Heart Of A Wolf - A Legolas Love Story (Under Editing)

Chapter Five

It had been many long and mostly quiet hours since we left Rivendell, but I was okay with that. The hobbits, on the other hand, weren't.

One minute I was all by myself, the next I was surrounded by the half-lings who all looked up at me with broad smiles.

"What?" I asked looking down at them.

"How did you end up coming here?" Pip asked still smiling.

"Silly Gandalf of course! A few days ago, he visited me late at night asking me to come with him to Rivendell. That crazy old man," I said getting laughs from the hobbits.

"Typical Gandalf," Frodo said with a lopsided smile.

"What about you? How did you get here?" I asked still looking down at them.

"Well, Gandalf gave me the Ring to take to Rivendell, Sam here was listening in on our conversation, and we found Pip and Merry stealing vegetables," Frodo said still looking ahead. I smiled.

We were silent for a bit until Aragorn spoke. "Let's rest at those rocks ahead," he said loud enough so everyone in the back could hear him.

I nodded, and in a few minutes we were setting up camp. Sam was cooking us a late lunch while Boromir and Aragorn tried teaching Merry and Pip some basic sword fighting.

I decided to help Sam cook and dish up the stew he was making, for I felt comfortable around him. And also, not to brag, but I happen to be an excellent chef.

After ten minutes, the stew was ready, and I handed everyone their bowl. I decided to give Legolas his bowl last so I could maybe get to know him better. His whole person had piqued my curiosity.

"Here," I said setting the bowl of stew next to the Legolas. He looked at me as I sat down next to him.

"Thank you," he said, still looking out across the bare landscape.

I smiled and found myself glancing towards Boromir and the two hobbits who were practicing sword figthing. Boromir must have accedentally cut Pippin's hand because Merry and Pippin were soon both on top of Boromir, the whole scene making me chuckle to myself.

I glanced back at Legolas to see if he was watching the three as well, but I instead saw him stand up.

"What? Not hungry?" I smirked, taking noticed to the untouched snew next to him. Legolas didn't reply. "Legolas?" I asked, my eyes following his gaze and landing on a black formation in the distance.

"What is that?" I heard Sam ask from behind me. I could only guess he was looking at the same thing.

"Nothing, it's just a wisp of a cloud," Gimli said smoking his pipe.

"It is moving really fast, against the wind," Boromir said.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas yelled.

"Hide!" Aragorn ordered, and everyone rushed to make us scarce. I watched the cloud and realized that it was a massive flock of giant, red-eyed, evil-looking ravens who were missing flesh and feathers making them incredibly gruesome to look at.

I suddenly felt a hand wrap around my waist, and another hand cover my mouth and pull me down into a bush. I at first tried to fight back but then saw that the person was Legolas holding me close to his chest and I stopped squirming. I felt his strong heartbeat thumping through my back which was much calmer than my own pulse. Through the leaves, I watched as the evil ravens flew over us searching for signs of life.

They must not have seen us for they soon were gone and everyone hesitantly emerged from their hiding spots in the rocks and bushes.

"Thank you," I said turning to Legolas shyly.

He smiled at me.

"Spies of Sauraman," I heard Gandalf say in a harsh voice, drawing me away from Legolas. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

"What does that mean?" Merry asked me quietly.

"Snow," I replied, already cold.

~~~

I next found myself on an icy mountainside, covered in snow and ice, trying to shelter two poor hobbits from the bitter wind. I was miserable, but I had clothing that mostly kept me warm. I was more worried about everyone else, especially the poor hobbits, who weren't wearing anything other than their cloaks and summer clothes.

We were on a steep incline and I wathced as Frodo slipped on some shamble and began to fall back down the steep slope, but I, standing behind him when this happened, grabbed his hand and yanked him back onto safe ground before he could fall further. I saw him reach for the Ring, which usually hung on a necklace around his kneck. Frodo's face took on a look of panic and I noticed that the Ring was gone!

Everyone else saw this too, and we all began to search the snow, hoping it didn't fall off the edge. Then I saw something shiny in the snow along with a hand that reached down and grabbed it. Boromir's hand.

"Boromir?" I asked as our comrade stared intensely at the evil.

"It is a strange fate that we should all suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing," he said ignoring me.

I saw Aragorn approach Boromir. "Boromir," he said quietly, "give the Ring to Fodo."

I saw Aragon's hand move to his sword hilt as he said that but I made no sound. Boromir looked at me and seemed to snap out of his trance.

"As you wish. I care not," he said lightly as he handed Frodo the Ring of Power before he ruffled Frodo's hair. I saw Aragorn remove his hand from his sword and we kept on moving.

The already cold weather got even colder as the long hours passed by. We were too cold to even pass the time by with chatting, and I saw the poor hobbits get colder and colder by the minute as a blizzard's unwanted face loomed over us.

Legolas, who was walking on top of the snow, stopped. "There is a fell voice in the air," he said urgently to Gandalf who was right in front of me.

"It is Sauraman," he yells over the howling wind.

As I heard him say this, I began to notice a chanting voice rise with the wind. Rock and shamble from above fell, aiming to crush us all. I grabbed Merry and Pippin and pushed them against the rock wall using myself to shield them. Thankfully only small pebbles fell on me and not the giant boulders.

"He is trying to bring down the mountain," I heard Aragorn say urgently. "Gandalf! We must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf yelled and lifted his staff, beginning to chant, his voice for a moment rising over Sauraman's. But it did nothing.

Sauraman's reply was more snow and ice that we couldn't escape this time. I covered Merry and Pip once more as the avalanche buried us under its cold hand. Once it ended, I rushed to emerge and give the three of us air.

"We must get off the mountain!" I heard Boromir yell after he surfaced. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan will take us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn protests.

"We cannot pass over the mountain; let's go through it!" I heard Gimli yell. "Let us go through the mines of Moria."

That sounded like a much better idea than freezing on the mountain, but Gandalf's expression told me he didn't wish to go that way. Why? I did not know.

"Let the ring bearer decide," Gandalf said looking at Frodo. We all turned to the little hobbit and waited for his answer.

"We will go through the mines," he says lips blue.

Gandalf nods. "So be it."