A/N: Thanks to WeasleyTwinsLover1112, for being my only reviewer.... this chapter (and the second and third and fourth ones too) is for you.... just please keep reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I guess I should mention this now, because I'm too lazy to re-post the fourth chapter. But yeah, during the interrogation part, Aragorn also wrapped up Nicole's wrist and put salve on it too, so it's pretty much healed.

Disclaimer: Nicole is kinda on strike, so she's half-mine.... Tolkien's stuff is his, because he is a genius and it is ridiculous to think that I would ever be able to be nearly as talented as he was.

"English talking/common tongue"
*Elvish*
Thinking
^Dwarvish^

Home Sweet Home

Chapter Five ~ Nicole With A Weapon? RUN!

After eating a lunch prepared by the hobbits (Nicole checked first to make sure it wasn't poisoned, dirty, or otherwise harmful), the group settled down on The Hill, deciding to stay for a day because they wanted a rest. Gimli continued sharpening his axe, even though it already looked like it could slice through a stone. Boromir was teaching the hobbits how to use swords, and Nicole and Aragorn were watching them. Legolas was off doing Elvish prancing...typical, Nicole thought, for an Elf... he is SO blonde. Gandalf was being a wizard... basically just standing there looking important.

Aragorn shouted to Pippin, "move your feet!" He turned to Nicole. "I'm afraid that we don't have any extra swords that we could give to you. You'll probably have to train with one of our swords, the normal-sized ones... unless you prefer a hobbit-sized one?"

Nicole took that as an insult. "I'll use yours, thank you very much. What about other weapons?"

"I have an extra dagger that could prove useful in hand-to-hand combat. I shall teach you how to use it. Boromir will probably train you in the sword, he seems to be doing well with the hobbits..." Aragorn trailed off, and they looked at how Boromir was faring with Merry and Pippin. Apparently, he had hit them and they were now in the process of tackling him, which resulted in a dog pile. That's considerably dangerous, Nicole thought. I think they forgot about their swords... which could poke them at any second... I don't think that would be pleasant. Oh hey! I forgot about the axe! Gimli could teach me!

"Hey Gimli!" Nicole called, and he abandoned his axe-sharpening for a minute. Nicole switched back into Dwarvish, to see if she could actually learn the language, instead of just knowing it... she tried thinking of the way to conjugate past tense verbs in Dwarvish, but nothing came to her. I guess it only works for talking. ^Gimli, you said you would teach me how to use an axe.^

^Aye, so I did^ he answered. ^Perhaps now would be a good time to teach you some, seeing as you seem very unoccupied.^

^That's exactly what I was thinking. Do you have an extra axe that I could use?^

^My dear girl, if I tried to teach you using my axe, or any other full-sized Dwarvish axe, you would fall over just from picking it up^ Gimli said, laughing. Nicole frowned. She didn't like being thought of as a weak little girl, even though she knew she was one. ^Do not worry, I have a smaller hand axe that you may use. It will serve your purpose, and it will be easier for you to learn and handle.^

With that settled, Nicole and Gimli chose a relatively flat area of The Hill to practice on and began the learning process. Nicole picked up the axe that Gimli handed her. It was about two feet long and the actual metal part, the blade, was maybe six to eight inches. It was patterned similarly to Gimli's helmet, with a rough trillium-shaped design going along the blade. When she lifted it, she was surprised by its weight. And Gimli said that this one was light! Maybe he meant lighter.... geez, it's like 25 pounds or something.... I wouldn't know, I've never done weights... proof more of my laziness.

^Now, pay attention^ Gimli said. He swung his axe (considerably larger than Nicole's) above and around his head in an arc and beheaded an invisible opponent. He then brought it down, supporting the weight of it on his right arm, using his left arm to control it's path. It sliced through the air, chopping off another opponent's legs. Gimli continued to go through some motions, slicing and dicing left and right. Nicole watched in amazement and wondered how he could even manage to lift the axe. Gimli finished and was barely breathing hard. ^If you ever get strong enough, you'll be able to use an axe of my size. For now, all you'll be able to do is use your hand axe.^

^Fine... though I'd like to know exactly how to use it.^

Gimli pointed out the major areas to aim for to cause maximum injury to your opponent. Nicole mentally made a list. Ok, to bring them down, aim behind the knees or just above the heel. If it's a guy, aim for 'that special place'. Duh, who doesn't know that? For the arms, on top of the wrist to shatter the bone. On top of the shoulder, close to the neck to bring them down and knock them out. Base of the skull, top of the neck will probably kill your opponent. Or just slashing them across the neck. Moving on... to blind the opponent, use the top, blunt end of the axe to hit 'em between the eyes. And to run away, slice them in the stomach, to make them double over, while you make your oh-so-heroic escape. Got it.

Once Gimli had finished giving his lecture on the proper methods of attack, he made a suggestion that Nicole thought was very dangerous to his health. "Let's try some sparring." Gimli had switched back to Common, because half-way through his speech, Nicole had gotten lost on the Dwarvish names for certain tactics.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why not? I think you've gotten most of it down."

"Yeah, but I'm probably going to decapitate you in the process of learning."

Gimli laughed. "I wouldn't worry about that. Now, on the count of three, I'm going to come at you, slowly, and you have to fight back using what I've taught you, alright? One... Two... Three!"

Gimli ran at her, tackling her in an instant. Nicole managed to squirm her way towards a boulder and used it to shield herself from Gimli. He came around the boulder and Nicole sprinted the other way so that she was behind him now. Using the axe, careful not to use the pointy side, she hit him behind the knees, then across the front of the shoulders as he was turning around. He stumbled for a moment until Nicole picked up a rock and slammed it on the top of his helmet. Gimli crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"Oops! Aw man! I hit him too hard. Gimli? Gimli!" She shook the dwarf, dropping her axe to one side. He wasn't waking up and Nicole turned to call for help to the others. Then she felt a grip on her arm and she was suddenly spun around and found herself on the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Gimli had one knee on her stomach, which would explain why she couldn't breath. His axe was held to her throat. She coughed feebly, seeing spots at the edge of her vision.

Gimli finally realized that he was suffocating the poor girl and released her. She sat up coughing and Gimli patted her on the back. Well, he whacked her really, but to him it was a pat. "You did well enough. Though you didn't actually expect that rock to put me out, did you? Never underestimate your opponent. If they look beaten, then you did a good job and can start running for safety. Don't stay to make sure they're dead."

Nicole nodded and muttered under her breath in English, "Stupid Dwarves have to weigh so much... Let's hope Boromir doesn't throw himself on top of me or else my lungs will collapse."

"What's that?" Gimli asked.

"Oh, nothing. I guess I'm still a little disoriented." That answer satisfied Gimli. Nicole thanked him for teaching her, after promising that she would get further lessons from him, and headed off to find Boromir. While she and Gimli were practicing, Gandalf had decided instead to go by the pass on Caradhras. Gimli wasn't too happy with that and Nicole left them to their bickering. Boromir was sitting on a rock talking to Aragorn, presumably about Gondor or something.

"Lady Featherhall!" Boromir greeted her. Nicole was startled for a moment, then realized that they didn't know her real last name. "I have heard news that I am to teach you the sword. Assuming that you feel well enough to do so after your axe lessons."

"I'm fine. And call me Nicole, Featherhall is just so Goethe," she replied, giggling at the last part. It was a private joke she had with one of her friends. They'd made it up during History class because of the strange way that the teacher pronounced Goethe's name. Aragorn and Boromir didn't get it. "Never mind... just gimme a sword." Aragorn obligingly lent her his and sat by to watch yet another sword lesson.

Boromir began by teaching her a few basic moves, again pointing out the weak places in an opponent. Luckily, they were basically the same as when using the axe, so it was easy for Nicole to remember them. They went through a few slow motions, demonstrating different blocks and attacks. Nicole found it easier than the axe, though the sword was way heavier. At least five times heavier. I can barely lift this thing... so why do they keep telling me I'm doing so well? In between gasping for breath, because of the weight of the sword and the effort it took to lift it, Nicole managed to ask Boromir and Aragorn why exactly she was doing so well.

"Most women don't even lift swords," Aragorn commented. Nicole remembered Arwen's fighting capabilities. No wonder he said most, not all.

"And even if they do, they won't learn how to use it. It's just a sharp, shiny plaything to them," Boromir said.

Nicole heard his tone of voice and was less than happy about it. "Hey! That's not very nice. We're not all blondes ya know!"

Boromir chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Indeed, just the ones who aren't men!"

"Why you little!!!!" Nicole dropped her sword and ran at Boromir, planning to tackle him or something. She wasn't thinking rationally at that moment. Boromir grabbed her though, and put her in a headlock. "OW!!! That hurts!!!"

Aragorn laughed. "Maybe we should teach her hand-to-hand combat too! I think she'd find it useful right now."

"Very funny," Nicole grumbled, and Boromir finally let her go. "You're just a big bully."

"Yes, I am," Boromir replied smiling, "but I'm a big bully who is teaching you how to fight properly."

"If I had a brother, you would be him," Nicole replied.

"Well, I'm honored to be considered the brother of the Lady Featherhall. By the way, what was your standing in Gaia?"

"Standing? You mean social rank? Hmm.... I was a princess, and I was to take the throne once my mother passed on. But now I've gotten myself lost, so no use in living in the past." Nicole laughed silently. Ha, yeah right... me, a princess? I feel sorry for the country that I rule over.

Aragorn sheathed his sword. "You've had enough of the sword for today, I think it's too heavy for you after all. Shall I teach you some basics with my lighter dagger?"

Nicole agreed and Boromir watched this time. The dagger that Aragorn gave to Nicole was silver and didn't look too pretty. It wasn't a feminine dagger, that much was discernable. It's hilt was darker silver with a vine-y pattern and at the very end the metal was rounded off and an Elvish leaf was inscribed. The blade of it was six inches long, making the entirety of the dagger about ten inches. (A/N: need a pic of the dagger or the axe? or anything else, for that matter? e-mail me, morgaine@myst.net) Aragorn demonstrated that you didn't need to put your weight behind the dagger, like in the sword or axe. It was matter or keeping your wrist positioned right, so that you could move quickly and deftly, and putting pressure where it was needed. The dagger was by far the easiest thing to learn for Nicole. She had it down within fifteen minutes.

"Ha," she said once Aragorn was finished teaching. "I'm done. No more weapons for me. You should all be very happy you got out alive."

"I think we would have gotten out alive even if you weren't so deadly with a weapon," Aragorn joked, and handed her a belt out of his pack. "you need a sheath for the dagger or else you'll be poking yourself and others. Here, you clip it around like this." He fastened it by putting it through the belt loops of her jeans and then making a complicated knot right beside the sheath. It was made of leather, but was reinforced with a double layer and some metal to keep it in one piece.

"Um, Aragorn? How do I take it off?" Nicole wondered.

"Take it off? Why would you want to rid yourself of your only protection?"

"Well, I'm assuming that the world isn't dangerous."

"Very much so. Keep it on, it's the one thing your life could depend on," Aragorn paused, as if for dramatic effect. He then pointed to a large rock. "Sit. I want to take a look at your wound to see how it is mending." Nicole sat obediently and rolled up her pant leg. Aragorn turned to Legolas and called him over. *Legolas, could you help me for a moment?*

Nicole knew that Aragorn was perfectly capable of doing it by himself. She decided to see if she knew any other languages. Hmmm... what language would Aragorn know that Legolas doesn't know? How about that really old one? What was it called? I can't remember... oh well, might as well try it. Think old thoughts....

~Aragorn, why did you call him?~ she asked, hoping that it worked.

Apparently it did. Aragorn looked up startled. ~You know the old languages as well?~ Nicole nodded. ~I called him because I need his help.~

~No you don't.~

~Fine. I called him because you two need to get along if you are going to continue on our journey with us.~

Nicole sighed. Legolas was standing a few feet away, his brow slightly furrowed. Ha, at least I can annoy him because I can talk a language he can't!

*Well, are you going to just stand there?* she asked. *The man wants some help, here.*

Legolas approached reluctantly. He touched the wound lightly. *Does it still hurt here?*

*No.*

Legolas nodded, then touched it in another area. There, it hurt. A lot.

*Ow!* Nicole backed away and clutched her leg. *Meanie. That hurts.*

*Your leg is healing,* Legolas responded in a sour tone.

*Then why does it hurt?*

*The medicine is working. It might get a bit numb for a few days as well.*

*That's lovely,* Nicole replied sarcastically. Aragorn could see it was about to get ugly so he jumped in.

*Nicole has also to learn the bow and arrow, Legolas. Perhaps you could teach her?*

Legolas gave Aragorn a doubtful look. *Perhaps... when we reach an area with more trees and target's.* With that, he walked away and began to prepare a small fire for the evening. All of Nicole's practicing had taken up the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set already. The chill wind blew down from the mountain again.

"Aragorn, pass me my sweater," she asked, since he was closer to her boulder than she was and also because her leg was still throbbing slightly. He gave her shirts to her then looked kind of awkward for a second. "Thanks. Bee in your bonnet?"

"Why do you wear such strange clothing?" he asked.

"It's normal in my land. I guess you mean that I wear pants, right? Oh, and probably my shirt too, right? Well, the women don't wear skirts usually unless it is for a special occasion. As for the shirts, it could be worse. A lot of women in my land wear shirts way smaller than this. Anything else?"

"You are a strange girl..." a pensive look crossed Aragorn's face for a moment, and then it was gone.

That was weird... I know I'm strange, it's not like you have to tell me. But this kind of strange isn't that bad... I do feel more comfortable here than I do at home--oops, I mean, on Earth. Still.... I kinda miss it. Nicole dismissed her mild homesickness and followed to the area of The Hill where the group had decided to set up camp.

A/N: Luckily for all my readers, Nicole has fixed up her attitude (I bribed her with frozen yogurt). Which means, more chapters! I think this story is really healthy for me... I mean, I never update this often! I've already started working on the sixth chapter. Whoo hoo!!!! Go me!!! And yay for all my readers, just because they put up with me. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!! ~m~