Chapter 6

The trek up the mountain was dangerous. The rolling hills had become steep ledges and the temperature continued to plummet lower and lower. Samantha walked with her cloak wrapped tightly around her as they entered the snowy terrain. It didn't seem that bad at first, but when the snow was several inches deep and became harder and harder to walk through, her opinion began to change.

Samantha looked at her companions. The hobbits were also clinging to their cloaks as they marched through the snow. Their light weight bodies allowed for minimal sink-age into the ever-deepening snow. Gandalf, Aragorn and Boromir seemed to tolerate the conditions well, their endurance and experience making the trek less of a challenge for them. Gimli's body sunk into the snow, nearly covering up to his waist at times. The dwarf did not attempt to lift his legs above the snow, instead he only pushed through, like a snowplow. Legolas seemed to know what he was doing. Graceful steps and movement made his maneuvering through the snow look easy. He even stood on top of it at times. Samantha herself grew tired of lifting her feet to take another step, so she took after Gimli and began plowing through. It was hard, but tolerable.

Eventually the drifts leveled out and they were able to walk sum-what normally. The vast mountains began to seem like that of the Sahara desert's dunes, only with snow instead of sand.

Aragorn and Gandalf looked at their companions. The hobbits were growing tired, their faces flushed red from the cold, and everyone could hear the chattering of Samantha's teeth through the wind. The sun was only an hour from setting and so Gandalf called for camp. A protruding rock created a decent enough spot to set up camp. Boromir took off a pack from Bill the pony that was full of firewood and began constructing a fire with Aragorn. The hobbits all moved to gather the food supplies. They had adapted well to only eating one or two meals a day.

Samantha walked over to Gandalf, "How long do you think we'll be in the mountains?"

Gandalf looked at the girl with a little concern. She held her cloak tight around her as if her life depended on it. It was obvious she wasn't handling the cold as well as the others. "Perhaps a week or so more." He said simply. "Are you weak to the cold?"

"I've never handled it very well." She laughed and wiped her nose, feeling it drip.

Gandalf saw the fire started to life and he told her firmly to rest next to it. She could only nod as she found a good spot and sat down. Pippin watched her for a moment, "Are you okay, Samantha?" he asked her as she proceeded to take off her boots and socks.

Thankful that she didn't have frost bite she grinned, "Yeah, just drying out my socks." She took out another pair she had in her bag and placed the new pair on and allowed the used ones to dry by the fire. Letting the heat soak into her cold body, she looked at the rest of the hobbits, "How are you guys holding up?"

"Well, it's bloody cold for sure!" Pippin stated.

"I don't think I've ever been so cold before for so long." Merry chimed in.

"It's not as cold as dipping in the river in the fall!" Sam said with a quick laugh.

This caused Frodo and all the other hobbits to burst with laughter as the four of them reminisced about the times as children to go swimming when their mothers told them not to.

Samantha smiled at the stories but pulled her cloak closer to herself. She had always been weak to the cold. While zoning out she didn't notice Boromir sit next to her until he had already draped his own cloak around them both. "You seem cold, are you alright?"

She looked at him with a surprised expression. If her cheeks had not already been red from the cold it would have been really obvious that she was blushing. "Uh, yeah, other than cold I'm fine." She wasn't used to such gestures and told herself she was thinking too much into it. 'No need to blush. He's just being nice and sharing body heat. It's for survival,' she told herself.

"I'm just a little weak to the cold is all. Don't handle it, or like it, very much." She told him honestly.

He nodded, "Yes, hopefully we will be out of this wretched weather sooner rather than later."

She groaned, "Gandalf said a week."

"A week does sound appropriate." He paused. "So, I gather you do not like winter. Tell me, what season do you prefer?"

"Fall." When he gave a strange look she clarified, "Autumn. I really like when there is a cold snap and everything freezes, and then there is a few more weeks of warmer weather. Less bugs and you can really enjoy the changing colors more."

"Spring would be mine."

She looked at him skeptically. "Spring?" He looked down at her and she quickly turned away, realizing just how close they were to each other.

Boromir smiled, "Yes. When you feel the cold for so long, the warmth of spring is like no other."

She supposed this was true. She began asking him questions about his home and he would answer them with no trouble. He loved to talk about his home, of which he was very proud.

As the two began chatting about anything and everything, across the fire Legolas was watching them. Legolas was indeed still upset with Boromir after his advances on Samantha back in Imladris. Perhaps, though, Gandalf was right and he should try to let it go. Boromir seemed respectable enough over the last few weeks. There were no repeat offenses of what happened and to top it off Samantha seemed to get along with him just as she did with everyone else.

Even so, Legolas couldn't help but kick himself in the butt at a missed opportunity. He should have been the one to offer her warmth when he knew she was cold. Though, putting himself in such a position with her seemed out of place. He saw himself as a sort of guardian over her. She had a personality he had never seen the likes of before and in his eyes he saw purity. Someone worthy of protection and guidance in this world. He had already vowed to protect her, just as he had vowed to protect Frodo.

Although, to protect Frodo was out of duty to the realm, to protect Samantha was a decision all of his own. Even now he couldn't place it, just as he couldn't place the small feeling of annoyance at seeing the two together. Legolas knew that he was an emotional elf compared to others of his kind, but even now he knew he was filled with conflicting emotions. Some of which, he didn't even understand, so he pushed them away.

The night grew darker and the company grew closer to the fire and to each other for warmth. As they all fell asleep one by one Boromir stayed awake. Silently he watched the sleeping face of the woman next to him. Relishing every movement she made to get closer to him and the warmth he provided. In truth, he had desired this for a while now but would never do so without her permission or good reason. So, when he saw her shivering, he took the chance given to him. Boromir fell asleep that night hoping that this would not be the last time he had this rare beauty so close to him.

The next day Samantha was thankful that the weather wasn't as cold. It was still extremely chilly, but the sun was out and it warmed their skin. The wind had also died down as well, it was calm and Samantha couldn't remember the last time she had seen anything quite like it. Probably never. They all trudged through the snow at a steady pace and some of the inclines could be especially difficult. Frodo let out a grunt as he lost his footing and tumbled down the snowy peak.

Aragorn called out to the hobbit and grabbed hold of him. Samantha couldn't help but think he would have been a giant snow ball had he kept going.

Frodo was going to thank Aragorn, but stopped. Something wasn't right. His hand shot to his chest in search for the ring and he didn't have it. Frodo looked up to see Boromir bend down and pick up the ring that was hanging from its thin gold chain. The fellowship watched him wearily wondering what he was going to do. Boromir stared at the ring, having an internal conflict of sorts.

"Boromir." Aragorn said in an attempt to get his attention.

Boromir didn't seem to hear him. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing."

"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted sternly. Boromir finally looked up to meet his eyes, "Give the ring to Frodo."

Boromir walked forward and held the ring out to Frodo. Frodo snatched the ring from his hand, like a small child who didn't want to share. Boromir looked to Aragorn, "As you wish, I care not." He forced a chuckle and awkwardly ruffled Frodo's hair. He walked away and that was when Samantha realized Aragorn's hand had been on his sword hilt that whole time. Aragorn was prepared to kill his companion for this mission. Samantha felt a strange gut wrenching feeling thinking of what could have just happened had Boromir not been able to fight the call of the ring.

The fellowship continued in silence. Gandalf led them down a small path that hugged the side of a canyon. There was enough room to walk but Samantha walked as close to the wall as she could. She didn't look down, she was afraid if she did she would lose her balance and fall off. She wasn't exactly afraid of heights, it was the sudden stop at the end she didn't like the thought of.

As they continued on the path, the wind slowly began to pick up and it began to snow. The weather slowly began to pick up before winds were whipping all around them and snow hit their skin hard enough to make their skin feel numb. Soon the snow was at Gandalf's hips as he pushed through the snow. The hobbits had been picked up and carried by both Aragorn and Boromir. They couldn't see where they were and they could not risk falling. Toward the back of the company Gimli and Samantha pulled a very reluctant Bill along by his lead. Samantha felt for the little pony, he must have been terrified. 'If only we could all do that,' she thought watching Legolas walk above the snow.

Suddenly, over the wind they could all hear a voice, chanting a language none of them understood, except Gandalf. "It's Saruman!" He yelled.

Just then they heard the sickening sound of crumbling rock. They all looked up and everyone sought cover as close to the canyon wall as they could. Thankfully no one was hurt but Aragorn knew this was becoming far too dangerous. "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf shouted and began chanting a counter spell. He couldn't allow them to go down a different path. Any other way would be far more dangerous than this.

Samantha felt a creeping chill run down her spin at the mention of Saruman. Samantha had overheard enough conversations to know that he was the enemy. Surely one of the ones who had a hand in bringing her here. Would he keep going until he killed them all?

Samantha didn't notice Legolas swiftly walk over to her, "Are you alright?" He looked her up and down for any injuries from the rocks.

Gimli glared, "She's fine, now would you stop worrying and maybe help with this damned beast?!" Samantha nodded to Legolas to say she was fine. Gimli had helped her though. She had frozen and if not for Gimli shoving her against the wall she very well could have been injured.

It was then that a large bolt of lightning struck the mountain peak above them. Snow fell in a thick blanket and Samantha felt Legolas push her against the canyon wall as Aragorn and Boromir did the same for the hobbits.

It was deafening. Snow covered them everywhere, in every nook and cranny. She knew if she opened her eyes it would be completely dark. Thankfully being buried in the snow didn't last long before Legolas was able to move the snow and get them both above it.

Everyone else popped out of the snow, like daisies!

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir shouted. They had all had enough of this. If they had just listened to him and taken the path to Gondor they would not be in this situation!

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn screamed over the roaring winds.

Gimli chimed in, his voice carrying easily in the harsh winds, "If we cannot go over a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

There was a long and intense silence as a sinking feeling settled in Samantha's gut. She saw how uneasy talking about the mines made Gandalf. She didn't want to figure out why. Gandalf looked at the dwarf and for once, he wasn't sure what course to take. Finally, Gandalf spoke, "Let the Ring bearer decide." Everyone looked at Frodo as the attention shifted to him, "Frodo?" She thought she heard a hint of a plea in Gandalf's voice. He really didn't want to go into the mines.

"We will go through the mines."

Gandalf looked on in grave silence, "So be it."

The trek back down the mountain didn't take nearly as long. In fact they moved at such a swift pace they were able to make it out of the snowy terrain by dark the next day. Instead of setting up camp like usual, Gandalf let them on into the night. They reached the base of the mountain and Gandalf knew the entrance was close. They walked along a lake that had settled and Samantha couldn't help but think how mysterious and ominous it all looked.

The fellowship came to rest as Gandalf looked around on the rocks looking for something. It wasn't long before the moonlight illuminated a large door like engraving in the side of the mountain. It glowed brightly as if it were a neon light. Samantha and the hobbits were amazed and Gimli felt pride swell within him. They would be even more amazed when they entered the city.

Gandalf raised his staff and pointed out the words in the engraving, "It reads, the Doors of Durin Lord of Moria, speak, friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked him.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf put his staff against the door and spoke the password. They waited for the doors to open, but nothing happened. Gandalf tried a few more times and came to the conclusion that he interpreted it wrong.

The night lengthened and Gandalf could still not bring himself to remember the password. He was perplexed.

As the wizard worked his mind the rest of the company split off into their own groups. Sam said a goodbye to Bill the pony as they freed him of his reigns. The mines were no place for a pony. He knew the way back and would return safely.

Samantha lounged against a stone after giving her goodbyes to the little pony that had served them well. If it were not dark, she would have taken out her journal and written to pass the time. Instead she simply looked on into the water. She thought she would surely fall asleep but the splunk of a rock sinking into the lake had her bolt upright.

"This would make a good splash, huh?" Merry held another rock and prepared to throw it but Aragorn grabbed him by the arm.

"Do not disturb the water." He told them sternly. Merry and Pippin looked at one another and nodded. Merry placed the rock on the ground and gave an apology before him and Pippin went to find a less distracting form of entertainment.

Samantha stood and walked over to Aragorn who was surveying the water. She looked from him, to the water, and back to him. "You think there's something in there?"

He looked down at her nervous face for a moment, "Creatures lurk in every corner of the world, best to be safe and not disturb any that might lie there."

She nodded. Not what she wanted to hear. Thankfully it wasn't long after that that Frodo bolted up, the light bulb in his head going off.

"What's the Elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon." Gandalf said as he too realized the riddle. He was proud of the hobbit. So clever.

The fellowship gathered around the door as it shined and began to open. It truly was a magnificent sight as the stone began to open up to them. Gimli smiled as they began to walk in and boasted to Legolas, "Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This my friend is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine, a mine!"

As Gimli finished Gandalf tapped his staff on the ground and it lit up. The bringing of light brought sights none wished to see. Even before the light, the smell of death could be detected when they entered. The fellowship looked at the skeletons in horror. This was the first encounter with a real dead body Samantha had ever had, and they were just bones at that point. She took a few steps back out of the cave in disgusted horror and the hobbits next to her did the same.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb." Boromir stated looking at the bones of many dead dwarves.

Gimli fell over the body of one of his fallen kin not being able to believe his eyes. He screamed in grief. Samantha closed her eyes, it was a scream she never wanted to hear again. She wanted to comfort him but it was not the time. Legolas ripped one of the arrows from a corpse easily able to identify the origin, "Goblins!"

The gravity of the situation was falling upon them and Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn drew their weapons. "We make for the Gap of Rohan, we never should have come here. Now get out! Get out!" Boromir shouted.

Before anyone could make a move to do anything of importance Samantha let out a scream as she felt herself being dragged outside and toward the water.

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Edited: 5-8-2020
Edited: 5-26-2020
Edited: 1-1-21