Disclaimer: AU Story. My third large LOTR fic. I can't stop! None of the characters or settings are mine. They all belong to Tolkien. I wish I were related to Tolkien, don't you? It would be so cool! Oh, and the plot here is derived from my own imagination. Hope you enjoy.

Jeva: This morning, gosh, I was scared! I couldn't access this story at all- the reviews and all 24 chapters seemed to have disappeared. Came back to it this afternoon and thank goodness it reappeared! Scary Fido... And you are very scary too! You and your Nazgul friends. Oh, but as for that song: There is an inn, a merry old inn, beneath an old grey hill...gotta love that! I thought the cartoon was sweet- it kept closer to the book. (But you see that Bombadil it also missed out in that :-) Yay for chapter twelve! Mirror Reply: ...emas eht dnuos t'nseod tsuj...wohemos sdrawkcab rethgual livE !ah ah awM !nwod uoy tnuh lliw yeht dna...evil uoy erehw tuo dnif lliw stibboh suoegrog eht -ha'G

Alatariel: Sweetheart, that's alright! You're the one who gave me the inspiration! You just helped me turn this story right around. Yay! Fun ensues... Don't forget to eat this weekend, btw!

Koko Kung: Hiya Yum-Yum! Oh, and Koko- don't worry- Ringwraiths are terrifying! *trembles and hides under the sofa* Two Towers *drags self to nearest cinema* Twooo Toweeersss... Glad you're enjoying Memories of Home!

MagicalRachel: Way! - That's exactly the reason; I just couldn't put my finger on it. Good it worked out, though. Ah shucks, I know, I'm bringing in all sorts of different torture now. I should start a sadistic community. Ent torture. Gollum torture. Celeborn torture. Orc torture, although I guess they don't really mind that

Bookworm2000: Sorry! I didn't mean to confuse you, honest. Yes, you got it in one. The Nazgul return. It does make sense, I promise. I mean, not much else in Middle-Earth has giant clawed feet and is powerful enough to drag Sam away from Frodo. Hope I "unconfuse" you in this chapter :-)

TrueFan: *hides behind Ematen with TrueFan* I know, I'm scared too. I don't really want to hurt Sam but what the hey. Lots of pain! Lots of nightmares! Hehe

ViNguyen: Hey, I know the feeling, man. When my school year group go out on trips, my friends take magazines and sometimes they'll call out my name- I'll look to the back of the bus- they'll hold up a pic of Elijah and I'll fall out of my seat. It's a way of Ailsa life. :-) Sorry! Sorry! I'm continuing, I really am!

Crazytook: Great- I'm so pleased you liked that part. I had hoped that I would write it just as you described. Thanks! More of the last quest plot will be pursued in the chapters after this. Hopefully, I can everyone together before that. Poor old Sam!

Skye: Greetings, O great one! I am so happy to hear that you're enjoying Memories of Home- it has a long way to go yet! But thank you so much for your lovely reviews

~ Chapter Twenty-Five ~

Sam woke. At least, he supposed he had woken. But all around him was blackness, an inky darkness and he believed it must be night. Something kept tickling his face, brushing over it, making him twitch. He was curled up on a hard surface that scratched his back and cut his hands. His hands. They were behind his back in a most uncomfortable position. Something had tight hold of them. Suddenly, the darkness was removed. It billowed upwards in a great rush of air. It floated gently down again. It was cloth. No night, just cloth. Beyond this strange thing was the sky, burning its last red embers amid the clouds.

Sam struggled to sit upright and clear his groggy mind but the one holding his hands was too strong and he found that he could barely move. Where was he? Where were the others? Frodo! That was his duty for the moment. He had fallen unconscious and whether Sam regretted his words or not, he had to help his master for the moment. That was the reason he had come. Now where were the others?

"Tell me who is the lord of Valinor."

The voice was so sudden and frightening that the hobbit almost screamed. But Sam quickly reminded himself that he had seen the very worst of Middle- Earth and whatever this was could not begin to compare.

"What?" he asked. He tried to crane his head round and see his captor but it was in vain.

"Tell me who is the lord of Valinor."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that?"

"Tell me who is-"

"I don't know!"

"Do not lie to me."

"Mr Valinor? How should I know?"

The voice fell away. Sam was glad because it was painful to hear. It chilled his heart. It sounded like the roll of thunder. The swish of the final blade in battle. The crack of bone on the rocks. After a time, the voice returned. It began without even taking in a breath.

"Tell me who is the lord of Valinor."

"I don't know."

"What is his name?"

"I don't know what he even looks like!"

"Do not lie to me. I will purge your soul into darkness."

"You can purge all you like but I still won't know! I've never even been there!"

"You have."

"No I haven't. My master went a long time ago but you leave him alone."

A great shriek went up behind Sam and he paled. He knew that sound so clearly that it was as if he had heard it for the first time. So many times. Chasing on horses and dragons. The black cloth. The voice. The cry. It echoed again and Sam felt himself being pushed away. His arms were freed and he reached up desperately to grab at something but he was falling. The hobbit looked up and saw it. It was lain out against a fiery sky of blazing clouds and rippling light. A dragon of unfathomable darkness and in its saddle, a Black Rider, its garb swirling out around it like a halo of night. Its red pinpricked eyes watched him fall without emotion. Then it reined its creature up into the gathering shadow. Sam's ears were filled with the roaring wind and he could not even think for noise. He spun round and around, gasping for air, hands still reaching blindly out for something to hold. But there was void. Far below, he could see fields and forest misted over with cloud. Faint outlines of rivers that danced with light and darkness. He toppled forward into obscurity.

--

Legolas felt a bit silly holding a teacup that was half the size of his hand. But he gratefully drank up the contents. Setting this aside, he watched Rosie Gardener work. She rushed back and forth from kitchen to room to pantry and back again, gathering herbs, drinks and ice. Gimli, lying dolefully on the table at the room's centre, was hanging of the sides a little and was not even permitted to get comfortable. His shirt had been bundled into the wash and the ugly wounds being tended. Rosie approached.

"No, my lady," the dwarf snapped, "Not one more herb. I refuse to have my stomach inspected further."

He folded his arms, just to prove his point. The hobbit wife completely ignored his protests, unfolded his arms and carefully smothered a large red gash with a grey ferny substance.

"Mr Legolas," she said with a sigh, "If you would be so kind as to find Mr Aragorn and tell him that if you two can keep Mr Gimli busy then I'll feed you."

The elf had to leave the room for laughing when Gimli tried to get up and fight with Rosie. He went in search of Aragorn and found him in the dining room, under the table.

"What are you doing, Aragorn?" he asked, getting down on his hands and knees. The man giggled and so did someone else behind him. He put his finger to his lips and signalled for Legolas to go away. Legolas got to his feet just as a little girl entered the room. She beamed at him and then began to patrol the room, looking behind curtains, peering into chests and pulling out drawers. At last, another explosion of giggling from under the table brought her scurrying over and the game was finished. Aragorn crawled out with another, far smaller hobbit.

"Again!" he sang, dancing round the man's legs. Aragorn looked as though he was contemplating the idea but then he sighed and shook his head.

"I am afraid that I am all hide-and-seek'ed out. Off you go, Ellie, take your brother and get him ready for bed."

"Alright, Strider," the girl cried happily. She took the small hobbit by the hand and they fair pranced from the room.

"Who was that?" Legolas laughed. The girl returned briefly to reply in one breath,

"I'm Elanor and I'm nine and I live at Bag End and my daddy is Samwise Gardener."

Then she left. Aragorn smiled a little bashfully.

"When I met them they were two elves and they ambushed me at the bedroom door. I was dragged away and tied up for hostaging."

"So that's where you were for an hour," the elf mused, "Sam's children. Well, I never."

"Beautiful, are they not? Now, Legolas, how is Gimli faring?"

"Well, I would not say he is faring but rather unfaring. Come, Rosie says that if we occupy Gimli for her then she will feed us. And with the renown cooking skill of hobbits, I am quite happy to throw him out of the window for her."

They sprinted from the room and joined the dwarf who was now swathed in bandages. He grumbled at them and said nothing.

"Oh, poor Gimli," Aragorn laughed, "Never mind. It will soon be over and you will be allowed to do whatever you will."

Gimli just growled.

Rosie returned bearing cutlery which she pressed into her guests' hands and commanded them to lay the table. They did so without objection and then helped their friend down from where he lay and sat him down before a veritable feast. Elanor and her brother returned ready for bed and sat themselves down on either side of Aragorn. They talked and ate long into the night. Rosie was most interested about their part in the quest. Frodo- lad, the little hobbit, got the hiccups from excitement at the knowledge that his guests had actually fought at the famed Helm's Deep. Elanor asked question after question about Arwen and Eowyn, her heroines and she asked severally if they thought she resembled either. Aragorn smiled at her.

"You are like them in that you are beautiful, Elanor."

The little hobbit went bright red after that and did not say much else.

~

I was in a Shakespearean mood writing that as I have just seen one of his plays. Arg! My head is filled with 'pray tell' and 'soft what'