Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings is property of Tolkien and there are many references throughout to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I only own what you do not recognize. The character Chinky is not meant to cause offence and is named after a real horse whose name has been shortened from a Fiat Cinquecento (Chinky – Chento).
Chapter 2: Prince and a King
Unknown to Amy, as she cantered on Chinky, her mum was watching through the net curtains. Sighing her mum watched her only daughter and only child go. No matter how many times she beat her, she still loved Amy, but now she was gone. She knew full well where she was going to end up; and she only hoped no harm came to her on her way.
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Elrond sat in his office looking out the window and thinking of his daughter. Arwen, she had the grace of the grandmother, but the looks of her dad. Elrond sighed he knew he had her love, yet her heart was with the young man that stood next to the Mirkwood prince. The young man that he had brought up like his own son. A man that would one day rise above all his ancestors, and take the throne of Gondor. He was proud of Aragon, any father would be, yet he couldn't help feeling that Arwen should find a nice elf to settle down with.
"I mean that Legolas of the Woodland realm, he would be perfect." He said aloud to himself.
'You know that could never happen,' a voice in his head said.
Elrond sighed as he opened his mind to the Lady of Light. 'Yes, yet I do not understand why.' He replied in his thoughts.
'Within the next two weeks you will see why he can never be bound to my granddaughter.' She said cryptically.
'Why? She is perfect and so is he.'
'The blood of Onlee is still strong, and will return,' Galadriel said.
'But I thought that all of his kin were destroyed?' Elrond answered with a very bemused look on his face
'All but one. You will know who I mean, I must leave you now, good bye Lord of Imladris,' Galadriel answered before closing her mind to Elrond.
Looking at his daughter Elrond sighed
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Amy continued cantering though the forest, loving the feel of the wind in her long braided hair. The pine leaves under foot were soft and springy carrying the pair faster towards their destination. Amy knew where she was going, she had explored all the land round here. No fewer than ten miles off, there was a clearing with a huge hollow backed into a hill; there they would spend the night.
As dark almost covered them, they arrived at the hollow. Amy was surprised to see that some of her cooking equipment was still there from the last time she had camped out. Not having time to make a fire she had a quick drink from a water bottle before lying down in the hollow with Chinky. Amy smiled as she lay down with her head on Chinky's stomach. "Good night," she whispered to the horse and she swore someone in her mind said 'good night' back. She shrugged it off, before falling into a dreamless sleep.
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"Come now Legolas," Aragon called.
Legolas smiled as he ran on foot next to his horse. As it happens Legolas had dismounted from his horse to get a drink, when he looked up Aragon was cantering his horse away and leading Legolas'.
"A curse on humans and their stiff backs," Legolas said as he was starting to tire of this game.
"Come on we haven't got all day." Aragon said playfully.
"Oh I know we haven't, which is why I am going to do this," Legolas said checking his pace.
"Do what," Aragon said turning round to look at his friend.
Before he had chance to duck, Legolas had leaped up and knocked Aragon clean off the saddle and onto the floor. He called the horses to a stop, before going back to Aragon.
"Are you ok?" Legolas asked concerned, as his friend didn't appear to be moving.
"I am now," he said as he grabbed Legolas' knees and pulled him down next to him. The prince and the king both lay down laughing. What would their fathers think of them? Both rolling around in the leaves not a care in the world. After a bit they got up, only to find both their horses gone.
"Curse it, where have those beasts gone?" Aragon said trying not to be angry.
"Come my friend they cannot be far." Legolas said as they jogged into the woods together.
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Amy rolled over and looked up at the hollow above her. She woke up the horse next to her and washed herself in a shallow spring. Once she had re-braided her hair she sighed and looked around her. This is where she had found Chinky, nearly five years ago now. She had thought it odd that a horse should be wandering the New Forest when all its usual inhabitants are shaggy looking ponies. But yet she had walked into this clearing and before her stood a black and white horse. A very fine one at that, with a slightly dished face, which originally made her think she was of Arab blood, but she was too big to be an Arab. When no one claimed her, she took her for her own, and they had been inseparable ever since.
She mounted Chinky and looked around to make sure there wasn't any sign of her being there before starting to trot off. Her clothes made it almost impossible for her to be seen, but Chinky could be spotted a mile off.
She stopped for a second and looked around her, "I have no memory of this place," she said quietly to herself, and it was true. Everything was different; nothing looked the same except the hollow in which she had been sleeping. "Not that it matters," she said to herself, "being lost, I didn't mean to go home anyway."
They walked for an hour before her heart suddenly stopped. A twig snapped behind her. 'Of course it could just be a wild pig,' she thought. But something did not feel right. Without turning round she pulled out her bow and notched an arrow. She heard another twig snap and in the blink of an eye she turned round and released her arrow. She heard it whistle though the air before a 'thud.' Looking at where she just shot she gasped. It wasn't a pig, or a deer. But something black, something covered in armour. Something that looked strangely like an orc from her favourite books; the Lord of the Rings.
She did not have time to sit and dwell on it before a badly aimed arrow whistled past her leg. Quickly she notched another arrow and shot. It hit target, but she was surrounded. Looking around, more than ten of the things came out around her.
Notching another arrow she shot again and hit target. Thanking the lord at how many times she used to practice. Chinky was dancing around beneath her, obviously wanting to get away. 'Hold them off I can go and get help,' she said. Amy nearly fell off before she realised what she said. 'Yes, now get off and I'll get help.' Amy slipped off and watched as the orcs approached. There was only one thing for it, she had to fight. She released another shower of arrows before her. Just as she released her last arrow, she knew she was in trouble; there were more orcs than she thought. She screamed as an arrow fired by one of the orcs went straight through her hand.
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Legolas and Aragon were sprinting in the direction of their horses. They stopped as they saw them in what looked like a bow in front of a magnificent black and white horse. Legolas breathed a sigh of relief as he saw them. His relief stopped as shock spread though him, it was a Mearas. 'Elf boy, hurry up. My master is in danger. Orcs!' Legolas froze as he heard the voice in his head. He came to his senses as an ear-piercing scream filled the woods. 'Follow me, and draw you weapons.' Chinky galloped off with the two horses and riders following her.
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Amy staggered as the arrow went clean through her hand. She couldn't look at it. Feeling the blood go down her hand she gasped and pulled out her sword. Gripping the sword in her right hand she swung it at the nearest orc. The blade was too heavy for one hard, yet her other one was still impaled by an orc arrow. Ignoring the pain she swung again and the orc fell before her. Looking round there was still too many of them. Just as she was about to give up, when Chinky galloped into the clearing with two men on horses beside her. Five of the orcs were dead in an instant. Heedless to the two men she mounted Chinky awkwardly and continued to ride at the orcs swinging her sword in pain stunted formations.
Finally, they all fell. Not an orc remained alive. She turned Chinky to the two men and finally blackness enveloped her as she slid from the mare's back.
