Chapter 11
Above him Cassione screamed and fell back. Legolas rolled and saw Aragorn loading his bow again as he rushed towards them, the others in purist. Legolas had no idea if they had seen anything. Cassione kicked and snapped the arrow shaft that had hit the ground near her feet and half smiled at Legolas as she lifted the chin over her head.
She put it on and vanished.
Aragorn froze in mid stride, blinking hard. Gandalf strode past him and pulled Legolas to his feet.
"She has the Ring" Legolas said as the wizard helped him.
"So I can tell"
"She does not wish to have it destroyed, she believes she will share power with Sauron"
"I already am," Cassione' voice spoke somewhere nearby. Surprisingly she had not fled but has stayed as if provoking her pray. "Why do you think so much harm has come to the elves?"
"You?" Aragorn turned wildly felling anger rising within him. "You killed them!"
"I have masses of orc armies under my control, it was easy penetrating Lothlórien especially as I once lived here and Mirkwood too. They died easily, far more easier then I expected with our new weapons."
"You made them mortal"
"Very good, Estel"
"I could have let them be and they would have died of sickness' but I felt like testing my army."
"How could you? Their family!"
"Family, friends' allies, it makes no differences any more. All races will fall under Sauron's power. Even the folks in the North that were never affected before"
Pippin swallowed hard.
"And I will sit beside him and become Queen"
"There can only be one Lord of the Rings, and he does not share power" Gandalf cried rising his white staff.
"What say you, old man? You are weak and powerless to stop him"
"They will hunt you Cassione" Legolas hissed.
"The Nazgúl? I do not fear them. They will not harm me"
"They will kill whoever carries the Ring"
"Anyone other then me"
"Even you"
An ear splitting cry from above sent shivers down the spines of the company. The Nazgúl were fast at tracking down their pray.
"You can not stop the inevitable, Gandalf" Cassione cried over the cries.
The Nazgúl swept lower over the tops of the trees locating the Ringbearer.
Merry whispered towards Gandalf: "What are we going to do? Won't they take her away if she on their side?"
"No, Meriadoc they won't take her away as she believes. They'll kill her no matter what she says. But we must stop them taking the Ring"
"How?"
"We fight"
A winged Nazgúl dived through the trees towards something invisible to the company. It stretched out its claw like fingers and turned away
"No" Cassione screamed ripping off the Ring and staring at horror at the Nazgúl. "I'm helping your master!"
Another dived for her, she ducked under its grip and hopped aside and sidestepped another.
"No, I'm a servant of your master – I am going to deliver it to him!"
They drew their swords and swooped down on her still screaming.
"No! Stop" she screamed as they descended upon her their swords flashing. She dropped to the floor gasping as they flew upwards planning another attack. She looked up to the other watching, her body battered and bloody and she began to plead: "Help me please! I'm sorry – Aragorn please help me!"
The Nazgúl swooped downwards once more. Her screams were desperate but no one moved to aid her.
"Noooo! Please, help me Legolas!" she was swept off the ground violently, she lost her grip on the chain and the Ring plummeted towards the ground.
The Nazgúl were sharp, they dived after it but Aragorn too was fast and pushed them aside as he jumped to catch the falling Ring. Gandalf, Gilmi and Legolas sprung to life wielding blades and cries. The Nazgúl backed off and retreated as Gandalf raised his staff. The Ring had exchanged hands and now the scent was cold, they fled feeling endangered dropping Cassione's broken and lifeless body to the ground, ungracefully.
The Ring began to whisper to him, it tingled in his palm, toiling with his mind from the moment it fell into his hand. Aragorn ignored them, but for how long? He knew Men were more at risk to the temptation of the Ring then any other living creature.
He turned to the rest of the company, they stood watching him expecting the Ring to take hold of him quickly.
"I can not take this" he whispered his fingers tracing the Rings smooth sides. "It is in my blood, it will betray us" he remembered fearing the quest at the start after Isildur had fallen ill to the evil of the Ring. He feared the same thing would happen to him. The Rings whisperings began louder and more tempting. Wide eyed he dropped the jewel from his hand and suddenly a great weight had been lifted from him.
"Someone must bear it," Gandalf glanced at each individual person staring into their eyes "I cannot give this task away, one must choose to accept it"
"What will we do with it?" Gilmi asked watching the Ring glisten in the dim light the forest now possessed.
"It must be destroyed" The company feel silent, the journey they took eight years ago was long, audacious and terrible and it would appear it would have to be endured once more. But now the path was filled with more dangers then before with Sauron already in power and alone they would be without the aid of the elves. The reality was grim; it did not surprise anyone to see no one had stepped forward.
Legolas shifted his weight as if to speak, but Gandalf spoke first. "No Legolas you least of all should bear the Ring in you present state" Legolas nodded silently.
The silence stretched out, as if each member of the company thought out their minds and decide if they should step forward or not.
A timid voice broke the long silence and the company looked down upon the hobbit who spoke. "I will take it, I will take the Ring to Mordor."
Gandalf could not bring himself to smile at him it reminded him too much of Frodo when his small voice broke over the din in Rivendell.
"For it would be what Mr. Frodo would have wanted. He won't want anything more harm and death to come to the World. I have already seen enough." Sam started around the company talking of Frodo with such pride that Merry and Pippin sobbed quietly behind him. "I know what it will try to do to me I feel fight it would what is green and good in this world"
"As you wish Samwise" Gandalf whispered waving an arm toward where the Ring had fallen. Sam paused and stared at the Ring that lay in the dust and ash of a world already lost to the darkness of Sauron; and he bent down to pick up the small yet very dangerous jewel its menace hidden. He stood at last the weight of the Ring already making his arm ache, he could not turn back. The hope of Middle- Earth rested on him.
"You will not have to bear this burden alone Sam" Aragorn whispered handing Sam the chain in which the Ring hung on. "We will accompany you"
"You mush all keep a promise," Sam turned to look at his wearily company "that should any of you feel the urge to take the Ring you must leave. So not to endanger the mission and your own life. Do not make the same mistake as Boromir"
"How do you feel Legolas?"
It was early evening, the sun was setting and company rested pouring over the events they had bearded witness to. Aragorn tended to Legolas' wounds, though not life threatening they had taken their toil on his mortal body.
"I feel tried, like I could sleep for an age."
"Then rest and sleep, do not let that bother you" Aragorn pulled another blanket from his pack and draped it over his friend as his eyes feel closed in slumber.
"How is he?" Gandalf asked watching them over his smoking pipe.
"Exhausted, his wounds are not serious but are taking a toil on him"
"His body is attempting to adjust, I doubt he's ever had a shock such as this before. He still believes he is elf kind"
Aragorn sighed, peering over his shoulder. "Is there nothing we can do to help him?"
"He has accepted the truth, which is a start. There would be little you can do Aragorn for he has accomplished much himself. Just be there when he needs you, and I fear he will need you more then ever soon"
Dawn broke, a red sun rising and they set North the cross the river then East to Mirkwood for aid, then turn South East towards Mordor.
"Bilbo use to talk about his trip to Mirkwood with the dwarves, and I don't mean to sound rather unfair Legolas but your father doesn't sound like a nice person" Pippin said as they marched.
"For my father said the same thing little hobbit for he was too involved in Bilbo's travels to Mirkwood". In front of them both Gandalf smiled to himself.
"My father did not enjoy having dwarves for company, especially more so when he discovered they had escaped. How did your father, Bilbo and the others escape?"
"You were never told?" Gilmi laughed he could image Legolas asking his father and he being too embarrassed to admit that the dwarves escaped right under is nose.
Pippin smirked too "They escaped in empty barrels that floated down river" he laughed.
Legolas turned up his nose, annoyed. "I never did agree with the copious amounts of wine my father insisted we bought and drank. But never did we believe they could be used to save prisoners!"
"I supposed you never imprisoned creatures so small before in you kingdom" Gandalf said from the front of the company; he could no longer laugh in silence as laughter burst through his lips.
"If you didn't think we escaped in the barrels who did you think we escaped?" Gilmi asked once the laughter had subsided.
"I don't know, I suppose I thought it had been a dream and that we never had imprisoned dwarves or perhaps some magical spell or being took you away" he glanced up ahead at Gandalf who struggled to contain his laughter again.
"Either was it does not matter now. All that matters in the task at hand" Aragorn broke the humour abruptly.
By midday the company followed the Anduin Northwards to the Old Ford where they could cross the river safely, they rested briefly and Aragorn saw to Legolas' wounds again.
"What is it?" he asked as his friend fidgeted.
"Something is biting me" he wiggled and began to crawl away from where he had been sitting.
To his surprise Aragorn laughed. "Fleeing from an ants nest, what ever next my friend?"
Legolas wasn't laughing he was staring at his hand that Aragorn had un-banged. The gash underneath slowly oozed blood, but the skin was not a healthy pale colour. The edges of the cut had blistered, the skin black and tender.
"Why did you not say anything?" he asked as Aragorn crept forward. His laughter died on his lips.
"It's not as serious as you think"
"Oh really" Legolas stood, angrily. "Hasn't your years living with Lord Elrond taught you anything?"
"Legolas the wounds are healing, fine they just need regular treatment"
"How can I be sure you wish to help me?"
"How can you say that?" Aragorn stood shocked at his friends words.
"Now I know why are so hot – they can not trust anyone but themselves"
"That's not true!"
"Who do you trust?"
Aragorn gapped – what had become of his friend? "Gandalf for one, I trust with my life, Éomer, Eówyen, Faramir my men in Gondor"
"All of them?"
Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, but Gandalf interfered.
"Stop this nonsense the pair of you!" he separated them at arms length, the company had watched the pair bicker, never before had they witnessed this.
"I have not passed through fire and death to watch you bicker" he glanced at the pair. "Let me see you hand Legolas"
He extended his hand; Gandalf took it and banged it once more without speaking or showing any expression.
He turned to the company and spoke: "Time is against us more then before. The company must be parted and the armies of Middle Earth must be raised. Aragorn I want you to travel to Rohan and Gondor and raise then Men for the worst. Legolas, you must continue towards Mirkwood, find any Elves you can and raise them, Gilmi go with him. Sam and I will join you also."
Merry and Pippin leapt forward: "What about us?"
"Go where you will. Though I'm sure Rohan and Gondor will be glad to see the return of their smallest warriors."