Chapter Twenty-Two
Author's Note: Sayings of the chapter: "Never judge a chocolate monkey by its color," and "holy chocolate cheese weasels!"
Also, I know I said I'd be strict about the reviewer thing, but…
1 He looked at me, and I smiled.
"Please don't blame yourself for everything. For anything."
I leaned in and wiped the tears off his face, before burying my face in his chest.
"I love you." I whispered. He responded by shifting his arms and pulling my forehead to his chest.
"And I you." He finally said, after a long silence.
I didn't hear him. I was fast asleep.
When I woke the next morning, I looked up to see Frodo looking back at me, his face tear-stained from the night before and his blue eyes sparkling from his pale face in the early morning light.
"We have to get up soon," he said very softly.
"Darn." I said, stretching and yawning. I finally got up, still stretching. In about two minutes I pulled on a tee shirt and one of the original pairs of the jeans I had brought when I came to this world. Part of the whole miraculous situation, they still fit me, although I was half the size I had been. Under the shirt, I wore the Mithril, which Frodo had insisted I wear on this journey, even though I had protested. Over all this, I pulled on my elven-cloak. I stayed barefoot, however. The hobbit in me was coming out again. Frodo looked at me, and raised an eyebrow, as if to inquire whether or not I was ready. I nodded, shouldered my pack (we'd packed the night before), and headed out the door.
When we got to the North Balcony, were we'd all agreed to meet, everyone was there except Nikki, Sam, and Legolas. A few minutes later, all three of them came down the hall, Nikki and Legolas talking quietly and Sam shaking his head. Now that all nine of us were there (Nikki, Legolas, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Gandalf, Frodo, and I), we were ready to set out.
When we got onto the road, I looked back at the beauty of Rivendell, which I would not see for so long. Arwen and Elrond were standing on the North Balcony, waving to us. Aragorn looked back sadly at Arwen. Nikki bit her lip, and Legolas was stealing glances at her, with a small smile creeping across his lips. Frodo nudged me and pointed to him. Then he snickered, and Legolas blushed.
"Legolas," Frodo said with an air of brilliant observation, "you certainly seem smitten today."
Legolas blushed further, cast down his eyes, and kept walking in silence. I sped up a couple of paces to talk to Nikki.
"So, how are you feeling?" I asked.
"Better," she replied, "although it's still slightly painful,"
I nodded. "I know," I said, in my most sympathetic voice. I patted her shoulder. "It was the same way for me. I wish you and Sam hadn't come,"
"I'm glad we did… We've seen so many new places, met so many interesting people."
"You mean you met Legolas."
"Umm… Yeah." (A/N: Yeah, Nikki. We know you're smitten with the elf dude!)
"Aha."
"Is that a good aha or a bad aha?"
"Umm.... Depends on how you want to see it."
"I'll see it as good…"
"That might be the best idea. So, anyway, I'm just going to tell you now that this is a tough journey, and very dangerous. Frodo and the rest probably have the best experience, as they've tackled this route twice. Just cross your fingers that this doesn't happen the same way it did."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well, the journey in general was very rough, and I just really don't want to relive it."
"Oh…"
Just as she said this, Frodo and Legolas caught up with us. Legolas came between Nikki and I, Nikki moving over to make room, and Frodo came to my right side. I looked up into his eyes, the corners of them creased in a thousand lines of laughter, and I smiled. He nudged me, looking pointedly in the direction of Nikki and Legolas.
"I showed them the mind-reading trick," he thought at me.
"Oh… you sure that was a good idea?" I thought back. He laughed softly enough that no one but me could hear him.
"I don't know, but remember? We can look into their thoughts, and they can look into ours, if we have the will. Of course, we have the upper hand, because we know how to guard our thoughts."
I smiled, and focused my thoughts on Nikki and Legolas.
"I love you," Nikki thought.
"And I you," Legolas replied.
They smiled, and Frodo and I snickered.
"What?!" Nikki exclaimed, noticing our laughter.
"Oh… Nothing…" I said, in between furious fits of laughter.
"What is it?" asked Legolas, looking very confused.
"Well," said Frodo, wiping tears from his eyes, "It's just that we can 'hear' your guys' mind conversation"
Nikki and Legolas' faces both slowly turned very pale and turned to looks of horror.
"How can you…?" Nikki began.
"We have it too," Frodo and I thought at them after looking at them. They paled further.
"Umm…" Legolas began, dropping his elf-prince demeanor. We smiled.
"It's okay," I said, meaning their talk.
"In fact," Frodo began, "You remind me of two other people I know,"
He looked at me and I went slightly red, but smiled. Nikki glanced at Legolas and their eyes met. I nudged Frodo and walked ahead, Frodo a little reluctantly. I glanced back to see them talking, Nikki occasionally blushing or giggling.
That night, Gandalf and Aragorn spoke to us about our route.
"We must, however reluctant we may be about it, make for Moria." As no one but Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf had heard of this plan, the reaction was astonishing. Everyone but Nikki, Sam, Frodo, and Aragorn gaped open-mouthed at Gandalf.
"But…" I said, lost for words.
"We cannot risk that path again, Gandalf!" Legolas exclaimed, breaking the silence.
"We can if we wish to reach Cirith Ungol by January 22nd. Don't forget, we are only just out of Rivendell. We have much journeying ahead of us."
I closed my eyes. "Gandalf," I said, composing myself. "We could go over Caradhras just as easily."
"But," Frodo explained, "We do not know if any power has been regained in Isengard, and if we have to double back, we will surely be too late." I stared at him
"What?" He defended himself. "Gandalf already talked to me about this," he said. I nodded and bit my lip.
Gandalf stood up and walked over to where he was going to sit to take first watch. "We will go through Moria."
Author's Note: Sayings of the chapter: "Never judge a chocolate monkey by its color," and "holy chocolate cheese weasels!"
Also, I know I said I'd be strict about the reviewer thing, but…
1 He looked at me, and I smiled.
"Please don't blame yourself for everything. For anything."
I leaned in and wiped the tears off his face, before burying my face in his chest.
"I love you." I whispered. He responded by shifting his arms and pulling my forehead to his chest.
"And I you." He finally said, after a long silence.
I didn't hear him. I was fast asleep.
When I woke the next morning, I looked up to see Frodo looking back at me, his face tear-stained from the night before and his blue eyes sparkling from his pale face in the early morning light.
"We have to get up soon," he said very softly.
"Darn." I said, stretching and yawning. I finally got up, still stretching. In about two minutes I pulled on a tee shirt and one of the original pairs of the jeans I had brought when I came to this world. Part of the whole miraculous situation, they still fit me, although I was half the size I had been. Under the shirt, I wore the Mithril, which Frodo had insisted I wear on this journey, even though I had protested. Over all this, I pulled on my elven-cloak. I stayed barefoot, however. The hobbit in me was coming out again. Frodo looked at me, and raised an eyebrow, as if to inquire whether or not I was ready. I nodded, shouldered my pack (we'd packed the night before), and headed out the door.
When we got to the North Balcony, were we'd all agreed to meet, everyone was there except Nikki, Sam, and Legolas. A few minutes later, all three of them came down the hall, Nikki and Legolas talking quietly and Sam shaking his head. Now that all nine of us were there (Nikki, Legolas, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Gandalf, Frodo, and I), we were ready to set out.
When we got onto the road, I looked back at the beauty of Rivendell, which I would not see for so long. Arwen and Elrond were standing on the North Balcony, waving to us. Aragorn looked back sadly at Arwen. Nikki bit her lip, and Legolas was stealing glances at her, with a small smile creeping across his lips. Frodo nudged me and pointed to him. Then he snickered, and Legolas blushed.
"Legolas," Frodo said with an air of brilliant observation, "you certainly seem smitten today."
Legolas blushed further, cast down his eyes, and kept walking in silence. I sped up a couple of paces to talk to Nikki.
"So, how are you feeling?" I asked.
"Better," she replied, "although it's still slightly painful,"
I nodded. "I know," I said, in my most sympathetic voice. I patted her shoulder. "It was the same way for me. I wish you and Sam hadn't come,"
"I'm glad we did… We've seen so many new places, met so many interesting people."
"You mean you met Legolas."
"Umm… Yeah." (A/N: Yeah, Nikki. We know you're smitten with the elf dude!)
"Aha."
"Is that a good aha or a bad aha?"
"Umm.... Depends on how you want to see it."
"I'll see it as good…"
"That might be the best idea. So, anyway, I'm just going to tell you now that this is a tough journey, and very dangerous. Frodo and the rest probably have the best experience, as they've tackled this route twice. Just cross your fingers that this doesn't happen the same way it did."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well, the journey in general was very rough, and I just really don't want to relive it."
"Oh…"
Just as she said this, Frodo and Legolas caught up with us. Legolas came between Nikki and I, Nikki moving over to make room, and Frodo came to my right side. I looked up into his eyes, the corners of them creased in a thousand lines of laughter, and I smiled. He nudged me, looking pointedly in the direction of Nikki and Legolas.
"I showed them the mind-reading trick," he thought at me.
"Oh… you sure that was a good idea?" I thought back. He laughed softly enough that no one but me could hear him.
"I don't know, but remember? We can look into their thoughts, and they can look into ours, if we have the will. Of course, we have the upper hand, because we know how to guard our thoughts."
I smiled, and focused my thoughts on Nikki and Legolas.
"I love you," Nikki thought.
"And I you," Legolas replied.
They smiled, and Frodo and I snickered.
"What?!" Nikki exclaimed, noticing our laughter.
"Oh… Nothing…" I said, in between furious fits of laughter.
"What is it?" asked Legolas, looking very confused.
"Well," said Frodo, wiping tears from his eyes, "It's just that we can 'hear' your guys' mind conversation"
Nikki and Legolas' faces both slowly turned very pale and turned to looks of horror.
"How can you…?" Nikki began.
"We have it too," Frodo and I thought at them after looking at them. They paled further.
"Umm…" Legolas began, dropping his elf-prince demeanor. We smiled.
"It's okay," I said, meaning their talk.
"In fact," Frodo began, "You remind me of two other people I know,"
He looked at me and I went slightly red, but smiled. Nikki glanced at Legolas and their eyes met. I nudged Frodo and walked ahead, Frodo a little reluctantly. I glanced back to see them talking, Nikki occasionally blushing or giggling.
That night, Gandalf and Aragorn spoke to us about our route.
"We must, however reluctant we may be about it, make for Moria." As no one but Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf had heard of this plan, the reaction was astonishing. Everyone but Nikki, Sam, Frodo, and Aragorn gaped open-mouthed at Gandalf.
"But…" I said, lost for words.
"We cannot risk that path again, Gandalf!" Legolas exclaimed, breaking the silence.
"We can if we wish to reach Cirith Ungol by January 22nd. Don't forget, we are only just out of Rivendell. We have much journeying ahead of us."
I closed my eyes. "Gandalf," I said, composing myself. "We could go over Caradhras just as easily."
"But," Frodo explained, "We do not know if any power has been regained in Isengard, and if we have to double back, we will surely be too late." I stared at him
"What?" He defended himself. "Gandalf already talked to me about this," he said. I nodded and bit my lip.
Gandalf stood up and walked over to where he was going to sit to take first watch. "We will go through Moria."