hiroto and Otogi, while Atem helped Anzu through. Mahado guided Yugi through the storm. Seto guided his pony, Draconia.
Atem suddenly walked faster, taking Anzu with him. He stopped a ways in front of Mahado and used another Egyptian spell to enforce his ears' hearing.
"Pharaoh Atem, what are you doing?" Anzu yelled over the wind's howl. He turned to her.
"I think I hear something!" He replied. Everyone behind them stopped and waited for Atem to do something, but he just stood there and listened to the wind. "There is a faint voice in the air!" He told the Fellowship.
Mahado also increased his hearing and listened. Then he gasped. He heard a deep voice blowing with the wind, chanting a spell. "IT'S DARTZ!" He yelled with all of his vocal power.
Suddenly, there was a loud cracking noise above them. Everyone looked up and saw large, frozen pieces of ice starting to crumble from the top of the mountain. Then there was a crack of thunder in the air. The rocks fell from the top, aiming in their direction below. Everyone backed up to the edge of the mountain almost just in time, as the frozen rocks crashed down hard on where they had just been standing. Then they continued to tumble down the mountain.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Seto yelled. Mahado turned to him. "Mahado, we must turn back!" Mahado shook his head in defiance.
"No!" He replied. He stood up as more chanting winds blew on their faces. Mahado raised his staff and started to yell a series of Egyptian spells that would stop Dartz. But it appeared to not work as a flash of white lightning hit the top of the mountain. More frozen boulders of ice were let loose, only this time, they were bigger. They fell down at high speed, aiming for the people below. Mahado chanted one last spell to make the ice snow, and then ducked for cover. Atem's and Mahado's barrier held for just one moment, and then shattered at the enormous weight. The snow tumbled down on the group, and all of them ducked as Mahado had done. Heavier and heavier the snow became on them. But just when they thought that they were going to be crushed, it stopped.
Slowly, the Fellowship poked their heads and hands out from under the blanket of snow, one by one. First it was Atem, and then Yugi and Jonouchi, who seemed to growl like a dog as he reached the surface. Seto emerged next, and then Mahado and Boromir. All of the hobbits needed top be helped and dug out, since their legs were not strong enough. Draconia emerged last. However, no one was able to pull themselves up more than the upper half of their body.
"We must get off of the mountain!" Boromir yelled at Mahado, who was shaking snow off of his bare arms. "We'll make for the gap of Rohan, and take the west road to the Mine City!"
"The gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Seto objected. Then Jonouchi brightened.
"We can't pass over the mountain. Mahado, let us go under it!" Mahado's face darkened again. "Let's go through the mines of Moria. I assure you dat we'll be welcomed!" Jonouchi insisted. Mahado's mind then seemed to go somewhere else as he remembered a memory.
(Flashback)
"Moria," Dartz told Mahado on an occasion, "You fear to go into those mines. The dwarfs dug it too greedily and too deep . . ." As he said it, he flipped though a book that told of the mines of Moria, "You know of what they awoke in the darkness . . . Shadow and flame . . . the Tyrant Dragon . . ."
Mahado flinched.
(End Flashback)
"Let the Ring Barer decide," Mahado clearly announced. Yugi looked up surprisingly. Yugi looked around for support. He looked to Anzu, but she just sat there in the snow, gazing at Yugi. "Yugi?" Mahado pressed. Yugi looked back at Mahado and decided.
"We will go through the mines," He said. Mahado lowered his head and sighed. Then he looked up and set his face determinately.
"So be it . . ."
That turned out longer than I expected. Also, I forgot to put this at the beginning: If you haven't noticed, I added another sentence to my summary. Otherwise, that's all for today! R&R, but no flames please?