Title: The Road is Destiny

Author: Firefly Lantern

Rating: PG-13 for language and violence

Author Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and who is staying with the story! I'll try not to take too many liberties with the Tolkienverse.

Disclaimer: JRR owns the LOTR characters. Any other modern things mentioned here belong to the makers, etc.

Oh, and P.S. Yay, another chapter! Sorry for taking **SO LONG** in updating, I've been swamped with schoolwork ,*. Props to Jim Henson!

_The Road is Destiny_

The dark chill of the morning faded into a warm, sunny afternoon. Travel was easy and undemanding, for a change. The gentle-hilled plains were free of biting brambles, knobby tree roots that caught boot toes, and pesky golf ball-sized insects. The relaxed mood of the group reflected how thankful they were to have a peaceful break. Finally, they could take a moment to enjoy one another's company.

Aragorn and Legolas; however, were strictly business as usual. The solitary ranger walked a lengthy thirty feet in front of Legolas, and Legolas walked a good twenty feet in front of Gandalf and Gimli. Boromir and Julie were next down the line, followed by the Hobbits and a happy Bill.

It felt weird for Julie to be talking to Boromir, she was too used to the child-like banter of Merry and Pippin to take anyone seriously anymore.

"I, too, am firstborn. I have but one brother. His name is Faramir. By the kind Fates, I hope one day you shall meet him." Fond memories were a ghost on his dry lips.

"I hope so, too." Julie nodded. "Gondor must be a grand place. Maybe one day I'll get the chance to visit." If orcs and thugs don't get to me first, she thought. Boromir smiled slightly and matched her pace. "Middle Earth is so beautiful, I've never seen anything like it. Everything is fresh and natural. And somehow you manage to have stuff like ovens, toothbrushes, and teapots. Amazing." She laughed. "But I still don't like orcs!"

"Not many people do. If it weren't for the bravery of men, evil would infest these lands like a plague."

"Evil?"

"Trolls, goblins, dragons, wolves. and Orcs. Do not worry for the last dragon died generations ago." He looked at her with nurturing eyes. "It is the job of men to defend our homes and protect our villages."

Julie could only nod as an imp of worry began to poke at her brain. Dragons, he said? It was scary enough to imagine those kinds of things living under her bed, but knowing they were real took fear to a whole new level. Being gnawed to death by some mystery beast wasn't on her Middle Earth to-do list.

As they moved on, the terrain became rougher. The grass grew thicker and taller until Julie found herself surrounded by 4-foot tall reeds. Boromir left her to move frontward with Legolas and Aragorn.

"Julie! I can't see!" Merry yelped and stretched his neck to try and see over the monstrous grass. "What is happening?"

"Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir are scouting ahead. They have their weapons out and son of a-." Julie hissed as a reed scratched across her knuckles. Damn, even the foliage was out to get her. "Let's make a chain! Grab onto the cloak of the person in front of you!" She called back to the Hobbits. Merry clung to her cloak, and soon Julie was leading the chain of linked little ones. She used her halberd to jab and whack a path wide enough for Bill to walk through comfortably.

"Sing us a song, please?" Pippin pleaded softly.

"Is it safe to sing?"

"Yes, unless you are Gimli! His voice would drive a deaf man to madness!" Merry replied.

"I'll write a memo to myself." Julie murmured in a low voice. What would be a suitable song? Here goes, she thought and cleared her throat. "Hit hit hit the grass, with a great big pole! Whack and hack and smack it up, until you make a hole!" She half-spoke, half-sung to the melody of 'Row Your Boat". Her words were accented by halberd jabs.

"A wonderful hacking song!" Pippin loosened his hands to clap and tripped on Merry's cloak. He would have hit the ground, but Frodo held tight onto the back of his friend's cloak, which kept him from falling. "Quite nice, Frodo! Thank you!" Pippin brushed off his embarrassment. The repetition of hacking grass made Julie's mind wander; Boromir's words stuck with her. He picked the wrong time to talk about beasties and nasties. What did a goblin look like anyway? It was probably something more ugly than any muppet Jim Henson could ever create for a movie. Orcs were hideous creatures, Julie knew. They had fanged teeth and diseased skin. And the most dead, yellow eyes. She shivered and kept on the lookout for trouble.

Her eyes caught Boromir glancing back at her. He smiled and gave a curt nod of his head. Julie smiled back, she was thankful that one of the 'in front' guys was sweet enough to talk to one of the lowly 'tail enders'. She cherished the small, sincere act of friendship. As her smile widened, she felt a small tug on her cloak. The small tug turned into a hard yank that snapped Julie's head back and made her stumble for balance.

"Sorry. I . stumbled." Merry stammered out the words.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry."

Julie patted his head and looked Boromir's way. He was already turned away; she only saw the broad plane of his back. It left her with an odd sense of distance and loss. She tried not to sneak a peek in Legolas' direction, but she couldn't resist.

He moved through the tangle of grass with careless ease while everyone else panted and struggled their way through. Childishly, she stuck her tongue out at him. It wasn't like he could see her. Merry suggested they sing the hacking song again, and Julie agreed on the distraction.

Though his crystalline eyes focused forward, his keen ears lingered on the voices of Julie and the Hobbits. He longed to be near her; he wanted to touch her. Even with a distance between them, he could still sense her and see her clearly in with eyes of his memory. The back of his neck tingled; the tips of his ears itched. Thinking about Julie heightened his senses, which in turn made his agitation grow. He straightened his shoulders and kept his gaze forward, straight, and unwavering.

----------------------------

"THIS is Garnod Wood" Julie blinked in disbelief. Even from a distance, she didn't like it one single bit.

"The canopy grows high and thick, do not expect much sunlight to greet us." Gandalf's voice was a scratchy rasp as he lit his pip. Whatever he was smoking in his pipe to make himself so calm, he needed to share some with Julie.

"All the more reason for us to make haste before nightfall. It will take three full days to reach the other side." Aragorn knelt on a rock to catch a quick rest. His jaw was set in a solemn line, but his mind was obviously in another place. Where are you, Aragorn? Julie wondered.

"Stay close to me, Julie. I'll make sure you are safe." Merry said with the courage of a lion. He meant every word of his promise.

"Thanks, Merry." She smiled. It made her feel a little bit better.

A cheerful meow meeped from above.

Eris swooped down from the sky like a gleeful winged demon and nearly dive- bombed Sam. Bill snorted and neighed in protest, but Eris didn't stop her flight. She hissed at Legolas and nipped at Pippin's curls as she flew to Julie's gloved hand.

"What?" Julie blinked as everyone turned to her. "I can't help it if she doesn't fly away and be free! Eris, please don't try to eat Pippin, we love him!" She chided. Pippin glared. "I can't believe she likes me so much. . . Well, I guess every girl needs an attack pet."

"You claim two, Julie." Legolas said to Merry and smirked. Merry puffed out his chest and snorted like a cranky bear. Aragorn laughed.

"Come, we fly!"