Sorry for not updating – I've been VERY lazy about updating for a while but now I'm turning over a new leaf!!! )
Anyway, back to this story...
Estel; 1984? I've read a bit of it but there was a lot of it I didn't understand. Have Legolas and Aragorn been giving you my story plans?! You'll see why when they get to Earth...
Irish Anor; LOL! Sorry, it's just that I've barely got the ball rolling on this story and you're already demanding Legolas Angst!!! Well, depending on the number of requests, I'll think about it. I was going to give the Elf a break in this story, but if the readers want it, the readers get it; that's my motto... yeah, I know Jesus Christ! (You are still going to explain the Anti-Christ to me, aren't you?! PLEASE?! I still don't get it!)
Anarya; Ah, five worded reply here: I Was In A Rush... ) Lol! Sacrificing your grades for this?! Ooh, naughty... ;-)
KnowInsight; Another person who thinks it's too short... sorry!!! S
BURN THE R.U.M; Lol! Yup, those three are still the same... but will they still be the same when they get back? That is, of course, assuming that they will get back... oops! Giving a little too much away there, aren't I?! )
Coolio02; Thanks!!! D This plot actually comes from a dream I had one night about a year ago. I still remember it, fresh as a daisy!!! I admit though, it nearly turned into a nightmare at one point, but that's all I'll say... all I kept thinking was "poor guys"... )
Yuki Hibiki; Thanks!!! I really like your screen name btw...
Kitsune; Ok! )
Stoneage Woman; Lol, thanks! D I love just seeing what the sarcastic and humorous part of my mind can come up with; some of my enemies have figured out never to be on the receiving end of my tongue as it's very sharp; fortunately for them I usually put my... 'talent', into doing various stand up routines... ) Lol!
Kawaii Elf Girl; Legolas not being Elvish?! ... ... ) COOL!!!
LEGOLAS: Hey!!!
Oh come on Leggy, it's only a bit of fun!
LEGOLAS: Not for me it's not... --'
Fritz Will Get You; Rotten bunch of... grapes? Lol!!! Sorry; I haven't updated this for so long that I've forgotten exactly WHAT the Fellowship were a rotten bunch of!!! Lol!
Mellaithwen; LOL! I wondered where you were... )
FlyingHampsterOfDoom; Lol, sorry! It's a long running joke here in Britain... thanks!!! -blushes- S You have no idea how good that makes me feel! ;-) I'm glad you think it's original, so here's an update for you...
Now that's over and done with... numero cuatro... that means number 4 btw... I've decided to write a nice long chapter because you've all waited so... ahem patiently... lol!
.: Chapter Four :.
Ten days passed on the Hobbit's journey without major event, unless it was Pippin's discovery of an apple orchard that he not come across before. Of course, this was Pippin's idea of a major event, not ours...
The weather was pleasant; the birds were singing in the trees and the summer breeze cooled the travellers immensely.
It was as they reached the borders of Rivendell that Merry asked a strange question.
"What if something happens to one of us?"
The others looked at him.
"What do you mean dear boy?" asked Gandalf, removing his gently smouldering pipe from his mouth.
"We've all encountered something that was one the Dark Lord's side," explained the young Brandybuck, remembering with a shudder the Witch King. "Some of us worse than others. My point is; if we're away in the future, and you and Lord Elrond are here, what happens if one of us gets hurt?"
Gandalf say on his cart, a thoughtful look upon his old careworn face.
"Do not trouble yourself, Merry my lad," he said quietly. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it..."
The ponies trekked over a small hillock and then they saw it; the Valley. The Elven haven of Rivendell still looked as beautiful as the first time they had seen it; stunning Elvish sculpturing and building winding its ways in, around and through the trees. The waterfall fell spectacularly, a white mist rising from its depths with a fading rainbow in its centre.
The Hobbits couldn't help but smile...
----
"How bad do you think it is there?" asked Legolas as he rode atop Arod. Once again Gimli sat behind him (much to the Dwarf's annoyance) and Aragorn had mounted Brego. At that point, they were just about to cross the borders of Rohan after a good four days ride.
"In the future?" asked Aragorn. "I believe only Gandalf truly knows, but from the sounds of things, it's bad."
"Hmph!" grumbled Gimli. "And just what is new?!"
Legolas turned slightly on the horse. "And just what is that grunt supposed to mean? I don't speak Dwarvish!"
Gimli glared up at the Elf; he liked the lad but sometimes he truly wanted to throttle him. Finally he let all his frustrations come forth in a tidal wave of a speech, not pausing for any breath at all.
"I mean that whenever Gandalf says something is 'bad', it usually is more than 'bad', factoring at least an eleven on a one to ten scale, and requires us going into yet another life-threatening situation in which we could very well die or get badly injured or have some type of misery or misfortune befall us, or even both, which, when you pair are around especially, oft happens, and-!" He paused when he realised that Legolas was shaking. "What's wrong with you?"
The Elf could no longer contain his laughter and it burst forth with a musical air. "You!" he gasped after he regained some manner of control. Gimli realised that Aragorn was howling too. He folded his arms and scowled.
"Just because you know it's true..."
It took a good three weeks of very hard riding before the three were anywhere near Rivendell. It was on the morning of the beginning of their fourth week that Legolas looked out and saw the sun glinting off of the rooftops of the Elven haven. It came as a great relief to all of them; Aragorn had lost count of the amount of bad weather they had been caught out in, and all the rain had ensued that the trio were covered in mud.
"Ah; the sooner we get there and get a proper meal for once, the better!" chuckled Gimli. "None of that rotten Elf bread though; living on that stuff for four weeks means you can enjoy the finer things in life..." A wistful look suddenly passed over the Dwarf's face and his eyes glazed over. "A pipe... ale... salted pork..."
Legolas rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Dwarves..."
----
A stable hand came and took the their horses to the stables, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli headed for Elrond's main chambers. Aragorn looked around wistfully; the buildings and the faint sound of distant singing in the air brought back happy childhood memories.
"So, where will we find them?" asked Gimli. Aragorn was about to reply that the others would probably be in the main council chamber when a deep voice coughed, demanding attention.
Gandalf looked at the three weary arrivals with a glint in his eye. "Actually Master Dwarf, you have not very far to look... come, let me take you to the chamber."
Legolas suppressed a groan. "But ai Gandalf, we've just arrived! I was looking forward to getting something to eat..."
"Some sleep!" continued Aragorn with a yawn. He stretched as he did; that ride had made his joints stiff and now he just wanted to relax.
"Something to drink maybe..." added Gimli wistfully. Though he didn't want to admit it, he'd required a taste for Elven alcohol the last time he was here.
"I'm afraid not!" said Gandalf. "I'm heading off to fetch the Hobbits and then you're off!"
Their faces fell simultaneously. Gandalf noted it with some amusement; to see a Dwarf, an Elf and a Human with the exact same look on their faces (disbelief), covered in mud and grime, was certainly a sight to see.
"No rest for the wicked then," grumbled Gimli underneath his breath. He had been looking forward to that ale. Gandalf eyed him suspiciously, having heard the comment, but decided to let it go.
Aragorn meanwhile, had been wondering over something for the past week or so. "Will they not be a little..." He searched for the right word. "Put out by us? After all, we have four Hobbits, an Elf, a Dwarf, and then myself being a human..."
Gandalf shook his head. "Oh no. Believe me Aragorn when I say that the future has races which make every one here pale in comparison!"
Legolas arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like fun..."
The Wizard turned. "I shall meet you in the Library in five minutes. Until then..." He nodded knowingly before he disappeared around the corner, the end of his white cloak trailing behind him...
----
The Library was one of the oldest rooms in Rivendell. Vast and expansive, it stretched for a long way before ending with a large mural of the Fall of Gondolin on the back wall, in front of which were many large soft chairs, perfect for reading in. Scrolls lay on the shelves and on heavy, intricately carved wooden desks while thousands of books, their delicate aged pages now yellowing and almost translucent, lay about the shelves, the floor, and in large stacks in the corners of the room.
The round ceiling, complete with sky light, rose high above the green marble floor, was inlaid with thin slivers of gold and decorated with more paintings depicting famous Elves and Men throughout the history of Middle-Earth. All in all, it was a spectacularly beautiful room.
Pippin gasped in awe at the extent of the Library. He'd never seen so many books in his life. The Hobbits were all there, each looking at things which had grabbed their attention. Frodo was occupying himself by reading some of the simpler Elven texts, whilst Sam gazed in wonder at the mural on the wall. Merry had found some old artefacts in a large glass case; swords, armour, and other small things like musical instruments and jewellery, but the youngest Hobbit was simply fascinated by the ceiling.
"It's just so high..." he thought, amazed.
"I thought the same thing when I first came here," said a familiar voice behind him. Pippin turned to see Aragorn standing there and his face broke into a grin.
"Aragorn!"
The other Hobbits looked up from what they were doing, wondering what the commotion was. As Legolas and Gimli entered the room, the both burst out laughing as Aragorn was suddenly swamped by four tackle-like hugs.
"My my, Aragorn," said Legolas, still laughing. "You seem very popular today!"
They were all still getting over the sight of Aragorn flat on his back when Gandalf entered with Elrond. The two elders simply stared at the scene as Aragorn and the Hobbits flushed slightly with embarrassment.
Gandalf cleared his throat. "If you are all quite finished, I believe we should begin." He withdrew from a secret pocket somewhere in his robes, a small round disc which was embossed with many strange patterns and a language which none of them knew. As he placed the disc on a round table, they each took a seat around.
"As you all know, the future now needs our help, and, as I have also told you, there will be dangers there. Do not, under any circumstances, let the Enemy know that you are there; both Sauron himself and his allies believe you all to be well gone from the land."
"Try to keep this mission as simple as possible. Go to the future, retrieve the Gothal, and return here with it. Of course it will not be simple; Sauron is powerful and has things at his disposal which we can only dream of, but if you do as I say, he will not even know you are there."
"When you arrive, head immediately for anywhere where you can get underground. This is vastly important; do not forget it! Try your hardest not to get to know anyone there; there will be those who you will meet who know of your quest, possibly ones you already know, who will help you. Unless they speak of me or the sister to this disc, do not disclose any information."
The wizard pointed his staff towards the disc and muttered some strange words, and without warning, the whole room descended into darkness, despite the fact that it was daylight outside. The air grew cold, and Sam watched as his warm breath curled into white mist, rising in front of him before melting away.
Gimli thought he could hear a distant rumble; quite like the noise heard when a rickety cart full of quarry in the mines was let loose down a steep hill. He didn't like it...
Suddenly, without warning, the small round disc opened up and a beam of bright green light burst out. It rose with lightning speed towards the ceiling before spreading out into a triangular shape. The onlookers simply gazed in awe.
Paler green mist seemed to waft across the opening, and each member of the Fellowship wondered what it was.
"The Mists of Time," Gandalf explained, as though reading their minds. "Don't worry; it's quite safe. Just stay close to each other." He extended his arm, pointing towards the portal. "There you go! Just walk straight through..."
Pippin took a faltering step forward. He then looked up to the top of the huge gateway and took a determined step backward. As brave as he wanted to be, the opening didn't look too welcoming.
"Ah wait!" said Gandalf suddenly. The Fellowship stopped in their tracks (quite relieved). The Wizard had a look on his face that told them he had just remembered something important.
"You can't go looking like that!"
The seven soon-to-be-time-travellers looked at each other with confusion. "What do you mean Gandalf?" asked Pippin, not sure what the Wizard meant.
Aragorn was just as mystified; of course he, Legolas and Gimli were filthy from their hard travels from the previous weeks, but why should the Hobbits have to change? They had been in Rivendell for weeks and were perfectly clean.
"I mean young Peregrin," began the Istari. "That if the seven of you turn up in this place dressed the way you are now, anyone working for the Enemy will see that you do not belong there and immediately be suspicious of you, which is the exact thing we do not want. Now hold still, all of you..."
The tip of Gandalf's staff began to glow with a brilliant white flame, so bright that they had shield their eyes against it. The Wizard pointed it to each of the companions in turn...
As the radiance died down, Frodo looked down at himself. He was shocked at what he saw. Instead of his usual little brown overcoat and smart Hobbit-fashioned shirt and trousers, he was dressed in the strangest clothing he'd ever seen.
It was a white short sleeved shirt with a large logo across the front and blue trousers ripped open at the knees. On his feet, he now wore strange looking shoes with a tick shape on the side, laced with strings that seemed to be white once but now were faded and dirty, but if he was honest, they were surprisingly comfortable. Everyone was dressed in similar clothes, each with subtle differences but following the same pattern.
Pippin's eyes crossed as he stared at the hat on his head. Pulling it off, he read the embroidered words of New York Yankees Rasouball Team across the front. His grey trousers matched the grey coat he wore, while underneath was a dark blue shirt, short sleeved, just like Frodo's.
The only time Aragorn and Legolas had seen clothing remotely like this was when they had been down South in Harad many years ago. The people there had much wealth, and wore strange exotic clothes, but even they were nothing compared to these strange garments.
"It is strange I know, but you will get used to it," said Elrond. "You had better go now. Just walk forwards, and make sure to stay together. Do not separate or there is no telling where you will end up, and the other disc is only in your destination. Should you wander into the wrong world, you will not get back!"
Frodo gulped. "Well... see you on the other side Sam..." Reaching out a small hand, he pushed forward into the green light and into the Mists of Time.
As each followed, they found themselves passing through the gateway and into a non-world; a place opposite to a reality.
"Just walk forwards..." thought Merry, looking about nervously. "Always forwards..."
The Mists of Time were hauntingly ethereal; a white rolling mist clung to the floor and swirled about their feet. Great pinnacles of clear glass rose up from the ground and rose higher than any of their eyes could see, and if they had the chance to gaze down as the mist cleared around their feet a little, they were shocked to find that the vast expanse of nothingness spread downwards as well; they walked on nothing.
In front of them was a bright white light shining out of the gloom. "There it is," said Frodo.
Apprehension held the moment for a short second in time, before Aragorn, a grin look of determination set upon his face, said; "Then let us see what lies ahead..."
----
The first thing they knew was that it was very quiet... almost too quiet.
"Aragorn," said Gimli quietly. "I think you'd better come and look at this."
Walking up with the dwarf, Aragorn reached the top of the hill where the rest seemed to be watching something. He wondered momentarily at the looks of horror and confusion on their faces before looking out himself.
The land was scorched black. Ruins lay where tall buildings once stood, the mangled wrecks of machinery lying in deserted streets, and a heavy, thick silence hung in the air.
"There's nothing..." whispered Sam, horrified. "Not a plant, not a person... nothing..."
No-one said a word. Was this what had become of their world? Had this scene of destruction played out all over Middle-Earth? What had happened to their homes, and those of their friends?
Legolas, like the others, was thinking those things when he heard something. It was a clanking and whirring noise, unlike anything he had ever heard before. He turned away from the scene of destruction before him and approached the edge of the other side of the hill, which dropped away suddenly into a cliff face.
A deep empty valley lay before him, which he recognised to his great dismay as being the old valley of Imladris. Like the rest of this world, it seemed the haven of the Elves had succumbed to annihilation. He was sure that the perplexing noise was coming from here, but where was the source?
Suddenly, something large shot up from the base of the valley, knocking Legolas off his feet. Looking upwards, the Elf's eyes widened as he beheld a large metal thing hovering in front of him. Bright red lights swivelled in its skull-like head and fixed directly on him as its arm suddenly shifted in its shape and clicked into place. Pointing it towards the Elf, it fired a sudden shot of a bright light towards him.
Legolas dodged at the last minute and the plasma shot hit the earth, leaving a small crater in its wake and showering the Fellowship with dust. Legolas scrambled to his feet and ran back to his shocked companions as the machine sailed through the dust.
"Run!!!" he shouted. The others needed no persuasion, quickly following suit and running towards the abandoned buildings. The machine continued to fire its deadly beams at them, throwing up the dirt as it missed each time.
As they reached the half collapsed buildings, the seven time-travellers hid behind a wall which had partially fallen over.
"What is that thing?!" gasped Sam between breaths.
Aragorn shook his head. "I have no idea!"
Gimli glared at Legolas. "Elf, what did you do?!" He didn't mean to sound angry, but truth be told, he had no idea what they were suddenly up against and frankly, it scared him to feel so vulnerable all of a sudden. Legolas just looked back helplessly as the machine whirred overhead again and aimed.
"Quick!" called a voice from by a mangled metal lamppost. "Here!" A small figure was beckoning them towards a hidden door. The Fellowship ran for their lives towards their saviour as another blast shook the ground. The shockwave rippled across the floor and caused Pippin to trip. Aragorn turned back quickly and went back for him.
The machine paused in its approach and suddenly registered that Aragorn was there. In a flash it halted, its red laser eyes fixed on him, and suddenly a long beam shot out. Pippin turned into Aragorn's shoulder, hiding his face.
Turning back just in time to see the beam headed towards his cousin and friend, Merry cried; "Pippin!" He was sure that this was going to kill them both... they hadn't even began their mission and two of them were about to die...
Instead, as the beam hit them both, it moved up and down as though looking at them in detail. As the beam finished at Aragorn's toes, the human had a feeling that this was more dangerous than the shots the large thing had been firing.
The beam folded up along itself, and as it went back into the monster's eyes, the red lights suddenly shrank, just like pupils in real eyes do when someone is suddenly scared. The jets on its feet suddenly roared into life and the machine propelled itself upwards. Aragorn picked up Pippin and ran for the shelter. Entering the door, the new person turned to them all.
"Get down there, and for God's sake, shut up!" It surprised them that this was a female voice, but the Middle-Earthlings, confused and, albeit un-admittedly, terrified, did as they were told and crouched down low.
The girl pressed her back against the wall of soil and pulled back a tattered, ragged piece of cloth that served as a makeshift curtain. Peering above to see out, she watched with wary eyes as the clanking machine sailed overhead. It seemed though that the machine had lost the whereabouts of the Fellowship and had given up, for the whirring noises gradually died away, and the girl sighed with relief, shutting her eyes and sagging against the wall.
The Fellowship, content with this apparent sign that all was well, released the breath they had all been holding.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes snapped open with fury and she strode angrily towards them, hands balled into fists.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!"
WOAH, monster chapter!!! Over 3000 words (about 8 pages) and that's without review replies or anything!!!
Tell me what you think! It's so cute though; I've drawn all of them in the new clothing. Well, actually, I drew them first, THEN wrote according to them... ) Just so you know, the team name on Pippin's hat was inspired by the New York Yankees. Rasouball is a sport I've made up; keep reading to see what it actually is!
And this new character; yes, she is a girl, but don't let that put you off the story! I promise you under pain of death that she is NOT a Mary-Sue, will NOT fall in love with any of the characters, and does not wield special powers!!! Ok? So stick with me... you may be pleasantly surprised!
DON'T FORGET TO R&R!!!