Queen of the Swords & Lord of the Rings (a LOTR fanfic)

To Know - Chapter 4 - Lifes shall be shaken

The statement I made seemed to end all their thoughts about testing the strength of the ice, although all four hobbits sat around the edge of the lake.

"They'll be fine. It cant be that deep around the edge," I told myself reassuringly as I watched them. I shrugged off my coat and folded it underneath me so my but wouldn't freeze from sitting on the ice.

I smiled gratefully as Aragorn approached me with some food, which he proceeded to give to me. I sat in silence as I ate my food, staring into nothing. I paid no attention to my surroundings as I thought.

"Mister Frodo!" Sam's startled cry interrupted me from my moment of peace, along with the loud crack and splash that followed. I looked up in alarm to see Frodo desperately trying to cling to the ice at the edge of the ice, as his lower body became submerged. I sprang to my feet and dashed towards him, grabbing his shoulders and hauling him out of the freezing water.

"The Ring!" He yelled, pointing to the tiny object that was spinning wildly across the surface of the ice. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw it slide closer to the crack, that had been made by Frodo's fall. I heard everyone sigh with relief as it stopped, just inches away from the crack.

How are we going to get it? I asked myself, just as Frodo put an experimental foot on the ice.

"Frodo. NO!" I yelled, pulling him back, but it was too late. The new pressure on the ice caused the crack to widen, and with a sickening plop, the ring dropped into the freezing, black water.

I didn't have to turn to know that everyone had a look of utter horror on their faces.

Without a second thought, I kicked off my boots, and dove straight into the water.

My first thought when I landed in the water was 'damn it's cold'. With a kick, I went downwards and forced to open my eyes. For a moment all I could see was darkness, then my eyes adjusted, and I saw the light from the filter through the water. I swam down as quickly as I could, but the cold water was starting to freeze my limbs, and I was slowing dramatically. A glimmer and the darkening depths caught my eye, and I saw the Ring slowly sinking into the murky depths. I had no idea how deep the lake was, or what dwelt in it, but these thoughts was pushed into the back of my mind as I pursued the Ring. I reached my hand out, and caught the loop of the metal chain on my fingertips.

Smiling triumphantly to myself, I began to swim upwards. How far was it to the surface? I hoped it was close. I was running out of air and I could feel my lungs wanting to burst. The Ring was surprisingly heavy, and seemed to be dragging my downwards. I fought with every last ounce of my strength in my weakening body, and kicked upwards, searching for any shred of light to guide my to the crack in the ice.

Suddenly, my head hit the hard and cold surface. I had found the surface, but no the crack. My lungs wear shouting at me to get some air, but there was none. My words that I spoke from earlier came back to me, 'it is almost impossible to find the hole you fell through, or break the ice from underneath.'

 

I frantically swam from side to side, suddenly disorientated. My lungs screamed for air, as I began to panic. I slammed the ice from underneath, but a combination from the cold, my weak body, and the effect water has on movement proved my efforts ineffective. A few precious bubbles of air escaped my lips and I began to sink. My vision clouded, and it seemed the cold was compressing my head. I realized I didn't care anymore, and a sudden urge to sleep overcame me. The thought was to tempting to resist and I found myself closing my eyes.