"Okay," I said, stumbling out of the bathroom and into the room where the
guys (having woken up several hours before any of the girls got up) sat
around, joking, "Who left the toilet seat up?"
Merry smirked, and looked at Pippin. "Told you so."
"Told me what?! It was you!"
I rolled my eyes and proceeded to make some toast. I looked at the clock. It was eight fifty. I groaned inwardly and put the toast in. I sensed Frodo behind me and I grinned. He put his arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder. I covered his hands with my own and he placed a soft kiss on my neck. We both sighed in unison.
"I love you," I whispered. For a moment, I thought he hadn't heard me. Then his voice came in my head.
"What are we going to do when this is over?"
"Get dead drunk and celebrate."
He smiled. "No, I mean, what are we going to do? Where are we going?"
"Well, we could go back to Middle Earth."
"Yeah.but would you want to? You seem pretty well settled here."
"But here holds no meaning. It's Middle Earth where my heart lies. And sure, this world has its perks. But, really, if I lived forty years in Middle Earth, I could live till the end of my days there. But would I be able to go back?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
"I'm dead, remember?"
"Well, I've been trying to push that away since I got here. I'd almost forgotten, trying to find you."
"So.I guess I have to stay here."
"I wish."
"What?"
"Nevermind."
"No, really, what?"
"I wish that it had been me instead of you."
I turned around in his arms and looped my hands behind his neck.
"Frodo, if I had my whole life to live over again, that would be on the top of the list of things I would not change. I do not regret the sacrifices I've made. My intention in that was not to be a hero, but to save you."
"But I knew it was coming. I could have stopped it. I could have."
"No," I said, putting a finger to his lips. "You could not have changed it. And I don't truly believe I could have changed it, either, even if I had wanted to."
"Why not?"
"Frodo, do you realize that it's better this way?"
"How?"
"Frodo.if it had been you instead of me, we wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be saying this; you wouldn't have your arms around me. You didn't come from a different world, but I did. That means that now, we're both alive. I'm here, you're here, and we're together. And that's all that has to matter."
He smiled and kissed me gently. I pulled away when he was just about to deepen the kiss.
"Hold that thought."
"Until when?" he asked, half-complaining.
"Until tomorrow."
"Who knows if it will come?" he muttered, as I turned away to tend to my rumbling stomach.
"It will." I said.
"How do you know?"
"I have my ways," I said, turning to him and tapping his nose with my finger.
~*~
"Okay.so.what are we going to do? We still don't have any sort of a plan." Pippin said.
"YOU don't have any sort of a plan, my dear hobbit."
"Hee hee.Merry, she called me her 'dear hobbit'."
I glared at Pippin mock-threateningly, but then grinned.
"Okay.here's the plan. One of us will be the decoy. Gandalf, you said that Sauron has possessed Wormtongue?"
The wizard nodded.
"Shit, that man doesn't die. How does he keep coming back?"
"He's perhaps more powerful than we previously imagined."
"He's mortal, though."
"Apparently not. He's been 'killed' several times now."
"Well."
"By the hobbits, after Frodo's first journey. By several blows, at Cirith Ungol. And then, the third time, at Khazad-Dum."
"Is it possible that he's been possessed by Sauron ever since before that? That would make sense.since he's unable to be destroyed?"
"Not much is known of the origins of Sauron, but he is immortal. Or so it would seem."
"Damn.okay. So, as we all know, Wormtongue is very fond of what he would deem 'intellectual engagement'. We need to set up a decoy who he would see as worthy of talking to."
"And who would that be, exactly?" Frodo asked, in a way that made it very clear that he knew who I had in mind.
I sighed. "Me."
"But why you? I'll go instead." Frodo said.
"No. I'm the one he'll want. I've gotten out of worse scrapes before, I can do it again."
"No.please, Leah.let me go," he pleaded, though he knew it would be fruitless.
"I'm going, and that's settled. Now, I looked at my list, and it looks as though in each element there is a couple.that is, a girl and a guy who are romantically involved. So- for the Fire couple, I chose Rachel and Sam Gamgee. For Earth, it's Ivy and Merry. For Air, Nikki and Leggy-" Legolas glared- "And for Water, the other Nikki and Sam."
Elrond spoke up. "No. Use yourself and Frodo for Earth."
"Why?" I asked, puzzled.
"Trust me," He said.
"Okay..so, Frodo and I for Earth. Sorry, Ivy, sorry, Merry."
"So.I have eight pendants and four scarves in this bag." I pulled out a medium-sized green knit bag. I emptied its contents onto the table. Inside were green, yellow, blue, and red scarves, along with eight small metal pendants inlaid with stone on metal chains. These were four pairs of matching pendants- two were inlaid with agate, with a swirl in the middle, two were inlaid with carnelian, with a fire rune in the middle, two were inlaid with sapphire with three squiggly lines in the center, and the fourth pair were inlaid with emerald and had a carving of a tree and the surrounding hillside in the center. I handed the agate pendants to Nikki and Legolas, the carnelian pendants to Rachel and Sam Gamgee, the sapphire pendants to Nikki and Sam, and then gave one of the emerald pendants to Frodo and kept one for myself.
"Put them on," I instructed.
"Where'd you get these?" Rachel asked. "They're beautiful."
"Yeah," Nikki snickered, throwing a look at Andrea. "They're beautiful, you should get one in every color."
"Shut up," Andrea muttered.
"An old funky junk shop."
"So what are the scarves for?" Elrond asked.
"We get each couple in a different area near Wormtongue when Elrond summons the portal, wearing the pendants and each person in the couple holding a corner of the scarf. The scarves are for color symbolism."
"Okay.then what?" Frodo asked.
"Well, I go to wherever he is. I do whatever it takes to get to where the portal is being summoned, and where the other seven of you are. Then I get my ass over to Frodo and to the other end of the green scarf, and then abracadabra, no more Sauron."
"It's so crazy, it just might work." Aragorn said.
~*~
"Hello? Is this Joey Hohler?"
"Why, yes. May I ask who this is?"
"Leah Underhill. Do you-"
"Leah Underhill?! Wow...it's been so long! How are you doing, love?!"
"Oh, I'm pretty good."
"Hey, right now I can't talk, but we should get together sometime. Hey, d'you wanna come to the Santana concert tonight? I can get you tickets, backstage passes, a whole bunch of shit."
"Well.I'd love to, but I've got some friends visiting right now, so-"
"Well, how many of them are there?"
"Ummm.fourteen. Including me."
"I can get you all in for free.backstage passes, the whole works."
"Really?"
"Sure. I'm going town to Central park right now to set up. Come on down and I'll get you your tickets and stuff."
"Okay. I'll meet you at the north benches at noon?"
"Sounds great!"
"M'kay. See you then!"
"Kay..Buh-bye."
"Bye!"
~*~
"Alright.Ladies and gentlemen.and Legolas."
"Hey!" Legolas exclaimed after about five seconds of working it out.
"I have got us backstage passes for tonight."
"Yes!" Aragorn said. "Victory dance. Backstage passes for Santana!"
"Not to meet them, Aragorn. To go backstage, so we can defeat Sauron, who is powerful enough to kick our asses?"
"Oh yeah.him." Aragorn said.
~*~
Elrond and Gandalf had, earlier that day, risked looking in the palantir to catch a glimpse of what Wormtongue looked like in this world. When we arrived at the concert, they scanned through the crowd to find him. He was in the corner. He looked very much at home in this crowd, with short, somewhat spiky hair, dark glasses, and dark clothing. Very Matrix-esque.
"Alright," I said. I'll lure him over to that area," I said, pointing to a small group of trees to the right of the stage. The area was clear of people and equipment, and had several small bushes where the seven elementals could hide. Elrond, Gandalf, be ready to summon it very quickly. How long will it take once you start?"
"Thirty seconds at least," Elrond said. "Give us a signal and count thirty seconds before going over to Frodo."
"Okay, I'll.cross my arms, shall I?"
Elrond nodded.
"Be careful," Frodo said. I put on my brown jacket to shield against the wind which was picking up. I kissed him on the cheek.
"I will." I took one last loving look into the depths of his eyes and started to turn away when he placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned back to him.
"Leah.there's something I want to tell you, if."
"I'm coming back."
"You're right. I'll tell you later."
"Okay. Tell them to get ready. Have the scarf ready."
"Alright. I love you," He said, almost pleadingly.
"I'll be okay," I said. "It'll work out."
"I know. Go, you don't have much time."
Everyone mingled away, making their way bit by bit over to the small clearing in the park. I saw Frodo watch me move over to the side area, where Wormtongue sat. I put on some dark sunglasses in hopes that, just maybe, he wouldn't recognize me. Suddenly I desperately wished I had a sword with me. The old familiar of a sword hung by my belt would have been infinitely more comforting than the emptiness that now took its place. I wondered if I should confront him or play dumb. When I had almost reached the edge of the crowd, I decided confrontation would be best.
"Alright," I said firmly, approaching him. "Get over here, asshole."
"Excuse me?" he asked, so sincerely that for a second I wondered if Elrond and Gandalf had made a mistake. Then I recognized the faint smirk on his face.
"You heard me. Get over there, out of earshot."
"May I ask why I shouldn't just kill you now?"
"Because you're standing in a crowd of people. And," I added hesitantly, "Wouldn't it be so much more satisfying to kill the other members of my fellowship, too?"
I felt guilty immediately after having said this but realized that leverage was necessary.
"Alright, brat. Over to this clearing."
I praised whatever forces made him say that, and also whatever forces made him turn and lead the way. He must have been confident that Sauron's power was too great for me alone to defeat, which it was.
It was about a hundred feet to the small clearing. As we neared it, a hand I recognized as belonging to Legolas reached out and handed me a sword. My sword. Frodo must have brought it with him somehow. It was very comforting to carry that familiar weight again; no matter what funny looks I received from innocent passerby.
We entered the clearing and, with a sweep of Wormtongue's hand, there was suddenly a sort of barrier surrounding the clearing.
"No one can get in or out, no one can see in." He said, and drew a sword from where had previously been air. I bit my lip nervously and crossed my arms (rather awkwardly, due to the fact I was still holding a sword).
"So," I said, beginning to mentally count, "What? Not talking, just violence?"
"Well, what would you have me say?"
"Well, normally you like to engage in what you consider to be 'intelligent' conversation."
"Well."
I could not let him have the upper hand, so I interrupted him.
"Let me ask you something. Why don't you ever die?"
"Sauron took precautions long ago to make sure that his spirit would never be fully lost. I suppose, as long as I'm going to kill you, that there's no harm in telling you the Ring wasn't the only thing that Sauron poured his power into."
"What else was there?"
"Something that only he and one other knew existed. You could only find it if you already knew where it was. And so he keeps it well guarded in the unlikeliest of places, with all sorts of protection he never used on the Rings of Power. But, now, to work."
He put up his sword and my counting reached thirty. I dodged out of the way, and a blue orb started to encompass the clearing. I dove for where Frodo stood. But something went wrong. I never made it to Frodo. I felt this feeling for a moment like agonizing heat, then complete emptiness, no feeling or sense of gravity, vision, or any feeling at all. Suddenly I was hyper-aware; my feet were on the ground, I was suddenly back in clothing such as what I'd wear back home in Middle-Earth, My sword felt cool in my hand. The wind blew through my hair, and I could feel a thin sheen of seat covering my face, arms, and legs. However, I was not a hobbit. I was a human.
"Shit," I muttered. "What the hell?"
"Well, Leah.It looks like it's just you and me."
"Yeah.Three's company, I guess."
"Are you ready to die?"
"Just like last time, I guess."
"Ah, yes, so you remember your last little episode. Well, this time it will be for good.in any world!"
He charged at me and I could almost sense he would do so before he moved. He swung his sword at me, and I blocked it effortlessly. He jabbed in to get me, and I blocked this too. I made a counter-attack, sweeping in from the side, and actually got close enough to slash his cloak.
"You think fighting me will be of any use? I can't die!"
"No, but you may be subdued."
"You, however, are as mortal as any other being on this planet and will die."
I found myself about thirty feet away from him. I brandished my sword and held it above my head and ran at him. He blocked all of my attacks. I always got close, but not close enough. Then his sword was flat against mine, both of us unyielding.
"Not if I can help it." I said, and pulled back to drive my sword straight into his chest. I then pulled it out and continued to block and counter- attack. He paused while a few feet from me, touched two fingers delicately to his blood-soaked tunic. He held them up, and the faint sun shone on the blood, red as a rose.
"It's of no concern," he said, and went back to fighting. Twice more I ran him through with my sword, and each time the wound showed but did not affect his stamina. He got close to getting to me, but I dodged each blow with surprising ease.
"So what'll it be, girl? You're not going to win."
"I've won already."
"How?"
"By not giving into your bullshit," I went back into fighting mode and gave him a blow which left a slit from nose to ear.
"You are going to die," He screamed. I saw something over his shoulder and heard a voice inside my head.
"So be it," I said. I knelt down and dropped my sword. His eyes widened and he hesitated, before he lunged for me. A quick roll to my right and in a few moments, I was on my feet and he toppled over for lack of balance. I drove my sword into his chest, flipped him over with my foot, and had him pinned there.
"Leah!" Frodo called. It was his face I'd seen over Wormtongue's shoulder, encapsuled in a glowing blue orb. I gave Wormtongue one last blow and then ran as fast as my feet could carry me to Frodo, who was hobbit and thus about two feet shorter than me. I almost laughed at this but then realized this was serious. I could tease him about it later. "Grab on!" he said, and out of the blue orb came a hand with a Forest green scarf hanging out of it.
"Leah." He said anxiously, "Hurry." I looked behind me as I grabbed the scarf and there was Wormtongue, running at me. Just as his blow fell, I closed my eyes and once more felt an immense heat, but not before I felt a sharp pain spread throughout my entire back.
~*~
Merry smirked, and looked at Pippin. "Told you so."
"Told me what?! It was you!"
I rolled my eyes and proceeded to make some toast. I looked at the clock. It was eight fifty. I groaned inwardly and put the toast in. I sensed Frodo behind me and I grinned. He put his arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder. I covered his hands with my own and he placed a soft kiss on my neck. We both sighed in unison.
"I love you," I whispered. For a moment, I thought he hadn't heard me. Then his voice came in my head.
"What are we going to do when this is over?"
"Get dead drunk and celebrate."
He smiled. "No, I mean, what are we going to do? Where are we going?"
"Well, we could go back to Middle Earth."
"Yeah.but would you want to? You seem pretty well settled here."
"But here holds no meaning. It's Middle Earth where my heart lies. And sure, this world has its perks. But, really, if I lived forty years in Middle Earth, I could live till the end of my days there. But would I be able to go back?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
"I'm dead, remember?"
"Well, I've been trying to push that away since I got here. I'd almost forgotten, trying to find you."
"So.I guess I have to stay here."
"I wish."
"What?"
"Nevermind."
"No, really, what?"
"I wish that it had been me instead of you."
I turned around in his arms and looped my hands behind his neck.
"Frodo, if I had my whole life to live over again, that would be on the top of the list of things I would not change. I do not regret the sacrifices I've made. My intention in that was not to be a hero, but to save you."
"But I knew it was coming. I could have stopped it. I could have."
"No," I said, putting a finger to his lips. "You could not have changed it. And I don't truly believe I could have changed it, either, even if I had wanted to."
"Why not?"
"Frodo, do you realize that it's better this way?"
"How?"
"Frodo.if it had been you instead of me, we wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be saying this; you wouldn't have your arms around me. You didn't come from a different world, but I did. That means that now, we're both alive. I'm here, you're here, and we're together. And that's all that has to matter."
He smiled and kissed me gently. I pulled away when he was just about to deepen the kiss.
"Hold that thought."
"Until when?" he asked, half-complaining.
"Until tomorrow."
"Who knows if it will come?" he muttered, as I turned away to tend to my rumbling stomach.
"It will." I said.
"How do you know?"
"I have my ways," I said, turning to him and tapping his nose with my finger.
~*~
"Okay.so.what are we going to do? We still don't have any sort of a plan." Pippin said.
"YOU don't have any sort of a plan, my dear hobbit."
"Hee hee.Merry, she called me her 'dear hobbit'."
I glared at Pippin mock-threateningly, but then grinned.
"Okay.here's the plan. One of us will be the decoy. Gandalf, you said that Sauron has possessed Wormtongue?"
The wizard nodded.
"Shit, that man doesn't die. How does he keep coming back?"
"He's perhaps more powerful than we previously imagined."
"He's mortal, though."
"Apparently not. He's been 'killed' several times now."
"Well."
"By the hobbits, after Frodo's first journey. By several blows, at Cirith Ungol. And then, the third time, at Khazad-Dum."
"Is it possible that he's been possessed by Sauron ever since before that? That would make sense.since he's unable to be destroyed?"
"Not much is known of the origins of Sauron, but he is immortal. Or so it would seem."
"Damn.okay. So, as we all know, Wormtongue is very fond of what he would deem 'intellectual engagement'. We need to set up a decoy who he would see as worthy of talking to."
"And who would that be, exactly?" Frodo asked, in a way that made it very clear that he knew who I had in mind.
I sighed. "Me."
"But why you? I'll go instead." Frodo said.
"No. I'm the one he'll want. I've gotten out of worse scrapes before, I can do it again."
"No.please, Leah.let me go," he pleaded, though he knew it would be fruitless.
"I'm going, and that's settled. Now, I looked at my list, and it looks as though in each element there is a couple.that is, a girl and a guy who are romantically involved. So- for the Fire couple, I chose Rachel and Sam Gamgee. For Earth, it's Ivy and Merry. For Air, Nikki and Leggy-" Legolas glared- "And for Water, the other Nikki and Sam."
Elrond spoke up. "No. Use yourself and Frodo for Earth."
"Why?" I asked, puzzled.
"Trust me," He said.
"Okay..so, Frodo and I for Earth. Sorry, Ivy, sorry, Merry."
"So.I have eight pendants and four scarves in this bag." I pulled out a medium-sized green knit bag. I emptied its contents onto the table. Inside were green, yellow, blue, and red scarves, along with eight small metal pendants inlaid with stone on metal chains. These were four pairs of matching pendants- two were inlaid with agate, with a swirl in the middle, two were inlaid with carnelian, with a fire rune in the middle, two were inlaid with sapphire with three squiggly lines in the center, and the fourth pair were inlaid with emerald and had a carving of a tree and the surrounding hillside in the center. I handed the agate pendants to Nikki and Legolas, the carnelian pendants to Rachel and Sam Gamgee, the sapphire pendants to Nikki and Sam, and then gave one of the emerald pendants to Frodo and kept one for myself.
"Put them on," I instructed.
"Where'd you get these?" Rachel asked. "They're beautiful."
"Yeah," Nikki snickered, throwing a look at Andrea. "They're beautiful, you should get one in every color."
"Shut up," Andrea muttered.
"An old funky junk shop."
"So what are the scarves for?" Elrond asked.
"We get each couple in a different area near Wormtongue when Elrond summons the portal, wearing the pendants and each person in the couple holding a corner of the scarf. The scarves are for color symbolism."
"Okay.then what?" Frodo asked.
"Well, I go to wherever he is. I do whatever it takes to get to where the portal is being summoned, and where the other seven of you are. Then I get my ass over to Frodo and to the other end of the green scarf, and then abracadabra, no more Sauron."
"It's so crazy, it just might work." Aragorn said.
~*~
"Hello? Is this Joey Hohler?"
"Why, yes. May I ask who this is?"
"Leah Underhill. Do you-"
"Leah Underhill?! Wow...it's been so long! How are you doing, love?!"
"Oh, I'm pretty good."
"Hey, right now I can't talk, but we should get together sometime. Hey, d'you wanna come to the Santana concert tonight? I can get you tickets, backstage passes, a whole bunch of shit."
"Well.I'd love to, but I've got some friends visiting right now, so-"
"Well, how many of them are there?"
"Ummm.fourteen. Including me."
"I can get you all in for free.backstage passes, the whole works."
"Really?"
"Sure. I'm going town to Central park right now to set up. Come on down and I'll get you your tickets and stuff."
"Okay. I'll meet you at the north benches at noon?"
"Sounds great!"
"M'kay. See you then!"
"Kay..Buh-bye."
"Bye!"
~*~
"Alright.Ladies and gentlemen.and Legolas."
"Hey!" Legolas exclaimed after about five seconds of working it out.
"I have got us backstage passes for tonight."
"Yes!" Aragorn said. "Victory dance. Backstage passes for Santana!"
"Not to meet them, Aragorn. To go backstage, so we can defeat Sauron, who is powerful enough to kick our asses?"
"Oh yeah.him." Aragorn said.
~*~
Elrond and Gandalf had, earlier that day, risked looking in the palantir to catch a glimpse of what Wormtongue looked like in this world. When we arrived at the concert, they scanned through the crowd to find him. He was in the corner. He looked very much at home in this crowd, with short, somewhat spiky hair, dark glasses, and dark clothing. Very Matrix-esque.
"Alright," I said. I'll lure him over to that area," I said, pointing to a small group of trees to the right of the stage. The area was clear of people and equipment, and had several small bushes where the seven elementals could hide. Elrond, Gandalf, be ready to summon it very quickly. How long will it take once you start?"
"Thirty seconds at least," Elrond said. "Give us a signal and count thirty seconds before going over to Frodo."
"Okay, I'll.cross my arms, shall I?"
Elrond nodded.
"Be careful," Frodo said. I put on my brown jacket to shield against the wind which was picking up. I kissed him on the cheek.
"I will." I took one last loving look into the depths of his eyes and started to turn away when he placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned back to him.
"Leah.there's something I want to tell you, if."
"I'm coming back."
"You're right. I'll tell you later."
"Okay. Tell them to get ready. Have the scarf ready."
"Alright. I love you," He said, almost pleadingly.
"I'll be okay," I said. "It'll work out."
"I know. Go, you don't have much time."
Everyone mingled away, making their way bit by bit over to the small clearing in the park. I saw Frodo watch me move over to the side area, where Wormtongue sat. I put on some dark sunglasses in hopes that, just maybe, he wouldn't recognize me. Suddenly I desperately wished I had a sword with me. The old familiar of a sword hung by my belt would have been infinitely more comforting than the emptiness that now took its place. I wondered if I should confront him or play dumb. When I had almost reached the edge of the crowd, I decided confrontation would be best.
"Alright," I said firmly, approaching him. "Get over here, asshole."
"Excuse me?" he asked, so sincerely that for a second I wondered if Elrond and Gandalf had made a mistake. Then I recognized the faint smirk on his face.
"You heard me. Get over there, out of earshot."
"May I ask why I shouldn't just kill you now?"
"Because you're standing in a crowd of people. And," I added hesitantly, "Wouldn't it be so much more satisfying to kill the other members of my fellowship, too?"
I felt guilty immediately after having said this but realized that leverage was necessary.
"Alright, brat. Over to this clearing."
I praised whatever forces made him say that, and also whatever forces made him turn and lead the way. He must have been confident that Sauron's power was too great for me alone to defeat, which it was.
It was about a hundred feet to the small clearing. As we neared it, a hand I recognized as belonging to Legolas reached out and handed me a sword. My sword. Frodo must have brought it with him somehow. It was very comforting to carry that familiar weight again; no matter what funny looks I received from innocent passerby.
We entered the clearing and, with a sweep of Wormtongue's hand, there was suddenly a sort of barrier surrounding the clearing.
"No one can get in or out, no one can see in." He said, and drew a sword from where had previously been air. I bit my lip nervously and crossed my arms (rather awkwardly, due to the fact I was still holding a sword).
"So," I said, beginning to mentally count, "What? Not talking, just violence?"
"Well, what would you have me say?"
"Well, normally you like to engage in what you consider to be 'intelligent' conversation."
"Well."
I could not let him have the upper hand, so I interrupted him.
"Let me ask you something. Why don't you ever die?"
"Sauron took precautions long ago to make sure that his spirit would never be fully lost. I suppose, as long as I'm going to kill you, that there's no harm in telling you the Ring wasn't the only thing that Sauron poured his power into."
"What else was there?"
"Something that only he and one other knew existed. You could only find it if you already knew where it was. And so he keeps it well guarded in the unlikeliest of places, with all sorts of protection he never used on the Rings of Power. But, now, to work."
He put up his sword and my counting reached thirty. I dodged out of the way, and a blue orb started to encompass the clearing. I dove for where Frodo stood. But something went wrong. I never made it to Frodo. I felt this feeling for a moment like agonizing heat, then complete emptiness, no feeling or sense of gravity, vision, or any feeling at all. Suddenly I was hyper-aware; my feet were on the ground, I was suddenly back in clothing such as what I'd wear back home in Middle-Earth, My sword felt cool in my hand. The wind blew through my hair, and I could feel a thin sheen of seat covering my face, arms, and legs. However, I was not a hobbit. I was a human.
"Shit," I muttered. "What the hell?"
"Well, Leah.It looks like it's just you and me."
"Yeah.Three's company, I guess."
"Are you ready to die?"
"Just like last time, I guess."
"Ah, yes, so you remember your last little episode. Well, this time it will be for good.in any world!"
He charged at me and I could almost sense he would do so before he moved. He swung his sword at me, and I blocked it effortlessly. He jabbed in to get me, and I blocked this too. I made a counter-attack, sweeping in from the side, and actually got close enough to slash his cloak.
"You think fighting me will be of any use? I can't die!"
"No, but you may be subdued."
"You, however, are as mortal as any other being on this planet and will die."
I found myself about thirty feet away from him. I brandished my sword and held it above my head and ran at him. He blocked all of my attacks. I always got close, but not close enough. Then his sword was flat against mine, both of us unyielding.
"Not if I can help it." I said, and pulled back to drive my sword straight into his chest. I then pulled it out and continued to block and counter- attack. He paused while a few feet from me, touched two fingers delicately to his blood-soaked tunic. He held them up, and the faint sun shone on the blood, red as a rose.
"It's of no concern," he said, and went back to fighting. Twice more I ran him through with my sword, and each time the wound showed but did not affect his stamina. He got close to getting to me, but I dodged each blow with surprising ease.
"So what'll it be, girl? You're not going to win."
"I've won already."
"How?"
"By not giving into your bullshit," I went back into fighting mode and gave him a blow which left a slit from nose to ear.
"You are going to die," He screamed. I saw something over his shoulder and heard a voice inside my head.
"So be it," I said. I knelt down and dropped my sword. His eyes widened and he hesitated, before he lunged for me. A quick roll to my right and in a few moments, I was on my feet and he toppled over for lack of balance. I drove my sword into his chest, flipped him over with my foot, and had him pinned there.
"Leah!" Frodo called. It was his face I'd seen over Wormtongue's shoulder, encapsuled in a glowing blue orb. I gave Wormtongue one last blow and then ran as fast as my feet could carry me to Frodo, who was hobbit and thus about two feet shorter than me. I almost laughed at this but then realized this was serious. I could tease him about it later. "Grab on!" he said, and out of the blue orb came a hand with a Forest green scarf hanging out of it.
"Leah." He said anxiously, "Hurry." I looked behind me as I grabbed the scarf and there was Wormtongue, running at me. Just as his blow fell, I closed my eyes and once more felt an immense heat, but not before I felt a sharp pain spread throughout my entire back.
~*~