Chapter 18



She kept thinking about her world. About fast food and cars and her bikes, which must be filthy from not being polished in awhile. Hillary should have to handle that when she's off on some of her secret missions. But how secret was this mission? She sighed, her head drooping to her side in attempt to get in a better position. Sitting the same way for hours was rather uncomfortable.

Lara turned her head around, idly checking out the others. Everyone seemed quite use to the prospect of sitting the same exact way without even moving a muscle. Well, everyone except herself and the Hobbits. They kept whispering back to one another and Lara couldn't help but notice Frodo, out of all of them, looked scared.

Scared of a bunch of Elves? Lara thought, looking over at Galadriel, Celeborn and a bunch of other Elves, all singing softly over the fellowship. Lara would guess they were singing farewell songs, just like they had Gandalf, but she wasn't sure why Frodo seemed so afraid. All of a sudden, too.

Oh well, it wasn't like he had anything to accomplish in the next 48 hours.

Lara had convinced herself of the plan she's been replaying over in her mind for the last two days already. It was perfect, it was selfless and it was a pretty damn good idea too. All she had to do was wait until the fellowship fell asleep the night they will camp, and she will take Frodo's Ring and her Ring watch and leave for Mordor, Gondor or wherever it was she had to dump the bloody things in.

They won't know, and what they don't know won't hurt them, won't it?

She glanced back at the boats that had been set out for everyone to take. Aragorn appointed Lara to take Merry and Pippin, and she wasn't ready to baby sit a couple of Hobbits if he plan was going to be taken full advantage on. Lara had it all worked out. This must not be ruined by a bunch of Hobbits.

She sighed and turned back around. She caught eyes with Legolas, who was watching her intently from across the circle. He seemed to be reading her mind from the way he was watching her and it made her nervous. Could Elves have those sort of powers as well as walking quietly and hearing perfectly? Are they unstoppable of anything?

Well, she suppose the gaze was because she's been avoiding him for the past three nights.

For a good reason too. If he hadn't started this whole heated argument with Aragorn about having Lara stay in Lorien and finish some work with Galadriel, she would have been sitting beside him right now and talking and laughing...

Lara's thoughts were cut off by the mention of her name. She looked up to see everyone watching her.

"Lara?" Galadriel asked again, her eyes looking at her unblinkingly.

Lara smiled genuinely and nodded in response. Truthfully, she wasn't really frightened of Galadriel, just the power she had over her. She was so beautiful... so smart and so trustworthy. The way she said her name felt like her own mother was saying it... but she couldn't remember her mother so she blinked in frustration and...

"Lara, do you mind staying away from your thoughts long enough for myself to say something?" She asked.

The Hobbits giggled but Lara chose to ignore them.

"Sorry, my lady..." She really was.

"Understandable." Celeborn said, appearing to be reading her mind just like Legolas. "Now, you will need to answer the lady's question, Lara Croft, for the question is really an answer. We just need yours."

Lara blinked. What had Galadriel asked her? Stupid Legolas, always distracting her. And all these bloody thoughts weren't helping the matter either, and Galadriel was being very patient about it. Aside from Celeborn, Lara was feeling relaxed with the conversation between herself and Galadriel. Taking a deep breath, Lara smiled.

"May you ask it again, Lady?" She replied.

"Surely you did not hear it the first time, so I shall." Galadriel covered her hands over another and took a step towards Lara. "I would like to know what you desire on this trip. The fate is held close to you and perhaps I can offer a little comfort by awarding you with what you desire most. So, Lara Croft of Earth, what may that desire be?"

My desire? Lara couldn't possibly think of anything she wanted, especially now, since she must think of it. She looked back up at Galadriel and saw that, once again, she was being patient and continued to smile down at her. That was true comfort, and Lara knew what she wanted. It was quite simple, of course, thanks to the Lady.

"What I desire," Lara whispered softly, only that Galadriel could hear her. "is for the fellowship to stay sleeping and never wake up from this nightmare. I want to continue on this mission by myself, with no one beside me, especially Legolas."

Galadriel seemed to rethink her request over in her head, and the smile vanished completely from the Lady's face. It was tense and thoughtful, and she was still staring unblinkingly at Lara, and it still did not make Lara uncomfortable. What made Lara nervous was the response she was going to dread.

"Lara..." Her voice was deep, low and all together concerned. "I cannot grant you that sort of desire, when the desire is requested from other than yourself. I must ask it of you to take careful consideration with your decisions, Lara. Make sure that you are certain."

What exactly did she mean by that? Lara was quite certain of what he decisions were, and she didn't need some pretty Elf telling her what her decisions were. Angrily Lara turned away and looked down at her hands, which were shaking violently. Galadriel requested desires from the others.

How dare she though... the nerve. No one has ever told Lara Croft how she should decide things. The last person that did that ended with a bloody nose and a nasal infection for two weeks straight. She suddenly sighed.

She wished Hillary would just take care of those damn bikes.


"Noon." Lara stated, looking up at the sky.

Aragorn came up beside her and nodded. "It is close to it. We must head off now, if we want to get in a good start."

"Everyone's rested?" Lara asked, before Aragorn could walk away.

He was silent for a moment. "Yes."

"Good." Lara muttered, and heaving her bag closer on her shoulder, she headed towards her boat, which was already crowded with two curly haired Hobbits. Lara smiled down at them and gently entered the boat. "Good morning."

"Afternoon." Pippin corrected. "I heard you saying it was almost noon."

"Well, it feels like morning, doesn't it Lara?" Merry asked.

Lara frowned and looked back up at the sky. Somehow it seemed strange to read the time from a different world to her, and indeed it did not feel noon. It felt much earlier and Lara stretched out her arms. She was surprised how incredibly tired she was. Maybe all this thinking has been keeping her from getting enough sleep. Oh well, she thought, my plan is still going to work.

Before grabbing both silver paddles from the side of the boat, she caught sight of Legolas, who was speaking silently to a female Elf way in the corner of his boat. Lara's eyes widened and her grip tightened around the paddles handle. Blood rushed to her face and her body began to tremble. How dare he? How dare he speak to another woman...

Lara suddenly frowned. She wasn't a woman. She was a beautiful, blonde Elf.

That made Lara even more angry and her grip around the paddle tightened and it suddenly broke off, the chips of wood flying into the air. Lara came from her reverie from the snap of the paddle and she quickly realized what had happened.

Merry and Pippin were looking at her strangely and she gritted her teeth from blushing. Everyone noticed and the elves who had set out the boats quickly came with a new paddle and slowly walked away from her. She sighed and took a quick glance at Legolas.

He was watching her curiously from the corner with the Elf, and from what Lara could tell, he wasn't amused.

"Neither am I." She mumbled, following suite behind Aragorn, who began to paddle away from shore.

Legolas and Gimli were in the boat last, as Lara and Boromir directed their boats in the middle. Aragorn had the lead in the front and Lara laughed along with Merry and Pippin, as they joked about a boat race.

"I use to have boat races when I was a child." Lara told them, her arms tightened from paddling down the river.

"Really?" They asked together, amazed.

"Yes. My- my father use to let me steer the boat along the shore. It was absolutely amazing." She took a deep breath. "I always loved going on my boat with my father."

"What?" Pippin asked. "Don't you do it with him anymore?"

Lara, thankful that she was way in the front so they could not see the look on her face, shook her head.

"My father... he's.." She couldn't quite tell them her father was dead, even though it was years and years ago. "He died many years ago..."

"Oh." Pippin's voice lowered and he sighed. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright." Lara reassured him, heaving the paddle up more since she steered over a rock buried somewhere under the water.

No, it wasn't alright. At least to Lara, talking about her father was one of the most difficult things to do. Even though it was years ago, that horrible day about hearing her father's death kept haunting her dreams over and over again. And though she fought the man who murdered her father, it still wasn't enough to make her feel better.

He was gone, and she wasn't.

Maybe after returning back to her time, she can sort something out to help her. Yes. That's what she will do.

A voice in the back of her mind, however, told her otherwise.

You will return, not to Earth, but to me.

It was the same, haunting voice that's been speaking to her ever since she escaped the mines.

The same, evil voice that's trying to corrupt the fellowship.

The voice of Saruman.