((Hey, peoples! I've finally gotten to a point where things seem to be going smoothly, and despite some health problems this week, I've got two chapters all ready to post! Brace yourself, more to come----much more))
Kara eased her sore body onto the ground and leaned her back against a boulder. She was glad Aragorn and Gandalf had decided to call a halt. As much as she wanted to appear strong to the Fellowship, she had been about to beg them for a rest.
It was cold on the rockface. The wind blew in frigid but breif gusts, leaving one off-balance and breathless. The sun shone warmly, however, and the party was cheerful. Gimli tramped back and forth over the rocks, raving about the great conquests of the dwarven race. Legolas had his face turned into the sun and away from the wind, peircing eyes scanning the horizon. Merry and Pippin were learning sword fighting from Boromir. Frodo and Sam looked on in amusement. Even Aragorn and Gandalf seemed relaxed.
Kara glanced at Frodo from time to time. She did worry about him, as did the rest of the fellowship. At times she found herself spontaneously placing a hand on his shoulder or pulling him into a hug. Now his blue, blue eyes flickered to her face and Kara caught an inkling of the burden he was bearing. She couldn't take it any more. Being careful of her aching muscles, she pulled herself upright and slipped over to the sheltered seat Frodo occupied.
Frodo watched her sit down next to him wordlessly. Kara felt no need to say anything. The look in his eyes, and the look in hers, spoke volumes. Kara smoothed his mass of curly hair back from his forehead.
"Rest, little one. You are not alone." Frodo looked at her for a moment, his eyes large and liquid. Kara felt his pain like a knife in her heart. His chest heaved a deep sigh, and the little hobbit leaned over and rested his head on Kara's lap, pulling his knees up to his chest. Her heart bled to see the tears of exhaustion work tracks down his cheeks. She cradled his shoulders with one arm, running her fingers through his hair gently.
Sam watched from a few feet away, the look on his face expressing his emotions with eloquence. He was sick with worry over his master. Kara nodded slightly at him, doing her best to reassure him that all would be well. Sam gave her a doubtful look, then crept a bit closer to Kara and his master. Frodo by now had his eyes closed, tentatively relaxing. Every now and then he would quiver a bit. Sam looked from Frodo back up to Kara. She smiled softly and motioned Sam closer. Cautiously, trying not to wake his master, he slid nearer and sank down on the other side of Kara.
The rest of the party went on with what they were doing. Their voices mingled together into a rising and falling hum. Kara ignored the busy sound, slipping an arm around Sam's shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Sam hesitated for a moment, then a fatigued shudder rattled his body. Leaning over, he hid his head in Kara's shoulder and sniffled. Kara held the two hobbits gently. There would be time for strength later. Now was a time for weakness and rest. Kara cringed to think how little sleep these two had gotten during their travels. As they began to slip into a drowsing state, Kara shaded their eyes and willed them to give her their pain for just this breif time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boromir watched Kara clasp the little ones out of the corner of his eye, all the time keeping up with the clumsy but quick blows Pippin was dealing him. From time to time he managed to freeze an image of her in his mind for a few seconds. She was leaning against the rockface, almost buried under the two hobbits. She held a hand over their eyes to sheild them from the dim beams of the sun. Locks of red hair had pulled loose from her braid and whipped across her cheeks, shining like burnished bronze. Her eyes blazed protectively, and the way she chewed her lip and watched the landscape made Boromir wonder just how she would react to someone approaching them. Of one thing he was certain, he wasn't going to try it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a cry from Legolas, immediately followed by a sheet of black blotting out the sun. As the hundreds of birds flew overhead and he ducked underneath a rock, he chastised himself for being distracted.
Then again, who would expect an innocent flock of death-black birds flying straight toward them to be anything noticeable?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kara had never liked the dark.
It felt as if the tunnels and halls of Moria were about to swallow her whole. She screwed up her vision to attempt to see into the murky depths every so often. The ironlike vise of blackness closed over her eyes like a cloak. Kara tried not to shiver as she tripped over skeletons and heard them shatter and roll into the dark.
In addition to this, Kara felt the faintest burning on her chest. It was little more than a warm glow compared to what she had felt before, but it was enough to put her on her guard.
The mood had shifted dramatically since the flock of birds had flown overhead, spying out their position, forcing them to flee underground when all was done. Gimli was closed-mouthed, and understandably so. His kinsmen lay dead at his feet. There was little to no hope for his relatives, though no one said so. The hobbits didn't like this cold underground business. They liked topsoil and rich clay, not rock and echoing halls. They kept in a little clump, cheering each other and the non-hobbits as well as they could.
Aragorn was somber and serious, trying his very best to be a strong leader. Legolas, along with Kara, was doing his best to see into the dark, intensely disliking the dim atmosphere. Gandalf said little, leading the way with his staff. Kara was almost sure he was terrified, though he wouldn't admit it.
As for Boromir, he seemed fixed on making sure the company was relatively safe. He insisted on walking single file over the narrow bridges, ensured that there were enough rations, water, and blankets to go around, and from time to time walked beside one person or another in an attempt to cheer them.
When it was Kara's turn, she couldn't help but assert that it was a moot point.
"Really, Boromir..." She murmured quietly---Gandalf insisted they keep their voices quiet always. "I'm all right. You should be more worried about Gimli. I can only imagine what he's going through."
"Gimli is proud. What he feels he must feel alone. Any intrusion would only deepen his difficulty. You, on the other hand, look as troubled as the wizard. It doesn't befit you." Kara smiled humorlessly.
"I suppose you could say my mark is giving me a constant warning siren. It isn't severe, but it's enough to, as you say, trouble me." Kara sighed deeply.
"Nothing makes sense any more. I have no idea what I'm doing here, no idea what I should be doing. I've only killed one living being in my life, now I'm supposed to protect or destroy the fellowship, or whatever?" Kara found her eyes stinging. Quickly, she wiped away tears, willing herself to stop being weak, to stop wanting to fold. Boromir placed a hand on her shoulder. The unexpected kindness made her choke, and another thought drove out all the others.
"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a sunrise?"
They had dropped behind the rest of the fellowship, hanging back at the edge of the light emitted from Gandalf's staff. Boromir's feet made a muffled thudding sound. Its rhythm gave Kara something to focus on. The despair wore at her muscles, dragging her down into the abyss on either side of the trail. All that kept her going was a driving fear at her heels, just as it had when she left her family's home. Fear of failure, fear of loneliness, fear of the cold and the dark and of losing her way and never finding it again. Her heart pounded at what lay ahead, and what lay behind. Numbness was the only option, no option at all, her only lifeline and the death that gripped her.
The only person that was even trying to break through the fog said nothing, walking beside her in a warm silence. His mere presence assured her that there was something solid in the world, something that would not evaporate in the heat of her confusion. Kara stole sideway glances at him from time to time.
The rest of the fellowship regarded him as proud and foolish. He was proud. Kara, naïve as she was, could easily see that. But his pride stemmed out of a rich knowledge of who he was, and from the deep love he carried for his heritage, his home, and his people. For that, Kara was almost envious.
And there was another aspect to him. Though he seemed to get lost when the larger picture was discussed, he had an uncanny grasp of the here and now. The members of the fellowship seemed to be his highest concern. With every suggestion he made it was reflected. Like the love he bore for his people, he seemed to love the lives of the people he now traveled with. Even the tiny hobbits that seemed to so frustrate the others held a special place with him.
Kara was roused out of her thoughts by Boromir's hand once again on her shoulder.
"You said nothing made sense any more. That is a curiosity of life. They say everything begins to make sense just before you die. I know that is of little help, but consider this: No member of the fellowship knows just what he is to do here. Even the wizard is uncertain. If you were prophesied about, you have more assurance than any of us." His voice was soft-toned and musical, almost as if he were singing a lullaby. Kara couldn't help but remember watching him train the hobbits with their swords. Sam was so painfully shy, but Boromir patiently worked his way through the self consciousness. Merry and Pippin refused to take it seriously, but somehow they had gone from play to serious to play and then back again. Her lips pulled back into a tender smile, remembering their childlike laughter. The hand on shoulder squeezed gently.
"Calad Aur. You let the rest of us see a sunrise each time you smile."
Kara looked down a little, her lips still tugged back gently. Boromir laughed softly.
"I remember seeing you when you watched the sunrise. There is no way someone could know the sunlight the way you do and not carry it with her wherever she goes." He reached out and brushed her cheek with one finger.
"Even the tears you cry are jewels." He pulled them to a stop and tilted her chin toward him.
"The fellowship could not lose you." His voice dropped to an even softer whisper.
"I could not lose you, Calad Aur." Kara felt his warm breath across her cheeks, turning cold on the tracks the tears made. She leaned closer to him, blocking out everything but his warmth, letting it drive away the cold of the mines for the first time in days.
"Boromir! Kara! You fools, don't stray from the light!" Kara ripped her face away from his hand and whirled around. Her dark eyes shot daggers at the wrinkled prune of a wizard that now walked away from them, as if his words had instilled some kind of wisdom in their vacant skulls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boromir watched Kara stare at Gandalf's back. Then, the corner of his eye caught movement. Aragorn stood at the edge of the shadows watching them. The look on his face did not bode well. Boromir did not look forward to being alone with him in the next few days.
Many things could happen in the dark.
Kara eased her sore body onto the ground and leaned her back against a boulder. She was glad Aragorn and Gandalf had decided to call a halt. As much as she wanted to appear strong to the Fellowship, she had been about to beg them for a rest.
It was cold on the rockface. The wind blew in frigid but breif gusts, leaving one off-balance and breathless. The sun shone warmly, however, and the party was cheerful. Gimli tramped back and forth over the rocks, raving about the great conquests of the dwarven race. Legolas had his face turned into the sun and away from the wind, peircing eyes scanning the horizon. Merry and Pippin were learning sword fighting from Boromir. Frodo and Sam looked on in amusement. Even Aragorn and Gandalf seemed relaxed.
Kara glanced at Frodo from time to time. She did worry about him, as did the rest of the fellowship. At times she found herself spontaneously placing a hand on his shoulder or pulling him into a hug. Now his blue, blue eyes flickered to her face and Kara caught an inkling of the burden he was bearing. She couldn't take it any more. Being careful of her aching muscles, she pulled herself upright and slipped over to the sheltered seat Frodo occupied.
Frodo watched her sit down next to him wordlessly. Kara felt no need to say anything. The look in his eyes, and the look in hers, spoke volumes. Kara smoothed his mass of curly hair back from his forehead.
"Rest, little one. You are not alone." Frodo looked at her for a moment, his eyes large and liquid. Kara felt his pain like a knife in her heart. His chest heaved a deep sigh, and the little hobbit leaned over and rested his head on Kara's lap, pulling his knees up to his chest. Her heart bled to see the tears of exhaustion work tracks down his cheeks. She cradled his shoulders with one arm, running her fingers through his hair gently.
Sam watched from a few feet away, the look on his face expressing his emotions with eloquence. He was sick with worry over his master. Kara nodded slightly at him, doing her best to reassure him that all would be well. Sam gave her a doubtful look, then crept a bit closer to Kara and his master. Frodo by now had his eyes closed, tentatively relaxing. Every now and then he would quiver a bit. Sam looked from Frodo back up to Kara. She smiled softly and motioned Sam closer. Cautiously, trying not to wake his master, he slid nearer and sank down on the other side of Kara.
The rest of the party went on with what they were doing. Their voices mingled together into a rising and falling hum. Kara ignored the busy sound, slipping an arm around Sam's shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Sam hesitated for a moment, then a fatigued shudder rattled his body. Leaning over, he hid his head in Kara's shoulder and sniffled. Kara held the two hobbits gently. There would be time for strength later. Now was a time for weakness and rest. Kara cringed to think how little sleep these two had gotten during their travels. As they began to slip into a drowsing state, Kara shaded their eyes and willed them to give her their pain for just this breif time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boromir watched Kara clasp the little ones out of the corner of his eye, all the time keeping up with the clumsy but quick blows Pippin was dealing him. From time to time he managed to freeze an image of her in his mind for a few seconds. She was leaning against the rockface, almost buried under the two hobbits. She held a hand over their eyes to sheild them from the dim beams of the sun. Locks of red hair had pulled loose from her braid and whipped across her cheeks, shining like burnished bronze. Her eyes blazed protectively, and the way she chewed her lip and watched the landscape made Boromir wonder just how she would react to someone approaching them. Of one thing he was certain, he wasn't going to try it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a cry from Legolas, immediately followed by a sheet of black blotting out the sun. As the hundreds of birds flew overhead and he ducked underneath a rock, he chastised himself for being distracted.
Then again, who would expect an innocent flock of death-black birds flying straight toward them to be anything noticeable?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kara had never liked the dark.
It felt as if the tunnels and halls of Moria were about to swallow her whole. She screwed up her vision to attempt to see into the murky depths every so often. The ironlike vise of blackness closed over her eyes like a cloak. Kara tried not to shiver as she tripped over skeletons and heard them shatter and roll into the dark.
In addition to this, Kara felt the faintest burning on her chest. It was little more than a warm glow compared to what she had felt before, but it was enough to put her on her guard.
The mood had shifted dramatically since the flock of birds had flown overhead, spying out their position, forcing them to flee underground when all was done. Gimli was closed-mouthed, and understandably so. His kinsmen lay dead at his feet. There was little to no hope for his relatives, though no one said so. The hobbits didn't like this cold underground business. They liked topsoil and rich clay, not rock and echoing halls. They kept in a little clump, cheering each other and the non-hobbits as well as they could.
Aragorn was somber and serious, trying his very best to be a strong leader. Legolas, along with Kara, was doing his best to see into the dark, intensely disliking the dim atmosphere. Gandalf said little, leading the way with his staff. Kara was almost sure he was terrified, though he wouldn't admit it.
As for Boromir, he seemed fixed on making sure the company was relatively safe. He insisted on walking single file over the narrow bridges, ensured that there were enough rations, water, and blankets to go around, and from time to time walked beside one person or another in an attempt to cheer them.
When it was Kara's turn, she couldn't help but assert that it was a moot point.
"Really, Boromir..." She murmured quietly---Gandalf insisted they keep their voices quiet always. "I'm all right. You should be more worried about Gimli. I can only imagine what he's going through."
"Gimli is proud. What he feels he must feel alone. Any intrusion would only deepen his difficulty. You, on the other hand, look as troubled as the wizard. It doesn't befit you." Kara smiled humorlessly.
"I suppose you could say my mark is giving me a constant warning siren. It isn't severe, but it's enough to, as you say, trouble me." Kara sighed deeply.
"Nothing makes sense any more. I have no idea what I'm doing here, no idea what I should be doing. I've only killed one living being in my life, now I'm supposed to protect or destroy the fellowship, or whatever?" Kara found her eyes stinging. Quickly, she wiped away tears, willing herself to stop being weak, to stop wanting to fold. Boromir placed a hand on her shoulder. The unexpected kindness made her choke, and another thought drove out all the others.
"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a sunrise?"
They had dropped behind the rest of the fellowship, hanging back at the edge of the light emitted from Gandalf's staff. Boromir's feet made a muffled thudding sound. Its rhythm gave Kara something to focus on. The despair wore at her muscles, dragging her down into the abyss on either side of the trail. All that kept her going was a driving fear at her heels, just as it had when she left her family's home. Fear of failure, fear of loneliness, fear of the cold and the dark and of losing her way and never finding it again. Her heart pounded at what lay ahead, and what lay behind. Numbness was the only option, no option at all, her only lifeline and the death that gripped her.
The only person that was even trying to break through the fog said nothing, walking beside her in a warm silence. His mere presence assured her that there was something solid in the world, something that would not evaporate in the heat of her confusion. Kara stole sideway glances at him from time to time.
The rest of the fellowship regarded him as proud and foolish. He was proud. Kara, naïve as she was, could easily see that. But his pride stemmed out of a rich knowledge of who he was, and from the deep love he carried for his heritage, his home, and his people. For that, Kara was almost envious.
And there was another aspect to him. Though he seemed to get lost when the larger picture was discussed, he had an uncanny grasp of the here and now. The members of the fellowship seemed to be his highest concern. With every suggestion he made it was reflected. Like the love he bore for his people, he seemed to love the lives of the people he now traveled with. Even the tiny hobbits that seemed to so frustrate the others held a special place with him.
Kara was roused out of her thoughts by Boromir's hand once again on her shoulder.
"You said nothing made sense any more. That is a curiosity of life. They say everything begins to make sense just before you die. I know that is of little help, but consider this: No member of the fellowship knows just what he is to do here. Even the wizard is uncertain. If you were prophesied about, you have more assurance than any of us." His voice was soft-toned and musical, almost as if he were singing a lullaby. Kara couldn't help but remember watching him train the hobbits with their swords. Sam was so painfully shy, but Boromir patiently worked his way through the self consciousness. Merry and Pippin refused to take it seriously, but somehow they had gone from play to serious to play and then back again. Her lips pulled back into a tender smile, remembering their childlike laughter. The hand on shoulder squeezed gently.
"Calad Aur. You let the rest of us see a sunrise each time you smile."
Kara looked down a little, her lips still tugged back gently. Boromir laughed softly.
"I remember seeing you when you watched the sunrise. There is no way someone could know the sunlight the way you do and not carry it with her wherever she goes." He reached out and brushed her cheek with one finger.
"Even the tears you cry are jewels." He pulled them to a stop and tilted her chin toward him.
"The fellowship could not lose you." His voice dropped to an even softer whisper.
"I could not lose you, Calad Aur." Kara felt his warm breath across her cheeks, turning cold on the tracks the tears made. She leaned closer to him, blocking out everything but his warmth, letting it drive away the cold of the mines for the first time in days.
"Boromir! Kara! You fools, don't stray from the light!" Kara ripped her face away from his hand and whirled around. Her dark eyes shot daggers at the wrinkled prune of a wizard that now walked away from them, as if his words had instilled some kind of wisdom in their vacant skulls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boromir watched Kara stare at Gandalf's back. Then, the corner of his eye caught movement. Aragorn stood at the edge of the shadows watching them. The look on his face did not bode well. Boromir did not look forward to being alone with him in the next few days.
Many things could happen in the dark.