Chapter Three
"Hello, Legolas," came a familiar voice. I turned around to see precisely the man I had only half expected.
"Boromir!" I whispered in awe. I wanted to embrace him as I would a long lost brother, but knew that to do so would have been fruitless. "Did you send those dreams?"
"The dream maker said he would send a herald of my arrival in your dreams, but he did not say of what manner it would be. I apologize if they were unsettling."
"What gave you that idea?" I demanded, still hanging onto my elven pride.
"You have been disturbed. I have been watching you for some time." I was grateful Boromir had not mentioned the tears I had shed. "I suppose you are wondering why I was permitted to return."
"The thought had crossed my mind."
"Well, as a member of the fellowship of the ring, I am bound to the ring and to each member of the fellowship. The Valar said the quest must be completed before my spirit could rest. So, it is my privilege to bear you company until the ring is destroyed."
"If it is the ring to which your are bound, why do you not accompany Frodo and Sam?"
"My foremost duty is the safety of those I died defending: Merry and Pippin. After I am certain of their safety, I will journey with Frodo. Of course, he will be unable to hear or see me, save in dreams. Of those members of this fellowship who still remain, only you, Legolas can sense my presence."
"Legolas, who are you talking to?" Aragorn mumbled in his sleep. I wondered if I would have to answer his question, but his snoring soon returned. I turned my attention back to Boromir.
"We must pursue the Uruks as soon as possible," he cautioned me. "Behold, the day is preparing to break" Indeed, Earendil, the morning star, had risen in the sky. My soul felt anxious to continue, but feared what we might find as a result of our delay.
"You mustn't tarry any longer," Boromir advised, reading my thoughts. As if in answer, Aragorn rose in one swift motion, instantly ready for pursuit.
"Come, Gimli!" he cried, "the dawn is nearly upon us!" the dwarf grumbled for a moment, but then rose. Soon we were off. I kept my eyes fixed on the eastern sky, anticipating the sunrise. The dawn might speak riddles which were important to our quest, or give warning of some event that had occurredunder the cover of night. Beside me, Boromir, too, anticipated the dawn's first light. For a while, we sped along in darkness beneath the few remaining stars. Gradually, a ribbon of light emerged against the grey background of daybreak. The dawn had come. Like a storm closing in over the land, the light flooded into the sky, but it brought me no comfort, for the sky was tinted as red as blood. Aragorn was too preoccupied with tracking the Hobbits and Gimli was too ignorant to notice this, but Boromir was quite disturbed, as was I . My pace quickened and my pulse raced with fear.
"A red sun rises," I announced into the dead silence of the morning. "Blood has been spilt this night." I received only silence in response, although I could sense the fear on my companions' breaths. Boromir and I exchanged a chilling glance, each of us fearing for the lives of the Hobbits. His eyes mirrored an emotion I had never seen in him before, save when the Balrog had encountered the fellowship in the dungeons of Moria. Now both of us feared for the young ones. For such a long time, it had seemed as if we both were complete opposites of each other. Now it almost shocked me that we could be so alike at heart. Out of the silence of my thoughts, a thundering sound came. The sound of footsteps had come to my ears, and I knew these were not the footfalls of my companions. We were not alone.