Chapter 8: New Friends
The newly developed Fellowship did not leave right away as some might have wanted. There were the Nine Riders to worry about. Lord Elrond had scouts search North, south, east and west of Rivendale for signs of the Nine Riders.
Meanwhile, the Fellowship had decided to send time together to learn to trust each other.
‘Morril, hurry up!’ Oin grunted through the door.
‘Be quiet!’ Tintil murmured. ‘I heard her crying last night.’
‘I can here you through the door, my friends. I’m ready. Oin, do you only think of your stomach?’ Morril asked grumpily.
‘Elves.’ Oin grunted.
They made their way down to the breakfast room. It was a smaller room, compared to the dining room or the Fire Room. The windows and the room for that matter, faced east, letting in the new sunlight. Legolas, Gandalf, the hobbits, Boromir and Aragorn where sitting at the table talking with each other. Kal, Morril, Tintil and Oin sat down in the open spots. Kal nudged Tintil and pointed at the hobbits, who were goofing off and trying to flick seeds into their cups.
‘Hobbits!’ Kal whispered.
‘I’m glad someone is happy after what happened a couple of days ago!’ Morril hissed. ‘I’m glad that someone is happy about what has to happen!’
‘Morril, I didn’t mean it like that.’ Kal said. ‘I just wanted to have our time together happy…not sad. I think…’
‘I don’t care what you think! You seem to be more interested in HOBBITS than your own BEST FRIEND’ Morril yelled.
‘Morril….’ Kal started.
‘I don’t care Kal! I really don’t! You just came to see other things than Silme!’ Morril screamed.
‘Morril, calm down.’ Gandalf’s voice spoke over her yells.
‘Why should I calm down!’ Morril cried. ‘I don’t have friends who care about me!’
‘Take a deep breathe.’ Lord Elrond said soothingly.
‘I’m sorry.’ Kal murmured. Morril glared at Kal and stood up.
Just like what happened on the Old Forest Road, everything became slow. The light coming from the windows poured in black. The black crawled on the floor and wrapped around her feet.
‘Your friends don’t care….I am the only one who cares! Why should you stay with people, elves, man, dwarves, HOBBITS…if they don’t care about you! You should teach that elf a lesson. You will have to bleed for Middle Earth if you do wha they tell you…make her bleed like you will have too. But you don’t have to bleed for I will take care of you…I love you..you are mine. We will rule Middle Earth…come to me, Morril. Come to me!’
Dark thoughts crept into her head and laced into her heart…making it blacker and darker. Soon the black floated away, leaving Morril’s body a weak mess. Morril’s gazed looked around the room at the stunned faces of the Fellowship, she than looked down at her hand, a knife was there covered in blood. Morril gasped and dropped it. She looked to find Kal’s cheek cut open.
‘I’m sorry Morril….I didn’t mean any of it.’ Kal whispered as she looked up at Morril.
‘What did I do?’ Morril asked. ‘WHAT DID I DO?’
‘You stood up. Grabbed the knife and slashed Kal’s face. You said something like… ‘Make her bleed like you have to..’ or something.’ The hobbit Merry said. Gandalf glared at him. Merry shrunk in his seat.
‘I know how you feel Pip.’ Merry whispered.
‘Let us get you cut tended too.’ Lord Elrond said walking over to Kal and helping her stand up.
‘Kal, I’m sorry..’Morril said as she watched Lord Elrond walk away with her friend.
Kal came back after a few minutes with a small bandage on her face. Breakfast was a silent one after that.
‘How about a walk?’ Samwise Gamgee asked everyone once they were mostly done.
‘That sounds wonderful!’ Aragorn smiled. ‘Would you ladies join us?’
‘Of course!’ Kal said smiling. ‘Uh…I mean, I would like to.’
‘Kal, it’s alright.’ Morril whispered.
‘I will come.’ Tintil smiled. ‘Oin, Gimli, Boromir, Gandalf?’
‘I will come.’ Oin and Gimli said. They had become fast friends.
‘I will love to spend time with you lovely ladies.’ Boromir said.
‘Legolas?’ Kal asked.
‘I will come, as Boromir said, to get to know elf maidens of Silme.’ Legolas said quietly.
Their walk was productive. Kal, Legolas and the hobbits talked of elves and hobbits. Legolas and Sam had a wonderful conversation on gardens. Merry and Pipin thought Kal was the best she-elf they knew…and that was only Kal, Tintil and Morril!
Morril, Frodo he did not feel up to talking of the Shire for he missed it dearly and Aragorn walked in silence. Once in a while they would talk of things. Frodo felt a connection with Morril. He smiled up at Morril and she smiled back. A bond formed between the ring bearers, where it was from their postion or the Rings…they never knew nor cared.
Oin, Gimli and Boromir walked and talked of Gondor and Moria’s former powerful reigns. Gandalf watched the friendships form but was put out by what had happened at breakfast.
Over the next two months, the Fellowship became closer. Merry and Pipin were always in their trouble making modes. Kal would laugh at them and protect them when Gimli, Oin or Gandalf came to scold them. Legolas and Kal became closer, talking and always sitting next to each other and Legolas and Sam were often talking of gardens and trees. Boromir, Tintil and Morril were often found talking. Frodo was seen with Sam or Morril. Gandalf would talk with Aragorn of their journey and talk with the Silme elves and dwarf about what they new of passages into Mordor.
Soon two months passed and the scouts came back with news that the Nine Riders were unhorsed, and some were uncloaked. Their time in Rivendale had come to it’s end and their journey was about to start.
