Estateillio

the Wrath of Caradhras

• In hindsight, she knew that she could have done better.

• Around noon they had almost reached the highest point of the pass, undisturbed by harsh winds or rock slides, and they had found some sort of alcove in the steep rock wall and had decided to make a quick break, easy something and replenish their strenght.

• To distract herself from her thoughts (about the war, the Ring, her dream, the promise,...) Estateillio had started polishing her dagger and then she had remembered that it would probably be a good idea to inform her cousin about their changed route and perhaps to give the lady Galadriel a warning before they turned up in Lothlórien.

• And so she first reached along the bond that she shared with Elrond and quickly briefed him about the incident and then took a minute to inquire about the health of her niece and nephews.

• It happened when she was about to bid him farewell.

• "Be careful, Rendi. I know not what awaits you, but I have had visions of fire and shadow and I fear what you might come across, be it dragon or balrog or something else entirely", he warned and the elleth tensed, a reply already half thought there are no dragons, there are no balrogs left, I killed them all, I made sure of it.

• Gandalf had said such things as well, but where the words of a being that had helped shape the world failed, the words of her Half-elven cousin succeeded and for a second she considered the possibility of having not done her self-appointed task properly.

• And then there was a twinge in her palm and she jolted out of her thoughts, away from the conversation with Elrond and her senses focused on her right hand that, at the prospect of having failed, of having to face another dragon or balrog, she had involuntarily clenched and because she'd still been polishing the dagger, its blade had dug into the flesh, though the cut was not deep.

• And mesmerized she watched - as well as a blind person could watch - as a single drop of blood fell from her hand and it dripped into the white snow and coloured it not crimson but gold, for the colour of it had been changed in Angband.

• And the wind ceased for a moment and an eery silence fell upon Caradhras as the golden liquid tricked away into the snow and the mountain tasted it and he saw the touch of Morgoth, the foe of creation, in it and he knew the blood of the kinslayers, for its roots reached deep and far and often he would listen to stories from others, and he knew her to be a Nosnethariel and mistook her also for a Melkorhína and thus his anger rose.

• The wind turned cold and harsh and quickly clouds gathered around his peak and snow fell in masses and had Saruman not stoked his fury, Caradhras would have left it at that, for he still remembered the help she had given him with the orcs so long ago.

• But the traitorous Istar saw his chance and whispered to the mountain, who knew not that the maia had turned from the light, and no matter how much Estateillio pleaded with him, he did not listen and unleashed a snow storm upon them.

• And bravely the fellowship trudged on through the every thickening blanket of snow and the ever harsher and colder wind, determined to make it past this last ascend and hoping that the way down would be easier.

• And then they heard it, a faint echo in the distance, as Saruman no longer concealed his interference in order to elicit a quicker response from Caradhras, and he urged him to take revenge for all that he thought the elleth to be: "Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya!"

• "There's a fell voice in the air", Legolas informed the others and she sighed: "It's Saruman. He is turning Caradhras against us." And the voice grew stronger and louder and in response a few rocks tumbled down the peak and just narrowly missed them.

• "He's trying to bring down the mountain!", Aragorn cried out, "We must turn back!" "No!", Gandalf deflected. "I cannot calm him", Estateillio told them, hand on the cold, grey stone, "His wrath has been awoken."

• And Mithrandir, ever so stubborn, stepped to the edge of the narrow mountain pass and bellowed: "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!" And in response the fallen maia chanted: "Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar!"

• And there was a crash and the ground shook and then tons of snow were raining down on them, burying the fellowship and Saruman's chanting ceased.

• There was a moment of panic, a moment of 'I can't breathe' until Estateillio had managed to emerge from the cold, white powder and lightly she walled on top of it and helped to pull the others out as well and then they stood there in the snow storm, freezing, and stared at the large boulder that now blocked their path to the east and that must have been placed there deliberately during the small avalanche.

• "This path is closed to us now, the only way remaining is back", the elleth summarized wearily. "We should try the south route again" Boromir suggested, having pulled Merry and Pippin close to him to share body heat and warm them up. Aragorn had done the same for Frodo and Sam.

• "The passage south is being watched", Gandalf retorted, "and would lead us too close to Isengard under such circumstances."

• "Then let us go through the mines of Moria", Gimli exclaimed, "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it!" "Moria has become a dangerous place", Estateillio objected and it was the wizard who came up with a solution: "Let the Ringbearer decide."

• And all eyes lay on Frodo, who seemed unsure of what to do, and Boromir, concerned with the health of the small ones, pressed: "We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!"

• This bid for urgency could not go ignored and so Mithrandir urged: "Frodo?" And the hobbit chose and declared: "We will go through the mines of Moria." "So be it", Estateillio spoke and the fellowship retraced their steps down the mountain, carrying the hobbits through the thicker layers of snow.

[《◇》]
Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoyed!
AT
P.S.:
here's the translation of what Saruman and Gandalf are saying:
S: Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!
G: Sleep, Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!
S: Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads!
P.P.S.:
Rendi -> cousins
Nosnethariel -> daughter of a kinslayer
Melkorhína -> child of Melkor (Melkorhini canonically only means the orcs, but I extended the meaning of the word to include all kinds of creatures that were created by Melkor (Vampires, dragons,...))