Disclaimer- I do not own Narnia or Lord of the Rings...I just envy the people that do.
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
The Fellowship had been traveling for several hours before deciding that they needed to take a short break. The hobbits were flagging behind the group about twenty feet with Gimili, the dwarf who was still grumbling about Susan coming on the mission, ten feet in front of them. Susan and Peter walked next to each other with Boromir, Gandelf, and Strider in front of them, making the tightest-knit group.
Legolas led the way. He was currently standing on a rocky part of the terrain staring out into the distance.
"Miss Susan?" Sam asked as he ran up to the queen. "Do you think we could stop soon?" The poor hobbit was out of breath as he spoke with pleading.
Susan placed an arm around his shoulder and looked over at Strider. He pursed his lips and looked up ahead at Legolas.
"Do you see anything up ahead?" Strider called to him.
The elf turned quickly, squinted, and shook his head to indicate that all was clear. It was then Strider's turn to nod. "We can rest here...for a while. We must keep moving."
The hobbits all sighed a breath of relief as they unloaded their packs onto nearby boulders. The rest of the Fellowship followed suit, letting the heavy loads go to free their aching backs.
Peter handed a canteen of water to his sister. She smiled slightly and drank. The water was cool and soothing as it flowed down her throat. The queen sighed in contentment.
"I am going to go take a look around and see what we are in store for around here." Peter stated as he took the water back and sipped. "Will you be okay?" He asked.
Susan narrowed his eyes at him.
Peter put his hands up in motion of defeat. "Right, Susan the Brave doesn't need any protection." He said with a smirk causing Susan to scoff.
"Susan the Brave just needs protection from Peter the Annoying." She chuckled. "I'm alright here...I just need to rest."
Peter nodded. "I'll see you in a while then."
With those words, Peter was off and within minutes out of sight thanks to the large boulder cliff.
Susan looked away from where her brother had gone and over to the small, flat area where Boromir was now attempting to teach Merry and Pippin to fight with swords. The hobbits looked so confused holding the swords; they might as well have been holding a gun for all they knew about them.
A small smile spread across Susan's face as Boromir began his instructions. To her, Boromir didn't seem like the friendliest type, to be honest she felt her trust for him running thin since the council meeting, but he had taken quite nicely to the two, less serious, hobbits. They brought out a more youthful side of Boromir that Susan didn't believe had come out for a very long time.
Susan could see from the corner of her eye someone sit down next to her. She turned to see Strider, staring straight ahead looking at the battle practice.
"How are you faring, my queen?" He asked, eyes still following the sword fight. Susan's blue eyes also turned back just in time to see Pippin take a swing at Boromir's shins.
"Just fine, thank you." She responded.
The two were quiet for a while as they watched. Susan did not pay much attention to the battle; she was lost in thought. Some things did not make sense about Middle Earth and she wanted some answers. Out of all the members of the Fellowship, Susan felt most comfortable talking to the man next to her.
She sighed. It was as good a time as any to get into a conversation. "Your name is not Strider, it's Aragorn." She did not ask but stated.
She could hear the smile in his voice as he answered. "It is, my lady."
Susan nodded. "Might I ask where we are headed?"
Aragorn chuckled. "You can ask anything you wish, my lady. After all, you and your brother are risking your own lives in order to save our world." He paused, looking over his shoulder at Gandalf. "I believe we are heading South to-"
"Ouch! You got me!" Pippin suddenly shouted in rage and surprise at Boromir, cutting Aragorn short.
Susan looked up to see that Boromir looked and felt guilty. He was just about to go over and comfort the hobbit when Pippin and Merry both charged him, taking the poor man down on his back.
"Hey!" Aragorn said as he got up to go aid his fellow man. "That is enough, you-"
He did not have time to finish. Just like with Boromir, the hobbits stormed Aragorn and took his legs right out from under him.
Susan could not help but bust into a fit of laughter at the sight of the two grown men taken out by the three-foot tall hobbits. The sight was almost preposterous.
"Well, clearly it is the two of you that need practice instead of Merry and Pippin." Susan managed to say between laughs.
"I would love to see what you can do, my lady." A new deep voice, Gimili's, said. Susan shook her head at the dwarf. Why did he doubt her so much?
"Gladly, would you care if I demonstrated on you?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.
The dwarf laughed. "I could never duel a lady...I was thinking more along the lines of the young hobbits there."
Susan looked back at Merry and Pippin, both of whom were looking at her with wide eyes and shaking heads. They didn't want to duel her either. The girl smiled. She knew the men, or any other member of the Fellowship, would be unlikely to fight her because of her gender; their chivalry had them tight in it's clutches.
Just then, Peter came back around the bend that he had disappeared from before. Susan looked over at him followed by the rest of their company.
The king looked around with questioning eyes as the stares continued. His gaze darted around. "What?" He asked with a shrug.
Susan smiled again. "Peter? Will you do your little sister a favor and attack me, please?" She teased.
Peter raised an eyebrow as he looked around at the other members of the Fellowship. With realization hitting him, he smiled at the thought that his comrades would still not face Susan. "Sure," He said. "Okay."
The king pulled his sword loose and jumped down to where Susan stood.
His sister unsheathed her own sword, which had been given to her by Aragorn, and smiled as she held it in front of her.
The crowd that had formed around the brother-sister pair went silent.
"Ladies first." Peter announced as he bowed mockingly to his sister. In his mind, this would be something fun. Sure, Susan was not more skilled than him with a blade but she had some tricks up her sleeves that always kept him on his toes.
Susan twirled the sword around in her hand for a second. Her eyes had narrowed into thin slits as adrenaline began bumping through her veins.
The next instant, she began her attack. She thrusted her sword forward, attempting to strike Peter in the chest, and missed due to his sharp eye and years of sword training.
It was her turn to go on the defensive as Peter swung his sword over his head, it was his trademark move, and descended upon her. Their swords met with a loud metallic clink. Both siblings were fully immersed in the battle then.
Gimili watched as the pair spared. Both were graceful, strong fighters. He was surprised that he thought this way of the queen. After all, no other woman of her status would know how to handle a blade, why should he expect her too? But she was no ordinary queen; she was a Great Defender of Middle Earth.
The two continued on while everyone watched, enthralled. Gandalf made his way over to where Aragorn was standing. The wizard leaned heavily on his staff as stared in amazement. "I was wrong about the two of them, especially Susan." He admitted.
The ranger gave a weak half-smile. "It is understandable to think something so delicate cannot be so fierce in battle."
That instant Peter thrusted his sword in the direction of Susan's midsection. The queen spun out of the way of the blade and went on to the offensive.
Gandalf shook his head. "You know there is more to their destinies here than meets the eye, Aragorn." The wizard spoke gravely.
Aragorn's eyebrows wrinkled together as he preyed his eyes from the battle and turned to look at the aging, gray man. "What do you mean?"
Gandalf sighed and adjusted his staff to support his weight a little better. "There is more to their prophecy then meets the eye." He paused. "They were sent here to help defend Middle Earth, of course, but...their role here does not end after that."
Aragorn's face went blank with confusion. "I still do not understand." He admitted.
With one eyebrow raised, Gandalf turned to face the ranger. "Are you quite sure of that? Because I think you do understand but will not admit it." Another pause then a smile. "You are part of their destiny...especially Susan's...the powers that surround us have intertwined your fates. The only question now is what you will do about it."
Aragorn looked over at the Pevensie's. His eyes watched Susan as she smiled, like this was something fun, and kicked her brother in the shine. Peter gave a small howl of pain and let his guard down for a fraction of a second. It was just enough time for Susan to swoop in and disarm him.
The king's beautiful sword fell to the rocky terrain below his feet at the same instant the sword Aragorn had given Susan went to his neck. Peter sighed and shook his head before going to his knees and putting his hands up in defeat.
"You win." He announced glumly.
Susan smiled again before removing her sword from his neck and helping him to his feet.
"Gandalf, I still do not-" Aragorn started as the hobbits began swarming the dark haired queen.
"In time, you will, my friend. In time, you will." Gandalf put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder for a fraction of a second before going forward to the Pevensie's.
"What a marvolous display!" He called with a small smile playing on his wrinkling features. "I must say, Lady Susan, you have the Fellowship eating their words."
Susan's eyes went from the wizard to Gimili and Boromir, the two in the group that doubted her the most. "Is this true, gentlemen? Have I proven my worth?"
Gimili looked at her in amazement and awe; his mouth hung open slightly. "My Lady, you have proven to be a very worthy opponent indeed."
Susan chuckled and looked up at the man from Gondor. Boromir smiled slightly. "You have given the hobbits a run for their money, my queen."
Feeling insulted, the hobbits ran over to Boromir and began to chase him, yelling such things as "come back here!" and "get him!".
The scene of Boromir running for his life from Merry and Pippin caused the tension to ease and for everyone to dissolve into small groups and go about doing what needed to be done before they must continue on.
Susan waited as Peter went to pick up his sword. He wiped it off on his tunic before putting back in it's red leather holder on his hip. He went back over to Susan and smiled.
"Well done, little sister." He congratulated.
When Susan noticed that they were alone she narrowed her eyes dangerously at her brother. "You let me win." She whispered venomously as she poked him, hard, in the chest.
Peter rolled his eyes. "So? I thought you wanted to show them that you were capable of holding your own in a battle. What is the problem?"
She scoffed. "Yes, I want them to accept me but on my terms. I cannot beat you in a fair fight, Peter, and I wanted them to know that. They should know exactly what I am capable of, not what my big brother will let me get away with."
Peter pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side as he studied his sister. "Their opinion really matters to you, doesn't it, Sue?"
The girl sighed but nodded. "I just-I don't want them to think that since I am a woman I am incompetent. I don't want to be treated as the outcast." She paused. "I can hold my own in a battle and they need to know that they cannot treat me as if I am below them simply based on gender. It's rubbish."
The blonde king shook his head. "I love you, Susan, but you are so proud sometimes."
She chuckled. "And you aren't, Magnificent King Peter?"
Peter joined her in the laughter. "Quite true, it must be a family trait."
The mention of family caused Susan's face to fall. The thought of Edmund and Lucy made her indescribably sad. "Do you think they are safe, Peter?"
One side of Peter's mouth turned up as he thought. "Yes, I think they are...but we cannot worry about them now,Susan. We just have to be thankful that they are not here to fight this war with us. Aslan will watch over them now, where ever they are."
He gave his sister a comforting hug, held on for a second, then let go. "I'm going to see if I can find some water." He said before heading over to where Boromir stood with the two hobbits who had become his friends.
Susan sighed before walking over to where she left her pack and sitting down. She rummaged inside of the brown leather bag for a moment before her hand emerged with a piece of cloth. She wiped the fabric over the back of her neck and across her forehead.
"You fought well. It was a deserved win." A voice, Legolas's, said as the man it belonged to came to sit next to the girl.
Susan glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she returned the cloth to her pack. "I think we both know I did not deserve to win that fight." She said, annoyed.
"Even so, it is most impressive." He told her politely .
Susan rolled her eyes and decided to just stare forward, over a ridge, at the landscape of Middle Earth. The chivalry that the men-or elves- of Middle Earth possessed was undying.
As she thought, Susan and the elf were silent for a moment.
Susan heard Legolas take a deep breath. "I have said something offensive again, haven't I?" He questioned as he turned his blue eyes slightly to look at her.
Susan pursed her lips and looked back at him. She did not know what it was about the elf that got her so irritated at times and light headed at others but what she did know for a fact was that she did not like the uncertainty that came with being around him; it reminded her so much of some one else...
"Why would you say such a thing, my lord? Do I seem the type to get offended easily?" She asked, completely intrigued on what his answer would be.
Legolas's face was serious as he studied her studying him. What was it about her that made him act so, well, childish? He felt like he was always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time when it came to this foreign queen. He took a calming breath.
"No, I did not mean-" He cut off and tried again. This behavior was very uncharacteristic for an elf. It was the strangest of feelings Legolas possessed. "No, my lady, I do not think you to be the easily offended sort. It's just that..."
"Yes?" Susan prompted the elf.
Legolas did not get the chance to answer her. Gimili's deep voice suddenly broke the peaceful calm that had enveloped the Fellowship for a brief period of time. "What is that, there?"
His small, chubby fingers pointed up to the clear blue sky where a small...well, Susan was not exactly sure what it was. She squinted her eyes, trying to focus in on the black mass, but it still did not reveal it's self.
"It's just a wisp of cloud." Peter said, returning from the water hunt, and staring like everyone else.
"That is no cloud." Boromir said, horror filled his voice.
Next to Susan, Legolas was now standing up and staring into the distance. His amazing blue eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "Crabbit from Dublin!" He exclaimed, half horrified, half annoyed.
"Hide!" Gandalf called.
The next instant everyone was hustling around. Aragorn splashed water onto the fire, causing it to sizzle and smoke. The rest of the Fellowship rushed to find a place to hide.
Susan did not understand what was so wrong about these creatures but she had no time to ponder the idea. Legolas grabbed her by her thin wrist and quickly began to run for cover. He found a crevice in the ridge and pulled Susan into it with him. Susan stuck a peak outside and saw that everyone else was hidden; it was like they were never there.
"What is happening?" Susan asked, semi-scared.
Legolas simply put a single finger to his lips to quiet the queen.
It was then that the Crabbit descended upon them. The sound of screeching and the flapping of wings filled Susan's ears. The cloud of bird-like creatures flew over the area, swarming as if they were looking for something, before leaving just as quickly as they had arrived.
The Fellowship stayed as they were a few seconds more to make sure that all was safe. Soon enough, heads popped out of their hiding spaces followed by the bodies they belonged to.
Susan crawled out of the nook, followed closely by Legolas. "What in Aslan's name was that?" She questioned as she watched the birds fade into the distance.
"Spies of Saruman!" Gandalf spat from the above them. He made his way to the rest of the Fellowship that were now congregating around Aragorn. Susan went to stand by her brother. Gandalf continued when he arrived in front of them all. "The passage South is being watched." He shook his head, his tone grave.
"So where do we go from here?" Peter asked, looking semi-annoyed at this new development.
"We could make for the gap of Rohan and take the road south to my city." Boromir suggested.
"The gap of Rohan takes us to close to Isengard; we would not be safe." Aragorn stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Gandalf, we could take the passage through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin will give us a royal welcome." Gimili stated with pride running through his voice.
Gandalf shook his head. "No, no. " He paused as if internally debating what way to go. The elderly man sighed before sitting down on a nearby white boulder. His eyes went up to look at something over Susan's shoulder.
The queen turned around to see a very large, snow topped mountain looming in the distance. Susan shook her head as a large sigh escaped her lungs. She knew what Gandalf's plan was and honestly, she was not too excited about it; but, she would not complain.
"No, Gimili." Gandalf repeated. "We will not go under the mountains...but go over them."
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