A/N: Quick update on the happenings of my future writing before this next chapter!

I'm going to try and finish up this story as fast as I can. My goal is to be completely DONE by the end of March. We'll see how well that works out. The reason for this (as some of you may already know) is so I can get moving on my next project. I'm going to be rewriting the "Changing Destinies" series. I won't say much about it now, because I don't want to waste half a page of this chapter for an Author's Note. But just so you know, that's my game plan for the next couple months. More info will be announced at a later time.

On with the fic!

Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kathryn's POV

I was angry. No, I was furious. I was still trying to wrap my mind around everything that had happened as I moved through the citadel. Some of the things that Kaia and Erin had said...I was hurt, ticked off, and...disappointed. Why? Why the hell would you say shit like that? It was almost scaring me, how pissed I was. I couldn't remember the last time I'd screamed at someone like I had back there.

Upon reaching the room I'd been aiming for, I knocked hard and fast on the door. "Boromir!"

There was a scuffling noise from inside as I heard him stop whatever he'd been doing, and a moment later the wooden door creaked open to reveal a familiar face. "Kathryn?" He frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you," I said. "Now."

"O-Of course," he nodded, quickly stepping aside and letting me through. Immediately, I plopped down on his bed and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm down. When I opened my eyes again, Boromir was standing in front of me, waiting. "What happened?"

"Erin and Kaia happened," I said bitterly. "Apparently Erin isn't too happy with the fact that Faramir is taking Legolas' place-"

"I noticed," he interrupted. "She seemed quite upset when she stormed out earlier."

"Yeah, which was stupid," I went on. "She thinks that we're being too quick to replace Legolas – honestly, she really needs to move on from that whole thing – and then she yelled at me for that stupid joke I made back at the elvish campsite. I told you about that, right?"

Again, Boromir nodded. "She is still insulted by that?"

"I guess so!" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "And then Kaia jumped in and started blaming her for stupid shit, so Erin started shouting more stupid shit back at her-"

"If I may ask...what kind of...things?" Boromir hesitantly asked.

I looked at him. "I don't know, some sort of ridiculous accusation that Kaia's going after the Ring. Whatever Erin said, it really didn't make any sense."

"What?" That seemed to really grab his attention.

"I know, right?" I shook my head, looking down. "The nerve of that girl sometimes... Kaia, of course, didn't handle that too well either, because then she called Erin out for having a 'third-grader crush' on ' some golden-haired dick'and spending too much time chasing after him."

Even Boromir cringed at that. "Well, that's a bit harsh."

"You're telling me," I grumbled. "So I told Kaia to just fucking stop because that was a low blow and she knew it, and then Kaia got mad at me. And then I pointed out how she'd been avoiding Aragorn this whole time like a child over that whole stupid argument, and she got even more pissed off." I sighed. "Then we all went running off in different directions, and that was the end of it."

Boromir nodded slowly, taking a moment to process everything I'd said. "I am sorry that the three of you got into such conflict with each other. Did no one make an attempt to apologize?"

I scoffed. "No. None of us ever do right away."

He frowned, moving to sit down next to me on the bed. "You make it seem as if this has happened before."

"Well, obviously," I replied. "We've been friends for years; we've had fights. They're not usually that extreme, though."

"What usually happens when the three of you argue like this, then?"

I paused to think about it. "...Erin's usually the one to own up first, I think. She'll kind of admit that she was being an idiot and apologize. But Kaia...ugh. That usually takes awhile for her."

"She is prideful," Boromir agreed. "I can understand that."

"Yeah," I said. "Not that it's always a bad thing, you know, but...in situations like this, things would be a whole lot easier if she wasn't so stubborn."

"What about you?"

I glanced at him. "...What about me?"

"Do you intend to apologize to them?"

I looked away again, emotionally drained from the whole ordeal. "I guess I'll have to at some point, won't I?" I rested my head in my hands. "I mean, if it weren't for me, none of this would've happened. God, I'm such a piece of shit," I groaned.

"Kathryn, you are not," Boromir countered. "It is not all your fault. Erin has been at a low point as she deals with her grief. I can relate to some of what she is feeling; I've lost many close friends to the shadow."

I lifted my head, turning to look at him again. "Was it this bad for you, too?"

He shrugged. "Not that I can ever recall, no. But I do remember the guilt. The crushing shame you feel when it seems that you could've done something to spare them their death. That is not something you shake off easily."

"But you never seem that affected by it. Not like Erin is."

"I have years of experience," he explained. "As gruesome as it sounds...I have become desensitized to it, in some ways. The death of those I care about is nothing new to me." I frowned slightly. "And you and I both know that she and the elf were close. Very close. I see her despair, and...I can see myself having a similar reaction if anything were to ever happen to Faramir."

I looked down at my toes again, my emotions about as jumbled up as laundry being tossed around in the dryer. "Well now I have no idea what to do," I said quietly. "I'm still mad at them both...maybe not quite as much with Erin, but still. I definitely don't plan on kissing their asses to try and make up with them today."

Boromir nodded, understanding my bitterness. "Perhaps it is best to let things settle down on their own for a time. Allow the girls some peace. They are probably just as scatterbrained as you are right now."

I exhaled. "God, I hate when stuff like this happens. Now it's just gonna be one big waiting game to see who makes the first move."

"Perhaps," he mused. "But do not lose sleep over it. Things will work out between the three of you in time. They've done so before, as you said."

I nodded. "Yeah...yeah, I guess they will."

There was a pause, and then Boromir cleared his throat. "There is...something else that I wanted to tell you, actually. If you don't mind."
"No, it's okay," I reassured him, still staring absentmindedly at the floor.

"Right." Again, it was quiet for a long time, like he was at a loss for words. "...I was speaking with Faramir earlier today...just before our last meeting. And...he told me..." he trailed off.

Only now did I finally look up at him, and was surprised to see sadness etched into his features. "What?"

Boromir closed his eyes briefly, taking a moment to compose himself. "...My father is dead."

Woah. What? "...Are you serious?" I whispered. "How? When?"

"Some time ago, I was told." Never had I heard Boromir's voice so...fragile-sounding. It was eerie. "Likely before we even left Thranduil's realm. Sauron's power was strong; the shadow over our city grew...and his mind, it..."

I instinctively placed a hand on his arm as he trailed off. This had hit him hard. I knew how much he cared about his dad, even if Denethor had been a huge asshole. "Oh my God...Boromir, I'm so sorry."

"It was not your fault," he muttered. "In my heart...I knew this day would come. His rule was failing. He was failing. Faramir makes a much better steward than he."

I hesitated, not sure if I should voice the nagging question on my mind. "...How did he die?" Boromir sucked in a breath, and I instantly regretted asking. "No, God, I'm sorry. Don't answer that."

"No, no, it's...fine." He swallowed. "I will have to learn to come to terms with it eventually." Another long pause. "They found his body in the streets of the first level."

My eyes widened. "He was murdered?"

"No, Kathryn." Boromir's tone was grave, and he turned to me with a pain in his eyes that I couldn't even begin to imagine. "He jumped."

oOo

Kaia's POV

"So there you go." I smiled tightly, rubbing my hands over my thighs as I sat on a bench in the middle of the hallway, feeling like a deflated balloon as much of my immediate anger had rushed out of me. "Now you know why I'm as pissed as I am."

Aragorn nodded from where he sat beside me. The poor man had been unfortunate enough to run into me in the middle of my rampage through the halls, and had made the mistake of asking me why I was upset. That had prompted a nearly thirty-minute retelling of everything that had happened, complete with me going off on long tangents about how fucking stupid Erin and Kathryn were. "I am sorry to hear this," he said honestly. "Though I do not know what I could say that may help you."

"It's cool, it's fine," I waved him off, taking a deep breath. "I just needed someone to vent to, honestly. Thanks for sitting through that entire rant."

"You are quite welcome." He paused, then spoke again. "What do you plan on doing to fix this?"

I scoffed and shot him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? I'm not fixing shit! I was trying to defend Kathryn, and the two of them were just making everything more overdramatic than it needed to be!" I shook my head. "I have nothing to apologize for."

"Kaia." I turned to look at Aragorn, who had a sort of 'seriously, dude?' expression on his face. "You may say these things now, but I do not believe that you truly mean it."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't apologize for calling people out on their bullshit. That's not how things work with me." He seemed to get the hint and turned away, as did I. After a couple seconds passed, I frowned again. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this."

"Like you said, I was willing to listen," Aragorn offered. "You needed that."

"Yeah...I guess so," I sighed. Another beat of silence, and then I turned to look at him again, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. I tapped my fingers on my leg anxiously. "I, uh...I also wanted to say...thanks. To you." Pause. "For...defending me back in that meeting."

He nodded stiffly. "It is an intelligent plan. Sometimes the danger is worth the reward."

I also nodded, albeit slower than he had. "...Uh-huh. But...why? I mean...we haven't really talked in weeks," I admitted with a small amount of shame tinting my voice.

"I do not see that as reason to abandon you in a time of need."

Oh, come on. Why do you always have to be such a good guy? I groaned in frustration, eyes practically rolling into the back of my head. "Okay, I give up. You are impossible, you know that?"

The ranger frowned. "I'm sorry, I do not..."

I looked back at him. "No, I mean...I'm sorry." He blinked. Didn't expect that one, did you? "I've been acting like a dick. I'm sorry about the shit that I said back at the camp." I made sure to look him directly in the eyes so he knew I was being sincere. "I don't think you're a bad leader, Aragorn. I never have. You've done so much for this Fellowship to keep things going, and I'd be literally the biggest asshole on the planet if I didn't recognize that. So like I said, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have insulted you like that."

He seemed very taken aback by that sudden apology. "...Thank you," he said quietly, almost like he expected me to laugh and go 'just kidding, PUNK'D' at any second.

"Seriously," I said. "I mean it. You'd make an incredible king someday, Aragorn. And this isn't just me apologizing, either – I have faith in you."

At that, he straightened. "What did you say?"

I blinked, now slightly thrown off. "I said I have faith in you. Faith that you'll be a great king someday." He froze for a moment, and then his gaze drifted off elsewhere. "What's up?" I asked, trying to get his attention again. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." He shook his head slowly. "...Pardon me." Without another word, he got up and immediately took off down the hallway in long strides, leaving me utterly lost on the bench by myself. ...The fuck? That's the last time I try being sentimental with anybody.

oOo

Erin's POV

I tore through the halls of the citadel for a second time, but now my despair from earlier had been replaced by complete terror. What have I done? I continued to run, hardly paying attention to where I was going. I fucked it up. I ruined everything. Oh God, I've just ruined-

As I turned a corner, I felt myself crash into another body. I nearly fell over in shock, words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I'M SORRY! I ruined everything, oh my God, I've just ruined everything, I'm so sorry, so so sorr-"

"Erin." The deep, wise voice cut me off, and I felt a pair of strong hands grip my arms to hold me steady. I looked up into the eyes of Gandalf and felt them go wide.

"I-I'm so sorry," I shook, feeling fresh tears well up in the corners of my eyes. Gandalf would hate me. He would be so, so angry. "I'm so sorry, Gandalf!"

"Shhh, child." Gently, he guided me over to a set of chairs in the hallway, sitting me down and then taking the chair opposite me. "Whatever would you be sorry for?"

"Gandalf, I..." I could hardly trust my own voice to hold up, I was so scared. "...I saw him!" Instantly, the wizard's expression changed. "I-I...I was running, and...it just...the palantír just drew m-me in...Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I choked out.

"Did you tell him anything?" His voice was harsh. Oh God, he's mad at me. When I didn't answer immediately, he grasped my shoulders. "Erin, what did you say?"

"I..." I blinked, feeling like the absolute shittiest person in the entire world. When I spoke again, it was only a whisper. "I told him about the quest..." Gandalf was dead silent. I felt like I could've thrown up. Every inch of my body was tense, my mind scattered and panicked. This was the worst-case scenario, and I was the one who'd made it happen. "I-I'm sorry," I stuttered again.

"Erin..." Gandalf's voice was dangerously low. "What did you say to him? Repeat your exact words."

"I said...I said that we were coming for him. And then he...he went into my mind..." I shuddered, feeling violated. "Gandalf, He knows. Sauron has seen our faces; he knows who we are."

"What else did he see?"

My breath hitched, and the troublesome little golden band burned from where it was still clenched in my left fist. Slowly, I opened it so that Gandalf could see my replicated One Ring sitting in my palm. It had never felt so heavy. "I'm so sorry," I said, crying again. "I don't know why I did it, I was just so...so angry, and...it just..." I rubbed my right arm. It still burned, too. More tears rolled down my cheeks, and I hung my head. "I'm so stupid. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, I...I've just doomed us all."

But then I felt Gandalf's strong hand reach out and grasp one of my own. "Look at me." I raised my head, feeling like a child about to be punished as I prepared for the worst. His old blue eyes stared into mine, but I could tell that he wasn't just looking at me. He was reading me. Slowly, the initial anger began to fade, replaced by pity as he let out a breath. "Dear Erin... I am sorry if I've frightened you. It is useless for me to expel my anger onto you."

Hesitantly, I shook my head. "N-No, it's...I deserve that. I've given us all a death sentence. It's ruined, it's all ruined." I closed my eyes. God, I'm such a fucking IDIOT.

"No, Erin." I opened my eyes to meet his gaze again, surprised at the compassion I saw there. "Do not berate yourself so harshly over these matters. You have not been yourself; I know this. I have seen how you suffer day by day." I stared at him. "Understand that you are not entirely to blame for this. It is just as I said before: the palantír preys on the minds of those who are weak."

"But I shouldn't have been weak," I muttered, cursing myself. "I shouldn't have fallen for that. I know what a palantír is capable of, I should've-"

"Erin." Gandalf stopped me again, laying a hand on my shoulder for comfort. "For three thousand years I have walked this earth, and I have seen even the strongest warriors fall to the temptation of a palantír."

"But Gandalf, I can't fix it!" I cried, my frustration building. "Any of it! I can't take back what I did. I can't make him unsee what he saw. I've signed us off for the worst death imaginable."

"My dear, I believe you're being a bit dramatic." I frowned at the old wizard. "You must not lose all hope just yet. For their sake." He gave me a knowing look, and I was momentarily shocked. I hadn't said a word to him about Kaia and Kathryn. How does he know? Is this some special wizard power I don't know about? "Yes, I know of what's transpired between you and your friends."

I shook my head, my eyes wandering off. "I highly doubt they'd consider me a friend anymore. At this point, it probably wouldn't even be worth it to try and fix things. They're not going to want to have anything to do with me anymore."

"I would hope that you do not expect me to believe you truly mean that."

I frowned again, my gaze snapping back to Gandalf. "What?"

"These are dark times, Erin," the wizard went on. "And in moments such as these, strife within friendships is exactly the kind of thing that Sauron wishes for. He would want you to avoid them and give up on your friendship forever." I thought about that, but then Gandalf's tone became a bit more foreboding. "Do not forsake Kaia and Kathryn. They will need your loyalty before the end, and you must find the strength within yourself to give it to them."

Wait, what? "Gandalf?" But the wizard was already standing up and moving on down the passageway. "Gandalf! What does that mean?" Too late. He was already gone and out of sight without so much as a goodbye. I stared after the old man, now completely thrown off by his prophetic statement at the end. "What the hell," I groaned, dropping my head into my hands and leaning my elbows on my knees. I desperately began praying to every god I knew existed in the hopes that somehow I could dig myself out of this one. That'll be the challenge of the week.