If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time
A/N This is a one-off Alternate Universe fic which imagines what our time would have been like if Borimir had managed to get the ring off Frodo. As I can't breach Tolkein's Copyright by repeating word for word what happened when Borimir tried to take the ring. I have had to write my own version of the events. All characters, except Mira, and some other OC's belong to Tolkein and/or Peter Jackson etc etc
A/N2 Mira is pronounced 'Mee-ra'.
Summary: Mira, an ancestor of Borimir, living in the dark days of the 21st Century is called upon to right a centuries old wrong. Mary Sue-ish but hopefully good despite that.
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Middle Earth at the time of the Fellowship of the Ring
Frodo was gathering firewood, and his thoughts, when Borimir came upon him. Frodo felt the weight of the ring dragging him down. He wished he could rid himself of it, but he knew that this task was his and his alone. The ring wanted to go home to its master, and ironically, that was exactly where Frodo was taking it.
"Frodo, we wondered where you'd got to." Said Borimir. His eyes shone with lust for the ring. He saw himself as a magnanimous king, fighting off Sauron, and ruling his people in a saintly way. At least, that is what the ring let him see. It had sensed the weakness in his character, and was seducing him with promises of greatness.
"I was thinking," replied Frodo.
"The burden is heavy on you little one," said Borimir. "If you could just allow someone else to take it for a while…"
"No, Borimir!" cried Frodo. He knew what Borimir wanted. He wanted the ring for himself. Well it was Frodo's ring, Frodo's precious. He slipped the ring on his finger and disappeared.
Borimir swore, a rare thing on Middle Earth. He tried his hardest to listen for Frodo's footfalls on the ground, to no avail. He ran up to the Seat of the Kings, thinking that he might see Frodo if the young hobbit had removed the ring by then. He got there just as Frodo was removing the ring, having just looked out over district himself.
"Frodo!" Borimir cried. He caught Frodo's hand just before Frodo could slip the ring back onto his finger, and wrenched it from his hand.
"No!" cried Frodo again. "Borimir, you do not know what you do."
But it was too late. Borimir had slipped the ring onto his finger, then disappeared…
The 21st Century
Despite it being daytime, the sky was blackened overhead, from the effects of the factories that belched out smoke day and night. Big heavy vehicles stormed the highways, burning up more fuel to add to the already sickening air.
All the vehicles, if they were laden, were headed in one direction. Towards the palace of the Dark Lord, Sauron. Anything that was produced in this dark new world belonged to him. And he sold it back to the people at prices that took up all the meagre wages he paid them for working in his factories and mines. They lived in small apartments, for which they had to pay rent to Sauron, and ate food that was processed in his factories, and sold in his shops. They had never seen a carrot or a potato. All food was the same. A grey stodge that kept them alive, without ever completely eradicating their hunger. This kept them docile and unable to rise to rebellion. If anyone had ever dared try…
It was rumoured that there had once been trees and fields in this land, but none of its living inhabitants remembered that, or exactly what those things were. They simply whispered these things to each other when they were sure no one was listening. But Lord Sauron was always listening. And seeing. At one time, all the people had been forced to wear a ring, linked to the One Ring, so that he could follow their every movement. Technology had moved on since then, and now all new babies were fitted with microchips in their ring finger that was said to be linked to the One Ring. It was not even sure if the One Ring still existed. It is possible that all was linked to a massive mainframe computer. But as most of the people were illiterate (by Sauron's orders) they were not even aware of such things. Of course, not even Sauron could see all things at all times, but if there was trouble amongst his people, he was alerted to it and was able to watch the troublemakers, heading them off before problems occurred.
If someone pleased Sauron, they were given privileges, like more than one room to live in, and an education for themselves and their children. This education, however, was limited to learning to read books about the greatness of Sauron and perhaps how to run some of the machines in the factories, or how to become a manager in the factories.
Mira's parents had been so blessed, on account of their blood ties to the Ringwraith Borimir, who sat at his master's right hand side, a mere shadow of his former handsome self. Borimir's dream of ruling a just kingdom had failed, though he was unaware of that. While ever he was under the thrall of the ring, he loved it as he loved nothing else, though there was a part of him deep down that hated himself. He remembered green fields and trees, and sometimes he cried for them, but he was unable to share this knowledge with anyone else.
Unfortunately, Mira's parents had fallen out of grace, due to the fact that they became that rare breed of human who could think for themselves and had taken up with an evil terrorist called Lord Elrond, who sought to usurp Lord Sauron's power, and had, according to reports, murdered children in their beds. Mira was spared, on account of being able to declare to Lord Sauron that she hated her parents and was mightily ashamed of their behaviour.
Because of her compliance, Mira was now the manager of a factory that ran on hobbit power. Sometimes she hated the little hobbits. They were miserable, sneaky creatures, according to common belief, though she had not had personal experience of their deceit. She did not understand, because no one had told her, that they had memories of green fields and trees, and wizards and elves, even though their ancestors had perished many years before. There had been no elves or wizards seen on Middle Earth for many centuries. It was believed that the great Sauron had killed them all, because they were evil and wanted to destroy Middle Earth.
"Baggins, pick up that slack!" Mira called out near the end of her shift. She was exhausted, and longed for things to which she could not even put a name. A warm bath would have sufficed, but the heating in her building was being preserved, because, according to Sauron, there was a war looming and the State needed all its resources. This happened on a yearly basis, but somehow the wars never materialised.
The little hobbit called Baggins looked at her with sad eyes as he pulled the rope tighter around the pulley. He did not blame her for her harshness. She was a product of the system, and was often much kinder to the hobbits than the other managers. But young Baggins knew things that she didn't, because unlike the big people, hobbits still talked to each other, albeit in whispers. When they were locked in their cages at night (no hobbit had ever lived in a house in living memory), they told tales of their old days of glory and sometimes sang quiet songs in remembrance. They spoke of a Saviour who would release them from their servitude.
Sauron was careless where the hobbits were concerned. He had subjugated their people so easily at the beginning that he had become complacent, so he had stopped having them microchipped. It saved him money.
The other creatures he did not bother to microchip were the Orcs, who had all but been depleted, due to them having been in so many wars, or murdering each other. There were few of them now, and they sometimes came into the City of Sauron at night (or was it day?) to rape and pillage.
As she left that evening, Mira went to Baggins cage, and passed an open tin through the bars. It was her ration for that night, but she felt sick of grey food, and there was something about the hobbit that made her feel guilty. He took it gratefully and shared it with his friends, Brandybuck, Took and Gamgee.
Mira was walking home to her one-roomed apartment in the worst part of town (Sauron had felt it necessary to punish her in some ways for her parents' misbehaviour) when she became aware she was being followed. She had been attacked and raped by Orcs before. Most women had. It was something they had learned to accept as part of the misery of their lives. The trick was to lie quietly until the Orcs had finished their pleasure. To fight only inflamed them more. But recently Mira felt different. She did not want to be fodder for the Orcs anymore. She had started to dress in men's clothes, and had cut her hair very short. Due to her slender frame, the Orcs often mistook her for a boy. Sometimes even that did not bother them if they were very desperate, but it had saved her from rape more times than most women. She had also taught herself to fight back. Her knife had cut more than one Orc to ribbons.
The little hobbit Baggins' sad, but grateful eyes were locked in her memory. Somehow they reminded her of her mother's eyes. She struggled not to remember her parents. Sauron might be watching and listening, and she had to be very careful how she behaved in public. Only publicly did she hate her parents. In secret she loved them, and mourned their loss.
She heard the sound of approaching feet, and began to walk more quickly. She felt into her pocket for her knife. She wondered if there might be a shuttle going past at any time. She did not have much money left for the week. Even those in authority were kept on minimum wages, or had to pay more for the services on offer. It was Sauron's way of making sure no one grew too rich and powerful.
She began to run, and heard the sound of feet running after her. She felt herself being outpaced, as though the person following had longer strides. Years of deprivation had left humans almost as short as hobbits. Mira was barely over five feet tall, yet she sensed the strangers following her had much longer strides. They could not be Orcs. Even Orcs had diminished in size.
Before she could cross the road to her apartment, she felt a hand come around her neck, and was aware of soft fabric pressing against her mouth. The smell emanating from it was delightful, like nothing Mira had ever smelled before, so she breathed in deeply, then felt herself become drowsy. All became blackness, though a rather pleasant blackness that smelled of the green fields and trees that she had never seen…
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Mira awoke in a strange place. The only thing of which she was aware was a throbbing pain in her finger. She lifted her hand drowsily to her eyes, then let out a huge scream. One of her fingers had been removed! Cut off! Her hand was swathed in blood-soaked bandages. She appeared to be in a large wharehouse, though there were no windows or doors as far as she could tell.
"Shhh, it is well and will heal in time." A deep voice spoke to her. It held kindness, which was something of which she had known little. But the voice was also stern and commanding.
Mira looked up into deep blue eyes, that looked like the sea … or what she had heard of the sea. Trips to the seaside were not regular occurrences in her time. Her mother had once told her of a time when she and Mira's father had crept away to the seaside, on the pretext of doing business with some of the people's living there, and the memory of the idea of all that blueness stayed with Mira. Now she felt as though she were seeing it with her own eyes.
"Who are you? What is your business with me?" Mira said, instinctively feeling for her clothes, to see if she had been tampered with.
"I have not harmed you … not in that way." the man said, with some dignity. He was very tall, and Mira felt afraid of him. She wondered if he was a servant of Sauron. "My name is Lord Elrond, and I come to seek your help."
"You're the enemy!" Mira cried, trying to get up but finding her way barred by two youngish men, who looked very similar in appearance to Lord Elrond. She had heard of Lord Elrond. He was an evil dictator, who wanted to take over Middle Earth. Everyone was on the look out for him.
"I am not your enemy, Mira. I am your friend, and these are my sons, Elladan and Elohir. As I said, we seek your help, but in order to do so I am afraid I have had to remove your finger. It would only tell Lord Sauron where you are. We have left it lying in a dustbin somewhere in Sauron City, but you are quite safe with us, and the wound will heal quickly with the medicine I have used."
"What makes you think I will help you?" asked Mira.
"Because your parents did, which was why…" Elrond left the rest unsaid.
Mira felt the tears prick her eyes. So it was true. Her parents had been helping Lord Elrond. Now she felt ashamed.
"Mira, your parents believed that we could live in a better world, free from Lord Sauron's rule, where people could live in proper homes and not have to work in factories, unless they chose to. There would be books and learning, songs and poetry. Not the darkness that rules this land now."
Mira couldn't take it all in. She still felt drowsy, and was in great pain. Elrond, understanding her anguish, suggested that they eat, and then talk afterwards. She couldn't understand why she trusted him, yet trust him she did.
The meal that Elrond and his sons served to Mira was like nothing she had ever tasted before. For a start, the food had colour and taste. Tomatoes, and lettuce, onions and cold ham, followed by strawberries and cream. She had heard of these things being on the table of Sauron, but had never seen them for herself. She ate with great enthusiasm, despite feeling that she was eating with an enemy.
"We produce these foods in the Undying Land. It is the only place where Sauron's great eye cannot reach," replied Elrond to the question in Mira's eyes. He did not tell Mira that most of his people had been found when Sauron was able to find the three hidden elven rings, and that there were very few elves left in the Undying Land now. "We even sell them to Sauron, without his knowledge. It pays for the things we have to do here."
"Like blowing up orphanages," snapped Mira, suddenly feeling her appetite wane.
"We do not kill children, Mira." Said Elrond firmly "That is propaganda put out by Sauron. We value life. We do not take it."
"You just take fingers, I suppose" quipped Mira humourlessly.
Elrond smiled slightly, seeing the irony of it.
"Yes, we just take fingers. It is, or it was, the only way of freeing you from your servitude. But now we have found another way. We had hoped that your mother and father could achieve this, but they were caught and executed before the plan came to fruition, despite the fact that they had their fingers removed too." Mira tried to remember her parents hands, but could not. They had been dead many years, since she was about ten years old. Elrond looked at her kindly. "Come, now you have finished eating, I wish to show you something."
Elrond took Mira to another part of the wharehouse, where stood a large font.
"This," he explained, sadness creeping into his voice, "is Galadriel's mirror. She was my mother-in-law and much loved by our people, but Sauron found her and now she is gone from us. It will show you the past…"
Mira looked into the mirror, and was enthralled by the story that unfolded. Not only by the people involved, including Lord Elrond, but also by the things she saw. Animals, and fields, and all manner of nature that she had never known existed, though she too had heard the whispers. She watched the story of the ring as it passed from Gollum to Bilbo's hands, and then onto Frodo's. She gasped as she recognised the features of the hobbit. He looked very similar to the Baggins in her factory. Then she saw how her relative, Borimir stole the ring from Frodo, and suddenly the world became dark. Borimir's hold on the ring was feeble, and it soon returned to Sauron, who used it to track down and subjugate those who opposed him. She saw clearly for the first time, all the lies and deceit that existed in her own world. She might not have believed it, except that she felt the history was part of her blood, and coursed through her veins.
She took a step back, almost falling into Elrond's arms.
"What can I do to alter things?" she asked, feeling very small and useless. Elrond took her arm and led her to a chair, which she slumped into.
"We have come up with a way to send someone back to Middle Earth at the time of the Fellowship. Someone must stop Borimir from taking the ring from Frodo." Elrond explained.
"Why don't you do it?" she asked, not unreasonably.
"Because I am already in Middle Earth at that time." He replied.
"Oh, yes, so that makes you what? Ten thousand years old?" Mira laughed, despite her pain and worry.
"Many more years than that, even." Elrond told her. "We do not know what damage might be done by anyone returning to Middle Earth who was already there at the time. We also found, when we were testing this spell, that it helped if the person who returned had the blood of one of the Fellowship."
"Well, that's it. Send Baggins the hobbit back. He was related to that Frodo, wasn't he?" Mira suggested.
"Why do you try to get out of this?" asked Elrond. "Do you not see that it was the fault of your relative that brought all this darkness about? We believe that only you can put it right."
"What makes you think that? I am not special or magic."
"I disagree. We have been watching you slowly subvert the existing idealogy. You dress as a man to escape attack, and you have learned to fight back when you are attacked. We have often observed the bodies of the Orcs you destroy. You spend much time on your own, and do not associate with others. You are kinder to the hobbits than the previous manager, who beat them and took their already meagre food rations; a fact which has not escaped Sauron's gaze either, so if you do not help us, the chances are that the days of your life are numbered. Are you going to die a needless death at the hands of Sauron or his minions, or are you going to stand up and fight for a better world as your parents did?"
"What will happen if I manage to change things?" asked Mira.
"That we do not know. If Borimir is stopped, then this world should cease to exist. What world will be in its place, we do not know, for we do not know what other dangers lie ahead of Frodo Baggins on his quest beyond Emynn Muill. But it is a risk we are willing to take."
"So will I cease to exist? Will you?" Somehow the thought of there being no Elrond made Mira feel sad. He was the only man who had ever looked at her with anything other than lust. And yet, she would have quite happily succumbed to him if he had wanted her.
"I have a wife." He said quietly, but not unkindly, reading her thoughts.
Mira blushed.
"I'm sorry, it's just…" once again she felt like crying, partly through shame and partly through sadness that she would never know the love of such a man, especially if she ceased to exist.
"I understand Mira. You do not have to explain. We all seek kindness in these dark days."
"There will be no darkness? No hobbits in cages?" Mira pressed for certainty. If she was to do this thing, she had to be sure that there would be changes.
"I can only promise that things will be different to the way they are now." Elrond replied. "We only have to change one small part of history in order for all things to alter. I have the gift of foresight, and can see different paths ahead, but I cannot see into a different past that leads up to our present time."
"What do you see for me, if I don't do this? What if I run away from you? Will you kill me?" The questions tumbled from her, as panic took her. She was not equal to this. She felt that more strongly than anything she had ever felt.
"No, Mira. No one here wants to hurt you, and we realise the terrible burden this places on you. If you go away from here, I can guarantee that none of my people will ever hurt you. If you leave here, the only thing I can say is that nothing will change, for anyone. You will go on with your life, until it ends. Which will not be too far into the future." He did not tell her that he saw her lying naked in an alley, blood pouring from a gunshot wound.
"I see." Mira sat and thought for a long time. Elrond left her to her thoughts and went to speak to his sons. He did not want to pressure her into an answer.
"I will do it!" Mira called across the wharehouse, getting up from the chair. "For the chance of a different world, I will try to do as you ask of me. How do I get there?"
Elrond tried hard not to smile, but his relief was tangible, for many reasons. He walked back to where Mira was standing.
"It is simple really. We don't know why this did not occur to us many years before. Close your eyes and trust me."
Mira did as she was told. She felt Elrond place something in her hand, and realised it was a bow and arrow. Fighting the impulse to open her eyes, she listened as Elrond muttered an elvish incantation. She did not understand the words, but in the vernacular they were:
"Lady of mirrors, show the way
to our courageous friend,
from the land of grey
Give her strength to fulfil her duty
In the hopes you return to your former beauty.
Cast your spell, make her small
Then into your mirror, she shall fall
With arms at hand, and our love and foresight
And a wish she will change their dark future for light."
Mira felt herself feeling smaller and smaller, until at last she opened her eyes and looked up at a giant Elrond. He kneeled down, being careful not to harm her.
"Climb onto my hand." He commanded gently. It was no mean feat for her to climb up his fingers, but she managed it with his help. He was so gentle with her, fearing to end her life before she had fulfilled their wishes, but also fearing to lose someone so brave in her own right. "You must jump into the font," he explained.
"I cannot swim." Mira remembered, covering her ears a little. His voice seemed immense and powerful, and almost burst her eardrums.
"It is well, you will not need to. It only looks like water." Elrond tried to speak more quietly so as not to hurt her hearing anymore.
"Lord Elrond…" said Mira, as he placed her on the side of the font. Her voice seemed as small as she felt. He had stooped a little, so she found herself level with his now immense blue eyes. "If this works, you and I may never meet." The thought made her sad. "So thank you for giving me this chance to right Borimir's wrongs. I hope I shall not fail you."
"May the blessings of Elbereth go with you." Elrond whispered, and Mira saw a giant tear fall from his eye. He stepped back quickly so as not to drown her with it.
Mira turned, then, holding her breath, threw herself into Galadriel's mirror.
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Mira felt herself falling further and further, and saw things that she had not seen in the mirror when she first looked. She saw Sauron's great eye close up, and realised then how evil he was. She saw Elrond as a younger elf, fighting against Sauron, with his friend, Isildur, even though that had happened before the time she wanted to reach. She saw herself in another life, looking at deep blue eyes. She felt as though she passed through many lifetimes, not just the times from the Fellowship onwards. Her heart ached for the thought that she would not see him again.
Finally, after what seemed like days, she landed in a amongst, much more lightly than she had thought given the speed she had been travelling. Or at least that's what it looked like. She remembered the place from her perusal of the mirror. She heard a sudden shout, and looked to her left, where she saw Borimir as a handsome young man, and the young, fresh-faced hobbit. Despite all his trials, Frodo still looked happier and healthier than the hobbits in the factories, because he had the freedom to choose his path.
"No! Borimir!"
Mira saw Frodo slip the ring onto his finger, and disappear. She knew where he was going. The trick was to stop Borimir reaching the same place. As Borimir searched around in the dirt, looking for Frodo's footprints, Mira stepped out of her hiding place.
"Lord Borimir…" she said, suddenly realising that she didn't have a clue what to say.
Borimir spun around and saw a drab, greasy haired young woman coming towards him.
"Who are you that calls me Lord?" Borimir asked.
"I am your relative." Mira replied. "I am the future if you do the thing you plan to do now."
"And what might that be?" asked Borimir, recoiling at the sight of this dirty creature.
"Take the ring from Frodo. I know that is what you want to do, but it will not bring you happiness. It will only enslave those you love, including Frodo and his family and friends. You do not really want that. I understand you wish to do good, but the ring is not good. It has only one master."
Mira spoke clearly now. As though she understood things that had been a mystery to her for her entire lifetime.
"I know you not." Borimir said, beginning to walk away, but at least he was going in a different direction to the Seat of Kings. Mira went after him.
"You cannot do this Borimir. You will become a wraith, like those that chase Frodo. Sauron will be your master. You cannot beat him."
"Leave me be!" Cried Borimir, beginning to run through the trees. Mira ran after him. She felt imbued with a strength she had never known before.
The chase went on for many minutes, with Mira never failing to lose sight of Borimir. She had to stop him. For all she knew, if he didn't get the ring now, he might get it off Frodo some other time. Then, just as Borimir reached the bottom of the hill, a band of Orcs came running out of the trees on either side of him. He fought them valiantly, and for a moment Mira saw the man he could have been. Some other hobbits came to help him, but they were picked up by some of the Orcs and carried out of the fighting.
Borimir had almost managed to slay most of the Orcs, and looked as though he might win the fight, when Mira knew what she had to do. She had managed to remain hidden, but at that moment, she crept out of her hiding place again, raised her bow and arrow, then shot Borimir clean in the chest. He looked at her in surprised, not sure whether the arrow had come from her or the Orcs. Several other arrows hit him, and he slumped against a tree.
The Orcs spun round to see where the other arrow had come from. Seeing Mira, they raised their own arrows and were about to fire, when she felt herself fading into blackness…
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Mira sat up in bed suddenly, crying out.
The door to her bedroom opened, and her mother came running in.
"Mira darling, what is it?" her mum sat on the edge of her bed, turned on the lamp, and hugged her close.
"Mum, you're here…" Mira said, wonder in her voice, holding onto her mother for dear life.
"Of course I'm here silly. Where else would I be?"
"I had a dream … everything was dark and cold, and you and dad weren't there…" Mira struggled not to cry.
"It's probably just your worries about going to university tomorrow, darling." Her mum kissed her head tenderly. "But we'll be at home, waiting for you when you come home at the weekends."
She lay Mira back down in the comfortable bed, and kissed her again, brushing her long, thick hair back from her face. Mira looked around her comfortable bedroom. Though it was dark at the moment, in the daytime it was a bright room, filled with books and music, and all the cuddly toys Mira had kept from childhood. She was moving into adulthood now, but she still could not bare to be parted with them.
The following day dawned bright, and her dad drove her to the university. She took a few days to find her way around, but she had a feeling she would be happy there, amongst even more books and the cheerful student life.
On the morning of her third, she went into the library to take out some books on her chosen subject 'Middle Earth and other Ancient Mythologies,'. As she reached to get the book from the shelf, a man standing next to her reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched, and she felt a thrill run through her.
She looked up into a pair of oddly familiar deep blue eyes, as blue as the sea on a calm summer's day. She knew then all her bad dreams were ended…