Daughter of the Dark (War of the Rings: Books 1-3)

The Pass of Caradhras

Lyraelle's POV

I woke up to the rocking of my body being jostled. I opened my eyes slowly and peered around me to discover that I was currently thrown over the left shoulder of Boromir as he and the rest of the fellowship made their way through the snowy foothills of the Misty Mountains. I groaned, not this place again!

The last time I was here, Thorin and Co. had almost been destroyed in the backlash of two rock giants fighting each other.

"Boromir, let me down this instant!" I exclaimed as I pounded my fists against his back. I heard him chuckle loudly before finally giving in and releasing me gently to the ground. I could sense two pairs of eyes drilling holes in my back and immediately guessed who they belonged to; but considering the warm welcome I had been receiving lately from Legolas and Aragorn, I was not inclined to turn around and meet their gaze. Instead, I stayed close to Boromir's side as we made our way further up the mountain, talking to him about his father and learning about his younger brother. Hearing about the two boys and their many adventures in the white city was a nice distraction from the intense cold that surrounded us.

As hard as I tried, I couldn't help myself from glancing backwards every so often. I don't know why I bothered, since it broke my heart to see the glares of mistrust on Aragorn and Legolas's faces every time I did so.

"Don't worry, they'll come around eventually. Just give them time," Boromir told me kindly as he observed where my gaze kept landing. I looked at him in shock. He seemed to be warming up to me with each day that went by and I wasn't complaining, but I did find it surprising considering the warm welcome I had first received from him.

"I don't think so, Boromir. You see the way they look at me now. I doubt they will ever see me as anything but the evil spawn of my father. I don't bother getting close to people because they never are able to see me for me once they learn the truth and I accepted that a long time ago. I've learned to not care what people think about me nor to let myself get attached to anyone - but for some reason, I can't help but care about what those two men think. Why is that?"

I looked up at Boromir questioningly, not expecting an answer but wanting one desperately all the same.

Boromir paused in the snow and turned to look at me with his brows raised.

"Do you really not know who they are to you?" He asked curiously.

"Traveling companions?" I replied with a frown, thinking of the response I would have liked to have given.

Boromir gave me a weird look; opening his mouth to say something before glancing over my shoulder and turning back around with a shrug. I spun around, wondering what had brought on the sudden change in him, only to find the two individuals we had been discussing glaring at me once more. My shoulders slumped as I dropped my gaze to the ground and continued to make my way up the mountain, eventually maneuvering myself next to Gimli, who clapped me on the back with a grunt and a grin.

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I climbed the snowy slopes of Caradhras in silence, my thoughts a mix of fear and doubt. I looked up as I heard a faint cry and a shout coming from behind me. I spun around in time to see Frodo loosing his footing and rolling down the slope towards Aragorn. I stepped forward as I called out to him.

"Frodo!" I paused as I watched Aragorn help the little hobbit to his feet, but frowned as Frodo searched himself frantically for my father's ring only to realize at the same time as I, that it was laying several feet away in the snow.

I clenched my hands into fists and bit my lip as I tried to drown out the whispering voices that filled my head as the ring called out to me. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pull that was tugging at me. When I opened my eyes again, it was in time to see Boromir bend down and pick up the golden ring by its chain.

"Boromir!" Aragorn and I warned at the same time. I bit my lip harder as I resisted the urge to look over at him as I hear the whispers in my head change direction and focus in on Boromir; promising false glory and redemption.

"It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...such a little thing," Boromir said slowly as he stared at the chain. I stepped forward as my hand moved towards my sword handle.

"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo," Aragorn commanded. I sighed in relief as he finally did so.

"As you wish. I care not." I frowned, sensing the lie in Boromir's words as he jokingly tousled Frodo's hair before resuming his climb up the mountain.

I breathed out heavily as I released my grip on my sword and turned back around. As I did so, I caught Legolas staring at me and I once again found my gaze darting towards the snow at my feet as I shuffled past him as quickly as I could.

Several hours passed by as we trudged up the path through the mountains. My hair was frozen stiff and my fingers were numb but I barely seemed to notice as I continued to stare at the ground before my feet in my attempt to ignore the hate I felt being directed towards me from Aragorn and Legolas.

My steps stilled as my ears picked up a voice I recognized in the wind.

"There is a fell voice on the air," Legolas called out, his elven ears picking up on what I had heard.

"It's Saruman!" I cried out as I exchanged a worried look with Gandalf. This was not good, not good indeed.

All of us looked up as a sudden rumbling shook the mountain and an avalanche of snow fell, just barely missing us.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" cried Aragorn.

"No!" Gandalf shouted back as he stepped forward and started to chant a counter spell. I hurried forward and joined him, adding as much of my power to his spell as I could.

"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith! (Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!)" we said together. I tried to stay hopeful but a sense of dread filled my body as I listened to Saruman counteracting our spells with his own. 

My eyes widened in fear as lightning struck the tip of Caradhras, sending a second avalanche onto the Fellowship below. I panicked as I watched Aragorn and Legolas snatch the hobbits and Gandalf from the edge; pulling the others against the cliff to safety, but leaving themselves still exposed.

Before I could even think about what I was doing, my body reacted and I found myself darting forward and pushing them as hard as I could towards the cliff wall just before the snow could bury them completely. But that left me still out in the open with no time to spare and I suddenly found myself falling off the cliff and tumbling through the air.

I spun head over heels through the air, weighed down by the pile of snow. I twisted and turned as I tried my best to shake off the snow. As the ground came closer and closer towards me, I caught the faint sound of several voices shouting out my name...

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3rd Person POV

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir cried.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn pointed out, sharing a glance with his soulmate as the two of them tried to ignore their mixed emotions after watching their other soulmate tumble off the cliff after saving their lives.

"If we cannot pass over a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria!" Gimli proposed with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Let the Ring bearer decide," Gandalf said, grimly. "Frodo?" Gandalf turned to look at the hobbit.

"We will go through the mines," Frodo replied after a moment of thought.

"So be it," Gandalf said, squeezing his eyes closed in a brief moment of fear.

"Eru have mercy, I was really hoping to avoid that place!" A voice said from behind. The fellowship turned around and stared in shock and awe at the sight that met their eyes.

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Author's Note

- apologies for the long wait! I've been really busy and just had a lot on my mind lately but I haven't forgotten about any of my stories and will continue to do my best to update whenever i can! As always please let me know what you think of this latest chapter!