"Get up," Aragorn murmured to Brenwian's sleeping form. While all the other Fellowship members were long since up, including Pippin, the young girl was still curled up on the ground, deep in slumber.
"Aragorn, we have no time for this," Gandalf sighed, looking towards the east and watching as the sun rose even higher. "We have no chance of reaching Mordor at this rate."
Looking towards the wise wizard, Aragorn nodded before glancing at his sister. There was only one way they could make up the time they had lost now, so he quickly brought her up into her arms, adjusting her easily.
"I'll carry her until she wakes up on her own," he decided, not looking towards the others. He knew each of them found this to be a bad idea, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't asked for her to come along in the beginning. Holding her so that she wouldn't restrict his use of his weapons if the need rose, he looked towards the direction of Mordor and firmly trudged on.
"We've already lost enough time," he heard Gandalf telling Pippin in the back as the hobbit mentioned something about wanting something to eat, and rather than complaining more, Pippin looked towards Mordor with a frown. He really hadn't planned on not being able to eat during this entire voyage.
Aragorn smiled to himself, knowing that while it was he who had held all of them up earlier when trying to get Brenwian to walk on her own, it was still rather amusing. A hobbits' stomach seemed terribly endless.
As the nine members of the Fellowship attempted to continue, the young girl still asleep, Aragorn felt himself wondering how he was going to be able to protect everyone if they would be attacked. There would be no way he could fight with a young child in his arms, and it would be suicide for them all to let her wander around. Especially if she was caught and taken to Sauron. Him having a human body, no matter how normal, it would be so much more dangerous. He could be anywhere, if it came down to that fact.
When noon seemed to finally be approaching, he felt a slight movement in his arms and he looked to see Brenwian's eyes flickering open. He sighed, partly out of relief...he was glad that she seemed to be waking up. Firstly, it would be so much easier for them to continue if she walked on her own. Other than that, but he could protect everyone much easier as she walked by his side.
"Good afternoon," he greeted her as she yawned and looked up at him.
"Aragorn, why are you here?" she asked him. "I had a dream about you, and we were going somewhere. I had to walk a lot."
Aragorn felt himself to the point of being sick. She had thought it was all a dream, and it was more than obvious that the walking had made her really tired. But it was not the worst part, no...it came when she looked around her, only to discover that it had not been a dream at all.
"Oh," she murmured softly, and amazingly enough to him, she didn't ask any questions.
"Can you walk now?" was all Aragorn asked her, and she nodded before he let her down. She stretched out her arms before walking along with him, looking as if she was just experiencing her worst nightmare.
For fifteen minutes they went in silence, but suddenly Brenwian looked up towards him, and he found himself unable not to look back. "Yes?"
She looked as if she didn't want to ask him, but he knew she would. After all, curiosity was her biggest weakness. She would walk up to any beast just to see how many teeth it had.
"How long do we have to keep walking?"
If anything, he had expected her to ask him how old Gandalf was. While it would be hard to answer, he could do that. But at her question, he found himself unable to answer. It was too hard.
"Um, I'm not really sure," he responded, shrugging his shoulders. "However long it takes us. It all depends on how far we get."
Her small 'okay' that followed made him frown and wonder how Elrond could allow them to wander around with such a little girl. Especially in such dangerous times.
But as they slowed into routine, the days blending into one, he felt himself waking up each morning and picking her sleeping body up and carrying her until she woke up. Then she would continue on at her own pace, and rather than sticking by Aragorn's side the whole time, she would fall back by the hobbits who sometimes lagged behind as well.
As the days passed by, they found themselves on a rock formation, one which Aragorn had seen many times during his times as a Ranger. When they found themselves at the top, Gandalf permitted a stop for them to eat and rest for a bit.
Sitting atop a rock, Aragorn found himself watching Boromir practice along with Merry and Pippin. He left Brenwian to run off by the other three, watching with curiosity as Legolas stood lookout and Gimli sat smoking his pipe.
He found himself much more amused with Merry and Pippin's techniques, and he would occasionally send out suggestions and other things to help them with their sword fighting skills. As Boromir knicked Pippin's hand slightly, he couldn't help but laugh as the two hobbits took their best shot at tackling the much taller man. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if they were this carefree the whole journey, but his thoughts were immediately ruined as he heard Sam's comment.
"What is that?" the rather protective hobbit asked, looking towards the sky.
Gimli took his pipe from his lips, waving it about in the air a little. "Nothing, it's just a whiff of cloud."
Noticing the situation as well, Boromir sat up, his play with the hobbits forgotten. "It's moving fast...against the wind."
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas informed them, as if worry had beseeched him.
"Hide!" Aragorn shouted out, pulling Frodo into a hiding spot with him. But as he looked about, watching the Fellowship scurry for a spot to hide them, he noticed that Brenwian still stood out there with a look of confusion on her face.
"Gandalf!"
The old wizard looked, spotting the young girl. Quickly he reached out, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her behind the rock where he was. Aragorn closed his eyes in a slight prayer to the Valar, hoping they wouldn't be spotted.
Oh, a cliffhanger! Haha, yeah right. It will pretty much go as planned. I would like to know if anyone has any ideas of what can be done with a little girl on the journey. Not only that, but I want to know one thing.
Should Boromir die? I originally wanted everything to happen the same, but you know I love his character and he might come in handy later. No, Brenwian would not save him...I'd find some cause and effects that lead him to be elsewhere...
Any ideas anyone has I'll be greatful for!