Disclaimer: I shall say that I do not own The Lord of the Rings, and you shall not sue.

A/N: Greetings! I'm tired, probably because we had turkey today... Anywho, I am out of prewritten chapters. Gasp I REALLY need my reviewers to keep it up, and I know there are people reading this who have not reviewed. You know who you are. Anyways, I have a poll question at the end, so please read that, thanks! Oh! Almost forgot: The answer to the previous question in the last chapter is this. Only one person got close, and they guessed the wrong tv show. The answer is: Murdoc is the bad guy from MacGyver, which I like, because I'm a geek. Live with it.

"...In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveler who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

Through a Mirror Darkly

They were being hunted; that was the foremost thought in the mind of the company as they guided their horses through the dripping forest. For some time Boromir, Legolas, Leigh and Maylin had been aware of the things skulking in the underbrush, just out of sight. Jack had caught on shortly after, as Fengel alerted him by his nervous prancing and sidling. Branches cracked under quiet feet, and the occasional growl was starting to leak from the hunting creatures.

Personally, Leigh thought the whole affair was bordering on ridiculous. There they were, supposedly safe and sound after the end of the war, and they were under attack from a vicious vampire and being stalked by what she personally believed to be werewolves. It wasn't like this would be the first time with the werewolves bit; they had fought them once before during the Ring Quest, but that had been with all of the sturdy men around them and Gandalf throwing fireballs into the furred enemies. Now they were in a strange wood, the sun was making camp behind a cloud, and their numbers were pitifully few. Sure, they still had the small escort of Gondorian soldiers with them, but those only counted to a certain degree, and they were just like any other form of battle-fodder. They might not be lacking in experience, but their training had been severely rushed during the dark days under Mordor's shadow, and now Aragorn's army was paying the price.

Guiding her horse back a few places to where Leigh was riding by Jack, Maylin asked discreetly, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That we've fallen into some whacked-out Dracula movie?" Leigh asked sarcastically. "Yeah."

"Then you think the things that are following us are...?" Jack glanced nervously at the dead vegetation surrounding them.

"Werewolves?" Leigh supplied.

"Um, yeah, those."

"Well it would certainly fit, wouldn't it?" Maylin asked with a false smile. "By the way, don't look to your left, there's a werewolf watching you."

Jack gave a strangled yelp and Fengel nearly tripped in agitation.

"Don't tip it off!" Leigh exclaimed. "Now, Maylin, which one of us is it looking at, exactly?"

"You."

"Oh, goody."

"Be ready to duck when I say so, and have your sword ready."

"Check."

"Alright... one... two... NOW!"

Twisting in her saddle and jerking her left foot free of its stirrup, Leigh swung down on the right side of her horse as something grey and hairy went soaring by inches above her head. A foul breath of rancid air smacked into her face and she coughed desperately as she bounced in an effort to get back into her seat. As she continued to hop, the wolf landed and whirled around with a snarl twisting its entire face. By now her horse had been alerted to the immediate threat, and the foolish thing wheeled and screamed in terror, sidling as it went. Leigh's right foot was still in the stirrup, however, and this meant that wherever the horse went, she was forced to hop along with it. The werewolf seemed to understand this handicap and snapped savagely at the horse as it circled around for another shot at its rider. But before the beast could spring, its head was rolling away on the ground, courtesy of one ticked-off Gondorian Steward.

The first wolf's attack, however, seemed to have signaled a general melee, and each individual had their hands full keeping the howling beasts at bay. Leigh's horse decided that it had endured enough and suddenly went shooting off down the most open line of forest, taking Leigh along with it. Screaming and shouting at her insane mount, Leigh was left to drag along on her back and take every rock, root and branch as well as she could. She was quite certain that her back would be a black and blue mess come morning.

Then another wolf pounced from its hiding place along the track the company had been following and attached itself to the horse's neck. The horse reared and screamed, but the wolf hung on, and as its blood flowed out through the open wounds on its neck the horse crumpled slowly down to earth. Once it was sure that the larger target was down, the werewolf turned to Leigh, who was still on her back with one foot in the stirrup. Taking its victim's position as a sign of weakness, it lunged... and was stabbed through the heart by Leigh's replacement sword.

She groaned as she picked herself up and bent over to wipe the bloody sword off on the werewolf's pelt. As she finished her task, the others came thundering into sight, stirring up misty from the sodden ground with their horse's hooves. Boromir's face was contorted with worry and rage as he pulled up his steed yards away from Leigh and her dead horse. Even as he sprung down from the saddle, he saw the dead carcass of the werewolf, and the ginger position in which Leigh held herself. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper.

"I am going to hamstring that horse!" he bellowed.

"Too late," Leigh replied. "And please regain some control over your facial complexions. With all the blood rushing to and from your face like that it makes you look like a cuttlefish."

"I'll ask you exactly what a 'cuttlefish' is at a later date," Boromir said. "We had best be moving on. Unfortunately, we failed in dispatching several of the werewolves, and I do not believe they will cease their attack without claiming our blood."

"In others words: pick a horse and double up so we can get out of here," Maylin translated with a wary look over her shoulder.

Leigh sighed as Boromir swung back up onto his horse and tugged her up after him. It was just one of those days...and it would most likely only get worse before the sun set.

.O.O.O.

For a few moments Jaden just stared at the prisoners lying at her feet. It had occurred to her of course that Ramdur might have caught some random, unsuspecting civilians, but she hadn't thought in her wildest fancies (alright, maybe wildest) that he could have managed to get his hands on a company of Elves. Now she was faced with a whole lot of them, and not a single one was in an exactly healthy condition.

The Elves' first response was to shrink back from whatever monster had appeared at the entrance to their cell, and Jaden combed her mind for anything that might help alleviate their fears of her.

"Umm... I come in peace?" she tried. The Elves stared at her like she had gone looney and she was forced to try a different route of attack. "My name's Jaden... I'm not here to hurt you, I just found the door and opened it."

One of the bedraggled Elves stepped forward and raised her chin with the pride of her race. "I am Elhiril," she said. "You are one of the Four, of whom Lady Maylin married our lord, Prince Legolas."

"Whoa, wait, wait a minute," Jaden balked, reeling against the doorframe. "You're from Mirkwood, then?"

"Yes," Elhiril answered.

"May I ask how on earth you got here?"

Elhiril cast a look back at her companions, and one of them also rose from the moldy straw and straightened his shoulders.

"We were traveling to meet our prince in Minas Tirith when we were attacked on the road," he explained. "Every one of us was brought to this cell, and there were easily fifty to begin with."

Jaden performed a quick head count and frowned. There might be twenty or so Elves in that room, but there was no way there were fifty. "I think I need to relearn how to count..."

"No, my lady," the Elf man shook his head, "you do not. Whenever the sun sets beyond these walls, a monster comes and eats one of our number. The blood is sucked from their veins, and then goblins come and carry the body away when the first creature has had his fill."

For one awful moment, Jaden thought she was going to be sick again. These were some of the settlers Legolas had been waiting for with Maylin. In a flash Elhiril was by her side, supporting her with her limber arms and watching the strange girl until she was able to stand by herself again. Jaden thrust her hands into her short hair and began pacing around in little circles.

"I'm going nuts," she declared. "Oh, wait, it isn't just me, it's that whole, blasted world! First vampires, then little boys who shouldn't even be in this world, and now kidnapped Elves! I'm losing it, I'm just losing it..."

"Do you have free rein in these halls, then?" Elhiril asked, grabbing Jaden's hands out of her hair and glaring into her eyes.

"Uh... I guess so..."

"Think," Elhiril urged. "You have now let us out of our cell, and you say you have at least some degree of freedom. There is still hope for our escape."

Jaden took a few more moments to blink and gather her wits back into some semblance of order before blowing out a gust of air and nodding. "Right, right, we can do this, can't we? Dang, I wish Leigh or Maylin were here, they're the military minds of our little group."

"If what I have heard of your friends is true, they are already hard on the heels of the demon which brought us here," Elhiril replied. "Now, do you know where there might be weapons?"

"No... no, Ramdur isn't that stupid, he wouldn't have left pointy objects where I could get my hands on them, or you all for that matter," Jaden frowned in thought.

"Are there other doors down this corridor?" Elhiril asked.

"Yes, there a lot, actually," Jaden confirmed, "but a lot of the doors were locked... Oh."

"There may be weapons sealed in those rooms," the Elf man said excitedly. "If we could get to them..."

"That's the trick, isn't it?" Jaden snorted. "I don't know about you, but I'm no lock-pick, and, as I have said, I don't think Ramdur would be quite that stupid."

"No, he would not."

Every member in the room spun to face the owner of the unwelcome voice, who now stood in the open doorway with his fists on his hips. A chill ran up Jaden's spine. Somehow she suspected that things were about to get ugly.

.O.O.O.

The wolves were back in force now. Jack swung the sword Boromir had demanded he bring with him at the nearest furry head and felt a sense of grim satisfaction as the grey pelt was stained with a fountain of read blood. In the next heartbeat, Leigh was beside him, wielding her makeshift sword with deadly efficiency. If only he had spent more time drilling with Boromir and the soldiers... of course, he didn't have Leigh's specific motivation to spend hours on end in the presence of the burly Steward...The girl in question cut off all playful thoughts about her romantic attachments as she decapitated a werewolf lunging in from in front of them, mere feet away from Jack.

"Boromir is calling a retreat," she barked. "Come with me, we can't fend off these monsters on our own."

Fengel followed the pedestrian dutifully as he jogged off through the bloodied woods towards where Maylin and a handful of Gondorian archers were turning the savage wolves into gory pincushions. Once again, Jack was struck by the difference in Maylin even since her marriage to Legolas. In her time with the Elf and his kin, she had developed an Elvish aura that, while not as strong as most Elves, gave off a sense of command and ethereal power. Perhaps she would become the next Galadriel for her new people, but even if she didn't attain the Elf queen's startling capabilities, Maylin was already a she-warrior to be reckoned with.

Swatting the only strand of perfect hair out of her face to clear her vision, Maylin spared a glance towards Leigh and Jack as they pounded up the sloping hillside.

"You should have stayed with Boromir," she sniffed as Leigh bent over to pant beside her friend's horse.

"Couldn't leave Jack out there," Leigh shrugged breathlessly. "Besides, nothing happened... to me anyways, I can't really speak for the werewolves."

Legolas approached them on his white elvish mount, long knives at the ready and a flawless streak of dirt on his brow. Jack could sense Leigh seething by Fengel's leg. It really was unfair that Elves could stay so blasted clean all the time...

"I don't suppose the three of you have been keeping score?" the princeling asked.

"Must have slipped my mind," Leigh replied.

"Legolas and I remembered," Maylin said with a sweet smile at her husband. "I'm beating him by one."

"Oh, isn't that cute," Leigh chortled. "A husband and wife game of 'shoot the werewolf'. Charming, really."

"Ha. At least I can hit one. You couldn't shoot the broad side of a barn."

.O.O.O.

The fist of ice in Jaden's stomach did not abate as Ramdur stepped on foot into the prison cell and scanned its occupants with his cold glare. In the blink of an eye, he had the male Elf who had stepped forward to speak for his fellows with Elhiril by the throat. Instead of the typical vampire-blood-sucking routine, Jaden was horrified to see the black-cloaked creature literally rip out the Elf's throat and lap up the blood contentedly as the immortal being shuddered and died in his hands. With dread, Jay realized that there were splattered spots of dark red and black stains scattered across the floor. This had happened many times before, and in a similar fashion.

Evidently Elhiril had the same feelings and she screamed in unison with Jaden. The two girls leaped together and clutched at each other like friends watching a horror film.

As he daintily wiped the specks of blood from his lips, Ramdur sent them a cool smile and a glint caught in his eye.

"Sorry, did I disturb you?" he asked sweetly.

"Why, you ugly..." Jaden snarled.

"Now, now, Jay," Ramdur chimed as two orcs lumbered in and seized the body of the unfortunate Elf, "such thoughts are unbecoming of a lady... but then, I am unfamiliar of the ways of your world. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"No."

"Too bad," Ramdur said, clicking his tongue. "You will... when enough of these Elves die."

"I beg your pardon?"

With a sigh, Ramdur twitched his cloak away from the leftover pool of blood and answered her. "Really, I had always thought you were the smart one of the bunch, but apparently I was mistaken. Think very hard, Jaden. What possible use could I have for a prophetess from another world who is all out of foretellings, but still knows her homeland better than only a few in Middlle-Earth? Anyway, do you think I'd let you wander around free if I didn't have a reason?"

By now Jaden's jaw was on the ground, and she stuttered as she tried to reply. "Y-you must be... joking. That's impossible, you couldn't've..."

"Made a portal between worlds?" Ramdur raised an eyebrow. "You're right, I didn't, not exactly anyway. But I do have one. The Nazgul were very sloppy with their fetching of you four, and it was like bending a piece of paper to find the cut in it to discover the incision they left unlatched. That, of course, is how I got a hold of your dear little friend who is currently asleep in the room at the end of the hall. Everything's a bit more complicated, but I think you understand the gist of what I'm trying to explain."

"How did you know I knew him?" Jaden demanded.

"He was carrying a sort of pack when he fell through, and inside there was a picture depicting the Four. It was an easy assumption."

Suddenly another, smaller orc trotted up to the open doorway and whispered something in his master's ear. As the orc said whatever tale he had to tell, the constant fiendish gleam in Ramdur's eyes glinted and brightened.

"I am afraid I must leave you now," declared the vampire. "Pressing business calls me involving a few of our mutual friends. Farewell for the moment, I will be back shortly." And with that he swung his cloak clear of his booted feet and strode out of the room, leaving the first two orcs behind to finish their task now that the doorway was open.

Forgetting herself and everything but her need to escape and help the others, Jaden sprang forward like a feral cat, teeth bared in a snarl and nails poised like claws, and pounced on the nearest of the two orcs. For a moment, the dumb creature couldn't understand what had happened, but when it felt the cutlass that it had kept ready in its hand slip away, it realized it was being attacked. Of course by that time it was too late, and it was one arm short. The other was run through even as it raised its weapon to attack, and its wailing companion was soon silenced as its head rolled across the bloody floor. Panting, Jaden started to lean on the sword, then looked at the blood rolling down the blade and changed her mind.

Ehiril was by her side a split second later, hee face dripping with shock and awe.

"Never have I seen such deeds!" she exclaimed. "It was incredible! Such bravery..."

"Clearly, you have led a very sheltered life," Jaden snorted as she wiped her sleeve across her face in order to clean off the flecks of orc-gore. "In the war there were many acts of courage and swordsmanship far surpassing this. This little display was out of desperation. My friends are out there, looking for me, most likely, and only the Valar know what Ramdur has in mind. I need to help them."

Elhiril stepped over to Jaden and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. When Jay turned to look, she met her gaze evenly.

"We will help them," she stated.

.O.O.O.

Leigh was once again bouncing along behind Boromir on his mighty warhorse, and she wished for the ten-thousandth time that she had better mastered her horsemanship skills. If Eomer ever found out just how incompetent she remained, he would be enraged. At any rate, her worst fear at that moment was falling off, and the werewolves baying and snarling at their heels were barely even in her mind. Then it happened. Perhaps she should have been paying more attention to the wolves trying to flank them, although it probably wouldn't have helped in any case.

In the blink of an eye, Leigh went from sitting behind Boromir with her arms wrapped around his torso to tumbling head over heals into the soggy dirt of the forest floor. When she cleared her head, she saw the wolf that had knocked her off of the horse growling and lunging at her. There was no chance in the world for her to defend herself.

Boromir knew the instant Leigh was no longer with him on his steed, and he heard the air rush out of her lungs even before he managed to turn his horse around. When he finally did get the beast to wheel and face the snapping werewolves, he just managed to catch a glimpse of the werewolf that had knocked Leigh off bite her gauntleted arm and tear off into the woods, dragging her behind.

Ahead of him, Legolas cried for him to stop, but by that time the brash Steward was already crashing through the dense foliage with his charger and shouting the name of his betrothed at the top of his lungs.

Branches snapped in Leigh's face as she was hauled at an incredible pace across the mossy, leaf strewn ground. If she had had the time to think she might have been able to grab a passing limb to whack the nasty beastie over the head with, but at that moment she was too busy trying to keep her face out of harm's way, which was extremely difficult, considering. Boromir was hard on her heals, but the monstrous hound was unnaturally fast, and it was all he could do to keep Leigh's feet in view. As a passing stone cut a gouge over her left eye, Leigh wondered if the werewolf was simply going to drag her until she was literally battered to death. But even as she thought this, it halted.

The werewolf released her bruising arm and left her sprawled at the edge of a perfectly circular clearing. With one last snarl it turned and pounced into the surrounding woods and out of sight. Naturally, the first thing to go through Leigh's mind was gratitude; you would feel the same way if you'd just been dragged for a quarter mile through rough terrain by a werewolf. Her right arm, which the wolf had bitten, was stretched and sore besides feeling tender after the fierce comp of the werewolf. Luckily, there were no puncture wounds, but that didn't keep the limb from aching terribly. The next thing to be registered on Leigh's list of injuries was the gash over her eye which was now pouring blood into her face, effectively blinding one eye until she swiped some of the gore away. By the time Boromir tore into the empty circle Leigh was up on her knees and hugging her right arm protectively.

"Where's that wolf?" she growled. "I want to kill something."

Boromir was by her side in an instant, and soon Leigh was back on slightly unsteady feet, and she began to register that her sword had not come along on the wild ride.

"Boggarts and Hobgoblins," she ranted. "I lost my sword. I guess I'll have to strange the wolf..."

Before she could say another word, she was suddenly caught up in Boromir's crushing embrace, and she realized just as suddenly that she had forgotten what she was going to say. Relaxing, she let herself take a moment to breathe in the thick scent of Boromir and his musty traveling gear. He smelled like nearly every place he had ever traveled, but he actually smelled primarily of his beloved city. The unavoidable film of dirt that one gathers while traveling by horseback tickled Leigh's nose, but she really didn't care. Fine leather and cloth mixed with whatever rough soap the man used gave him his trademark smell, and believe me, he smelled like he looked. Whatever he smelled like, the steady, strong man smothered the girl with his soothing presence, and she let her battle sarcasm and frustration ebb away, along with the pains all over her body.

Then their embrace was disturbed by applause that echoed to them from across the clearing. They separated immediately (they had plenty of practice in Minas Tirith) and, to Leigh's displeasure, Boromir swung his young fiancé behind him as he whirled to face the threat. Standing alone on the far side of the glade was none other than Ramdur, looking smug and cunning as always. Leigh rose up on her tip-toes in order to see over Boromir's shoulder, and she felt childishly tempted to start making faces at the vampirish jerk who mocked them so openly. If Ramdur noticed, he didn't show it.

"A nice little show," the vampire commented, "but lacking in any real action, I'm afraid."

As Boromir growled, Leigh took the opportunity to side-step her protective betrothed and glared daggers at Ramdur and his strange cloak.

"Why don't you just go away?" she demanded, placing her fists on her hips, which inadvertently made her wince and gave Ramdur great amusement.

He laughed. "Oh, this is far too fun, and, besides, I need your excellent advice on a few little things."

"What little things?" Leigh asked, suddenly unsure.

A white-fletched arrow zipped out of the woods and buried itself in Ramdur's shoulder even as he opened his mouth to reply. Instead of the intended phrase, what came out was a piercing roar, and Leigh found herself once again thrust behind Boromir's back. With a burst of speed, the rest of the company charged out of the woods, Jack lowering his bow and the Elves holding theirs at the ready. Ramdur seethed as he glared at them all with his melting gaze. His teeth gnashed together in a terrible rage, and as Legolas and Maylin raised their bows to shoot, he once again began to morph into his bat-shape.

Even as he turned, he managed to roar in an unhuman voice, "This is what I wish to show you!"

With a wave of his fist, Ramdur seemed to rip the fabric of space and time, and a glaring rip in the world appeared at the center of the clearing. Spears of light thrust out in narrow triangles from the awkward gash, and the breach seemed to howl with the voices of a thousand silent winds, all whirling and screaming in a nightmarish void of fierce brilliance.

Both Legolas and Maylin let their arrows fly, but Ramdur simply swatted them away with one of his iron talons. The monster was swelling with rage, and he let his pent up frustration in a deafening roar that shook the forest. Then he launched himself into the air and came sailing down on the mounted attackers, ripping and swiping with the claws on his limbs and wings. Several soldiers were felled in the first pass, and the others did not wait for a second turn to vacate their saddles and reach for their spears. Those with javelins hurled them as the beast swooped in once again, but they barely even penetrated his thick flesh. More men were felled, and the monster wheeled for another turn.

Just then, when his back was to the archers, Maylin let loose a well-aimed shaft into Ramdur's shoulder, bringing the beast to earth. The only problem with this gallant shot was that it just happened to bring the vampire down between the Steward and Leigh and the rest of their party. Ramdur, however, did not fail to notice this opportunity, and he swung with a wing-talon at the two. Boromir grabbed hold of Leigh's arms, and she reached for him at the same instant while trying to leap to safety. In the tangled confusion of black wings, flashing talons and one another's arms, the two toppled backwards... and into the rift.

Maylin, who had been watching her friend, shouted in alarm as she saw them vanish into the gaping cut. When Legolas turned to see what had happened, he saw, to his horror, only the fell beast and the tear. But then he was distracted by Jack's insistent cry, and he turned to see a small horde of people spilling out from the other side of the glade, bearing crude weapons and carrying a long bundle. Ramdur also heeded Jack's shout, and he bellowed in rage when he saw Jaden's short hair amid the crowd of Elves, fresh out of his dungeons.

"Elbereth Gilthoniel!"

The vampire reared madly, wheeling desperately to see who invoked the Valar above. Meeting his gaze was Maylin in all her elvish glory. She stood with bow in hand and arm thrust towards the heavens, shouting to the protectorate of Middle-Earth. Ramdur made a move to silence the she-warrior, but Maylin did not cease her cries.

"Kel raug, Elbereth tul!"

Screaming in his demented form, Ramdur stumbled back and took to the air, despite his injured shoulder, and flapped out of sight.

.O.O.O.

Leigh hurtled out of the awfully familiar darkness to land face first in the dirt. She gave herself several moments to collect herself before shakily rising up on her elbows and looking around her. Beside her, Boromir was in a similar state, blinking confusedly around him and at last settling his gaze on her with a look of bewildered relief. Leigh struggled to her knees with a groan (the tumble had not been kind to her bruises) and surveyed their new surroundings. The next moment she found she couldn't breath.

All around them, there was the bowed remnant of an alleyway between two lines of buildings. However, it appeared as if the structure had literally been pulled in towards the place where they lay blinking, and Leigh realized with horror that the wood looked like it had been melted.

"Oh, no," she breathed. Scrambling the rest of the way to her feet, Leigh dashed forward with fumbling steps and hobbled backwards as she took in the sight before her with wide eyes.

"Leigh?" Boromir asked with worry. "Leigh, what's wrong?"

"Oh, no," she repeated, dazed. "Oh, no."

Before her stood the remains of the row of shops that contained the alleyway which she and the others had passed through on the fateful day of the fair. In fact, the place where they had been lying was the selfsame place where they had stood as the nazgul dragged them through the unnatural gap between worlds. That spot was now warped into a round, bubble-like shape, made by the buildings on either side leaning in, like they had been dragged towards the disturbance. It was the most startling and chilling thing Leigh had ever seen.

"We're home."

A/N: Alright, the question of the day is: should I split the next chapter between parties, or focus soley on Leigh and Boromir? Say 'Poll' in your reviews if you have read my author's notes, and please answer the question!