A/N: I didn't get anymore reviews on the site, so to say, but I did get to
have a lovely talk with a dear friend of mine. Katherine, I'm posting this
chapter for you because you were so sweet about my story and asked for
another chapter. Everyone else, I'm always open to making new friends.
Did you know that reviews are great ways of meeting new people? They are.
So, to get to the point, please review, you never know, we could be
friends! *puts on non-threatening smile* Katherine, I luv u girl, thanks
for being so supportive!
Disclaimer: Ok, so the plans of kidnapping are being held up a little bit. Suzanne's boyfriend wants to know why she's so intent on bringing back Figwit. This could be a minor setback due to all the muttering about guitars, shirts, and beaches. (no one but Suzanne will get that part) Anyway, we're trying, so until we succeed we still don't own LOTR.
The next morning Legolas met Ana outside her bedroom. Following her lead he pretended that the night before had never happened. She chattered away about what the council might be about, what role they might play, and so on and so forth. He nodded distractedly. Despite his resolution to sleep, he had gotten barely any, normally not hard on an elf, but he hadn't slept well for the past few nights and he really had needed it.
Ana hadn't slept any, but she was used to running on very little sleep and would make up for it later. They entered a half circle of chairs with a large, ornate chair facing all the other chairs. The two took their seats among the other Mirkwood elves and Ana took a moment to look around at the others at the gathering.
Gandalf sat with a small hobbit who was pale and withdrawn. Ana felt badly for him sure that he had been through some trials but her heart didn't go out to him as it did some. She sensed that he had many friends and his burden was one he would have to deal with on his own, minus other emotional baggage.
Then there were dwarves, sitting and talking in deep gruff voices. Across from them sat Estel and another man whom Ana did not know. He wore a vest with a white tree on it and had hair much like Ana's. His expression was dignified yet reserved, as of one who knows their fate and is resigned to it. Then entered Lord Elrond and a hush fell over those assembled there.
"Friends, strangers from distant lands! You have been called here to answer the threat of Mordor. Frodo, bring forth the Ring."
The small hobbit sitting beside Gandalf stood and slowly made his way to a large round stone set in the middle of the courtyard. On it he set a small, golden ring with strange markings on it. The man across the courtyard started some random muttering about dreams and other things. Then finally Ana understood what was happening as Elrond told about the First War of the Ring and Gandalf told his story, and the dwarves added their bit. When Gandalf told of the creature Gollum, and his telling Sauron of the Ring's whereabouts and how the elves were guarding him carefully, Legolas jumped up.
He began, "This is not good! For the tidings I bring I knew were not happy, but now I see how bad they may be in this company. The creature Gollum has escaped, the guards watching him were slain and though he was tracked far into the woods, even our most skilled trackers lost him."
This news was not taken well by the dwarves when they were told he had been outside climbing trees when he escaped. There was some old grudge between the dwarves and elves, particularly this group around her and soon many were on their feet in an argument over who would take the Ring to Mordor to destroy it. Because Lord Elrond assured that it would have to be destroyed. Suddenly Ana's keen sense of hearing picked up on something the others did not hear.
Frodo was saying, "I will take it!" But everyone was so caught up in their argument that they did not hear him. Once again he tried, "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though I do not know the way."
The council had fallen silent and was staring at Frodo. Gandalf walked over to Frodo and laying his hand on the hobbit's shoulder said, "I will help you to bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."
Aragorn strode (hehe, lil play on his name there) to the two who were standing alone, knelt before Frodo and told him, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." He was followed by Legolas, then the dwarf named Gimli, and the man from Gondor, the one beside Aragorn, Boromir. Ana was sitting in her chair when she heard Gandalf's voice in her head. 'Go with Legolas, he will need your help before the end.' She stood and stepped lightly to the side of Legolas bending down to look into Frodo's face.
"Frodo, you have a great burden to bear, and neither I nor any other can bear it for you. But I can try and ease your pain on the way. I also will go with you." Only Gandalf and Legolas noticed her eyes drift up to look at Legolas on the last two sentences.
She stood and moved close to Legolas, taking comfort from his calm. She could feel it radiating from him along with a streak of excitement and some apprehension. But mostly what she felt was calm and... was that happiness? Was he happy that she was coming with him? All of a sudden out of the bushes ran another little hobbit named Sam, who insisted on coming with them and he was followed by two more hobbits, Merry and Pippin. Elrond looked at the people in front of him and said, "Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the Ring."
The one hobbit, Merry, looked around and said, "Great! So where are we going?"
The next two weeks were spent preparing for their trip. Ana and Legolas didn't have much time to spend together since they were doing most of the packing. They and Estel knew the ways of the elves best, though Estel seemed to be quite hard to find during the day. Finally came the morning they had been waiting for: that day they were leaving. Ana was heading down towards the front gates, when the sound of voices, speaking in elvish stopped her. By now she had learned to speak the language fairly well and this was not a conversation she wanted to intrude on.
Arwen and Aragorn were saying their goodbyes, and it wasn't happy. Aragorn was telling her that things between them wouldn't work, that everything had been a dream. But Arwen did believe them, and she would not take back something she had given him. Ana quickly turned and took another path to her destination. Legolas was already there when she arrived and he flashed her a smile. She returned it and looked around failing to see the hobbits, because they weren't there.
Sighing, she propped herself up against Legolas's back, preparing to wait for a while. The hobbits were known for sleeping in and eating breakfast far past breakfast time. She was surprised when they showed up only about 5 minutes after she got comfortable. Lord Elrond and all the elves of Imladiris were there to bid them farewell.
Elrond said, "May the blessings of elves, men, and all free folk go with you."
Gandalf laid his hand on Frodo's shoulder and said, "The Fellowship awaits the Ring bearer." And with that they turned and walked through the gate. Ana saw the proud yet crushed expression on Arwen's face as Aragorn turned and let his gaze linger on her as he walked out the gates, the last of the Fellowship to leave.
Up in front Frodo said, "Mordor, Gandalf. Is it left or right?" And so began the journey of their lives.
They journeyed on, Ana getting used to the traveling each day, though the hobbits took a little bit longer. They never really did get used to all the walking and sleeping on the ground, which Ana didn't mind at all. She loved the freedom of being out in the wild and choosing how she wanted to do things. Sure, she missed the bathing a bit, and a real meal would be nice, but they had good traveling food and she really couldn't complain about the bathing. There were streams all over where they could wash their hands and faces. The group would march all day and rest all night, eating only as much as they knew they could spare. There was a long trek ahead of them, and they knew that they would need food for the journey. Finally one night they reached a flat plateau before they reached the pass south. Aragorn decided that it couldn't hurt for them to stay two nights there and gather strength before they continued on in the harder part of their journey.
Ana was sitting on a rock watching Boromir give Merry and Pippin a lesson in sword fighting. Aragorn was giving them instructions from a ledge nearby. She took the chance to study Boromir without him knowing she was studying him. The man had moved up some in her eyes, but she still did not trust him the way the others did. His aura was not as kind as the others were, something in his mind was dark and sinister. Something was eating away his kindness and goodness from the inside out. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whipped her head around to see Legolas standing at her shoulder. She scooted over and he joined her. For a while they sat in companionable silence, just enjoying the feel of sun on their faces and the wind blowing through their hair. The two laughed as Merry and Pip tackled Boromir and Aragorn had to step in to end the fray. Meanwhile, Ana glanced up, sensing eyes watching them.
"Legolas, what is that? Up there coming towards us." She pointed up at the sky and he stood and moved over to a higher rock.
After a small debate over what the mass of darkness coming towards them was, Legolas exclaimed, "Crebain from Dunland! Everyone hide!"
Sam put out the small fire he had been cooking on and everyone grabbed the odds and ends scattered around the camp. She and Legolas dived under a bush. Ana found his arm around her waist, holding her close to prevent her from moving. Her face was pressed into his shoulder and she could smell the scent of the forest on his tunic. After a moment the birds were past them, and they were all scrambling out of their various hiding places. Neither of them realized Legolas's arm was still around her until Aragorn cleared his throat and looked at them pointedly. Legolas quickly withdrew his arm and Ana stepped away from him quickly. Aragorn chuckled under his breath at the way they acted. It was painfully obvious that there was something more than friendship between them, they were just too blind to see it. One couldn't see it in the other; one couldn't see it in herself. But it was there, no matter what the two believed.
Gandalf said, "Spies of Saruman. The path south is being watched. We must go through the mountains. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."
Gimli muttered under his breath at this. He was annoyed, because when he had suggested going through the Mines of Moria Gandalf had sworn that they would not go that way unless he had no other choice. This would not be a pleasant journey for those who weren't elves or Sensors.
The Fellowship trekked on through the snow and ever growing cold. Legolas and Ana led the way. Their footfalls were so light that they could walk on the snow with ease, though the cold affected Ana while it did not faze Legolas. He was an elf, he couldn't feel it. Aragorn walked in the back of the party to keep the Hobbits moving. It was a good thing he did too, because part way up the mountain Frodo slipped and tumbled backwards through the snow. Aragorn caught him and sat him upright again. Immediately Frodo's hand went to his chest, seeking the chain that the Ring was on. The horror on his face was obvious when his hand did not find the chain, but an empty space where it should have been.
Ana's glance darted around and saw Boromir pick up the chain from the snow where Frodo had fallen. His eyes were glazed over with greed and fascination as he stared at the Ring dangling in front of his face. "To suffer so much fear and doubt over such a small thing."
Ana could feel the evil emanating from the Ring, feeding of the good and happiness in Boromir. She was about to say something to Boromir when Aragorn said, "Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo."
For a moment he hesitated, and Ana unconsciously pushed into his mind. She planted happy, good thoughts, tried to replace the evil with good. The war went on for a brief instant, and then Boromir turned and walked to Frodo. Ruffling his hair he said, "Here. It means nothing to me."
He turned and fell back into line, but Ana knew that Boromir's part in the story was far from over. Higher and higher they climbed, and it grew ever colder.
Suddenly, Legolas stopped, his head held alert to the sounds around him. "There is a fell voice on the air," he stated.
Gandalf peered sharply into the distance saying, "It is Saruman. He is trying to bring down the mountain!" Gandalf turned away from the mountain and began speaking into the wind. But the power of Saruman was too great, and the top of the mountain began breaking off. They all threw themselves against the cliff face, all but Gandalf who was still yelling at the wind. Legolas pushed him back just in time. A split second later a huge piece of rock and ice fell just where Gandalf had been standing. The entire Fellowship was buried in snow after only a moment. Immediately Legolas dug himself out, along with the stronger members of the Fellowship. Quickly he looked around for Ana, but he could not see her. Frantically he began digging in the snow, seeking desperately for a glance of the golden brown hair. Just as he was beginning to panic his hand touched her hair, and he pulled her out of the snow. He gasped as he saw blood coming out from her hair line. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. It was obvious a rock had struck her on the way down, if not a fatal then an injuring blow. Legolas had been oblivious to the discussion going around him.
He tuned in just in time to here Frodo say, "We will go through the mines." Gandalf closed his eyes and replied, "So be it." Just then Aragorn saw Ana in Legolas's arms and the blood on her head. It was time for speed.
Disclaimer: Ok, so the plans of kidnapping are being held up a little bit. Suzanne's boyfriend wants to know why she's so intent on bringing back Figwit. This could be a minor setback due to all the muttering about guitars, shirts, and beaches. (no one but Suzanne will get that part) Anyway, we're trying, so until we succeed we still don't own LOTR.
The next morning Legolas met Ana outside her bedroom. Following her lead he pretended that the night before had never happened. She chattered away about what the council might be about, what role they might play, and so on and so forth. He nodded distractedly. Despite his resolution to sleep, he had gotten barely any, normally not hard on an elf, but he hadn't slept well for the past few nights and he really had needed it.
Ana hadn't slept any, but she was used to running on very little sleep and would make up for it later. They entered a half circle of chairs with a large, ornate chair facing all the other chairs. The two took their seats among the other Mirkwood elves and Ana took a moment to look around at the others at the gathering.
Gandalf sat with a small hobbit who was pale and withdrawn. Ana felt badly for him sure that he had been through some trials but her heart didn't go out to him as it did some. She sensed that he had many friends and his burden was one he would have to deal with on his own, minus other emotional baggage.
Then there were dwarves, sitting and talking in deep gruff voices. Across from them sat Estel and another man whom Ana did not know. He wore a vest with a white tree on it and had hair much like Ana's. His expression was dignified yet reserved, as of one who knows their fate and is resigned to it. Then entered Lord Elrond and a hush fell over those assembled there.
"Friends, strangers from distant lands! You have been called here to answer the threat of Mordor. Frodo, bring forth the Ring."
The small hobbit sitting beside Gandalf stood and slowly made his way to a large round stone set in the middle of the courtyard. On it he set a small, golden ring with strange markings on it. The man across the courtyard started some random muttering about dreams and other things. Then finally Ana understood what was happening as Elrond told about the First War of the Ring and Gandalf told his story, and the dwarves added their bit. When Gandalf told of the creature Gollum, and his telling Sauron of the Ring's whereabouts and how the elves were guarding him carefully, Legolas jumped up.
He began, "This is not good! For the tidings I bring I knew were not happy, but now I see how bad they may be in this company. The creature Gollum has escaped, the guards watching him were slain and though he was tracked far into the woods, even our most skilled trackers lost him."
This news was not taken well by the dwarves when they were told he had been outside climbing trees when he escaped. There was some old grudge between the dwarves and elves, particularly this group around her and soon many were on their feet in an argument over who would take the Ring to Mordor to destroy it. Because Lord Elrond assured that it would have to be destroyed. Suddenly Ana's keen sense of hearing picked up on something the others did not hear.
Frodo was saying, "I will take it!" But everyone was so caught up in their argument that they did not hear him. Once again he tried, "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though I do not know the way."
The council had fallen silent and was staring at Frodo. Gandalf walked over to Frodo and laying his hand on the hobbit's shoulder said, "I will help you to bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."
Aragorn strode (hehe, lil play on his name there) to the two who were standing alone, knelt before Frodo and told him, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." He was followed by Legolas, then the dwarf named Gimli, and the man from Gondor, the one beside Aragorn, Boromir. Ana was sitting in her chair when she heard Gandalf's voice in her head. 'Go with Legolas, he will need your help before the end.' She stood and stepped lightly to the side of Legolas bending down to look into Frodo's face.
"Frodo, you have a great burden to bear, and neither I nor any other can bear it for you. But I can try and ease your pain on the way. I also will go with you." Only Gandalf and Legolas noticed her eyes drift up to look at Legolas on the last two sentences.
She stood and moved close to Legolas, taking comfort from his calm. She could feel it radiating from him along with a streak of excitement and some apprehension. But mostly what she felt was calm and... was that happiness? Was he happy that she was coming with him? All of a sudden out of the bushes ran another little hobbit named Sam, who insisted on coming with them and he was followed by two more hobbits, Merry and Pippin. Elrond looked at the people in front of him and said, "Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the Ring."
The one hobbit, Merry, looked around and said, "Great! So where are we going?"
The next two weeks were spent preparing for their trip. Ana and Legolas didn't have much time to spend together since they were doing most of the packing. They and Estel knew the ways of the elves best, though Estel seemed to be quite hard to find during the day. Finally came the morning they had been waiting for: that day they were leaving. Ana was heading down towards the front gates, when the sound of voices, speaking in elvish stopped her. By now she had learned to speak the language fairly well and this was not a conversation she wanted to intrude on.
Arwen and Aragorn were saying their goodbyes, and it wasn't happy. Aragorn was telling her that things between them wouldn't work, that everything had been a dream. But Arwen did believe them, and she would not take back something she had given him. Ana quickly turned and took another path to her destination. Legolas was already there when she arrived and he flashed her a smile. She returned it and looked around failing to see the hobbits, because they weren't there.
Sighing, she propped herself up against Legolas's back, preparing to wait for a while. The hobbits were known for sleeping in and eating breakfast far past breakfast time. She was surprised when they showed up only about 5 minutes after she got comfortable. Lord Elrond and all the elves of Imladiris were there to bid them farewell.
Elrond said, "May the blessings of elves, men, and all free folk go with you."
Gandalf laid his hand on Frodo's shoulder and said, "The Fellowship awaits the Ring bearer." And with that they turned and walked through the gate. Ana saw the proud yet crushed expression on Arwen's face as Aragorn turned and let his gaze linger on her as he walked out the gates, the last of the Fellowship to leave.
Up in front Frodo said, "Mordor, Gandalf. Is it left or right?" And so began the journey of their lives.
They journeyed on, Ana getting used to the traveling each day, though the hobbits took a little bit longer. They never really did get used to all the walking and sleeping on the ground, which Ana didn't mind at all. She loved the freedom of being out in the wild and choosing how she wanted to do things. Sure, she missed the bathing a bit, and a real meal would be nice, but they had good traveling food and she really couldn't complain about the bathing. There were streams all over where they could wash their hands and faces. The group would march all day and rest all night, eating only as much as they knew they could spare. There was a long trek ahead of them, and they knew that they would need food for the journey. Finally one night they reached a flat plateau before they reached the pass south. Aragorn decided that it couldn't hurt for them to stay two nights there and gather strength before they continued on in the harder part of their journey.
Ana was sitting on a rock watching Boromir give Merry and Pippin a lesson in sword fighting. Aragorn was giving them instructions from a ledge nearby. She took the chance to study Boromir without him knowing she was studying him. The man had moved up some in her eyes, but she still did not trust him the way the others did. His aura was not as kind as the others were, something in his mind was dark and sinister. Something was eating away his kindness and goodness from the inside out. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whipped her head around to see Legolas standing at her shoulder. She scooted over and he joined her. For a while they sat in companionable silence, just enjoying the feel of sun on their faces and the wind blowing through their hair. The two laughed as Merry and Pip tackled Boromir and Aragorn had to step in to end the fray. Meanwhile, Ana glanced up, sensing eyes watching them.
"Legolas, what is that? Up there coming towards us." She pointed up at the sky and he stood and moved over to a higher rock.
After a small debate over what the mass of darkness coming towards them was, Legolas exclaimed, "Crebain from Dunland! Everyone hide!"
Sam put out the small fire he had been cooking on and everyone grabbed the odds and ends scattered around the camp. She and Legolas dived under a bush. Ana found his arm around her waist, holding her close to prevent her from moving. Her face was pressed into his shoulder and she could smell the scent of the forest on his tunic. After a moment the birds were past them, and they were all scrambling out of their various hiding places. Neither of them realized Legolas's arm was still around her until Aragorn cleared his throat and looked at them pointedly. Legolas quickly withdrew his arm and Ana stepped away from him quickly. Aragorn chuckled under his breath at the way they acted. It was painfully obvious that there was something more than friendship between them, they were just too blind to see it. One couldn't see it in the other; one couldn't see it in herself. But it was there, no matter what the two believed.
Gandalf said, "Spies of Saruman. The path south is being watched. We must go through the mountains. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."
Gimli muttered under his breath at this. He was annoyed, because when he had suggested going through the Mines of Moria Gandalf had sworn that they would not go that way unless he had no other choice. This would not be a pleasant journey for those who weren't elves or Sensors.
The Fellowship trekked on through the snow and ever growing cold. Legolas and Ana led the way. Their footfalls were so light that they could walk on the snow with ease, though the cold affected Ana while it did not faze Legolas. He was an elf, he couldn't feel it. Aragorn walked in the back of the party to keep the Hobbits moving. It was a good thing he did too, because part way up the mountain Frodo slipped and tumbled backwards through the snow. Aragorn caught him and sat him upright again. Immediately Frodo's hand went to his chest, seeking the chain that the Ring was on. The horror on his face was obvious when his hand did not find the chain, but an empty space where it should have been.
Ana's glance darted around and saw Boromir pick up the chain from the snow where Frodo had fallen. His eyes were glazed over with greed and fascination as he stared at the Ring dangling in front of his face. "To suffer so much fear and doubt over such a small thing."
Ana could feel the evil emanating from the Ring, feeding of the good and happiness in Boromir. She was about to say something to Boromir when Aragorn said, "Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo."
For a moment he hesitated, and Ana unconsciously pushed into his mind. She planted happy, good thoughts, tried to replace the evil with good. The war went on for a brief instant, and then Boromir turned and walked to Frodo. Ruffling his hair he said, "Here. It means nothing to me."
He turned and fell back into line, but Ana knew that Boromir's part in the story was far from over. Higher and higher they climbed, and it grew ever colder.
Suddenly, Legolas stopped, his head held alert to the sounds around him. "There is a fell voice on the air," he stated.
Gandalf peered sharply into the distance saying, "It is Saruman. He is trying to bring down the mountain!" Gandalf turned away from the mountain and began speaking into the wind. But the power of Saruman was too great, and the top of the mountain began breaking off. They all threw themselves against the cliff face, all but Gandalf who was still yelling at the wind. Legolas pushed him back just in time. A split second later a huge piece of rock and ice fell just where Gandalf had been standing. The entire Fellowship was buried in snow after only a moment. Immediately Legolas dug himself out, along with the stronger members of the Fellowship. Quickly he looked around for Ana, but he could not see her. Frantically he began digging in the snow, seeking desperately for a glance of the golden brown hair. Just as he was beginning to panic his hand touched her hair, and he pulled her out of the snow. He gasped as he saw blood coming out from her hair line. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. It was obvious a rock had struck her on the way down, if not a fatal then an injuring blow. Legolas had been oblivious to the discussion going around him.
He tuned in just in time to here Frodo say, "We will go through the mines." Gandalf closed his eyes and replied, "So be it." Just then Aragorn saw Ana in Legolas's arms and the blood on her head. It was time for speed.
