Chapter 32? 33?
Sorry, it's been a while since I last updated.
Sad, isn't it? You see, Christmas came around, and I was all, YES! NEW STUFF! (Merry Christmas, by the way. :) ) Yeah, Christmas makes me act like a child. I've also been quite busy, too. So, forgive me if this chapter is a little fuzzy, or if my insanity comes out.
Anyways, I deleted a whole story in this document so I could write this chapter. You should love me for that. It was a silly Mary-Sue, anyways. Something I wrote forever and a half ago.
Oh, and did y'all know I was spelling Caradhras wrong? I had a brain fart there, I suppose.
And I drew a quick sketch of Sophie. She may be up on my profile, soon. :)
I don't own Lord of the Rings.
(Sophie)
Wow... That is a big chunk of mountain...
After a great deal of walking, we were finally at the foot of Caradhras. Its great white peak hung above us, just daring us to try and cross it.
Yeah... And we're supposed to walk over that?
"We stop here, for the night." Gandalf tapped the ground with his staff, and let out a heavy sigh. "Tomorrow, we begin our trek up the mountain."
Mehhhh...
Boromir set his gear on the ground, looking as though he'd simply gone on an afternoon stroll.
"I am going to go get some firewood. We will need it if we wish to survive our journey across the mountain. Would you like to come with me?"
I'm sure that my eye twitched as I stared blankly at him. "More walking?"
Boromir laughed. "I'll take that as a no..."
"I'll go." James ran up, a smile on his face. Goodness, am I the only one having trouble with this?
As my two friends wandered off in search of firewood, I fell to the ground and looked up at the darkening sky. The sun was setting in the distance, and the world was turning a nice rosy hue. It was lovely.
"Y'know, I haven't watched the sunset since we were in Rohan..." Such a shame, really... Sunsets are lovely... Still, there's no better place to watch the sunset than Rohan. Its wide open plains and distant mountain ranges make for a perfect sunset experience. "I miss it, there..."
"Me too..." Collin sighed, and plopped down beside me. "Do you think that Kristy's gonna go?"
She'd better! "I hope so. She'll do Edoras some good." And perhaps the princes will enjoy the company...
Oh, me. Such a sneaky friend. It's not like I didn't hint my intentions to her, though. With Legolas pretty much out of sight, a prince is exactly what she needs... Wait, that makes no sense. Legolas is a prince, too. Well poop! And she complains about me getting a Romeo!
Romeo dies! And so does Juliet!
Wait, I'm Juliet?
Aragorn brought me back to the present with his relatively dreary voice. "I'm not sure if I agree with you. From what I've heard, Rohan is not at its best. She would be far safer in Rivendell, I'm sure."
Dang, Aragorn. I never thought of that... Leave it to our dear ranger to be the thinker of the group.
Still, I had to defend my decision, somehow. I'm from the twenty-first century, after all. We argue whether we're right or wrong. It must be in the water.
"Elrond seemed to support my conclusion, enough. I mean, he's not going to let her wander off into dangerous territory, is he?" Surely, he wouldn't? I mean, I know he hates me, but he doesn't hate me enough to kill my best friend... Does he?
Nah, elves are too classy for that. Don't tell Gimli I said that.
Aragorn shrugged, and puffed on his pipe. "You have a point. Still, I would prefer it if she remained in Rivendell."
Sigh... "Now you've got me thinking, Aragorn. I hope you're happy."
He smiled. "Forgive me, Sophie. I did not mean to make you worry. Still, I can't help but wonder why you wish for Kristy to go to Rohan. After all, you're going to Gondor. What difference does it make where Kristy is, if she is not going to be with you?"
"Ah, a good point, Aragorn!" I gave him a congratulatory slap on the shoulder, and eyed the flask of elven wine he hid underneath his cloak. Fish poop water gets boring after a while, you know.
This is all asides the point.
"You see, I knew that someone would bring that up, sooner or later. I was only surprised that it was not Elrond. For one, Kristy is not happy in Rivendell. Well, not as happy as she used to be, at least. I feel like she needs to spend more time with humans, since she's spent almost every second in Middle-earth with hobbits and elves..."
"And what's wrong with us?" Merry cried, hurt by the suggestion that Kristy might not have enjoyed her time with him. Oh, Merry, if only you were taller... I know she'd like you.
I gave the hobbit a reassuring smile. "Not to worried, my dear Merry. The time she spent with you was perhaps the happiest time of her life."
The hobbit blushed and looked down at the ground, a shy smile sneaking its way onto his lips. You know, I could marry a hobbit, easy. They're so sweet...
Don't tell Boromir that! In fact, keep all of these things to yourselves, okay?
While the hobbit was lost in his own fantasy world, I leaned in to reveal my true motives.
"You see, friends, what would really make me happy, is if Kristy could get together with either Prince Theodred or Eomer..."
"Ahem..." Legolas, although he was sitting a good distance away from our happy little group, cleared his throat in a very obvious way. Darn elves. Honestly, there's no use in whispering around them.
"Do you have anything you'd like to add, friend?" I asked the elf, curious as to what he thought of the matter.
Legolas moved closer, well aware of Kristy's hobbit admirer. "I do not have much to add, to be honest. I simply believe that you should have warned Kristy of your intentions."
"I did. She had no real objections to it."
A small flash of jealousy crossed the elf's features, but he quickly returned to his emotionless wall. "Then all is well, I suppose. I am glad that she has set her sights among her own people."
"Yes. That's where they should be."
Legolas gave me a small smile. "I couldn't agree more."
My eyes narrowed. "Good..."
Legolas walked away, into the woods where he could be a meaner alone.
Aragorn eyed me, a look of pure curiosity in his eyes. "Why are you so against Legolas?"
"What do you mean?" I tried to busy myself with meaningless activities, such as mutilating the grass.
The ranger grinned, and puffed on his pipe. "You know precisely what I mean, Sophie. You've never liked him. You've said so on multiple occasions."
My jaw dropped, and I tried to act hurt. "Oh really, now? Like when?"
"The first night of the Fellowship's training. You wanted to, as you put it, 'experience the power of a bow and arrow.' He told you that they were weapons, not toys, remember? What was it you called him, exactly?"
Collin's eye brightened. "A dingleberry! Haha! Classic!"
Gimli, who had been unusually quiet, chuckled. "Oh, yes! I remember that one! Oh, and the night we left Rivendell, when you called him a-"
Collin clapped his hand over Gimli's mouth. "Shh! That was terrible! Sophie, I had no idea you had such a vocabulary!"
I shrugged. "You learn a lot in high school. Anyways, I get the point. I don't like him. So what?"
Aragorn gave me what could be the most disappointing face ever. "You know that I adore you, Sophie, but that does not mean that I will so readily accept your hate for my dear friend, especially when you have no cause to do so. He is a great elf, once you get to know him."
Ergh... Aragorn always knows how to make me feel bad... I suppose it's for the best, though. Someone has to be mature.
"We're back!" James and Boromir entered our small camp, arms full of firewood. "Did we miss anything?"
The reason he asks is because the last time he went off for firewood, Collin told the entire Fellowship about the time James peed himself at school. It was the spring musical, and it was my turn to dance. I ran out with Collin, my partner, and slipped on a puddle of bubble soap (we had a bubble machine on the ceiling). I nearly took Coll down with me, and James laughed so hard he peed himself. A simple story, but a memorable one.
"Sophie's been spending too much time with Gimli, it seems." Aragorn shrugged. Fortunately for him, Gimli wasn't paying attention. His attention was turned on the fresh batch of soup Sam had cooked up.
"You're lucky Gimli didn't hear that." I laughed.
"Hear what?" Gimli chose the perfect moment to enter the conversation.
Collin, bless his heart, saved Aragorn from having to deal with the fiery dwarf. "Hey, you guys wanna hear about that time James threw up on his homecoming date?"
"NO!" James jumped forward and tackled our poor friend, and everyone laughed.
I smiled as my two best friends wrestled each other on the ground. The picture reminded me of all the times James would try to pick up chicks, and Collin would arrive with the perfect story.
Good times, good times.
Gandalf, athough he was smiling for the first time all day, decided to put an end to our small bit of merriment.
"That is enough, my friends." The old wizard looked weary as he sat himself down for the night. "Eat your fill and get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us, tomorrow."
Everyone quietly did as the wizard asked, and one by one everyone fell asleep.
Except for me.
Yeah, I don't know what's up with me, lately. I mean, I've never really had sleeping problems, before. Maybe I'm just nervous...
Aragorn was also awake, having volunteered for the first watch. He sat quietly by the fire, staring into it blankly. I knew he was thinking of Arwen, for he held her necklace in his hand as though his life depended on it.
It makes me sad. He and Arwen... They're so in love. It's not the kind of love you see when you catch people making out under the stairwell, either. No, their love is something rare... It's pure. It's sad.
Aragorn hasn't been the same, lately. When we first met him, Collin brought out a whole new side of him. He seemed happy. Now, he seems lost. There's a lot of stress evident on his face, and his hair is beginning to gain an unhappy grey tint. I want to give him a hug, but I've realized that just randomly hugging people in this world is not always the best idea...
"Is something wrong?" Aragorn asked, still staring into the fire.
Ohmigosh, was I staring at him. Dang... I need to be careful when I space out.
"Nope, nothing's wrong!" I smiled and whispered, careful to avoid waking up the others.
Aragorn gave a small chuckle, and tapped the ground beside him. "Come, sit over here with me. There's no use in us both being awake alone."
I slowly crawled over to him, not wanting to interrupt his Arwen-thinking time. I mean, I can be great company, sure, but there's nothing like thinking about the one you love.
Not that I would know anything about love. The most experience I have with that is Boromir, and late night chick flicks.
"How are you holding up?" He asked silently.
I let out a small sigh, and wrapped myself in my blanket. "I've been better. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly one for walking all day, every day. Back in my world, we're above walking."
A short laugh erupted from Aragorn, and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that people in your world don't walk."
"No, no! We walk. But if this was the real world, we would have flown to Mordor in airplanes and helicopters, and we would have shot the ring into the volcano using snipers and such. Then, we would have dropped a nuclear bomb onto all of the orcs! There, problem solved with minimal walking!"
"Nuclear weapons?" Aragorn questioned, and it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Has Collin never told you about nuclear weapons?" Aragorn shook his head, and I frowned. That's odd... "Well, they're bombs. Now, I know you know what bombs are. Only, this bomb is like, the one ring of bombs. It completely destroys miles and miles of land, and it gives off radiation that can mutate and kill you."
He frowned. "That sounds terrible."
"Pretty much." That's one of the many things I don't miss about home; weapons of mass destruction. I also don't miss college. "So, how are you doing, Aragorn?" I might as well ask, since he's sitting there all gloomy-like.
He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "Considering the fact that we have yet to run into orcs, I'm doing quite well, actually."
Sigh... I should have known that he wouldn't talk to me about anything. He and I are tight, but it's not like an eighty year old man is going to begin spilling his guts to me. Men these days are all about their pride, and honor. I like that concept a lot, but it definitely puts a damper on the friendships one might have with some of these men. A lot of them are too proud to open up to anyone. Unfortunately, Aragorn is one of those people. I'm not sure if his tendency to not open up has anything to do with pride, though. He just seems reserved.
Still, that didn't stop me from pursuing the conversation.
"How are you really doing, Aragorn?"
He was silent for a moment, his expression revealing that my question caught him off guard. It was about time someone asked him how he's doing. I can't recall anyone asking him such a thing this entire journey.
"Well..." He began slowly, trying to pick the right words to say. "I do not know."
Bull crap.
"You miss her, don't you?" Whether or not I was overstepping my boundaries, I do not know. Nor do I care.
"Of course I do..." He sighed, turning his sights back to the fire. "But she belongs with her people."
Blah blah blah. These people are so difficult. It's always about who 'belongs' where, and what must be done. I liked it better in Rohan. Those people could actually be fun.
"You say that, but..." Suddenly, my mind began to realize something. "No... Aragorn... You didn't tell her to leave, did you?"
His silence gave him away, and I nearly slapped him. I don't know why, exactly, but the idea was very tempting.
"Aragorn..." After a long struggle to find the right words to say, I simply gave up. "I hope she stays..."
I would have finished with, 'and then I hope she dumps you!'... but that would have been mean. Plus, Boromir strolled up, then.
"I'll take over from here." He gave Aragorn a pat on the shoulder, and the ranger stood to go to bed.
"I'll be here when you need me!" I called, perhaps a bit too loud. "We all know I'm not going to sleep, any time soon..." I mumbled.
Boromir handed me a cup full of a sweet smelling liquid before sitting down in Aragorn's former spot.
... Odd...
"Uhh... Boromir? What's this?" I swished the liquid around in the cup, trying to figure out what this odd concoction might be.
"It's tea." He shrugged. "It will help you sleep."
"Oh..." I continued to stare at the foggy drink. Before long, I was fighting to contain the giggles.
Boromir raised his eyebrows at me, a small smile breaking his lips. "What?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing... It's just that... You brought me tea..." HA!
He eyed me like one would eye a two-headed horse. Only, less fascination. "Yes, and why is that funny?"
Should I say it? I probably shouldn't... Then again, I would very much enjoy it...
"It's such a girly thing to do!" The words fell from my lips, along with multiple giggles and snorts. I mean, Boromir! Such a big, burly man, making tea for his lady?
"Fine, then." He shrugged, and snatched the cup from my hands. "I'll just take it back."
With wide eyes, I hopped up and jumped over his lap in an attempt to retrieve my tea. "No!" This could be my only chance to get some real sleep! People in Middle-earth have tea for curing hangovers- I'm sure that they have tea to knock me out.
Boromir stood and held the cup far out of reach. Darn him... Using my genetics against me...
"What, you want it, now?" He laughed. "You should have thought about that before you chose to be rude. It would have made much more sense to simply say, 'thank you.'"
Argh, I know! I can't help what makes me laugh, though!
"Give it back!" I jumped up, reaching for his arm.
Bad idea.
The cup fell from his hand, and my tea spilled right into the grass.
We both looked down at the small puddle of mud, a little thrown off. I looked up at the grinning man with narrowed eyes.
"I hate you..."
"Shh!"
Boromir and I turned to see an angry Pippin glaring at us from his bed mat. His hair was ruffled, and his shirt was partially unbuttoned. The his empty eyes suggested that he was only partially awake. You know, that moment where you just wake up, and you feel drunk?
"Is Boromir bothering you, Sophie?" He eyed the mighty warrior with confidence.
That was interesting...
We sat down silently, neither of us wanting to face another angry hobbit, or worse: an angry wizard.
Sigh...
"I overheard you speaking to Aragorn, just then..." Boromir broke the silence, hesitant. "You were speaking of how his love was leaving. That's a shame..."
"Yes... It's quite a shame..." Where is he going with this?
He let out a sigh. "I was thinking... Do you plan on staying in Minas Tirith? After this is all over?"
You know, I've never really thought about it... Minas Tirith is a lovely place, but so is Edoras. I'm sure as heck not going back to Rivendell... "I don't know. Why?" All places lack good plumbing. Who knows? Maybe I'll just go to the Shire? I'll fit in well, there!
"You speak of Rohan with the highest respects. I was just wondering..."
"Shhh!"
We turned to see Merry, staring us down once more.
I chuckled and gave Boromir a wink. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna forget about you, if that's what you're worried about." Then, in order to satisfy the grumpy hobbit, I got up and went back to bed. Might as well try to get some sleep. We're gonna be building snowmen, in the morning.
.
Y'know, they made this mountain things sound like a bad idea... Gimli did nothing but complain, Boromir made it sound like we'd all die of frostbite, and Gandalf never ceased to stare at the mountain with cautious eyes...
I think it's kind of fun. The snow, the fact that Legolas can walk on snow- I am simply curious, not impressed- today's been flipping awesome.
Maybe it's the fact that I haven't played in the snow for years? Perhaps I'm just happy because we had bacon for breakfast. Or, maybe it's the funny pipe weed Pippin let me try this morning. In any case, I am, for the first time ever, the happiest camper in our merry little troupe. I'm even happier than Collin! Poor soul... He's been cradling his camera in his arms the past hour and a half...
"Collin, it's a waterproof camera..." I tried to reason with him, but he just wouldn't take it.
"I know it's waterproof! But what if something happens? This thing has had a full battery ever since we got here. What if water sets it off, and breaks it forever?" He studied the camera for the millionth time, although I'm sure he knows that camera's makeup like the back of his hand. "Bulletproof vests can't keep the bullets out for forever, Soph. I'm sure that waterproofness only lasts for so long."
Merry and Pippin looked down at the ground with guilt. They'd been the unfortunate ones go get snow on the modern contraption, not understanding the fact that water could hurt it. Collin's been super nice about it, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been pouring out his soul into making sure that his prized possession is okay. I personally believe that it was only a matter of time. Gimli's been eyeing that thing since Collin asked me to film him shoving snow down James's shirt.
I simply shook my head and went on my merry way.
You see, I bet you're proud of me for being so strong. Sophia Grace Marseden, braving Caradhras like a true mountaineer. Such a brave, inspiring soul...
Until about three hours later.
"WHAT THE HECK!" I waved aimlessly at the snow attacking my face, all the while trying to keep my balance. The rushing wind howled in the air, and nearly knocked us all off our feet. If it wasn't for knee-deep snow, I'm sure that we all would have fallen off the mountain, by now.
Oh, and we were also three feet away from a thousand-foot tall drop off... And I'm freezing... And Legolas is still prancing about on top of the snow... Any respect I had gained for that elf today is now gone.
A heavy weight fell down on my shoulders, and I looked to see that Boromir had given me his cloak.
"No, sir!" I attempted to return the massive thing, but I couldn't figure out the clasp around my neck. "Take it back, Boromir! You're freezing me!" Just looking at that poor man was making me cold, despite the nice fuzzy throw rug that now graced my shoulders.
"What?" He shouted over the wind. I could hardly hear myself think with this wind nonsense going on.
"Take it back, you're freezing me!" I grabbed onto the sides of the cloak and threw them about wildly, trying to get my point across.
"You're welcome!" He shouted, clearly just giving up on this conversation.
Sigh... "YOU ARE FREEZING MEEE!"
While our happy moment was taking its toll on my already exhausted patience, a whole new conversation was about to begin.
"What?" Collin shouted to James. The two men were huddled together in a brotherly fashion, trying to keep from freezing to death.
"What?" James shouted right back, leaning closer to hear Collin.
"You said something!" Collin was shouting right into James's ear, now. It's a wonder the two didn't go deaf.
James shook his head furiously. "I didn't say anything!"
"What? Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!"
The two stopped in their tracks for a moment, and arched their ears into the wind.
"You're right!" Collin laughed. "That's not you!" His smile quickly turned to a look of confusion. "Wait... Who is it, then?"
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf's deep voice carried through the wind.
Oh, snap. Saruman.
Aragorn held Frodo and Sam closer as he looked into the dark sky in terror. "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!"
"No!" The old wizard ran forward and began to try to counter-spell Saruman's attack.
Oh, poop. Oh, poop.
"Stay close! Collin swept up Merry and Pippin and prepared for the worst.
Hey, at least there are no orcs.
A giant bolt of lightning struck the mountain, and an avalanche began to head towards us.
"Get back!" Aragorn cried, as he pushed us all up against the mountain's side.
I closed my eyes and braced myself.
Snow fell all around us, and I quickly found myself without air. I was holding Collin's hand with one of my own, and Boromir's with the other. I could feel them fighting against the snow in order to get out, with muffled shouts coming through the snow. Light appeared in front of me, and I saw Legolas digging me a hole to breathe through.
Okay, so the elf's not that bad...
Boromir pulled me out of the snow, and Collin began to hand Merry and Pippin up to Aragron, before freeing himself from the mess. The storm was still raging, and Gandalf sighed in defeat.
"We must turn back! If we do not find shelter soon, we will all die!"
Death?
No big deal. I already died once. Chances are, I'll end up in Neverland.
"Let us pass through the mines of Moria!" Gimli cried, his beard white with snow.
Gandalf sighed.
Don't you sigh, Gandalf. I'm getting off this mountain if it's the last thing I do. Which, it probably will be the last thing I do...
(Kristy)
"We made good time." Glorfindel smiled as he gazed upon the distant city of Edoras. "Forgive me, Kristy, for rushing you. We must return to Rivendell as soon as possible. I am sure that you understand..."
I gave him a grateful smile. "Yes, I understand. Elrond needs you three."
"Yes." Glorfindel sighed. "We cannot accompany you into the city; elves would seem suspicious, especially in these times. I am afraid that you must continue on your own."
Well, I saw that one coming. Elladan and Elrohir have been giving me ideas for possible aliases that would make my life in Rohan easier. All of it is quite unnecessary, if you ask me. There's no way that Sophie would send me to a place if I needed to protect my identity. Still, the people of Middle-earth tend to be a bit... Judgmental.
I held Sophie's letter in my hand as I admired Edoras. Sophie and Collin didn't do it justice... This place is beautiful. Very rustic, but beautiful.
"Are you ready?" Elladan watched me with curious eyes.
With one last sigh, I put the letter in my bag, and gave my friends one final smile. "Thank you. For everything."
Glorfindel smiled and nodded. "Perhaps, if fate smiles upon us, we shall see each other once more." He handed me my stuff from atop his horse. "Farewell, Kristina Galloway."
My stomach churned nervously as I kicked myself into motion.
What if things have changed? What if Sophie's friends are no longer here? Where do I go if I don't find Theodred for days? Elrond gave me a bit of money, but that won't last forever. If I see something pretty, I'm going to want to buy it...
Oh, get a hold of yourself, Kristy...
"Halt!" A guard shouted down from the wall as I approached the gate. "What is your business in the city?"
Crap. Glorfindel warned me about this... What'd he tell me to do?
"I am a visitor! I have connections in the city!" True enough.
"Connections of what sort?"
Dang, these people sure are nosy.
"My friends Collin and Sophie sent me! They said that I could find safety, here."
There was a short silence.
"Collin and Sophie?" The man seemed to laugh the names. "I thought I'd never hear from those two, again! Please, wait!" I could hear thumping on wood getting closer and closer, until finally the man opened a door in the gate to greet me.
He was tall with long, dirty blonde hair, and he was dressed in fine clothing. He gave me a bright smile and a deep bow.
"Forgive me if I seemed rude, but one must be careful. I seem to have chosen a good day for visiting the gatekeepers. Correct me if I am mistaken, but are you Kristy?"
Wow. So Collin's been sharing some embarrassing stories, huh? I'll kill him.
"It is." I smiled and gave this tall, handsome man a nice curtsy. "How did you know? Collin's videos, I assume?"
The man chuckled. "Oh, yes. The man is absolutely obsessed with that contraption. He and Sophie spoke nothing but kind words about you, I can assure you."
Yeah, I'm sure they did. Collin's notorious for sharing horrific stories that makes a person want to hide from the world.
"Forgive me, sir, but I did not catch your name?"
He smiled. "Theodred."
Random Note:
While writing this, my brother and I were arguing over who has the right to be called "Dark Lord." Sauron, or Voldemort?
What do you think?
.
Oh, and I'm sorry Tolkien purists... I left out a lot of book stuff from my story. It kills me, too, but it's easier to write movie verse... I hate writing stuff from the Fellowship time slot... It's so hard to spice things up.