Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, belongs to Tolkien. That pretty well covers it.

Chapter One

Four riders moved slowly through the eastern foothills of the Misty Mountains. As if by an unseen hand, they all came to a stop at the same instant and stared upward at the towering peaks that reached toward the gray, overcast sky.

“Well, it does not look from here as if the High Pass is blocked,” Elladan stated, after using his keen elven sight to scan the upper reaches of the granite forms where he knew the Pass to be. “There does not seem to be snow in that area,” he continued by way of an explanation for his previous remark.

“That’s good,” Aragorn said. “If the Pass is blocked, we couldn’t get to Rivendell before Spring.” He tried not to think how disappointed Lord Elrond would be not to have any of his sons there with him for the entire winter. Going around would take too long and likely get them trapped by snow storms far from either Rivendell or Mirkwood.

Looking up at the leaden sky, Legolas shook his head. “We must hurry. It looks as if it will be a race to see who will arrive at the Pass first, us or the snow.”

“Thank you, Prince Cheerful,” Elrohir mocked, as he narrowed his eyes at his friend.

Legolas shrugged. “I say it as I see it,” he defended. “A snow storm is coming, and it is best if we are on the other side of the Pass before it arrives.”

It hadn’t taken Elladan long to observe the same thing Legolas had and then agree with him. “He is right. We must hurry.”

The four companions started upward, letting their horses pick their own path along the rocky trail bur at the same time urging them to move as swiftly as was deemed safe. They had traveled this route many times before and knew the way without being prodded.

Halfway up, it began to snow, though so far, the small flakes were only drifting down lazily.

“I had hoped we would beat the snow this once,” Aragorn grumbled.

Both twins laughed, but it was Elladan who said, “You should know by now that we never seem to do anything in a timely fashion.”

“Especially if it means saving ourselves any trouble,” Elrohir added. He turned and glared behind him at Legolas.

The elven prince raised both eyebrows. “Is it my fault that my father wanted to throw us a farewell feast?”

“No, but did it have to take four days to plan and another three to round up the supplies we would need for this trip?”

“You forget, Elrohir,” Legolas began to explain, “that my father will not see me again until sometime next summer, while your father will have all four of us until then.”

Aragorn snorted. “I wonder who’ll have the best part of that deal,” he declared.

No one was willing to answer that very pointed question. It begged the admission of a time of peace versus one of chaos.

“Besides,” Aragorn began, “eight or nine months is nothing to an elf. He could do that amount of time on his head.” The man decided not to share his vision of a stately King Thranduil standing on his head.

“Honestly, Estel, you come up with some of the strangest comments,” Legolas said, unable to hold back a grin, since the same vision had come to him.

“It is a human thing,” Elrohir told the blond elf, although he knew Legolas was well aware of Aragorn’s sometimes odd sense of humor.

Aragorn pretended to be offended by his brother’s comment and the laughter of his other two companions. Inwardly, he was laughing as hard as they were. Outwardly, he just huffed and moved his horse slightly ahead of Legolas, who rode beside him in front of the now-trailing twins. The man’s reaction just elicited more mirth.

*~*~*~*

An hour later, Aragorn rounded a bend. Opening up in front of him was a tiny hidden meadow. Its size wasn’t more than fifty or sixty square yards. The little bit of grass among the rocks had turned completely brown. To the left was a little waterfall that dropped water into a tiny pool before spilling over the edge and cascading down the face of the mountain in a thin ribbon of sparkling silver.

This tiny piece of paradise among the rocks was always a welcome sight, especially when they had come over the Pass on foot or on horseback from the western side of the mountains and needed a bit of a rest.

Even though they didn’t really need to stop now, since they had not yet made the arduous trip across the mountains, they wanted to give the horses the chance to get their fill of fresh water and thus save what the riders carried in their water skins. There would be little chance for water in the higher elevations.

*~*~*~*

As the four riders ascended, the trail began to narrow. There were parts of it that went between outcroppings that required them to raise their legs up to keep them from being scraped on the rocks to either side.

Soon the rocks turned into solid walls on both sides, soaring far above their heads. It began to look as if some giant finger had gauged a deep rift in the slate-colored granite. The shadows deepened.

“I’ve been through here a hundred times,” Aragorn remarked, “but this is completely new to me. It’s like a topless tunnel, and I know I‘ve never seen it before.”

“Nor have I,” Legolas confirmed. His voice clearly reflected his confusion.

“Has Sauron been playing around here?” Elrohir asked, more in jest than anything, though if he had been told the Dark Lord was indeed responsible, he would not have been the least surprised.

Before anyone else could comment, they came across another particularly tight place that had several rocks strewn in the narrow passage. Luckily, the rocks weren’t too high and the horses were able to jump them, which was actually rather hard, since they were going uphill, but the riders dismounted to make the task easier for their mounts.

Aragorn, who had taken the lead when they had left the meadow, looked back to make sure the others had made it past the scattered rocks. They decided to lead their horses until they had cleared this increasingly uncomfortable section of the trail.

Aragorn was walking along the trail when he turned a corner. The wall to the left no longer existed. There was nothing there but empty air opening onto a spectacular view of the heart of the Misty Mountains.

Rugged, snow-covered peaks and steep valleys and crevices were laid out in all their splendor. It was a scene that never failed to impress the four friends whenever they saw it. It did so now, as Legolas and the twins joined the human ranger, only this time their admiration was tempered by a feeling of dread growing in the pits of each of their stomachs. Added to that was the fact that the snow was now falling much thicker.

“The view of the mountains from this spot is not familiar at all,” Legolas said. “That peak,” he pointed far to his left, “has always been visible from the side where that sheer wall is, not the side with the broken ledge that is clearly visible now.”

“You’re right, Legolas,” Aragorn agreed. “It’s as if we made a wrong turn and came out far from where we usually do. I have the distinct - and disturbing - feeling we’re not where we’re supposed to be.”

“How can that be?” Elladan asked. “We went the only way we could. No other trail enters or leaves the meadow but the one we followed. It led us straight here. Wherever here is,” he couldn’t help adding, almost under his breath.

The younger twin was shaking his head. “I do not like this. It is as if we are being led.”

“By whom? And why?” Elladan asked. “This trail was almost encased in solid stone. It could not have just suddenly appeared.” How in Arda could this have happened? Elladan sighed heavily. It made no sense.

“Perhaps, Elrohir’s idea about Sauron having been here is not that farfetched. Perhaps he wishes to stop anyone from crossing the Misty Mountains between the two elven realms. For what reason I can only guess.” Legolas didn’t want to get too deep along that line of thought. It was painful for him whenever he thought about the Shadow swallowing up Mirkwood inch by inch.

“Well, we can’t go back,” Aragorn said. “The trail is too narrow for the horses to turn around. We have to keep going and see where it leads.”

Legolas followed the trail with his eyes, noting that it quickly turned into a narrow ledge starting right where they all stood. The trail then disappeared around the rock wall about twenty yards farther, and there was no way to know how far beyond that the ledge went. “We are going to have to be very careful.”

From the angle of his vantage point at the rear, Elladan also saw the trail as it wound around the mountainside in front of them. “The horses are going to have a hard time on such a narrow strip of rock. It will be very slow going.”

Responding with confidence, Legolas said, “Yes, but they are sure-footed, and we will do all we can to minimize the danger. There is no other way. We will make it.” He just hoped that he spoke the truth.

Aragorn looked at his companions. “Give me a few feet before you follow. If I run into a problem, I don't want any of you getting into trouble with me."

“We would be in trouble in any case,” Legolas pointed out. He just shrugged when Aragorn stared past his horse at him.

Just before turning to lead the way, Aragorn rubbed the nose of his sorrel stallion, Madir, and spoke softly, offering the animal soothing words of comfort. This was not a situation the stallion was used to, but he understood he must stay close to the solid wall on his right. It would be easier with Aragorn right in front of him. As long as he could see and smell the man, Madir would follow him along the dangerous path.

The ranger slowly made his way forward. Being sure-footed himself and having no fear of heights, the going was not too difficult. He kept his attention on what he was doing and on continuing to encourage his horse.

When he had gone a few yards farther on, Aragorn rounded another corner. A sudden, roaring wind struck him, and he was very nearly blown off the mountain. Desperately grabbing at the granite wall, the man found a small protrusion in the stone and was just able to clutch it with his fingers.

TBC