A/N: Woohoo! Chapter 5! :D I'm having so much fun writing this story, man. You have no idea. Hmm, what to say...well, I'll soon be done uploading all the chapters that take place in FOTR! That's encouraging! Enjoy this chapter! And thank you so much to all who reviewed! ^^ I love you guys!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! (except for Íverin :3)

I brushed my bangs out of my face for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and kept walking. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and there was a cool autumn breeze, and the Company's spirits were high. We'd been traveling for a few days now, and I had managed to get some time to talk to almost every one of my companions, save for Legolas and Gimli. Where were they, anyway?

Coming to the top of a hill, I paused for a moment, looking around in awe. The land before me was nothing but large green hills, reminding me of the stories that Sam had told be about the Shire. The Misty Mountains and the area known as Hollin were just to our left. Gandalf hoped to reach the area within a few hours. Our plan was to make for the Gap of Rohan, and from there turn east to Mordor.

I turned to the hobbit coming up behind me with Bill the pony by his side, and started walking again. "Is this what the Shire looks like, Sam?"

He laughed. "Oh no, Íverin. The Shire's not nearly as empty. It's got more houses and hobbits and gardens in it. More of a home-y feelin' to it."

"But did you not say that there were great rolling hills?" I said as we descended.

"That there are, but not like these. In the Shire, the grass grows long and tall, and there's not all these big boulders about." As if to prove his point, we passed by a particularly large pile of dark rocks.

I laughed. "You must take me to your land someday, Samwise, now that you have seen my home." Suddenly, I saw Gimli just up ahead. My mood saddened as I remembered the Council. "I'll be right back, Sam." I quickened my pace until I was next to the dwarf. "Gimli," I said.

He turned around, and then sharply looked away upon seeing me. "Oh. Hello, lass."

I sighed. "I came to apologize. I...I should not have spoken those harsh words to you at the Council." He gave no response. "I am deeply sorry if I offended you. Can you ever forgive me?"

After a long silence, he turned around again and smiled. "I forgive ya, lass. Truth be told, I shouldn't have said what I said that day, either. We Dwarves have always been taught to be cold to you Elves, but...I'll be honest with ya, I never really saw the point to it. You're a beautiful race, and very wise, too."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm on the same page as you. Why should we hate each other when we've not no good reason to? What happened in the past was certainly not of my desire."

"And neither was it of mine!" Gimli said. "What's say we start fresh, eh?"

I laughed. "Of course. Thank you again, Gimli."

Suddenly, the Company stopped. I strode up to the front with Gandalf. "What is it?"

He looked out over the land in front of us. "Can you see anything, Íverin? Any danger?"

I scanned the horizon. "No, there appears to be none."

"Good." He pointed to a large area of white rock, made of huge boulders stacked against each other not too far away. "We will camp there for awhile, and rest," he said to the others. "Make haste! Food within the hour, if we make it!"

"Hooray!" came Pippin's cheer. "I'm starved!"

I looked back and laughed. "You'll have to learn what it means to travel, then! On the move, you do not feed to satisfy. You eat only what is needed to stay alive and healthy."

"Hopefully that's a lot," Pippin said as we walked on.

Once we finally made it up to the campsite, Sam got a fire going, and we split the food and had lunch. Afterwards, Merry and Pippin sparred with Boromir, and Aragorn sat nearby and coached them. Gandalf sat on a rock, deep in thought, and Gimli sat beside him. I decided to spend the time climbing around on the rocks, but not too far away from my companions.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I'd note they're not," said Gimli, "I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria."

I jumped down from the rock I had scaled and walked closer. "Moria? Where is that?"

But Gandalf simply shook his head. "No Gimli, I would not go through Moria unless I had no other choice."

"What is Moria?" I asked again, but Gimli, looking defeated, had walked away.

Suddenly, a dark presence appeared in my mind. On instinct, I looked South, and saw a black blur against the pure white clouds.

Sam saw it, too. "What is that?"

"Nothing, just a wisp of cloud." Gimli waved it off.

"It's too dark to be a cloud," I warned. Legolas came up beside me to see it.

Boromir had noticed it as well. "It's moving fast...against the wind."

All of a sudden, Legolas cried out "Crebain from Dunland!"

"HIDE!" Aragorn shouted.

I darted over to Sam and helped him put out the fire. Aragorn and Boromir hid all our gear in some bushes. We all scattered amongst the rocks and shrubs. I hid in a small gap in between two rocks. For a moment, all was silent.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a mass of great black birds swooped in, swarming the campsite, their caws piercing my ears. They circled once over the rocky ground and flew away, and I watched them as they left, not climbing out until even I could no longer see them. "They're gone," I said. "What was that, anyway?"

"Spies of Saruman," said Gandalf. "Our passage south is being watched." He turned to the mountains. "We must take the pass of Caradhras!"

"What is Caradhras?" I asked Aragorn. He pointed to the biggest mountain near our camp, and I was in awe. "We're going through that?"

"Not through it," said Aragorn, "over it."

I shivered and brushed the snow out of my face, trying not to think about the cold, or how slow we were going. Well, I shouldn't say we. Legolas and I were just fine, as our steps were light, and we could easily walk on top of the snow-covered paths that Gandalf led us on without leaving so much as a dent. It was the others, who were not as light, that had trouble. The days always seemed to be the same; walking slowly alongside Legolas as the rest of the Company shoveled through the snow, with Gandalf trying to use his staff to push the snow out of his way. Either way, it finally gave me a chance to talk to Legolas alone.

"So," I said, as we waited for the others to break through a particularly thick snow drift. "you're the prince of Mirkwood?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am."

"What is it like there?"

He looked at me with a smile. "Have you lived in Rivendell all your life?"

"Yes," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're always so anxious to hear about the other lands of Middle-Earth. I guessed that you had never been out to see them for yourself."

I smiled. "To be honest, I haven't. The farthest I've ever been away from home was...out to the Trollshaws, I believe. But there's so much to explore there! I have plenty to keep me entertained, especially in the woods."

He nodded. "The forest as always been entertaining for me, too. I find it so easy to just...lose myself in the trees. If that doesn't sound too odd," he laughed.

I laughed, too. "That's exactly how I feel! The woods just has a calming sense to me. But you never answered my question. What is Mirkwood like?"

I could've sworn I saw him frown. "It is a beautiful place where the Elves keep it clean. But...a shadow has fallen upon the great forest, and it has been there for many ages. In so many places where it was once wonderfully green and beautiful, it is now tainted with darkness." He sighed. "I miss my home, and my father, but I do not miss the blackness that spreads from the woods now. Though my heart does long for a chance to be in the woods again."

Suddenly, there was a cry of victory from Gandalf; they had broken through. Boromir began the slow, grueling process of using his round shield to push the snow away, and Aragorn helped him. I looked to Pippin, hoping for him to make some sort of joke to cheer me up, but his eyes were closed, and even his spirits were down from the snow.

I nudged Legolas with my elbow. "Do you think this is even going to work?" I whispered.

"It will," he said, "But it will take several more days. A week, at least, to make it to the top."

I groaned. "At the very least, it cannot hurt to have a bit of warmth." I walked up to Gandalf. "Could we stop here and rest, Gandalf? At least for a bit?"

He shook his head. "No, Íverin. We must keep forging on."

"Please? The hobbits are weary." I gestured to the small folk, shivering in spite of their thick blankets.

"We are all weary," Boromir grumbled from beside me. I clenched my fist and shot a glare at him.

Gandalf shook his head again. "We will not rest until nightfall."

Suddenly, Legolas strode forward and looked out, as if searching the wind for something. "There is a fell voice on the air!" he said.

I heard it, too. I could not make out what it was saying, it simply sounded like a deep mumbling. Out of nowhere, there came a great rumbling, and I looked up to see a small group of rocks and chunks of snow come raining down. "To the wall!" I yelled, and pushed Gandalf and Sam up against it, using my body to shield them as best I could.

Once it had passed, I heard Aragorn cry out. "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf! We must turn back!"

"No!" the wizard replied. To my shock, he slipped out from under my arm and climbed on top of the new snow drifts in front of us, unleashing is own spells into the bleak sky.

He was answered with more of Saruman's voice. I stepped out for a moment, and instantly there was a loud crack. Looking up, I saw a bolt of lightning strike the mountainside above us. Almost at once, a rain of snow, ice, and stone came crashing down. I screamed and we all threw ourselves to the mountainside, but not fast enough. Pain shot through me as I was buried in the freezing snow. Within seconds, I could see nothing but whiteness. There wasn't even room to breathe. My outstretched hand was still touching Sam's shoulder, and I gave him a squeeze to let him know I was still alive.

Immediately, I started struggling against the snow. I tried, kicking and squirming with all my might, but to no avail. I kept my heart rate and breathing slow, but still panic overtook me. I had been buried alive. I wasn't going to live.

By some miracle, I suddenly felt the pressure on my head lessen. My eyes widened and I tried to push up. It lessened some more. Finally, I felt a cold hand touch my head. The hands dug faster, and faster still, and within seconds I could see again, and crawled out of the snow, spitting some out o fmy mouth.

I felt strong arms wrap around me. "Are you alright, Íverin?" said Aragorn.

I nodded. "Yes," I said quietly, "yes, I'm okay. Where is Sam?"

As if on cue, a small head of curly hair poked up out of the ground not too far from me. I escaped from my cousin's arms and ran up to him, pulling him out of the ground. "Sam!" I hugged him.

Looking around, I quickly counted heads, making sure everybody was out. "Is everyone alright?" I said. I was answered by a chorus of "Yes!"

I looked up ahead again, and sighed. The drift that had just taken them so long to break through had been recovered and almost doubled in size. I looked over a Gandalf. "Are you sure this is the only way we can go? We have wasted too much time already working to get over this mountain."

"Why must we linger here?" cried Boromir. "We can go back through the Gap of Rohan, and take the West Road to my city!"

"No!" I shouted over the wind. "The Ring will not be safe in Minas Tirith!"

"My father will protect it!"

Anger consumed my heart. "Your father..." I said quietly. "will NEVER. EVER. Be able to use that Ring to protect Gondor! It will only destroy it! Is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Why do you doubt my people?" he growled. "At the very least, we can try. We would have an entire army to defend us!"

"An army that would all too easily fall to the Ring's power! And even so, it makes no sense! We would have to go all the way around the mountains that divide Rohan and Gondor, and that would take too long! We have not the supplies to travel that far."

"Then take the Gap of Rohan! We have more allies in this world that just you elves!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn chimed in.

Now Gimli spoke up. "Why are we trying to go over the mountain? Let us go under it! Let us go to the mines of Moria!"

All eyes turned to Gandalf, who was silent for a moment, as if in a trance. "Let the Ringbearer decide," he said.

I looked at Frodo, praying he would not choose to go to Gondor. Finally, he spoke.

"We will go through the mines!"