Chapter 3
They went northwards for two days, travelling by both day and night, and stopping only long enough for Gollum and Aragorn to snatch some sleep now and then.
"Has he spoken to you at all?" asked Aragorn of Legolas, who had been keeping the watch.
Legolas shook his head. "Only hisses and screams. He is determined not to utter a word. Surely he has been terrorized beyond belief by the Necromancer."
"You think he has betrayed his secrets to the enemy then?"
"It is inevitable, is it not?"
Aragorn sighed. "Indeed. We can only hope that secrets are all that he had to give away."
Legolas looked at him sharply. "I too have heard the rumours that Sauron seeks the One Ring. Do you suppose that is why this creature is still alive, instead of at the bottom of a ditch?"
Aragorn nodded. "It would explain the three Orcs who have been tailing us for the last two days."
Legolas smiled slightly. "So you did see them."
"Of course." Aragorn was a little irritated. He was as good a tracker as any Elf alive. "The Orcs have little skill in concealment, especially in this marshy country."
"Do you wish to let them continue to follow us? Or should we face them down and get rid of them?"
Aragorn considered. There were but three Orcs, and they would pose no threat to Gollum so long as they believed they could follow him to some larger prize. But they might well attempt to cut Gollum loose from his captors at some unwary moment or, if left unhindered, might send one of their number back to Mordor with news that Gollum was now in the hands of Humans and Elves. "When we reach the foothills of Emyn Muil, we will have a defensible position," he said at last. "We will be there in a few hours."
Legolas agreed instantly, if a little coolly. "Do you have enough arrows?" he asked. They had been building up their little stock of weapons as they travelled.
"Aye," replied Aragorn, a little stiffly in his turn. It was beyond his comprehension why it should bother him so much that he received no compliments on his generalship. It was not something he had ever expected from any of his other comrades in arms. Somehow he would have given the world for a single admiring word from this remote companion.
They trudged onwards through the morning mist, shoving Gollum ahead of them. "You do not sleep well, for a human," observed Legolas suddenly.
Aragorn shrugged. "For many years now, I have been plagued by nightmares of war," he said. "It is part of my Dunadàn heritage, they say. I no longer trouble myself about the dreams, unless they change."
Legolas was silent, and Aragorn chose to interpret that silence as further dismissal of his human weakness. "I apologize if I disturbed you," he added, no apology in his tone.
"You did not," replied Legolas, and that was that.
Soon enough they reached their objective and set about preparing for battle. They had the high ground and more, for on the slope on which they stood grew tall, copious trees from which to conduct an ambush, while the Orcs would perforce approach from the more open and difficult marshy country.
"How do you propose to lure them forward?" asked the Elf.
"They are great lovers of fresh meat - we could offer them newly-slaughtered Sméagol!" replied Aragorn grumpily, for he was still suffering more than he would admit from Gollum's first deep bite, not to mention a few lesser ones delivered on the way.
Gollum's eyes grew wide, and he backed away to the limits of his tether.
Legolas' low laugh was unexpected, and struck pleasantly on the Ranger's ear. "No need for that yet, but I will find some small game that may have the same effect."
It worked well. They built a conspicuous fire, dined well if very cautiously beside it, and then retreated into the trees, where Legolas gagged Gollum and affixed him to a high branch. Within minutes, three shadowy Orcs around the fire were silently slain by arrows and buried in a shallow grave so as to leave as few traces as possible for any who might follow.
Aragorn hefted one of the Orcs' swords, which of course they had removed for their own use, along with several short black daggers. "Coarse, but serviceable," he remarked. "Now I feel useful again." And once more there was a quick, enigmatic glance from the Elf, but no comment.
They climbed the trees and made themselves comfortable for the night. Gollum, released to wander at the end of his leash, gazed long and hard at each of the two warriors, who had been nothing if not grimly efficient. After a long while, a decision evidently made, he edged away from Aragorn and settled himself in Legolas' protection.
"Hmph. It appears I am the less intimidating," remarked the Elf, with a glint of humour.
"Many would disagree," replied Aragorn quietly and, turning away, he did his best to sleep.
The next morning was bright and a little chilly. "What is our destination?" asked Legolas.
"Eventually your own father's halls, provided you have no objection," said Aragorn. "It is well known he wishes no part in any military campaigns against Mordor, but Gandalf has given me to understand that Mirkwood will undertake custody of important prisoners in our cause."
"That is correct," replied Legolas stiffly. "And I would not have you believe that all of us think as Thranduil does…." He bit off the sentence, clearly torn by his loyalty to that same father.
"But," Aragorn went on, to pass over the awkwardness, "I think it might be best to hold west and travel up through Lorien rather than taking a more direct route north. The southern areas of Mirkwood are most perilous, and besides, the Lady Galadriel will provide counsel."
Legolas looked for a moment as though this last would not be an unmixed blessing. But he quickly agreed, deferring to all of the Ranger's plans.
As they made their way across the foothills of Emyn Muin towards the great Anduin, Aragorn mused that Legolas, when all was said and done, had deferred all throughout this journey, despite the fact that the Ranger was second-born and unknown to him. Perhaps, after all, the supercilious air was just his manner, and not out-and-out disdain? But when Aragorn, acting upon this theory, sought to broach more personal topics such as whether Legolas was yet bonded to an elleth, the frigid resentment that followed the Elf's clipped negative was enough to keep them both silent for several hours.
A dull roar eventually began to impinge upon that silence. At first it was no greater than the rustling of the leaves in the trees, but soon it grew to a distant rumble, deep as thunder but too constant to be mistaken for a storm. Aragorn watched Legolas lift his head and breathe deeply. "The air grows fresher," said the Elf. "We will be climbing within the hour."
Aragorn looked at their prisoner, who was shilly-shallying along with a fatigued air. Letting Gollum out to the extent of his bonds, he took him down to the small stream whose path they followed, and nudged him towards a pool. "Fish," he commanded. "No-one wants to carry you up the cliff, so make your legs strong."
He looked away from the revolting sight of Gollum's raw meal, and accepted Legolas' offer of lembas. "No-one wants to carry either of us either," said Legolas lightly as he took his own share. "And it is a hard climb you propose for the sake of secrecy."
"Would you prefer to take a longer route around?" asked Aragorn, challenge in his eyes.
"Not at all," replied Legolas, unperturbed. "I have done this route many times, both up and down. I approve of your caution."
They soon emerged from the woods to the rocky shore of the great river Anduin, where a veritable wall of water, hundreds of feet high, fell over a cliff on their right hand side, plunging into the river before them so forcefully that the mist entirely obscured the opposite bank.
"The Falls of Rauros run very strong today!" shouted Aragorn over the deafening din. He eyed the spray-damp rocks on the cliff face with concern, picking out the best place to start. Giving Gollum the length of his leash, he lifted him up to begin the climb up the side of the falls. As he had expected, the small and agile creature had no trouble negotiating his way, and he frequently used better handholds and footholds on broken rock or stunted plant than Aragorn himself would have found. He was a troublesome guide, though, stopping frequently to look down and hiss at his captors, or scrambling up to the length of his tether and tugging frantically, no doubt hoping that he would break the Ranger's grip. Still, they persevered, all three, and after a strenuous few hours reached the brink at last.
Aragorn reached down to grip Legolas' wrist and haul him over the edge, and was rewarded with a broad, slightly strained smile. "Triumph!" said the Elf - or at least that is what he seemed to say, for the water's roar was as loud as ever.
Aragorn bent his head close. "Shall we camp now?" Legolas nodded agreement. But they had some trouble pulling Gollum away from a rock overhanging the edge of the falls where he sat gibbering to himself, hypnotized by the powerful rolling of the water over the precipice. When he gave in and crawled reluctantly after his captors, there was a sly smile upon his face.
End of Chapter 3.