I am sooo sorry!! I wish I could have written more for this, but I couldn't think of anything! My muses are so drained and they are begging for a break. But, they are really excited about the upcoming chapter. SO, hopefully that will be out quicker and WAY better and longer.
Oh well, so, I changed the name of this chapter. Again. Had an idea for it, but then threw it out. That plot bunny wasn't really good. The next one wasn't much better. Truthfully, this is the first chapter that I've written that I really didn't like. I like the ending though, LoL. I hope you get a little enjoyment out of it.
Wanna give some thanks to all of you reviewers who continue to stay with this story. You guys are really hella cool. I also wanna give a shout out to PirateAngel and recommend her story "Our Fine Hero". It's really good and it has Will Turner!! Gentleman hottie!
And now, the chapie!!
Book II
Chapter 10: Chattin' with the Son of Gondor and many more nicknames...
If Kenzie had ever been good at anything, it would be spacing out. She could drive all the way down the coast, not remember a single thing, and think through whatever was bothering her without doing any harm to anyone.
Thankfully, her talent for attentive spacing out applied to walking as well. From the moment the company turned left when they departed from Rivendell, Kenzie had been thinking. About nothing in particular, just anything that came to mind.
The first thing that crossed her mind was Arwen. Kenzie felt for friend; the elf maiden had looked as if she would cry if her strong pride would allow it. The feelings one would have when her true love would beg her to leave everything and abandon all hope were feelings Kenzie could not and did not want to comprehend. The young witch could only hope and pray that Arwen would stay true to her love for Aragorn and her hope; as she had done in the future that Kenzie knew.
After several minutes, Kenzie's thought turned toward her sisters. She hoped that they would be all right. If Katlin and Kennedy had been right about anything it would have been about the danger they and the present day world would be in. Once wind got out that there were only two Charmed Ones in the whole world, it would be likely that all Hell would break loose. That thought made the youngest O'Neil shudder.
At that point, Legolas placed a hand on her back as he passed her on his way to the front of the line. Kenzie watched him walk away and her thought now turned to the elven prince.
Damn he was cute.
She sighed and shook her head. This was going to be a long trip. "You and I were never properly introduced," a strong voice beside her pulled Kenzie out of her thoughts.
She turned to her right and smiled as Boromir fell in step next to her.
"I feel ashamed that the only thing I know about you is that you are a witch from another world sent to help us," the Lord of Gondor continued.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Kenzie started, "I'm Kenzie O'Neil."
"I am Boromir, son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor," he replied and smiled brightly, "but I trust that you already knew that."
She laughed and nodded.
"Is it true that you can stop things with your mind?" he asked in almost a hushed tone.
Kenzie smirked and took hold of his arm. When he stopped beside her, she lifted her hands and jerked them quickly.
Boromir's eyes widened as the entire Fellowship, save him and Kenzie, stopped moving.
"Extraordinary," he breathed, walking up next to Aragorn and studying the frozen Ranger.
"I can also blow things up, but we won't demonstrate that," she told him, watching him wonder at her power.
He looked back at her with slight amazement as he walked back to his spot.
"You mean you can destroy things with your power as well?"
She nodded and once he reached her side, Kenzie jerked her hands again, releasing the Fellowship from her hold. They resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
"Your world must be truly blessed to have maidens of such beauty and power to protect them," Boromir stated.
Kenzie blushed, "Actually, our world doesn't even know we exist."
He cocked his head to the side in confusion, "Why is that?"
"Well, people from my world fear magic. They would kill us in fear if they ever found out," she replied.
"That must be awful. To live in secret; keeping your gifts from others. What does your husband think of such things?" Boromir asked.
At that question, Kenzie watched Pippin and Merry turned back to look at her and she could have sworn she saw Legolas flinch; which is weird because elves don't do that.
But maybe she misjudged his movement due to the fact that she was laughing so hard that she stopped, holding her sides in slight pain.
"Have I said something amusing?" Boromir asked, confused as to what the young witch found so hilarious.
"I'm not married," she replied, gasping to catch her breath.
Merry and Pippin laughed slightly as well and smiled at each other, as if saying that they did not believe that a man could tie such a woman down.
Boromir, however, suddenly seemed to become embarrassed at his assumption, "I am sorry, my Lady. I only assumed that a beautiful woman of your age would have already been wed."
Kenzie laughed slightly again," It's all right, Boromir. Things are very different from where I come from. Women from my world don't marry as early as the women from your land might."
Boromir pursed his lips, "So, I might be right in assuming that there are many differences between our worlds, then?"
She smiled, "You don't even know the half of it."
After their morning episode, Kenzie was glad to share stories of her world with the eager listening Fellowship. The hobbits listened with wide eyes as she told them about cars, planes, phones, TVs, movies, computers, and all of the other technologies of her world.
She went on and on, for days it seemed, answering questions, refuting her stories, and laughing at their skepticism.
Kenzie couldn't blame them, thought; she would have thought the same things if she were in their position.
"What are the hobbits like in your world, Miss Kenzie?" Sam asked, setting himself down in front of the fire.
The group had stopped sometime in the afternoon to make camp and Sam had graciously made them all dinner.
Kenzie chewed her food with a smirk as she looked around at the anxious hobbits.
"Well," she paused, "my world doesn't have any hobbits."
Pippin's eyes grew wide and he turned to Merry, "No hobbits?"
"That must be sad," Merry replied, "A whole world without hobbits."
Kenzie chuckled as the rest of the company smiled.
"It is a sad world indeed, Merry," the young witch replied.
"What else does your world not have?" Pippin asked.
Kenzie sided and looked up, "Hmmm..."
"Well," she started again, "we don't have elves, not like the Middle Earth elves at least, or dwarves, or Kings...," Kenzie trailed off, her eyes unconsciously shifting to Aragorn.
The Ranger caught her gaze hesitantly and then turned away.
"Do you have evil Lords or Rings of Power?" Frodo asked.
Kenzie quickly shook off the doubt that she saw in Aragorn's eyes and turned back to the hobbits.
"Evil Lords, yes. Rings of Power," she paused to think, "There are Rings of Power in my world, but not any life the One Ring."
The mention of the object caused everyone in the company to fall silent. Kenzie pulled her lower lip between her teeth in frustration. She should have known better than to have said that.
"Well, it will be dark soon," Gandalf started, "we should prepare for this evening and tomorrow morn. We will not want to linger in one place too long."
And with that, the Fellowship went about to certain chores.
Kenzie picked up everyone's canteens and a big pot Sam had packed.
"I'm going to go grab some water and fill up the canteens," she announced.
She turned back down the path they had come, remembering a stream and small pool not that far away.
"Someone should go with you," Aragorn stated, eyeing her with brotherly concern.
Kenzie had to smile a little; she could swear she had seen Brian use a look like that before.
"I'll be fine. Witch, remember?"
The Ranger looked to Gandalf for aid, but the wizard smiled.
"I believe that she will be fine. Besides, the stream is not far and do you forget of our elven company?" Gandalf asked.
Aragorn shook his head and turned away, but not before Kenzie caught the slight smirk on his lips.
"I might be a little bit," she warned as she walked out of the camp, "I want to wash up a little when I'm done."
Kenzie didn't rush herself. She sat down on the grassy bank of the small, clear pool and began humming a song as she opened one of the leather skinned canteens and submerged it into the water. She sighed, watching the water seep into the canteen.
Day 1: Uneventful. Actually, if you don't count the marriage discussion she had with Boromir or the story telling with the hobbits, one could say that a better word would be boring. But was that really so bad?
"Let's see," she thought, "Taking a nice walk through the gorgeous landscape of Middle Earth while talking to four cute hobbits and staring at the yummy, yummy elf as oppose to commencing in a blood bath battle with creatures that had fallen out of the Ugly Tree, hitting every branch on the way down, and then proceeding to run for you life while they follow; rotting flesh, missing limbs, and all." Kenzie pursed her lips, grabbing the next canteen. Okay, it was safe to say that she was officially not complaining about the orc-less day.
She continued with her chore, letting her thoughts lightly touch different subjects. When she was finished, the sun had already begun its tedious descent.
Placing the canteens and pot off to the side, Kenzie moved so that she was kneeling in front of the pool of water. She stared at her reflection, the surface rippling softly as the stream ended in the pool.
Kenzie sighed as she watched her face rippling; her eyes, whose color was lost in the fading light, a stray, golden curl hugging her face, her hair placed perfectly in the Elvish style, her skin slightly dirty from the traveling.
The company would reach Moria within a month. That would be when things would get chaotic. That thought brought up flashes of the Balrog and Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad Dum.
Kenzie pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Could she deal with the Fellowship's grief...and possibly their blame? Better yet, could she handle her own grief? She knew what would happen to Gandalf; his death would bring about his rebirth, and that would be a deciding factor, especially in Rohan and at Helm's Deep. But she was not so certain that she wouldn't jump in after Gandalf when he would fall. She wasn't certain that she could keep her emotions in check or stop herself from freezing the Balrog and taking out the creature herself.
Kenzie sighed and leaned down, scooping the clean, clear water into her hands. She drank greedily, enjoying the soothing feeling that the cool liquid gave her throat. She scooped up another small amount of water and splashed it across her face. As she swiped the back of her hand across her lips, the young witch's eyes caught the reflection of a sudden movement behind her.
Kenzie continued to scoop water up in her hands, giving the impression she was drinking, as her eyes scanned the surface of the water for any other movement. When she didn't see anything, she sighed; maybe she had just imagined it. She bent back to the water to get one last drink when she saw it.
Legolas was carefully making his way toward her, silently of course. Kenzie left her head bent to give him the assumption that she was still drinking. When she sensed that he was very close, she sprung up from her spot, whipping around quickly to catch him off guard.
But the smile that had spread across her face disappeared.
Legolas was not behind her.
Kenzie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion; she had just seen him! Where could he have gone that quickly?
She pursed her lips and shook her head. Maybe she truly was losing her mind. Hell, she might even wake up from this dream in, oh, about five minutes. As Kenzie turned back to the canteens, her eyes widened and she almost screamed.
Luckily, Legolas was ready and promptly clamped his hand over her mouth. The young witch relaxed when she realized who her attacker was and glared at him. The elf just smirked as he slowly lowered his hand.
"You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," she started," especially me."
Legolas' smile grew, "I knew what I was doing."
Kenzie smiled slightly, "What makes you so sure? I could have blown you up without even thinking about it."
"But you didn't," he replied, his smile not fading.
She lowered her head as she laughed silently. Then, noticing how close they were, she pulled away from his grasp, turning back to the canteens.
"So, um," she stammered, "why did you come out here? Were you looking for something?" she asked.
"In a way. I came out here on Aragorn's request," he answered, watching her as she picked up a few canteens.
At that statement, Kenzie shook her head and drew her lips tight," He doesn't think I can take care of myself," she stated, her voice solemn, lacking the anger or annoyance that Legolas expected.
"No," he started as he drew near her again, "he's just looking after you as he is looking after us all," he finished, taking some of the canteens from her.
She sighed, watching him pluck a few canteens from her arms, "You're right. I just...,"
Legolas watched her face lower as she trailed off. He sensed that she felt uncertain about things' what exactly, he didn't know. But the elven prince felt for sure that she was uneasy about the future of the Fellowship; a knowledge that came with a price that he could not imagine.
Kenzie turned her head back up and smiled tentatively, "We should get back. Aragorn might come looking for us soon."
The elf nodded, following her back toward the camp. His thoughts turned to the Fellowship's future as well. Kenzie's somber state made him fear for the worst. Legolas shook his head and sighed, his eyes shifting over to look at the young witch.
What was about to come, would come,...and they would weather such things to complete their task.
This the young elf knew indefinitely.
Kenzie sighed, staring over the heads of the hobbits at the path ahead of the group. She cringed, taking notice to the fact that the land was bare and rocky as far as she could see. More than once she was tempted to ask Legolas how far this went, but that idea soon faded. She didn't want to know how long this bleak landscape continued.
The weather wasn't exactly helping the mood of the company either. The icy wind stung Kenzie's cheeks like a whip until they were pink and numb. The young witch gazed up at the sky and sighed. She had lost count of the days since she had last seen the sun. For years it seemed as if the bright orb of light refused to peak through the pillow like clouds and left Middle Earth to a cold, sunless winter.
The young witch lowered her gaze back to the horizon and glanced to her left, barely seeing the Misty Mountains in the distance. Everyday, the tall peaks loomed in the sky next to them. As Kenzie watched the grand mountains among the thick mists, Gandalf's voice echoed in her head.
"We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east...to Mordor."
Kenzie shuddered at the thought of the unspeakable country that was their target. She shuddered even more when she realized that she would have to follow Frodo and Sam there to protect the Ring from the Changer.
"I find something highly intriguing," Boromir started, a teasing smile on his face as he reached her side.
Kenzie laughed slightly, glad that he was offering a distraction from her previous thoughts, "And what is that?"
"Well, even though you are from a different world, and another time as it would seem, you look no different than any of the other women I have seen," he replied.
She smiled, "I don't know whether to laugh or say thank you."
Boromir laughed, "You may take it as a compliment and thank me. Truly, though, I believe that you could even say that you are of this world and do not doubt that you would be believed."
"But where would I claim my home land to be? I am clearly not a hobbit or a dwarf." Kenzie replied, trying to keep herself from laughing at the silliness of the conversation.
"No, you are not," he stated, beginning to ponder the thought seriously.
"Ay, Aragorn. Do you not think that our female companion could pass as a maiden from Rohan?" he asked after a moment.
The Ranger studied the girl and then laughed, "Boromir, my friend, you go too far."
"No, I don't think so. She has fair skin and hair, like their people," Boromir continued, walking up next to him.
"Well, if we are to go on the appearance of the maiden, then one could say that she could pass as a woman from my realm, if her ears were kept hidden from view," Legolas jumped in.
Kenzie looked around at the men and shook her head.
"What would make anyone think that she would be of the woodland realm?" Boromir asked.
"My people are known for their light hair and bright eyes as well as our fair skin. With the exception of her ears, I believe that Ai'er would be a beautiful elf," Legolas replied.
"Humph," Kenzie scoffed, listening to the conversation as she walked.
The men halted their discussion and looked back at her.
Kenzie held up her hands, "No, don't stop on my behalf. Go on and talk about me as if I wasn't here," she smirked.
Legolas shook his head and turned back. Boromir laughed and fell instep with the young witch again.
"I believe that you do have the Gondor spirit within you, however. If I had a sister, I imagine she would be like you," he stated.
Kenzie smiled at him sincerely, "Thank you Boromir."
"There Boromir, you have it," Aragorn stated.
"Have what?" the lord of Gondor asked, obviously confused as Kenzie was.
"You stated earlier how you wished to have an endearing nickname for the Lady and now you have it; ai'seler," the Ranger replied.
"And what exactly does that mean?" Kenzie asked.
"Little Sister," Legolas replied.
"Little Sister," Boromir stated, letting the name roll in his head, "I do believe that will do, Lady Kenzie. You, Lord Aragorn, may continue with your elvish name if you wish," he finished.
"Very well. There Kenzie, you now have three nicknames," Aragorn stated, smiling at the young maiden.
Kenzie shook her head, "How convenient."
"Do nicknames bother you, Ai'er?" Legolas asked.
"No," she started, "it's just that more than one nickname can get very confusing for me."
The entire company laughed.
"That, I do not find hard to believe," Gimli stated.
"You better watch yourself dwarf," she started, pointing a finger at him.
The bulky dwarf laughed and continued on, not sensing any danger from the threat. Kenzie glared on at him.
Mental note number 9: Get the dwarf!!!!!!!!!
"Save your violence for the orcs, my dear girl," Gandalf whispered in her ear, flashing her his genuine smile before continuing on ahead of her.
Kenzie smiled. Now she knew who to imagine the orcs were when she wanted to blow them up. She laughed silently and shook her head.
Plot bunnies are plentiful for the next chapter. My muses can't wait!!
Chapter 11: The first temptation, lots of cold, and slimly squids
Random last thought: I can't wait for the extended version of The Return of the King!!!