A/N~

Sci-fi-rocks: Yup! If you read the Author's notes in one of the chapters, I explain that the Hobbit hadn't been published yet. It all makes sense at the very end of the fanfic… just wait! :D

Amazing Abigail: Muahahha! I love to draw out the romance. Hehe. Just wait! Legolas/Alexis stuff happening next chapter!

Lady of Em: I DO like to hear ideas from my reviewers, and usually incorporate them as I see fit, but I have the breaking all planned out. Gonna be epic. And I'm working on the smutty, kissy Legolas scenes. Just have to find the right timing.. haha. As for descriptions, I really usually am quite a descriptive writer. I just assume people skip long paragraphs in Fanfics, so I usually tend to keep the long-winded descriptions and whatnot to a minimum and get to the romance/action :p But thank you very much!

Stabbythings: MUAHHAHAHA ;)

And thanks so much to all my other reviewers, Erugalatha, SU gurl, song in the woods, amrawo, and everybody else. YAY FOR REVIEWING, makes me want to write lots :D4

Chapter Fourteen

The Parting of the Ways

Cold, crisp air woke the Fellowship early. Their guardian, unslept and weakening, held yet fast to where she sat in the trees, looking over them. She watched in silence as they gathered their things in a groggy stupor, climbed into their boats, and set off for the next leg of their journey, down the Anduin River.

Alexis followed them soon after, procuring a boat she'd hidden beneath some of the flotsam that was there, on the far side of the island and, without a word to Gollum, who was sneaking up behind her, pushed off and began her pursuit.

Gollum slunk into the watery depths and disappeared. She did not hear from him again. With a great relief, she realized that this was where the two of them, at last, parted ways.

Alone now, she followed the Fellowship down the river, gasping in awe as she, too, reached the impressive masonry that was the Argonath. She bowed her head to the great Kings of Gondor, two majestic statues, carved right out of the rock, proudly standing on each side of the Anduin. Two vast quarries lined the cliffs to either side of them, where once their stones may have been hewn for their building. Their left arms were held aloft, their palms facing outwards in gesture of warning. Solemn and stern were their faces, the silent wardens of a long vanished kingdom.

Not long after, she spotted the Fellowship's boats docked on the shore just before the waterfall. But They were not there, and something was wrong. She could feel a feeling of fear picking up in her heart. The book had not told her this. She had no way of warning them of the impeding danger, and as she pulled up alongside the Fellowship's boats, she saw the footprints of Orcs, and heard their cries in the forest.

Crying out in fury, Alexis took off at a run into the woods, drawing her bow and keening her ears for any sound of Lace's voice. Now was the time to show herself. now was the time for action.

Where was Frodo? He had been missing for some time. But Orcs were swarming, there was a buzzing in Lace's ears. She couldn't think. Fear pumped through her, making her feel light-headed. The forest spun where she stood.

A strange cry was heard behind her. She spun on the spot to see an Uruk-Hai running headlong toward her, axe raised high over its head. With a scream, Lace hit the dirt, covering her head with her hands. She didn't know what else to do. Her only instinct was to lie there in silent fear. But the evil creature grunted, and she looked up to see it impaled upon Legolas' arrow. He leapt on top of the Uruk-Hai and ran it through with his daggar, then jumped up and grabbed Lace up by the waist.

"Draw your sword, my dear friend. Now is the time to defend yourself!" He said, pulling her along with him. She shook her head, sobbing.

"I can't! I just can't!"

They burst through the trees and out into a clearing. Gimli was arriving parallel to them, out into the clearing, where Aragorn was fighting off an immeasurable number of Orcs, backing up the steps of an old ruin.

Lace was more afraid than ever. She could barely stand it. Legolas threw her under the archway of the ruin, toward the downward slope of the hill.

"Run!" He said. "Hide!"

She stood rooted to the spot for a moment, pale and wide-eyed. Legolas shoved her once more, then turned round and joined Gimli and Aragorn, fighting off the evil, paying special attention to not letting any through to her.

Grateful, and feeling more sobs and tears coming on, Lace turned on her heel and ran down the hill. A second later, her hand was being grabbed and she turned her head to see Pippin, and Merry directly in front of them. Relief to see them washed over her. Pippin pulled her into a hollowed out tree that had fallen.

There was a flash of colour in the trees directly opposite them, and Lace gasped to see her dear Frodo standing there, his back to the tree.

"F-Frodo!" She couldn't help but shout.

He looked quickly over to them. "Lace?" He cried, looking relieved to see her, but still full of panic.

"This way!" Merry said, waving him over urgently. "Hurry!"

Frodo's blue eyes looked from Merry, to Lace and hovered there for a moment, then, slowly, he shook his head.

"What's he doing?" Pippin muttered beside Lace.

There was a moment of silence, and then Merry said "He's leaving."

"No!" Lace cried, fresh tears bursting forth. He couldn't! He couldn't leave her… what was he thinking? With a rush of emotion bursting from her stomach and heart, Lace jumped from their hiding spot, crossed the path, and rushed into Frodo, wrapping her arms around him and bawling.

"Please, please, Frodo. Don't leave me. I need you, I need you to be alright!" She cried.

The ground shook beneath her bare feet. They were coming. She looked up the path, and suddenly Merry was on the path, his eyes wide. He seemed set. He seemed to have a plan – a dangerous one. He said to Frodo in a low, resolved voice:

"Run, Frodo. Go."

Frodo stared at Merry, and then nodded once. Pippin appeared beside Merry and gave Lace a meaningful look, as though it would be the last time he saw her. Then the two of them ran, drawing the attention of the Uruk-Hai, who passed by Frodo and Lace without notice.

Frodo pushed Lace off of him and held her face in his hands roughly, staring very seriously into them. "Go, Lace. Get out of here. Find Aragorn, he'll keep you safe. I …" He swallowed, and then brought his lips to her forehead and while they were there, whispered. "I need to do this on my own. I need to do this, Lace. For you."

He kissed her head once, and then shoved her forcefully onto the now empty path, so that she fell down and twisted her ankle as it got caught under an out-sticking root. She scraped her wrists and legs and arms, and struggled to turn around where she lay and call out to Frodo, but he was gone.

Sobbing and crying, Lace pushed herself up shakily from the dirt, and, using the tree as support, got onto her feet. Her ankle throbbed in pain. She didn't know if walking was possible, but she had to try. She hobbled down the hill, trying to ignore the sharp pain that struck her entire leg like bolts of lightning. But there was no time for feeling pain. No time for rational thought. She needed to move … move!

Something told her which way to go. Somehow, she just knew. She knew that Frodo was just a few hobbles away. She at last broke out of the forest, and on the shore that lay before her, she saw the frail, tiny form of her Frodo, standing pale and weak, his hand outstretched. The little golden ring sat in the middle of his palm. She could hear the whispers that came from it. She could feel the cold burden of it. She dragged herself to him. He did not seem to see her.

She inhaled to speak, but then Frodo was whispering,

"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Lace drew up beside Frodo, and put her hand on top of his outstretched one. "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide," She replied, quoting Gandalf the Gray's words from Moria. A single, silent tear fell swift down Frodo's porcelain cheek. "All You have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to you."

Frodo blinked away the tears and looked around at her, his eyes like an ice-cold winter river. His lips trembled. Their faces were inches apart. Their hearts touched. They gripped hands tightly.

Lace sighed, never taking her eyes off his. "I understand. You have to do this. But, Frodo … I can't be without you. I'm … I'm not strong enough. Take me with you."

He lifted a hand to her face and ran his thumb over her cheekbones, her chin and jawline, and down her throat to her collarbone. There, he pressed his hand firmly against her.

"You can see me anytime you like. Just close your eyes, be silent, and think of the memories we share," His voice cracked and more tears fell down his cheeks. She cried, too. He concluded with a tortured voice, "And then we shall be together again." He was echoing the words she'd spoken the night previous.

"You must take something with you, though," she murmured, bringing both her hands up to his neck. "Take this, and then you'll have something of me with you." With a surge of feeling in her belly, like a fire, she moved her head slowly closer to his, and closing her eyes and feeling his soul completely in tune with hers, smelling his scent, hearing his heartbeat, feeling his being so powerfully, pressed her lips against his.

It was a kiss to rival all others, or so they thought (as neither of them had experienced such magic in all their lives). Lace felt such a fire in her as they kissed. His lips were soft and perfect, they fit so perfectly upon her own. She tried not to think of what would happen when they ceased, gripping tightly to the back of his head, feeling his arms wrap around her waist in an embrace.

But, alas – all things must come to an end, and so they broke apart, and he brushed his fingers along her cheek.

"Are you sure I may take that with me?" He said quietly, his eyes filled with sadness, and yet sparkled with magic she'd never seen there before.

She smiled weakly, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "You may borrow it, but you must promise to return it to me when you come home."

She heard him chuckle softly, and he held her very tightly for a moment, and she him, and then she was running back up the hill, and he was gone from her sight.

No tears fell from her eyes now. The time for crying was over. She needed to be brave. She would cry no more.

A sound filled the air, loud and booming. It was a horn. She'd heard it before. It was Boromir's horn – the Horn of Gondor. Speeding through the woods, she located him at last, and Merry and Pippin too. They looked extremely relieved at the sight of her. Pippin held open his arms for her to come to them. She ran across the distance, lucky enough not to be caught up by the swarm of Uruk-Hai that was there, and into Pippin's arms. He placed a hand gingerly on the top of her head.

"You're alright," He murmured, and she nodded.

"For now."

They watched Boromir, valiant and brave, as he fought off the Uruk-Hai.

Then, many things happened at once. She could not comprehend what had happened.

Boromir was shot. Merry and Pippin ran into the fray, swords drawn. Lace followed, her ankle giving out. She was being lifted up by someone. She saw someone familiar …

Alexis! She was so close… so close …

Everything went black.

And then ….

And then?

"The horn of Gondor!" Aragorn shouted, and Alexis and Legolas exchanged glances. Boromir was in trouble. And where were the Hobbits? And Lace?

They fled down the hill, towards the sound of the horn. Aragorn sped much faster than the other three. Alexis kept in pace with Legolas. Nothing was on her mind but Lace. She had to be okay. She had to. Alexis had caught up with Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli only moments before, and, without even time for reunion or explanation, fought off the swarm of Uruk-Hai. Now she followed them down the hill and plunged into the forest.

Something rocked Alexis' heart.

Lace was near.

She ran faster, something unknown pushing her onward, faster than Legolas, until she caught up with Aragorn, and then bypassed even him. She found herself at last in the middle of the battle. She saw Boromir get struck by an arrow. He already had an arrow in him. She saw three little people, hobbits, rushing into the fray. All three of them were immediately picked up by the Uruk-Hai.

With a cry , Alexis threw herself into the group of Orcs and knocked them aside, finding at last the one that was holding the little red-haired girl she knew so well. Her face was so familiar, like a piece of a life she had long forgotten, but loved. Her beloved Lace.

She ran after the Orc. More were swarming in on her, holding her back. She reached out her fingers for Lace, and saw Lace do the same. Their hands came close, their fingers touched, she reached farther to grab the small hand …

The wind was knocked out of Alexis, and she was being thrown back, and onto her back. She coughed and fell down. She thought she was going to be killed, but the Uruk-Hai were retreating; they had gotten what they'd come for.

Only one remained, and it drew its bow and pointed a poison arrow at Boromir, who knelt dying on the forest floor.

Everything was a blur. Alexis was fighting off unconsciousness, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing second. She could see the final Uruk-Hai disappearing, aside from the one that was still there. But Lace was gone. She'd been captured.

She was so close … Alexis almost had Lace … so close …

And then Aragorn was there, and everything was coming and going in dark splotches. Alexis was dimly aware that she was bleeding. Had she been hurt? Was she dying? Fear plagued her now. Maybe she wasn't going unconscious. Maybe she was dying. What was going to happen now?

Blue eyes and blonde hair… pallid skin … Legolas.

He put his hand under her head, fear etched into his beautiful face. He came and went, too, in black spots of unconsciousness.

"Hold on, Alexis. Hold on," he was saying.

"L-Lace," She spluttered, barely in control of her own lips. "Lace…"

And then everything was gone.

So, just by a show of hands, who's throwing up from all the gross, cutesy, romantic crap in this chapter? :p haha

Anypoo, thanks for reading, that's the end – they both die. The end :D

okay, okay, I'm kidding. I'm writing the next chapter now :p

please leave reviews, it speeds up the process when I see nice, happy reviews about how awesome I am! :D

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