Author's Note: Well, to say this was difficult to write would be an understatement. Writer's block is a bitch, ain't it? Personally, I think the Rae and Legolas part could've been written better, but tell me what you think, yeah :)? Thank you to all who have favourited, all who have put alerts on this story and my profile :). And while we're talking about my profile, would you guys mind checking out my Transformers one-shot? (Only if you're into that stuff, of course.) Read and Review, it would mean a lot.

Thanks to;

Luli Cullen
Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967
J .J -
Of course, haha. Who wouldn't feel intimidated? We woman can be scary when we want to be!
aliben
gleek2
Wini
Elissa Shepard -
I'm glad you like it :). Hopefully this confrontation satisfies your needs ;).

I am also going to apologise here for how long it took me to write this, haha. Sorry guys!

I do not own Lord of the Rings.


Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Palantir


"Game over."

Rae grinned broadly before joining Amelia in hysterics. Gimli was unconscious on the floor, snoring loudly - completely out of it. Rae had to admit, she'd been shocked when Legolas had revealed (after about twenty-five tankards of beer) that he felt something. Éomer's jaw had dropped, as had Amelia's, before Gimli had collapsed in a heap.

Just another reason why Elves are better than Dwarves, Rae had thought smugly.

The Rohirrim soldiers around them were laughing heartily, hardly able to contain themselves at the Dwarf's drunken collapse. Éomer still couldn't believe his eyes, staring at Gimli with a look of disgusted awe on his face. He was right to look as such, however, as Gimli looked horrifying. He had beer dripping down his beard and all over his chest. He'd even succeeded in getting it in his hair.

Anyone coming over simply stepped over the collapsed Dwarf, paying him no heed. This, of course, had Amelia and Rae almost crying with laughter, as many of the Rohirrim watched them in amusement. Eventually, the two sisters left the crowds, returning to make their way through the other soldiers in celebration.

It wasn't until they'd safely made their way to the other side of the room that things began to get more exciting. The two had locked arms, chatting as they weaved their way through the drunk soldiers. Rae had noticed Amelia's lack of looking back to the table and found the action amusing, questioning her about it; which was why they were laughing a lot more than usual.

Both jumped a mile high when a hand landed on Amelia's shoulder. They unhooked arms and spun to face the newcomer, both still wearing smiles on their faces. As the two scanned the newcomer, Rae swore she could see Amelia's smile grow broader.

"Lord Éomer," she greeted, inclining her head. Rae said nothing but did the same. Amelia continued, "What brings you here?"

Éomer looked uncomfortable as he glanced between the two sisters, saying, "I would like to… Lady Amelia, may I have a moment?"

Amelia smiled, "Of course."

As Éomer extended an arm for her to take, her grin never left her face. Rae watched them leave with an amused smirk, turning to find another of the Fellowship to talk with. She began to make her way through the crowds alone, keeping an eye out for anyone she knew. Perhaps she could find the Hobbits; they were always good conversation.

"-You can keep your fancy ales-"

Rae perked up, standing on tip toes to see past the soldiers around her. She knew for a fact she'd heard the Hobbits, but where? Oh, if she only had a couple more inches-

And suddenly she was no longer standing on the ground. She shrieked, whirling round to face the culprit only to find a Rohirrim soldier, grinning as he held his hands on her waist, keeping her suspended off the ground.

"You seemed in need of a hand," he explained, grinning. Rae smiled, though it was slightly forced. She politely thanked him and returned to scanning the room, spotting Merry and Pippin dancing and singing on the table, surrounding by drunk soldiers. The Hobbits were holding tankards in their hands.

Rae smiled. Of course they would be drinking, if not already drunk. The soldier still had his hands on her waist and she coughed uncomfortably.

"Um, you can, uh… You can put me down now," she said softly. The Rohan soldier smiled and set her on her feet.

"-You can drink 'em by the flagon-"

"Thank you," the elleth said, a blush dusting her cheeks.

The stranger smiled and replied, "It was my pleasure." Rae surveyed the man with interest; dark hair but light eyes and a firm build. He was obviously good with a sword. He was taller than her (but then again most men were) by a least a head but she was not intimidated; she was an Elf. What was there to be intimidated by?

"I am Herubrand," he said at last, breaking the silence between them. Rae nodded, a small smile coming to her lips.

He seems alright enough, she mused to herself. She replied, "I am Rae, daughter of Fëanáro and Eámanë." For the first time since she'd arrived in Middle Earth, Rae was able to introduce herself as such and she felt an immense pride in her family. Herubrand seemed a little shocked before he straightened. He took her hand and leant down to kiss it.

"It is an honour, my lady," he murmured.

"-But the only brew for the brave and true-"

Rae could not help the butterflies that flooded her stomach at the touch. Embarrassed, she turned her head away slightly.

He's so charming, she thought to herself, watching as he straightened again. She knew she shouldn't lead him on - she would live far longer than he and, technically, she was far older - and she was interested in someone else, if the kiss on the Deeping Wall was anything to go by.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Herubrand," she started softly. "But I really must be going-"

"Oh? But the night is young," the young soldier interrupted smoothly. "And it's such a beautiful night. A beautiful night to be with a beautiful woman-"

"-Comes from the Green Dragon!"

"Rae?"

Said girl almost cried out in relief at the sound of Legolas' voice. Herubrand looked round, startled as he saw the approaching Elf. Rae smiled.

"Legolas," she greeted. He nodded to her but his eyes - cold and calculating - never left Herubrand.

"Ya naa tanya?" He asked her, completely calm. Rae sighed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Legolas," she started. Then, shooting a cautious glance to Herubrand, she said, "Uuma dela." Smiling reassuringly at him, she turned back to Herubrand and said, "It has been lovely meeting you."

"And I, you," the Rohirrim man replied. Rae smiled politely but allowed herself to be led away by Legolas; who, she noticed, kept looking over his shoulder to Herubrand.

She'd never really thought Legolas the type to get jealous of a man (she knew all too well that he could get jealous of another Elf) but she knew that Legolas would not talk with her about the subject, so she decided to keep quiet.

He led her out of the loud and boisterous room and into the cool evening air, wind rushing into her face as she stepped out. She embraced the feeling, closing her eyes as if to reach out for it, as she listened to the door closing softly. Peering over her shoulder at him, she met his eyes and the feeling of butterflies returned with a vengeance. The only difference was this time she knew why she felt like she did; she wasn't embarrassed at all.

She was in love.

There was a pause - not uncomfortable or awkward - simply necessary. Rae had no idea how to start the conversation and it seemed that Legolas was waiting for her to start. Clasping her hands in front of her, the elleth turned to face him, leaning against one of the pillars behind her. She had to look at him, despite how beautiful Edoras was at night.

"It's a beautiful night," she said at last, fiddling with a strand of her hair. Legolas didn't reply, his sapphire eyes staring straight into her hazel ones. She sighed; he really didn't want to make this easy on her, did he?

Without saying a word, she turned to look out on the Rohirrim plains. If he wasn't going to speak to her, why rush the inevitable? She leaned against the pillar again, hugging herself as she looked up into the night sky. Stars were visible as far as the eye could see - which, being an Elf, was very far.

"Listen, Legolas, about what happened on the Deeping Wall…"

She hesitated; there wasn't much she could say. She couldn't apologise for something she had no regrets about but, even she had to admit, it wasn't entirely… appropriate for the situation they had been in. Wringing her hands together, she began to run through all the different ways she could approach Legolas on the subject. Hey, Legolas, that kiss during battle? Did it mean anything to you? It meant everything to me. Of course, if it didn't mean a thing to you, then it meant absolutely nothing to me.

Part of her reasoned, though, that it had to have meant something to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have intervened as quickly as he had during Rae's talk with Herubrand. Perhaps he was… No, he wouldn't feel jealous of a man. Threatened, maybe? The thought brought a smile to her lips.

She said softly, "I wasn't… thinking properly." Again, the Elf didn't reply, so she added, "If the action was offensive, I apologise."

At this, Legolas tilted his head to the side, and smiled. The action was so foreign to her, that Rae almost started laughing. Instead, she kept staring at him, waiting for him to say something. He was unbearably silent, still smiling as he stepped towards her.

"Melamin," he said at last, taking her hands in his. "There is nothing to apologise for." Rae felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her chest as she inhaled deeply, beaming at him.

"Well," she murmured. "I feel better now that that is off my chest." After a minuscule pause, she asked, "What now?"

"We continue to hope that Frodo and Sam have made it to Mordor," Legolas answered simply. Rae nodded; that, of course, was the obvious answer. The Elf carried on, "We have a role to play here. We cannot abandon it."

With a nod as a reply, Rae said, "I meant us, Legolas. What do we do now? Act as if nothing has changed or show everyone that it has changed?"

Legolas seemed to ponder this for a moment and Rae worried that he was going to decide on the former. That would be worse than Hell itself if it were the case. With Legolas taking longer than usual to reply, Rae began to worry.

Oh, no. He doesn't want it, does he? She thought. Her worry must've shown on her face, as Legolas laughed, surprising her for the second time that night. Was he really drunk? No, he couldn't be; the ale in Rohan was hardly able to satisfy an Elf.

Rae leaned back further into the pillar as Legolas leaned forward. He was so close that she could smell the ale on his breath, but, as she thought, it wasn't overpowering, proving it wasn't affecting his actions. She held her breath, biting her lip. As he leaned in closer, she met his eyes, alive with a passion she wouldn't have thought he was capable of.

"…Mela en' coiamin," he murmured.

And then his lips pressed to hers in a soft but demanding kiss. Perhaps he was drunk; he didn't seem like the type of thing Legolas would do.

But she wasn't complaining.

Rae threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and kissed him back with just as much passion, if not more. She'd been waiting for this moment - their real first kiss - since after the Deeping Wall incident. And it was turning out to be everything she'd hoped it would.

They parted, breathless, and still staring into each others eyes. Rae allowed her lips to spread into a gleeful grin as she leaned in for more-

Both Elves froze at the sound of an uncomfortable cough. How they had missed the door opening wasn't really a mystery but both looked over shocked. Merry and Pippin, both holding new tankards of ale, were standing staring at them with smirks on their faces.

"Well," Merry said after a swig of ale. "It's about time."

"Don't stop on our account," Pippin added.

Rae blushed furiously and unhooked her arms from around Legolas' neck. Said Elf stepped back, obviously just as uncomfortable as she, and gazed at the two Hobbits. Their shock at being caught must've been evident as the two Hobbits promptly burst into fits of laughter. Rae's blush deepened and she hid her face in her hands. Words could not express how embarrassed she was as Legolas took one of her hands and kissed her forehead.

"Meet me in the morning," he whispered.

Then, gracefully walking past the two laughing Hobbits, he re-entered the celebration. Rae glared at Merry and Pippin, clenching her hands into fists.

The two Hobbits ran.


The celebration lasted well into the night and, by the time all the Fellowship - bar Legolas and Aragorn - had settled in to the selected hall for sleep, Rae was exhausted. Despite this, she could not sleep. Amelia was beside her, facing the opposite direction, snoring softly. At the other side of the room, Gimli was snoring loudly, almost drowning out every other sound in the large room.

However, Gimli was not the only reason sleep kept eluding the elleth.

Truly, night was the only time Rae's thoughts got the better of her; it had always been like that, even before she and Amelia had arrived in Middle Earth. That night, she thought of her parents (the ones she'd left behind) and how they were taking she and Amelia's disappearance, if they were even still alive. No doubt they'd found the upturned car but no bodies. The thought saddened her. Though she was overjoyed to have found her real family - and, of course, the love of her life - she couldn't help but feel for the family she left behind. She, unlike her sister, had never gotten to say goodbye.

But, had she and Amelia never been in that storm that night, from what Gandalf had said, they would've come back anyway. Rae sighed; she hoped they hadn't take it to hard.

Ha, she thought. Their only children were in a car crash and 'died'. Of course they didn't take that hard.

On the other hand, if Rae hadn't landed in Middle Earth, she would've never met her real parents, and her brother. Thinking of Olwë brought a smile to her face. He was so overprotective, despite having only known her for a couple of days. She breathed out a small laugh as she thought about his reaction to her going out with the Elf he didn't like very much.

And then there was Frodo and Sam, who were surely in Mordor by now. She worried for the two brave little Hobbits. She had to admit, she missed Sam's cooking, as selfish as that sounded. She'd never spoken to Frodo as much as she'd of liked and now she regretted it. Rae found herself wishing the quest was over, just so she could see them home safe; just so she could see them.

"What are you doing?"

Rae sat up and glanced over at the voice. How she'd missed the sounds of footsteps across the floor was a mystery to her. Merry was sitting up, his eyes never leaving Pippin as the latter tip toed across the floor towards Gandalf. As she glanced over at the Wizard, Rae was horrified to realise what the Hobbit was going over for.

The Palantir.

She began to get to her feet, ready to stop him but Merry halted her movements. He was hissing Pippin's name, trying to get his attention but failing. Rae crawled over to Merry, concerned. When Pippin returned to them (having replaced the small bundle of blankets that held the Palantir with a jug), he seemed eager - almost too eager - to look at the orb again.

"Are you mad?" Merry demanded, glaring at his 'twin'.

"I just want to look at it," Pippin defended. "Just one more time."

"Pippin, I don't think this is a good idea," said Rae. Merry nodded, agreeing with her. "It's dangerous. You saw how Gandalf reacted to the thing."

But Pippin did not hear her and he ignored Merry's worried command - "Put it back!" - as he unwrapped the orb from the blankets. Merry and Rae were both severely concerned as Pippin placed his hands on the orb, a small smile on his face. Rae glanced back at her sister, sleeping soundlessly now, and slapped her ankle until she awoke.

"W-what?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. She saw Pippin, eyes closed and hands fused to orb in his hands and immediately was wide awake.

"Pippin," she hissed urgently. "Drop the thing!"

Both the sisters and Merry watched as Pippin began to shake, small, almost unnoticeable tremors at first, growing into more and more violent shakes, as if he were trying to free himself from an unknown enemy. And suddenly, Pippin was on his feet, mouth open in a silent scream as he tried to release himself from the Palantir.

"Pippin!" Amelia cried, getting to her feet.

"Gandalf!" Rae shrieked desperately.

The White Wizard's eyes snapped into focus as he leapt up, the door to the hall opening at the same time. Legolas and Aragorn entered, the latter in the lead, and took in the situation quickly. Pippin was on the floor now, still struggling with the orb as Amelia hurried over. In a rush of recklessness, she grabbed it from him, before a scream so unlike anything Rae had ever heard her make burst through her lips. Her mentor was quick to take it from her, seeming to struggle with it before he managed to throw it away.

Rae and Merry both dodged it as it rolled past, before Merry called out to his 'twin', rushing to his aid. Rae, following, got to her knees beside the Hobbit, placing his head tenderly on her lap. Aragorn was trying to assure Amelia, who looked completely terrified after her brief few seconds of contact. Legolas was staying out of the way, keeping calm as Gandalf tossed the blankets back over the Palantir, hiding it from view.

Merry was whispering to Pippin, trying to bring him back, but the latter simply stared into space, unseeing. Rae ran a hand through his hair, a gesture she hoped would rouse him.

"Pippin," she whispered. "Oh, Pippin."

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf roared, whirling round on the three of them. He immediately softened, seeing the state Pippin was in.

He stormed forward, shoving Merry out of the way, and knelt in front of Pippin and Rae, gripping one of Pippin's hands and placing a hand on his forehead. Rae watched him intently, waiting for something to happen as Gandalf muttered something inaudible under his breath. A gasp escaped his lips as he jumped awake, staring about him wildly. Gandalf moved his hand to Pippin's cheek as Rae continued to stroke his hair.

"Look at me," the wizard ordered.

Pippin whispered, terrified, "Gandalf, forgive me!"

As Pippin closed his eyes, Rae whispered, "No, Pippin, stay awake. You must keep your eyes open. Tell us what you saw."

"A tree," he told them after a moment. "There was a tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead; the city was burning."

"Minas Tirith?" Gandalf questioned. "Is that what you saw?"

There was a pause which seemed to drag on for an eternity as Pippin struggled to answer. Amelia had all but recovered and Rae figured she would simply need sleep to recover completely. Aragorn and Legolas were staring at Pippin, concerned, and Gimli had finally woken up.

"I saw…" Pippin started, clearly frightened. Then he finished, eyes wide, "I saw him." Rae tried her best to calm him, rubbing his shoulder as well, as he continued, "I could hear his voice - inside my head."

"What did you tell him?" Gandalf asked sharply, staring into Pippin's eyes. When Pippin did not answer, he barked, "Speak!"

The air in the hall was tense as all who occupied it waited for Pippin's answer. The commotion with the Palantir had awoken all who lay asleep and now each were anxious to know what Pippin had and had not said.

"…He asked me my name," the Hobbit murmured at last. "I didn't answer." Pippin closed his eyes, as if remembering a painful memory, before saying, "He hurt me!"

The hall was in silence again as they took in Pippin's words. Rae gazed up at Gandalf, meeting his eyes and praying he would not press Pippin for more information. When he did, however, she did not argue, no matter how much she wanted to.

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

"Nothing," Pippin answered immediately. Rae breathed a relieved sigh; he sounded confident in his answer and she believed him.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Gandalf pressed, not so quick to drop his guard.

"Yes," Pippin answered him. "I didn't tell him anything."

"We believe you, Pippin," said Rae.

"He didn't tell him anything, Gandalf," Amelia added weakly. "None of us who touched it did. Sauron knows nothing of Frodo and Sam."

"We should rest," Aragorn said, helping Amelia to her feet. "We have a long day ahead of us, don't we, Gandalf?"

The wizard only nodded, getting to his feet. Rae and Merry hurried to Pippin's aid, helping him to his bedding and smiling uneasily to each other as he finally fell into what was sure to be a troubled sleep for him. Merry followed his 'twin's lead, eyes closed and drifting off in no time at all.

Rae was not so quick to join them grabbing her cloak and heading for the door. She passed Legolas, Aragorn and Amelia - Gimli had fallen asleep again - on the way out but did not stop. As she met Legolas' eyes, she could tell he understood she needed to be alone, no matter how much she wanted him there with her.

Closing the door softly behind her, she padded out into the night air barefoot, wishing she was back in Lothlórien with her family. She missed them and, had she decided to stay there rather than continue with the Fellowship, things would've been so different. Would she have eventually went after them? Or stayed in her home, waiting for news that would or would not come?

Sighing, Rae slid down a nearby pillar, thoughts reeling through her mind; Pippin's encounter with Sauron, Frodo and Sam's dangerous journey through Mordor, the battles that were surely coming…

She did not get any sleep that night.


Elvish Translations

Herubrand ~ Sword-Brand

"Ya naa tanya?" ~ Who is that?

"Uuma dela." ~ Don't Worry

"Melamin." ~ My Love

"Mela en' coiamin." ~ Love of My Life