**Disclaimer junk** I am not Tolkien, nor whomever owns the subsidiary now (I forget his name at present). I do not own the characters from his novels, nor do I own any of the other characters, sans the one based on myself. I realize I have toyed with what happened after the trilogy, and have brought people back and some nonsense. Seeing as I also created further strife and brought girls from our world into Tolkien's, I think I can allow myself a little leeway. Thanks to everyone who is letting me do this. And now, part two.
"I can't believe we're going to let him go alone!" wailed Lewen.
"He's a big boy, Lewen. He can take care of himself," Jade said.
"But I'm going to miss him so much!" Lewen sounded near tears.
Jade sighed. "I know you are. We all are. To be honest, he's not even gone yet and I miss him. But we're big girls, too, you know. We can handle this."
"Of course we can," Jessica said, smiling. "Now, let's go say good-bye to Lostcirithial. She's going back to Lothlorien today."
The three girls headed off, looking for the abovementioned member of their harem. They found the Lady Greenleaf with Telepavariel and the rest of the harem members, and, of course, their Legolas. Lewen's eyes went starry, and she scampered ahead of her two companions so she could get to him first. "Hello, my love," she said adoringly.
"Hi, Lewen," Legolas said, his voice slightly heavy. His eyes rolled upward, and Telepavariel snickered, but Lewen didn't notice. Before she could start gushing, Legolas turned to Lady Greenleaf and said, "Must you go so soon?"
"Yeah, we miss you when you go for so long," Jade added.
"I miss you all—you know that," Lostcirithial Greenleaf said. She turned her ring around on her finger absently, and gave them a sad smile. "Lady Galadriel's ring carries much responsibility, however. Sometimes, I wish I had never agreed to take it. Being queen of Golden Wood isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Well, we'll come visit you in Lothlorien next time," Telepavariel said determinedly. "We'll have a grand old time."
"Plenty of good-looking elves there," joked Jade.
"Jade! None of them could compare to our Legolas!" Lewen gasped, looking horrified.
"It was a joke, Lewen," groaned Jade.
"Well, I guess I had better get going—daylight is burning," Lady Greenleaf said pointedly, trying to ward of a possible argument. "Hopefully, I'll see you all soon."
"Hey! We could try to stop in on our way to Minas Tirith," Jade said, and one could almost see the light bulb turn on over her head as she said it. "We've got no set time for getting there, and it would be fun to visit."
"It sounds like a great idea. We'll plan it via Palantir when I get back," replied Lady Greenleaf. "But the day does grow long, and we must get moving."
Everyone hugged her then, and the host of elves assigned to escort the Lady Lostcirithial Greenleaf back to Lothlorien started to ride south, with the lady in the middle, waving to them. They all waved back, and Jessica sighed. "I wish it wasn't so hard to get around in this world. We could see everyone so much more frequently, then."
"Was it really that much easier to get around in your world?" Legolas enquired.
"Oh, incredibly!" exclaimed Lewen. She took Legolas' arm, and began leading him off, but Jade was quick to the draw.
"I don't think so, Lewen Greenleaf! This is my time, and you very well know it!" Jade cried.
"But…but--!" stammered Lewen.
"She's right, Lewen, dear," Legolas reminded her, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. "Your turn will come around again soon." He then took Jade by the arm, and led her towards her rooms as she explained in low tones why it was easier to get to places in her Earth, even though she knew he'd probably have a hard time believing a word of what she said.
The rest of the harem started scattering off, leaving Lewen, Jessica, and Telepavariel standing outside, where they still watched Lady Greenleaf and her entourage grow smaller and smaller as they moved farther and farther away. Finally, when they all moved out of their sight, they turned to leave. After a moment, Jessica and Telepavariel realized something.
"Lewen? Everything okay?" Jessica asked.
"He called me dear," Jessica sighed, melting to the floor and just sitting there, smiling.
Telepavariel and Jessica looked at each other and smiled while shaking their heads, then continued on their way.
* * * * *
It was a few hours after they left Edoras, and Lady V had to admit she still wasn't used to traveling like this. It didn't seem like they had gone very far at all; and, compared to traveling by car, they hadn't. In the back of her head, however, she knew that they were more than likely making very good time. Georgie made sure of that, keeping them moving at a very brisk pace.
There were a few reasons for this. Much to V's dismay, Georgina had declined Eomer's offer to have a host of Riders accompany them. As Georgie had said, having more people along would make their trip go more slowly, and they wanted to have as much time to spend in Minas Tirith as possible. To make up for their lack in security, Georgie pushed them a little bit harder than she normally would have. Also, neither woman was a huge fan of sleeping in the wilderness, if for no other reason than the fact that a watch always had to be kept. The less time spent sleeping on their voyage, the better.
They did have to stop every now and again, to rest the horses and get fresh water and such, and they did so about mid-afternoon. Georgina took the horses to find grass to graze properly on for a bit, and Lady V decided to get fresh water for their skins. As she knelt down to fill Georgina's skin from a nearby stream, she got a creeping sensation on the back of her neck. Slowly, she swiveled her head around, but saw nothing save a few overgrown bushes amidst a grove of trees. Lady V shrugged and continued with the water.
But the feeling didn't go away. A few moments later, V felt the need to ascertain that there was no one but her there. She glanced over her shoulder, and just saw the same foliage behind her—
Except that it somehow seemed…closer than before.
Curious, Lady V stopped her filling and rose to her feet. She did a double-take when she saw the bushes shudder, as if in fear. "Who's there?" V demanded, trying to keep the fear out of her voice but failing miserably.
V heard a sigh, and the bushes were cast aside to reveal a leaf-covered and disgruntled-looking Dunlending. V groaned inwardly when she realized it was that same annoying Dunlending that had taunted them when she and Faramir had gone riding a few weeks before. "What do you want?" V asked.
"To rid Middle Earth of all you Riders," she said matter-of-factly, a scowl on her dirty face. "But I'll just settle for a few at a time."
Lady V reached to her side and pulled out a short sword, holding it at the ready. "I dare you to try."
The Dunlending looked at her knife, which looked pitifully small compared to V's sword, and laughed sheepishly. "Um, well…maybe I can cut you a deal. You put that sword away, and I'll not only let you live, but I'll tell you something that you might want to hear."
"Don't waste my time," muttered Lady V, sheathing her sword and walking back to the stream.
"Oh, come on!" whined the Dunlending, hurrying after her. "It concerns you and your friends!"
"Not interested," Lady V said nonchalantly.
"But I'm our soothsayer! What I see always comes to pass!" The Dunlending was starting to act childish now, stamping her feet and whining even more. It was setting V's teeth on edge. Before she could do anything, however, she heard Georgina's voice, calling her name. The Dunlending gasped, and V heard her whisper, "The Lady Rider," in awe before bolting.
"There you are," Georgie said, leading the horses to drink near where V had just finished filling the skins with water. "Just a few more minutes, and we'll be on our way again."
"Good!" said Lady V, relief in her voice. Georgie raised an eyebrow at her, and Lady V recounted what had happened. When she finished, Georgie sighed and shook her head.
"We'll try to go a little faster, to stay ahead of that annoying Dunlending," Georgie said. Then, she frowned and furrowed her brow in thought. "Although, I'd almost like to hear what she has to say…"
V looked at her friend in disbelief. "Georgie, it was a Dunlending! What does it matter what she had to say?"
"Dunlending soothsayers are unusually accurate in their predictions. I've had this feeling for a bit now, and I'd kind of like to know if I'm right or not."
"What feeling?" asked Lady V.
"We'll save it for when we stop for the night," Georgie said. "For now, let's leave our little visitor in the dust."
The women gathered their things, then mounted up and took off, hoping the rest of their journey would be uneventful.
* * * * *
"Primrose, can I—"
"Not now, Frodo."
"But I just wanted to—"
"I'm busy, Frodo."
"Rose, please just let me—"
"What?" Primrose said irritably, resting her hands on her hips. "What is so important that you have to keep interrupting me?"
Frodo smiled. "I thought I'd thank you, is all. You're doing so much to make this reunion a success, and I wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it."
Primrose blushed and moved to hug her husband. "I love you, dear," she said softly.
"And I love you," Frodo replied, holding his wife close to him. He wanted to stay like this for a while, since Primrose had been keeping herself constantly busy with preparations, but he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Rose, Uncle Bilbo is coming!"
"Bilbo? But he hasn't left Rivendell in ages!" exclaimed Primrose.
"I know. That's why it's so exciting," Frodo said. "He and Elrond are coming together."
"What about Luint and Caliam? Will they be coming with them?" Primrose asked hopefully.
Frodo shook his head. "I know Luint has to stay behind to play queen while Elrond is away. As for Caliam, well…"
"She's already here!"
Primrose squealed and ran to embrace the waiting Caliam Baggins. "You two!" laughed Primrose. "You always know how to make things out of the ordinary!"
"Naturally! We're Bagginses!" Caliam said proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "And Bagginses have to stick together, you know. I heard you were running yourself ragged, and decided to come down. I was visiting the Brandybucks, anyway, so it wasn't much of a hike."
"Oh, this is too wonderful!" said Primrose happily. "Between you, me, Lily, and the other girls, everything will be perfect."
"What about the boys and me?" asked Frodo, giving them a look.
Both Primrose and Caliam turned and stared pointedly at him. Frodo tried to hold out, but he knew there was no use. "I guess I'll go get Sam and see about getting that yardwork you asked me to do yesterday done."
"You do that," Primrose said, leaning over to kiss Frodo's cheek. "I'm sure everyone is already on their way here."
Frodo nodded and gave his Primrose a smile before heading out to find his friend, leaving the ladies in Bag End to catch up on things and continue planning.
* * * * *
"Please be careful," Avi said.
"You said that already," laughed Aragorn.
"Well, I'll say it again—be careful," said Avi, giving him a winning smile.
"Of course I will. I want to return safely to you, don't I?" Aragorn replied.
"I'd certainly hope so."
The royal couple moved towards the stables, where Aragorn's horse was packed and waiting. "Do you really have to go alone? You could leave tomorrow with Boromir, or the two of you could wait for word from Eomer and Faramir—" Avi said, her voice growing a little more high pitched with each word, until Aragorn cut her off before it could sound shrill.
"Avi, I'll be fine. I traveled alone for most of my life. Besides, I think I need this. It has been a long time since I've been alone, anyway, what with being king. I think the solitude will not only be helpful, but welcome," Aragorn explained patiently.
"You know me. I'm a very good worrier," Avi said, shaking her head at herself.
"I've noticed. Try not to be so good at it," teased Aragorn.
"Just do me a favour and get someone to send me a message by Palantir when you get near one—Lady Greenleaf or Jade or something," Avi requested. "It would make me feel better."
"For you, anything," Aragorn replied, kissing Avi deeply. "But I had better get going."
"Enjoy your solitude," Avi said, squeezing Aragorn's hand in hers.
"Enjoy being queen," said Aragorn, smiling.
"Oh, believe you me, I will," laughed Avi.
They said their "I love you"s and "I'll miss you"s, and Avi stood and watched Aragorn ride off at a quick trot, trying not to cry. She cursed the tears that came to her eyes, and brusquely dashed away the few that fell with the back of her hand. "Get a hold of yourself, Avi," she scolded herself out loud.
"I was going to say much of the same thing."
"Cara Heble, don't do that!" cried Avi, jumping. She turned and saw the eternally smirking Green Wizard standing there, looking very pleased with herself. "You know I hate it when you just…appear like that!"
"I hardly just appeared," said Cara. "I rode up to the palace like any normal person and they directed me to you."
"Not very magical, Cara," Avi snickered.
"Not all magic is what you think, my Queen," replied Cara, giving Avi a mocking little bow. "But we're going astray. I said I'd be here for you while Aragorn was gone, and here I am. So what's on the agenda?"
"Keeping me sane," sighed Avi.
"A difficult task, but I'll do my best," Cara said, sounding as serious as possible.
"Brainless git," snapped Avi.
"Stupid prat," countered Cara.
The Wizard and the Queen cracked up at their standard exchange of insults, and then ehaded for the castle proper, ready to face whatever duties were thrown at them.
* * * * *