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: Here's part two of the last chapter! I'm still sick so be grateful that you got this so quick! And it's longer too! And the next chapter should be up around Saturday.

Review responses:

Anna - yes, the misunderstanding between Legolas, Aragorn and Buffy is ripe for plots. Yes, the bond is starting to go both ways, but then again it has done so before. Reunion between the Balrog and Buffy? You make it sound like a school dance! But Moria is chapter 30.

Boo - ok, kinky? Quirky I can understand but kinky? Explain please.

ChibiChibi - thanks! I do try to keep Buffy's slang as it is an integral part of her character. She can talk 'proper' when she has to but she just doesn't want to.

Dragonstar - ok, thanks, but your e-mail address is incomplete. Are you with Yahoo or something? Mine is (just remove spaces) caliaerin yahoo . Co. uk. And sadly, I'm Irish so I don't celebrate 'turkey day'.

FallenStar2 - thanks! And you wouldn't, would you? And as for Gandalf dying, well I was planning on sticking to canon… mostly anyway… and there's never anything wrong with a bit of mayhem now and then…

Imp17 - too true. Aragorn doesn't need anyone else to get into trouble!

Lunawolf - Gandalf did see that, but Aragorn didn't want to go to Moria so he compromised and tried the mountain first.

Malfeus - thanks! And I don't mind repetition!

Phoenix83ad - mutiny? Hmmm, could have been an idea. Yes, Aragorn's starting to feel the bond though he doesn't know it yet. And the 'Gandalf. Must. Die' wasn't meant to send warm fuzzies. And yes, the Boromir lives or dies issue is a conflicting one is it. If he dies, Faramir gets all the glory, but if he lives, what happens? You'll just have to wait and see though, won't you?

Sabia - Gandalf knows that the fellowship need to disappear before they are caught and that's why he's pushing so hard for Moria.

Star - Moria was to have been the next chapter but because I had to split this chapter due to illness, it'll be chapter 30. When will Aragorn tell? Wait and see. But Lórien is a good guess.

Tiamante Salazar Tameran - of course you should be worried. And Aragorn will tell eventually.

Vixen519 - maybe because they've been half frozen to death on a mountain. There's more interaction in this part.

Wild320 - that would just be telling…

Zayra - no, 'A Light..' will not be continued. Instead, I have two more BtVS/LotR in the works AND the sequel to First Knight.

And major thanks to:

clcountry, Fish Head the 3rd, Haley, MiShA, Night-Owl123, Rachel,

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM PART TWO

"If all else fails, there's always hope, faith and blind luck!"

- unknown

Caradhras, 3019 TA, January 12.

"I think I hated that plan."

That was Buffy's answer to Aragorn and Gandalf's desperate attempt to avoid the mines and the rest of the fellowship heartily agreed with her.

And so the defeated company were forced to scramble down the mountain, back from whence they had came, with all the speed they could muster ere those who were surely chasing them caught them.

But the spirits of the group were lowered considerably. They had met their first major obstacle and lost miserably. And the name of Moria was known to all as cursed. Even to the hobbits it was a rumour of a distant fear.

To those that knew better, it was a nightmare.

Only Gimli was anxious to be off to Moria, as he was convinced that his cousin Balin would be there to greet them, and give them a grand Dwarven feast and that he would get to see the great palace of his forefathers. Neither Buffy or Aragorn had the heart to tell him that unless the Dwarves had swamped the mines in their thousands, they did not have a hope in hell of retaking and holding the Black Pit.

They had taken Frodo's word on the subject for the moment, but as they retreated from the mountain under sudden fine weather, doubts began creeping into their hearts again.

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

The base of Caradhras. 3019 TA, January 12, night.

That night they made camp at the base of the mountain once more, waiting for first light to seek out the long lost roads to that which Gandalf would have them go. But the company had also agreed that Frodo's decision on the matter was not enough when he did not know what he was agreeing to lead them into.

That meant that things would have to be hashed out by the group and Buffy was not looking forward to the discussion. She hated Moria with a passion; it reminded her way too much of her lovely home upon Hellmouth but as aeroplanes had yet to take off here, she really didn't have any alternatives to that cursed hole.

They gathered round in a group, sharing warmth and then Gandalf began. "There is a way we may attempt," Gandalf explained wearily, his old shoulders slumped, "I thought from the beginning, when I first considered this journey, that we should try it. But it is not a pleasant way, and I did not speak of it to the company before our attempt to go over Caradhras, and then I spoke of it to Frodo, for him to choose. But Aragorn was against it, until the pass over the mountains had at least been tried. If one was against it so be it, but when all of you are, then we must talk of what route we are to take."

"If it is a worse road than the Redhorn Gate, then it must be evil indeed," said Merry, shivering with remembered cold, "Considering that it nearly killed us, - several times I might add! But if there is, you had better tell us about it, and let us know the worst at once."

"The road that I speak of leads to the Mines of Moria." Gandalf said, "As I said already. If we cannot go over the mountain, then we must go under it."

"The road may lead to Moria, but how can we hope that it will lead through Moria?" Aragorn said darkly, eyes dark and pained with remembered anguish, "That place is not one where travellers pass idly through, but if they are so foolish as to go in, then they do not return."

"It is a name of ill omen," Boromir said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the ranger on this issue. "Nor do I see the need to go there. If we cannot cross the mountains, let us journey southwards until we come to the Gap of Rohan where men are friendly to my people, taking the road that I followed on my way hither. Or we might pass by and cross the Isen into Langstrand and Lebennin, and so come to Gondor from regions nigh to the sea. Even Aragorn and Buffy can agree with me here, they have walked in the lands of Gondor."

"Things have changed since you came north, Boromir," Gandalf argued, his pointed hat wavering precariously on its perch as he shook his head. "Did you not hear what I told you of Saruman? With him I may have business of my own ere all is over. But the Ring must not come near Isengard, if that can by any means be prevented. The Gap of Rohan is closed to us while we go with the Bearer. Saruman's strength is not one that I would risk when there was any way I might avoid it."

"Well, considering he already gave us an avalanche as a parting gift, I'd have to agree with you on that point," Buffy said cheekily, "Wizards tend to be no fun that way."

Gandalf just gave her a long suffering look, "As for the longer road, son of Denethor: we cannot afford the time. We might spend a year in such a journey, and we should pass through many lands that are empty and harbourless. Yet they would not be safe. The watchful eyes both of Saruman and of the Enemy are on them. When you came north, Boromir, you were in the Enemy's eyes only one stray wanderer from the South and a matter of small concern to him: his mind was busy with the pursuit of the Ring. But you return now as a member of the Ring's Company, and you are in peril as long as you remain with us. The danger will increase with every league that we go on south under the naked sky."

The wizard paused in thought before continuing, his expression grave, "Since our attempt on the mountain-pass, our plight has become more desperate, I fear. I see now little hope if do not soon vanish from sight for a while and cover our trail. Therefore I advise that we should go neither over the mountains nor round them, but under them. That is a road at any rate that the Enemy will least expect us to take."

"Considering that it's tantamount to suicide, of course he wouldn't!" Buffy grumped. "What idiot would? Besides us that is?"

"We do not know what he expects!" Boromir cried, unwilling to go through the mines of such ill repute, when they might go by safer lands. "He may watch all roads, likely and unlikely. In that case to enter Moria would be to walk into a trap, hardly better than knocking at the gates of the Dark Tower itself! The name of Moria is black."

"You speak of what you do not know when you liken Moria to the stronghold of Sauron," Gandalf said in annoyance. "I alone of you have ever been in the dungeons of the Dark Lord, and only in his lesser and older dwelling in Dol Guldur. Those who pass the gates of Barad-dûr do not return."

"Well, I've been to both Cirith Ungol and Moria," Buffy said dourly, "And trust me, I preferred Cirith Ungol, despite the Witch King and all that. The hospitality in Moria gives free goodie bags of death. Chances are like one million to one that you actually come out alive. Aragorn can vouch for that as well."

"I would not lead you into Moria if there were no hope of coming out again." Gandalf said gently, "If there are orcs there, it may prove ill for us, that is true. But most of the orcs of the Misty Mountains were scattered or destroyed in the Battle of Five Armies. The Eagles report that Orcs are gathering again from afar, but there is a hope that Moria is still free."

"It's not," Buffy butted in, "There is no way that the orcs didn't crawl into the huge free hole in the world that Moria offered. Bad guys like evil lairs, and if they're underground, they like them all the better!"

Gandalf studiously ignored her outburst, and tried to reassure the increasingly frightened hobbits, "There is even a chance that dwarves are there, and that in some deep hall of his fathers, Balin, son of Fundin, may be found. However it may prove, one must tread the path that need chooses." Gandalf said softly, and Gimli perked up at his words.

"Gandalf! If we go into Moria, we're almost certainly gonna have a welcoming committee of orcs! Not to mention everything else that's hiding in there! Evil things like dark holes to skulk in remember?" Buffy exclaimed, quickly getting fed up with this conversation. Beside her, Aragorn placed a warm hand on her shoulder to silently remind her to calm down, that she was frightening the Ring-bearer.

"I would only enter Moria if need forced me to," Buffy amended after a moment, trying to rein in her own fear of the place, "There are dark things there that do not sleep. More than enough to overwhelm a group a hundred times our size, let alone just us."

Gimli was unmoved by her cautioning, so eager was he to see the greatest work of the Dwarves, "I will tread the path with you, Gandalf. I will go and look on the halls of Durin, whatever may wait there - if you can find the doors that are shut." Gimli said proudly, throwing his full support behind the wizard.

"Good, Gimli. You encourage me," Gandalf said with quiet pleasure, looking at the fiery Dwarf. "We will seek the hidden doors together. And we will come through. In the ruins of the dwarves, a dwarf's head will be less easy to bewilder than elves or men or hobbits. Yet it will not be the first time that I have been to Moria. I sought there long for Thrain, son of Thror, after he was lost. I passed through, and I came out again alive."

"I, too, once passed the Dimrill Gate," Aragorn said quietly, joining the conversation, "But though I came out again, the memory is very evil. I do not wish to enter Moria a second time."

"And I don't wish to enter it even once," Pippin said, eyes wide and scared. Merry was silent and brooding at his side, an uncharacteristic mood for the young and lively hobbit.

"Nor me," muttered Sam, expression dour.

"Of course not!" Gandalf exclaimed, "Who would? But the question is, who will follow me if I lead you there?"

"I will!" Gimli said eagerly, proud to be the first to show his courage in such a journey. Especially before the Elf, who had gotten in ahead of him at the council. Hah! He thought, not this time, spawn of Thranduil!

There was only silence from the others until at last Aragorn broke it, "I will," Aragorn said heavily, his face bleak at the very prospect, but he could not refuse Gandalf now. "You followed my lead to disaster in the snow and have said no word of blame. I will follow your lead now—if this last warning does not move you. It is not the Ring, nor of us others that I am thinking now, but of you, Gandalf. And I say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware!" he said, knowing that somehow or another, there was only doom for Gandalf in the mines.

"I will not go," Boromir said stoutly, "Not unless the vote of the whole company is against me. What do Legolas and the little folk say? The Ringbearer's voice surely should be heard!"

"I do not wish to go to Moria," said Legolas. As a Wood Elf, the dark enclosed space of Moria where no living thing grew would be near torture for him even if it was a peaceful passage.

Buffy spoke next, and her voice was subdued and quiet, "Moria nearly killed me once before. I have a tendency to dislike things that do that. I won't go unless the vote goes against me either. I haven't stayed alive this long by rushing up to death and saying 'hi'."

The hobbits said nothing. Sam only looked at Frodo, waiting for his master's word. At last Frodo spoke, "I do not wish to go," he said quietly but firmly, "But neither do I wish to refuse the advice of Gandalf. I beg that there should be no vote until we have slept on it. Gandalf will get votes easier in the light of the morning than in this cold gloom. How the wind howls!"

They fell into silent thought. They hear the wind hissing, and the howling and wailing round them in the empty spaces of the night.

As they listened, two sets of ears distinguished the danger first, and grey and hazel eyes widened with identical horror.

Suddenly, to most of the company's surprise, Aragorn leapt to his feet, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword, Andúril, "How the wind howls!" he cried. "It is howling with wolf-voices. The wargs have come west of the mountains!"

"And here I thought the evening would be dull," Buffy muttered, wondering at their foul luck.

There were horrified gasps from the experienced warriors, and Gandalf rose to his feet, "Need we wait until morning then?" he said, "It is as I have said. The hunt is up! Even if we live to see the dawn, who now will wish to journey south by night with the wild wolves on his trail?"

None could dispute his logic. They were trapped between a rock and a hard place and hard choices had to be made now.

"How far away is Moria?" Boromir asked after a moment.

"There was a door southwest of Caradhras, some fifteen miles as the crow flies and maybe twenty as the wolf runs." Gandalf answered grimly. "We must fly with all speed if we are to evade them."

"Then let us start as soon as it is light tomorrow, if we can," Boromir suggested. "The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears."

"True, but where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls," said Aragorn, loosening his sword in its sheath.

"As touching as these old wives' tales are," Buffy interrupted, "The truth of the matter is that the wargs would like to have us for dinner. Forget about tomorrow, if we don't survive the night, which I might add is their favourite hunting time, then we won't be going anywhere at all. Ever."

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

Hollin, 3019, TA, January 12. Night.

That night they did not give any consideration to the speed of the hobbits, who were forced to run to keep up, they had to get somewhere defensible or else they were warg chow as Buffy so aptly put it.

And as tempers were running freely, Buffy did not have any qualms about enlightening them when Pippin started to complain about how he was hungry, and she whirled on him, looking every much like a predatory wolf herself, "Listen here little Hobbits," she hissed, "We are being hunted. Hunted by something very bad and nasty that will take great pleasure in ripping us to pieces if it finds us. And it doesn't care if you haven't had second breakfast or supper or whatever, it does not care that you are tired. All it wants is the kill... anyway it can get it. Now unless you want to be its dinner, stop complaining and MOVE!" Her icy tone and the frost of her gaze sent shivers down their spines and they hurried to obey.

For once, Gandalf let her be, glad that she was able to light a fire under the hobbits to keep the moving.

After about half an hour of this pace, the company found what they had been looking for. A spot where they had taken shelter on the way to Caradhras. They climbed to the top of the small hill and the warriors in the company quickly and efficiently checked it over.

It was crowned with a knot of old and twisted trees, about which laid a broken circle of boulder-stones. In the midst of this they lit a fire, for there was no hope that darkness and silence would keep their trail from discovery by the hunting packs.

Gandalf discreetly hauled Buffy aside, "Have you seen anything? Felt anything? Anything that can help us?" he demanded.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Even when I do have a vision, sometimes all I get is bits and pieces. It's not like I can put in a tape and watch the movie." Seeing his puzzled expression, she waved her comment away, "Never mind. Suffice it to say that I've seen nothing in quite a while that can be of an help for us in this spectacular mess."

"You cannot tell me anything then?" Gandalf checked.

"I'll tell you you're headed into trouble, with a capital 'Troub.'" Buffy said darkly, and then peeked around the wizard at the sounds of arguing. "Well, this looks promising." she said with an annoyed sigh, "Looks like the truce has broken. Excuse me while I go deal with two idiots."

Marching back into the area, she watched Aragorn and Boromir argue over the watches rota for a moment before jumping in, "Oh that's good. Start bickering. That's gonna work great for us. You guys are like little old ladies." she said derisively, causing them to be quiet for a moment.

And that allowed Buffy time to do something they did not like.

Despite the difference in heights Buffy grabbed Boromir and Aragorn by the ear and hauled them away from one another, looking remarkably like a female dragon. Aragorn gulped and prayed to the Valar that his deaths would be quick as he knew that expression all too well, Boromir just glared at her. "You are supposed to be Lords of Men! Act like one!" she chastised the two errant men. "And me and Legolas will take second watch. That's most likely when they'll come anyway."

"What?!" Boromir said, not well pleased.

"Legolas and I have the best eyesight in the dark. And we shall probably feel or sense them first," Buffy pointed out reasonably.

"But I am one of the best Swordsmen!" Boromir protested.

Buffy just gave him a blank smile, "That's what I like about you Boromir," she said, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "You're always up for a fight. Sadly, though if we do our jobs right and keep 'em out, you won't be needed. No offence."

"You are not sneaking away to take care of the 'problem' Dagnir!" Aragorn said in a flash of insight.

"Even if I was, which I'm not, you're going to do what exactly to stop me?" There was silence. "I thought so. And my plan is to shoot them all dead before they get here. Sound good?"

Boromir was quiet for a moment, "The hobbits have never seen battle before," he said, "We must guarantee their safety."

"There's no such thing as a guarantee in this line of work," Buffy said equably, "Just put 'em in the middle and hope to the Valar that they don't do anything stupid."

"You are serious!" Boromir said after a moment of just looking at her.

"You betcha," Buffy replied, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst thing you can possibly imagine and you should do okay."

"What are you?" Boromir asked, entranced by the suddenly dangerous air she had. There was something about her, something different, something that he had never seen before.

"A monster's worst nightmare," was the only answer he got, and even Aragorn was strangely silent on the topic.

Boromir's head snapped round as he heard another howl nearby. "They are here. Already? What devilry is this?"

"Monsters." Buffy said, "Welcome to my world, horn boy." and then she walked away.

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

Hollin, 3019, TA, January 13. Night (after midnight).

"Buffy I hardly think this is the time for tales," Gandalf said somewhat crossly, standing over the blonde.

"Like they're gonna sleep with a pack of starving wargs gathering around us," Buffy said sweetly, "I'm only distracting them. And Gimli loves my preying mantis tale, don't you? It's a really great story as he gets to hear about the beauty of the preying mantis. - It only eats males."

"E-eats?" Gimli squeaked, causing Gandalf to glare at her.

"Chill Gandalf, let's try not to totally freak out the hobbits, shall we?" Buffy said meaningfully, nodding her head in the direction of the ghostly pale Frodo. "We might as well try to have some fun when we're allowed a fire, and who can do scary campfire tales better than a slayer?"

"And what if you have them so distracted that they do not notice the coming danger?" Gandalf demanded.

"That's why Boromir and Aragorn are on watch and whatever happens, it's okay. We can kill them just as dead in the morning. Plenty of branches here to use for impaling things."

"As long as it is not us," Gandalf said sternly.

"Well, if somebody tries to impale Mr Frodo they're going to have to get through me." Sam piped up bravely, obviously not really understanding what Buffy and Gandalf were talking about.

"That's okay," Buffy said agreeably, "We've got steel," she said, holding up her sword.

"And what good will that do?" Sam asked.

"It's Demon-be-gone." Buffy said cheerfully, "We kill 'em before they kill us. Don't worry, if things work out right you won't have to do any fighting."

And with that she launched into the story of Anya, Willow and the troll they accidentally conjured until the hobbits were at last asleep and under the watchful axe and eye of Gimli.

Satisfied that she'd managed to soothe the hobbits' fears somewhat, she got up from her cosy spot by the fire to see why Legolas was looking so down.

"What's up?" she asked cheerfully as she threw herself down beside the Elf, "You look like someone just broke your bow."

"The wargs gather Buffy," Legolas said.

"We knew that already. Why are you so scared? It's not like we haven't dealt with them before."

"Do you not feel it?" Legolas said softly. "It is not just wargs gathering out there, Dagnir."

Buffy just looked at him for a moment before opening her senses to see if what he was saying was true. What she felt shocked her. What was wrong with her lately? How could she not sense the danger that usually came as easy to her as breathing? Almost against her will, her eyes slid over to the Ring. That cursed thing was going to be the death of her she knew.

"You're right." she admitted, "My head must be twisted on wrong or something. I don't know how I could have missed it. It's like a… shadow. There's something stronger than a simple warg there."

"But who is it?" Legolas asked, "I have been pondering this for the last half hour and am no closer to an answer."

"It's too hard to pin anything down," Buffy agreed, "After all, who isn't trying to kill us at this point?"

"Do we tell Gandalf?" Legolas said gravely, "He frets so much already, and if he cannot do anything to help, why tell him?"

Buffy couldn't find the heart to disagree with him, "He'll find out when all the fun starts anyway. And let's try to hope he doesn't decide to string us up a tree!"

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

"Well, it's official. This day can't get any worse." Buffy said as she watched the glowing eyes creep forward through the darkness.

"I beg to differ." Aragorn said, his own bow notched and ready like the Elf and Slayer, "There are too many to shoot ere they breach the camp. The hobbits will need more defence than Boromir, Gimli and Gandalf can afford to give them."

"Then we have a situation here." Legolas summed up, himself glowing faintly in the dark as well. In Buffy's opinion, he could do well as a very low grade torch if they ever ran out of light.

"That you certainly do." Buffy agreed, "We're already too few to take down thirty wargs who can nearly jump this hill in one shot. The hobbits will have to protect themselves. It sounds cruel, but it's Frodo that we really have to worry about. He is the one they've come for, and in my experience, they'll ignore the others if they've got a chance to get him."

"If Gandalf were to burn a larger fire," Legolas said speculatively, his keen eyes scanning the hill for the best shooting places. "Then perhaps we could light our arrows and so ensure that each warg will not need more than one shot."

"Flaming arrows?" Buffy repeated, "Sounds good to me. What about you, Aragorn?"

"As long as it is only the wargs flesh that is kindled and not ours!" Aragorn replied grimly.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Buffy said, "Okay, you tell Gandalf. He's still annoyed with me. And here's a tip: Hurry!"

As Legolas moved off to oversee the construction of the flaming brands, the two remaining look outs shifted closer together. "The hobbits are like fish out of water." Buffy murmured, "You said that they had fought the wraiths?"

"Very bravely," Aragorn replied, "But no match for the Black Riders. But the wraiths descended on them swiftly, there was not this waiting. I think it disturbs them."

Buffy nodded, knowing what he meant. The waiting period before the battle begun was always the most fraught with tension, - especially if you could see the enemy coming towards you.

By now, a ring of eerily glowing eyes surrounded the hill, and most had crept up it, almost to the ring of stones that guarded the camp.

Buffy stiffened as her senses snapped to alert and skittered down her spine. Stepping nearer to a gap in the circle, she surveyed the darkness but even her eyes could make out nothing. "All right." she goaded whatever was out there, "Why don't you quit hiding and come out and face me like a... thing."

She took an involuntary step back in surprise when a great dark wolf shape could now be seen, staring back at her. This one's eyes weren't glowing like the others, but Buffy imagined they were black and teeming with evil.

Legolas had been all too right; this was no warg. But whatever it was, it was bad news.

Breaking the staring contest between slayer and monster, it let out a great shuddering howl broke from him, like he was a captain summoning his pack to the assault.

Which wouldn't be too far off in Buffy's opinion. Behind her, she felt something bump against her back as a curly head peeked around her. Pippin had come to see what Buffy was up to, and now looked to her for protection at the monster's fearsome appearance.

The hobbit now tugged frantically on her arm, "Less talk, more running away!" he demanded, trying to pull her along.

"You can't run from them," Buffy said, "That would only lead to chasing. You can't just run away."

"Run away?" Pippin squealed somewhat panicked, "Finally, a sensible plan! Let's do that!"

Luckily, Pippin never got his chance as at the first sign of the great monster bunching its legs to jump, Gandalf strode forward, holding his staff aloft, and a small light shining from it. "Listen, Hound of Sauron," the wizard cried in a loud voice," Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring!"

Of course, that did not deter the hound of Sauron, and it only snarled and sprang towards them. Three sharp twangs rang out across the campsite as Buffy, Legolas and Aragorn loosed their bows.

Buffy could have sworn she felt some kind of … wind, as she could only describe it, pass through the hill and then there was an absolutely hideous yell and the wolf fell from mid air to the ground; two Elvish arrows in its throat and another in its hindquarter.

Almost at once the watching eyes were suddenly extinguished, as if they had just disappeared. To the suspicious slayer, it was just plain creepy. Gandalf and Aragorn strode forward to investigate the strange occurrence, but the hill was deserted, and for all intents and purposes it seemed that the hunting packs had fled with the death of the lead warg.

And all about them the darkness grew silent, and no cry came on the sighing wind.

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

Hollin, 3019, TA, January 13. Approx. between 2 -3 in the morning.

The night was old, and the waning moon was setting when those on watch got a nasty surprise. At first, Buffy's eyes had widened impossibly and then she'd called for Legolas, who was scouting the opposite side of the hill, "We've got company! And they brought a crusade!" the slayer hissed, pointing to the gathering wargs below them.

The archer's eyes took in the scene as well, and then he nodded, "Keep watch," he said calmly, "I'll wake the others."

"I feel like I should have a great idea right now. But I don't." Buffy said, "Let's hope that Gandalf can pull something out of that hat of his."

The Elf quietly awoke everyone but the hobbits, and soon the others had joined Buffy at the ridge of the hill. "We're surrounded." Gimli stated in disbelief.

"I had noticed." Buffy replied dryly, "Question is what do we do?"

There was several moments of rapid thinking before Aragon blurted out, despite his own misgivings he knew that Buffy was the only one for the task. "We need you to distract the wargs."

Buffy blinked as she digested that, "Right." she said warily, "Why exactly?"

"So that we can have some time to shoot them down ere they come upon us," Aragorn said, "You are the only one who can come back unscathed."

"Oh, trusting me now, are we?" Buffy huffed, "And this is the guy who gave me the 'damsel in distress' routine. Some turnaround ranger boy, but okay, I'll do it."

Grabbing a thick branch almost as long as herself, she started to march down the hill. "Buffy? What are you going to do?" Boromir asked, baffled by this exchange.

Buffy smiled airily, "I'm gonna kill them all. That ought to distract them." she replied, and then marched down the hill. "Try not to shoot me!" she called back as an afterthought.

And then, in an instant, the fight was on.

As a hail of flaming arrows started falling on the wargs, cheered on by Boromir, Gimli and Gandalf who had no bows, Buffy picked up her makeshift quarterstaff and started swinging. Soon enough, she got a comfortable rhythm going and started humming 'we're going out to the ball game' under her breath as she cracked another warg's skull.

But the tables turned quickly as the wargs had the advantage of numbers and Buffy soon retreated to the others, amid a deafening cacophony of howling that had broken out.

By now, the hobbits were wide awake, started from sleep by the howls and clashes of battle, and Gandalf turned aside to order them into line.

"Fling fuel on the fire!" the wizard cried to the hobbits, "Draw your blades, and stand back to back!"

Frightened as rabbits, the hobbits complied readily, too green to be of use in a close quarters battle, and too unused to the very sight of warfare and blood to be safe unwatched.

Buffy however had some perfect advice to dispense to the frozen hobbits, "Don't just stand there! Kill something!" she yelled at them, "Do you have swords or not, little people?!"

As the hobbits clumsily drew their swords, and started to hack wildly at anything that even looked to be coming towards them, Buffy and Gimli tag-teamed a particularly ugly orc, and managed with thanks to Gimli's axe as a lever, to topple a heavy boulder on it, crushing it to death.

"Those guys are better off squashed, I truly think." Buffy said, eyeing the rather disgusting warg pancake that resulted.

"I could not agree more with you, lass," Gimli said, "Now back to work! This Dwarf's axe is still hungry!"

Buffy looked at him appreciatively as they hacked and slashed and parried, "Fun, isn't it?"

"I do appreciate violence." Gimli said debonairly as he embedded his axe in one warg's spinal cord.

"Good." Buffy replied, "Now care to explain why these wargs aren't dying?!" she said, as she watched the one with the supposedly severed spine suddenly get back to its feet and scanning around for the crushed one, all she could see was the boulder. No soon of the dead monster.

But even as they fought to keep these strange warg-like creatures at bay whilst trying to avoid falling into the blazing fire, Gandalf seemed suddenly to grow; he rose up, a great menacing shape like the monument of some ancient king of stone set upon a hill. He lifted a burning branch like a torch, and strode to meet the slavering wargs. And to most of the warriors' surprise they gave back before him.

High in the air he tossed the blazing brand. It flared with a sudden white radiance like lightning, and his voice rolled like thunder so that even his own company were forced to look away and cover their ears.

"Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!" he cried loudly, and the sound was terrible to all that heard it. (Fire for the saving of us! Fire against the werewolf host!)

The fire wavered and then there was a roar and a crackle, and the tree above him burst into a leaf and bloom of blinding blazing flame.

Buffy winced in pain as her eyes were seared, "Does he have to do that so brightly?" she complained, trying to shield herself from the intense light.

But her mouth fell open when she snuck a peek and couldn't believe what the crafty old wizard was doing.

The fire Gandalf had started leapt from tree-top to tree-top. The whole hill was crowned with dazzling light. The swords and knives of the defenders shone and flickered as they slashed and whirled through the air. The last arrow of Legolas kindled in the air as it flew, and plunged burning into the heart of a great wolf-chieftain. That ended it. All others fled. None would dare face a wizard's wrath now.

"Now that is just how I like my wargs. Medium well." Buffy said with admiration, "Cool show Mr Wizard."

Another explosion of fire in a tree above them caused Buffy to clutch her eyes again, "Okay! That's enough with the fireworks Gandalf!" she called, trying to will away the black spots in front of her eyes.

When the commotion at last died down, the company found themselves once more alone in a sea of darkness, - the eyes were gone, - and the last few flames flickered pitifully in the blackened trees around them.

All were silent, staring at the devastation around them, and the more observant amongst them noticed that they could see no bodies of the wargs that had killed.

"I am very tired, now I need a nap." Buffy announced to break the uneasy silence, and then with exaggerated disgust she looked at the dirt covering her, "This does nothing for my complexion." she complained in a stage whisperer.

That broke the deadlock and caused the hobbits to chuckle a bit after their latest near death experience.

Legolas and Aragorn who were near her, heard her and had to disguise their chuckles at this typical show from the slayer. "I heard that!" she called with an exaggerated pout, stopping to give them a pointed glare and then resumed her search for somewhere to clean herself up. "Get some sleep guys!" she said, "It's gonna be a long run tomorrow."

And she vowed to find out where the 'bodies' went in the morning.

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Hollin, 3019, TA, January 13. After dawn.

But the mystery only deepened under the light of day.

When the full light of morning came no sign of the wolves were to be found, and they looked in vain for the bodies of the dead. No trace of the fight remained but the charred trees and the arrows of Legolas lying on the hill-top. All were undamaged save one of which only the point was left.

Of course that meant that Gimli could not resist taunting Legolas by saying that he did not shoot anything but air. And even Buffy's annoyed comments would not shut them up.

"If those two don't kill each other, I might lend a hand." she grumbled, and ignored Aragorn's slightly amused remark at her crabbiness, "I like sunrise better when I'm getting up early than when I'm staying up late, you know? It's like I'm seeing it from the wrong side lately." she explained, and then had to shut up their nice conversation over what sort of creature had paid them a visit last night to listen to Gandalf.

"It is as I feared," Gandalf explained hurriedly, almost quivering in his rush to be gone, "These were no ordinary wolves hunting for food in the wilderness. Let us eat quickly and go!"

But Buffy's eyes were consistently drawn back to the ground where bodies should have lay, and she knew that just because Gandalf did not want to speak of the matter in front of the hobbits, that it would be spoken of again and pondered on with worry.

Sauron had just sent his first servants against the combined fellowship, Buffy thought certainly, and who knew what he was sending next?

And who knew that the Ring hadn't led them right to their door?

And as her hardened gaze turned to look at the offending ring around Frodo's neck, her mind was seized by a vision of Aragorn being run through by an enemy sword, "You can never hope to grasp the source of our power. But yours is right here…." the voice of the Ring taunted her, and her horrified gaze landed on Aragorn.

Oh by the Valar, not him!

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A/N: Well? Opinions please! Please READ and REVIEW!!!!

Next chapter: The fellowship enter the mines of Moria… Boromir gets curious… Gandalf gets stonewalled… the water is disturbed…. Something is lurking unseen in the black pit… there's also some conspiring going on…

Elvish:

Caradhras - Red Horn

Andúril - Flame of the West

Dagnir - slayer

Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth - Fire for the saving of us! Fire against the werewolf host! (Sindarin)

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Cirith Ungol - Translates as 'Spider's Cleft'. The name was lent not only to the pass but to the fortress that guarded it as well. Cirith Ungol was a fortress unto its own. The Tower of Cirith Ungol, was a stronghold made by the Men of Gondor after the Last Alliance to keep watch on Mordor but Mordor took it over.

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.

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

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