Summary: What happened to the four Wraiths that were not immediately chasing Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring? Set before the Council of Elrond, for the characters that you did not see...
Four Wraiths Behind You:
The Capture of Many:
"Ai Elbereth!"
Because; it fits.
Legolas slowly came to, his first thoughts being a mix of confusion and dizziness. There was an ambush… Gollum! … he was with the guard of Elves! … but they were nowhere to be seen when Legolas had arrived to take command… Where were they? Nausea passed and he realised part was due to the motion of being on horseback. Alone in the dark, he opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He would have managed to do so, for the healing power of the Elves is greater than that of a Man, or even a Dwarf, but it was not to be. A firm hand gripped his shoulder forcing him back down.
Legolas flinched in pain as he was held against the horse's armour and again tried to move finding his hands bound tightly. It was the first time in several hundred years that he had the notion of feeling very small and vulnerable, captured by a being almost half his size again.
'Nae quel...
Not good...' he thought quietly.
The large hand kept its grip on his shoulder until they stopped and he was pushed from the horse to the ground. Legolas landed awkwardly on his bound hands without their freeness to break his fall, and he groaned under the ache of the rope binding them. The black horse, now burden free scraped its hooves impatiently along the ground and Legolas came to the decision that it was the most spiritless horse he had ever encountered.
'What evil gives a horse this feeling…' he thought again to himself. Its rider had dismounted and Legolas turned to face his captor. There was nothing to see but masses of black cloak and grey armour. It hissed in the tongue of Mordor, poison to the ears of an Elf, and made Legolas feel sick with anxiety and dread. What could a Wraith possibly want with him, he had done nothing!
It approached slowly yet no attack came. Instead it uttered a command and pointed the way. Legolas followed its gaze to what loomed behind him; how he did not see it before worried the Elf greatly,
'Am I loosing my sight?' He thought desperately, "…Dol Guldur…"
Without a word, Legolas was ordered inside the tower. A horrible feeling washed over the Elf as he walked, like being unable to do anything to help himself. As soon as they reached the top of the tower, he realised he didn't only want to do something, he had to do something and stopped walking. It was a mistake he regretted.
Its body may have been invisible but its spirit was not, and it had an immeasurable amount of strength. The Wraith seized Legolas by his arm and hauled him up a small flight of stairs lit by dim torches, before unceremoniously throwing him into a darken room where there were no lights. Legolas listen carefully as four locks slid into place. Clearly his captor had no intention of letting him escape.
"Mankoi amin!
Why me?"
Aragorn clambered up the mountain side as fast as he could manage with the Goblins still close behind. Several times he lost his footing and earned himself cuts and scratches all down his hands and arms, but still he kept going. He couldn't see the owners of the second group of voices but assumed they were somewhere ahead.
"So up is the only way…" He muttered wearily. A rock beneath his hand gave way, which he put to good use, hitting a following goblin square in the head and knocking it back into its companions.
'As if they need to be aggravated anymore Estel!' He thought to himself, climbing ever higher.
"Ta naa neuma!
This is a trap!"
A few more steps and he would be over the steepest part of the cliff, but it was not to be. The last thing Aragorn recalled clearly was being hit in the shoulder by an arrow. Disgusted, he removed and threw it aside, praying it wasn't poisoned. Whether it be by luck or perhaps misfortune, the next thing Aragorn remembered was waking up again, and feeling very, very sore…
In the distance, or so it seemed, Aragorn could hear angry calls and shouts, the sounds of metal hitting metal and cries of death and defeat.
"Mani marte?
What is going on?" he mumbled to himself trying to sit up. Soon all was quiet, so the battle had been won, but by which side and either way Aragorn was now helpless.
"Easy there," a voice warned. Usually Aragorn was good at reading the expressions of another face, but this face was full of confusion and amusement, so he imagined. The Dwarf above him unfolded and extended his arm to help Aragorn to his feet.
"You'd better be careful the next time try walking through my axe!" he continued, looking up at the man. So he hadn't been poisoned; the ache in his leg told him otherwise.
"Thank you,"
"It was nothing."
Aragorn noted there was a hint of pride in the Dwarfs voice as his companions returned, and rightly so as there were only three. "The sooner these mountains are rid of Orcs the better I'd say!"
"You did well to defeat them Master Dwarf," Aragorn complimented. Better to get on the preferred end of those who would save your life. "Your numbers are few!"
"Alas for the end of the days when we Dwarves dwelled in the mountains alone; now we must fight our way from home to home…"
Aragorn regarded the Dwarf with empathy; so was the situation across much of Middle-earth. They were quiet for a few moments until he had a sudden feeling about the Dwarf, of recognition.
"My memory usually serves me better Master Dwarf, but tell me. Have we met before?"
The Dwarf looked thoughtful, if a little distrustful. "Give me your name, and I will in return,"
"You may know me as Estel from Rivendell, if I am right in saying you are very much akin to Gloin of Thorin's company when they travelled through my home some years ago,"
"Ai, well no harm done then," he said cheerfully, "Gimli, son of Gloin, at your service."
"Gloin had a son?" Aragorn commented, "I did not know,"
"I do not suppose the Elves asked," Gimli replied. Aragorn kept quiet but smiled, it wasn't a very good idea to begin a debate about Elves with any Dwarf. Aragorn had the feeling this was definitely a very wrong Dwarf to attempt that with! 'Gloin's son…' he reminded himself.
"So, Estel, what might a ranger be doing so North in these Mountains alone?"
"I return from my friends in Mirkwood to Rivendell,"
If Gimli was alarmed by Aragorn's choice of friends or residence he did a remarkable job of hiding it.
"I'd get Lord Elrond to check that wound if I were you," Gimli advised. Apparently however he had an amount of respect for the Elven Lord of Imladris.
"Then you know of his healing powers?"
"Not all Elves are useless," Gimli replied but not coldly. "I have no quarry with Elrond, a friend of my father is a friend of mine. It's those Woodelves you have to watch out for,"
"Ah yes…"
Aragorn recalled an incident, some 60 even 70 years ago concerning Gimli's father and a certain Elven King. T'would alarm Gimli even more to learn I am friends with his son! No. This was not a time to journey down that road!
It surprised Aragorn to learn that in his desperate escape attempt from the Goblins, he had covered quite some distance. Gimli and his companions decided he remain with him until they reached the borders of Rivendell,
"Just in case," Gimli noted. But Aragorn was glad of it, both of the company and of the Dwarves willingness to see him safely through the mountains. By the end of the next evening they had begun their decent into the valley and could see Rivendell in the trees.
"Ah well, there's not much point in us going any further," Gimli said stopping in his tracks.
"Are you sure? You would be most welcome in the House of Elrond Master Dwarf,"
"Nay, we should return to our mines. I have no wish to spend my time among trees and Elves unless I have to."
The two shook hands and parted ways. "Before you leave," Aragorn said finally, "should you meet an Elf, tell him you are friend to Estel of Rivendell. If you should meet a ranger, then tell him you are friend to Strider… and if you should meet a servant of the enemy, tell him you are friend to the heir of Elendil," he added in an almost inaudible whisper.
Gimli's mouth dropped open with awe. "Ai… I could do that…!"
Aragorn smiled to himself he had reached Rivendell. If it were not for the urgency of his quest, he would have gladly stayed for a time to see his father and brothers. Today the Valar were looking out for him, and as he journeyed South down into the valley, he heard a familiar sound.
"Estel,"
"Elladan,"
"We didn't think to be seeing you again!" The Elf laughed hugging his brother. True enough they were not real brothers, but Aragorn considered them so non-the less.
"Quen ta lye, manke nae lle
"Tell us, where have you been?"
At this, another Elf, hardly distinguishable from the first came running to join them.
"Elrohir," Aragorn beamed,
"So you finally return?"
"Alas I do not…" Aragorn replied sadly, "as much as I wish too. I have no time to speak of all my travels; I am looking for Gandalf. Mithrandir," he prompted.
"Mithrandir has not been here in many months, I've not heard tell of him in some time,"
"Not even from father?"
"Nay, they are not contact as they once were. I fear the wizard has delved into evil to deep this time…"
"Deeper than Mirkwood?" Aragorn asked,
"Perhaps,"
"Will you not rest for a while?" Elladan pressed, concerned for his brother once again. Some things had not changed.
"Perhaps for a while, I must speak with Lord Elrond first."
Elladan and Elrohir exchanged puzzled looks. Clearly other things had changed.
"Lord Elrond?"
"Do not flatter our father anymore than he deserves…" Elrohir laughed.
Together the three returned to Imladris, and Aragorn found himself looking on a familiar sight.
"We should stop Mr.Frodo - get something to eat,"
The hobbit in question looked back at his friend and nodded.
"You're right Sam, we've already missed one meal today, and I shouldn't like to skip another!"
Sam hurried about with his rucksack and soon had a small fire lit.
The Hobbits, Frodo Baggins and his companion and gardener Samwise Gamgee, has been on the road for three days, and that was a long time to be without comfort or the assurance of several daily meals.
"… I wish Gandalf were here," Frodo said at last after a long silence. "I still don't understand why he had to leave. Again,"
Sam had nothing to say in reply, and so nodded. Both settled down for the evening, and as Frodo slept, he dreamt he was back at Bag End. Gandalf was there, and so was Bilbo. He wondered where they both were now…
Gandalf would have gladly been by Frodo's side as it were. He groaned heavily and stood up looking out from Orthanc to the forest below. Saruman had not visited him since Gandalf awoke, and that was almost a full day past. He still felt quite dizzy from being knocked unconscious, even for a wizard. And to top it all, it had begun to rain… Fire burnt below; the tree's were being felled.
"What has happened to you friend?" Gandalf said aloud but it was in fact to no one. "Is the power of a wizard to modest for you Saruman? Head of the White Order… Years under his order and I did not see it…"
Gandalf continued to mutter irritably to himself as he sat back down and sheltered from the wind and rain. If he had not have been so preoccupied, he might have felt a shift in the forces of Middle-earth. On the one hand, darkness crept across Middle-earth, and the slight fading of one who was not born to die. But a new power was also taking shape, a power to do good by the world. Gandalf had not the peace to see it just then, but there were those in Middle-earth who were uniting together.
In the darkness it is difficult for Men to even guess the time of day, and Elves are of little exception. Legolas did guess he had been alone for some hours but after a time night was lost on him. It could have been ten o'clock, it could have been three. It was one thing Legolas became agitated by, and that was being locked underground, or locked in the dark. He'd searched out every corner of the stone room for a way out but there were none. He had tried to free the door from its hinges but it refused to move. He had all but given up hope of ever leaving when footsteps echoed outside. Now he wished he could stay along a while longer.
The door opened slowly and the dark creature swept inside. Unknowingly Legolas had edged back against the farthest wall from the door.
'This is it,' Legolas thought determinedly and made a run for the door as the Wraith moved towards him. He succeeded in making it past the door disregarding the Wraith until it screeched and Legolas was forced to stop to cover his ears. Before he understood what was happening he was seized once more and dragged to another room.
This was big enough for several more people and Legolas, hoping they wouldn't be joined dizzily tried to sit up. The Wraith turned to him rasping…
"Where is the creature…?"
Legolas blinked. He was being questioned? He thought he was going to die! Legolas remained silent wondering himself the same question.
The Wraith stood motionless and hissed again, "Where is it?"
Legolas found himself replying. "I don't know,"
"Do not lie to the Nazgûl!"
"I do not lie," Legolas answered truthfully.
"He was your prisoner, tell me."
Legolas couldn't bring himself to admit that they had lost him. All this time spent searching for him and within a few weeks they had lost him…
"He escaped," Legolas said at last…
"I warned you not to lie, or I would have your forest burnt to ash…"
"I speak only the truth," Legolas said defiantly. He looked up at his captor and backed up against the stone wall as it came for him. The Nazgûl's hands were far larger than Legolas neck, and he was soon pinned to the wall gasping for breath.
"If you cannot speak then you can die…" it seethed.
"Bu…" Legolas choked, "Its… tru… St… top…"
With a last act of defiance Legolas kicked out as hard and far as his weak legs would let him, and met with metal armour. The Wraith screeched in anger dropping its prisoner and choosing its blade instead. Before Legolas could move from the danger, the Nazgûl thrust its sword forward and into the Elf's shoulder. Legolas dropped to the floor failing to catch himself and flinched as the wound began to burn and sting.
Big Thank you to all who reviewed!
Amunet - Thanks for helping to Beta, I hope this makes sense now!
Grumpy- Had to get Aragorn to Bree somehow, mind you, he's not there yet!
VolanicPlug- Great name hehe! Hope this chapter's better being longer, though I failed to meet a quick update! Sorry, I'll work harder!
Next chapter... will be long, will be carrying on, will aim to be here soon!