Chapter Five
Anna woke up the next day feeling surprisingly more rested, despite the fact that she was woken just as the sky was beginning to light up. The morning October air was cool and crisp, and she walked out onto the balcony of her room and took a deep breath. She had always loved this time of morning, when it was cool out and all gray. Everything was quiet, more peaceful.
She put on the clothes that Lauriel had laid out for her. They were different from what she had worn so far, and were much more appropriate for a long journey which she assumed would be on foot. She had been given a long, dark green tunic that cut off at the knees, and looked more like a dress, with thick brown leggings and leather boots that came up to the knees. It reminded her a lot of what Arwen had worn in the movie when she had brought Frodo to Rivendell, although after having asked Arwen about that, she was incredibly embarrassed to find out that Arwen had never met Frodo, and that he had been rescued by an elf named Glorfindel. It had been incidents like those that made her wish she had read the books, and that stopped her from assuming anything.
She left her room, once again not knowing where she was going. Luckily, she found herself face to face with Frodo after almost knocking the poor hobbit over. Frodo knew where he was going, and the two of them began walking towards the spot where the Fellowship was to meet. Before long, they heard footsteps behind them. Anna turned to see Boromir walking in their same direction. He was still rather far away, and had not seen them yet. Just as he looked up, Anna took Frodo's hand and pulled him faster in the opposite direction. Frodo looked up at her, looking a bit confused, however he did not object and began to walk faster as well. She could tell Boromir also made Frodo uncomfortable, especially since he was the ring-bearer. Anna had decided to effectively ignore Boromir. She would be perfectly civil, and decided to try and dispense of any anger towards him so as not to hinder the Fellowship's progress, or make anyone else uncomfortable.
Just as the sun had completely risen, the Fellowship found themselves once again in front of Lord Elrond, at the entrance to Rivendell, not far from where Anna had landed the day she had arrived.
"The ring-bearer is setting out on the quest to Mount Doom," Elrond announced. There were a number of elves behind him, and amongst them she noticed Arwen, stealing quick, teary-eyed glances at Aragorn. "To you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you may. Farewell. Hold to your purpose, and may the blessings of elves, and men, and all free folk go with you." He gestured to Frodo.
"The company awaits the ring-bearer," Gandalf said from the back of the group. Frodo immediately tensed, and Anna put a comforting hand on his shoulder, although she knew it would make no difference. He did however, reach up and squeeze her hand before walking towards the open gate, the rest of the Fellowship turning to follow him. She heard him whisper something to Gandalf, although she couldn't make out what it was. "Left," she heard Gandalf say.
They followed Frodo, and as Anna heard the gate close behind them, a horrible feeling of anxiety began to creep up on her.
She found herself walking next to Boromir, and despite her instinct to take off, she stayed where she was. Finally, Boromir spoke.
"I uh-" he seemed at a loss for words. She looked over at him, but found him looking at the ground and fidgeting nervously with his hands. This surprised her, especially after his behavior the day before. It could still very well be an act. "I apologize if I offended you in some way," he mustered. "I assure you I did not mean to." Anna was not sure yet of his true nature. She knew the Ring was affecting him no doubt, however she didn't know how much of it was the Ring, and how much was him.
"Don't worry about it," she said casually. She didn't look at him after that, and they walked in silence for a long while. He attempted to make small talk several times, and she answered, although her answers were always curt. It began to grow dark, and they finally stopped at a large expanse of rocks, many of which were flat.
"We will make camp here," Gandalf said. Anna was incredibly relieved, although she stayed silent. Boromir, looking rather dejected, walked away and settled down near Merry and Pippin. Anna dropped her pack and collapsed on the ground, near Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf. Everything was sore, and she realized then just how out of shape she was.
She made conversation with Frodo and Sam, who seemed just as exhausted as she was, and after eating a surprisingly good dinner cooked by Sam, who had hauled all sorts of pots and pans with him, they finally settled down to sleep.
Anna lay awake, gazing at the stars. She had never been anywhere where she could truly see all of them. The sight was truly a wonder. After a while, however, she found she couldn't sleep. Looking around so as not to wake the hobbits, she slowly stood and walked over to a large rock overlooking the land below. She muddled through her thoughts, everything that had happened to her since her arrival, and even before. So much of it was still confusing, a blur almost.
She whipped around suddenly as a figure appeared behind her. She sighed in relief as she recognized the figure as Aragorn.
"I am sorry to have startled you," he said, sitting beside her.
"It's all right," she said with a small chuckle. "Although not many people are able to sneak up on me like that. You walk like a cat." He laughed at this.
"That is often the result of being raised by elves," he replied. She did not look at him, but offered a small smile, now looking at the ground. "I have watched you since your arrival here," he said. She looked up at him sharply. He raised his hand in truce before she could offer her bitter retort. "I meant no offense," he said calmly. "Boromir spoke rashly yesterday at the council," he said, causing her to look at him in surprise yet again. "I have seen the suffering in your eyes. It is similar to the one that lies in his." Anna looked back at the ground again. "I can see you have suffered," he continued. "But do not harden your heart. You will find that you will miss much that life has to offer." She knew there was truth in his words. Aragorn stood as if to leave, but turned back. "I know not what you have endured thus far," he said. "Do not shut Boromir out. He is an honorable man." He hesitated, and then added softly. "He does mean well." It was beyond her how he could possibly see so much. Was she really that transparent?
After a few minutes, Anna returned to where she had rolled out her bed and managed to get at least some sleep.
The next morning was beautiful. The sun shone, and they were still close enough to the forest that they could see the beautiful foliage forming on the trees. They stayed put for a while. Sam made a delicious breakfast, to the delight of many others in the Fellowship. Anna sat next to Aragorn, watching Boromir attempt to teach the hobbits how to fight with a sword. They actually seemed to be developing some skill. Pippin skillfully blocked a gentle blow by Boromir.
"Good?" he praised. Anna was amazed. It was as if the man she had seen the day before had completely vanished, and he now seemed to be the man she had met. She had seen this change before, but somehow this was different. Boromir actually seemed to be...himself.
"Ow!" Pippin cried out in pain. Boromir had sliced his palm. Not a bad injury, but she stood up to help Pippin anyway.
"Sorry!" Boromir cried. It had clearly been an accident, but the hobbits were not so forgiving. They tackled Boromir to the ground.
"For the Shire!" Merry shouted. They wrestled for a few minutes, causing both Anna and Aragorn, and even Boromir to laugh.
"Alright you three, that's enough," Anna chuckled, walking over to them. Before she could break it up, however, her feet were swept out from under her, and she found Merry to be the culprit. She laughed and brought him down with her, and the four of them continued to wrestle on the ground until their stomachs ached. She admitted that it was the most fun she had actually had in a long time.
The fun was short-lived, however.
"Stop!" Aragorn shouted. They did, and looked at him. The rest of the Fellowship had also stopped and were looking at the sky. Anna looked up to see a huge swarm of what seemed like bats coming their way.
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted. She didn't know what that meant, but apparently everyone else did, as they began to pack up their things.
"Hide!" Aragorn ordered. As the Fellowship scrambled to find cover, Anna felt a strong arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards shelter. She immediately wanted to pull away from Boromir, but as he was pulling her towards safety, she followed him. He also guided Merry and Pippin, who ran over to Gandalf. Anna felt something horrible just then. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it had something to do with the bats. She was immobilized, unable to move. Boromir continued to pull her along.
"Here," he whispered to her, pulling her under some low hanging brambles. He made sure she got in first, and then crawled in after her, using his shield to help further hide them.
As much as she hated to admit it, and as terrified as she was, she felt safe there with him. She found herself shaking uncontrollably, and Boromir squeezed her shoulders tightly. Feeling tears of panic coming to her eyes, and not wanting him to see, she buried her face in his shoulder, although she wasn't sure that would help.
After a few minutes, Boromir whispered in her ear,
"It's all right. We're safe now." He gently rubbed her shoulder and climbed out from under the brambles, helping her to her feet, her hands still shaking.
"Thank you," she muttered, her face red with embarrassment. How would she ever survive this quest if something as small as this rendered her so helpless?
They followed the rest of the Fellowship, headed towards a large, snow-covered mountain. That did not make her feel any better.