Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Three

Erin's POV

I blew air out of my pursed lips in exasperation. "God, I'm bored." I had done nothing but wander aimlessly around the elven halls for the past half hour or so. It was a good way to take in my gorgeous surroundings, no doubt, with the entire cavernous network carved to imitate the natural environment elves liked living in. A warm, comforting glow produced by golden lanterns (which were also made of the most beautiful twisted metal framing, I might add) was cast everywhere, and the few elves I'd bumped into had been nice enough to at least say hello and welcome me to their home. All in all, a nice place to stay.

Kathryn, Boromir and I had each been given rooms in the upper halls of the vast caverns, and had gotten a fairly nice tour of the whole place as Tauriel had been leading us there, but I was still in the mood to explore. I'd also realized earlier that I hadn't been able to talk to Legolas once since we'd gotten inside, and that was a perfectly good reason to get out and walk around in my mind. I glanced down, smoothing out the fresh new dress I'd been provided with. It was a pretty shade of amber, but simple in design. I wasn't one to be picky at this point, though.

It had taken me longer than I thought to get out of the upper halls, and the only reason I ever knew I'd emerged from them was because eventually I looked up and realized I was back in the main chamber with the throne. I had no idea where to go by now, so I just continued letting my feet take me wherever they wanted to, humming snippets of songs here and there to entertain myself. That was the only thing that bothered me about these caves...the silence. It was so overbearing and present throughout the entire place; a stillness so thick that it seemed like if you so much as coughed you'd be able to hear it on the other side of the kingdom. It was also much smaller than I'd imagined.

As I scolded myself for getting the tune of "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" stuck in my head again, I caught the faint sound of voices nearby and perked up. I'd been looking for my princely friend for hours now, and a few elves that I'd talked to for a moment had pointed me in this direction. As I drew closer and the voices got louder, I smiled. That was Legolas' voice, I'd know it anywhere. But there was another one...a distinctively female voice. I instantly made the connection in my mind and dropped the smile. I can't get away from her, can I? She's like an infection.

Sure enough, when I peeked around a corner a few moments later, I could see Legolas and Tauriel standing together and talking a short ways away from me. They seemed to be having a pretty animated conversation, and it wasn't one I could decipher in my head. I clenched my fists as Tauriel said something that made Legolas burst into laughter. They're just catching up. They're best friends, and they haven't seen each other in awhile. It's fine.

I pressed my back against the smooth rock and rolled my eyes. But why does he have to be best friends with her?I waited a moment longer, wondering if it was even worth me going out there and interrupting. You know what? No. Why am I so conflicted about this? She doesn't intimidate me, and I've been meaning to talk to Legolas for awhile now. If anything, interrupting their conversation will just piss her off a little bit. With one last nod to give myself a bit more motivation, I turned and walked out from where I'd been hiding.

Legolas almost immediately looked over at me, grinning. "Erin!" He waved. "There you are!"

I smiled back. "Oh, hey! I've been looking everywhere for you!" I broke into a run and jogged up to him. "I haven't seen you all day!"

He laughed a bit. "I am sorry about that. My father has been keeping me busy." He suddenly got a bit more serious. "He has told me about what has happened while we were gone, Erin. I have much to tell you." Then he blinked, as if remembering we were not alone. "Ahh, but you two have not formally met, have you?"

I looked over to the she-elf as he gestured to her. There she was, in all her non-canon, fiery-haired glory. I wanted to scream, but I plastered a smile on my face anyway. "I don't think so, no." I extended my hand to her. "I'm Erin."
"Tauriel," she replied. "And we have a common friend, it seems. Legolas has told me much about you and your world."

"Well, the stories are endless, aren't they?" I glanced at the prince, and he smiled. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, too." And if you believe that for a second, you're as gullible as they come.

"Yes... In fact, he was just telling me about some of the stories that people write in your world sometimes...what did you call it? Something with fans?"

"Fanfiction?" I raised an eyebrow and turned to Legolas. "What, you're bragging to her about all of your little fangirls you have that write about you?" ...Even though I have no right to make fun of it...

"Hardly," he laughed. "I was telling her about all the terrible ones."

I laughed. "Oh God, with the Mary-Sues? 'Legolas, save me! Legolas, come whisk me away as we fall love in a rushed, cliché way on this perilous journey! Legolas, save me from this conveniently written near-death experience where you nearly kiss me!' I faked a dramatic fall into his arms. 'Legolas, come rescue me from my horrible life of being a lowly elf-human-wizard hybrid with magic powers, neon hair and sapphire eyes!'

"Are they really that bad?" Tauriel asked.

"Many are," I admitted. You would know, wouldn't you? "But every now and then, you'll find a good one." It made me shudder to think about some of the ones I'd read in the past...and even written myself. "Just takes a little digging."

"Your world sounds quite interesting," she said. "I would love to visit it."

I laughed a bit and flashed another empty smile. "If only!" Wow. I love sarcasm. "But if you're not tied up anymore, Legolas, I was hoping we'd get a chance to hang out. You could show me all the secrets of these great big caves," I winked.

He chuckled. "Though you know I would love to, I still have many things that need done. Perhaps another time?"

I tried not to let the disappointment show on my face, especially since Tauriel was watching. "Oh dude, it's no problem! I understand. Whenever you're free, I guess."

He nodded. "Of course. Now if you would excuse us, my lady," he said with a teasing smile, "I was just about to ensure all was well with our trading partners." He then glanced at the other woman standing with us. "You and Tauriel could get to know each other. I am certain you will become great friends."

I turned and looked at her, thinking how we would never, ever be good friends. "I, uh...I was actually going to head back to my room and take a nap. Walking takes too much effort for me." Legolas cracked a smile at my joke.

"I could lead you back, if you'd like," Tauriel offered.

"No, I'm fine," I said quickly. "Thanks, though. See ya around." I smoothly spun on my heel and started back the way I'd come, groaning like a whale in my mind.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I blew out a puff of breath as I looked over the small array of dresses that'd been given to me to use while we stayed at Thranduil's place. They were all really pretty, don't get me wrong, but I was already starting to miss my Earth clothes from back home. I just wanted to walk around in a hoodie and jeans, to be honest. At least all their dresses seem pretty flowy and comfortable. Hopefully they won't make me try and squeeze into a corset or something. I cringed mildly at the thought of it and started re-folding the dresses to put in a wooden trunk at the foot of my bed.

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door, and a familiar voice followed it. "Kathryn? Are you there?"

"Yeah!" I called over my shoulder. I heard the door slide open as the owner of the voice stepped into the room, and looked back to smile at Boromir as he walked in. "Hey."

He nodded. "May I have a moment to speak with you?"

He sounded pretty serious. "Sure. What's this about?"

A brief pause. I was halfway through my folding. "...I...I have been growing concerned lately."

"About what?"

"Gondor, specifically."

I stopped and turned to look at him for a moment. "Oh yeah, and all that stuff Thranduil said? I'd expect you to be."

"Yes," he said slowly. "Mostly about my father. It was...unsettling to hear what's become of him."

My gaze softened, and I took on a more sympathetic tone. "I'm sure they'll be okay, Boromir. They're strong men; you've said it yourself."

Still, he looked upset. "At one time, maybe. But now my father...perhaps even my brother...they are falling into decay." I felt awful, wishing there was something I could do. "And with each passing day, the danger grows greater. They sit on the edge of Mordor itself...they cannot last much longer on their own like this."

I didn't really know what else to say to comfort him. "Yeah...it is pretty terrible. I...I don't know what could be done, though."

Now he looked straight at me, snapping out of his momentary daze from a second earlier. "That is primarily what I wanted to talk to you about. I have begun to form a plan."

I looked at him questioningly, a slight frown on my face. "What kind of plan?"

He hesitated again, like he didn't want to answer me. "A plan...that would involve going to Gondor instead of searching for the Fellowship." I blinked, caught off-guard by this, but he went on before I could say anything. "You must understand. This is my country...my people we're talking about. I would never forgive myself if I let them down. And I am sure that Erin and Legolas could function well enough on their own-"

At that, my frown deepened. "Woah, woah, woah. Back up. You want to do what?"

His eyes were begging me to agree with him."Kathryn, you know what he said about my father. He is failing. He could be dying. Faramir is likely not much better. They are all I have left, Kathryn, I must go to them."

"You can't just ditch the rest of us, though!" I exclaimed. "You swore an oath, Boromir!"

"I swore nothing," he corrected me.

"You made a promise to protect Frodo," I said lowly. "If he's out there, then you have to hold up-"

"And if he's not?" he countered, now growing a bit angry. "I will not waste time searching all of Middle-Earth for others that may not even be here if my country is suffering."

"We're not gonna search all of Middle-Earth."

"Why not? They could be anywhere! Look where we ended up!"

I clenched my jaw a bit now, also upset. "That doesn't matter. You promised to protect them when you joined that Fellowship. I get that you have family that you're worried about, but this is the fate of Middle-Earth we're talking about. If we don't find Frodo and the Ring, Sauron will take over!"

"And what if Gondor were to fall?" Boromir shot back. "It is the last kingdom of men that still stands. If Gondor falls...so do we."

...Oh shit. He's right. For a moment, there was a tense silence between us. "Don't you trust your brother to handle it?"

"Of course I do," he said, calming down slightly. "But he should not be so burdened with carrying the fate of Men on his shoulders alone. And like I said, I would never forgive myself if I gave up a chance to help him for a ring, no matter how important it may be."

I sighed. "...I don't know, Boromir. This just...I don't know. Were you planning on telling Erin and Legolas?"

He shook his head. "Not now, at least. Please, do not speak of this to either of them. I do not want this to become an argument between all four of us."

I was about to give him the standard 'All right, whatever,' when my mind jumped back to something else he'd said that confused me. "Hang on. When you said you were thinking of leaving, you said Erin and Legolas would be fine on their own?" The frown was back on my face.

Now he looked a bit concerned again. "Yes. I was hoping that once I explained everything to you, you'd see where I was coming from...and...join me."

My eyes widened. "You want me to what?!"

"Kathryn, please," he replied quickly. "As much as I do not want to abandon my family, I would also never wish to leave you behind either."

"Oh, so instead you're just gonna ask me to desert two of my close friends? Great, glad we made that an easy decision," I said sarcastically.

"You do not have to give me an answer now," he said. "I have not worked out the details and such yet. Though I hope you would at least consider it."

"But why?" I was shocked that he didn't realize how insane he was sounding. "I don't know how friendships work where you're from, but I'm pretty sure Erin would be really pissed if I just up and left without telling her."

"Because it would benefit both parties," he explained. "Though I would feel perfectly comfortable making the journey on my own, I would not feel right leaving Legolas in charge of both of you. That is only one elf to defend two women, and no matter how skilled of a warrior he is, it would comfort me to know that you were still under my protection."

I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled, thinking. "...Yeah, but I don't think I feel totally comfortable running across Middle-Earth with just the two of us, either. That still makes us way more vulnerable than if all four of us stayed in the same group."

"Then you can try convincing them both to take such a detour in our search for the others," he challenged. "Regardless, I still plan on getting back to Minas Tirith one way or another. I sincerely hope you choose to join me."

There was another short beat of tense silence before he turned and quickly walked out, and as soon as he shut the door behind him, I sunk down onto my mattress, covering my face in my hands. He's started making plans without us. That's great. That's just absolutely peachy. Boromir was about as obstinate as it gets; the only thing that would keep him from scrapping his plans was if part of the world blew up or someone died or the seventh sign of the apocalypse happened or something. Even then, that was a stretch.

For as hardheaded and utterly stupid as he could be sometimes, though...I was still afraid to lose him. He was the person I'd bonded to closest out of all the Fellowship, and I absolutely hated the idea of him going it alone. God knows what was out there waiting to kill him. But it felt just as wrong to leave Erin and Legolas the same way...

"God damn it," I muttered as I got up and headed for the door. Where's their kitchen? I need to raid Thranduil's pantries for some comfort food.

oOo

Erin's POV

I stared at Legolas openly, feeling more terrified than I'd ever felt in a long while. "...You're serious?" I whispered. "Sauron's done all this?"

He nodded grimly. "My father has told me everything. Sauron has grown more powerful than anyone could have expected."

I leaned back in my chair from where we sat in the prince's bedroom together. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know what to think. I could only stare at Legolas, then off at nothing in total shock and fear. All he'd told me about these creatures that Sauron and Saruman had created out of seemingly nowhere was horrifying beyond compare. And those creatures could be roaming wild, hunting down Kaia and the rest of my friends right this second. Oh my God. How are we ever gonna fix this?

"...Erin?"

I snapped out of it and looked back at Legolas, who still looked troubled. "What?"

He took a breath. "...That is not all I wanted to tell you about what Sauron has done. In truth, I do not want to tell you any of this, but... I feel like you should know." My heart raced. Oh shit. Oh shit, what now? Legolas glanced down for a moment, then looked back up at me. "...Sauron has been destroying just as much as he has created. Rohan has been completely overrun." I froze. "Gondor is falling apart; they are incredibly weak. My father says that the men of Laketown are safe for now, but they would not last long if they were attacked." No...No... "Elves are leaving for the Undying Lands, deserting Lothlórien and Rivendell...and also these halls."

"What about The Shire?" I asked immediately. "And the dwarven kingdoms?"

"So far, most of Eriador has not been harmed, so the hobbits should be fine. He did not say anything about the dwarves, but judging by the land that has already been taken, I imagine Moria would still be crawling with Orcs. Erebor has gone untouched for the time being as well, and the other kingdoms lie further north and west, so they should be all right."

"Who knows how long that'll last, though?" I couldn't even look at him. "Oh God...oh God, this is all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

"Erin." I slowly raised my eyes to meet his again, and they showed nothing but a compassion that I didn't deserve. "It is not your fault. You could not have-"

"Yes it is!" I interrupted. "Without me and my stupidity, you guys would've never left Middle-Earth in the first place, and none of this would've happened!" Even Legolas couldn't immediately respond to that. Thousands of horrible thoughts spun in my head, and all I could focus on was the destruction I'd caused to such a beautiful world through my own idiocy. I felt my throat tighten and quickly stood up. "I'm gonna go," I said softly, not trusting my own voice. Not waiting for a response, I walked out, getting back to my own room as fast as I could.

As soon as I got there, I aimed straight for my bed, curling up into a little ball on it as I started to cry. Faces whirred through my mind. Éowyn...Éomer...Théoden...the two little kids that nearly lost their mom...all those innocent Rohirrim...and countless others from Gondor as well, no doubt. And they were all dead because of me. They were gone because the Fellowship hadn't been there to reunite with Gandalf and save Théoden from Saruman's control over his mind...and it was because of me.

I only cried more when I thought about all the others. So many elves are gone. Arwen could be gone. Haldir...gone. Because of me, they're all forced to either leave their homelands that they love so much or be killed. Mirkwood is destroyed because of me. What have I done? Is there any way for me to fix this at all? It hurt. I hated this. I grew up loving this fantastic world so, so much...wishing that I could live there myself. And now the once chance I got to visit it, it was being burned to the ground by a mess of my creation. What have I done?

A/N: Oops didn't mean to make that such a sad ending lmao

QUESTION: Would you guys want me to write a scene where the Mirkwood elves are having a party in the next chapter or two? I'd love to write for drunk elves...if I could find a way to squeeze that in, I guess. And yes, you would most definitely see one (or both) of the girls drunk. Maybe Boromir or Legolas, too...maaaaaaaybe. ;)

Thanks for reading ad reviewing! C: