Anariel of Erudin: Valmoria's Wrath | Lord of the Rings

9. The High Pass

Out of the valley we climbed, and then we kept on climbing, up and up. Elladan said we would be taking the High Pass across the Misty Mountains, a dangerous path but an efficient one. Well, it was efficient for the elves in our party, at least. They traveled the rocky terrain with light feet, barely disturbing the ground beneath them, and with every wobbly step I took, I grew more and more envious of the elf-folk. Legolas was the worst, moving so quickly that with just one of my steps, he was already six paces ahead. 

It was strange to think that all this time I'd never said a word to the elf, nor he to me. Whenever I saw him, he was usually wandering around alone, his eyes looking off into the sky, seeing something my mortal eyes denied me. I'd attempted to ask him about it once while we were still in Rivendell, but something stopped me from approaching him. It wasn't that I was scared; I was just ... uncomfortable with the idea of being that close to him, for reasons I didn't quite understand myself.

Beside me, Turin was still fiddling around with his sword. First, he simply held it in his hands and gazed at the blade, but then he started swinging it around in front of him, later tossing it from one hand to the other while doing so. Behind us, I could hear the twins talking about him.

"What do you think, Elladan," Elrohir asked his brother, "will he lose a finger or a toe?"

The elf gave a short chuckle. "Both."

"Don't underestimate him," I said in his defense. "He's not as stupid as he looks."

"Was that meant to be a compliment, Anariel?" Turin asked. "Because it—"

Just then, Turin's sword slipped from his fingers and pierced the ground just inches away from his right foot. The clumsy fool was still for some time, staring down at his sword with wide eyes as his lips muttered, "Whoops." Then, amidst the twins' snickering, he flashed a bashful smile before drawing his blade and sheathing it. "It's awfully cold up here, isn't it?" he casually went on, scratching the top of his head.

It was cold, very cold, and the higher we climbed, the colder it seemed to get. I'd been given a cloak from the elves, but despite its warmth, I shivered against the biting wind. Still, I fought on even as my toes froze in the snow that covered the path. It wasn't the light, fluffy, fun snow that I used to play in during the winter; it was heavy and very difficult to trudge through—or at least it was for Turin and me. Once again, the elves, with their springy steps, had the advantage over us mortals. As we fought through the knee-deep snow, they strode on top of it, leaving not even the faintest imprint. It was absolutely fascinating, so much that I hardly noticed the numbness of my feet.

"What I wouldn't give to have been born an elf," Turin grumbled as he shoveled some of the snow from his path with his hands.

"I wonder what it would be like," I replied, allowing my mind to get swept up in the thought. "It'd be amazing, I'm sure."

As I dreamt of my elf life, the snow around me began to melt away, and in its place grew a field of silver, long and smooth to my touch, billowing like the waves of the sea. I giggled as I swept my hands against the grass, the leaves gently tickling my palms. It looked so soft and warm, like it was inviting me to a long, peaceful slumber. Eventually, I succumbed to its seduction and fell face-first into something that was surprisingly far from the bliss I'd imagined; in fact, it stung my cheeks a bit.

"What are you doing?" a voice called, shattering my perfect illusion. A hand gripped my collar and pulled me up from the snow, though clumps of it still clung to my face until I shook them away. As the hand spun me around, I was brought face to face with a most bewildered Elladan. Next to him, Elrohir was laughing hysterically.

"You were prancing around like a fool," Elrohir said, copying my movements. With his hands floating at his side, he skipped around the snow, humming and giggling to himself like some silly girl. Surely, I hadn't been acting that ridiculous, but the more I thought about it, the more likely it became.