Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR
Riding Out
He stopped her. "You mean the stairs of Cirith Ungol?"
She shrugged. "Yes? How many staircases are there in Middle Earth?"
He looked worried as he set down the brush. "This does not bode well."
"What, why not? Leggy, he's alive! What could be better?"
"He may not survive what is up ahead. Especially with the creature Gollum leading them, they will end up in despair," he said, clenching his teeth together.
Her eyes widened. "Legolas, what's going to happen to him? Where's Gollum taking them?"
He shook his head. "I do not wish to instill false fears into your heart."
Clenching her fists, she shouted, "Could you not treat me like a child and just tell me what's up? I can handle it!"
His eyes widened in surprise. She was very frustrated because he had been, but now he was back to his overprotective self again. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The stairs lead right into the lair of Shelob, who is an ally of Sauron's."
She made a face. "That doesn't sound too good at all."
"No it does not. Shelob is a giant spider, and if Frodo and Sam are able to make it past her, then they must face the wrath of Mordor."
"So what's so bad about that? All they have to is waltz in, drop the Ring off at Mount Doom, and we're good to go."
He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "I'm afraid it is not as easy as you make it out to be, Laura."
"Of course it is! Because we...meaning you, me, Aragorn, Gandalf, the Rohirrim, and Gondor, are going to create a distraction. Sauron won't even see the Hobbits."
In an instant, Legolas smiled. This girl was not stupid, and he could see in her all of the potential that Gandalf gave her credit for. Seeing her so confident made all the fears for the future melt away. And the boyish fantasy he'd been debating with had come truer than ever. He was in love with her.
She smiled and winked at him, turning around to go back to the castle. She wondered what that whole scenario had just meant. Why had he been blushing? The obvious reason would have been because he had feelings for her, but it wasn't possible. An Elf? From a different world? No way. They'd never be anything more than just friends. So if she kept quiet, she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone around her in the process.
The sky, she had just noticed, was light out now. She'd completely lost track of time. Oh well. Exiting the gates, her attention was drawn to a mountain range. There was a small orange light on it. "A fire?" she asked herself. What was a fire doing on a mountain? Did mountains catch on fire? She stared at it for a moment until Legolas came up behind her.
"Oh, so you have seen it," he said.
"The flame? Yeah," she said. "What does it mean?"
"It's a signal. Gondor is calling us to their aid."
"OH," she said, suddenly understanding. "Whoa, so then we're going to Gondor? Legolas, that is so awesome! Those Orcs are gonna be so scared of Men once I'm-" she looked up at Legolas. "Sorry. But I did when the bet, remember?" she grinned.
"I know. I do have faith that fighting by your side will bring me good luck."
Merry came running up to the two of them. "We're going to aid Gondor!" he cried. "And King Theoden said I could ride with the Rohirrim. Just like a real knight."
"Oh, of course! Hey, I'm predicting big things for you to come, Merry," Laura said as the three of them headed inside the castle to speak with the king.
Before she knew it, they were already preparing to set out and ride to Gondor. She had previously talked with Eowyn, convincing her (not that she'd need much convincing) to disguise herself like a soldier and fight. As she mounted Epona, she could see Eowyn and Aragorn talking. Aragorn suddenly turned and looked in her direction.
"Laura!" he called. She shrugged.
"What?" she knew he'd seen lady Eowyn's sword. "Don't blame me, she was gonna do it either way. I'm just helping her along." She quickly got herself away from there, and alongside Merry, rode to the encampment with the Rohirrim.
The days had been long, yet short. Now that everything was finally coming together, there was so little time to do everything that needed to be done. Apparently she'd done something to make King Theoden change his views of women, because she found that she was a lot more informed of how many men they had, where the men were from, how much time they had, and things like that she'd never known in Edoras.
She sat on the hillside next to Merry, who was toying with his weedpipe since he'd given the rest of his to Pippin. He looked down on the encampment, sighing. She knew he was wondering about if he'd ever see Pippin again.
"You know, he's going to be just fine," she reassured him.
He looked at her. "Do you really believe that?"
She sat back. "Merry, I don't know how anyone could survive this long if they didn't have some optimism with them. Of course Pippin will be all right. He's a very strong Hobbit, and he has as much hope and passion as a child could for Middle Earth. If that doesn't comfort you, than remember that he's with Gandalf."
Merry didn't get a chance to respond, because Eowyn called out to him. She smiled at Laura, thanking her for the encouragement to disguise herself as a soldier. Laura hoped that she wasn't sending Eowyn off to her death. Then she sensed a presence. An Elf presence. She looked a little way down the mountain, and a cloaked stranger was ascending. Should she tell Aragorn? He was asleep, and she didn't want to be responsible for waking him.
She got up. No one else seemed to notice, so she calmly walked toward the figure. Getting closer, she could see some facial features. "Lord Elrond!" she cried as she threw her arms around him.
Taken aback, he didn't say anything.
"Oh Lord Elrond, I didn't know if I'd get to see you again. How's Arwen? How is my sister doing?" she said, pulling away.
He looked very old when he looked at her, like it hurt to hear the word 'sister'. "She is dying slowly, like all of us are. But she suffers most."
Riding Out
He stopped her. "You mean the stairs of Cirith Ungol?"
She shrugged. "Yes? How many staircases are there in Middle Earth?"
He looked worried as he set down the brush. "This does not bode well."
"What, why not? Leggy, he's alive! What could be better?"
"He may not survive what is up ahead. Especially with the creature Gollum leading them, they will end up in despair," he said, clenching his teeth together.
Her eyes widened. "Legolas, what's going to happen to him? Where's Gollum taking them?"
He shook his head. "I do not wish to instill false fears into your heart."
Clenching her fists, she shouted, "Could you not treat me like a child and just tell me what's up? I can handle it!"
His eyes widened in surprise. She was very frustrated because he had been, but now he was back to his overprotective self again. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The stairs lead right into the lair of Shelob, who is an ally of Sauron's."
She made a face. "That doesn't sound too good at all."
"No it does not. Shelob is a giant spider, and if Frodo and Sam are able to make it past her, then they must face the wrath of Mordor."
"So what's so bad about that? All they have to is waltz in, drop the Ring off at Mount Doom, and we're good to go."
He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "I'm afraid it is not as easy as you make it out to be, Laura."
"Of course it is! Because we...meaning you, me, Aragorn, Gandalf, the Rohirrim, and Gondor, are going to create a distraction. Sauron won't even see the Hobbits."
In an instant, Legolas smiled. This girl was not stupid, and he could see in her all of the potential that Gandalf gave her credit for. Seeing her so confident made all the fears for the future melt away. And the boyish fantasy he'd been debating with had come truer than ever. He was in love with her.
She smiled and winked at him, turning around to go back to the castle. She wondered what that whole scenario had just meant. Why had he been blushing? The obvious reason would have been because he had feelings for her, but it wasn't possible. An Elf? From a different world? No way. They'd never be anything more than just friends. So if she kept quiet, she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone around her in the process.
The sky, she had just noticed, was light out now. She'd completely lost track of time. Oh well. Exiting the gates, her attention was drawn to a mountain range. There was a small orange light on it. "A fire?" she asked herself. What was a fire doing on a mountain? Did mountains catch on fire? She stared at it for a moment until Legolas came up behind her.
"Oh, so you have seen it," he said.
"The flame? Yeah," she said. "What does it mean?"
"It's a signal. Gondor is calling us to their aid."
"OH," she said, suddenly understanding. "Whoa, so then we're going to Gondor? Legolas, that is so awesome! Those Orcs are gonna be so scared of Men once I'm-" she looked up at Legolas. "Sorry. But I did when the bet, remember?" she grinned.
"I know. I do have faith that fighting by your side will bring me good luck."
Merry came running up to the two of them. "We're going to aid Gondor!" he cried. "And King Theoden said I could ride with the Rohirrim. Just like a real knight."
"Oh, of course! Hey, I'm predicting big things for you to come, Merry," Laura said as the three of them headed inside the castle to speak with the king.
Before she knew it, they were already preparing to set out and ride to Gondor. She had previously talked with Eowyn, convincing her (not that she'd need much convincing) to disguise herself like a soldier and fight. As she mounted Epona, she could see Eowyn and Aragorn talking. Aragorn suddenly turned and looked in her direction.
"Laura!" he called. She shrugged.
"What?" she knew he'd seen lady Eowyn's sword. "Don't blame me, she was gonna do it either way. I'm just helping her along." She quickly got herself away from there, and alongside Merry, rode to the encampment with the Rohirrim.
The days had been long, yet short. Now that everything was finally coming together, there was so little time to do everything that needed to be done. Apparently she'd done something to make King Theoden change his views of women, because she found that she was a lot more informed of how many men they had, where the men were from, how much time they had, and things like that she'd never known in Edoras.
She sat on the hillside next to Merry, who was toying with his weedpipe since he'd given the rest of his to Pippin. He looked down on the encampment, sighing. She knew he was wondering about if he'd ever see Pippin again.
"You know, he's going to be just fine," she reassured him.
He looked at her. "Do you really believe that?"
She sat back. "Merry, I don't know how anyone could survive this long if they didn't have some optimism with them. Of course Pippin will be all right. He's a very strong Hobbit, and he has as much hope and passion as a child could for Middle Earth. If that doesn't comfort you, than remember that he's with Gandalf."
Merry didn't get a chance to respond, because Eowyn called out to him. She smiled at Laura, thanking her for the encouragement to disguise herself as a soldier. Laura hoped that she wasn't sending Eowyn off to her death. Then she sensed a presence. An Elf presence. She looked a little way down the mountain, and a cloaked stranger was ascending. Should she tell Aragorn? He was asleep, and she didn't want to be responsible for waking him.
She got up. No one else seemed to notice, so she calmly walked toward the figure. Getting closer, she could see some facial features. "Lord Elrond!" she cried as she threw her arms around him.
Taken aback, he didn't say anything.
"Oh Lord Elrond, I didn't know if I'd get to see you again. How's Arwen? How is my sister doing?" she said, pulling away.
He looked very old when he looked at her, like it hurt to hear the word 'sister'. "She is dying slowly, like all of us are. But she suffers most."
