Title: Team Alpha – Assault, Chapter Three
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 1000 or so
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, Joss Whedon, and JRR Tolkien, and come from BtVS, ATS, HP, and LOtR. The Oc's are mine.
A/N: This story is going to be in short chapters for a while, and is going to be rather long on exposition in places. This comes after my "Revelations of Faith", an M Femslash story. This one is all adventure with a bit of humor, although the pairings remain the same.
Chapter Three
"Galadriel…" breathed Hermione.
"Indeed she is," said a smiling Luna. Hermione stared at her partner in wonder.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked at last.
"I didn't know," answered Fleur, "not until I arrived. Rise please," she told the Elves.
"Welcome home, Lady," said the leader of the bowmen.
"I thought that perhaps Luna was…" began Hermione hesitantly.
"Of course not, I'm just me," Luna explained.
"But you knew about this place, and Fleur did not. Did you know that Fleur was Galadriel?"
"I knew that she is Galadriel here, yes," Luna answered calmly. "Dimensions are tricky things, especially for those who pass between them." Luna tilted her head towards Fidget, who was perched on her shoulder. "Fidget wants to know why you're so shocked. Sprites are not bothered by the malleability of realities."
"I still don't really understand," Hermione said slowly.
"Don't bother trying," Fleur suggested. "Hermione has read Mithrandir's account of the war with Sauron," she explained to the elves. "I am afraid that my identity has come as a shock to her. What news do you have of the Black Land?"
"Orodruin is quiet, however the Tower is risen again, and the occasional Orc is seen near Ithilien. They are merely foraging, there are no signs of any aggression beyond the borders. It is rumored that the current masters of the Tower are barely up to the task," reported Lofar.
"There are also rumors of a far greater power being held in the dungeon," added Ada, "and that the Masters of the tower are terrified by their captive."
"Hang on a minute," Spike spoke up. "Fleur is Galadriel? The Galadriel, the Lady of the Wood? Mistress of the ring and all that?"
"Indeed she is," assured Luna.
"Then is Dagger, here, really Gollum?" asked Spike. Dagger punched Spike in the kidney.
"I see that you are comrades in arms," grinned Lofar.
"I must introduce my companions," Galadriel said. "Here are Faith and Hermione, my partners in another reality, as they are here, now, as well. Here too are Draco, a wizard; Dagger, who is of a parallel kindred to us; and Spike and Angel, mighty warriors and creatures of the night."
"I feel power from them all;" acknowledged Ada, "yet these night walkers have no feel of evil, only the ghost of it. Faith radiates strength, and magic simply pours from your Hermione and this pale wizard . Be welcome, all of you. It is good to meet our kin as well," she nodded to Dagger.
"Right then" Draco began, "I'm as clear about all of this as I'm likely to be, except for one thing. Luna, what in the world are you, really?"
"Just me," Luna said carelessly. Draco looked imploringly at Galadriel.
"I am afraid that that is the only answer to that question," she replied to his look. "But we must go now and see what the mirror will show us."
"The Mirror of Galadriel," murmured Angel. "Oh, should we call you Your Majesty or something? I mean, you being a Queen and all."
"Fleur will do fine," she answered, "Galadriel will not be with us for long." The elves all looked at their feet; they all knew the truth of what she said. Galadriel had departed Lorien long ago, but for now they would rejoice in her presence.
She led them to a hollow, where she filled a silver ewer from a freshet and poured the water into a basin. She breathed upon the water and gazed deeply into it. "Come and look," she bade them all.
"Do not touch the water," Hermione instructed.
"Exactly, love," said Fleur as she kissed her cheek.
Displayed before them all was Barad-dur' in all its malevolent majesty, the red eye of fable sweeping over the land.
"What do you see, Luna?" asked Fleur. Luna bent close to the water, allowing a tendril of her golden hair to touch the surface.
"Luna, your hair," said Hermione, and she reached for the stray lock. Galadriel intercepted her hand.
"Leave her be, love, she is Luna."
Long minutes later Luna straightened up and looked at her friends with eyes as silver as the pitcher used to fill the basin, "Your friend is there," she told Spike and Angel. "The magic of the Tower holds her. The current masters of Barad-dur' are the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. They are terrified of their prisoner, and they should be. Their power is nothing to hers. If you can but free her, she will deal with them herself. Mordor is again peopled with Orcs, they rise from the land itself to serve the master of the tower. There are not so many of them as in Sauron's time, and they have no clear purpose other than to guard the tower from intruders that they do not expect. I believe that your best chance of success in entering the tower lies in simply walking up to the front door, except for Spike and Angel, you are known to them, and they will seek to destroy you. You should use the path from Samath Naur while Faith, Dagger, and Draco knock on the front door."
"I'm not too comfortable splitting us up like that," Faith said, "we work best as a team." Buffy would have been proud, and a little surprised, to hear that from Faith.
Luna tilted her head to one side as she regarded Faith. "It is of course up to you. Alpha can return through the portal and from there Apparate to the portal to Orodruin. You'll have to fight at some point of course, to win entry as a group."
"If Illyria is so powerful, should you really free her?" Hermione asked. "Couldn't someone with that kind of power do great harm? Become another Sauron?"
"She could, of course," answered Luna, "she does have the power. Her primary feelings now, however, are not those of conquest and domination. She is angry, of course, but she is very confused, her time among you has changed her, made her different than she was. I cannot tell you what she will do if you free her, I can only sense her power, and read her strongest feelings."
"And what is that, then?" Spike asked. "Her strongest feeling?"
"She is lonely," Luna said quietly, and her eyes went back to blue.
