Chapter Two - The Cold Outside, Gordamir

Gimli looked at Legolas somewhat darkly. "The two of us will forget you ever said that, elf." Gimli walked away, back towards the cottage on the ground. "Aragorn?" He yelled into the cottage, receiving a mumble from one of the bedrooms. "Ah, sorry to wake you!" He closed the door quietly, and turned around, coming head to waist with Kaladram. "He's asleep, is he?" She questioned, placing the basket next to the door. It was filled with carrots, lettuce, corn, mushrooms, and various others. Legolas glanced over from the hammock, and started at the basket. "That was quick." He stated, and laid back down. Kaladram smiled, and walked to the middle of the grass, and gathered sticks and stones from around her. "Then we shall build a fire out here." She said, and walked towards the tree. She knocked on a couple of branches, then smiled, and took out her long sword, and sliced some of them off. "What are you doing? You'll kill the tree!" Legolas shouted at her, jumping from the hammock. She gathered the branches, and smirked at him. "They were already dead. There is no reason to get flustered, lord Legolas." Gimli smirked, and walked to where she was preparing the fire. "This seems as though we will have a good meal." She nodded, and dropped the branches, and set out in the direction she had gone to get the vegetables. "Where are you going?" "This meal needs meat, does it not?"

Aragorn lay in the room, on the well-furnished bed. His hand trailed the line of sewing on the bedspread as it made complicated spirals and patterns. He closed his eyes, and sighed heavily. So many things had happened since they left the Rohan at Helms Deep. Now this.

All is not lost. Frodo still has the ring.

It all depends on whether he is strong enough to keep it. To not fall under it's great power.

You must believe in Frodo, Aragorn. Without hope, all is lost.

Aragorn sighed again, and turned over. 'What are we to do while we are being kept here, like livestock?' He thought to himself, and eased into a fitful sleep.

The Inns keeper laughed to himself. "Yes, I threw the great warrior of Gordamir into the street!' he replied, in a slightly drunken manner. The man he was conversing with nodded his hooded head, and began to get up off the stool. "I see. Do you have any information on where they went?" The man questioned, before chugging the rest of his tankard, and wiping it with his sleeve. The innkeeper shrugged. "I don't look after anyone but myself and my customers. Once you're outta here, I don't care." The man nodded, and tipped his hat to him. "You've been of great service. Good day." He flicked a couple of coins on the table, and left the inn, heading towards the gates of Gordamir.

"Merry, you don't suppose Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are looking for us, do you?" Merry looked at Pippin, rather stupidly. "Of course they're not. They're probably back in the shire, having a couple of tankards of ale, waiting for us to come back." Pippin nodded, and smiled. "Of COURSE they're looking for us, you bumbling idiot!" Merry exclaimed, throwing his hands up in slight anger. Treebeard looked at them from the stream. "What are you arguing about…this time?" he questioned, rising from his sitting position. Merry crossed his arms, and leaned against a tree. "Pippin doesn't think that our friends are looking for us." Treebeard nodded, and thought for a second. "Perhaps…they are waiting for you….to find them?" He inhaled deeply, before smiling at the pair, and picking them up, placing them atop his branches. "Perhaps….it is time for you both to leave this forest….and return to your friends."

"Sniveling idiot." Sam muttered under his breath, walking after Gollum. Frodo glared at him, and shifted his pack some. "Why don't you lay off him for a while? All you do is critize him." 'He hasn't changed, Mr. Frodo, he hasn't changed one bit." Frodo shook his head, and walked ahead of Sam, to walk with Gollum. Sam hung his head. "You've changed, Frodo, and it's because of that ring…" He muttered to himself, listening to the rattling of pans in his sack. It saddened him, to see his friend fall into the pit of never-ending needing of the ring, just as Gollum did.

"Lord Aragorn? Are you awake?" He woke to the voice of Kaladram, who was standing over him, with a slight smoky smell to her. "Dinner is nearly ready. Come outside." She left the room, leaving the door open. He shut his eyes again, then sat up, groaning slightly. The dream had certainly been odd, though he had his fair share of oddities in his life.

When he arrived outside, cleaner, and defiantly fresher-smelling, the fire was roaring, and Gimli and Legolas were having a good laugh about something. Sitting on a log on the opposite side of the two was Kaladram, who looked up at him, and smiled.

The first thing he noticed was that she had a hat of sorts jammed onto her head, covering her ears. "It is not cold, why do you wear a hat?" He questioned, sitting on the log as well. She glanced at him, then looked back at the fire. "My business is my own. Not for you to go prodding into." She looked at him, with a kind of intensity in her eyes, and he backed off, nodding in understanding. Legolas glanced over in mid-laugh, and smiled at Aragorn. "Back from the land of dreams, are you?" Aragorn smiled at him, and closed his eyes. "I believe I am." His eyes opened, and then widened as Kaladram pushed a plate of food on his lap. Well cooked dear, corn, potatoes, and many other delicious dishes. He looked at her, with mouth slightly open, then back at the food. She laughed. "I take it you haven't had a decent meal in a while?" Gimli smiled at her, his plate clean. "You can say that again…do we get seconds?" She piled his plate again with food, and he looked at it hungrily. Legolas laughed slightly. "Take that as a thank you." He looked down at his own plate, which was nearly clean. "It's quite wonderful. Everything is….." He looked back up at her, over the flame, and smiled. "Perfect."

After the meal, they all scooted together around the fire, for the fog was setting in around them, and it was getting chilly. Kaladram and Gimli occasionally tossed sticks in the fire to keep it burning, but other than that, no one moved or talked.

Kaladram shifted a little bit, moving her torn cloak to cover her, and bumped into Legolas slightly. He looked over at her, and smiled, removing his own traveling cloak, and putting it over her. She stopped moving, and smiled at him. "Thank you, lord Legolas." She whispered quietly, then settled back down against the log, and closed her eyes. Aragorn looked over at them from next to Gimli, who was also nodding off, and nodded at Legolas. "I think we'd better get them inside." He said quietly, smiling as Gimli snored. "And god knows we won't be able to sleep with him snoring tonight." He looked down at the dwarf, and recoiled as he burped slightly in his sleep. His breath smelled of one two many beers. Legolas looked over at Kaladram, a strange expression coming over his face, as Aragorn lifted Gimli, and started to walk towards the cottage.

Hurry, Legolas, before the fog sets in and you can no longer see.
I will try, the fog can be a very tricky element.

Aragorn nodded to his companion, and walked into the house, and to one of the many bedrooms. Legolas looked over at Kaladram again, slightly fidgeting at the prospect of actually touching her.

He took his cloak from her, and pinned it back on, then gathered her up in his arms. As he neared the tree, he groaned slightly. To get up to her cottage, he would have to climb the tree. He looked at her, and shook her gently. "Kaladram?" He whispered, and sighed in relief as her eyes fluttered open. "May I ask why you're carrying me?" She questioned, smiling faintly. Legolas dropped her so that she stood on the ground. "You…fell asleep, and Aragorn wanted to make sure that you got inside before the fog set in." He said, slightly flustered. She nodded, and began climbing the tree, and only stopped when she reached her little balcony built off of her house. "You should get inside as well, lord Legolas. It is dangerous to be out when the fog is in." And with that, she disappeared behind the wooden door.