Title: Miles to Go
By: Ring Red
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! *sniffle*
Rating: R (for later chapters)
Feedback: Thank you everyone who reviewed. It seems like everyone is liking the Buffy/Legolas tension so far. I'll have to keep working on that and see where it leads. Still not sure about that pairing - they may just end up good friends - but I'm playing with it to see what happens. Let me know if you like it or not! I'm a feedback hog...lol...and I will take your opinions into consideration. Any ideas on Willow or Dawn? (They'll eventually hook up with someone...though it might be the sequel.)
Oh, and don't be surprised if things start changing slightly from how the books went. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn are trying to stick to the basic path, but they'll have to alter some things to be able to live with themselves. Do they seem to be interacting with the other members of the fellowship okay?
As always any constructive comments or opinions are welcome! I'll be eternally grateful if you review!
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Chapter Seven
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It was night when the company entered Moria, but they did not rest and continued on their march for hours more. All wished this stretch of their journey finished as quickly as possible. They walked in silence for the darkness around them was stifling and they could not often find the heart to speak even among themselves. The only noise came from the different treads of each of their footsteps. Gandalf kept his staff lit at all times and the companions used it to stay together and avoid pitfalls and slips along the way. When they came to a hole in the path they worked together slowly and carefully and crossed it and then kept going. The further they marched the more perilous the path seemed to grow and the slower their pace. It was disheartening to say the least, but still they pushed on. They had no choice.
Eventually Gandalf came to a place he simply could not remember. Before him stood a wide dark arch opening into three different passages. The wizard didn't want to rush his decision. Seeing the weariness on the faces of the rest of his company, he announced they would halt here for a while and try to sleep away the rest of the night. To the left of the great arch they found a stone door. When they pushed it open they saw a wide chamber within cut in the rock. Merry and Pippin tried to rush forward, but Gandalf held them back and entered first himself. He lit up his staff and revealed a large hole in the floor from what once had been a well. "There!"
"One of you might have fallen in and still be wondering when you would strike the bottom." Aragorn told the hobbits seriously.
The companions all began to settle down and try to get comfortable so they might sleep. But Pippin was drawn to the well. He looked in and felt cold air rush against his face. Then he grabbed for a rock and was about to drop it in when his hand was knocked aside and the rock fell back helplessly to the door. He frowned and turned to look into the eyes of a very angry slayer. "Milady?"
"Did we not learn a lesson from the water? What do we know about throwing things into things we should leave alone?" Buffy leaned in closer and her eyes narrowed. "Do you want me to cut off your hands?"
Pippin gulped and shook his head. "No, milady."
Buffy continued to stare at him hard for a moment, but then relaxed and shot him a grin. "Good. Now stay away from the hole." She turned and strolled back over to join her sisters.
Willow and Dawn were setting up all three of their pallets. The witch looked up at Buffy with a grin as she approached. "No interfering?"
Buffy shrugged. "They'll come for us anyway. I didn't really change anything, but hopefully these dorkheads will stop it with the rock throwing."
Willow and Dawn just snickered at their sister. Buffy sat down beside them. They talked softly among themselves. Willow cast her eyes toward where Frodo and Sam were positioned across the room. "Poor Sam. He's just heartbroken about Bill."
Dawn frowned. "Bill?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "The pony, Dawn. He's still upset about the pony running off."
Snorting, Dawn shook her head. "I always loved Sam, but he worried about the funniest things." She looked to Willow. "Is he still whining about not having any rope?"
Willow glared at her younger sister in the hobbit's defense. "We could use some rope." Dawn and Buffy shared a look and started to giggle. Soon Willow gave up her glare and joined in.
Silence finally fell and the sisters tried to get comfortable and fall asleep. Then there was a distant thunk as if the sound of something falling into water. Buffy snapped up straight and glared toward the broken well. The sound now echoed up from the hole. Buffy's gaze slid over and met the wide terrified eyes of a certain hobbit. Pippin jerked his hands behind his back and out of the slayer's sight. Buffy just groaned and plopped back down. "I give up."
The rest of the company, save Willow and Dawn, looked confused and frightened, but Gandalf apparently read the scene correctly. He stormed toward the offending halfling. "Fool of a Took! This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance. Now be quiet!"
Nothing was heard for several minutes, but eventually from the depths came the sound of faint knocking. The knocking stopped, but then was answered by more knocks and taps. After a few more minutes of these communications, the sounds finally died completely away, but the damage had been done. Something was awoken.
/ / / / / / / / / /
After a few hours of the sleep the fellowship roused and started out again. Gandalf had decided on a path and the others followed behind him. They walked up and down stairways and around corners and through dark creepy paths, but finally they walked out into a huge chamber and Gandalf knew that he had chosen correctly. He gave a great burst of light from the end of his staff to show their surroundings to the company. The chamber was amazing. It was so tall that the ceiling could barely be seen. Great columns ran down the hall in rows. The companions looked about them in awed disbelief. Even the sisters were not prepared for the sight. Watching movies and reading about it in books could not do Dwarrowdelf justice. The wizard allowed the company only a few moments to appreciate their vast surroundings before he led them on once again. They had much ground to cover before they next took their rest.
When the fellowship did halt and chose to rest in a corner of the cavernous hall, the sisters ignored the conversations about the dwarves of Moria, Gimli's kinsmen, the precious metal mithril, and even phased it out when Gimli began to chant a story of his people. They were too nervous, too aware of what was to come. They comforted each other quietly and prayed that everything turned out for the best.
Determined to shake off their dark mood, Willow looked to Buffy with a twinkle in her eyes. "So...I don't think I'm the only one to notice a certain companion staying mighty close to your side these days."
Dawn grinned at the chance to tease her sister. "Yeah, Buff, what's with you and the Elf? You two are looking real chummy lately with the marching beside each other and helping each other over holes. Is there something you need to tell us?"
Buffy shot them an annoyed frown. "I don't know what you're talking about. We can't stand each other. We have to walk in complete silence or we'd do nothing but snipe at each other all day." She snorted at the thought of actually being interested in someone so irritating.
Willow shot her a look of disbelief. "Do I need to remind you that you called Angel 'Cryptic Guy' for the first half year you knew him?"
Dawn chuckled. "And do we even want to touch your beginnings with Spike?" The younger sister shook her head. "Will's right, Buffy. You're not known for sweet and soft relationships. You're known for finding fire."
Buffy glared at them. "What about Riley?"
"Yeah," Dawn snorted, "because that relationship turned out so well."
Frowning hard at her feet, Buffy tried to think of an explanation why their accusations were so unbelievable. She latched onto the first one she found. "I can't like him. He's an Elf and I'm a human."
Dawn shot Willow a laughing glance. "Do you want to take this one or should I?"
"I will." Willow told her cheerfully. It amazed the witch to see that Buffy truly was completely blind to what was happening between herself and the Prince. The slayer honestly didn't have a clue. Willow met her sister's brooding gaze. "Wasn't there a rule somewhere in that Slayer Handbook about not dating vampires? You didn't follow that one so well."
"But..."
"Buffy," Dawn sighed, "you can't choose who you like. It just happens. You know this."
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't like him. I just...don't. There is absolutely no attraction there." Her eyes narrowed as her sisters stared at her in disbelief once again. "I don't! I don't like anyone and I want to keep it that way. Do you understand that? This slayer is done with men. They're nothing but trouble and they all just leave you in the end anyway. My heart's been broken too many damn times." Their expressions softened and Buffy rolled her eyes. It wasn't all that dramatic. She wasn't anti-love really...it just wasn't for her. Her relationships inevitably ended in disaster. She hadn't been involved with anyone since Spike died six years ago and aside from the whole dying thing those six years had been pretty peaceful and heartbreak free. Why mess with a good thing? Besides, she had all the love she needed with the two sisters sitting beside her. "You guys are all I need. You're enough for me."
Dawn shook her head. "You need passionate love, Buffy. Hell, we all do. And it's going to find you whether you like it or not. It may not be today and it may not be with Legolas, but it will happen."
Willow nodded in agreement.
"There is nothing between me and the pointy-eared-pest. How many times do I need to say this?" Reading their expressions, Buffy rolled her eyes. "You are totally imagining things. We're no closer than we ever have been."
Pointedly lifting one red eyebrow, Willow leaned forward and looked around the other side of Buffy. When they'd started their journey from Rivendell, Legolas had unfailingly bedded down near Aragorn and Boromir when they stopped to sleep. The sisters had preferred to stick closer to the hobbits. This usually placed them at two different sides of the camp. Even now Aragorn and Boromir were resting close to Gandalf some twenty to twenty-five feet away. The Elven Prince, on the other hand, lay no more than five feet from the other side of Buffy's pallet. Her point made, Willow shared a grin with Dawn before settling back and getting comfortable. The slayer just looked at the Elf and frowned.
/ / / / / / / / / /
The next morning Gandalf announced that they would be out of Moria by nightfall. This brought a new sense of hope for most of the fellowship but not for the three sisters. They debated with themselves about changing their course or warning the company, but they knew it would be folly. Gandalf the Grey had to fall for Gandalf the White to rise again. It left a sour taste in all their mouths, but they had to look at the bigger picture. The path of the fellowship could not be altered.
As they marched off to meet fate, the slayer found herself once again fighting off a bought of melancholy. Her Elven nemesis tried several times to snap her from it with no success. Finally he sighed and stepped up to walk beside her. "What troubles you so, Slayer?"
Buffy considered ignoring him, but finally shrugged. "Too much knowledge, Pest." She frowned down at her feet. "You'd think knowledge would be a good thing, right? Help you avoid mistakes and stuff? But what if you couldn't avoid them? What if you had no choice but to let them play out or risk destroying the future?" She finally looked up and met his eyes. "What would you do?"
Legolas frowned at her strange question. Then he answered her as honestly as he could. "What I had to do."
Buffy nodded. "Been there, done that. It's just a lot easier when it's me jumping into the portal, you know?"
He did not, but he also did not want to force her to close off again into this brooding mood she had developed of late. He liked her much better when she was spitting and fighting. The Slayer was a woman of passion and fire. To see her so down-hearted disturbed him more than he wished to admit. "Will you not share this burden, Slayer?"
Shaking her head, Buffy sighed. "Would that I could, Pest." Then suddenly her mood seemed to lighten and she shot him an adorable grin. "But when this is all over, Leggy, when we win? Have I got a tale for you." And Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, was so relieved to see the hop back in her step as she sped up to catch her sisters that he even forgot to be annoyed by his new nickname.
It was not long after their discussion that Gimli spotted a room off to one side of the hall and took off running to reach it. As he forced his way inside he stared in shocked grief at his surroundings. In the center of the room stood a tomb. Gimli had his proof at last, his kinsman Balin and all the dwarves of Moria were dead.
Gandalf read what he could from an old battered book found among several corpses. "We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. We cannot get out. The end comes...drums, drums in the deep. They are coming."
The sisters looked to each other and each reached for their weapons. Buffy drew out two short swords. Dawn grabbed her crossbow, but strapped a short sword to herself as well. Willow only pulled out a dagger but she began to awaken the magic resting within her in case she needed it.
Boom!
The company froze.
Doom doom!
Time was up.
/ / / / / / / / / /
End of Chapter!
/ / / / / / / / / /
FEEDBACK? Pretty Please?
Ring Red
By: Ring Red
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! *sniffle*
Rating: R (for later chapters)
Feedback: Thank you everyone who reviewed. It seems like everyone is liking the Buffy/Legolas tension so far. I'll have to keep working on that and see where it leads. Still not sure about that pairing - they may just end up good friends - but I'm playing with it to see what happens. Let me know if you like it or not! I'm a feedback hog...lol...and I will take your opinions into consideration. Any ideas on Willow or Dawn? (They'll eventually hook up with someone...though it might be the sequel.)
Oh, and don't be surprised if things start changing slightly from how the books went. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn are trying to stick to the basic path, but they'll have to alter some things to be able to live with themselves. Do they seem to be interacting with the other members of the fellowship okay?
As always any constructive comments or opinions are welcome! I'll be eternally grateful if you review!
/ / / / / / / / / /
Chapter Seven
/ / / / / / / / / /
It was night when the company entered Moria, but they did not rest and continued on their march for hours more. All wished this stretch of their journey finished as quickly as possible. They walked in silence for the darkness around them was stifling and they could not often find the heart to speak even among themselves. The only noise came from the different treads of each of their footsteps. Gandalf kept his staff lit at all times and the companions used it to stay together and avoid pitfalls and slips along the way. When they came to a hole in the path they worked together slowly and carefully and crossed it and then kept going. The further they marched the more perilous the path seemed to grow and the slower their pace. It was disheartening to say the least, but still they pushed on. They had no choice.
Eventually Gandalf came to a place he simply could not remember. Before him stood a wide dark arch opening into three different passages. The wizard didn't want to rush his decision. Seeing the weariness on the faces of the rest of his company, he announced they would halt here for a while and try to sleep away the rest of the night. To the left of the great arch they found a stone door. When they pushed it open they saw a wide chamber within cut in the rock. Merry and Pippin tried to rush forward, but Gandalf held them back and entered first himself. He lit up his staff and revealed a large hole in the floor from what once had been a well. "There!"
"One of you might have fallen in and still be wondering when you would strike the bottom." Aragorn told the hobbits seriously.
The companions all began to settle down and try to get comfortable so they might sleep. But Pippin was drawn to the well. He looked in and felt cold air rush against his face. Then he grabbed for a rock and was about to drop it in when his hand was knocked aside and the rock fell back helplessly to the door. He frowned and turned to look into the eyes of a very angry slayer. "Milady?"
"Did we not learn a lesson from the water? What do we know about throwing things into things we should leave alone?" Buffy leaned in closer and her eyes narrowed. "Do you want me to cut off your hands?"
Pippin gulped and shook his head. "No, milady."
Buffy continued to stare at him hard for a moment, but then relaxed and shot him a grin. "Good. Now stay away from the hole." She turned and strolled back over to join her sisters.
Willow and Dawn were setting up all three of their pallets. The witch looked up at Buffy with a grin as she approached. "No interfering?"
Buffy shrugged. "They'll come for us anyway. I didn't really change anything, but hopefully these dorkheads will stop it with the rock throwing."
Willow and Dawn just snickered at their sister. Buffy sat down beside them. They talked softly among themselves. Willow cast her eyes toward where Frodo and Sam were positioned across the room. "Poor Sam. He's just heartbroken about Bill."
Dawn frowned. "Bill?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "The pony, Dawn. He's still upset about the pony running off."
Snorting, Dawn shook her head. "I always loved Sam, but he worried about the funniest things." She looked to Willow. "Is he still whining about not having any rope?"
Willow glared at her younger sister in the hobbit's defense. "We could use some rope." Dawn and Buffy shared a look and started to giggle. Soon Willow gave up her glare and joined in.
Silence finally fell and the sisters tried to get comfortable and fall asleep. Then there was a distant thunk as if the sound of something falling into water. Buffy snapped up straight and glared toward the broken well. The sound now echoed up from the hole. Buffy's gaze slid over and met the wide terrified eyes of a certain hobbit. Pippin jerked his hands behind his back and out of the slayer's sight. Buffy just groaned and plopped back down. "I give up."
The rest of the company, save Willow and Dawn, looked confused and frightened, but Gandalf apparently read the scene correctly. He stormed toward the offending halfling. "Fool of a Took! This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance. Now be quiet!"
Nothing was heard for several minutes, but eventually from the depths came the sound of faint knocking. The knocking stopped, but then was answered by more knocks and taps. After a few more minutes of these communications, the sounds finally died completely away, but the damage had been done. Something was awoken.
/ / / / / / / / / /
After a few hours of the sleep the fellowship roused and started out again. Gandalf had decided on a path and the others followed behind him. They walked up and down stairways and around corners and through dark creepy paths, but finally they walked out into a huge chamber and Gandalf knew that he had chosen correctly. He gave a great burst of light from the end of his staff to show their surroundings to the company. The chamber was amazing. It was so tall that the ceiling could barely be seen. Great columns ran down the hall in rows. The companions looked about them in awed disbelief. Even the sisters were not prepared for the sight. Watching movies and reading about it in books could not do Dwarrowdelf justice. The wizard allowed the company only a few moments to appreciate their vast surroundings before he led them on once again. They had much ground to cover before they next took their rest.
When the fellowship did halt and chose to rest in a corner of the cavernous hall, the sisters ignored the conversations about the dwarves of Moria, Gimli's kinsmen, the precious metal mithril, and even phased it out when Gimli began to chant a story of his people. They were too nervous, too aware of what was to come. They comforted each other quietly and prayed that everything turned out for the best.
Determined to shake off their dark mood, Willow looked to Buffy with a twinkle in her eyes. "So...I don't think I'm the only one to notice a certain companion staying mighty close to your side these days."
Dawn grinned at the chance to tease her sister. "Yeah, Buff, what's with you and the Elf? You two are looking real chummy lately with the marching beside each other and helping each other over holes. Is there something you need to tell us?"
Buffy shot them an annoyed frown. "I don't know what you're talking about. We can't stand each other. We have to walk in complete silence or we'd do nothing but snipe at each other all day." She snorted at the thought of actually being interested in someone so irritating.
Willow shot her a look of disbelief. "Do I need to remind you that you called Angel 'Cryptic Guy' for the first half year you knew him?"
Dawn chuckled. "And do we even want to touch your beginnings with Spike?" The younger sister shook her head. "Will's right, Buffy. You're not known for sweet and soft relationships. You're known for finding fire."
Buffy glared at them. "What about Riley?"
"Yeah," Dawn snorted, "because that relationship turned out so well."
Frowning hard at her feet, Buffy tried to think of an explanation why their accusations were so unbelievable. She latched onto the first one she found. "I can't like him. He's an Elf and I'm a human."
Dawn shot Willow a laughing glance. "Do you want to take this one or should I?"
"I will." Willow told her cheerfully. It amazed the witch to see that Buffy truly was completely blind to what was happening between herself and the Prince. The slayer honestly didn't have a clue. Willow met her sister's brooding gaze. "Wasn't there a rule somewhere in that Slayer Handbook about not dating vampires? You didn't follow that one so well."
"But..."
"Buffy," Dawn sighed, "you can't choose who you like. It just happens. You know this."
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't like him. I just...don't. There is absolutely no attraction there." Her eyes narrowed as her sisters stared at her in disbelief once again. "I don't! I don't like anyone and I want to keep it that way. Do you understand that? This slayer is done with men. They're nothing but trouble and they all just leave you in the end anyway. My heart's been broken too many damn times." Their expressions softened and Buffy rolled her eyes. It wasn't all that dramatic. She wasn't anti-love really...it just wasn't for her. Her relationships inevitably ended in disaster. She hadn't been involved with anyone since Spike died six years ago and aside from the whole dying thing those six years had been pretty peaceful and heartbreak free. Why mess with a good thing? Besides, she had all the love she needed with the two sisters sitting beside her. "You guys are all I need. You're enough for me."
Dawn shook her head. "You need passionate love, Buffy. Hell, we all do. And it's going to find you whether you like it or not. It may not be today and it may not be with Legolas, but it will happen."
Willow nodded in agreement.
"There is nothing between me and the pointy-eared-pest. How many times do I need to say this?" Reading their expressions, Buffy rolled her eyes. "You are totally imagining things. We're no closer than we ever have been."
Pointedly lifting one red eyebrow, Willow leaned forward and looked around the other side of Buffy. When they'd started their journey from Rivendell, Legolas had unfailingly bedded down near Aragorn and Boromir when they stopped to sleep. The sisters had preferred to stick closer to the hobbits. This usually placed them at two different sides of the camp. Even now Aragorn and Boromir were resting close to Gandalf some twenty to twenty-five feet away. The Elven Prince, on the other hand, lay no more than five feet from the other side of Buffy's pallet. Her point made, Willow shared a grin with Dawn before settling back and getting comfortable. The slayer just looked at the Elf and frowned.
/ / / / / / / / / /
The next morning Gandalf announced that they would be out of Moria by nightfall. This brought a new sense of hope for most of the fellowship but not for the three sisters. They debated with themselves about changing their course or warning the company, but they knew it would be folly. Gandalf the Grey had to fall for Gandalf the White to rise again. It left a sour taste in all their mouths, but they had to look at the bigger picture. The path of the fellowship could not be altered.
As they marched off to meet fate, the slayer found herself once again fighting off a bought of melancholy. Her Elven nemesis tried several times to snap her from it with no success. Finally he sighed and stepped up to walk beside her. "What troubles you so, Slayer?"
Buffy considered ignoring him, but finally shrugged. "Too much knowledge, Pest." She frowned down at her feet. "You'd think knowledge would be a good thing, right? Help you avoid mistakes and stuff? But what if you couldn't avoid them? What if you had no choice but to let them play out or risk destroying the future?" She finally looked up and met his eyes. "What would you do?"
Legolas frowned at her strange question. Then he answered her as honestly as he could. "What I had to do."
Buffy nodded. "Been there, done that. It's just a lot easier when it's me jumping into the portal, you know?"
He did not, but he also did not want to force her to close off again into this brooding mood she had developed of late. He liked her much better when she was spitting and fighting. The Slayer was a woman of passion and fire. To see her so down-hearted disturbed him more than he wished to admit. "Will you not share this burden, Slayer?"
Shaking her head, Buffy sighed. "Would that I could, Pest." Then suddenly her mood seemed to lighten and she shot him an adorable grin. "But when this is all over, Leggy, when we win? Have I got a tale for you." And Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, was so relieved to see the hop back in her step as she sped up to catch her sisters that he even forgot to be annoyed by his new nickname.
It was not long after their discussion that Gimli spotted a room off to one side of the hall and took off running to reach it. As he forced his way inside he stared in shocked grief at his surroundings. In the center of the room stood a tomb. Gimli had his proof at last, his kinsman Balin and all the dwarves of Moria were dead.
Gandalf read what he could from an old battered book found among several corpses. "We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. We cannot get out. The end comes...drums, drums in the deep. They are coming."
The sisters looked to each other and each reached for their weapons. Buffy drew out two short swords. Dawn grabbed her crossbow, but strapped a short sword to herself as well. Willow only pulled out a dagger but she began to awaken the magic resting within her in case she needed it.
Boom!
The company froze.
Doom doom!
Time was up.
/ / / / / / / / / /
End of Chapter!
/ / / / / / / / / /
FEEDBACK? Pretty Please?
Ring Red
