Chapter 2 - Mt. Caradharas

.....................

The mountain was covered in deep snow and the hobbits were complaining of frostbite on their feet. Boromir and Aragorn are now carrying the hobbits, two each. A little while later, Shysa offered to carry one of the hobbits but was told that a Lady shouldn't carry hobbits. At least that is what Boromir told her. To this she replied, "You are being ridiculous! I can carry at least one of the hobbits. I probably have three times your strength! Heck I could carry all four!"

"You are a woman. Woman can't be stronger than men!"

"Oh yeah, punk? Why don't you take me on and I'll show you who's stronger!"

"That is enough from both of you!" Aragorn roared at the two. "If neither of you can't behave, we will leave you both here on the mountain to fend for yourselves. We don't need your arguing right now. Boromir, if she wants to carry a hobbit, give her Pippin so he can ask her questions instead of driving us insane."

Pippin, hearing this, immediately ran up to Shysa's side and started talking. "Wow! Now I get to talk to a Lady!" He emphasized the last part of his phrase so his friends could hear him.

Shysa rolled her eyes and replied, "I am not a lady. If you ask the right questions you'll find out why." Then she had the hobbit climb onto her shoulders so she could carry him.

So once again the fellowship (and their new addition) started walking up the mountain again. Pippin bombarded Shysa with many questions to which she tried to answer to the best of her ability.

"What are those things you have hanging on your belt?" Pippin asked noticing the three sabers hanging from her belt.

"These are lightsabers," Shysa replied unclipping the double bladed saber from her belt. "This one belonged to a bad person, called a Sith. We fought and I killed her. I took her saber as proof." Shysa ignited the black and dark violet blades being careful of anyone around her.

"What new devilry is this?" Boromir asked from behind Shysa.

Shysa deactivated the blades before anyone made the stupid mistake of trying to touch them and turned to face Boromir. "This," she waved the deactivated saber in his face, "is a lightsaber. A sword made of light. It is very powerful and if you touch it you can loose whatever you were touching it with."

Boromir scoffed at the idea, and pushed ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Pippin had grabbed a handful of snow from a high drift and was quickly making it into a ball. Shysa saw what he was doing and was struck with an idea. She grabbed some near-by snow and also formed it into a ball. Then, after taking careful aim, hit the top of Boromir's head with the snow ball.

Pippin, liking this idea sent his snow ball flying straight into Gandalf's back. Both snowballs hit their targets simultaneously. And simultaneously the two victims turned to find out who their attacker was. Unfortunately everyone else saw who did what to who and quickly pointed in Shysa and Pippin's direction.

"What was that for!" Boromir demanded.

"For being stupid." Shysa replied innocently.

"And what have you got to say for yourself Perigrin Took?" Gandalf demanded.

"I was trying to hit Merry?"

"But I'm back here!" Merry said from his current position.

"We will leave both of you children here if neither of you can behave!!!" Aragorn yelled at the two 'children'.

"We'll behave!" the two troublemakers said quickly.

As the fellowship continued up the mountain, the snow that had been falling increased heavily. A few hours more of their march a strange sound came from the darkness around them. Soon the noise started to resemble sinister laughter and shrill cries with it came more snow and stones falling around them. Then Boromir called out for us to stop for the night. Gandalf told them that a little ways more and there was a shelter from the snow and stones. They all sat down for a little to rest for awhile. Later, Boromir had to shake Frodo awake. ""This will be the death of the Halflings, Gandalf!"

Gandalf pulled out a flask of something and said, "Just a mouthful each for all of us. Elrond gave it to me at our parting."

Shysa refused to drink it. "I don't know what it is and I'm not going to drink it."

"He said it is miruvor," Frodo replied from his position next to her. "It will make you feel better."

Shysa passed it to Pippin on her other side and said, "I have enough strength from this weather. For an elementalist, extreme weather is something of a sugar rush without the drop off at the end of its course."

Boromir asked to start a fire and Gandalf said it was okay. Wood and kindling were brought but no one seemed to be able to start a fire. Gandalf let out a sigh and started to get up but Shysa said, "Let me try now."

Gandalf nodded to the elementalist and Shysa used her fire abilities to start a small blaze. Once she started it, she caused it to grow and become stronger. The fellowship was glad and eagerly warmed their hands.

Towards morning, Shysa, the four hobbits and Gimli the Dwarf huddled together and talked.

"Shysa," Gimli started, "do you know any dwarves back where you come from?"

"Den." She replied.

"Oi! What does that mean?" Pippin asked.

"Obviously it means 'no'." Merry told his cousin.

"I wish I did though. I've never met one until I met Gimli." Shysa continued. "But I believe that dwarves are the more trustworthy race people hear about."

"Oh I don't know about that Miss Fett." Samwise spoke up. "I think the elves are quite nice."

"Sam is right. I've met some elves other than Legolas and they are very nice." Frodo said.

Shysa sighed, and remembered some one from about five years ago then confessed, "I was shot by an elf once. He was trying to stop me from doing something stupid and I wouldn't listen."

"Then you deserved to get shot." Legolas called over from across the fire.

"See what I mean by elves." Shysa gestured to the elf that had spoken.

"Do you know any different languages?" Pippin asked.

Shysa laughed and replied in Ewok, "Chak. Do you want me to teach some Ewok to you?"

"What is Ewok?" Gimli asked.

"It's a language that small furry folk use. The furry people are called Ewoks and look like little bears." Shysa explained. "You can insult big folk and they'd never know what you were saying."

The four hobbits, and on dwarf accepted her offer to teach them a new language, mainly so they could call other people names. As Shysa taught her new students, Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas went to make a path so that they could get down the mountain. Gandalf was left alone to his thoughts.

After awhile, the trio came back and everyone set off down the mountain. Shysa carried Pippin and Merry, one under each arm. Boromir carried Samwise and Aragorn carried Frodo. The fellowship traveled down the mountain and Gandalf led them on the way to Moria.

............

A/N: Review me