FIRST KNIGHT BY ASHA DREAMWEAVER

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Summary: BtVS/LotR. Buffy gets sent to Middle Earth to help bring down Sauron. Her duty, like the Istari, is not to confront Sauron directly but to help those fated to face him bring him down. More specifically she's to help the King of Gondor get on his throne. Will Arwen and Aragorn's love stand against the shadow? Will Legolas be able to keep a secret, that if revealed, could shatter the lives of those he cares for? Will Buffy be able to fulfil her duty? Will Denethor be able to put aside his animosity for the man who would supplant him? Will the ringbearer reach Mount Doom, or will he be cut down before he reaches his goal? And will Boromir resist the lure of the ring?

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews! And please, please vote for me in the 'My Precious Awards'!

Review responses:

Aleviel - of course I do!

Anna - Thanks! Cliffhangers are a writer's favourite tool! And one that should be used often, and with style! Yes, you see Aragorn has feelings but he doesn't know it and Buffy doesn't know it, and because he's working his way up slowly, it's not really obvious to either one. And yes, Aragorn often doesn't understand a word she says. He finds it easier to just nod and smirk.

Boo - Murphy's Law: what can go wrong will go wrong. Sums up things nicely doesn't it? And yes, you're detecting something from Aragorn, but as usual, he's living in la-la land. And it will take a while before Buffy's injuries override her slayer constitution.

Cristina - I did cut the wait down didn't I? So not completely evil! And somehow, I can't see Elrond being happy for Angel… But sorry, I really can't take the challenge for several reasons. Reason number 1: I have two other BtVS/LotR crossovers that I'm working on but haven't been posted yet. And reason number 2: I hate Dawn. As well as the three Btvs/LotR x-overs, I have one charmed fic in progress as well! And I have about ten or so ideas that I'm planning to turn into fics. So I'm really too swamped to take on anything else. You see, I could try to take on everything at once, but if I do, the First Knight updates wouldn't be anywhere near as quick. It's just easier to concentrate on one main fic at a time, and let other ideas wait until I've got more time on my hands. (school sucks!a)

Draco's Slytherin Vampiress - They have to wake up first.

Dragonstar - No, they just can't leave well enough alone. But hey, at least there should be less orcs when the Fellowship goes there!

Eámanë Aldaríon of Rivendell - Mae govannen mellon nín! And thanks for your vote! :D and yeah, poison Buffy, - not a good combination. Yes, Buffy's luck is running out very quickly, but alas, there's more trouble on the horizon! As per usual! And Galadriel doesn't mean for a lot of things to happen where the terrible duo are concerned! But yes, even mountains are potential assassins when it comes to Buffy and Aragorn! Again, thanks for all your lovely comments and I really hope you enjoy the final chapter of your sequence!

goldenshadows - Thanks! And the War of the Ring sequence starts in about two to three chapters so it's not too far away!

Irishsodabread - Dr Phil gets really repetitive after a while!

Jennzabell - Thanks! I take it you like snuggling then? Yes, they like getting into messes! And I like putting them there! Thanks for all your wonderful compliments! Yes, this is patching up their rather strained relationship, but don't worry, our dear ranger will turn calm waters into a raging hurricane/storm before long. And here's the chapter up quickly too!

Lady of the Wood - your wild guess is quite correct!

Lunawolf - No, they get out. Eventually.

Mari - should I start issuing a health warning disclaimer?

Mary4angelus - Thanks a million! That's really great of you!

Moonbunny77 - Buffy isn't all powerful. But Frodo lasted fourteen days with a Morgul shard in his shoulder, so the slayer would last probably a month at least before it brought her down. She's not making light of her injuries, she's just able to ignore them better than most, for a while at least.

Pamie884 - Thanks for the review, and your vote! It's really great of you! Also, the ensuing chapters will all have a singular purpose into trying to lead up to the break up of Aragorn and Arwen. When that happens I cannot say, but the cracks are starting to show!

Phoenix83ad - I freely admit that I'm pure evil. And I'm proud of it too! :) What's next? Hmmm, you'll just have to read on and see (runs away from rabid dogs set loose) And stubbing her big toes is just too paltry. I like my evilness to be dramatic! Full body cast… not sure they have those in ME… yes, Aragorn could be classified as something like that, if he was a woman and shrieked all the time, or was Wesley-ish from BtVS season 3. But I prefer to call him a trouble magnet, or disaster prone. And the FotR sequence starts in about two to three chapters! So we're nearly there!

Polgara-5 - No use doing anything by halves, is there? And thank you! That means so much! You really have me blushing here!

Restive Nature - oh my god! I hope you're ok!

ShawThang - Thank you so much! Sadly, they will still be clueless emerging from this chapter, but as Aragorn's feelings will deepen with every catastrophe and time until someone hits him upside the head and makes him realise it!

Star - Thanks! All comments are appreciated! And yes, Buffy isn't likely to leave herself open to ridicule courtesy of Glorfindel!

And major thanks goes to:

Andrea, ChibiChibi, Gaul1, Haley, Imp17, Jania, Malfeus, ms8309, Night-Owl123, Philo, sparky24, Tkiwi, Wild320, Zayra,

By the way, this chapter, and the two previous ones are dedicated to Eámanë Aldaríon of Rivendell, who mentioned the Moria thing to me, and sent my muse weaving plots. Eámanë's question spurred me to think on what could have happened and made me write this chapter so thanks!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: HERE BE MONSTERS PART TWO

"If anything can go wrong, it will. If anything cannot go wrong, it will anyway. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, it will happen then. If something seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something."

- Murphy's Law

This chapter is set entirely in the year 2985, of the Third Age.

Buffy angrily shoved the small stones that covered her prone form off of her, wincing at the rubble dust that had changed her blonde hair to grey and had trickled down into the wound on her hip, causing it to sting painfully.

Beside her, Aragorn shoved a large rock off his leg, and sat up, his face dark. The remaining ceiling was now so low as to not permit even Buffy to stand up, let alone Aragorn. The tunnel was now completely blocked off from the area from which they had come, and the only remaining options left to them were to chance crawling through the only exit left, or to stay where they were and wait for the rest of the ceiling to fall down atop of them.

"Well, I'd say this qualifies for a worst-timing-ever award." Buffy said after a moment, "Did you ever think that the Valar must really, really hate us?"

Aragorn said nothing, just picked up a large stone and chucked it at the mass of stones forming a wall against their escape in a rare fit of temper.

"Did I miss something? Or did you just decide to blame the poor wall?" Buffy asked, "'Cos I hardly think you need to be helping the lovely unstable tunnel to bury us completely!"

"I hardly think this is the time or place for sarcasm, Buffy," Aragorn said, "How do you propose we get out of this? We have no idea where this tunnel leads!"

"Well, we're going to have to find out aren't we?" Buffy said diplomatically, sensing that Aragorn was in a major bad mood.

"And how are you to crawl through the tunnel with that hip Dagnir (slayer)?" Aragorn demanded, the effect of his steely glare somewhat diminished by the grey dust covering his face and hair.

"I've had worse before. Trust me on that. Now, come on, let's get out of here before Murphy's Law kicks in again and the rest of this place decides to land on top of us."

Taking Aragorn's hand, she tugged on it purposefully, and though he grumbled, the ranger followed her down the narrow passage, forced to keep his head down to avoid banging it on the lowered ceiling.

He just hoped that this path did not lead them into something worse than that from which they had already escaped…

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Several hours later, both Buffy and Aragorn were dismayed to find out that the tunnel was a dead end, and led them only to an old empty storeroom. There would be no escape by this route.

The tunnel had led them further into the bowels, and the walls had steadily grown damp and slimy, but all that lay at the end of the long trek was a storeroom. Talk about letdowns.

But at least they had gained room to stand about twenty feet after they had left the collapsed area of the tunnel, and which allowed Buffy the room to kick the wall in frustration. Her side and hip were killing her, Aragorn was acting like a grumpy grizzly bear, and they were trapped. What a good day she was having! It ranked right up there with getting thrown around a tower by Glory. And at least she'd had a big hammer then.

Flopping down on the ground, she glowered at empty air, not noticing Aragorn's surprised expression.

"Buffy, is that Mithril I see?" Aragorn asked in near disbelief, thinking that his eyes were deceiving him.

Buffy looked at him in surprise and then saw the bright glitter of her corselet through a tear in her tunic. "Yeah," she answered, lifting up her tunic to show him the gleaming Mithril mail. "Galadriel gave it to me. It was once Celebrían's but she gave this to me when I came to Middle Earth. She said I might have need of it. It comes in very handy when someone's trying to gut me."

"Buffy, do you have any idea how much that is worth?!" Aragorn exclaimed.

"It's saved my ass a couple of times. That's pretty much all I need to know about shiny armour types of things."

"You wear a fortune of a prince upon your back and you do not even realise!" Aragorn exclaimed, "Let it be known that you have different priorities than many of your race."

"Oh, not having money sucks, but when your friends with Kings, and Queens, and lords and ladies and all that, it ain't that hard." Buffy replied, taking her cloak out of her pack and bunching it up beneath her to support her. As she leaned her head back against it, she listened to Aragorn talk.

Aragorn began to outline various plans they could try, finally settling on attempts to get past the blockage in the tunnel and had gotten quite involved in his plans ere he noticed that Buffy had been oddly quiet.

Looking towards her with the intention of delivering a rebuke for her lack of attention, Aragorn's face softened when he saw that Buffy had fallen asleep, and was now lying back against the wall, head pillowed on her cloak.

Aragorn smiled involuntarily at the sweet sight, but there was also concern for her well being. The Buffy of old would never have been so tired already, and he knew this to be an affect of her injuries.

Softly padding over to her, he gently and carefully adjusted her so that she lay more comfortably, and removing her blanket from her pack, tucked it in around her to keep her warm.

She had been through so much, he thought sadly, and had gotten so little in return. He did not really know what to make of the surge of strong feelings of protectiveness and concern towards her that had arisen within him lately.

The feelings were new, but strangely comfortable within him, and though he dismissed them as a mere by-product of Buffy's injuries, he puzzled over them nonetheless. This fierce urge to keep her from harm, the anger at the ones who had hurt her and himself for being the cause of it, and his overwhelming concern at her serious condition were new unknown feelings to him.

He had never had to worry so much over one person; the people in his life that he cared for were usually well guarded, only the trouble hunting, orc killers that the twins so often were, were the exception. He was not used to having to worry over one that he could not protect, and that was not protected by others; it was not a feeling he liked. He had never liked feeling helpless.

But that was what he felt like now: - helpless.

Buffy would die without proper care, and he honestly did not know how he would handle that if it came to pass. But if he were to fight the inevitable, they had to get out of this orc infested place.

Giving the stone-hewn room another cursory check, he went over to Buffy once more, to see how she was and to see if she was comfortable. Satisfied that she was safely locked in slumber, he grabbed his pack and went to investigate the rocks that blocked the tunnel.

Buffy needed her rest, and he would not wake her. She would need all the energy she could get, but for now, it was time to see if he could get them out of here in time.

By the Valar, they would not be the next ones to fall victim to the malice of the mines of Moria.

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Buffy awoke to a hand gently shaking her shoulder. Blinking groggily, she soon discerned Aragorn and with an aggravated sigh, she got up. "Hey, Aragorn," she greeted him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I don't suppose you have any idea what time it is?" she asked.

"No more than a few hours since you fell asleep, I would imagine," Aragorn answered, "But it is now time to eat, and to try to discuss where we go from here."

"Where we go from here?" Buffy repeated, "Oh, I don't know, we could start shouting really loudly and get the orcs to dig us out."

Aragorn's glare was very, very sharp, "What a splendid idea!" he said sarcastically, "Now why did I not think of that? Perhaps because I have no desire to die as an orc's dinner?"

Buffy got to her feet, shaking out the kinks in her neck from sleeping on cold stone. Feeling light-headed, she leaned back against the wall, and cried out in surprise when it gave way under her weight.

Aragorn could scarcely believe his eyes as Buffy literally fell through the wall, and he hurried forward to help his friend.

Buffy blew a stray strand of hair out of her face as she lifted herself out of the dirt, and then took a closer look at her surroundings. "Why do I get the feeling I should be saying 'uh-oh'?"

The portion of 'wall' that Buffy had fallen through was very obviously not real stone when you looked at it after you'd crashed through it. Instead, it was a heavy wooden door, heavily aged, with a façade of stonework on one side. Which Buffy thought was just perfect if you wanted it to be a trap door.

Of course, the lovely 'Buffy crashes through stupid misplaced Dwarven wall' rant that was in the offing, went completely out of her mind when she got a good look at where she'd ended up.

Apparently, contrary to popular belief, not all of the wealth of the Naugrim (Dwarves) of Khazad-dûm had been plundered.

As Aragorn carefully climbed through the hole in the wall, and came over to Buffy, he too was enthralled by the sight.

Gold, Mithril, jewels, mail, and weaponry…. There was quite a hoard of it locked away here. And all about ten feet away from them. "By the Valar!" Aragorn exclaimed softly, "It was thought that the orcs and Durin's Bane had carried away all the mines' treasure long ago."

"Well, it seems they missed a spot," Buffy said, getting up and looking at the dirt covering her with no little disgust, "But couldn't they have picked a slightly more convenient, and hopefully less filthy, place to put it? Buffy no like going splat."

"Are you alright?" Aragorn asked contritely, eyeing her in that full healer mode 'I can spot an injury from fifteen feet away' manner.

"Fine. Just badly in need of a bath," Buffy said, lying through her teeth. "So if you can tear your eyes away from all the glinting gold, what do you make of the lovely cavern behind it?"

Aragorn eyed the dark, dank, eerily silent cavern and the lake with too dark waters that spanned it. "I think that something lurks within its depths." he said after a moment, grey eyes fixed on the surface of the lake.

"You too, huh?" Buffy said, "That's just great. From one monster to another we go. I swear, this could be the script for a really bad horror movie."

Aragorn looked at her strangely, not understanding her reference to the world of movies, but decided to let it go. There were just some things it was better for him not to know.

As Buffy fiddled with the Dwarven treasure, admiring some of their work, Aragorn moved back into the outer storeroom and cried out in dismay at what he saw.

"Buffy!" he called, "There is water gathering in the storeroom!"

Whipping around so fast that her head spun, Buffy hurried over to Aragorn and joined him in gaping at the latest disastrous turn of events.

Through another opening in the wall, a torrent of water was pouring through. Enough water to flood the collapsed tunnel, trap them and drown them. How on earth where they supposed to get out now?

"You know, I think this is taking the whole 'bad luck' syndrome a tad too far," Buffy said shakily, "And who knew the Dwarves did booby traps? I thought that was left to the Egyptians. Got any more bright ideas Mr Ranger?"

"Leaving out all the plans that end with our deaths, not many ideas are coming to mind." Aragorn answered.

Buffy glowered at him, "If we die in here, I'm gonna kick your ass. I mean it." The water had risen to her calves now and she quickly grabbed her dripping pack and sodden cloak before they were totally washed away. Beside her, Aragorn did the same.

"We should move back into the other cavern," Aragorn said, "It might gain us more time to find a way out of this."

"I think a quick death by Balrog would have been slightly better than drowning in who knows where? I hate it when they drown me!"

Aragorn eyed her askance so she stopped complaining, and started sloshing through the water. "Tell me," she asked, "Do we let the treasure stay here and rot? Or take it with us? All that mail, and the swords could be useful. Sharp, pointy things always come in handy."

"Take only what you can carry," Aragorn said, "I shall try to find another way out of this cavern, you must keep an eye on the water. When the water rises to the level of the hole in the wall, tell me. For then we must make haste or it will be too swift for us."

"Ok, ranger boy, now get a move on!" Buffy said, eyeing the rising water. Why on earth was it that whenever they were together, disaster and catastrophe went hand in hand? 'Thou shalt not lust over your best friend's guy,' - Buffy was sure this was her punishment. What else could possibly explain her extreme bad luck?

Noticing Aragorn standing about fifty feet down the long winding slope that led to the dark lake, apparently staring at nothing, Buffy's temper rose and she shouted out, "Isn't there something you should be doing right about now? Like getting us out of here?!"

Aragorn shook his head as if coming out of a trance, and looked back up at her, "I could have sworn I saw something," he muttered to himself, before raising his voice and calling up to Buffy, "How does it fare?!"

"Like we should start gathering two of every animal!" Buffy replied, and then noticed Aragorn's puzzled expression, "Never mind. Let's just say we're gonna need a nice big boat pretty soon. So get a move on or else we're going to be underwater!"

Moving to the Dwarven treasure, she found some pieces of armour and some nifty weapons, and stuffed them in her pack. If they wanted out, then having as much weapons as possible was a necessity. Most weapons crumbled when they stuck a Nazgûl which rendered them unusable ever again. And Eru knows they'd need every advantage they could get if they wanted to try to escape. Aragorn had said that both the Nazgûl's Captain, and Khamûl, captain of Dol Guldur in Taur-e-Nelaedelos (Mirkwood), the second in command, had led their fellows into the mines. So they were really being hunted by some of the top guns of Mordor.

As she fingered the lovely trinkets that had been lost in Moria for over a thousand years, good Buffy and bad Buffy warred. Both Buffys agreed that there was some really pretty stuff here. Bad Buffy said that she could use them to get some really nice Dwarven battle-axes that she had been drooling over since she first saw them. Good Buffy said that she could send it to the Dwarves of Erebor. In the end, due to a lack of time and an ominous swishing sound behind her, Buffy decided to take some trinkets and worry about what to do with them later.

Even as she tightened the straps of her new gauntlets, Buffy failed to notice that the wall behind her was beginning to crack under the pressure from the fast flowing water. Breaking free with a loud roar, it swept Buffy away and under its cold depths, as it roared down the sloping cavern.

Buffy sputtered helplessly as she was dragged under, and as she was turned around and lost all sense of bearing, she tried to figure out which way was up. Trusting her instincts, she began to kick powerfully, ignoring the ache in her side and hip, and after a few heart wrenching moments, she finally broke the surface.

Seeing where the flow was heading, she closed her eyes just in time as the Dwarf-made river splashed into the lake.

Buffy immediately started swimming away from the stream of water flowing into the creepy lake, she managed to get to the rapidly flooding bank of the lake. Scrambling up the slimy, dank stone, she spotted Aragorn trying to rush back, and she gulped in air as he reached her and helped pull her up the slippery incline, even as the water level of the lake began to rise ominously.

"I'm ok," she gasped, "I've been meaning to cut back on that habit-forming oxygen for a while now."

Aragorn helped haul her sodden form down a narrow, slippery path, "I had hoped that this would lead us out," he said as they went, "But we have no time, we must chance it now ere we drown."

"Totally agreeing with you there. I've been nearly drowned so many times, it just isn't funny any more." Buffy said, having got her wind back, and now running under her own power.

"It appears to be a dangerous route," Aragorn warned, as they came to the shallow opening in the cavern wall that led to the narrow path.

"I've done dangerous before. And what can I say, I'm way too used to creepy caves. Now speed it up ranger boy, before we end up like the ones that missed Noah's Ark."

"I am not even going to ask," Aragorn muttered as Buffy handed him the cracked, wet and now very beat up looking glow-ball.

"Smart man," Buffy replied, as the duo rushed into the dark opening, and disappeared into the murky shadows of the unknown path.

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When they had been wandering the darkened passage for about an hour, Buffy started to shiver uncontrollably. It wasn't just from her dunking in the lake, her slayer sense was going haywire and she didn't know why, or what was setting it off.

Aragorn noticed her shaking with concern, and he wrapped his cloak around her while he drew her close to share his body warmth with her. She leaned into it gratefully, the chills wracking her body. Aragorn watched her carefully, he had never seen Buffy Dagnir (slayer) get sick, but it would appear that the poison in her system, and the fact that she was pushing herself past her endurance, was weakening her.

Buffy's whispered words came to his ears after a moment. "We're being watched."

"By who?"

"Something dead," Buffy said softly, trying to get her shivers under control.

"Do you know where it is?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the frozen slayer's waist to support her as she concentrated on her senses, intensifying her chills but homing in on their hunter.

"Nearby," Buffy said after a moment, and then started to mumble to herself, "Okay, flesh. Anytime you want to stop crawling is okay with me."

After a few more minutes of walking, during which Buffy was silent but watchful, and Aragorn felt the tension mount, and a sense of a malicious presence watching them grow more clear in his mind.

They came to a crossroads, where three paths branched off, forcing them to halt. "Which way now?" Buffy said softly, eyes locked on the glow-ball started to sputter.

"My blood runs chill," Aragorn muttered.

"So does theirs," Buffy answered, in a child-like tone that caused Aragorn to look at her in surprise. Her eyes were eerily blank, and Aragorn's bones froze to the marrow when he realised that it was not wholly Buffy speaking.

Something else held parts of her in its grip.

Something evil.

Aragorn chose one of the passages randomly, but was abruptly halted by Buffy's strong arm latched onto his, pulling him back. "That's not the way out." she told him.

"Why?" Aragorn asked, "How do you know?"

"It's down there." Buffy replied easily, no trace of her usual spark in her expression, and Aragorn realised that something was trying to help them, trying to warn them before it was too late. "All locked away…… the Dwarves drove it there long ago, when the world was young."

"Locked away what?" Aragorn demanded, his fear mounting.

"Me, I believe," a raspy, bone-chilling voice whispered from the shadows of the passage and Aragorn's heart leapt into his throat. "Think of what I do as revenge from beyond the grave."

"Hirilen (my lady), what is that thing?!" he cried.

"I'll let you know as soon as I find out." Buffy said, snapping out of whatever trance had possessed her.

Aragorn moved to hack it with his sword, but Buffy stopped him, "What good are weapons against disembodied spirits, Aragorn? They have no ass to kick. Leave it for a moment, ok?"

Buffy's eyes locked onto that of the spectre's as it came forward, radiating malice. "Besides, I'm betting it's strictly haunt, but don't touch, isn't it, ghosty? It can't do anything except give us grey hairs."

"If prey wanders so willingly into my grasp, then 'tis my right to seek their deaths…" the spectre hissed.

A cold finger ran down Buffy's cheek and she jumped, "Or maybe not," she said to herself. Clearly she was underestimating the ghostly abilities of spooks in Middle Earth. As the spectre darted forward towards them, the lust for the kill giving it an eerie green glow, Buffy and Aragorn instinctively sidestepped.

"You wouldn't happen to know if Elvish runes work on ghosts, would you?" Buffy asked.

"How would I know?!" Aragorn said, "As I have never encountered one ere now!"

"A fat load of good ranger training is," Buffy muttered, "I could have sworn there was ghosts near the Shire, but then again, what do I know?!"

Buffy pulled the blue glowing Elvish sword from its sheath, even as Aragorn did the same with his Elven enchanted dagger. Buffy slipped into a defensive stance as the ghost came upon her, and swung the sword with all her strength.

The ghost let out an ear-splitting screech that rang through the passage, and against the two with their shining Elvish blades, it fled back down the path from whence it had come.

Buffy sagged against the wall in relief. It had really reminded her of the First for a moment there, and she had been freezing even before he decided to ice her up.

Aragorn didn't give her a chance to recover though and he hauled her to her feet, setting off at a swift pace. "We must get somewhere else quickly," he explained, "I do not even want to think how many orcs heard that screech."

Another hour or so of travelling, they emerged into the upper levels of the mines thanks to a massive flight of stairs, and soon came to a great hall.

But as Buffy looked around the impressive and grand space of hall twenty one, both she and Aragorn silently cursed their luck as the screeches of the Nazgûl sounded nearby.

Taking off at a dead run, both slayer and ranger hoped to Eru that they could outrun the Nine…

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In Lothlórien, the Lady of the Wood wearily leaned against the thick silver trunk of a mallorn tree. She had exerted all her power, along with Nenya's, to pass on a message to the slayer through her sight. Where the message originated from, Galadriel could not say, but she believed it to be from one of the Lords or Ladies of the West, to warn their champion of her peril.

Sending out new messages to her border patrols, she then left to seek Celeborn. If all went ill, she would need her hervenn's (husband) comfort ere this crisis was over.

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The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, the Mines of Moria

Buffy and Aragorn rapidly descended a near crumbling staircase and Buffy let out a cry when she saw the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. "That's the way out!" she exclaimed, increasing her speed, "Bet you I can beat you to it!"

Both of them were forced to screech to a halt when one of the Nazgûl emerged from the shadows of the bridge, standing dead centre on the single file bridge and blocking them from getting across. And then the Balrog stepped out from the shadows too, its bright fiery glow lighting up the mines, and the heat it let out aggravating Buffy's sweatiness to fever standard.

Buffy wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her forehead, pointing at the Ringwraith with one shaking finger, "Ok, that's it Mister!" she snapped, "You're getting out of my way if I have to toss you out of it!"

As she made to advance on the wraith, Aragorn turned her attention to the other eight wraiths, and their troop of orcs, that had come up behind them. "Oh, this is just great!" Buffy said, flinging her hands into the air. "I swear, somebody's head is gonna roll because of this little mess! And it's not gong to be mine!"

Looking at Aragorn, they exchanged a silent look of understanding and then they raced for the bridge, even as the Nazgûl gave chase and the orcs let loose their arrows. Buffy led the way across the bridge, trying to hide her flagging endurance, and as they reached the Nazgûl, Buffy pulled out a small Dwarven axe from the treasure hoard and let it fly straight into its chest. Then as it flailed madly, Buffy swung and tossed it into the Balrog with all her might, making it lose balance and knocking both wraith and demon off the bridge, hiding the knowledge that she'd ripped her stitches. Again.

There, she'd done it. What was Glorfindel blathering on about? That Balrog was easy to kill! Just look at it go splat!

And racing towards the bright sunlight that they could see from their vantage point, Buffy and Aragorn finally made it out of the Mines of Moria and into the light.

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The Valley of Azanulibizar, (also called Nanduhirion) in the Dimrill Dale. The first of the month of Nárië (June)

While the bright light seared their eyes, it invigorated their spirits and gave them speed as the Nazgûl minus one led the orcs out in pursuit of them. Buffy joyfully called out to Andúnië (Sunset), as the horse came towards them. "Get up on her, Strider!" Buffy called, "And give me a boost once you've done that!"

Aragorn followed her command, easily mounting Andúnië, and reaching down to help Buffy up in front of him, his arms slipping firmly around her waist, and his eyes widening when he felt fresh blood.

"Noro lim, (ride fast) Andúnië, noro lim!" Buffy cried, and Andúnië leapt forward at the command of her mistress, and set off at her fastest canter, trying to keep her gait steady as if sensing that her mistress was ailing.

Behind them the Nazgûl gave chase on their black mounts, the orcs lagging behind, and Buffy told Aragorn to keep an eye on Andúnië whilst she struggled to untie her spare bow from her saddle.

Buffy's head was spinning as she lifted the bow, though she took great pains to hide this from Aragorn, who'd been acting like a great big dark mother hen since they'd met in the mines.

Finding a piece of flint in her saddlebag, she swiftly set two arrow points ablaze and for a moment she tried to aim but couldn't focus enough to see her shot. Finally giving in to her need, she used her senses to point the bow in the right direction and quickly loosed the two arrows.

The flaming projectiles slammed into two of the Ringwraiths and unhorsed them, confusing the others so that Andúnië and her riders gained the lead.

Her body finally pushed completely past endurance, Buffy's eyes rolled back into her head, and she would have fallen from the horse if Aragorn had not grabbed her.

Aragorn clutched her limp form to him, and checked her pulse worriedly. It was slow and thready, and Aragorn felt his bones chill. Nudging the faithful mare, he called, "Noro lim, Andúnië, noro lim o Lórien! (ride fast to Lórien.)"

He only hoped they reached it in time.

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Lothlórien, The second of the month of Nárië (June)

Ever faithful, Andúnië got them to the borders of the Golden Wood ahead of their pursuers, though the mare was exhausted and hungry.

From the shelter of the trees, the Marchwarden Haldir and an Elven patrol dropped down from the trees once the two exhausted humans were well inside the borders of Lórien.

"Aragorn, son of Arathorn," Haldir greeted him, "The Lady has been expecting you for many days."

"Haldir o Lórien. (Haldir of Lórien.)" Aragorn gasped out, "Henio aníron, boe ammen i dulu lîn. Boe ammen veriad lîn. (We come here for help. We need your protection.)"

"The Lady has already sent word that all aid is to be given to the ranger and slayer that would come to our borders." Haldir said, "But the lady is badly wounded, tell us what happened."

"It all went horribly wrong." Aragorn began, telling a very condensed version of their tale.

Haldir's ageless face was grave when Aragorn had finished, "This is evil news indeed. Come, we must make for the Lady with all haste, else Dagnir (slayer) has not long for this world, and that is in the reckoning of mortal men."

"Lead us on then," Aragorn said, "And we shall follow as best we can."

Haldir shook his head at the ranger's stubbornness and gently took the unconscious slayer from his arms. "I shall carry Dagnir for you are not looking too healthy yourself, and all haste must be made; haste even as it is reckoned by Elves. You will grow weary and need aid yourself, but I promise you that we shall reach Caras Galadhon within a day and a half."

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Caras Galadhon, Lothlórien, The third of the month of Nárië (June)

Caras Galadhon was a flurry of activity when the Dagnir was brought in, with none other than the Heir of Isildur himself looking half-dead from exhaustion trailing behind her, being supported by two Elves of the border patrol.

Galadriel and Celeborn were awaiting them and Galadriel immediately discerned that Buffy was involuntarily drawing strength from her bonded, and so keeping death away by a hair.

The Lady of the Golden Wood hid her dismay at the state of the two humans behind a calm façade and whilst Celeborn led Aragorn away to tend to him, Galadriel laboured to save Buffy.

'Twas said that there were few now left on the Hither Shores with the skill to match such evil, but Galadriel Finarfiniel (daughter of Finarfin), daughter of the current High King of the Noldor in Aman, granddaughter of Finwë, once High King of the Noldor before his death, she who had crossed the Grinding Ice and so come to Middle Earth in the First Age of the world, and now the eldest Calaquendi (Light Elves) left on these shores, was one of them.

Exerting all her power, she drove the Morgul poison out and with the most pressing danger gone, now concentrated on the rest of Buffy's wounds. Stitching the wounds on her side and hip, Galadriel then passed on some of her strength to Buffy, to support the slayer and to enable faster healing.

While not completely out of danger, the slayer was stable now, and should live. Galadriel sat down wearily, wondering again why Buffy's path was fated to be so hard. If things kept on as they were, the brave slayer would be world weary ere Sauron's fate was sealed, for good or ill, and Galadriel would make sure that she received some reward for her efforts if she had to shout down all the Valar in Aman.

Brushing a chaste kiss on the pale forehead of one who had become dear to her, Galadriel assured herself once more that time would heal her wounds, and that her bond with Aragorn would keep her afloat should infection sink in.

But now, weary as she was and no matter how much she longed for Celeborn's embrace, she had an exiled King to placate.

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The Mirror Grove, Caras Galadhon, Lothlórien.

Aragorn did not mince words once he arrived at the Mirror Grove. He had not seen Buffy in twenty four hours ever since Galadriel had taken her off to be healed, and he was practically bouncing off the walls and demanding to know how the woman was.

"How is she?"

"She will live if infection does not set in," Galadriel answered, "But this is her second brush with death in so short a while. Her healing may be slowed because of it."

"Her second brush of death?" Aragorn repeated in disbelief.

"When she turned aside to come to your aid, she was heading back to the land of the Horse-lords from Rivendell, where Gandalf the Grey had brought her for healing after she was attacked by some monster of Sauron on the plains of Rohan. She is not invincible Elessar, thought she is stronger than most Men, she cannot take such abuse so often. You were foolish to dare Moria, Heir of Isildur."

"Do you not think I know that?" Aragorn said, "I see her so close to death and I know it was my fault. She has no place in such dark travels."

"She is the slayer. The dark has always been her place. You cannot shelter her Aragorn, but neither should you lead her to her death. You would greatly mourn her loss, though you do not know it now."

"I know I would miss her!" Aragorn exclaimed, "She is a close friend to me, and to Arwen. Do you think I would see her hurt if I could help it?"

"I say that you have already hurt her, through ignorance and wilful denial." Galadriel said in a royally imperious tone.

"What do you mean?" Aragorn demanded.

"You may not see it now, son of Arathorn, but you shall one day. And when you do, you will say what you have wrought. But it is not my place to open your eyes now. Tend to your friend, and may you use your foresight more than is your wont. Whether you deny it or not, you are Isildur's Heir, and if you do not take up the crown of Men, there will be none that can. You cannot shirk your responsibilities forever, for though Elrond has decreed that Arwen his daughter shall wed none but the King of both Gondor and Arnor, I speak for her mother. And I say that Arwen Undómiel (Evenstar) shall wed no man that does not know his own heart. She shall not throw her life way over one who has not yet proved himself worthy."

"She loves me and I love her." Aragorn protested.

"You are as blind a man as I have met for many a year. Not all kingdoms can be reunited with the stuff of tales," Galadriel said, as she left the clearing, "Nor can all hearts be won because we want them. Think long and hard, Elessar, your choice approaches on swift wings."

And with that the august Lady of the Wood took her leave of him, and left a dumbstruck ranger to wander under the eaves of the mallyrn for a long evening, and a longer night.

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A/N: So? Feedback please! Comments are welcome! Please READ and REVIEW!!!!

P.S - I have been nominated for the My Precious Awards, so thanks once more to whoever did it! Please my gorgeous, darling reviewers and readers, vote for me!! (bats eyelashes and dangles free Aragorns and Legolas's…)

It's the 2004 MPA (my precious awards for LOTR fanfiction excellence)

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Next chapter: We learn what it means to be a Shield-maiden… Buffy gets a new vocation… We have misunderstandings galore, scheming Eldar, an Elvish party, and news of the One Ring….

Elvish:

Dagnir - slayer

Naugrim - Dwarves

Hirilen - my lady

hervenn - husband
Nárië - Quenya for June
Andúnië - Sunset

noro lim - ride fast

noro lim o Lórien - ride fast to Lórien.

Haldir o Lórien. Henio aníron, boe ammen i dulu lîn. Boe ammen veriad lîn. - Haldir of Lórien. We come here for help. We need your protection.

Finarfin - daughter of Finarfin

Undómiel - Evenstar

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Aman - also called the Blessed Realm, Valinor or the Undying Lands. Home of the Elves in the West.

Azanulibizar - the valley below the East-Gate of Moria.

Calaquendi - the Elves of the Light. Basically those Elves who had dwelt in the Undying Lands.

Caras Galadhon - City of the Trees. The city in Lothlórien where Galadriel and Celeborn reside.

Celebrían - Galadriel and Celeborn's daughter. Wife of Elrond. Mother to Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen. Sailed West in 2510 after being attacked by orcs in 2509.

Dol Guldur - 'Hill of Sorcery'. A treeless height in the south-west of Mirkwood, a stronghold of the Necromancer before he was revealed as Sauron returned. Houses three Nazgûl, led by Khamûl.

Durin's Bane - the Balrog of Moria. Killed Durin VI in 1980.

Khamûl - Ringwraith. Second only to the Witch-King. Also known as the 'Black Easterling'. Was perhaps the wraith with the strongest capability of thinking for himself but had the weakest powers during the day. In charge of Dol Guldur.

Mithril - 'true-silver'. Also called 'Moria-silver'. It was the foundation of the wealth of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. It was worth ten times the price of gold, and is now considered priceless, because there has been no supply of it since the fall of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm in 1980.

Moria - 'The Black Chasm', later name for the great works of the Dwarves under the Misty Mountains. Called Khazad-dûm in Dwarvish.

Nanduhirion - the glen about Mirrormere between the arms of the Misty Mountains into which the Great Gates of Moria opened. Translation: Dimrill Dale.

Naugrim - 'stunted ones'. Elvish term for Dwarves.

Nenya - The Elven ring of Water. Galadriel is its Keeper.

Taur-e-Nelaedelos - The name of Mirkwood in Sindarin. It means 'Forest of the Great Fear'. This is what Greenwood the Great (Eryn Galen in Sindarin) was named after the rise of Dol Guldur.

The Grinding Ice - When the host of the Noldor left the Undying Lands in rebellion against the Valar after the theft of the Silmarils by Morgoth, Fëanor instigated the First Kinslaying when he slew the Telerin Elves of Alqualondë for their ships. But as there were not enough to carry all the Noldor from Aman at once, he chose those most loyal to himself to go first and instead of sending the boats back for the other host of Elves, which was larger than his, he burnt them. The remaining Noldor under Fingolfin, though Galadriel was also one of the leaders, were forced to cross the Grinding Ice (think of something like polar icecaps.) to get to Middle Earth. Many perished on the journey, and the crossing was long, hard and treacherous.

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