Chapter three: Counseling and snowball fights
*******
The next day the Fellowship reached Caradharas, making their way slowly through knee-deep snow and blinding snowstorms. Malaika kept by Merry and Pippin, sometimes talking with Frodo, maybe Sam, but the younger hobbits were friendlier and laughed with her. The group reached a small peak with a ledge jutting out over the steep slopes of the mountain. It was a clear day, and Gandalf said they could rest for a while before trudging onward. Merry, Pippin and Malaika rolled around in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other and laughing. Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf and Gimli sat nearby, counseling and whispering.
"How will we get the girl home?" Aragorn asked.
"Where does she live? We have to find that out before we can return her home," Boromir countered.
Gandalf nodded.
"She seems content with us in the daytime, yet at night..." Gandalf paused. "Her mind is troubled with memories of the dark past, and I could feel her unease when she first met us."
"Yes. She looks to be hiding a secret, yet to what it is, I do not know." Aragorn cast a glance at Malaika, rolling in the snow, laughing, and shook his head in pity.
Frodo and Sam stood by, talking of the situation.
"The girl is strange, as if she is from another world," Sam said.
Frodo nodded and said, "Yet the blood of Orcs was on her sword, which looked a bit like Elven crafting when I found it."
Sam shrugged. "Well, Mr. Frodo, she seems to be fine now."
Frodo nodded in agreement.
Pippin yelped as a snowball whizzed past his head, nearly swiping his ear off. He glared playfully at Malaika, who had thrown it. While he was off his guard, another snowball thwapped him on the shoulder, courtesy of Merry, who was grinning like a maniac until a snowball hit him on the head. Malaika smiled and threw another at Pippin, who threw one at Merry, who hit Pippin back. Pippin threw a snowball at Merry, who threw another back. Malaika crossed her arms in a gesture of playful crossness and said, "What? Leaving me out of all the fun? How mean!"
Pippin smiled and threw a snowball, hitting her square in the shoulder.
"Oh, you want to play rough now, do you? Alright!"
Pippin nodded. "Of course I do!" He gathered a pile of snow and packed it into a ball and prepared for an attack. Merry, who was watching the two, was caught off guard and a snowball hit him in the side of the face. He yelped and wiped the cold snow off his face, throwing a ball of snow back at Pippin. Malaika laughed.
"I threw that, Merry!" she grinned.
"You did?"
Malaika nodded, the insane grin still plastered onto her face.
"Yes, well take this!" Merry challenged, throwing a snowball at the girl, who ducked it easily. She stuck out her tongue at Merry, but a snowball hit her right in the face, causing her to flinch and wipe the snow off as quickly as possible. She glared at Pippin, who threw another one at her, but she ducked this time.
"Is that the best you can do?" she snapped playfully, releasing another ball of snow and hitting her aimed target: Pippin's face. Merry laughed at his friend's expression until snow made contact with his shoulder, coming from Malaika's arsenal of snowballs, hidden by a wall of snow, her 'fortress'. Merry grinned and threw another snowball, hitting Malaika back, while she threw a ball at Pippin, who ducked behind his fortress to avoid getting hit in the face again. Malaika laughed.
"Coward!" she yelled at Pippin. "Pippin's a coward, Pippin's a coward!" she chanted to Merry, who was laughing.
"I didn't know Pippin would be frightened of a girl!" he laughed, receiving a snowball in the face for that comment.
Aragorn shook his head, watching the three fight.
"Gandalf, should we continue our trek, or stay ere the day is dark?"
Gandalf cleared his throat.
"Yes, we should go on. Gimli, get the others. We are leaving soon."
*******
The next day the Fellowship reached Caradharas, making their way slowly through knee-deep snow and blinding snowstorms. Malaika kept by Merry and Pippin, sometimes talking with Frodo, maybe Sam, but the younger hobbits were friendlier and laughed with her. The group reached a small peak with a ledge jutting out over the steep slopes of the mountain. It was a clear day, and Gandalf said they could rest for a while before trudging onward. Merry, Pippin and Malaika rolled around in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other and laughing. Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf and Gimli sat nearby, counseling and whispering.
"How will we get the girl home?" Aragorn asked.
"Where does she live? We have to find that out before we can return her home," Boromir countered.
Gandalf nodded.
"She seems content with us in the daytime, yet at night..." Gandalf paused. "Her mind is troubled with memories of the dark past, and I could feel her unease when she first met us."
"Yes. She looks to be hiding a secret, yet to what it is, I do not know." Aragorn cast a glance at Malaika, rolling in the snow, laughing, and shook his head in pity.
Frodo and Sam stood by, talking of the situation.
"The girl is strange, as if she is from another world," Sam said.
Frodo nodded and said, "Yet the blood of Orcs was on her sword, which looked a bit like Elven crafting when I found it."
Sam shrugged. "Well, Mr. Frodo, she seems to be fine now."
Frodo nodded in agreement.
Pippin yelped as a snowball whizzed past his head, nearly swiping his ear off. He glared playfully at Malaika, who had thrown it. While he was off his guard, another snowball thwapped him on the shoulder, courtesy of Merry, who was grinning like a maniac until a snowball hit him on the head. Malaika smiled and threw another at Pippin, who threw one at Merry, who hit Pippin back. Pippin threw a snowball at Merry, who threw another back. Malaika crossed her arms in a gesture of playful crossness and said, "What? Leaving me out of all the fun? How mean!"
Pippin smiled and threw a snowball, hitting her square in the shoulder.
"Oh, you want to play rough now, do you? Alright!"
Pippin nodded. "Of course I do!" He gathered a pile of snow and packed it into a ball and prepared for an attack. Merry, who was watching the two, was caught off guard and a snowball hit him in the side of the face. He yelped and wiped the cold snow off his face, throwing a ball of snow back at Pippin. Malaika laughed.
"I threw that, Merry!" she grinned.
"You did?"
Malaika nodded, the insane grin still plastered onto her face.
"Yes, well take this!" Merry challenged, throwing a snowball at the girl, who ducked it easily. She stuck out her tongue at Merry, but a snowball hit her right in the face, causing her to flinch and wipe the snow off as quickly as possible. She glared at Pippin, who threw another one at her, but she ducked this time.
"Is that the best you can do?" she snapped playfully, releasing another ball of snow and hitting her aimed target: Pippin's face. Merry laughed at his friend's expression until snow made contact with his shoulder, coming from Malaika's arsenal of snowballs, hidden by a wall of snow, her 'fortress'. Merry grinned and threw another snowball, hitting Malaika back, while she threw a ball at Pippin, who ducked behind his fortress to avoid getting hit in the face again. Malaika laughed.
"Coward!" she yelled at Pippin. "Pippin's a coward, Pippin's a coward!" she chanted to Merry, who was laughing.
"I didn't know Pippin would be frightened of a girl!" he laughed, receiving a snowball in the face for that comment.
Aragorn shook his head, watching the three fight.
"Gandalf, should we continue our trek, or stay ere the day is dark?"
Gandalf cleared his throat.
"Yes, we should go on. Gimli, get the others. We are leaving soon."