Note From Nikki

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are all so wonderful! Now we are back to Aurora and Scott. I hope you all enjoy! I'm sorry, I don't have time for reviewer notes this chapter. I have to go get ready for a party but I wanted to update. Please, everyone who reviewed, know that you are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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Aurora woke sometime during the night to the sound of footfalls by their tent. She sat up with a start, watching the shadow pass by, a dark silhouette against the brightness of the moon. Who could possibly be walking around this time at night? Aurora tried to lay back down but knew after only a few seconds that her curiosity was going to get the better of her. Grumpily, cursing her nosiness, she stood up and slipped on her clothes and weapons, tying her long hair back and pulling her boots on.

She turned to Scott who was snoring softly and smiled. She loved him more than anything in any world. And he was hers. She slipped out of the tent, her heart feeling warm and a faint smile lining her lips.

Their tent was situated in a quiet corner. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had a larger one thirty feet away from them and this is where Aurora decided to head toward. As she neared the tent, she nearly crashed into Legolas and Gimli who were making their way out of the tent silently.

"Where are you going?" she asked quickly.

"Someone is leading Aragorn somewhere," Gimli ventured.

"What are we waiting for?" Aurora asked.

The three of them made their way in the direction that Aragorn had been heading until they reached Théoden's tent. Théoden himself walked uneasily out as they reached it, taking long purposeful strides that led him away from his current residence in a hurry.

Legolas had paused and was listening tenaciously but Aurora and Gimli couldn't hear a thing. After circling the tent they found a small hole and the two of them leaned down, pressing their ears against it. Conversation soon made its way to their ears and they stopped breathing, listening intently.

"I come on behalf of one whom I love. Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing. As Sauron's power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen's life is now tied to the fate of the Ring. The Shadow is upon us, Aragorn. The end has come," a voice was saying mysteriously.

The voice sounded familiar and she frowned, looking at Gimli to see if he recognized it. "Elrond," he mouthed, his eyebrows raised.

Elrond! One of the first people she had talked to in Middle Earth. What on earth was he doing here? Rivendell seemed ages ago, if indeed it hadn't been a lifetime since she'd last been there. It could have been a dream. But there was no doubt this was Elrond's voice. Clearing her thoughts, Aurora leaned forward, very curious to see what was going on.

"It will not be our end, but his," Aragorn's voice replied.

"You ride to war, but not to victory. Sauron's armies march on Minas Tirith, this you know. But, in secret he sends another force which will attack from the river. A fleet of Corsair ships sails from the south. They'll be in the city in two days. You're outnumbered. You need more Men," Elrond said tensely.

Aurora could feel her heart drop. He sounded so doubtful. . .were they really that doomed?

"There are none," Aragorn said desperately.

"There are those who dwell in the mountain."

Silence followed this statement before Aragorn finally hissed, "Murderers. . .traitors! You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing! They answer to no one!"

Aurora was very confused. Who lived in the mountain? She had thought no one ever came out of there alive. Perhaps they were barbarians, a tribe of deadly warriors cast out by society. She'd read things like that in books. Yes, that was it. A wandering tribe that mutilated the bodies of those who wandered into their hidden realm. Aurora shuddered visibly.

"They will answer to the King of Gondor!" Elrond cried. The sound of a sword being drawn reached their ears next and Elrond continued with, "Andúril, Flame of the West, forged from the Shards of Narsil."

Another silence followed until Aragorn said, with hope and pride, "Sauron will not have forgotten the Sword of Elendil," he paused before continuing, "The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith."

"The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be. Take the Dimholt road," Elrond said sternly. His voice suddenly switched to Elvish, "Ónen i-Estel Edain."

"Ú-chebin estel anim," Aragorn replied.

Aurora groaned and muttered angrily, "That is it! If I survive this war, I'm going to learn Elvish."

She stood up and walked straight to Legolas, Gimli on her heels. "So what did all that mean?"

"We are to separate from Théoden's company. We go through the mountain to a pass that has long been feared among men," he answered quickly before turning around and vanishing from sight.

Aurora's heart dropped. They were leaving? They were going on that terrifying road that had sent chills up her spine? And what had Aragorn said about traitors and murders? She somehow felt a lot safer staying with Théoden. At least she knew what she would be facing with him. Aragorn's face flashed across her mind and she shrugged it off. She would follow him anywhere, it had always been that way.

Suddenly Gimli said loudly, "Just where do you think you're off to?"

Aragorn was walking by, leading a horse by his side. He looked at Gimli and Aurora sadly. "Not this time. You must stay, Gimli."

"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?" Legolas said lightly, leading a horse next to Aragorn.

"You might as well accept it. We're going with you, laddie," Gimli agreed.

Aragorn slowly shook his head, a smile lighting his features. He nodded and began leading the way to the dark road.

"Hurry and wake Scott," Legolas said pointedly.

Aurora was frozen to the spot. Wake Scott to lead him to his death? Aurora didn't need to think about it longer. "He's not coming."

"What?" Gimli cried.

Aurora could feel her heart breaking, could feel a thousand emotions drowning her from the inside. She needed Scott to be with her, she needed him to protect her. But the love she felt exceeded her need. If she could give Scott a chance to live, she was going to give it to him. He would be safer going to war with Théoden. He would be with thousands of people, would know how to fight the Orcs. He would have a better chance of survival. Aurora had no idea what kind of horrors were beyond the mountain pass. She didn't want to know but her loyalty to Aragorn would force her to follow him, even to death. She wouldn't let Scott pay for her recklessness. She loved him too much to let him die.

"I need Scott to live," Aurora whispered. "I need him to be in the safest place possible. Somehow, I don't think that is on this road."

Legolas nodded, his eyes filled with understanding. Silently, he handed her the reins of a horse and Aurora mounted it. A tear fell down her cheek. Any God knew that she didn't want to leave Scott, she didn't want to be separated from him for a second. But he would be safe. And she be loyal to Aragorn.

Aurora gazed longingly back at that camp one last time, hoping Scott wouldn't hate her for leaving. He had to understand why she did it. He had to understand that she did it because she loved him too much to put him in danger. Aurora turned her gaze to the trail that led to the mountain pass, a chill creeping up her arms. Even as scared as she was, she made one last promise to herself. She would get back to Scott even if it was the last thing she did.

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Scott yawned, stretching as he woke up, a glint of sun was peaking its way over the mountain and was shining through the thin folds of the tent. He rolled over to wrap his arms around Aurora and was surprised to see that she wasn't there. He smiled, she had probably gotten impatient waiting for him to get up.

He sat up stiffly, pulling his clothes and weapons on. They would be leaving today at dawn and the way the sun was coming up, he knew it was pretty damn close to that time.

"Aurora?" he called, stepping out if the tent. Where had she gotten to? He grumbled as he made his way into the heart of the camp, searching for her. She should have woken him up. It would have saved him a lot of time and effort.

"Aurora?" he called again.

"Scott?" Hanalee asked nervously. She stepped out of a small tent and her face was slightly pale as she looked at him.

Brushing off her nervous look, Scott said, "Hey Hanalee. Have you seen Aurora?"

Hanalee shifted uneasily. "You don't know?" she asked quietly.

Scott was beginning to sense that something wasn't right. He should have found Aurora by now. She wouldn't have wandered too far and where was Aragorn and the others? "Don't know what?"

"Scott," Hanalee said, grabbing onto his arm. "Aurora left about an hour ago."

Scott paled. "Left? Left where?"

"She-she followed Aragorn into the mountains. They travel the forbidden path. Gimli and Legolas went as well."

Scott cursed and dashed through the camp, not caring if he got in someone's way or if he knocked anyone down. Curses followed him as he ran until he reached the edge of camp. The pass was empty.

Scott roared angrily. What the hell had she been thinking? Where had they gone? What were they doing? Why hadn't Aurora woken him up?

Scott grabbed the reins of a horse and began to mount him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Éomer asked him gruffly.

"After Aurora."

Éomer laughed. "You can't go in there. It's suicide."

"She went," Scott growled.

"With a strong man, a skilled Elf, and warrior dwarf. It's madness to go in there alone. No one comes out alone."

"Scott!" Hanalee called. She was out of breath and was gasping heavily.

Scott ignored her. He was furious. He was so furious that his entire body was shaking. Why had Aurora just left him like that? Didn't she care about him at all?

"I'm going after her."

"You'll die!" Hanalee screeched.

"And I would care why?"

"Aurora will meet you again Scott. What will she do when you're not there?"

Scott laughed coldly. "She didn't seem to care when she walked off to her death."

"Don't you see?" Hanalee whispered. "She loves you. She left you here because she loves you."

Scott knew she was right. He knew it like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. But he couldn't accept it. He couldn't accept the fact that she was gone. He hated her. How could she do this? How could she make him worry and push him into a fear so deep it swallowed his entire being?

"Some love," he choked back. He was appalled to feel his throat constricting, angry to feel tears welling in his eyes. He wiped them away irritably as they fell down his cheek. He hadn't cried in ten years and now here he was, bawling like a baby.

Scott dropped to his knees gazing absently at the mountain pass. "What am I going to do without her?"

"She'll see you again," Hanalee answered, kneeling next to him.

Scott growled, wiping away his tears. "She's going to wish she hadn't."

"It will give you a reason to fight," Hanalee whispered absentmindedly. "Fight to reach the ones you love. And then never let them go once you find them."

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They packed up camp quickly and Scott said goodbye to Hanalee in a deflated tone, his voice dead and hollow. His eyes were no longer filled with tears but with a solid determination. Aurora may have left him. He was furious about it. But he would make sure that he saw her again.

Scott looked at the mountain's one last time as he rode off to war, ready to take his anger out on the thousands of waiting lines of Orcs. In his mind's eye, he couldn't get there sooner.

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A/n: *sniffles* They're separated. Well, let me know how badly it sucked! Thanks guys!