The Balrog Slayer Rides Again
Chapter 12
Aragorn gently cut a few athelas leaves from the plant. Humming softly, he eyed the other plants, searching for any useful herbs. Then he sighted a plant he had not seen in a long time. He recalled Elrond showing it to him, many long years ago. But he could not remember its name, nor its purpose. He stopped humming, sighed, and tried to call to mind its use. It could be helpful.
"I could kill you now, elf-man." Aragorn had, unfortunately, been able to learn some Black Speech during his many travels. He knew enough to translate the threat directed at him, followed closely by a disgusting blade to his neck that looked like it had not been cleaned in ages. Aragorn tensed, feeling angry at himself for not hearing it approach. He heard a cackle. "But that would be no fun."
Aragorn groaned inwardly. The blade came very close to drawing blood. He could probably reverse the situation in mere moments, but it would be a futile attempt if there were more yrch. And the Hobbits… He needed to act fast.
- - - - -
Glorfindel had only lost the trail once after he had found the athelas plant, and he found it after only half an hour. It wasn't a fatal setback, he hoped. The rest of his journey had gone quickly, Glorfindel having an idea which path they were following and what direction they needed to go. This had left him with time to think. Perhaps too much.
He had already imagined quite a few gory deaths for Lord Elrond, as well as vividly imagining feeding Estel to Legolas' pet spiders, when he heard very soft humming. It was an Elvish tune, he knew he had heard it in the Halls of Fire, but he could not place its name.
He whispered quietly to Asfaloth to stay there, and Glorfindel's approach became silent, so quiet not even a master hunter could have hear him coming. Not even Aragorn.
The humming stopped, and for a moment Glorfindel wondered if he had been caught. He continued his approach, and with every move he blended in with the shadows and moved with the wind. Finally, he had the ranger in sight. After all these days… Oh, he would not let Estel get away with this one. He had plotted his revenge since the moment it had started to rain, immediately after the skirmish with the orcs. He had come up with a rather brilliant plan, and had snatched an orc blade before he had left the scene.
Glorfindel had thousands of years to meet dark company and learn their language. He thought the knowledge only came in handy when eavesdropping on the enemy, but he found out it could also be a handy prank tool.
He thought for a moment, searching for something to say. When he finally did, and dark and gleeful smile lit upon his face.
He crept up behind the ranger, and used the most guttural accent he could muster. He put the orc blade against Aragorn neck. "I could kill you now, elf-man." He felt a sense of pride when Aragorn reacted immediately, but to keep up appearances, he cackled, needing to release some of the amusement that had built up. "But that would be no fun."
- - - - -
Aragorn was quite startled when he heard a solid KATHUUNK. The blade immediately was withdrawn from his neck.
Aragorn turned around, staring at both Samwise Gamgee, a bunch of herbs grasped in one palm, an empty pan in the other; and Glorfindel, who looked rather dazed.
A gasp was drawn from the small audience.
"You hit the elf with a frying pan?"
Aragorn, who was currently crushing athelas into a small pot of boiling water, smiled. He was glad to distract the Hobbits from Frodo's dire condition, and even thought Glorfindel might suffer a headache for a few hours after he woke, which would be soon, Glorfindel would be fine.
Samwise Gamgee, the Hobbit in question, was about to answer Merry, when a musical voice interrupted all their thoughts.
"Ah, I do believe it was a saucepan."
They all looked over, to see Glorfindel sitting up, with a bemused smile. "But do not worry, my dear Hobbit friend, I will be well soon."
Sam blushed, and Aragorn had pity for the small Hobbit. He broke through the silence, which had been no more than a second, and said, "You're finally awake. Good. How do you feel?"
Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at Aragorn's brusque tone. "As well as anyone should when they've just been pounded in the head with a sauce pan."
Aragorn left no time for the elf to get the upper hand. "Well, then, I suppose you won't mind cooking dinner." He heard the quiet laughter of Hobbits.
Glorfindel mock-glared at the man with a playful glint in his eye. "If you trust me."
Aragorn met his glare with an even gaze. "Should I not?"
Sam was quick to interrupt. "I don't mind making dinner, sir. It wouldn't be no trouble to me."
Aragorn, still watching Glorfindel, answered Sam. "That's very generous of you, Sam. But Glorfindel -"
"Is very happy to accept your offer." Glorfindel offered the Hobbit a smile, and he heard Merry and Pippin begin to talk about supper. Or dinner. Or whatever this is supposed to be. He then turned back to Aragorn, and muttered softly in Elvish, so that no one but Aragorn could hear, "But there are dark tidings as well as light in these fateful hours."
- - - - -
Glorfindel rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ward off a headache as he watched Sam prep the dinner; it would have to be cold, as they could not risk lighting a fire. He then turned his attention to Merry and Pippin, who were merrily chatting to Frodo, in hopes that he might respond.
The athelas had apparently helped Frodo's condition – but Glorfindel had not been awake to see the difference. He had talked to Aragorn briefly on how he could help, but he had brought very few special healing herbs, and he did not have as much healing ability as either Elrond or Aragorn.
He sighed as the pressure of all the last few days condensed. He glanced over at Aragorn, realizing he needed to talk to the Ranger. He drew Aragorn aside, out of Hobbit hearing range, but not out of sight.
Glorfindel gave the man a hard stare, and then started the conversation on a subject that had been troubling the elf for a good two days. "Do you remember when I found you in the forest two nights ago?"
Aragorn nodded and gave a sheepish smile.
"And do you remember that skirmish we had with the yrch?"
Again Aragorn nodded.
"Why in the blazes did you run off like that, hmm?" Aragorn could have been intimidated by Glorfindel, but he saw the playful glint in the elf's eyes.
"After I chased off the orcs, I found that the Hobbits were in danger. I had to go back to them, and I couldn't waste time finding you again."
Glorfindel gave the man a thoughtful stare, then broke out into a broad grin. "And you apologize for any and every inconvenience this caused me?"
Aragorn smiled, and nodded, mock-thoughtfully. "Yes, for the most part, I apologize for all the misadventures this has caused you."
Glorfindel bared his teeth in a feral grin. "Good."
They both laughed softly, but it was cut off as quickly as it began.
Glorfindel felt an inescapable sense of doom hovering in the air, and, looking over at Aragorn, he knew the Ranger could feel it too.
"They are near." Glorfindel's voice was tense.
"I know." Aragorn's response was quiet, and filled with dread.
"We have to get Frodo to Rivendell."
"We might have a chance if we send him on Asfaloth." Aragorn looked over to assess Frodo's condition.
Glorfindel's response was cut short by a piercing cry that filled the chill night air.
Glorfindel mentally cursed, and ran back towards the Hobbits, Aragorn only seconds behind him.
Aragorn quietly but forcefully gave out orders as he tried to erase the signs of their camp.
"We've got to get moving. Sam, put the food away. Merry, tie up the bedrolls. Pippin! Pack up everything else!"
Glorfindel began to saddle up Asfaloth, attempting to make it easier for his child-sized companion to ride his faithful steed.
Another shriek filled the air.
"Glorfindel!" The tense whisper caught his attention. Aragorn, who was currently wrapping up the bandage across Frodo's shoulder, waved him over.
"If we send him alone Asfaloth can carry him faster."
The Hobbit suddenly opened his eyes and blinked them blearily, and entered consciousness just to hear another screech from a Ringwraith. Frodo clawed at his shoulder and cried out.
"Frodo? Frodo, can you sit up?" Aragorn spoke as if they had all the time in the world.
Frodo appeared to be gathering strength as he closed his eyes. Aragorn helped him up, and gently picked him up.
As Aragorn set Frodo on Asfaloth, Glorfindel told the Hobbit, "You will ride on my horse. Asfaloth will not let you fall, do not worry. His pace is smooth, but hold tight."
Frodo set his jaw stubbornly. "But my friends...!"
Glorfindel smiled softly. "Do not worry. If you have to leave your friends behind you, I don't believe they will be in danger if you are not with them. They will follow you, and not us. You are in the most danger here."
Frodo looked displeased, and did not look ready to comply, when they felt the presence of the Ringwraiths more than ever.
"Hurry! We must go." Glorfindel took the reigns of the pony, and let Aragorn assist Frodo with riding Asfaloth.
They kept a steady pace for a good while, but Glorfindel felt the Hobbits pace begin to slow. Nevertheless, he pressed them on, the shadow of evil not ceasing.
Finally, at dawn, Glorfindel allowed them to rest, the threat diminished, for the moment. And, it appeared Frodo was sinking once more into the dark dream world he now visited so often. Rest would be good for the wounded Hobbit.
As soon as they stopped, the Hobbits all cast themselves upon the soft ground and fell asleep. Glorfindel kept watch, urging Aragorn to get some sleep as well. The ranger was beginning to look a bit weary. He had, no doubt, gotten little sleep recently.
Glorfindel allowed them to sleep late into the morning, waking them near mid-day.
He noted how tired and bleary-eyed they appeared, and he brought out miruvour.
"Drink this. It shall restore some of your health." Glorfindel offered them each a sip of the rejuvenating liquid. It seemed to bring their spirits up, but also, after raising their awareness, allowed them to realize they had not eaten in an 'simply unreasonable' amount of time.
Aragorn brought out stale bread and dried fruit, for it was all they had left; the meal that Sam had made had suspiciously 'disappeared' on their trek. They ate in relative silence, the oppressive weight of foreboding weighing at all of them.
As soon as they had finished, Glorfindel urged them on again, hoping to reach Rivendell as soon as possible, and to leave the danger far behind them.
The Hobbits were weary, but they were keeping up well, and they made good time, but Glorfindel did not want to wear them out to exhaustion, and they stopped in mid-afternoon.
They rested near the side of the road, and the Hobbits brought out some dried fruit to snack on.
Glorfindel watched Aragorn tended to Frodo's wound once again, and noted the Ranger's grim face.
Glorfindel spoke to Aragorn in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the Hobbits, whose mood was considerably lighter since they had eaten.
"How is Frodo faring?"
Aragorn narrowed his eyes. "Our pace is wearing down on him, but he is very stubborn. He should make it to Rivendell…" Aragorn's last statement was lightly tainted with doubt, and Glorfindel knew that Aragorn was worried.
Glorfindel nodded. "Would you suggest lightening our pace?"
Aragorn shook his head. "The evil that is following him will not give up lightly. No, we must continue on with this pace."
And so they set off once more, fatigued, but determined.
They made good time, and Glorfindel almost hoped that they could make it.
Walking ahead of the group, Glorfindel thought he heard something. A distant clip-clop and a hollow shriek… He looked over to Aragorn to see if the man had heard anything, but no…the ranger's face bore no new worry. Stepping in next to the Ranger, he told him of what he had heard, in the high tongue so that the Hobbits would not be troubled.
"It might have just been my imagination, but…"
Aragorn shook his head. "How distant do you suppose they were?"
Glorfindel frowned, and his step faltered for the briefest of moments as he thought he heard it again. "Near." His apprehensive statement, ended their conversation, and Glorfindel once more took up the head of the group, urging them on to new speeds.
The Hobbits looked at Glorfindel suspiciously, as if they might have guessed the nature of their conversation, though they could not understand it, being held in Elvish.
Their journey was sapping their energy, and now Glorfindel knew they were being pursued.
No rest for the weary…Glorfindel thought. The almost cliché phrase proved to be as true as any other proverb of old. Frodo's skin almost looked translucent, and every minute drained him. A shadow constantly dwelled on his face, making him appear almost to be a living ghost. The other Hobbits were practically sleeping on their feet. Even Aragorn appeared drained.
Glorfindel called a halt; they would get no further that night.
The Hobbits instantly settled down to sleep. Aragorn and Glorfindel argued over who should take the first watch, but eventually Glorfindel convinced Aragorn that he should get some rest. Glorfindel was somewhat surprised by the lack of argument from Aragorn. But then, he shouldn't have been; the Ranger probably hadn't gotten any fitful sleep in weeks.
The night was lonely and dark, and Glorfindel wished for a fire, but he dared not risk being found.
He let Aragorn get an hour extra sleep before waking him for his watch. He knew the Ranger would have been angry if Glorfindel hadn't woken him at all, and, the fact was, Glorfindel was tired.
As he settled down to sleep, Glorfindel had the nagging sense that nothing was going to go as planned tomorrow…
Glorfindel woke just before dawn. Aragorn was saddling Bill with his load. Glorfindel stood up and shook off the last vestige of sleep.
In a whisper, Aragorn addressed the elf. "I can feel them. They are getting closer."
Glorfindel nodded solemnly. "I think they will try and cut us off at the Bruinen."
Aragorn looked troubled. He fiddled with the leather straps on Bill's harness. "I fear we won't make it."
Glorfindel watched the man for a moment, then changed the subject. "How is Frodo?" Glorfindel knew Aragorn would most likely say "Not well" or the likes of an evasive answer.
Aragorn shook his head. "Unwell…"
Glorfindel almost laughed at how well he had figured the man, but Frodo's health was shadowing over his amusement. "I knew as much, but is there anything that might help?"
Aragorn stared at the elf for a moment with a blank look in his eyes. "Stand on one foot and hop around in a circle patting your head and rubbing your stomach." Aragorn's tone was dry, and no facial expression gave away his mood.
Glorfindel narrowed his eyes, and softly, with an almost non-existent smile on his face, "Such is the nature of men." Aragorn glared at him, but there was a twinkle in his eye.
"And such is the nature of the Firstborn." Aragorn sighed. "Impossibly snobbish and judgmental."
Here they both broke into broad smiles. It was an old joke, circling between the twins and Aragorn. It hadn't taken Glorfindel long to catch up, and Erestor took any opportunity to poke fun at the 'Half-Elf Hooligans' as he had taken to calling the Twins once in a while.
Back in the moment, Aragorn had woken Frodo up to re-dress his wound.
Glorfindel saddled Asfaloth, once again shortening the stirrups so that Frodo could ride the horse.
He woke the Hobbits, and brought out some dried meat.
He didn't hear any complaints, but the Hobbits were obviously still exhausted from all the events of the last few weeks. Merry and Pippin attempted to joke about their circumstances, and although it was weak, Glorfindel admired their attempt. He noticed, however, Sam was looking a bit distant and worried. Glorfindel knew the Hobbit had every right to feel so, but Sam was normally trying his best to be optimistic.
Glorfindel would have asked him about it, but he wasn't sure that Sam trusted him yet, especially after the frying pan incident.
They headed off, their pace quickened by the easier journey on the Road. Before long, Glorfindel could most definitely feel the Black Riders. Their dark presence shadowed any joy that might have previously been felt at nearing Rivendell. They weren't close enough to the elven city anyway; Glorfindel harbored little doubt that the Black Riders would catch them.
Aragorn ordered a speedier pace, but the Riders were still gaining on them. He could occasionally hear the sound of speeding horses.
A short while later, Glorfindel could steadily hear the Black Riders gaining on them.
The Road suddenly veered into the shadows of pine trees, whose meeting limbs blocked out light. They followed the course, and suddenly they could all hear numerous footsteps, following them. Fear gripped at Glorfindel's heart, but he shrugged it off as best he could. He only hoped the Hobbits would not be paralyzed by the same fear.
The Road burst back out into the open, sunlight once more shining on their faces. They saw the Ford of Rivendell, and a steep winding path beyond that.
But danger was not past.
Glorfindel listened to the echoing footsteps, his eyes widening. "Fly!" He called, "The enemy is upon us!"
Asfaloth trotted quickly, the Hobbits following out of instinct. Aragorn and Glorfindel kept at the rear, hoping to protect the Hobbits from the danger as much as possible.
Suddenly, several black horses with their dark riders came galloping out of the trees behind them.
"Ride, Frodo, ride!" Glorfindel shouted. Seeing Frodo's reluctance, he once more called out: "Ride on! Ride on!" But Frodo still did not gallop on towards Rivendell. "Noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth!"
The Black Riders followed Frodo, for the most part ignoring the others. Glorfindel knew what would happen if the Riders tried to cross the river. They ran to a hollow hidden by stunted trees, and quickly, he tried to explain while starting a fire.
"The River will sweep away those who are in its path, but we must deal with the rest." Handing the four other members of the company torches, they waited.
Glorfindel almost thought he saw something glittering on the horizon, something clear and bright. But no, it couldn't have been. But hope kindled once more in his heart. Suddenly, he felt a small hand on his elbow.
Sam's eyes were lit by torchlight. Quietly, he asked the elf. "Sir, do you think Frodo will be alright?"
Glorfindel felt hope he had not felt in a century. With a gleam in his eyes, he answered the Hobbit. "Honestly, Samwise Gamgee, I do not know. But I do believe there is hope." He let a triumphant grin light his face.
Hearing the rush of the river, he knew it was now or never.
"Now!" he shouted, and the ran out of the hollow, the others not far behind. The horses screeched in terror, caught between water and fire. They dove for the raging waters of the Ford, their dark masters screaming angrily.
As the last of the Riders disappeared, there was relative quiet. As the waters receded, Glorfindel urged the others on ahead, across the River. Frodo was still in danger. But Glorfindel knew that the Hobbit would survive, somehow.
And he knew that whatever might come, there was a dawn on the horizon.
THE END
Key: "Elvish dialogue"
"Western dialogue"
A/N: As for this chapter, I'm very proud of it. I realized I had a lot more to write than I had previously thought, so it was quite a challenge for me, because I personally like to write annoyingly short chapters. -wink-
I'm really amazed to see it finished. What an adventure it's has been. It was lots of fun, and I want to thank all of you for sticking with me through it! It was my first continuing story, and it was a lot of experimentation. First off, I wanted to see how fast I could update. That turned out to be about every two months, and I don't write very long chapters. Honestly, that's not a very good record, so I decided I'm going to try finishing a story before I post it. So, I probably won't post a story for another few months. But, I do have a few ideas for some of my next stories. Mostly in the angst genre… -laugh-
Replies to reviews:
gives reviewers birthday cake, ice-cream cones and brownies, and chocolate pudding (it's virtual - carb free!)
Nolitari: I luffles Glorfy. hugs And yes, you blood-thirsty wheat-pirate, I have some action. : P
Ellfine: Oh, yes, Precious likes to irritate Glorfindel. We added all those little diversions to keep him away from the Hobbitses, yes, sneaky little Preciousss….
Starlit jewel: I tried to explain all that in this chapter. I hope it makes more sense now!
Seeing-spots: Did I now? Well, I gave quite a feast today. Mmmm…
I tried to work on clarifying… Thanks for the constructive criticism! It really helps!
I hope the way I wrapped things up is satisfying. I rather imagined it different, but I think it should make the nasty reviewers happy… -laughs- -loud cough- Heh…Did I just say that out loud?
See you around next time! -waves-