Birthday fic for Just Ann Now and Thundera Tiger
Sorry that this is late, but the past week and a half have been rather bad for me. I hope this pleases you both! In time it will be incorporated into "In Empty Lands."
Terror Contained
Once the members of the Fellowship had all been guided to comfortable seats by Haldir’s people, Sam automatically reached up to remove the blindfold binding his eyes, only to be stayed by Haldir’s voice.
“I grieve to remind you, Master Perian, that you must continue with your eyes covered until either our Lord or Lady sends word that it might be otherwise. As I told you after we crossed the Silverlode, we do not allow strangers to spy out our secrets here within the Naith. We will leave you for the moment and will bring back food and drink for you, and will prepare such comfort as we can for you to sleep during the night.” The eight companions sensed the withdrawal of the Elves, realizing they were being trusted not to remove the blindfolds while their guides were away. All they could now hear were the rustling of leaves overhead and the shifting of their own cloaks in the soft breeze that combed the forest.
Sam sighed and stretched his shoulders. He could tell he had someone sitting close to his right, and by straining his ears he recognized that it was his Master’s breathing. He muttered, “It ain’t natural, Mr. Frodo, sir, all what we’ve been doin’ lately. Climbin’ mountains and trapessin’ through caves for days on end, runnin’ from goblins and worse, sleepin’ up high in trees, and then bein’ told as three ropes make a bridge, and we have to cross it! And then havin’ to walk most of the day with blindfolds on and our ears half covered as well! I’ll tell you, sir, my hearts’ been in my throat more often than not, ever since we first heard the howling of the wolves, back there in Hollin. I’m not certain as how much more of all this as I can take! I was that scared, back there crossin’ over the river. I don’t know quite how I made it, truth to tell, and that’s a fact. First, there was nothin’ but that thin rope under my feet to walk on, and a runnin’ river under that. I was that sure as I’d fall right off, even with the other higher ropes to cling to, and then what would become of me? You might of been all right, sir, you and Mr. Merry, as the two of you can swim. But me? Us Gamgees, we don’t have nothin’ to do with any water deeper than our knees if’n we can help it.”
“I was so proud of you, Sam,” Frodo said in low tones. “I know that you were terribly frightened, but you managed so well! And I might be able to swim, but I’ll tell you this-I didn’t like the idea of perhaps slipping and ending up in that river any more than you did. First of all, although I don’t mind climbing trees, I don’t relish the thought of falling from any height. Secondly, that river was too shallow to be safe to drop into-you want water to be fairly deep if you are going to fall into it so that you don’t end up breaking your leg or something on submerged stones too close to the surface. Plus, Haldir had warned us that the water there was cold-I’ve been in one cold river in my life, and I don’t relish repeating the experience, believe me!”
From the other side of Frodo Pippin spoke up. “I think walking over that rope was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done. It was almost as bad as leaping over that one wide chasm there in Moria. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to work myself up to trying that! I was so glad that Aragorn and Boromir were there to help me work up my courage to even try to jump, and that Aragorn was there to catch each of us when we leapt.”
Sam was surprised. “But you went over that rope as quick as quick, and holding on only with one hand!”
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid, Sam Gamgee,” Pippin said. “I used to walk on the fence rail to the hog pens on the farm when I was younger, but that’s over the hogs’ wallow, so if I fell it wasn’t far, and I’d end up in the soft mud and wasn’t likely to hurt myself. But this time it was a further fall, and over that shallow, rushing river. If I’d tried looking down I’m certain I would have frozen in place, right out there in the middle of the crossing. I just figured that the faster I did it the better, and I knew I mustn’t look down at all.”
“That’s my Pippin!” Merry said from beyond his cousin.
“You were truly afraid, Pippin?” asked Boromir from somewhere to Sam’s left. “I would never have guessed it!”
“Well, from my childhood spent on the farm walking the fence rails I knew that I could do it, so quickest done, best finished. But, yes, I was terrified.”
“You did the best of all of us, save for Legolas, of course,” grunted Gimli. Sam thought he must be scratching beneath his beard from the sounds he heard. “But then, he’s an Elf same as these from Lórien here.”
Frodo suddenly asked, “How about you, Gimli? You passed over quickly enough.”
“The whole time the four of you Hobbits were crossing over I was having to talk myself into it.”
Pippin objected, “But you’re never afraid! Look at those times when we were going through Moria when we were going past the mines, there where the path had partly fallen away. You never faltered-not once!”
The Dwarf laughed. “That was on stone, and underground. I know stone! I can tell what is beginning to rot and will fall away, and what portions are solid-that was why Gandalf told you to put your feet only where I did, because he knew fully well that I would lead you safely there. But to walk along a rope, and such a thin one to begin with, with only two other ropes to hold onto-that’s just wrong! And once I got onto it I found myself, like Pippin here, deciding to get over it as fast as possible so as to be done with it. Nor did I dare look down, for fear I’d lose my nerve.”
“You were afraid?” Frodo asked.
“Mortally so!”
Pippin said stoutly, “At least Boromir and Aragorn weren’t afraid.”
Boromir’s laugh was surprisingly hearty. “Don’t be quite so certain, Master Took. I doubt I was as afraid as Sam here, but I certainly wasn’t comfortable with the situation, believe me. Our Rangers learn to make just such temporary bridges and use them in the forests of Ithilien, so my brother is far more accustomed to using such things than am I. But it takes me some moments to-well, talk myself into it, as Gimli put it.”
“How about you, Strider?” asked Merry.
Aragorn also laughed. “I was taught to walk across such a rope bridge as a game when I was a child. Save for one time when the walk was high over a deep gorge with a very strong and gusty wind from the north, I’ve known no fear of such things.”
Boromir said, “And the stars know you had reason for concern in that situation. When the rope is swaying it would be easy to misstep. And you, Merry, were you afraid as you crossed?”
“Coming after Pippin as I did? He made it look so easy! I’m not saying I was particularly comfortable going across, but I wasn’t really afraid, and not even of the possibility of a drop into the river below. But the way that the rope tended to move from side to side as I stepped forward made me feel rather queer. I’m not accustomed to bridges so narrow or that move under my feet. Given the choice, I’d much rather use the Brandywine Bridge, or that one that we crossed over with Strider, the one where he found the green gem Glorfindel said he left to mark that all enemies had been chased away from it.”
Legolas spoke from almost straight across from Sam. “We use ropes to cross the Enchanted River in my father’s domain. I thought that the extra two ropes were needless until I watched the seven of you walk over, and then I saw why they were provided. For those unused to walking along boughs or such paths as this I realized they were necessary to aid you to maintain your balance. I thought you all did very well, actually.”
Frodo answered for all of them. “Thank you, Legolas. I don’t know that I’ve seen you afraid of anything but-”
“Do not speak of it!” Legolas’s voice held a hint of anxiety that Sam had never heard in it before. “You are correct-then I was indeed afraid. Such enemies are told of in only the darkest of our tales of ancient times. When I beheld it my bowels were as water within me. Never have I felt such fear, not even when the Nazgûl approached my patrol with words of threat for me to bear to my father!”
“As was true for me as well,” Aragorn murmured, “once I understood just what it was that-that we faced. I agree-it was even worse than when I have been forced to face the Ring-wraiths.”
“And what of you, Frodo?” asked Boromir. “You told us why you were uncomfortable in making the crossing, but not whether or not you were afraid of it.”
The laugh Frodo gave held no humor. “Afraid? No-as you said, I was a bit uncomfortable with this means of crossing the river, but I was not truly afraid. And I suspect that with more experience in making such crossings I would gain in confidence.”
“And that-that thing, there within Moria. Were you afraid of it?”
Sam could tell that Frodo was shuddering. “Afraid of that creature? Of course! But I still do not fully understand its nature, not as Legolas and Aragorn appear to do. Or as-as he did. Only he wasn’t afraid, not that I could sense-dismayed, yes. But not afraid. I think he knew-what was to happen, I mean. And he was ready for it. He was not afraid, not for himself, but for us.”
Sam found himself speaking out. “I still don’t understand that. I was in a right terror just of the goblins, you know. But that-thing-well, anythin’ as terrifies even goblins and orcs ….” His voice dropped off for a moment before he could bring himself to speak again. “But you was for goin’ back to help him, if’n Boromir here hadn’t of held you back. I’d not thought you was afraid of anything but for him right then.”
Frodo’s voice sounded almost dead as he whispered, “But, with what I carry, I know nothing but terror day in and day out, Sam. I can do nothing but push it aside as I must. I learned to fear It when I was struck by the pale King. Until that moment I didn’t understand just how malevolent It truly is, and how It wants me under their dominion. Gandalf was right-It wants to be found and taken back to him. What is the crossing over of a river suspended only by a thin rope compared to that?”
Sam knew that all of those who remained of the Fellowship shared that terror.
Terror Contained
Once the members of the Fellowship had all been guided to comfortable seats by Haldir’s people, Sam automatically reached up to remove the blindfold binding his eyes, only to be stayed by Haldir’s voice.
“I grieve to remind you, Master Perian, that you must continue with your eyes covered until either our Lord or Lady sends word that it might be otherwise. As I told you after we crossed the Silverlode, we do not allow strangers to spy out our secrets here within the Naith. We will leave you for the moment and will bring back food and drink for you, and will prepare such comfort as we can for you to sleep during the night.” The eight companions sensed the withdrawal of the Elves, realizing they were being trusted not to remove the blindfolds while their guides were away. All they could now hear were the rustling of leaves overhead and the shifting of their own cloaks in the soft breeze that combed the forest.
Sam sighed and stretched his shoulders. He could tell he had someone sitting close to his right, and by straining his ears he recognized that it was his Master’s breathing. He muttered, “It ain’t natural, Mr. Frodo, sir, all what we’ve been doin’ lately. Climbin’ mountains and trapessin’ through caves for days on end, runnin’ from goblins and worse, sleepin’ up high in trees, and then bein’ told as three ropes make a bridge, and we have to cross it! And then havin’ to walk most of the day with blindfolds on and our ears half covered as well! I’ll tell you, sir, my hearts’ been in my throat more often than not, ever since we first heard the howling of the wolves, back there in Hollin. I’m not certain as how much more of all this as I can take! I was that scared, back there crossin’ over the river. I don’t know quite how I made it, truth to tell, and that’s a fact. First, there was nothin’ but that thin rope under my feet to walk on, and a runnin’ river under that. I was that sure as I’d fall right off, even with the other higher ropes to cling to, and then what would become of me? You might of been all right, sir, you and Mr. Merry, as the two of you can swim. But me? Us Gamgees, we don’t have nothin’ to do with any water deeper than our knees if’n we can help it.”
“I was so proud of you, Sam,” Frodo said in low tones. “I know that you were terribly frightened, but you managed so well! And I might be able to swim, but I’ll tell you this-I didn’t like the idea of perhaps slipping and ending up in that river any more than you did. First of all, although I don’t mind climbing trees, I don’t relish the thought of falling from any height. Secondly, that river was too shallow to be safe to drop into-you want water to be fairly deep if you are going to fall into it so that you don’t end up breaking your leg or something on submerged stones too close to the surface. Plus, Haldir had warned us that the water there was cold-I’ve been in one cold river in my life, and I don’t relish repeating the experience, believe me!”
From the other side of Frodo Pippin spoke up. “I think walking over that rope was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done. It was almost as bad as leaping over that one wide chasm there in Moria. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to work myself up to trying that! I was so glad that Aragorn and Boromir were there to help me work up my courage to even try to jump, and that Aragorn was there to catch each of us when we leapt.”
Sam was surprised. “But you went over that rope as quick as quick, and holding on only with one hand!”
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid, Sam Gamgee,” Pippin said. “I used to walk on the fence rail to the hog pens on the farm when I was younger, but that’s over the hogs’ wallow, so if I fell it wasn’t far, and I’d end up in the soft mud and wasn’t likely to hurt myself. But this time it was a further fall, and over that shallow, rushing river. If I’d tried looking down I’m certain I would have frozen in place, right out there in the middle of the crossing. I just figured that the faster I did it the better, and I knew I mustn’t look down at all.”
“That’s my Pippin!” Merry said from beyond his cousin.
“You were truly afraid, Pippin?” asked Boromir from somewhere to Sam’s left. “I would never have guessed it!”
“Well, from my childhood spent on the farm walking the fence rails I knew that I could do it, so quickest done, best finished. But, yes, I was terrified.”
“You did the best of all of us, save for Legolas, of course,” grunted Gimli. Sam thought he must be scratching beneath his beard from the sounds he heard. “But then, he’s an Elf same as these from Lórien here.”
Frodo suddenly asked, “How about you, Gimli? You passed over quickly enough.”
“The whole time the four of you Hobbits were crossing over I was having to talk myself into it.”
Pippin objected, “But you’re never afraid! Look at those times when we were going through Moria when we were going past the mines, there where the path had partly fallen away. You never faltered-not once!”
The Dwarf laughed. “That was on stone, and underground. I know stone! I can tell what is beginning to rot and will fall away, and what portions are solid-that was why Gandalf told you to put your feet only where I did, because he knew fully well that I would lead you safely there. But to walk along a rope, and such a thin one to begin with, with only two other ropes to hold onto-that’s just wrong! And once I got onto it I found myself, like Pippin here, deciding to get over it as fast as possible so as to be done with it. Nor did I dare look down, for fear I’d lose my nerve.”
“You were afraid?” Frodo asked.
“Mortally so!”
Pippin said stoutly, “At least Boromir and Aragorn weren’t afraid.”
Boromir’s laugh was surprisingly hearty. “Don’t be quite so certain, Master Took. I doubt I was as afraid as Sam here, but I certainly wasn’t comfortable with the situation, believe me. Our Rangers learn to make just such temporary bridges and use them in the forests of Ithilien, so my brother is far more accustomed to using such things than am I. But it takes me some moments to-well, talk myself into it, as Gimli put it.”
“How about you, Strider?” asked Merry.
Aragorn also laughed. “I was taught to walk across such a rope bridge as a game when I was a child. Save for one time when the walk was high over a deep gorge with a very strong and gusty wind from the north, I’ve known no fear of such things.”
Boromir said, “And the stars know you had reason for concern in that situation. When the rope is swaying it would be easy to misstep. And you, Merry, were you afraid as you crossed?”
“Coming after Pippin as I did? He made it look so easy! I’m not saying I was particularly comfortable going across, but I wasn’t really afraid, and not even of the possibility of a drop into the river below. But the way that the rope tended to move from side to side as I stepped forward made me feel rather queer. I’m not accustomed to bridges so narrow or that move under my feet. Given the choice, I’d much rather use the Brandywine Bridge, or that one that we crossed over with Strider, the one where he found the green gem Glorfindel said he left to mark that all enemies had been chased away from it.”
Legolas spoke from almost straight across from Sam. “We use ropes to cross the Enchanted River in my father’s domain. I thought that the extra two ropes were needless until I watched the seven of you walk over, and then I saw why they were provided. For those unused to walking along boughs or such paths as this I realized they were necessary to aid you to maintain your balance. I thought you all did very well, actually.”
Frodo answered for all of them. “Thank you, Legolas. I don’t know that I’ve seen you afraid of anything but-”
“Do not speak of it!” Legolas’s voice held a hint of anxiety that Sam had never heard in it before. “You are correct-then I was indeed afraid. Such enemies are told of in only the darkest of our tales of ancient times. When I beheld it my bowels were as water within me. Never have I felt such fear, not even when the Nazgûl approached my patrol with words of threat for me to bear to my father!”
“As was true for me as well,” Aragorn murmured, “once I understood just what it was that-that we faced. I agree-it was even worse than when I have been forced to face the Ring-wraiths.”
“And what of you, Frodo?” asked Boromir. “You told us why you were uncomfortable in making the crossing, but not whether or not you were afraid of it.”
The laugh Frodo gave held no humor. “Afraid? No-as you said, I was a bit uncomfortable with this means of crossing the river, but I was not truly afraid. And I suspect that with more experience in making such crossings I would gain in confidence.”
“And that-that thing, there within Moria. Were you afraid of it?”
Sam could tell that Frodo was shuddering. “Afraid of that creature? Of course! But I still do not fully understand its nature, not as Legolas and Aragorn appear to do. Or as-as he did. Only he wasn’t afraid, not that I could sense-dismayed, yes. But not afraid. I think he knew-what was to happen, I mean. And he was ready for it. He was not afraid, not for himself, but for us.”
Sam found himself speaking out. “I still don’t understand that. I was in a right terror just of the goblins, you know. But that-thing-well, anythin’ as terrifies even goblins and orcs ….” His voice dropped off for a moment before he could bring himself to speak again. “But you was for goin’ back to help him, if’n Boromir here hadn’t of held you back. I’d not thought you was afraid of anything but for him right then.”
Frodo’s voice sounded almost dead as he whispered, “But, with what I carry, I know nothing but terror day in and day out, Sam. I can do nothing but push it aside as I must. I learned to fear It when I was struck by the pale King. Until that moment I didn’t understand just how malevolent It truly is, and how It wants me under their dominion. Gandalf was right-It wants to be found and taken back to him. What is the crossing over of a river suspended only by a thin rope compared to that?”
Sam knew that all of those who remained of the Fellowship shared that terror.