1Chapter 8:
The Fates Peek out
"It seems it would be best if our company did not separate. Since so many of us seem to
long for Gondor, I will go with them. And I only hope Gondor will not prevent us from fulfilling our quest. This way, at least, we do not have to immediately decide upon a leader."
"So it is decided," said Boromir.
"Looks like," said Sam. Frodo smiled, but inside he had a terrible feeling of anxiety, an inner fear of Gondor. Would Gondor prove to be a safe haven, as Lorien was, as Boromir believed it to be? In his heart, Frodo knew it would be dangerous anywhere now, even in Lothlorien. The shadow was spreading, no longer could Frodo simply hide. He knew Sauron would strike Gondor soon. His only hope was a disguise. The company still had a ways to go before actually entering Gondor. Perhaps he would be able to convince the others of the need to hide the weapon of the enemy.
"They'll find an escape on their own if they've been captured," Gimli tried to assure Pippin and Merry. To the ears of the young Hobbits, he sounded certain, but Frodo heard the doubt and regret in his voice. Gimli was almost blaming himself because he hadn't been able to convince the rest of the company to find their lost comrades. The others were either divided or too intent on a quest: Boromir his desire for Gondor, Sam, his loyalty to Frodo, and Frodo himself intent on performing the task that he had set out to do.
"You're worried, aren't you, Frodo? You worry about Gondor preventing you from accomplishing the quest. I assure you, no Gondorian will hold you fast against your will. You have my word," Boromir assured him, coming alongside the ringbearer. Frodo nodded, but said nothing. He was wishing Gandalf were there, wishing he were back at the Green Dragon Inn singing songs with his friends and drinking without a care in the world. 'If only,' Frodo thought, as he fell asleep. None of the others woke him, though they knew the need for haste.
'These Uruk-hai are cruel,' thought Aragorn. Because they wanted more meat, a few of the Uruks had removed the bonds from his hands. Sensing Legolas, though wounded he was, would be far more dangerous if he could use his hands, they had kept his restraints in place. Aragorn was, at the moment, trying to unbind his friend. One of the Uruk Captains came over and barked at him to stop. Aragorn struggled with the Uruk for a few seconds, then managed to strangle it to death. In an instant, the brood of its comrades was on the corpse, devouring it. Aragorn took advantage of this distraction and returned to Legolas' side. After an eternity of struggling with the bonds, Aragorn groaned in frustration.
"This iron is so strong," he grunted. Legolas managed to smile, trying to encourage his friend. Aragorn's hand came to rest on Legolas's. He drew back in surprise to find that it was ice cold. He reached to feel the elf's forehead, but Legolas turned aside.
"I'm all right, Aragorn," he insisted, but he couldn't fool either of them. The loss of blood was taking its toll. Nearby Legolas saw the elven cloak he had worn since the company had left Lothlorien. The Uruks must have ripped it off while struggling with the prisoners. Legolas slithered toward it, but didn't make much progress before his muscles refused to move. Aragorn made the rest of the journey for him and draped the cloak over the elf's body.
"Hannon Le thank you"
"Dur si, mellon nin. Sleep now, my friend I won't let Saruman poison you today." At the very mention of the wizard's name, Legolas seemed to tense up. Eventually he relaxed and gave in to sleep. Even as he slept, th4e magic of the elven cloak worked. Haldir had said that the cloaks would not act as mail, but they did have the healing power of the land from which they came. Legolas' wounds stopped bleeding and his body began to warm. Aragorn saw a small smile creep over his friend's face. He placed his hand on the elf's forehead now that he met no resistance. It was warm now, but now feverish. Now Aragorn could ponder his vengeance on the white wizard or, more importantly, how to get out of there. Legolas had said the Uruks believed them to be Hobbits. He could guess why Saruman wanted the Halflings: the ring, but the Uruks didn't seem to be moving any nearer to Isengard, or anywhere else for that matter. Maybe the Uruks believed the rest of the Company would come for them, so they could capture the Hobbits. 'Don't come for us,' Aragorn prayed silently. As he did so, he heard singing. It was a song he had not heard since he left Imladris. It had been named for Arwen, but really spoke to all the elven folk. In English it ran as such:
"This is not the end, it is the beginning, Now you must trust this. If you trust nothing else, trust this, trust love, trust hope."
Aragorn soon realized it was Legolas singing in his sleep. Aragorn sighed. It was Legolas
Far away, under the foggy sky as the morning sun rose high above the world, Frodo heard the song of Legolas on the wind. He did not understand all the words or place the voice, but he knew the it spoke of hope and trust. The song was beautiful and dreamy, but he couldn't dismiss it as a mere imagination. Someone whose voice he knew was telling him to hold to hope and trust the others. He sighed, knowing that what the song demanded would be difficult, but he must. All of the others had good intentions and they would shine through, even as the rays of sunlight now began to shine through the fog.