The Dame of Dúnedain

Rightful Heirs

"The fellowship awaits the ringbearer," Gandalf says, causing Frodo to frightfully turn away from the elves and walk through the group.

Alaina placed her hand on Aragorn as he continued to stare at Arwen and the group started walking out. Legolas smiled at her as they walked side by side out the gates of Rivendell. They walked along the narrow bridge and along the narrow pathway of the mountainside. 

They walked over hills and rocks and finally came to a resting place. Sam and Frodo made food while Boromir trained with Merry and Pippin. Aragorn smoked a pipe and sat on the rocks watching Boromir and the hobbits, "Move your feet," he told Pippin as he used his small sword to block Boromir's large one.

Gimli sat in the corner next to Gandalf speaking about how he wanted to go through the Mines of Moria, which was a terrifying place, so Alaina has heard. She saw Legolas standing on the rocks watching the distance, alone. She decided to go join him since she started to get bored watching Boromir train the hobbits. She went and offered Legolas some food, holding her plate out to him.

He smiled at her but shook his head, "No, thank you." He continued staring off at the distance, keeping watch. 

She shrugged it off and watched the distance with him, it was Legolas who decided to break the silence as Pippin and Merry tackled both Boromir and Aragorn in the background. Alaina laughed as Aragorn was flipped onto his back. Legolas smiled at her laugh, "I never told you why I was so serious and... sad, when I met you."

Alaina had been wanting to hear this for years. But she felt asking was too personal and invasive so she had been waiting patiently, and it paid off, he finally opened up to her. She showed that her full attention was on him. He spoke in Elvish, showing that it was a personal matter, "I had left Mirkwood because I loved a woman who wouldn't love me back.." He spoke, "She fell in love with a dwarf instead."

Alaina was about to say something when she physically saw Legolas' ear twitch. His head whipped around and Alaina followed his eyes to a black figure approaching in the air. The whole group seemed to notice it, Legolas ran to the other side of the rocks to get a better look.

"What is that?" Sam asked, his voice being masked by Merry and Pippin yelling at Aragorn and Boromir.

"Nothing. Just a wisp of cloud," Gimli said roughly as Legolas squinted his eyes to get a better look.

"It's moving fast..." Boromir stated, "Against the wind."

It got closer and the Legolas realized it was a group of birds, "Crebain from Dunland!" He yelled out. Crebain were a species of large crow-like black birds that Saruman the White in Isengard used as spies after he joined forces with Sauron.

"Everyone hide!" Aragorn shouted out.

The hobbits were quick on their feet to put out the fire and grab all their stuff, throwing it under rocks. Legolas didn't hesitate to put his hand on Alaina's back and guide her underneath some bushes, out of sight.

They waited in their hiding spots for a moment and soon the group of black bireds swarmed over them, screeching. They were gone faster than they came and everyone was soon out of their spots. Legolas stood up first, lending a hand to Alaina who happily grabbed it and got pulled up to her feet.

Gandalf climbed out from underneath a rock, "Spies of Saruman. The passage South is being watched," he declared.

Aragorn and Gandalf looked at each other uneasily, "We must take the pass of Caradhras!" and then Aragorn looked to his sister the same way. The group then looked at the mountain that was covered in snow to their right.

"Oh," Alaina simply said, "how great of an inconvenience is that."

About a day later the group was in snow, about two feet deep snow. Underneath the know was slippery rock. Legolas had no problem walking in the snow, he was so light that his feet didn't even go into the snow. They were walked in a line, Aragorn was in the very back. Frodo was in front of him, then Boromir, then Alaina and then Legolas. The rest were up ahead a ways.