Stalking the Fellowship
Chapter Thirty eight: Boats, finally!
It was the middle of the night and as dark as death.
"Lord, we've been riding for an age," Maddy muttered to herself.
"Not quite," was Legolas' reply, "merely a few hours."
"But it's so boring!" Fran burst, "All I can see is the glinting of swords and the glowing of you three elves."
"Glad we could be of come assistance," smirked Elrohir.
"What's that horn for?" Mo asked staring at Elrohir.
"Oh, erm…" he trailed.
"He's going to give it to Aragorn so he can blow it and tell the grey company to attack the b-oa-ts," she yawned.
"How do you know that?" the dark haired elf asked curiously.
"People think that you're deaf when you have a blanket over your head."
"Where is that anyway?" Mo asked.
"In my pack," Maddy replied.
"Why is my blanket in your pack?" Legolas asked.
"because I can't ride a horse with a blanket over my head, duh!"
"What are they doing?" asked Mo looking into the distance as small soft lights were slowly being extinguished.
"They are closing their doors and windows."
"Why?" inquired Fran.
"Well we do have a whole load of dead things following us. Are we anywhere near the stone of Erech?"
"Nay."
Ooooo0ooooO
"So how long are we on the boat?" Fran asked.
"Well, it's not really very specific, a day or so…"
"How do you know this? And what is 'it's'"
"Ahh….Legolas…" Madeleine fished for something to say.
"Galadriel!" exclaimed Mo.
"What about her?"
"She gave us some information so we could…ah…prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead."
"Yeah!" Fran and Maddy heartily agreed.
"Oh!" Elrohir urged his horse on towards Aragorn.
A few minutes later the silver horn was blown. It then seemed that horns were being blown in reply, as if it were echoing in deep caves far away. A chilling wind whipped around them as the ghosts drew closer, and Maddy tried, in vain, to hide in her tunic.
Aragorn then dismounted and cried in a great voice, "Oath-breakers, why have ye come?"
Then from the black abyss around them came, "to fulfil our oath and have peace."
Aragorn continued speaking telling them where to go and why, "I will hold the oath fulfilled and ye shall depart and have peace forever. For I am Ellessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor." He then motioned to Halbarad who unfurled a standard as dark as the surrounding sky.
There was then an oppressive silence as camp was set up around the stone. Francesca opened her mouth to ask a question though she quickly closed it at the glare she was receiving.
"What?" she mouthed.
"There is meant to be silence." Maddy mouthed back before getting out Legolas' blanket and settling down next to him.
Fran rolled her eyes, turned around and went to find a somewhat flat piece of hill, which was quite impossible due to the slope.
She eventually sat down and started making her bedroll only to see Harry near by. She quickly rolled the blankets back up and shuffled off, suddenly bumpy land didn't seem to bad.
Ooooo0ooooO
"How long until we get on the boats do you think?" Mo asked the air randomly.
"Sunset hopefully," was the reply from Halbarad.
"But it's only just dawn," sighed Fran.
"You wish to get to battle?" he questioned.
"No, we wish to sleep in a proper bed," Maddy replied, attempting to trap her now very messy, tangled and somewhat frizzy hair into a hair band.
"and a bath," listed Fran.
"and food,"
"and clean clothes," declared Mo.
"and a goddamned hairbrush," Maddy muttered.
"Madeleine!" reprimanded Legolas.
"I don't care if it's unladylike, I hardly look like a lady trampling across Middle Earth, do I?"
"You can at least try," grinned Fran.
"Oh don't start," Maddy snapped.
"Who woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Fran snipped.
"What bed?"
"The one you and Legolas were in!" she replied.
"Oh grow up." Came the exasperated reply.
"No m'dear, I believe you need to grow up, in height at least."
"Oh shut up, both of you!" Mo snapped.
"Hear, hear."
Ooooo0ooooO
"Finally! A boat!"
"Now we wait for the ghosts to scale and kill the people on the boat!" Fran chirped.
"That's a nice sentiment. But then again, you like things like that," Maddy joked, "In history you laughed when you found out people were being whipped."
"That's because of the blasé way the teacher said it."
"Of course it is Franny."
Ooooo0ooooO
There was a gentle clip clop of hooves on wood as they boarded the ships. "Row, row, row the boat gently down the stream-"
"Maddy, please shut up, I'm tired and I ache," Fran complained.
"Oh fine!"
"Have you ever been on a boat?" Elladan asked Mo.
"Yes, my dad takes me fishing a lot."
"Really?" You have seen the sea?"
"Yes, we live on an island…" Mo looked at him confused.
"Yet you do not feel the pull of the sea?"
"I'm not an elf, Elladan."
"I know."
Ooooo0ooooO
Maddy stood at the bow of the ship idly singing, "I will go down with this ship, and I won't put my hands up and surrender, there will be no white flag above my door, I'm in love and always will be."
While she was singing a conversation was going on between Legolas and Francesca.
"She does this a lot, does she not?"
"Does what?" Fran replied, confused.
"Sing."
"If you can call it that."
"You think that she cannot?"
"Well you can't really hear her, just muttering and humming."
"Well I can hear her." Legolas mused, "who is she in love with?"
"What?" Francesca questioned stunned.
"In her song, she says she's in love and says it as if she means it."
"It's Dido's song, she's just imitating the way she sings it."
"Who is this Dido?"
"A singer."
"…and you will think that I've moved on…"
"Why does she do it?"
"Cheer herself up, or when she's thinking about something I suppose. I don't really want to know how her mind works.
"…and we make love it seems, a little desolate…"
A/n The song lyrics are from Dido Armstrong's album, white flag.
Hi all! A bit late I must admit but it's been very hectic but my university application form will be in on Monday, hopefully…But then I have Chemistry and Biology coursework…
Fk306 animelover: I'm one of those lucky people that aren't ticklish so I can attack everyone else!
Bunny of Despair: Ahh, hope we didn't break your heart.
Georgianna: Well technically Francesca does exist, she's just never been to Middle Earth and if she did I don't believe she'd be worrying about smelly men, I think feelings of insanity would be more important.
Sweetypie15: I'll try
Fae Black: Someone to bother? Yes I think that's how the elves think of it.
LadyGlory: The difficulty of getting into courses depends on what you're applying for. Veterinary medicine is the hardest profession to get into, harder than medicine! So I have quite a challenge. Colleges cost about £3000 a year in tuition which you pay back after you have finished uni, once you're earning more than £15,000 a year. Then accommodation costs about £3000 as well, so you're looking at $10,500 a year, not including food and other important things such as internet connections!
Shadow08: Penguins again…and monkeys!
Yellow Peanutbutter Ruler: Did you get thrown off your horse? I have driving down narrow English country lanes and encountering people on horseback, I'm so scared we'll drive into the horse or accidentally spoke them.
Lady Keshanna of the Night: I have loads of projects as well, makes life fun :coughs:
Rhiw: Glad to see that you've returned.
Wells I have a dinner to cook!
PiXiE