Chapter 11: Leaving and Spy-Birds

Next morning found Lara braiding her hair wearing the same clothes that she wore on her arrival to Rivendell only with slight changes: a black tank top and the black cloak stayed but the pants were replaced by her black shorts to which a grapple and binoculars were attached 'Wonder how they'd react to this' she thought with a grin. Lara collected all her belongings into her backpack and tacking out her belt attached the sword. She decided against wearing the guns since she didn't remember any trouble happening at this part of the journey, 'I'll need them in Moria… How am I going to explain to Aragorn me not warning them about Gendalf? I cannot change that, he has to become the White Wizard!' Lara's thoughts were disarray. Shaking her head to rid of all the troubling thoughts she put on her cloak, attached her bow and arrows, and for the final touch put on her trademark boots.

One final look around the room to make sure she had not forgot anything important and a walk down the hallways later, Lara found herself standing waiting for the other members to arrive. First to come was Boromir who looked at her leaning against the stone archway and froze at the sight of her outfit. Lara simply smirked and acted like nothing was wrong. Boromir's reaction repeated on everyone but Gendalf and to everyone she simply raised her eyebrow. When Elrond came into view he stood in front of them giving everyone a quick glance ,'More like a glare' Lara inwardly scoffed, and began his farewell speech.

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid, to go further than you will," He swept his stern gaze over everyone at this and then concluded. "Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you." Elrond spread his arms in the typical elven good-bye to which Aragorn, Legolas, and Lara put hands on their hearts and bowed.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer!" they heard Gendalf say. Unlike the other times Lara's seen him today he looked serious and the way a leader should. Frodo glanced up at him from the secluded spot where he stood just a little ways from Lara, and turned towards the stone archway that led out of Imladris. Lara waved bye to Arwen for the last time after promising Arwen that she will have her happy ending ('I need to stop with the preeching... Honestly, I feel like a tomb...'). Gendalf walked with Frodo in the front and as they neared a crossroad Lara smiled when she heard Frodo mutter to the elder.

"Mordor, Gendalf, is it left or right?" his voice slightly shaken.

"Left," whispered the wizard. And so it began.

TR-LOTR-TR-LOTR-TR-LOTR

They walked for four days already when Lara caught sight of the white rocks on which she knew that the 'spy-birds' as Bryce called them would appear. The walk was long but after all of Lara's adventures she hardly felt it. The nights where spent either on watch or by telling jokes and singing songs (the last activity Lara participated in only as a listner), the days by making the hobbits keep up because they were getting tired fast and keeping Gimli and Legolas from fighting.

Lara's relationship with the members of the Fellowship was quite interesting in its own. She would keep an eye on Frodo who felt more and more like a little brother to her, he would talk to her sometimes about the Ring but mostly about home, the Shire, since Lara had never been there and because she didn't want him to forget about it. Sam, Merry, and Pippin where the ones to make her laugh most of the times, they would either wine or make jokes about other members (only said to each other and the only female of course). Gimli she didn't talk to at all, never found the need to. Aragorn and Legolas were like Bryce and Hilary to her, they kept her going and looked after her (even when not needed at all), she got the riled up often and all in all they were the two big brothers for Lara, just like the ones back home. Gendalf being the leader of the group hardly spoke with anyone, the twinkle appeared less and less the further they got on with the journey. And then there was Boromir, 'That arrogant prick' as Lara now called him.

The man managed the practically impossible: to get Lara to show just how pissed off she was, and she gladly returned the favor. He was immature and stuck-up and kept on trying to prove that Lara should not be in the Fellowship by any means possible. One of those times was when Lara was going for her night watch. She was sitting at the tree with everyone getting ready for bed, when Boromir walked over.

"Croft, how about a fight?" he asked her with a smirk which could rival her own.

"Not bothered," she said as she was examining her arrows not even looking up at him.

"Aw, come on! It's just a friendly spar."

'God doesn't he get the point?' thought Lara, but schooled her annoyed face into a smirk and stood up. "But you might try to kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"I said you'd try" she turned around and sat back down against her tree, followed by chuckles from everyone in the Fellowship, but Boromir.

Now that she looked back at the incident it was very familiar. 'God I hate people like him, can't wait to see him die. At least he comes back to his normal self! And what happened to the 'We should top the fighting?'' she thought angrily. She was drawn from her thoughts by Gendalf calling them to stop for lunch. She looked around and saw that they already made it to the rocks. Lara went to climb up one of the taller rocks and stood there looking at the beautiful landscape. The Misty Mountains where towering above them however hundreds of miles of grassy plains lay in-between-

"Ash nazg…" Lara span around and face where the voice came from almost losing her footing, 'The East…' she thought looking at the darkened sky of Mordor that was visible, the ever-active volcano erupting more lava into the sky. Glancing down she noticed that she seemed the only one to hear the voice. "…ash nazg thrakatulûk…" she heard again looking into the shadows of Mordor and then she saw it. The Eye was right there in front of her, she felt the heat coming off of it, off of him… The voices were in her head speaking to her, torturing her with constant scenarios of the Fellowship's failure and death. She grasped her head trying to suppress the images and the pain that was throbbing in her head. And then as fast as it came it was over.

Lara found herself standing at the very same rock solid frozen with a strong ache in her side, 'The stab wound… The Nazgul… I saw him… How? Why? What does that change?' her head was spinning so she quickly climbed off the rock and sat down at its base leaning her head against the cool surface. Her side hurt immensely but she hardly noticed it, staring into nothingness instead. Then a shadow came over her making her glance up.

"Legolas," she murmured with a nod looking back into space.

He looked at her for a moment before sitting down next to her. "What is wrong? You have been like this ever since you climbed off of the rock and on it you stood frozen solid looking into nothingness!"

Lara looked at him with dull eyes and expressionless face, after a moment she attempted a smile. "I… It's nothing, just lost in thoughts, that's all."

"Oh don't give me that, Lara. Please just tell me what happened!" cried the clearly aggravated elf. Lara's face however turned stony and her eyes turned cold.

"Legolas, I said it's nothing. So do me a favor and stop bothering me!" she stood up and stalked off towards where Boromir, Merry, and Pippin began training, feeling childish and spoiled. She admired the carefulness and grace with which Boromir moved trying to land hard blows, yet easy enough for the hobbits. "Move your feet!" came a voice right behind Lara, she jumped then turned to see Aragorn standing behind her with a pipe in his mouth. She nodded to him then turned back to watch as Boromir instructed and the duo who seeming to ignore his commands were talking amongst each other.

"You look good Pip!" said a laughing Merry.

"Thanks!" came Pippin's reply as he dodged another swing from Boromir, nearly getting hit.

"Faster!" was all that Boromir said. 'How are they not tired? But then again, who am I to talk?' thought Lara feeling her mood lightning slightly. Lara was beginning to enjoy herself, laughing at the mistakes and maneuvers that the sparring boys made.

"…Balin, would give us a royal welcome."

"No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Lara sat up and listened in on the conversation between the old wizard and Gimli. She knew what was going to happen, but how she wished she could save Frodo the heartbreak of seeing his oldest friend die, 'You might as well save Boromir while you're at it!' came a thought in her mind which was accompanied by a mental eye-roll. Her thoughts were interrupted for what seemed like the hundredth time today as she heard a victorious cry come out of Pippin's mouth.

"For the Shire! Hold him! Hold him down! Merry!" looking at the scene in front of her Lara burst out laughing: Boromir was on the floor being attacked by the duo while apologizing and completely failing at staying serious. Aragorn walked up to them in an attempt to pry the hobbits off but after one sentence got grabbed around the ankles and tripped down on the floor. Lara stood up about to help the two men when Sam's voice caught her attention.

"What is that?" his voice was curious but mistrusting and he was looking off into the sky. Lara turned her head and saw it: it was a grey cloud that was moving quite fast towards them.

"Nothing, it's just a whiff of a cloud." dismissed the dwarf.

By this time Boromir was already up on his feet observing the cloud, "It's moving fast… Against the wind."

At this Lara's memory clicked in and she shouted at them: "Crebain from Dunland!" just as Legolas opened his mouth to say the same thing.

This is when the chaos began. Everyone began to move and run all over the place, grabbing utensils, shutting out the fires, hiding, and giving commands of what to do. Amongst the commands were the usual "Hurry!" "Hide!" and the occasional "Pick that up and take cover!". Lara decided to simply run cover up one of the fires grab her backpack and weapons (previously left leaning on the same rock she climbed today) and hid under a set of bushes next to where Aragorn and Frodo were hiding. She watched as the birds flew by croaking and screeching. They circled the rocks and then flew off back to the direction they came from.

When the birds could be seen just as a cloud again, Lara climbed out from the bushes and helped Frodo to his feet. Gendalf stood up and walked over in the direction that the birds flew in, "Spies of Saruman! The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

"Huh… That?" asked Lara pointing towards the white, snow covered mountains.

"Why Croft? Scared?" came Boromir's cocky voice, all Lara did was roll her eyes and point towards the hobbits who were looking at the mountains with a look of horror on their faces. He nodded understandingly and for once didn't say anything. As Gendalf told them to collect their things and move out, Lara walked up to Frodo, gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and they began to track towards Caradhras.

Yeii! Another chapter of the Fic! R&R please!