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Chapter 2 -

Chapter Two - "Reunion"

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The old Road stretched out from Bree, much as it had on their first visit. After a few miles, though, Willow and Xander noticed it was more worn now, and wide stretches of grass on both sides had been trampled flat by many travelers.

"Looks like they weren't kidding back there," Xander said, glancing down at a set of freshly-laid wagon tracks. "You think it's really that bad? All that war stuff? And..." He lowered his voice a little. "And Sauron?"

Willow shrugged and tried not to shiver. "I don't know," she replied after a few seconds. Things felt differently, somehow, but how much of that was real and not just worried imagination at work? "Let's just get to Rivendell. They'll know."

"Right." Xander glanced at Willow for a second, then nodded and the two of them continued on along the Road.

A long, lonely day came and went, and they made camp as the sun began to set over the slowly receding Bree-hill to the west.

Three more days like that passed and then they left behind even the last faint signs of civilization, and that was only an isolated farm off to the north of the road. And once that was behind them, ahead lay only wilderness and the ancient Road.

Another week passed in which they saw little more than deer, birds and foxes, until on the thirteenth day out of Bree they finally encountered travelers along the Road.

It was late in the day, the sun was already low in the sky, and the two of them were ready to stop and make camp when they heard it - deep, gruff voices raised in song that echoed through the rain and mist that covered the countryside.

"The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day."


Willow and Xander exchanged glances then silently crept forwards. As the song continued, they could just begin to make out a fire, and then another, off to the side of the road.

"A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star - "

Abruptly, the singing stopped and Willow and Xander could just barely hear whispers. They both drew back a little, and Xander had drawn his dagger when four shapes emerged from the gray curtain of rain a dozen yards or so away.

They were each cloaked and hooded, and wielding large axes or swords. Their faces were hidden, and they were between the size of Men and Hobbits, perhaps five feet tall on average and stocky, or so it seemed - the cloaks and rain made it difficult to tell.

"Well, well, this is an odd sight. Travelers going East!" one of the hooded figures exclaimed. He stepped forward with his sword still raised, and drew back his hood with one hand. A weather-worn face with sharp brown eyes and an enormous black beard (sprinkled with a generous amount of gray hairs) was revealed.

The bearded Dwarf, as Xander finally realized he was, eyed them for a second then bowed his head. "Nar, son of Burin, at your service," the Dwarf concluded with a nod. His speech had a strange accent, but neither Willow nor Xander could even begin to place it.

"Xander, son of Robert. And Willow," Xander replied, gesturing lamely in Willow's direction. "Er, not in the 'son of Willow' sense..."

"Xander... Willow..." Nar repeated the names again under his breath. "These lazy lumps here are my brothers, Anar, Hannar, and Lofar," he said, pointing at each of the other Dwarves in turn. "And back a ways around our fires are the rest... Nyi, Nidi, and Sudri, Austri, Vig, Hor, Har, and Siar, Ai and Ingi, Fal, Frosti and Finn, and Rekk and Thekk last of all." True enough, more Dwarves could be seen approaching through the drizzle.

"And you're turned around on the road, it seems," he offered, eyeing them curiously. "Or we are, and Bree is behind us."

"No, it's back that way," Willow hesitantly pointed out, gesturing back
westward.

"Ahh, so I thought." Nar shook his head.

"Cracked!" one of the other Dwarves, Lofar, the youngest looking, murmured. "What business could you have in the east?" he asked.

"Lofar! Mind your manners," Nar grumbled, slapping his brother on the shoulder. "Their business is theirs as ours is ours!"

There followed a short and angry whispered conversation amongst the Dwarves. After a moment, Nar emerged from the huddle.

"You must forgive Lofar. His mouth hammers faster than his mind at times," he told Willow and Xander. "But if an old Dwarf can give a bit of advice, he'd say you should turn around and go back. There's nothing but darkness and trouble to the east."

"Trouble?" Xander repeated.

Nar's eyes narrowed and Lofar muttered "Cracked!" once more.

"Yes, trouble. And if the name Nargûn - Mordor - means anything to you folk west of the mountains, that's all the explanation you'll need."

"Mordor?" Willow whispered, suddenly shivering... and for a second, she felt a tiny twinge on the ring finger of her right hand.

"I see that name does mean something to you, then."

"Shadows in the east, and nothing can stop them... no army, no mountain, and no magic," bald and bearded Hannar whispered. "You should turn back while you can."

"We can't," Xander declared. "We're only going - we're not going that far, anyway," he said, catching himself before revealing their destination. One thing he did remember from their first visit to Middle-earth was that Dwarves and Elves did not get along. And Rivendell was supposed to be hidden... or at least, he thought it was. [Better safe than sorry, anyway. Don't wanna piss off the Elves. Or the Dwarves.]

"So be it." Nar shrugged and drummed his fingers on the pommel of his sword. "There's little harm in offering fair warning in these days. If you have a mind to go East that's your business."

"And your death, too, I'd wager," Hannar added in a hushed voice before falling back under the force of Nar's glare.

"I will add just one thing, and then let you make your own way. We've come through the hills just that way," Nar said, pointing to the west, "and twice were attacked by wolves, wolves bold enough not to fear fire. Something is stirring them up, and you'd best be on your guard if you stick to this course."

"Wolves?" Xander said then looked around as if a pack of lupines would suddenly emerge out of the drizzle and darkness.

Nar smiled cunningly. "Wolves indeed. And here you are, just two of you wandering in the dark. We have fire, and axes if that fails again... Perhaps we could make a deal?"

"What?" Willow asked, instantly on guard. The last 'deal' she'd made in Middle-earth had nearly ended in disaster.

"Simply this. You two can spend the night in our camp, safe from harm, or at least as safe as we are, and in exchange, you tell us some news from further west," Nar explained.

After a short debate, Willow and Xander agreed to Nar's offer. After all, if the Dwarves wanted to pull any surprises, they would have already, Xander reasoned. Besides, the real threat of wolves seemed more dangerous than being stabbed in the night by some Dwarves.

Dwarves who, it turned out, were also refugees. They only grudgingly spoke of their homeland, saying only that it was far to the East and had lately fallen under the shadow of the Enemy - Sauron. Rather than be overwhelmed by Sauron's legions, they had made the perilous journey west, seeking a safer home. But even that hope was fleeting, judging by their anxious murmurs, and unless Mahal (a name they uttered in reverence) delivered them, few saw any escape from the growing Darkness.

For their part of the bargain, Willow and Xander told all they knew of Bree, the Shire, and all the lands beyond, which did not amount to much. The Dwarves, thankfully, didn't seem too surprised at this - their opinion of Men in general was rather low. All the same, they were somewhat disheartened that neither Willow nor Xander knew of any Dwarven halls west of the Misty Mountains.

In the morning, when Xander and Willow awoke, their Dwarven hosts were gone. One of them had scratched a message in the mud - the word 'Cracked!' underscored.

"I'm thinking he's the one who's cracked," Xander muttered as they broke camp.

"You're both right," Willow countered with a smile. And then they were off again.

-

They made slow progress, owing as much to the weather as their own lack of wild lore. Elenya had taught them as best she could during their first visit, but it was immeasurably harder without her - or Buffy - as their guide.

Thus it was that a pair of very bedraggled and hungry wanderers reached the Ford of the Bruinen on a cold late autumn morning many days later. They both nearly collapsed in relief when a small company of Elvish sentries emerged as soon as they set foot in the chill waters of the river.

The Elves held their bows at the ready and called out a warning in their own tongue. For a moment, the situation remained tense, as Willow and Xander knew a little Elvish, then one of the Elves suddenly let out a cry of recognition.

"The friends of Elenya!" he exclaimed, rushing forward to confirm his own words. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction. "This is a strange chance, if chance it be." The Elf suddenly smiled. "Lord Elrond, and many others within his halls, will wish to see you. Come, we will take you there swiftly!"

Another one of the Elves whistled sharply, and a moment later, yet another Elf appeared out of the woods with two horses trotting along behind him.

A short time later, Willow and Xander and their Elven guides came to the top of a grassy ridge. Below them lay the valley of the Bruinen, steep walls of rock forming the banks, and clinging to the nearer side were the familiar wooden domes and long tree-lined walkways... Rivendell, the refuge of Lord Elrond and one of the last few dwindling Elf-realms in all Middle-earth.

Xander smiled contently as he and Willow were escorted down a winding path to the gates of Rivendell, but Willow shivered slightly and rubbed the pale white band on her ring finger, until she caught herself and tucked both hands into the pockets of her robe.

"What do you think he meant when he said it was a 'strange chance' - oh my God, Giles!" Willow yelped when another group of Elves emerged from the forest to their left - elves and a very familiar man in muted brown traveling clothes. "Giles!" Willow repeated, breaking into a run.

Xander followed only a few paces behind, and smiled when Willow tackle-hugged the former Watcher.

"Easy, Willow," Giles murmured, a fond smile on his face as he gently slipped out of the redhead's grip. "You'll break these old bones."

Willow winced and stepped back. "Sorry. Giles! You look great. You haven't aged a day," she said, provoking a laugh from the Englishman.

"Thank you, Willow," Giles said. Her comment was clearly not true - his hair was thinner and grayer now, years and miles had worn his face, and there were a few small scars on his chin. "Xander."

"G-Man." He wasn't as thrilled to see the ex-Watcher as Willow. Because of his decision to stay behind, Buffy'd been in a funk for two months. It was a chore to get her to even go to Giles's place so they could figure out what to do with the Watcher's things. She sobbed the entire time as well. Only she didn't think he and Willow had heard her.

The two men smiled at each other and silence fell for a few long seconds.

"God, it's good to see you both." Giles smiled again for a moment.

"Giles, it's..."

"Buffy. I know," Giles said, the smile fading.

"Huh? You know?" Willow frowned. "How?"

"Elenya had a dream. It's why we came to Rivendell. Or part of the why," Giles explained. He clasped his hands together in front of him, rubbing his palms together in an anxious manner then exhaled deeply. "But we should go inside. Lord Elrond is expecting you, amongst others."

"Yeah, the... uh, Elf guy... said there were others here," Willow said as she, Giles and Xander headed down the path to Rivendell. "Who else?"

"You'll see," Giles replied.

[You'll see? What the hell kind of answer is that? He can't just tell us?] "Great, he's gone native," Xander muttered. He wanted to get the gang together and go after Buffy, not meet with a bunch of other people. Or God knew what they were, considering this was Middle-earth.

Willow placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic yet stern look. "Xander, we'll need their help," she reminded him gently. She wanted Buffy back as much as he did even if she didn't hold much hope of that happening. Still, any advantage they could get, she would take it.

"We saw how much 'help' they were last time," he bitterly replied, shrugging Willow's hand off of his shoulder. "Why should they be any different this time?"

-

The halls of Rivendell were exactly as they were when last Willow and Xander had visited, the only difference being there were fewer Elves gracing them. Many had gone over the Sea, Giles explained when Willow mentioned it in a whisper, gone away from the growing threat of Mordor.

"Those who have remained are resolved to fight him," Giles finished.

"And not alone!" a familiar voice added. There, under a marble arch, stood Elenya, clad in riding clothes much like Giles', and otherwise appearing the same as she had when last Willow and Xander had seen her. There were two other Men with her - Aragorn, also untouched by age, and another, apparently a Ranger too, judging by his proud and noble bearing.

"Giles, my love," she murmured, quickly embracing him before turning and smiling at the two newcomers. "Willow and Xander, it's good to see you here, in spite of it all..."

Xander regarded Elenya warily. He didn't care what she said; something wasn't right about Slayers killing people. Then the whole fact that she was one of the reasons Giles stayed behind. "What do you know?" he asked bluntly.

Willow elbowed him hard in the ribs, gave him a "Will you try to act civilized" look then gave an apologetic one to Elenya, Aragorn and the other Man.

"I'm sorry," said Xander, not even trying to fake like he sounded sorry.

"It's nothing," Elenya replied. "These are trying times for all of us." She briefly glanced at Aragorn, then back at Willow and Xander. "To answer your question, I know only this... Buffy has been taken by the Enemy, somehow, and even now..." She sighed and held her hand against her breast. "I cannot imagine what she endures."

Willow blinked when a flash of the Eye, inside of her mind, struck her. A hand went to her temple as she gasped very quietly. [Buffy ... ] was the first thought she had. Along with the Eye was a vision of a foreboding tower - and somehow, she just knew that's where the Slayer was being held. She blinked again as she lowered her hand. That's when she noticed how the others looked at her - especially the Men.

Luckily, Xander took the focus off of her when he demanded, "Taken by the Enemy, taken where?"

"To the East. To..." Elenya's voice dropped to a whisper. "To Barad-Dûr. I've seen her there, locked away in the Enemy's tower." Her face paled and she lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Willow swallowed. She'd known that. She'd seen the Tower Elenya spoke of just moments before. Why? Why was she connected to Sauron? For what purpose? Shaking it off, she glanced over to Xander.

"Don't worry. Just tell us how to get her back," Xander said. Barad-Dur, Mordor, Mars, it didn't matter. He'd go anywhere he had to in order save her from whatever tortures Sauron had in store for her.

"Get her back?" Elenya stared at Xander in amazement. "It - it can't be done."

Xander narrowed his eyes at the Slayer. "What do you mean it can't be done?"

"None have ever escaped from the Dark Tower."

"Then Buffy'll be the first," he simply stated. He pushed away Willow's hand as she tried to calm him down before he became out of control. He gave her a side-glance then shifted his attention back to the group before him. "I didn't come all of this way to just sit on my ass and let some overgrown eyeball kill her. We've faced bad asses before, they all were destroyed. This joker isn't any different. I'm getting her back."

"You know not of what you speak," Aragorn said. "If you venture into
Mordor, you will die before the first night falls. Or, if fate is cruel, Sauron and his beasts will keep you alive for months."

"Buffy would go to Hell and back for us," Xander snapped, whirling towards Aragorn. He felt Willow's hand on his arm again as she tried to keep him from doing something stupid. "She's DIED for us! In my book, that means we owe her, even our lives. Willow, would you stop it!"

Willow pulled back her hand when Xander lashed out at her attempts to control him. Her lips pressed together tightly and she swallowed hard. "Xander, I just think you're rushing into this -" she began.

"Willow, if you were in this Barad-Dur joint, do you think Buffy would be standing here talking about death or the possible torture she could face if she were caught? Hell no!" He turned back to the others, addressing Giles more than anyone now. "I'm going after her and if you're - "

"Xander! That's quite enough." Giles' harsh interruption startled Willow and only made Xander's eyes darken at the older man. He exchanged a look with Elenya - the level of tension among those already in the halls of Elrond's house was high. The addition of Xander's wouldn't help. "We're guests here. Losing our temper won't accomplish anything."

"And standing around saying it can't be done -" A quick glare was shot in Aragorn's direction. "- isn't going to, either, Giles!" Xander snarled then turned to the fifth Man, hitherto silent. "You wanna weigh in on this, too, pal?"

The Man shrugged. "I know not this Buffy, but if you would risk Mordor for her ... " He gazed at Xander for a moment. "Such a feat would be brave indeed."

"It would also be foolish indeed," Aragorn countered. "Even - " he began and suddenly stopped, as if he'd said too much.

Willow's eyes flicked over to Aragorn and she caught the expression on his face, one that was there for only a moment then gone again, stoic exterior returned. He'd almost said something he wasn't supposed to. Willow rarely had that problem, things dribbled out of her mouth like a waterfall sometimes. Aragorn, however, managed to catch it before it overflowed.

Her gaze shifted to the man just to the left of Aragorn. He, too, seemed to be in on this little secret. Whatever the secret was, Mordor was involved, obviously. Something was going on, more than just Sauron's bid to take over Middle-earth and Buffy's kidnapping.

"Xander, you must understand - there is nothing you can do for Buffy but pray," Elenya added.

"Pray?" Xander replied. He looked at Elenya as though she hadn't been speaking English to him. Or whatever. "That's your best idea? I hate to tell you, but that's not enough!" He gave them all once last glare. "With this attitude, it's a friggin' wonder mankind even survived beyond now." He snorted, almost amused as he shook his head. "Hell, why don't we just roll over and let'em kidnap us ALL!"

With that said, Xander turned sharply on his heel and stormed off, heading for the covered walk that ran along the edge of one of the cliffs.

"He hasn't changed at all! Impetuous..."

Elenya laid a hand on Giles' sleeve. "If it was I who was locked in the Dark Tower, would you act otherwise?"

He frowned at her, then sighed and shook his head. "Someone should go talk to him before he goes off on his own."

Elenya nodded, even though she knew the guards would not let a stranger like Xander simply stroll out of Rivendell alone.

"I'll go," Willow said then hurried off after Xander.

Once she was gone, Giles sighed. "We should tell them."

"We cannot," Aragorn said regretfully. "None who know can leave Rivendell until the end, for good or ill. The quest will be perilous enough. If he was to fall into the hands of the Enemy, and forced to reveal what he knew, there would be no hope."

"Our paths are the same. Could he not come with us?" Boromir wondered.

"The risk is too great. And our path goes to Mount Doom, not the Dark Tower. Only death awaits there."

Giles said nothing, but shook his head slightly. [There must be a way...]

"My lord, we cannot forsake Buffy," Elenya insisted. "You know what lies in Mordor. You know what terrors await her there."

"What would you have me do?" Aragorn replied. "Send two children into those terrors? They would be taken and perish before they even reached the mountains. And if they did somehow come onto those peaks, what then? Climb over them, or try and slip through the black gates? Either way would be folly."

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End Chapter 2

To Be Continued.

Chapter Three might not be here for a bit. Still in the process of writing the story, unlike with the first which was finished beforehand. Please be patient. Thank you to all who've been reading my work and the co-authored work. It makes me so happy to see that people are enjoying yarns that I dream up in my car on the way to work. :)