Author's note: Hey, it's me! I'm still alive! Sauron hasn't taken me yet, although I'm still waiting for Boromir to. Hee-hee! Anyway, I know you all are impatient for Boromir to make an appearance, but please be patient!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!! You guys keep me going, and I'm sorry for not updating in a while. This new job I have is rough since I work nine hour shifts and have an hour drive there and back again. A little hobbit reference there. *snicker* That leaves me with very little time to write.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER FIVE
The autumn days seemed to pass like hours as they continued their search for Gollum. She knew the minute they had left Ithilien once the line of trees ended and they began their trek across the arid Noman-lands ahead of them. Looking back, she saw a sight she would never forget as the golden rays of the setting sun seemed to set the trees ablaze with the different colors of autumn.
They spoke very little to each other as they searched for any sign of footprints that might give away Gollum's direction, although they knew he was traveling north but couldn't know if he was drifting a little east or west. Then luck smiled upon them as they caught sight of his tracks, and they followed them until evening fell where they led around the outskirts of the Dead Marshes. It was there that they saw him crouched beside a stagnant pool of water, oblivious to their approach as a result of his staring deeply into the water.
Aragorn quickly caught hold of him, and a short struggle ensued in which the ranger was bitten by the foul creature, angering him further and leading him to bind Gollum's hands and put a gag in his mouth. Rhiannon thought he was being a little too harsh on him, but she figured Aragorn knew what he was doing, knew also that a lot of things rested on what Gollum could tell them, and they could not let him escape for that reason.
From then on, they would continue on to Mirkwood where they could speak with Gollum in safety, and her spirits lifted a little at the thought of seeing familiar faces again. She had almost grown up in Mirkwood, being she had spent most of her life there, and she looked forward to seeing Prince Legolas again after so many years.
During their journey north, they crossed the Anduin on the northern edge of Emyn Muil where they turned west and headed towards the Wold and crossed the River Limlight, keeping east of Fangorn Forest. From there they kept their northwestern heading and skirted between Lorien and the Misty Mountains, turning northeast towards Mirkwood where they came to Thranduil's Caverns.
They kept to the path lest they be attacked by the spiders which lurked in the trees and soon crossed the bridge which led them across the Forest River. The great gates loomed before them that led into the caverns, and Aragorn spoke with the elven guards before they allowed him entrance, Rhiannon bowing her head to them as she passed. They walked along the torch-lit passage before coming into a vast cavern that was Thranduil's Hall with three great pillars carved from the very rock around them, and walking towards them was the elven king himself.
"Rhiannon, it is good to see you," he said as he embraced her fondly like a father to daughter. "And you come in strange company. Why have you both come?"
Aragorn tugged on the rope that kept Gollum bound to his side, earning a weakly defiant hiss from the creature. "This is the creature Gandalf and I have searched for for so long. It was agreed that he be brought here and held for questioning as I am sure that Gandalf will no doubt be here soon."
Thranduil sighed heavily as he peered down at the pitiful being at his feet. "A long journey you both have had, and I imagine you are weary and in much need of rest."
"No rest do we need, my lord, but maybe a chance to make ourselves more presentable," she spoke up with a wry glance towards her fellow ranger. He merely smiled and shook his head.
The Elven King noticed their interaction with a small smile, wondering if either of them knew who the other truly was. Indeed if they didn't, they were both about to get a surprise. "Then allow me to take care of things from here. I will have him put in one of the cells so you will have leave to take care of whatever you wish."
Both of them bowed towards him and walked back towards the passage, stopping long enough to talk with each other as they both sensed it was the end of their journey. "Well, I guess this is where we will go our separate ways," she pointed out. Looking at him, she realized how much she had come to care for him over the past days of their long journey together, and it pained her heart to know that they may never see each other again.
Unbeknownst to her, his thoughts could've been echoes of her own. Against his own will, he had come to care for her very much, although he had fought against it with all his heart and soul. Still, she had managed to worm her way inside his heart, and he didn't know how or why she had done it as his heart belonged to but one person and that was Arwen. There was no way to explain it, and he had kept his distance from her as a precaution. But now that they were faced with leaving each other, he found that he would miss her presence at his side.
"I will be staying a few days at least to wait for Gandalf. I want to find out what happened to Gollum as much as you do for that might give us some direction as to how to keep the ring from coming into Sauron's hands," he replied. Then he took both her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. "I want to thank you again, Rhiannon, for all you have done to help me. There were times when I was close to despair, and all I had to do was look at you and my spirits would be lifted for I knew I wasn't alone in this. So many times I have felt my burden heavy upon me, but with you it does not seem so bad as I know you share some of the same burdens I do."
She smiled, a little embarrassed at his kind words as she felt she didn't deserve them. "It was my pleasure to travel with you, Aragorn. Truly, you are a rare man to bear such a burden willfully, and I would gladly share it if it meant it would help you."
His breath caught in the back of his throat as his blood pounded loudly in his ears. If only...he stopped the thought before it started. He couldn't, no, wouldn't do this. He was stronger than this, had waited for Arwen for more years than he cared to count to just throw it all away because of a feeling deep inside his gut.
He released her hands and stepped back to put some distance between them. "I will see you soon perhaps. Good day, my lady," he said then disappeared down the passage, the torchlight throwing his retreating shadow against the wall.
She watched him walk away, her own heart aching as she couldn't help but wonder if he felt for her the same way she felt for him, and she shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts before they went any further. Right now all she cared about was a bath to wash all the grime that she had collected on their long journey.
A couple of hours later, a knock came at her door, and at her word a maiden servant entered, telling her that King Thranduil has requested her presence at a feast tonight held in their honor. The maiden questioned if she would like her to help fix her hair, and Rhiannon replied that she would love for her to. Even though she was a ranger, that didn't mean that she didn't want to dress up every now and then.
And she tried telling herself that was all it was, that she wasn't doing this for Aragorn just to make him see her in a new light. But her emotions betrayed her as she wanted nothing more than to see the look on his face when she walked in the room and he looked at her for the first time. No doubt she would feel the same way about him once she saw him.
***********************
Rhiannon keeps getting into more trouble every time she sees him, doesn't she? Although I have only myself to blame since I have become partial to Aragorn lately. But Bory's still number one! And our favorite elf makes an appearance in the next chapter where he will tell her some unwelcome news which will break her heart for sure! Where's Bory when you need him?
Thanks for reading! C-ya!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!! You guys keep me going, and I'm sorry for not updating in a while. This new job I have is rough since I work nine hour shifts and have an hour drive there and back again. A little hobbit reference there. *snicker* That leaves me with very little time to write.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER FIVE
The autumn days seemed to pass like hours as they continued their search for Gollum. She knew the minute they had left Ithilien once the line of trees ended and they began their trek across the arid Noman-lands ahead of them. Looking back, she saw a sight she would never forget as the golden rays of the setting sun seemed to set the trees ablaze with the different colors of autumn.
They spoke very little to each other as they searched for any sign of footprints that might give away Gollum's direction, although they knew he was traveling north but couldn't know if he was drifting a little east or west. Then luck smiled upon them as they caught sight of his tracks, and they followed them until evening fell where they led around the outskirts of the Dead Marshes. It was there that they saw him crouched beside a stagnant pool of water, oblivious to their approach as a result of his staring deeply into the water.
Aragorn quickly caught hold of him, and a short struggle ensued in which the ranger was bitten by the foul creature, angering him further and leading him to bind Gollum's hands and put a gag in his mouth. Rhiannon thought he was being a little too harsh on him, but she figured Aragorn knew what he was doing, knew also that a lot of things rested on what Gollum could tell them, and they could not let him escape for that reason.
From then on, they would continue on to Mirkwood where they could speak with Gollum in safety, and her spirits lifted a little at the thought of seeing familiar faces again. She had almost grown up in Mirkwood, being she had spent most of her life there, and she looked forward to seeing Prince Legolas again after so many years.
During their journey north, they crossed the Anduin on the northern edge of Emyn Muil where they turned west and headed towards the Wold and crossed the River Limlight, keeping east of Fangorn Forest. From there they kept their northwestern heading and skirted between Lorien and the Misty Mountains, turning northeast towards Mirkwood where they came to Thranduil's Caverns.
They kept to the path lest they be attacked by the spiders which lurked in the trees and soon crossed the bridge which led them across the Forest River. The great gates loomed before them that led into the caverns, and Aragorn spoke with the elven guards before they allowed him entrance, Rhiannon bowing her head to them as she passed. They walked along the torch-lit passage before coming into a vast cavern that was Thranduil's Hall with three great pillars carved from the very rock around them, and walking towards them was the elven king himself.
"Rhiannon, it is good to see you," he said as he embraced her fondly like a father to daughter. "And you come in strange company. Why have you both come?"
Aragorn tugged on the rope that kept Gollum bound to his side, earning a weakly defiant hiss from the creature. "This is the creature Gandalf and I have searched for for so long. It was agreed that he be brought here and held for questioning as I am sure that Gandalf will no doubt be here soon."
Thranduil sighed heavily as he peered down at the pitiful being at his feet. "A long journey you both have had, and I imagine you are weary and in much need of rest."
"No rest do we need, my lord, but maybe a chance to make ourselves more presentable," she spoke up with a wry glance towards her fellow ranger. He merely smiled and shook his head.
The Elven King noticed their interaction with a small smile, wondering if either of them knew who the other truly was. Indeed if they didn't, they were both about to get a surprise. "Then allow me to take care of things from here. I will have him put in one of the cells so you will have leave to take care of whatever you wish."
Both of them bowed towards him and walked back towards the passage, stopping long enough to talk with each other as they both sensed it was the end of their journey. "Well, I guess this is where we will go our separate ways," she pointed out. Looking at him, she realized how much she had come to care for him over the past days of their long journey together, and it pained her heart to know that they may never see each other again.
Unbeknownst to her, his thoughts could've been echoes of her own. Against his own will, he had come to care for her very much, although he had fought against it with all his heart and soul. Still, she had managed to worm her way inside his heart, and he didn't know how or why she had done it as his heart belonged to but one person and that was Arwen. There was no way to explain it, and he had kept his distance from her as a precaution. But now that they were faced with leaving each other, he found that he would miss her presence at his side.
"I will be staying a few days at least to wait for Gandalf. I want to find out what happened to Gollum as much as you do for that might give us some direction as to how to keep the ring from coming into Sauron's hands," he replied. Then he took both her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. "I want to thank you again, Rhiannon, for all you have done to help me. There were times when I was close to despair, and all I had to do was look at you and my spirits would be lifted for I knew I wasn't alone in this. So many times I have felt my burden heavy upon me, but with you it does not seem so bad as I know you share some of the same burdens I do."
She smiled, a little embarrassed at his kind words as she felt she didn't deserve them. "It was my pleasure to travel with you, Aragorn. Truly, you are a rare man to bear such a burden willfully, and I would gladly share it if it meant it would help you."
His breath caught in the back of his throat as his blood pounded loudly in his ears. If only...he stopped the thought before it started. He couldn't, no, wouldn't do this. He was stronger than this, had waited for Arwen for more years than he cared to count to just throw it all away because of a feeling deep inside his gut.
He released her hands and stepped back to put some distance between them. "I will see you soon perhaps. Good day, my lady," he said then disappeared down the passage, the torchlight throwing his retreating shadow against the wall.
She watched him walk away, her own heart aching as she couldn't help but wonder if he felt for her the same way she felt for him, and she shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts before they went any further. Right now all she cared about was a bath to wash all the grime that she had collected on their long journey.
A couple of hours later, a knock came at her door, and at her word a maiden servant entered, telling her that King Thranduil has requested her presence at a feast tonight held in their honor. The maiden questioned if she would like her to help fix her hair, and Rhiannon replied that she would love for her to. Even though she was a ranger, that didn't mean that she didn't want to dress up every now and then.
And she tried telling herself that was all it was, that she wasn't doing this for Aragorn just to make him see her in a new light. But her emotions betrayed her as she wanted nothing more than to see the look on his face when she walked in the room and he looked at her for the first time. No doubt she would feel the same way about him once she saw him.
***********************
Rhiannon keeps getting into more trouble every time she sees him, doesn't she? Although I have only myself to blame since I have become partial to Aragorn lately. But Bory's still number one! And our favorite elf makes an appearance in the next chapter where he will tell her some unwelcome news which will break her heart for sure! Where's Bory when you need him?
Thanks for reading! C-ya!