** Chapter 3 **
Azura squinted when she felt warm sunlight seeping into her eyelids, and turned onto her side, the let out a surprised yelp as she fell over the branch and down to the ground, blanket, bag, and all.
"Uuuhg..."she said, after the blanket and her pack landed over her.
She pushed the blanket off of her and saw Pippin and Merry standing over her.
"Are you ok?" Pippin asked, reaching out a hand to help her up.
She took it and let him help her up and replied, "Yeah....What a way to wake up..."She shook her head, and pushed back her tangled blonde hair. She lifted her shoulder and slipped the side of her shirt back on that had slipped down, and tied the strings tighter to make the shirt fit better.
"You're in time, we were ready to shake the tree until you woke up!" Merry said, grinning.
"We are heading out soon! Eat something and pack up." Strider said, chewing on a roll of bread.
"I'm fine. I can go days without much to eat. I'll eat later." She replied, and began rolling up her blanket. She pushed it into her backpack, then slid it on, and looked around the camp.
Sam was handing out rolls and dried fruit to everyone for breakfast, Merry and Strider were loading everything on the horse, Pippin and Frodo were sitting down and eating breakfast.
Azura walked over and stood near Frodo, feeling more at ease standing near him. She frowned lightly, watching him put things into his bag.
She felt the chains inside her that bound her to that Ring, wherever he had it, it bound her to him. She was relived he was a good person and not a Ringwraith or some servant of Sauron....or Sauron himself. She shuddered at the thought of being under control of that....evil creature. Her heritage, every one of her late ancestors were under the mercy of that vile person, and she wouldn't let him have control over her. Never.
She was unaware that she was glaring at the ground, or balling her fists. Her bangs were hanging over her eyes.
"Azura? Are you alright? You look pale..."
Azura's frown softened and she looked up, to see Frodo looking at her worryingly. She felt shaky, but shook her head yes, "Yeah I am ok! We should get going, shouldn't we?" She asked, changing the subject quickly, and brushing back her damp bangs with her hand.
Strider was already leading the pack pony out of the small circle of trees, and one bye one, they followed.
Azura looked up, and smiled at the bright blue morning sky. Tall puffs of white clouds were scattered here and there, and a flock of white herons flew overhead, squawking at each other in musical tones. She started to hum to herself as she walked, trying to forget for the moment of her enslavement to the Ring, and the nagging questions if she would be in service all her life, and just began to sing softly,
[i]Beside the sea, where the rain goes
I drew a heart for you, in the sand
The waves crashed upon the shore
but somehow dared not touch the heart
In fields a-rising, far from home
I look for you, but you're not there
I ran through the sea of green...[/i]
She stopped, and looked down from the sky to see that all four of the hobbits were walking backward, watching her.
"You've a lovely voice! Can you sing it some more?" Pippin asked, grinning widely.
"Yes! You sing wonderfully!" Frodo said, laughing softly.
Azura felt her cheeks grow hot, and she looked down, then back at them. "I think not! I sing horribly...I briefly forgot I was here..."
"Sea of green? You meant the grass? That does make sense now.." Merry said, looking at Sam, who nodded.
"You've been to the ocean?" Frodo inquired.
"Is it as big as they say??" Sam asked right after Frodo.
"Yes, I have been there. It's the most lovely thing you could ever see. I could swim all day in the ocean." Azura replied, grinning.
"Don't you worry you might drown?" Pippin asked.
"No, I know how to swim." Azura said, then she grinned. "You shouldn't walk like that."
"Why not?" Pippin and Merry echoed.
A moment later, Frodo, Sam, and Merry tripped over a long arched tree root and fell onto their bottoms, and Pippin tripped, but hopped and got his balance back.
"That's why!" Azura said, laughing, the coming up, and helping each to their feet.
She stared at Frodo's feet as she pulled him up.
"What?" He asked, looking down at his feet, half expecting to see a snake.
"I just noticed how big and...hairy hobbit's feet are..."She said lightly, then giggled.
Frodo stuttered, "Ye--yes, all Hobbits have fe-feet like that!" He wasn't sure if he should be offended or not.
"Oh, don't take it in offense! It's just, besides the hobbits in Bree, you four are the first hobbits I have met." She said, then smiled. "I was raised around humans. My mother was half elf-half hobbit, and my father was half human-half elf. I have a lot of different blood in me...and besides my family's heritage, I am not sure where my blood ties go to, whether Hobbit, Elf, or Human. I have the look of all three, and yet at the same, a look all my own."
As the group continued to walk, Sam looked back," So you're feet aren't hairy at all? I don't think I have seen hairless feet before..."
Azura laughed at that. "Well, I am not very hairy anywhere! I think it's my elf side, elves, aren't usually very hairy. My father use to say that I have the stubbornness of Human, the poise of an Elf, and the cheerfulness of an Hobbit. He said I should be very proud...I am, too." She said, grinning.
"Well, you are a bit stubborn! Coming along with us and all, and quite cheerful too!" Pippin said, laughing lightly.
"And a bit poised..."Merry added, tossing a grin at Azura over his shoulder.
Azura quickened her pace until she was in between Frodo and Merry. She looked at Merry, then at Frodo, "So what are you traveling for? It was hard to find you...I went to the Shire and everywhere, and finally found you in Bree."
"We are going to Mordor. To destroy the Ring." Frodo said, idly touching the ring through his pocket, and glancing at her.
Azura missed a step, almost stumbling, then caught up and said, "Why? Oh...so it doesn't fall in Sauron's hands....."
"Are you ok, Azura? You look rather pale...are you well?" Sam asked, a bit worried.
She shook her head and smiled, "No, it's ok, I'm fine." She grinned, then fell back behind them in slower steps, and stared at the ground quietly as she followed them the rest of the day.
---
By the time it was mid-day, in the third day Azura had joined the group, they came upon a tall sloping hill. They decided to make for the top while it was still day, and hoped that none of their enemies were about to seen them climb the hill.
Azura stood at the bottom of the hill looking up. "What is up there?" She started to walk up the steep, grassy hill, alongside Sam and Frodo. Strider was ahead of them, and Merry and Pippin were close behind Azura, Sam, and Frodo.
"I don't know." Frodo said, leaning forward as he walked up the steep hill.
Strider called back over his shoulder, "Weathertop. There's an ancient stone work up there as well.. I am not exactly sure what it was built for."
A few minutes of silence and walking passed, before they came upon a sheltered glen, with a lots of trees and a snug place to camp for the night.
Strider led the pony into the small, flat, glen. Strider unloaded the baggage off the pony, and let it eat .
Sam went and sat next to a thick-trunked tree, and leaned against it.
Azura slid her pack off and tossed it down next to a tree, next to Sam. She giggled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to get you!"
Sam pushed the pack off his knee, and smiled and shook his head no, "It's ok."
Azura quickly flopped down onto her bottom, and put her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on her palms. "This shade is nice."
"Pippin, Sam, you two stay with the horses. Frodo, Merry....Azura, let's scout up to the top and make sure this area is clear. Maybe we can see if we are being followed from up there.
Azura blew air through her nose, and stood quickly, "Let's just get one thing straight, ok?I follow him," She said, pointing at Frodo, "Not you, no offense. But I will come." She said, then grinned.
She followed Frodo, Merry, and Strider through the glen, then turned and began walking backwards and looked back at Sam, "Can you watch my pack? Thank you!" She called.
"Sure!" He called back, as he stood, and helped Pippin set up camp.
It took about ten minutes to travel through the glen, and then they were walking up a very steep, grassy hillside. There were a lot of wildflowers and cattail growing all over the hill.
After ten minutes of walking, the hill grew steeper, and she could tell Frodo and Merry were starting to get out of breath.
She smiled and said, "Are you two ok? You seem a little tired."
"No...no we are ok!" Merry said, sucking in some air, and smiling, trying to show off.
She laughed then said, "Ok, if you say so." She grinned. She was thankful she wasn't carrying her heavy pack, or else she would be well out of breath, like them, but they didn't have their packs either.
She moved off to the right, still moving upward, but she saw bits of pink in the hillside and wondered if they were starberries. Starberries were little pink berries that grew in the shape of stars, and had a wonderfully sweet taste.
She spotted a patch growing surrounded with tall grass, and decided to stop and pick a few to give to Sam and Pippin, since they stayed behind to watch the pony and belongings.
She quickly gathered a small sackful, then started up the side again, moving through the tall grass. She had only gone a few feet when she heard a buzzing sound. She frowned, wondering if it was bees, but then she spotted a strange looking plant.
It was very spiky with long thorns, and a bright yellow and green color. She stared at it, but a second later, a couple of the spikes flew off the plant and stuck into her shoulder. She let out a surprised yelp, and fell backward, her feet going over her head.
"Azura!"
"We're coming!"
She heard Frodo and Merry shout, and all she saw was a whirl of blue, green, then blue again as she tumbled heels over head. Suddenly she came to a stop, after a few seconds of rolling. She had dug her heels into the ground against a rock, which stopped her.
She felt a numbing pain in her shoulder, and looked down. Three thin, long yellow spikes were jutting out of her arm. She instantly pulled them out.
As she tossed them away, Frodo and Merry were coming from a dead-on run-to a sliding stop next to her.
As Merry stopped, he waved his arms as he caught his balance, keeping himself from falling forward.
Frodo came to a stop differently, his feet slipped from beneath him and he landed on his bottom." Are you okay?!" He asked, looking quite worried.
Azura grinned and nodded. The pain from her arm was gone, and it just felt slightly numb, "Yeah, I'm ok."
"Hey, if you can walk, come on! We need to get to the top before the sun goes down." Strider called, from twenty feet up the hill.
Frodo stood, and both him and Merry pulled her up by her hands.
"Thanks." She said, brushing her knees off.
"Your shoulder is bleeding!" Merry said, pointing at the stains of blood through her shirt. It was the size of a fist.
She pulled up her sleeve and looked at her shoulder. Her shoulder wasn't bleeding too much, it had stopped. The blood on her shoulder was from when those spikes hit her. "Oh, it's ok. I'll clean it up when we get back to camp. I must've hit something during my fall. It doesn't hurt, don't worry." She answered.
Merry nodded, still looking a bit worried, and turned and started up after Strider.
"Are you sure?" Frodo asked, a bit worried.
Azura grinned, "Of course!" She said, then moved past him and jogged up after Strider, avoiding the starberry patch. She heard Frodo jogging behind her, but kept her pace fast.
After twenty minutes of walking and climbing, they reached the grassy top. At the top was a circle of crumbling stonework, and in the middle was a pile of broken stones. They were blackened as if by fire.
Standing atop the hill, they could see the lands for miles, which looked like a sea of green except for patches of woodland. Beneath them on the southern side was the Old Road, running like a ribbon, winding up and down, coming out of the west and winding behind shadowy land of the east. Near the Old Road, were green foothills, then gray cliffs and mountainside, and billowing white peaks, that seemed to brush the white clouds floating over the mountain.
"Well...here we are!" Merry said, rather cheerful they had made it up the tall hill. "There's no sign of shelter or water...and no Gandalf...I don't blame him for not waiting here...It's rather foreboding, this place."
"I wonder," Strider said, looking around thoughtfully. "If Gandalf has been here recently."
He took a step toward the burnt pile of rocks and looked at them, and saw one was not burnt, and marked upon. He picked it up and studied it. "This has been handled recently. What do you think of these marks?"
|"*||| Was marked onto the flat, white stone.
"There's a stoke, a dot, and three more strokes. "Strider said, frowning lightly at the stone.
"The stroke on the left might be a G-rune with thin branches. It may have been left by Gandalf,...or it might be something left by a Ranger. Rangers use runes all the time, on this hilltop. "Strider added.
"I would say, "Strider said, "That the marks mean G3,which means Gandalf was here October 3rd,which is impossible, that was three days ago. Unless he was being pursued and was in a hurry."
"I hope there was a way to be sure he did leave this...."Frodo said, peering at the stone.
"Perhaps," Strider said, "That the light we saw in the eastern sky, a few nights ago, was from him. He may have fought a battle up here. But he is no longer here, so we have to watch out for ourselves, and make our way to Rivendell."
"How far is Rivendell?" Merry asked, looking about wearily. The land was rather wide and wild from up on top of Weathertop.
"It is hard to say. The Old Road has never been measured in miles. A fortnight, I would suppose." Strider replied.
"Two weeks!!" Frodo exclaimed, "A lot may happen in that time."
"It may." Strider said.
They stood in silence at the top of the hill for awhile, near it's southward edge. It was then Frodo fully realized his homelessness and the danger. He wished bitterly that he was home in his beloved Shire. He stared down at the hateful road, leading westward back to his home. Then he spotted something that made his pulse quicken, and he grew terrified. He cluthced Strider's arm, and pointed westward on the road.
Two black specks were moving westward along the road, and stopped and met three moving eastward.
Strider instantly flung himself to the ground, pulling Frodo down, glaring down at the road.
Merry also ducked quickly, beside Frodo. "What is it?" He whispered questioningly to Frodo.
"I don't know...Riders maybe?" Frodo suggested.
Azura continued to stand, then slowly lowered herself to a squat, glaring down at the road. "Ringwraiths."She muttered, the word feeling vile on her tongue.
"The enemy is here." Strider said, scowling down at the road.
"Let us get back to camp. I'd feel more secure if we were all together." Frodo said.
They stealthily made their way back to the north end, and made their way down to find their companions.
----
Sam and Pippin had found a clear water spring, and fully set up camp while they were gone.
Frodo went and sat with his back to the tree, and Merry sat next to him.
Azura leaned against one, feeling suddenly weak. A few moments passed, and she felt better.
"Should we stay here for the night? Somehow, to me, this place seems....creepy." Pippin said, somewhat anxious.
"This is probably the best place we will find before nightfall, and moving on from here, we could be spotted by spies. Besides, we are hidden for now." Strider said.
Can the riders see? Before, they seemed to have use their noses more, and not their eyes." Merry asked, looking quite nervous." And now you speak of them seeing us."
"I was too careless on the hilltop. I was too anxious to find some sign of Gandalf, but it was a mistake for us four to go up there and stand so long. The noon sun destroys any image of us for the Black Riders, but in the night, our images cast shadows in their minds. And at all times they smell the blood of living things, desiring and hating it. We can aslo feel their presence, it causes troubling feelings in our hearts, which they sense before we do. And also...the Ring draws them." Strider said, looking at Frodo.
"Is there no escape then? If I move, they will see and hunt me. If I stay...I will draw them to me!" Frodo said, growing frightened and nervous.
"There is still hope. You have us in your company." Strider said, the motioned to the firewood Sam had piled up. "And a fire will prove good shelter and defense for us. Riders fear fire, so it is our friend in the wilderness."
"Yeah," Sam muttered, "but isn't it a way of saying 'here we are'?"
A hour later, darkness began to fall, and the six weary travelers sat around a tall blazing fire, making a small meal.
"We will have to start gathering food as we travel, what we have now won't last two weeks travel." Frodo said, looking down at himself. He had grown a bit thinner in his travels, and he wasn't quite sure if any thinner would be good for his health.
"Do not worry. I am a skilled hunter, we will not starve, if you are worrying that." Strider said.
Azura stood, then walked to a fairly small tree, and quickly climbed up the side and straddled a branch, and kept watch, outside the glen. She felt dizzy, and sweaty, but shook it off. An hour passed, and snippets of the other five travelers' conversation came and went, they seemed to be talking about Gil-galad. But whatever she heard, was soon forgotten.
Azura groaned, as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her shoulder and arm, then let herself drop down to the ground, landing on her feet. She walked back to the fire and sat between Strider and Frodo.
"You looking ghostly pale. Are you well?" Sam asked, looking at her.
Azura was quiet for a moment, feeling numb, and it took her a moment to reply. "I...am not sure.."
Strider lifted her wide hemmed sleeve, which was blood stained on her shoulder, and examined her arm. He cursed under his breath. "You've been struck by Poisroot quills. Hurry, Frodo get my pack and pull out the vial with black liquid in it. Make haste!"
Frodo stood quickly and ran for Strider's pack.
Azura numbly looked down at her shoulder. It was now a bit swollen, and the three puncture wounds were now raised and very red and bruised looking. "Wow..."She said, mumbling lightly, unable to work her voice any louder.
Strider stood and waited for Frodo to come back over with the vile. "Lay her back and make sure her shoulder is elevated. Add pressure to her arm, and wipe out any yellow venom that comes out the wounds." Strider said, to Merry, Pippin, and Sam.
Sam and Merry set Azura back onto her back, and Merry sat on his knees, letting her shoulder rest on his knees. Sam began working his hands around her forearm, in upward movements, causing blood and yellow liquid to come out her wound. Pippin grabbed a cloth and wiped up the small amount of blood and yellow liquid. She seemed almost numb to Sam's squeezing her arm. Merry spoke quietly into her ear, trying to keep her calm, though she seemed unaware of what Sam was doing.
Frodo tossed Strider the vial, and he knelt, and opened the vial. He then thickly poured the liquid on Azura's arm, who, let out a screech, and a few curses.
"Ow!!!" She muttered through clench teeth, "That stings!"
Strider ignored her, and the grabbed a sheet and ripped up a long strip, and wound it tightly around her shoulder.
The dizziness remained, but the pain, and sick feeling began to subside.
"I think we got...most the venom out." Sam said, leaning worriedly over Azura.
"Yes, but some most likely has gone through her system." Strider said, "In a few days she will be fine, without treatment though...she would have had to amputate her arm. You are lucky we spotted it."
"No way! I can't handle a bow without both my arms..." Azura said, then grunted as she sat up. "Wow...next time I see one of those plants, I am going to shoot a few arrows up it's carcass and see how it likes it."
Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin laughed despite themselves.
After a few moments, everyone sat in silence, watching the night sky, or the distance around the camp. Merry and Sam got up and went off to look around the dell. The rest remained sitting in silence.
Suddenly, Frodo felt a sense of uneasiness and terror creeping up through him. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel afraid .I won't leave this dell for any money. I feel...as if something is creeping up the dell."
Sam and Merry came running back.
"Did you see anything?" Frodo asked, feeling, terrified.
"No, sir. I saw nothing. but I didn't stop to look." He replied.
"I saw something." Merry said, "Or I think I did. Something of two or three dark shapes among the hills, moving this way."
Azura leapt to her feet, feeling the foreboding feeling of approaching danger. She looked around the grabbed her sword, and unsheathed it, and tossed away the scabbard.
"Keep close to the fire, with your faces outward." Strider said. "And get some long sticks ready in your hands."
Azura went, and stood in front of where Frodo sat, lowering her chin, scowling into the darkness. Then it came over her. The chains inside her tightened, and she raised her sword and got into a fighting stance.
"Get down girl! You'd be foolish to come out alive against Black Riders!" Strider said, frowning.
Then, over the lip of the dell, they felt it, rather than saw, one shadow rise, then two more. They strained their eyes, then they saw it. Three, or four shadows, standing upon the slope, looking toward them. They were so dark, that they seemed to suck in the light around them. Then the shadows slowly advanced.
Terror overcame Pippin and Merry and they threw themselves down, and Sam shrunk to Frodo's side.
Frodo wasn't any less terrified, and shook as if he were bitterly cold, but his terror was suddenly swallowed up by the urge to put on the Ring. The strong urge was much stronger than the forewarnings from Gandalf, or anybody's. He shut his eyes, and before he knew it, he slipped on the Ring.
Azura felt it, the beacon behind her. She knew he put on the ring. But, her attention was taken by the advance of the shadows.
She let out a loud war cry, and charged the first shadow.
In surprise, it stopped in it's tracks, but it made a hissing laugh at her.
She brought her sword down to slash at it, but it parried her blow, and slashed at her, but she brought her sword up in defense. Their swords lock, and then the Ringwraith jerked it's sword up, pulling her own sword from her hands. It pushed the palm of it's gloved hand harshly on her injured shoulder, sending her flailing back. As soon as she hit the ground, she felt a heavy weight on her as a Ringwraith toppled on top of her.
Then she heard Frodo shout.
"O Elbereth!! Gilthoniel!!"
She angrily struggled to push the Ringwraith off her, but it soon was on it's feet and fleeing. She looked around frantically for Frodo, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?!?!" She screamed, looking around frantically.
"There!" Merry shouted, pointing at Frodo, who was lying face down, near the fire.
Azura looked about for her sword, and saw it lying near the fire. She bent and gripped the handle then ran after the Ringwraiths. Something inside her was pushing her to destroy them, but despite herself, she felt herself shaking in sheer terror.
She hadn't even ran a foot before Strider grabbed her wrist and slapped her soundly on the cheek.
"Snap out of it! You can't face four Ringwraiths on your own! Help us tend to Frodo, he is injured." Strider said, pulling her back to the fire.
She jogged to the fallen hobbit, and collapsed onto her knees, tired and shaking. She pulled Frodo onto his back and saw his bloody shoulder.
Merry, Pippin, and Sam's faces fell at the sight.
"Is he dead?!?" Sam cried, falling onto his knees and leaning over Frodo looking for a sign of life.
"Hurry and get me my bag! Hurry!" Azura shouted. Even as she said that, Strider was rummaging his own pack.
She pulled off Frodo's coat, and tossed it to Pippin, who put it on the ground. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it half off so she had access to the wound.
It was a puncture, and slightly deep. She grabbed a cloth and started wiping away the blood.
"I shall return, I have to collect a herb. I will return as quickly as can be expected. "Strider said, pulling his hood over his head, then turning and disappearing into the night.
After Strider left, Pippin and Merry started raving about Frodo dying, and that the Ringwraiths might return.
"Quiet!" Azura shouted, looking at them. Her glower softened, and she smiled at them, "If they return, I shall kill them."
She looked back down at Frodo and felt tears sting her eyes. "He'll be okay, I can fix him...."
Merry stared at Azura sitting on her knees next to Frodo. She was sitting still, and had stopped wiping away blood, but just seemed to be intently thinking. "But...you aren't doing anything...He's going to die!" Merry cried, not understanding what she had meant.
Azura shook her head 'no'. "Can you keep a secret? I fear Strider may know...but...If he doesn't I don't want him to know. He'll tell Frodo I am too dangerous to have in company."
Pippin started back, leaning away from Azura and stared at her. "Too dangerous? What--what do you mean?"
Sam stared at Azura questioningly, "He wouldn't send you away, he can't. You said that."
Azura stared down at the wound on Frodo's shoulder, then placed her hand over it. She mumbled something inaudible, and her fingertips began to sparkle and glow white. Little sparkles of white and gold floated down and moved in circles over Frodo's shoulder. Slow at first, then quicker and quicker. Slowly, the blood seemed to collect back over the wound, and return where it came from, and the cut tightened until it was barely a scratch.
Pippin, Merry, and Sam's mouths fell open in silent amazement.
Azura gently laid her hand on his shoulder, then frowned. "He's cold...please, put some water on in the kettle and warm some rags. Hurry!"
As she pulled him closer to the fire and laid his head in her lap, she watched Pippin and Sam move to do what she commanded.
Merry stared at her in utter amazement. Then he finally found the words to speak, "You can use magic!"
Azura nodded numbly, and replied, "I don't like using it....I feel so...different when I do. My parents never used it,and they taught me to suppress it. They said...if I had never used it, I'd be less prone to carry out my blood-duty, but....the urge gets...so...strong sometimes."
Merry scooted closer to sit next to her, bringing a blanket with him. He tossed it over Frodo's stomach and legs, and watched her looking down at him. He smiled lightly, and asked, "Do you love him?"
Azura looked up quickly with reddened cheeks, "What?! That's an odd question in this situation!" She cried, averting her eyes, and looking into the fire.
Merry laughed and grinned, "It's ok, you don't have to tell me. I won't embarrass you, but...you should tell him."
Azura felt her cheeks grow hotter when he said that. "I...care for him, but I am not in love with him..."
Merry smiled, watching her. She was turned away, stubbornly looking into the fire, but the blush on her face showed her evident feelings.
At that moment, Sam and Pippin returned with steaming cloths. Azura turned to the and instructed the to place them on his shoulders, chest, and forehead. Then, the four proceeded to wait for Strider's return.
Azura squinted when she felt warm sunlight seeping into her eyelids, and turned onto her side, the let out a surprised yelp as she fell over the branch and down to the ground, blanket, bag, and all.
"Uuuhg..."she said, after the blanket and her pack landed over her.
She pushed the blanket off of her and saw Pippin and Merry standing over her.
"Are you ok?" Pippin asked, reaching out a hand to help her up.
She took it and let him help her up and replied, "Yeah....What a way to wake up..."She shook her head, and pushed back her tangled blonde hair. She lifted her shoulder and slipped the side of her shirt back on that had slipped down, and tied the strings tighter to make the shirt fit better.
"You're in time, we were ready to shake the tree until you woke up!" Merry said, grinning.
"We are heading out soon! Eat something and pack up." Strider said, chewing on a roll of bread.
"I'm fine. I can go days without much to eat. I'll eat later." She replied, and began rolling up her blanket. She pushed it into her backpack, then slid it on, and looked around the camp.
Sam was handing out rolls and dried fruit to everyone for breakfast, Merry and Strider were loading everything on the horse, Pippin and Frodo were sitting down and eating breakfast.
Azura walked over and stood near Frodo, feeling more at ease standing near him. She frowned lightly, watching him put things into his bag.
She felt the chains inside her that bound her to that Ring, wherever he had it, it bound her to him. She was relived he was a good person and not a Ringwraith or some servant of Sauron....or Sauron himself. She shuddered at the thought of being under control of that....evil creature. Her heritage, every one of her late ancestors were under the mercy of that vile person, and she wouldn't let him have control over her. Never.
She was unaware that she was glaring at the ground, or balling her fists. Her bangs were hanging over her eyes.
"Azura? Are you alright? You look pale..."
Azura's frown softened and she looked up, to see Frodo looking at her worryingly. She felt shaky, but shook her head yes, "Yeah I am ok! We should get going, shouldn't we?" She asked, changing the subject quickly, and brushing back her damp bangs with her hand.
Strider was already leading the pack pony out of the small circle of trees, and one bye one, they followed.
Azura looked up, and smiled at the bright blue morning sky. Tall puffs of white clouds were scattered here and there, and a flock of white herons flew overhead, squawking at each other in musical tones. She started to hum to herself as she walked, trying to forget for the moment of her enslavement to the Ring, and the nagging questions if she would be in service all her life, and just began to sing softly,
[i]Beside the sea, where the rain goes
I drew a heart for you, in the sand
The waves crashed upon the shore
but somehow dared not touch the heart
In fields a-rising, far from home
I look for you, but you're not there
I ran through the sea of green...[/i]
She stopped, and looked down from the sky to see that all four of the hobbits were walking backward, watching her.
"You've a lovely voice! Can you sing it some more?" Pippin asked, grinning widely.
"Yes! You sing wonderfully!" Frodo said, laughing softly.
Azura felt her cheeks grow hot, and she looked down, then back at them. "I think not! I sing horribly...I briefly forgot I was here..."
"Sea of green? You meant the grass? That does make sense now.." Merry said, looking at Sam, who nodded.
"You've been to the ocean?" Frodo inquired.
"Is it as big as they say??" Sam asked right after Frodo.
"Yes, I have been there. It's the most lovely thing you could ever see. I could swim all day in the ocean." Azura replied, grinning.
"Don't you worry you might drown?" Pippin asked.
"No, I know how to swim." Azura said, then she grinned. "You shouldn't walk like that."
"Why not?" Pippin and Merry echoed.
A moment later, Frodo, Sam, and Merry tripped over a long arched tree root and fell onto their bottoms, and Pippin tripped, but hopped and got his balance back.
"That's why!" Azura said, laughing, the coming up, and helping each to their feet.
She stared at Frodo's feet as she pulled him up.
"What?" He asked, looking down at his feet, half expecting to see a snake.
"I just noticed how big and...hairy hobbit's feet are..."She said lightly, then giggled.
Frodo stuttered, "Ye--yes, all Hobbits have fe-feet like that!" He wasn't sure if he should be offended or not.
"Oh, don't take it in offense! It's just, besides the hobbits in Bree, you four are the first hobbits I have met." She said, then smiled. "I was raised around humans. My mother was half elf-half hobbit, and my father was half human-half elf. I have a lot of different blood in me...and besides my family's heritage, I am not sure where my blood ties go to, whether Hobbit, Elf, or Human. I have the look of all three, and yet at the same, a look all my own."
As the group continued to walk, Sam looked back," So you're feet aren't hairy at all? I don't think I have seen hairless feet before..."
Azura laughed at that. "Well, I am not very hairy anywhere! I think it's my elf side, elves, aren't usually very hairy. My father use to say that I have the stubbornness of Human, the poise of an Elf, and the cheerfulness of an Hobbit. He said I should be very proud...I am, too." She said, grinning.
"Well, you are a bit stubborn! Coming along with us and all, and quite cheerful too!" Pippin said, laughing lightly.
"And a bit poised..."Merry added, tossing a grin at Azura over his shoulder.
Azura quickened her pace until she was in between Frodo and Merry. She looked at Merry, then at Frodo, "So what are you traveling for? It was hard to find you...I went to the Shire and everywhere, and finally found you in Bree."
"We are going to Mordor. To destroy the Ring." Frodo said, idly touching the ring through his pocket, and glancing at her.
Azura missed a step, almost stumbling, then caught up and said, "Why? Oh...so it doesn't fall in Sauron's hands....."
"Are you ok, Azura? You look rather pale...are you well?" Sam asked, a bit worried.
She shook her head and smiled, "No, it's ok, I'm fine." She grinned, then fell back behind them in slower steps, and stared at the ground quietly as she followed them the rest of the day.
---
By the time it was mid-day, in the third day Azura had joined the group, they came upon a tall sloping hill. They decided to make for the top while it was still day, and hoped that none of their enemies were about to seen them climb the hill.
Azura stood at the bottom of the hill looking up. "What is up there?" She started to walk up the steep, grassy hill, alongside Sam and Frodo. Strider was ahead of them, and Merry and Pippin were close behind Azura, Sam, and Frodo.
"I don't know." Frodo said, leaning forward as he walked up the steep hill.
Strider called back over his shoulder, "Weathertop. There's an ancient stone work up there as well.. I am not exactly sure what it was built for."
A few minutes of silence and walking passed, before they came upon a sheltered glen, with a lots of trees and a snug place to camp for the night.
Strider led the pony into the small, flat, glen. Strider unloaded the baggage off the pony, and let it eat .
Sam went and sat next to a thick-trunked tree, and leaned against it.
Azura slid her pack off and tossed it down next to a tree, next to Sam. She giggled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to get you!"
Sam pushed the pack off his knee, and smiled and shook his head no, "It's ok."
Azura quickly flopped down onto her bottom, and put her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on her palms. "This shade is nice."
"Pippin, Sam, you two stay with the horses. Frodo, Merry....Azura, let's scout up to the top and make sure this area is clear. Maybe we can see if we are being followed from up there.
Azura blew air through her nose, and stood quickly, "Let's just get one thing straight, ok?I follow him," She said, pointing at Frodo, "Not you, no offense. But I will come." She said, then grinned.
She followed Frodo, Merry, and Strider through the glen, then turned and began walking backwards and looked back at Sam, "Can you watch my pack? Thank you!" She called.
"Sure!" He called back, as he stood, and helped Pippin set up camp.
It took about ten minutes to travel through the glen, and then they were walking up a very steep, grassy hillside. There were a lot of wildflowers and cattail growing all over the hill.
After ten minutes of walking, the hill grew steeper, and she could tell Frodo and Merry were starting to get out of breath.
She smiled and said, "Are you two ok? You seem a little tired."
"No...no we are ok!" Merry said, sucking in some air, and smiling, trying to show off.
She laughed then said, "Ok, if you say so." She grinned. She was thankful she wasn't carrying her heavy pack, or else she would be well out of breath, like them, but they didn't have their packs either.
She moved off to the right, still moving upward, but she saw bits of pink in the hillside and wondered if they were starberries. Starberries were little pink berries that grew in the shape of stars, and had a wonderfully sweet taste.
She spotted a patch growing surrounded with tall grass, and decided to stop and pick a few to give to Sam and Pippin, since they stayed behind to watch the pony and belongings.
She quickly gathered a small sackful, then started up the side again, moving through the tall grass. She had only gone a few feet when she heard a buzzing sound. She frowned, wondering if it was bees, but then she spotted a strange looking plant.
It was very spiky with long thorns, and a bright yellow and green color. She stared at it, but a second later, a couple of the spikes flew off the plant and stuck into her shoulder. She let out a surprised yelp, and fell backward, her feet going over her head.
"Azura!"
"We're coming!"
She heard Frodo and Merry shout, and all she saw was a whirl of blue, green, then blue again as she tumbled heels over head. Suddenly she came to a stop, after a few seconds of rolling. She had dug her heels into the ground against a rock, which stopped her.
She felt a numbing pain in her shoulder, and looked down. Three thin, long yellow spikes were jutting out of her arm. She instantly pulled them out.
As she tossed them away, Frodo and Merry were coming from a dead-on run-to a sliding stop next to her.
As Merry stopped, he waved his arms as he caught his balance, keeping himself from falling forward.
Frodo came to a stop differently, his feet slipped from beneath him and he landed on his bottom." Are you okay?!" He asked, looking quite worried.
Azura grinned and nodded. The pain from her arm was gone, and it just felt slightly numb, "Yeah, I'm ok."
"Hey, if you can walk, come on! We need to get to the top before the sun goes down." Strider called, from twenty feet up the hill.
Frodo stood, and both him and Merry pulled her up by her hands.
"Thanks." She said, brushing her knees off.
"Your shoulder is bleeding!" Merry said, pointing at the stains of blood through her shirt. It was the size of a fist.
She pulled up her sleeve and looked at her shoulder. Her shoulder wasn't bleeding too much, it had stopped. The blood on her shoulder was from when those spikes hit her. "Oh, it's ok. I'll clean it up when we get back to camp. I must've hit something during my fall. It doesn't hurt, don't worry." She answered.
Merry nodded, still looking a bit worried, and turned and started up after Strider.
"Are you sure?" Frodo asked, a bit worried.
Azura grinned, "Of course!" She said, then moved past him and jogged up after Strider, avoiding the starberry patch. She heard Frodo jogging behind her, but kept her pace fast.
After twenty minutes of walking and climbing, they reached the grassy top. At the top was a circle of crumbling stonework, and in the middle was a pile of broken stones. They were blackened as if by fire.
Standing atop the hill, they could see the lands for miles, which looked like a sea of green except for patches of woodland. Beneath them on the southern side was the Old Road, running like a ribbon, winding up and down, coming out of the west and winding behind shadowy land of the east. Near the Old Road, were green foothills, then gray cliffs and mountainside, and billowing white peaks, that seemed to brush the white clouds floating over the mountain.
"Well...here we are!" Merry said, rather cheerful they had made it up the tall hill. "There's no sign of shelter or water...and no Gandalf...I don't blame him for not waiting here...It's rather foreboding, this place."
"I wonder," Strider said, looking around thoughtfully. "If Gandalf has been here recently."
He took a step toward the burnt pile of rocks and looked at them, and saw one was not burnt, and marked upon. He picked it up and studied it. "This has been handled recently. What do you think of these marks?"
|"*||| Was marked onto the flat, white stone.
"There's a stoke, a dot, and three more strokes. "Strider said, frowning lightly at the stone.
"The stroke on the left might be a G-rune with thin branches. It may have been left by Gandalf,...or it might be something left by a Ranger. Rangers use runes all the time, on this hilltop. "Strider added.
"I would say, "Strider said, "That the marks mean G3,which means Gandalf was here October 3rd,which is impossible, that was three days ago. Unless he was being pursued and was in a hurry."
"I hope there was a way to be sure he did leave this...."Frodo said, peering at the stone.
"Perhaps," Strider said, "That the light we saw in the eastern sky, a few nights ago, was from him. He may have fought a battle up here. But he is no longer here, so we have to watch out for ourselves, and make our way to Rivendell."
"How far is Rivendell?" Merry asked, looking about wearily. The land was rather wide and wild from up on top of Weathertop.
"It is hard to say. The Old Road has never been measured in miles. A fortnight, I would suppose." Strider replied.
"Two weeks!!" Frodo exclaimed, "A lot may happen in that time."
"It may." Strider said.
They stood in silence at the top of the hill for awhile, near it's southward edge. It was then Frodo fully realized his homelessness and the danger. He wished bitterly that he was home in his beloved Shire. He stared down at the hateful road, leading westward back to his home. Then he spotted something that made his pulse quicken, and he grew terrified. He cluthced Strider's arm, and pointed westward on the road.
Two black specks were moving westward along the road, and stopped and met three moving eastward.
Strider instantly flung himself to the ground, pulling Frodo down, glaring down at the road.
Merry also ducked quickly, beside Frodo. "What is it?" He whispered questioningly to Frodo.
"I don't know...Riders maybe?" Frodo suggested.
Azura continued to stand, then slowly lowered herself to a squat, glaring down at the road. "Ringwraiths."She muttered, the word feeling vile on her tongue.
"The enemy is here." Strider said, scowling down at the road.
"Let us get back to camp. I'd feel more secure if we were all together." Frodo said.
They stealthily made their way back to the north end, and made their way down to find their companions.
----
Sam and Pippin had found a clear water spring, and fully set up camp while they were gone.
Frodo went and sat with his back to the tree, and Merry sat next to him.
Azura leaned against one, feeling suddenly weak. A few moments passed, and she felt better.
"Should we stay here for the night? Somehow, to me, this place seems....creepy." Pippin said, somewhat anxious.
"This is probably the best place we will find before nightfall, and moving on from here, we could be spotted by spies. Besides, we are hidden for now." Strider said.
Can the riders see? Before, they seemed to have use their noses more, and not their eyes." Merry asked, looking quite nervous." And now you speak of them seeing us."
"I was too careless on the hilltop. I was too anxious to find some sign of Gandalf, but it was a mistake for us four to go up there and stand so long. The noon sun destroys any image of us for the Black Riders, but in the night, our images cast shadows in their minds. And at all times they smell the blood of living things, desiring and hating it. We can aslo feel their presence, it causes troubling feelings in our hearts, which they sense before we do. And also...the Ring draws them." Strider said, looking at Frodo.
"Is there no escape then? If I move, they will see and hunt me. If I stay...I will draw them to me!" Frodo said, growing frightened and nervous.
"There is still hope. You have us in your company." Strider said, the motioned to the firewood Sam had piled up. "And a fire will prove good shelter and defense for us. Riders fear fire, so it is our friend in the wilderness."
"Yeah," Sam muttered, "but isn't it a way of saying 'here we are'?"
A hour later, darkness began to fall, and the six weary travelers sat around a tall blazing fire, making a small meal.
"We will have to start gathering food as we travel, what we have now won't last two weeks travel." Frodo said, looking down at himself. He had grown a bit thinner in his travels, and he wasn't quite sure if any thinner would be good for his health.
"Do not worry. I am a skilled hunter, we will not starve, if you are worrying that." Strider said.
Azura stood, then walked to a fairly small tree, and quickly climbed up the side and straddled a branch, and kept watch, outside the glen. She felt dizzy, and sweaty, but shook it off. An hour passed, and snippets of the other five travelers' conversation came and went, they seemed to be talking about Gil-galad. But whatever she heard, was soon forgotten.
Azura groaned, as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her shoulder and arm, then let herself drop down to the ground, landing on her feet. She walked back to the fire and sat between Strider and Frodo.
"You looking ghostly pale. Are you well?" Sam asked, looking at her.
Azura was quiet for a moment, feeling numb, and it took her a moment to reply. "I...am not sure.."
Strider lifted her wide hemmed sleeve, which was blood stained on her shoulder, and examined her arm. He cursed under his breath. "You've been struck by Poisroot quills. Hurry, Frodo get my pack and pull out the vial with black liquid in it. Make haste!"
Frodo stood quickly and ran for Strider's pack.
Azura numbly looked down at her shoulder. It was now a bit swollen, and the three puncture wounds were now raised and very red and bruised looking. "Wow..."She said, mumbling lightly, unable to work her voice any louder.
Strider stood and waited for Frodo to come back over with the vile. "Lay her back and make sure her shoulder is elevated. Add pressure to her arm, and wipe out any yellow venom that comes out the wounds." Strider said, to Merry, Pippin, and Sam.
Sam and Merry set Azura back onto her back, and Merry sat on his knees, letting her shoulder rest on his knees. Sam began working his hands around her forearm, in upward movements, causing blood and yellow liquid to come out her wound. Pippin grabbed a cloth and wiped up the small amount of blood and yellow liquid. She seemed almost numb to Sam's squeezing her arm. Merry spoke quietly into her ear, trying to keep her calm, though she seemed unaware of what Sam was doing.
Frodo tossed Strider the vial, and he knelt, and opened the vial. He then thickly poured the liquid on Azura's arm, who, let out a screech, and a few curses.
"Ow!!!" She muttered through clench teeth, "That stings!"
Strider ignored her, and the grabbed a sheet and ripped up a long strip, and wound it tightly around her shoulder.
The dizziness remained, but the pain, and sick feeling began to subside.
"I think we got...most the venom out." Sam said, leaning worriedly over Azura.
"Yes, but some most likely has gone through her system." Strider said, "In a few days she will be fine, without treatment though...she would have had to amputate her arm. You are lucky we spotted it."
"No way! I can't handle a bow without both my arms..." Azura said, then grunted as she sat up. "Wow...next time I see one of those plants, I am going to shoot a few arrows up it's carcass and see how it likes it."
Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin laughed despite themselves.
After a few moments, everyone sat in silence, watching the night sky, or the distance around the camp. Merry and Sam got up and went off to look around the dell. The rest remained sitting in silence.
Suddenly, Frodo felt a sense of uneasiness and terror creeping up through him. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel afraid .I won't leave this dell for any money. I feel...as if something is creeping up the dell."
Sam and Merry came running back.
"Did you see anything?" Frodo asked, feeling, terrified.
"No, sir. I saw nothing. but I didn't stop to look." He replied.
"I saw something." Merry said, "Or I think I did. Something of two or three dark shapes among the hills, moving this way."
Azura leapt to her feet, feeling the foreboding feeling of approaching danger. She looked around the grabbed her sword, and unsheathed it, and tossed away the scabbard.
"Keep close to the fire, with your faces outward." Strider said. "And get some long sticks ready in your hands."
Azura went, and stood in front of where Frodo sat, lowering her chin, scowling into the darkness. Then it came over her. The chains inside her tightened, and she raised her sword and got into a fighting stance.
"Get down girl! You'd be foolish to come out alive against Black Riders!" Strider said, frowning.
Then, over the lip of the dell, they felt it, rather than saw, one shadow rise, then two more. They strained their eyes, then they saw it. Three, or four shadows, standing upon the slope, looking toward them. They were so dark, that they seemed to suck in the light around them. Then the shadows slowly advanced.
Terror overcame Pippin and Merry and they threw themselves down, and Sam shrunk to Frodo's side.
Frodo wasn't any less terrified, and shook as if he were bitterly cold, but his terror was suddenly swallowed up by the urge to put on the Ring. The strong urge was much stronger than the forewarnings from Gandalf, or anybody's. He shut his eyes, and before he knew it, he slipped on the Ring.
Azura felt it, the beacon behind her. She knew he put on the ring. But, her attention was taken by the advance of the shadows.
She let out a loud war cry, and charged the first shadow.
In surprise, it stopped in it's tracks, but it made a hissing laugh at her.
She brought her sword down to slash at it, but it parried her blow, and slashed at her, but she brought her sword up in defense. Their swords lock, and then the Ringwraith jerked it's sword up, pulling her own sword from her hands. It pushed the palm of it's gloved hand harshly on her injured shoulder, sending her flailing back. As soon as she hit the ground, she felt a heavy weight on her as a Ringwraith toppled on top of her.
Then she heard Frodo shout.
"O Elbereth!! Gilthoniel!!"
She angrily struggled to push the Ringwraith off her, but it soon was on it's feet and fleeing. She looked around frantically for Frodo, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?!?!" She screamed, looking around frantically.
"There!" Merry shouted, pointing at Frodo, who was lying face down, near the fire.
Azura looked about for her sword, and saw it lying near the fire. She bent and gripped the handle then ran after the Ringwraiths. Something inside her was pushing her to destroy them, but despite herself, she felt herself shaking in sheer terror.
She hadn't even ran a foot before Strider grabbed her wrist and slapped her soundly on the cheek.
"Snap out of it! You can't face four Ringwraiths on your own! Help us tend to Frodo, he is injured." Strider said, pulling her back to the fire.
She jogged to the fallen hobbit, and collapsed onto her knees, tired and shaking. She pulled Frodo onto his back and saw his bloody shoulder.
Merry, Pippin, and Sam's faces fell at the sight.
"Is he dead?!?" Sam cried, falling onto his knees and leaning over Frodo looking for a sign of life.
"Hurry and get me my bag! Hurry!" Azura shouted. Even as she said that, Strider was rummaging his own pack.
She pulled off Frodo's coat, and tossed it to Pippin, who put it on the ground. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it half off so she had access to the wound.
It was a puncture, and slightly deep. She grabbed a cloth and started wiping away the blood.
"I shall return, I have to collect a herb. I will return as quickly as can be expected. "Strider said, pulling his hood over his head, then turning and disappearing into the night.
After Strider left, Pippin and Merry started raving about Frodo dying, and that the Ringwraiths might return.
"Quiet!" Azura shouted, looking at them. Her glower softened, and she smiled at them, "If they return, I shall kill them."
She looked back down at Frodo and felt tears sting her eyes. "He'll be okay, I can fix him...."
Merry stared at Azura sitting on her knees next to Frodo. She was sitting still, and had stopped wiping away blood, but just seemed to be intently thinking. "But...you aren't doing anything...He's going to die!" Merry cried, not understanding what she had meant.
Azura shook her head 'no'. "Can you keep a secret? I fear Strider may know...but...If he doesn't I don't want him to know. He'll tell Frodo I am too dangerous to have in company."
Pippin started back, leaning away from Azura and stared at her. "Too dangerous? What--what do you mean?"
Sam stared at Azura questioningly, "He wouldn't send you away, he can't. You said that."
Azura stared down at the wound on Frodo's shoulder, then placed her hand over it. She mumbled something inaudible, and her fingertips began to sparkle and glow white. Little sparkles of white and gold floated down and moved in circles over Frodo's shoulder. Slow at first, then quicker and quicker. Slowly, the blood seemed to collect back over the wound, and return where it came from, and the cut tightened until it was barely a scratch.
Pippin, Merry, and Sam's mouths fell open in silent amazement.
Azura gently laid her hand on his shoulder, then frowned. "He's cold...please, put some water on in the kettle and warm some rags. Hurry!"
As she pulled him closer to the fire and laid his head in her lap, she watched Pippin and Sam move to do what she commanded.
Merry stared at her in utter amazement. Then he finally found the words to speak, "You can use magic!"
Azura nodded numbly, and replied, "I don't like using it....I feel so...different when I do. My parents never used it,and they taught me to suppress it. They said...if I had never used it, I'd be less prone to carry out my blood-duty, but....the urge gets...so...strong sometimes."
Merry scooted closer to sit next to her, bringing a blanket with him. He tossed it over Frodo's stomach and legs, and watched her looking down at him. He smiled lightly, and asked, "Do you love him?"
Azura looked up quickly with reddened cheeks, "What?! That's an odd question in this situation!" She cried, averting her eyes, and looking into the fire.
Merry laughed and grinned, "It's ok, you don't have to tell me. I won't embarrass you, but...you should tell him."
Azura felt her cheeks grow hotter when he said that. "I...care for him, but I am not in love with him..."
Merry smiled, watching her. She was turned away, stubbornly looking into the fire, but the blush on her face showed her evident feelings.
At that moment, Sam and Pippin returned with steaming cloths. Azura turned to the and instructed the to place them on his shoulders, chest, and forehead. Then, the four proceeded to wait for Strider's return.
