Chapter 5

The Fellowship, still whole and very intent on their journey, hurried to the forest beneath the mountain, "ok Guys, I'm not so good on geography..." says Fadron, "how do we get to mordor from here?"

Gandald looks at Aragorn, "that depends, are we going through Lothlorien?"

Aragorn smirks, "you know it's a straight shot from there to Amon Hen."

Gandalf breaks into a wide grin, "Lothlorien it is then! Long is the hour since I gazed upon it's golden beauty!"

Fadron looks at Peony who was still riding in his pack, "Lothlorien? Is it a special place?"

Gimli huffs as they walk through the woods, "Special? Aye...it's said to be the home of an elf witch! So powerful and beautiful...that none who visit these woods...ever return."

Peony raises her eyebrows and looks at Gallend who was already two sheets to the wind, just wobbling along.

Fadron looks back st Gimli as he continues, "Well...here's one dwarf she won't sneak up on, I've the eyes of cat and the ears of a fox!"

The group were suddenly brought up short by arrows directly in their faces, Fadron draws sword, "JESUS!"

"What...are you?" The leader of the elf guards regards the strange looking party members, "not wearing armor...almost like a statue..."

Gandalf stepped in front of the group, "ah, Gandalf, good, the lady of the wood has been expecting you."

Fadron looked at Gandalf, "Everyone knows you don't they?" Gandalf nodded, "now we must hurry."

As they walked into the wood, Peony looked down at Frodo to notice he looks worried, "Frodo?"

He looks up, his face frought with worry, "I'm...fine."

Sam scoffs, "I'm fine, he says, looks an inch from death if you ask me."

Peony nods, "you can climb up here with me." Patting the rim of the basket.

"No...I'm fine." Frodo shook his head as they enter the elf city of Lothlorien.

Fadron and Peony gawked at it's beauty, "the leaves look...they look like gold..." peony gasps, Fadron looking up as Peony oohed and Aahed, "so they do...interesting..."

The fellowship is walked up one of the many spiral walkways into the canopy of the forest, until they stand before the beautiful lady of the wood and her husband, Peony gasps and her cheeks flush, Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf bow.

Fadron's eyes were fixed on the woman who said nothing, but instead turned to her husband, who spoke, "The enemy knows you have entered here, what little hope you had in secrecy is gone...Gandalf, it is good to see you when My Lady had fortold your fall in Moria."

The members of the Fellowship look at eachother, when Celeborn nods again as if told something without words, "you may stay the night, and then we will send you on your way after we have resupplied you."

The night goes uneventfully for most of the fellowship, MOST of them, come morning the fellowship was told to meet up at the docks where they were each presented with a boon along with several elvish supplies, Lembas bread, a lorien cloak and elvish daggers.

Elvish rope and a box of elvish earth for Sam.

An elfstone for Aragorn along with a sheath for his sword Anduril.

A golden belt for Faramir.

Silver belts for merry, pippin and Peony.

A large backpack keg of the finest Elven cider for Gallend.

A Galadhrim bow for Legolas.

Armor made of elven steel made for Madeye was theur gift for Fadron.

Galadriel's phial for Frodo.

And oddest in Fadron's eyes was the gift of three hairs to Gimli.

And finally they're sent on their way with boats with which they make their way to the ruins of Amon Hen, where Aragorn lays down the travel plan, "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

Gandalf smiles, "oh yes, that sounds fairly simple."

Gimli interjects, "Oh, yes?! It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better!"

Pippin looks up, alarmed as Fadron turns to look at the Dwarf who continues, "Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!"

Gandalf chuckles, "Well Master Dwarf, that is our path, I suggest Everyone rest and recover your strength, we will need it for the Journey ahead."

Peony walks up to Merry and Pippin, "I have somethings for you guys...for being so...Just great." She hands each of them a small bag, "Some weird seeds given to us by the sylvan enclave back home...the druid who gave them to us said they'd grow us servants in only a matter of days...we never needed them, so I'm giving them to you."

Merry looked at Pippin, "so er...which of us was better?"

Peony gave each of them a kiss, "A fling is a fling is a fling, and I liked both of you equally...not that we're parting any time soon, just that I wanted you two to know...it was great."

Merry looked at Pippin and then they both shrugged, "I'll take what I can get." Says Merry

"Aye and ye always have." Laughed Pippin in response, to which Gandalf knocked him on the head, "let us not forget the slip up that led the Balrog to us."

Fadron set his shield against a tree, "nor shall we forget the reason we thought going through Moria was acceptable to begin with."

Gandalf glared at Fadron but sighed, "again, you are right...I am sorry Gimli...I did not want to tell you such devastating news..."

Gimli looked up at the wizard, "over and done with now, though, eh? Your heart was in the right place, Gandalf...for now we must focus on getting that ring into that pit of fire!"

Legolas looked suddenly skittish, "we should go now..." gandalf laid a hand on his shoulder, "what is the matter?"

Legolas looked around, "can none of you feel that? Something...evil approaches..."

Gandalf's face grew grim, "...Saruman...Frodo, stay close, we may have company soon."

Legolas looked at gandalf, "at least you and Fadron are here...we are not by ourselves."

The fellowship began to set up camp when Fadron senses the Ring reaching out, he groaned and tried to discern who it was reaching for, seeing Faramir, who was about to go get wood with frodo as it's primary target, "uh uh. No you dont."

Fadron grabbed Faramir by the shoulder, "stand still." Faramir's eyes grew wide, "uh...alright..."

Fadron ground the tips of his fingertips together, the scraped up iron yielding chafings that he sprinkled over Faramir's head, "By the iron in my body and the water in yours, I protect your mind from the voice of evil."

Faramir looked confused, "alright? Thank you.."

The two left and Legolas aproached Fadron, "what did you do?"

Fadron looked at his fingertips, "I felt the ring...reaching out for Faramir...he isn't his brother but there's no telling how he would have reacted to its sway."

Legolas looks bemused, "can you do that to...all of us?"

Fadron shook his head, "it only lasts for a short time...I'm saving my strength to sequester the ring for-" Gandalf sat next to the pair, "No Fadron, you cannot use magic to sequester the Ring...do you think people have not tried?"

As Fadron was about to answer, the sound of Faramir's horn blasted through the woods, everyone jumped to their feet, Fadron grabbed his shield as Aragorn shouted, "The Horn of Gondor!"

The fellowship then rushed into the woods to be greeted by a horde of orcs rushing towards Frodo and Faramir who had an arrow in his shoulder!

"Form up ranks!" Shouts Gandalf, "Protect the Ring Bearer!"

Fadron rushes over to the pair. Taking Frodo and stuffing him into his pack, "sit tight little dude!"

The group stuck together through the fight as the Uruk-Hai poured towards them like a flood! Fadron looked about and judged the situation too dangerous, deciding that this warranted clones.

A 2nd Fadron appeared next to him out of the ground, then another and another, until there were 4 clones, without armor or weapons but still equipped with metal fists.

Gandalf laughed as he saw this, and as the clone Fadrons attacked the orcs! Carving through their ranks!

It was not too long before the United front tore through the horrid force, leaving little but corpses in its wake as Gallend cast healing spells to keep the party safe from harm, Peony and Legolas filled the enemy ranks with arrows and the rest of them shredded the uruks with moderate difficulty thanks to their suppressed numbers.

Finally the last of the stragglers were picked off and Fadron's simulacrums vanished.

"Saruman can lick my teeny tiny taint." Laughs Peony, "we kicked ALL the ass!"

Gallend hiccupped and sat down, "these guys...seem like they're new...like their lives started...weeks ago."

Fadron walked over, "what do you mean?"

Gallend pointed to the orc with the bow, "mass produced armor, mass produced soldiers."

Fadron shook his head, "that makes no sense, Orcs are orcs...and the orcs where we live..."

Gallend held up a hand, "but we are quite obviously not where we live, Fadron...Middle earth is weird and different...we need to solve this ring issue and we'll be able to go home..."

Fadron looked into his pack, "you ok little man?"

Frodo nodded, "thank you...you are very interesting."

Gandalf pointed to the river, "Let us get on with the journey then, now that we know there are two forces arrayed against us, we have no time to lose."

Once more the fellowship boarded the boats, sailing away towards Mordor.

To be continued...