Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.

Summary: Sequel to 'Children and Fellowships'. This story is based on the next generation, and a new problem.

Chapter One

Elfwine's Point Of View

The first thing I realized as I woke up was the sound of people swearing in a very explicit manner. It sounded like my older sister, my best friend and someone else who I couldn't place. My slow return to consciousness accelerated faster than Shadowfax can run when I heard a sharp intake of breath from nearby, followed by a female voice screaming in horror.

I blinked my eyes open and looked around.

I am actually not certain what scared me more: our unfamiliar surroundings, or who was doing the screaming.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning. My name is Elfwine, Crown Prince of Rohan and eldest son of King Eomer and Queen Natasha of Rohan.

I am ten years of age and have four brothers and sisters, one of them my twin. My siblings are Bella – who is really mother's much younger cousin, but we all think of her as a sister – my twin, Theodred, and our younger sisters, Saranna and Alyssia. My father is the nephew of the old king, Theoden. He was born and raised in Rohan, and became a marshal of the Riddermark when he was young, a few years before Theoden died and Father became king. He and my mother met during the War of the Ring. Father was twenty-seven at the time. Mother was almost a decade younger than him, but that didn't stop them from becoming friends and falling in love. They married not long after the War, shortly after Mother turned Nineteen, ignoring the few protests about Mother being from a foreign land with strange customs.

Now, one thing you should understand about my mother: She never loses control.

Not in public anyway; what goes on between my parents at night is the chambermaids' favourite gossip topic, but that's not the point.

The point is, Mother never allows people to see her as anything less than calm and in control. In fact, if someone was to come running up, screaming about an orc attack, she is more likely to tell them to calm down and stop babbling, listen to what they are yelling about, and then order someone to guide them to wherever Father is to warn him.

Either way, she does not start screaming hysterically.

Which is why I was so shocked to see her sitting up, eyes wide, and screaming like a banshee.

I try to block her out long enough to see where we are. We are in a room filled with strange objects. Also here are all four of my siblings: Seventeen-year-old Bella, Theodred – my twin – Eight-year-old Saranna and Six-year-old Alyssia.

Looking further, I see my cousins: Eleven-year-old, Theodwyn and Eight-year-old Isinil, children of my Aunt Eowyn and Uncle Faramir.

Also present is my best friend, Eldarion, Crown Prince of Gondor, who is my age and his two sisters; Princess Celebrian and Princess Gilraen who are the same age as my younger sisters, respectively.

Bella finally stops swearing long enough to go over to where Mother is still in hysterics and try to calm her down, just as a man in very strange clothing rushes in, takes one look and rushes back out.

Whatever Bella did, it worked, as Mother has stopped screaming, although her face is still pale. Alyssia climbs onto her lap, looking worried. Theodwyn finally speaks up, "Aunt Natasha? Where are we? Why are you so upset?"

Mother closes her eyes for a moment. "We are in the land of my birth. I have no idea how this came to be, but I think that someone powerful had a hand in it." Eldarion opens his mouth. Mother cuts him off. "And before you ask why I think that, Eldarion, I was forbidden from ever returning here, a fate that I accepted willingly."

We all fell silent for a few minutes before the door crashed open again and a group of people entered, six going to Mother's bed, four to Bella.

The rest of us moved away to avoid being trampled. Bella's group consisted of a tall woman with dark red hair streaked with grey, a man whose hair was almost white, a little girl and a second man who looked only a few years younger than Mother was.

The ones clustered around Mother were a man with hair that was once dark, but now held a great deal of white, a young boy and four women, one who looked to be my mother's mother, one who could only be my mother's twin, one with blonde hair who resembled neither and one with greying hair who looked nothing like any of the others.

This was evidently going to be a day of surprises for us, as Mother took one look at them and did something completely unprecedented: she fell back in a dead faint.

In the Throne Room of Meusled, Back in Middle Earth…

Eomer of Rohan paced in front of his throne, ignoring all attempts to make him sit down.

The court had been cleared for the day after a hooded stranger had somehow gotten past the guards and into the Throne Room, unleashed a thunderclap and a blinding flash of light.

When everyone could see again, the stranger had vanished, along with Queen Natasha and the royal children of both Rohan, Gondor – who had been on a state visit – and Ithilien.

Now the Room was empty except for the King and Queen of Gondor; Lord Boromir, captain of Gondor; Lord Faramir and Lady Eowyn of Ithilien; Gandalf the White, head of the Istari and Eomer, King of Rohan.

Gandalf shook his head. "They have passed beyond my sight. The only way that could happen is if they were drawn away from this world."

Eomer stopped dead, slowly turning to face the wizard. "Forgive me, Mithrandir, I do not think I heard you correctly. Did you say that they were drawn out of this world?"

There was a collective wince at the King of Rohan's tone. It generally suggested that someone was going to be in a large amount of trouble. Eowyn sighed, looking at her brother. "No, you heard correctly." She turned to Gandalf, "But how did it happen? It was supposed to be impossible for Natasha to return!"

This earned her a questioning look from everyone except Eomer and the wizard. Eowyn's husband, Faramir, finally spoke. "What do you mean, 'it was supposed to be impossible for Natasha to return'? Why would it be impossible?"

Eowyn let out an explosive breath, turning to face the room. "Because Natasha made a conscious choice to stay here, rather than return to her own world. That choice was made irreversible when the twins were born, binding Natasha here by both Blood and Choice. She told me that she never regretted her choice, and if she had to choose again, her decision would be the same. That should have made it impossible for her to leave."

Queen Arwen chose this time to speak up. "What I want to know is what the children have to do with all this. Why would anyone take them?"

Boromir decided to join the conversation. "Another question is how do we get all of them back? I'd like to point out that even if we were able to follow, none of us has the faintest idea of where to go or how that world operated."

Eomer finally burst out. "And they do? Bella was four when she and Natasha arrived here! The other children know nothing of it outside bedtime stories that they dismissed as fantasy! Natasha may have known about that world but it has been almost fourteen years since she left! Who knows what will have changed!"

The Throne Room was plunged into silence as they all tried to think of a way to resolve the problem.

Hidden in a corner, a lone figure, hooded and cloaked, let a malicious smile slip past their lips. Soon things would become as the figure had always planned. This time there would be no obstacles to get in their way.

A/N – First chapter up! Tell me what you think. Should I continue or should I scrap it? Don't forget to review!

Thank you all,

Nathalia.