A/N: I do not own LOTR and never will. A few parts of this come from Adromir's story 'Trust'. Hope you are enjoying this so far because there is a lot more to come! I am trying to throw in some evil Mordor cliff hangers, tell me what you think. - Naur
Determined Guardian
Chapter 3
Buried Secrets
Elrond had bound his arm tightly and had given him a mixture of herbs to use should the pain become to great. Legolas had thanked him and then gone to his rooms to pack for this journey, Elrond had told him that the Fellowship would depart in two days hence. He was almost done when a knock came at his door.
"Minna!" He called. The door opened slowly and revealed Arwen. He smiled at her and bowed his head in greeting before returning to his task.
"I am sorry Legolas," She whispered. His busy hands stilled but he did not turn around to look at her.
"What do you have to be sorry for my lady? It was of my own fault that Aragorn did what he did…because of my stupid Mirkwood blood…" He whispered.
"No! Oh Legolas…dear Legolas please do not believe the words Estel said. He let his anger get the better of him. Soon he will see the error of his words and your friendship will be restored. You come from a long line of proud warriors who would rather die than lose something they have been fighting for. Please…look at me," She begged. Slowly he turned and met her eyes, there he saw tears.
"You cry…do not cry for me. I may come from a long line of warriors but something had to be given before whatever they were fighting for could be gotten. I have almost paid my price if you look at it one way…and have if you look at it another. We will be leaving soon, you should go to Aragorn. He will need you before we depart," Legolas explained and he turned back around. They stood in silence for a long while and then Arwen left…leaving him alone to his thoughts. Slowly he made a fist and a tear slipped down his face as pain shot through his arm and fingers.
()()()()()
"Prince Legolas are you sure you want to do this?" Verion asked after dinner that night.
"I have no other choice Verion. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. You would do the same had you made the promise I did?" Legolas questioned. Verion was caught by surprise at his question and thought a moment.
"You made a vow to protect Aragorn did you not?" Verion stated.
"I did. I vowed, I, Legolas son of Thranduil of the Mirkwood realm, pledged myself to protect you, Estel, with everything I have. I vowed to protect you with my sword and my bow, my life, my heart…and my soul." Legolas told him. Verion was quiet with thought.
"Had I made the same vow then no, I could not go back on my word. All I can say is…be careful. I can only pray to Elbereth that you will return to us safely," Verion told him. Legolas smiled and hugged him.
"Hannon le Verion…hannon le," He whispered. Verion said nothing, he just stood there holding the younger elf as tightly as he could.
()()()()()
2 days later…
The Fellowship stood preparing to leave Imladris. The elves had gathered to bid them farewell. Elrond stood the closest to them with his sons on one side and Arwen on the other.
"The Ring-bearer is setting out the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him, no oath, nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you," He told them. Legolas raised a hand to his heart and then lowered it in a sign of respect and farewell.
"The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer," Gandalf said. Frodo turned and started to walk out of the gates of Imladris. Gandalf was next followed by the other halflings and Boromir. Legolas's eyes connected with Arwen's and he gave her a small smile before turning as well. She wanted to cry as her eyes connected with his but she had cried enough already and all she could do was sigh as she watched Legolas and then Estel leave.
"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Frodo asked in a whisper.
"Left," Gandalf replied.
()()()()()
As they marched across the land Gandalf leading, Frodo behind him and Aragorn near him should trouble arise, the others walked in between leaving Legolas to guard the rear. They were still close to Imladris but even though his senses were working catching every sound and movement made in the forest. They had not been walking for more than fifteen minutes when Legolas heard the soft approaching footfalls behind him, followed by someone calling his name. He turned and saw Elladan and Elrohir running to catch up with him so he stopped.
"El? Ro? Is something wrong?" He asked. They both had come to a stop right in front of the prince. But they were suddenly unsure of what to say. "What is it?" Legolas asked again.
The twins glanced at each other before Elladan finally spoke, "Please look after Estel for us, Legolas, as we will not be there to watch his back."
Legolas smiled. "That I will." The twins were silent once again. Thinking that they had no more things to say, Legolas then turned to go. But then both brothers grabbed Legolas into their arms and embraced him wholeheartedly, nearly crushing Legolas in their sudden action.
"Forgive us, Legolas!" Elrohir was saying. "We have been treating you badly these last few days."
"I understand…"
"How can you stand us? We had pummeled you to bits and ignored you all the while you're here. We are so sorry for our behavior," Elladan then said.
"Pummeled me to bits? Doesn't that sound too melodramatic?" The twins pulled away and saw the big grin on Legolas's face.
"All right, that sounds too unrealistic. But we still hope you will forgive us."
"There's nothing to forgive. Both of you are still my friends, no matter what had happened," Legolas replied. After they said farewell again and Legolas ran to catch up with the group. He would not let the twins down.
()()()()()
Someone, or something, was hard on their tail. The elf had sensed the other strange presence several times since yesterday. And it was getting closer but stayed completely out of range when the fellowship set their camp last night. Legolas had a distinct idea about who the presence belonged to; Gollum. Is this why they released him? To be the second tracker for the ring? Then another presence hit him, evil and dark.
"Good lord! Now everything is clear! Gollum is the beacon! The absolute homing device! Valar! What have I done?!" Legolas thought. He ran forward, catching up with the rest of the group. Rushing past the startled fellowship directly towards Gandalf. The two went into a hushed discussion, their voices soft and inaudible to the others. Aragorn looked on in apprehension as Gandalf's frown deepened.
"What's going on?" the ranger asked. Gandalf was already hustling the hobbits to move quickly forward. Legolas had turned around and grabbed Aragorn's arm along as he backtracked down the trail.
"Come with me, Aragorn," the elf said. As they walked passed the dwarf and Boromir, Legolas told them, "You two stay with Gandalf and the hobbits. Don't ever leave them, no matter what your hear behind you."
Gimli was incredibly curious. "But Legolas…"
"I mean it!" Legolas almost shouted, urgency clearly evident in his voice. "I don't have time to explain! Just trust me!"
"Should I?" Aragorn said under his breath, but Legolas could hear it loud and clear. He ignored the intense pain that stabbed through his heart brought by those two simple words. There will be time for that. But we need to get through this problem first. Alive.
()()()()()
Gollum had seen the elf halt and look over his shoulder for the umpteenth time. Then he had stood unmoving for several moments before taking off at high speed. Gollum smiled as he crept on forward.
"So, you've sensed us. You know we're right behind you. What are you going to do now, pretty elf? What are you going to do?" Unknown to him, he was now being stalked by not one, but two pairs of eyes.
()()()()()
"He is there, walking through the bushes. Can you see him?" Legolas pointed out. He had led his friend a little farther from the trail and went around to get behind the creature that followed them.
"Gollum," Aragorn said through gritted teeth. "Well, dear Legolas, is this your idea of a joke?" Legolas cringed. Ai! He's still blazing mad at me! And for good reason.
"He is not what I'm mostly worried about right now," Legolas said, ignoring the ranger's condescending tone. "It's his shadow."
"What are you talking about?"
Legolas began to move on once more, staying behind the covers while going farther down the trail they had just climbed up that morning. Aragorn had no choice but to follow him. More than a hundred yards away, Legolas halted again and stared at one point of the surrounding woods.
"What are we waiting for?" Aragorn had become totally exasperated with the whole situation.
"You'll find out in just a moment."
"I want to know now."
Legolas sighed. "All right, Aragorn. I'll tell you what has been following Gollum, while Gollum has been following us. It's the ringwraith."
Aragorn's eyes bulged. "Ringwraith? Are you saying Gollum has been leading Sauron's peon on us all this time?"
The elf closed his eyes briefly before he faced the man. "Exactly."
The man stared back at the elf, long and hard. "Nice going, elf. Nice going." Legolas had already realized his grave mistake in freeing Gollum just a while ago. But to hear it coming from his friend's mouth that way had made him ashamed of his deeds.
"Isildur was not the only one who was weak, I am as twice as weaker!" He thought.
Legolas opened his mouth to say something but Aragorn raised his hand. "Save it, Legolas! I don't want to hear!"
Gazing sadly at the ranger, Legolas nodded and turned his full attention to the grave situation at hand. Nocking an arrow to his bow, he took aim. "Get ready. They are coming."
()()()()()
Legolas spun and twirled with his twin blades in his hands, trying unsuccessfully to bring down the creature. The creature kept advancing on him menacingly with its gleaming sword, forcing him to take several steps back.
This stepped back while keeping an eye on his enemy was not a good thing, for soon he fell over a fallen log. The elf stumbled to the ground on his back, staring up in horror at the sword that came directly for his head. Then, at the last second, Aragorn's blade came flying and hit the beast squarely in its blank face. The creature shrieked in pain on impact. Thrashing about crazily, it began to hastily retreat. The ranger ran forward and yanked his blade out with all his might. The creature screamed even louder. It rushed away and disappeared into the woods after his comrades.
Breathing heavily, Legolas looked around only to know that the ringwraith that had been fighting with Aragorn had also fled. As he got to his feet, Legolas smiled at the man.
"Thank you for saving my hide. That was a great shot there! I can always rely on you to watch my back!" He smiled.
Aragorn glared back at him in response. "But I'm not sure if I can rely on you to watch mine." Legolas's smile faltered as he stared at the ranger in dismay. They both had fought together against the enemy like the way they used to do dozens of time before and he had completely forgotten about their current rift in all the excitement just now. The elf watched in silence as Aragorn whirled on his heels and ran up the trail to catch up with the rest of the fellowship.
Legolas lowered down his eyes, staring at the ground that was littered with the used arrows. He began to gather them back into his quiver, picking up the still usable arrows and tossing away the ones that were broken. While doing that, he was busily thinking. "What am I to do to repair this situation? Recapture Gollum and present it to Aragorn?"
Legolas abruptly straightened. "Gollum! Where is that creature? I can't sense him! Has he run away?"
()()()()()
"We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for 40 days. If our luck holds the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor," Gandalf told them as they rested for awhile. Boromir was training Merry and Pippin how to sword fight while Aragorn smoked his pipe watching in amusement.
"Two, One, Five. Good, very good," Boromir said.
"Move your feet!" Aragorn told them.
"You look good, Pippin," Merry smiled.
"Thanks!" Pippin replied happily.
"Faster!" Boromir said before moving his sword faster.
"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome!" Gimli announced.
"No Gimli, I would not take the roads through Moria unless I had no other choice," Gandalf answered. He looked to Legolas who shared a glance with him before returning to keeping his gaze focused around them. All elves had a fear of enclosed spaces, all perfered to be outside amoung their beloved trees than trapped.
Legolas jumped from one stone to another, he watched something dark as it moved in the sky. Suddenly there was a cry, Boromir had hit Pippin's hand with his sword.
"Sorry!" Boromir exclaimed.
"Aaah!" Pippin yelled and then kicked Boromir's leg.
"Ah!" Boromir cried out as the hobbit's piled on him.
"Get him!" Merry yelled. Boromir battled with the two hobbits as Aragorn watched laughing.
"For the Shire! Hold him! Hold him Merry!" Pippin laughed.
"Gentlemen, that's enough!" Aragorn said trying to break them up but got thrown back.
"He got my arm! He got my arm!" Merry exclaimed. Sam and Frodo sat laughing until Sam realized that Legolas was still staring off into the distance at the darkness in the sky.
"What is that?" He asked.
"Nothing, it's just a wisp of cloud!" Gimli replied.
"It's moving fast…against the wind," Boromir whispered as the hobbits finally let him stand.
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas yelled.
"Hide!" Aragorn cried. "Take cover!"
The Fellowship hurries to get their stuff and get into hiding. Sam puts out the fire. They hide behind rocks and in bushes. A huge amount of black birds flies over them, cawing loudly. They circle the hill twice, then turn and fly back towards Isengard. The Fellowship comes out from their hiding places
"Spies of Saruman! The passage south is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras," He announced.
()()()()()
The Fellowship walked in the deep snow on Caradhras. Frodo stumbles and falls, he rolls down the slope towards Aragorn.
"Frodo!" Aragorn exclaimed catching him. Aragorn helps him to his feet, and Frodo searches around his neck for the Ring. Finding that it's gone, he looks back up to where he fell and sees it lying in the snow. Boromir sees it too and picks it up by its chain. "Boromir…"
"It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing…" Boromir pondered.
"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo," Aragorn said with some unease. Boromir is startled out of his thoughts by the words but he walks down and hands it to Frodo.
"As you wish. I care not," He laughed before turning around. Frodo quickly took the Ring and placed it back around his neck. None saw Aragorn release the grip he had on his sword…none but Legolas who was also watching Boromir.
"I do not trust him either mellon nin…" Legolas thought.
()()()()()
The Fellowship was having a hard time climbing up the mountain with all the snow that was being thrown at them, all but Legolas who walked on ahead to see how safe things were. Listening closely he could hear a voice on the air.
"Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya!" Saruman said casting his spell from the top of Isengard.
"There is a fell voice on the air," Legolas told them.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled. The first avalanche fell. The Fellowship barely managed to throw themselves toward the mountainside avoiding it.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn yelled holding Frodo and Sam close to him.
"No!" Gandalf replied. Gandalf stepped up to the ledge and started chanting out his own spell.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!"
Saruman stood on the Pinnacle of Orthanc and continues to cast spells against them.
"Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar!" He yells. Lightning strikes the top of Caradhras sending a second avalanche onto the Fellowship. Legolas reaches out and pulls Gandalf away from the edge and against the cliff just before the snow buries them completely. All is quiet for a few moments and then they start digging themselves out.
Legolas slowly dragged himself out casting his worried glance over the hobbits and others of their fellowship his hand resting lightly on his side. It hurt to breathe…but that would have to wait they were talking again.
"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir pleaded.
"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn insisted.
"If we cannot pass over a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria," Gimli said. Gandalf looks at Gimli with a worried look on his face. He could hear Saruman's words in his head.
"Moria…you fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm…shadow and flame…"
"Ai Elbereth….not Moria…" Legolas begged in his mind fearing the darkness he knew was there.
"Let the Ring bearer decide," He answered finally. Once again the snow and wind was beating down on them.
"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!" Boromir cried as he held Merry and Pippin close.
"Frodo?" Gandalf asked.
"We will go through the mines," Frodo replied.
"So be it," Was all Gandalf said before they turned around and headed towards the mines. Legolas stayed at the back of the group ever watchful of danger…for now ignoring his own pain. It hurt to walk and even breathe…the darkness of Moria…he could already feel it plaguing him.
TBC…
Elvish Translation
Minna – Enter
Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya! - Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!
Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith! - Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!
Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar! - Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads!
A/N: The whole thing with the Twins & the fight with the Ringwraiths belongs solely to Adromir. I went through a changed a few things but it belongs to her.
Review Thanks
A Sly Fan – Ok I have to ask. WHAT IN ARDA ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I reread the chapter along with a couple of my friends and we just simply do not see anything that goes along with your review.
Deana – Thanks so much! And it's going to get worse you just wait.
Joee1 – Yes he's stubborn just like me. I blame myself for everything to. Oh that, that was supposed to be a flashback. Sorry if it was confusing.
Laurenke1 – Thank you! Hope you liked this one as well.
Gemini969 – Sorry this is late. I have been very busy lately. Not really…I'm just lazy.
Ivory Novelist – Thanks! Fluff? What fluff?
Lady Lenna – Stupid human. I know. Things will get better…but not for awhile.