Zoe tried calling the police again. And then her Dad, again. Her phone beeped at her irritably. No signal. Mumbling curse words under her breath, she stuck it back into her bag.
"It won't work." Ari said, her eyes closed and her head lolling against the tree trunk. She felt surprising peaceful. Or maybe she was just becoming detached from all the surprises that life had dealt her in the past ten hours or so.
"You don't know that! If we can get here, then maybe signal can too." Zoe said stubbornly.
"You're being silly. Just turn it off, you'll only waste the battery. They don't have electricity here, you know." Ari commented, her hand running over the ridges on the protruding root of her tree. It might not be completely horrible, being here unexpectedly, she considered calmly. The scenery was sure to be amazing; even the now dark woodland was impressing her with its wild beauty – the air around here just smelt so fresh and alive.
"I'd kind of already figured that out." Zoe, on the other hand, could feel herself fizzing with barely suppressed rage. She twisted her hands together roughly and eyed Ari, her ire mounting. How could she just sit there so calmly?
"Or gas. Or cars. Pretty much any modern convenience – out."
"I think I've got it, thanks."
"I don't think they even have indoor plumbing." Ari continued.
"Yes, thank you Ariadne." Zoe snapped, her voice cracking.
Ari cracked one eye open. "What's up with you?"
Zoe was on her feet at once, her eyes practically spitting fire as she glared at Ari. "Are you fucking messing with me?" She hissed. The wind whistled through the trees angrily, blowing fallen leaves around the campsite. The Hobbits looked around warily and shuffled closer to the fire. "What the hell do you think is up with me? Or do I need to spell it out for you, remind you in mind-numbing detail of our exact predicament?"
"Woah, why are you bloody well taking this out on me? Do you really think screeching at me is going to help anything?"
Zoe stayed stood up, her bottom lip trembling. "I can't believe you're taking this shit. Do you even want to go home?" She stormed off to the other side of the camp, and sat huddled in on herself, her forehead resting on her knees.
Seven heads from all around the camp fire turned to look at Ari, their expressions ranging from surprise to disdain. The wind howled through the trees, and made the fire flicker wildly. She was shocked, beyond shocked. Her friend was definitely not the most even-tempered of people, but she very rarely argued with Ari. She supposed this was something to do with the conversation that had taken place about an hour earlier, after they had eaten.
Ari had returned her bowl to Sam, complimenting him on his mystery meat stew. What was meant as a polite and friendly gesture was not taken well. Sam had jumped violently and dropped his spoon in the fire, one Hobbit had tripped over another's legs as he looked on at what was happening, causing a Hobbit still sat down to choke on his stew in surprise. The ever suspicious Legolas had come over in a flash and demanded what on earth she thought she was doing, causing Zoe to noisily jump to Ari's defence. Sam yelped as he repeatedly burned his hand trying to retrieve his only cooking spoon, and the choking Hobbit was being pounded on the back by the one covered in leaves. What was quickly turning into pandemonium came to a halt, as Gandalf stood and demanded silence.
"It will be a miracle if we pass through this night undetected!" He said, his eyebrows twitching in alarm. Gimli, quite thoughtfully, knocked the spoon out of the fire with the tip of his axe, and Aragorn rubbed the still coughing Hobbit on the back, shaking his head.
"Sorry." Ari said to Gandalf, looking bewildered. "I was just trying to be nice…"
Gandalf hummed and said, "It seems there was no harm done. Well, since everyone is done eating and already… ahem, paying attention, we can continue with our conversation."
"So you two can see into our future then?" One of the Hobbits turned to Zoe suddenly and looked at her expectantly.
"Me? Um. No. Sorry, who are you exactly?"
"I do apologise. I should make some introductions..."
Ari was practically buzzing with excitement. "Oh, I'm really sorry to interrupt, but can I, well… can I guess who everyone is?"
"Can you… guess?" Gandalf repeated slowly, his eyebrows shooting up so high that they disappeared under the shadow of his hat.
"Are you ten?" Zoe asked disbelievingly, at the same time.
"It'll be fun! Like a game or something." Without waiting for permission, Ari pointed at Aragorn with her uninjured arm.
"Obviously you've already met Aragorn, Ranger extraordinaire." She grinned at Zoe and winked, causing Aragorn to scowl. His cheek still bore a large red mark from Zoe's elbow. "He normally goes by Aragorn, son of Arathorn, but the elves call him Estel and the Hobbits call him Strider or the Dunadan, if you're a particular Hobbit. If you're a total dick, you might even refer to him as Longshanks. He's a bit of a collector of names, this one. I'd tell you more, but you know, spoilers." She finished with a one-sided shrug, and then a grimace when she realised even that hurt.
"Wait, so do you think I look like a Hobbit?" Zoe asked him, confused as to why he introduced himself as Strider. Aragorn looked absolutely dumbfounded by Ari's introduction and didn't answer, only looking at the two of them warily. The Hobbits were whispering to each other, clearly spooked. Gandalf had sat down slowly with his hat sat low on his head, shading his eyes as he watched the proceedings carefully.
"Next, is the valiant Boromir," Ari said, ignoring Zoe's question and smiling sweetly at the other Man sat by the fire. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and then sketched a bow with his hand, inclining his head. "He's a Captain of Gondor, and the son of the steward there, Denethor, and brother to Faramir – he's the guy out of Van Helsing and 300, yeah?" Zoe nodded appreciatively whereas Boromir looked understandably puzzled, "… and when he's not catching girls falling out of trees, he's beating back the forces of Mordor in Osgiliath."
"That literally means nothing to me. English, please?" Zoe asked over Boromir's appreciative chuckles.
"Will you just read a book? Please, it wouldn't kill you." Ari sighed and then explained quickly, "Gondor is a region to the south, Osgiliath used to be the main city on a river in said region, which is close to where a lot of the bad orc things live. Basically Boromir is a kickass warrior and kills bad guys a lot. Can we move on now?"
"Hey, you're the one who started this game." Zoe held her hands palm up, grinning.
"Contestant number three is Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil; Elven, immortal, and absolutely killer with a bow and dual daggers. He gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'eternal bachelor'... haha, get it?"
Zoe groaned at Ari's terrible joke. "I feel like I'm on the dimensionally warped version of Blind Date here. Is Cilla Black going to appear out of the blue at any moment?"
"Well, seeing as how Legolas is the Prince of Mirkwood, probably not. You don't normally get royals on nineties dating shows unfortunately."
There was a slight pause as Zoe absorbed this rather startling news.
"Wait, does this mean we're not going to get married and live happily ever after?" She deadpanned.
"Shut up, Zoe." Ari said, exasperated. Zoe pouted but then grinned again, clearly enjoying herself. Legolas looked horrified.
"This is Gimli of Erebor, son of Gloin. Did you see The Hobbit yet?"
"Do you think I've seen The Hobbit?" Zoe asked, one eyebrow raised.
"You should watch it, it's so good!" She said brightly. "Anyway…" Ari continued hastily, noticing the looks of incomprehension on all the faces in their group. "Gimli is representing his Dwarfish kin on this quest, is a bit of a beast with that axe on his back, and is pretty much royalty. In fact, Gimli's family and Legolas' family go way back." She said cheerfully. And then, Ari seemed to realise what she had just said and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. An awkward silence fell.
"Well, this seems to be a bit more tense now." Zoe said, eyeing the scowling Dwarf and Elf with interest. "Is this a Tolkien-esque re-telling of Romeo and Juliet that I hear? Star-crossed lovers and all that?"
"Zoe!" Ari groaned. Gimli opened his mouth to ask what she meant but Ari quickly cut him off. "Do not explain that remark! And no, let's just forget I said that shall we? Sorry guys." Ari said. Neither looked remotely mollified. She carried on regardless. "Obviously Gandalf needs no introduction…"
"Let's see – massive beard, pointy wizarding hat, grey cloak and a staff. He's either some form of grey wizard or Dumbledore..." Zoe said slowly, tapping her finger on her chin in a mock thinking pose.
Ari laughed; "I think you might have the wrong franchise there. He's super powerful, the only guy above him is S-" Ari was instantly silent after an angry look from Gandalf. "Um. Nevermind."
"I feel like I'm only getting half the story a lot here." Zoe complained.
"To quote the infinitely annoying River Song: 'Spoilers!'"
"Fine – carry on!" Zoe gestured impatiently with a wave of her hand, trying to get Ari to hurry up.
"I think I'm getting way more out of this than you are, Z." Ari said, grinning. Zoe rolled her eyes. "Right, right, onto the Hobbits…"
"Ooh, I know! That one is Pippin!" Zoe said excitedly, pointing at the nearest Hobbit. Pippin stood up and gave a short bow to Ari.
"A pleasure to meet you!" He said cheerfully.
Zoe turned to Ari, as she was greeting him. "Isn't he just adorable?"
"Absolutely. Hmmm." She eyed the three other Hobbits speculatively. "Ok, obviously the master chef here is Samwise Gamgee. Gardener, cook and bodyguard." She grinned at her own joke then and said, "You'll totally get that one later."
"If you say so, Miss." Sam said, looking at her warily. He was clearly not over the spoon incident.
"This must be Meriadoc Brandybuck." The Hobbit Ari was looking at nodded, and also stood up to give a quick bow. Zoe cheerily waved at him. "He's partner in crime to Pippin over here, and has probably caused the Fellowship, the elves and, no doubt, the entirety of the Shire, no end of trouble."
"I doubt our names will ever be forgotten down at The Green Dragon." Merry said, a little wistfully.
"Living legends, I shouldn't wonder." Ari agreed, laughing. "No one will forget that firework you let off at Bilbo's party!" The Hobbits agreed, sniggering. Gandalf harrumphed loudly, but they didn't look even slightly chastened.
"Do you remember when we put all those toads in old Mr Mungo Loamsdown's shed?"
"What about when we put tomatoes in every other one of Wilibald Bracegirdle's shoes?"
"And Ruby, Ruby Bramble! I doubt she will ever forgive us for eating all of her prize-winning strawberries. She chased me around half of Hobbiton!"
"What a pair of hooligans." Zoe remarked, clearly amused.
"So you must be Mr Frodo Baggins." Ari said quietly to the last Hobbit, as the others all listened to Pippin and Merry's telling of various pranks. "I am so glad to meet you."
Frodo looked at her wide eyed and after a slight pause said, "I'm pleased to meet you too. Do you know… everything about me?"
"Mostly, although I'm sure a few bits and pieces would undoubtedly surprise me, as Gandalf has already discovered."
Frodo considered this for a moment and then said even more quietly. "And you know everything about this quest that we are on?"
Now it was Ari's turn to pause before speaking, slowly. "Yeah, I suppose so."
"Perhaps you are here to help us then?" He looked up at her with his huge blue eyes, his expression pleading and hopeful at the same time.
"I'm not sure about that Frodo." She sat next to him. "That… thing that you carry… It's not meant for anyone else. And the only ones who are meant to be on this quest are you guys. The slightest change could have disastrous consequences."
He frowned and looked at the ground. "I believe I understand. I wish that there was a way you could help us. It seems unbelievably perfect for someone such as you to appear when you did."
A shadow passed over Ari and Frodo then. Legolas was towering over them, the firelight behind him casting his face into a darkness which gave an almost menacing appearance. Ari got the distinct impression that he was guarding Frodo from her. The idea was almost laughable. The only person more on Frodo's team than her was Sam!
"Don't get your panties in a twist, elf." She said with a cheery smile, that she certainly didn't mean. "I know who Frodo is in danger from and it certainly isn't me."
Legolas' eyes widened and his eyes darted around the camp, stepping even closer to Frodo. But much worse was Frodo's face, which had gone deathly pale, and his hands twitched on his lap nervously.
Ah shit. I really need to control my big mouth around here.
Ari grimaced and was on the verge of apologising when Zoe's loud laugh cut through the tension suddenly.
"No, you did not! You guys are terrible!" Merry and Pippin were beaming, extremely proud of their shenanigans.
"Okay," Ari said loudly, standing up and retreating back to Zoe's side. "I think I proved my point. I love winning." She said with a grin. She looked back for a moment and glimpsed Legolas' death glare. Maybe they would be better off leaving sooner rather than later. "No worries, Zo. Gandalf'll have us home in a jiff, I'm sure."
"Well," Gandalf had said, standing. "I am unsure of the rest of my companions, but I am quite convinced that you are not only from a different place entirely but that you, Ariadne, know very specific details of this place. If you think, however, that I have the kind of knowledge required to send you back to this other world, I am afraid you are quite wrong. I am sorry to disappoint you both. Aragorn, would you care to accompany me?" Without another word, he strode out of their clearing in the direction that Ari and Boromir had come, Aragorn jumping up and following close on his heels.
There was a few moments of silence, while Ari and Zoe stared at the empty space that Gandalf had just disappeared into, their mouths slightly ajar.
"What the hell! He can't just leave after dropping a bomb like that!" Ari said, absolutely flabbergasted.
"No! He must be fucking joking!" Zoe was as stunned as Ari was, her shock at his abrupt announcement morphing into panic.
"Cease your foul language this instant, woman." Legolas hissed, his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, please just shut up." Zoe said loudly and slowly, cutting him a withering glare. She strode over to her bag and emptied the entire contents onto the floor, searching madly for her phone.
Ari was abruptly brought back to the present when Gimli patted her knee and said, "Not to worry lass. D'you think you can stay out of trouble for a few moments?" He ambled off into the gathering darkness without waiting for an answer, clearly feeling the call of nature.
Almost instantly, Gandalf loomed over her. "I have a few questions for you, my dear. Would you mind if I sat with to you for a few moments?" Ari nodded her assent and shuffled around the base of the tree to give him space to lean upon. "I have looked at the body of this 'witch'. Tell me again the exact manner of her death?"
Ari recounted the moments leading up to the witch's death, shuddering lightly as she recalled how it felt when the dagger stabbed into her back. Her fingers combed nervously through the ends of her multi-coloured hair, and she felt the guilt intensifying again, deep in her stomach. Her skin became clammy and she gulped several times, taking deep, soothing breaths to try and stem the mounting nausea.
Killed someone, she had killed someone. Somewhere out there, someone might be missing a daughter, a sister, or a lover. A child might even be missing a mother. Ari cringed at the thought, her arms wrapping around her middle unconsciously.
"Calm yourself. You are not in the wrong here. This person needed to be stopped and it seems you both would have been her next victims." Gandalf waited for a few moments as she regained her composure and then asked cautiously, "So you held the dagger until she died?"
"What has that got to do with anything?" Ari looked up at him, but Gandalf didn't answer, and just returned her stare expectantly. "Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe. I don't know, it all happened really quickly."
Gandalf sighed, patted her arm and rose from the ground. He nodded to Gimli as he returned and said. "I need to think on all of this. The night is growing old. Perhaps it would be for the best if you and Zoe tried to rest." He walked away, Ari staring after him, completely puzzled.
"That is just a wizard's way. Never telling all he knows, and forever speaking in riddles." Gimli nudged her arm. "No need to worry yourself. It would seem lass, at least for the time being, that you've earned his trust."
"I'll take your word for it." Ari said, looking a little confused but nevertheless, she picked up her things and then dumped them next to Zoe a few moments later.
"Can we argue in the morning? I'm super tired and there's only one sleeping bag, so we're going to have to share. Unless you'd rather spoon with Aragorn?" Zoe brought her head up from her knees and looked up at her guiltily.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have been such a tremendous bitch to you."
"Used to it." Ari stuck her tongue out at her and then unfurled the sleeping bag.
Agreeing to look over their 'supplies' in the morning, i.e. the haphazardly packed, mystery contents of their bags, they each dug out a face wipe, had a quick swirl of some mouthwash, and then curled up together in the sleeping bag. It was a bit of a squeeze and got very warm quite quickly, but they were soon fast asleep.
…
The next morning, Zoe and Ari found themselves being shaken awake by a very enthusiastic Pippin.
"Sam made bacon!" He beamed, and then scampered off to the fire where he badgered Sam continually until he gave him the first portion.
"Ugggh, too early for that much enthusiasm…" Ari groaned. She pulled a corner of the sleeping bag roughly and dragged it over her face. "More sleep needed."
Zoe, however, was up like a shot. The sun was shining, though it was still cold and almost frosty. It reminded her of late winter mornings at home. She shivered a little from being out of the cocoon of warmth of the sleeping bag, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She grabbed her backpack and headed a little away from the campsite for a little bit of privacy.
"Where did Zoe go?" Aragorn asked the mass of shiny black fabric and swirls of brightly coloured hair that he could see. All he received as a reply was sleepy snuffle and a hand emerging from the sleeping bag to wave him away.
Frodo laughed from his seat next to the other Hobbits. "She's not one for waking up, it would seem. I believe Zoe went that way about five minutes ago."
"By herself?" Now Aragorn was a little concerned. Well, he wasn't a Ranger for nothing. "I will be back shortly."
"Mil – Ari, would you like some breakfast?" A voice broke through into the hazy, pink world that Ari had lost herself in, as did the delicious smell of fried bacon. Slowly she popped her head out of the warm nest that she had created and saw Boromir standing above her.
"Oh –." She broke off to yawn, and tried to stretch but gave up, wincing. "Morning? Sorry, what?"
Boromir crouched down next to her with a smile and helped her to sit up.
"How is your arm?" He asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"Eh, sore and hard to move. It doesn't seem to be quite so gushing-red anymore though, which is a plus. What did you say before?"
"I asked you if you would like some breakfast." He offered her two large slices of bread, with glistening bacon poking out of the side.
"You've come over here to offer me bacon?"
"I believe I have said this twice now, yes." Boromir said patiently, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Oh dear," She said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You're impossible not to like, aren't you? How terrible of me."
He chuckled. "Do you always makes as much as sense as this on a morning?"
She reached for the sandwich, mumbling her thanks, eyes downcast. He caught hold of her hand and pulled her a little bit closer to him, and scrutinised her face.
"Are you well?"
Don't get attached, don't get attached, don't get attached, don't get attached…
She sniffed resolutely and said, "Just peachy. My stomach is about to crawl out of my mouth and punch you in the face if you keep teasing me with that food though."
Boromir's eyes widened and he let go of her hand quickly, passing her the food. "Of course. You may wish to… rearrange your sleeping attire." With that he stood up and made his way back to his pack.
Ari was confused – she hadn't been too crude had she? She looked down and was instantly mortified. Her sleeping bag had ridden down when he had pulled her forward and she was exposing a good portion of her chest, with only her strapless bra keeping her from losing all dignity entirely. Apparently, having boobs in this world were only useful in scaring the men away…
…
"By the Valar, what are you doing?!"
Zoe shushed him and continued concentrating on her body and not the swirling mass of questions and worries in her mind, taking deep breaths in and out. Her left arm and right leg were both extended straight out with her left foot and right hand on the ground, and she slowly lifted her arm up, bending her head, to create a perfect line from toe, down her back, to finger. And she was dressed in nothing but her flannel pyjama pants and a black lycra crop top, her copper hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. Aragorn's eyebrows had practically disappeared into his shaggy brown hair.
"This one's called Warrior Three." Finally she straightened out slowly and smiled up at Aragorn. "You guys don't have yoga here either? I shouldn't be surprised I guess. I either go for a jog or do yoga every morning. Seeing as how running around this crazily dangerous forest seemed to be out of the question, I thought I'd stick with yoga." At his questioning look, she continued, whilst rummaging through her bag; "It's like really intense stretching. Great way to wake yourself up. Keeps me calm, lots of deep breathing going on."
"Calm is not a word I would have used to describe you." He said with just the one eyebrow raised now, and smoothed a hand over his cheek. Perhaps it was just stubble, but Zoe could have sworn there was a bit of a bruise there.
"Imagine what I'd be like if I didn't do it then." She said, winking at him cheekily. "Did you want something?"
"I believe your breakfast is going cold. Your help would also be appreciated in rousing your friend."
"Hah! Good luck with that - Ari could sleep for England."
"Pardon?"
Zoe sighed. "Nevermind. Could you turn around or something? I kind of need to get changed."
Aragorn cocked an eyebrow at her odd choice of words but stood on the other side of a tree to give her some privacy.
"Ok, I'm decent." She said a few moments later. Aragorn looked her outfit choice up and down.
"I assume that would be your world's version of decent."
"What? Look, you can't even see skin!" Zoe said indignantly. She had purposefully not worn her shorts again and instead chosen a dark green, baggy jumper, a favourite of hers for its softness and warmth, which hung slightly off one shoulder. It was teamed with black leggings and her woollen bed socks – it was very chilly! – with walking boots, and was currently fixing her hair into a short, ruffled ponytail. Unfortunately, when looking into her backpack, there was only the clothes she had worn yesterday and the day before in there, along with a few other bits and bobs. She doubted very much that she would be running into a washing machine any time soon either.
Aragorn shook his head ruefully and said, "We should return to camp before the Hobbits eat all the breakfast."
…
Zoe returned via Sam and lolled at Ari's feet, with bacon sandwich in hand.
"You do not also do this 'yoga'?" Aragorn asked her, while he was rolling up his blanket.
"Waste of bloody time, I'd much rather be asleep." Ari was still wrapped in the sleeping bag; she'd got over any embarrassment pretty quickly and, after wolfing down her breakfast, she felt like she could doze off again at any second.
"Lazy ass." Zoe stuck her tongue out and then stuffed her mouth full of bacon, groaning with pleasure. "Mmmmgghhmm, life is so good right now!"
"This is not an M&S advert, Zo."
"This isn't just bacon…"
Ari interrupted quickly, grinning. "I don't think your food porn impersonations are going to go down very well here. No more sex noises." Aragorn excused himself quickly and went to sit with Pippin who was attempting to beg more bacon out of Sam. They both had a bit of a giggle again at how squeamish the guys were, and then Zoe finally succeeded in nagging Ari out of the sleeping bag. She stumbled off sleepily to use the more leafy version of the ladies' room and to get changed.
…
"Ari, did I miss something? Are we going clubbing?" Zoe asked, as Ari reappeared wearing a tight, black dress and, weirdly, a Cambridge hoodie. Her hair was a tangled mess of colour, and she brushed it irritably to one side.
"Very funny, dipshit. I couldn't lift my arm into any tops and straps hurt too much. This dress, however, you can just roll on, from the bottom up. It's like the Ikea of clothes."
"Ah shit, sorry, I completely forgot. Why didn't you just ask for help?!" Ari handed her a bobble and some kerby grips, and without being asked Zoe gently pulled her hair up into a messy pile on top of her head.
"You were too far away and I didn't want to shout in case I got stampeded by the Hobbits. I only put the hoodie on to stop the disapproving looks, with great personal pain, by the way. I should get brownie points for that at least."
"Yeah… about that. You know you didn't actually Oxbridge for the last three years right?"
"Yep. This is Stephen's."
"Oh, Ari…" Zoe said, her expression becoming guarded and tense.
"I so don't want to talk about that. It's comfy, which is all I want right now. Anyway, ready to go?"
"Yep, Merry and Pippin 'helped' me wrap up the sleeping bag. I swear to God, it was like being rolled on by the most annoying yet cutest puppies ever." She said smiling fondly at the two figures who were bickering over the last two pieces of bacon.
"Well, uh, see you guys then." Ari said to the group in general, standing around a bit awkwardly as everyone else finished packing up the campsite. "Can someone point us in the direction of, um, Rivendell or Bree?"
"Rivendell?" Gandalf asked, with a small chuckle. "My dear, you are coming with us!" All hands stopped moving at that moment, and everybody turned to look at Gandalf.
"Sorry, what? Last night you said…" Ari started to say.
"I believe I said that I could not send you home. This does not mean that I will allow two young girls to be left alone in a strange world, with danger lurking around every corner. No, I believe you will be much safer with us."
"You can't be serious." Ari said, looking astonished. "You want us to join the Fellowship?"
"Watch out everyone, fan girl about to spontaneously combust here." Zoe muttered.
But to Zoe's surprise, Ari looked increasingly agitated. "Why can't we just go to Rivendell?"
Gandalf frowned now, "It would take you a week, if not longer, to walk to Rivendell, and we have no map to give you – you would surely be lost in a few days, nevermind the dangers you could come across."
"Gandalf." She said, taking his elbow to pull him away from the group slightly, and whispering urgently. "Think about this. There's no telling what we could change, unwittingly or not. We could ruin everything. Things have to happen a certain way!"
"Nevertheless, my conscience will not allow me to let you leave."
"And mine will not allow me to go." Ari said defiantly, folding her arms.
"Are you not concerned that your friend is arguing with a wizard? A wizard with a very short temper I might add." Merry asked Zoe, while munching through his second bacon sandwich.
"Nah, I figure she probably knows what she's doing. She's the expert here." Zoe said shrugging, both of them watching the proceedings with interest. "If she gets turned into a toad, at least I'll have a cool new pet."
"I confess, I am unaccustomed to arguing with young women. I do not suppose that you will just do as you are told by someone much older and much wiser than you?"
"Absolutely not." Ari said stubbornly.
"For once, I concur with the girl. No good will come of them accompanying us. They are inexperienced, will be a drain on supplies and have no skills to speak of – they will be enough of a burden, even without us being unsure of their trustworthiness." Legolas interjected. "What say you, Aragorn?"
"Though what you say is true, I am inclined to agree with Gandalf. I saw the body of the witch myself, I believe their tale. We would be remiss to just leave them, defenceless and without provisions." Gimli nodded in agreement and grumbled something offensive about elves and stubbornness.
"We are not coming with you!" Ari insisted.
"Could not someone escort them back to Rivendell?" Boromir reasoned. "They do not wish to stay, and we cannot force them to undertake this quest with us. We are under no oath here. I for one…"
"No! No one is escorting anyone anywhere! You all have to be here!" Ari was so frustrated that she was almost in tears. How could everything have gone so badly wrong? This was a prime example of why they shouldn't be here – five minutes of arguing and the Fellowship was on the verge of splintering!
"Well then." Zoe cut in loudly. "It seems like we have no choice. Lead on, men." She linked her arm through Ari's injured one loosely and said; "I hate being bossed around as much as the next person, but getting lost in Middle-Earth and then being eaten by orcs or whatever the hell else is around here does not sound fun. We'll ditch these guys at the soonest opportunity if that's what you really want. Which, by the way, still amazes me."
Ari wiped away a few errant tears with her free hand and whispered; "You'll see what I mean soon enough. I just hope they won't all hate me."
"Hate you? Why on earth would they hate you? Honestly Ari, I thought this would be like a dream come true for you." Zoe said curiously.
"You'll see." She reluctantly straightened up and sighed, "I guess we better get a move on, we've got a crap tonne of walking ahead of us."
…
I'm aware that the Fellowship slept during the day and travelled at night at this stage in the journey, but it completely slipped my mind when I was writing the first few chapters. Oops! For the sake of continuity, I've just kept with it.
All comments are appreciated - I'm excited to hear what you guys think! Specifically, let me know what you think about the speed this is going at – I can move along the storyline more quickly but I'm quite enjoying the pace at the moment :).