They set off early next morning, and spent the whole day trudging through the snow as they climbed higher up the mountain. The temperature was had reached way below zero, and that didn't take into account the wind. It was a killing freeze, the kind that made it painful to breathe. Victoria hated the cold, she had always been used to the tropical climates of Australia. Oh how she wished she could just say a word and be magically whisked off the mountain to someplace warm.
And of course, Frodo somehow misplaced the Ring. Victoria watched anxiously as Boromir held the Ring, pulling him deeper into Sauron's spell. Tensions ran high, and when Boromir eventually gave the Ring back to Frodo, the tension lessened from palpable to an unpleasant buzz.
After another few hours of trudging, Victoria started to pay less and less attention to her surroundings. Her mind was too focused on the upcoming events of the Fellowship. She was at a complete loss of what to do. One part wanted to tell Gandalf or even Legolas about Saruman's plans to bring down the mountain on them. The other part wanted her to keep quiet. 'Boromir isn't the only one who doesn't trust you' she reminded herself. She knew that her warnings might be twisted around to make her look like she was trying to sabotage the journey. 'Maybe it's better to just let things play out on their own.' She fought with herself. 'Of course' she countered 'Legolas will be angry at me if he finds out I knew and didn't tell him.' It seemed hopeless either way.
The snow whipped around the group like a blizzard, slowing everyone except Legolas. Victoria couldn't get over how graceful he looked, gliding over the snow effortlessly. The wind stung her face as she raised her eyes, catching a glimpse of him at the front of the group, talking with Gandalf. Or really, yelling at Gandalf over the noise of the wind.
She had known from the moment she woke up that morning what she must do. She had to tell Legolas about the avalanche. He had to warn him somehow, even if he didn't believe her. She was tired of playing games; it was time to be honest. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it bothered her that he didn't trust her.
"No time like the present," she muttered, lifting her head in determination just as a strong just of wind caught the hood of her cloak. The snow slapped against her face as she unsuccessfully tried to pull it back over her head, her frozen fingers unable to grasp the velvet material. She turned and tried to grab it, feeling like a dog chasing after it's tail.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping her in the middle of her second turn. She looked up and was surprised to find Legolas in front of her, his eyes dancing with amusement.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking very much as if he wanted to laugh.
"My fingers…I can't put my hood back on," she said lamely.
His lips twitched. "Why did you take it off in the first place?"
"I didn't, the wind…" she mumbled, suddenly realising he was teasing her. If it wasn't so damn cold, Victoria was sure she would've laughed.
"You might stay warmer if you keep it on," he said grinning as he reached behind her and gently pulled the hood over her head.
"Wait," she called as he began to walk away, "I need to talk to you."
Legolas turned back to face her, surprised at her words, "I am listening."
"I don't know how to say this," she whispered, biting her lower lip nervously. Well, the obvious approach seems like a good idea. "Saruman is going to try to bring down the mountain on us and we will have to travel back down the mountain into-"
"What are you talking about?" he asked sharply, cutting her off.
"Saruman is going to try to bring down the mountain on us and we will have to travel back down the mountain into Mines of Moria." She repeated slowly, feeling like an idiot.
"I heard you the first time," he said quickly, looking at her in bewilderment, "What I meant was, how, exactly did you come by this information?"
"I know the future, I thought I already told you that," she pointed out.
He stared at her for a full thirty seconds, doubt written all over his face. "I see," he muttered, then turned back and walked away.
'He doesn't believe me!' she realised as she watched him leave. Anger started to boil inside her, building pressure until she could hold it in no longer.
"Legolas!" She yelled, suddenly furious. The elf turned, confused at her outburst.
"Legolas you are such an ASS!" she screamed, "I am here because I know the future of the Fellowship, and yet I tell you and you refuse to believe me. Tell me Prince, what the hell am I here for then?"
He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "It can't be here because I'm wanted here," she continued, lowering her voice slightly. "It's perfectly clear that I'm not. So why am I here?"
"Are you and Boromir planning together, seeing who can make me feel the least welcomed?"
"What?" he asked, suddenly feeling lost.
"Don't play dumb, Elf." she snapped.
"I do not know what you are talking about," he said with a frustrated sigh, "I can assure you that Boromir and I are not conspiring together."
"I am sorry I do not believe you," he went on quietly, "but I tend to think more rationally about such matters, and looking into the future is not rational."
He glanced up at the mountain. "Furthermore," he continued after a pause, "I am sorry if we…If I… have made you feel unwelcome. I do not think you are stupid."
"But you think I am irrational," she stated calmly, no longer angry.
"No…not you," he said slowly, trying to decide how to word his feelings. "Seeing into the future."
Victoria looked down at her hands, unsure of what to say or believe.
Legolas stared down at her, emotion bright in his eyes. "Why did you tell me this?" He asked quietly. "What did you expect me to do?"
Victoria closed her eyes, struggling with the questions. She didn't want to tell him the truth, she didn't want to make herself vulnerable, but it seemed she had no choice.
"I told you because I trust you," she said finally, looking up to meet his gaze. "I hoped you would trust me enough to believe what I said. Saruman will bring the mountain down on us, you have to tell Gandalf and make us turn around."
Legolas' blue eyes bore into hers, searching for the truth. He took a step towards her and opened his mouth to speak when a voice interrupted.
"What's the hold up?" Gimli yelled from ahead of them.
"I will talk to Gandalf." Legolas said quietly, ignoring the dwarf. "I will try to persuade him to turn around."
Victoria's head snapped up at his words and opened her mouth to speak, but he had already disappeared into the swirling snow.
By the time Victoria had caught up with the rest of the group, she knew it was too late. Call it intuition; call it a hunch, but she knew. The ledge they stood on looked dreadfully familiar. 'Any minute now, Saruman would strike the mountain with lightning, burying us all in snow, and I'm helpless to stop it.' Victoria thought, dreaded the inevitable.
Legolas, who had been standing at the head of the group arguing with Gandalf, abruptly stopped. He walked out onto the edge of the mountain and squinted up into the blinding snow.
"There is a fell voice on the air," he said suddenly. Victoria could practically see his mind working like clockwork, registering what she had just warned him about.
"It' Saruman!" Gandalf cried in realisation.
Just then, huge boulders of snow fell from the top of the mountain, nearly hitting the group and sending snow dust up into the air, blocking their vision and making it harder to breathe than it already was.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn yelled over the howling wind. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"
"No!" Gandalf cried, climbing onto the ledge next to Legolas. Obviously, he hadn't paid attention to the elf's warnings. He started chanting loudly in a language Victoria didn't recognise, clearly challenging Saruman. Her eyes darted around desperately, feeling herself begin to panic. There was nothing she could do; no way of stopping the avalanche or at least getting the Fellowship out of harm's way. Victoria decided in that terrible moment that she hated knowing the future.
She looked at Legolas pleadingly, begging him to do something, anything. Their gazes met, she saw the look of bewilderment in his clear blue eyes and knew it was too late. She hadn't been able to stop it, and neither could Legolas. A few seconds later, a bright bolt of lightning struck the mountainside above them with a deafening crack.
Victoria looked up in time to see chunks of snow and rock falling straight towards them, and wished she hadn't looked. She barely had enough time to cover her face with her arms before she was knocked on her back by the force of the avalanche. It smashed her, buried her, trapping her in an icy tomb. It instantly knocked the air from her weakened lungs and, panicked, she realised she couldn't move or breathe. She tried moving her legs and arms in an attempt to kick the snow off and reach out, but the snow was too heavy on top of her, and it was suffocating her. The world began to turn fuzzy at the edges and she felt herself slipping away- slowly losing consciousness.
Victoria was only vaguely aware of strong hands grabbing her and pulling her out of the snow. The cold mountain wind made it's way into her open mouth and her eyes flew open as she gasped for breath, she saw Legolas leaning over her, his blue eyes wild.
"Are you hurt?" He asked in a shaky voice, helping her sit up.
"No, I'm alright," she squeaked, trying to get her breath back. "Is everyone else ok?" she asked with a cough.
"I believe so," he whispered, and scanned her for injuries. Aragorn made his way over to them, ploughing a deep trail through the huge pile of snow. His eyes quickly looked her up and down in the same manner that Legolas' had, and he gave her a relieved smile.
"I'm glad that everyone is not hurt, it has been decided that we must travel back down the mountain and into the Mines."
Legolas gave the man a short nod and watched as he trudged through the snow, back towards the group. After a minute, he turned to Victoria, looking intent.
"I apologise," he asked quietly, watching her reaction closely.
Her eyebrows shot up and she blinked her large hazel eyes confusion. "For what?"
"For not believing what you told me."
"Oh, apology accepted," Victoria said with a small sigh, "And thank you."
"For What?" Legolas asked, his turn to look surprised.
"For saving my life," she whispered, shuddering as she remembered how close she had come to dying.
"You are most welcome Lady Victoria," Legolas replied.
Victoria stood quickly, uncomfortable with the honesty of the conversation. Dizziness swept over her like a wave and she stumbled, landing on her knees in the wet snow. She massaged her temples and blinked several times until her swimming vision returned to normal. She looked up and was shocked to find Legolas kneeling in front of her, his face mere inches from her own.
"Put your hands around my neck," he demanded, his voice smooth and mesmerising.
Victoria slipped her hands around him, too surprised to argue.
He scooped her up and effortlessly rose to his feet. "I will carry you until the snow thins out," he stated, ignoring the question in her eyes. He turned and began to follow the group back down the mountain, looking calm and collected.
Victoria on the other hand, was a ball of tangled nerves. She literally had to force her gaping mouth closed and tear her eyes away from his face. 'He's just being nice,' she reminded herself, 'Or maybe it's because of the whole almost dying thing,' she tried to reason with herself, failing miserably. Her mind kept replaying the moment he picked her up over and over again. He had moved so fast, she hadn't known he was reaching for her until he felt his arms slip under her knees and his other arm rested against her back.
He carried her across the ghost white snow and over the icy terrain as if she had weighed more than a sack of feathers. 'He can carry me and still manage to be graceful,' she realised, trying to ignore how close she was to him. Every step he took reminded her of how strong his arms were, and pressed her more firmly against his chest.
Feeling a blush rising to her cheeks , she buried her head in his soft tunic and forced herself to relax. 'Just close your eyes,' she told herself, 'Relax'
Victoria had never been one to stay awake long once her eyes were closed, and sure enough, five minutes later, she was asleep.
'I hope I don't snore,' she thought calmly.