The Lord of the Rings plus one Valkyrian

by Glasshouse Ballerina

Damn warlocks, leaving their portals open for unassuming witches to fall through...now, where the hell am I? Only hinted romance for first two...will get there eventually...Full summary author's notes inside!

Ok, so I realized that some of this stuff didn't quite flow as nicely as I'd liked so I edited it a teensy bit. Not much difference to the naked eye, but I'm OCD like that...So here's 'The Fellowship of the Rings take two'! (Oh, and The Two Towers is already written beginning to end. I just wanna edit/flesh it out a bit more, so stay tuned!)

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Well, hello there. Here's the deal, guys. I wrote this story because I wanted to spew out all the crap in my head. And there's a helluva lotta crap in my head. Now, I'm not pretending I wouldn't be grateful if you read and reviewed, but I'm just saying that Emeline's the way she is because she's not TECHNICALLY an OC, she's from another book. Which I happen to be writing. So just bear that in mind if you start thinking she's a Sue. Because on paper, yeah, fine, whatever, but in context she's really not...I won't give you spoilers here, but I think you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to a conversation she has with Legolas in the Mines of Moria. Anyway, point is that I wrote this with myself in mind, not the opinion of my audience, although said opinion is welcome and I will be grateful for it.

Another thing, this is an eclectic mix of the books and the movies, so for instance when you get to the fight with the wolves, don't be all 'wtf? Where did that come from?'. It came from the books, that's where. And if you haven't read the books...SHAME ON YOU.

Anyway, I typed quite a lot of this on my Blackberry, so if there are random capitals, blame it on my AutoCapitalizer, not me.

Enjoy, and don't forget to review, even if it's negative! Negative criticism helps me better my writing!

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Emeline was walked down the road on her way to her combat class. It was a swelteringly hot day, not helped much by the fact that she was wearing full black gear and carrying heavy weaponry. The heat was so intense that she saw a haze appear in front of her. Ignoring it, she kept walking; but as she reached it, she felt a sensation as if she was falling. Which she was.

"Oh, not again..."

A minute of weightlessness later, Emeline fell with an uncomfortable thump onto the ground. The first thing she needed to do was duck. In order to avoid a sword. The person holding the sword was a man of indeterminable age with chin length dark brown hair. He looked rather surprised at her arrival. Emeline was used to this. Falling through portholes that idiotic warlocks had forgotten to close was common in Valkyrie, as was the generic surprised reaction from those surrounding her. Sword-swinging was a little rarer, but understandable nonetheless- after all, she had effectively just fallen from the sky. What happened next, however, surprised her. The man grabbed her arm and threw her to one side.

"Oi!" she yelled. "What's the big ide...a..." The words died on her lips as she saw what the man had just saved her from. A hooded figure was seated atop a rearing black horse. It reminded her of these things called Dementors she'd encountered when she'd fallen into a place called Hogwarts for a couple of weeks. Minus the part where they made you relive your fears. Although these things didn't need to- they were terrifying anyway. Then, she noticed four others running around them. Children.

Fine place to bring your kids, she thought to herself as she ducked to avoid the figure's sword.

The man who had pushed her out of the way brandished a flaming stick at the wraiths and they shrank back. He managed to set one alight and they all fled.

"Strider, help him!" One of the blonde boys was holding another one- with dark hair. He looked injured. The first words in Emeline's mind were 'parenting fail', but aloud she said,

"What's wrong with him?"

"Who are you?" asked the blonde boy suspiciously. "I won't let you near Master Frodo, I say. Just you try!"

He brandished his sword menacingly so Emeline spread her arms, palms up, the universal gesture for Look-I'm-Not-Carrying-A-Big-Murderous-Weapon. (Well, in actual fact she was carrying a big murderous weapon. Several. But she didn't intend to use them, so they didn't need to know that...)

"Guys, I'm not here to hurt you, I swear. Seriously, I just need to find a wizard and then I'll go back off to my world and leave you all alone. But I think I can help your friend if you just let me use a basic healing spell...He was just stabbed, right?"

"By a Mogul sword," said the man. "This sort of wound is beyond any 'basic' magic."

The other two children were looking at her like she was something from another world. Oh, wait...

Emeline ignored them, slightly more concerned for the injured kid. Who kind of looked like that guy, Harry, whom she had met at Hogwarts. Only much shorter.

"What's a Morgul sword?" she asked. "Is it poisoned or something?"

"Yes. Hurry, we must get to Rivendell! He needs Elvish medicine!"

"But Rivendell is six days from here!" wailed the blonde. "He'll never make it!"

"Gandalf!" cried the kid, moaning in agony. Emeline couldn't take this. Kids in pain was one thing she could not stand.

"Hold still," she muttered and knelt beside him. "What's your name?" she asked gently.

"F-frodo," he mumbled, now shivering. "Son of Drogo."

"Ok, Frodo. I don't think I can heal you completely but I can stop the pain temporarily by putting a numbing spell on you. Would you like that?"

"Y-yes!" He cried out in pain again. Emeline placed her hands around the wound on Frodo's shoulders. Already her cool touch made him feel better. Then, a cold sensation spread across the wound and...nothing. He could feel nothing.

"All better?" she asked. He nodded, attempting a smile but succeeding in grimacing.

"We make for Rivendell," said the man. I shall carry Frodo. While we walk, you may introduce yourself."

With that, he picked up Frodo and began to walk. The rest followed him, and Emeline began the introduction she'd had to reel off so many times.

"My name's Emeline Alverdine. I came from a place called Valkyrie where there are wizards and witches and sorcerors and warlocks. Sometimes people of warlock level or above travel between worlds by opening portals, and some forget to close them, so it's quite common to fall through them. And that's what I did. Now, we don't travel to worlds where there are no wizards, so there must be a wizard somewhere here."

The man nodded.

"There is. We are hopefully to meet him at Rivendell."

"Oh, great! So...who are you lot?"

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn," said the man. The children then introduced themselves.

"I am Samwise Gamgee," said the blonde.

"I'm Peregrin Took."

"And I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck."

The last two were the ones who had been staring at her. And, in all fairness, still were...

"Wait until they hear about this in the Shire!" Peregrin whispered to Meriadoc. "A girl from another world...they'll never believe it!"

Emeline grimaced.

"Not many people do..."

"So, are you an Elf or a Man..?" asked Samwise. Emeline raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm definitely not an Elf...And last time I checked I was female, though manlier than several guys I wouldn't care to mention...I'm a Valkyrian!...Woman. I think."

Aragorn nodded and did not question her more, concentrating on leading the rest and carrying Frodo. She, however, had no such luck from the others. They badgered her with so many questions that she laughed.

"Ok, you guys, you now know more about me than half my friends do. I gotta ask...how old are you?"

"I'm thirty-six," said Meriadoc.

"I'm twenty-eight," said Peregrin.

"And I'm...fifty-eight," muttered Samwise, not thrilled at being the oldest of the group.

"Do not feel as if you are the oldest, Master Samwise," Aragorn called over his shoulder. "I am eighty-seven. And still young."

Emeline raised her eyebrow, unfazed by the fact that he looked no older than twenty-something by human standards.

"Whatever. I'm a hundred and eighty three. And very, very young..."

They rested after a day's walk, which gave Aragorn the chance to look around for any herbs that might help Frodo.

"Do you know the Athelas leaf?" he asked Sam. "It can help to slow the poison. Kingsfoil."

Sam nodded and they began to look around. Emeline lay Frodo's head in her lap and examined the wound. She renewed the numbing spell and swabbed the wound with some alcohol she had found in Aragorn's pack. Once she had disinfected it, she rubbed some white cream around it.

"Antiseptic," she explained. "It stops it from swelling and getting infected."

They heard footsteps and Aragorn returned together with a woman. Emeline's eyes widened. She was possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, and this was coming from someone who lived on Valkyrie. She said something in a foreign language to Frodo, then argued softly with Aragorn for a couple of minutes. Finally, she knelt down beside Frodo and spoke to Emeline.

"What have you done to the wound so far?" she asked.

"I cleaned it and disinfected it so it wouldn't swell up. I also put a numbing spell on it so Frodo doesn't feel pain."

"I see." She straightened up. "I will take Frodo to my father in Rivendell. There are four Nazgûl behind you. The rest, I do not know."

Aragorn helped her heave Frodo onto her horse, and she swung herself on lightly behind him.

"Be careful," murmured Aragorn.

She smiled at him and galloped off.

"Who was that?" asked Merry.

"An Elf," answered Sam, equally awed.

"She is Arwen Undómiel, daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell," said Aragorn, smiling.

They continued to walk.

The walk to Rivendell took them five days, in which Emeline, Aragorn and the Hobbits found out more about each other. By the time they arrived, they were firm friends. Even the suspicious Sam liked her for what she had done for Frodo, and they were all on nickname terms.

They finally arrived at the House of Elrond and were greeted by him.

"Lord Elrond, this is Emeline."

"Lord Elrond Halfelven, son of Eärendil at your service."

Emeline smiled. His introduction was very similar to those on Valkyrie.

"Emeline Devereux, daughter of Hyperion of Albion at yours and your family's."

"Albion? I have not heard of such a place."

"It's in a different world, which could be why," smiled the girl. "I'm actually looking for a wizard."

"And you have found one," came a deep voice. It belonged to an old man who had just come out of the door. He had grey hair and a long beard, and wore a cloak and a hat. He reminded Emeline greatly of Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and she was struck by the amount of similarities between the two worlds.

"You're a wizard? That's fantastic!"

"I shall leave the pair of you to acquaint yourselves with one another. Meanwhile, I shall show you four to Frodo- no doubt you're all tearing to see him," said Elrond with a smile. With that, he departed with Aragorn and the Hobbits, leaving Emeline and Gandalf to talk.

Gandalf sat down on one of the benches either side of the door and motioned for Emeline to sit next to him. She did so and introduced herself as she had to Elrond. Then, she explained her situation to him.

"Emeline," said Gandalf, when she had finished. "I am afraid that I cannot help you here. Had I been more powerful, I could have, and had my good friend Saruman not betrayed us, I could have taken you to him. No, I do not know how to cast the magic that you require, but I promise you that I shall do everything I can to help you."

Emeline's face fell, but then she shrugged. She was stuck here whether she liked it or not, so she may as well make the best of it. She looked up at Gandalf and smiled.

"Ah, well. The people seem nice enough..."

"Ah, you have met but a few of the people...many here are fell folk."

"Trust me, there are pretty fell folk up where I live. We just got out of a war with the Irati- evil, foul, horrible creatures. Powerful, too. Luckily, we won."

"You can do magic, I assume?"

Emeline smiled and leaned against the pillar, lazily waving her fingers. Slowly, water appeared out of the moisture in the air, twisting in a figure of eight, following her fingertips.

"I'm a water elemental," she said. "Only at witch level so far. I still have to go through Warlock and Sorceress to become a Mage, and that will take over nine thousand years..."

Gandalf laughed heartily.

"Ah, patience, Emeline. You shall get there sooner or later."

She grinned.

"I know. And frankly, I'd rather be young and relatively powerless than able to do crazy shit and really, really old..."

"Ah, age is not such a bad thing."

"But you're still young by our standards."

Gandalf raised his bushy eyebrows.

"I thank your compliment."

"No problem. Anyway, am I just going to stay here, or..."

"Well, at the moment we're dealing with a great problem that could mean the end of the world as we know it, and a council is being held tomorrow to discuss what to do."

"And...what is this problem?"

Gandalf momentarily hesitated. Well, she'd find everything out at the council tomorrow anyway, so he told her all about the ring and Sauron's will to get it back.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Emeline when he was finished. "What are we going to do about it?"

"That," answered Gandalf, "is precisely what we are going to discuss tomorrow."

The council meeting had begun. Legolas looked around for familiar faces. He recognized Gandalf the Grey, of course, beside him was Aragorn son of Arathorn, and on his left an unfamiliar female. Sitting with them was a hobbit with dark, curly hair and he recognized a dwarf- Glóin and his son, Gimli.

Gandalf spoke a lot during the meeting, explaining a lot of his actions and filling them in on the happenings of the world. Legolas listened with rapt attention, but his mind couldn't help but wander. He glanced at the hobbit. Gandalf had mentioned him- his name turned out to be Frodo. That just left the unfamiliar female. He studied her. She was tall, but judging by her ears, she was certainly not an Elf. She did not hold the perfect beauty of an Elf, though her eyes were a dark blue. The girl turned, caught him staring, and smiled at him briefly before turning back to the wizard.

Emeline sat in her seat, listening to Gandalf. He'd been speaking for an incredibly long time. It felt like one of her physics lectures at university...except not quite about physics. She had sensed that the tall blonde looking at her for quite a while now. She had only caught a brief glance at him, but could see that he was extremely beautiful. She turned to him, smiled and turned back. Aragorn was now speaking. He was telling off another blonde man, this one with short hair, who had suggested that they give the ring to Gondor.

"You cannot wield it," he said. "No one can. This ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

The handsome blonde stood.

"This is no mere Ranger. This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

"Aragorn?" asked the man. "Isn't that Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor."

"Havo dad, Legolas," said Aragorn. Legolas. Emeline smiled to herself as he sat down. This place was just full of strange names. As he pushed his hair out of his face, she caught a glimpse of a pointed ear, much like Arwen's. Another Elf.

"You have only one choice," Elrond was saying. "The ring must be destroyed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" cried a Dwarf, running forward and smashing his axe over the ring. Literally. The axe shattered into pieces.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this."

Emeline had to suppress a giggle. People here spoke so dramatically. Fiery chasm from whence it came. Really...'We gotta chuck the ring into the fire' would have done...

The blonde who had questioned Aragorn earlier placed a hand to his face. If Emeline didn't know better, she would say he was facepalming.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor," he said, as if stating the plain obvious. Which he was. Legolas stood again.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" retorted Gimli.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what's his?" asked the man.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"

The rest of the Elves stood up, then the dwarves. Suddenly, Emeline felt extremely short, being the only one besides Frodo who was sitting down.

"Never trust an Elf!"

Legolas was furious. Just who did this dwarf think he was? He was just about to snap back, when Gandalf's voice boomed above the rest.

"Do you not understand? While you bicker amongst yourselves, Sauron's power grows! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"

There was silence. Then the hobbit, Frodo spoke up.

"I will take the ring to Mordor," he said. "Though...though I do not know the way."

Gandalf smiled.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins. As long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn went and knelt beside Frodo. He was still taller.

"If by my life or death, if I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

Legolas knew what he had to do. He went over to stand beside Frodo, bowing his head slightly.

"And you have my bow."

"And my axe," added Gimli, not to be outdone by his Elven rival. Boromir joined them.

"You carry the fates of all of us, little one," he said.

"Boromir, if this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done," said Aragorn.

"Here!" came a slightly outraged voice as a rather portly hobbit ran up to them. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!"

"No, indeed," said Elrond, not without humour. "It is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret Council, and you are not."

"Oi!" another two hobbits were standing in the doorway. "We're coming too!"

"Yeah," said the other one. "You'll need people of intelligence on this mission...quest...thing."

There came a laugh from the girl, who had been sitting down silently through all the ruckus. Now, she stood.

"And you shall have mine," she said. She turned to Gandalf. "I owe you this. Let me come with you."

The wizard bowed his head.

"Very well."

"Ten companions," counted Elrond. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great!" exclaimed Pippin. "Um...where are we going?"

Legolas entered the weapons storage in order to collect his bow. The only female member of their company was already there. She looked up as he arrived.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

"Greetings, my lady," he answered, ever the courteous prince. She laughed.

"I'm no lady, trust me." She tightened a belt around her waist and attached a scabbard to it. "I'm never gonna get used to this..." she muttered to herself. Legolas noted that her clothes were not quite normal. Her boots were knee-high and of leather, laced up. Tucked into these were loose, black trousers of a foreign, coarse material and over this she wore a black top that covered her neck and arms fully.

"No," she muttered again. "This just feels too weird." She loosened the belt and took it off, instead taking a back holster. "Sorry, could you help me with this?"

"Of course."

He gallantly helped her adjust the strap to the correct tightness, and even put her sword in for her. It was strange- blunt on one side and with a square end, its hilt wrapped in a fine, red fabric.

"If you do not mind my prying, where are you from?"

She smiled, turning around.

"Not here. Not this world. I'll explain it all later, I expect there'll be plenty of time to tell tales. Besides, it'll save me having to repeat it three times- Gimli and...Boromir?" He nodded. "Yeah, they'll need to know as well."

She was now strapping a holster to her leg, and put a strange, L-shaped black object through it. A handful of shiny, sharp things went into a pouch at her hip, then she picked up a larger version of the weapon she had placed in her holster.

"I'm good to go," she said. "Are you?"

He nodded, having picked up his bow and quiver.

The Company had stopped to have lunch. Boromir was teaching Merry and Pippin to sword fight, and the rest of them were eating. Emeline had explained and introduced herself to the rest of them, and they had been slightly skeptical at first, but after Gandalf had supported her story, finally believed it. Right now, she was leaning casually against a large rock, polishing her MG4. Legolas sat down beside her.

"What is that?" he asked. She grinned.

"This is what we call a machine gun. You have cannons here, right?"

"Yes..."

"Well...this is like a miniature cannon. You load it with bullets, which are like tiny cannonballs, and it shoots eight hundred of them per minute. Precise and deadly."

"May I?"

"Of course."

She made sure the safety catch was on, and handed it over to the Elf. He ran his hands over it, examining it from butt to barrel. Finally, he gave it back.

"Ah, this weapon is not for me. It seems too...wild. Uncontrollable."

"It can be, when not trained properly," she said. "But the moment we hit eighty, we're trained to use these babies."

"And how old are you now?" he asked.

"One hundred and eighty three," she said. "And you?"

"Oh, much older," he laughed.

Suddenly, they heard Sam gasp.

"What is that?" he asked, motioning to a black cloud moving fast towards them.

"Nothing," said Gimli. "Just a wisp of cloud."

"It's moving fast," said Boromir. "Against the wind, too."

"That's no cloud," muttered Legolas, training his sensitive eyes on it. He gasped. "Crebain from Dunland!"

"HIDE!" yelled Aragorn. Quickly putting out the fire and grabbing their belongings, the ten of them dashed for the cover of a rock jutting out, creating a sort of miniature cave.

"The hell are they?" whispered Emeline.

"Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

Half an hour later, the Fellowship found themselves walking up a steep mountain. Suddenly, Emeline saw a fleck of white pass her vision. Then another, then several more.

"Snow," breathed Frodo. The fall intensified quickly, and soon the path was covered in two feet of snow, and the company was surrounded by a blizzard. Even Boromir and Gimli found it hard to keep going. Legolas, being an Elf, simply walked atop the snow, not hindered or disheartened in the slightest by this. Similarly, Emeline was doing the snow-bound equivalent of skipping, being of Northern origin and pretty much used to this weather. She giggled as she tossed a snowball at Legolas. He jumped slightly as the cold, wet ball hit him unexpectedly. Brushing snow out of his hair and eyes, he looked around for his attacker. Emeline walked beside him, hands behind her back, whistling and looking shifty. She glanced at him.

"What?" she asked with mock innocence. "I didn't do anything!"

He scraped a handful of snow off the rocky face beside him, compacted it into a ball, and threw it at Emeline's face, grinning. She swerved to avoid it, and it fell off the side of the mountain path.

"Can't get me!"

They continued in this spirit for a few minutes, laughing and hurling snowballs at each other, their light hearted actions raising the spirits of the rest of the crew slightly. But the snowfall was too hard and finally the group came to a standstill.

"It is no good going on," sighed Gandalf. "Either we turn back, or we find shelter here."

"No good going back either," said Aragorn, grimly. "There's nowhere up till here that classifies as shelter any more than this cliff wall does."

"Shelter," muttered Sam. "If this is shelter, one wall and no roof make a house."

They huddled together with their backs to the wall. Emeline found herself sandwiched between the Elf and the wizard. Speaking of sandwiches, she was hungry...She cursed her age, or lack thereof. Every Ancient in Valkyrie could control the weather. Her great-great grandmother could control the weather, no problem. But she couldn't. Although, something gave her the sneaking suspicion that this was no ordinary snow.

"Gandalf," she murmured. "This...this is magic, isn't it?"

"Yes," he answered. "Saruman's. I can do nothing about it."

Defeated and subjected to spending a night on a cliff, she curled up and pulled out her Blackberry, checking her Facebook. She quickly updated her status. 'Emeline Alverdine is spending the night on a cliff. In a snowstorm. Fun times in Middle Earth...'

A minute later, the device in her hand vibrated. Cedric had commented on her status. 'Did you fall down another portal again?' She tapped back an answer. 'Yep. And now I'm on a quest to take a ring to this evil place called Mordor so we can destroy it and save the world. A relatively normal day in the life of Emeline...'

"What in Middle Earth is that?"

Legolas' voice distracted her from her languid Facebook-ing.

"A Blackberry."

Now, the Elf was confused. Very, very confused.

"But...but...isn't a blackberry a...a forest fruit?"

And that was how Emeline spent a snowy night on a cliff explaining the concept of smartphones to an Elf, a dwarf, a wizard, four hobbits and two humans.

Six hours later, they got up. The hobbits had been all but buried under the snowfall, so Boromir and Aragorn had to lift them out. Legolas had noticed Emeline's lack of warm clothing.

"Are you not cold?" he asked incredulously.

"Psh, I'm from the North. We're used to the cold there. What about you? Your footwear is hardly suitable for this weather!"

He explained how Elves were so light that they could run atop the snow, and not sink through. Emeline in turn explained the Valkyrian technique of walking on substances less dense than solids, which was how she had run freely the night before.

"We're having a snowball rematch, by the way," she added at the end. "We drew yesterday."

"No, I clearly won. I hit you sixteen times!"

"And I hit you eighteen, but didn't count two because they only brushed you! Gimli, who won?"

"You did," said Gimli, automatically siding with the Elf's rival. Legolas shook his head.

"That is unfair, Emeline. A dwarf will always speak against an Elf."

She grinned.

"I know."

They set off at a slow pace, but Legolas and Emeline ended up walking slightly ahead of the others due to their practical immunity to snow. Suddenly, there was a strange voice heard above the wind.

"There is a fell voice in the air!" cried Legolas.

"It's Saruman!" exclaimed Gandalf as boulders began to fall.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" yelled Aragorn. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No! Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!" cried the wizard. The voice chanted back without pause.

"Cuiva nwalca Carnirassë! Nai yarvaxëa rasselya taltuva ñotto-carinnar!"

A bolt of lightning hit the mountain, causing an avalanche. Emeline found herself buried under a pile of snow.

"Shit," she muttered, then raised her voice. "Guys! Guys, can anyone hear me?"

"Emeline!" Aragorn's voice came back, muffled by the snow surrounding her. "Are you buried?"

"No," she called back, sarcastic as ever. "I'm just the disembodied voice of a girl who disappeared off the face of the earth in the space of a second."

There was a scrabbling somewhere above her head, and a pair of hands came through. Emeline wriggled her own hands through the snow and grabbed them. A second later, Aragorn pulled her out.

"So much for being able to walk on snow," he grinned, "when you can't evade being buried alive by it."

"Thanks," she grunted. "Are the others alright?"

Gandalf, Boromir and Legolas were helping Merry, Sam and Frodo out of similar situations to Emeline's. All were covered in snow. There came a muffled shouting from somewhere to Emeline's right.

"Pippin!" she cried, running over to the mound. With her sword, she sliced the top of the mound clean off and pushed it to the ground. Then, she leaned in and, grabbing the hobbit underneath his arms, lifted him out. "Are you ok?" she asked, a laugh in her voice. Pippin nodded, a little disconcerted, but nonetheless alright.

"We must get off the mountain!" said Boromir. "Make for the Gap of Rohan! Or take the west road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard," argued Aragorn.

"We cannot pass over a mountain," stated Gimli. "Let us go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

Gandalf shook his head.

"Let the Ring-bearer decide... Frodo?"

Frodo paused, debating with himself. He looked to Gandalf, then to Emeline, then Aragorn. Finally, he spoke.

"Let us go through the mines."

Once they were down and back in the woods, they heard a howl.

"My heart's right down there in my toes," said Sam, his voice full of fear. "But we aren't even etten yet, and there are some stout folk here with us. Whatever may be in store for old Gandalf, I'll wager it isn't in a wolf's belly."

They kept going but before long, they heard the terrible howl again. Gandalf raised his arms to the sides, signifying for them to get back. Aragorn, Boromir and the hobbits all drew their swords, Legolas raised his bow and took out an arrow and Emeline raised her hand gun.

'A rifle would be better against wolves,' she thought. 'But a Sig Sauer will have to do.'

The pack had now neared them and the leader approached them, hackles raised.

"Spies of Saruman," commanded Gandalf. "Begone from here and tell your master that we shall not be quelled by mere wolves. Step any closer and you will be destroyed."

One of the wolves growled and leapt at Gandalf, but before it could get within a metre of the wizard, it lay dead, Legolas' arrow in its throat. This angered the rest and they all attacked. Emeline raised her weapon, steeling herself. She shot two as they jumped at her, then another that was coming at Frodo from the back. The Company fought bravely, but there were too many wolves. Finally, Gandalf whirled his staff about his head and brought it down to the ground. Flames erupted in a ring around them, and Emeline froze.

Fire.

She couldn't move. The others were fighting the wolves with Gandalf's pyrotechnics, but Emeline stood rooted to the spot, fear freezing her. The leader made a jump for her but, once more, a burning arrow pierced him. He howled as he writhed on the ground, dying.

With their leader taken down, the rest of the pack retreated, tails between their legs in defeat.

At Gandalf's command, the fire died down and Legolas just managed to catch Emeline as she crumpled.

"What's wrong with the girl?" asked Gimli.

"Fire," whispered Emeline, clutching Legolas in her reduction to a scared little girl. "I hate fire."

"But Emeline, you have been fine at the camps. We always have fire there!" exclaimed Legolas.

"Yes," she said, her voice steady but her face still buried in the Elf's chest. "But those are small fires. This was a big fire. Big fires scare the living shit out of me."

"Emeline." Gandalf placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and, detangling her from Legolas' arms, helped her up. "You have nothing to fear from fire summoned by me. I have utter control of it. See? It is now gone, as I commanded it to. It will not harm you. Now, let us keep moving while we can."

Grabbing their things, the Company once more marched forward. Aragorn came up beside Emeline.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

"Yeah," she muttered back. "The only thing wounded is my pride. My God I made a fool of myself. I must have looked like such a...such a...a...girl."

Aragorn chuckled slightly.

"You are one, so I think you can be forgiven for that." With a wink, he strode forwards to speak with Gandalf. She ended up once more falling into step with Legolas, who seemed to be another friend she'd made here. He smiled at her.

"Yes, I know. Man points have been deducted for acting like a baby, but I still beat you in that snowball fight."

"You did not!"

"Did too."

"I just saved your life!"

"...good point, but irrelevant nonetheless!"

Finally, they came to a large cave where there was a stone wall on which runes were engraved.

"Elvish?" asked Emeline.

"Yep," answered Frodo.

"What does it say?"

Gandalf answered this:

"The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" asked Merry.

"Simple," answered Gandalf. "If you are a friend, you speak the password and enter."

"Well that's fantastic," drawled Emeline. "Wonderful theory. So, we know the password...right?"

Silence. Then, Gandalf spoke.

"Rest," he said. "I will attempt to open the Gates of Moria."

They all sat down on and around the surrounding rocks. Emeline made herself comfortable(ish), stretching out her legs as she leaned against the cave wall. Frodo was helping Sam (who was now practically in tears) unload Bill the horse, Merry and Pippin were tossing stones into the small lake, Aragorn and Legolas were talking softly and Gimli was sharpening his axe. Suddenly, Emeline stood up.

"I want to try something," she declared. "It's a magic door, right? Therefore it needs magic to open it. I once fell through a portal to a place called Hogwarts, and I came back with something that may help." She rummaged in her pack. Everyone leaned forwards, expecting some kind of mystical object to appear. Instead, Emeline ended up with a wooden stick in her hand.

"A stick?" asked Pippin incredulously. "How is a stick going to help us get in?"

"Like this." She pointed the wand at the gate and said, "Alohamora!"

Nothing happened. Emeline's posture slumped a bit as everyone looked at her expectantly.

"Oh...well...I'm outta ideas...Anyone else? Legolas? You're an Elf...they're usually smart..."

Legolas shook his head.

"Frodo? You're the ring bearer..."

Frodo stood, examining the Elvish above the gate.

"Speak friend..." he muttered.

Merry and Pippin were still skimming stones.

"Stop that," said Aragorn sharply, grabbing Pippin's wrist. "You don't know what's in there."

"Gandalf, what's the Elvish for friend?"

"Mellon."

There was a deep rumbling and the gates opened slowly. At the same time, a huge tentacle rose out of the water and grabbed Frodo around the waist, lifting him high into the air.

"Master Frodo!" cried Sam, drawing his sword. Aragorn and Boromir did the same, Legolas drew his bow and Emeline flicked the safety catch off her gun.

"Strider!" yelled Frodo in panic. The hobbits ran bravely into the water and began to hack at the tentacle holding Frodo. It finally let go, but just as he was back on land, several more came out and grabbed him again.

"Frodo!" screamed Emeline, letting rip with gunfire. It seemed mostly ineffective. She ceased fire as Boromir and Aragorn ran straight at the beast and Legolas made to shoot it.

"Don't waste your arrows!" she said. "If bullets are ineffective, arrows will be useless."

Finally, Aragorn managed to slice off the tentacle holding Frodo. Boromir caught him as he landed and they all turned.

"Into the mines!" cried Gandalf.

"Legolas, Emeline, into the cave!" yelled Boromir as he passed them. They all ran through the gates, pursued by the tentacles. The doorway crumbled as the powerful tentacles collided with it, blocking out the monster, but also the light. Emeline felt the wand, still clutched in her hand.

"Lumos," she muttered, and the tip ignited.

"So it's a torch!" exclaimed Pippin. Emeline sighed.

"No, it is not a torch..."

"Silence!" commanded Gandalf. "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

"Gee, I just love walking for days through dark caves which may or may not contain things that could kill us..." muttered Emeline, out of Gandalf's earshot. Legolas laughed softly.

"Do not worry. I shall let no harm befall you."

Emeline snorted, but moved the light away from her face to hide her blush.

"Yeah, although you couldn't protect yourself from my snowballs..."

"Snowballs and swords are different. Warriors of Mirkwood were never trained in the art of snowball fighting...Were Valkyrians?"

Emeline stifled a giggle.

"Well, considering I live in Albion, one of the coldest countries in Valkyrie, I was sort of born knowing how to throw snowballs. My brothers, Aidan and Caolan, they were merciless."

"You have brothers?"

"Oh yeah. I have brothers. Two immature, rough, older brothers. Why do you think I know how to fight? Aidan was teaching me spinning kicks in my sandbox when I was three, and Caolan showed me to shoot my first gun when I was just twelve. I watched their martial arts classes when I was a toddler." She grinned. "Do you have brothers?"

"Alas, I am an only child, set to bear the crown by myself after my father."

"Wait- what? You're a prince? And you never mentioned this because..."

"I did not think it necessary or important in any way."

She gave a low whistle.

"Well, mate, I pity you. See, whereas you have to take the crown, I can just kick back and let Aidan take the responsibility of ruling a country. Amen to that..."

Legolas, surprised, stopped for a moment, then continued walking.

"Emeline? You, too, are of royal birth?"

"Oh yeah. Fuck. My. Life."

Legolas was not sure what this expression meant, but hazarded a guess that it was one of dismay.

"You do not enjoy the life of a princess?"

"Do I enjoy- Are you kidding me? Having to look perfect all the time, always being on my best behaviour, not allowed to go out wearing a hoodie and jeans...It's terrible! At least my dad lets me take combat classes and learn to use weaponry. I mean, it's not exactly unusual for chicks to fight, but it's not a very...princess-y thing to do, y'know? I dunno, I don't really like it much...Do you?"

"I do. Of course, I understand what you say about a lot being expected, but if one can live up to those expectations, the matter is small."

"See, that's the problem," Emeline explained. "I can't. I hate all these court rituals, the pretending to be nice to people you hate, the instant judgement if you look less than perfect..."

Legolas laughed again.

"I cannot see you submitting to a parent's will easily."

She grinned.

"That's 'cause I don't."

They continued walking for several hours, then came to a standstill.

"We shall rest here for the night and regain our strengths," said Gandalf. "Who is willing to take the first watch?"

"I'll do it," said Emeline at once, not feeling particularly tired yet. And she could do with some quality time with her Blackberry. The company lay down near a wall against which Emeline sat. They fell asleep while she took out her smartphone and checked her Facebook. She had gotten three emails, two text messages and fifteen notifications while she'd been walking, all of which she had ignored until they'd come to their resting place. That wasn't counting wall posts and inbox messages which she'd disabled notifications for and checked separately, otherwise the device would never stop vibrating.

Two of the emails were from fashion label sites whose mailing list she was on, while the third was from her brother about a link he had sent her to a martial arts training video. The texts were both from her other brother asking her if she knew what time the consuls of Maika were arriving, because their parents were currently abroad on diplomatic business, Caolan didn't know and he had to receive them himself. She replied with an 'Aidan, how the hell am I supposed to know? In case you hadn't noticed, I haven't been home for the last couple of weeks because I fell through a portal. Call mum or dad and ask them, they won't be angry. X'

The Facebook notifications were just from a few of her friends from her shooting class having a comment thread on a status that she'd 'liked'.

"Bloody pointless notifications," she muttered to herself as she deleted them. And that was it. Nothing else. Nothing from her so-called 'friends'. Grimacing, she placed her Blackberry in her lap and just sat there, thinking. She thought about the fact that neither of her parents had bothered to contact her since she'd gone. She thought about how her brother had forgotten that she was missing. She thought about the lack of communication with the people she called her friends.

Then, she thought about how close she'd grown to the people here. To Aragorn, the hobbits, Legolas, Gandalf, and on a smaller scale, Gimli and Boromir. Ever since she'd arrived, Aragorn had acted like an older brother should. Protective instead of physically abusive, kind instead of insulting. She smiled sadly as she realized she has made more of a family here in Middle Earth in the space of two weeks than she had back on Valkyrie.

She pulled out her iPod from her pack and placed the earphones into her ears, setting it to shuffle mode and settling down for a night of watching. After an hour of sitting and listening to music, she saw a disturbance in the corner of her eye. Guard up, her hand immediately went to her gun, but then she realized that it was just Aragorn getting up.

"Go back to sleep," she said, quietly. "It's not your turn to watch yet."

"I can't sleep," he confessed, sitting down beside her. "Are you tired? I'll take over."

She pulled out her headphones.

"Nah," she said. "I won't sleep. We can watch together."

He nodded and smiled.

"How're you dealing with the long journeys?" he asked. "I wouldn't expect you to be used to them..."

"Physically tiring, yes. But mentally invigorating. I've always liked walking," she said. "I walk everywhere if I can make it in time."

"So not a total girl."

She glared at him, and he chuckled, making her grin. Middle Earth certainly rocked harder than Valkyrie.

Emeline and Aragorn talked late into the next morning, and Emeline fell asleep around two.

She was woken four hours later by Aragorn, whose shoulder she had slept on during the night...or, rather, morning.

"We must make haste," said Gandalf. "Although I am unfamiliar with this path."

Emeline looked around. There seemed to be three different doorways. She slapped a hand to her face in dismay.

"Shiiiiit," she muttered. "Well that's fantastic, isn't it?"

Aragorn chuckled under his breath as he hauled her up by her shoulder.

"I shall risk a little more light."

The ball at the end of his staff glowed brighter, illuminating the passageways. They all peered into the middle one. There were skeletons littering the ground, black-feathered arrows sticking out of them.

"Goblins," muttered Legolas, pulling one out.

"That is no mine," murmured Frodo. "That is a tomb."

"No," muttered Gimli, running forward. "No!"

Inscribed on the tomb were the words 'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' Gimli lowered his head and wept. Aragorn placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, breaking up the touching moment, there was a loud clang. Pippin had accidentally dropped a skeleton into a well, making an absolute racket.

"Fool of a Took!" Snapped Gandalf. "Throw yourself in next time and save us all your stupidity!"

Pippin looked guilty. Emeline put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, Pip," she whispered. "It was just an accident. Happens to all of us."

They heard a sound that sounded like marching, with the occasional scrape of sword against rock.

"Orcs!" Said Sam, suddenly.

"Barricade the doorway!" Cried Boromir. They rushed to the door and shut it, placing a discarded spear through the handles. Emeline brandished the wand and muttered: "Colloportus! That should lock it..."

Then they took their positions, ready to fight. Boromir quickly ran to the door, looked through a hole, and ran back.

"They have a cave troll," he reported. "Of course they have a cave troll..."

There was a crashing at the doors. The Orcs had reached them. Legolas tightened his bowstring and Emeline flicked the safety catch off her MG4 light machine gun.

"Have you ever fought, princess?" he asked.

"Psh, yeah." She grinned. "What do you take me for?"

"Certainly not an average woman. Shoot!"

They released fire simultaneously as the door broke down and the Orcs came streaming in. They were separated in the heat of battle and Emeline found herself back to back with Sam.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," he said, almost happily, as he speared an Orc with his sword. Just then, the cave troll entered. There was a moment of pause as everyone stared up at the 12-foot beast in awe.

"Oh..." muttered Emeline. "Shit."

Her words summed up the situation as the troll swiped its great hand down and grabbed the tiny Frodo.

"Aragorn!" cried the hobbit. "Aragorn!"

"Frodo!" He plunged a spear into the troll's chest, but it did nothing to pierce its thick hide. It did, however, cause enough discomfort for the troll to drop Frodo, then hit Aragorn. Frodo ran over to him, but the troll hurled a spear at him, pinning him to the wall.

"Frodo!" screamed Sam and Emeline, simultaneously. Merry and Pippin jumped onto the troll's back in an attempt at felling the beast, but instead Legolas shot it in the throat and it collapsed. Everyone ran over to Aragorn and Frodo, concerned for their two friends.

"He's alive!" exclaimed Sam as Aragorn turned the halfling over.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm not hurt."

"You should be!"

"I think," said Gandalf, eyes twinkling, "that there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo smiled and parted his shirt to reveal a silvery sheet of chain mail.

"Mithril," breathed Gimli. "You are full of surprises today, Master Baggins."

They heard more footsteps and quickly stood.

"Quick!" commanded Gandalf. "To the bridge of Khazad-dûm!"

They ran, but the place was soon filled with Orcs, blocking every pathway.

Except one.

At the end of the hallway, there was a red glow. The Orcs seemed to be running away from it.

"What is that?" asked Boromir.

"It is a Balrog of the ancient world, a foe beyond any of you. Run! Swords are of no use here!"

And so they ran towards the bridge, but the stones began to break, falling away into the dark abyss below. They stopped short at a break in the rock. It was at least six feet across. Legolas jumped over first, then Gandalf, then Boromir with Merry and Pippin. Aragorn tossed Sam over easily.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf," said Gimli, and jumped. He would have missed, had Legolas not grabbed him by the beard. "Not the beard!" he cried as the Elf tugged him to safety.

"Emeline!" called Legolas. "Jump!"

But she had frozen again, staring down at the pits below. They were filled with fire, terrifying her out of her wits.

"Don't look down!" roared Gandalf over the din of falling rocks. "Jump!"

Aragorn put a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do it, Emeline," he said, quietly. She took a deep breath and jumped. Legolas caught her as she landed and instantly pulled her away from the edge.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern written all over his Elven features.

"Yeah," she muttered, turning around to see how Frodo and Aragorn were faring. The rock they were on swayed, then toppled towards the others. They managed to slide off it just before it slipped past and fell.

"Over the bridge!" cried Gandalf. "Fly!"

He made sure that the others had run on before turning to face the Balrog.

"You cannot pass."

The Balrog roared, and Gandalf could hear Frodo and the others calling his name.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

The bridge broke, and the Balrog fell into the abyss of flames, but as it did so, its tail came out and caught Gandalf's ankle, causing him to fall. He caught onto the edge of the bridge. Emeline screamed and Frodo cried out with fear, each restrained by Legolas and Boromir respectively.

"Let me go, Legolas!" Emeline shouted. "We have to save him."

But the Elf held fast to her.

"It's too late," he said, sadly.

"Fly, you fools," were Gandalf's last words as he let go of the edge and slipped.

"You heard him," said Boromir. "We must go!"

Still grabbing Emeline around the waist, Legolas turned and, practically carrying her, ran over the bridge with the rest of the company into brilliant sunlight.

Once outside, they all sat down, grieving. All of the hobbits were crying, comforting each other. Boromir was sitting on a rock, his face in his hands, and Emeline was leaning against Legolas, sadness written over both their faces.

"Legolas," said Aragorn. "Get them up."

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" snapped Boromir.

"By nightfall these woods will be swarming with Orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Legolas, Gimli, get them up."

Boromir picked up Merry and Pippin while Aragorn helped Sam and Frodo. Legolas put a hand on Emeline's shoulder. She stood silently, not making eye contact with anyone.

Once the company was up, they made their way silently along the path into the woods. Nobody spoke, they were all deeply ensconced by the loss of their friend and guide, especially the hobbits who had known him for the longest. Boromir wasn't making dry and obvious statements, Emeline wasn't cracking sarcastic remarks and Merry and Pippin weren't exchanging their usual light banter.

As the road turned south, they came to a well.

"Here is the spring from which the Silverlode rises," said Gimli. "Do not drink from it," he added as Emeline peered into it. "It is icy cold."

She raised an eyebrow and lowered a hand into the well.

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed as she withdrew her hand. "That is cold!"

Gimli rolled his eyes. Only a woman...he thought.

"It soon turns into a raging river," informed Aragorn. "We'll be going that way."

He pointed downwards to where the stream ran down the valley and was lost in a haze of gold.

"There are the woods of Lothlórien!" Legolas practically sang. "In autumn, the leaves do not fall but turn instead to gold, and in the spring they fall as the new green comes out. The floor of the woods is gold and the walls are silver from the bark of the trees!"

"Sounds pretty," remarked Emeline.

"It is pretty," answered Aragorn. "But it's miles away, so let's get going."

They walked at quite a fast pace for quite some time. Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir powered on ahead, while Gimli kept up just behind them and the Hobbits lagged at the back. Emeline walked with the Hobbits in order to make sure that none of them strayed from the company out of exhaustion. Sam was shivering and Frodo was gasping for breath every now and then, causing Emeline to grow worried. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She told the Hobbits to wait where they were and ran up to the front.

"Guys, we have to have a break. Sam's cut is killing him and Frodo is having trouble walking."

They halted and turned around.

"Frodo, Sam, I am so sorry!" exclaimed Aragorn. "I'd completely forgotten you were hurt! Just a little further and we can rest, I promise. Boromir, we shall carry them."

And so the Men slung the Hobbits onto their shoulders and they continued walking until they came to another stream that joined with the Silverlode. There, they sat down and Gimli and the younger hobbits got water and started a fire while Aragorn and Emeline tended to Frodo and Sam.

Emeline examined the cut on Sam's head.

"Nas-ty," was her verdict. She cleaned it with the water that Gimli had heated, then produced a white tube from her pack. "Antiseptic," she explained as she rubbed it on, causing Sam to wince. "It stops germs from getting in there and making the cut all swollen and filled with pus."

All that was wrong with Frodo was a massive bruise on his chest and bruising down the side where he'd hit the wall. Aragorn crushed dry Athelas leaves into the hot water and bathed the bruises, then bandaged them.

"You'll be sore for a bit," he said. "But it's excellent compared to what could have happened."

"Yeah, trust me, you look much better than I do the morning after my martial arts class," added Emeline, earning a smile from the battered hobbit. "I mean, look." She pulled up the hem of her shirt and tugged down the waistband of her trousers by an inch to reveal a large but fading bruise on her hip bone. "I got that one just before I arrived here."

Frodo and Sam winced simultaneously, and Aragorn snorted.

"Nothing compared to what I got back when I was a young boy learning to fight..."

After the company had eaten, they restarted their journey and walked on for a good three hours or so until it became dark, and even then they ploughed on until they came to the edge of a golden-leaved forest.

"Lothlórien!" exclaimed Legolas. Boromir looked uneasy.

"Is there any other way to fulfill our quest?"

"Boromir, look at these leaves! Would you want anything more beautiful?" asked Emeline. Boromir paused.

"It is said that few who go in come out unscathed."

"Unchanged maybe," said Aragorn. "But not unscathed. Come."

"It is dangerous," pressed Boromir.

"Only for evil. Follow me!"

They had not walked for a mile when they came to another stream.

"Why do I feel like I'm on a geography field trip..?" muttered Emeline. Legolas, however, looked delighted.

"Nimrodel!" he exclaimed. "It is said that its waters heal the weariness. We shall step through it. Remove your boots and follow me!"

Emeline couldn't help but giggle slightly as the entire company removed their footwear, rolled up their trousers and waded in after the Elf. She took off her heavy boots and went straight in, welcoming the cold water flowing over her exhausted, calloused feet. He was right- it made her feel better than a spa treatment.

When they had crossed to the other side, they rested again and ate food. Emeline and Legolas sat with their feet in the water, and Legolas told them stories of Lothlórien. He sang them a song about the Elf-maiden, Nimrodel and her lover, Amroth. It was beautiful- both the song and his clear voice. When he finished, Emeline clapped softly, smiling.

"Emeline," said Merry. "We have each had a turn at entertaining, but we have yet to hear a song from you."

Emeline smiled and shook her head.

"What shall I sing to you about?"

"Sing to us of love! Some music from your kingdom!" exclaimed Gimli. This made her laugh.

"Ok, ok, let me think...Oh, I know one! It's quite an old song by our standards, but I love it.

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin',

Do you feel my heart beatin'? Do you understand?

Do you feel the same, or am I only dreamin'?

Is this burning an eternal flame?

I believe it was meant to be, darlin',

I watch you when you are sleeping, you belong to me,

Do you feel the same, or am I only dreamin'?

But is this burning an eternal flame?

Say my name, sun shines through the rain,

Live a life so lonely, then come and ease the pain,

I don't wanna lose this feeling, oh

Say my name, sun shines through the rain,

Live a life so lonely, now come and ease the pain.

I don't wanna lose this feeling, oooo-ooh!

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin',

Do you feel my heart beatin', do you understand?

Do you feel the same, am I only dreamin'?

Or is this burning, an eternal flame?"

She sang the last verse twice again, but modulated on the tune each time. Her voice was low and husky, and pleasant. She smiled as she finished and looked up, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Was that ok?" she asked. "I don't usually sing in front of people, but I figured since you guys are just a small group of friends..."

Pippin clapped her on the back.

"Worthy of a hobbit's feast!" he proclaimed. The company burst out laughing and Emeline grinned widely. Aragorn jumped to his feet.

"We should move and seek refuge in the tree tops tonight," he said. "It is safer than the ground."

The hobbits looked slightly uncomfortable at this, but said nothing. They all gathered their packs and, in good spirits, carried on walking. They finally came to a cluster of trees which overhung the Nimrodel.

"I shall climb up and see if it is suitable refuge for us tonight," said Legolas.

"Ooh, I haven't climbed a tree in ages!" exclaimed Emeline. "This is awesome..."

He grinned.

"You shall have your chance soon enough."

With that, he jumped up and grabbed a branch high above his head, but the moment he did that, there sounded a voice.

"Daro!" It was commanding. Legolas released the branch and dropped back. Emeline stared at him questioningly.

"Stand still," he whispered. "Do not move or speak!"

There was quiet laughter from above, then a voice spoke once more in Elvish. Emeline listened intently as Legolas replied in the same language, a fascinated linguist. Finally, he laughed and turned to the others.

"They say you breathe so loudly that they could shoot you in the dark."

Sam clapped a hand over his mouth, looking terrified.

"That doesn't mean they are going to shoot you," continued Legolas. "They would like me to climb up with Frodo and are interested in seeing the 'woman of the foreign lands'. Which I assume is Emeline."

The foreigner in question raised her eyebrows as a silvery ladder was let down. Legolas took a step back.

"Ladies first," he said, courteously. She smiled, rolled her eyes and shinned lightly up the ladder. Legolas, Frodo and Sam, ever by his master's side, followed. At the top, they reached a platform, and on the platform were three Elves, clad in silvery-grey. Lamps cast a silver light on the company assembled there.

"Welcome," said an Elf, slowly. "We are unaccustomed to using Common Speech, so please excuse our lentor. Please introduce yourselves."

Emeline smiled, and decided to use the little Sindarin that Legolas had taught her. She loved languages and loved using them with their native people. She felt it gave her a better rapport with them.

"Suil! I eneth nîn Emeline Alverdine. Telin od Valkyrie." Hail! My name is Emeline Alverdine. I come from Valkyrie.

Legolas smiled, pleased that she had used what he had taught her. The Elves also smiled at her efforts at cultural diplomacy. Her accent was slightly off (as with any student of a foreign language), but it was a good effort.

"Govannen hí na 'lass, Emeline." You are welcome here, Emeline.

She nodded, having pretty much reached the extent of Elvish she was confident with using. Frodo also introduced himself in Elvish and was greeted in the same language. Sam, blushing scarlet, muttered,

"I'm Samwise Gamgee of the Shire."

"You are welcome here, Samwise. I am Haldir, and these are my brothers, Rúmil and Orophin, though they do not speak much of your tongue. How many are you?"

"Neder. Tâd edain, canad periain, min Valkyria, a im."

Emeline was thrilled that she could more-or-less understand what he said- 'Nine. Two humans, four hobbits, one Valkyrian and myself.'

"A nedrui?" asked Haldir- and the ninth?

Legolas paused, looking uncomfortable.

"Hadhod," supplied Emeline.

Legolas and Haldir launched into a quick, quiet conversation in their own language at this, too fast for Emeline to hear or understand. Finally, Haldir spoke in Common Speech.

"Very well," he said. "We shall do this, though against our will, if you and Aragorn are content to guard him and blind him as he walks through this forest. And now, you must rest! You and the hobbits shall rest here, and the others in the neighbouring talan. Call us if there is anything amiss, and have an eye on the dwarf!"

"I'll go get Merry and Pippin," said Emeline in Common Speech, having exhausted her reservoir of Sindarin.

She jumped backwards over the edge of the flet, grabbed the sides of ladder and quickly slid down to the ground. A minute later, she leaped lightly back on now carrying a pack on her back and one on her arm, and following her came the other two hobbits.

"Here you go, Legolas," she said, handing him his pack. He thanked her. Merry and Pippin collapsed on the platform.

"There!" exclaimed Merry. "We lugged up your things as well as our own. Here, Sam."

"You had no need of your burdens," said Haldir. "We have provided blankets and bedrolls for you. Emeline rolled her eyes but grinned.

"Now he tells us..." she muttered. Legolas smiled, glad to hear the return of her customary sarcasm, for since she had met the Elves of Lothlórien, a stunned courteousness had come over her, which was quite uncharacteristic.

They were given a second dinner in which they recounted to Haldir, who translated for his brothers, their tale. Then, they wrapped themselves up in the fur cloaks they were given, and the Elves left.

"I shall not sleep tonight," declared Pippin. "I am too afraid that I shall fall off."

Emeline laughed.

"You want me to sleep on the end?"

"What if you fall off?" asked Merry. She snorted.

"Believe me, I've had worse injuries than falling out of a tree house thirty feet in the air..."

There was a plaited screen which could be moved and fixed in order to block out the wind. Since there was no wind to speak of, they used it as a makeshift wall, and the hobbits all curled up as close as possible to it. Legolas lay down nearer the edge of the platform, leaving a space.

"Squish up," said Emeline. "I'm not scared of heights, but I don't particularly feel like falling off."

"I left this space for you," smiled the Elf. "So that you would not fall off."

She raised an eyebrow. Legolas had known her for long enough now to tell that this meant she was entering her stubborn mode. He changed tack.

"Please? If only to give me some peace of mind."

She rolled her eyes once more and, smiling, lay down between him and the hobbits.

"Night, you lot," she yawned, wrapping up in the cloak and curling up. The rest said their goodnights and they fell asleep, one by one.

In the morning, Haldir appeared once again and led the company once more. They came to a stream, and Haldir whistled. An Elf appeared on the other side, and Haldir tossed a thick, grey rope across to him, and he tied it to a tree on his bank. Haldir tied his own end to a tree, then jumped up and ran across it. Legolas followed.

Emeline sized the rope up. It was fairly thick, thick enough for her small feet to step on, and it went above water, which was what she drew her strength from, unlike when she'd been in the Mines of Moria, unable to jump a mere few feet across fire. She shrugged and climbed onto the rope. Once she had gotten her balance, she fixed her eyes on a spot in front of her, walked across quickly and jumped off lightly. For the rest of the company who did not have such good tightrope-walking skills as the Elves and the Valkyrians, they tied a second rope at shoulder height for them to hold onto. Once the rest were over, they untied the ropes at their end and Rúmil, at the other side, took them up and went back to Nimrodel to keep watch.

"Now, we are entering sacred lands, not to be spied on by strangers," said Haldir. "You, Gimli, a dwarf, shall be blindfolded."

"This arrangement was made without my consent!" objected the dwarf, loudly. "I am no spy! I'm about as likely to betray you as any of my companions!"

Suffice to say that he was not happy at all.

"A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks..." muttered Legolas, wearily. Suddenly, Aragorn had a bright idea.

"Come, Gimli. We shall all be blindfolded. Even Legolas."

Legolas opened his mouth to object, then closed it again. Then decided to have his say.

"I am an Elf and a kinsman here!

"A plague on Elves and their stiff necks," smirked Emeline.

"Alas for the folly of these days," said Legolas as Haldir bound all their eyes. "Here all are enemies of the one Enemy, and yet I must walk blind, while the sun is merry in the woodland under leaves of gold!"

As they marched, Legolas felt a cold hand on his.

"Alright there, pretty boy? Not too hard done by without your eyesight?"

"It distresses me greatly that I cannot see the golden leaves with the sun shining upon them," said the Elf, sadly. Emeline laughed.

"It's ok, we'll have plenty of time to look at the pretty forest when we arrive. I'm...sort of getting used to this blind business. Sort of."

Legolas smiled, though Emeline could not see it. It was a comfort, having her hand hold his in its cool grasp.

"I am glad of your use of my native tongue earlier," he said, earnestly.

"Heh, I like to use foreign languages in their respectful countries. Makes me feel more at home, somehow, and I think it shows the people there that I make an effort to know them..."

"You know many?"

"Oh, most people on Valkyrie know a bazillion. Minimum requirement is five, but as a princess I have to know seven. Language of Albion, Maikan, Gaulic, Nordic, language of the Caucasus, modern Latin and ancient Latin."

"Are they difficult to learn?"

"Oh, not for Valkyrians. Not at all. My race specializes in music and language, so learning them isn't much of a problem. In fact, the average Valkyrian is born trilingual."

"Does your race specialize in any weaponry?"

"What, like the Elves specialize in archery? Not as a race, as such. Everybody receives basic weapon training as soon as they turn thirty, and that consists of all sorts of firearms, blades, small weapons, archery and hand-to-hand, but that's only especially given to men. Like I said, I was allowed to learn by my dad. Then, you pick what you're good at and specialize in it. I specialize in firearms and hand-to-hand. My blade of choice is a single-edged sword, my small weapon of choice is the throwing star and my bow of choice is a composite bow with polymer string."

"A composite bow with polymer string?" repeated Legolas. "I have never heard of such a thing!"

"Modern stuff- the bow's made of horn on the belly to store energy in compression, sinew on the back to energy in tension, and wood for lightness. It's definitely the most efficient by far."

"You shall have to show me! I must see this 'composite bow' of which you speak. And what were the strings?"

"Synthetic polymer fibre. Synthetic means it was made by man, it's not a natural material, but it's completely water resistant and has amazing mechanical properties! But I'm not particularly fantastic at archery, so I'll leave the expertise to you."

They continued to chat lightly about weapons and techniques until they arrived. Their masks were removed and they gazed about them in wonder. Surrounding them were halls of utmost beauty, not even close to either Emeline or Legolas' royal palaces, nor the Glittering Caves that Gimli spoke of. Haldir motioned for them to wait outside a pair of intricately crafted doors and went inside himself. He came out a minute later.

"You may enter," he said. The two guards on either side opened the doors for them and the company filed in. Before them sat two people as beautiful as the room they occupied. A man, with long, silvery hair and a woman with the most piercing eyes anyone had ever seen, as if they were staring right into your thoughts.

"Welcome," she said, "to Lothlórien." She greeted them each individually, and when she got to Emeline, she smiled.

"Ah, Emeline, daughter of King Hyperion of Albion."

"How did you know?" asked Emeline, not sounding particularly surprised. Simply curious.

"I believe you know perfectly well how I know," smiled Lady Galadriel mysteriously. "Especially when a close relative of yours has the same ability."

From the shadows came another woman, just as impossibly beautiful as Galadriel, but with black hair and jade eyes.

"Granny!" exclaimed Emeline.

"Emeline! For the last time, don't call me granny. It makes me feel old!"

The young Valkyrian grinned and ran up to the woman, embracing her tightly.

"But you are old," she laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to take you back, silly girl. Trust you to land up through a portal. Lucky you leave such a strong magical scent!"

"T-take me back..?"

She looked around at her fellow comrades- her friends. They were looking at her with expressions of horror and sadness on their faces. Legolas' expression was the one containing the most despair, Aragorn's following closely. Emeline turned back to her great-great-grandmother.

"Granny, I...I don't think I'm ready to go back quite yet," she said, hoping against hope that she sounded mature. She could fool anyone into thinking she was an intelligent, grown-up woman, but Avalane was made of sterner stuff that could see through the most opaque of facades, and if she thought that Emeline should go home...well, the princess didn't have much say in the matter. To everyone's immense relief, however, the woman who had once ruled Valkyrie smiled.

"I know that, child, I can read your soul, you know..."

"Yep. I know," said Emeline, grimly, remembering a few situations in which that power had become rather...inconvenient...for Emeline.

"I was merely testing to see if you had enough guts to follow your heart and stay here." She removed a ring from her finger and handed it to her granddaughter. "Here, Emeline, I surpassed the level of needing to use this thing a few hundred years ago and now merely wear it as decoration. I believe you should have it."

"Your...your portal ring?"

"Well it isn't much use to me, now, is it?" exclaimed the woman, throwing her hands up. Emeline grinned.

"Thank you, gra- Uh, I mean Avalane. No, I like granny better...Wait, what about the parentals?"

Avalane smiled.

"You underestimate the powers of the mage, child. I pulled the wool over your parents' eyes the moment I realized what had happened."

"Grandma, you are awesome."

Still grinning, she stepped back and let Galadriel take charge. She summoned a couple of servants to show them to their rooms, and they all left the throne room. Aragorn, Legolas and Emeline were the last to be shown to their rooms, and they talked as the servants lead them down a complicated set of passageways.

"That woman was your grandmother?" asked Aragorn.

"Well...great times about four grandmother, but I just call her granny. She's definitely my favourite out of all my grandmothers, and I have a lot of grannies. Occupational hazard of being a society of immortals- you have a lot of relatives. But Avalane's definitely my favourite by far."

Aragorn could not contain himself. He had to ask.

"How old is she?"

The Valkyrian laughed.

"Oh, I actually have no idea. I'd hazard a guess around...five or six thousand? But she's not my oldest. My oldest living grandparents are well over several hundred thousand, but we don't really...talk to them, because...well, they're kind of...They're kind of two of the Oracles, so you don't really talk to them unless it's an emergency of massive proportions. Like, seriously. They've literally been around since the creation of our planet."

They were shown to their rooms, and as Emeline went into hers, she noticed a massive pile of things on her bed. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were her things- Avalane must have brought them for her! She picked up a silk shift dress, feeling the smooth fabric against her face and grinning. She was a girl, and tough as she may be, three weeks without decent clothes or makeup had honestly killed her a little on the inside. She flung open the door of the bathroom and threw off her clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor and ran a bath for herself.

She soaked in the hot, scented water for almost an hour, then dried off with one of the impossibly soft towels and wrapped it around herself while she selected her lingerie. Avalane had left quite a choice of clothing, so she spent around ten minutes simply selecting her undergarments. Once she's put on a black silk bustier and matching briefs, she regarded the clothes. A dress, for sure, but which one? She was in the presence of royalty, so something striking, no doubt. She giggled as she tried on dress after dress, twirling around in front of the mirror. As she twirled in a black silk number with an ostrich feather skirt, she tripped over her own ankle and fell backwards onto the bed, laughing. She didn't care that they had to deliver The Ring to Mordor. She didn't care that it was dangerous, and that the peril rate was high. She was happy right now, and that was what mattered. She took off the dress and decided to make up her face first. She did so with relish, loving the feel of moisturizer on her dry skin, the sensation of the feather-soft brushes as she applied foundation, blusher and contour. She grinned to herself as the dark brown eye shadow surrounding her eyes opened them up and her eyelashes lengthened with each magical stroke of the fat mascara brush. She chose a dark lipstick, applied it, then turned back to the dresses. Finally, she chose a black silk strapless with a lightly boned bodice and defined breast cups. It cut off at the knees, so she paired it with a pair of purple courts and arranged her hair in a matching purple headband. Just as she'd twisted the last curl into place, there came a knock at the door.

"Enter," she said in a spooky voice. The door opened and Aragorn did so, grinning.

"Galadriel requested that I fetch you for din-" He paused, shocked. Then: "Emeline! You're..."

"A girl? Wearing a dress? Wearing my hair down? Well noticed!"

"I guess...I guess I was always thinking of you as...a younger brother...not a sister..."

She snorted, reminding him that she was still the same Emeline- just in different clothes.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go to dinner, I'm starving!"

Legolas sat at the table, conversing with the Lothlórien Elves in their own language. Dinner hadn't officially started yet, as many of the company weren't there yet, but Legolas, as all Elves, was quick and didn't require much primping time. Unlike Emeline, who'd been in her room since they'd been shown to them earlier that day. 'What on Arda is she doing in there?' he mused to himself. Maybe Valkyrians just had different customs to Elves...Speaking of whom, her grandmother had arrived. She sat down beside Legolas, leaving a place for Emeline, and greeted him.

"Hello, young Elf. You are Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, yes?"

He bowed his head.

"At your service, my queen."

She laughed.

"Oh, no need to call me that. Just Avalane will do, really. So, you seem to be quite friendly with my granddaughter."

"Yes, we've made very good friends over our travels," he smiled.

"And you have feelings for her," continued the ex-queen, as if she was commenting on today's weather. Legolas was taken aback.

"Not that I am aware of!" he exclaimed. Avalane smiled.

"Precisely, my dear. But I could see it in your eyes when I said I was here to take her away. Aragorn too, though his feelings are those of brotherly affection. His heart belongs to Lady Arwen Undómiel..."

Legolas was completely unfazed at her intricate knowledge of what went on with whom in Middle Earth. What jolted him was that casual statement- 'you have feelings for her.' He had never thought about that before. True, he loved Emeline as a friend, and he couldn't bear to lose her, but did that mean he was in love with her...?

Avalane's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Anyway, the point is that you have my full blessing. And mine is the only one that matters, since I'm the only elder she'll listen to." She dropped her voice to a whisper as two figures appeared on the stairs. "Here she comes now..."

Legolas' eyes widened in surprise as, for the very first time, he saw Emeline in something other than combat gear. Her hair was down, which he'd never seen before as she kept it permanently in a braid, and her legs were completely on show up to the knees. They were long and tanned and shapely. He composed himself as she came and sat between him and Avalane.

"I am starving," she proclaimed. "When're we starting?"

"When Celeborn and Galadriel arrive, Emeline," answered her grandmother. "Have patience."

"Yeah, whatever...d'you like my outfit?"

Avalane smiled at her beloved grandchild.

"Yes, you look beautiful."

"Thank you so much for bringing my stuff, grandma. You have no idea how hard it is to live in combat gear for three weeks."

"You have no idea how odd it is seeing you not in combat gear after three weeks," muttered Legolas. Emeline laughed.

"Oh, hold onto the precious moments where you're a little manlier than me, Legolas," she joked, punching him gently on the shoulder. "They don't come often."

Aragorn laughed as he sat down across the table from them, next to Boromir.

"Her point is fair," he commented.

Emeline grinned, but underneath her mind was racing.

Legolas looks FIT in that outfit...In fact, he's generally bloody beautiful...Well, that's depressing. The guy I'm crushing on is prettier than me.

She subtlely moved so she could examine her reflection in the back of a large serving spoon which was conveniently placed face down against a platter. Did she look good enough? Her grandmother's voice invaded her thoughts.

Vanity is not a virtue, Emeline.

Emeline looked up at Avalane.

"I was never one for being virtuous anyway," she said, a smile playing around her lips. Valkyrian beauty was enough to have any human man weak at the knees in 0.05 seconds, but Elves were used to beautiful women. And Legolas had met Arwen without being attracted to her.

Emeline, stop being an idiot, her brain told her. Just be friends with the guy, isn't that enough? He blates doesn't like you like that.

One thing she prided herself on was that she didn't need a relationship to be happy. Merely spending time with the object of her affections was enough for her, so she fell back into a conversation with Legolas and Aragorn about training injuries.

Emeline was wandering around Lothlórien by herself, listening to music. Galadriel had offered for them to stay as long as they needed, and Frodo and Aragorn had decided that they would recuperate there for a week, so Emeline took the time to drink in the forest's beauty. She had abandoned the dresses she wore to dinner in favour of a pair of shorts- much more practical for climbing trees.

"Afternoon, Emeline."

Legolas dropped down from a branch above her. She smiled and greeted him.

"Hey, Legolas."

He fell into step beside her as they ambled around the forest.

"Are you enjoying it?" he asked.

"Every bit. It's beautiful."

Suddenly, he smiled, eyes lighting up.

"Come with me," he said, taking her wrist gently and breaking into a run. He led her to the trunk of a wide, silver tree. "You said you wanted to climb trees, so here you are- the finest climbing tree in Lothlórien."

The girl grinned. The trunk was gnarled and old, so very uneven- plenty of handholds and footholds. It certainly was a good climbing tree!

"I'll race you."

He laughed.

"You speak as if you stand a chance of winning."

She turned her body square to him, hands on hips.

"Them's fightin' words. I challenge you. First one to the first branch up there wins."

Legolas looked up. It was about fifty metres of climbing. He gave an uncharacteristic smirk.

"I rise to your challenge."

She took a few paces back.

"Ready? Set...Go!"

Legolas started to climb from the bottom, but Emeline had more strategy than that. She ran and jumped, giving herself height and landed, clutching the bark, about three metres from the ground. Then, she started to shin up the tree quickly, like a monkey. She was fast, but so was Legolas. Their hands touched the first branch within 0.1 seconds of each other, and neither was sure which hand touched first. They pulled themselves up and congratulated each other.

"Not bad, Elf," said Emeline, clapping him on the back. "You managed to keep up with me."

"I think it is you who kept up with me, Valkyrian. And if my memory serves, we still have not disputed the snowball fight."

"Oh, Legolas, give that a rest. I clearly won..."

She nudged him amicably. He smiled and gently placed an arm around her shoulders. She didn't protest- she sat like this with almost all of her guy friends. With Legolas, though, it seemed more...chemical. As it should be.

Emeline ignored this feeling and drank in the view surrounding them instead.

A week passed quickly (as time often does when one is having fun), and it was time for the Company to leave. But not, of course, without receiving gifts from the Lady.

Galadriel gave Aragorn a sheath for his sword, to Frodo a phial of light of Eärendil's star, Boromir, Merry and Pippin received sword-belts, Sam got a box of magical soil that would make plants sprout anywhere, upon Legolas she bestowed a new bow, longer than his old one, and to Emeline a new pack which could fit any number of things and still remain light enough for the girl to carry (this came to her great advantage, as she wanted to take all the clothes Avalane had brought her). Finally, she came to Gimli.

"I know not what gift to bestow upon a dwarf, so I shall ask him to choose. What is it that you desire?"

"I desire naught but a strand of hair from the fair Lady's head," said Gimli, bowing his head to hide his blush. "As a token of good faith between our races."

Galadriel smiled.

"I shall give you three," she promised.

Finally, the Fellowship was ready and set to go. Avalane embraced her granddaughter for one last time.

"I'll be coming back to visit," she said. "Here, take this." She thrust a small black and yellow pot into Emeline's hands. "Never-ending pot of Marmite. I know how much you love the stuff..."

The girls eyes momentarily filled with tears and she threw her arms around her grandmother's neck to hide them.

"I'll miss you, grandma..."

"Oh, don't be silly. I'll see you soon, child. Look after yourself and don't get killed, promise?"

"Promise."

Avalane regarded Emeline one last time as she climbed into a boat with Legolas and Gimli.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered to herself while her image dissolved as she transported back to Valkyrie.

The Company had been rowing down the river for a few hours, so they moored and got out to rest.

"We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats, and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh, yes?" retorted Gimli. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks? And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands, as far as the eye can see!"

"That sounds...lovely," muttered Emeline.

"That is our road," stated Aragorn. "Recover your strengths. We set out at dawn."

Emeline took out some of the bread they had in their supplies and the Marmite Avalane had given her. She spread it and bit into it.

"Mmm...Anyone else want Marmite on their bread?"

The Hobbits and Gimli were never ones to pass up new food, and Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas were always up for learning new culture, so the Marmite was passed around. Reactions were mixed. Boromir, Merry and Frodo hated it, but the rest thought it delicious. They had a hearty meal and then settled down to sleep, Boromir and Aragorn taking the first watch.

The morning did not go well. At all.

Frodo left to wander around on his own after he had packed his things, and Boromir went after him for firewood. Aragorn went to look for them when it was time to leave, but he didn't return for a while. Suddenly, Legolas sat bolt upright.

"Orcs!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. The others did the same.

"Aragorn!" cried Emeline and Gimli.

"Frodo!" shouted the Hobbits.

"Run, Frodo!" cried Aragorn as he noticed Sting glowing blue. "Run!"

Frodo did so, and fast. Aragorn turned and began to battle the Orcs single handed. He was a skilled swordsman, but it wasn't easy. Just as he felt himself being overpowered, an arrow sailed through the air and struck his assailant in the neck. He turned to his left. Legolas, Emeline and Gimli stood there, wielding their weapons.

They battled for several minutes until they heard a horn not too far away.

"The horn of Gondor.." muttered Legolas.

"Boromir!" exclaimed Aragorn. The four of them pelted their way towards the sound. They arrived just in time for Aragorn to take out the Uruk that was about to kill Boromir, but overall they were too late. Three arrows were stuck in the man's chest

"Oh...Boromir..." breathed Emeline. They had not been that close, but it was still hard to see another comrade go, especially so quickly after Gandalf.

"Leave it," he heaved as Aragorn attempted to pull one of the arrows out. "They...they took the little ones...Frodo. Where is Frodo?"

"I let him go."

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him. I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You kept your honour. I do not know what strength is in my blood. But I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall. Nor our people fail."

"Our people...I would have followed you, my brother...my captain...my King."

And so passed Boromir.

They placed his body in one of the boats with his weapons and his horn, cloven in two, upon his chest, and sent him down the river. Emeline lowered her head and sang a blessing.

"Deep peace of the running wave to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the gentle night to you;

Moon and stars pour their beaming light on you.

Deep peace of Christ, the light of the world, to you.

Deep peace of Christ...to...you..."

They had a minute of silence for Boromir, then turned back to camp.

"Hurry!" said Legolas. "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!"

Aragorn and Gimli made no move to run after them.

"You...you mean not to follow them," realized the Elf.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," said Aragorn, sadly.

"But Merry's and Pippin's are," interjected Emeline, face set in determination.

"Oh, we shall not abandon them to torment and death, sister. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. Now, let's hunt some Orc!"

"YES!" exclaimed Gimli, following Aragorn.

Legolas and Emeline exchanged smiles, both their eyes filled with excitement. Then, they turned and ran.