Chapter Four: The Ring Goes South

The next two days were used by all for rest and reflection. The hobbits spent much of their time together, or with Bilbo listening to his stories. Aragorn spent his time with Arwen, and was rarely seen at all, unless it was with Gandalf. The Ranger and the Wizard would spend many hours going over the maps in Elrond's library, sometimes accompanied by Frodo or another member of the Fellowship. Laileth was with them occasionally since she knew little of the western lands. East of the Misty Mountains, however, she knew quite well. Laileth herself spent most of her time meditating, working through her grief over the death of her father and separation from her brother. She too, was rarely seen by anyone.

The evening before they were to set out, everyone gathered in the Hall of Fire. They sat by the blazing hearth, and Elrond smiled to see them all together for the first time as a Fellowship. Much singing there was that night, and also story telling. Laileth's voice rang out, joining the chorus of other elves as they took turns recounting the Lay of Beren and Luthien. Aragorn as well sang a part of the ballad, and the hearts of all were lifted and filled with wonder. When the songs ended Bilbo told some of his verses and recounted parts of his tale that were not known to everyone. With all that happened, the night passed swiftly, and friendships were formed or strengthened as the hours went by.

Laileth had been sitting quietly listening to a song in the Elder tongue when Frodo came to sit beside her. She looked to him and smiled, but held her silence, gazing instead into the fire. Frodo's mouth worked as he tried to come up with the words, and finally they spilled out of him before he had time to think better of it.

"Henion bedo lle," he said carefully. Her head snapped around to look at him, eyes filled with joy and wonder.

"Pedich i lam edhellen?" she breathed. Frodo ducked his head and smiled shyly.

"I can understand what you say, but I can speak it little," he explained. The elf smiled warmly at him.

"Then we are similar," she responded, "for the same is true of me. I understand words that I could not speak." The hobbit looked up at her and only then did she see the light in his eyes. He was different than the other hobbits, she felt, and not simply because he bore the Ring. It's presence she could feel always when he was near, sometimes stronger or weaker, but always was the malevolent tone marring the sweetness of the hobbit's place in the Song. The difference she felt when she looked on him this night however, as she watched him in the glow of the fire, was more like kinship; as a sister to a brother, or one elf to another.

"Frodo," she said, realizing that some time had passed as she looked on his angelic face. "I would have you as a friend if you would like. I have sworn to protect you on our journey, and I would rather do so out of love and friendship than duty." There was a pause as the hobbit mentally translated her words, but soon a smile brightened his little face. Quickly the expression was masked with one of solemn acceptance, barely containing his excitement.

"Nothing would please me more than to have you as a friend," he replied, his eyes serious, and yet dancing with joy. She smiled back, taking one of his small hands in hers.

"Lle hannon, Elvellon," she said softly. She felt his little hand squeeze hers before he got up and, bowing slightly to her, headed back to where the other four hobbits waited for him. Only then did she realize that they were being watched- and not just by his kin.

In a corner of the room Aragorn and Boromir sat together talking. Laileth glanced over and saw that they were watching her. She narrowed her eyes at the men, realizing that they had witnessed the entire exchange between her and the Ringbearer. She trusted Aragorn completely, but did not like the expression that she found on the face of his kin. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable she rose and moved to sit among the other elves, but soon her eyes strayed again to their corner of the room. When this time she looked over, Boromir was gone.

The next evening the Fellowship gathered in the courtyard of the Homely House. All had slept through the day so that they would be fully rested at the start of the journey. The evening had turned out to be dark and unfriendly, even in the elf haven. All were dressed warmly from the clothes Elrond had given them, and their packs were filled to bursting with food from his kitchen, the excess being laden on the pony, Bill, whom the hobbits had brought with them from their flight from Bree.

There was little cheer from anyone in the courtyard, and again Elrond made sure that each member of the company was willing to go on the quest. At this Gimli spoke up, but Laileth did not hear his words. She leaned in to Aragorn and asked what he had said.

"He said, 'Faithless is he who says farewell when the road darkens.'" Laileth nodded and considered the words.

"The Dwarf is wise," is all she said.

They were sent off with the good will of all elves, men and other races, and then at last their feet passed the threshold of the front gate. The quest had begun.

The Company traveled east and south for many days. They traveled only at night, sleeping while the cold sun rose over the dark clouds that had settled over the land. Everyone took turns taking a watch, but since Laileth did not need sleep as the others did, she would always take at least one of the three watches each day. Gandalf and Aragorn led the company, always further ahead and talking quietly together, sometimes even debating the course beyond. Laileth stayed at the rear of the group, behind the hobbits, but watched the debate between the ranger and wizard with interest.

They met no resistance at all in their first week out, and it seemed as if the scouts were correct – the servants of the dark one had all but fled the western lands for now. Two weeks after they set out the dreary weather began to change and the sun came out from behind the dark clouds. This cheered the company greatly to have warm sunlight on their faces by day, and bright starlight by night.

Soon they reached the end of the first stage of their journey, camping in Hollin – a fair country of green grass and holly trees just overshadowed by the nearby mountains. The company gladly stopped to watch the sunrise and make camp in this cheerful place.

Gandalf then began to tell the tale of this place to the hobbits, but Laileth did not need to hear. She of course knew little of the land west of the mountains, but everything around her spoke of the elves who had once lived where they now rested. Peace filled her heart as she listened to the echoes of the long-forgotten elves of Hollin and, as she listened to the quiet murmurs of the company talking and laughing together, she lay down under a holly tree and watched the leaves dance above her in the gentle wind. Almost she could let herself believe that she was back home, and that the tree above her was the more familiar oak or beech that she was used to than this strange holly of another land.

The sun rose higher as Laileth let herself slip into a peaceful daydream, and the sounds from her companions gradually died away until she could hear naught but the slow rhythmic breathing that suggested sleep. She blinked away her own drowsiness and stretched out her senses, noting that not all were sleeping. A watch had been set, even here. She was about to get up to relieve whoever was still awake when she heard voices. Sam and Aragorn were talking quietly.

Just as she began to pick out words from their discussion, they hushed. A sudden shadow passed above the company, and to Laileth it looked like a flock of dark birds had flown overhead, blocking out the sun . She remained still as stone as they passed, knowing that such creatures had sharp eyes, and that not all of them were free of darkness. When at last they passed by there was a silent pause before she heard movement again from her companions' direction. She sat up on one arm and watched as Aragorn woke Gandalf and told the wizard of what he'd seen.

Of this conversation she could hear very little, but she was able to pick out one word: crebain. This was quite a familiar word to her, having used it many times herself. The crebain are great dark birds that live in the forest of Fangorn or the plains of Dunland and are quite well known as spies of the enemy. Several times while Laileth had led scouting parties into the south of Mirkwood these birds had come, circling them and heralding the coming of their orc masters.

"Hollin is no longer wholesome for us," murmured the ranger. Gandalf agreed and soon they were discussing plans to break camp after nightfall. Laileth listened to their discussion, but could make out few words. Caradhras, the great red-tipped mountain, was mentioned, and she looked up at the great peak in the distance. The way would not be easy for them, especially for the hobbits.

Just as the day was darkening the rest of the company began to stir. The news came that they were to leave as soon as they had eaten, and all grumbled at the thought. They had been looking forward to a day of resting and a merry dinner with a fire, but it seemed that more cold suppers were to come.

For the next three days they trudged on towards the mountain. The great peak loomed over them, slowly but steadily growing larger with each night's journey. Gimli, it seemed, was the only one of them excited to be nearing so great a mountain, and eagerly told tales of its history, and the history of many other mountains in the area, though he himself had never visited them.

On the afternoon of the third day, as the company ate their 'breakfast' before their next hike towards the mountain, the first excitement between the companions began. When the Fellowship was formed, Elrond purposely selected members from each of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, not only as representatives of their peoples, but also to form friendships between the diverse cultures. Each of them knew it was inevitable that there would be disagreements and differences among them, and so this first incident came as a small surprise.

Laileth had kept to herself for most of the journey, save for time she spent with the hobbits now that she knew Frodo could communicate with her. She had become quite fond and somewhat protective of the halflings treating them not so much as children, but as charges. She had noticed, however, that whenever she spent time with Frodo, Boromir's eyes followed them constantly. In fact, she had caught him staring even when she was alone, which was the case here as she ate quietly by herself.

This time, however, he was not happy with simply watching her. After a few minutes he got up and approached her. He settled himself on a nearby rock, making a show of choosing one close enough to be near, but far enough away so as not to seem intrusive. She looked up as he sat, but paid him no further heed. She did notice Aragorn glance her way and suddenly tense, but did not know why. She watched as he turned back to his conversation with Gandalf and felt sudden abandonment. She began wracking her brain for every word she knew of the Common Tongue, knowing an awkward conversation was inevitable.

"You are very quiet," said Boromir softly. She noted that he chose his words carefully and spoke slowly so that she had time to translate what he'd said. She also marveled at his voice, realizing that he had barely spoken at all since they'd 'met'. It sounded proud to her, proud and strong, with a hint frailty that intrigued her. She looked up at him, suddenly very shy.

"I can speak little in your words," she said haltingly, thinking about each word before she said it. In the corner of her eye she saw Gimli look up as she spoke, but couldn't read his expression through his thick beard. The dwarf was always so hard for her to fathom. Boromir smiled kindly at her when she spoke.

"You sounded fine just then," he responded, just as carefully, "and that's a beautiful accent." He waited for her to understand what he'd said before continuing. "Forgive me," he said, subtly inching closer, "but you seem to me as one who belongs more in a throne room than a battle field. I find myself wondering why you have been sent with us." Laileth struggled to understand all these words, many of which were unfamiliar. A deep frown worked its way onto her face as she began to understand what he'd said. She thought for a long time of how to respond, cursing her limited vocabulary as she tried to come up with some way to express what she felt.

"You believe I am weak," she said finally, "because I am royal?" Boromir of course was quick to shake his head and deny the accusation. "Because I am female, then," she suggested. He protested this also, but this time she saw what she'd been watching for – a slight flicker of hesitation. Though it was uncommon for elves to be deceptive, she was skilled enough in dealing with people to know when she was being lied to. She wished to say as much, but again her limited vocabulary prevented her. Instead, her response was simple and clear. "You lie."

The expression on Boromir's face changed instantly from apologetic to enraged. He stood, his larger frame looming over her threateningly. Though the man blocked her view, Aragorn and Gandalf had looked over, watching the exchange carefully.

"How dare you accuse me of lying!" he growled, raising his voice slightly and drawing the full attention of the ranger and the wizard. Aragorn stood.

"I was merely stating a fact," she shot back, lapsing into Sindarin. 'I can't have a decent argument in their tongue,' she thought, although she was frustrated that he hadn't understood. She could understand him well enough, unfortunately.

"How is it that in your long life you never learned the Common Tongue?" he demanded. "In fact," he continued, "why is it that, rather than a warrior, your King saw fit to send a pampered princess on such an important quest?" Laileth's hands strayed to the daggers nestled in her back, but felt her wrists restrained. Aragorn stepped between them.

"That's enough, Boromir," he said angrily, and loud enough for all to hear. Laileth watched as whispered, heated words passed between the two men. At the last Boromir threw off the other man's grip and stalked off to the opposite side of the camp. Laileth sighed in quiet relief, but took a sharp breath when she saw Aragorn standing in front of her, anger still blazing in his eyes.

"What was that?" he asked in the same harsh whisper. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again, realizing that any response she could give would be an excuse. "How do you think that looks to the rest of the Fellowship?" he continued. "I would have expected this behavior between you and Gimli, but Boromir?" Ironically, she and Gimli had been quite civil for the entire trip, something that many in the Fellowship wondered at.

"He believes that I have no place in this Fellowship," she replied. Now it was time for her defense. "He would prefer if a 'warrior' had been sent!" Aragorn glanced at Boromir for a moment and sighed. He knew full well that she had been defending her home long before most of the companions had been born. Boromir's words were not rational, but there would be no mending the situation if they continued in anger.

"Henion, mellon nin," he said, softer this time. "You must understand, however. Boromir tends to...underestimate the abilities of those he doesn't know. It is his way. Is it possible you may have misinterpreted his words?" She thought about it for a time before nodding soberly.

"Goheno nin," she said softly, "I should have asked another to translate before becoming angry." Aragorn sighed and clamped a hand on her shoulder before walking back to sit with Gandalf. Laileth glanced to where Boromir had gone, but he sat with his back to everyone.

That night the company finally began to climb the mountain. It was slow going, and soon snow began to fall. This bothered Laileth little, but the others' spirits seemed to lower slightly, and some of the hobbits outright complained. They labored on through the night and the snowfall became a blizzard. Several times they stopped to rest, and they soon found that each time they halted, the snow also slackened, and each time they started up again, the snow did also, but with greater strength. Finally they found they could go no further and they stopped, slumping to the ground in despair.

They sat and rested in quiet thought for what seemed like hours to the frozen companions. It was only when Boromir began to fish the hobbits out from the rising snow drifts that they began discussing their options. A fire was lit and council was taken. All agreed that it was impossible to go on, and so at once they set about freeing themselves from the great drifts that had formed behind them. Aragorn and Boromir volunteered for the task, and soon were ploughing through the snow with their bare hands to make a way for the others.

Laileth watched them, somewhat amused by the display. There were two strong men trudging through the snow that was, at times, taller than they were. During the climb up the mountain in the snowstorm she was able to keep to herself the fact that she did not sink in the snow when she walked. Now that it was so high, not only would it be obvious, but also it may be a source of annoyance from her companions who had to dig their way through. She wished to run ahead and see how much further they would need to go, but knew this would risk angering those who did not have this ability.

Her eyes darted down to watch Boromir struggling in the snow, his powerful arms parting the white barrier in strong strokes, and smiled. Turning to Gandalf and the hobbits behind her, she informed him of her plan to look ahead before jumping up onto the snow and sprinting forward around the curve of their path. She stopped on her way just long enough to wave at the two men before taking the path all the way down the hill. She barely heard the exasperated groan from the man of Gondor before she disappeared around the corner.

The path was much shorter than she thought. It seemed that the weather had made their journey seem longer than it actually had been. The men had not much further to go before the path was cleared and they came out at the bottom of the slope. She ran back to tell this to the others and no sooner had she done so that the other two returned, thoroughly chilled by the snow. They deemed the best way to reach the bottom quickly was for them to carry the hobbits while the wizard and dwarf followed.

No sooner had they taken their last steps off the mountain path that a great weight of rocks fell from above, blocking their path back up the mountain. It was now clear that their bad luck on the frozen trail was the work of some dark magic, or perhaps the vengeful mountain itself as Gimli suggested. Nevertheless, something had wished they not take that road, and that something had prevailed. At last company rested at the bottom of the mountain, defeated.

Sindarin:

Henion bedo lle- I understand (what you say/when you speak)

Pedich I lam edhellen?- Do you speak elvish?

Lle hannon- I thank you

Elvellon- Elf-friend