Lost
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters or settings, they all belong to Tolkien's Estate. This is for amusement purposes only, I'm not making any money off of it.
A/N: Well, this is the sequel to Taken, and the second in a series I'm going to call 'Guardians of Hope'. I don't claim to be a Tolkien scholar, I'm not an expert on Middle Earth. I welcome all reviews in fact, I crave them, however, any flames will be laughed at, and promptly ignored.
Thanks again to Cathy, who helped me sort this idea out, and to Trin who beta'd the fic, you wonderful (if slightly evil ladies) have my eternal gratitude.
Ok, on with the fic! :) ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Come along Posie, keep up!"
The little hobbit almost giggled with glee, this was her first outing with her papa, and she was absolutely delighted to be accompanying him to Bree.
"Papa, are there going to be big people in the village?"
The elder grinned, "Yes Posie, there will be big people there."
"Will they step on us?"
"No, darling, they won't step on us."
They traveled along in this manner for awhile, Posie taking three steps for each of her fathers. Eventually they reached a good spot to camp for the night. They would arrive the following evening, and sell the cart full of vegetables and grains. The money would be most welcome to their family, as Posie's mother was expecting.
They had a tasty meal of sausages and some fried tomatoes. Then Posie snuggled against her papa's side, and dozed off contentedly.
~*~
She was rudely awakened a few hours later by her father shouting. There were vegetables flying all over the campsite, and nasty looking creatures with swords stomping through their little camp.
The ox pulling their cart was lying on his side, dead, though Posie was not yet old enough to realize it.
"Posie, run!" Papa's voice was panicked, as the creatures surrounded them, making hissing noises, and laughing in harsh voices.
Posie did as she was told, tearing off through the brush as fast as her little legs would carry her. She heard more wicked laughter, and then her papa yelled. The yell cut off suddenly, and the woods were silent a moment.
Then the earth groaned around her, and she dove into a clump of bushes. The tiny hobbit froze, rather resembling a frightened rabbit as the loud creatures ran past.
She shrank back into the shadows as one of the scary monsters drew close to her hiding place, pushing the bushes around.
It withdrew, and she relaxed a little, only to squeal in fright when a rough hand grabbed her.
~~~*~~~
Aragorn moved with uncommon grace through the woods. Truly, if one did not look too closely, he might easily be mistaken for an elf. Which was not surprising, considering he was raised among them.
He crouched down, studying the tracks at his feet, before turning to his companions.
"They head back east, away from the Shire."
Legolas nodded in relief. "Thank the Valar for small favors." Turning to the twins, he added " "Did you two really have to follow us all the way out here? Surely there must be something you need to do in Rivendell."
Elladan grinned, "Ada has been worrying over us ever since that incident in the caves last year, we wanted to escape."
"Besides, someone has to keep you two from getting yourselves killed out here." Elrohir grinned, and pitched a pine cone at Legolas' head. The golden-haired warrior easily ducked it, and shot the younger twin a dirty look.
"Are you two ever going to....." he trailed off as a soft moan reached his ears. He cocked his head, trying to locate the origin of the unusual sound.
"What is it, my friend?" Aragorn moved softly to stand beside Legolas.
"I thought I heard something... wait! There it is again!" Legolas moved slowly, searching the underbrush.
He was startled to discover a hobbit, laying in a puddle of blood, in what appeared to be what was left of a campsite.
"Elladan, Elrohir! There's a hobbit over here, he's wounded!" The twins quickly moved to Legolas side. Kneeling over the halfling, Elladan gently cut away his shirt, revealing a deep stab wound to his abdomen. The fact that he was even still alive was something of a miracle.
Brilliant green eyes opened at the elf's gentle touch, and they focused on him hard.
"You...you're an....elf," he gasped as the pain in his side spiked.
"Shhh, yes I am, I'm going to try and heal this wound. Elrohir, go get some clean water. Aragorn, let's have your herb supply."
Elladan dug around in his pack, and found an old shirt. He pressed it against the hobbits wound, wondering briefly how it had even come to be in his pack.
The halfling grunted when the elf put pressure on his side, and laid his tiny hand over Elladans. "Please...my daughter....."
Elladan's brow furrowed, "Daughter? Where?"
The hobbit shook his head, and looked in the direction she had gone, before his bright green eyes glazed over and faded.
Elladan lowered his head in sorrow, and gently closed the halfling's eyes. "We will have to bury him."
Legolas nodded, and simply began digging a hole with his bare hands. Aragorn and Elrohir pitched in. It didn't take them long to have a hole big enough for the little being.
Elladan lowered the body in the ground, and murmured a soft Elvish blessing over tiny grave, before helping to cover the body up.
The foursome stood up, and brushed their hands off. Elladan looked in the direction the halfling had pointed, "He said he had a daughter, and that she went that way. I want to see if we can find her."
~*~
Two hours later, they had still found no trace of another hobbit.
Elladan plopped down at the base of a tree, exhausted and heartsick. "What if they carried her off? They probably killed her by now."
Aragorn sat down beside his brother, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The orcs are heading back east, we can easily track them and see if they have her with them."
Elladan sighed, "We'd better get going then, if we want to catch up."
The foursome exchanged weary glances before dragging themselves the their feet and heading eastward as fast as their exhausted legs could carry them.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters or settings, they all belong to Tolkien's Estate. This is for amusement purposes only, I'm not making any money off of it.
A/N: Well, this is the sequel to Taken, and the second in a series I'm going to call 'Guardians of Hope'. I don't claim to be a Tolkien scholar, I'm not an expert on Middle Earth. I welcome all reviews in fact, I crave them, however, any flames will be laughed at, and promptly ignored.
Thanks again to Cathy, who helped me sort this idea out, and to Trin who beta'd the fic, you wonderful (if slightly evil ladies) have my eternal gratitude.
Ok, on with the fic! :) ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Come along Posie, keep up!"
The little hobbit almost giggled with glee, this was her first outing with her papa, and she was absolutely delighted to be accompanying him to Bree.
"Papa, are there going to be big people in the village?"
The elder grinned, "Yes Posie, there will be big people there."
"Will they step on us?"
"No, darling, they won't step on us."
They traveled along in this manner for awhile, Posie taking three steps for each of her fathers. Eventually they reached a good spot to camp for the night. They would arrive the following evening, and sell the cart full of vegetables and grains. The money would be most welcome to their family, as Posie's mother was expecting.
They had a tasty meal of sausages and some fried tomatoes. Then Posie snuggled against her papa's side, and dozed off contentedly.
~*~
She was rudely awakened a few hours later by her father shouting. There were vegetables flying all over the campsite, and nasty looking creatures with swords stomping through their little camp.
The ox pulling their cart was lying on his side, dead, though Posie was not yet old enough to realize it.
"Posie, run!" Papa's voice was panicked, as the creatures surrounded them, making hissing noises, and laughing in harsh voices.
Posie did as she was told, tearing off through the brush as fast as her little legs would carry her. She heard more wicked laughter, and then her papa yelled. The yell cut off suddenly, and the woods were silent a moment.
Then the earth groaned around her, and she dove into a clump of bushes. The tiny hobbit froze, rather resembling a frightened rabbit as the loud creatures ran past.
She shrank back into the shadows as one of the scary monsters drew close to her hiding place, pushing the bushes around.
It withdrew, and she relaxed a little, only to squeal in fright when a rough hand grabbed her.
~~~*~~~
Aragorn moved with uncommon grace through the woods. Truly, if one did not look too closely, he might easily be mistaken for an elf. Which was not surprising, considering he was raised among them.
He crouched down, studying the tracks at his feet, before turning to his companions.
"They head back east, away from the Shire."
Legolas nodded in relief. "Thank the Valar for small favors." Turning to the twins, he added " "Did you two really have to follow us all the way out here? Surely there must be something you need to do in Rivendell."
Elladan grinned, "Ada has been worrying over us ever since that incident in the caves last year, we wanted to escape."
"Besides, someone has to keep you two from getting yourselves killed out here." Elrohir grinned, and pitched a pine cone at Legolas' head. The golden-haired warrior easily ducked it, and shot the younger twin a dirty look.
"Are you two ever going to....." he trailed off as a soft moan reached his ears. He cocked his head, trying to locate the origin of the unusual sound.
"What is it, my friend?" Aragorn moved softly to stand beside Legolas.
"I thought I heard something... wait! There it is again!" Legolas moved slowly, searching the underbrush.
He was startled to discover a hobbit, laying in a puddle of blood, in what appeared to be what was left of a campsite.
"Elladan, Elrohir! There's a hobbit over here, he's wounded!" The twins quickly moved to Legolas side. Kneeling over the halfling, Elladan gently cut away his shirt, revealing a deep stab wound to his abdomen. The fact that he was even still alive was something of a miracle.
Brilliant green eyes opened at the elf's gentle touch, and they focused on him hard.
"You...you're an....elf," he gasped as the pain in his side spiked.
"Shhh, yes I am, I'm going to try and heal this wound. Elrohir, go get some clean water. Aragorn, let's have your herb supply."
Elladan dug around in his pack, and found an old shirt. He pressed it against the hobbits wound, wondering briefly how it had even come to be in his pack.
The halfling grunted when the elf put pressure on his side, and laid his tiny hand over Elladans. "Please...my daughter....."
Elladan's brow furrowed, "Daughter? Where?"
The hobbit shook his head, and looked in the direction she had gone, before his bright green eyes glazed over and faded.
Elladan lowered his head in sorrow, and gently closed the halfling's eyes. "We will have to bury him."
Legolas nodded, and simply began digging a hole with his bare hands. Aragorn and Elrohir pitched in. It didn't take them long to have a hole big enough for the little being.
Elladan lowered the body in the ground, and murmured a soft Elvish blessing over tiny grave, before helping to cover the body up.
The foursome stood up, and brushed their hands off. Elladan looked in the direction the halfling had pointed, "He said he had a daughter, and that she went that way. I want to see if we can find her."
~*~
Two hours later, they had still found no trace of another hobbit.
Elladan plopped down at the base of a tree, exhausted and heartsick. "What if they carried her off? They probably killed her by now."
Aragorn sat down beside his brother, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The orcs are heading back east, we can easily track them and see if they have her with them."
Elladan sighed, "We'd better get going then, if we want to catch up."
The foursome exchanged weary glances before dragging themselves the their feet and heading eastward as fast as their exhausted legs could carry them.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~