What Becomes of an Enemy?

by Cynthia and Miriam1

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Vlad Plasmius; they belong to Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman. I also do not own Lord of the Rings or the characters thereof; they belong to the Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinemas.

A/N: This story is a sequel to "A Ghost in Middle-earth" and that should be read first, as there are references to the first story here. In addition, it takes place 6 months earlier in Danny Phantom universe and about 4000 years later in Middle-earth universe. It is now 1975 TA, and the Kingdom of Arthedain has just fallen to the forces of the Realm of Angmar. For those who have not read the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings, it takes place 1043 years prior to Frodo's departure from the Shire.

Chapter 1: The Halfa Is Found

Vlad Plasmius flew through the Ghost Zone, carrying the Infi-Map. He had, once again, managed to steal it from the Far Frozen. Frostbite would, of course, send for help in retrieving it. Not many ghosts were capable of stopping him, and even fewer would actually return it once they had defeated him.

"Hold it right there, Plasmius," a voice called out. Snicker Doodles! Frostbite would summon Daniel's assistance. True, he could easily defeat the younger halfa, but Daniel always managed to get the Infi-Map back from him every time.

This was so tiresome. "Daniel, it's so good to see you again. How is your father doing? Tired of his bumbling idiocy yet?"

"Not a chance, Vlad!" Danny yelled back. "Now hand over the Infi-Map!" Dear Daniel! Of course, he doesn't really believe Vlad will turn it over without a fight. It's all part of his heroic image to give his arch-nemesis a chance to give up right off the bat.

Vlad grinned, revealing pointed teeth. "Do you really think you can beat me? I'm far more powerful than you. I could squash you like a bug."

Danny smirked. "I've beaten you before. Remember the hunting lodge?"

Vlad winced. He'd underestimated the boy that time. "You didn't beat me. You turned my ghost animals against me. Besides, you don't have the Plasmius Maximus this time." Angry at the reminder of that less-than-pleasant experience, Vlad fired a pink ectoblast at the other halfa.

Danny dodged and fired his own green ectoblast back at Vlad. The older halfa raised an ectoshield and fired another blast. Danny was hit, throwing him backwards a few feet. The teen fired a cryoblast, freezing Vlad. The billionaire quickly broke free of the ice and blasted Danny again. Danny barely managed to duck in time and fired another ectoblast, stunning Vlad long enough for the boy to get the Infi-Map from him.

Before Vlad could respond to this, Danny fired again. The man was thrown back into a temporary portal that had just opened behind him. It closed right after he entered it, screaming in frustration. He crashed into solid ground a second later, banging his head on a tree trunk. As Vlad lost consciousness, two black rings appeared around his middle. One ring traveled up and one traveled down, transforming his white suit into a black double-breasted suit, removing his cape, and turning his black hair silver-white. The once pointed hairdo was now below the shoulder, and tied back in a ponytail.

Elladan knelt on the ground, studying the footprints in the path. They were definitely made by a troll, and had been made not more than 12 hours ago. He stood and looked at his twin, mounted on his horse just behind him. "The troll definitely followed this path. It was here no more than twelve hours ago." He mounted his own horse and signaled to the four elves of their patrol, who patiently waited behind them.

As they rode, Elrohir turned to him. "This troll left quite a trail. We should have no trouble finding its lair. Even with it crisscrossing the area as much as it did, tracking it took less time than we feared."

"Yes, it did." Elladan answered. "This troll must be stupider than the average. I have rarely encountered so easy a trail, except with orcs."

His brother grinned at that. "Orcs are the easiest creatures to track. Even someone completely unskilled in tracking could follow an orc trail." The rest of the patrol laughed quietly at the comment. Suddenly, Elrohir stopped. "I see something up ahead. I cannot make it out through the trees."

Elladan stopped as well. "Yes, Elrohir, I see it, too. Let us check it out." He urged his horse forward and Elrohir followed him, the rest of the patrol right behind.

They soon arrived in a small clearing. To one side, a man lay unconscious at the foot of a tree. A groove in the ground showed how he had slid into the tree. Elladan nodded to the patrol, and they quickly spread out to search the area. Dismounting, Elladan and Elrohir knelt beside the man and examined him.

His clothing was strange, but it was obviously well-made. His white hair was neatly brushed and his beard trimmed. The man didn't look like he'd been in a fight. He was entirely uninjured. Elrohir turned the man's head to the side and found a lump from the impact with the tree.

The twins looked up at the soft sound of footsteps. The patrol had finished its search of the clearing. "My lords, there are no indications that anything has been here since the troll passed through last night," one elf informed them.

A second nodded in agreement. "In fact, this man left no marks anywhere in this clearing or the surrounding area. The only way he could have gotten here is if he were carried."

Elladan nodded thoughtfully. "I doubt he was carried. His clothes look as though he just put them on. Besides, the troll would not have left him here. This is quite a mystery."

Elrohir looked at his brother. "I think we should take him back to Rivendell. We cannot bring him along on the troll hunt. He does not look like he would be of much use in a fight."

"I agree. But we should still try to locate its lair." Elladan looked up at the other four elves. "Follow the trail as far as you can, but be back here before dark. If you find the lair, come back and report immediately." All four nodded, mounted their horses, and rode out, leaving the twins alone with the unconscious human.

Glossary

halfa- a term used by ghosts to describe half-ghosts. "Half a human, half a ghost."- Sydney Poindexter, "Splitting Images", season 1 of Danny Phantom, episode 5.

Infi-Map- a map of the Ghost Zone that shows the homes of every ghost and every portal that exists or will exist, including when it will form. All one must do is tell it where you want to go, and it will take you there instantly.