Where do I belong? A Legolas Love Story

Chapter 4 Mountain Pass

Chapter four

Legolas and I walked and I found that we weren't that far from Rivendell. "Do you know where they are?" Legolas asked. Somehow I knew that they had just left Rivendell a few weeks ago, if that, it was as if I had left with them, as if I had been here my whole life. I was glad I had studied all the maps I could find of middle earth.

"At the foot of Caradhras," I replied continuing to walk. I looked up at him, "Want to race?" I asked like a little kid. He looked at me funny, "Oh come on, humor me, please?" I asked. I wanted to play; I hadn't had much chance to play while I grew up. He nodded and I started to run.

"No fair you got a head start!" he shouted after me.

"You're an elf, catch up!" I called back over my shoulder smiling a real smile for the first time in my life. The run was short compared to the walk through the tunnel but still long by most people's standard, two hours and I was easily able to keep a steady pace. Legolas did catch up but let me lead. I knew he could easily outrun me but he didn't, he seemed to understand how important this was.

"You don't play fair," he said as the fellowship came into view.

"Who said anything about life being fair?" I asked. I continued to run and I could hear the fellowship shouting for Legolas and asking him who he was with. I stopped at about 20 feet away and Legolas passed me by just a few inches before he stopped.

He held out his hand to me, "Come on, come meet your father," he said. I grabbed his hand and held on tightly. He led me up to the group. "Guys, this is the young woman that helped me get back."

Aragorn and I stared at each other. It was like looking into a mirror, he had the same eyes. "Arathina?" he asked.

I cocked my head at him, "Is that my name?" I asked. His voice was familiar; it was the one I heard every night before I went to sleep.

He nodded, "you don't know your name?" he asked and I could hear the worry in his voice.

I shook my head, "I've never heard it spoken before." I took a step towards him still clinging tightly to Legolas' hand. "You're my dad," I stated simply, it wasn't a question, I knew. He nodded. I then noticed something in the sky and I looked away from Aragorn. "Crebain, from Dunland," I said nodding my head at a dark cloud that was appearing in the sky.

Everyone looked to where I was looking, "trust her," Legolas said as even Legolas wouldn't be able to make out what it was yet.

"Hide!" Aragorn shouted. I rushed around helping the hobbits gather their things and put out the fire. Aragorn ran by holding his sword, "Frodo! Arathina! Take cover!" I ran for the brush and slid under. It wasn't thirty seconds later that a burst of black cut across the clear blue sky, blocking out the sun. Another thirty seconds or so passed and the birds left and we came out.

I started pulling warmer clothes out of my bag and putting them on and my snow shoes so that I could stay on the surface. I had also packed my snow boots, a vest that would hold in my body heat, a coat, scarf, cloak, hat, and insulated gloves. I got myself bundled up as Gandalf said, "The passage south is being watched." The whole fellowship looked to him, some in fear, wondering what to do now. "We must take the path of Caradhras." We all looked at the mountain.

I started to walk up without question. "Brave lass," I heard Gimli say. I looked back at him and smiled. He looked just as I had pictured him, roughly four foot tall, red-brownish hair and beard that each could be pulled into a ponytail. He wore his armor with an axe on his back and another in his hands. I was ten feet above the rest of the fellowship, I just looked at them. Everyone was I had pictured Gandalf tall with salt and pepper hair and beard. He wore a grey cloak with matching robes and hat. His staff was taller than him and gnarled. The hobbits all came to the bottom of my rib cage, three with red hair, one with black and plump. They two wore traveling cloaks. Boromir was dressed in his light amour and wore the clothing of a captain from Gondor. His hair was ginger as his beard was. Aragorn in his dark colored clothing with his sword at his side and his quiver on his back along with his pack, his hair and stumble matched his dark clothing.

Gandalf was the first to move, then Legolas, followed by Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Sam's pony. They all walked past me. Boromir then followed, Frodo following him. I went up next knowing Aragorn was right behind me.

For days we walked under sunny skies and somehow we managed to find a relatively dry and sheltered area to sleep. I got little sleep though; I wasn't used to sleeping in cold like this. I was also hungry. I had been eating my protein bars and melting snow in my water bottle to have something to drink. I had been getting to know the fellowship. The hobbits were all very sweet and kind. They were great friends.

Gimli and Boromir I was still warming up to. They were nice enough, I was just nervous. Trust for me was hard. I was broken from my thoughts when I heard a grunt. I looked up to see Frodo rolling towards me. I rushed forward the best I could in my snow shoes and caught him. Aragorn behind shouted his name and came up behind me as I got Frodo on his feet. "Are you all right Frodo?" I asked. He nodded looking for the ring; it was up the hill a few feet. Boromir picked it up and I placed my hand on Frodo's shoulder. "Boromir," I called.

"Boromir, give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn said calmly.

Boromir ignored us, transfixed by the ring, "It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt...over so small a thing. Such a little thing." He reached out to touch the ring.

Aragorn and I both shouted, "Boromir!" He looked up at us. "Give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn said.

Boromir looked as though someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. He took a sharp intake of breath before slowly moving forward. "As you wish," he said approaching us holding out the ring. Frodo yanked it out of his hand. "I fear not," he said. He then let out a light chuckle and ruffled Frodo's hair in an attempt to lighten the mood. He proceeded to walk away pulling his shield up higher on his shoulder.

I looked back at Aragorn and he was removing his hand from the hilt of his sword. He looked at me concerned. I turned back to Frodo. "Frodo if you would like I could carry you." He looked at me as though he was trying to decide. "I won't hurt you or try to take the ring," I said trying to reassure him. He finally nodded and held up his arms as I crouched down. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I placed one of my arms around his back and the other underneath him.

I carried him starting up the path again, followed by Aragorn. Frodo, however, was the one to speak, "Arathina, why didn't you know your name?"

"The people I was staying with never used it. I was called girl," I replied.

"How can someone do that to a child?" Frodo asked.

"In the world, I came from people can be very cruel to each other, even their own children. Not all of them are as lucky as me, I got out alive but many don't. But that doesn't matter now, I'm home, I'm where I belong," I said. I heard Aragorn stumble at what I said and turned to look at him. I couldn't place the emotion on his face as I had never seen it before. The hill was getting steeper and the pressure in the air was changing. A storm was coming and a big one.

"Arathina, I'm sorry. I didn't know, I wanted to protect you," Aragorn said. The emotion was thick in his voice.

"I know dad, it isn't your fault. You did what you thought was right. I know that if you knew what that family was like you would have never left me there." He nodded and said nothing. My guess was he didn't know what to say. I guess he thought I would be mad at him for being left there, growing up without my family beside me.