A/N:
Jebb: Thank you. I trust you to let me know if I get too boring for you!
To the purists again – here's some more of that Greek mythology that I warned you about. A dryad is a wood nymph. I'm taking a bit of "artistic liberty" here in saying 1) the dryads exist and 2) that they depend on the Woodland King for their protection.
A bit of the book here again.
Annowe cringed but stood her ground as she watched the color drain from Deka's face. This was going much worse than she feared.
"You let him do what?" Deka's shout of anger caused several dead leaves to flutter to the ground and echoed off of the nearby hills. Her shouting alone could wake up the other slumbering dryads.
"I didn't 'let' him do anything! He's a grown elf! If he chooses to go off on a quest then I cannot stop him," Annowe sulked. She had tried to talk sense into him but Legolas had made his mind up and could be as stubborn as a dwarf once he decided on something.
Deka was nearly beside herself with rage at the news of Legolas and The Ring. The news of Curunir's defection did not infuriate her half as much as the news of Legolas had.
Holly had been right again.
"He. Is. Our. Prince," the incensed dryad articulated every word to make sure that her irresponsible cousin understood the implications to what she had just revealed.
Annowe ground her teeth but allowed her cousin to vent her anger.
"You've filled his head with stories and now he's run off in search of one of your adventures! Eru help me, if anything happens to him . . ." the Deka's brown eyes flashed daggers.
"If anything happens to him, it will kill me and then you won't have to worry any more!" Annowe cut her off in mid-threat.
The two nymphs glared at each other in a tense silence.
Deka took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she fumed at her reckless cousin. How could Annowe let the Prince of Mirkwood just run off on some suicide mission? Why had she not gone in his stead?
Did the demented Naiad not understand how important the Prince was to them? He was Thranduil's heir and their protector! Without him, they would slowly perish. He needed to mate and continue the line of Woodland Kings. But now Annowe had brought news that their Prince had run off with The One Ring to Mordor! The world had become completely unhinged!
She should have forced Annowe to stay away from him forever or, better yet, talked Thranduil into marrying him off sooner. The longer he delayed mating, the more perilous the situation for the dryads became. The nymphs of the wood depended upon the king and his protection. Without him, the evil creatures from the south would over run their homes and kill or enslave them. But it seemed that neither Annowe nor Legolas understood her position.
"You should have stayed away from him," Deka said sadly.
Annowe's nostrils flared in anger. "I DID! For 500 years I stayed away from him. I stayed away because you said you wanted to find him a mate!" Annowe accused. "And you did not! I was not going to stay away from MY home forever just to make YOU happy!"
Deka's shoulders slumped. "Yes, you stayed away," she admitted. "But he refused to mate." She grew angry again and her brown eyes narrowed. "He refused to mate because he was still smitten with you! He didn't even realize it but I knew! I could tell he pined for you," she growled at the memory.
"That is not the point," Annowe said tiredly. "He's gone and I will try my best to get him back safely. You can either help me or not. I'm not going to fight with you about this anymore."
The Dryad scowled darkly. "Why couldn't you have been more like your sister?" She muttered.
"I've had enough of this!" Annowe shouted. "I'll get him back with or without your help!" In a swirl of dead leaves, she turned on her heel and left the fuming Deka staring at her back.
The Company continued south, content to leave the ultimate decision of their path until they reached the falls at Rauros and the Tindrock Isle several days away.
Boromir was still pressing for the company to make for Minas Tirith but Aragorn was not so certain. Sam did not seem to care where they went as long as he was with Frodo and it didn't involve any more boats.
The journey was going quickly as they were traveling with the flow of the river. Aragorn advised them to save their strength and not paddle as the river was swift and would carry them along at a good speed.
Trees became sparse as they moved farther south, giving way to grassy rolling plains on the western side of the river. To the east, the land was barren and desolate without so much as an interesting stone formation or burnt tree to break up the monotony of brown.
The barren landscape seemed to reflect the brooding mood of the entire company. Words were few between them and no one laughed or smiled. They were each lost in their own thoughts about what lie ahead of them and the perils they might face. Even the wind seemed eerily still. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath.
Legolas shivered despite himself. It was not particularly chilly but the air was damp and the sun never seemed to make it from behind a perpetual gray cloud. Everything was tensely silent, watching and waiting. The miles passed easily but the scenery on the eastern bank never changed. It looked like the land had been scourged of any living thing.
The sky also was barren of creatures. Legolas scanned the horizon and sky for any sign of life but saw none. It seemed like they were the last creatures left in the world. It was quite an unsettling feeling. They were on the frontier of a soon-to-be war zone.
As the day drew on, Legolas' thoughts drifted to the ring. He wondered how the ring bearer was holding up under the weight of the thing. Frodo seemed to be a bit more withdrawn, but perhaps that was due to the loss of the wizard. They had been quite close from what he understood and the Periannath seemed to be quietly mourning his friend's death.
Legolas knew it would be very difficult for him to overcome the loss of one of his friends and he sympathized with Frodo, even if he was unable to convey it.
After what Annowe had told him about the ring, he wondered how any living creature could touch it and not be tainted by its evilness. Mentally, he made a note to keep an eye on Frodo to make sure he did not start to become unbalanced, but Legolas knew that size was no indication of sturdiness or courage. He had enough proof of that in Annowe who could still wrestle him to the ground and rub snow or mud in his face despite her stature. The dwarf, too, was a formidable opponent in a fight and not easily intimidated, even by a rampaging troll or a hoard of goblins.
These thoughts eased his mind somewhat. They were a hardy band of travelers to be certain and he was growing more trusting and comfortable with them each passing day. He was glad of the growing trust amongst the company because now he saw how perilous their situation was. Every day was a matter of life and death and at any moment any one of them could be killed or captured, thus putting the entire mission and the fate of middle earth into jeopardy.
Each day that they survived and pressed toward their goal they grew stronger together and more determined to accomplish their task. Legolas recalled Galadriel's words with a new understanding, "hope remains as long as the company stays true."