Disclaimer:I don't own Lord of the Rings. I own Ammy though. And sort of the plot? The bits that don't look like the movie are probably mine…

Revision 30/03/12: Parts of this chapter have been edited but shouldn't effect the overall story!

Chapter 9
Storytelling

Despite the violent and unexpected proceedings earlier that morning, the Fellowship quickly settled into the routine of the previous days. Gandalf walked at the head of their party, his grey hat the beacon which the other obediently followed.
Legolas followed behind the wizard, using his elf sight and hearing to watch out for Nazgul or other unwanted attention.

The rest of the Fellowship mingled; Boromir was usually accompanied by Merry or Pippin as he told them of great battles and sword technique. Sam and Bill the pony typically came next at a steady pace occasionally talking with Gimli of dwarf customs and gold and comparing it with the rich farmland of the Shire which Sam missed dearly.

Frodo tended to roam up and down the party, stopping to converse with the others if it took his fancy. He talked with all the members of the Fellowship, including Boromir, but he always returned to the tail end where Ammy remained.

Bill the pony still found the large feline discomforting, animal instinct couldn't be overridden so Ammy tended to stay at the end in order to allow the poor animal some ease. This wasn't exactly a hardship as Aragorn walked at the very rear of the group and would often educate Amaterasu on the history of Middle Earth and its creatures and inhabitants.

"Tell me about the Ring Aragorn." Ammy spoke up that day. They had travelled many miles by that point and were making good progress with no sign of any unwanted attention. Frodo was sat on her back when she posed the question and he too looked up at the Ranger with unveiled interest.

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

Aragorn spoke the rhyme quietly and Frodo had to lean close in order to hear. The poor Hobbit leant so far off Ammy's back that he nearly slipped and grabbed at her fur desperately. A handful of hairs were yanked from her pelt and the tigress bared her teeth in a silent snarl.

As she turned her head to give Frodo a disapproving look she saw Aragorn cover a smile.

"Watch it Frodo, I'm more sensitive than your hairy feet!" She wrinkled her nose as Frodo lifted said feet and inspected them.

"If you are both quite finished?" The Ranger reprimanded them lightly and they gave him sheepish looks.

"That rhyme was the Ring-spell. The Dark Lord Sauron chanted that spell over the Ring when he forged it in the fires of Mount Doom. It gave him power over all the other rings. The elves were untouched by the evil taint and their three rings held strong. The Dwarves hid theirs away and so they escaped the evil. The Nine succumbed however and so the Men became Sauron's servants, the Nazgul.
Sauron's strength grew even more and in the Second Age of the Sun there was an alliance forged. The Last Alliance between the elves and men was forged by Gil-galad the Elven-king and Elendil, High-king of Gondor in order to free the people of Middle-Earth enslaved by Sauron."

Aragorn paused in his tale in order to light his pipe and once the weed was burning nicely he continued.

"The alliance droved the forces of Sauron back to the slopes of Mordor but Gil-galad and Elendil both full beneath Sauron's hand. Elendil's son took up the great sword Narsil which had been forged by the Dwarves in the First-Age. This Prince of Gondor, Isildur, picked up the broken blade and cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. This final blow broke Sauron and he was defeated. Isildur should have destroyed the Ring there and then and Lord Elrond led him deep into the mountain and bade him cast it into the flames. But Isildur was tempted and seduced by the Ring's power and he kept the Ring."

'Isildur's heir… That was what Boromir called Aragorn. So it must be the Isildur that Aragorn is related to.'Ammy though as she paced next to the silent Ranger.

"What happened after that Aragorn?" Frodo asked "How did my Uncle Bilbo come to have the Ring, and why hasn't Sauron found it sooner?"

"The Ring serves Sauron alone and it deceived and betrayed Isildur at Gladden Fields. They were attacked and when Isildur put the Ring on and jumped into the River Anduin, it slipped from his finger and he was killed by orcs. There the Ring lay for hundreds of years until it was found by the creature Gollum.
From what I know the Ring drove Gollum mad and he retreated into mountain caves where Bilbo eventually came across him and the Ring left Gollum and journeyed with Bilbo."

"How come this account is not in any of the books I read at Imladris?" Ammy questioned. "I spent a long time reading but I haven't read about Gollum or Bilbo."

"I did not learn of the Ring's discovery by Gollum until a few years ago. Lord Elrond wrote most of the historic accounts you found at Imladris and so that is the version I have told to you. The rediscovery of the Ring is recent as it passed out of sight and as Men perished only the Elves remained from the Last Alliance and so the story turned to legend and myth."

"That explains how Bilbo had the Ring and why he has lived so long." Frodo said. The three remained silent for several minutes and finally Frodo pulled gently on Ammy's ear signalling that he wanted to get off. She slowed to a halt and crouched down so her belly was on the ground. The Hobbit easily slipped off the broad back and as Ammy rose back to full height Frodo hugged her neck and buried his face in her soft fur.

Amaterasu could feel the Hobbit trembling and quickly purred, sending comforting vibrations like a mother would to her cubs. As Frodo's shivers ended she nudged him with her head and as he looked up her tongue flicked out and licked from his chin up his cheek to the bottom of his eye. He gave a gasp and began to giggle.

"You are filthy young Hobbit!" She teased "I barely recognise you under that mop of uncombed hair and dust!" As Frodo's giggles turned to laughter Amaterasu could feel the tense, heavy atmosphere disappear and the Fellowship appeared to lighten their feet and make better progress. All save Aragorn who remained troubled and pensive.

That night after Amaterasu had transformed into her human form they sat around the fire and Pippin and Frodo nestled close to Ammy. Pippin it seemed was intrigued by her hair and many nights had sat simply running the strands not in the plait through his fingers.

The atmosphere around the fire this night was far more relaxed than her first night. Over the nights the tension after her transformations had soon faded and it became custom for Ammy to disappear into the night with her borrowed clothes from Aragorn and then return to the fire dressed and hungry. She would sit and eat and listen to the others talking. If they were not all too tired someone would tell a story: Gimli of some great Dwarf mine or treasure discovered in deep depths of the earth, Legolas of trees that could move and the forests of his home. The Hobbits mainly told stories of their friends and family which sent many of their group into laughter. Particularly when it ended with Pippin and Merry being discovered and punished.
None of them had asked Ammy for a story after the revelations of her entrance into this world, however after watching Pippin and Merry receive lessons from Boromir and Gimli she gave a comment about her world.

"We don't use swords anymore in my old world." Pippin looked up from playing with her hair and Gandalf smiled encouragingly from across the flames, prompting her to continue.
"We used swords and spears, bows and arrows once, but nowadays we have weapons that fire metal into your flesh and bone and can kill hundreds of men in seconds. It lacks the honour of swords." She remarked quietly.

Pippin looked back at her hair and then spoke intrigued.

"Do you have heroes in your world that use swords? Like the ones in our history? The ones in Boromir's stories?"

By now they had gained the attention of all the Fellowship and Ammy looked around nervously.

"Come lass, give us a tale tonight. Share your world with us." Gimli spoke roughly, his voice cheery and light-hearted. Although she had spoken little with Gimli, Ammy grinned at him and the began to speak, her voice clear and confident.

"In my world there are several countries but the one I hail from is called England. This is a story that is legend or myth but is one of a King who united a people.
At the time the tale begins, England was several kingdoms and they fought with each other over land and grounds. There was little honour at this time and men would brawl in the streets over petty things. In one kingdom there was a boy called Arthur, who was the adopted son of a Lord. He, his father and his older brother travelled to the main city for a tournament. His older brother was to fight in the competition and needed his sword. Unfortunately Arthur had forgotten it and as he ran back to their tent hoping to find it he spotted a sword that was driven into a rock. As he watched men attempted to pull the sword from the stone, but all failed.
After searching the tent, Arthur could not find his brother's sword and in desperation went to the sword in the stone. He wrapped his hands around its hilt and pulled. Slowly the sword began to rise from the stone and finally Arthur pulled it free. One man who had been watching began to shout:
'The King, the King has pulled the sword from the stone!' and people swarmed to the stone to see the boy who had removed the sword. On seeing him they proclaimed him King and bowed before him.
The sword was called Excalibur and only the one true King of England would have been able to free it from the stone. Arthur grew up to unite the many kingdoms under one name with Lords who would rule each area. He also found knights who were honourable and brave and they helped to maintain peace in the kingdom.
They were known as the Knights of the Round Table. On forming this company of Knights, Arthur had a circular table made so that they could sit around it and be equal: No man above another, all able to see the other without feeling belittled.
The Knights and Arthur had many adventures but eventually Arthur was betrayed by his wife and his best friend. The two had an affair and on learning this Arthur was deeply wounded and hurt. After being called into battle he was gravely injured due to his distracted state of mind.
Although he wasn't killed he had no chance of survival and so remaining Knights placed him on a boat and sent the vessel into the middle of a lake. The lake was the home of a mystical Lady called the 'Lady of Shalott' or 'Lady of the Lake'. She had originally given the sword Excalibur to a wizard named Merlin who had driven it into the stone, in order to find the true King. The Lady of the Lake took Excalibur from the boat and returned back into the waters and a mist engulfed Arthur and he was never seen again. Despite his death the Kingdom did not fall prey to invaders. Slowly over time Arthur became a legend, some people believe that he will be reborn when England needs him most."

Silence fell over the camp as they all absorbed the tale and Ammy smiled at the looks of fascination on the Hobbits' faces. Just when she was about to break the silence Merry spoke up.

"So Arthur didn't want the sword for himself? Or the Kingdom?" He leant forward and watched Ammy intently as he waited for her to reply.

As she turned her attention to him she noticed that all four Hobbits had swarmed around her, Gimli had lit his pipe and subtly shifted closer. Gandalf had leant back and was watching carefully as was Aragorn. Throughout her tale Aragorn and Boromir had seemed detached, as if they weren't listening but at Merry's question both men had shifted slightly and tensed.

'Aragorn and Boromir care more about how I answer than I thought they would. Aragorn's interest may be because he is Isildur's heir. I bet he doesn't want the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. He seems to enjoy his freedom too much. But then again his sense of duty and honour would not allow him to run from it not matter how much he might want to.
Boromir... I know he does not want Aragorn as King. 'Gondor needs no king' was what he said at the council...' She paused as she thought about the two men and then carefully voiced her answer.

"No, not at first. Arthur wanted a different life, but he didn't want to be a king or have subjects to rule and care for."
Amaterasu subtly glanced in Aragorn's direction. He had shifted away completely now but his back was stiff. As she looked away her gaze met with Legolas who stared at her, their eyes locking as she continued to speak.

"However, Arthur had lived in a country with no honour, where men and women and children suffered. Having the power to create change, but to do nothing with that power would have been selfish. On realising he had this amazing gift that could voice his opinions and the opinions of others to change the country for the better, Arthur accepted his role as King. In time he came to love his kingdom and its people.
He surrounded himself with loyal men and women and ruled benevolently for many years. Arthur never gave up dreaming though and towards the end of his life he sent his Knights of the Round Table on a quest, seeking the Holy Grail. This Holy Grail was said to be a mystical, powerful chalice that could change your life if you drank from it...The Knights never found the grail and Arthur died before all his Knights returned from their seeking.
Despite all the terrible things that had happened to him and the heavy responsibility he was given, Arthur carved his life out on the history of England and made it into what he wished it to be."

As she finished Legolas smiled and gave a little nod to Ammy and then returned his attention to the surrounding area. Amaterasu felt a shiver run down her spine. She had not realised that Legolas' gaze was so piercing. It was as if he had seen her inner most thoughts and beliefs and although it had been consuming she hadn't felt threatened by his gaze.

"That was a mighty fine story lass. Pity there weren't any dwarves in it." Gimli chuckled and winked at her.

"Or Hobbits!" piped up Sam "Do you not have dwarves, elves or Hobbits in your world Ammy?"

"Umm, no Sam. They are myths and legends like Arthur and his knights. There are tales of elves and dwarves in my lands but small people like yourself don't exist. The stories we have about little people normally refer to fairies or fae-folk. We don't have Hobbits sadly."

"Perhaps tomorrow you could tell us a story with one of those creatures in it?" Merry asked, looking hopefully at Ammy. Despite being older than Ammy all the Hobbits were intrigued by her different stories and they seemed to look up to her as an older sister figure. A role Ammy was happy to fill as it took her mind off her troubles.

"Perhaps Merry." She smiled at him and then covered her mouth as she began to yawn.
"Now however I wish to sleep. Carrying four plump Hobbits all day has tired me out!" She teased them gently and laughed as they all blushed.

Each of them had ridden on her back at some point during the day. Their small statures meant the steady pace the wizard and men set was almost torture. She had been more than willing to aid them and give them a couple of hours rest and they had all been much better for it.
Of course Frodo spent the most time riding with her so he should have been the least weary yet as she looked down at him, he appeared tired and pale.

The five smaller members of the Fellowship laid their blankets out in a sort of circle with Ammy's blanket in the centre. Ammy laid down first in the centre and as each Hobbit lay down they moved closer to the petite female: Frodo on his back to Ammy's front and her right arm pulled him close into her frame, Pippin used the end of her long braid as a pillow and Merry nestled close to her back. Sam curled into the hollow formed by her curved legs and his head lay upon her thigh.

Once they were all settled the others began to shift around themselves. Legolas moved right to the edge of their group and began to carve a lump of wood with a knife. The elf had taken first watch and in a few hours would wake Boromir.
Gimli cleaned his pipe out and settled it back in his pack. He then found a rock and leaned his back against it and pulled his cloak over his form. Boromir didn't move for several minutes after Ammy's tale but all of a sudden he lay down and stared into the flames pensively.

Aragorn moved to sit by Gandalf his face troubled.

"Why do I get the feeling that Ammy and Legolas just communicated silently about me? That story was far too apt and close to the truth for my comfort." The Ranger spoke harshly but quietly to the wizard.

"Really?" Gandalf spoke with surprise in his voice. "That was a tale from Ammy's homeland Aragorn. Any similarities to any persons living or dead are mere coincidence. After all it is a legend and may not be true. It is probably little more than a child's story. So why are you so intrigued? It was not directed at you..."

Gandalf watched with amused eyes as the Ranger leapt to his feet.

"Now if you'll excuse me my friend it is time for this old wizard to get some rest. I'm not as spritely as I was in my first century." Gandalf smirked as Aragorn glared at him.

"You were the one setting the pace Mithrandir. If it is too much I suggest you walk with the Hobbits. After all you are too big for Ammy to carry." Aragorn mock bowed at the wizard who merely snorted and closed his eyes.

As the camp quieted and everyone settled down they all drifted off to sleep quickly and soon the only sounds punctuating the crisp night silence were the crackles of flames and Pippin's snores...

A/N: So an update! This was written in a week and I have the next chapter mostly written up. Got a little bit more to write on that one and then type it up.

Please keep reviewing as always and I hope you stick around to see what happens next!

Ryua