They finally came to the door leading to the exclusive section of the exhibition after a long walk through the a labyrinth of hallways. Freddie and Gary were wincing slightly at the numb pains they had in their feet, but said nothing.

"Before I open this door," Dr. Lewis said as she withdrew her set of keys. "I must tell you now that your life will forever be changed after your time in this room." The boys braced themselves as she opened the door and turned on the light. As the glass cases were illuminated one by one, the boys' eyes widened in amazement.

To the boys, the cases not only contained items from an ancient land, but it contained things that they remembered from their past life. Each one had a specific item that was their strongest link to their pasts. At the sight of the items, the feeling of Middle-Earth became stronger in their hearts, but they couldn't interpret it properly. Their memories were fuzzy and very unclear, like walking through a thick fog; they knew something was there, but they didn't quite know what it was.

Freddie tentatively approached the case directly to the left of the center case. Although all of the cases had some kind of blade in them, the one in this one particularly interested him. The thin lines on the slightly curved double-edged sword flowed across the metal like a flowing river. As he looked at the sword, he could almost feel the feather-like weight of it in his hands. Something else glittered in the case and attracted his attention. A simple gold ring sat on a chain that hung by the sword. Something inside of him made him panic for no reason and a sudden flash of a frightening, blood red eye wreathed in flames penetrated his mind. He cried out in surprise and fell to the floor.

"Freddie!" Sam helped him up from the floor.

"Thanks, Sam," he said with his big, blue eyes filled with platonic compassion.

"That is so freaky," Marty muttered to Pete. "These things remind me of something. I just can't place my finger on what it is. I sound crazy, don't I?"

"If you are, we're both losing our minds. That brooch that's on the cloak; it makes me thing of this huge stretch of land that's covered in rocks and this really old forest that has this sense of something that I know I've felt before."

"Really? From where?"

"Believe it or not, the forest near our school."

Gandalf looked around at the young boys whom he had remembered as grown, mature adults from five millennia ago and chuckled. Galadriel, who was monitoring their behavior, wondered what was so amusing.

"What do you find so funny, Gandalf?"

"When I see them, it's like I see two of each person. I look at Aaron and I see a teenage boy who stands up for what he believes in. But I also see Aragorn underneath the inexperienced mind, dormant for so long and soon to be revived and to once again lead this world away from darkness."

"That's if Aaron's mind accepts the change that's going to happen. If not, Aragorn will lie dormant within Aaron until he dies. And that's not going to be too far into the future if he doesn't."

Gary looked over his shoulder to Galadriel and nudged Leo. "You know that Dr. Lewis over there?"

"Mmm." His thoughts were mostly concentrated on the long bow in the glass case he looked into.

"She's hot."

"Whoa, what?" Leo's thoughts were shattered by those two small words. "You starting to have a thing for the nice lady doctor?"

"Yeah..." he sighed. "I guess I have a small spot for tall blondes."

Leo cocked an eyebrow at that last statement and looked at him. "Just don't come looking for me when she says no."

They both cracked into mutual, amused smiles and continued to chat quietly to each other about the things in the glass cases. They both agreed that they would go and fight whatever it was that was coming if only they could fight it.

Aaron stared at the long, shiny sword that lay on a special platform within the center case. He felt a strong urge to hold it in his hands. His hand strayed and tried to take the sword, but the glass stopped it.

"Aaron." Gandalf stood next to him. "Do you remember anything?"

"That's Anduril," he whispered. His hand pressed against the glass. "My old sword. It was used by my ancestor, Isildur, to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. I received it in Rivendell, the city ruled by Elrond, for... something I can't remember. For some reason, I feel as if I'll remember if I hold it."

"That's because you will. But, I will only get Lady Galadriel to open it if you're truly ready to remember what you did in the past. You made a huge impact on the world then and you will do it again if you choose to take on the responsibility. Do you want her to open the case?"

He stared longingly at the sword within the glass case. A part of him told him to open the case and take the sword, along with the responsibility that it carried. Another part of him said not to touch the ancient artifact and let someone else do the job. That part of him argued that he was only a boy, only turning sixteen in a few months. It questioned the ability of a small group of boys to save the world from a blanket of darkness. But, a deep confidence welled up inside of him, filling him with courage and determination.

He turned to look at Gandalf and solemnly nodded.

Gandalf smiled and returned the gesture. "Dr. Lewis? If you may, please open the door for him."

She pulled out her keys and unlocked the case. With all eyes watching, she picked up Anduril and gently placed it in Aaron's hands. He tentatively tested its weight before he finally unsheathed the legendary Sword of Kings.

All at once, the world of Middle-Earth and all of its knowledge, history and cultures were alive again in his mind. The wondrous city of Rivendell was still the home to hundreds of graceful Elves; the woods of Lothlorien still bore its beautiful golden leaves and was still ruled by the Lady Galadriel; the White City of Gondor was still as proud and honorable as it had ever been; and the rolling hills of the Shire was unknown to the rest of Middle-Earth and hobbits were still ignored and lived only in fables of Men and Elves. He remembered the little hobbits that came to the Council of Elrond and how they joined the Fellowship. He remembered the journey across the land and the adventures he had with his friends. He remembered the evil that threatened the world. And he remembered his last thoughts before he had died. His thoughts of Arwen...

"Uh, Aaron?" Leo waved his hand in front of Aaron's glazed eyes. "Anybody in there? Or did your sword suck your mind out of your brain?"

Aaron blinked and looked at Leo. "Legolas? What happened to your hair?"

Leo looked at him strangely as Gandalf put his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Aragorn, it's good to have you back, but Legolas and the others haven't fully come back yet. Right now, you were just talking to Leo Grayfield."

Aaron, now Aragorn, turned back to Leo. As he looked at him, he could still remember the things that they went through in THIS life. It was difficult to break away from his adolescent mind and its way of thinking, so he didn't bother fighting it. "What the hell are you waiting for, Legolas? You can't fight the memories of Mirkwood and the Elves forever, you know."

Leo looked back at him with shock. When he heard the name of the forest, he felt like he could almost feel the wind going through the branches. Unknowingly, his eyes brought him to the long bow and the long white knives in the case.

"You remember, don't you?" Galadriel said with a smile. "You remember the bow that I gave you so long ago. The bow of the Galadhrim is longer than the bows of our Mirkwood brethren--"

"--And strung with the hairs of the elves," Leo finished her sentence. His eyes stayed on the bow. "You gave me a quiver of arrows, I believe, to complete the set."

Galadriel smiled and opened his case for him. He ran a hand over the bow and picked it up. As he tested the bow with his hands, he laughed. "Not only do I remember who I am, what happened in the great lands of Middle-Earth during my near-three-thousand years there and the beautiful woods of the elves, I can remember some of the songs."

He started to sing softly, but in a beautiful voice, the Song of Nimrodel.

An Elven-maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle white was hemmed with gold.
Her shoes of silver-gray.

A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughs
In Lorien the fair.

Her hair was long, her limbs were white,
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of linden-tree.

He stopped singing and smiled grimly. "I can't seem to remember anymore," he sighed. "Sorry."

Aragorn merely laughed and put his arm around Legolas' shoulders in reunion. He pointed to their reflection in the glass. "You still didn't tell me what happened to your long, golden hair, Legolas."

"Oh, my God!" he cried, surrendering himself to the modern upbringing he had in this life. He ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief and muttered, "I can't believe I cut my hair."

Gary looked at the both of them with a furrowed brow. Clearly, these two boys were still Aaron and Leo, but something inside of them changed when they held their possessions again. They seemed to be complete as a being, like they found some part of them inside the weapons that linked them to their wholeness. He was particularly puzzled at Legolas' reflection. Sometimes, if the angle was right, he could see him as the mighty elf warrior he had been in the past. He saw the Prince's traveling clothes, the fierceness and peacefulness in his eyes, and, of course, his long blond hair.

His head turned to the other boys, who were all smaller than him. At impulse, he thought of them as hobbits. Then, his eyes brought him to Galadriel, who was still smiling serenely.

"I will be disappointed if you don't remember Lady Galadriel, Gimli," she said in an amused tone.

"My Lady," he sighed, finally recognizing her for who she really was. He kneeled on one knee in front of her. "I am honored to once again be in your presence."

"No need to bend down so low, Gimli. The traditions of the past don't exist anymore. I am no longer a Queen of Elves; I am a mere archaeologist."

"But, you're still Galadriel to me."

Legolas rolled his eyes and shook his head. He muttered to Aragorn, "I think he's got less chance with her now than he did before."

"I heard that, elf!" The Three Hunters were then truly reunited after five thousand years of separation. Of course, they were much younger and inexperienced than their past lives, but their friendship was still as strong as it was in the past.

Sam raised his hand like he was in class. "I'm a little confused here."

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Gandalf asked them.

They all nodded hesitantly. Marty added, "To a certain extent, yeah."

"Then you should also believe that your souls have walked together on this earth before. These three," he pointed to the teenage Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, "have regained their memories from the past and remember what they had done for the world. You four were also part of their last adventure and saved the world along with them."

"So you're saying that we're actually these old spirits from the past who saved the world?" Marty asked skeptically.

To Freddie, it would have sounded odd as well, if it wasn't for the image of the flaming eye. It sent a wave of fear over him and drowned him with despair. His thoughts must have shown through his face because Galadriel started talking about him.

"It's true. Freddie, over there, remembers the Dark Lord through the One Ring. The Eye of Sauron tortured poor Frodo's mind when he bore the Ring to Mordor and the feelings must have carried on to this life. The simple gold ring you see in that case is simply a replica of the One Ring."

"The Ring..." Freddie felt the dark feeling that that little trinket symbolized. As he looked at the ring again, the Eye flashed brilliantly in his mind with a fiery mountain behind it. A voice screamed in his mind, "Baggins!"

The scream shocked him so much that it sent a spasm through his body, surprising Sam, Peter and Marty. When they asked him what was wrong, he couldn't say what it was because he didn't know what was wrong. All he knew was that the ring had reminded him of something deep within his soul.

"The fire of Sauron and Mount Doom don't burn anymore, Frodo," Galadriel reassured. "You can put the past behind you. This life is a new beginning for you."

"But it's also an end for ourselves, isn't it?" Freddie choked out through his fear. "Or else there wouldn't be a good reason for bringing us back to save the world again. I mean, this is supposed to end all the things we didn't do, right?"

"Smart boy. A little smarter than the last time I saw you, Frodo. But, you are not yet Frodo Baggins of the Shire." She opened Frodo's glass case.

"The Shire?" Marty voiced to himself. "That sounds familiar..."

The gold ring reflected a beautiful light to Freddie as his hand drew to it. With a single touch of the ring, his vision filled with fire. Heat surrounded him until he felt like he was burning with the fire itself. He pulled his hand away like the ring was red-hot. But, his hand tentatively went back to the ring and grabbed it. The War of the Ring painfully came back to his memory. Memories of Mordor, the Gondorians, the Dead Marshes, the corruption of Boromir, Lothlorien, the Mines of Moria, Rivendell, Bree, and, of course, the Shire reemerged in his mind along with the other things that happened. He could clearly remember the Fellowship, especially Aragorn and his fellow hobbits. Sam stood out clearly in his mind and what he had done for him in the past. All this came back to him in an instant.

Frodo blinked and unclenched his fists. "The Shire... What happened to the Shire? Did we save Middle-Earth?"

Everyone, except for Frodo, Sam, Marty and Peter, laughed out loud.

"We did save Middle-Earth, Frodo," Aragorn said. "But we're about five thousand years from the War of the Ring. So, technically, Middle-Earth is gone."

"Or did you just get caught up in the whole reincarnation thing?" Legolas asked with a teenage smile.

Frodo paused for a moment to fully remember what had happened while that part of his soul was dormant. He hung his head in embarrassment after he went through his memory. "Oh, shut up. It's kind of hard to remember things after being unconscious for five thousand years."

Then, he finally noticed the other boys. "Merry? Pippin? Sam!"

Marty and Peter looked at him like his was a little crazy. Sam, however, looked at him like he was a friend from a long time ago.

"Come on, Sam. You don't recognize your Mister Frodo?"

"I have to say, Sam," Gandalf said. "I didn't expect you to stick by Frodo like that after I told you to never leave him. I said that in Hobbiton, remember?"

"Hobbiton..." Something stirred in Peter's mind.

" 'Never leave him, Samwise Gamgee.' That's what you told me." Sam turned to Frodo. "And I guess I never did, not even after all these ages."

"You take these things too literally, Sam," Frodo said as he clapped his back. "You have got to lighten up on that promise soon." He paused for a moment. "Do you remember what your occupation was in Hobbiton?"

"Yes." Sam bit his tongue. "I was your gardener."

Frodo laughed with joy when he confirmed that his faithful, loyal friend as truly back by his side.

"Merry and Pippin are still lost," Aragorn pointed out.

"That can be easily remedied, given the suitable way of persuasion," said Gandalf. He looked at Marty and Peter with burning eyes. The boys shifted nervously where they were. "Now, boys, do your remember the Shire? The Brandywine River? Hobbiton?"

Something flashed in their eyes. A lost memory, perhaps.

"What about Farmer Maggot?" Sam asked them. "His mushrooms and the Black Rider on the Road. Do any of these ring a bell?"

"A shortcut to mushrooms," muttered Peter.

"I think it's working," said Galadriel.

"But what happened next?"

The group of reincarnated spirit thought for a while about how to bring back Merry and Pippin's souls to completion. Finally, Legolas spoke up.

"Fangorn Forest," he said plainly. "And the Ents. You were the ones who brought them into the war to help overthrow Saruman. And then you told us about Treebeard and the rest of the tree-shepherds in Minas Tirith. Remember?"

Peter suddenly jumped up and down in excitement. "We told you guys after Merry and Eowyn killed off the Witch-King, Angmar! That was in Gondor and you three were coming from the water in these really creepy boats from... uh..."

"The Paths of the Dead," Marty finished for him. "Aragorn had to go through if he wanted to fulfill his destiny and save Middle-Earth as King of Men... If I remember correctly."

"The little hobbits are back!" Gimli cried out. The Three Hunters went over and formally welcomed each other into the modern world. At that time, Merry and Pippin still needed to adjust a little to the shocking cultural difference and adapt to the overall complications of their situation.

"Boys." Galadriel got their attention like they were in school. "Sorry to stop your little reunion, but we've got business to attend to."