Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

Chapter Seven

Days passed slowly, and Obi-Wan even found himself wondering if they were going in circles. His legs had grown used to being sore, and his eyes had grown used to the sight of only grass and hills, with an occasional tree. They were now a fortnight out of Rivendell. They had eaten breakfast quickly and set out. It was now nearly midday.

Obi-Wan had added more pebbles to his collection, and was now holding them in the shape of a horse. "Okay, Merry, Pippin, the eyes," he coached. Two pebbles, darker than the others, floated slowly over and joined the horse's face.

Obi-Wan watched in delight. The Hobbits had to concentrate hard; both were sweating, their eyes narrowed, their foreheads tightened with effort, their outstretched hands tense. But they were doing it! Their pebbles floated alongside Obi-Wan's, held aloft solely by the Hobbits' use of the Force.

Boromir and Strider each bent down and picked a blade of grass as they walked. Boromir held his out in one hand, lifting it with the other, slowly, until it was about an inch above his hand. He concentrated hard, trying to move it over to the horse to serve as half the mouth, but it simply stayed where it was.

Obi-Wan nodded. It was as far as he'd ever gotten; he simply did not have the right skill. But he was persistent, and tried as hard as either of the Hobbits, and was frustrated by now by his grass' lack of movement.

"It's all right, Boromir," Obi-Wan assured him as the grass fell back into his palm. He was actually doing quite well for not being as skilled as the others. Frodo and Sam had already given up for the same reason; he had to wonder how long Boromir would keep at it.

Merry had surprised him, and was now doing as well as Pippin. Both were wonderful to work with, eager, excited, and proud of every new accomplishment. Obi-Wan smiled. He'd hardly gone through this stage with Anakin; the boy had learned so quickly. Now he was savoring it all, praising every inch a pebble flew.

It was annoying Gimli, of course, who couldn't see "why someone would want to float a pebble around when they could just pick it up and throw it." Legolas, of course, had been quick to disagree, saying you could control your aim more using the Force, be more accurate, and that it might help you in situations where it would be impossible to act physically. The Elf had also begun to help Obi-Wan out with his teaching, and now floated Boromir's blade of grass over to the horse.

"Strider?" Obi-Wan asked. The Ranger had had trouble at the beginning, for a reason Obi-Wan hadn't been able to figure out. But a few nights past, he had stayed awake while Obi-Wan guided Frodo through a relaxation exercise. About halfway through, Obi-Wan had noticed the Ranger following his instructions. It was as if something had finally clicked, and Strider had recognized the Force inside himself.

Obi-Wan had realized then, of course, what his problem had been. When they had fought in Rivendell, he had sensed the Force very strongly in him. He'd fought as well as any Jedi, using the Force and also letting it guide him. He simply hadn't recognized that he was doing it, so that when he tried to control something deliberately, like the pebbles and grass, he wasn't sure what to do, how to go about it.

And he was still having trouble, Obi-Wan knew as the blade of grass floated over to complete the mouth. He was hesitant, not sure of his control. Alone of all of them, his rocks and grass had a tendency to overshoot their intended spots, or to drop immediately if his attention wavered in the slightest.

Suddenly, Gandalf spoke. "Look!" They all looked. Merry and Pippin's pebbles flew to their hands, guided by Obi-Wan. Strider's blade of grass skyrocketed out of control, flying past Obi-Wan's head and into the distance.

Strider looked at Obi-Wan, startled. "Did you do that?"

"No, you did. That's what happens when you lose your concentration, though considering how fast that blade of grass went, you could probably afford to lose your concentration a little more, not focus so much. Let go, allow yourself the possibility of failure. A blade of grass is not going to spread chaos across all Middle-Earth just because you let it fly out of control."

Strider nodded. "I am trying."

"Across all Middle-Earth," Sam repeated. "It seems like that's how far we've already gone. Where are we, Gandalf?"

"This is Hollin, once called Eregion by the Elves," the Wizard answered.

Obi-Wan's heart leapt. He had some idea, now, of where they were, and they certainly weren't going in circles. "Then those," he pointed to the tall mountains in the distance, "are Caradhras, Celebdil, and Fanuidhol." He glanced at Legolas, who gave no sign that he had massacred the pronunciations. "Redhorn, Silvertine, and Cloudyhead, in the Common Tongue, if I'm not mistaken, and . . ." He hesitated, trying to pull the Dwarven names from his mind. "Barazinbar, Zirak-zigil, and . . ." He'd lost the other one.

"Bundushathur," Gimli finished. "You have a terrible accent." But the Dwarf was impressed, in spite of himself. "Where did you learn that?"

"Well, I tried to look at some maps in Rivendell," Obi-Wan shrugged. "We've come further than I thought."

"Yes, we have done well," Gandalf agreed, and though he did not share the Jedi's surprise, he seemed very pleased at their progress, pleased enough that he soon decided they should rest for a while, much to the delight of the Hobbits.

Obi-Wan's pebbles flew to his hand and they all sat down to eat. Merry and Pippin sat down next to him, and Boromir and Strider sat down together. Gandalf stood a ways away, looking out into the distance, and with him was Legolas. Gimli stood on Gandalf's other side, mumbling something. Obi-Wan focused, and the Dwarf's voice became louder in his ears.

"I'm telling you, Gandalf, this Force thing of his is dangerous. You saw what happened with Strider's grass. What if that had been a heavy rock, and a little bit to the right? Obi-Wan could be dead!"

"I do not believe that Obi-Wan will allow Strider to practice with larger stones until he has more control," Gandalf pointed out. "And even if he did, I do not believe he would allow himself, or anyone else for that matter, to be hit by one."

"He certainly let them fall on me," Gimli grumbled. "It's dangerous stuff, Gandalf, and it'll be the death of all of us, I warn you, if he's allowed to continue with it."

Gandalf looked over to where the two Hobbits were still practicing, trying very hard to lift their lunches. At last, they gave up and picked up the food the normal way. Gandalf smiled. "I think that there you are wrong, Gimli. It has not done us any harm, and it is keeping Merry and Pippin from other mischief."

Legolas nodded. "I do not see the harm in it, and it may do us some good, eventually. At the very least, it is keeping us entertained."

Obi-Wan smiled. Legolas was on his side, if only because it placed him opposite the Dwarf. But Obi-Wan guessed that the Elf, as well, suspected that there was more to the Force than lifting pebbles and grass, and might well join in the lessons when they turned to something more complicated.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was yanked from his thoughts by a surge in the Force. He, Strider, and Legolas reacted at once, putting out the small fire they had built and pulling the others to the shelter of rocks and bushes.

Crows flapped overhead, many of them, like a huge black cloud. Spies, Obi-Wan realized. "You do not see us," he told them. "We are not here. There is nothing here to see." But the creatures were guided by some dark power. He could not be sure that it had worked.

At last, they were gone, and the Fellowship scrambled out of their hiding places. "What was that?" Pippin asked, eyeing the ashes of the fire longingly.

"Spies from the south," Gandalf answered. "We must move on, quickly."

Strider nodded. "The Pass of Caradhras is now the only choice left to us." But there was a not of uncertainty in his voice, and his face was suddenly grave.

They set off quickly, now quieter than before. Even Merry and Pippin seemed cautious, and did not dare interrupt the others' silence. Obi-Wan moved to the front by Legolas, who alone seemed undaunted by the crows and the news that they would be taking the mountain path.

"Gandalf had expected it," the Elf said when Obi-Wan pointed this out. "Saruman and his spies are watching all paths, and Sauron, as well, has a long reach, and even from Mordor he may trouble us."

"Yet Gandalf seems worried, and Strider did not seem very pleased about this being our only choice."

"Indeed, for it will mean bitter cold and long miles of trudging through snow. It will not be a pleasant journey, but they expected it from the start. Clearly, the Gap of Rohan would be watched."

"What of the Mines of Moria, Khazad-dum? Gloin spoke of them at council; some of his kindred had gone to reclaim it, and nothing has been heard of them."

"Nor will anything be heard, I fear." He glanced back at Gandalf, and then at Strider. "Nay, our need will be very great ere we take that road. It is said that the Dwarves awakened a great evil in the mountains. They were driven out of Moria by the terror the awakened. I fear what may await ten stray travellers who venture there."

"May it not come to that," Obi-Wan agreed.

Legolas nodded his agreement. "Nor do we Elves walk easily beneath the earth. We take comfort in the lights of the heavens, by day or night. The road through Moria, even if the danger were gone, would not be my choice." There was a silence, then Legolas asked, "What did you do when the crows flew over? I could feel something from you, but I could not tell what it was."

By now, Obi-Wan was not at all surprised that the Elf had felt something. "I was trying to stop them from seeing us, cloud their thoughts, but I'm not sure how successful I was. Had they been ordinary crows, I would have no doubt, but these were guided by the Dark Side of the Force."

"This Force. You have mentioned it dozens of times over the past two weeks without ever really explaining what it is. You've shown us a little of what it can do, and told us that it exists inside everything. You've called it an energy field, but how can energy have two distinct sides -- a good side and a bad side, or a Light Side and a Dark Side? Certainly it is something more than energy!"

Obi-Wan smiled. Legolas wanted answers that even the wisest Jedi would not be able to give him. No one was sure exactly what the Force was, or how it existed. It just was. "Those answers cannot come from me," he said at last. "Search yourself, and find the Force within you, and you will understand."

Legolas, to Obi-Wan's relief, did not look at the Jedi like he had just spoken gibberish. Instead, he nodded. "Whatever it may be, it is clear that Merry and Pippin, at least, have some talent, and Aragorn, as well, once he finds the right balance."

"I take it that Aragorn is Strider."

"Oh. Yes. I'd assumed he'd told you; the two of you spoke often in Rivendell."

"He told me of his heritage, but not the name that went with it. I think he feared it might slip, if he told me. He also said that you already knew."

"Yes, as does Gandalf. I do not believe the Hobbits have guessed, nor Gimli. Boromir does not know, nor should he. For the moment, they see each other as equals; this is well for all of us."

Obi-Wan nodded. Legolas was right, of course. Boromir and Strider were getting along perfectly. In fact, they seemed to be the least of anyone's worries, especially his. He was much more concerned with Gimli, who made a point of staying as far away from both him and Legolas as possible. Obi-Wan had been so sure he would come around, but how long would it take?

Obi-Wan stared off at the mountains in the distance. They had a long road ahead of them; the last thing they needed was a problem within the Fellowship.

Which forced the question: Which of them was the problem? And what could be the solution?

Herendil -- Well, I think now I've explained some of why Aragorn is having a tough time using the Force. More to come on why he has a hard time with control. :)

Lunatic Pandora1 -- hmmm, lightning. Does he ever use lightning? Have to go back and watch Episode III again sometime to make sure, but I don't think he does.

Satra -- Yes, Legolas has found a new way of teasing Gimli, which is even better because the Dwarf doesn't know it's him. :) Poor Obi-Wan.

xWhit3StaRx -- You play the piano? Cool. I can play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and I used to be able to do Silent Night, but that's just about it. My left hand gets too bored. :)

lolegolas -- :) Yeah, that's the reason I wrote it, because Obi-Wan's my favorite, and I'm completely obsessed with Lord of the Rings. So why not throw them together . . . :)

CrazyCanadianLlama -- I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with Obi-Wan and Gimli, but they probably won't go on hating each other forever. Once things start happening, I think they'll learn to work together.

Jake Ross 2 -- You're completely right. It's Geonosis, not Geonosha. I don't know where that even came from, except from the fact that I don't pay attention. Geonosha is an island or something that's mentioned a couple times in the X-Men comic books, I don't know why I confused the two. :) Thanks for pointing that out, mellon nin.

SNAITF -- That happens to me, too, like all of a sudden I'm completely obsessed with Faramir or Aragorn or something, someone I like but am not typically obsessed with. Unlike Smeagol, who I'm obsessed with all the time. :)

ally127 -- :) Yeah, if it weren't for the character interactions, they'd probably be to Khazad-dum by now. :) And I'd have to actually do some thinking about the plot instead of just having people talk back and forth. :) Wonderful stalling technique.

Night of the Land -- Nope, your teacher's not crazy. We had an essay, then we had two pop quiz essay things over our summer reading, and now we're doing a speech. But I actually prefer that over science, where we've been doing metric conversions (zzzzzzzzz) half the hour and then our teacher just lets us talk (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz). At least it gives me time to do my history homework. :)

The Dancing Cavalier -- Yeah, I've always thought people should come along and make movies out of all the stories here, but I guess actors have better things to do. :) Like get married for the twelfth time or make their teeth even more unnaturally white than they already are. :)