"History lesson!" Puffkinman called. His dorcs huddled around him, eager to listen.
"Long ago, elves were subverted and made evil. They developed into you! Dorcs! But not just any dorcs. Now I've perfected you! You are Uruk-hai!
"Now, whom do you serve?"
"Puffkinman!" they chanted.
"Whom do you serve?"
"PUFFKINMAN!!!!"
"Now go and kick some butt!!!"
"YEEAAAHHHHH!!!"
"Oh, um, hey, you." Puffkinman stayed the dorc captain. "The Halflings have something important. Bring them back alive and unspoiled. You know what to do with the rest."
…
The fellowship rowed down the Anduin River in silence, each absorbed in thought. Rosie recalled her parting words with G-bird.
"Sorry for freaking you out like that," the elf apologized. "Here. To make up for it, you can have this." She handed the hobbit a glass vial. "It is the light of Elendil, our most beloved star. I thought you might want to read at night or something."
"Yeah," Wil piped up. "You've still got my book, Rosie."
She was broken out of her reverie by Aragorn grunting, "Look."
They had reached a narrow place between the two cliff faces. The rock had been carved into the images of two great kings, each with a hand out. At the top, where the sculptures rose above the surface of the cliffs, great blocks of stone had been put together and carved into the majestic heads.
"Argonath," Aragorn whispered.
The eight stared in awe at the ancient carvings towering now above their heads.
Just before Rauros Falls, they pulled onto the bank.
They talked amongst themselves as they set up camp. Ilmig spoke of Mordor, and Legolson warned Aragorn against staying long. Suddenly, they realized that Rosie was not with them.
…
Rosie wandered through the woods and among the ruins, enjoying the solitude. She loved being outside alone.
Then that little blond twerp came along and spoiled it.
"Hey, y'know, you really shouldn't be out here alone," Bobomir said.
Rosie glared at him wordlessly.
"You suffer; I see it. Give me the hoodie so I can RULE THE WOR— umm… I mean, so you don't have to suffer."
"Don't even try to pretend," Rosie retorted. " I can see right through you. You just want the hoodie for yourself!"
"No, I just, uh… GIVE IT TO ME!"
He jumped the hobbit and dragged her to the ground, clawing at the black hoodie.
"AAAH! Get off me! Get away!"
Rosie, in desperation, raised the hood and disappeared.
"Hey, where'd you go?" Bobomir scrambled about in the leaves. "You're a traitor! You'll take it to Perron!"
He rose to his feet, only to trip and fall face down in the dirt. The blow to his head seemed to knock some sense into him.
"Oh, no! I'm sorry! What have I done?"
But Rosie was long gone, racing up half crumbled steps.
"Oh, ew, ew, yuckyuckyuck," she muttered. "That was so gross."
At the top of the stairs, a tall dark tower confronted her. Perched on the tower was the Nose of Perron. Horrified, Rosie stared as it turned in her direction. She jerked away and tumbled off the stone platform, her hood falling off.
"Rosie!" Aragorn approached.
"Oh, man, déjà vu," She muttered, and took cover in the ruins. "Stay away!"
Aragorn approached and took her hand.
"I will protect you."
Rosie gaped.
"A sentence!" She cried. "You said a whole sentence! You must really mean it!"
All of a sudden, Aragorn stood and drew his sword. Rosie glanced at Sting and saw it was glowing blue. Aragorn turned to defend her, and then called, "Run. Run!"
Rosie ran.
Aragorn strode to meet the dorcs, and as they charged, dealt blow after deadly blow.
"Find the Halfling!" the dorc captain bellowed.
At this order, the dorcs abandoned Aragorn and spread over the hill.
Legolson and Ilmig arrived to help Aragorn. Ilmig thrust and snapped her lethal scissors. The elf deftly dodged attacks and hacked at the enemies.
Meanwhile, Rosie tumbled down the hill and scrambled behind a large tree. A few feet away, she spotted Merry and Hunter in shrubbery behind a log. Glancing at the dorcs above them, they beckoned their friend t hide with them, but Rosie looked away with a pained expression.
"What's she doing?" Hunter asked his sister.
"She's leaving," Merry replied darkly.
They scrambled out of their hiding spot, and faced Rosie.
"Run," Merry whispered to her. "Go, Rosie."
The siblings then turned to the dorcs and yelled to get their attention.
"Hey! You! Over here!"
"Hey, big butt!" Hunter called. "Come and get me!"
"Hunter! Don't call them names!" Merry reprimanded as they sped away from Rosie and the dorcs.
Taking the opportunity, Rosie ran in the opposite direction.
"It's working!" Hunter cried.
"I know it's working," Merry said. "Run!"
Farther up the hill, Aragorn, Legolson, and Ilmig were making short work of the dorcs. Aragorn wielded Anduril with unmatched ferocity. At his back, the dwarf's blades flashed in the sunlight as she whirled and ducked, chopping at arms and necks. Legolson also beheaded many dorcs, moving with an uncanny agility.
Merry and Hunter still ran down the slope, but the dorcs soon overtook them. As the monsters advanced, Bobomir charged from behind the hobbits. He caught the battle-axe as it fell towards Hunter, and kicked the dorc in the stomach. He then turned the axe against its owner and buried his throwing knife in another dorc's neck.
As Legolson, Aragorn, and Ilmig finished, they heard a horn blast.
"The horn of Gondor!" Legolson said. The three dashed off to aid their companion.
Still the dorcs rushed at Bobomir. He fought valiantly, but could tell it was a losing battle and commanded the hobbits to run. They scampered back a few paces, but then stood watching Bobomir fend off the dorcs.
Unseen by the Gondorian, the captain of the dorcs stood on the slope above and drew his bow, aiming carefully. He let the arrow fly.
Bobomir stumbled to his knees as the arrow caught his left shoulder. Stubbornly, he rose and cut down another dorc.
The captain moved closer and shot another arrow. Bobomir took it in his stomach and was once again driven to his knees. With an effort, he forced himself up, still defending the hobbits. Three more dorcs fell before another arrow embedded itself in Bobomir's chest. Again he fell to his knees, but could not rise.
Hunter and Merry raised their short swords and charged the dorcs with a cry, but they were simply picked up and carried along as the horde swept past Bobomir, helpless on his knees.
Soon, only the captain was left, mere steps from Bobomir, aiming the last arrow. Before he could loose it, he was knocked to the ground. Aragorn, having raced to Bobomir's aid, stood and deflected a blow from the crude dorc blade. The captain threw him back against a tree. A dorc shield was not far behind, and two spikes on the sides of the shield stuck in the tree on either side of Aragorn's neck, trapping him. As the captain swung at the ranger's head, Aragorn ducked under the shield and rolled past.
The dorc slammed his sword into the ground in an effort to hit him, but Aragorn pulled a dagger and thrust it deep into his adversary's thigh. Snarling in pain, the dorc punched the man in the face and dragged him up by his collar. Aragorn was savagely thrown to the ground, and he rolled several feet away, coming up on his knees. The dorc pulled the knife from his leg and threw it at his foe. Aragorn swung his sword and hit the dagger out of the air.
He then stood and the two clashed swords until Aragorn sliced off the dorc's sword arm. He immediately impaled the dorc. Dying, the dorc pulled himself along the blade, closer to Aragorn. The ranger jerked back, whipped his sword out of the dorc's chest, and cleanly swiped off the head.
He stood victorious for a moment, and then rushed to Bobomir's side.
"I tried to take the hoodie from Rosie," The dying man confessed. "I am sorry. I have paid. They have gone… the Halflings… the dorcs have taken them. I think they are not dead. Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people. I have failed." Bobomir smiled, and then spoke no more.
……………………………………………………….
Rosie stood on the pebbly bank, looking down at the hoodie. Then she pushed a boat off the shore and hopped in, rowing out toward the middle of the river.
Wil, who had somehow managed to evade the dorcs, charged through the trees and onto the bank.
"Rosie! Rosie, stop!" After a moment's hesitation, he began walking into the river towards the boat.
"No, Wil! Go back!" Rosie ordered.
"I don't think so!" he retorted. "You still have my book!"
"You can't swim!" Rosie cried, just as Wil's head plunged beneath the surface.
"Wil!"
Wil floated, semi-conscious, just under the surface. Rosie's hand reached down and grabbed Wil's wrist. She dragged him into the boat.
"I made a promise," Wil said, in one of his rare serious moods. " 'Don't you leave her, Wilibald Gamgee.' And I don't mean to."
"Oh, Wil."
The friends embraced as tears coursed down their cheeks.
"Ack!" Rosie pulled back. "Now I'm all wet!"
…
Bobomir rested peacefully in an unsinkable elvish boat, the arrows pulled, his sword and horn on his chest. The spoils from the dorcs he had slain lay around him. The boat drifted down the river, and vanished over golden Rauros-falls.
"Hurry!" Legolson pushed the remaining boat into the water. "Rosie and Wil have reached the eastern shore." He paused and looked up at Aragorn, who was not moving. "You mean not to follow them?"
Aragorn shook his head.
"It's all for nothing then," Ilmig moaned.
Aragorn shook his head again.
"Merry. Pippin," he said.
After a moment, comprehension lit Ilmig and Legolson's faces.
"Let's go kick some dorc booty!" Legolson cried.
"Yeeeaaahhh!" Ilmig charged after her two companions.
…
Rosie and Wil paused on the top of a ridge and gazed over at the smoldering Mount Loom.
"Mordor," Rosie said. "I hope the others will find a safer road. We'll probably never see them again."
"You never know, Rosie," Wil said.
"I'm glad you're here, Wil," Rosie told him. They continued on down the slope towards Mordor.