Disclaimer: The characters belong to Tolkien. The plot belongs to me.
Chapter II: Perilous JourneyA day passed, and another, and still there came no word from Gandalf. Frodo knew that the journey over the mountains to the Eyrie was long and perilous, and thus that Gandalf could not be expected to complete it swiftly. Nevertheless, in his heart he feared the worst.
He need not have troubled himself. As the sun set on the third day after Gandalf had left, there came a great cry from the gardens of Rivendell. All those within, Elves, Men, Dwarves and Hobbits alike, ran out, to a sight which struck their hearts with fear and awe. There, settled on the path before the Last Homely House, were two great Eagles.
As they stared, Gandalf walked around from behind the larger of the eagles. "Ah, my friends," he said, "I see you heard Gwaihir's call. Gwaihir is Lord of the Eagles of the Misty Mountains, and he and his brother Landroval have agreed to help us in our quest."
"Then it seems our Halfling friend has worried needlessly," said Aragorn, stepping forward and placing a hand on Frodo's shoulder. "He feared something terrible had happened to you."
"Terrible?" queried Gandalf. "No, Frodo," he said, turning to look at the hobbit, "not terrible. Rather uncomfortable, perhaps, but not terrible."
"Will you not tell us about it?" cried Pippin, forgetting himself for a moment. As the assembled turned to look at him, he tried to back away, to hide his embarrassment, but there was no need.
Gandalf laughed. "Yes, young Peregrin, I will tell you. Come, let us remove to the Hall of Fire, for the tale is too long to tell standing in the cold."
In the Hall, Gandalf sat himself beside the fire, and those who wished to hear his tale arrayed themselves around him. Elrond handed the wizard a glass of wine, which he drank from with thanks, and then settled down to listen.
"Long is the high pass across the Mountains, especially in winter, and especially when the Dark is rising and orcs are making their presence felt. You will recall that Thorin and Company did not make it all the way across, but instead took an unexpected shortcut through the mountains." Several of those attending nodded agreement, and Gloin called out, "That was your fault, you know. If you had been paying attention . . ."
The crowd laughed at this, and then settled down again as Gandalf raised his hands. "Regardless, that shortcut left me with a small problem. I had not since ventured across that particular pass again, and so lacked recent information on the far end. Elrond furnished me with what he could, but there is little even in the libraries of Rivendell.
"And so, with no knowledge of what awaited me, I set out. Upwards I rode, following the narrow track on my borrowed horse – who, Lord Elrond, now roams free across the fields between the Mountains and Mirkwood."
Elrond nodded in acceptance, and another elf near him called out, "Perhaps I shall find him on my journey home!"
"Perhaps you shall, Prince Legolas," replied Gandalf, "and I am sure you will give him a good home if you do. But anyway. I rode until I reached the highest point of the pass. From there, a point Thorin's group never reached, I could see both Rivendell and the Eyrie. Fortunately for me, I could also see the path I had yet to follow. From that high place I could scout my route, seeing what dangers awaited me.
"Long I waited, scanning every inch of my future journey. At last, I knew all that I had to do, and prepared to leave. As I did, I fortuitously glanced backwards, and realised that I had left my departure almost too late. A company of Orcs was swarming up the path, and were almost upon me.
"Swiftly I mounted, and fled down the pass, towards the Eyrie and safety. But soon the orcs too crested the mountain, and looking down espied me amid the rocks.
"Bows they drew, and all might have gone different, save for one thing. The Eagles keep a watch on the mountains, keeping the orcs trapped. Whenever orcs do appear on the east side of the mountains, the Eagles will act fast to drive them back. As I rode, expecting at every moment to feel the sharp bite of an arrow in my back, there came instead a great screech. My horse wished to flee, but I managed to halt him and turn him.
"There, at the top of the pass, the orcs were scattered by great Eagle, diving repeatedly at them and rending their flesh with mighty talons. Many an orc fell to his death in the rocky cleft beside which the path ran, until at last all were dead or fled. Then back flew the Eagles, leaving me alone once more.
"But more hope had I. I knew now that the Eagles still lived in their Eyrie, and also that they still fought against Evil. Heartened, I continued down the track.
"Nothing more came to pass until I arrived at the Eyrie. There I was taken before Gwaihir to plead my case. I knew that he would be reluctant to assist – only on momentous occasions, such as the Battle of the Five Armies, will the Eagles stray far from their eyries, and Mordor lies further even than Erebor.
"'Gwaihir,' I said, 'I bring a request from Lord Elrond of Imladris, on behalf of all the free peoples of Middle-Earth. The One Ring has been found, and must be destroyed in Orodruin before Sauron can reclaim it. We request that you send one of your subjects to transport it there.' 'What concern is Sauron to us?' he replied. 'We live here, far out of range of arrows and orcs. He cannot harm us.'
"'Do not be so sure,' I responded. 'Sauron has many servants, among them the wizard Saruman. A sorcerer of his might could easily bring this entire Eyrie crumbling to the ground.' I realised I had spoken too loudly when the other eagles in the Eyrie began to ruffle their feathers in horror. Still, my haste worked to our advantage."
"Gwaihir sent me away then, asking that I remain in the Eyrie while he conferred. It was long before he sent for me, and on my return he spoke. 'We agree that this danger cannot be allowed to remain,' he informed me. 'However, I cannot in good conscience send any of my subjects on a mission that may result in their deaths.' I bowed my head, prepared to leave, but he spoke again. 'Therefore, I myself will go, accompanied by my brother Landroval.'
"I thanked him profusely, as you may have guessed. After releasing my horse, I climbed onto his back. 'Hold tight,' he told me, 'for although we will not fly as fast as we might, the wind will still be strong.'
"And strong it was. Across the mountains we flew, covering in minutes what had taken me hours by horse. And then, at last, we emerged from the clouds, and the valley of Rivendell lay below us. And so here we are."
There was silence for a moment, and then Elrond rose. "Well, Gandalf," he said, "You are an excellent story teller. But now, I think, our guests should retire. Frodo, especially, has a long journey ahead of him, and there will be little time to rest. We will assemble here in the morning."
I apologise for telling all the action as a story, rather than as direct action. I'm afraid that's just the way it worked out. Don't worry - there will be actual action sooner or later.
Cloaked Eagle