Chapter 10
Piper stirred in her sleep and then suddenly woke up. Glancing around, she saw Aragorn watching her. She rolled over and pulled her blanket closer around her. The past days had been so boring just traveling down stream in the boats with nothing to do but watch the trees go by. A threat had been growing in the corner of her mind and Thalion nor her sisters could do or say anything to ease her worry. She needed to talk to Prue again. The problem had become more than just a demon trying to kill the Charmed Ones. And speaking of problems...
She sat up and gave Aragorn a hard look.
'What are you looking at?'
Aragorn looked away and stated to gab at the fire with a stick, sending sparks up in the air.
'I'm... I'm sorry. I... I just... You just remind me of someone I left back in Rivendell.
'Arwen?' Piper asked without thinking.
Aragorn head gave a jerk and he tensed.
'How did you know about Arwen?'
Piper glanced at the fire into the flames. She bit her bottom lip.
'I've told you many things Aragorn son of Arathorn, but I have not told you this.'
She looked up at him and he moved closer to her, looking concerned.
'I've known about you all since I was a little girl', she said slowly. 'I've known about you and Frodo and the Ring for a long time. This is going to be hard to believe but in my world you all are in a story called The Lord of the Rings. I knew every ones fate in this story or this world, back then. But my sisters and I have changed your fates. I don't know what's going to happen. I know about Arwen because she was mentioned in one of the chapters. You love her.'
Aragorn looked away from her into the fire. He remained silent for a few minutes.
'How do I know this is true? Every time I begin to trust you, something else happens that changes my world. I find out you three are witches, that's find. Gandalf dies and you say it was meant to be, OK. Galadriel warns me about your animal companions and speaking of which, where is yours?'
A voice floated over to them from behind a bush near the river.
'We're all over here trying to sleep thank you!'
Aragorn shook his head.
'Any ways, you have your companions, that's fine with me. But know your saying that in you world there is a story about us and what happens to us... I don't know if I can take anymore Piper. How do I know this is true? How do I know you're not against us?'
'If I was your enemy wouldn't I or my sisters have killed you all by now? You know we have magical powers and you trusted us anyway. Now I tell you this one fact and you can't trust us any more? Is that it?'
'Truthfully Piper, I don't know what to think anymore.'
Legolas turned in his sleep and threw his arm over Boromir. He muttered something about shadow and flame and then fell silent. Legolas and Gimli were now sleeping back to back. The four hobbits were huddled up together beside Gimli. Everyone had decided to share the blankets so as to keep warmer.
But where are Phoebe and Paige?, thought Piper.
Ask a question, you get an answer.
'Hey Piper?'
Piper turned around to see Paige and Phoebe standing between two trees. They beckoned to her.
'Can we talk to you for a sec?' Phoebe asked.
Piper got up, brushed the twigs off her bottom and walked with her sisters deeper into the woods. They suddenly stopped in the middle of a clump of trees and a bright light flared. It was a tiny flashlight.
'Where did you get that', asked Piper blinking in the blinding light.
'Phoebe decided to find it in her back pocket a few minutes ago', muttered Paige angry. 'Doesn't matter any ways, we're going back to San Francisco and we have to take the fellowship with us.'
'I'm glad we're going back', said Piper. 'This way I can talk to Prue again. But why take the fellowship with us?'
'We can't leave the fellowship here frozen to be found by orcs and hacked to pieces', whispered Phoebe quickly. 'And we can't just abandon them in the middle of nowhere. Their worst suspicions will be confirmed about us and they won't take us back when we come back, which we'll have no choice but to do by the way.'
'We're already losing Aragorn's trust', Piper said. 'Freezing him in one place and suddenly being in another is not going to help us here.'
'We can't just leave them', Paige put in. 'They're our innocents now and we need to watch over them.'
Piper sighed.
'I'm going to regret this. Do you have the spell with you Phoebe?'
'Yeah.'
The girls gathered around the piece of faded paper and began to chant:
The barrier between worlds shall be broken again,
No longer in this world shall we remain.
Be sealed no more so anyone can pass,
So anyone can step upon anyone's grass.
A ball of violet light appeared in front of the sisters. It grew into the size of a baseball and then, it imploded. A violet super nova cascaded over them and into the night sky.
'Phoebe just one thing', muttered Piper. 'When we get to the Manor and I unfreeze them all, don't do anything stupid like throw a potion at them, OK?'
Phoebe nodded. Piper edged her way back to the fellowship's camp and knelt down by Aragorn.
'Do you trust me', she asked him.
'Yes', he said slowly. 'But I don't know how much more of this I can take.'
'Can you take just one more thing? I swear that will be it for the surprises.'
Aragorn stood up, his hand unusually close to his sword.
'What is it?
Piper threw up her hands and froze Aragorn and the Company. Phoebe and Paige walked out of the trees.
'I hate having to do this to them', Piper muttered.
'It's for the best Piper', said Phoebe laying a hand on her shoulder. 'We just can't leave them here.'
Alasse, Thalion and Caran were nosing Frodo's pack.
'There's something in here', muttered Thalion. 'I know it. I smell it...'
'Get out of Frodo's pack', said Piper loudly.
'But there's something good in there', Alasse whimpered.
Paige rolled her eyes.
'We'll give you something when we get home.'
Paige, Phoebe and Piper knelt down and touched one of the groups with one of there hands and then held each others hands with the other until they formed one oddly shaped circle.
'Ready when you are', said Piper.
'Do we need to touch the muses?' asked Phoebe.
'I don't think so', said Paige. 'I'm mean, they technically us.
'Oh, OK.'
The world dissolved into blue orblights.
