Chapter Sixteen

One hand hold at a time, Aragorn made his way down the rope. It was slow going, partly because of the cold and partly because he was being extra cautious, making sure he had a good grip with one hand before he let go with the other one.  But he was making progress.

He was wearing heavy leather gloves, yet still his hands were almost numb from the frigid air.  Being pelted in the face with the large snowflakes that were being driven by an ever-increasing wind was a nuisance and a hindrance.

All the way down the rock face, the ranger was happy to feel Legolas’s arms around his neck and the  weight of the elf’s body against his  back.  As long as he did, the man knew his friend was still conscious.

Aragorn resisted the temptation to look around him.  He needed all of his concentration focused on getting him and Legolas down to solid ground.  Well, most of his concentration, anyway.  Some of it he had to use to listen for the snake.  He wasn’t sure he would be able to hear the creature even if it was right next to him.  The snow had accumulated so fast that it muffled any sound beyond that of his own breathing.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, the ranger’s feet hit the floor of the mountain depression.  Despite the thick layer of snow, he hadn’t been able to see the ground and thus was jarred by the suddenness of the impact.

When he felt Legolas’s arms slip, he turned his head slightly and asked, “Sorry about that.  Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” came the all-too-familiar answer.

Aragorn just rolled his eyes, though he believed that  Legolas’s reply referred to the slip and not his overall condition.  Of course, with this stubborn elf, he could never be entirely sure.  Instead of commenting, the ranger said, “Don’t let go until we find out where the snake is.  Can you hear it at all?”

The elf lifted his head and closed his eyes, letting his ears do the investigating.  He heard nothing but the faint clicking sound of the snowflakes as they collided with each other and fell to join those already on the ground.

“I do not hear it,” Legolas reported after several moments of listening. 

Legolas’s voice was soft and sounded weary to the ranger.  It was clear to his healer’s ears that the elf was losing strength.  He must have used a great part of his reserves just hanging on while Aragorn climbed down from the little cave.  The man frowned.

“We’ll have to take a chance that the snake is having at least as much trouble with this weather as we are,” Aragorn stated.  “We have to get away from here and hope it doesn’t detect us leaving.  Can you make it?”

“I can make it,” the elf stated firmly. 

Aragorn leaned the elf back against the base of the rock wall.  He turned around and made sure Legolas was able to stand before allowing him to let go of his neck.

The two friends smiled, each letting the other know that he was all right after the ordeal of leaving the cave and reaching the ground.  Even with the heavy snow falling between them, they were able to communicate without words.  They were ready to go.

Aragorn put his arm around Legolas’s waist, and the two started off.

The going was hard.  Aragorn’s leg was still sore and the cold was making it worse, as was the snow, which was soft enough that the ranger’s feet sank down into it.  Legolas, who was able to step lightly on top of the accumulation of white crystals was hindered by his wounds.  Together, they made a pair of struggling figures in the drifts.

As they moved, Legolas, with his unerring elven ability to know directions even when no landmarks were visible, aided them in heading toward the rock wall where they had first entered the depression.

Had Legolas looked to his left, his keen elven sight would have been able to discern the giant snake only a few feet to his left.  It would have been hard to see, but would not have been invisible, even in the heavy snowfall.  He didn’t see it, instead concentrating on helping Aragorn navigate the wintry terrain.

Legolas remembered the size of the depression when he first saw it.  Now, trudging through the cloying white stuff, it seemed to have grown to enormous proportions.  Time also seemed to have altered, slowing down until it felt like it had stopped altogether. 

There was nothing to do but continue to move as best they could.  As long as they kept moving, their goal would eventually be reached.

The farther they traveled, the weaker Legolas became.  His inborn ability to withstand all but the bitterest cold was failing, as was his entire body.  His feet were starting to get frost bitten, and his wounds were starting to hurt more.

Suddenly, with no warning, the elf tumbled forward. 

Aragorn grabbed him but could not stop the elf’s forward progress.  Neither could he stop his own.  They both fell face down into a snow drift that had piled up against a large rock, missing hitting the stone by mere inches.

“I am sorry, mellon nin,” Legolas apologized, as he rolled on his side and cleared snow from his face. 

“If you hadn’t fallen, I would have,” the ranger admitted in an effort to share the blame.  Truth was, he really had been close to falling.  “I can no longer feel my feet.”

They made their way back to a standing position, the knowledge that they had to get out of this depression urging them onward.

Grasping the elf around the waist once more, Aragorn tried to ignore the fact his feet were numb and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Legolas forced himself to do his own ignoring, that of his wounds, which hadn’t been helped by the fall.  Being pressed against Aragorn’s side only made the pain worse, but without his friend's help, he wouldn’t have been able to walk at all, so he said nothing.  He simply clenched his teeth and carried on.

“Do you think the snake has frozen to death?” the elf asked suddenly, hoping to distract them both from their current misery.

“If we’re lucky,” Aragorn replied.  The look the elf gave him reinforced his next words.  “When have we ever been that lucky?”

Legolas gave a humorless laugh.  “True.  But, you never know.  We may luck out this time.”

“Right,” was the only thing the ranger could think of to say, since he knew neither of them believed it would be that simple.

It seemed that good luck, at least a little bit of it, was with the pair for when they reached the base of the depression not only did the snow begin falling more lightly, but the bottom of the trail leading upward was right in front of them. 

Aragorn chose to give the credit to Legolas.  “Well, elf, it looks like you have led us unerringly to the way out.”

Legolas tried to smile but was not very successful.  “I think the Valar can be credited with that.”

“Maybe the snowfall lessening can be given to them, but you led us here to the very spot we needed to be.”

There was no need to contradict the ranger, since he would only argue back, taking time and energy they couldn’t spare.

They had been so focused on getting to this place that they had forgotten one problem.  The trail upward was barely wide enough to accommodate one of them.  There was no way they could go up it side by side.  Each would have to navigate on his own.

“You must go first,” Legolas declared before Aragorn could say anything to the contrary.  “If I fall, I refuse to take you down with me.”

Aragorn lifted his head and jutted his jaw out.   “And, I refuse to let you fall with no chance to save you.”

“I fear a battle of wills coming on,” Legolas stated.  “Estel, we do not have the time for this.  We must climb, and you must go first.”

Aragorn did something he would later apologize for.  He pushed Legolas rather ungently until the elf had no choice but to take a step upon the trail or fall down.  Then, the man stepped up behind him and pushed again.  He did this three times before Legolas had time to object.

“You will pay for this, human,” Legolas said none too kindly.

“Fine,” the ranger said, as he pushed once again.  “You can get even when we get home.  Now, climb!”

It took many minutes, fraught with frightening stumbles that  nearly ended in falls, lively curses from both and a skinned knee or two before they finally reached the top of the depression wall.

Legolas fell down upon the snow once his feet reached level ground.  He was sure he would have never made it had Aragorn not been behind him.

Relieved beyond belief, Aragorn fell down beside the elf.  “You see?”

“If I must admit you were right, then I will do so.  You were right, but I still may make you pay for the danger you put yourself in.”

“Yeah.  Yeah,” the ranger dismissed.  “I’ve heard all that before, mellon nin.  I cease to believe in your phantom vengeful spirit.”

The silence It was now experiencing was all-encompassing.  It had never known this kind of stillness before.  Even in It’s home under the ruined tower, when It had been alone, there had been sounds.  This level of absolute quiet was disconcerting.  So, was the cold, white things that continued to fall from above, the collection of which was even more uncomfortable than it had been earlier.

Then It heard a crunching sound to It’s right.  It was indistinct, at first, but then became slightly more pronounced.

It turned to look, attempting to stare through the falling snow to see if It could make out what was making that sound.

It thought for a moment that It saw some kind of movement.  But considering how fast the white things were coming down, it seemed as if everything was moving.

One thing It noted was that the movement didn’t stay in one place.  Whatever was moving looked to be progressing past It and soon disappeared from sight.

It was confused.  It had seen the depression in the daylight, and there had not been anything else here.  Did the cold, white things bring something else with it?  Did...?  Then It thought of the prey beings.

It had no idea how they handled the cold or the white things.  Perhaps they were at home in such conditions.  I remained confused but decided to try and follow the movement.  Even if it wasn’t the prey beings, it might turn out to be some other kind of food.  And, cold or not, It was still very hungry.

It was hard uncurling itself.  The cold made it sluggish, a feeling It was not used to but one It would fight to overcome. 

Once It had straightened out It’s stiff body, It began to move forward.  The white things that had accumulated on the ground were soft and proved to be easy to move through.

With It’s head close to the ground, It soon picked up the disruption in the smooth, white ground.  It kept the trail in sight, as It undulated toward It’s target somewhere up ahead.

“We cannot stay here,” Legolas remarked unconvincingly while keeping his eyes closed against the falling snow.

“I know,” came the ranger's reply.  He pulled his cloak over him from both sides, for all the world looking like he was about to settle himself for a long rest.

Aragorn was well aware that lying down in soft snow would make them both drowsy to the point that they could fall into a deep sleep from which they would never awake. Yet, the ranger, who was exhausted, made no move to get up.

Legolas was being seduced by the fact that the numbing cold and lack of activity was now gradually making his wounds hurt less and less. It was a peaceful seduction that his weary mind was succumbing to.

In the far distance, both of their minds were screaming at them to get up and keep moving. Their bodies, however, were telling them something quite different. That message was simple and oh so easy: “Let me rest here for just a moment.”

Fatal words.

TBC