A/N Here it is, the long (or short) awaited official first chapter of Hidden Side, the serious ask a character questions fic.  Spider and Kua wrote this.  We own none of the characters save Gothmog.  He is Spider's.  No touchy!  The opinions in this story are mostly ours, but we have tried to stay as true to Tolkien as possible.  Please review, even if you don't ask questions.  This is in a story form, rather then linear.  There is dialog and interactions.  Now, you must use your imagination a touch here.  For example, Boromir is alive, yet the ring is presumably destroyed.  All the members have seen the movie and read the books.  There may be a plot showing in upcoming chapters.  If you want to contribute ideas to this mysterious plot, feel free to do so.

Some of the questions have been tweaked to allow them to fit in the story better, while still getting the question across, we hope no one minds.  Also, there are some spoilers for TTT and ROTK.  Not too many, but there are still a few.  Just to warn you now.

The Hidden Side

            For some reason unbeknownst to us, a group of Middle-earth people were walking through the woods.  This group included, but was not limited to; the original nine members of the fellowship of the ring, Saruman, Elrond, Glorfindel, Galadriel, and a handful of other humans, elves, orcs, hobbits, dwarves, so on and so forth.

When this group stopped for the night, an orc known as Gothmog found two pieces of paper with scribbled lines all over them.  After studying the papers intently, turning them around to thoroughly inspect all sides, he tossed them at the fire.  They were useless.  One landed on Merry's head, the other fell into Pippin's lap.

Now, Merry and Pippin, unlike Gothmog, were able to read.  The scribbled lines formed words they could easily understand.  The papers were not merely used paper, but letters, letters that just happened to have questions for the people sitting around the fire.  Looking around at the group, all concentrating on eating except the hobbits, who had already finished their portions, the youngest members of the fellowship tucked the papers away in their belts, to wait until the group was bored.

As the night wore on, Merry and Pippin learned that bored elves were interesting to watch, but dangerous at the same time.  Glorfindel, Legolas, Galadriel, and Elrond had tried to hold a successful staring contest.  Rather then stare at each other, the four had decided to see who could look the longest at a specific place.  Gandalf was to be the judge, kicking someone out if they blinked or fell asleep.  However, under the intense scrutiny of four adult elves, anything they set their gaze on exploded within moments, sending debris towards the elves, who would close their eyes and shield their faces.  The most recent target, a rotting log, had sent splinters of wood flying everywhere.  Pippin had gotten hit on the head with one.  A small scrape bled sluggishly, and the elves reluctantly decided to call the contest a draw.

As Merry drew his handkerchief from his belt to dab at Pippin's wound, the letter fell out.  Saruman saw it and was on it like a hawk, peering suspiciously at the words.  Elrond freed it from the wizard's clutches and read it slowly, before turning to Merry.

"Tell me, Merry, what is the meaning of this letter?  Why did you write it?"

"I didn't write it, I found it.  Me and Pippin both found one, back there.  Gothmog tossed 'em at us!"

Elrond raised an eyebrow and turned back to the letter.  Galadriel reached for it and silently read it, before passing it on to the next.  Pippin fished his letter out as well, and the two papers moved among the gathered people, each either reading it to themselves or reading it out loud for those who couldn't.  When the letters returned to Merry and Pippin, the hobbits looked up at Gandalf.

"What should we do with them?"

"Why not answer them?"  The response was not from Gandalf, but rather from Voronwë, an elf from Gondolin whom history had forgotten.  "We are bored enough as it is, and should not press on in the dark of night.  We might as well answer the questions, for they are thought-provoking."

Elrond took Merry's letter and started to read, in a loud, clear voice that could be heard by all.

"To Legolas.  Why don't you seek a lover?  I know you loved to go to places and have a lot of fun.  And the road is dangerous and long, but some girls don't mind that and love to go.  I don't mind, I love to do that, go explore the places I will find on the way."

Legolas shrugged.  "I had a lover once, he passed overseas."

No one chose to comment on that.

"Now, the next questions are for Aragorn.  Is it hard to be a king, and may I, Celine, the writer of this letter, come some day?"

Aragorn nodded.  "Being a king isn't all fun and games.  I can't just sit on the throne all day and say, 'I'm the king, you have to do everything I say, so there.'  No, I have to be kind and just.  I work practically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no holidays or breaks.  I was working on my wedding day!  Everything I do that others see has to be carefully planned.  I can't offend too many people.  One or two will never like my reign, and there's nothing I can do about them, but I must try to make my people happy, even if that means sacrificing my own time and happiness for them.  My people come first.  They trust me with their lives, their freedom, their protection, everything.  I can't destroy that utter devotion they have, so I must constantly be striving to be better.  Being a king certainly is hard.  And as for if Celine may come, sure she can!  In fact, I'd love it if she did, and said what she thought, especially how I can improve.  Just as long as you don't stir up trouble, I'm sure you'll be welcomed throughout Gondor!"

Saruman shook his head.  "Such seriousness tonight!  Don't make your answers so somber!  Lighten up a bit, why don't you?"

"Your turn is next, Saruman.  Why don't you answer these?  Celine says, 'If you had asked me to work with you, I would answer that the question was not so hard to answer, because I would have to choose between imprisonment and imprisonment.  Do you honestly believe that Sauron was willing to work together?  It was more likely that he'd use you as a slave.'"

Saruman was speechless.  "How can she ask me that?  Who does she think she is, this Celine?  I am Saruman the Whi…ow!"
            Gandalf had whacked Saruman in the head with his staff.  "I'm Gandalf the White, you old windbag, now shut your ego off for a moment and just answer the question."

Grumbling under his breath and rubbing his unmussed hair, Saruman closed his eyes in thought.  "Did I honestly believe Sauron was willing to work with me?  Well, I guess I did.  You see, I am," a glare from Gandalf caused him to quickly change his wording, "was Saruman the White, the head of the five Istari sent to Middle-earth.  I was the most powerful of my kind, a real force to be reckoned with.  True, the idea that he would try to use me as a slave did cross my mind, but I quickly banished it.  If Sauron tried anything against me, I would be able to stop him.  I was confident that I was strong enough for that."

Elrond nodded.  "And now this last question, which I think was aimed at us all.  How would we define 'freedom'?"

This time there was a long pause.  Everyone looked around at each other, blinking slowly.

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins was the first to step forth with an answer.  She stood as tall as she could for a plump hobbit lady.

"Hm, freedom...The right to try for what you want. To give up something for something else, you know? Freedom is what sets us apart from people who just take."

"Like you?"

"Who said that!?"

Aragorn stepped forward, blocking Frodo from Lobelia's flailing umbrella as he answered, "Freedom is the responsibility of choice.  It's the capacity of choosing whom to live for--yourself or others, and then going about it with knowledge and acceptance of the consequences."

Bilbo shook his cane at Lobelia.  "Don't you go hitting Frodo.  That's my job! Now, about freedom.  Freedom is a privilege; to choose what you wish with your life, but it bears a great responsibility.  For the choices you make can weigh heavily on the people you care about the most."

Boromir was polishing his sword.  Without looking up, he stated, "Freedom is the human race loosed from its enslavement of arrogance."

Silence.

"Okay, moving on."  Elrond turned the paper over.  "That's all the questions.  It's signed, Namarie (good-bye in elvish), Celine."  Pippin ran forward, waving his letter aloft.  "Read mine now!"

Taking the paper from the excited hobbit, Elrond smoothed out the folds and started to read again.

"To Legolas and all the other elves.  If no Elf has ever come back from the Undying Lands, how do you all know that it is so great?  Is it not entirely possible that none ever make it across the sea, or if they do, their destination is not all that it seems?"

Voronwë, the forgotten elf, stopped Legolas from answering.  "I feel my knowledge may have more merit for this question.  You see, I did try to go west to the Undying Lands, but the ship was destroyed and I alone was the only known survivor.  It is certainly possible that it is not as perfect as it seems in tales, but if one allows himself to believe that the Undying Lands are all that our teachings speak of, he wishes to go regardless of the logic behind that truth."

Legolas waited until Voronwë finished before speaking his piece.  "I have never attempted to sail west as Voronwë has, yet I, like him, have heard the call of the sea.  It has changed my heart.  I am no longer content among the forests alone.  I must be near the sea for any solace to come to my soul.  Even if I knew the Undying Lands were not perfect, I would still succumb eventually to the constant pull on my heart."

The other gathered elves nodded their assent.  Both Legolas and Voronwë spoke true.  Elrond sighed, smoothing the paper again.  The moon had begun to rise, and the stars were peering out from behind the trees.  The previously bored group leaned closer to hear Elrond's soothing voice read the next question.

"To Glorfindel.  In the movie you had your part stolen by Arwen, and in the cartoon movie, Legolas took it.  Do you feel utterly rejected, and what is, in your opinion, the reason that your scenes were taken?"

 Glorfindel blinked.  "The answer to the first bit, about my part being stolen by Arwen, is simple.  Peter Jackson simply does not like men."

"In bed."  Frodo automatically stated the response he gave after hearing fortunes read aloud.  The younger gathering around the campfire roared in delight at Glorfindel's answer.  The older generation, Glorfindel included, indulged only in soft smiles and shakes of their heads.

"Actually, I don't feel utterly rejected, surprisingly enough.  In the book, Arwen, and the few other women mentioned, have very minor roles.  Only Eowyn, and perhaps Galadriel actually have a drastic impact on the storyline.  The creators of both movies, live action and animated, knew that the society of the world their work would be shown in no longer disapproved of influential women characters.  Being a very minor male character, it was easy for me to be dropped in order to make room for Arwen.  Sadly, for the cartoon version, Legolas showed up instead, taking Arwen's place.  I was not impressed."

Legolas shook his head furiously.  "That was not me!  There is no way I could possibly look like that, that fruit cup!"

Frodo shook his head.  "Legolas, you need to learn some bad words."

Legolas stuck his tongue out at Frodo, only to have it caught by his father.

"Elven princes do not stick their tongues out in public.  Now, let Elrond continue."

"Thank you Thranduil.  The next question is for me.  Ok, so when you were human, and then chose to become an Elf, did your ears simply go *poof* and turn into points?"  Snickers were quickly quieted by a glare.  "My ears were always pointed, thank you very much.  I am half-elven.  When I chose to remain elvish, my ears remained pointed.  Elros' ears were also pointed, but each generation the point became less and less defined until they disappeared altogether, leaving the rounded human ear in their place.  Next question.  To Galadriel.  When Frodo (in the movie) looked into the mirror, why did he see Legolas first and then only the hobbits? Now, if he had seen Aragorn, Gimli and Boromir, then I would understand – the fellowship. If he had just seen the other three hobbits then I would also understand, but the fact that he saw Legolas first and of the fellowship (not including the friends he already had) nothing, Legolas being the only one. What is up with that?"

Galadriel closed her eyes.  "Since we're talking about the movie, I would venture that the only significance of the 'Legolas first and hobbits second' camera pan was the pure aesthetics of the scene.  The director showed uncanny foresight that thousands of fans would appreciate the additional screen-time for the... I believe the term is 'heartthrob?'... and then tried to follow it up with a focus of members of the party that would allude to the vision he had of the Shire enslaved. 

"If, though, you wanted to know about the magic of the mirror...  Well.  Let's just say that the purpose of the waters is to enlighten and guide.  Its methods and meanings are beyond all mortal understanding."  Galadriel ended with a serene smile, seemingly misplaced under her mischief-filled eyes.  Pippin snorted.  "Heartthrob, yeah, right."

Elrond shook his head.  "Just because Legolas is handsomer then you does not mean you have the right to disrespect him."  As Legolas smiled smugly, Elrond continued with the next questions.  "Two for Gandalf.  Minka, the writer of this letter, says 'This has also been bugging me. At the Mines of Moria did you really forget the 'password' of Mellon or was it just you trying to avoid having to go into the Mines?' She also asks this. 'You seem to have the ability to appear at will so why is it that you did not do anything about the whole falling into shadows thing?'"

Gandalf shakes his head.  "Two easy questions for me!  Here I was thinking I would get hard questions, but instead Minka provides me with easy ones!  I'm old, far older then Legolas, Thranduil, Elrond, or even Glorfindel.  At the Mines of Moria, it was a bit of both.  I did forget the password in my old age, but I also did not try too hard to remember it.  I hated those mines.  As for the falling into shadows thing, I had to.  If I didn't, I wouldn't fight the balrog, die and become reborn with my special sparkly "Gandalf the White" powers."

Saruman grumbled under his breath, "Powers you stole from me."

Frodo snickered, but was cut short by Elrond.

"Your turn, young hobbit.  This is a movie-based question.  At the mines, why, when you asked for the Elven word for 'friend' did you ask Gandalf and not Legolas?  I mean, you had an Elf in the group, one whose first language was the one you were inquiring about, so why not ask him?"

Legolas looked down at the hobbit.  "Do tell, Frodo, for I wish to know why as well."

Frodo blushed.  "I, uh, well, I forgot you were there.  You were so quiet and still, it was like you were dead!  I didn't want to disturb you or nothing."

"That's your excuse?"

"Need another?  I have a handful."

Legolas sighed, motioning to Elrond for him to continue.

"Again, a movie-based one, this time for Boromir.  Why were you wearing a blanket?  You can not tell me that that purple, fringed thing you had about your shoulders was a real cloak."

Boromir sneered a bit, still polishing his sword.  "I borrowed it from my younger brother's closet. You see, I was instructed to bring along a spare, and when I passed through Meduseld on my way to Rivendell, I lent it to one of Eowyn's handmaidens who had been caught in a rainstorm. My brother has not used this cloak for years, which explains its poor quality."

Faramir punched him in the shoulder.  "So that's what happened to it!  You told me you didn't know where it was, that you hadn't seen it in years!"

Boromir shrugged, lifting his sword to let it gleam in the firelight, never once taking his eyes off the blade.  "I lied."

"For the entire fellowship."  A brawl between brothers was over before it began, thanks to Elrond's intervention.  "In the book, Elrond chose who should go to Mordor. Why is it that you all just pledged your services and no one complained? I mean, when Legolas stands up and says, "You have my bow," did all the other Elves just decided that indeed the young prince was the best that they had to offer? Surely someone more experienced would have been a better candidate. In the book it is ok, as obviously Elrond chooses him for his skill and bravery, but for all the other Elves to sit there and not to object means that, one, they are all cowards (which is highly unlikely) or that they all knew that Legolas was the best that they had to offer. Also, if they could all tell that Boromir had a thing for the ring, why did they let him go?"

Legolas brushed his hair out of his face.  "As much as I'd love to say it was obviously because I was the best they had to offer, that's not entirely true.  You see, in the movie, I pledge my bow so quickly that the other elves didn't have a chance to argue.  Once I said 'You have my bow,' I had bound myself to Frodo, and nothing short of death makes me break my vows.  As for Boromir, he was given the gift of a chance.  True, from the start, he had a 'thing for the ring,' as Minka so elegantly put it, but he was given the chance to prove himself.  He did try to take the ring, but in the end, he gave his life trying to protect those in the fellowship.  Had he not been allowed to come, he would have met up with Frodo later, with his brother Faramir, more then likely.  There, Frodo would not have the protection of elves.  He would have had to fight Boromir for the ring, a battle which would more then likely have been won by Boromir…"

"Enough with your rambling!"  Arwen playfully shoved Legolas.  "Father, do continue!  Read the next question."

"To Legolas and Gimli.  At Helm's Deep, did you really win Legolas? For when the count first started, you said that you had killed at *least* twenty, and then went on from that. Is it not possible that Gimli did not in fact win and that Legolas was just allowing him to win, as he had no interest in the game?"

Legolas shoved Arwen out of the way before speaking again.  "This is a dead topic in my life now.  I did let Gimli win, yes.  I may have killed more, but I was so relieved to see Gimli alive and in a good mood that I granted him the pride of knowing he bested an elf.  It is as simple as that, no more, no less."

Gimli nodded.  "He says he may have killed more, but he knows that I beat him fair and square, whether or not he let me win."

Elrond shook his head slightly.  The friendship between those two was an unusual one indeed.  "One final question for Aragorn before the letter is finished.  (Ok, another movie based one, but this REALLY bothered me!) Are you stupid? Ok, I know that was not put all that nicely, but seriously, are you a little thick? Boromir dies, you take his gauntlets and then you put him in a boat to go down the river to later be found by Faramir (but you weren't to know that.) Now, when Legolas is all, "We must hurry, Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore," and you make it clear that you three are not to follow, why then, did you not use the other boat to form a coffin like structure for Boromir? I mean, you sent him over a waterfall, and unless you super glued him in, then he is gonna fall out and be floating down the river not in the boat. Just some food for thought."

Aragorn checked his gauntlets, earning a smack from Arwen.  "Answer the question!"

Boromir glared at Aragorn.  "When are you going to give me back my gauntlets?  Hmm?"

Aragorn shrugged.  "Who knows.  And as for Minka's question, she answered her own question.  The truth is that we were pressed for time, and yet still had a duty to Boromir after his death.  Sending him over the waterfall was--if you'll excuse me--as fitting to his death as we could come, and if his remains were taken by the water there was little we could do to prevent it.  The time and materials it would take to bind the boats better served the living, and I would like to think that a son of Gondor would agree."

Boromir sheathed his sword and stood up.  "You could have at least given me a blanket."

The rest of the group grinned, patting each other on the backs as they retired to bed.  Celine and Minka, by writing one letter each, had dispelled their boredom for the night.

~TBC~

A/N  This can only be continued if you send questions in!  Minka and Celine did a wonderful job, sending in good, thought-provoking questions.  We had to turn to an LOTR expert to answer some of them, her answers were actually used in the story! (Thank you Mithrigil, oh bright angel!)  Now, credit goes where credit is due.

Mithrigil answered for Lobelia on freedom, Legolas on lovers, Boromir on the topic of his cloak, and the "Peter doesn't like men" comment by Glorfindel.

Aciel Skadi rose to the occasion with three responses, Aragorn's freedom quote, Galadriel's mirrorness, and Aragorn's final talk of the Boromir issue.

Rei Eien contributed with Bilbo's freedom opinion

And finally, Mamasa gave us Boromir's freedom view.

Celine, your English is very good.  we understood what you said.  Thank you for being the first to comment, but not the last.  Your questions were excellent, we loved them.

Both Celine and Minka, and all other nameless faceless readers, we hope this meets your expectations.

Spider and Kua