Thank you to Loeke77 and Vanaluinihin! Your reviews were sooo nice! I greatly appreciate the feedback!
The story of Elenion is based on the Lord of the Rings movies, directed by Peter Jackson. The characters, with the exception of Elenion, belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. Elenion is a character all my own. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 16: The Crebain
Many days and nights had passed as the Fellowship came to a resting place in a rock quarry. Gandalf had perched himself upon a rock to smoke his pipe and decide which route to take next. Sam brought out his pots and pans and began to cook for the hobbits as Legolas scampered from rock to rock, keeping an eye out for any possible danger.
Elenion ran her eyes over the span of the rock quarry. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was out, the sky was blue and there was the slightest breeze that felt as if fingers were combing through her waist length hair. She smiled to herself as she watched Boromir teach Merry and Pippin how to use a sword. Aragorn watched also, and Elenion made her way across the rocks to his side and joined him. Aragorn laughed at Merry and Pippin's antics as they attempted to go against Boromir. He turned to look at her as she sat and welcomed her with a grin. They had not shared many words in many days, and she was glad to have a moment with him.
"Why don't you teach those poor hobbits how it's done," he asked jokingly. Elenion laughed herself.
"I'll leave that for Boromir. I don't like drawing weapons unless I need them," she said, grateful for the fact that they hadn't needed them yet. Aragorn eyeballed her. She looked at him, wondering what it was that he wanted. He smiled, reached over to the hilt at his side and drew his own sword. The length of it was incredible. Elenion had seen it, but not as it lay at peace in his large, caring hands. He took out a ragged piece of material and began shining the blade.
"It's beautiful," Elenion said almost day dreamily, glancing over at it as it twinkled in the sunlight. Aragorn smiled.
"See, you can draw your weapons and appreciate them without needing them. This sword has seen my way through many dangers, just as those have kept you safe," he said, smiling at her as he nodded his head towards her sais. Elenion smirked and found herself nodding in agreement. She reached to her sides and withdrew both of her sais. She held them up in the sunlight and studied them for a second before her view got blocked. Aragorn had dangled the piece of material in front of her face. She looked sideways at him, raising an eyebrow and he laughed.
"Don't tell me they couldn't use it," he said, urging her to grab the material. She smiled and obliged him. She began to understand more of what he had meant. She cleaned her sais, carefully removing fingerprints and any traces of blood and dirt that had been on them, and felt the pride that came with the action. Aragorn chuckled softly.
"See, having pride in your weapons is not a bad thing, Elenion. Mine have been faithful to me, accompanied me in many hardships. They are not much different from friends," he smiled. Elenion nodded.
"They are like friends, Aragorn. Your friends do the same thing. They give you encouragement, they support you, protect you when you fall. I guess I always looked at it like more of a burden. The need to protect yourself when all you want is peace," she said softly. Aragorn nodded.
"We all want peace, Elenion, but it will be a long time before we see any……if we see any," he said, looking back at his sword, raising it up to his face to study it. Elenion smiled at him.
"We will see it," she said. He turned slowly to look at her, the slight breeze blowing a strand of his shoulder length hair over his blue eyes. Elenion continued before he could protest.
"I can't shake the feeling within my heart that things will turn out alright in the end," she said, smiling at him, not allowing room for anything pessimistic. He picked up on her hint and kept quiet, turning back to watch Boromir with Merry and Pippin.
Pippin was in the middle of a drill with Boromir when he saw Elenion and dropped his hobbit-sized sword almost instantly, running over to her. Merry quite loudly cursed him before running over as well. Boromir's eyes lingered over to where they were going, and he walked over eventually to join them. Pippin's eyes gazed at Elenion's sais and she smiled.
"You've never seen weapons like these, have you," she asked, looking at Merry and Pippin. She chuckled as they both shook their heads like curious children. They had questions but were too shy to ask them. She glanced up at Boromir and cast him a friendly smile. Aragorn nudged her with his shoulder.
"Perhaps you can show them how to use them," he said. Merry and Pippin both laughed in excitement.
"Yes, we insist," Merry laughed, lightly teasing her. She hesitated, looking up at Boromir.
"I think you already have a teacher worthy of skill," she said, throwing him a compliment without realizing she had in her attempt to back out of the lesson. Boromir's eyes darted quickly from hers and she wondered if she had said something wrong. Merry continued to beg her.
"Come on, just show us….one thing and we'll leave you alone," he offered. Pippin looked over at Merry, losing his smile.
"No we won't, Merry," he said. Merry stomped his foot down on top of Pippin's, making him bite his lip.
"Don't say that or she won't buy it," he said under his breath. Elenion laughed, having heard all of it. She closed her eyes, shook her head lightly, and rose to her feet. She walked out to where they had been standing before and looked over at them.
"Well, am I going to be fighting myself," she asked playfully, and Merry shoved Pippin aside as he ran over to spar with her first. She laughed and stared at Boromir and Aragorn, who were now sitting on the sidelines to watch. Her eyes caught with Boromir's for just a second too long and she found herself smiling at him as he watched her. She felt her hair blowing in the wind and time felt as though it had frozen. She forced herself to break the gaze and studied Merry's face. He lunged at her with his short sword and she used both sais to block, crossing them so that his sword met at the top of the X that they had formed. She pulled them apart forcefully in a manner that would send his sword flying from his hands. It flew through the air and landed at the base of Pippin's feet. He jumped out of the way as it skidded past him. He then grabbed it and ran over laughing.
"Move over, Merry, it's my turn," he said, shoving Merry out of the way. Merry ran over to where Pippin had been previously standing, still shocked that he had lost his sword that quickly. Elenion smiled at him. She had had every advantage. She had the height, two weapons, and the experience. Merry was just learning. She closed her eyes momentarily, then turned back to Pippin, who was staring at her wide eyed and innocently.
"What do you want me to do," he asked, making Elenion laugh.
"You do what you want, and I'll counter," she said, smiling at him. He laughed and seemed to ponder for a second, then came at her unexpectedly. He crossed his sword across the length of his body with his right arm and it came crashing into Elenion's right sai. He then changed directions and countered her left sai. She made it a little bit easier on Pippin until he made the same mistake Merry had, and she therefore relieved him of his weapon in the same manner. Pippin watched it go sailing and this time, it landed in front of Boromir, who grabbed it before Merry could get to it.
"Let's give Elenion a break, shall we," he said, chuckling as he walked over in her general direction. She smiled at him and nodded in agreement and re-sheathed her sais, walking past him and back to Aragorn's side, who smiled at her. She laughed and focused her attention back on the hobbits.
They laughed and enjoyed the hobbits for some time before Elenion finally rose and walked over to sit at her father's side. She was walking by Frodo and Sam and smiled at them as they offered her food.
"Oh, I'm okay, thank you," she laughed, ruffling Sam's hair as she passed. She reached the rock that Gandalf was sitting atop and scaled it, having a seat at his side. She tucked one leg up against her chest, hugging onto it and resting her chin on her knee as the other leg hung over the rock's side. Gimli began talking about their next route.
"If anyone were to ask my opinion, which I know they're not, I'd say we're taking the long way round….," he started. He continued but his voice began to drown out. Elenion perked up from her relaxed state. In her slight trance, she had wondered if the wind had picked up, but the wind would not have drowned out words that way. She was hearing something else. She jumped down off of the rock and felt Gandalf's eyes follow her as she found a better perch to listen from.
She was reminded of the bats from their first night on the journey. She looked around, looking for anything that she could be hearing. The rustling of trees in the wind, anything. The rock quarry had very little vegetation, nothing that would make such a racket in the soft breeze that was hitting her in the face. She couldn't shake the thought of wings flapping from her mind but there wasn't a bird in sight. She turned around on her perch and finally saw something. Legolas was at her side suddenly, and she looked quickly at him before staring back into the distance.
The black cloud appearing in the distance quickly gained a new sound. The flapping was now accompanied by screeches. Elenion's eyes were not as good as Legolas's and she looked to him for an explanation. His eyes got huge momentarily.
"Crebain from Dunland," he yelled. Elenion faintly heard the others scrambling about. Aragorn was yelling at them to hide and before she knew it, Legolas had grabbed her hand and was dragging her along with him. They reached a rock that plunged out far enough to be a good shelter, and he darted underneath it, pulling her down by his side. She looked up at the sky. The black cloud had indeed been birds. These were not just any birds. Saruman had sent spies.
The massive amount of birds flew overhead for a couple of minutes before flocking off in the same direction they had come from. The flapping sound of wings finally started to die down in Elenion's head, and she darted out from the shelter she had shared with Legolas. She ran back over to her father as he came out of his own hiding spot. Legolas was right behind her.
"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf said exasperatedly, mumbling more under his breath than to anyone else. He looked at the regrouping fellowship, then turned to face the mountain peaks behind them.
"We must take the path over Caradhras," he had decided. Everybody began rounding up their things, and Gandalf approached Elenion.
"Do you feel it wise to go over Caradhras," he asked her. She looked at him, wondering why he doubted himself.
"I feel our only other choice would be less wise," she stated as she began to gather her own things. He cocked his head at her.
"You heard then," he asked. Elenion looked at him. "The suggestion from Gimli…another road we might take? Yes, I heard him mention Balin as the Crebain were approaching. I soon got distracted, not that I would consider the option of Moria in any case," she said, finally situated. She looked into his eyes.
"I do not wish to venture there, no matter what the cost," she said determinedly. He nodded with her.
"That is why I chose Caradhras," he said. She nodded in agreement with his decision and on that note, the Fellowship began their hike up the mountainside. They hiked for many hours, none really conversing, but Elenion knew what was on the minds of her company.
With the coming of the Crebain at the rock quarry, a sudden reality had sunk even further in than before with the Fellowship, especially the hobbits. Hobbits were such peaceful beings and Elenion knew within her heart that these particular four had not truly known fear or evil until their current time. She had seen such things, and in plentitude. Her instinct told her that things would not get easier for the Fellowship, and she wondered who else within the party shared those feelings with her.
She walked along and tried to banish the thoughts from her head. She couldn't help but feel the pair of eyes on her, and she knew without looking that they were Boromir's. She had gained mixed feelings about Boromir. She knew he meant well and she had a connection with him she did not understand. She pitied him at times and wondered why she felt the need to pity a noble man. He longed so for the ring without even being aware of it. She felt it every time he looked at it. She was lost in her thoughts only momentarily. Frodo gave a cry out and she heard the compacted snow crunch as he fell. She turned around and saw that Aragorn had caught him as he rolled, and helped him to his feet. She was about to keep trekking when she saw something else and her breath caught in her chest.
Frodo reached around, patting around his neck and feeling inside his pockets, but it was useless. Boromir had the ring. Elenion pushed her way down past Legolas and Gimli and the other hobbits. Elves were so light on their feet they did not tread snow, and she made it quickly to Boromir's side. She watched in disbelief as he couldn't even hear Aragorn shouting his name. She reached out and grabbed the wrist of the hand that clutched the chain from Frodo's neck. The ring was but inches from his face, and from her own hand. He snapped back into his normal self and slowly walked the ring back to Frodo, and Elenion knew it was not the snow that had slowed his pace.
Frodo jerked the chain from Boromir's hand. Boromir slightly winced at the reception and tried to play it off.
"I care not," he stated, then ruffled Frodo's hair. He turned to walk away and Elenion sighed in relief to Aragorn. She took notice of him removing his hand from his sword's handle. He had been prepared for anything. As much as it shocked her, she understood it all the same. She remembered their conversation at the rock quarry, the one where they had compared weapons to great friends. His instinct had made him feel that Boromir would have been a threat worthy of using the faithful friend at his side. She nodded to Aragorn, a mix of disbelief and acceptance in her eyes. She then turned to walk back up the snow bank herself wondering if it had been her in Aragorn's shoes, would she have been able to do the same if the opportunity had presented itself? She then wondered if she even wanted to know the answer that question demanded.