Author Notes: How can so many nice people read my story!! *Blushes* Thank you everyone who has reviewed!! It means a lot to me.
(You'll never guess what's next...) English is my second language so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes made on this story. Elvish is the way I believe it goes, most likely mistaken, so sorry for that as well. The quotes, I'm afraid I took them from the movie, for my book is in Spanish :( Other than that... could you R&R, please? :)
I'm sorry for the delay, but I had to deal with tests and what I think was a small writer's block :) Hopefully, that's all gone now. If you don't like this chapter, blame it on the writer's block!! And don't stop reading, please!
Thoughts are in {}
Master in Deceiving
By Yours Truly
Silence hung heavy of the company of eight, as the boats traveled slowly, farther and farther away from the golden woods of Lothlórien, the weight of their mission returned to their tired shoulders. Ahead was Legolas' boat, carrying the elf, Gimli and most of the luggage. Then came Strider's with Sam and Frodo on board, and last on the row was Boromir's, accompanied with Merry and Pippin.
Frodo sat in silence staring at the beauty of the scenery, his fingers playing idly with the ring that hung around his neck on a golden chain. The hobbit could see that the fellowship was weary of what laid ahead, for the idea of traveling to Mordor would never sound appealing to anyone but an orc. He sighed softly and looked at the ring he held. He could feel it become slightly heavier, as they moved towards Mordor, but Frodo was certain, that it was his own imagination.
The other thing he felt, however, was not that easy to brush aside: danger was near, too near, and it seemed to go with them. He was fairly certain that his senses were not warning him about Gollum, for Gandalf's words had reassured him on the subject. But that left something worse to consider. Someone in the fellowship could have been corrupted…Frodo shuddered, and he felt Aragorn's eyes on his back.
"Are you all right, Frodo?" the ranger's voice was gentle, but his stare was firm when he turned to face him.
Frodo nodded and gave a small smile of reassurance, before settling back on the boat.
{There's something…}
The hobbit looked at each of his companions, and attempted to imagine any of them betraying the rest.
{A sound in the wind…}
Aragorn, Pippin, Sam, Merry, Gimli, Boromir, and Legolas … he could not see them hurting him...
{Is that a whisper?}
The strange light on Boromir's eyes did not go unnoticed by the hobbit…and yet, he still could not see the human betraying any one.
{You hear it? Is a call…and an answer…}
Frodo turned away from Boromir, to stare back ahead, and saw Legolas' frame stiffen suddenly. Considering if he should say anything or not, he decided to not risk any danger.
"Master elf, are you all right?" his voice called out, and the fellowship looked at the elf, Gimli and Aragorn a little closer than the rest of them.
{No…I'm not. There's something in the air}
After a few moments Legolas nodded to Gimli, sitting ahead of him, and turned back to face the rest of the group. "I am quite all right, young Frodo, why do you ask?" his tone was friendly, and betrayed nothing.
Frodo looked at his face, and saw his expression relaxed, and normal. He shook his head "For no reason, I suppose. I just thought I saw you listening for something? Thought there may be danger"
{There always is…everywhere…}
The elf smiled gently at Frodo. "Do not worry, dear hobbit. If I feel any danger you will be the first to hear of it. But, you are right as well, for I was listening to the song of the trees that surround us"
{How I wish my words were true, for I have not heard the trees in months…it feels as though I have been in a cage for months…}
Frodo smiled back, relieved that the elf could still find it in him to listen to nature. He nodded and glanced at the woods surrounding the company, at the shore of the wide river. "They are beautiful. I believe that Mirkwood is not far, is it?"
{I fear I don't even know that any longer, for that voice is filling my thoughts, and the answer it receives chills my bones…}
Legolas stole a glance around, and sighed to himself. By now, the rest of the group had turned the attention away from the conversation. "Aye, the woods of Mirkwood are close to where we are. Southern Mirkwood. Once so beautiful, those trees are not a safe place anymore"
Frodo had heard the tales from his uncle Bilbo, and nodded his understanding, the brief conversation coming to an end, silence descending once more.
{I must warn Aragorn}
{Afraid to keep a secret, are you?}
{Why should I keep this a secret? It would do no good}
{No, but your secret in Moria did a lot of good for everyone…}
{I…I will inform Aragorn of this voice…of the danger…}
{And scare the poor hobbits with your hallucinations?}
{This is real}
{What is?}
{The voice in the air, 'tis real. I can hear it; I know it's real}
{Do you, really?}
Doubt clouded his mind suddenly, and he looked at Aragorn. The man he still considered his friend, thought enough bad things of him already. Now to make him think he was delusional?
{You are afraid}
And Legolas could not deny it.
****
Lost in thought he never noticed hours pass by in a flash, and soon Aragorn was leading the boats to the shore, for they had reached their destination.
"Here we will rest tonight," said Aragorn. "This is the lawn of Parth Galen: a fair place in the summer days of old. Let us hope that no evil has yet come here…"
Legolas barely heard him, the whisper now almost a shout of victory, as the answer it got was stronger, and he could no longer keep the fear it raised in him hidden inside.
{Weak}
"We should leave now" His elven voice interrupted some silly discussion between Aragorn and the dwarf.
The human looked at him, before shaking his head "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness" his voice was normal, and Legolas could not detect any trace of anger or anything else directed at him. But then, you could never hear anything in his own voice, unless he allowed it.
{Will you tell him now? Can you tell him you are delusional?}
The elf sighed. "It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it"
{Can you? A shadow and a threat, you say? Was it not a voice?}
{The voice speaks of shadow, and of danger. I have not lied}
{Of course not. Never does Mirkwood's Prince lie}
Legolas received no answer from Aragorn. For it was then, that a fact was revealed. Frodo was missing, as was Boromir.
{Then, I suppose your hallucination was in fact real. For you were right, dear prince, the voice that answered the lull of the ring, was in fact Boromir's} his own voice mocked him…
And Legolas was left boiling in anger, for his own self-doubts may cost the fellowship another life,
He may cost them the ring bearer's life.
****
Running through the trees with Gimli in tow, Legolas' hurried to find the little hobbit, or any trace of the human he knew was with him.
{How could I doubt myself?}
Pausing to let Gimli catch up, he searched further, eyes traveling through land and trees, elven senses toned towards any sound of voices, any sound of steps, or anything that may help them in their search.
{I knew what I heard, yet, I doubted. I waited too long before warning Aragorn…}
Gimli ran fast, straining to not be left behind by the elf's lighter steps, and longer legs. His eyes could see nothing beyond trees and natural beauty. Not that he noticed the beauty of the place, for his worries lay elsewhere.
{The voice spoke clearly of Gondor; of the way the Ring would help them all. It spoke of a stone city that needed the power of a gold jewel…and its seductive tone would have lured most…}
And then, they heard it.
Boromir's horn sounded; the horn of Gondor's call was loud in the silent forest.
{Aye…Boromir!}
"The horn of Gondor!" He heard his voice cry to Gimli, before his legs carried him swiftly towards the sound.
{You knew of Boromir. You heard his voice answer the call, did you not?}
{Aye, I did. He answered the call, speaking of the rights his people have earned. My own doubts…}
{Can kill them all}
And he barely noticed that he ran faster.
"Orcs!" He shouted, loud enough for Gimli to hear. His bow was on his hand in a flash, and arrows flew and killed dozens of orcs, as Gimli swiftly cut through quite a few of the creatures' throats.
But when they finally reached Boromir, it was too late.
Aragorn was there, kneeling before him, and Legolas' heard the son of Gondor draw his last breath.
When the warrior lay still and silent before Aragorn's tear filled eyes, Legolas' blood ran cold.
{You see, fair prince?} His voice sounded loud and he wanted to cover his ears against the cruel sound of it {you have killed another one}
To be continued
(You'll never guess what's next...) English is my second language so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes made on this story. Elvish is the way I believe it goes, most likely mistaken, so sorry for that as well. The quotes, I'm afraid I took them from the movie, for my book is in Spanish :( Other than that... could you R&R, please? :)
I'm sorry for the delay, but I had to deal with tests and what I think was a small writer's block :) Hopefully, that's all gone now. If you don't like this chapter, blame it on the writer's block!! And don't stop reading, please!
Thoughts are in {}
Master in Deceiving
By Yours Truly
Silence hung heavy of the company of eight, as the boats traveled slowly, farther and farther away from the golden woods of Lothlórien, the weight of their mission returned to their tired shoulders. Ahead was Legolas' boat, carrying the elf, Gimli and most of the luggage. Then came Strider's with Sam and Frodo on board, and last on the row was Boromir's, accompanied with Merry and Pippin.
Frodo sat in silence staring at the beauty of the scenery, his fingers playing idly with the ring that hung around his neck on a golden chain. The hobbit could see that the fellowship was weary of what laid ahead, for the idea of traveling to Mordor would never sound appealing to anyone but an orc. He sighed softly and looked at the ring he held. He could feel it become slightly heavier, as they moved towards Mordor, but Frodo was certain, that it was his own imagination.
The other thing he felt, however, was not that easy to brush aside: danger was near, too near, and it seemed to go with them. He was fairly certain that his senses were not warning him about Gollum, for Gandalf's words had reassured him on the subject. But that left something worse to consider. Someone in the fellowship could have been corrupted…Frodo shuddered, and he felt Aragorn's eyes on his back.
"Are you all right, Frodo?" the ranger's voice was gentle, but his stare was firm when he turned to face him.
Frodo nodded and gave a small smile of reassurance, before settling back on the boat.
{There's something…}
The hobbit looked at each of his companions, and attempted to imagine any of them betraying the rest.
{A sound in the wind…}
Aragorn, Pippin, Sam, Merry, Gimli, Boromir, and Legolas … he could not see them hurting him...
{Is that a whisper?}
The strange light on Boromir's eyes did not go unnoticed by the hobbit…and yet, he still could not see the human betraying any one.
{You hear it? Is a call…and an answer…}
Frodo turned away from Boromir, to stare back ahead, and saw Legolas' frame stiffen suddenly. Considering if he should say anything or not, he decided to not risk any danger.
"Master elf, are you all right?" his voice called out, and the fellowship looked at the elf, Gimli and Aragorn a little closer than the rest of them.
{No…I'm not. There's something in the air}
After a few moments Legolas nodded to Gimli, sitting ahead of him, and turned back to face the rest of the group. "I am quite all right, young Frodo, why do you ask?" his tone was friendly, and betrayed nothing.
Frodo looked at his face, and saw his expression relaxed, and normal. He shook his head "For no reason, I suppose. I just thought I saw you listening for something? Thought there may be danger"
{There always is…everywhere…}
The elf smiled gently at Frodo. "Do not worry, dear hobbit. If I feel any danger you will be the first to hear of it. But, you are right as well, for I was listening to the song of the trees that surround us"
{How I wish my words were true, for I have not heard the trees in months…it feels as though I have been in a cage for months…}
Frodo smiled back, relieved that the elf could still find it in him to listen to nature. He nodded and glanced at the woods surrounding the company, at the shore of the wide river. "They are beautiful. I believe that Mirkwood is not far, is it?"
{I fear I don't even know that any longer, for that voice is filling my thoughts, and the answer it receives chills my bones…}
Legolas stole a glance around, and sighed to himself. By now, the rest of the group had turned the attention away from the conversation. "Aye, the woods of Mirkwood are close to where we are. Southern Mirkwood. Once so beautiful, those trees are not a safe place anymore"
Frodo had heard the tales from his uncle Bilbo, and nodded his understanding, the brief conversation coming to an end, silence descending once more.
{I must warn Aragorn}
{Afraid to keep a secret, are you?}
{Why should I keep this a secret? It would do no good}
{No, but your secret in Moria did a lot of good for everyone…}
{I…I will inform Aragorn of this voice…of the danger…}
{And scare the poor hobbits with your hallucinations?}
{This is real}
{What is?}
{The voice in the air, 'tis real. I can hear it; I know it's real}
{Do you, really?}
Doubt clouded his mind suddenly, and he looked at Aragorn. The man he still considered his friend, thought enough bad things of him already. Now to make him think he was delusional?
{You are afraid}
And Legolas could not deny it.
****
Lost in thought he never noticed hours pass by in a flash, and soon Aragorn was leading the boats to the shore, for they had reached their destination.
"Here we will rest tonight," said Aragorn. "This is the lawn of Parth Galen: a fair place in the summer days of old. Let us hope that no evil has yet come here…"
Legolas barely heard him, the whisper now almost a shout of victory, as the answer it got was stronger, and he could no longer keep the fear it raised in him hidden inside.
{Weak}
"We should leave now" His elven voice interrupted some silly discussion between Aragorn and the dwarf.
The human looked at him, before shaking his head "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness" his voice was normal, and Legolas could not detect any trace of anger or anything else directed at him. But then, you could never hear anything in his own voice, unless he allowed it.
{Will you tell him now? Can you tell him you are delusional?}
The elf sighed. "It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it"
{Can you? A shadow and a threat, you say? Was it not a voice?}
{The voice speaks of shadow, and of danger. I have not lied}
{Of course not. Never does Mirkwood's Prince lie}
Legolas received no answer from Aragorn. For it was then, that a fact was revealed. Frodo was missing, as was Boromir.
{Then, I suppose your hallucination was in fact real. For you were right, dear prince, the voice that answered the lull of the ring, was in fact Boromir's} his own voice mocked him…
And Legolas was left boiling in anger, for his own self-doubts may cost the fellowship another life,
He may cost them the ring bearer's life.
****
Running through the trees with Gimli in tow, Legolas' hurried to find the little hobbit, or any trace of the human he knew was with him.
{How could I doubt myself?}
Pausing to let Gimli catch up, he searched further, eyes traveling through land and trees, elven senses toned towards any sound of voices, any sound of steps, or anything that may help them in their search.
{I knew what I heard, yet, I doubted. I waited too long before warning Aragorn…}
Gimli ran fast, straining to not be left behind by the elf's lighter steps, and longer legs. His eyes could see nothing beyond trees and natural beauty. Not that he noticed the beauty of the place, for his worries lay elsewhere.
{The voice spoke clearly of Gondor; of the way the Ring would help them all. It spoke of a stone city that needed the power of a gold jewel…and its seductive tone would have lured most…}
And then, they heard it.
Boromir's horn sounded; the horn of Gondor's call was loud in the silent forest.
{Aye…Boromir!}
"The horn of Gondor!" He heard his voice cry to Gimli, before his legs carried him swiftly towards the sound.
{You knew of Boromir. You heard his voice answer the call, did you not?}
{Aye, I did. He answered the call, speaking of the rights his people have earned. My own doubts…}
{Can kill them all}
And he barely noticed that he ran faster.
"Orcs!" He shouted, loud enough for Gimli to hear. His bow was on his hand in a flash, and arrows flew and killed dozens of orcs, as Gimli swiftly cut through quite a few of the creatures' throats.
But when they finally reached Boromir, it was too late.
Aragorn was there, kneeling before him, and Legolas' heard the son of Gondor draw his last breath.
When the warrior lay still and silent before Aragorn's tear filled eyes, Legolas' blood ran cold.
{You see, fair prince?} His voice sounded loud and he wanted to cover his ears against the cruel sound of it {you have killed another one}
To be continued