Colours

I Discover a New Hatred

The fellowship travels up the mountain. Legolas is in the lead standing tall and acting as a scout for the rest of the group. Boromir and Aragorn take up the rear behind the me as they stumble through waist deep in the snow. 

Merry and Pippin huddle closest under my arms. The hobbits had been rotating who got to walk beside me each taking their turn to be warmed by my heat. Pippin speaks up ever the curious one, "Why is it that you are always so warm, Karonya? Should you not also be freezing with us? It's not really fair," he grumbles that end part.

I giggle at the young hobbit, a merry sound that tinkers in the wind and makes Legolas smile as he hears it in the wind. "Well Pip, it is a trait of my people, the Anardil elves."

Legolas, hearing the word Anardil, makes his way over towards us, he questions, "The Anardil elves? It was told they all perished two millenia ago. What is this I am hearing?"

I flinchs a little at Legolas' words, "What you say is true, I am the last of my people." I turn towards the hobbits to continue my story.

"The Anardil elves were a warrior group of elves that were also known as the Sun elves. We were known for our fiery tempers and fierce battles. It was said that long ago the Anardil elves provided assistance to one of the Maia and were in return blessed with the sun. It is a characteristic of all the Anardil to have the warmth of the sun in our bodies, our blood and our eyes. It gave our eyes the look of flickering flames and the warmth of a home hearth and our blood a golden colour."

"What happened to them all?" Pippin asks.

"Sauron," I reply shortly, "he slaughtered them all."

Upset by the memories I let go of the hobbits and move to walk in front of the group for a while.

--

Having moved to walk back with the hobbits a while ago I startle to see Frodo slip and stumble, falling to the ground. The ring slips off his neck and rolls down stopping in front of Boromir. Reaching down Boromir picks up the ring and examines it in his hand.

As Boromir stares transfixed by the ring, Aragorn and I turn towards the man and Aragorn reaches down to lay an hand on the hilt of his sword. I widen my eyes in suprise at the presence of the ring in front of Boromir. Acting without thinking, I rush towards him as Boromir starts talking, "It is a strange fate that we should suff....."

Wham!

I tackle Boromir to the ground and cause him to drop the ring which is quickly picked up by Frodo. Making his way to the pair Aragorn reaches out a hand to help Boromir up before gently placing his arm on my shoulders and guiding me towards the back of the fellowship.

"What was that?" Aragorn asks concerned and checks me over for any injuries.

I hunch my shoulders and huddle closer to Aragorn, "I'm not..not entirely sure what happened. I didn't really think. I just sort of panicked. It was the first thing I could think of"

Aragorn looks surprised, he brings me closer, "Do not fret young one, what you did helped greatly. I am unsure of what Boromir would have done otherwise."

I snuzzle my head further into Aragorn's shoulder, "Hey! Who are you calling young, Ranger! If you don't remember I am several centuries older than you."

"How could I forget? It's not like you don't remind every week!" Aragorn laughs as he unwinds his arms from around me and we continue to trek up the mountain behind the rest of the group. Turning to look at me one more time, he smiles and says, "But remember your body and mind may be old but your heart is young yet."

~~

The fellowship trundles their way through the snowstorm. The hobbits are being carried by Aragorn and Boromir as Legoas leads them on in the front. Suddenly, Legolas pauses, "There is a fell voice in the air," he shouts out.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf calls back as rock and snow come tumbling down the die of the mountain and thunder rumbles overhead.

Aragorn moves closer to the rock face, "He's trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf! We must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf raises his staff to the wind and chants words into the void. I huddle closer to Legolas at the front of the group, frightened by the things falling that I could not see from the light and the blowing wind. My vision had been quite a problem these last couple of hours in the snow requiring me to use one of the fellowship as a guide.

A lightning strike brightens the sky in a quick flash before an avalanche of snow covers the fellowship. Legolas and I pop up quickly with the assistance of our light elven bodies and my natural warmth melting the snow around us. "I think this is a point for me rescuing you princeling?" I ask as I move to dig out the other companions from the snow using the wall as a guide.

"I'll concede a point," Legolas agrees pulling Aragorn out of the snow and helping him brush off.

The Hobbits huddle around me seeking her warmth as Boromir stands up and addresses the group, "We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isenguard," Aragorn responds.

Never one to be left out the dwarf gives his two cents worth, "We cannot pass over a mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

Gandalf stand looking concerned and unsure, finally he turns to Frodo, "Let the ring-bearer decide."

Frodo huddles closer to me stricken by the decision. Finally looking upon his companions and the state they are in he comes to a decision, "We will go through the mines."

"So be it," Gandalf nods and the group begins to make their way down the mountain.