Here's chapter four!
On with the show!
Chapter Four: Moonlight
*******
The Fellowship prepared to continue up Caradharas. Merry and Pippin objected visibly to Gandalf's choice to keep going, but soon gave in under the influence of Aragorn. Gimli rambled on about how they should have gone to Moria, and Legolas just kept his mouth shut, preferring to think alone. They trudged through shin-deep snow, talking little, although Gandalf muttered strange words to himself sometimes. Boromir thought of the White City, Sam thought of going home, and Frodo thought of the Ring, how it affected him and the others, and destroying it.
Merry, Pippin and Malaika stayed in the back whispering.
Pippin imitated Gimli constantly.
"'We should have gone through Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome,'" he said in a deep gruff voice that copied Gimli's voice, only younger.
Merry and Malaika laughed.
"I've got one," Merry said. "I'm Boromir. 'Let's give Gondor the Ring! I'll become the new Dark Lord and rule the world!'"
Malaika snickered. Although she hadn't heard of the One Ring, she still laughed.
"Okay, I'm Sam: 'Alright Mr. Frodo. I'm hungry and I want to go home,'" she said in an almost perfect Sam imitation.
The three friends laughed, and Aragorn turned to put a finger to his lips as a sign of silence.
"Gandalf is thinking. Be quiet."
The hobbits and Malaika obeyed and lowered their voices.
Malaika shivered.
"I'm cold," she whispered.
Pippin nodded, and Merry shuddered.
"Yes, me too. I wonder when we are going to rest. I hope it is soon," he murmured absently.
"I'm hungry," Pippin whined.
"You're always hungry," Merry said.
Aragorn turned again to the three and said, "We will rest for now. Gandalf will decide where we are to go next."
"Where will we stop?" Malaika asked. Aragorn pointed to an area, and said, "Nightfall is near. We will shelter there."
Malaika nodded. Gandalf moved towards the small cave-like hole in the side of the mountain, and said, "Your choice is wise, Aragorn. We shall stay ere dawn breaks." The others nodded and started to unpack.
Sam pulled out a frying pan.
"Aragorn, do you think it's possible to make a fire?"
Aragorn shook his head slightly.
"It might, if you happen to have brought firewood."
Sam's shoulders slumped.
Pippin whined.
"I'm hungry," he repeated.
"Yes, we know that!" Merry snapped.
Pippin shrunk away from his ill-tempered friend, and walked over to Malaika.
"Hullo. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," she murmured, staring blankly into nothingness.
Pippin shrugged and turned to empty his own pack in a suitable sleeping spot.
Frodo looked at the fading sky, and thought how he did that when he was still in the Shire.
'It's beautiful,' he thought with sadness. He turned to Sam and said,
"Sam, I wonder if they ever have sunsets like these in Mordor." He shuddered at the very mention of its name, even by his own tongue, and stared at the sky again, sighing.
"I doubt it, Mr. Frodo." Sam paused. "Are you hungry? I'll fix you something to eat if you'd like."
Frodo shook his head.
"No thanks, Sam. I'm not hungry."
Sam nodded and turned to prepare a meal for the rest of the group and him.
Gandalf walked over to Malaika and laid a hand on her thin shoulder.
"I know what troubles you, child. Memories cause you distress at night."
The girl turned her head to look at the old man and narrowed her gray eyes in suspicion.
"How would you be aware of what haunts my mind? Do you search my thoughts for answers to questions you are afraid to ask? Who are you, being one to gaze through my own mentality?"
Gandalf seemed to be surprised by this response, and sighed deeply.
"No, I do not wish to know your mind, only why you are unsettled at night, when others are at peace."
Malaika shrugged slightly and lowered her eyes in apology.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to say such harsh things. I said them only in the misunderstanding of my situation."
Gandalf nodded in acceptance of her apology.
"Yes, many times young ones have done so, not being aware of their surroundings; of which you clearly are."
Malaika exhaled softly, looking up at the darkness of night that surrounded her, broken only by the full moon, a pale disc of light in a black sky.
"I will leave you to your thoughts now," the man said, turning back to the camp. The girl sighed again and turned to go to her bed.
She lay down and closed her eyes, willing herself forcibly to fall asleep and not think about the past. The hated visions flashed through her mind once over, causing Malaika to yelp softly. She clenched her fists tightly, opened them, closed them again to relieve the pain of the memories.
"No, no... No. I will... come."
Malaika rose from her bed, walking through the group with hardly a whisper of sound. Her eyes misted, then glazed over. Her steps roused Pippin, who looked up and saw the girl moving toward the cliff edge by which they camped. His green eyes held a look of confusion and curiosity. Pippin rose and followed her, knowing what she might do if she didn't realize what she was doing.
He caught up to her and grasped her arm, turning her around to face him.
Pippin's eyes grew wide when he saw the empty, blank expression on the girl's pale face. She wrenched her arm from his grip, muttering something in an unknown language and turning toward the dangerously close precipice.
Pippin grabbed both her arms and twisted her unwilling body to look at him again.
"What are you doing!?" he snapped. The girl didn't reply, choosing instead to stare uncomprehendingly into space. Pippin shook her harder, desperately searching her blank gray eyes for any trace of life.
"Malaika! Listen to me! Look at what you are doing! You could have been killed! Listen to me!"
Malaika whined softly under his grip, squirming and wanting to be set free.
"Malaika!" Pippin shook her shoulders again, saying her name over and over to get her attention.
"You leave me no choice," he muttered to himself, and raised his hand, keeping a firm grip with his left hand on her arm.
His palm came down and slapped her over the cheek, breaking the trance-like spell that had been placed over her mind by some indefinite enemy.
Her eyes were wide as she looked around.
"What happened?"
Pippin was shocked.
"You mean to say that you didn't know what you just tried to do?"
Malaika shook her head.
"You tried to walk off the cliff!"
She didn't reply. Pippin shook his head, saying, "You don't remember, do you?"
Malaika bit her lower lip without speaking. "Gandalf must know about this, Malaika. Now go to bed, we'll most likely keep hiking tomorrow. Good-night."
He turned and walked to his bed, kneeling and curling up in the blankets, closing his eyes.
Malaika sighed and did the same. Tomorrow was another day.
On with the show!
Chapter Four: Moonlight
*******
The Fellowship prepared to continue up Caradharas. Merry and Pippin objected visibly to Gandalf's choice to keep going, but soon gave in under the influence of Aragorn. Gimli rambled on about how they should have gone to Moria, and Legolas just kept his mouth shut, preferring to think alone. They trudged through shin-deep snow, talking little, although Gandalf muttered strange words to himself sometimes. Boromir thought of the White City, Sam thought of going home, and Frodo thought of the Ring, how it affected him and the others, and destroying it.
Merry, Pippin and Malaika stayed in the back whispering.
Pippin imitated Gimli constantly.
"'We should have gone through Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome,'" he said in a deep gruff voice that copied Gimli's voice, only younger.
Merry and Malaika laughed.
"I've got one," Merry said. "I'm Boromir. 'Let's give Gondor the Ring! I'll become the new Dark Lord and rule the world!'"
Malaika snickered. Although she hadn't heard of the One Ring, she still laughed.
"Okay, I'm Sam: 'Alright Mr. Frodo. I'm hungry and I want to go home,'" she said in an almost perfect Sam imitation.
The three friends laughed, and Aragorn turned to put a finger to his lips as a sign of silence.
"Gandalf is thinking. Be quiet."
The hobbits and Malaika obeyed and lowered their voices.
Malaika shivered.
"I'm cold," she whispered.
Pippin nodded, and Merry shuddered.
"Yes, me too. I wonder when we are going to rest. I hope it is soon," he murmured absently.
"I'm hungry," Pippin whined.
"You're always hungry," Merry said.
Aragorn turned again to the three and said, "We will rest for now. Gandalf will decide where we are to go next."
"Where will we stop?" Malaika asked. Aragorn pointed to an area, and said, "Nightfall is near. We will shelter there."
Malaika nodded. Gandalf moved towards the small cave-like hole in the side of the mountain, and said, "Your choice is wise, Aragorn. We shall stay ere dawn breaks." The others nodded and started to unpack.
Sam pulled out a frying pan.
"Aragorn, do you think it's possible to make a fire?"
Aragorn shook his head slightly.
"It might, if you happen to have brought firewood."
Sam's shoulders slumped.
Pippin whined.
"I'm hungry," he repeated.
"Yes, we know that!" Merry snapped.
Pippin shrunk away from his ill-tempered friend, and walked over to Malaika.
"Hullo. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," she murmured, staring blankly into nothingness.
Pippin shrugged and turned to empty his own pack in a suitable sleeping spot.
Frodo looked at the fading sky, and thought how he did that when he was still in the Shire.
'It's beautiful,' he thought with sadness. He turned to Sam and said,
"Sam, I wonder if they ever have sunsets like these in Mordor." He shuddered at the very mention of its name, even by his own tongue, and stared at the sky again, sighing.
"I doubt it, Mr. Frodo." Sam paused. "Are you hungry? I'll fix you something to eat if you'd like."
Frodo shook his head.
"No thanks, Sam. I'm not hungry."
Sam nodded and turned to prepare a meal for the rest of the group and him.
Gandalf walked over to Malaika and laid a hand on her thin shoulder.
"I know what troubles you, child. Memories cause you distress at night."
The girl turned her head to look at the old man and narrowed her gray eyes in suspicion.
"How would you be aware of what haunts my mind? Do you search my thoughts for answers to questions you are afraid to ask? Who are you, being one to gaze through my own mentality?"
Gandalf seemed to be surprised by this response, and sighed deeply.
"No, I do not wish to know your mind, only why you are unsettled at night, when others are at peace."
Malaika shrugged slightly and lowered her eyes in apology.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to say such harsh things. I said them only in the misunderstanding of my situation."
Gandalf nodded in acceptance of her apology.
"Yes, many times young ones have done so, not being aware of their surroundings; of which you clearly are."
Malaika exhaled softly, looking up at the darkness of night that surrounded her, broken only by the full moon, a pale disc of light in a black sky.
"I will leave you to your thoughts now," the man said, turning back to the camp. The girl sighed again and turned to go to her bed.
She lay down and closed her eyes, willing herself forcibly to fall asleep and not think about the past. The hated visions flashed through her mind once over, causing Malaika to yelp softly. She clenched her fists tightly, opened them, closed them again to relieve the pain of the memories.
"No, no... No. I will... come."
Malaika rose from her bed, walking through the group with hardly a whisper of sound. Her eyes misted, then glazed over. Her steps roused Pippin, who looked up and saw the girl moving toward the cliff edge by which they camped. His green eyes held a look of confusion and curiosity. Pippin rose and followed her, knowing what she might do if she didn't realize what she was doing.
He caught up to her and grasped her arm, turning her around to face him.
Pippin's eyes grew wide when he saw the empty, blank expression on the girl's pale face. She wrenched her arm from his grip, muttering something in an unknown language and turning toward the dangerously close precipice.
Pippin grabbed both her arms and twisted her unwilling body to look at him again.
"What are you doing!?" he snapped. The girl didn't reply, choosing instead to stare uncomprehendingly into space. Pippin shook her harder, desperately searching her blank gray eyes for any trace of life.
"Malaika! Listen to me! Look at what you are doing! You could have been killed! Listen to me!"
Malaika whined softly under his grip, squirming and wanting to be set free.
"Malaika!" Pippin shook her shoulders again, saying her name over and over to get her attention.
"You leave me no choice," he muttered to himself, and raised his hand, keeping a firm grip with his left hand on her arm.
His palm came down and slapped her over the cheek, breaking the trance-like spell that had been placed over her mind by some indefinite enemy.
Her eyes were wide as she looked around.
"What happened?"
Pippin was shocked.
"You mean to say that you didn't know what you just tried to do?"
Malaika shook her head.
"You tried to walk off the cliff!"
She didn't reply. Pippin shook his head, saying, "You don't remember, do you?"
Malaika bit her lower lip without speaking. "Gandalf must know about this, Malaika. Now go to bed, we'll most likely keep hiking tomorrow. Good-night."
He turned and walked to his bed, kneeling and curling up in the blankets, closing his eyes.
Malaika sighed and did the same. Tomorrow was another day.