Middle Earth: Chapter 3

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 fan work 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 Chain mail 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!

Special Note: Thanks to Aurelia Lothlorien for giving me inspiration to continue this series. ^_^

Brandeis took formation following Frodo and Legolas, with Essere and Grakl behind her. She still felt the foreboding feeling of unfamiliarity of the forest around her, and too far out of place. As much as she was curious about this new world (as she always was), she wanted to be back home. Then she wondered if she ever would get back home.

Brandeis stopped her thoughts when she saw the dim glowing embers of a campfire some ten yards or so in the distance. "That is our camp over there," Frodo turned and smiled at the three visitors. "Everyone should be stirring soon, it is not too early in the morning and Aragorn likes to head out as quickly as possible,"

Frodo was correct, as his usual observations gave the usual predictions, and saw that Aragorn was already awake. He didn't look very happy either, but then, he doesn't tend to show that much emotion all the time.

"Where have you and Legolas been? I have been up only a few moments, and I was already beginning to get worried," the man Frodo called Aragorn somewhat scolded. He didn't seem terribly mad, but he was not ecstatically pleased, either.

"We went for a walk, attempting to fall asleep after some ill dreams of ours awakened us," Legolas explained. Brandeis turned her head, yet again curious about the elf. She'd never heard such and intricate sentence before, perhaps because she was used to the bluntness of her friends and most of her clan. Only the higher wizards talked anything like that, but it seemed to be much more common on these grounds.

"And these are...?" Aragorn raised an eyebrow at the small party of foreigners, both suspicious and cautious.

"Oh, let me introduce myself and my comrades, sir," Brandeis stepped forward again, playing leader. At this point, Grakl was a little annoyed and not letting him speak for himself, but Essere's look of amusement at her friend's display of uncharacteristic diplomacy kept him from saying anything. "My name is Brandeis, and my friends are Grakl and Essere. We are new to this land, and only wish to make our way home. I do not know if you can help us, but we do not wish to inconvenience you at the same time,"

Aragorn nodded, as if he understood the entire predicament from those words alone, and the looks of his own companions. "Please, join us for breakfast. Perhaps Gandalf can help you, after we hear your story, strangers,"

"All right..." said Grakl, grinning at Essere and Brandeis. "Breakfast!"

* * * * *

Grakl got along quite well with Merry and Pippin, mostly due to the fact that they thought alike; with their stomachs. Frodo, though just as hungry as the rest of his hobbit brethren, stuck with the "inquisitive" group. That consisted of Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Brandeis, Essere, and himself. For once, Sam let Frodo be and stuck with the "hunger" group. That, of course, consisted of the big eaters; Merry, Pippin, Sam, Gimli, and Grakl. That group would end up fixing their own double portions later.

Gandalf, having finished his light meal so quickly, smoked generously on his pipe. "Well, Frodo, it seems you were right. As much as these girls may possibly fit in to our surroundings, they certainly do not seem at home. There are other worlds beyond ours..."

"As good as it is to know that true..." Brandeis, about half-done with her plate, and pausing between bites. "We would like to know if you have any idea to help us get home again,"

"If..." said Essere a bit sadly, but consoling herself with the rest of what was on her plate.

"I am afraid since I, nor anyone else of our world, knew of this other land, I do not think I can help you directly," Gandalf said gently, knowing that the people in front of him weren't more than teenagers, and could be well beyond their wits in fear of not ever being able to go home. "But, we could help you get to the nearest town on our route, and possibly look for this portal you spoke of on the way, if that would be of any help,"

Brandeis took it in for a moment, pulled the cap off of her water skin, which carried eerl in it, a clansmen favourite, and took a sip as if to wash the news down. She then nodded slowly, a bit sadly, as if the hope had gone down with it. "Anything you can do for us is welcome and well appreciated,"

Boromir, being the nosy man he is, interjected at this point. "So, how exactly did you find this portal?"

Essere looked up from her now-clean plate and quickly answered, "Stumbled into it as we were separated from our party during night travel," trying to save her friend some face.

"Come now, Essere. You know that is not true..." Brandeis set her plate next to her, still only half finished. She rested her chin on her hands, her elbows propped on her knees, and stared at the ground. "It is all my fault. Essere, Grakl, and I were going to go for a walk to try to fall asleep because of that dumb Orc's snoring, and I saw a glow ahead and wanted to check it out. Being the stupid, stubborn girl I am, I kept pressing on and we ended up here with no way back," Brandeis then buried her face in her hands, trying to suppress tears and remind herself that she was a warrior of the clan now and was too mature to cry. What kind of leader was she going to make if she got lost on a stupid night walk?

Essere sighed and patted her friend on the back comfortingly. "It will be alright. We will get back so you can see Eseten and Khoktahtuh and everyone else! I promise, okay?" she then looked up to the rest of the group. "I am sorry about this. A lot has been put on her since she and I became the first female warriors of our clan. That and our own journey held a lot of importance, probably more important than anything we could have imagined. If we don't get back, the fate of Aura... Well, I am sure you can guess what I mean,"

"Ah..." Aragorn leaned back against a tree trunk, "So you are on a fate-saving quest too," he nodded to himself, agreeing with his own thoughts. "Gandalf..." Aragorn turned to the elderly wizard. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Of course," was all that came as an answer, along with another puff of smoke.

"What if we do not find this portal... Do you think having three more warriors would be such a hindering thing? I know we cannot take them into Mordor, but along the way..."

"We should not put them in danger along with us. They did not ask for this,"

"No, and I would not force them, I am just saying if they WANTED..."

Brandeis sniffed loudly and rubbed her face with her sleeve. Her eyes were slightly reddened from obvious tears, but for the most part, she hid them well. "If you need more companions for your journey, we would be glad to do it. We may as well try to be of some use if we... if I cannot be of any use where I come from. I, for one, will be glad to help. I will let Essere and Grakl choose for themselves,"

"Brandeis, you know I would never leave you somewhere that neither of us knew about! If you are going, I must go too. You've got two warriors by your side. Um..." Essere giggled a bit. "Pardon, but we should wait to ask Grakl,"

"Why is that?" asked Legolas, who for the most part, sat back to listen to the conversation, mostly because he was genuinely disinterested in being around the heavy eaters.

"Well... He doesn't like to be interrupted when he is eating. It is his," she then raised her voice, "TRUE LOVE, YOU KNOW!"

"I HEARD THAT! Darn girls, think they know everything..." the group heard Grakl muttering for a while longer while stuffing his face further.

"Would he really be that upset about loving food?" Frodo wondered out loud, looking at the group.

"No, I just tease him for once commenting on a girl in our clan," Essere grinned. Though a childish prank, everyone had a good laugh.

* * * * *

After breakfast (or as the hobbits insisted calling it, "second breakfast". No one else understood why, but the hobbits claimed it had to do with the time of day.), the Fellowship packed up their belongings and began looking for the portal. "It cannot be far from here," insisted Brandeis. "We were much, much less than a mile away! It couldn't have been 100 yards from your camp!" Though Boromir looked as skeptical as always, Legolas and Frodo could vouch for the girl. After all, they had been the ones to find them.

"This is hopeless!" Brandeis sat on a rock, utterly exasperated and annoyed at the search and how futile it seemed. "We'll never get home..."

"Well, I suppose we can take a break for one day to search. It will be much easier if we set a mark here and go in a 100 yard radius in different directions by breaking into groups," Aragorn tore some bark from several trees around him as he spoke. "We'll break into three groups, since we only have that many familiar with the area and tracking of this land. Boromir, Gimli, Grakl, and Merry, you will be one group. I will take Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf. Legolas, you take Pippin, Essere, and Brandeis. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Then let's go," Aragorn headed to the north of the marked woods, Boromir to the south, and Legolas to the west.

* * * * *

"Gandalf, what do you think it's like in Aura?" Frodo asked, being as inquisitive as a three-year-old child once again.

"I am sure I do not know, Frodo. I would be the wrong one to ask. You should ask one of the girls before they go," Gandalf walked along steadily, supporting some of his weight on his staff.

"Ah... So you are sure they will find their way home?" Frodo asked again, jogging from time to time so that his little hobbit steps would keep up with Gandalf's larger strides.

"Let us just say I feel it in my bones..." Gandalf smiled a bit, a warm, elder's smile.

* * * * *

"So how did an ORC like YOU get Dwarven armour like THAT?" Gimli asked bluntly, still untrustworthy of the "wolf in sheep's clothing". Grakl was tired of the third degree, and annoyed with Gimli's ongoing ramblings of how it was "unjust to adorn his brethren's armour."

"I FOUND it in an ABANDONED ruin that two brownies showed me, if you MUST know," Grakl forced words out, mostly to mock Gimli and give him a taste of his own medicine.

"How is it you speak common, anyway? I thought Orcs were primitive beings meant for killing purposes only," Gimli shot back, trying to annoy Grakl as much as humanly... dwarvenly... orcishly... um... whatever-ly possible. Grakl halted his march and turned to stop Gimli.

"Maybe I just do not understand how things are SUPPOSED to be since I am not from around here, hm?" Grakl tilted his head to accentuate his point, and then continued walking. "I am Grakl, son of Grak, I am not affected by these insults..." he kept repeating to himself under his breath, trying not to lose his temper.

"Fine, then let us have a fight here and now to settle this dispute," Gimli lifted his axe to a ready position and stood in a fighting stance. Grakl didn't say a word, though he stopped in his tracks. "Afraid, are you?" The dwarf grinned. "You can always forfeit and show the REAL winner..." Gimli propped himself up on his axe, quite arrogantly.

Suddenly, Grakl whirled around and slammed his hammer on the ground, shaking the earth and knocking everyone in their small party to their rear ends. Grakl glared down at Gimli, who could only look back up, completely stunned and confused.

"Do not fight me, do not insult me. I never did anything to harm you OR your people. MY people have nothing to do with your land, and mean nothing to you because you know nothing of them. I suggest you hold your tongue," Grakl then turned to Boromir and Merry and apologized. "It should not happen again," he reassured them, helping them up, and letting Gimli help himself.

* * * * *

"Brandeis, please do not worry yourself so much, or blame yourself so harshly!" Essere tried to comfort her friend.

"It IS my fault, and everyone knows it! I always get us into these messes, and now I do not know if I can get us out of it..." the saddened girl sighed, feeling a nauseous wave of depression hit her. Essere twisted her face into a frown and thought for a moment. She looked at the trees around her.

"Well, at least it is a little like home... I mean, we both grew up in a forest, how different can it be here?"

"Everyone in the Fellowship has the first instinct to kill people who look like Grakl,"

"Well, so do we since the Red Orcs have become evil!"

"Think of what that will do to poor Grakl!"

"Nothing different than what he has been receiving back home!" Essere stopped the argument, seeing that it was going nowhere. She looked around some more for inspiration. She stopped on Legolas. She pulled her friend back a little bit behind the elf and hobbit that accompanied them, and started talking.

"How about this then? If all Elven men around here look HALF as good as that, what is THAT bad about being stuck here? I mean, we look like Elves too, after all..." Essere nudged Brandeis in the side, to which she got a raised eyebrow.

"Is that all you ever think about? Men?"

"Yes,"

"Of course. Though I must admit, he is most definitely not that bad looking," she giggled, which was almost a prerequisite to being a teenage girl. Well, teenage for her species, anyway. Legolas turned around when he heard the giggling, and both girls straightened their backs as if nothing had happened.

"What is so funny?" he smirked a bit, not as if he knew, but as if he understood whatever joke they were playing.

"Yeah, what?" asked Pippin, running up to the two girls like an inquisitive little boy. "I wanna know!"

Essere suppressed a laugh that would have definitely gotten them both into trouble, trying to stomp down on whatever of it leaked out. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing,"

"Yes, I am so sure," Legolas turned around and kept walking. "You know, I have Elven ears, too,"

Brandeis turned red, Essere laughed a bit nervously, and Pippin was utterly lost.

* * * * *