Bound (A Lord of the Rings Fanfic)

Chapter 3

Jessie POV

And so we start off on this mission, and one thing I am certain of is that none of the fellowship is all too happy that Cass and I are in the company - excluding Gandalf and Aragorn of course. Legolas isn't so unkind either but keeps his distance. The hobbits all seem to be frightened of us. Then there is Boromir and Gimli who are apparently having a contest on who can be meaner to the new girls. It's frustrating to say the least. To think it's just the first day. There is one other thing that concerns me more and more as the day wears on: I am beginning to forget what will happen in the story of The Lord of the Rings.

"Cass, I'm starting to forget what happens." It is frightening to forget what you used to know.

"Me too. All I really know now is from my vision." She turns to me, fear warping her face. We continue on.

The road is easy at first, rather steep yes, but it compares to nothing once we reach the rough terrain that lies south of Rivendell. We spend most of the day walking even though we have horses. By the time we come to rest my feet are numb. Camp is setup as sunset descends upon us. It is breathtaking, the sun seems alive here. Everything here feels alive. I close my eyes and the air tickles my skin and plays with the hair hanging loosely about my waist. I want nothing more than to live the rest of my life in this moment.

"It is beautiful." A voice next to me speaks out.

"Yes." I answer breathlessly, this is the first time Legolas has spoken to me. The elf had only looked at us from afar when we were interrogated in Rivendell.

"Do you not see beauty like this where you are from?" He tilts his head in question, his blonde locks swaying, eyes alight with curiosity.

"No. We used to, but we destroyed lots of it with buildings and pollution." I stare at him, if only he knew how lucky he is to call this world home.

"Pollution?" His brow furrows.

"It is a curse." I sigh looking back at the sunset, anger and sadness tinge my voice. "One that follows humans everywhere they go." I feel his gaze on me as the sun finally sinks beneath the horizon. "We should get back to helping the others." He nods in ascension and we head back.

I find Cass and we collect firewood. The night wears on and we finally eat stew cooked up by Sam.

I want to wash my face before sleep, so while the others prepare for bed I go into the woods. I heard a river nearby earlier. The deeper I tread into the woods the louder the sound of rushing water becomes. I come upon the river; it isn't as large or fast as I had thought but it will do. I approach the river bank, leaning forward to cup water in my hands. When my face is as clean as it will get given the circumstances, I rise from my squatting position. As I stand I lose my balance and start my face-first descent into the river. In panic I fling my hands up and in that instant fire radiates from my hands and I the distinct feeling of arms wrap themselves around my waist.

Alarm bursts from my chest, who the hell is holding me? I turn slowly to find the shoulder length brown hair and unshaven stubble that belong to Boromir. I instantly sigh in relief; he on the other hand, seems to get angrier as seconds tick by.

"You should not have ventured by yourself into the woods! Do you not understand the dangers of the woods? You should not have come at all, you're nothing but a burden." He sneers in disgust, "Even with your powers, whatever they may be." He refers to the fire that formed in my hands just moments ago.

"I honestly don't care about your opinion. You can distrust me all you want and voice your distrust, but guess what? I'm not going anywhere so deal with it." I turned to leave but halt. Even if he is acting like a jerk he did just save me from a cold dip in the river. "Thanks anyway." I return to camp and quietly rejoin Cass as she sets up our beds.

Her brows draw in concern, "Are you okay?"

I'm about to answer when Boromir makes his way into camp, casting me a fleeting look before marching to his bed, facing away from me.

"Yeah, I think I figured out my power." I ignore her inquisitive glances at Boromir.

"What?" Her eyes widen.

"I went to a nearby river. I almost fell in and when I stuck my hands out fire shot out of them." Her reaction has me laughing so hard the rest of the camp to shoots curious gazes at us.

"So, you're like a firebender. What about the other elements? Can you bend them?" She takes hold of my hands, studying them.

"I don't know. I haven't tried. And what are you doing with my hands?" I take them back.

She shrugs. "Just checking to see if the fire left any burn marks. Maybe you could be like the avatar."

"I guess we'll have to see, won't we?" I smile and lie on the bed, which is really only a blanket on the ground, and wish her goodnight.

*Morning*

My shoulder is being shaken. I whip my eyes open and snap into a sitting position. My head pounds instantly and dizziness takes me. I groan.

"You needn't rise so quickly, Lady Jessie. I was simply sent to wake you and your friend, Lady Cassie." Pippen pipes timidly. The poor hobbit's still terrified of us.

I give him my warmest smile and thank him.

"Cass, wake up." I shake her gently but she doesn't stir. I can tell she's just faking her continued sleep. So, I improvise. "Cass, you were gassy all night and Legolas heard all of it." I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

She shoots up like a torpedo, a horrified expression crosses her face. I can't hold it anymore and brake out in a fit of giggles. Finally understanding what I just said is a lie she socks me on the arm kind of hard, but I do deserve it, "Oh! I can't believe you! You really are the worst sometimes!" She looks hurt but I know she will get over it so I keep laughing and eventually she joins me. The gaze of the rest of the fellowship is on us but I choose to ignore them.

Everything is packed up and we set out on our mission once again.

Riding the horse given to me, I have the growing sense of being watched. Rather disgruntled, I try to ignore it but it's ceaseless. Giving in I whip my head around, making eye contact with Boromir. His eyes pop in surprise and he snaps his head away from me. I swear I saw a light blush on his cheeks. Weird, I think. Wonder why he's starring. The day continues until we take a rest. They say it's for the hobbits, but considering Cass and I are practically melting from the heat, I find that to be a stretch of the truth. We stop at a cluster of rocks, one of which stands erect and away from the others - kind of like a peeled banana.