A/N: Apart from being extraordinarily busy, one of the reasons I haven't posted recently is because I'm stuck on the Lupin/Tonks/Haradrim sideplot. I have pretty much the rest of the first installment (FOTR) figured out, except for them. I really regret doing this, but I can't let the rest of the story suffer, so I'm going to have to SUSPEND the Haradrim plot until I can figure it out better. It will not go away forever, I promise. What'll probably happen is I'll go back and replace old chapters (like this one) to include the parts with them in it after this first installment is done, or hopefully sooner if inspiration strikes. I'm sorry!
Chapter 29
Temptation
They had been provided with heavy cloaks for just such a purpose, but still nothing could prepare the Fellowship for the bitter cold of Caradhras. Harry longed for some Muggle snowshoes as his feet sloshed in the snow; Hermione looked wistfully at Legolas, whose feet touched the snow so lightly they left barely a trace behind them. Neither were as chilled as the hobbits, however, whose bare feet were exposed.
Even without the snow Ron would have found the long trek up the mountain difficult. The rest of the Fellowship, save Legolas, seemed to be in agreement. All were surprised that Gandalf and Dumbledore, who could appear as frail old men to a stranger's eye, were leading the way, maintaining a brisk pace.
In the beginning the going was not too difficult. The Fellowship tried to cheer one another up as much as possible, trading more stories. Neville was telling Merry and Pippin about an embarrassing encounter with Professor Snape when suddenly they halted.
Boromir, who had been in front of them, had stopped. His eyes were fixed on a shining object in the snow. The fire in those eyes contrasted the ice surrounding them.
Frodo had fallen seconds before, and the Ring had slipped off his neck unnoticed.
Out of the corner of his eye Neville saw Boromir lurch forward, but someone else was standing closer to where the Ring lay. Ron stooped over and held it up by its chain.
Harry, the closest to him, caught his breath. Ron was staring at the Ring strangely, as though he were having difficulty comprehending an enigmatic concept.
Frodo, still brushing snow off himself, didn't realize what was going on until he saw all eyes turned to Ron. He cried out and was about to run at Ron when Sam gently took hold of his arm.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Ron said distantly, to no one in particular. "I mean…it's so small. Tiny. You'd never even notice it. But this whole world is going to hell over it."
"Give the Ring back to Frodo," Aragorn said calmly.
"I'm just looking at it," Ron said defensively. Harry and Hermione glanced at one another; Ron looked ready to enter one of his infamous tantrums.
"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, coming forward, "I believe you have looked at it quite enough."
"You think I'm going to steal it, don't you?!" Ron shouted angrily, tightening his grip on the chain. "You don't trust me!"
"Ron, just give the Ring back," Harry said.
Ron glared at him. "You don't trust me either?! My best friend!"
Aragorn's hand moved to his sword hilt. The entire Fellowship stood frozen.
"Nobody trusts me," Ron said, looking vicious.
Surprisingly, it was Neville who spoke up. "Of course we trust you," he said casually. "It's just…you know…it's freezing out here. And standing still…that's not good when it's this cold. We ought to keep moving."
Ron stared at him.
"Aren't you cold?" Neville asked.
Ron hesitated a moment, then said quietly, "Yeah, I…I guess I am pretty cold." He shivered, then held out the chain. "Here you go, Frodo. Neville's right. We should keep going."
Frodo walked over and snatched the Ring rather violently from Ron's hand, immediately putting it back around his neck. Ron frowned, looking a little dazed, and continued marching along.
Harry, afraid to approach Ron right away, instead turned to Neville. "That was brilliant."
Neville shrugged. "I was pretty cold."
"I know, but…the way you were able to keep calm and everything…"
"I wasn't really all that worried."
"Huh," Harry said, and he turned and walked over to where Hermione was. Neville waited until Harry was gone, then smiled to himself.
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That night spent on the mountain was the worst night of Ron's life. He was determined to forget the incident with the Ring, but could not ignore the strange looks he received from the rest of the Fellowship or, even worse, his own strange looks toward Frodo and the chain around his neck. But even without the distress of that day's event the night still would have been awful for him. It was freezing cold, and Gandalf only reluctantly lit a fire which quickly went out.
The following day the Fellowship arose after little rest and continued their trek, but it soon became clear the weather had not improved as they had all hoped. Instead, it seemed suddenly to become worse; the intermittent snowfall of the day before had turned into a blizzard that tested the endurance of even the strongest of the Fellowship.
After a few hours of this, the Fellowship was forced to halt. At this point the hobbits were so frozen they were being carried by Aragorn and Boromir; even Legolas seemed to finally be affected by the cold.
"This is rotten luck," Gimli said with a scowl. "Even Cruel Caradhras is not usually so brutal."
"I do not believe this is nature's doing," Gandalf said grimly. "Perhaps we did not evade the crebain, as we had hoped."
"Those birds have something to do with this?" Pippin said through chattering teeth.
"Their master Saruman is no doubt behind it," Gandalf said.
"Yes…I hear a fell voice on the air," Legolas confirmed.
"Then we must turn back," Dumbledore said.
"It is not so simple," Gandalf said slowly.
"Yes it is!" Hermione cried, surprising Harry with her vehemence. "Everyone's going to freeze to death if we don't turn back right now! You just don't want to go back because you don't want to admit Dumbledore was right from the beginning! We should never have come this way!"
Gandalf was taken aback; Dumbledore humbly defended him. "Gandalf could not have known Saruman would cause this blizzard. Without Saruman's interference, we likely could have made it."
"I believe we still can," Gandalf said, but with some doubt evident in his voice.
"I know what you fear," Boromir said quickly, obviously anxious to get moving. "We do not have to go through the Mines, Gandalf. The Gap of Rohan is…"
"That road will be swarming with Saruman's spies," Aragorn said.
"Then you would continue?" Boromir shouted angrily. "Allow the hobbits to perish against an enemy we cannot fight, when instead we could go south, and have some chance at success?"
There was a pause. Then Neville said, "I think Frodo should decide."
Where before they had been glaring at each other, now all eyes turned to Frodo.
"The Mines, the Gap, or the Pass?" Gandalf asked calmly.
Frodo hesitated, then said, "When I set out from Hobbiton, I was nearly captured by Black Riders until I left the road. So far we have evaded the enemy by treading unexpected paths. Saruman is obviously watching us now, and if his eyes are also on the Gap of Rohan…then the only way is through the Mines of Moria."
Gimli clapped Frodo on the back in approval. Gandalf looked concerned, but still said, "So be it…we make for the Mines."
