Note from Nikki

Whoo! Another update. I've been really busy this past week and haven't had much time to write. I wrote this chapter in my spare time and it's probably not one of my best. I'm really sorry but please read anyway! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are definitely the best reviewers in the world!

Nikki

To the Reviewers

Noa9: Ah! I love ya girl. You're reviews are always fun and good to read. This chapter will fill you in on what Scott is doing! I'm really glad that you are anxious to read this (I don't know why you would be, but thanks) but I order you NOT to color out of the lines again! You hear me missy? Hehe, j/k hun. Thanks so much!

LoverofLegolas: Hehe, haven't found out what happens with Aurora and Scott but at least I updated, right? Thanks for the review! You rock!

Crecy: Yup, I'd be scared half to death too but I think I'd also go with them. I mean, if Legolas went, I would go anywhere *sighs dreamily*

Lds_Sunshinegirl: Hey! I'm really glad that you liked that chapter. Oh I know, I loved that part in the movie too. Ah, who am I kidding? I love the whole movie! Thanks so much for reviewing, I really appreciate it!

Awkward: Wow! I am so honored that you took the time to read ALL of those chapters. I really appreciate it! Thank you so much! I'm glad that you like my story and I think you probably deserve some kind of an award for reading through all of it. Thank you so much!

LOTRFreak144: Yay! I'm glad that you really like that chapter. *whew* I was worried that it would really, really suck. Thanks hunni!

Oil Pastel: *squeaks* What'd you do to Aragorn? Poor guy, he was only trying to help. Oh well, at least Legolas is still alive. Thanks for the review chic! I'm glad you like! Oy! When the hell are you planning on updating your stories? I've been waiting forever and I'm not getting any younger here. Love ya hun!

Vorserkein: Hehe, wow. It was pretty difficult for you to review, wasn't it? Well, I'm really glad that you finally made it! Thanks woman! *hugz*

Aragorn Elessar: Thanks for the review! I'll try to read your story as soon as I get the time! *whew* I'm so busy lately it's hard to do anything. Thanks for reading this! You're awesome!

Alida-Fruit: I love hearing from you, as always. You have this way of making me feel better about my writing. Thank you girl! And I will get around to reading your story. *big breath* I promise I will!

Mojo: Ahoy there matey, how goes it? Lmao! Ok, so maybe I'm not to good at mimicking a pirate. Thanks for the review chic! Love ya!

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Scott rode grumpily the rest of that day, his thoughts turning (against his will) constantly to Aurora. No matter how angry he felt with her, he couldn't help but worry. Where was she? What kinds of things had she been through? He sighed as his horse thumped across a thick pile of dirt, his mind inevitably returning to the sickening thought that Aurora might not even be alive anymore.

Silently berating himself, Scott cleared his mind and began watching the men that were riding near him. Some of them were very old, others were very young. Most of them had identical thick, bushy beards (which reminded Scott of Gimli) and to Scott, they all looked alike. He was very observant now that he had come to Middle Earth and he had realized that there wasn't much diversity in the commoners. He had seen that diversity in men like Aragorn and Théoden, but not so much in the others. Perhaps it was because he knew both Aragorn and Théoden very well and not the endless seas of unknown faces.

Sometimes Scott would find himself wondering if the man he rode next to would be alive by the end of the week. But then he had to stop because he realized that the man might be thinking exactly the same thing of him.

"We will camp here for the night!" Théoden's voice bellowed, breaking into Scott's thoughts.

Scott slowed his horse down and passed along the order so that it would reach all the men who stretched far behind them. Having done this, he rode his horse to a distant point, far from the commotion of the heart of the camp, and set up his tent quickly and carelessly. He didn't care what it looked like, all that mattered was that it held up during the night because in the morning he would only take it down again.

Yawning, Scott built a small fire to cook some raw meat he had been given and sat down before the small flames. He took this time to scout his neighbors and he noticed three strange looking figures. One of them was very small. Almost hobbit small. Scott frowned as he watched the little man glance furtively around. He seemed to see Scott and he immediately turned the other way.

Curious, Scott decided to go visit these neighbors who, besides staying away from camp, kept their cloaks tied securely around them. They were seated very close to one another and almost seemed as if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.

"Excuse me," Scott called politely. The closer he got, the more convinced he became that the little man was a hobbit. He had to be!

The small figure shied away from him further, almost running away from the camp altogether. Who would be so desperate to hide from him like that? And then a thought suddenly struck him, he couldn't be sure but he couldn't not believe it either. "Merry?" he asked uncertainly.

"I told you he would notice!" the voice said agitatedly. The cloak slipped from his face and the little hobbit's face was revealed. "He's been around us for too long."

"What are you doing here Merry? I thought Théoden said you couldn't come," Scott said quickly, getting over the shock that the little hobbit had been riding near him for days without his knowing.

"He did," Merry said irritably. "But I came anyway."

Scott raised his eyebrows but turned to the other two cloaked figures. "And who are your companions?"

One slipped off his cloak immediately. Scott had to correct himself only a moment later, it wasn't a he it was a SHE. And not just any she, Éowyn, wayward Princess (or at least that's what Scott could gather) of the Rohirrim.

"Oh," was all he could say.

Éowyn glared at him defiantly, as if daring him to tell her that she couldn't be here. As if daring him to call out that there was a woman in camp. Scott had no intention of doing this however. He couldn't see what was wrong with a woman being here at all. Aurora did and on Earth, it wasn't uncommon for a woman to fight if she really wanted to.

"So who's your friend?" Scott asked, turning to the other cloaked figure. Slowly, the hood fell from her face. Now Scott had to sit down because he was in such total shock.

"HANALEE?" he cried, clutching his chest. He was thoroughly convinced that he had just suffered a minor heart attack.

Hanalee glared at him, much like Éowyn. "What?" she asked boldly.

"What are you. . .why are you. . .?"

Hanalee sat next to him and gazed sadly into the fire. "Dan left and I am not about to let him die in battle alone. I'm going to him, even if it's the last thing I do."

Scott shook his head. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Since he left."

"You must really like him," Scott commented lightly.

"I love him," Hanalee replied.

Scott chuckled quietly and this small chuckle grew into loud, raucous laughs. "What?" Hanalee asked, rolling her eyes (a trait she must have certainly learned from Aurora).

"Dan is going to kill you!"

Hanalee shook her head. "Why would you say that? He loved me too, I don't think he has any intention of killing me."

"It's a figure of speech," Scott said irritably. People in Middle Earth took everything so literal. "It means he's not going to be very happy that you've put your life on the line to get to him."

Hanalee looked slightly worried. "Well he shouldn't be angry. It's an act of love."

"Forget I said anything," Scott mumbled. How could he explain that Dan would definitely be angry, but only because he would be incredibly and deeply worried for her?

Silence followed and Scott cleared his throat, filling the uncomfortable stillness. "So, do you girls even know how to fight?"

Hanalee frowned thoughtfully but Éowyn seemed to take this as a personal insult. "I am a shield maiden of Rohan, of course I know how to fight."

"Really?" Scott asked, impressed. He really looked at the woman for the first time. She was very beautiful with long blond hair that fell down her back in a sheet of waves. He could see a certain defiance in her light blue eyes, almost as if she was ready to take on the world, even though the world was not yet ready to deal with her.

Éowyn smiled and the act seemed to be incredibly forced. It was almost as if she hadn't done it for a very long time. "Really."

"That's really great," Scott said. "Aurora, she's my girlfriend, she didn't know anything at all when we got here but she's a really good fighter now. I'm proud of her."

"Yes, she's the woman you're always around," Éowyn said nodding. She seemed to be relaxing because she sat down before the fire and her muscles visibly loosened. Though she hadn't shown any fear, Éowyn had been worried.

Scott smiled sadly. "Yes but you don't see her here, do you?"

"What happened to Aurora anyway?" Merry asked curiously.

Scott jumped, having forgotten that the little hobbit was there. It wasn't a hard thing considering the fact that he was so short. Scott sighed and filled Éowyn and Merry in on the whereabouts of Aurora. He didn't know why he was being so open, perhaps it had something to do with being alone for these past few days without anyone to talk to. "I mean, I know she's loyal to Aragorn and all but she could have woken me up first," Scott finished grumpily. "It would have saved me a lot of worry."

"She follows Aragorn?" Éowyn asked.

Scott suddenly remembered Aurora complaining to him about Éowyn liking Aragorn when Aragorn was already in love with someone else. Scott had laughed and called the whole thing an annoying, drama-filled soap opera that never seemed to end.

"Er, yes," Scott said.

Éowyn nodded numbly but said nothing, only gazed blankly into the fire. Scott decided that if he was going to be open, she would have to be too. "You like him, don't you?"

Éowyn frowned, obviously confused, "I don't hate him. . ."

"No, I mean you care about him. In a loving kind of way."

Éowyn shrugged. "He does not feel the same."

"He's in love with someone else."

Éowyn said nothing at all to this statement, merely gazed longingly into the flames of the fire. Scott hoped he hadn't insulted her in some way, but he couldn't help but be honest. Aurora had often said that he was brutally honest, meaning that he would tell the truth with no regard to anyone's feelings.

Scott felt like hitting himself. How many times had he thought about Aurora or said her name in the last twenty minutes? More times than he could count, he was sure. He wanted to be near her, wanted to hold her in his arms. He felt so wrong without her, as if everything wasn't ever going to be right without her.

Snapping himself back to reality, Scott turned to Hanalee. "You don't know how to fight, do you?"

"That doesn't matter," Hanalee said quickly.

"Sure it does," Scott scolded. "We are not going to arrive there to welcome arms from the Castle. It's my theory that they're already being attacked, even as we speak. To get to Dan in one piece, you need to know how to defend yourself."

Hanalee paled. "You think they're already under attack?"

"I'm sure they are Hanalee," Éowyn said tensely. "Orcs are not about to wait around for another army to come."

Hanalee paled a little further, if that was possible, and nodded mutely. "Will you both teach me how to fight?"

Merry stood up, grinning slightly. "Ah fair lady, I would help you learn but I must practice so as not to embarrass myself. Perhaps I will do that. . .after I take a nap."

Hanalee smiled and kissed the hobbit on the head. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Goodnight Merry."

When the little hobbit had finished with his good-byes and retreated to his tent, the other three remaining turned to each other. Scott dashed quickly to his tent and brought his sword from its sheath.

"Okay," Scott began importantly. He felt like he was doing something for once, like someone really needed him here. "First you need to learn how to hold the sword. Grip it in the middle of the hilt so you get an equal balance on both sides."

"Yes," Éowyn agreed. "But not too tight in case you are forced into a situation where you must be able to swing it."

--

Later that night Scott got situated in his bed, more relaxed than he had felt since last seeing Aurora. Hanalee was his mentor and he and Éowyn had taught her everything they knew about sword fighting. He smiled to himself, thinking of how quickly she had progressed. She would be ready for battle and Scott would make sure that she made it to Dan alive.

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A/n: Sorry this is so dull. I've been really busy and I'm developing a minor block for this story. I tried my best so I'm really sorry if it's boring! Please review anyway! *hugz* luv ya all!