Disclaimer: chapter one, part one. Thanks for all the reviews and that you stick with this long story.
Chapter eleven: Ninth of March.
Ninth of March 3019
They had left the horses a couple of hours ago and continued on foot. They were drawing nearer the dark mountains; they could feel it in the air and in their bones. Right before they parted with the horses they had eaten, rested, and in Boromir`s case slept.
They had taken shelter behind some large and gray rocks; thanks to the cloaks of Lothlórien they were almost invisible. Boromir had told him that they were nearing Henneth Annûn. He had also mentioned that maybe they would encounter soldiers from his city here, perhaps they had seen Frodo, Sam and Feavair, if they were traveling together.
Legolas was starting to feel nervous and edgy. Not only did the darkness around them tare at his senses, he was also starting to wonder what he would do once he saw her again. In his heart, he knew that he needed to see her again, at least to try to stop her, although he knew it would be hopeless. In his mind, he knew that she had to do this, or else Sauron would never die. He sighed deeply, and leaned his back against the rock.
Why did his heart and mind have to disagree? It was tearing him apart.
He must have dozed off, because he awoke at the small sound of footsteps. He blinked his eyes open and looked around. Night had fallen over them, and not even the moon or stars managed to send their light through the dark clouds.
The sounds were distant and the ones who approached moved with the skill of the most experienced ranger, but they could not escape the ears on an elf. Now and then low and hushed murmurs broke through the silence, and the occasionally clinging of armor and weapons.
He rose slowly and tightened the grip around his two elf swords, could it perhaps be the soldiers Boromir spoke of, or was it perhaps an orc patrol coming their way. What ever it was, it moved steadily and gently on the rocks, not in the manner of orcs. The voices were also speaking in the common tongue of the West, a language he was not to familiar with.
"Boromir" Legolas whispered and nudged the sleeping man with his foot. Boromir`s eyes quickly opened and he looked around with a panicked look on his face, as if he had been awaken from a nightmare and was expecting to see the monster of his dream standing before him.
"I hear people, they are using the common tongue of the West" Legolas muttered. Boromir rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and was at once fully awake. He listened but the only thing he could hear was the sound of the wind howling.
"I can not hear anything" he muttered " but I do not question it if you say you do…"
Legolas quickly withdrew his sword as he heard the sounds getting closer. Boromir saw that the elf was getting ready to attack and quickly put a hand on his shoulder.
"They might be soldiers from Gondor"
"Or orcs" Legolas muttered.
"Orcs do not use the common lounge of the West at least not to my knowledge….but then again stranger things have happened" Boromir said.
The voices and footsteps were getting closer now, and now even Boromir could hear them.
"How many do you think they are?" Boromir asked.
"Nine, and they are not heavily armed" Legolas said calmly.
Suddenly the footsteps stopped and Legolas and Boromir held their breaths. A low murmur spread through the dark before a single voice, louder then the others shouted.
"I think I hear voices"
"Orcs?"
"Nay…. something else"
"Aha…. more hobbits and elves then" another one said brightly.
Boromir looked at Legolas and could clearly the shock on his face. But, he remained calmed. Boromir was about to make their presence known, when Legolas stopped him.
"Who goes there!" a voice rang through the night again.
"Show your self are you friends or enemies!" a new voice and this time Boromir felt his heart leap with joy. He clearly recognized this voice although it was months since he had last heard it speak.
"Are you servants of the Dark Lord, or servers of the free people of Middle-earth!" Legolas asked. This clearly surprised the others and a few of them started to walk even closer, when the same voice rang through the darkness again.
"We serve the free people of Gondor….now I demand that you show your self!" the voice was a little tight and held a small scent of anger.
"You can relax I know these people!" Boromir said to Legolas. The elf looked at him, rather suspiciously.
"You know us?" the voice asked, surprised now "then show your self and let us end this foolishness, it is not safe to have a long conversation on these roads"
"Well then, Faramir son of Denthor II, I suggest that we move away from these paths"
This time there was no time for any surprised murmurs because Boromir stepped forward, he was surprised to see how close they had actually been. As he rose and took one simple step, he was standing right in front of his own brother.
"Boromir" Faramir cried out in happiness and the two brothers embraced warmly.
"Faramir, brother, it is good to see you in one piece and still alive" Boromir said happily. Legolas also stepped forward when he heard the sound of two brothers reunite.
Faramir stared at Legolas, then he chuckled quietly and so did the others.
"Is it going to be a costume that elves greet us whenever we stumble over this road, tell me good elf, what is your name?"
"My name is Legolas and I am an elf from Mirkwood," he said and was about to ask them if they had seen Feavair, when and how, when a shrilling sound suddenly pierced the air.
They all froze and turned their heads in direction of the dark city. The sound of a horn railed through the night for along time thundering against the stones and echoing between the valleys. The soldiers tensed and Legolas felt all the blood drain from his body.
At last, the sound stopped and they all held their breath waiting for some hideous and devilish monster to approach them, but there were no more sounds. Faramir exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"My guess is that an army has now left Mordor, and at the sound of those evil horns, it has to be a big one, we must get moving soon," he said and the other soldiers nodded.
"Wait, we cannot leave for we seek the people you say you have meet!" Legolas said trying to keep calm.
"You mean, Sam, Frodo and Feavair." Faramir asked, and the sound of her name Legolas felt his knees almost refuse to hold his weight up.
"Yes, when did you see them?" Boromir asked.
"We encountered them about three days ago, at this very spot!" one of the soldiers said and the others nodded.
Three days ago, they were almost three days ahead of them; they would never reach them in time.
"They stayed with us about two days…. we followed them down to the path and our ways parted not more then one day ago" Faramir said.
"One day….did they say were they where heading?" Boromir asked and Faramir shook his head.
"Nay did not, but I know as much as that the matters were urgent"
"They told you nothing…?" Legolas asked not willing to believe that they had been so close to find them.
"They told me enough, and then they and their guide set out" Faramir said calmly.
"Guide?"
"Yes a small gray creature…." One of the soldiers said again. Legolas felt his heart clench a little and Boromir looked at them questioningly, wondering who the fourth member of their little party was.
"Gollum!" Legolas muttered and Faramir nodded.
"Yes that was the name of the creature….I would not have trusted it, but I trust Frodo son of Drogo`s ability to tell good from evil" Faramir muttered.
"But what about Feavair…did she tell you why she was going with them?" Boromir asked and Faramir shook his head.
"We offered her shelter, but she was rather determined to continue her journey although….I don`t understand what an elf maiden would do in such a dark and dreary place" Faramir turned to Legolas wondering if he could offer him some answer, but the elf prince looked another way.
"But why are you searching for them?" Faramir asked, "Frodo told me that they were traveling alone to Mordor"
"That, my brother is a story that is to long to tell here" Boromir sighed. "We need to hurry on….could you point us in which direction we must take"
"You should come with us, brother, I just got news that Gondor is in the need of our aid"
Boromir sighed deeply, he really wanted to go with his brother and fight for his city, but something inside of him was tugging him towards Feavair, what is what he did not know.
"I fear you must manage on your own for now, we need to get to the mountains"
"You can go with your brother if you wish" Legolas said calmly. He really did not want to drag Boromir with him all the way up to the mountain. If faith had its way and Feavair would not return with him down to the forests again, he would not see the trees again either.
"No, friend, I am going to help you on your quest, do not ask me why, for that is something I do not know my self" Boromir said. Faramir shook his head sadly.
"I wish you could answer some of the many questions running through my mind, brother, but I have a feeling that some day I will know what this is all about!"
Faramir told them quickly the route he suspected they had taken and warned them to keep off the road at all time. Legolas and Boromir listened closely to his words and all to soon it came for the time for the two brothers to part.
"Well then" Faramir said slowly and stared at his brother. He was certainly different; the stubborn brother he had once known was surly gone. His eyes held another glow, gone was the glimt, and yearn for power that had often lingered in them. Instead, they glowed a soft, almost elvish glow in them, and the man in front of him held him self, vigilant and strong.
"I hope that we will meet again, brother," Boromir said and once again, the two brothers embraced. Faramir held on to his brother, just a second longer, so did Boromir. Both of them had a strange feeling that they would never meet again.
"Then go with good will of all good men, brother and Legolas the Elf. May you find what you seek, and when the times of troubles are over, let us feast by the White Tower again!"
Then Boromir and Legolas started to slowly walk. Faramir watched them until they disappeared in the darkness, then he ordered his men to start walking again. For the rest of his journey home, Faramir could not shake of the feeling, growing stronger in his mind and heart all the time, that he would never see his brother again.
Moreover, that somehow that would be all Feavair`s fault.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your review.