YAY! I AM BACK! AND I HAVE THE EXTENDED LOTR DVD, IT'S SOOOOOOOOO CHAMMY! AND I HAVE THE ONE RING!!!!!!! (sees people coming to have a look) NO! Stay away! It's mine! It's mine! Preciousssssssssss, it's my own, my love, my own, my Preciousssssssssss. (realises how stupid she looks and how she must be freaking people out with her creditable Gollum impressions)

Right.

Anyway i'm all sure that you want to read the next chapter so I'll just get strait to the review replies.

Ahem.

Daughter of the Night (formerly Åsa) - I have updated! Hope you like. Luv the new name, by the way.

Chrissie - I think you can work out who, miss flying elf girl. (blushes) Thanks. Homework's a bastard.

Elfie - Okay, the elvish phrase is yours, Elfie, not mine. Happy now! Did I explain it to you? I can't remember.

Catreen Dragonsword - NO ONE CAN RESIST THE PUPPY DOG EYES!!!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (cough) Ahem. Next time I'll get Frodo to do the eyes (cackle) Yes, mother/son would be cute.

LafiTafi - Lol, I sent you a snail. Thanks for the review, I luv reading your reviews, they make me laugh.

Mojo the Rock Chick Munchkin - Your a new one, one of Elfie's friends, right? Glad you liked it. Don't worry, I won't. Much.

Rebekka - I've tried to keep with the language. I miss it sometimes also. Yes, freak power. It's not a freak, it's the freak and it's miss freak to you. LOL! Neomail? I haven't checked there in ages, poor Lyn must be starving, I'll go after I've posted this chappy.


Right, I think that's everyone. Now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER! YAY!




Lyncorath awoke in total darkness. About a yard away from her Frodo was asleep. She sat up and could feel the warm light on her back.

"My tomato's burst."

"Could I have some bacon?"

"Ok. Want some tomatoes, Sam?"

Rath turned sharply.

"What in the name of the Valar do you think your doing!?" She screeched. Frodo awoke with a start at the sound.

The three hobbits had been crouched round a bright yellow fire, cooking.

"We-" started Merry.

"-were hungry and-" continued Pippin.

"-we decided to cook some dinner. We've saved some for you."

Rath was temporally speechless, how could anyone be so stupid? Frodo leapt to his feet and ran over to the small group.

"Put it out, you fools!" He told them urgently, stamping on the fire with his bare feet. "Put it out!"

"Oh, that's nice!" Complained Pippin. "Ash on my tomatoes..."

There was an ear piercing scream from the darkness surrounding them the chilled their hearts. In an instant Rath was up, axe in hand, scouring the night.

'Where's Eru damn Estel when you need him!' She thought. She could hear horses. She looked down the side of the hill and saw the riders encircling the hill. Frodo also noticed this. Drawing his sort her yelled to the other hobbits to climb to the top of the watch tower.

"GO!!"

The hobbits fled up the stone stairs, Rath keeping rear guard. Once the reached the top the hobbits huddled together while Rath stood a little apart from them, axe held out in fount of her, sharp eyes alight with green fire. Three of the Nazgul slowly climbed up the hill, swords drawn.

"Protect Frodo!" Commanded Rath as she walked forward to meet the wraiths.

"Give us the Halfling!" Snarled one of the nine.

"You are in no position to make demands considering the result of our last encounter." She told him tartly. The wraith screamed and launched at her along with it's companion. Rath threw herself into the battle, praying that he would be safe.

She was so intent on the battle that she did not see the leader of the wraiths pull the hobbits away from Frodo. The young hobbit backed away and stumbled. He crawled along the floor as his soul shrank within him. Seeing no other alternative. He slipped the Ring onto his finger.

The world around him shifted and became full of shadows. Before him he could see the Ringwraiths as they truly were. Great tall kings dressed in the robes of the dead, with helms of silver and swords of steel. He saw their pale faces and their terrible eyes. The Witch-King stepped forward and spoke to him in a language he did not understand but chilled his heart. He could feel the Ring pulling his hand up and he saw the Morgul Lord reach down to take it.

Then he saw it.

A shining white figure who was clothed in a robe of living flame. Hair as fluid as water streamed through the air as it's weapon swung round with the grace of a falling leaf to repel the pale figures facing it, and it turned to face him. The face was formed from divine, living light, as opposed to the deadly, sickly light of the Wraiths, there were no distinguishing features on the face except for the eyes.

These eyes seemed to fill the world with passionate green fire, to look into them was to look into a window of eternity. The eyes met his and spoke words in a language he did not know, but understood.

"Do not grant them what it is they seek."

Frodo's eyes widened, he knew who it was. "Lyncorath." The Hobbit murmured in awe, he felt his strength return and he pulled his hand away from the Witch King. The Lord of the Nazgul snarled and plunged the cold, pale dagger into Frodo's shoulder. The young Hobbit screamed, the sharp blade was like burning ice.

Lyncorath screamed her war cry of "ELBERETH!" and swung back her axe to strike the king when a dark shape leapt down with a yell to stand between Frodo and his assailant.

"Better late then never, Strider!" Greeted Rath as she continued her swing, the wraith she was aiming for ducked and Rath had to block it's sword with her axe handle. She heard another cry of pain and looked, Frodo had taken the Ring off and his face was screw up in pain.

Strider's blade rang as it clashed with one of the Wraiths and he then brought the flaming torch he held in his other hand down on the dark cloth that gave his opponent a physical form, setting it alight.

'Not a bad idea.' Thought Rath to herself. She broke away from the fray and brought her hand up, palm facing her enemies. The two Wraiths recognised this stance and tried desperately to move out of the way. They were not fast enough.

A thin beam of light burst forth from her hand and pierced on of the Wraiths, leaving a burning hole which caused the shroud to catch fire. The light them arched gracefully around and did the same thing to the other wraith. Screaming, they fled.

Strider ran over to her, waving his sword in a threatening manner to try and deter the wraiths. Rath caught sight of the Wraith king and he turned his blank face to look at her. The Istari snatched the torch from the ranger and flung it at the Wraiths head. It became embedded in it's face, right between where they eyes would be normally, and the head burst into flame. Screaming, the Lord of the Nazgul retreated, following his fellows into the darkness. Rath smiled to herself, but it quickly faded.

"Strider! Rath!" Yelled Sam. The Ranger and Istari ran over. Frodo was gasping in pain. Rath knelt down next to him and began to probe (A/N: Shut up Elfie!) the wound in his shoulder. Her face grew grave. Strider picked up the fallen blade and cursed as it melted.

"He has been stabbed by a Morgul blade." He threw the hilt to the ground in frustration.

Rath rose suddenly and ran back to where their packs lay. She pulled her own open and began to rummage round in it, muttering.....

~*~ FLASHBACK ~*~

Aftalei stood before a weeping woman clothed in the robe of mourning. She was Nienna the Weeper, the Valar goddess of grief, pity and suffering that brings wisdom and endurance beyond hope, and she bade farewell to her only handmaiden.

Aftalei looked at the small phial that her mistress had presented her. Within was a substance a thousand times more precious that mithril. The Tears of Nienna.

"From the water of these tears much is born that is unlooked for, yet it is often that which sustains life." Nienna told her. "Use them sparingly, Aftalei, for they have the power to heal and fill others with hope and the spirit to endure and I fear that the world is in need of such things."

The Maiar closed her fist tightly over the phial and looked the Valar in the eye.

"I will."

~*~ END FLASHBACK ~*~

Rath snarled a few curses under her breath as she upended the contents of her bag onto the floor. Strider came up behind her.

"Rath? What are you looking for?"

Rath ignored him and shut her eyes tightly and concentrated. "Where is it?" She murmured. Her eyes slammed open in horror.

~*~ FLASHBACK ~*~

"Estel! Estel! ARAGORN! Will you wait a moment!"

The dark clothed Ranger sighed and turned to the woman who was struggling with her horse. "Can you at least attempt to get you beast moving Rath?" He asked in an irritated tone.

"Milord Aragorn, son of Arathorn, you know very well that no one can get a horse through the Midgewater Marshes. Not even the future son-in-law of Elrond Halfelven." Lyncorath told him peevishly. "I'll have to send her back to Rivendell, give me a moment to unpack my goods."

She sighed and patted her horse on the neck. "He's so inpatient Kathred. Well, I suppose I can't blame him. His destiny is racing to meet him in the south." She sighed and finished packing he belongings into her pack. Rath was a light traveller needing only a spare change of clothes, her blanket, food and her weapons. She began to do a mental checklist

'Lets see I have Angabrac (this was the name of her mighty battle axe, it meant Shadow Bane), my mace, knife, food, blanket, clothes, Te-'

"Rath! Hurry up! We must get to Bree before nightfall! The Wraiths are bound to be on the Hobbit's trail!"

"Ohh. . ." Rath muttered some incoherent curses as she swung her pack onto her back. She then turned to Kathred. "Make your way speedily to Rivendell, old friend, where we shall meet again soon. Arian will take care of you." She gave Kathred a final pat and the horse trotted away, taking it's mistresses unpacked belonging with it.

Rath sighed and turned to follow Aragorn through the quagmire.

~*~ END FLASHBACK ~*~

Rath rose to her feet and rounded angrily on Strider. "You IDIOT!"

"I beg your-ARGH!" Rath had thrown him against the wall behind him and now had her hand around his throat.

"If you hadn't had been so impatient I would have brought it!" She hissed.

"Brought what?" He gasped.

"The Tears." Strider's eyes went wide. "They're still on Kathred and are probably in Imladris at this very moment." She withdrew her hand from the Rangers throat and Strider began to breath once again.

"Rath, I am sorry-" he began but Rath cut him off.

"Bring Frodo and the weapon that wounded him to me. Pack up the camp and tell the other hobbits to do likewise." Strider nodded meekly and carried Frodo down, followed by the other three hobbits. He placed Frodo down on a blanket and began to pack up the camp, motioning for the hobbits to do the same, but the Halflings were watching Rath, fascinated, as she sat cross-legged next to Frodo with the hilt of the blade in her lap. She held her hands over it, palms facing down and chanted something under her breath, eyes half closed. This went on for five minutes before Rath threw the accursed thing away from her in helpless rage.

"Gah! This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine."

"We're six days from Rivendell! He'll never make it!" Wailed Sam. Rath ignored him, the last thing she wanted to deal with was a hysterical Halfling. She motioned for Strider to carry Frodo and organised the hobbits.

"We must leave this place as quickly as we may." She told them. Rath started to lead them into the darkness, her torch held high, when Pippin (who, in Rath's opinion, was a few stars short of a constellation) asked:

"What will happen now?"

Rath shot Strider a withering look and he lowered his eyes. Her eyes met with Pippin's and it seemed to the young hobbit that they glowed like two distant stars hidden by the evening mists.

"I will lead you." She told him and the group, lead by a tall woman with flowing hair strode out until even the flickering orange light of the torch was lost in the darkness.



Huzzah! The chapter is finished! Okay, in the next chapters we're gonna be leaving Rath and the Hobbits as we see just what the other Istari girls are up to as well as what Sauron plans to do with poor Nilia. Cliff hangerie enough for ya?

(Yawn) Now i'm going sleepy time now. (Gets out a hat with a note pinned to it saying 'Do not disturb. Please leave all review here for author to collect'. Then the authoress curls up in a foetal position with her thumb in her gob and goes to sleep.)

Reviews pweaze!