Chapter 4
Journey to Rivendell part 1
The dark was waning but a figure dressed in black rode without rest. His arms secured his passenger while his hands held the reins. The fact that he had to hurry was eating it's way into his mind. The mountains were but a week away and even then he would have to take a pass to get through the mountains. The pass might take more time though. Time that his passenger did not have.
He had been riding for the longest time when he came to a river that he soon followed. His guardians watched with confusion as Sauron rode hard to a destination that the riders only guessed at. One in particular was more aware then the others.
'Damn! Why did this have to happen to, Tasha? She's my friend and now... I mean sure she'll become a ringwraith but, no; she decided to change her mind.' The ringwraith sighed but Sauron could feel the sadness coming from him. In fact he had heard every thought and became worried. Slowly but surely he could here the girls mind as well.
'Why me? Why this? Why now? What am I going to do? I could barely fight off a vampire energy eater but now I have to worry about becoming a slave. You know I think I have always been a slave to others and this event surely proves it. I'll never be the same after this. Sauron was right. Maybe I should have stayed with my parents.' Crude scenes played in the girl's mind and Sauron saw them all. He felt even worse now that he had gotten her stabbed by his nazgul. And yet, something else stirred in his heart.
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Rivendell - Just before sunrise
Legolas was out on a pavilion leaning on the rails. He could not sleep the whole night and so he had stayed up. Something bothered him. Today he had to go back home to Mirkwood but that wasn't it. The girl! Yes, that was the reason why he could not sleep. The girl wrote the doom for them and himself and not to mention the whole of Middle Earth. But, interesting enough he felt that he should stay in Rivendell longer.
"I am guessing you couldn't sleep either." A very haggard looking dwarf came to stand next to Legolas.
"I can't help but think that all hope is lost. Gimli?! I feel that my own country has very little hope. The one chance to get rid of the ring and it ends up in Sauron's other half. The world is doomed, Gimli. We have only one choice but to prepare for war." Gimli looked up at Legolas speechlessly. His bushy beard seemed only to bristle as the dwarf opened his mouth in surprise and anger.
"Don't you ever talk like that again. You said it yourself yesterday that there might still be hope. Your contradicting yourself just because you couldn't sleep and now your not only scaring me, but; your digging yourself a grave because your not listening to your own advice." Gimli said and then turned around and started for the door.
"I would have gone with the ringbearer even if it had been you, Legolas." Gimli said as he went out the door.
Legolas looked up and turned around to look at the door where Gimli had been standing. Was it just him or did he have the strong feeling that he would regret going home. Going home without resolving anything was tearing him up in his heart. He did not want to leave just yet.
Hobbit Quarters of Bilbo Baggins
Frodo couldn't sleep either. The wound from the nazgul had been bothering him all night. In fact it itched as if the poison was still there. Sure he was healed but he felt that something was up or his wound would not be bothering him. He looked over at his uncle and wondered why he had chosen to sleep in the same room. Oh yea, he is my uncle after all. To be honest though he wanted to sleep in his own room but Lord Elrond unfortunately did not have enough rooms. Besides he had guests from all over Middle Earth. In other words he got stuck sleeping in the same room as his uncle.
Merry and Pippin got their own rooms to share. That was a nightmare waiting to happen since both were troublemakers no matter what anyone said to them. Sam on the other hand slept next to him. He was loyal that much Frodo had to admit. In fact Sam was a friend and a brother he never had.
Getting out of bed he walked quietly outside to the gardens. Of course he had quickly dressed into something more appropriate without waking anyone in the room.
The sun had not risen yet so he sat down on a bench to think and enjoy the light cool breeze that stroked his hair. Looking up he saw the sky change color as the sun rose up from the mountains lazily. A new day was dawning for all those that wept or who had a heavy heart from the events of yesterday.
Legolas said there was hope but where was it. Where was this hope that he spoke of. Frodo couldn't help but sigh in frustration. He felt it was his fault for the loss of the ring. The ring would never be recovered and Middle Earth would soon feel Sauron's wrath.
"Frodo? Is that you? Are you all right?" The voice was unfamiliar. Frodo looked around and saw a hobbit standing behind him. Turning around he got a better view of the person. He gasped. It was her but in the form of a halfling, a hobbit like himself.
"YOU!" Frodo nearly screamed. The girl flinched at the yell.
"I'm sorry! I know that it is not much but I will try as hard as I can to turn Sauron from the evil that he has inside of him." The girl looked pained. He wanted to say more but something about the way she worded her sentence caught his attention.
"You give us no hope. How do I know that you will not betray Middle Earth? For all I know you probably have already given the ring to Sauron..."
"Frodo, please listen to me. I don't have long to talk to you but you must know that Sauron is coming to Rivendell with me and his Nazgul. He brings no army but he is coming here because of me. One of his nazgul got excited and stabbed me with the morgul blade. Sauron cannot heal me by any means that he has in his fortress." Her eye's saddened.
"Sauron knows that I am talking to you. In fact he hopes that you could help. I will try to fight the poison as much as possible but I don't know how long I have before the final gate of transformation....." The girl began to cry.
"I am sorry Frodo for ....."
"No! Don't cry please. I am sure you have a reason that your not telling but how can I help. Since it is a nazgul wound you might want to ask Aragon..." Frodo said but stopped when he saw Aragon standing there behind the girl.
"I heard everything. I know what you need but should I really trust you after what you just said and did. I am surprised that you even showed your face here." The girl sighed and seemed to gasp in pain. The girl faded a little but she remained in the same spot.
"Please I do not have much longer to hold this. I'm already putting myself in danger by forcing my spirit to be here. Is there a way to slow the poison?" Aragon nodded but what he said next disheartened the girl so much that she began crying.
The breeze blew cold and the outline of a person became visible. Tall and dressed in black. Red eyes with slits for pupils looked down at the girl. In fact the figure bent down and surrounded the girl with his arms.
"Please don't cry." The girl looked up into the man's eyes.
"Sauron, they won't understand and I don't think they ever will. By the time we even reach Rivendell I'll...." Sauron quieted her with a finger to her lips.
"Shh! I'm here. If you can't fight to live for Middle Earth then fight to live for me." Sauron looked at the girl and his eyes dripped with sadness and something else.
Aragon knew what it was. It was love. The Dark Lord had finally fallen in love. If he lost his one true love then he would surly take it out on all of Middle Earth for not doing anything to save her. In fact he knew what Sauron was feeling right now for he felt the same about his own beloved, Arwen. Wait just a moment! Sauron in the past had deceived but the look in his face is to genuine to be considered a lie.
"Atheleas. It's a plant that will slow the poison but not stop it...." Aragon went into a explanation about where the weed could be found. Sauron had his eyes on Aragon but only nodded about the instructions. The girl cried out and Sauron looked to her to see what the matter was. She was fading rapidly so Sauron had to leave with the girl after getting what instructions he could get out of Aragon.
After the two spirits were gone Frodo couldn't help but look at Aragon as if he was a mad man. The fact that he gave information willingly only seemed to worry him. The fact that the information was given to the Dark Lord of Mordor only helped to make things even bleaker then they already were.
"Aragon....why?" Frodo couldn't say anymore because Aragon looked at him in a manner that said it was certainly none of his business. Frodo shook his head and asked again but with more emphasis on what had just happened.
"Frodo....he is in love with her. He came to us for help even though he knew that we might not let him have the information. One day Frodo you to will fall in love and then and only then will you understand. Right now we must go to Lord Elrond to tell him what it is we saw." Aragon stopped and turned around as a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Legolas was right. Maybe we do have hope after all." Lord Elrond stood behind Aragon while he had put a hand on his adopted sons shoulder.
"Adar! I...." Aragon began but Elrond shook his head and smiled.
"I too saw the look in his eyes. The darkness is no longer bleak for him. I will save his beloved when he comes. Let us hope that I will not make a mistake with my choice." Lord Elrond said.
Frodo had looked at Elrond and seemed amazed that he had said anything at all. I mean was it not yesterday that everyone had sulked that the end of the world was at hand? Now it seemed that the tables had turned in a completely different direction. Now he had to wonder what the future would hold for all? What would life be like in ten years from now? He didn't know. Then again he could only guess but he hoped that nothing as this bad would ever happen again to the world he lived in.
