Thorodriel

Chapter 14 - The Pass of Caradhras

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Thorodriel: Chapter 14

"You saw him, didn't you?"

Legolas caught her off-guard with his question and she looked up from the snowy path in surprise.

"Saruman." He clarified, "That's how Gandalf knew he was watching our path."

Aeweneth felt her cheeks flame red in awkwardness. Not used to the attention, she bashfully turned back to the snow-blanketed route ahead of them and refocused on the task at hand.

"Yes."

Legolas paused for a moment and she could tell he was deep in thought. Lost in the past, no doubt, remembering their childhood.

"You've gotten better at it then?" He eventually asked.

The bluntness brought a smile to her lips and she laughed softly, "A lot better."

She faced him to explain, but the look in his eyes caught her breath. He was smiling at her in a way she had always dismissed before. In the past, it was easy to pretend his glances were a trick of the light, but now this look said a thousand words she wasn't ready to hear yet. Legolas' sapphire pupils danced in the bright light, reflecting the falling snow, and his smile was soft and caring. He was happy for her, but it was more than that. His gaze now held something more - something expectant.

"I'm glad." He whispered, so softly that it was almost imperceptible, even to elvish hearing.

Aeweneth felt her cheeks flush again and, despite their frozen surroundings, a warm glow filled her chest. Images flashed before her eyes of all the moments like this in the past when she had turned away, scared and emotionally confused. But the young elf had matured since she last saw Legolas. She had grown and felt like she now owed him an explanation at the very least. Re-focusing for a brief second she realised they had stopped, still a fair distance ahead from the rest of the group. Aeweneth took her chance.

"It used to frighten me, being able to read people." She whispered softly, a breath in the cold air. "Amil always said it was my gift. A door inside my mind that I just needed to learn how to open. But whenever I tried it was like a thousand voices coming from every direction. No filter. No focus. It was deafening."

Aeweneth paused for a moment to compose herself, realising just how difficult this was to put into words. However, when the young elf looked up and caught Legolas' gaze, that familiar warmth spread through her chest and, somehow, she knew he would understand.

"It felt like when we were kids and we would play beneath the falls at Rivendell." She tried, "Remember? We didn't like going too far out because you would get trapped underneath. Sometimes, you couldn't hear anything because the water was so powerful, and the sheer force of it would blind you."

Aeweneth watched carefully as the memory danced across his mind, and Legolas slowly nodded in understanding.

"And now?" He asked, reaching up to stroke her cheek. Without breaking eye contact, his gentle fingers brushed damp hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.

"Now it's crystal clear."

The pair stood for a moment in silent understanding. The rest of the world slipped away as they basked in each other's gaze and warmth, contemplating what might have been and what could be.

They were drawn out of this reverie by the sound of approaching voices. Realising the fellowship were closing in, Aeweneth turned towards them in nervousness, breaking eye contact and the precious moment all at once.

She felt the Legolas sigh in resignation, and again the wall between them was raised. As before, they were companions on an impossible journey; friends and nothing more. Anything else was too much to process, for the moment.

Aeweneth was the first to solidify this, noticing the welfare of their friends.

"They're freezing already." She raised in concern.

"I know." Legolas stepped into his role, "But aside from offering to help carry packs and scout ahead, what more can we do?"

"I know, I just worry. The path gets much more treacherous further down the line."

The pair leaned into each other slightly for warmth and gazed up at the steep climb ahead of them. Even with elvish sight, they struggled to see a clear route among the rocks and snow. Aeweneth felt herself shiver at the thought of guiding her 9 companions up the path.

"We have a wizard on our side." Legolas offered, touching her arm slightly in comfort. "And I believe there are other paths open to us should we need to turn back."

Again, the young elf found herself looking back at their group, already struggling in the knee-deep snow. She did not tell him that those other paths were what she feared most of all.

***

A short climb later, a small cry alerted her to a commotion at the rear of their group. Aeweneth paused and surveyed the fellowship. Already the hobbits were shivering with cold, and Frodo appeared to have fallen quite a distance. She caught Gandalf's gaze for a moment,

"This route will only get harder." She warned.

The wizard looked back at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. "If you have a better option, I would be happy to hear it."

Aeweneth huffed in defeat and turned back to check on the fallen hobbit, hearing the wizards slight chuckle in her mind. She knew, deep down, this was their best option.

Frodo was being helped up by Aragorn, seemingly unharmed so she turned again to begin the climb. A slight glinting in the bright sun caught her eye, however, and she found herself drawn to a small lump in the snow. Once more, a familiar darkness pulled at her mind, begging her to come closer. However, the ring had seemingly found another target as a large, rough palm found the chain and lifted it from its resting place. Boromir dangled the trinket in front of his face, gazing at it in awe. Aeweneth, again, felt the black shadow of Sauron shifting, playing with him like a puppet and whispering falsehoods in his ears. Watching the Gondorian's face closely, she gripped her blades in caution.

"Boromir." Aragorn called; concern etched on his features.

But the young captain was clearly in a world of his own, mesmerised by the power in his grasp. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing-"

"Boromir!" Aragorn called again, more urgently. "Give the Ring to Frodo."

As quickly as it began, the moment was broken. Aeweneth observed the Gondorian's eyes cleared and, for a fleeting second, guilt and shock dawned on his face. He quickly masked these emotions, shaking them from his mind as he walked towards Frodo, the Ring outstretched.

"As you wish! I care not."

He grinned and ruffled Frodo's hair in camaraderie, before beginning the trek again as though nothing had occurred. But below the surface, something had fundamentally changed.

Aeweneth caught Aragorn's concerned gaze at the rear of the group, realising that he too had reached for his weapons in caution.

"I'll keep an eye on him." She offered.

The ranger nodded in agreement. Boromir was slipping, and there was only so many times they would be able to catch him before he fell completely.