DISCLAIMER: Whatever- you all know we don't own it... *sigh*
ABBY"S NOTE: Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. Hope you didn't miss us over spring break. I am posting this one because all of my floppies are broken, so I can't get it to Lindi. Oh well. By the way, Ali never gets around to writing her own notes because she is too busy, but she says hi. *waves* Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! PS- This story is not about Lindi's romantic fancies... Just wanted to say that the one time that I post the chapter. Love ya! Ciao!
Chapter Ten
"NO!" Lindi screamed.
They all were in shock for a moment when they realized what had just happened, but Aragorn was brought back to reality. He grabbed the hobbits, and Boromir caught Ali and Abby's arms. Legolas held Lindi's good arm as he pulled her out, towards the exit.
When they reached the outside, the sun was high in the sky; Lindi felt Legolas relax once he felt the kiss of the sun on his face. Lindi, on the other hand, was a wreck. She felt that it was her fault. She had known it was going to happen, but she didn't do anything about it.
Legolas gently pushed her into a sitting position on the ground. "You are hurt. Let me see it."
Lindi didn't care. The pain of letting Gandalf down weighed more than her torn shoulder.
Feeling that Lindi was not going to comply, Legolas tore away her sleeve, so he could get a better view. It was not a deadly wound, but it needed to be tended, cleaned, and dressed which could not be done there. He took a cloth from his quiver that he used to polish his bow and wrapped it tightly around her shoulder. Lindi cringed with pain but still said nothing.
"Legolas," called Aragorn. "Get them up."
"Give them a moment, for pity sake!" protested Boromir.
"Soon these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach the forest of Lothlorien by nightfall!"
So on they traveled until they reached the forest. There, they slowed their pace, for the only ones that remembered ever being there were Legolas and Aragorn.
Ali looked around. It was like she could vaguely remember this place... like she had seen it in a dream. She sighed and shook her head. She couldn't remember anything from before Moria, and trying this hard was giving her a headache.
The fellowship walked into the woods; it was virtually silent, and no one spoke.
Ali suddenly thought she heard a voice.
"Your coming is as the footsteps of doom."
Suddenly, Ali's hand shot up and grabbed The Ring that she was wearing on a chain around her neck. Doom... Mount Doom... everything came rushing back to her.
"Wow," Ali whispered, stopping dead in her tracks and putting a hand to her forehead.
"What, Ali?" asked Abby.
"Nothing, Abby, other than the fact that I can remember things now!"
"Yay! She's cured!" Abby said happily. "Unfortunately, she's as sarcastic as ever!" Unfortunately for Abby, she forgot to duck when Ali smacked her on the back of her head,
Lindi couldn't help but laugh. "Yup, everything's back to normal."
Gimli snorted. "Nothing will be normal until we get out of these woods." Turning to the hobbits, he explained, "They say an elf sorceress lives in these woods—" Gimli stopped suddenly as a horde of arrows was aimed at all members of the fellowship.
"We wouldn't need a sorceress to shoot you, dwarf. You breathe so loud, we could have shot you in the dark," Haldir said.
Ali rolled her eyes. "Okay, Haldir, everyone knows you don't like dwarves. You would think that someone of your age would have found a way to get over this silly prejudice," she said, clearly annoyed.
Haldir glared at her. "I guess you aren't old enough to have learned manners," he said, assuming a superior manner.
"I'm not the one aiming an arrow at a fellow elf," Ali snapped back. " Would you like to illustrate the manners you were alluding to?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet. "I wouldn't want to keep the Lady Galadriel waiting. THAT, I believe, would be rude."
Haldir signaled his archers to lower their weapons before leading the fellowship deeper into Lothlorien. Lindi whispered to Ali, "Nice going. Are you trying to get us all killed?"
Ali again rolled her eyes. "Of course not!" she hissed. "I just don't appreciate having people who are supposed to be on our side pointing weapons at me. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I've got enough to worry about!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The fellowship finally made it to the heart of Lothlorien. Ali, Abby, and Lindi had seen this place int the LOTR movies, but they still felt awed by the beauty of the forest and the buildings (if they could be called that— they looked as if they had grown out of the trees).
The fellowship climbed a staircase that twined around a massive tree. "Hope you're not afraid of heights," Ali whispered to Abby.
At the top of the stairs waited Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.
"Eleven there were set out from Rivendell.. tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him?" Celeborn asked.
Lindi was looking at Galadriel. As Galadriel seemed to read her mind, Lindi turned away.
"He has fallen into shadow," Galadriel said quietly. "The fellowship stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all," she continued, this time looking at Abby. Galadriel's gaze turned to Boromir. "Yet hope remains, while the fellowship is true," she said. "Now go and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil." Her gaze now rested on Ali.
"Welcome, Ali, Ringbearer, one who has seen the EYE!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The fellowship had descended from the tree to find tents set up for them, Ethereal voices were singing a lament for Gandalf.
Ali shuddered. The voices were almost eerie, and their words reminded her of Moria... Ali honestly hoped they never had to go anywhere near the accursed place again.
Ali noticed Lindi, sitting off by herself, looking rather depressed.
"It's the music, isn't it?" Ali asked her, jokingly.
"Hmm?" Lindi said, rather absentmindedly.
"The music. The lament for Gandalf. It's making you depressed," Ali said.
"Oh. yeah. That's it," Lindi said monotonously.
Ali rolled her eyes. "Yeah right! Come on Lindi: What is it now?"
"Nothing..." Lindi lied. Ali was less than convinced. Lindi sighed. "Fine... this is all my fault!"
"Stop stealing my lines!"
"Haha, very funny."
"Yes, I know. Now what the heck are you talking about? WHAT is all your fault?"
"Gandalf dying, ok?" Lindi yelle din frustration.
Ali groaned. "Oh brother! Will you stop? It is NOT your fault. YOU aren't the Balrog."
"That isn't the point! I could have saved him. I knew what was going to happen!"
"Lindi, you tried. Legolas stopped you, remember? Does that make Legolas the one to blame?" After a moment of silence, Ali continued, "Exactly. Heaven forbid Legolas be blamed for something! Besides, Gandalf isn't gone forever."
"I know, but..." Lindi trailed off.
"Look at it this way, then: Remember that one story we read online?" Lindi shook her head. Ali explained. "It was the one where Legolas tried to save Gandalf and Gandalf really died... and Legolas got tortured... Anyway, that might have happened if you actually managed to grab Gandalf."
Lindi pondered for a moment. "I guess you have a point..." she muttered begrudgingly.
"Of course I do!" Ali replied, grinning. "Now stop blaming yourself for this stuff, okay?"
"I guess," Lindi said, slightly more cheerful.
"You guess what?" a voice asked behind them.
Lindi and Ali both jumped. It was Abby.
"Nothing," Lindi said.
"Yeah, nothing," Ali agreed. "At least, nothing really important.:
"Okay..." Abby said, not believing them.
"So, how are you doing, Abby? How are you feeling?" asked Lindi, trying to change the subject.
"Fine... but how are you?" Abby asked.
"Yeah... How are you? You were injured in Moria, weren't you?" Ali asked.
"Oh, I'm sure she's fine now," Abby said, with a sly look spreading across her face. "Legolas helped her."
"Leave me alone! I'm fine!" Lindi said exasperated. "I am not the one who got stabbed by a Nazgûl!" she exclaimed, glaring daggers at Ali.
"So? I'm fine!" Ali said.
"Yeah, you're fine now... but soon you will fall to the power of The Ring!" abby said in a melodramatic voice.
"Not if I can help it," Ali muttered.
"Who knows, you may already be corrupted!" Abby said.
"I am not!"
"Okay, then— prove it!"
"How?"
ABBY"S NOTE: Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. Hope you didn't miss us over spring break. I am posting this one because all of my floppies are broken, so I can't get it to Lindi. Oh well. By the way, Ali never gets around to writing her own notes because she is too busy, but she says hi. *waves* Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! PS- This story is not about Lindi's romantic fancies... Just wanted to say that the one time that I post the chapter. Love ya! Ciao!
Chapter Ten
"NO!" Lindi screamed.
They all were in shock for a moment when they realized what had just happened, but Aragorn was brought back to reality. He grabbed the hobbits, and Boromir caught Ali and Abby's arms. Legolas held Lindi's good arm as he pulled her out, towards the exit.
When they reached the outside, the sun was high in the sky; Lindi felt Legolas relax once he felt the kiss of the sun on his face. Lindi, on the other hand, was a wreck. She felt that it was her fault. She had known it was going to happen, but she didn't do anything about it.
Legolas gently pushed her into a sitting position on the ground. "You are hurt. Let me see it."
Lindi didn't care. The pain of letting Gandalf down weighed more than her torn shoulder.
Feeling that Lindi was not going to comply, Legolas tore away her sleeve, so he could get a better view. It was not a deadly wound, but it needed to be tended, cleaned, and dressed which could not be done there. He took a cloth from his quiver that he used to polish his bow and wrapped it tightly around her shoulder. Lindi cringed with pain but still said nothing.
"Legolas," called Aragorn. "Get them up."
"Give them a moment, for pity sake!" protested Boromir.
"Soon these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach the forest of Lothlorien by nightfall!"
So on they traveled until they reached the forest. There, they slowed their pace, for the only ones that remembered ever being there were Legolas and Aragorn.
Ali looked around. It was like she could vaguely remember this place... like she had seen it in a dream. She sighed and shook her head. She couldn't remember anything from before Moria, and trying this hard was giving her a headache.
The fellowship walked into the woods; it was virtually silent, and no one spoke.
Ali suddenly thought she heard a voice.
"Your coming is as the footsteps of doom."
Suddenly, Ali's hand shot up and grabbed The Ring that she was wearing on a chain around her neck. Doom... Mount Doom... everything came rushing back to her.
"Wow," Ali whispered, stopping dead in her tracks and putting a hand to her forehead.
"What, Ali?" asked Abby.
"Nothing, Abby, other than the fact that I can remember things now!"
"Yay! She's cured!" Abby said happily. "Unfortunately, she's as sarcastic as ever!" Unfortunately for Abby, she forgot to duck when Ali smacked her on the back of her head,
Lindi couldn't help but laugh. "Yup, everything's back to normal."
Gimli snorted. "Nothing will be normal until we get out of these woods." Turning to the hobbits, he explained, "They say an elf sorceress lives in these woods—" Gimli stopped suddenly as a horde of arrows was aimed at all members of the fellowship.
"We wouldn't need a sorceress to shoot you, dwarf. You breathe so loud, we could have shot you in the dark," Haldir said.
Ali rolled her eyes. "Okay, Haldir, everyone knows you don't like dwarves. You would think that someone of your age would have found a way to get over this silly prejudice," she said, clearly annoyed.
Haldir glared at her. "I guess you aren't old enough to have learned manners," he said, assuming a superior manner.
"I'm not the one aiming an arrow at a fellow elf," Ali snapped back. " Would you like to illustrate the manners you were alluding to?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet. "I wouldn't want to keep the Lady Galadriel waiting. THAT, I believe, would be rude."
Haldir signaled his archers to lower their weapons before leading the fellowship deeper into Lothlorien. Lindi whispered to Ali, "Nice going. Are you trying to get us all killed?"
Ali again rolled her eyes. "Of course not!" she hissed. "I just don't appreciate having people who are supposed to be on our side pointing weapons at me. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I've got enough to worry about!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The fellowship finally made it to the heart of Lothlorien. Ali, Abby, and Lindi had seen this place int the LOTR movies, but they still felt awed by the beauty of the forest and the buildings (if they could be called that— they looked as if they had grown out of the trees).
The fellowship climbed a staircase that twined around a massive tree. "Hope you're not afraid of heights," Ali whispered to Abby.
At the top of the stairs waited Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.
"Eleven there were set out from Rivendell.. tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him?" Celeborn asked.
Lindi was looking at Galadriel. As Galadriel seemed to read her mind, Lindi turned away.
"He has fallen into shadow," Galadriel said quietly. "The fellowship stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all," she continued, this time looking at Abby. Galadriel's gaze turned to Boromir. "Yet hope remains, while the fellowship is true," she said. "Now go and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil." Her gaze now rested on Ali.
"Welcome, Ali, Ringbearer, one who has seen the EYE!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The fellowship had descended from the tree to find tents set up for them, Ethereal voices were singing a lament for Gandalf.
Ali shuddered. The voices were almost eerie, and their words reminded her of Moria... Ali honestly hoped they never had to go anywhere near the accursed place again.
Ali noticed Lindi, sitting off by herself, looking rather depressed.
"It's the music, isn't it?" Ali asked her, jokingly.
"Hmm?" Lindi said, rather absentmindedly.
"The music. The lament for Gandalf. It's making you depressed," Ali said.
"Oh. yeah. That's it," Lindi said monotonously.
Ali rolled her eyes. "Yeah right! Come on Lindi: What is it now?"
"Nothing..." Lindi lied. Ali was less than convinced. Lindi sighed. "Fine... this is all my fault!"
"Stop stealing my lines!"
"Haha, very funny."
"Yes, I know. Now what the heck are you talking about? WHAT is all your fault?"
"Gandalf dying, ok?" Lindi yelle din frustration.
Ali groaned. "Oh brother! Will you stop? It is NOT your fault. YOU aren't the Balrog."
"That isn't the point! I could have saved him. I knew what was going to happen!"
"Lindi, you tried. Legolas stopped you, remember? Does that make Legolas the one to blame?" After a moment of silence, Ali continued, "Exactly. Heaven forbid Legolas be blamed for something! Besides, Gandalf isn't gone forever."
"I know, but..." Lindi trailed off.
"Look at it this way, then: Remember that one story we read online?" Lindi shook her head. Ali explained. "It was the one where Legolas tried to save Gandalf and Gandalf really died... and Legolas got tortured... Anyway, that might have happened if you actually managed to grab Gandalf."
Lindi pondered for a moment. "I guess you have a point..." she muttered begrudgingly.
"Of course I do!" Ali replied, grinning. "Now stop blaming yourself for this stuff, okay?"
"I guess," Lindi said, slightly more cheerful.
"You guess what?" a voice asked behind them.
Lindi and Ali both jumped. It was Abby.
"Nothing," Lindi said.
"Yeah, nothing," Ali agreed. "At least, nothing really important.:
"Okay..." Abby said, not believing them.
"So, how are you doing, Abby? How are you feeling?" asked Lindi, trying to change the subject.
"Fine... but how are you?" Abby asked.
"Yeah... How are you? You were injured in Moria, weren't you?" Ali asked.
"Oh, I'm sure she's fine now," Abby said, with a sly look spreading across her face. "Legolas helped her."
"Leave me alone! I'm fine!" Lindi said exasperated. "I am not the one who got stabbed by a Nazgûl!" she exclaimed, glaring daggers at Ali.
"So? I'm fine!" Ali said.
"Yeah, you're fine now... but soon you will fall to the power of The Ring!" abby said in a melodramatic voice.
"Not if I can help it," Ali muttered.
"Who knows, you may already be corrupted!" Abby said.
"I am not!"
"Okay, then— prove it!"
"How?"