Chapter Number: 22
Chapter Title: The River
Original Chapter Title: Elle Falls into a River aka "Chapter 22" *insane giggles*
"I do not care if I ever walk too close to the river." Elle said turning around and walking backwards. "And I do not care if you can't see me either." She yelled though the fog.
"If I loose you again, well, I do not care!" Lauri retorted quickening her pace. 'If I loose her again, I will not know what to do' she thought. For it was true, the fog had settled in early that day and the only way they knew where they we going was to walk next to the river. 'She better not be walking to close to the edge.'
"You know, I feel a whole lot better today, my shoulder isn't aching, and I can almost see Frodo again in my mind. I sure hope he's all right. All by himself and all."
"Uh, Elle, Sam's with him." Lauri corrected.
"What?" Elle stopped in her tracks till Lauri had caught up.
"Sam is with Frodo." Lauri stated again. "Didn't you know that?"
"I thought he was captured, with Merry and Pippin."
"Of course not. I thought we told you, I guess not."
"But, but, how did Sam go with him?" Elle questioned.
"He just went I guess, why?" At that Elle's face grew red and she flared angrily.
"Well, he didn't seem too enthusiastic about letting me go with him."
"What do you mean?"
"I tried to go with him, but he said, that, that......" Elle's eyes began to water and the tears started to flow just as the sky opened up with rain.
"What did he say to you Elle? What did he say?" Lauri stopped grabbing Elle on the shoulder. Elanor silently stood there shaking her head with her hair beginning stick to her face. "Tell me Elanor, what did he say to you." Lauri's tone grew hard.
"He told me he didn't care, he said he didn't..he didn't.not in the first place..not ever.." Elle sobbed. Lauri drew her in and softly spoke.
"It's all right. He didn't mean it, he better not have meant it. Why would he say such a thing? I'm sure he wouldn't want you hurt. Come now Elle, why wouldn't you follow him? How else could he have convinced you other wise."
"I'm a burden, that's why. I'm still to blind to see my own mistakes, and if I slip up just once, I'm finished."
"Elanor, you know he didn't mean it, why else would you have come this far. You followed him Elle. How would you feel if he wanted to come with you orc hunting?"
"I wouldn't want him too, he might get hurt." Elle said slightly calming down
"And how would you keep him from following you?" Lauri challenged. "Putting him in a vice? Tie him up some where?"
"I suppose you're right. But, but, what if he meant it?" Elle started again.
"Elanor, do not even think that."
"What if, what, if, what if." Elanor backed away from the elf and ran in the opposite direction."
"Elanor! Elanor Took, come back here!" Lauri yelled walking faster towards her.
"He never cared for me in the first place! Why should anything matter now?" Elle yelled before she felt her feet give way before her.
"Elle! Elle! Where are you!?" Lauri cried, just before she heard the splash. "Elle!" She bolted closer to the river, unable to see, hoping she would find the right place.
"Elle! Say something because if you don't I'll never find you!" Lauri yelled.
"What if I do not want to be found." Elle said.
"Well that is just too bad for you then." Lauri said as she quickly followed the sound of her friend's voice. She was sitting in the shallow part of the river, not even trying to get out.
"Elle, you know he didn't mean it. Don't act like this. He loves you." Lauri said and held out her hand to help the hobbit out of the water.
"Maybe so." Elanor said, taking the elf's hand and pulling, causing Lauri to join her in the water with a splash.
"I hope that was an accident Elle." Lauri smirked.
Elle just grinned. "Empty threats mellonamin"
"True." Lauri laughed and stood up. "Well, now that we're completely soaked, I suppose we need not worry about the rain." She climbed out of the water and onto the banks. She turned back, to help Elle out, but just as she turned the current picked up and swept the small creature away.
"Elle!" she gasped and began to dash down the banks after her.
"Lauri help!" Elanor cried as she struggled to stay above water.
"Try to get to the shore!"
"I can't! You know I-" Elle was cut off as she was pulled under the rushing water.
"Elanor!" 'Oh no! She really is going to die this time!' Lauri's mind raced as fast as her feet. The rain hit stung her face as she ran against the wind. Then she saw Elle surface with a gasp. "Elle I'm going to get you out! I won't let you drown!" she cried, but as she stopped paying attention she turned her ankle on a slippery rock. She winced in pain but kept running when she saw Elle go under yet again.
'Is this how it's going to end? Elanor is going to drown and I'm going to die the way I almost did before, with no one to help.' Lauri thought in disbelief. She ran a few more steps before she saw Elle clinging to a rock in the middle of the river.
She jumped in and swam towards the rock, but was swept down the river herself. She swam towards the shore and clambered onto it, running back up to where she could see Elle.
She spotted a long tree branch on the ground nearby, and carried it to the river's edge.
"Elle! Hold onto the end of this branch! I'll pull you out!" she shouted and held the branch over to the stranded hobbit.
Elanor gripped the branch with both hands, letting go of the rock and hoped that Lauri could pull her in before the current got her.
The second Elle let go of the rock, the current began to drag her down the river. Lauri held tightly to the branch and steered it towards the shore until Elle was at last on land.
The blonde hobbit coughed and sputtered for a moment, as the elf lifted her off the ground. "Elle, are you all right?" she asked, carrying her away from the river.
"Y..yes. I'm sorry Lauri." Elanor said before fainting.
"Elle!" Lauri gasped, then sighed. 'Frodo better have been lying.' She thought angrily as she tried to shelter the hobbit from the wind. 'For if he wasn't, he will pay dearly.' She cried out in frustration because she had nothing to put around her friend to keep her from becoming ill, because everything she had was also wet from the river water. She began desperately searching for somewhere to get out of the wind and rain.
She finally found a large rock and sat behind it. 'Well there's nothing I can do about the rain, but at least we're out of the wind.' She thought. The wind whistled though the trees. The elf and the hobbit, shivered in their sleep, and somewhere Frodo looked up at the sky and his muscles became tense.
"Where ever you are, and whatever the fare, I miss you so."
"Come Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't lag behind." Sam said as he directed Frodo forward towards Gollum's gleaming eyes."
A.N.: ELLE: This scene somewhat actually happened to us. Less dramatic of course but for us it was a big deal. We decided to base this chapter upon that very experience. But of course you will never hear of that experience because one, I'm too lazy to write about it. And two, it's just too embarrassing.
LAURI: Well, I could only post one chapter because I need to get Elle's authors notes for the next ones, so I'm sooooo sorry. I also am in a bad mood now because I just blew up the internet connection to all the upstairs computers. I live in Germany, and over here there's a different electrical currency. In the states it's 110, well, over here it's 220. Now that I know what happens when you plug a 110 appliance into a 220 plug, I don't think I'll ever do that again. *sigh* Oh well, please R/R. Maybe it'll cheer me up...
Chapter Title: The River
Original Chapter Title: Elle Falls into a River aka "Chapter 22" *insane giggles*
"I do not care if I ever walk too close to the river." Elle said turning around and walking backwards. "And I do not care if you can't see me either." She yelled though the fog.
"If I loose you again, well, I do not care!" Lauri retorted quickening her pace. 'If I loose her again, I will not know what to do' she thought. For it was true, the fog had settled in early that day and the only way they knew where they we going was to walk next to the river. 'She better not be walking to close to the edge.'
"You know, I feel a whole lot better today, my shoulder isn't aching, and I can almost see Frodo again in my mind. I sure hope he's all right. All by himself and all."
"Uh, Elle, Sam's with him." Lauri corrected.
"What?" Elle stopped in her tracks till Lauri had caught up.
"Sam is with Frodo." Lauri stated again. "Didn't you know that?"
"I thought he was captured, with Merry and Pippin."
"Of course not. I thought we told you, I guess not."
"But, but, how did Sam go with him?" Elle questioned.
"He just went I guess, why?" At that Elle's face grew red and she flared angrily.
"Well, he didn't seem too enthusiastic about letting me go with him."
"What do you mean?"
"I tried to go with him, but he said, that, that......" Elle's eyes began to water and the tears started to flow just as the sky opened up with rain.
"What did he say to you Elle? What did he say?" Lauri stopped grabbing Elle on the shoulder. Elanor silently stood there shaking her head with her hair beginning stick to her face. "Tell me Elanor, what did he say to you." Lauri's tone grew hard.
"He told me he didn't care, he said he didn't..he didn't.not in the first place..not ever.." Elle sobbed. Lauri drew her in and softly spoke.
"It's all right. He didn't mean it, he better not have meant it. Why would he say such a thing? I'm sure he wouldn't want you hurt. Come now Elle, why wouldn't you follow him? How else could he have convinced you other wise."
"I'm a burden, that's why. I'm still to blind to see my own mistakes, and if I slip up just once, I'm finished."
"Elanor, you know he didn't mean it, why else would you have come this far. You followed him Elle. How would you feel if he wanted to come with you orc hunting?"
"I wouldn't want him too, he might get hurt." Elle said slightly calming down
"And how would you keep him from following you?" Lauri challenged. "Putting him in a vice? Tie him up some where?"
"I suppose you're right. But, but, what if he meant it?" Elle started again.
"Elanor, do not even think that."
"What if, what, if, what if." Elanor backed away from the elf and ran in the opposite direction."
"Elanor! Elanor Took, come back here!" Lauri yelled walking faster towards her.
"He never cared for me in the first place! Why should anything matter now?" Elle yelled before she felt her feet give way before her.
"Elle! Elle! Where are you!?" Lauri cried, just before she heard the splash. "Elle!" She bolted closer to the river, unable to see, hoping she would find the right place.
"Elle! Say something because if you don't I'll never find you!" Lauri yelled.
"What if I do not want to be found." Elle said.
"Well that is just too bad for you then." Lauri said as she quickly followed the sound of her friend's voice. She was sitting in the shallow part of the river, not even trying to get out.
"Elle, you know he didn't mean it. Don't act like this. He loves you." Lauri said and held out her hand to help the hobbit out of the water.
"Maybe so." Elanor said, taking the elf's hand and pulling, causing Lauri to join her in the water with a splash.
"I hope that was an accident Elle." Lauri smirked.
Elle just grinned. "Empty threats mellonamin"
"True." Lauri laughed and stood up. "Well, now that we're completely soaked, I suppose we need not worry about the rain." She climbed out of the water and onto the banks. She turned back, to help Elle out, but just as she turned the current picked up and swept the small creature away.
"Elle!" she gasped and began to dash down the banks after her.
"Lauri help!" Elanor cried as she struggled to stay above water.
"Try to get to the shore!"
"I can't! You know I-" Elle was cut off as she was pulled under the rushing water.
"Elanor!" 'Oh no! She really is going to die this time!' Lauri's mind raced as fast as her feet. The rain hit stung her face as she ran against the wind. Then she saw Elle surface with a gasp. "Elle I'm going to get you out! I won't let you drown!" she cried, but as she stopped paying attention she turned her ankle on a slippery rock. She winced in pain but kept running when she saw Elle go under yet again.
'Is this how it's going to end? Elanor is going to drown and I'm going to die the way I almost did before, with no one to help.' Lauri thought in disbelief. She ran a few more steps before she saw Elle clinging to a rock in the middle of the river.
She jumped in and swam towards the rock, but was swept down the river herself. She swam towards the shore and clambered onto it, running back up to where she could see Elle.
She spotted a long tree branch on the ground nearby, and carried it to the river's edge.
"Elle! Hold onto the end of this branch! I'll pull you out!" she shouted and held the branch over to the stranded hobbit.
Elanor gripped the branch with both hands, letting go of the rock and hoped that Lauri could pull her in before the current got her.
The second Elle let go of the rock, the current began to drag her down the river. Lauri held tightly to the branch and steered it towards the shore until Elle was at last on land.
The blonde hobbit coughed and sputtered for a moment, as the elf lifted her off the ground. "Elle, are you all right?" she asked, carrying her away from the river.
"Y..yes. I'm sorry Lauri." Elanor said before fainting.
"Elle!" Lauri gasped, then sighed. 'Frodo better have been lying.' She thought angrily as she tried to shelter the hobbit from the wind. 'For if he wasn't, he will pay dearly.' She cried out in frustration because she had nothing to put around her friend to keep her from becoming ill, because everything she had was also wet from the river water. She began desperately searching for somewhere to get out of the wind and rain.
She finally found a large rock and sat behind it. 'Well there's nothing I can do about the rain, but at least we're out of the wind.' She thought. The wind whistled though the trees. The elf and the hobbit, shivered in their sleep, and somewhere Frodo looked up at the sky and his muscles became tense.
"Where ever you are, and whatever the fare, I miss you so."
"Come Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't lag behind." Sam said as he directed Frodo forward towards Gollum's gleaming eyes."
A.N.: ELLE: This scene somewhat actually happened to us. Less dramatic of course but for us it was a big deal. We decided to base this chapter upon that very experience. But of course you will never hear of that experience because one, I'm too lazy to write about it. And two, it's just too embarrassing.
LAURI: Well, I could only post one chapter because I need to get Elle's authors notes for the next ones, so I'm sooooo sorry. I also am in a bad mood now because I just blew up the internet connection to all the upstairs computers. I live in Germany, and over here there's a different electrical currency. In the states it's 110, well, over here it's 220. Now that I know what happens when you plug a 110 appliance into a 220 plug, I don't think I'll ever do that again. *sigh* Oh well, please R/R. Maybe it'll cheer me up...