Well here we are, beginning the quest at last towards Mordor.

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The story is going to get more dramatic as it goes on. It just kind of does. I hope you guys don't mind lol. Either way, this is a lot of fun to write and I hope also to read.

Legolas was up long before the sun rose. It was a good thing though. If he hadn't poor Gimli would have fallen asleep before the rest of the Fellowship had awoken. The elf had assured the dwarf that he would keep watch for him, and the dwarf and reluctantly fallen back asleep, too tired to remain awake anymore. The elf had waited for a few hours until the sun began to rise, and luckily the dwarf had awoken again before the rest of the Fellowship so his pride remained in tact at least. They could not wait much longer however, and the elf walked carefully through the sleeping figures and gently shook all of their shoulders so that they would awaken. Soon the whole Fellowship was up and blinking sleep out of their eyes, quickly packing away their bedrolls and sitting down to eat something quickly before they had to move on.

They chanced to light a fire, since Legolas affirmed that he saw nothing. They then ate some of the sausages that Sam had brought. Generally elves would not eat meat, but having lived in Mirkwood Legolas knew that food could often be scarce, so he ate the meat though the hobbits seemed to think they might have offended him. They ate quickly though, because Gandalf was urging them to hurry so they could leave quickly. They at last finished their meal and packed their bags back up. Then they began again with as much speed as before, hoping to reach the pass to the south by noon.

None of the Fellowship felt very comfortable at all being so out in the open, but they knew their quest would take them closer and closer to places like this. They had little choice but to continue onwards. Legolas however was ever watchful and assured them all that he saw nothing. It did concern him a little. The Ring Wraiths would have to make their way slowly back to where Mordor was, to claim new mounts for themselves. There were no orcs where they could see, anywhere. And the only things that possibly knew where the Fellowship was were two Wraiths that had come and disappeared without a trace. Still, they pushed themselves onwards, hoping to at least make the pass.

As it soon became close to noon, they at last rested. They were now on the right track, and soon they would pass through towards the south, where the rest of their path now lie. The hobbits were very grateful, but Legolas was very bothered, as were most of the Fellowship. This all seemed far too easy. Where was Saruman? Where were the orc armies massing in the shadows? He wanted to feel grateful that their mission had gone so smoothly, but he could not bring himself to do so. Still, they all sat down and rested. The hobbits again started a fire and cooked some more of the sausage, seeing as they hadn't eaten much. The Fellowship ate hastily, though Gimli made a comment about them taking the long way around, and the mines of Moria. But Gandalf did not want to take that road.

After a while, once they had rested enough, Aragorn and Boromir decided that the hobbits needed to learn how to fight. Aragorn sparred a little first with Sam and Frodo, trying his best to teach them to defend themselves. Legolas listened, somewhat amused, to hear that they didn't think themselves very good at all. But Aragorn was a patient teacher, and he encouraged them on. After that came Boromir, who began to teach Merry and Pippin how to use the swords they had been given.

"Good," Boromir said encouragingly after sparring with one of the hobbits.

He turned to another one, which then began the same thing. Aragorn sat off to the side, giving helpful instructions, while Frodo and Sam watched along with Gandalf and Gimil smoked on his pipe. Legolas could smell the fumes. Frodo seemed lost in his thoughts, and Legolas was gratefully resting, for he suddenly felt very tired and old, older than he had in a long time. There was a sharp clang of metal, and one of the hobbits yelped, Pippin he thought.

"Oh sorry," Boromir said.

Instantly the two hobbits sprang at him, managing to tackle him to the ground. Other than that they didn't seem to be doing much to the wide shouldered Gondorian. Boromir laughed a little as the hobbits indignantly attempted to hold him down. Legolas heard Sam stand from where he was sitting and look up.

"What is that?" the hobbit asked.

"Nothing," Gimli said. "it's just a wisp of cloud."

Boromir shoved the two hobbits gently off of his chest, turning his eyes towards the sky as well. Aragorn stood, and so too did the elf, turning his eyes towards the sky. He could vaguely make out some sort of shape. The whole Fellowship was now looking towards the sky.

"It's moving fast," Boromir said. "and against the wind."

"They are birds of some sort," someone mused, but Legolas was concentrating too hard to try and guess who.

Legolas looked closer at them, and his sensitive ears began to pick up shrill cries on the air, definitely the cry of birds. He peered closer, trying to see them. They appeared very raven like in shape, but their cries were too shrill. Suddenly he recognized them, and gave a shout to the others.

"Crebain from Dunland," the elf warned.

"Hide," Aragorn cried.

The entire Fellowship dived for cover, and someone quickly put out the fire they had made. Legolas managed to find a small sheltered area under a few rocks to hide under, praying that he was far enough out of sight. The birds wheeled overhead and screeched, and then continued on their way, flapping hard to return from whatever errand they had been sent on. The flock soon looked to be nothing more than a wisp of cloud in the air, and the Fellowship carefully made their way back into the open.

"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf said. "The passage south is being watched." he seemed to grow grim suddenly. "we must take the pass of Caradhras."

The Fellowship nodded, and turned to the high mountain pass over their heads. It was snowy and most likely treacherous to pass over, but they knew they must follow the wizard. They turned towards the Misty Mountains and made their way up onto the snowy mountains. By the time they had reached the foothills, night began to fall, but they marched on, hoping to pass quickly over the mountain. The snow began to deepen and they began to labor uphill. Legolas marched along up front, closer to Gandalf as they went along.

As they were walking the elf heard as suddenly Frodo lost his footing and fell down the mountain, ended abruptly with a somewhat painful collision with Aragorn's legs. The elf turned back towards them, and the others paused as well. Boromir stopped and picked something up, and Legolas heard the others freeze. He had a good guess what it was.

"Boromir?" Aragorn called. The Gondorian didn't move.

"It is a strange fate," Boromir said. "that we we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing."

"Boromir," Aragorn said. "Give the Ring to Frodo."

The Gondorian froze suddenly, as if broken free from some sort of spell. The chain on the Ring tinkled a little in the wind. He paused, looking down at Frodo, and then walked towards him, holding out the Ring.

"As you wish" Boromir said. "I care not."

Frodo quickly snatched it from the larger man. The Gondorian paused and then laughed a little, ruffling the hobbit's hair. He was attempting to break the ice a little, to make everyone not be so on edge. But Legolas could see his outline grow a little brighter to his eyes. The Ring was taking him. He heard Aragorn removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.

"You see?" the Ring's voice whispered. "It is already breaking them. You should rid them of my burden. It would be the kind thing to do after all."

Legolas made a great effort to ignore the Ring, and instead listened as Boromir made his way up towards the rest of him. No one moved at first, watching the Gondorian. But at last Legolas turned and followed the man further up the mountain, and the Fellowship seemed to awaken from some sort of dream. They turned as well and moved onwards, following the man and the elf up towards the peak. Legolas didn't want Boromir to fall under the control of the Ring, but neither could he trust himself near it. So the two of them stayed up front, allowing Gandalf to pass and lead them again.

The higher they climbed, the harder the snow fell. The flakes began to blind them and fall into their eyes. They found it harder and harder to move onwards, until eventually they were moving in a straight line. Boromir was carrying two of the hobbits, and Aragorn the other two. Gandalf was forcing a path through the snow, and Gimli was trying to help the wizard though the snow passed far over his shoulders. At one point, Legolas swung up onto the snow's surface and walked lightly and surefooted across the surface, while the others found themselves waist deep or higher. The others called for him to come back, afraid that their blind elf would fall off the edge that was precariously near. But he could hear the wind whistling loudly over the edge that was near him and kept the Fellowship from venturing too close to it when they could not see it through the snow.

Legolas made sure to keep near the Fellowship and test the ground carefully with his foot, for the snow was hard in places and slippery. However, he was naturally surefooted, and though he scared the Fellowship a few times he never once lost his footing. Not that this helped much, though he scouted ahead as best as he could without wandering away too far. Soon they were all stiff from the cold and tempers were beginning to wear thin. The dwarf started muttering something about him walking on the snow. However, then Legolas froze and listened hard, his sensitive ears just making out words on the wind.

"There is a fell voice in the air," the elf cried to the wizard.

"It's Saruman," Gandalf cried as well.

High overhead there was suddenly a loud rumbling sound that could be heard. Huge boulders suddenly broke overhead and came rushing down towards them. The elf instantly heeded this and grabbed Gandalf, pulling him up against the side of the mountain in a single leap. They all hardly took cover before the rocks came tumbling down.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain," Aragorn shouted as loud as he could over the wind. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No," the wizard cried, suddenly sounding very scared.

The wizard shoved the blind elf behind him up against the rocks, as if to protect him, and then stepped forward. He walked to the extreme edge of the cliff and began to shout words back into the wind with his staff raised, trying to counteract the spell that the white wizard was using against him. The Fellowship could do nothing in this battle between two wizards and watched the gray wizard very nervously. Legolas felt Gimli's hand on his arm, as if to steady himself or the elf. He wasn't quite sure but he was a little surprised at it.

A crack of lightning from above as it hit the mountain side announced that the gray wizard had not been successful. The sound was very loud to the elf's ears, and he winced. Then he heard the snow falling and turned his head upwards. Huge drifts of snow hit them hard, and Legolas and Gimli were separated as the snow fell. The elf was swept forward slightly, and he feared he might fall from the edge. But he stopped and soon he had wormed his way out of the snow again. He gasped for air once he had come up and dragged himself out of the snow. He listened in relief as he heard eight other similar gasps of breath. They could have been swept over the edge or died from lack of oxygen. As it was, Legolas had to move very carefully as to not fall off the edge of the cliff, for his was very close to it. They all dragged themselves, gasping, out into the open air. They turned to Gandalf.

"We must get off this mountain," Boromir called. "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 cried. Both men were trying to shelter the tiny little hobbits as best they could from the elements.

"Gandalf," Gimli cried in a reminder as to what he had said earlier. "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

There was silence a moment as the wizard thought. It was obvious to all that the wizard did not want to take that road. Any road but that one would suit him fine. But he felt that he had no other option. Unable to decide, he looked up.

"Let the Ring bearer decide," the wizard said.

Frodo was silent a moment also, terrified at the idea of leading the entire Fellowship on this course. He glanced over them all, at his friends nearly buried in snow and the men still clinging to them, at the wizard and the dwarf covered in the fine white powder and fighting not to shiver, and then at the elf who had nearly fallen from the edge of the cliff. Did he truly want to lead them astray?

"We will go through the mines," Frodo at last announced.

"So be it," the wizard said quietly. Legolas could only wonder slightly at the remark.

But the course of the Fellowship was now set, and they didn't have time to wonder at it. Slowly Legolas made his way over to the rest of them, and they began to make their way back down the mountain and towards the mines. The voice they had heard fell silent now, content to allow them to make their way back down the mountain. It made the elf very nervous. What on earth could that mean? Did Saruman want them to go down the mountains and into the mines? What horrors could possibly await them there? The elf wasn't sure, but he knew that they would soon find out.

So in the next chapter we will enter the mines, and things will only get more heated from there. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll stay tuned for the next one. Things are going to get more and more interesting from here on out.

So leave a comment below if you'd like, and I'll write more of this soon. :D