Star-Crossed

by Renangel

She went mute after someone attempted to kill her. Now clinging on desperately she learns to live in a new world, following the Fellowship. Upon the enscription on the One it speaks of a ring to rule, find, and bring darkness. But is it the true ring?

3. A New Inscription

Ossu minna! THANK YOU for all the reviews I got!!! ^^ I'm sooo happy that I've decided to work on the next chapter. See? The more reviews, the more I write! ^~ It's as simple as that! Anyway, I know how much you all want to read so I won't delay you any longer. ENJOY!!! ^*^

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or LOTR

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Lord of the Rings

Book One: The Fellowship of the Ring

By: J. R. R. Tolkien

Star - Crossed

By: Silver Shadows

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          Usagi ran down the hall of the Elven castle, tears blinding her vision. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. All she knew was that he was leaving her, just like everyone else.

          BAM!

          Usagi stumbled back as she ran into someone. Not bothering to wipe away her tears, Usagi pushed past the person, desperately trying to outrun her heartache. But, as soon as she ran past, an arm grabbed her, halting her process. "Usagi! What's wrong!?!" Arwen's concerned voice asked.

          Usagi didn't answer, and struggled against the Princess's grip. Finally, she gave up and collapsed against Arwen, sobbing into her shirt. "Shh…It's alright…everything's gonna be okay." Arwen murmured as she stroked Usagi's hair, much like a mother would to a child. Usagi said nothing; she just buried her head deeper into Arwen's chest, trying to drown out her sobs. "Hush child, Rivendell is no place for tears."

          Arwen pulled Usagi into a room and they both sat down on the bed. Usagi sniffled and pulled away from Arwen's grasp. Biting her lip, she managed to control her sobs. "Now child, what ails you?" Arwen asked. Usagi looked up into Arwen's eyes, he own reflecting sadness and an incomprehensible loss. "It's Legolas, isn't it?" Arwen questioned with a soft voice. At Usagi's nod, Arwen sighed, "Males, Elf or Human, are both a curse and a blessing." She reached up and fingered a silver ring that hung around a chain. Usually, it was hidden under her clothes, but somehow, it had managed to slip out. Seeing Usagi's questioningly look, Arwen smiled sadly. "This is the necklace that symbolizes elfin immortality. Every Elf has one. I mean to give mine to my Beloved as a way of saying; I'll lay down my immortality for him….that I'll give up long life to stay by his side. "

          Usagi nodded her head in comprehension and Arwen cleared her throat. "But now is not the time to talk about myself. While I can not journey with my Love because of my duties, I can help you go with them. However, we must make haste; the Fellowship will leave in a couple of minutes."

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          Their farewells had been said. Now they were waiting for Gandalf, who had not yet come out of the house. Bilbo was talking to Frodo; giving him some last minute advice, "Now, take good care of Sting." He patted the short sword that lay beside Frodo. "It's saved my life a couple of times. When there are Orcs nearby, it'll turn blue."

          Aragorn had his head in one hand while the other played with a silver necklace that hung around his neck. When Elrond came into the room, Aragorn hastily put in under his shirt. Finally, Gandalf came out and gave everybody their packs. Elrond stepped up and said, "My last bit of advice goes to the ring bearer. Do not let anyone handle the Ring, save the Fellowship, and only then in desperate times." Frodo nodded and the Fellowship was on its way.

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          The Fellowship trooped through the forest in silence. Everyone's thoughts were bent on the treacherous perils that lay before them. It had been half a day now, and every now and then, Sam would mutter, "No rope…I can't believe I didn't bring any rope."

          Suddenly, Legolas stopped and said, "Someone's following us. They've been doing so since we left. I wasn't sure then, but I am now." Everyone stopped and there was a deadly silence that hung in the forest. Legolas looked around with his sharp elfin eyes and his sensitive hearing strained to hear anything out of ordinary.

          Gimli scoffed, "I neither see nor hear anything wrong. Where's our stalker now? I say you're just talking nonsense!" Gimli huffed and turned to walk away when there was a sharp crack. Immediately he spun around, his ax raised in the air, "Who's there!?!?!"

          There was a low whicker and from behind a tree, stepped a brown pony. "Bill!" Sam cried in delight as he rushed to hug his friend. Bill looked at Sam, then behind his shoulder. Stepping back, he reached behind the tree with his head and pulled someone out using his teeth. The person stumbled a bit before straightening himself…herself.

          "Usagi!" Legolas cried out in surprise, "What are you doing here!?! I thought I told you to stay in Rivendell, where it'd be safe! And your hair!"

          Usagi blushed in embarrassment and fingered her hair. The silvery locks had been shorn to her waist. Half of it was twisted into a bun, while the other half tumbled down her back in curly locks. (An: Hey, if you had put your hair up in odangos for all of your life, and finally let it loose it would be REALLY curly. I mean, when you sleep with a French braid and undo it, your hair turns curly. Oh yeah! Think Setsuna's hairstyle.) 

          Seeing Usagi's disappointed look, Legolas hastily said, "Not that I think you look any worse!-I mean you never looked bad to begin with!-I mean…oh forget it. Even though I think you should have stayed in Rivendell, I would be lying if I said I didn't want you here." Legolas looked down, unsure of what to say next. Suddenly, he found himself in a tight bear hug. Who would have known that such a small girl could give such a tight hug. "Usagi…*cough*…I…*choke*…need *turning blue* to breath!"

          "HA!" Gimli laughed, "Who would have known? An Elf can be beaten by a mere hug!"

          Hearing this, Usagi let Legolas go and glared at Gimli. Clearly, she had not forgotten their earlier encounter. Interrupting the fight that would surely follow, Boromir stepped in front of Gimli and bowed. "Forgive my companion Miss. Also, I am asking for your forgiveness. I know what I did on our first encounter wasn't right, but you've got to understand, I had the safety of the Fellowship in mind. If you were in my shoes, you'd understand." Straightening himself, he said, "My name is Boromir of Gondor. I hope we can become friends."

          Usagi looked at Boromir with suspicion, before nodding her head, holding out a hand, Legolas spoke. "Her name's Usagi, and she can not speak, for a terrible accident happened to her. However, I have discovered that she can speak telepathically sometimes."

          Boromir nodded, but stared at Usagi's hand strangely. Seeing the man's look, Gandalf laughed, "Go ahead, Boromir. That is Usagi's way of saying that she wants to be your friend. Shake her hand." Boromir sighed and offered his hand; Usagi shook his hand and grinned. They were friends now!

          "HUMPH!" Gimli muttered and folded his arms across his chest. "Weak humans, submitting so quickly. OW!" He glared at Boromir who had just sharply elbowed him. "What was that for!?!?! OW!" Gimli turned to face Usagi who had smacked him on the head.

          {Mean Munchkin!} A scolding voice could be heard inside everyone's head.

          "HAHAHAHAHA!! Pippin laughed out loud as Merry's face turned red from his effort to contain his laughs. Finally, he could hold it in no longer. Merry joined his fellow kinsmen in big bellowing laughs. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Their laughter echoed throughout the forest, causing the birds to flee with anxiety. Suddenly two THUNK's could be heard and twin voices shouted, "OW!"

          Pippin turned around, rubbing his aching head, "Gandalf! What was that for!?!?"

          "Yeah! What was that for!?!" Merry chorused.

          "Fools of two Tooks! Do you want the enemy to find out where we are!?! Keep your mouths shut!"

          Soft laughter filtered through the forest, repairing the damage done by the previous ones. Birds came back to listen to the melodic voice, and any evil beings in the area were repelled by the pureness of it. Everybody turned to the laughing Usagi, who was leaning against Bill for support.

          "I thought you said she went mute!" Gimli hissed in Legolas's direction.

          Legolas stared at Usagi, spellbound, "She was…I think that maybe…maybe she can still make sounds, it's just that she can not form words." Her laughter was beautiful, if laughter could be beautiful. It sounded like music to Legolas's Elvin ears…like the voices of his ancestors when they sang…no…this was a much sweeter sound.

          Finally, Usagi got her laughter under control and wiped her eyes, for tears had formed there. Looking at everyone, she noticed that they were all staring at her. Once again, her shyness swept over her and she darted behind Legolas.

          Legolas sighed and pulled Usagi out from behind him. {You've must stop hiding behind me every time you meet new people} He gently said to her mentally.

          Usagi sighed, letting a puff of air escape her lips. Reluctantly, she nodded. Looking up, she saw a Ranger bow before her. "Lady Usagi, my name is Aragorn. I hope that we will become great companions."

          Usagi nodded her head with an air of regality. Offering her hand, she let Aragorn shake it. Next came Gimli…after her was pushed by Gandalf. Growling, he said, "My name is Gimli." At the sharp poke from Boromir, Gimli reluctantly bit out, "I'm sorry about my actions in our earlier encounter."

          Usagi's eyes narrowed as she glared at Gimli. Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, she held out her hand. Gimli shook it for a brief second before dropping it. "And I'm a DWARF! Not a Munchkin, a DWARF!"

          "Miss Usagi! Miss Usagi! My name is Pippin. Can I be your friend?" Pippin rushed forward, his eyes shining with the thought of a new friend to play with. Usagi smiled and nodded her head while offering her hand. Pippin shook it earnestly before he was shoved aside by Merry.

          Merry grasped Usagi's hand and shook it while saying, "My name is Merry and I hope we become better friends that you will with Pippin!" Usagi laughed and shook Merry's hand. (An: No, they're not in love with Usagi. They just want to beat each other…competition-like. You see?)

          "I for one will not be left out! No sir, Sam Gamgee would like to become friends with our new companion as well!" Sam stated as he looked at Usagi, "That is, if you want to be my friend." Usagi laughed and shook his hand. These Halflings were so amusing!

          Gandalf sighed and brought Frodo to the front. While he had wished Usagi could have stayed in Rivendell, they could no waste their precious time going back. Besides, he could not deny his gut feeling that told him Usagi had a bigger role to play in this quest. No, if his suspicions were right, she would prove to be a lot more useful.

          "Miss Usagi, my name is Frodo." Frodo quietly said. Usagi smiled gently and held out her hand. Frodo grasped it when he felt a weird sensation travel down his spine. Something was tugging at him. His heart was beating so fast…no…it was adrenaline that ran through him. He wanted to go with this silver haired girl. Wait…it wasn't him…it was the ring.  Frodo dropped Usagi's hand and looked down. The ring was straining to fly off the chain that was around Frodo's neck….straining to go to Usagi…straining…straining…flew.

          In one swift movement, the chain snapped and the ring soared over to Usagi, hovering in front of her. "Usagi!" Legolas shouted and attempted to run over to the girl when he was stopped by Gandalf.

          "No," the old wizard spoke, "No one shall do anything."

          "But-"

          "NO ONE!"

          Usagi stared at the ring, spellbound. Something about the ring was calling to her. Her vision blurred and the ring was replaced by a crystal…a shining silver crystal. Trembling, she reached out a shaking hand to touch it.

          {Yes…} a voice hissed within her mind, {Take it…Take it…TAKE IT!!!}

          Usagi screamed as the voice grew unbearably loud and her vision cleared. Instead of a crystal, she saw a ring…a ring stained with blood. How many people…creatures…things. How many had this ring killed, tainted, tortured. To some it might just be a ring, but to her, she could see every sin this object had committed. Yes, it was caked with a layer of blood that could never be washed away… stained with numerous sins that could never be redeemed.

          {NO! I will not take it! It does not belong to me, and I don't want it!} She mentally shouted, clutching her head. Wearily, she backed up until she was against a tree.

          Suddenly, scenes started to play in her head. A battle…a dead king…his son cutting the finger that used to house this ring…the same guy stained with blood…a Hobbit killing his best friend for this ring…battle after battle…sin after sin…rivers of blood… {If you don't take the ring, I'll keep playing these images…you'll never rest…you'll never know what peace is…never. Take it…take it.}

          Usagi screamed, tears coursing down her cheeks. A battle raged on in her head. She could feel everyone's pain…every stab…every kill…everything. It hurt…Gods it hurt.

          {Take it…TAKE IT OR ELSE YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE MEANING OF PEACE!!!! TAKE IT!!!!!!}

          {NO! I won't take it! I won't! Now LEAVE   ME   ALONE!!!!}

          Legolas watched helplessly as tears streamed down the girl's face and a look of agony on it. She was in pain, and there was nothing he could do…wait! She was a telepathic! That meant… closing his eyes, he concentrated on sending his own strength to Usagi. {This is all I can do…Please…please be all right}

          The images kept replaying over and over, making her very soul shout out in fear. She could feel her resolve weakening. If she took the ring, the pain would stop. Could she take the ring? She felt herself weakening, for this mental struggle took a lot out of her.

          Suddenly, some unknown strength flow through her system, strengthen her…replenishing her. {This is all I can do…Please…please be all right} Legolas's thoughts rang through her mind.

          Yes, she could do it. If not for herself, for Legolas. {Arigato…} With a newfound strength, she would face her enemy and prevail.

          Legolas smiled softly and nodded his head. She had gotten his strength and had been able to use it. {Arigato…} The strange word entered his mind, but some how he had been able to understand the meaning behind it.

          Everyone watched in astonishment as the crescent moon on Usagi's forehead began to glow. A thin beam of light shot out from it and made contact with the ring.

          "Gandalf…I can see the markings again!" Frodo whispered, suddenly slightly afraid of the girl. "LOOK! There are new markings on it!"

          "What!?!" Even Legolas was surprised by the old wizards' outburst. Gandalf strode to the ring and reached out to touch it. Immediately, he pulled his hand back, for the ring was too hot to handle. But, even so, he could see the new markings that now decorated the outside of the ring.

One ring of magic old

One ring of gold

One ring to foil thy lord

Upon a moonlit moor.

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YESSSSS!!!!!! I finally finished it. Originally, I had written most of this and saved it on a floppy. Then I lost the floppy!!!!!! I turned my house inside out looking for it. Finally, today I found it. That's why this chapter took so long to get out. HEHEHE ::sweatdrop:: GOMEN!!!!!!! Please REVIEW!