Disclaimer: I do not own Dr Who or Lord of the Rings.

Time Lord of the Rings: Chapter two

Martha shivered in excitement as the Doctor slowly swung open the TATDIS door. She hurried outside with him, only to find herself in the middle of a forest, on a twisting dirt path. Tall trees surrounded them on either side, and fallen leaves blew gently in a warm breeze. It was quiet and peaceful.

"Well, where in Middle Earth are we?" she asked as the Doctor locked the TARDIS door behind him.

"Er..." he flipped open his Lord of the Rings book to a map. "Well, there's a forest called Mirkwood, oh no wait here's one near Rohan. Oh look there's another one! And another!" Martha sighed. "There are a lot of forests in Middle Earth," she said. "I just hope we're not near Mordor. Remember, orcs?"

"Orcs? Oh, those goblin-like creatures from the book." The Doctor shoved his book into his pocket. "Remember, they may not even exist."

A twig was suddenly cracked behind them. Martha and the Doctor flung round, peering into the undergrowth. "Hello?" called the Doctor. "Anyone there?"

Martha's heart began beating wildly as three shapes slowly emerged from the shadowy protection of the trees. When they became clearer, she nearly collapsed with excitement. She recognised them immediately.

"Who are you?" asked one of the figures, a tall, hooded ranger with a scraggly brown beard and long sword. The tall, blonde haired elf beside him had his bow up and was pointing an arrow at them. "Answer us!" he commanded. Both figures looked curious and suspicious towards the two travellers.

The short, bearded dwarf stepped forward, brandishing a large, heavy axe violently. The Doctor stepped back, startled as it swung too close for his liking past his nose.

"GRRR!" yelled the dwarf.

"Oh, er, GRRR to you too!" replied the Doctor, inching back slowly. The two taller figures looked at each other in surprise. Martha couldn't stop herself. "I know who you are! You, in the hood, you're Aragorn! And you're Legolas! And you, with the axe, you're Gimli!"

The figures at once tightened their hold on their weapons. "How do you know our names?" asked the elf. "Are you some sorcerer? Do you work for Sauron?"

"Sauron?" The Doctor shook his head. "Oh, no no no. We're just visiting."

"Visiting?" The ranger looked at the TARDIS behind the Doctor, which on the outside looked like an ordinary blue police call box, and over to the Doctor's long brown overcoat. "Visiting? Why are you in such strange attire?"

Martha giggled to herself, catching the dwarf's attention. "YOU!" shouted Gimli. "Your skin is black! Why?!"

"Oh!" Martha was startled by the loud, fierce voice of Gimlie the dwarf. "Why, it's just that colour! I was born like that."

The elf and ranger tried to calm down the dwarf, who was moving closer and closer with his ferocious weapon, convinced Martha was a strange form of black witch. The elf addressed the Doctor seriously. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we just arrived. Nice little place. Could you perhaps tell us...where this is?"

"You are in the outskirts of the Fangorn forest, near Rohan," answered the ranger, Aragorn. "Please, give us some more information. Middle Earth is at war, and we can take no risks with strangers."

"Oh, er, OK. I'm the Doctor, and this is Martha."

"Strange names," commented Gimli, who glared at them under shaggy eyebrows. "You're human?"

"Well, Martha is but I'm a Time Lord." The Doctor hoped he wouldn't have to explain all about the alien race to the primitive group. He didn't need to. They didn't understand a word he said and so dismissed the question.

"How do you know our names?" asked Legolas, the elf. He had put down his bow after realising that the Doctor and Martha carried no weapons.

"Well, er..." the Doctor wasn't sure how to answer that question. "Um, let's just say we come from another world and have heard all about you."

Aragorn looked confused. "Are you a sorcerer?"

"No."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Oh, your side."

Gimli looked disbelieving. "Right then, if you know so much, what are we doing right now?"

"Talking to me." The Doctor grinned. Gimli growled. "I mean, what was our mission before we ran into you intruders?"

"Oh, please specify your question properly next time. I quite believe you are searching for the hobbits Merry and Pippin?"

Merry and Pippin? The names rang familiar tunes in Martha's brain. Would she really get to see a hobbit? The dwarf stared at the Doctor in surprise, before collapsing onto the ground. The elf pushed him over to the side and poured some cold water on his head out of a leather gourd, before rejoining the conversation. "Where have you gotten this information from? Does the enemy know?"

"Well I certainly haven't told him." The Doctor pulled out his book. "Look, in my world there's a whole story on you. See?"

"Why do you keep pictures of the Nazgul?" asked Aragorn, looking suspiciously at the novel. He took it from the Doctor and flicked it open, sniffing the pages tentatively. "Such small, perfect print. All the same size." As he started to read, the Doctor quickly snatched it back. "Sorry, but you can't read that. Secret...stuff. Don't worry. The enemy doesn't have any of this."

"It had better not fall into the enemy's hands," warned Aragorn. "Or else he would know everything about Frodo. Where did you get this?"

"Frodo?!" exclaimed Martha joyfully. "He's real? That's right. He's with Sam and Gollum and they're going to Mount Doom with the ring to destroy it forever!" Gimli, who had just woken up, heard her detailed exclamation and duly fainted again. Legolas sighed and poured some more water on him. The Doctor looked around.

"Well, don't want to hold you up. Keep going on your journey. Mind if we come with you?"

Aragorn thought a moment, before saying, "You must come with us, since you know a great deal and may prove to be helpful. There is also the risk you may give all this informatin to the enemy, and that would be terrible. We have nowhere else to leave you guarded, so we have no choice but to take you along. We had better get a move on, as soon as the dwarf wakes up. Merry and Pippin could be anywhere, after they disappeared at the battle of the Nazgul."

"Weren't they taken by orcs?" asked Martha, remembering that scene of the movie quite clearly.

"What is an orc?" asked Legolas. "I have never heard of such a thing."

The Doctor whispered something in Martha's ear. "Oh!" she said. "Don't worry. I think I was confused. I meant, the Nazgul."

"Yes," explained Aragorn. "They were chased by a Nazgul rider. I think they came somewhere around here. We have been searching for days now."

Gimli woke up with a groan. Aragorn yanked him roughly to his feet and set his axe back in his hands. The small party began trekking through the forest, off the path and in amongst the trees, Gimli watching the travellers carefully, making sure they made no sudden moves. Martha felt her heart beat fast. What would happen next?

To be continued...

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