Fiction GotG Chapter 13

Title: Gamble Of The Gods

Author: Restive Nature

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either J.R.R. Tolkien’s "Lord of the Rings" universe, nor David and Leigh Edding’s "Belgariad".

Rating: PG

Genre: Crossover of LotR and The Belgariad

Type: WiP

Timeline: LotR- The beginning of the Fellowship (follows the movies mostly.)

The Belgariad- post books. Beldaran is a young woman now, about seventeen now.

Summary: In an effort to encourage the Fellowship, help is brought into the world in the form of a young woman whose world has already seen the end of its own war.

Chapter Thirteen

They ran. Aragorn set a punishing pace for them. As they ran, consciousness began to seep back in. Although thoughts of Gandalf’s last moments still played through their minds, their self-preservation was activated. Aragorn had been right. They needed to reach the safety of the Elven forests. The shifting pattern of their running was taking a toll on them. The fight in the tomb, then Gandalf and now the differing terrain were catching up to them. Aragorn noticed this and decided that as soon as they reached the small river that they needed to cross, he’d allow a small break. For water at least.

He was upon the water soon enough, the others following dutifully behind him. He carefully scanned the horizon, searching. Danger was there, all around them, but ahead, the peace of Lothlorien. He made no acknowledgement when the rest of the company caught up to him. He silently gestured to the fresh water and the Hobbit’s collapsed at the edge, gratefully filling their stomachs with the needed refreshment. No one spoke. For to speak would begin the recriminations and grief and it wasn’t yet the time.

Bel did not notice as everyone else stopped. She’d finally swung her body into an even rhythm of left foot, right foot, then left again. Her eyes were slightly glazed over as she concentrated on some inner voice. Something that the others had not been aware of. But they were aware now as her path took her directly into the waters of the river. They all knew they had to cross the river, but they were surprised when even she did not stop to drink and rest. Aragorn took a few steps after her, stopping her with a hand on her arm.

"Beldaran?" he called softly, when she finally stopped walking. He swung her around, taking in the dead look on her face. She stared, unseeing at his chest. He reached up and drew a gentle finger across her cheek, wondering how she could feel so cold when they’d been running for so long. "Beldaran?" he spoke again, a little louder. Slowly she drew her eyes up to his. Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Little one," he groaned, believing himself to understand her pain. "You must put your grief aside for now. When we reach safety will be time enough to grieve."

"I will grieve when it is the proper time," Bel assured him solemnly. But the pain in her eyes only deepened. Aragorn stared intently at her.

"There is something more going on, isn’t there?" he demanded suddenly. Bel dropped her eyes and turned her head, but he saw the tears anyway. He grasped her chin and forced her face back to his. "Isn’t there?"

"Leave it alone Aragorn," she whispered harshly.

"What is it Bel?" he demanded. "Is it Saruman? Or another threat?"

"No," she denied evenly. She watched him for a long moment, absently noting how the rest of the Fellowship was shifting about uncomfortably as they watched the silent struggle between the two. Bel finally looked down at the water they were standing in. ‘Did you know that I can hear your heart?’ she threw silently at him. He stiffened for a moment, both at the sudden intrusion and the startling revelation. He thought for a moment, gasping as realization hit him.

‘Could you hear Gandalf’s?’ he demanded in his mind. She nodded slowly.

‘Even if he were on the other side of the world, I would hear it.’

Aragorn peered closely at her, trying to understand how this was affecting her. He closed his eyes, as he finally understood. ‘You can still hear him?’ He didn’t know what answer he wanted to hear from her. If Gandalf were still alive, there was hope. But there really wasn’t hope. There was just waiting. And the strain of it was taking too heavy of a toll on the fragile woman.

‘It is not the fall that kills, Aragorn, it’s the landing.’ With that final thought, she turned and waded through the water. Aragorn watched her for a moment, finally realizing the sacrifices she was making. She was not here to achieve the destruction of the Ring. She wasn’t here to battle Sauron, Saruman or whatever else the world would throw at them. She was here to battle the darkness brought by pain, fear, desolation and loss. But no one, not one of them could comfort her as she had them. So he did the only thing he could do, lead.

The group entered the woods of Lothlorien, some of them actually aware enough of their surroundings to take in the serene air of peace and beauty around them. As the lone Elf in the group, Legolas had heard the trees calling to him for some time, and though as saddened as the rest of the group, was looking forward to seeing the ancestral home of the Elves. Even as he watched for signs of danger, he took in the magnificence of the vast forest. Leaves fell idly to the moss carpeted ground. A natural occurrence, but a sad reminder that time was drawing to an end for the enchantments on this place. It was a heaviness that weighed on the Elf like many other things this journey had forced him to contemplate.

Aragorn slowed their pace to a walk. He knew that the Elves would have patrols out, set to watch and guard against evil. So there was no threat to them from that side, yet. The fellowship walked, strung out in a line, spacing the warriors around the Hobbits. Aragorn had kept Bel close, not worrying about what any of the others might think. He was worried about her. The threat of Saruman, the strain of keeping their spirits up, Gandalf’s seeming death, it was more than he thought she should have to bear. And he watched her, looking for, and hoping against, signs of an immediate break down.

Gimli’s voice drifted to him as his eyes swept around the forest once again. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He would have warned the others, but Gimli was already talking. "Stay close young Hobbits," he warned in a Dwarf’s whisper, which was a normal voice for others. "They say a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf-witch…of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell." Aragorn turned back at this, noting the satisfaction on the Dwarf’s face as Frodo gasped and glanced around nervously. Gimli was enjoying scaring the Hobbit’s a little too much. It seemed he couldn’t resist exploiting their fears. "And are never seen again." The other Hobbit’s gasped as well. They still hadn’t gotten used to all of the Dwarf’s ways as yet.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked gently, wondering why his friend had stopped. Frodo glanced back at his friend silently, then continued forward, his nervous glance darting all about.

"Well," Gimli grunted, "here’s one Dwarf she won’t ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox…oh!" his brag ended in a gasp as his eyes crossed to focus on an arrow tip pointed at him.

Aragorn barely had time to take in the suddenness of what he’d been expecting. He’d had to reach out and yank Bel to a stop before she impaled herself on an arrow. He noticed that Legolas had his bow and arrow pointed at the very Elf who would have unwittingly hurt her, but his friend’s eyes were darting all around. Once he was sure that Bel was stopped, he slowly raised his hands in an age-old gesture of peace.

One of the Elves, his bow at his side, approached Aragorn. "The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark," he commented idly. Gimli growled at this taunt, but with a harsh look from his leader, fell silent. The new Elf glanced over the group, then jerked his head lightly. "Come along."

Aragorn fell in behind the leader of the Elven guard, as they were led to a certain tree. Ropes were thrown down and he bade the group climb up. Aragorn glanced back at the group, wondering how the Hobbits, Gimli and Bel would manage. But to his surprise, Bel simply pulled herself up, as if she’d been climbing ropes since she was a child. Gimli, silently raging, and with a determination to prove himself before the Elves, did the same. Even if it did take him a good fifteen minutes longer than the woman did.

When they were all assembled on the platform, where the Elven guard felt more secure, and lookouts were posted, the Elf took time to welcome the travelers. The group stood where they could as Aragorn and Legolas conversed with the Elf in his native tongue. But finally Gimli had enough, demanding that the Elf speak so they could all understand. The Elf did not respond kindly and Gimli said something in Dwarfish. A curse of sorts, by Aragorn’s swift reaction. But the others were startled, just a little, when the Elf stared straight at Frodo.

"You bring great evil with you," he intoned solemnly. He turned once more to Aragorn. "You can go no further." The others turned to look at Frodo, as the poor Hobbit seemed to shrink in on himself.

An hour later, the Fellowship had all found seats as Aragorn argued with the Elf, Haldir. It was in Elfish, but they understood the nature of the argument. Frodo sat by himself, for her could feel the shame upon him. On the whole trip none but Gandalf had ever addressed plainly to him the evilness of the Ring. And now that he was gone, it was like a buffer had been removed, and his friends and companions were seeing him as if for the first time. And judging by the looks he was receiving, they didn’t like what they saw.

"Gandalf’s death wasn’t in vain," Boromir’s soft voice startled the Hobbit for a moment. He turned to look at the speculative man. "Nor would he want you to give up hope. You carry a heavy burden Frodo. Do not carry the weight of the dead." The words impacted on him heavily, and he noticed that Bel, sitting close by, also seemed affected. But he had no chance to reply as Haldir drew close.

"You will follow me," he instructed and turned away. The group rose and obeyed.