AN//Thank you everyone who reviewed. I procrastinate way too much. I've re-done this chapter more than three times, and I'm still not happy with it. I'll probably eventally re-do it, but for now, here you go.
"How long do you think it will be till we reach Weathertop?" Ayden whispered to Madison.
"I'm not sure. We should be able to see it a couple days before we get there I think," Madison whispered back not taking her eyes off of Aragorn's back that would disappear every now and again as he navigated through the brush.
"I hope we stop for breakfast soon. Sleeping outside never really sits well with me. Especially since at the inn a couple days ago we should have gotten a fairly decent sleep, but no, we had to set off again and slog through mud and sleep on rocks and roots." Pippin walked beside the girls but was more muttering to himself than anyone else.
Madison smiled down at Pippin, "Well, at least we'll be in Rivendell sooner and into warm beds faster this way."
"True I guess," Pippin gave Madison a smile, and then quickly realized what he was doing and turned away with a scowl. Aragorn had told the hobbits that if the girls were let loose, he would ban them from meals till they got to Rivendell after Pippin had loosened Ayden's hands. The threat seemed to have worked. It was almost a week since they had left the inn, and the girls had never had the rope off their wrists since, much to their frustration.
Aragorn popped out from the other side of Bill and glared at the girls as he moved past them. They both thought he was hoping that his silent treatment and glares would eventually make them confess to being spies straight out of Mordor sent to capture the ring and kill, maim, and destroy everything around them.
"Aragorn. We've been dragged through a huge bog, been almost eaten alive by 'neekerbreekers' and we're tired, hungry, dirty, wet, and cold. I think we deserve a decent answer, so how many more days till we get to Weathertop?" Madison slid along the mud caked rope that was attached to Bill till she was beside him.
"Whoever said we were going to Weathertop?" Aragorn looked at her for a moment before jumping on top of a rock beside him and shielded his eyes from the steady drizzle of rain to look around.
Madison looked up at him with wide eyes, "NO! I KNOW IT! WE'RE GOING TO WEATHERTOP! I'M CERTAIN OF IT!" Aragorn grabbed her forearm and dragged her up on the rock next to him.
"There it is. We'll be up there by this evening," Aragorn jumped down and plodded on ahead of the rag-tag group.
"Oh…" Madison jumped down and evened out the rope that had been pulled through Bill's harness and had Ayden caught pressed up against him.
The going was slow the rest of the way. It seemed to be always just out of reach of the group. There was always one more step to take. The sun had peaked out long enough to give the evening sky a deep purple look just as it set, but that's it. Finally, the tired group struggled up its cracked and uneven path to reach a part in the mountain where the rock over top jutted out and protected them from more rain in the night. Everyone threw their packs down except the girls who didn't have one. Aragorn handed the hobbits blades and shot the girls a look before he took off. Madison let out a sigh and flopped down on her back. In moments, she was out like a candle. Ayden looked at her sleeping friend, then shuffled forward on her stomach till she reached the edge and could see all around. Darkness was creeping over the grounds below and soon, it was all a murky blackness except for the eerie white fog that covered the ground. Horses. She should listen for horses. Ayden pressed her ear to the ground and closed her eyes to hear better. Silence.
"-Put it out you fools! Put it out!" Ayden's eyes flew open and she quickly sat up and looked around. Frodo was flailing around and stomping on the small fire that the other hobbits had made. Ayden quickly looked around the ground and sure enough, thick black shadows cut through the dense fog. Coldness gripped Ayden as she sat helplessly staring at the approaching shadows. Madison's hands appeared on her shoulders and she blinked again, but she seemed so slow to turn and look at Madison. Madison grabbed Ayden and heaved her to her feet.
"Hurry up! Go! Go! Up the stairs!" She yelled at the terrified hobbits. Sam threw down his pot of steaming stew and hurried Frodo up the stairs first the other hobbits were right behind him. Ayden scrambled over to where the fire was. She picked up a stick with one end still glowing with heat and began frantically trying to blow it into life. Madison grabbed at her and with the stick still in tow, they ran after the hobbits.
It was cold up on top. A wind whistled around them making it impossible to hear where the Nazgul were going to appear. They all huddled around Frodo and circled frantically, the hobbits had their swords drawn. Grabbing Merry's blade, Madison sawed at the ropes that held her and Ayden. Luckily they had unhooked themselves from Bill. With only one wrist free, they appeared. Silence seemed so heavy around them and everything seemed to slow down till it seemed like it took forever to just turn and look at them. Their dark swords gleamed off armoured hands. No one seemed to move for a moment as Madison looked back and forth from the Hobbits to the Nazgul. She felt light-headed and her eyes didn't quite seem to focus, because all light seemed to be absorbed into the darkness where the hoods covered the missing faces of these kings of old. Swords drawn, they advanced on the hobbits.
Ayden felt fear like someone had placed a huge block of ice on her chest. She couldn't breath properly. It was like the feeling you know you're being watched only blown up to the extreme. She turned her head and saw Madison staring around franticly. Madison caught Ayden's eye suddenly and they just looked looked at each other. The world went from slowing down to just stopping. A clang rang around like an echo. A metal foot on stone. Madison looked up at the closest Nazgul to her. She didn't even blink with the fear still in her eyes, but she lunged forward and rugby tackled it square in the hip with her shoulder. It was like hitting a block of pure steel. Pain radiated through her body but her shoulder felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. It just glided on by without even noticing Madison at its feet.
Ayden was screaming, but the pain seemed to make any other sense disappear. She saw the blurred figure of her friend trying to reach the hobbits, but she couldn't because of the rope she was still attached to. Sam tried to fight, but was thrown into a corner and he hit his head on a statue. Merry and Pippin stood in front of Frodo, but were also tossed aside like dirty laundry. Ayden was on her knees and she reached out and dragged Merry out of the way of one of the ringwraiths that swept past.
Everything was fading from Madison's eyes. Black was all around and the far off figures of Ayden and Merry were lost in the inky darkness.
Ayden couldn't scream any more. She clung to Merry as hard as she could as she tried to make the fear leave. Frodo was no longer in sight. He was surrounded by all five of the wraiths. She wanted to dive in and help him, but fear was too much. She would sooner drown herself than leap into a pack of them. She wept with Merry in her arms when they all distinctly heard the sound of Frodo crying out in pain.
Flames leaped out of the air and landed right in the middle of the Nazgul. There was the clang of steel and the wraiths suddenly broke apart. Aragorn fought like a greasy haired bat out of hell. Ayden even almost smiled at that thought. Time started running faster with each swing he took at them. Sam leapt through a gap and found his way to Frodo's side. Everyone except the girls ducked and dodged the fight and made their way to Sam and Frodo. The Nazgul's screams rang through the night as the last one leaped off the ruined tower.
The screams echoed in the night, but they faded in the distance. Aragorn was at Frodo's side in an instant and examined his wound.
"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade. This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine," Aragorn bend and picked up Frodo easily over one shoulder.
"Please Aragorn. Madison is hurt. Just give me some kind of blade to cut us loose, and we won't weigh you down," Ayden sat beside Madison and begged with a tear stained face.
"What did the stupid girl do to get hurt so badly?" Aragorn gently handed Frodo down to Sam who propped him up.
"She tackled one of 'em."
Aragorn looked at Ayden for a second checking for any sign of lying, "Stupid girl. No, I can't leave you two here. They might come back. Can you help her along? We must make haste." He drew a knife out of his boot and with one swipe cut all of the ropes off them. He then took out a canteen and poured its contents on Madison's pale face. Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped in pain.
"Here, let me help you up," Ayden carefully helped Madison up with her other shoulder. "To Rivendell we go I guess."
"No Morphine or anything? Crap. Oh well. Remember that biking we did with Uncle and you busted up your ribs?" Madison grimaced in pain and carefully made her way down the steep stairs.
"Yup. That was hell for three days," Ayden smiled, "If I could do that, you can do this. Just no shock alright?"
"I'll try not to-"
Aragorn appeared with Frodo over his shoulder again, "Hurry." This time, the girls actually stopped and they wordlessly followed him down the hill and off into the dark foliage. That night, the only time they stopped was once to light a torch and another to check on Frodo and put him up on Bill. Ayden carried Frodo's pack and some other bags that were on Bills back. Madison staggered on, but grew steadily paler as the night went on.
"We sleep now for a few hours. Take some food too," Aragorn finally declared after the sun had peaked over the horizon. He would wake them in a couple of hours and they would all grab an apple or rip off a piece of bread before they would pick up the pace and be on their way again. Wordlessly they trudged on with few stops.
Days passed like this. Ayden was too tired to count how many, but both Frodo and Madison were getting worse. Madison's shoulder was purple and yellow and blue, and about three times the normal size. She was feverish now, but wouldn't stop. She would fall behind, but Merry or Pippin, or Ayden were always there to help her along.
One night, they came to a sudden halt. The cries of the Nazgul were even closer now. At night, Aragorn usually pushed them on even harder, and the cried didn't get that loud. Now Frodo seemed to call back.
"Trolls. Bilbo's trolls!" Sam looked around at each of the stone faces in wonder.
"The same," Aragorn half smiled at Sam's momentary joy, "Sam, Do you know of the plant aetelas? Kingsfoil?"
"Ah, yes. It's a weed."
"It may help to slow the poison." Aragorn and Sam both took off in different directions.
The cries were too loud for anyone to get any sleep, so they all sat together around Frodo and listened for sounds of approaching figures.
"I wonder if we'll see any elves tonight," Madison smiled with her back against one of the trolls.
"I wonder," Ayden smiled back.
"What are you two talking about?" Pippin yawned.
"Just wait a tick," Madison leaned back and closed her eyes. Not three minutes had passed when a glowing white figure came quickly followed by Aragorn, then Sam.
The white elf bent down beside Frodo and spoke quietly, yet everyone could hear.
"What is she saying?" Pippin whispered.
"Her name is Arwen Undomiel and Frodo should come back to the light," Ayden whispered back.
Aragorn and Arwen bent over Frodo and whispered amongst each other. Aragorn picked up Frodo and placed him gently on top of Arwen's white horse. They whispered some more to each other before Arwen mounted her steed and shot off into the distance.
"What are you doing?! Those wraiths are still out there!" Sam was sputtering with rage at Aragorn.
"I think the man knows what he's doing Sam. We'll see him soon. I'm sure of it, Ayden sighed.
"They're getting farther away. They aren't as loud as they were before," Merry sat up straight and listened carefully.
"Get some sleep. We will not stop tomorrow until we reach Rivendell, which will be in the late evening I hope," Aragorn settled down on one of the troll's feet and lit up his pipe that he kept in his chest pocket.
AN//Glad you got to the end. Boromir will probably be in the next chapter for all you that are waiting. Review if you feel like it.
"How long do you think it will be till we reach Weathertop?" Ayden whispered to Madison.
"I'm not sure. We should be able to see it a couple days before we get there I think," Madison whispered back not taking her eyes off of Aragorn's back that would disappear every now and again as he navigated through the brush.
"I hope we stop for breakfast soon. Sleeping outside never really sits well with me. Especially since at the inn a couple days ago we should have gotten a fairly decent sleep, but no, we had to set off again and slog through mud and sleep on rocks and roots." Pippin walked beside the girls but was more muttering to himself than anyone else.
Madison smiled down at Pippin, "Well, at least we'll be in Rivendell sooner and into warm beds faster this way."
"True I guess," Pippin gave Madison a smile, and then quickly realized what he was doing and turned away with a scowl. Aragorn had told the hobbits that if the girls were let loose, he would ban them from meals till they got to Rivendell after Pippin had loosened Ayden's hands. The threat seemed to have worked. It was almost a week since they had left the inn, and the girls had never had the rope off their wrists since, much to their frustration.
Aragorn popped out from the other side of Bill and glared at the girls as he moved past them. They both thought he was hoping that his silent treatment and glares would eventually make them confess to being spies straight out of Mordor sent to capture the ring and kill, maim, and destroy everything around them.
"Aragorn. We've been dragged through a huge bog, been almost eaten alive by 'neekerbreekers' and we're tired, hungry, dirty, wet, and cold. I think we deserve a decent answer, so how many more days till we get to Weathertop?" Madison slid along the mud caked rope that was attached to Bill till she was beside him.
"Whoever said we were going to Weathertop?" Aragorn looked at her for a moment before jumping on top of a rock beside him and shielded his eyes from the steady drizzle of rain to look around.
Madison looked up at him with wide eyes, "NO! I KNOW IT! WE'RE GOING TO WEATHERTOP! I'M CERTAIN OF IT!" Aragorn grabbed her forearm and dragged her up on the rock next to him.
"There it is. We'll be up there by this evening," Aragorn jumped down and plodded on ahead of the rag-tag group.
"Oh…" Madison jumped down and evened out the rope that had been pulled through Bill's harness and had Ayden caught pressed up against him.
The going was slow the rest of the way. It seemed to be always just out of reach of the group. There was always one more step to take. The sun had peaked out long enough to give the evening sky a deep purple look just as it set, but that's it. Finally, the tired group struggled up its cracked and uneven path to reach a part in the mountain where the rock over top jutted out and protected them from more rain in the night. Everyone threw their packs down except the girls who didn't have one. Aragorn handed the hobbits blades and shot the girls a look before he took off. Madison let out a sigh and flopped down on her back. In moments, she was out like a candle. Ayden looked at her sleeping friend, then shuffled forward on her stomach till she reached the edge and could see all around. Darkness was creeping over the grounds below and soon, it was all a murky blackness except for the eerie white fog that covered the ground. Horses. She should listen for horses. Ayden pressed her ear to the ground and closed her eyes to hear better. Silence.
"-Put it out you fools! Put it out!" Ayden's eyes flew open and she quickly sat up and looked around. Frodo was flailing around and stomping on the small fire that the other hobbits had made. Ayden quickly looked around the ground and sure enough, thick black shadows cut through the dense fog. Coldness gripped Ayden as she sat helplessly staring at the approaching shadows. Madison's hands appeared on her shoulders and she blinked again, but she seemed so slow to turn and look at Madison. Madison grabbed Ayden and heaved her to her feet.
"Hurry up! Go! Go! Up the stairs!" She yelled at the terrified hobbits. Sam threw down his pot of steaming stew and hurried Frodo up the stairs first the other hobbits were right behind him. Ayden scrambled over to where the fire was. She picked up a stick with one end still glowing with heat and began frantically trying to blow it into life. Madison grabbed at her and with the stick still in tow, they ran after the hobbits.
It was cold up on top. A wind whistled around them making it impossible to hear where the Nazgul were going to appear. They all huddled around Frodo and circled frantically, the hobbits had their swords drawn. Grabbing Merry's blade, Madison sawed at the ropes that held her and Ayden. Luckily they had unhooked themselves from Bill. With only one wrist free, they appeared. Silence seemed so heavy around them and everything seemed to slow down till it seemed like it took forever to just turn and look at them. Their dark swords gleamed off armoured hands. No one seemed to move for a moment as Madison looked back and forth from the Hobbits to the Nazgul. She felt light-headed and her eyes didn't quite seem to focus, because all light seemed to be absorbed into the darkness where the hoods covered the missing faces of these kings of old. Swords drawn, they advanced on the hobbits.
Ayden felt fear like someone had placed a huge block of ice on her chest. She couldn't breath properly. It was like the feeling you know you're being watched only blown up to the extreme. She turned her head and saw Madison staring around franticly. Madison caught Ayden's eye suddenly and they just looked looked at each other. The world went from slowing down to just stopping. A clang rang around like an echo. A metal foot on stone. Madison looked up at the closest Nazgul to her. She didn't even blink with the fear still in her eyes, but she lunged forward and rugby tackled it square in the hip with her shoulder. It was like hitting a block of pure steel. Pain radiated through her body but her shoulder felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. It just glided on by without even noticing Madison at its feet.
Ayden was screaming, but the pain seemed to make any other sense disappear. She saw the blurred figure of her friend trying to reach the hobbits, but she couldn't because of the rope she was still attached to. Sam tried to fight, but was thrown into a corner and he hit his head on a statue. Merry and Pippin stood in front of Frodo, but were also tossed aside like dirty laundry. Ayden was on her knees and she reached out and dragged Merry out of the way of one of the ringwraiths that swept past.
Everything was fading from Madison's eyes. Black was all around and the far off figures of Ayden and Merry were lost in the inky darkness.
Ayden couldn't scream any more. She clung to Merry as hard as she could as she tried to make the fear leave. Frodo was no longer in sight. He was surrounded by all five of the wraiths. She wanted to dive in and help him, but fear was too much. She would sooner drown herself than leap into a pack of them. She wept with Merry in her arms when they all distinctly heard the sound of Frodo crying out in pain.
Flames leaped out of the air and landed right in the middle of the Nazgul. There was the clang of steel and the wraiths suddenly broke apart. Aragorn fought like a greasy haired bat out of hell. Ayden even almost smiled at that thought. Time started running faster with each swing he took at them. Sam leapt through a gap and found his way to Frodo's side. Everyone except the girls ducked and dodged the fight and made their way to Sam and Frodo. The Nazgul's screams rang through the night as the last one leaped off the ruined tower.
The screams echoed in the night, but they faded in the distance. Aragorn was at Frodo's side in an instant and examined his wound.
"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade. This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine," Aragorn bend and picked up Frodo easily over one shoulder.
"Please Aragorn. Madison is hurt. Just give me some kind of blade to cut us loose, and we won't weigh you down," Ayden sat beside Madison and begged with a tear stained face.
"What did the stupid girl do to get hurt so badly?" Aragorn gently handed Frodo down to Sam who propped him up.
"She tackled one of 'em."
Aragorn looked at Ayden for a second checking for any sign of lying, "Stupid girl. No, I can't leave you two here. They might come back. Can you help her along? We must make haste." He drew a knife out of his boot and with one swipe cut all of the ropes off them. He then took out a canteen and poured its contents on Madison's pale face. Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped in pain.
"Here, let me help you up," Ayden carefully helped Madison up with her other shoulder. "To Rivendell we go I guess."
"No Morphine or anything? Crap. Oh well. Remember that biking we did with Uncle and you busted up your ribs?" Madison grimaced in pain and carefully made her way down the steep stairs.
"Yup. That was hell for three days," Ayden smiled, "If I could do that, you can do this. Just no shock alright?"
"I'll try not to-"
Aragorn appeared with Frodo over his shoulder again, "Hurry." This time, the girls actually stopped and they wordlessly followed him down the hill and off into the dark foliage. That night, the only time they stopped was once to light a torch and another to check on Frodo and put him up on Bill. Ayden carried Frodo's pack and some other bags that were on Bills back. Madison staggered on, but grew steadily paler as the night went on.
"We sleep now for a few hours. Take some food too," Aragorn finally declared after the sun had peaked over the horizon. He would wake them in a couple of hours and they would all grab an apple or rip off a piece of bread before they would pick up the pace and be on their way again. Wordlessly they trudged on with few stops.
Days passed like this. Ayden was too tired to count how many, but both Frodo and Madison were getting worse. Madison's shoulder was purple and yellow and blue, and about three times the normal size. She was feverish now, but wouldn't stop. She would fall behind, but Merry or Pippin, or Ayden were always there to help her along.
One night, they came to a sudden halt. The cries of the Nazgul were even closer now. At night, Aragorn usually pushed them on even harder, and the cried didn't get that loud. Now Frodo seemed to call back.
"Trolls. Bilbo's trolls!" Sam looked around at each of the stone faces in wonder.
"The same," Aragorn half smiled at Sam's momentary joy, "Sam, Do you know of the plant aetelas? Kingsfoil?"
"Ah, yes. It's a weed."
"It may help to slow the poison." Aragorn and Sam both took off in different directions.
The cries were too loud for anyone to get any sleep, so they all sat together around Frodo and listened for sounds of approaching figures.
"I wonder if we'll see any elves tonight," Madison smiled with her back against one of the trolls.
"I wonder," Ayden smiled back.
"What are you two talking about?" Pippin yawned.
"Just wait a tick," Madison leaned back and closed her eyes. Not three minutes had passed when a glowing white figure came quickly followed by Aragorn, then Sam.
The white elf bent down beside Frodo and spoke quietly, yet everyone could hear.
"What is she saying?" Pippin whispered.
"Her name is Arwen Undomiel and Frodo should come back to the light," Ayden whispered back.
Aragorn and Arwen bent over Frodo and whispered amongst each other. Aragorn picked up Frodo and placed him gently on top of Arwen's white horse. They whispered some more to each other before Arwen mounted her steed and shot off into the distance.
"What are you doing?! Those wraiths are still out there!" Sam was sputtering with rage at Aragorn.
"I think the man knows what he's doing Sam. We'll see him soon. I'm sure of it, Ayden sighed.
"They're getting farther away. They aren't as loud as they were before," Merry sat up straight and listened carefully.
"Get some sleep. We will not stop tomorrow until we reach Rivendell, which will be in the late evening I hope," Aragorn settled down on one of the troll's feet and lit up his pipe that he kept in his chest pocket.
AN//Glad you got to the end. Boromir will probably be in the next chapter for all you that are waiting. Review if you feel like it.