An Arrow or Two || Legolas/LotR

NINE

not much could save this chapter but i tried <3

Chapter Nine. Boromir's Last Stand.

I woke up with my neck aching and my back feeling tightly coiled, wrapped up in my cloak like a swaddled child. I was in the same place as I had fallen asleep, stuck in the middle of Legolas and Gimli, curled up between them. They were far enough away from me to not be stuck close together, but close enough I could hear their rhythmic breathing. As my eyesight started to become clearer I slowly sat up, to see Aragorn preparing his boat. 

"Get up," I whispered to both of them, having to give Gimli a shake as he groaned and rolled over. Legolas, on the other hand, shot straight up like an arrow, as if he had never been asleep in the first place. He needed much less rest than the other members of the Fellowship. I looked up at him; he looked rather perfect. Nothing about him suggested he had been on a dangerous quest. I knew I quite often tossed and turned in my sleep, but from what I had seen I knew Legolas stayed almost completely still. I wondered for a moment how both Gimli and Legolas had slept next to me without getting kicked or hurt.

"'Quel amrun." He said, voice husky, holding out his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me up onto my feet. I stooped to pick up my bow and quiver before going to find the others. Legolas followed me. He stood beside Aragorn, who was finishing preparing his boat. 

"Are we to leave now?" I asked. Aragorn nodded. Gimli was slowly walking over to our boat, shouldering his axes, yawning widely. Legolas walked ahead of me and climbed gracefully into the boat, taking up the paddle. Gimli followed him, I made sure I had everything, before following the two of them into the small boat. I stopped, readying myself, before I stepped carefully in without falling over. However I stumbled over Gimli, causing me to land hard into my seat, but was otherwise fine.

Sam had finished counting and recounting his supplies at least twice before he was prepared to leave. I believed he had just been stalling; I knew he hated journeying by boat. 

As we rowed onward, we all stayed silent. We were passing through a canyon, the stone towering above us. I admired the scenery, the canyon eerily beautiful. It looked as if it was closing in on us, but allowing us enough room to breathe. I remained quiet, the thought of the Uruk-Hai with the white hands printed on their faces hunting us down constantly in the back of my mind. My mind also drifted to this Gollum creature. The thought of being tracked made me feel quite sick. I closed my eyes and drifted into a slight reverie, slipping into the Elven sleep where we were awake but sleeping through our thoughts, allowing time to pass unaware, until I heard Aragorn whisper.

"Frodo, the Argonath! Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin." He said. I opened my eyes and sat up, looking up to the sky. Isildur and Anárion stood above us on either side of the river, great and tall, cast in stone. 

We had finally reached the Argonath, which stood as the great gates into the northern realm of Gondor. The water was very blue, the sky wide, and it made me feel peaceful to see them.  The two statues towered above us like mountains, gigantic and strong. The hands of the two Argonath were raised in defiance, a warning to enemies of Gondor. Boromir looked full of pride as we rowed beneath their great arms and into the northern borders. As we continued, there were jagged points of rock jutting out from the water.

"Do the rocks mark the waterfall?" I asked Legolas, who nodded as we continued on towards the rocks. We stopped several metres from the edge of the roaring waterfall, Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn steering the boats to the shore of a rocky beach.

I climbed out first and walked further up the beach, staring up at the large forest ahead of me. I didn't like the atmosphere here. It felt tense. The rest of the Fellowship had started to make up the camp for the rest of the day. 

"We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Aragorn called out to us. 

"Oh, yes! It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks!" Gimli's sarcastic tone had the Hobbits on edge. I frowned, "And after that, it gets even better!" Gimli continued. Pippin had looked up, alarmed, but Gimli wasn't yet finished, "Festering, stinking marshlands! Far as the eye can see!"
 
"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Aragorn said. Gimli grumbled in response as Legolas stepped forwards so he stood next to me.

"We must move on." He muttered, specifically to Aragorn. He always seemed so uptight with lingering and staying in places like these overnight. I supposed he was right, just like he had been right when we were in Moria when he had a similar hunch. The next thing to happen? We made too much noise and were attacked by a small army of Orcs. I was about to mention this to Legolas when the thought of the more dangerous, larger Orcs on our tail crossed my mind and silenced me. 

"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness." Aragorn pointed out. It was a reasonable plan, but Legolas didn't look too sure.

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it." Legolas's eyes drifted back to the forest, where a dark statue hid among the leaves of a tree.