Full of Grace

Chapter 2

Usual disclaimers apply. If you recognize it, not mine.

What words could you use to describe a human girl who eats more than a Hobbit? Perhaps that mystery will be soved, when the mysterious stranger awakes from her slumber. The Fellowship stood around the snoring blonde with various degrees of disbelief on their shocked faces. She was so trusting, how odd in this day and age. A small smile could be seen on Gandalf's aged face, "Our light of hope in these dark times." He murmured under his breath as he too drifted off clutching his staff. Soon everyone but Legolas who kept watch followed Gandalf's lead, for soon their journey would continue.

Legolas surveyed the dripping darkness around the mismatched crew. His conscious was guilty, surrounding him with images too gruesome to be true with the what if's that plagued his mind. He had shot a lady, he could have killed her. He had never considered that what he was shooting at was not the enemy. What if this happened again, what if he was wrong again? Although he did not deserve her forgivness, he needed it, and he would earn it. His honor would have it no other way.

One by one, the memebers of the good fight arose from their dreamworlds that looked and felt like their true homes filled with peace, in a time before war reigned. It was time to move onward, to complete their dire quest. To ensure that peace that filled their dreams.

Strider worried for the wounded girl, went to wake her to make sure she was healing properly. After the fifth attempt, he enlisted the help of Legolas. Yet right before the elf managed to touch her, her eyelids fluttered open and she stretched with a yawn, as if some internal clock had gone off. She scanned her surroundings with confused eyes and suddenly became very shy, trying to hide behind Gandalf's billowing robes.

"Please milady I need to check your wounds." Strider pleaded with her like he would a child. Gandalf gave her a little push towards the gruffy ranger. Reluctantly she let him peel away the bandages. Legolas looked on hoping the damage was diminishing properly, but the look of worry on her face had him uneasy.

A startled gasp was heard from Strider, "You're completely healed. How is that possible?" Legolas pushed the shocked ranger asided to witness the miracle for himself. Rubbing off dried blood he felt the area on her shoulder where there should've at least been a scar, nothing but smooth flesh met his tingling fingertips.

"Curious indeed." Gandalf broke the silence. "What is your name child?"

She hesitated for a moment..."Serenity" She said almost silently, barely a whisper from her lips.

Gandalf pulled in a sharp intake of breath, had it been anyone else but him, they would have been in denial. Why had it not noticed before? The hairstyle, just like her mother and her grandmother. The regal air about her, he knew he had felt that familar power yesterday.

Suddenly he bowed on one knee before her, "Your highness."

She had tears in her eyes, "No. No. Stand up...Stand up!" She tried pulling the old man up. "Please don't..." She cried defeated and fell on already bruised knees. The Hobbits hurried over to comfort the girl. "What'd you do that for Gandalf?" Pippin accused.

Everyone was confused as Gandalf stood. "You can run no longer, your time has come. I was waiting for you."

She sobbed harder, "No I will not do it, not for you, not for them, and definately not for him." She stood suddenly, the hobbits falling around her. "You don't understand what they want me to do. They want this Utopia only I can create and why? For all the wrong reasons. I will not play into destiny's hands, too long have I done their bidding. How many times have I died and been reborn, only to see the world around me and those I love disappear into moondust?" She had a fire in her eyes that was slowly dying. Defeated she said the last thing Gandalf wanted to hear, "I do not love him any longer."

"But it was written in the stars, your love was everlasting..." He began, but stopped as he looked into her painfilled eyes. He was acting like those she was running from. He was believeing what he was told, but did he ever consider what the reality of the situation was? He sat down and began to light his pipe, he needed to think.

All she said as she too sat was, "3000 years is a long time to fall out of love. Especially when the person you fell in love with disappeared several millenia ago."

"How old are you!" Exclaimed Merry.

"Are you an elf? You don't have pointed ears?" Questioned Pippin.

Serenity sat in silence willing the questions to go away, willing destiny to go away. What if it was destiny that brought her here? Gandalf said he had been waiting for her, then it was all planned. But by who? 'Why would my mother or Sailor Pluto send me here? Wherever here is.' She decided she needed answers, it was her turn to ask questions.

"Where am I?" She willed her voice to come out, even though it was soft it was heard.

"Middle Earth." Replied Gandalf.

"There's a Middle Earth?" She questioned with a tilt of her head.

"You are from the Moon, and yet you do not believe there is a place such as this?" He challenged.

"I...I...never thought about it. My kingdom on the Moon seems so long ago, as if it were a dream. A dream that became a nightmare." She murmured.

"You're from the Moon?" Quiered Pippin.

"You are looking at the future Queen of the White Moon Kingdom that was destroyed over 3000 years ago. She has been reborn to reinherit her birthright and bring peace to the galaxy. She was sent here to rectify the mistakes of the past. This world will not be forgotten again. We will not dwell in darkness as we once did. You were brought here to save this world, as you have already saved your own. Only then shall you inherit the thrown." Gandalf finished his explaination of what could be said at this time. As we all know there is always more to tell.

"What if I don't want to inherit the thrown? What if I want to live a normal life for once. I'm tired of fighting. I just want to live without the paranoia of some new foe coming to claim the power that was forced upon me at birth. I had no choice on who my mother was. It leaves me no choice but to fight if I am to survive." She sighed in defeat.

"Yet your heart cannot stand to see those around you hurt and unhappy. It is in your nature to save those weaker than yourself. You can not run, for it is who you are." Gandalf argued in his wise way that leaves no room for discussion.

Discussions were then cut off by a loud racket, as poor Pippin in his fascination of skeleton on the leadge of a well, sent it to it's doom. This could be the doom of them all as the noise alerted those who seek what they have to their resting place in the guardroom that was made for watching the three passages.

Gandalf was beyond anger as her grabbed Pippin his eyes glinting, "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!"

tom-tap, tap-tom

tap-tom, tom-tap, tap-tap, tom.

"This way, we shall take the right passage. The air is less foul, it is time we began to climb up again." Gandalf instructed.

They had marched as far as the hobbits could endure without rest, yet all were thinking of a place to rest. Suddenly the walls to the right and left vanished and left them in a blank empty space. There was a draught of warmer air behind them, and in front of them an icey coldness slithered around them in the darkness.

Gandalf seemed pleased, "I chose the right path, but we are a good deal higher than Dimrill Gate. I will risk a little light now." He said as he raised his staff. "Let us rest, if we can. Things have gone well so far," he said smiling at Serenity who was huddled in on herself, "and the greater part of the dark road is over. But we are not through yet, and it is a long way down to the gates that open up to the world."

The Company spent the night in the cavernous hall, huddled close together in a corner to escape the cold draught, which seemed to be flowing steady from the eastern archway. All about them as they lay hung in darkness, hollow and immense, none were more oppressed by the loneliness than Serenity. Legolas had taken it upon himself to be her protector. This was the beginning to him, the beginning of earning her forgiveness. He had almost taken her life, yet he would die protecting it. And so huddled in the corner he had wrapped his elven cloak around them both as she huddled in his lap shivering.

He wasn't sure why she let his get so close to her after what he had done, but it was a great step in the right direction. He would be patient with her, as he learned of her past he felt a tug at his heart. Her life seemed almost parallel with his own, and he could relate to her damning of her destiny and birthright. Hadn't he been trying to do the same thing?

She was having nightmares, or were they more than that? She was plauged by the surrounding darkness. It was sticky on her skin, it crawled all over her. It was pulling at her heart. It was so vile, that she felt sick. She moaned as the sweat beaded down her forehead. How long had it been since she's seen the Moon? Too long, the darkness was eating at her soul.

Legolas looked down as she thrashed her head and moaned. "Serenity..." He whispered as he tried to rouse her without waking the others. Something was wrong, she seemed to have a fever, yet was chilled to the bone. He hugged her closer looking into her painfilled face. Suddenly without warning a crecent moon began to glow on the center of her head, between her eyes. The light was so bright that he had to close his eyes, yet he hugged her closer. And when he opened his eyes he was in a whole new world.

Thanks to all my reviewers.