Middle Earth
Written by Brandy Camel
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings or any of the characters from that realm. They are full property of J. R. R. Tolkien (Duh). All Aura-related characters from the Brandeis saga are property of Kenneth E. Camel (me daddy). His book series has not yet been published. This fanwork is made possible by my overactive imagination, my obsession for Legolas, and the wonderful people at New Line Cinema that cast that gorgeous man for that part. **grin** Enjoy!!
Author's Notes: Here's how I've connected the two worlds of Aura and Middle Earth. Clansmen of Aura are much like Elves in general, but closer related to Wood Elves. Red Orcs in Aura are related to Dwarves (Grakl dons Dwarven Chainmail and armour, and the weapon he carries is also dwarven). But Orcs in Middle Earth are related to Elves. Therefore, in this fic, Grakl bears somewhat a resemblance of what Gimli and an Orc combined would look like, hence the reason he confuses all he encounters in Middle Earth. Please keep these notes in mind as you read, as they will help you pass confusions. If there are any other questions (or requests for some chapters of the Brandeis saga), send your inquires to brandeis1@yahoo.com. ^_^ Hope you like my works!
Brandeis sat in the forests of the Esel, more or less bored with her current adventure. They had just built their expedition to leave the clans on their search for the five artifacts. She looked around the forest, breathed in the warm afternoon air, and smiled at the pleasant sound of songbirds that surrounded her. She brushed her long, deep brown hair over her elvish ears, a feature common amongst clansmen. Her hair matched the colour of her eyes, which in turn matched the colour of the bark of the trees that surrounded her. She blended in with the background, mostly because of her green clothing. She nervously twanged the bowstring of her self-crafted bow, not really nervous for any particular reason, but fidgeting just because she could. The stone she sat upon had warmed from her heat, as well as from the heat from the few light beams the broke the forest canopy. She was caught off guard as her brother, Eseten, approached her from behind.
"Boo," he said into her ear, causing her to jump. He laughed as she jumped back up, ready to unsheath her dagger, but instead just glaring at him.
"You really should not do that," She somewhat growled, though coming from her inferior height compared to her brother's, was rather unintimidating. "You know how dangerous I can be," she crossed her arms as she finished.
"You think I have learned nothing from father? I asked him to put a shield around me before I came to fetch you for dinner," He mimicked her movements, crossing his arms and shifting his weight. Brandeis glared at him again, thoroughly annoyed.
"Oh joy, boar again. As soon as you make a warrior of the clan, they always make you hunt," she sighed, sitting back on the rock, and thinking of the hunt she journeyed on with her best friend, Essere. "I am sick of eating the same thing!" she whined. Her brother just laughed and shook his head.
"You have so much to learn, sister," Eseten sat with her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, hugging her. "Now come, the others are waiting," Brandeis nodded, and they both got up to head for camp.
The Fellowship had recently left Mirkwood, just beginning their journey to Mordor. It was to be the first day of camp, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas had set out for firewood, and the hobbits, Gimli, and Gandalf stayed behind to set up the rest of camp. Frodo was talking to Gandalf, as per usual, and Sam sat to the side, listening. Merry and Pippin dug through their packs, preparing supper, since that was what the enjoyed the most. Gimli was sharpening his axe, the only thing he held dear at the moment.
"Gandalf…" Frodo began. "Do you think there are other lands besides Middle Earth?" he commented, with the full curiousity hobbits often display.
"What makes you ask that?" the wizard asked, already preparing his smoking pipe.
"I am not really sure," Frodo tilted his head, shifting his foot to have his toe absently digging in the dirt. "I just have the feeling that it will be a question I will require the answer to…" Gandalf looked up from his pipe, having had it start, and also curious. "Not right away, of course, but in eventual coming of time…" the hobbit trailed off, leaning back to attempt to view the stars through the thick forest canopy.
"What an odd one you are…" Gandalf muttered beneath his breath. "But to answer your question, even Saruman would not know the truth," the man took another puff of his pipe. "No creature has ever left Middle Earth and lived to tell of the outside, nor has one of Middle Earth seen another of some other land…."
"Well, if my feelings are correct," Frodo thought, "Then perhaps we shall be the first," Gandalf looked up again, but shook his head and chuckled, thinking that the hobbit's imagination had run off to another place.
"So…" Khoktahtuh began, "By your reasoning, my daughter, there are other lands beyond the shores of Aura?" Brandeis nodded, taking another bite of her dinner. Her father chuckled. "What an extraordinary imagination you have," he smiled and patted her head patronizingly. Brandeis frowned.
"Why doesn't anyone ever listen to what I say?" she asked, mostly to herself.
"Because you are still young, Brandeis. Have patience. People will soon respect your gift of gold magic, and will see the wisdom you truly possess,"
"But not yet," she finished. Her father laughed.
"All in due time, my daughter. All in due time,"
Later that night, at the clansmen encampment, Brandeis lay awake, nearly driven mad by Grakl's loud snoring. She sat up in her bedroll, and glared at the Red Orc with mock hatred. She heard a giggle.
" Are you awake too, Brandeis?"
"Of course, Essere. I am amazed everyone else is getting shut-eye with the loudness of the Son of Grak," Both girls burst out in giggles and got up.
"We should go for a walk then, perhaps wear ourselves down so we, too, can sleep through anything," Essere suggested.
"I am not so sure… Khoktahtuh and Eseten said that there may be Black Trolls about. If we were to have an encounter with some…"
"You would take care of them with
your dagger, and I with my bow," Essere interrupted. Brandeis sighed.
"You
will not take no for an answer, will you?" She saw her friend grin and nod in
the darkness, as clansmen have keen night vision. "Then we shall go. But not
far,"
"Agreed," Essere nodded, her more light brown hair tumbling down her shoulders, and her blue eyes smiling.
"And you shan't go without your protector!" they turned to see the rotund body of Grakl stand up in his bedroll, the blankets tangled around him. Neither girl had noticed the lack of snoring in the night. Brandeis sighed.
"Okay, Grakl, you can come," she sighed again. "You will not take no as an answer either anyway. Let us go," the young girl, even for an elvish species, slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder, as did Essere, and Grakl lifted the Hammer of Durhn, one of the five artifacts of their quest, swinging it to make a whoosh sound, disturbing the peaceful night. They turned to the north, the route the party had come from, and began their trek around camp, cautiously sneaking by the lookout guards.
All of the Fellowship had already taken bed, most completely asleep. The last awake were Frodo and Legolas, Frodo still thinking of the odd sensation of another world, and Legolas worried about the Ring Bearer.
"What is on your mind, friend Hobbit?" the elf inquired, busying himself with carving more arrows for the trip out of spare firewood.
"While you and the others were out looking for wood, I was pondering the notion of there being another world besides Middle Earth," Frodo paused and sighed. "But the idea was quickly dismissed by Gandalf…" Legolas smiled.
"Do not let his opinion alone discourage you," he leaned back against his bedroll. "After all, even some of the wisest wizards can be wrong once in a while," This time, Frodo smiled.
"Thank you, friend. Your words bring me comfort," Frodo laid down in his bedroll. "Good night,"
"Good night, Ring Bearer," Legolas yawned and settled in his own bedroll. "Sleep well,"
Brandeis crept along the forest ground, carefully walking around trees, nearly sneaking like a rogue. Essere walked calmly and confidently, rolling her eyes at her friend's antics, and Grakl was louder than a stampeding herd of boars.
"Brandeis, you need not be so cautious!" Essere scolded.
"Do you really think I would walk as you do when Grakl could not sneak his way through a potato sack?" Brandeis retorted.
"I heard that," Grakl glared, rather displeased with the comment.
"I know," Brandeis rolled her eyes, then stopped, causing a three-person collision. "What is that?!" She pointed to a yellow-gold light that was glowing dimly in the distance.
"I do not know, but I think it is a good sign to head back to camp," Grakl turned pace, heading back from where they came.
"Oh, do not be so cowardly!" Essere took hold of the neck of Grakl's tunic. "If you are to be our protector, after all,"
"I am not being cowardly!" Grakl crossed his arms, pulling away from Essere's grasp. "I am being… cautious," he looked worriedly at the light. "And I believe in this instance, wise! Let us return to camp!"
"You are too ready to your word, Grakl," Brandeis peered around the next tree. "Come, both of you. I do not wish to leave yet until my curiosity is quenched!"
"Brandeis… I would hate to take sides, but it is rather late, and we SHOULD return back to camp…" Essere began, now a little cautious herself, for anytime Brandeis becomes curious, it is often accompanied by mischief.
"Ah-hah, see?! I am right. Now let us go!" Grakl took hold of Brandeis' arm. She promptly pulled away.
"If you are so desperate to get me back to camp, follow me," the girl stubbornly began a slow jog to the light, intent on finding its source. Essere and Grakl sighed in unison.
"Here we go again…"
Legolas slept uneasy. Though he was in deep sleep, his dreams troubled him. He saw images of two elven girls, with one image of an oddly coloured creature that resembled an orc. He saw himself, standing before the rest of the Fellowship, his bow drawn and aimed at what seemed to be a foul creature. He was ready to fire, but one of the girls stood in front of him, arms out in a protective stance. Her glare was set and steady, and yet, he saw so much of her true personality through her eyes. He slowly slacked the bowstring, lowering his weapon. There were no words in his dream, but he near understood all that was happening. These beings were not of Middle Earth…
Legolas sat up in his bedroll, sweating a bit, but not profusely. 'What an odd dream…' he thought, and then noticed that Frodo, too, was awake and alert.
"Did you have it too?" the hobbit asked him, looking up to him with a sort of hope.
"…A dream? Of three beings…?" he asked slowly, trying to recall some of the quickly fading images. Frodo nodded.
"I think it is more than a dream, my elven friend," Frodo looked down at the sweat-dampened sheets of his bedroll. "I think it is a…"
"Vision…" Legolas cut off, looking up at the treetops, and seeing several sparkling stars among the dark green of the leaves.
The three teenage (for their respective races standards, of course) adventurers stood before what looked like a gate, much like the ones they had seen before in the caves where Brandeis' dagger had been found.
"This is strange…" Brandeis touched one of the pillars of the gate. "It is not embedded into anything, just in the middle of the woods out here… The runes are unlike any I have seen, and it seems to already be activated…" She turned to her friends. "If what I know about these gates already is true, then there are a few things wrong here!"
"Brandeis…" Essere's eyes were glued to the portal. "I think we were mean to come here… and to go through there…"
"Oh no, you two are NOT taking me on another adventure that we will just get into MORE trouble by going on!" Grakl started, grabbing both girls' arms. "We are leaving now!" The girls turned to each other and nodded, both digging their feet into the ground and leaning forward. Grakl promptly fell backwards and sighed. 'I am not going to get anywhere, am I?" he thought to himself.
Brandeis looked at the portal curiously. "I know that I am capable of going through any portal, since I contain all magics, but if the colour of the portal is gold… then can you two go through?" she wondered.
"I would normally think not," Essere commented. "But I do have two reasonings on why we might be able to go through,"
"Let me guess," Grakl started as he sat up. "We were destined?" Essere nodded.
"You know me so well, Grakl!" she grinned. "The other is that since gold is all magics, should each magic not be able to travel through it?"
Brandeis nodded. "Perhaps… Well, there's but one way to find out. Both of you hold my hands, as so we will not get separated. We shall go through,"
End of chapter one.
