Freedom in Fire - A LotR Adventure

2 - The Fellowship

I kept my distance from the men while we trudged through the plains of Eriador, towards what these people called the Misty Mountains. It was obvious they knew I didn't trust them but they said nothing about it. They said nothing about the distance I kept from them either, a good six feet at least, but glanced at me every now and then as if they were genuinely worried about my safety.

I spoke not one word while we traveled, spare for a thank you when I was generously provided with food every now and then. My small appetite saved me from feeling too guilty about burdening this ragtag group of feeding an extra mouth. Besides, I caught a bird or two for almost every meal, which was gladly welcomed to fill stomachs better.

During meals, everyone almost always settled into conversations. Though more of it seemed lighthearted, I could tell that Mr. Gandalf, the wizard, Mr. Boromir, Mr. Legolas and Mr. Aragorn often spoke of more somber matters. While I mostly ignored their hushed whispers, there were times when they spoke loud enough for even me to hear. Mr. Legolas and Mr. Aragorn often spoke in a language that I didn't understand. The words were soft and musical and interested me no more than that.

We stopped a few times during the nights or sometimes traveled by the night and rested in the day, taking turns with washing up in the streams and lakes we came across. I insisted on sharing watch-duty, usually with Mr. Boromir since he was the only one who didn't seem entirely annoyed with my cold-shoulder behavior, despite all the men saying it was unnecessary. They seemed to hold women in very high regard but also thought of them as helpless and in need of protection. Though the latter was something I found to be silly, the men were honorable. My repulsion of men was decreasing thanks to that; I was coming to finally believe Hannah's words that not all men were like the dirty pigs we had had to deal with every day in the facility, and most definitely not like Judin.

My changing opinion of men was mildly agitating but also oddly calming, easing out the constant uneasiness I had ever since I met and began traveling with these people.

Besides the change in my view of the world in the days that passed, my assumption of being in an alternate realm had only proved to be true. I was no longer in the Shadow Legion's facility or the city or country it served. I was in a world where fantasy was reality, where these nine people were in the middle of a dangerous mission – what it was though was not known to me yet. I didn't know if I would find out about it either.

In the past two days as we closed in on the base of the Misty Mountains, I was often lost in my thoughts. While these people had been nothing short of kind to me, I had been rude and had kept my true identity a secret from them. Well, it wasn't that I wanted to for any reason besides my safety and to ensure that I wasn't dreaming or crazy. Now that I knew I wasn't dreaming or crazy, revealing the truth was only right and perhaps sensible. They had volunteered to escort me to a town which I would surely not fit into so I needed to find something besides that to do, something besides being a weak woman who needed to be protected.

I considered offering my skills to help this group with their mission. It was all I could offer for I had known nothing besides fighting and protecting all my life. I had done so as a slave before but I could do it because I wanted to now. The hobbits, more than any other of the group, kindly with an air of innocence and not even reaching my shoulder in height and just above the waists of the tall men, stirred my motherly instinct. I had always been the one to look after the younger and weaker in the facility, soothing them when they cried in pain or fear or sadness, tending to them when they needed it, and looking after them as if they were my own family...and the hobbits stirred that side of me more than I wished them to.

Such a journey didn't seem to suit them but they were staying strong. They were pushing past tiredness and the tough terrain to keep up with the others. I wanted to help them if I could...if I was allowed to.