Chapter 11

It had been painful to Perci to say goodbye to her father and surprisingly to her uncles as well. But she knew that if she survived this then she would be able to see them one last time before the Valar took them back to Earth. But if she didn't survive, she had written letters to her loved ones and asked her father to give the letters to them when they returned to Earth.

It had been two weeks since they had left Atlantis and so far they were making great progress. At the moment, they had stopped on rock outcroppings and were planning on which way to go. Gandalf and Gimli, as well as Haldir and Eomer, talked about tthat while Legolas was on lookout. Boromir was trying to teach Merry and Pippin how to fight while Aragorn looked on. Sam and Frodo had begun making lunch for them all.

And then Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Perci were off to the side talking amongst themselves but also watching with amusement at the hobbits and man.

"We weren't like that when we were first learning were we, Uncle?" Kili asked. Thorin snorted.

"You were worse! You refused to learn the sword or battleaxe unless you learned the bow first. And Fili, while learning the sword, he only wanted to fight with his knives. You were both stubborn but knew what weapon you would excel at more then any other instinctively…. Although I could've lived without the arrow in my arse."

Perci burst out laughing, her laughter tinkling over the fellowship and causing them all to look at her for a moment mesmorized, one more so then the others. Like Atlantis, Perci's laugh was the sound of goodness and chased away any eects the ring had begun to have on them for the moment.

They shook themselves before returning to their own conversations.

"We must hold to this course, west of the Misty Mountains, for 40 days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east to Mordor." Gandalf mapped out, using a stick and the dirt to do so.

"Two, one, five. Good! Very good. Move your feet." Boromir instructed.

"You look good, Pippin." Merry complimented from the side beside Aragorn. The hobbits tended to gravitate to three people in the group more then the others. Aragorn, Gandalf, and Perci were deemed the most safe in their minds and spent their time by them as much as possible.

"Thanks." Pippin said to his best friend.

"Faster!" Boromir barked, bringing Pippin's attention back to him.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not I'd say we were taking the long way 'round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria." Gimli said, drawing his own line through the rough map on the ground. "The dwarves of Moria would give us a royal welcome."

"And it would give us a chance to check in on them. We haven't recieved word from them in ten years." Fili piped up, causing the other dwarves to nod in agreement. But Gandalf shook his head he seemed to know something that the others did not.

"No, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Legolas moved to the rocks besides the other elf, man, wizard, and dwarf and seemed to be looking at something that none but Haldir and Legolas could see.

There was a cry as Pippin was hit on his hand by Boromir's sword.

"Sorry!" Boromir said instantly. Pippin instinctively kicked Boromir and then Pippin and Merry charged.

"Get him! For the Shire! Hold him. Hold him down, Merry!" Pippin cried, knocking Boromir to the ground. Those that had not yet noticed first Legolas and then Haldir's looks laughed at the scene.

Finally Aragorn went over to try and stop it. He clasped their shoulders. "Merry, Pippin, that's enough!"

The two hobbits paused before reaching for Aragorn's legs and using all their strength pulled, causing him to land harshly on his back. He cried out and began to laugh again.

"What is that?" Legolas asked no one in particular.

"Nothing. It's just a wisp of cloud." Gimli said dismissively.

"It's moving fast." Haldir said. "Against the wind."

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas exclaimed, suddenly recognizing what it was. He darted towards Perci even as Gandalf cried out for them to hide.

"Hurry! Take cover!" Legolas had grabbed Perci and dragged her under a bunch of thick bushes, soon joined by Thorin, Kili, and Fili and they waited. Perci glared slightly at Legolas.

"What are you doing?!" She hissed softly.

"Trying to be a good One."

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The took the Pass of Caradhras as the passage south was being watched by the spies of Saruman.

Most of them had to trudge through the snow but Legolas and Haldir walked lightly on top as if it were just a normal walkway. Legolas looked a little too smug to Perci.

Perci shivered and glared at the elves, one in particular.

"Kili?" The dark haired dwarf looked at her. "I give you full permission to 'accidentally' shoot a certain elf in the arse."

The other dwarves that had been around her sniggered and Haldir let a small smirk cross his face while Legolas looked over his shoulder at his One with a raised eyebrow.

Perci stopped suddenly, having heard Aragorn coming from behind them.

She turned, as did the rest of them to watch.

"Frodo!" Aragorn exclaimed, stopping the hobbit from rolling further down the mountain they had been climbing and then helped him onto his feet. "Are you alright?"

Frodo nodded shaikly and patted his chest where the ring usually sat but found it gone. Looking forward in panic, he saw the ring on the necklace sitting innocently in the snow. But then it was picked up by another of the fellowship.

"Boromir." Aragorn warned. Perci and some of the others put their hands on their weapons, knowing that it could get ugly real quick if the ring had a stronger hold on Boromir then they had all thought.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing." Boromir said with a small smile as he looked at the ring dangling from his hand.

"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo." Aragorn commanded. Boromir lifted his eyes off the ring and half smiled.

"As you wish." He handed the ring back to Frodo. "I care not." He ruffled Frodo's hair before turning and continuing on, ignoring the obvious fact that if he had tried to take the ring, the others of the fellowship would've cut him down.

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The weather continued to worsen the higher they traveled the mountain. The snow was now over the heads over the dwarves, the hobbits now being carried by Aragorn, Boromir, or Eomer under the heavy and thick cloaks the men had. Gandalf and Perci walked ahead of the dwarves to help clear a path for them and the men were behind the dwarves. The elves, of course, walked on top of the snow leaving no imprints behind.

The two elves paused. "There is a fell voice on the air." Haldir said, not even affected by the chill from the wind, Legolas and himself wearing their normal elven clothing.

Gandalf immediately stiffened at Legolas's next words. "It's Saruman! He's trying to bring down the mountain!" They all felt the mountain beginning to shake violently.

"Gandalf, we must turn back!" Kili called.

"No!" Gandalf protested violently.

"We must get off the mountain!" Aragorn yelled, they all ducked out of the way of large boulders falling down from above.

Gandalf raised his staff and seemed to try and counteract Saruman's spell but it was no use. A lightning bolt appeared out of the snow storm and struck the mountain, causing a large wave of snow and rocks to fall down towards them. Perci moved quickly, grabbing the four dwarves and pushing them into the side of the mountain before using all the strength she could to form a barrier between the snow and themselves and just in time too. The snow buried them all but only the four dwarves and Perci were fine under the snow.

"Thank you, Perci." Thorin gasped out. She quirked a smile over at him even as she shook slightly with the strength needed to keep the snow at bay. They had not eaten, stopped, or slept for two days straight and it was starting to get to them all.

"Regret coming, yet?"

"Not if I get to actually shoot the elf in the arse." Kili said, causing them all to laugh breathily. Perci felt the mountain settle down again and so using most of her waning strength, waved her arms, causing the snow and rocks that had fallen on the whole fellowship to be swept off the edge of the mountain and giving them all a chance to breathe the fresh crisp air.

"Thank you, my lady." Eomer gasped out. Perci now pale under her tan simply nodded and didn't protest when Legolas came over and wrapped a steady arm around her waist to support her.

"Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the west road to my city!" Eomer suggested, trying to sway the wizard since they had begun to argue which way to go again.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Perci rasped out, agreeing with the wizard that they would most likely not survive if they did so.

"We cannot pass over a mountain." Aragorn said, trying to reason with the two most powerful beings in their group. "We almost got buried alive."

"Let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria." Thorin commanded, leaving no room for argument. Gandalf and Perci exchanged a long look, both having discussed in Ancient Greek what dwelled in the Mines of Moria since they had begun their journey.

"Let the Ring-bearer decide." Haldir said. None had missed the heavy look between the demigoddess and wizard but none wished to comment on it.

"Frodo?" Perci asked raspily.

Frodo looked panicked. He then glanced at his fellow hobbits, and saw they were half frozen and knew that if they continued the four of them might not survive it. "We will go through the mines."

Gandalf and Perci sighed. "So be it."

"Whatever is down there, I will stand with you against it, my friend." Perci said in Ancient Greek as they began the long trek back the way they had come. And although Gandalf didn't say anything in response to Perci, he clasped her shoulder as he passed her and Legolas whom still supported her.

Legolas and Haldir exchanged glances, knowing that if Perci and Gandalf were worried, then they should be as well.