Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.
Greed Discovered Within
The places they traveled were AMAZING. Middle-Earth was a whole bunch of unused land, a terrain that was barely walked on. No pollution. There was zero pollution in this place. It felt wonderful to breathe. Sometimes she would even sprint ahead of the others, just so she could breathe faster and deeper. She had so much energy, and all of this made Gandalf smile.
One day they stopped on a group of rocks. They were making their way, according to Gandalf, to the snow-covered mountains of Caradhras. That day, they stopped to take a break. Laura had just finished eating her dinner, and sat herself next to Frodo and Sam on the rocks as they watched Pippin practice his swordplay with Boromir. She was very entertained by the fact that Boromir, Pippin, and Merry got into a wrestling match. And when Aragorn tried to break it up, he was tripped.
Laura sat back on the rocks, relaxing. This was the life. It was a long, lovely vacation. With the exception of her having to be awake at a reasonable hour, she didn't even mind sleeping on the ground anymore. She found herself able to sleep like a baby ever since she'd left Rivendell, and she didn't know who to credit with the new talent. Sometimes she'd entertain the Hobbits by telling them stories of her adventures with her father on Cloud City or Tattooine, or even about the Clone Wars which her grandfather was involved in. In return, she heard all about Bilbo's adventures with Gandalf and a bunch of Dwarves, and how he'd come to find the Ring.
She lazily watched Legolas being fully alert, as usual. He gracefully leapt from rock to rock. "What's that?" she heard Boromir ask as she saw a flock of bird flying towards them.
Legolas squinted as Gandalf, sitting above her, took his pipe out of his mouth. "Crebain, from Dunland!" Legolas cried. Those words meant nothing to her, but it was obviously bad news. Everyone was scattering, putting out the fire and hiding. Laura helped Sam grab his pots and pans and shoved them behind a rock. She felt strong hands grip her shoulders and pull her down underneath a bush.
She looked up as what looked like a bunch of crows flew overhead. When they had passed, she peered out from beneath. "Spies?" she asked Legolas, who'd been the one to pull her to safety. He nodded.
She saw something else, another bird. "My lady!" Legolas warned, but she leapt on top of a rock and put her hand out. It wasn't a crow, or Crebain, it was a hawk. The hawk perched on her outstretched arm as the rest got out from their hiding places. Laura had been able to speak with animals since she was very small, so it was no big feat for her to interpret the bird's squawking. She stroked his feathers, and he was off again.
"Gandalf!" she called as he was gathering things. "The hawk said we should travel through the mines of Moria. What does that mean?"
Gandalf looked at her and decided she couldn't have been lying since she didn't know what Moria was. He shook his head. "I would not travel through the mines unless I had no other choice," he said gravely.
So they began to climb the mountains of Carahras, which were covered with snow. At first, there was just snow on the ground as the sky remained bright and sunny.
There was a point in the journey where Frodo tripped and the Ring and its chain fell off him. As Aragorn picked him up, Boromir picked up the chain and looked transfixed by it.
"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo!" Aragorn barked. He had his hand on his sword as Laura and the others watched.
But he did not listen. Instead, he continued staring at the ring. "It is strange that we should suffer so much over so little and object.so little." he mumbled. Finally, Aragorn brought him back to reality and he gave the Ring back, but not without tousling up Frodo's hair like he was a child (he was older than she was.all of them were, in fact. Even little Pippin was about 27.)
"That Ring is going to get to him," she said out loud. She didn't mean to, but Gandalf and Legolas both heard her. She clapped her hand over her mouth and continued on.
As they climbed higher, the weather got worse. And the lucky Elf could walk on top of the snow! The rest were about waist deep in it. And poor Epona, the brave horse she was. The blanket which had concealed Laura's sword was now around Epona's back as they all trudged on through the snowstorm.
Aragorn carried Frodo, Laura carried Sam, and Boromir carried both Merry and Pippin. At one point Legolas went in front of all of them, leaning into the wind as if he heard something. She heard it, too. It was a voice.
"There is a foul voice on the air," Legolas said.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled through the wind. "He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Gandalf began chanting something, and Laura could hear both voices clashing against each other in the air. She held Sam tighter to her as he buried his face in her cloak, trying to keep warm.
She saw a flash of lighting, and a chunk of snow fell off the top of the mountain and tumbled towards them. There was no way they wouldn't be submerged, so she and Sam stuck close to Epona as Legolas pulled Gandalf out of harm's way. The snow fell on them, enveloping them. Laura opened her eyes, seeing snow not even a centimeter away from her. She could still feel Sam clinging to her, and they both shoved the snow to either side of them so they could get to the surface.
When she got her head out of the snow, she saw the rest. Epona was whinnying, and Boromir was shouting to Gandalf that they had to get off the mountains or the Hobbits would die. She looked at Merry and Pippin, who were freezing so much their faces were white. Sam had somehow warmed up, since he seemed to be sitting by himself in a pile of snow now. She signaled to the horse.
"Epona!" she called to the poor animal. She patted Epona's white hair and auburn colored fur. "Take the Hobbits down the mountain, okay? Boromir, let's get them on Epona! She'll take them down the mountain in no time."
Boromir agreed, and they wrapped up the Hobbits in Epona's blanket as she started off. Frodo had decided just a minute ago that they would travel through the mines rather than endure this. Poor Frodo, he looked so cold. Sniffling and shivering, she took her own cloak off and wrapped it around him, than took him in her arms. He didn't argue. She carried him as they all made their way down the mountain.
Greed Discovered Within
The places they traveled were AMAZING. Middle-Earth was a whole bunch of unused land, a terrain that was barely walked on. No pollution. There was zero pollution in this place. It felt wonderful to breathe. Sometimes she would even sprint ahead of the others, just so she could breathe faster and deeper. She had so much energy, and all of this made Gandalf smile.
One day they stopped on a group of rocks. They were making their way, according to Gandalf, to the snow-covered mountains of Caradhras. That day, they stopped to take a break. Laura had just finished eating her dinner, and sat herself next to Frodo and Sam on the rocks as they watched Pippin practice his swordplay with Boromir. She was very entertained by the fact that Boromir, Pippin, and Merry got into a wrestling match. And when Aragorn tried to break it up, he was tripped.
Laura sat back on the rocks, relaxing. This was the life. It was a long, lovely vacation. With the exception of her having to be awake at a reasonable hour, she didn't even mind sleeping on the ground anymore. She found herself able to sleep like a baby ever since she'd left Rivendell, and she didn't know who to credit with the new talent. Sometimes she'd entertain the Hobbits by telling them stories of her adventures with her father on Cloud City or Tattooine, or even about the Clone Wars which her grandfather was involved in. In return, she heard all about Bilbo's adventures with Gandalf and a bunch of Dwarves, and how he'd come to find the Ring.
She lazily watched Legolas being fully alert, as usual. He gracefully leapt from rock to rock. "What's that?" she heard Boromir ask as she saw a flock of bird flying towards them.
Legolas squinted as Gandalf, sitting above her, took his pipe out of his mouth. "Crebain, from Dunland!" Legolas cried. Those words meant nothing to her, but it was obviously bad news. Everyone was scattering, putting out the fire and hiding. Laura helped Sam grab his pots and pans and shoved them behind a rock. She felt strong hands grip her shoulders and pull her down underneath a bush.
She looked up as what looked like a bunch of crows flew overhead. When they had passed, she peered out from beneath. "Spies?" she asked Legolas, who'd been the one to pull her to safety. He nodded.
She saw something else, another bird. "My lady!" Legolas warned, but she leapt on top of a rock and put her hand out. It wasn't a crow, or Crebain, it was a hawk. The hawk perched on her outstretched arm as the rest got out from their hiding places. Laura had been able to speak with animals since she was very small, so it was no big feat for her to interpret the bird's squawking. She stroked his feathers, and he was off again.
"Gandalf!" she called as he was gathering things. "The hawk said we should travel through the mines of Moria. What does that mean?"
Gandalf looked at her and decided she couldn't have been lying since she didn't know what Moria was. He shook his head. "I would not travel through the mines unless I had no other choice," he said gravely.
So they began to climb the mountains of Carahras, which were covered with snow. At first, there was just snow on the ground as the sky remained bright and sunny.
There was a point in the journey where Frodo tripped and the Ring and its chain fell off him. As Aragorn picked him up, Boromir picked up the chain and looked transfixed by it.
"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo!" Aragorn barked. He had his hand on his sword as Laura and the others watched.
But he did not listen. Instead, he continued staring at the ring. "It is strange that we should suffer so much over so little and object.so little." he mumbled. Finally, Aragorn brought him back to reality and he gave the Ring back, but not without tousling up Frodo's hair like he was a child (he was older than she was.all of them were, in fact. Even little Pippin was about 27.)
"That Ring is going to get to him," she said out loud. She didn't mean to, but Gandalf and Legolas both heard her. She clapped her hand over her mouth and continued on.
As they climbed higher, the weather got worse. And the lucky Elf could walk on top of the snow! The rest were about waist deep in it. And poor Epona, the brave horse she was. The blanket which had concealed Laura's sword was now around Epona's back as they all trudged on through the snowstorm.
Aragorn carried Frodo, Laura carried Sam, and Boromir carried both Merry and Pippin. At one point Legolas went in front of all of them, leaning into the wind as if he heard something. She heard it, too. It was a voice.
"There is a foul voice on the air," Legolas said.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled through the wind. "He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Gandalf began chanting something, and Laura could hear both voices clashing against each other in the air. She held Sam tighter to her as he buried his face in her cloak, trying to keep warm.
She saw a flash of lighting, and a chunk of snow fell off the top of the mountain and tumbled towards them. There was no way they wouldn't be submerged, so she and Sam stuck close to Epona as Legolas pulled Gandalf out of harm's way. The snow fell on them, enveloping them. Laura opened her eyes, seeing snow not even a centimeter away from her. She could still feel Sam clinging to her, and they both shoved the snow to either side of them so they could get to the surface.
When she got her head out of the snow, she saw the rest. Epona was whinnying, and Boromir was shouting to Gandalf that they had to get off the mountains or the Hobbits would die. She looked at Merry and Pippin, who were freezing so much their faces were white. Sam had somehow warmed up, since he seemed to be sitting by himself in a pile of snow now. She signaled to the horse.
"Epona!" she called to the poor animal. She patted Epona's white hair and auburn colored fur. "Take the Hobbits down the mountain, okay? Boromir, let's get them on Epona! She'll take them down the mountain in no time."
Boromir agreed, and they wrapped up the Hobbits in Epona's blanket as she started off. Frodo had decided just a minute ago that they would travel through the mines rather than endure this. Poor Frodo, he looked so cold. Sniffling and shivering, she took her own cloak off and wrapped it around him, than took him in her arms. He didn't argue. She carried him as they all made their way down the mountain.