Disclaimers are in chapter one. But just for the record, Tolkien created and owns mostly everything, including the elf and the ranger :( I own Kaitlyn and a few small things.
Thanks to my beta Scattered Logic.
Chapter 14: Attack on the Anduin
The sun set quickly and the group embarked again on the Anduin River. The sky was clear but moonless and it had grown cool again. The boats remained close together for safety in the darkness.
"Our pace shall be slower than it has been," Aragorn announced. "I have not traveled this far down the Anduin. There could be danger in the water."
All nodded in silent agreement that a slower pace was safer in the darkness. All, that is, except for Boromir.
"This is madness, traveling by night on a section of the river we don't know. The falls of Rauros could be near and we could all perish in the falling water!" Boromir cried out in the darkness.
"The falls are not near. I would hear them and I do not," Legolas said coming to Aragorn's aid.
"We must keep a sharp watch and not try to paddle swiftly," Aragorn said and he leaned forward, putting a light hand on Sam's shoulder. "Would you keep a watch, Sam? For rocks and other dangers?"
With his brows raised in concern, the hobbit nodded. He set himself to the task immediately and stared out over the black water.
The stars brightened as the night wore on and shed some light on the dark river. Sam remained hunched forward, his eyes scanning what he could see of the river, glancing at the eastern shore, then to the west and back again.
They paddled for some way and it was just after midnight when Legolas shifted uneasily within his boat. Moments later, Sam cried out.
"There's a current dead ahead that swings left directly into the rocks!" The hobbit called out in fear.
Almost immediately, the calm water began to quicken and the boats moved swiftly toward the left.
"Turn, turn if you can!" Aragorn commanded. If they did not move, the current would throw the boats upon the sharp rocks of the eastern shore.
At first it felt as if they were not moving away. Those with paddles struggled against the current, but it appeared to be a losing battle.
Sam was gripping tightly onto the sides of the boat, his knuckles white from the force. He couldn't swim as it was and, if the boat capsized or hit a rock, he was gone for sure. He swallowed hard each time the small Elvish boat rose on a current and then dove down into the water again.
"Paddle harder or we shall be driven against the rocks!" Boromir cried out. He plunged his leaf shaped paddle into the water repeatedly, using all his strength to turn his boat from the current. Merry wished there were something he could do to help and Pippin wished he were back home in the Shire. Adventure did not agree with his stomach.
Frodo held fast onto the sides of the boat as he felt stone scrape against the bottom of it.
Kaitlyn felt her heart pounding in her chest. The cold made it hard to breathe, as did the panic that was swelling within her. For the first time all day and night, she turned and looked at Legolas.
The elf was paddling with all his might, repeatedly plunging the paddle into the water, but his eyes were not on his task. He was gazing out at the eastern shore, his blue orbs moving back and forth scanning the woods there. His body was taut with tension. Something was wrong.
Moments later, the sounds of bowstrings being released filled the air.
"Yrch!" Legolas cried out. Orcs!
"Orcs!" Gimli yelled and he held up his ax, appearing ready to fight them from the boat.
Arrows whistled through the air over them and several rained onto the boats. One caused Frodo to cry out as it struck him, but he was not hurt, having been saved by his mithril shirt. Another went through the hood of Aragorn's cloak and then landed in the water and one more was embedded in the boat not far from Merry's hand. The third boat that carried Legolas, Gimli and Kaitlyn was the farthest away and no arrows struck it.
Kaitlyn's heart began to pound harder, if that was possible, and she gripped the edges of the boat so tightly that her knuckles cramped from the strain. "How did they find us?" she asked aloud to no one in particular. She was fraught with fear, heart racing, eyes wide, throat dry and lower lip trembling.
"Gollum's doing, I'll wager!" Sam cried out bitterly. "And a nice place to choose, too! The river seems ready to deliver us right into their arms!"
More arrows whistled in the cool air of the night, but none struck any of the boats. Instead they fell short of their targets, landing in the water. The sound of them hitting the river was lost to the roaring of the raging rapids.
Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas struggled against the current. After what felt like days though were only mere moments, the boats broke free of the deadly rapids and drifted downstream where the water was calmer. With haste the two men and the Elf paddled to the western shore and beneath the overhang of the trees, they rested. They were breathing heavily, all except Legolas who seemed to be unaffected by the strenuous work.
The Mirkwood Elf put down his paddle and took his Lorien bow into his hands. He laid an arrow on the string and aimed it first at the eastern shore and then suddenly to the south.
"What do you see, Legolas?" Aragorn asked with anxiety.
But Legolas did not have to answer.
Fear grasped the group again with its icy fingers and they remained motionless, jaws dropped open, eyes wide. To the south, dark shadows drifted in the sky and moved swiftly toward them.
Frodo felt a sudden chill and clutched his heart, closing his eyes. Aragorn put a concerned hand on his shoulder and then looked at the sky again.
An arrow whistled as it left Legolas' bow in the darkness and there was a shrill cry from above as the arrow struck something in the sky at an incredible distance. The sky cleared again, revealing the stars, as the shadows fled. Whatever had come to attack them was gone.
Aragorn did not delay in leading the company further down stream and he found a small bay with trees. The boats were tied close together in the water as the passengers took cover beneath the trees.
"That was a mighty shot!" Gimli told Legolas with respect and awe in his voice.
The Dwarf had taken the thoughts right out of Kaitlyn's mind. She had seen Legolas in action in the mines of Moria, but with his new bow the fair Elf was incredible.
"But who can say what it hit?" Legolas replied. Not even his Elvish eyes had been able to determine what the shadow had been though he had known it to be evil. He had felt its malice.
"Does it matter?" Boromir called from his boat. He looked shaken, his paddle resting beside him and his hands clutching the edges of the boat. His eyes scanned the clear sky. "Whatever it was, is gone. And good riddance too."
"Indeed," Aragorn said. "This night we must all be sleepless for who knows how many more will come, if any at all. Darkness hides us now but what evil will fall upon us by day, no one knows. Have your weapons close at hand."
Kaitlyn chose to draw her sword as her primary weapon, but kept her bow near her in case she needed it. Gimli helped her strap on her quiver when she began to fumble with the buckles. She shivered, not sure if it was from the cold or her fear. Tonight there was no extra Elvish cloak draped over her body for warmth or comfort. The only comfort she had was an Elvish sword in one hand and an Elvish bow in the other and the reluctant hope that she would know how to use them if she needed to.
Most huddled together for warmth and a sense of comfort. All except Legolas, who sat erect in the back of his boat, his bow in his hands and his eyes not once leaving the eastern shore.
The sounds of orcs and other creatures died down and then faded altogether. The night passed by slowly and silently one agonizing moment at a time.
When dawn approached, the group set out on the river and paddled with haste.
By midday, Aragorn alerted everyone's attention to the Agornath, enormous statues that stood on each side of the river. He explained how the Númenóeans built the statues during the Second Age to ward off attack from the north.
Kaitlyn glanced up at them in awe. They were tremendous statues of men with armor and helmets, each with a hand stretched out in front of them. They put any statue she had ever seen back home to complete shame. The thing that amazed her most was the fact that these gigantic sculptures had been carved completely by hand and not by machines or power tools.
Later in the day, Legolas spoke aloud that he could hear the falls of Rauros calling in the distance. They were nearing the end of their journey on the great river.
Aragorn led the company to the shore of a sandy beach not far from the roaring of the falls. A forest loomed behind the shore and climbed up a large hill that reached for the sky. A few stone wall ruins with arches lined the shore.
"Tonight we will rest here, for this is Parth Galen, a fair place in the days of old," The Ranger told them. "Let us hope no evil has reached here yet."
They paddled to the shore and drew the boats onto the sand before beginning to unpack.
Merry and Pippin began mumbling about something as they carried their bedrolls and packs further inland.
"You ask him," Pippin told Merry.
"You want it so you ask!" Merry replied and he gave Pippin a shove.
"Gentleman, what seems to be the problem?" Aragorn asked the halflings.
Pippin gazed up at the man and swallowed. It was such a simple comfort to ask for yet now that Aragorn loomed over him it seemed impossible.
Aragorn waited patiently.
Merry gave Pippin a nudge.
"May we have a fire, Aragorn? Please?" Pippin added for good measure.
Aragorn nodded slowly, having seen the hope in the hobbit's fair eyes. "A very small one as we do not wish for the smoke to be seen."
Pippin nodded and grinned with happiness that they would finally be able to have a meal other than lembas. He and Merry gathered kindling while Kaitlyn and Sam arranged the rocks in a circle. In a matter of moments, they had a small fire burning.
Gimli was crouched beside the fire with a stick in one hand. He kept jabbing it into the flames every so often.
Kaitlyn sat not far from him, watching as the hobbits ate sausages and tomatoes. She had eaten only one sausage and her stomach had protested. Her nerves were still twisted with fear and anxiety.
Sam rested against one of the ruins, fighting to remain awake.
Noticing that the fire was dying, Merry volunteered to gather kindling. Stuffing his last bite of sausage into his mouth, he went in search of small sticks and branches.
Aragorn was rummaging through the boat, unpacking blankets and supplies while Legolas stood by the shore, glancing into the woods.
"We'll cross the lake at night," Aragorn called as he brought the blankets. "Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North."
"Oh, yes?" Gimli asked. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks."
Aragorn stopped what he was doing and looked down at Gimli.
Pippin looked up at the Dwarf from his place beside him where he was still eating his food.
"And after that, it gets even better," Gimli continued.
Pippin stopped chewing and his brows drew over his eyes in concern.
"Festering, stinking marshland as far as the eye can see," the Dwarf finished.
"That is our road," Aragorn told him straightforward. The Ranger did not seem the least bit affected by Gimli's description of the harsh road ahead.
Pippin glanced at Aragorn and swallowed his food. Things were not sounding good.
"I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf," Aragorn told Gimli calmly.
Gimli's eyes widened. "Recover my-" he grunted.
Kaitlyn felt her heart fall into her stomach. She had hoped that the road would grow a little easier after what had happened on the river. That perhaps they would find shelter in a town, she could take a bath or eat a decent meal, but that didn't seem to be the case at all. The road was going to grow worse. Much worse.
Despite the fact that it had grown warmer, she drew her cloak around her.
She looked up and noticed that Legolas had stopped gazing into the woods and was walking to Aragorn. The Elf looked troubled, his movements stiff and quick.
"We should leave now," Legolas told Aragorn softly as soon as he reached him. The Ranger was working a knot on the leather tie of one of the packs.
"No, " Aragorn said shaking his head. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness." The Ranger returned to the task of untying the tie.
Legolas glanced into the woods. "It is not the eastern shore that worries me."
At those words, Aragorn looked at the Elf. Legolas was still gazing into the woods.
"A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near," Legolas said and he turned back to face Aragorn. The Mirkwood Elf appeared troubled. His mouth in a frown, his blue eyes focused on the woods, his brows lowered. "I can feel it," he whispered.
Merry returned from gathering firewood and he dropped it on the ground beside the low burning flames.
Gimli was still grumbling about what Aragorn had said. "Recover strength. Pay no heed to that," he said to the hobbits and Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn was not paying much attention to Gimli. She was still glancing at Legolas and Aragorn. Though she couldn't make out what they had been saying, Kaitlyn knew that they were both uneasy. That in turn made her even more worried than she had previously been.
Merry glanced around as he rubbed his hands together and warmed them by the fire that now burned a little higher. "Where's Frodo?" he asked.
Sam who had been dozing, immediately sat up, his eyes glancing around in fear at the fact that he had let Frodo out of his sight for too long and now he was missing.
"Where is he? Where did he go?" Sam asked, his voice sounding panicked. His eyes darted back and forth and he stumbled more than once as he tried to find traces of where Frodo had gone.
Aragorn looked around and then became still, his eyes drawn to an empty bedroll and a shield. Not only was Frodo gone, but Boromir was missing as well. Uneasiness crept further into the Ranger.
"We should spread out and find them," Aragorn said urgently.
"How did they slip away without anyone noticing?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I know not, but we must find them. I do not want Boromir alone with Frodo." Aragorn replied.
They split into groups. Kaitlyn went with Legolas and Gimli as the Dwarf had beckoned her to join them. Merry, Pippin and Sam grouped together and Aragorn went alone into the wilderness.
They searched for nearly a half an hour and no sign of Frodo or Boromir could be found.
"Can't you hear them, Legolas?" Kaitlyn asked. Her legs and back bothered her from sitting in the boat for so long and now her feet hurt from walking around in what felt like circles to her. She was tired of looking for Frodo and Boromir and was growing irritated that they had found no sign of them.
"Nay, I hear no sign of them. Nor do I see any tracks," Legolas replied.
She gave an exasperated sigh, not even noticing that frustration had crept into the Elf's tone. What good was his superior hearing if he couldn't find who they were looking for?
Legolas shifted uneasily. His brows were drawn low over his eyes, causing creases to appear on his pale forehead. "Something is not right," he spoke softly.
"You have a talent for stating the obvious, lad." Gimli told him. The Dwarf was trudging along and using his ax as a walking stick.
Legolas halted abruptly. His posture reminded Kaitlyn of a deer who had stopped upon hearing a disturbance in the woods. She swore that if his ears could move like a deer's they were be spinning back and forth as he detected sounds.
Kaitlyn stepped up beside him and put a hand on his arm. "What is it? What do you hear?" She felt her heartbeat quicken. When Legolas grew concerned, she grew concerned.
He tore his attention away from the sounds and looked down at Kaitlyn and then Gimli. Legolas appeared tense and worried but also excited at the same time. Adrenaline rushed through his body.
"Ready your weapons, " he said softly and he gripped his bow, pulling the string back as if testing it for flaws.
"They are coming."
To be continued…
First off I'd like to send lots of 'thank yous' to all the wonderful people at the laby boards that commented on this story. *hugs to the lot of ya!*
Lots of reviews this chapter, apologies if I have left anyone out!
Kage Miko: Info about the scar will be a little bit later as things with the ring and the Fellowship are of utmost importance at the moment. But all will be revealed.
Hikage Kitsune: What's your guess about the scar? ;) Thanks for your review!
ObsidianDream2005: thanks!
Kerla: Thanks! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story this far. There will be info about her past being revealed soon!
Corrine-la: Hello to Sweden! Your English is very good! Yes, Kaitlyn has had problems in the past and she's very comfortable with having friends right now and not relationships which is why she feels so comfortable with Legolas and Aragorn. Thank you for your review!
Slayin2Fast: I like to slowly give pieces of information to keep the readers guessing. It wouldn't be any fun if I told you things right away!
KL Morgan: Thanks for your review, hon! I was down that day and receiving it made me feel so much better. To receive such high praise from such a talented author is an honor. Sorry if I caused lack of sleep! ;)
Ellie101: I've had a number of people tell me that they've been converted with this story. I don't know if that's a good thing or not! Lol Thanks for your review!
Outinthestorm: Sorry! I've been better about my updates so you shouldn't wait too long. It's usually one chapter a week but I've been known to post two as I have this week. Thanks for your review!
Leia1912: thank you for your suggestions. It was supposed to say eliminate and somehow the spell check turned it into illuminate and I didn't catch it along the way. I've made the change and have re-uploaded the chapter. Thank you for taking the time to point out the mistake. Sometimes my beta and myself miss things! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story.
Silvervaill: I'm not telling. Actually, I've noticed that many people still don't know who the romance will be between and that's made me happy. I didn't want it obvious at first glance. All will be revealed with time! Thanks for your review!
Priestess Aeria: *happily munches on her brownie * Thanks! I'm very glad that you are enjoying the story. I hope it keeps your interest!
SilverPhoenix: Nope, I'm not telling. :D I have to keep my readers in suspense. All will be revealed!
Horsewoman: Thank you so much!
Mary Hyde: I know, I know. I haven't updated 'UC" in ages! I needed a break from Labyrinth fan fic for a while and I've received it with this story. I still have all my notes and outlines for UC and I still plan to work on it when I'm finished with this story.