The clang of steel against steel rang in Annúngil's ears as she blocked Aragorn's attack and pushed his sword aside with her own. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, she lunged into his space, but Aragorn sidestepped her just in time. The encouraging shouts of Boromir, Merry and Pippin filled the air, mixing with the clash of their swords.
"Thrash him, Bridie! Thrash him!"
"No mercy!"
"Show him a fight!"
Again and again the two blades banged together as their bearers lunged, parried and twirled. Annúngil fought with all her strength, determined to not be bested by the ranger. Unfortunately, this was exactly what happened. Annúngil stumbled as she leapt backwards to dodge an attack and fell to the ground. Immediately, Pippin dove forward and planted himself between the two opponents, facing Aragorn.
"No, please, spare her life and take mine!" he cried in a tone of mock beseech with his hands clasped together, to the amusement of his companions.
"Alright, I think that's enough," Boromir said and helped Annúngil onto her feet. "Well-fought, little star," he congratulated his daughter, playfully ruffling her hair.
Annúngil swatted his hand away and returned her sword to its scabbard. "Well, I had the greatest warrior in Gondor to train me, though I doubt I'll ever be as good as you."
Boromir chuckled. "Give it time, little one. We shall make a shieldmaiden of you yet." He then drew his sword and called to Merry and Pippin. "Right lads, it's your turn now. Let's see what your made of!"
The two hobbits immediately hopped into position, their own short swords at the ready. Annúngil went to sit with Aragorn, Frodo and Sam on the boulders nearby, eager for a rest after her intense sparring session. Aragorn took out his smoking pipe while Sam handed Annúngil a plate of food, which she gratefully accepted and devoured as she watched her father train the two younger hobbits with Aragorn occasionally calling out advice on their footwork.
It was several days since the fellowship set out from Rivendell. They had stopped to rest in a region called Hollin – a former elven settlement previously known as Eregion, a mountainous area filled with ruined buildings and holly trees. Legolas was taking his turn to keep watch over their surroundings while Gandalf and Gimli discussed their route. The plan was to travel south and take the path through the Gap of Rohan which would turn them east, towards Mordor. For the past few days, however, Gimli had been trying to convince Gandalf to take a shortcut through the Mines of Moria, but the wizard had adamantly refused. Annúngil was not sure why he was so reluctant to go through the mines, and she was not sure she wanted to find out.
The spar between Boromir and the hobbits continued. Boromir seemed to get a little carried away as his blade accidentally nicked Pippin's fingertip, causing the hobbit to drop his sword and screamed in agony. Alarmed, Boromir quickly apologised and lowered his sword to make sure Pippin was not too badly hurt. Suddenly, he cried out and doubled over as Pippin delivered a swift kick to the man's shin.
"Get him! For the Shire!" Merry yelled.
Annúngil, Frodo and Sam chortled and clapped as they watched Merry and Pippin wrestle Boromir to the ground. "Annúngil, Aragorn, help!" he called out, but Annúngil was enjoying this too much.
"Get him, lads!" she cheered, rushing to help the hobbits.
"You little traitor!" Boromir cried, laughing as he struggled against his daughter who was holding him down while trying to fend off the hobbits at the same time.
Grinning, Aragorn rose to aid Boromir. "Alright, you three, that's enough," the ranger said, trying to pull them off, only to be tripped up by the hobbits and land on the ground with a loud thud.
"What is that?" Sam asked suddenly, distracting them all from their little scuffle.
Climbing to their feet, Aragorn, Annúngil, Boromir and the hobbits turned to face Sam who was looking at a large black mass in the sky. The rest of the fellowship members had also spotted it and were staring at it with both curiosity and concern.
Gimli shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing. It's just a whisp of cloud." But the others were not convinced.
"It's moving fast against the wind," Boromir pointed out, noting how fast it was approaching them. Whatever that thing was, it was certainly no cloud.
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted.
As if an alarm had been sounded, Aragorn and Boromir began rounding up their companions, shouting at them to hide. Everyone quickly gathered their possessions and ducked behind the rocks and bushes. Annúngil managed to scramble beneath a large shrub beside her father and Merry and Pippin just in time, as a swarm of hundreds of black birds soared into the area a few moments later. Peering through the branches and the leaves of their cramped hideout, Annúngil, Boromir and the hobbits watched as the birds circled around the area amid their shrieks and the flapping wings. Only when the sounds faded into silence did the fellowship deem it safe to emerge from their hiding places.
"Spies of Saruman. The passage South is being watched," Gandalf said, emerging from the boulder he had been hiding behind. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras!" he added, turning everyone's attention to the mountains in the distance.
Caradhras – meaning the Cruel Mountain – was the name given to the mountain pass by the dwarves, and it did not take long for the fellowship to learn why.
Gandalf led the way over the mountain, digging a path for his companions with his staff, while Aragorn and Boromir followed, each of them carrying two of the hobbits, and Annúngil and Gimli brought up the rear with Bill. Annúngil had never experienced a snowstorm like it. She had known crossing over the mountain would not be easy, but this was ridiculous! The bitter gale was suffocating and pelted her and her companions with snowflakes, and the snow reached up to their waists. Their clothes were damp from the snow and their arms and legs were numbed by the biting chill, and they felt utterly miserable.
Annúngil gently tugged on Bill's reins, leading him forward one frustrating inch at a time and trying not to lose her temper with the pony. She did not blame him for not wanting to go on, though it was not making the journey easy. "Come on, m'lad," she urged him. "Just a bit further."
Gimli, who walked behind them, was feeling equally miserable and grumpy, and his mood was not improved by the pony's reluctance. "Come on, ya daft creature! Get a move on!" he growled, giving the pony a push from behind.
"You know, if that earns you a kick in the face, you've only yourself to blame," Annúngil cautioned him.
The dwarf glared at her and looked as if he was about to respond when a noise floated towards them on the icy wind. It sounded like a man's voice chanting in an unknown language. Annúngil assumed it was merely the wind playing tricks on her ears, until Legolas revealed he had heard it as well.
"There is a fell voice on the air," the elf said, squinting into the distance as if trying to discern where it had come from.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted before several rocks broke loose from the mountain's peak and nearly crushed the fellowship. Climbing up to the edge, Gandalf drew himself up to his full height and began crying out his own counter spells.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the mountain, and a great flood of snow came pouring down. With a scream, the fellowship all pressed themselves against the face of the mountain, just as the avalanche crashed down upon them, burying them all under a mound of snow. Once the initial shock had passed, and it was deemed safe to move, everyone began digging themselves out. Annúngil had never been more thankful for Bill's presence as she watched him drive his big head into the snow, creating an opening for escape. The girl fastened her freezing fingers around his bridle, clinging to him as he used his nose to shovel away the rest of the snow. All around them, the rest of their companions emerged, gasping for air. Annúngil was relieved when she saw Boromir sitting nearby with his arms around Merry and Pippin. Their eyes met and the father and daughter shared a smile, each thankful that they were both unharmed.
"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir called to Gandalf. "We cannot go on like this! If this mountain does not destroy us, the cold soon will!"
"Well, if you know of a better path, then take us there!" Gandalf snapped.
Boromir suggested they take the road through the Gap of Rohan, as they had originally planned, but Aragorn disagreed.
"The Gap of Rohan will take us too close to Isengard!" the ranger argued.
Gimli chipped in with his own suggestion. "If we cannot pass over the mountain, then let us go under it; let us go through the Mines of Moria."
Annúngil was open to just about anything by now, as long as it meant they could get away from the mountain. Desperate for warmth, she scooted closer to Bill and buried her face in his mane. The pony seemed to understand and wrapped his head around her protectively.
Finally, the decision fell to Frodo, who elected to go through the mines. So, back down they all went. Although the other fellowship members had no idea what to expect from the mines, everybody was confident that they could not be worse than the mountain.