I did it! *collapses from writer's exhaustion* Welcome back to Striding Leaves. This is your (semi-)hard working writer who managed to hammer out another chapter. It seems rather short but I'm somewhat happy with it. You know the drill by now, read and review. And the change of username, yeah, deal with it.

And to those of you who reviewed - THANK YOU!

Those of you who nattered at me endlessly (you know who you are) well good job. The chapter is done. On to the next one, when I recover from this one. *collapses again*

Chapter 4: Hidden Shadows

The Elf –for none could bear to associate him with Legolas – took a step toward to the group again, his red eyes flaming, intent on finding and taking the Ring. This time it was Gandalf that stepped forward. The elderly Wizard looked like a wizened tree facing the raging storm.

"You will not find it here," he said, raising his wooden staff in front of him. "Leave us!"

The Elf hissed, a terrible sound that sent shivers down everyone's backs. Gandalf raised his staff higher and the tip glowed bright. The Elf hissed again and ran for the trees, elvish grace lending him speed and agility.

"Aragorn!" Gandalf shouted. But the Ranger was already running, though lacking Elvish speed, he had trained hard and grown up among Elves. He jumped and landed on the Elf, knocking them both to ground. They tussled for awhile as Aragorn wrestled to subdue him and the Elf writhed to get free. Eventually the Elf was pinned to the ground, growling and shouting angrily in the Black Speech. Aragorn panted heavily as he fought to retain a grip on him, so much so that Boromir tried to go forward to help him, until Gandalf whacked him in the chest to keep him back.

After a few heart-stopping minutes, the struggle ceased. Legolas went limp in Aragorn's grip, the terrible red eyes fading back to their normal blue. Aragorn, however, did not relax his grip, instead he shook Legolas roughly.

"Heniach nin? Pedich i lam edhellen?" Aragorn asked urgently in Elvish. Legolas groaned.

"Henion. Avo 'osto," Legolas replied. He switched to the Common Tongue, "Aragorn, please get up. You are rather heavy."

Aragorn got to his feet and helped Legolas up. The Elf dusted himself off with a sigh.

"I apologise for my behaviour," he said as he checked his sheathes for his knives. Immediately the Hobbits crowded around him, brimming with questions.

"What happened to you, Legolas?" Pippin asked, his eyes wide.

Merry nudged his cousin. "He already told us, stupid," he whispered.

"I know, but it was really vague," Pippin argued. "I want to hear the full story!"

"As much as you might want to hear it, Pippin, I believe Gandalf would like to move on today, without anymore interruptions," Aragorn pointed out. Indeed the Wizard did seem to rather impatient to move on.

"Yes, Gandalf. What is our course now?" Gimli asked, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"It would seem that the passage south is being watched, as we feared," Gandalf announced. "We must take the pass of Caradhras!"

*.*.*.

The mountain path proved much more difficult than anyone had thought. Even Boromir, who had grown up in the shadow of the White Mountains, and Aragorn, the seasoned Ranger, found it hard going. Caradhras shook in its fury at the group that trespassed across its paths, hurtling snow and ice with all its might. The Hobbits complained bitterly of the cold and their frozen feet. The Men took it in turns to carry the smallest of the Company, but even they cursed angrily as icy hail peppered their faces. Gimli declared daily that he was sick of snow, and he had quickly begun to resemble a mini-mountain. Gandalf had taken the lead of the Company, shovelling his way through the snow with his staff and bent double against the howling wind. Legolas, despite his Elvish gift to walk over snow as if it were ordinary ground, despised the mountain and was forced to walk with his hand trailing the cliff face to prevent himself from accidentally walking off the edge. Tempers were once again running high, and arguments were becoming frequent, and not just between Legolas and Gimli.

Regardless of their efforts, Caradhras threw everything it had at the group and they were forced to retreat back down the mountain, bitter at their defeat.

"And what now, Gandalf?" Boromir asked angrily one night. "The mountain rebuffs us and you do not seem to have a plan anymore! The Gap of Rohan is still open, we could slip through unnoticed."

"The Gap of Rohan is right under Saruman's nose, Boromir. It is too risky," Aragorn said wearily. He had been repeating that answer every night.

"Nonsense!" Boromir predictably replied.

"What of the Mines of Moria?" Gimli piped up suddenly. "My cousin Balin would give a royal welcome, even the Elf."

"I would not take the route through Moria, Gimli," said Aragorn, a shadow passing over his face.

"What does the Ringbearer think?" Gandalf asked, turning to Frodo.

"Yes Frodo. The mines of Moria or the Gap of Rohan and my city?" Boromir asked eagerly, mentally urging Frodo to choose the Gap.

Frodo paused, studying the faces of the Company carefully and weighing his options as best he could. He finally decided.

"We will go through the mines."

As the Fellowship moved on to other matters, nobody noticed Legolas's delicate shudder as the wind whistled eerily through the grass. He alone could hear the sinister voice that spoke in his dreams and occasionally in his waking life, like right now. A voice that spoke of possession and the darkness.

Just a quick translation of the Elvish used in this chapter. Feel free to correct me if it turns out that I'm wrong.

Heniach nin? Pedich i lam edhellen? - Do you understand me? Do you speak Elvish?

Henion. Avo 'osto - I understand. Don't worry