Disclaimers: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and other stories in the Middle-earth Saga. They belong to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. All other canon material belongs to their respected owners. I only own the plot, the original characters, etc.

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Welcome to the second part of my Beginning of Time fanfic trilogy! :)

This is new territory for me, since the last time I worked on this trilogy, I only wrote the first part in draft form. So, this is a learning curve. :)

Enjoy. :)

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The wind swept across the dry grass, grazing it until a few blades broke off, rippling into the air before tearing apart. With a last stand, the ripped-up pieces landed on the cracked earth, shaken up since Maximus, now Cerberus, took a rose from its stem, creating this madness.

Another crack shook the earth, drawing closer to the village of Rudo. With one last persistent feat, it was stopped by a loud roar. Aslan had come to prevent the damage before it reached the village. He would not see it destroyed by what Cerberus caused.

He waited until the cracks stopped, sure they wouldn't start another tremor, before re-entering the village with its thatched houses and its fountain in the center square. This is where he gathered the new Order of Seven, who presented their handiwork to the Great Lion.

He turned to the curly, auburn-haired hobbit man, with youthful green eyes, saying, "Halfbern, you have shown great promise in just two weeks. I'm going to need you after the evacuation. The hobbits – Halflings they are also known as – will be essential in restoring the worlds' balance. That is where you come in, as you are the first hobbit ever created. Other hobbits will come along in time. Some will be nomadic, others will adjust to the rustic, countryside, while others will be aristocratic. This will be no trouble for you. Will it?"

"Not at all," Halfbern said, stunned.

"Very well. Continue making preparations and if you need help from other members of this order, feel free to ask," Aslan said, moving to the short, dark-haired elf with rustic looks and donned in a brown leather jacket and brown trousers. "Taegan, let's see what you have."

Taegan pulled out a leaf-shaped sword. He swung it around a few times, listening to its song. The elf smiled, glad to craft such a fine blade, a blade that would see battles to come.

"Do you have a name for this sword?" Aslan asked, curious.

"Maegnas," Taegan answered. "Someday, this sword will see the light. For now, you should have it." He passed the sword to the hobbit, patting him on the back. "This sword was meant for you."

"Thank you," Halfbern said, observing the weapon.

"Then you two shall work together," Aslan said, turning to a dwarf, with a gruff expression, dark flowing hair, and carrying two axes. He told the dwarf, curtly, "Bali, you shall work with Taegan and Halfbern. Your ancestors will thank you for this task."

"What about my weapons?" Bali whimpered.

"They look good," the Great Lion said, smiling.

"That's not good enough!" Bali huffed.

"Would you prefer a better answer?" A male Dalmatian spoke up. Bali had forgotten this Dalmatian and his beau, also a Dalmatian were a part of this group. Why did they had to have dogs in this order? Couldn't they have cats?

"I'm going to regret this," Bali said, joining Taegan and Halfbern over by the fountain.

Aslan chuckled. He was in such a good mood. Nothing could keep him down. Of course, he didn't forget the four animals he'd chose to be a part of the order. He turned to the white unicorn and the red dragon, knowing exactly what to say.

"Fae," he said to the unicorn, "you shall work with Sores." He gestured to the red dragon. "I have this feeling you will need each other."

"Yes Aslan," Sores bowed.

"What are we doing?" Fae whispered to the Great Lion, cautious.

"This order will eventually disband," Aslan said. "It wasn't meant to be permanent." He added, "What you see here is what's to become of these groups. Hobbits, dwarves, and elves will unite, as will unicorns and dragons, by their own terms. Everyone has their part to play. You are only being split into different assignments. These will test friendships, bonds, and even marriage."

"Whose getting married?" Fae asked, confused.

"Who's already married?" a female Dalmatian, named Janus, spoke up, curtly. She hadn't forgotten Aslan's request to let her and the male Dalmatian next to her – Jock was his name – wed. She was just getting to know Jock, too! The last thing she expected was to marry him. What was Aslan thinking when he made that arrangement?

The ceremony wasn't long. In fact, it was short. Janus had never seen so many gods and goddesses attend her wedding before. Even Tom Bombadil couldn't resist being there, announcing for all to hear, "That's my girl!"

Janus had to laugh. Tom was a good man – or god! Who was he?

She snapped back to reality, as the Great Lion approached her. "There is a reason I put you and Jock together. There will be a daughter. You shall give birth to her." He added in understanding. "She will grow swiftly, as will your pregnancy."

"But Aslan—"

"Janus!" Aslan interrupted her. "Our world is dying. Soon, the First World will be no more. We have four more weeks before it's gone. We must see to it this puppy is born and is brought safely to the world I choose." He added, "No! Do not protest. I know what I am doing. You'll just have to trust me."

"Aslan—" her voice faded, as Aslan approached the unicorn and the dragon again, proposing his plan to them. Janus looked at Jock, not knowing what to do, but knowing this was a gift from the Great Lion. She looked down at her stomach, already feeling movement. She gazed up at the sky now, realizing there was no going back.

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Thanks for reading. :)