CHAPTER 6 November 1, 3018
The next morning, Mithrandir woke them all at the crack of dawn. Sam prepared a fire to cook their breakfast as the others attempted to wake themselves up enough to pack. Aragorn, who was used to traveling, was the first ready. Boromir and Lothíriel were also ready quickly because they also were used to early mornings after being with Gondor's defenses for so long. Merry and Pippin were the last ones to awaken.
"C'mon, lads," Boromir shook them awake. "Let's practice a little fencing."
Lazily, the Hobbits rose and packed their things. Sam started on the sausages while Gimli and Gandalf sat and talked.
Lothíriel, amused, joined Aragorn in watching Boromir attempt to train the Hobbits in combat.
Merry and Pippin drew their swords and Boromir took turns swinging at the Hobbits, testing their defense skills.
Sam served delicious sausages with hash, and once finished eating, Gandalf, Gimli, and Aragorn all took out their pipes and smoked. Boromir and the Hobbits stopped briefly to eat, but resumed their practice immediately.
"Good, very good," Boromir complimented Pippin as he blocked a few slower moves from Boromir.
"Move your feet," Aragorn called as he chewed on an apple.
Lothíriel smiled from Aragorn's side; she could tell Boromir was enjoying himself. He was smiling and teasing the Hobbits as he used simple manuevers with his weapon. This was the Boromir she knew; not the uptight, moody man who had left had argued before leaving Rivendell about her knowing Aragorn and not even telling her closest friend. Lothíriel knew when to tell Boromir's pride was hurt, but this was beyond that. Boromir felt betrayed. They barely spoke until they settled to rest at Caradhras. He apologized for behaving the way he did, and she apologized for her secrecy, and when they embraced she could feel the strong man relax as he held her. A weight lifted from them both but still hovered near.
"We're okay?" she had asked her cousin.
He had hesitated a few seconds before releasing her and saying, "We're okay."
But Lothíriel knew this did not make Boromir hate Aragorn less.
Frodo, Sam, and Linwë had now joined the onlookers in watching the sparring as Gandalf and Gimli talked about their route.
"You look good, Pippin," Merry offered looking impressed.
"Thanks," Pippin replied as he quickly checked to see if Linwë and Lothíriel were watching.
Then Boromir turned his sword to Merry as Sam shook his head in disapproval.
Linwë looked around for Legolas and saw him perched atop a rock looking at something far off, but the raised sound of Gimli's voice caused her to look in the Dwarf's direction.
"If anyone was to ask for my opinion,which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way around," he said crankily.
"Gandalf," he continued. "We could pass through the Mines of Moria."
Mithrandir let his pipe glide from his mouth as he gave Gimli an uncertain look.
"My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."
Lothíriel spun around in her seat upon hearing Balin's name. She had seen Bilbo, Legolas, and Gloín again, and seeing Balin would be extremely welcome. He always was her favorite of the Company, excepting Fili. Her heart sank when Mithrandir said, "No, Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."
Meanwhile, Boromir had switched back to fencing with Pippin and accidentally slipped his grip on his blade and cut Pippin's hand.
"Ah!" Pippin yelled, grabbing his hand.
Boromir stepped closer to Pippin, attempting to examine his hand. "Sorry," he apologized, but he received a hard kick in the leg. Well, hard for a Hobbit.
"Get him!" Merry yelled, and within seconds the Hobbits had pinned Boromir to the ground in a tickle fight. Boromir was laughing and playing with them as if they were children as Linwë and Lothíriel roared in laughter.
"For the Shire!" Pippin screamed as Boromir laughed. "Hold him, hold him down, Merry!"
Aragorn set aside his pipe and stepped up towards the fighting trio. With apple in hand he reached down to pull up Merry and Pippin.
"Gentlemen, that's enough."
But Merry and Pippin each grabbed one of Aragorn's ankles and pulled. Aragorn lay sprawled out on the ground as his apple rolled around, and Linwë and Lothíriel gripped each other for by now they were rolling with laughter.
"You've got my arm!" Pippin was yelling. "Argh. . . You've got my arm!"
"What's that?" Sam interupted.
Linwë and Lothíriel followed the Hobbit's gaze while still chuckling. But what Sam saw quickly sobered them.
A dark, ominous shadow was flying through the wind toward the Fellowship.
"Nothing," Gimli said to Sam. "It's just a wisp of clouds."
"Are you sure?" Linwë asked doubtfully.
The dark "clouds" had now caught everyone else's attention.
"It's moving fast," Boromir said as Legolas made his way to a higher point on their campsite. "Against the wind," Boromir finished.
Legolas squinted slightly then his eyes widened as he yelled "Crebain from Dunland!"
"Hide!" Aragorn yelled.
There the rushing began. Everyone grabbed their packs and Sam put out the fire.
"Frodo, take cover," Aragorn commanded as he and Frodo quickly scrambled under a patch of brush.
Just as the last of the Fellowship hid out of sight, the creatures Legolas had called Crebain flew right over the group. They were birds. Large, black birds. They circled around the Fellowship then headed back in the direction they had come from.
Everyone emerged from their hiding places and looked to Gandalf as he spoke.
"Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched. We must take the paths of Caradhras."
Everyone followed the old Wizard's gaze up towards the ginormous mountain covered with snow.
The Fellowship made their way up the side of the mountain, and as they got higher, the weather got colder.
"Alas!" Lothíriel remarked. "It's freezing! Legolas, Linwë, how are you two not frozen to death?" she asked staring at the Elves' thin apparel. Legolas was in an Elvish garment colored a dark shade of green with matching leggings. Linwë was dressed likewise, though her garment was more feminine than Legolas'. Her garment had a v-neckline and flowed outward at the waist like a dress. Her pale, Elven skin looked lovely beneath the maroon coloring of the outfit.
"Our garments keep out the cold," Legolas replied simply.
Pippin shivered as he watched Linwë and Legolas enviously as they walked lightly on the snow.
They all continued following Gandalf up the mountain facing the wind. Lothíriel, along with everyone else, was cursing the Crebain that forced them to take this route.
As they were trekking, Lothíriel heard a cry from behind her. She turned around in time to see Frodo lose his footing behind her and tumble downhill in the snow toward Aragorn.
"Frodo!" Aragorn called.
He stepped forward and lifted the poor, frozen Hobbit to his feet and helped him brush the snow off of his cloak and out of his hair.
Lothíriel assured herself the Hobbit was fine, and turned to keep walking when Boromir bent down next to her to pick something up. It was shiny and small. The Ring. Frodo dropped it during his fall.
"Boromir," Aragorn addressed the man.
The rest of the company stopped and turned back at hearing Aragorn's call.
"'Tis a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing," Boromir remarked as he stared, mesmerized by the Ring in his grasp. "Such a little thing. . ."
Lothíriel looked at Boromir apprehensively as Aragorn yelled, "Boromir!"
Boromir broke from his trance and looked up at Aragorn with a gulp. He then turned to the Hobbit, slowly walking toward him and Boromir reluctantly handed the Ring back saying, "As you wish."
Frodo reached up and yanked it quickly from Boromir's hand and pulled it over his head.
"I care not," Boromir laughed.
Lothíriel could tell that her cousin did care. And as he turned away and readjusted his shield over his back, Lothíriel looked down to see Aragorn's hand relax its grip on his sword. Lothíriel recognized that Aragorn would have wounded, if not killed, Boromir for the Ring to be back in Frodo's possession.
Lothíriel looked at Aragon with wide eyes. She was suddenly scared for Boromir.
They carried on up the mountain. Lothíriel could feel her energy draining with every step. She noted the Hobbits were slowing down fast.
Mithrandir was leading the Fellowship through the falling snow, that was quickly doubling in thickness and speed, when he suddenly stopped and looked about him as though listening very carefully to something.
Legolas, ahead of the others, peered into the thick snow.
"There is a fell voice in the air," he called.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf cried.
Suddenly, a loud crack was heard from above them as snow and large rocks fell from overhead.
The Fellowship had no time to brace themselves as the snow encircled them.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn called to the Wizard. "Gandalf! We must turn back!" he tried to reason.
"No!" Gandalf said with determination.
Stepping to the ledge, Gandalf held his arms and staff upward in appeal to the storm.
"Losto, Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!"
To all but a few of the company, Gandalf's words were unintelligible. He was beseeching the mountain to "sleep", "lie still", and "hold its wrath".
Linwë was now looking far off in the distance with a focused look on her face.
"What do you hear?" Lothíriel asked.
"A second voice, the one Legolas heard," she called through the loud fury. "Saruman. He is trying to crush us!"
Then, as Linwë said this, a great streak of lightening burst forth from the clouds and came down upon the rock wall above them. An avalanche of snow and boulders came crashing all around them as they scrambled to cover themselves.
They were buried.
For several moments there was absolutely no movement. All anyone could feel was cold.
Then, a hand burst forth from the snow; Legolas.
Surfacing near him was Mithrandir. Followed by Aragorn. And by the time Linwë pushed through, Aragorn and Legolas were digging through feet of snow searching for the rest of the Fellowship.
The Hobbits were shivering dangerously and Lothíriel was pale with the cold.
Boromir yelled to Gandalf, "We must get off the mountain!" Lothíriel heard the urgency in his voice. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"
"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued.
"I agree with Boromir!" Lothíriel screamed through the violent wind.
"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it!" Gimli reasoned. His thick beard was laced with snow. "Let us go through the Mines of Moria."
The fire and excitement shone brightly in the Dwarve's eyes.
Gandalf hesitated for several seconds and Lothíriel wondered what ill could lay ahead that would make Mithrandir hesitate to enter those mines, even if it meant saving them from freezing.
Finally, and with reluctance, Gandalf said, "Let the Ringbearer decide."
Frodo looked conflicted. He, too, noticed Gandalf's unwillingness to go into the mines and if Gandalf feared it they would all do well to do so. But it would be shelter. . .
"We cannot stay here!" Boromir shouted. "This will be the death of the Hobbits!"
Frodo looked at Merry and Pippin who stood by Boromir's side. They looked frozen stiff and Frodo knew the four of them would not last much longer.
"Frodo?" Gandalf broke his thoughts.
Choosing salvation, Frodo said decidedly, "We will go through the mines." He was certain he was saving his friends' lives.
With a sinking feeling Gandalf said, "So be it."