In late December, in the wee hours of the morning, the appointed Fellowship of the Ring departed Rivendell, southbound for Mordor. Everyone packed light, as speed and stealth were required for the mission. Not knowing exactly what they would be facing, Kiah had more of her aunt’s healing salve/powder made, which she could dole out to the others as needed. Out of all the Walkers, she was the most anxious to start, something which Gandalf and Legolas knew and understood. Elrond knew it too; before the Company set out, he called her aside and advised, “Do not give the enemy a foothold through impatience, Strong One. Follow your path faithfully, for that shall lead you home.”  

 

Kiah knew he was right, but she also knew that patience was not always her best virtue. Don’t screw this up, K. Stick with the plan, no matter what. Remember, Riddick isn’t here to back you up like on Corsaire, she reminded herself as she hiked along with the others. In front of her went Gimli, the hobbits, Aragorn, and Gandalf. Right behind her marched Boromir, who had pretty much avoided her after their incident; Legolas brought up the rear. The Gondorian had expected her to boast and humiliate him before the others, but she never did. Instead, Kiah carried on as if nothing happened.  

“Milady,” Boromir called as he moved along side her.  

“Kiah,” she stated.  

“Pardon?”  

 

Casting him a glance, she said, “Just call me Kiah. I don’t go for all that formality stuff. My first name will do just fine.”  

 

Boromir nodded once. “So be it…Kiah. May I ask a question?”  

 

“About…?” she asked back, stepping around a good-sized chunk of rock and ice.  

“Our sparring match,” he answered loud enough for only her to hear. “Why have you kept silent about it?”  

 

Kiah looked at him again. “Because it was no big deal, and not worth talking about. It wasn’t a competition for a prize, Boromir. We just sparred.”  

 

The Gondorian was slightly taken aback, not expecting such rationale; if anything, he was prepared to field off the gossip and rumors. Before he could respond, the telekinetic continued.  

“Tell you what: if you don’t bring it up, I don’t bring it up. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened.” With that she picked up her pace to stick with the hobbits, leaving Boromir to rethink his opinion of her.  

Legolas’ keen ears heard every syllable of their conversation, his senses having gone on alert when he saw the Steward move closer to Kiah. It brought to mind a similar discussion they had after the match, the only difference being her answer. “He’ll have to live with the fact that he lost to a woman…well, would have lost, without interference.”  

“Would you rather I let him attack you?” Legolas had countered.  

“Calm down, Legolas, I’m not upset that you stepped in when you did. What I was going to say is that the male ego is a fragile thing, but in someone like Boromir, it’s a dangerous thing. I don’t need-we don’t need-him more pissed than what he is. So don’t say anything to the others, and tell Aragorn to keep his mouth shut, too,” she’d requested.  

Legolas brought his thoughts back to the present, and kept eyes and ears alert for the slightest hint of evil nearby. He watched Kiah help the Halflings as each took his turn stumbling forward. He found it interesting that the small woman had yet to complain. He knew she was cold and unaccustomed to this type of journey; whatever comments she had, however, she kept to herself.  

On January 8, 3019, a fortnight into their quest, the Company reached Hollin and rested. On a hill in the new country, Kiah and the others could see for miles on that clear day. Aragorn and Gandalf conferred on the direction they were taking, which was for the Redhorn Gate, and from there to the Dimrill Dale. Boromir lightheartedly sparred with Pip and Merry, trying to use some of the moves which the telekinetic knew. As she walked past Frodo and Sam, she knelt down and gently squeezed the Ringbearer’s shoulder.  

“You’re a brave soul, Frodo Baggins. Never forget that,” she encouraged. Kiah winked at his friend and moved further away to stretch out some of the kinks from walking.  

The ever watchful elf had his eye on everything moving near and far, occasionally casting a glance in her direction. She had removed her cloak since the day was unusually warm for that time of year. She stretched her arms high over her head, legs spread apart, and then slowly bent forward until her palms rested flush on the ground--all movement from the others stopped.  

What in Middle Earth is she doing? Boromir wondered, as did everyone else. Kiah was too busy loosening up her stiffening joints and muscles to notice anyone’s attention. Her eyes were closed when she slowly straightened up and lifted her right leg; grabbing her foot, she kept her back straight and pushed until her heel was touching her backside. She slowly exhaled as her thigh muscles stretched and pulled, working out the accumulating tightness. Once satisfied, she lowered her leg and repeated the process with the left one. To the rest of the Company, it looked as if she was trying to twist and fold herself into a knot. When she was done five minutes later--legs, arms, back, and neck feeling much better-she opened her eyes and caught the curious stares.  

“What? My muscles were tired,” she explained, retrieving her cloak and mumbling past Gimli, “Damn, you’d think you’d never seen someone stretch before.”  

 

The son of Gloin spoke before he really thought, “That looked more like an invitation than mere ‘stretching’.”  

Kiah stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around. You stupid little man…now is not the time. “An invitation for who, Gimli, you?” She looked his body up and down once, a slight smirk on her lips. “Yeah right, not even if you were the last two-legged male in this world, and I had three months to live.” When he looked like he wanted to say something in retaliation, she silenced him. “Shut it, Gimli, just shut it. You don’t have to open your damn mouth to show your ignorance. Your appearance does that all on its own.” Kiah turned again and walked away, catching the disapproving look in Gandalf’s eyes.  

Her insult enraged the dwarf enough to make him follow after her, but before Legolas could run interference, his eyes and ears picked up a disturbance far off in the air. Appearing as a small dot the rest of the Company, moving at an unbelievably fast rate, the elf called out “Crebain!”  

Kiah had barely blinked when she felt two large, strong hands grabbing at her waist and pushing her forward, behind some bushes near a large boulder. She expected the pain from being jolted onto the ground on her stomach, but was surprised to find that it didn’t happen. Legolas’ speed and strength cradled her fall, to the point where they both barely made a sound. His blue eyes echoed the silent command he made with his forefinger pressed against his lips.  

The telekinetic followed his lead and neither spoke nor move. Overhead, she heard the increasingly deafening noise-for that was exactly what it was-of screeching and flapping wings. She couldn’t tell if the crebain were in the hundreds or thousands; she just knew there were a lot of them. Instinctively she closed her eyes, sensing them swirl around the Company, pairs of evil eyes searching them out. Kiah’s only confirmation that they had passed several minutes later was the soft brush of Legolas’ thumb over her right cheek. Her eyes flew open, missing his hand recoil quickly.  

“They have passed,” he said quietly, silently cursing himself for causing her shocked reaction. His blue eyes followed her scrambling to get up, dusting off the front of her clothing and rejoining the others. He got up as well, asking himself what had possessed him to touch her like that. I could have just told her they were gone. That would have been more than sufficient.  

Kiah smoothed out her clothing, her skin still seeming to tingle from Legolas’ touch. Blinking away one question, she asked Gandalf another, “What was that, that crebain?”  

 

“Black crows, presumably spying out the land,” came the answer from Aragorn. “We must leave when evening falls. This place is no longer safe, for it is being watched.”  

The wizard agreed, adding, “Which means, my friend, that so is the Redhorn Gate. This will make our trek even harder to hide from the enemy, but nevertheless we will find a way.”  

With the decision made, the Walkers settled without fire until the evening, hiding out from the birds when they returned. When dusk fell, they continued their journey, moving against the chill air until the luminous Caradhras stood before them several days later. “Holy shit,” Kiah said softly at the sight. “We’re supposed to climb that?”  

Behind her, a small grin spread on the elf prince’s face.  

 

********** 

“Holy shit,” mumbled the telekinetic, for the umpteenth time. She was never one to complain, having been taught otherwise, but fighting against the cold, and the wind, and the snow…Kiah shook her head, her limbs aching from the temperature and from shivering.  

“Whose bright idea was this to come this way anyhow? I’m so damn cold that I’m turning into a human fudge-pop,” she mumbled amongst the howling wind. She tried to look before her, seeing that the others-in particular, the hobbits-were having a tough time. Looking back, Boromir was fighting against the cold blasts…Legolas however, was a different story. To Kiah, it looked like he was almost having a good time.  

Out of all of them, the elf appeared the less affected by the rough weather. He didn’t wear the “damn it’s cold” grimace like they did. If Kiah didn’t know better, she would’ve sworn he was…grinning? What is elf-boy grinning about? We’re in a blizzard going up the rough side of the mountain…and he’s grinning. The telekinetic couldn’t recall ever being in such inclement weather on her home world of Xinal. It rarely snowed on the colonized planet, if at all, for that matter. She turned forward again, struggling against the snow that simply wouldn’t let up.  

The grin on Legolas’ face grew even more when he moved closer to Kiah, seeing her eyes widen as he stepped on top of the snow.  

“What are you?” she asked through chattering teeth. “You’re immortal, you’re obviously not cold, you’re walking on the snow…just what the hell are you?”  

 

Legolas answered matter-of-factly, “You know what I am, Kiah. My people do not react to nature as yours does. Neither heat nor cold cause us discomfort.”  

The telekinetic lifted a shaking gloved hand, pointing at his lack of footprints on the snowdrifts. “And that? How do you explain that?”  

The elf prince winked and took her hands in his to warm them some. Continuing their march upward, he replied, “My answer remains the same. Elves are at one with nature, in all seasons.” Even through the freezing cold he felt in her hands, Legolas could still detect her power within. The energy slowly ebbed and flowed, spreading from his fingers, to his hands, and up his forearms. Again he wondered why he was touching her; they were not yet true friends, but they were also no longer enemies. His wondering halted when he felt her body’s shaking increase.  

Concern settled on his face while he gently admonished, “If you were this cold, why have you not said anything?” Legolas removed his cloak and wrapped it around Kiah, his lingering body heat seeming to warm her up a little.  

“Because nobody likes a whiner,” she answered before mumbling a ‘thank-you’ for the cloak.  

“I do not believe anyone would begrudge you if you did,” he said, indicating she could follow the path Boromir was forging. The elf heard her muffle another ‘thanks’ and maintained his watch over the rest of the Company and their surroundings.  

The further they traveled, the worse the snow storm became. Save perhaps Legolas, the Fellowship was hard-pressed to keep up its spirit and morale. At one point, Gandalf offered some miruvor, a warm and scented liquor, to everyone which seemed to rejuvenate all but Kiah. She had politely refused, drawing a questioning look from the wizard, Aragorn, and the elf prince.  

“It will warm you and refresh your strength,” Legolas tried to explain, hiding his slight frustration when the small woman insisted she didn’t need it. “Why not?” he asked.  

“Because, Legolas, just because,” Kiah stated and hiked on. She didn’t doubt the liquid was good, but the thought of sharing it from the same flash with people she really didn’t know…it just didn’t settle too well with her. Call me a germaphobe, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, she thought to herself.  

The journey up Caradhras was taxing on her; she stumbled and fumbled more often than not. And the more she struggled, the more Legolas was there to help. His continued closeness, however, began to grate on her nerves. She wasn’t used to having someone watching over her as much as the elf did. Even Marcus gave her a little space. After she fell one particular time, Legolas was already helping her up when she pushed his hands away.  

“I can’t be the ‘Strong One of the Valar’ if you keep hovering over me,” she snapped.  

The elf prince blinked, taken aback by her tone. “I was only helping you, Kiah. I meant no offense.”  

 

“I know you didn’t, but for future reference, if I don’t ask for help: don’t give it, alright?” With that she turned and went back to her snowy march.  

Legolas continued to look after her, wondering how such a small human could carry so much stubbornness and pride on the inside. “We are a company of ten, Kiah, not one. The fact that you accepted this quest is proof enough of your worth. Accepting help does not make you appear weak,” he called after her.  

She turned back around, watching him approach her, noting the slightly offended and annoyed look in his eyes. Her own stare reflected the exhaustion and frustration that had long settled within. When he reached her, she sighed and said, “Sorry,” and walked on.  

Are all women from your world as proud as you? he thought, continuing further.  

As the unforgiving mountain continued its torrent of icy blasts and snow, Aragorn and Boromir decided to move on and forge a path for the others to follow to the Redhorn Gate. Not too long after the two men disappeared around the bend, Legolas followed suit on top of the snow drifts. He looked back at the remaining huddle members, his sight lighting on Kiah for a brief second.  

Perhaps an hour or a little more elapsed before Gandalf spotted the elf’s return, with Boromir and Aragorn trudging behind. They brought somewhat good news of a wind drift on which they could walk. The two men offered to carry the smaller folk back around, beginning with Pip and Merry. In two more trips, everyone had reached the new locale. Legolas had carried Kiah on his back, thought she didn’t ask for it. Perhaps it was presumptuous of him, but he knew she was too cold and tired to protest, and he took advantage of it.  

“This is ridiculous,” she mumbled into the back of his neck.  

Legolas’ eyes widened briefly from the sudden brush of air when she spoke. “What is?” he inquired, his feet still leaving no prints on the snow.  

“Taking on this mountain with my damn hands tied behind my back, when I could’ve gotten us there hours ago with my TK,” she answered.  

“What is your TK?”  

 

Kiah held on a little tighter when another blast blew over them, forcing her to seek more of the elf’s body heat. “TK…telekinesis. It’s the official name of this power I have.”  

 

Legolas’ face was a mask of calm, even though internally he was becoming confused by his body’s reaction to her talking and increasing hold on him. “I see,” he said calmly. “And what could you have done with it? Could you have shielded us from this weather, as you did from my arrow in Mirkwood?”  

 

Mumbling still, she answered, “Probably, but I definitely could’ve just carried us over to the gate in one trip.”  

 

Legolas turned his head to look at her, just as they were approaching the others. Her eyes were squinted and her nose and cheeks had turned pink from the constant cold exposure. “You could have accomplished that, carrying ten including yourself?”  

“I could move this bastard of a mountain, if Gandalf ever gave me the word.”  

The elf prince set her down, immediately missing the feel of her body; why, he didn’t know. “Is that true?”  

Remembering the huge asteroid cluster she and Riddick spent six hours navigating through two years ago, Kiah answered with complete conviction, “That is very true, Legolas.”  

Once all were gathered, the Company marched on but not much farther, for Caradhras-apparently enraged at their persistence-had decided to accompany its blistering snow with a shower of stone. To everyone’s dismay, their path was now blocked, forcing them to abandon the Redhorn Gate once and for all. When we get down from this damn rock, Gandalf had better tell me when this ‘appointed time’ shit is going to happen. Freezing my ass off for nothing wasn’t part of the deal, the telekinetic silently ranted.  

 

********** 

In the evening, the Fellowship were back at square one, at the foot of the mountain that had just defeated them. While the men, dwarf, wizard, and elf debated on where to go next, Kiah concentrated on thawing out as best she can, while staying close with the hobbits, or so she thought. Instead, all four were hovered around her, as if willing their body heat onto her.  

Legolas glanced at them once, a small frown fleeting across his face. When asked by Gandalf, he said without hesitation, “I do not wish to go to Moria.” That place will swallow the Halflings and Kiah whole, he thought. Unfortunate for him, everyone except for Kiah, Pip, Merry, and Sam voted in favor of the fabled mines, since going through the Gap of Rohan would have placed them well within the sights of Isengard and Saruman.  

At that moment, howls and wails sounded around them in the night. The telekinetic didn’t need Aragorn to tell her what made that noise; she remembered Cadrieldur’s words and training about the Wargs, huge, verocious wolves. None of the species descendants existed on her world. They were native to First Earth primarily, though some were transplanted to several colonized planets and stations. This would be the first time Kiah would see one, though she would’ve preferred it wouldn’t be as up-close and personal.  

“How long to Moria?” Boromir asked, regretting that it was his suggestion to put their next step to the vote.  

“Fifteen, perhaps twenty miles, southwest of Caradhras,” informed Gandalf.  

“As soon as the light dawns tomorrow, we need to leave, if not sooner,” recommended the Gondorian, to which the exiled king agreed.  

As Legolas moved closer to the smaller members of their company, he overheard Pippin mutter, “I should’ve stayed in Rivendell, like Elrond suggested. The howling of these beasts curdle my blood. I am not brave enough to go any further.”  

Kiah studied the smaller hobbit for a bit, catching the elf from the corner of her eye. “Hmm…the sound is pretty sickening. I mean you would think they could try to sound a little on key.” She waited a bit when she received four puzzled looks, and smiled when she was rewarded with a small grin from Pip.  

“You are a strange one, lady Kiah, to make jokes at a time like this,” he said.  

The telekinetic shrugged. “I know, but who else would’ve got it? I mean look at Boromir. He’s so uptight you could probably slip a lump of coal up his butt and he’ll squeeze you out a diamond.” The two younger hobbits snickered, with Sam and Frodo resisting the urge.  

Continuing, Kiah said, “And you can forget about Gimli. Hell, even if he did get it, you couldn’t tell with that long-ass beard on his face. I wonder what he would look like without it.” She paused, looking as if she was thinking on it before grimacing. “Eww, nevermind. That just might be his best feature.”  

 

This comment drew more snickers and snorts from the Halflings, and a raised eyebrow from Legolas; the telekinetic merely winked at him. She uses humor to keep their minds off of their surroundings…’lump of coal up his butt’? ‘Squeeze you out a diamond?’ Where did she learn such things? he wondered, a small grin curving his lips.  

When Gandalf gave the signal, they all moved up onto the hill, as defense against the inevitable Warg attack. Surrounded by the twisted trees and broken circle of stones, they Company set up camp in the middle, lighting a fire against the darkness. As the howls wailed on, they could see dozens of glowing pairs of eyes over the brow of the hill, a fearful sight which Kiah could no longer joke about as a diversion. Everyone was on edge, including Sam’s horse. Some of the beasts moved just outside the stones, with a large one standing in the rocky gap. It gave a blood-freezing howl, which spurred Gandalf into action.  

Striding forward, the wizard brandished his staff, crying out, “Hound of Sauron! Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring!”  

 

Offended, the wolf snarled and sprang into attack, only to cry out in agony from the elvish arrow piercing its throat clean through. Legolas had fired one so fast and silent that Kiah couldn’t help but to stare. The sudden fall of the Wargs’ leader silenced them, but not for long. Like a headless bird flopping around with no direction, so came their attack from all sides of the stony circle.  

“Add more fuel to the fire!” Gandalf commanded the hobbits and woman. “Bare your swords and stand back to back!”  

The five quickly did as they were told, but Kiah was itching to use her TK. I could take them all out with one thought, Gandalf. Just tell me this is the ‘appointed time’, please.

Instead, she watched with admiration and frustration as Aragorn and Boromir hacked through the invading horde. Legolas fired off arrow after arrow, faster than any Enforcer could with his phase-pistol in her world. Across the firelight, his right arm became a blur, such was his natural speed.  

When one Warg moved close to the members holding ground by the fire, its evil eyes focused intently on Kiah, she called out to Gandalf, “Now?”  

 

The wizard, who was facing down his own attacker, understood what “Now” she was referencing, and called back, “No! Not yet!” At that moment, both beasts lunged forward and fell simultaneously at Gandalf and Kiah’s feet. Legolas had shot two arrows at once, reaching his targets at a perfect 45 degree angle.  

The firelight began to waver, and it appeared that the wizard had reached his limit. Just as in Thranduil’s chambers, he seemed to grow in the telekinetic’s mind, much taller than he really was. He snatched a burning branch from the fire and slowly charged their attackers, who moved back in fear. Tossing it high into the air, it flared like lightening to match the thundering of his voice.  

“Naur an edraith amen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!” he shouted, and instantly a flame lighted from tree to tree, illuminating the entire hill. One of the elf’s arrows caught on fire in midair, but still found its mark in a wolf-chieftain’s heart. The rest of the Wargs fled in defeat.  

As the fire slowly went down, Legolas began reclaiming his arrows, save all but one. Everyone else checked on each other, assessing whatever damage might have been sustained. In his gathering, the elf overheard the brief conversation between Gandalf and Kiah. He could feel her agitation in her tone of voice.  

“Just when is this ‘appointed time’, Gandalf? Right before we all die on this fucking trip?” she whispered harshly.  

“Soon, Strong One, soon,” he answered, leaning his head back when she snapped a little louder.  

“Bullshit, Gandalf! That’s bullshit and you know it!” When she saw everyone looking at her questioningly, she said in a lower though still angry tone, “You and your damn Valar will have to do a hell of a lot better than that. This could’ve been over two weeks ago. You could be working on finding my way back home right now, instead of scaring off some overgrown dogs with a fire and magic show.”  

Kiah walked away quickly, sliding her swords back into their scabbard and ignoring everyone’s curious stares. As she passed Legolas, he reached out and lightly brushed his fingers across her right hand, on her palm.  

“What?” she asked, doing her best to reel in her frustration.  

The elf stepped closer so that only she could hear his words. “I cannot imagine how it feels to have so much power, and yet cannot use it for good when you want.”  

The telekinetic’s eyes spoke for her the next several moments as they looked straight into his; through them Legolas could hear her feelings of frustration and uselessness.  

“Two years ago, I was finally free to use this gift in public, without fear of persecution, imprisonment, or death. Two years ago, so-called ‘normal’ humans finally accepted my kind as members of their society. But now I’m here, in this fucking place, and I have to hide it all over again,” she said bitterly.  

Legolas looked at her with sympathy. Resting a warm hand on her left shoulder, again he felt her power surge from the point of contact. “The time will come when your gift shall be free again, mellonamin.”  

Kiah stepped back. “When? Can you answer that?” When the elf said nothing after a brief spell, she added, “Yeah, just like I figured. You can’t…no one can.”  

 

Legolas watched her walk away, her arms crossed over her chest. He heard her whisper to herself, “I should’ve said ‘no’. Maybe I would be home right now with my daughter, and Riddick.”  

 

Riddick? Gandalf said her former husband’s name was Marcus. Who is this Riddick? he wondered while moving to the other side of camp.