*****
Even with the horse, it took her nearly two weeks to reach The Great River. The High Pass had been much more treacherous than when she and Legs had made the crossing as it was now the middle of the snowy season and most of the trail was covered.
She hated the cold and snow. Except when it afforded her opportunity to stuff snow in Legs' tunic. Then she liked it. She giggled at the thought of their snow fight as they returned from their scouting mission.
Where was he now? She looked to the steely gray sky as if for an answer. By her reckoning, they should be approaching the southern pass across the Misty Mountains unless they decided to travel all the way to Isengard first before heading east towards Mordor. She doubted that. According to Mithrandir, Curunir had turned and was massing his own evil minions at Isengard. They would want to avoid that area if possible.
With a shout of understanding, she realized what she must do. If Mithrandir was correct, she must keep Curunir and Sauron from uniting their armies against Middle Earth and she didn't have much time. She must reach her cousins in Mirkwood and tell them of Curunir's treachery and hope they would be willing to move against him.
But her first thought, as always, was with Legs. All of her scheming and plotting was for naught if he was in danger. She must make sure he was safe. Cautiously, she slid from her horse and walked slowly toward the partially frozen Anduin River.
If the foul creatures in Dol Guldur had heard of the Ring's progress on the western side of the mountains and were in a mind to intercept it, they would have to cross the river at some point and she intended to find out if they had.
Taking a deep breath so that she would not have to breathe the frigid waters, she plunged her head into the river up to her neck and listened. She heard not a sound from the sluggish waters. If the vile things in Dol Guldur were stirring, they were moving south along the east side of the mountains, safely separated from the Fellowship for she heard not a whisper from the river that they were crossing or had crossed. She closed her eyes in relief and continued to listen just to be certain.
She pulled her head out of the water and grabbed an extra tunic from her saddlebag to dry her hair and face. Her knees were weak with relief. He was safe. Safe! Once the Fellowship skirted Isengard, they would be in the land of men and could very nearly walk right up to The Black Gate. This mad plan might actually work, she realized with a grin.
Now full of hope, she hopped back on the horse and crossed the river, more determined than ever to find her cousins and enlist their aid. But first she must tell Thranduil about his son and warn him to be vigilant against the rising of the Dark Lord.
*****
Legolas was not so full of hope as Annowe. Saruman had thwarted their attempt to cross the Misty Mountains at the southern pass, forcing them to try and cross through Moria.
He shivered again at the oppressiveness of the place. He could not see the stars nor feel the cool breeze on his face and he felt like he would suffocate. "How could the Dwarves dwell in such a place without going mad?" He wondered. An elf could never stand to be so confined.
Unconsciously, he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out the frog Annowe had given him. It seemed like a hundred years since he had last held her in Rivendell. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel her clinging desperately to him as he bade her farewell. But she had not cried. That must have nearly killed her, he thought and smiled very slightly. He knew how difficult it was for her to hide her emotions and she had handled his request admirably.
He thoughtfully rubbed her precious gift with his thumb and forefinger as he paced the hall apart from the sleeping members of the Fellowship. The lack of a breeze had made him restless and he was anxious for Annowe as well. Part of him was glad that he didn't know what she was planning as he would have worried all the more.
Of course, he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself whatever the circumstances. She had fought against the Corsairs in the south when they had attacked Pelargir and could be quite deadly with a sword when she had a mind to be.
He could remember some of the stories she had told him when she returned from her adventures. She had always left out the death and destruction, choosing instead to tell him the humorous stories to make him laugh. "There will always be plenty of death and destruction," she had sighed in one of her rare melancholy moods.
It was not until recently that she would even speak of some of the horrors she had witnessed.
"I want to warn you, young one," she had said in all seriousness as she sat him down for a lecture.
"You have never known death like death in battle. When elves die, they go peacefully and by choice. Men do not die by choice, they will fight it kicking and screaming and it is something terrible to behold, especially in battle. You will see horrors that will haunt you for years and plague your dreams long after the battles are over and the dead are buried," she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
He knew she still had nightmares about it but had never asked until she volunteered the information.
Legolas had stroked her hair soothingly but said nothing.
"I would not speak of this anymore," she informed him after several minutes of silence. "But you must prepare yourself. Steel your tender heart. Do not let pity have a say. There is no place for it." Her dark eyes had been hard and he realized there was a lot more to her than he knew.
And that had been the end of the lecture. Here in Moria, he could see the after effects of a horrible battle and imagined that it must have been as terrible as the ones she described to him. He shivered in the cool darkness of the mines, surrounded by the rotting corpses of slain dwarves and hoped she was faring better than he was.
******
A/N: I'm mixing a bit of the book and the movie here regarding Moria. (I'll try to tell you when I do that so it isn't confusing).
Nilimade – yes, she's a bit of a prankster, but Legs can be just as bad. (Read The Scouting Mission to get an idea of HIS humor).
Magicgirl810 – Thanks, I'll try. It takes me several days to get it the way I want it then my Virgo beta takes his sweet time agonizing over the details. Ah!
Jebb – glad to have you along for this ride! You bet it drives him mad when she calls him "young one" and that's partly the reason she does it!
Even with the horse, it took her nearly two weeks to reach The Great River. The High Pass had been much more treacherous than when she and Legs had made the crossing as it was now the middle of the snowy season and most of the trail was covered.
She hated the cold and snow. Except when it afforded her opportunity to stuff snow in Legs' tunic. Then she liked it. She giggled at the thought of their snow fight as they returned from their scouting mission.
Where was he now? She looked to the steely gray sky as if for an answer. By her reckoning, they should be approaching the southern pass across the Misty Mountains unless they decided to travel all the way to Isengard first before heading east towards Mordor. She doubted that. According to Mithrandir, Curunir had turned and was massing his own evil minions at Isengard. They would want to avoid that area if possible.
With a shout of understanding, she realized what she must do. If Mithrandir was correct, she must keep Curunir and Sauron from uniting their armies against Middle Earth and she didn't have much time. She must reach her cousins in Mirkwood and tell them of Curunir's treachery and hope they would be willing to move against him.
But her first thought, as always, was with Legs. All of her scheming and plotting was for naught if he was in danger. She must make sure he was safe. Cautiously, she slid from her horse and walked slowly toward the partially frozen Anduin River.
If the foul creatures in Dol Guldur had heard of the Ring's progress on the western side of the mountains and were in a mind to intercept it, they would have to cross the river at some point and she intended to find out if they had.
Taking a deep breath so that she would not have to breathe the frigid waters, she plunged her head into the river up to her neck and listened. She heard not a sound from the sluggish waters. If the vile things in Dol Guldur were stirring, they were moving south along the east side of the mountains, safely separated from the Fellowship for she heard not a whisper from the river that they were crossing or had crossed. She closed her eyes in relief and continued to listen just to be certain.
She pulled her head out of the water and grabbed an extra tunic from her saddlebag to dry her hair and face. Her knees were weak with relief. He was safe. Safe! Once the Fellowship skirted Isengard, they would be in the land of men and could very nearly walk right up to The Black Gate. This mad plan might actually work, she realized with a grin.
Now full of hope, she hopped back on the horse and crossed the river, more determined than ever to find her cousins and enlist their aid. But first she must tell Thranduil about his son and warn him to be vigilant against the rising of the Dark Lord.
*****
Legolas was not so full of hope as Annowe. Saruman had thwarted their attempt to cross the Misty Mountains at the southern pass, forcing them to try and cross through Moria.
He shivered again at the oppressiveness of the place. He could not see the stars nor feel the cool breeze on his face and he felt like he would suffocate. "How could the Dwarves dwell in such a place without going mad?" He wondered. An elf could never stand to be so confined.
Unconsciously, he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out the frog Annowe had given him. It seemed like a hundred years since he had last held her in Rivendell. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel her clinging desperately to him as he bade her farewell. But she had not cried. That must have nearly killed her, he thought and smiled very slightly. He knew how difficult it was for her to hide her emotions and she had handled his request admirably.
He thoughtfully rubbed her precious gift with his thumb and forefinger as he paced the hall apart from the sleeping members of the Fellowship. The lack of a breeze had made him restless and he was anxious for Annowe as well. Part of him was glad that he didn't know what she was planning as he would have worried all the more.
Of course, he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself whatever the circumstances. She had fought against the Corsairs in the south when they had attacked Pelargir and could be quite deadly with a sword when she had a mind to be.
He could remember some of the stories she had told him when she returned from her adventures. She had always left out the death and destruction, choosing instead to tell him the humorous stories to make him laugh. "There will always be plenty of death and destruction," she had sighed in one of her rare melancholy moods.
It was not until recently that she would even speak of some of the horrors she had witnessed.
"I want to warn you, young one," she had said in all seriousness as she sat him down for a lecture.
"You have never known death like death in battle. When elves die, they go peacefully and by choice. Men do not die by choice, they will fight it kicking and screaming and it is something terrible to behold, especially in battle. You will see horrors that will haunt you for years and plague your dreams long after the battles are over and the dead are buried," she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
He knew she still had nightmares about it but had never asked until she volunteered the information.
Legolas had stroked her hair soothingly but said nothing.
"I would not speak of this anymore," she informed him after several minutes of silence. "But you must prepare yourself. Steel your tender heart. Do not let pity have a say. There is no place for it." Her dark eyes had been hard and he realized there was a lot more to her than he knew.
And that had been the end of the lecture. Here in Moria, he could see the after effects of a horrible battle and imagined that it must have been as terrible as the ones she described to him. He shivered in the cool darkness of the mines, surrounded by the rotting corpses of slain dwarves and hoped she was faring better than he was.
******
A/N: I'm mixing a bit of the book and the movie here regarding Moria. (I'll try to tell you when I do that so it isn't confusing).
Nilimade – yes, she's a bit of a prankster, but Legs can be just as bad. (Read The Scouting Mission to get an idea of HIS humor).
Magicgirl810 – Thanks, I'll try. It takes me several days to get it the way I want it then my Virgo beta takes his sweet time agonizing over the details. Ah!
Jebb – glad to have you along for this ride! You bet it drives him mad when she calls him "young one" and that's partly the reason she does it!