Author's Notes: Hello, here is the next chapter. In this chapter I have used bits of the book and film. I hope you like it ande leave a review. The next chapter will have a bit of action and adventure. I think I have spelt the place names correctly. If I have not I am sorry.
The Mount Of Snow, Wind and Wolves
Eight members of the Fellowship could not walk across the snow like it was soil. It was only myself and Legolas who could walk across the top of the snow leaving no trail. Blizzards blew in everyone's faces. Snow stuck to our cloaks and hair. The winds were so loud and strong that Horus sat in the hood of my cloak because the wind was too strong for him to fly in. "Does it get as bad as this in the North!" Shouted Legolas over the sound of the whistling wind. I turned to him. "Yes! Only in the hills and moors! The Guard never let any blizzards hit the forests or woods where my kin live!" I shouted loudly. We soon realised the rest of the Fellowship was no where to be seen. "Walk back the way we came! Their just lagging behind that's all!" Legolas said as he turned and headed back down the slope. With haste I followed behind. Eight shadows walked in a line at a slow pace. The billiard was less violent here but the snow was more wet and dangerous when it laid over shales of stone. "We thought we'd lost you both!" Aragorn shouted to us. Frodo soldiered on ahead of the rest of the Halflings facing the cold brisk wind, head on. But he suddenly missed his footing on snow covered shale and fell backwards, tumbling and turning until he hit Aragorn's knees. I skidded down the slope and helped Frodo back onto his feet.
Straight away Frodo's hand went to his neck, half expecting for the Ring to be hung there, around the gold chain. "My Ring?" He said with a confused tone. I looked at where he fell and noticed the gold chain and Ring sat upon the snow dying its once white colour, red like all the blood it had spilt was draining into the once fresh white snow. Boromir picked up the chain and looked at the Ring with a longing and lust for the Ring in his eyes. He seemed to grow in stature like he was absorbing its power. "Boromir?" Aragorn questioned as he wearily went forward to meet Boromir who's eyes were fixed upon the gold band of the Ring. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over such a small thing...such a little thing." His eyes were entranced by the Ring's fake and untrusting beauty. "Boromir, give the Ring to Frodo." Aragorn's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Boromir snapped out of illusion of lust for the Ring. A small beatific smile formed on his face. "As you wish, I care not." Boromir dropped the Ring into Frodo's cupped hands and ruffled Frodo's brown locks. Aragorn's hand moved away from the hilt of his sword.
'Remind me to keep an eye on him, it seems he now craves to hold the Ring. If that is so I think it shall cause the breaking of this Fellowship' I said to Horus as I walked onwards into the mist of snow and ice. My fingers were numb from where the wool of my fingerless gloves ended. My cheeks burned every time the wind blew to strongly. If only I was an ice controller like my uncle, Lord Knox. Maybe then I would make sure no snow fell in these lands until we had passed threw them. The path began to getting thinner and steeper along with the snow getting deeper.
It wasn't long before the snow was too deep for the small statutes Halflings. Aragorn and Boromir helped them haul themselves threw the snow with Bill trudging slowly behind. "This is the only time I shall ever wish I had the light footing of the Elves or Dar...Nymphs." Gimli said as he struggled threw the snow behind Gandalf. Once again Legolas was off ahead everyone, walking easily across the thick snow. The wind sounded odd. I wondered if it was just the cold that was making the wind sound like a booming voice calling out for the mountain. I denied my thought and kept walking up against the wind. "There's a fell voice in the wind!" Legolas shouted over the booming voice in the wind. Gandalf hurried forward and pulled Legolas backwards away from the sheer drop. "It's Saruman!" He cried. The winds picked up. The mountain rumbled and trembled in anger under our feet. "He's trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf! We must turn back!" It was Aragorn that had cried out urgently wanting to turn back away from the danger that faced us.
"No! I shall not turn away in fear from this madman. We shall not flee, yet!" Gandalf shouted. He no longer leaned on his staff. He now stood tall and proud. His mouth was straight and his eyes glinted with the fire within his frail body. We no longer for saw him as the traveling wizard who played around with fireworks. Now we saw him for what he truly was, a Maiar, a spirit from Valinor. "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho I ruith." He called to the great mountain asking it to sleep once more.
A giant cloud of lightning was visible now visible at the most southern peak of the Misty Mountains. The fell voice passed over us like the finally drums of loud thunder. There was a loud BANG! and CRASH from above. Lightning had hit the peak of Caradhras. A thick cloud of white rumbled down the mountain side at a great speed. Horus flew out from my hood and out of the avalanches reach. A hand grabbed me by the wrist and pulled backwards into the mountainside. "Keep you back to the wall" Legolas warned as he let go off my wrist. Next to him was Gandalf who he had also pulled back. The snow fell over the ledge above and fell on to the path, burying the other seven members of the Fellowship in deep snow. Once the avalanche had passed away I rushed back on to the path and began to unbury Sam who had a massive mound of snow on top of him. His little head of head of ginger hair popped out of the snow. "It's f...f...freezing" He mumbled as he hauled his shivering body out of the snow. I laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's a winter, Sam and we're up a mountain. What did you expect exactly a hot summers day?" No answer came from Sam.
But, instead came an urgent plea from Boromir. That pleaded for the Fellowdship to take the gap of Rohan. "We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city." At this I rolled my eyes. And questioned his words in my head. 'And what would you do if you got the Ring to your city? Hold us all hostage and use the Ring for your good?'
Aragorn shook his head at Boromir and said what was going threw most of our thoughts. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard."
"We cannot pass over the mountain or around it. Then we must go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli said with joy. I closed my eyes just the thought of going underground made me shudder. Gandalf wiped the snow off his hat and placed it back on again. "Let the Ringearer decide" All the eyes of the Company looked down at Frodo unless they were Pippin who had to look up because he was so short. Frodo's shoulders slumped down like the weight of the decision had become real. Frodo looked at his cousin, Pippin and his dear friend Merry who were both shivering and stuttering Boromir's arms. His eyes were deep with pity. "Frodo?" Gandalf questioned as he wanted to know the answer quickly. They both looked at one another in the eyes then Frodo looked down at the ground as if too look into the mines. "We shall go through the mines"
The slow walk back down the mountain began. The snow, now only came in flurries and the wind was at peace with itself. However, every time anyone looked back up at the Path the weather would get violent and angry. Horus now flew without fault down the mountain path with a quicker pace than the Company's pace. We missed brakes knowing if we did not get down into the vale quickly it would mean camping out on the mountain. The Halflings moaned at first then got the idea about it being dangerous to sleep in the slopes of Caradhras. It was night when we finally got back down the slopes. Here, there was no snow nor brisk wind that numbed our hands.
A new Moon sat idly above our head that were crowned in its silver light. Behind the Moon was a humongous sheet of rich black silk with stars sewn on. "Why is it you dislike going under ground? Doesn't your land have mines filled with gems like the one that hung at your throat at the Council of Elrond?" Gimli said as he walked along side me. His voice was gruff but kindly. "Mines? No, we have none of those." I answered plainly. Gimli pulled a face of shock and horror. I carried on knowing it might calm his mind. "The the gem you speak of is Cothelin, it is the stone of Castdeia. Cothelin is not found underground so we do not need to mine." I looked down at the displeased Dwarf and smiled. "I do not like going underground because I hate close spaces where I cannot see the greeness of nature. But, you, Gimli are a Dwarf the product of Aulë the smith, you fear not the caves underground whereas I do." Gimli smiled at the name of the creator of Dwarves.
Then howls were heard in the wind.
However these howls were not the product of the wind blowing across the land. No, these were the howls of Wargs. The pace of the company quickened till we could walk no more that day. "We shall rest here this night and move on at daybreak. I shall put you in pairs who will stay on guard together for an hour. Frodo keep watch with me first then the pairs shall go in this order: Boromir with Pippin, Aragorn with Sam, Tara with Legolas and the finale pairing shall be Merry with Gimli." Gandalf said as he climbed to the top of a small hill. It was crowned with a knot of old and twisted trees, about which laid in a broken circle of broken stones. In the midst of this we lit a fire, for there was no hope that darkness and silence would keep our trail from being discovered by the pack of Wargs. Sat around the fire we had a supper of bread and dried meat. The faces of the company reflected the flamed in golden glows. To my dismay the sky was clear and the moon was high. I kept my cloak over my head and looked at the floor.
Sat across from me was Legolas and Pippin they talked seemed largely based around the paths Sam had taken threw the forests in the Shire. Then the convocation turned to where Legolas came from. He described the woods in great detail, never saying anything that spoke ill of Mirkwood. It seemed to me that Legolas enjoyed hunting the Spiders that dared to stay in Mirkwood and hated the fact that is father, King Thranduil did not like to allow his son out of the Mirkwood borders without his knowing. "He likes me to stay in check. No visiting others realms without reason and no reading lore by writers who are not Elves." He paused and looked down at the Hobbit. "There is little writing of your kind, my friend. All I have read on Halflings makes you seem as bold as stone and you are living up to that, young fellow."
"Thank you."
"But listen here, your master. He may turn sour. Fear not, it shall not be by his will and he will not mean it, though it may seem like he does. It shall be the Ring that turns him sour to all those who he is dear to. The moment it touched Frodo's skin I fear it planted a seed of Darkness. As a seed it seems to stay but soon this seed will grow and the Ring's shall corrupt him until it is destroyed. You, Samwise Gamgee must stay true and not let his Dark shadow deserve you into thinking it is him. Understand?" Legolas said in a whisper that Sam could only hear or so Legolas thought. For myself and Gandalf had heard due to our sharp hearing. Gandalf nodded gravely to Sam. "Legolas? What was it the sons of Elrond were telling you about in the courtyard they sounded quite threatening?"
"Nothing for your ears at this present time. Do not worry it was not a threat but a warning." Legolas looked into the flames with a smirked, he lost in his own thoughts of the not too distant past.
Soon everyone began to settle down minus those who were on guard. I laid down on the ground with my head resting on my bundled up cloak and my eyes looked to the night sky. It was not long till I was awoken from my slumber by a hand shaking me on the shoulder. "Your turn to guard with Legolas." Aragorn said whilst shaking my shoulder back and forth. I pushed off Aragorn's hand and stood up, putting my cloak over my shoulders and my hood over my head. "Be vigilant, there are eyes watching us sleep." He warned after patting me on the back. I sat down with my back to the flames, facing the North of the hill. Legolas did the same only he faced the South. We both saw the glints of reflective eyes just over the brow of the hill. There they waited and watched hungrily at those who dozed uneasily. Poor Bill stood sweating and panting where he stood. Horus sat atop one of the twisting black trees with his eyes closed.
The low growls and hisses of the Wargs where coming from all directions. None dared yet to pass the broken circle of stones. My bow sat eagerly in my grip, begging to be used. "Your eye colour changes at night. In day they are grey like storm clouds but under the watch of the Moon they are silver and gleam as bright as the stars." Said Legolas in a calm manner. I glared at the nearest Warg eyes that I could see in the shadows. Though Legolas's comments were kind and complementing, I still ignored him. "You heard what I said to Sam didn't you?" he asked as he plucked at his bowstring, restlessly wanting to land an arrow in a Warg's throat. I nodded. "I am sorry if I heard something I shouldn't have heard. We better wake this lot out. The Worilz...I mean Wargs are growing in number and where there are organised Warg packs there is usually a company of Orcs not far off." I whispered to him. Slowly I rised from my seat and began to wake those of the Fellowship which laid by me in their uneasy dreams of drowsiness. In the gap in the circle stones was the shape of a dark wolf with watching eyes that gazed at us. Suddenly a shuddering howl broke from the wolf's lungs like a captain calling his men to arms. The snarls and growls became threatening and loud. The Worilz (Wargs) drew in closer, each more daring than the other.
Gandalf stood up and strode forward, holding his staff aloft. "Listen, Hound of Sauron!" he cried. "Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring of broken stones." His tone was full of warning and threat. Cackles of cruel laughs came from the pack of Wargs. The great Warg snarled then leapt into the air with his claws out, ready to ripe the throat of Gandalf. I drew back the bowstring and with twang an arrow flew into the Warg's chest. Legolas had loosed his bow and his arrow fired into the Warg's throat. Upon the impact of both our arrows the Warg yelled and fell to the ground with a loud THUD!
The bright eyes of the hunting pack became extinguished like a fire that had lost all the oxygen. "They were the weaklings of the pack, I tell thee. A stronger pack is coming and we must be ready." Gandalf said and he stood at the crest of the hill looking out on to the land. "What of the small folk? They need more rest than we do." Boromir said as he look down at the shattered face of Merry and Frodo. "Let them take rest, we will wake them if troubled arises" Aragorn said with ordering but polite tone of voice. Gimli grumbled something about himself needing more rest. I sighed then added more thatch that the flames licked up in an instant. The thatch and wood combusted making great flames to warn all those who dared to tread too close.
This time we were more prepared. Weapons were drawn, eyes were watchful and only slithers of fear sat in our minds. Wargs paced around the camp with snarls, howls and growls. "Fling fuel on the fire!' cried Gandalf to the hobbits. "Draw your blades, and stand back to back!" Now the voice of the Wizard was commanding and warlike.