Disclaimer: I owe nothing related to Tolkien's work.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0ooo0o000o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The first thing Sierra noticed as she regained consciousness was the uncomfortable position she was sitting in. A sharp rock was painfully poking into the spot between her shoulder blades and her neck was stiff from the angle her head rested in. Sierra almost groaned at the painful feeling, but then the whispers of two people close to her caught her attention.
"I hope that the rest of the path would become warmer. I do not like this cold weather we had the last couple of days"
"Yes, I agree Sam. However, I do believe that the further down south we go, the warmer it will become" Frodo said, his voice was soft and Sierra had to concentrate hard in order to hear him.
"How long do you think the journey will take? I miss the Shire" Sam's voice was full of longing and Sierra could only imagine that the Shire must be where his home is. She was familiar with the feeling of missing one's home.
"I do not know" was the simple reply.
"Do you sometimes wish you have never volunteered to destroy the Ring, Mr Frodo?" Sam asked again, but his voice was soon followed with a slapping sound, like a hand drawn quickly over a mouth out of shock. Silence followed with a couple of shuffling noises. Sierra wanted to open her eyes, but resisted the temptation. What ring? Could it be?
"I do not think she has heard, Sam, but let us not refer to it again" Frodo whispered "Come it is nearly dusk. I want to ask Gandalf our next course of route"
Sierra heard them shuffling outside of the little cave and walk to the opposite direction.
Her eyes snapped open and she sat upright. 'What ring?!'
Her mind started twisting and turning with all the information she had.
According to what she knows, Elrond (or his forefathers, she was still not sure if it is actually him) had dealings with the ring. He wanted to destroy it. Bilbo had the ring sixty years ago. Bilbo is in Rivendell. These people were in Rivendell. These two Hobbits are going somewhere south. Mordor is South. Didn't Elrond want to destroy it in a mountain located there?
But why did Bilbo keep the ring for sixty years? Was the ring they referred to even THE ring? Did Middle-Earth have more than one powerful ring? But if it is THE ring, it sure as hell isn't safe with these people! Julien stands a much better chance of getting it now.
"This is giving me a headache" Sierra moaned and rubbed her head. "What am I to do? Do I still continue to Rivendell or do I follow these people?"
The cerulean sky was gradually turning darker into a deep purple shade as the last sun's rays faded behind the mountains. Even though the night was warmer compared to the previous ones, there was still a chill in the air that came down from the mountains. A single star peaked and dimly glittered against the plum coloured heaven, the first star Sierra has seen in days.
Night was rapidly approaching and Sierra did not have much time left to make a decision. She crawled out from her hiding place and rolled up her blanket-bedroll and tucked it underneath her arm. She made her way over to where the group was gathering in the centre of the campsite. Gandalf was standing in the middle with the rest of his companions gathering around him in a circle. They were discussing something softly, their low murmurs sounding quite serious.
Sierra halted mid-way, not wanting to intrude on their little meeting, but Boromir saw her approach and beckoned to her with his hand.
"Your bag, My Lady" he said as she reached him "Safely guarded without any rummaging"
"Thank you, I'm sure my satchel has never been as safely guarded before" Sierra took the sling and draped it over her shoulder. The weight of the bag simultaneously a comfort and a burden.
"It is quite a heavy loaded and uncomfortable thing to carry" he remarked, clearly curios as to what was located inside, but too polite to ask. Sierra regarded the man in front of her and noticed that he was quite handsome. Well, his light brown hair might be in need of a wash, but so does the rest of this group…except for the elf of course, but Sierra avoided looking at him.
"I am sure men are familiar with the term that women never travel lightly?" she jested, not sure if it was the same here as it was in her world.
"Aye, that is true. I have been on the unfortunate side to experience that more than once" Boromir laughed. Sierra wondered if he was referring to his mother or perhaps a sister. Maybe he was married or had a bunch of woman trailing at his heel. Sierra had a suspicious feeling that it was the latter of the list. He was certainly charming enough.
"Would you be joining us for a quick supper before we all set off?" one of the Hobbits asked and Sierra looked down to where he was standing next to her. His curly brown hair was tangled at the one side with twigs and leaves stuck in it. Sierra wanted to reach out and remove the little offensive pieces. Things like that always bothered her, but refrained from doing so in fear that it would be too much of a personal sentiment.
"I'm not sure; I do not want to be intruding…"
"Oh, do not fret, they won't mind!" he chirped "Come, we may not light a fire, but we can at least have a good conversation while eating and smoking. Dinner should never be an unpleasant experience" he declared and moved to sit on one of the stones next to the dead fire.
"Um, well thank you then….I'm sorry I have forgotten your name?"
"Perigrin Took, but you may call me Pippin"
"You are more than welcome to join us, My Lady" Aragorn confirmed and went to follow Pippin's example. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and re-arranged his sword at his hip so that it would not stick into the ground.
Dinner was quite pleasant. They talked about random things, experiences on the journey, about their homes and how wonderful Rivendell is. Sierra listened eagerly and only occasionally joined in on the conversation. She learned so many bits and pieces of Middle-Earth and was sad she never explored the places they've mentioned. Pippin also told some stories of Bilbo and his adventures, including the one she is partially familiar with, but was grateful to hear some additional information she was not familiar with. For example that Bilbo Baggins was Frodo's uncle and that they lived together.
Sierra choked so hard on the piece of dried fruit when he said that and all the company stared at her in shock.
Sam frowned and looked and Sierra with suspicion written on his face, but at that moment she could hardly careless of what the little Hobbit thought of her. Her first priority was to breathe again. Her throat burned and her eyes were watering while coughing the whole time.
"Are you well, My Lady?" Boromir asked and gave her his skin flask of water. Sierra grateful accepted the flagon not feeling up to rummaging through her bag looking for her bottle. She quickly took a couple of mouthfuls before answering "Yes, thank you. I just ate too fast" her voice was hoarse and she coughed twice more to clear her throat. She gave the flask back to Boromir and he secured it to his hip again.
In the corner of her eye, Sierra saw Frodo and Sam softly exchanging words. Frodo gave her a curious glance, but did not say anything to her. She was certain Sam told him about her enquiring after Bilbo.
"It is time" Gandalf suddenly announced and everybody looked over to where the old man was sitting. He placed his long wooden pipe inside his robes and heavenly leaned on his staff to stand up.
The hobbits sighed heavily, along with Gimli, who by the looks of it still wanted to be smoking his pipe. Sam quickly stood up and retrieved his backpack along with Frodo's.
Aragorn and Legolas started to move the seating rocks away to random locations and covered the dead fire, successfully erasing the evidence of their camp site. Legolas walked over to where Sierra was still sitting, clearly lost in thought.
"I need to discard the stone you are sitting on" he said and Sierra nearly toppled over at his voice. She did not notice the elf approach and was startled at his sudden nearness.
She sprang from the stone like it was a hot coal she was seated upon.
"Y…yes, of course" she stammered, her eyes wide as she looked upon him.
Sierra grabbed her bag and quickly placed a safe distance between her and the elf. Legolas bent down to pick up the stone, but his eyes never left the strange girl. He has frequently met humans that were either suspicious, hostile or awed by his presence, but never before has he met one that was afraid of him.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The moon, now at the full, rose over the mountains, and cast a pale light in which the shadows of stones were black. Sierra stood as still as a statue in the middle of the darkened campsite. Her mind was twisting and turning, torn between two directions. Should she continue north towards Rivendell or head into the direction the company set off in? Sierra pulled out the pocket watch that was secured on a thin leather cord around her neck. She clicked the clasp open and looked at the little black hands.
"Twenty minutes" she whispered and flipped it shut again.
She has been standing in the clearing for twenty minutes trying to make a decision. The company has left into the direction she previously came from and was certain that should she choose to follow them, she would be able to pick up on their trail quite easily. There were only a couple of safe paths to tread that did not lead down a cliff or into a marshy pit.
Sierra always relied on her instincts and for the first time since she got here, her gut did not pull her towards Rivendell, but instead to the strange company she met earlier that day.
"Oh blast it all!" she said angrily and quickly turned to the direction in which they left. 'I hope I'm not going to regret this' she thought as she made her way down and passed the tree she was hiding under. How long ago that felt.
The path was just as treacherous as before, but since Sierra knew what to expect, she surprisingly managed well in the darkness of the night. Luckily, there was a short section that looked like the remains of an ancient road Sierra was quite thankful for this small blessing.
She was about fifteen minutes into her aggressive hiking when a thought halted her in her steps.
"What am I going to tell them?"
They all knew that she was on her way to Rivendell, so why would she suddenly change her course? Should she tell them she knows about the ring? Will they let her join them? Should she tell them about Julien? But that would mean telling them where she comes from and Sierra can't see how that would go down well. They would believe her insane.
Perhaps she should just sneak behind them during the rest of their journey and keep an eye out for Julien. Will she be able to manage following them without being detected? She might, was it not for the elf. His extraordinary hearing and sight will make it very difficult. 'I wonder if he travels at the front or back' she wondered 'maybe if he is in the lead it would make following them easier'.
With her mind made up to follow them, Sierra quickly sent off again in search of the mysterious group of men.
O0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
It was the cold chill hour before the first stir of dawn, and the moon was low when Sierra finally located the marching group in the distance. She was starting to doubt that she would ever find them again. She has been walking for nine hours with no sign of them, the only consolation she had was that there was actually no alternative route for them to choose from, and would have travelled the same path as she did.
Sierra neared them as close as she dared and was thankful to see the elf somewhere near the first section of the line. They crept in the dark for another hour before the company set camp again. Soon after they stopped the sky turned lighter as the next morning dawned. The sun even brighter than the day before. But the air was chill again; already the wind was turning back towards the east.
Sierra followed them for two more nights as they marched on, climbing steadily but ever more slowly as their road wound up into the hills, and the mountains towered up, nearer and nearer. They have veered from the road she previously travelled on and she had to keep a steady pace in order not too loose sight of them. The terrain was once again unfamiliar to her and, she stumbled and fell quite frequently on the uneven terrain. On the third morning Caradhras rose up into the sky, its peak tipped with snow, but its sides were naked from the frost, the ground a reddish colour like it was stained with blood. Sierra has studied her map and was familiar with the mountain's name as it now stood before her.
She looked up at the magnificent mountain and wondered if that was the next course of the rout. Her limbs were sore from the increasingly rising ground the past couple of days and protested at the idea of climbing that mountain. The group set out camp again near the base of Caradhras and momentarily out of Sierra's view.
There was a black look in the sky, and the sun was wan. The wind had gone now round to the north-east. Sierra did not like the feeling of this place. Seeking some protection, she crept closer to the where the group was. When she heard their soft murmurs, Sierra sought out a comfortable spot that would hide her from view. She was so exhausted that she did not even feel like eating anything. Not that she had much food left. Her supplies were running dangerous low. Since Sierra started following the company she only allowed herself to sleep a couple of hours in fear that they might set off again without her knowing. So, as she lay down Sierra immediately set her head against her satchel and fell asleep almost within seconds.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sierra woke with the feeling of someone watching her. Even though her eyes were closed, she immediately noticed when a shadow blocked the sunlight on her face. The red hue of her eyelids turned to a dark grey.
Sierra snapped her eyes open, now wide awake and full of fear.
In front of her stood Legolas the elf. His hair glowed has the sun behind him framed his silhouette in gold. The hilt of his silver knife flashed in the rays and Sierra swallowed hard at the sight. Legolas stood tall and magnificent, his jaw firm and set. He truly was a beautiful being, Sierra thought, but she knew what cruelty lie beneath that splendour. How does the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. She will not make the same mistake again in trusting elves.
Legolas regarded her with stormy blue eyes before addressing her in his calm voice "I thought you would like something to eat"
Sierra only then noticed that he was carrying a wooden bowl with something that looked like a stew contained in it. The sudden appearance of food made Sierra's stomach growl, but she made no move to accept the bowl from him. Legolas sensed her hesitance and placed the dish on the ground in front of her a turned to walk away. He was about three steps into his stride when Sierra finally found her voice.
"How long?" she asked and the elf turned again to face her.
"How long did you know I was following you?"
The one corner of Legolas' mouth lifted into a half smile "A couple of days"
Sierra groaned. She really thought she has outsmarted the group of men, including the elf. Why did they not confront her sooner? Unless the others did not know she followed them and the elf was waiting for an opportunity to get her alone. She quickly glanced down to the bowl of stew he brought her. Was it poisoned?
"Do the others know?" she asked in a small voice and looked back up to meet his gaze. Legolas folded his arms in a casual way and leaned his weight on one leg.
"Aragorn and Gandalf knows"
Sierra tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "What know? What are you going to do to me?"
Legolas frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion "Do to you? We are not going to do anything to you" he clarified "We are however curious as to why you would be following us when you have claimed to be travelling to Rivendell"
Sierra looked down to her blanket and nervously started removing pieces of dead leaves and twigs tangled in the little wool strands. She did not wish to discuss the matter with the elf. Actually, she did not want to discuss it with anyone. However, maybe it would be to her benefit to reveal a little bit of information to the group. Just enough to make them aware that the ring is in danger. Oh and if they in fact do not have the ring, she only had a three day delay to Rivendell.
Legolas watched her patiently as she seemed to struggle with making a decision. He watched as her face frowned and smoothed out again, how she would bite her lip and narrow her eyes. Her finger worked anxiously in the blanket and the breeze was slowly pulling the hood from her head to reveal her chestnut hair. Legolas found her quite fascinating. He has never encountered a woman who would travel alone and risk her life for a cause. She was either very brave or very foolish.
"I…I would like to speak to Frodo" she finally announced. She has made up her mind to speak to him first.
O0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Ok, so could someone please help me with getting a Beta that likes LOTR stories? I tried finding one, but everyone is either for Twilight, Harry Potter or other stories. English is not my first language so I am aware that there must be a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes.
Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews. I love getting them. Even the email notifications I receive when someone is following my story. Thank you so much!
I'm not too happy with this chapter, but will try and make up for it on the next one. More Legolas/Sierra interactions to follow.
Love
Andrea