The mountain was freezing, icy wind reaching it's fingers out to catch every exposed inch of skin as it simultaneously stole the breath from their lungs but still they trudged on, higher and higher until Meduineth felt she would die. She had long ago lost any feeling in her hands and feet and she worried for the Hobbits who seemed to be suffering worse than her. She barely notices when Frodo falls or Boromir picks up the ring and whilst she knows that Aragorn is becoming increasingly worried about her she shrugs it off and encourages him to instead help Frodo and Sam whilst Boromir carries Merry and Pippin and still they continue to push upwards through the blizzard.
"There is a fell voice on the wind," Legolas calls back and she turns scared eyes on Aragorn who looks ready to drop the hobbits he is holding to rush to her as snow and rock begin to fall towards them, burying them in suffocating silence and cold.
"Medui," she gasps as she breaks through the surface Legolas pulling her out and holding her steady as she tries to blink away the black spots dancing in her vision.
"I'm okay," she mumbles trying to smile at Aragorn without her teeth chattering.
"We must get off the mountain Gandalf, please," the ranger pleads desperately, his eyes never leaving hers despite the grip he still had on the shivering hobbits.
"Let the ring bearer decide," Gandalf says almost fearfully and they all look to Frodo, who shudders violently as he tries to make the best decision and Meduineth's heart goes out to the little hobbit.
"We shall go through the mines," he virtually whispers after a pause and she does not miss the worry and resignation that seems to pass across the old wizards face as he accepts this decision and they begin the descent back down the mountain.
Hours later they stop in a cave like hollow in the mountain side for the night and once the others are settled down she approaches where Gandalf is sitting separated from the others.
"What is wrong Gandalf, you seem very worried?" she asks quietly as she perches beside him and he turns to her with a small smile.
"You have grown into a wise and brave young woman my little Meduineth," he responds after a while and she can feel the blush heating her cheeks despite the cold.
"You did not answer my question," she says with a small smile choosing to ignore the compliment, it seems that no matter how well cared for and complimented she was since being in Rivendell the scars of her early childhood could not be so easily erased. The thought made both figures sigh a little.
"I am merely thinking about our passage through the mountains," he says quietly after a while, "I had hoped to avoid it, I had hoped to avoid you coming on this journey," she smiles a little, her hand squeezing his forearm lightly as she shifts slightly closer to him to try and offer him comfort of some kind.
For a while they sit in silence neither knowing what to say as they watch the darkness for danger. Gandalf watching her from the corner of his eye, Aragorn was right to call her his little mystery he muses, for she was just that a mystery. Certainly she was human, she had no special gifts or power, no heritage that was noteworthy. He had of course researched her thoroughly when Lord Elrond had first told him of her existence and circumstances but, other than having and Elvish name, which they could only guess was one her mother had heard and liked the sound of, she was just the daughter of a village woman and a rather violent farmer. No, it was not her heritage that drew them all to her, nor could it be her looks, she was beautiful it was true but only as much as any human woman, she hardly possessed the startling beauty of the elves and, whilst she did possess the grace and elegance of one trained and raised by elves it was not innate. He rather thought, studying her now that the only thing that truly set her apart was her eyes, a bright, searching green that seemed to penetrate your soul when she looked at you. That and her heart he realised, she was good, truly kind and loving a pure soul despite her beginnings in Middle Earth. Yes, if… no, when Aragorn took his place on the throne of Gondor she would make a good queen.
"You should get some sleep Gandalf, I'll wake Aragorn for his watch shortly," she whispers now and he startles from his pondering to see her staring kindly at him and he smiles in return.
"Very well child, but do not think of letting us all sleep through, you need your rest too," he chuckles as she ducks her head, for of course that had been her thinking.
"Okay," she mumbles and he chuckles again before moving away and settling down to sleep. Meduineth shivers slightly in the cold night and then starts as an arm wraps around her shoulders, "Aragorn, you scared me," she exclaims in a breathless whisper.
"I am sorry ai er (little one)," he whispers in response and she huffs a giggle before moving to rest her head upon his shoulder.
"It is cold," she murmurs after a while and he automatically pulls her into his lap and wraps his cloak around the both of them, "what are you doing?" she asks her voice sounding breathless again and his body responding to the sound as well as her wiggling on his lap, so much so, that he almost regrets pulling her to him in such a way.
"I am keeping you warm Medui, just as I have done for many years," he whispers back to her when he is sure he has control over his voice, thanking the years of training as a ranger for allowing to hide his true feelings and emotions slightly, although as always when it came to her he struggled to be as obscure as he could usually be.
"I am glad that I am her with you," she mutters in a tiny voice after a while, as exhaustion begins to wash over her, the coldness finally ebbing out of her bones.
"Why did you think you could stay up all night and let us sleep?" he asks after another moment, smiling down at her as she lays with her eyes closed, face resting gently against his shoulder almost asleep already.
"I wanted you all to be rested, you need yours strength," she replies as if it is the most natural thing in the world and he grips her a little tighter at her words pulling her a tiny bit closer to him.
"So do you, I would not lose you because you were too exhausted to defend yourself," he almost growls and she shivers against him at his tone.
"I'm sorry," she says weakly, a poor reply but she could think of no other, he clouded her senses and rendered her incapable of thinking properly, he always had but she did not understand why.
"Sleep little one, I shall watch for a time," he whispers and she is asleep almost before he has finished speaking. For a moment he watches her as her breath slowly evens out to that of a deep, comfortable sleep and when he is certain she is truly unconscious to the world around her, he gently moves the hair from her face and leans to kiss her softly on her brow, relishing the feeling of her soft skin beneath his lips, "I will alway watch over you Melamin (my love)," he whispers into her hairline before resuming his watch of the night with her cradled safely in his arms.
It was a further three days before they finally approached the great walls of the cliff within which the doors to the mine were hidden. Meduineth sat heavily against a tree root as she watched Gandalf try to open the doors he had revealed and whilst a small smile tugged at her lips at his frustration worry still sat in her stomach at his words and his posture recently. She could not help feeling that something was amiss with the wizard but she had no choice to put it down to the worry of the quest and poor Frodo's burden. Instead, she busied herself watching her other companions, smiling sadly as Aragorn and Sam said goodbye to Bill the pony and setting him free.
"My lady how do you fare?" the voice startles her and she fights not to flinch away from Boromir as he sat beside her.
"I am well thank my Lord," she replies quietly feeling herself flush as he studies her closely,
"I am sorry that I have been less than… gracious about your joining us on this quest," he says after a moment and she looks up in him, whatever she had been expecting this was not it.
"I… erm, thank you," she manages to say at last and he smiles a bit, the action making him look younger and infinitely more handsome, not quite as handsome as Aragorn she thinks to herself but quite handsome none the less.
"You seem surprised," he comments and she lets out a little laugh which draws the attention of Aragorn immediately, his blood suddenly boiling with jealousy.
"Wait," Legolas whispers as Aragorn takes a step towards the pair,
"But…"
"She needs to learn to trust others of her own race and you my friend need to learn to trust her," Legolas warns quietly and with a growl Aragorn turns away and focuses his attention on Merry and Pippin who are busy skipping stones before he jumps forward to stop them.
"I… I have not met many men before my lord and the ones I have, well, they have not been kind, except for Aragorn," she speaks quietly and Boromir finds himself enthralled by her words as he is by her eyes as she glances up at him. Yes, he could easily find himself lost in those eyes but alas he knew that Aragorn loved the girl, it was obvious. A voice whispered in his mind at this, why should Aragorn get everything that should rightly be his, his city, his title, his… woman. The man shakes his head quickly to rid himself of the vile thoughts that were becoming more and more insistent.
"I am sorry my lady," he says quickly his hand squeezing her shoulder, an action that forces her to withhold another flinch, before he leapt to his feet and moved towards where Aragorn was standing with Merry and Pippin.