"FOR GONDOR AND THE MARK!"
"HERIO! Leithio i philinn!"
"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!" I whipped my head around as arrows flew out of nowhere. One struck a Sue near me and she fell, screaming. The Sue queen froze, and then vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Gwenllian stood in horror.
"Get your weapons!" she roared at last as more arrows rained down from the dark, "They are trying to steal Legolas!" That was enough to set the fan girls into berserker mode. Without weapons they charged into the gloom. The Sue leader whirled and glared at the twins.
"We still need her blood for the love potion! Take her to the portal and wait for me there, I'll get the cauldron." She turned and disappeared into the confused crowd. Melody and Harmony started to pull me away, towards the edge of the fight. I caught sight of Gimli and Kai fighting back to back against three Sues.
"HEY!" I yelled at them, "I'M OVER HERE! HELP!" I kicked at the Sues holding me and fought to get back to my friends. They dragged me back. Kai was looking around for me.
"KAI! GIMLI! THEY'RE TAKING ME TO THE PORTAL!" I screamed as loud as I could. A wave of Sues and fan girls rushed at my friends and I lost sight of them. I continued to fight to get back towards them, but soon I found myself at the far side of the cave. I turned around. There, stuck into the wall, was a glimmering round opening in the rock. It looked like a liquid mirror, with different colors swirling around. I was so awestruck that I didn't resist when the Sues led me over to the corner. I wrenched my gaze away from the portal and tried to see how the fight was going. It was nearly impossible to spot my friends amongst the throng of Sues and fan girls. I felt scared again. Just when there had been hope of rescue I had been separated from the rangers. It wasn't likely that they'd find me until it was too late. With any luck, however, they would get Legolas out of there.
Ten minutes later Gwenllian appeared. She was lugging the cauldron towards us with effort, its contents still boiling. She set the pot down with a sigh and straightened, grinning at me.
"Well, hunter, have you learned your lesson about not crossing Sues?" she asked me with false sweetness. I glared at her, hatred smoldering inside me. Something of the fire must have shown in my eyes because her grin faltered.
"The only lesson I've learned is that you Sues are the foulest, weakest spawn of Morgoth ever to roam Middle-earth!" I snarled. Gwenllian abruptly punched me in the ribs. I wasn't expecting it and I doubled over, winded. I coughed and gasped for breath while she glared down at me.
"Hang on to her," she snapped at the twins, who tightened their grip on my arms. I lifted my head when I had caught my breath and stared at the Sue, trembling slightly. I hadn't been so scared since Destiny tried to kill me. Gwenllian stirred the potion a few more times and leaned over it, examining its thickness and color to make sure it was ready. When she was satisfied she leaned back and turned and walked over to me, knife in one hand.
"Farewell, Rana Avari," she whispered with a cruel smile. I braced myself for the sharp pain of a mortal wound. The blow never came. Gwenllian stood frozen, her wide eyes changing from stark green to a dull, lifeless gray. Then she slumped forward, and I saw the arrow sticking out of her back. I looked up and saw Legolas standing a few yards away, his recovered bow in one hand.
Melody and Harmony both stared between their fallen captain, Legolas, and me. Then they both let go of my arms and bolted straight into the portal. I blinked slowly as the Elf came over.
"Are you all right?" he asked with concern. I shook myself out of my trance and nodded.
"Aye, but only as well as one can be after having their life threatened," I said weakly as he cut the ropes binding my hands. He smiled slightly.
"Well, it seemed the diversion worked out -."
"The WHAT?" I demanded, aghast. The princeling chuckled nervously.
"Now don't be too alarmed, Rana, but after you got kidnapped we had to think of some way to rescue you -."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DIVERSION?" I roared.
"Only that I got captured accidentally-on-purpose so that the Sues would be distracted -." I couldn't help it; I just had to slap him hard.
"You could have died!" I yelled, painfully aware that I was sounding like Mrs. Weasley. The Elf rubbed his cheek and gave me an offended look. I let out an angry sigh.
"Men," I muttered under my breath. I turned on my heel and marched back towards the battle. It took me about five seconds to realize that the rangers weren't alone in the fight. At least twenty Elvish warriors, most of them archers, were fighting the Sues and fan girls. The archers were shooting arrows from ledges around the cave, and judging from the number of bodes they were quite accurate. Despite the vastness of the Sues' army, they were on the losing side.
It was all over in half an hour. News of Gwenllian's death (no doubt encouraged by the fact that I wasn't dead) spread like wildfire. More and more Sues fled to the portal and left Middle-earth, hopefully forever. The fan girls, though for the most part still in berserker mode, reluctantly followed. As the last of them headed for the gateway, I followed and climbed up onto a boulder.
"Farewell, evil Sues and fan girls! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you almost -." The Sue slipped through the portal without responding.
" – Rana Avari," I finished lamely. I frowned at the portal. I noticed for the first time four colored stones set in the rock face, bordering the gateway.
"Uh, lads…come and have a look at this…" Legolas and the rangers hurried over, but they ignored the portal and hugged me (except Legolas, who was still pouting because I slapped him).
"We were so worried!" Hazel said as she drew back. I pushed the others away irritably.
"Aye, I was a tad worried myself, thanks very much," I grumbled. Kai, Brynne, and Favian laughed. Finally, Aragorn and the others toddled over.
"Good to see you alive, lass," Gimli grunted.
"Yes, we were thinking perhaps you'd gone and died on us," Faramir said jokingly. Éowyn elbowed him.
"Well…I suppose you'll be leaving us?" Arwen said quietly. Everyone else stopped smiling, and even the Elf warriors looked a little surprised. I smiled sadly at the queen and nodded.
"All my life I've wanted nothing more than to live here, but something is telling me that it's time for me to take my leave." Hazel looked crestfallen.
"I'm sorry," I added softly, "But I can't stay." I smiled at each of my friends before I pointed to the colored stones.
"I'm guessing that if you remove those, the portal will shut down. That will keep the Sues out."
"And you," Brynne pointed out. I nodded.
"And me." I bowed to the royals and turned to walk back through the portal, to my own world.
"Wait!" Hazel said suddenly, "What if you end up with all the Sues and fan girls?" I laughed.
"Do you really think they'd survive all together without their leaders?" Everyone laughed. Kai walked over to me and held out a sheathed hunting knife.
"To remember old times," she told me as I took it from her. I hugged her good bye and waved to the others.
"Good bye, friends. Perhaps one day we'll meet again." And with that I stepped through the portal, thus ending my adventure in Middle-earth.
A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my reviewers. It's been fun, but it ain't over until it's over, eh? Drink up, hearties, yo ho!