Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.
Final Chapter
Aragorn looked at her. "Why did you come with us?" he asked.
She grinned at him. "To keep it simple, I promised Arwen that I'd protect you."
He looked at her incredulously as they both headed out from under that temple. There was an army of Orcs walking straight for them. Wait a minute, these weren't Orcs.
"Uruk-Hai," Aragorn said, reading her confused look. "An army bred together by the wizard Saruman. They are tougher than they look."
"They look, uhm, pretty tough," she admitted.
He looked at her. "And does that discourage you, my lady?"
Regaining her confidence, she braced herself. "Not in the least bit."
They were brutal, but not half as bad as the cave troll they had faced. These things were horribly ugly, horribly strong, and there were way too many of them. But now she was fighting for Frodo. Every time she swung her sword, she gave Frodo one more second to escape. That's what kept her going, and she guessed that it was what kept Aragorn going too. In a little while Legolas appeared at her side, and Aragorn ran off somewhere. She had no time to wonder, since she was busy slaughtering these troops.
She could always see Legolas ahead of her, with his bow and arrows just shooting away and never missing a target. He was pretty slick with that pair of knives he had, too. While all the while, she had to be a clumsy swordsman because she wasn't allowed to let others know that she carried a lightsaber and was a Jedi Knight. Especially in this place, where everyone seemed to have known her father, she couldn't let them know that she was a Jedi herself and not just the daughter of one.
"My lady!" Legolas called through all of the commotion. He was shooting a bunch of archers that stood on a bridge. "Are you all right?"
She snorted as she got rid of a pair of them by slamming their heads into some ancient ruins. "I'm good. How about you?"
All of a sudden the two of them heard a horn blow. Legolas stopped in his tracks. "The horn of Gondor," he informed her.
"The what? Hey, WAIT!"
Legolas began running towards the source of the sound as she followed him. She lost sight of him a few times when a number of Uruk Hai held her back, making her less than courteous. Out of breath, she finally reached where Legolas had stopped. There were Uruk bodies all around him. She caught up with him and stopped. It was Boromir.
He lay on the ground, dying with three arrows stuck in his body. Aragorn knelt over him. "Oh, no," she murmured. Then she touched Legolas' arm. "What happened to Merry and Pippin?" she whispered.
He looked down at her, his face finally dirty and his hair a little messed up. She gasped in horror. "No," she said. "Don't tell me they were taken."
Legolas' expression did not change. She looked back at the scene with Boromir. He had gone holding his sword to his chest, his eyes open. She sighed heavily. The second one they'd lost. Had they failed already? Biting down hard to control her emotions, she closed her eyes and felt a strong hand on her shoulder.
They silently lifted Boromir's body into one of the canoes and sent it over the falls of Rauros. Laura sat on the shore while Aragorn shortly patched up the wounds he'd gotten. Legolas readied a canoe. "Hurry," he told them. "Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore."
As neither of them moved, he frowned at Aragorn. "You mean not to follow them."
Aragorn finished tying a piece of cloth around his arm. "Frodo's path is no longer with us," he said calmly.
Laura stood up and walked towards him. "We're not giving up yet, are we?" she asked skeptically.
He put an arm on each of their shoulders. "Not while we still have strength left. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment." He picked up a small knife. "Leave all that can be spared behind. Let's go hunt some Orc," he said as he disappeared among the trees.
"My lady, I meant to give you this," Legolas piped up, presenting her with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "It is my old bow, since the Lady has given me a new one. Maybe you can learn to use the power of the stars."
She took them. How did he know? Quickly she put on the quiver, and held the bow for a moment to admire it. "Oh yeah," she said confidently, and the two of them chased after Aragorn. {This story continues under the title "Some She's Shorter Than" so it's nice and easy to remember}
Final Chapter
Aragorn looked at her. "Why did you come with us?" he asked.
She grinned at him. "To keep it simple, I promised Arwen that I'd protect you."
He looked at her incredulously as they both headed out from under that temple. There was an army of Orcs walking straight for them. Wait a minute, these weren't Orcs.
"Uruk-Hai," Aragorn said, reading her confused look. "An army bred together by the wizard Saruman. They are tougher than they look."
"They look, uhm, pretty tough," she admitted.
He looked at her. "And does that discourage you, my lady?"
Regaining her confidence, she braced herself. "Not in the least bit."
They were brutal, but not half as bad as the cave troll they had faced. These things were horribly ugly, horribly strong, and there were way too many of them. But now she was fighting for Frodo. Every time she swung her sword, she gave Frodo one more second to escape. That's what kept her going, and she guessed that it was what kept Aragorn going too. In a little while Legolas appeared at her side, and Aragorn ran off somewhere. She had no time to wonder, since she was busy slaughtering these troops.
She could always see Legolas ahead of her, with his bow and arrows just shooting away and never missing a target. He was pretty slick with that pair of knives he had, too. While all the while, she had to be a clumsy swordsman because she wasn't allowed to let others know that she carried a lightsaber and was a Jedi Knight. Especially in this place, where everyone seemed to have known her father, she couldn't let them know that she was a Jedi herself and not just the daughter of one.
"My lady!" Legolas called through all of the commotion. He was shooting a bunch of archers that stood on a bridge. "Are you all right?"
She snorted as she got rid of a pair of them by slamming their heads into some ancient ruins. "I'm good. How about you?"
All of a sudden the two of them heard a horn blow. Legolas stopped in his tracks. "The horn of Gondor," he informed her.
"The what? Hey, WAIT!"
Legolas began running towards the source of the sound as she followed him. She lost sight of him a few times when a number of Uruk Hai held her back, making her less than courteous. Out of breath, she finally reached where Legolas had stopped. There were Uruk bodies all around him. She caught up with him and stopped. It was Boromir.
He lay on the ground, dying with three arrows stuck in his body. Aragorn knelt over him. "Oh, no," she murmured. Then she touched Legolas' arm. "What happened to Merry and Pippin?" she whispered.
He looked down at her, his face finally dirty and his hair a little messed up. She gasped in horror. "No," she said. "Don't tell me they were taken."
Legolas' expression did not change. She looked back at the scene with Boromir. He had gone holding his sword to his chest, his eyes open. She sighed heavily. The second one they'd lost. Had they failed already? Biting down hard to control her emotions, she closed her eyes and felt a strong hand on her shoulder.
They silently lifted Boromir's body into one of the canoes and sent it over the falls of Rauros. Laura sat on the shore while Aragorn shortly patched up the wounds he'd gotten. Legolas readied a canoe. "Hurry," he told them. "Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore."
As neither of them moved, he frowned at Aragorn. "You mean not to follow them."
Aragorn finished tying a piece of cloth around his arm. "Frodo's path is no longer with us," he said calmly.
Laura stood up and walked towards him. "We're not giving up yet, are we?" she asked skeptically.
He put an arm on each of their shoulders. "Not while we still have strength left. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment." He picked up a small knife. "Leave all that can be spared behind. Let's go hunt some Orc," he said as he disappeared among the trees.
"My lady, I meant to give you this," Legolas piped up, presenting her with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "It is my old bow, since the Lady has given me a new one. Maybe you can learn to use the power of the stars."
She took them. How did he know? Quickly she put on the quiver, and held the bow for a moment to admire it. "Oh yeah," she said confidently, and the two of them chased after Aragorn. {This story continues under the title "Some She's Shorter Than" so it's nice and easy to remember}