Chapter 3
Temptation and Strength
'He's fast,' thought Legolas, but even with his would and the wind opposing him, he was gaining on Gollum. Gollum, realizing this, did his best to keep near the river in hopes that a sudden, furious burst of wind would knock the Elf's light body into the river. After a few moments, in a last, desperate, attempt, realizing that Legolas had nearly caught him, Gollum darted into the nearby forest. He scurried up a tree, hoping to either lose the Elf or catch him off guard while he climbed in pursuit.
Legolas saw Gollum climb up the tree and was about to follow him when a shiver ran down his spine, not from the cold or the fog, but a warning of evil things at work in the forest. Then he heard them: ill voices in an ill tongue. Goblins! No, something fiercer than Orcs or Goblins, yet not enough to terrify the Elf.
"There is still time, my friend," came a voice. "Time to join me. The time of the Elves does not have to be over. But the choice is yours, Legolas."
'Saruman's suggestion is tempting,' thought Legolas, 'but he wants the Ring. It must be destroyed.' Legolas was about halfway up the tree when something pierced his back. Taking his chance, Gollum pushed the Elf from the tree, knocking him unconscious.
"Legolas. Legolas! Where are you?" Aragorn called in frustration. The wind returned his call as if it were mocking his attempt. He had retraced his steps to where he had left Legolas. Since the Elf left no footprints for the Ranger to follow, Aragorn traced Gollum into a nearby forest. The footprints led to the base of a tall tree. Aragorn knelt silently beside it. Looking into its branches, he saw Gollum, or, more precisely, saw a rustling and heard a rasping voice talking to himself. Wondering where Legolas was, Aragorn backed away slightly, resting his hand on the ground. It was damp, but it seemed drier than the fog around him. It was also warmer, as if someone had been lying there. After examining the ground, Aragorn found that patch was depressed further than the ground around it. Upon lifting his hand, the Ranger saw it was brushed with dried blood, apparently from the ground that he had been investigating. Without hesitating, Aragorn bounded up the tree, trying to mentally jump to conclusions. He got as far as convincing himself that Gollum could not single-handedly kill an Elf, much less an Elf with as deadly a shot as Legolas, by the time he reached the top. He took Gollum by surprise. He was muttering something about nasty Hobbitses when he felt a hand on his neck. He whirled around to face Aragorn and Anduril.
"Where is the Elf?" Aragorn demanded.
"Precious does not know!" Gollum cried in fear. "Nasty Elf cannot look after his own life, why should we care?"
"What have you done to him?" Aragorn asked, pressing Anduril closer to the creature's throat.
"Nasty Elf tried to hurt us, Precious. We can only defend ourselves."
"Where is he now?" Aragorn pressed, not relaxing Anduril.
"My Precious does not know! Gollum, Gollum," the creature reiterated. "Creatures took him, Precious."
"Which way did they go?" Aragorn interrogated him further. Gollum pointed west, the direction leading away from the River. Without hesitating, Aragorn grabbed Gollum by the neck and leapt from the tree. From somewhere in his clothing, he pulled a bit of hithlain rope which the Elves of Lorien had given the Fellowship before their departure. He tied it round Gollum's neck, loosely enough so he could breathe, but too tight for even that slinky creature to escape. Realizing he might need both hands, he tied the rope around his wrist. Gollum was squealing something about cruel Humans and nasty Elves, but Aragorn, blinded by fury, at himself for abandoning his comrade, at Gollum for the role he had played, and at Saruman for sticking his white hand into the whole affair, heard none of the cried. He ran headlong into the direction Gollum had indicated. The fog and the wind, and all else, for that matter, seemed to fade. Aragorn was determined not to allow another member of the Fellowship to be killed. Not while he had strength left.