Dislcaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. It belongs to
J. R. R. Tolkien
Author's Note:
I tried to make this chapter as long as I could to make it interseting and to leave off without a smack in the wall (which does not include cliffhangers! Mwahaha!) I am out of my bad mood and back iin my hyper insane-ness! Who wants to help me push Legolas off a cliff?!! I want to kill him to save him! Save him from the Mary-Sues! Mwahahaha!
SET IT OFF!
The thought of climbing a snowcapped mountain had not reached Naheka's mind when she had only taken a woolen cloak with her on Sauron's Quest. But now that she was scaling a snowcapped mountain with just her cloak... in the winter time, she slightly quaked with worry as she looked up into the bloodstained red hills of Caradhras. The crisp snow was tainted pink from the rouge rocks beneath it, which struck up to the gray sky as if the rocks were fierce waves crashing up against a black coral shore.
It reminded her of the Irakhi Mountains, the desolate range that bordered the perimeter of the desert she lived in. Beyond that was the rolling plains of Ghadliste, and west of that was Sabitlham, a dark and misty jungle of a forest, consisting wild flora and fauna. The Yegmista River was the only water source there, save the weekly rainstorms of the south. In the south, the Lahkhie Sea never rested in the perpetual hurricanes. Luckily, the Ulbaht Islands were at the mid-north area, several hundred miles above Sabitlham. Kima fish were a fine delicacy cooked only in that region of her home. Now, in the winter would be the time that her division would travel across the seas to settle in the islands for better climate, and to alternate training exercises. They were always greeted with a fine feast of Kima, that soft tender white meat, pasted in butter and topped with---
"Crackers?" offered a monotonous Jackie, shaking a leaf green package in front of Naheka's face.
"Lembas!" corrected C-chan, "And don't give 'em all away! I'm savin' them for me midnight snacks!" She hastily snatched the package out of Jackie's hand.
"Hobbits have been a bad influence on you," said Megan, shaking her head as she took a small gallop over a knoll of the red stone, "You're lucky that I'm not hungry."
"She would have scarfed the whole thing down before you could say 'Rivendell'," muttered Jackie.
C-chan hugged her lembas and stroked them protectively. Gandalf smiled and gently shook his head as he continued to ascend to another level of mountain. Legolas leapt lightly and gracefully from peak to peak like a young stag through it's home forest. Gimli and Boromir climbed slowly and vigorously a few feet behind them, and the hobbits cautiously gripped onto each other in hopes of not toppling over into reverse of their quest.
Naheka shivered as she felt a slight breeze pass over her bare shoulder. Throwing her woolen cloak over her back, she wished to have her leather tunic and leggings... but wait! She did have them! She had brought them with her when she had left Mordor with her Nazgul companions. They now rested at the bottom of a hard leather sack that was strapped loosely on her back. She could put them on at their next stop.
"Finally," she thought happily, "A positive turn in this horrid mess of an adventure!"
Then she decided to have an unfair race between herself and her female companions up the mountain, where Naheka started at least two yards above their heads.
~*~
She had won the race easily. After bounding with her strong legs up a high diagonal course of rocks, she curved between the chain of fearful scaling hobbits, then had to clamber swiftly with her hands and toes up an even higher surface of mountain. For a while, she competed with Boromir and Gimli, stopping to rest a blink every ten or so minutes. However, Legolas was not in the mood for such "child's play" as he took the lead ahead of the wizard and kept the teenager out of his sight. Although, she did toss a well-aimed snowball at his head. To his annoyance, and her delight, the snowball had rocks in it.
The poor elf massaged his head where a particularly hard and jagged stone knocked him round the head. Naheka was still laughing devilishly, even after the Fellowship had settled down at dusk to have a bite of supper, and to have a wink of sleep or two. Dinner was a few scraps of dry meat, brought from the last city that the Fellowship had been to.
"It's called Rivendell," explained Sam, wiping his pans and pots clean, "It's an elf city, home of Lord Elrond. A great elf he be, a great half-elf." Naheka listened somewhat attentively as she threw on her leather tunic over her shoulders after she had removed her cloak. She felt much warmer now, being covered with warm skin all the way to both wrists. Soon, her shins would feel the same. "He's the one that puts us together in our Fellowship. We aren't letting Mr. Frodo here go off on the quest as the only hobbit, are we, Merry, Pip?"
"'Course not!" agreed Merry through a cheek-full of meat. Pippin nodded fervently as he wolfed the last of his meal down his little halfling throat.
Naheka smiled slightly. Though minuscule in stature they definitely were, these four hobbits had a great loyalty to each other. Admirable quality, loyalty was. Along with truth, faith, trust, and hope. A smidgen of intellect wouldn't be skin off anyone's back either. The halflings shared a mutual amount of each value. Such a positive thought was surprisingly sweet to her more than disgusting. She planned to get to know them better later on.
The campfire became dim as soon as she laid her head down onto her cloak, which she had laid out onto the ground as a sort of mat. Terribly uncomfortable is was, very uncomfortable. But it didn't matter. She wouldn't be sleeping for long.
~*~
"What are you doing?"
The whispers of the Ring of Power instantly faded out of Naheka's mind as she sprang to her feet and leapt silently and swiftly away from Frodo. Not a single flake of snow pattered into the air again with her movements. A skill learned early by any recruit trained by Ryunarasu. Her olivine eyes lit to the near yellow of a feline's eye as she spotted the only being mad enough to be awake at this hour... save herself.
"Back off, elf," she spat, trekking slowly back to her area of slumber, "It is none of your business."
Legolas inhaled in attempt to calm himself down. It would not be right to start an argument with a child at three o' clock in the morning. It was a stupid concept, really.
"Never mind," he sighed, brushing a hand at her, "Go back to sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Naheka glared murderously at him when he had turned his back. She lay back down on her cloak and closed her eyes, making another plan: push Legolas either off a cliff, or into a rushing river.
~*~
"It's Saruman!"
"Cuiva nwalca Carnirassë! Nai yarvaxëa rasselya taltuva ñotto-carinnar!"
Whump!
Naheka thought her neck was going to break under the avalanche of snow that had just fallen from the peaks on top of herself and the Fellowship. Bricks of ice brutally shattered any presence of warmth in her insides, and darkness was a white slab of biting cold snow. The frost seemed to have ferocious teeth as it harshly nipped her shoulders and down her spine, mercilessly tearing at her limbs and gnawing her joints.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!"
"We should have made for the Gap of Rohan!"
"That would have taken us too close to Isengard!"
Naheka was turning blue from the cold, starting to lose all connection with the outer world.
"We shall let the Ringbearer decide!"
Naheka passed out before she could hear what Frodo had to say. As she fell, she had a last thought: perhaps this journey would be tougher than she thought it would be. Judging by the simultaneous light wispy thuds beside her, C-chan, Megan, and Jackie had fainted too.
I made a written preview for the next fic in this trilogy that I'll be working on which is the sequel to Aldarion. The story's gonna' be packed with romance, angst, drama, action, and surprises! Angst, angst, angst! I wanted to post it up on ff.net, but previews aren't allowed, and I don't want to give trouble to anyone. If you're interested in this mini-fic preview, mention it in a review and leave your e-mail address! I'll e-mail it to you. It's a song fic. Thanks!
-Naheka
Author's Note:
I tried to make this chapter as long as I could to make it interseting and to leave off without a smack in the wall (which does not include cliffhangers! Mwahaha!) I am out of my bad mood and back iin my hyper insane-ness! Who wants to help me push Legolas off a cliff?!! I want to kill him to save him! Save him from the Mary-Sues! Mwahahaha!
SET IT OFF!
The thought of climbing a snowcapped mountain had not reached Naheka's mind when she had only taken a woolen cloak with her on Sauron's Quest. But now that she was scaling a snowcapped mountain with just her cloak... in the winter time, she slightly quaked with worry as she looked up into the bloodstained red hills of Caradhras. The crisp snow was tainted pink from the rouge rocks beneath it, which struck up to the gray sky as if the rocks were fierce waves crashing up against a black coral shore.
It reminded her of the Irakhi Mountains, the desolate range that bordered the perimeter of the desert she lived in. Beyond that was the rolling plains of Ghadliste, and west of that was Sabitlham, a dark and misty jungle of a forest, consisting wild flora and fauna. The Yegmista River was the only water source there, save the weekly rainstorms of the south. In the south, the Lahkhie Sea never rested in the perpetual hurricanes. Luckily, the Ulbaht Islands were at the mid-north area, several hundred miles above Sabitlham. Kima fish were a fine delicacy cooked only in that region of her home. Now, in the winter would be the time that her division would travel across the seas to settle in the islands for better climate, and to alternate training exercises. They were always greeted with a fine feast of Kima, that soft tender white meat, pasted in butter and topped with---
"Crackers?" offered a monotonous Jackie, shaking a leaf green package in front of Naheka's face.
"Lembas!" corrected C-chan, "And don't give 'em all away! I'm savin' them for me midnight snacks!" She hastily snatched the package out of Jackie's hand.
"Hobbits have been a bad influence on you," said Megan, shaking her head as she took a small gallop over a knoll of the red stone, "You're lucky that I'm not hungry."
"She would have scarfed the whole thing down before you could say 'Rivendell'," muttered Jackie.
C-chan hugged her lembas and stroked them protectively. Gandalf smiled and gently shook his head as he continued to ascend to another level of mountain. Legolas leapt lightly and gracefully from peak to peak like a young stag through it's home forest. Gimli and Boromir climbed slowly and vigorously a few feet behind them, and the hobbits cautiously gripped onto each other in hopes of not toppling over into reverse of their quest.
Naheka shivered as she felt a slight breeze pass over her bare shoulder. Throwing her woolen cloak over her back, she wished to have her leather tunic and leggings... but wait! She did have them! She had brought them with her when she had left Mordor with her Nazgul companions. They now rested at the bottom of a hard leather sack that was strapped loosely on her back. She could put them on at their next stop.
"Finally," she thought happily, "A positive turn in this horrid mess of an adventure!"
Then she decided to have an unfair race between herself and her female companions up the mountain, where Naheka started at least two yards above their heads.
~*~
She had won the race easily. After bounding with her strong legs up a high diagonal course of rocks, she curved between the chain of fearful scaling hobbits, then had to clamber swiftly with her hands and toes up an even higher surface of mountain. For a while, she competed with Boromir and Gimli, stopping to rest a blink every ten or so minutes. However, Legolas was not in the mood for such "child's play" as he took the lead ahead of the wizard and kept the teenager out of his sight. Although, she did toss a well-aimed snowball at his head. To his annoyance, and her delight, the snowball had rocks in it.
The poor elf massaged his head where a particularly hard and jagged stone knocked him round the head. Naheka was still laughing devilishly, even after the Fellowship had settled down at dusk to have a bite of supper, and to have a wink of sleep or two. Dinner was a few scraps of dry meat, brought from the last city that the Fellowship had been to.
"It's called Rivendell," explained Sam, wiping his pans and pots clean, "It's an elf city, home of Lord Elrond. A great elf he be, a great half-elf." Naheka listened somewhat attentively as she threw on her leather tunic over her shoulders after she had removed her cloak. She felt much warmer now, being covered with warm skin all the way to both wrists. Soon, her shins would feel the same. "He's the one that puts us together in our Fellowship. We aren't letting Mr. Frodo here go off on the quest as the only hobbit, are we, Merry, Pip?"
"'Course not!" agreed Merry through a cheek-full of meat. Pippin nodded fervently as he wolfed the last of his meal down his little halfling throat.
Naheka smiled slightly. Though minuscule in stature they definitely were, these four hobbits had a great loyalty to each other. Admirable quality, loyalty was. Along with truth, faith, trust, and hope. A smidgen of intellect wouldn't be skin off anyone's back either. The halflings shared a mutual amount of each value. Such a positive thought was surprisingly sweet to her more than disgusting. She planned to get to know them better later on.
The campfire became dim as soon as she laid her head down onto her cloak, which she had laid out onto the ground as a sort of mat. Terribly uncomfortable is was, very uncomfortable. But it didn't matter. She wouldn't be sleeping for long.
~*~
"What are you doing?"
The whispers of the Ring of Power instantly faded out of Naheka's mind as she sprang to her feet and leapt silently and swiftly away from Frodo. Not a single flake of snow pattered into the air again with her movements. A skill learned early by any recruit trained by Ryunarasu. Her olivine eyes lit to the near yellow of a feline's eye as she spotted the only being mad enough to be awake at this hour... save herself.
"Back off, elf," she spat, trekking slowly back to her area of slumber, "It is none of your business."
Legolas inhaled in attempt to calm himself down. It would not be right to start an argument with a child at three o' clock in the morning. It was a stupid concept, really.
"Never mind," he sighed, brushing a hand at her, "Go back to sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Naheka glared murderously at him when he had turned his back. She lay back down on her cloak and closed her eyes, making another plan: push Legolas either off a cliff, or into a rushing river.
~*~
"It's Saruman!"
"Cuiva nwalca Carnirassë! Nai yarvaxëa rasselya taltuva ñotto-carinnar!"
Whump!
Naheka thought her neck was going to break under the avalanche of snow that had just fallen from the peaks on top of herself and the Fellowship. Bricks of ice brutally shattered any presence of warmth in her insides, and darkness was a white slab of biting cold snow. The frost seemed to have ferocious teeth as it harshly nipped her shoulders and down her spine, mercilessly tearing at her limbs and gnawing her joints.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!"
"We should have made for the Gap of Rohan!"
"That would have taken us too close to Isengard!"
Naheka was turning blue from the cold, starting to lose all connection with the outer world.
"We shall let the Ringbearer decide!"
Naheka passed out before she could hear what Frodo had to say. As she fell, she had a last thought: perhaps this journey would be tougher than she thought it would be. Judging by the simultaneous light wispy thuds beside her, C-chan, Megan, and Jackie had fainted too.
I made a written preview for the next fic in this trilogy that I'll be working on which is the sequel to Aldarion. The story's gonna' be packed with romance, angst, drama, action, and surprises! Angst, angst, angst! I wanted to post it up on ff.net, but previews aren't allowed, and I don't want to give trouble to anyone. If you're interested in this mini-fic preview, mention it in a review and leave your e-mail address! I'll e-mail it to you. It's a song fic. Thanks!
-Naheka