Lady Beriaron: Thanks.
Feanen: Thank you!
Hope you enjoy the chapter! And, remember to review. Please!
-Lady Healer.
Chapter 10: Paths twice failed.For many days the company traveled, taking small breaks to rest and to eat. It was often during these breaks that conversation warmed the Fellowship through tales and songs. Perhaps, save from the snide comments that the elf and dwarf threw at one another. And it was during these small breaks that Lillian felt more of her shell breaking.
Through out the traveling, she began to know her companions better, and felt more comfortable around them. And the more she learned of them, the less she feared punishment. More times then not, Lillian was content to simply to listen and observed the others, but there were times when she joined in the conversation as well. Most of the hesitation she had when to speaking to a noble, before, had lessened to a shadow. It was still there, clinging, causing her to bit down a question or comment, but less often then before.
Lillian sat next to the fire Sam had lit
to cook the meal, grateful for the heat against the chilly air, as she rested
her aching feet. She had never had to walk so much in her life. The life of a
servant in her blood father's home was hard with few chances for rest, but the
terrain was always the same flat mansion floor. The land here was always
changing, and Lillian found it tired her out very quickly.
Rubbing her hands together, Lillian listened to Gandalf as he spoke. "We must hold to this course, west of the Misty Mountains, for 40 days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east to Mordor."
Hearing her name, the young woman focused
her attention to the young hobbit that had called her. Nodding her head she
asked softly, "Yes, Sam. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering, Miss Lillian … if
you have any good memories of your world." Pausing for a moment in
thought, Sam slowly added, "Maybe, of a poem or a song."
Lowing her eyes, Lillian studied the fire
as she thought back to her past. There were some stories she remembered from
her young childhood before her blood father found her. But could recall only
fragments of them. However, after Rena's death, Liz had often told her poems
before she fell asleep. And after Liz's death, Lillian had added poetry to her
reading sessions.
Nodding her head, Lillian replied quietly,
"There are a couple of poems I remember."
"Will you tell us one?" Frodo
asked from his spot beside Sam.
Closing her blue-gray
eyes; Lillian nodded again, thinking of which one to tell. After a couple of
minutes she began.
"All things are wrought of melody,
Unheard, yet full of speaking spells;
Within the rock, within the tree,
A soul of music dwells.
To harmony all growth is set;
Each seed is but a music note,
From which each plant, each violet.
Evolves its purple note.
Compact of melody, the rose
Woos the soft wind with strain on strain
Of crimson; and the lily blows
Its white stars to the rain.
The trees are paeans, and the grass
One long, green fugue, beneath the sun;
Song is his life, and all shall pass,
Shall cease when song is done."
Opening her eyes, she focused her
attention on the fire once more and stated, "That is one of the few poems
that I can remember clearly."
"It was beautiful. Sad, but
beautiful, Miss Lillian." Commented Sam.
A couple of moments Legolas's voice
questioned, "Do you know any happier poems, Lillian?"
Jumping slightly when he had spoken behind her, Lillian bit back a comment and replied. "One."
"Will you tell us it, then?" The
elf asked as he sat down beside her. Lillian was about to decline, when Pippin
voice pleaded with her.
"Please Lillian!" Looking
around, she noticed that she had the attention of the rest of the Fellowship
and silently she groaned. She did not wish to have everyone's attention, but
now she did. And though Lillian was uncomfortable with the attention of others
she no longer feared it.
With a slight grumble of 'fine' which
brought smiles to the other members she paused, and then requested,
"However, when I am done. I request that one of you tell your own." After
she saw some of the members nod, Lillian began again.
"There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave.
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best shall come back to you.
Give love, and love to your heart will flow,
A strength in your utmost need;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
Their faith in your word and deed.
For life is the mirror of king and slave,
`Tis just what you are and do;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you."
Out of all the poems she had read
throughout life, this was one of the poems she disagreed most with. In her
world, giving ones best did not do much for you except receive lesser
punishment if the nobles were displeased. The contradictions she found in the
poem, compared with her life, was probably why she remembered it so well.
However, in this world she began to see some truth to the words…
"That was lovely, Miss Lillian."
Sam commented, breaking though her thoughts.
Nodding her head, Lillian replied softly. "Thank you, Sam. However I do believe it someone else's turn."
"Quite right." Pippin stated
before exclaiming, "You should sing Bilbo's song, from the inn,
Frodo!"
"Yes, Frodo. We can sing in with you
in parts. And I do believe that Gandalf can join us." Merry said.
Raising an eyebrow, Gandalf grumbled. "Oh, I can? Would this be the ridiculous song that Bilbo was rather fond of is it?"
Nodding, Frodo answered, "The very
same."
Leaning back on perched on a stone,
Gandalf said, "Well then, Aragorn and Legolas should be able to help as
well. They also have heard this song as well." Ignoring Aragorn's subtle
glare, Gandalf continued, "We shall each sing two verses. Starting with
each of the hobbits, then with Aragon and then Legolas. I shall end the
song."
"There is an odd number of verses in
the song." Aragorn stated bluntly.
"Umm … there is, isn't there?"
Gandalf said, sounding 'surprised.' "Well, I guess, I will sing only one
verse then." Aragorn just shook his head as the hobbits started to
converse who should go first. After a couple minutes, Frodo started to sing:
"There is an inn, a merry old inn
Beneath an old gray hill
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
One night to drink his fill.
The ostler has a tipsy cat
That plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
Now sawing in the middle."
Then Merry started to chant:
"The landlord keeps a little dog
That is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
He cocks an ear at all the jests
And laughs until he chokes.
They also keep a horned cow
As proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
And makes her wave her tufted tail
And dance upon the green."
As Merry finished, Pippin sang:
"And O! The rows of silver dishes
And the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday* there's a special pair,
And these they polish up with care
On Saturday afternoons.
The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
And the cat began to wail;
A dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The cow in the garden madly pranced,
And the little dog chased his tail."
Then Sam chanted:
"The Man in the Moon took another mug,
And then rolled beneath his chair;
And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till in the sky the stars were pale,
And dawn was in the air.
Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
'The white horses of the Moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits:
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
And the Sun'll be rising soon!'"
And slightly reluctantly, Aragorn chanted:
"So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
A jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said
They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
And a dish ran up with the spoon"
Then Legolas sang clearly:
"Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
The dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their head;
The guest all bounded from their beds
And danced upon the floor.
With a pings and a pong the fiddle-stings broke!
The cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
With the silver Sunday spoon."
Then lastly Gandalf finished the song:
"The round Moon rolled behind the hill,
As the Sun raised up her head.
She* hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her surprise
They all went back to bed!"
After the rest of the Fellowship finished
their chuckling, the hobbits and Lillian began to continue their combat lesson
with their own teachers. Roughly, only fifteen minutes had past since they took
a break and it was agreed that this one would be longer for the purpose of
training the inexperienced. During the training, Aragorn gave further
instructions to both parties, as Gandalf and Gimli talked.
"If anyone was to ask for my opinion,
which I know they've not…" Gimli said earning a snort for the elf. And he
could have sworn that he heard Elven-prince mutter something like, "Why
would we bother… " After a glare in said elf direction, Gimli continued,
"I'd say we were taking the long way 'round." Looking at their wizard
companion, the dwarf said, "Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of
Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."
Shaking his head, Gandalf replied firmly,
"No, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other
choice."
Suddenly, Merry's cries of "For the
Shire!" caught everyone's attention. Lowering her staff, Lillian turned
around and laughed as she saw two small hobbits tackle Boromir to the ground.
As the two hobbits wrestle with the noble
from Gondor, Pippin cried, "Hold him. Hold him down, Merry!"
After a few minutes of this, Aragorn rose
to his feet, and attempted to help his fellow man, saying, "Gentlemen,
that's enough." But Aragorn landed on the flat on his back as the hobbits
pulled his legs from underneath him.
As Lillian continued to watch the
wrestling, Legolas left his place to jump up to a higher cliff, looking out to
the distance for something.
Seeing a dark smudge against the sky, Sam
asked, "What is that?"
"Nothing," Gimli dismissed.
"It's just a wisp of cloud."
Pausing in his wrestling match with the
halflings, Boromir said, "It's moving fast. Against the wind."
As the dark mark came into his view, Legolas shouted suddenly. "Crebain from Dunland!"
"Hide," ordered Aragorn as he
started to grab the packs around him, throwing them under a little space under
rock hanging.
"Hurry," shouted Boromir as he
helped the hobbits hide. Sam joining them after putting the fire out. As soon
as the hobbits were hidden, the Gondorian Men hid themselves, not worrying
about the others; as both Gandalf and Gimli were hidden. Running from the cliff
edge, Legolas grabbed Lillian's wrist and headed towards some bushes. Quickly,
the Elven prince helped Lillian roll beneath them, before swiftly joining her.
Minutes later, hundreds of black birds
flew over their heads. Lillian, wasn't sure why these birds had such an effect
on the Fellowship but remain silent, knowing that there had to be a reason for
it.
Several minutes after the crows left their
sight, the members of the Fellowship emerged from their hiding places.
"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf as
but spat. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of
Caradhras." Following Gandalf's glaze, Lillian shuddered, when they
stopped on the snowy mountain peaks in the distance. She had a feeling, that
things were about to get worse, for everyone.
********************
And once more the company set out towards
their destination. And with great speed they crossed the lands and much
time was recovered. But as they continued the terrain began to change. With
every step it grew steeper and loose rocks caused many members to stumble. And
with every change to the land around them, the pace slowed.
The closer they got to the mountain pass,
the chill wind bit more fiercely at them. And no more then an hour later, white
flakes began to fall from the darkened sky, kissing the travelers in a light
flutter.
But still Aragorn and Gandalf lead them on
at a slow pace. Faster the snow began to fall and it blew across the members of
the fellowship and quickly gathered around each companion's feet, until it
became harder still to walk in the white blanket around them. An hour later a
tired, cold Lillian stumbled in the white fluff, dropping to the ground below.
And there she lay, slightly dazed, until a hand appeared in her line of vision.
Slowly, Lillian took the offered hand and the noble of Gondor pulled her to her
feet.
Chaffing her arms slightly, Boromir
continued to follow the others while saying, "Do not falter now, Lady
Lillian. We'll take a rest soon!"
Barely could they hear Sam's breathless complaints as he walked in front of them. "I don't like this at all. Snow's all right on a fine morning, but I like to be in bed while it's falling. I wish this lot would go off to Hobbition! Folk might welcome it there." And for minutes his complaining went on until they stopped.
Looking ahead, Lillian barely made out the
figures of Aragorn and Gandalf gesturing towards one another, and she guessed
that they were discussing something of importance. The screaming winds kept any
of the words from traveling to her ears.
But as they halted, the wind died down to
a light whisper and the snow ceased; Lillian was thankful for small favors as
she wrapped her snow covered cloak around herself more tightly. She was cold,
tired, and all she wanted to do was crawl into somewhere warm and fall asleep.
But no such place existed here. Lillian sniffled as she observed the other
members of the Fellowship. Each of them was cold, except, it seemed, the elf.
How he could travel in this weather without a cloak on and still not look
cold... She did not know, but knew his ease was vastly unfair. Turning her gaze
away from the back of the snow touched blond, Lillian studied the other
members. Some of the companions were starting to flush with cold, and she knew
that she probably was as well.
As the wizard and future king discussed,
Lillian knelt to the ground, caring not that her knees were becoming soaked
with the snow, only that she needed to rest her weary feet. And around her the
hobbits stood, leaning lightly on one another, for strength as they discuss or
complained about a variety of things. Slowly, under the hobbits' soft chatter,
the girl's eyes began to droop and she nearly fell asleep, before a slender
hand shook her awake.
"Come, Lady Lillian. We must
continue," came Legolas's musical voice beside her. Nodding her head,
Lillian stumbled to her feet with the aid of the elf and continued on. And for
a few minutes the group continued, but after Lillian stumbled the fifth time,
Legolas kneeled down before her, taking his weapons off his back as it faced
towards her.
Looking over his shoulder, Legolas said
firmly, "Climb onto my back, Lillian. I will carry you until the next
break." Too tired to wonder or care why a noble would offer such a thing,
she did as she was told, and slowly climbed onto the Elven-prince's back,
wrapping her arms gently around his neck and her legs around his waist. Using
one of his arms to brace Lillian under her legs, Legolas stood and continued
on, only sinking slightly into the snow with the added weight. Keeping a grip
on his weapon with his free hand, the elf crossed the distance to the horse and
laid them in his pack, taking care that he could draw them in a moment notice
should the need arise. And so as Legolas walked beside the horse, Bill, Lillian
rested her tired head on his shoulder and slowly her eyes began to droop again
until she submit to darkness.
Less then an hour and a half later, the storm worsened, and boulders fell from the mountains forcing the company to stop. From her position on Legolas back, Lillian shivered.
"We cannot go further tonight. Call
it what you will, but there is a fell voice on the air." Boromir stated.
Leaning on his fellow hobbits, Pippin moaned. "What can we do?"
"Either stop where we are, or go
back," answered Gandalf. Pausing for a moment, he added further, "It
is no good going on. Only a little higher, if I remember rightly, this path
leaves the cliff and runs into a wide shallow trough at the bottom of a long
hard slope. We should have no shelter there from snow, or stones-or anything
else."
"And it is no good going back while
the storm holds," Aragorn commented, adding his own output. "We have
passed no place on the way up that offered more shelter than this cliff-wall we
are under now."
"Shelter!" Sam muttered as he
and the other hobbits started to cuddle together for warmth. "If this is
shelter, then one wall and no roof make a house."
For a short amount of time, the fellows gathered closely to the wall for what little protection it offered. Legolas sat on the ground, Lillian in his lap, an extra blanket around her cold form. Tapping her face lightly, Legolas commanded, "Wake up, Lillian. It is not safe for you to sleep." And after a couple more taps, she slowly opened her eyes, grumbling softly underneath her breath.
After Frodo fell into the snow, he himself
began to fall into the world of dreams only to be awakened by Boromir lifting
him up.
"This will be the death of the halflings
and Lady Lillian, Gandalf. It is useless to sit here until the snow goes over
our heads. We must do something to save ourselves."
Drawing a leather flask from his pack, Gandalf handed it to Boromir, saying, "Just a mouthful each-for all of us. It is very precious. It is miruvor, the cordial of Imladris. Elrond gave it to me at our parting. Now, pass it around."
After a gulp the group felt their strength
renewed, but the storm continued on and the question of a fire was brought up.
And with Gandalf's consent the group tried to light the fire. But time and
again, the wood stayed unlit.
Until, with a sigh, Gandalf rose to his feet and pointed his staff at the fire. "Naur an edraith amen!" and with a thrust of his staff the wood burst into fire. Sitting down, the wizard informed the rest of the company, "If any are to see or hear, then I at least am revealed to them. I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin."
And for hours, the Fellowship stayed
there, waiting for the storm to pass. The only member to leave the shelter was
the elf, who did some scouting when the weather lightened a bit. And when the
storm passed, the company set out, leaving the pass of Caradhras they way they
came, until they left the mountain.
At the bottom of the mountain the company
halted again as they rested and discussed their options. And after many
debates, they agreed, with one eager member and all others reluctant, to head
to mines of Moria in the morning. And with that the members set down to rest
while Legolas stood watch.
An hour later the sounds of wailing and howling reached the Fellowship's ears. Aragorn leaped to his feet as he stated, "The wind is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!"
Quickly the experienced members started to
guide to set up their defense, knowing that it would not be long before their
enemy would be among them. They gathered around the fire in a circle, their
backs facing the hot flame as they were instructed. Each person who had the
least amount of combat experience stood between those who had more. All except
Lillian, who was frozen in fear.
Pulling her behind him and Legolas,
Boromir commanded, "Stay behind us!" Less than ten minutes later,
each member had their chosen weapon in their hands and the Wargs started to
appear.
Stepping slightly forward from his place in circle, which was between Merry and Pippin, Gandalf held his staff aloft. "Listen, Hound of Sauron," he called out. "Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring." The wolf growled and leaped at the old wizard, but with a yelp, it fell to the ground; dead by the elvish arrow that pierced it's throat.
Gandalf and Aragorn strode forward, but
the watching eyes vanished as the hunting packs fled. The peace did not last
for long, for only minutes later, the Wargs returned, in greater numbers than
before. The Wargs attacked the group and the Fellowship fought back. All except
Lillian, as fear still gripped her, but safe in her position behind the elven-Prince
and the noble of Gondor.
Swiftly, Legolas released his arrows,
causing many Wargs to fall in quick session, before he was force to draw his
twin daggers, slicing one lunging hound across the face and plugging the other
in it's neck. Boromir's sword slashed the throat of another Warg, giving the
needed space for Legolas to return to his bow and let it sing, allowing more
hounds to fall victim to elvish arrows.
And as Aragorn and Gimli took down their own batch of Wargs, helping protect the hobbits as they did, Gandalf started to chant. "Naur an edraith amen! Naur dan i. Ngaurhoth!" And suddenly a tree above them burst into flame. And as the fire spread, the Wargs that did not die from it fled.
When the fire died to smoke, and their
enemies did not return, Sam said, sheathing his sword, "What did I tell
you, Mr. Pippin? Wolves won't get him. That was an eye-opener, and no mistake!
Nearly singed the hair off my head!"
And with morning light, Legolas gathered
his undamaged arrows from the Warg carcasses, and the Fellowship started off
towards Moria.
_________________________
Like? Hate? Let me know! Please!
First note I like to make. I did not write the poems typed in this chapter. The first poem was called, Unheard by Madison Cawein. And the second poem is called; There are Loyal Hearts by Madeline S. Bridges.
Second note. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out.
Chapter 11: Moria.