Well, amazingly after three years...I'm back! Needless to say I had a minor case of writer's block. But, I think I have gotten past that. I really do have to say that I appreciate all of your reviews. I'm a horrible person, but for that three years with no update, I was still checking reviews. Talk about a steady trickle. It was inspiring.

One more thing before I get into the story, I do have to warn everyone that my writing style could have changed, but I am sincerely going to try to keep Emily as true to the story as possible.

Onwards!

---

About an hour after my singing, Pipping decided to call it a night. We had spent almost all of the time in complete silence. The only exception was the few times one of us would start hiccuping and blame it on the dust, the smog, a passing butterfly being inhaled.

Neither of us wanted to admit that every time we thought about the current situation the only course of action was to cry. There was just no stopping it. Even for my heroic and slightly idiotic statement earlier about what I would do if Frodo and Sam failed, I too had my doubts.

They were so small and the Eye was so big. Mordor was so big. The entire frickin' problem they were facing was so unbelievably big.

I took one more look at the fiery night's sky and pushed off from the balcony.

'Are you OK?'

I jerked, then relaxed, "Yeah. I am. I think so anyway. I'm just getting so tired."

'Honey, you don't have four legs. You haven't been running for all mercy because of some flying monkeys every time you turn around. I have probably run four Boston marathons since I've met you, all because of you.'

"Ah, shucks. How the hell do you know what a Boston marathon is? Let alone how to calculate a hundred and four miles?"

'Your head is a scary, scary place.'

"Tell me about it. Just know that you aren't the one that gets to deal with it at night."

'Wanna bet?'

"Not really. 'Night Babes."

'G'night Emily.'

I was getting to the point where I was just too tired to think anymore. It wasn't that I was depressed, just more really tired with everything that had to be dealt with. That, and I still wasn't sleeping well. The whole red-fiery-eye-in-desperate-need-of-Visine-in-dreams-thing really kinda sucks.

I finally reached my room. I took a look down the long hall and could just see the red glow from the sky.

I sighed and pushed through the door.

---

Suddenly, a loud noise filled the room. I woke up so fast that I jerked right out of bed and fell to the floor. After much cursing, I managed to untangle myself from the bed clothes.

'Man, why do I have to be out here in the stables when all the good stuff happens?'

"Are you that bored that me falling out of bed is considered good stuff?"

'Don't flatter yourself. Something's going on at the city gates and I'm way the hell up here in the stables.'

"If you're way the hell up there in the stables, how do you know that something's going on. Babes, do you have wings and just failed to mention them."

'Amazingly, horses like to talk. Not a lot, mind you. But just enough to find out what saddles are in fashion, what grain is the best for slimming you down, which stallion is available, what mare had a foal and now just totally looks like a cow...' Babes trailed off. Finally, she sighed, 'Wow, you really are an idiot. If you listen to that noise that scared you from your much-needed beauty rest, you'll find out.'

I listened and finally could make out what was being shouted. Something about "Father-mire," soldiers being home and city being lost.

"Oh, sounds like someone's home."

'Oh indeed. Dumbass.'

I opened my mouth to snap back, but clicked it shut again as the sound of running feet rumbled by my door. I cracked open the door and eased my head through. Luckily, my reflexes hadn't suffered from my rude awakening because I was able to yank it back again before it was removed from my possession. There were so many people crowding their way through the hall it was a miracle that I had even gotten the door opened in the first place.

"Well, that way seems to be out."

'Damn skippy.'

I rolled my eyes and wandered out to the balcony to see if I could make out what was going on below. Apparently I didn't rank very high on the guest list since my room was in a building pretty close to the main gate. I guess the higher up your building was on the spiraling road, the higher your rank. My building was only two spirals up. The frickin' stable was four up. Something Babes made abundantly clear to me last night. Over and over and over again.

I reached the railing of the balcony and still couldn't see anything. The road was swarming with people and I could see a bunch of them were clustered around the front gate and what looked like a group of men on horses. I grabbed onto the trellis next to the railing and hoisted myself up until I was standing on the edge. Nope, still nothing.

I shook the trellis a bit and it looked somewhat sturdy enough. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders and swung over onto it. I figured that I could use it as a ladder and Spider Man my way down. The trellis wasn't nearly as steady as I thought.

Immediately, my foot broke through some of the lattice-work. Then my other foot. So basically, I was just hanging by my hands two stories above the ground hoping that the rest wouldn't give way. With a screech reminiscent of a cat being boiled alive, the trellis pulled away from the building and slammed down onto the street. Or more specifically, on top of me.

I ignored the risk of being trampled and just laid there. Finally, a couple of younger boys ran right over the trellis. Not necessarily trampling me, but these kids weren't tiny. I leapt to my feet and started screeching at them.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? I'm laying here. How the hell did you not see me? I mean honestly! Honestly!"

I glanced around at the group of people that had gathered. I couldn't see the kids anymore, they'd melted into the crowd. I stood there rubbing my calf with one of my feet and trying to find something witty to say when I heard one of the women in the crowd.

"'Tis the woman who came from Rohan. I've heard that she is not right in the head. Talks to animals, she does. And then, claims that they answer back to her. Best keep the young ones away, I fear that she may eat my Tyrhine."

I stared at her open-mouthed, "Lady, unless Tyrhine is a Big Mac, you don't have anything to worry about. My God!"

The group gasped and a couple of the women screamed. A man quickly reached out and grabbed one of the kids running by, "Make haste to the smithy," he ordered the boy. "Tell Big Macgillian that he is being hunted this night!"

"Jesus frickin' Martha! Are you people kidding me! Are you frickin' kidding me! I am NOT a cannibal. I can't belie--"

Babes chose that moment to butt in, 'Emily, get your ass down to those gates now. They just brought the new horses in and they are muttering about 'halflings' and little people. Two of them. Heading into the hills.'

I yelped and the people surrounding me stared even harder, "What? My horse just ordered me to get the gates. What the hell are you still looking at?"

With that, I made a mad sprint to the gates.

---

And by mad dash, I mean slowing squeezing between people and threatening others with gruesome bodily harm unless they part the way. After threatening to eat some people's children, the way basically parted for me like the Red Sea.

Even though I wasn't fighting my way through anymore, I still managed to come barreling through to the clearing by the gate and fall rather gracelessly flat on my face. I stumbled again to my feet, "What'd I miss? What'd I miss?"

I swear my jaw hit the dusty ground with enough force to crack the cobblestones.

"How can this be? How can you---. They told me that you---." I swallowed and tried again. "Boromir?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the Boromir look-a-like's gaze shot to me and he scowled. Faster than I could comprehend the situation, I found both of his fists firmly planted on my collar and my body slammed up against the neighboring wall.

"How dare you! How dare you make fun at my brother's expense. I shall see you hung for your tongue."

I was so scared that I was in danger of peeing myself, but that still didn't stop my god-aweful tongue, "Are you sure you aren't Boromir? That's a pretty Boromir-esque reaction. Or is that just how all men react? Good grief. With all the practice I'm getting being slammed into walls, pretty soon I'm just going to be able to melt into them."

I know I didn't make much sense, but I was getting so angry that I could barely function anymore. Finally, I saw that I wasn't getting a decent reaction, I did the only other thing a girl could do. I slammed my right foot into the crook of his two legs. And promptly screamed.

The man actually dropped me, but I don't know if that was out of pity for me or because I was shrieking loud enough to make his ears bleed.

After what was probably about ten minutes and thirty ruptured eardrums, I managed to make coherant speech.

"When. Did. You. Guys. Start. Wearing. Nut. Cups? I think I broke my foot. I can't feel my foot!"

Then the man did something that I'll never forget. He looked down at my prone form and knocked his knuckles against his crotch.

Clang. Clang.

He grinned, "Tis steel."

---

Well, I know that not a whole lot happened this chapter, but I was more or less testing out my legs again. Seeing how I slipped back into character. I'd appreciate the feedback. You know what to do.

(Waggles eyebrows suggestively)

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