A/N Sorry for the late publication. LotR's edition of Magic: The Gathering came out and needless to say, I've been collecting and playing it a lot.

Orc Hunting

The last leaves of the season were struggling to cling to their branches, and yet it felt as no time has passed since Severus had arrived in Rivendell. So was the way of the Elves, it seemed. The place had a way to make the mind turn to events that had already come to pass, and were often beautiful in their nature – and the things that were not beautiful, were looked at from a place of understanding, rather than resentment.

Nearly a month had passed since Severus had arrived in Rivendell, and most of that time he had spent in the Halls of Lore that Lord Elrond maintained. He taught himself to read Tengwar, and studied the maps that were drawn of the many areas that covered Middle-earth. The Hobbits had loved seeing the maps, too, and it made way for Bilbo to share his many wonderful stories, from the day when the Hobbits had settled in the Shire, to the slaying of Smaug the dragon by Laketown under the foot of the Lonely Mountain. He studied the maps in detail, memorising the many towns, mountains, fields and rivers that he was bound to cross for the inevitable journey. He studied the road to Mirkwood most of all, and thought long and hard on how to make the pass over the Misty Mountains. Knowing how to survive in the woods was one thing, but climbing over frozen peaks was a challenge he never had to face before.

Severus was looking after Tilion in the stables when he heard the sound of heavy footfall behind him. 'He's getting restless,' said Boromir. 'Perhaps you ought to take him for a ride.'

'I do not know the way around these parts,' said Severus as he finished brushing Tilion's manes. 'I'd rather keep doing some more research so that –'

'—did you hear that, Aragorn?' Boromir called out. 'He'd rather keep his nose buried in the books than go off on an adventure!'

Aragorn rushed his way inside the stables. 'Nonsense!' he called out. 'All this time you've spend memorising these maps. Now it's time to put that newly acquired knowledge to the test!'

'Why do I have the feeling we shall not be back before sunset?' said Severus.

'Bands of Orcs have been sighted in the South,' said Aragorn as he started saddling up a horse. 'It will take several days to cross Eregion into Dunland and reach the North-South Road.'

Having studied the maps, several days struck Severus as a bit of an understatement. The North-South Road led from Tharbad through the Gap of Rohan to Minas Tirith. Going all the way to reach the Road and back was easily worth a month's journey, depending on what they were hoping to find. 'If these Orcs are so far down South,' he said, thinking that brewing Miruvor was a better way to spent his time, 'why bother going all the way down there?'

'These are no ordinary Orcs,' said Boromir, who had grown quite serious. 'There's an alliance happening between them and the Men from Dunland for some time now. They move fast. Even during daylight.'

'This is no mere chance,' Aragorn added. 'There is a reason why they were sighted so close to Isengard. Saruman is gathering strength, and it is on us to determine how bad the situation is. And if we get to slay some Orcs along the way – then the journey shall be worthwhile regardless of the circumstances.'

'I still barely know how to wield a sword,' said Severus. 'I still think it better if I stayed here, and –'

'—One of the Dúnedain of Arnor!' Boromir cried out in disbelief, 'and yet he'd rather walk the gardens with the Elves, talking about flowers and other innocent things! There's something strange about you, you are –'

'—that is enough, Boromir,' said Aragorn calmly. 'Not all are born with the same privileges as you and I have received, nor should we underestimate the power of that which is seemingly innocent. This young man's knowledge runs deep, but his way around the sword is limited. But therein lies your strength, Boromir, and perhaps you ought to teach him your skills along the way. Elladan and Elrohir will soon join us on our little quest. Go get your belongings, including your blade, and prepare your horse, Severus. I wish to reach the borders of Rivendell before the sun has reached her highest peak!'

With a glare in his eye at Boromir, Severus left the stables to make way to his quarters. Orcs hunting was the last thing he wanted to set his mind too. Especially because all of his studies were done as a means of finding Lily, and riding off into the sunset was not going to contribute to that in any way. It felt like an absolute waste of time. Time he could have spent preparing for his journey to the Brown Wizard instead. Everything he had acquired in Bree he tossed back into a leather backpack, and with a quick stop by the kitchen to stock up on food, he made his way back to the stables.

Elladan and Elrohir helped Severus saddle up Tilion, and as Aragorn had hoped, the five men were off before Arien, the Lady of Fire, carried her vessel to its highest point of the day.

...o0o…

For the first three days they followed the Bruinen after crossing the Ford. It was noticeable that the lands were uninhabited, and by the many Elven ruins they passed along the way, Severus knew that Eregion was once a fruitful place that had fallen from glory. Aragorn explained to him that Eregion, or Hollin, meant The Land of Holly, as holly trees grew here in abundance. They were not hard to find, as it was the right season for their seeds to have turned a violent shade of red, and he remembered the halls of Hogwarts being decorated with boughs of holly during the winter days.

'Have you ever shot with a bow, Severus?' asked Elladan. His twin brother behind him already held his longbow up for Severus to take.

'No,' said Severus. 'And after swinging around Boromir's sword I'm not sure if I'm up for it either.' The first two days he had politely declined learning to wield Boromir's abnormally large broad sword. It was far heavier than the Barrow blade, and it looked more burdensome than useful to him. On the third day however, and with some encouragement from the other men in the party, he finally succumbed to Boromir's pleads to hand him the sword, and he took it reluctantly.

Boromir did prove to be an excellent teacher. He taught him how to stand, how to balance, and perhaps most important of all, how the use of your feet was most important in battle, as the sword needed to follow and not lead. Severus had to admit, seeing the improvement within himself was satisfying, and the aching muscles that followed were worth the effort made.

'Orcs have bows too,' said Elrohir, who was still holding the bow up for Severus. 'It's good to know how to stab them from the front, but a bow can keep them at a distance.'

'You appear to have much hatred for the Orcs,' said Severus, who took note of the bitterness in Elrohir's words. 'How come?'

'Join us with Tilion for a hunt, and we shall tell you the tale of our mother,' said Elrohir. 'Come. We wish for you to see these lands through your Elven eyes. Aragorn and Boromir shall stay behind to light a fire, and if we are fortunate, we shall have more to eat than bread tonight.'

The first time Severus had ever gone hunting was with his own father. After getting discharged from the military, his father had kept most of his military supplies and apparel out of spite, including his Lee-Enfield. If it were hunting season, Tobias would bring along his rifle to their camping trips, and together they shot many hares, pheasants, and even a wild boar once. They would then skin the animals and roast the meat over a campfire. But there were no rifles in this world, and the further he strayed from the river with the twin brothers, the more he was looking forward to using the bow he had taken from Elrohir's hands, and feel how it was done in the old ways.

'Our mother's name was Celebrían,' said Elrohir, and his eyes strayed into the distance as though deep in thought. 'Daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn of Lothlórien. Our mother lived here, in Eregion, with her parents who ruled this region from its capital Ost-in-Ethil, before they fled to the East and settled in Lothlórien.'

'Ost-in-Ethil is where the Rings of Power were forged by Celebrimbor, was it not?' asked Severus. 'It means the Fortress of the Elves. I've read a lot about it over the past few days.'

'It is indeed the place where they were forged,' said Elrohir. 'And it is the place where Sauron deceived Celebrimbor under the guise of Annatar, and the war between the Elves and Sauron was sparked when Celebrimbor refused to surrender the Rings to him. The city now lies in ruin, and it is said that if one listens closely, you can still hear the stones of our old homes lamenting the story of the passing of the Elves.'

'Did Rowena come from Ost-in-Ethil?' asked Severus, 'or was she always from Lothlórien?'

'Now that is a question I'm afraid we cannot answer,' said Elladan. 'If fortune is with you, you may some day meet Galadriel, for the answer to that will lie with her. And speaking of fortune – I believe it is with us today. Up ahead I see movement between the trees. Let's get off our horses, and find a way to get closer. Tonight, we may have some meat for dinner.'

Between a cluster of holly trees upon a hill, Severus saw something moving in the shadows. Elrohir showed him how to hold up the bow properly, with his elbow raised up at the height of his ear and his gaze glancing over the tip of the arrow. In the half-light he saw the being move around, eating away at the grass beneath its hoofs. 'It's a doe,' he mumbled to the twin-brothers, and a sense of doubt started washing over him, and the tension he had pulled on the bowstring loosened a bit.

The memory of Lily running up to him in tears overtook his mind. She had never enjoyed hunting in the way he had done when he was out with his father in the woods. Killing the doe had felt like the loss of innocence to her, and more than anything she wished for it to come back alive. It had taken a lot of convincing that there's no magic powerful enough to take back what Death has already taken for itself, no matter how much he wanted to give her that. Some years later, up in Dumbledore's office, a silver doe sprouted from the tip of his wand. He had finally managed to do what he had wanted to give her all along – and yet he couldn't tell her, as they were no longer friends.

'I can't,' said Severus eventually, and released the tension on the bowstring. 'This is personal. No does, but if there's a doe around, then a stag is bound to be near. The stag I will take down with great pleasure.'

'If that is what your heart decided, then it must be so,' said Elladan. 'Let us keep moving, and may we find the stag with fortune on our side.'

'I have yet to learn what happened to your mother,' said Severus as they quietly made their way around the cluster of holly trees.

'It happened over five hundred years ago,' said Elrohir. 'Our mother was on her way to visit her parents in Lothlórien when she was waylaid by Orcs in the Redhorn Pass of the Mistry Mountains. They tortured her, and the wounds she received were laced with poison. We tried our hardest to save her, my brother and I, and our father did all he could to heal her wounds. Her body recovered, but her mind and her spirit did not. Hunted by the memory of her torture, she no longer desired to remain in Middle-earth, and sailed west to Aman.'

'It is why our relationship with the Orcs is bitter,' added Elladan. 'Any opportunity given to slay them, is an opportunity taken.'

'I understand,' said Severus. 'Do you miss her?'

'More than life itself,' said Elladan. 'And you were right, Severus. The doe is here with the rest of her herd.'

Majestic antlers stuck out from behind a holly tree, and it was scavenging along the ground in search of nuts and grass to eat. Without saying a word, Severus soundlessly raised the bow again and felt the wind blowing in their favour. He followed the stag as it moved along the treelines, and he could feel the rhythm of his own heartbeat beating in his throat and he tightened the bowstring. On his mind, the face of a young man he despised came to the surface for the first time since his arrival in Middle-earth. James Potter, the stag that had lured him into a werewolf's den. As soon as the stag looked up and its eyes widened in fear, he released the string. The arrow flashed by and hit the stag straight in the throat, who let out a loud grunt and thudded to the ground.

Elrohir patted Severus on the back. 'Well done!' he said, and made his way over to where the stag had fallen. He pulled out a sharp knife and swiftly slit the stag's throat to end its suffering. 'Tonight, we shall have a feast!'

They secured the stag over Elladan's horse, and Elladan joined Elrohir as they rode back to camp. Severus felt quite pleased with himself as he looked at the stag while galloping behind them on Tilion's back. When the stag had looked up, it felt as though he was looking straight at Potter's insufferable hazel eyes, and he had taken great pleasure in seeing the life fade from it as the arrow pierced its skin. It was a dark place he had entered in his mind. The dark place that he knew had once housed itself within him – as it does with all people once they grow up, as Dumbledore had taught him. 'What is that?' he asked. The low cry of a horn-call pulled him out of the darkness.

'That's the Horn of Gondor!' Elrohir cried. 'We must make haste! Our companions are in trouble!'

At once, the horses sped off towards their camp by the Bruinen. Twilight came by the time they saw the smoke rising by the riverbank. The air was filled with the harsh cries of the Orcs, and at once Elladan pulled the bow and shot the arrow to a dark figure in the distance. 'They'll know were here now!' Elrohir cried to Severus. 'Ready your blade, and aim for their necks!'

With a swift motion, Severus pulled the Barrow-blade from the hilt and held it steady in one hand. 'Is this a good time to mention that I have never seen an Orc before?' he said.

'You truly grew up in a different place,' said Elrohir as Elladan shot another arrow past his ear. 'They're ugly, deformed, and they show no mercy. Their armour is thick, but they're vulnerable at the neck. Leave none standing!'

A circle of fire was ablaze around their camp, which seemed to have been made to keep the Orcs at bay as Boromir was holding up a burning stick. The Orcs had surrounded them from all sides, and their attention shifted with the arrival of the galloping hooves. Arrows were aimed at them, as well as short broad-blades and heavy shields were lifted from the ground. Without any sign of fear, Tilion ran up to the Orcs, kicking several to the ground as he trampled over them, and the horses of the brothers swiftly followed suit. With a harsh swing, an Orc's head was clean-cut from its body, and Severus could feel the adrenaline starting to course through his veins.

They were strange creatures. Most short in stature, but some nearly as tall as men. One stood out in particular. Tall he stood, and his shoulders wide and strong. His exposed teeth were gnarly and crooked, and long strands of dirty grey hair were tied into a braid. He was clearly in command, and Aragorn had his eyes fixated on him as he jumped through the fire. Severus circled around and sped his way towards the large Orc, ready to strike from the back as Aragorn approached him from the front.

Out of nowhere, an Orc had jumped over Tilion and shoved Severus off, causing him to fall with a harsh blow to the ground. A short blade was pushed against his throat, and the sting of its sharp edge was pushing against his skin. He tried to fight it, but the chaos of the moment left little room to Occlumence his mind from the parasitic force that was ready to burst out of him. A dark energy engulfed him, and all he could see were the Orc's hateful yellow eyes turning to fear.

'Pull back! Go East!' Severus could hear the large Orc growl to his subordinates. All he felt were the bodies of Orcs dropping like flies to the ground as he glided over them. Come back! It was Aragorn's faint voice calling to him in the distance. Come back before you kill us all!

The darkness dissolved, and from a distance appeared the tall Orc standing on higher ground, looking down on them. 'We better go, Uglúk, before he changes again!' 'Silence!' the tall Orc replied without taking his yellow eyes of the band of travellers. 'Until me meet again, Severus,' Uglúk called out, and with a turn on his heels he, and what was left of his band of Orcs, disappeared behind the hill.

Severus turned to Aragorn, lost at what to say or feel, and Aragorn nodded in understanding. 'The white hand on their helmets, is the white hand of Saruman. If there still were any doubt that Saruman had turned, the doubt has now left us. We shall return to Rivendell at the rising of the dawn, and share our observations with the council.'

'Should they not return in the night?' said Boromir, and there was a fear etched into his eyes that was unlike himself. 'For him, I mean,' he added bitterly as he pointed at Severus. 'Their leader – he knew his name. What is it that you are not telling us, Severus? What exactly are you? A wizard, you claim to be, and yet –'

'—that is enough, Boromir,' said Aragorn calmly.

'I am indeed a wizard,' said Severus sternly. 'That is a fact that I will stand by and defend until the end of my days. And if you wish to know what else I am, then we shall build a campfire, quarter the stag that I have killed for us, and eat as I tell you the story of how I have become what I am. As for this Orc knowing my name,' he felt his hands tremble at the thought of it. 'Either there is a spy in Rivendell, handing out intel on a silver platter to Saruman, or he knew my name from the one person with whom I arrived here in Middle-earth. Lily. And as much as it pains me to think that Lily may be held captive by Orcs, I find it more likely than Elrond letting people of questionable loyalty into Rivendell.'

'Severus is right. We need to sit, eat, and ponder it over,' said Elladan, who had been standing in the shadows with his brother, looking at the situation unfolding. 'These Orcs will not return, for they have gone back to their master to report about us.'

'After we got rid of these bodies,' added Elrohir with disgust to his tone, and waved his arm on the direction of the scattered dead Orcs. 'Don't want them to starting stinking up our camp now, do we?'

They had burnt the slain Orcs some distance away from their camp, and gradually the conversations turned from Severus explaining his personal situation, to that of other stories. Severus learnt that Aragorn's father, Arathorn, had been accompanied by Elladan and Elrohir during an Orc hunt, and was killed by an arrow piercing through his eye when Aragorn was still very small. From Boromir, who appeared to have grown suspicious of Severus despite his thorough explanation, told him about how it was Rómendacil, the eighth King of Gondor, who founded the office for the Steward of Gondor, and how the Stewards came to rule Gondor after the thirty-third King of Gondor, Eärnur, was killed by the Witch-king without leaving male heirs to take over the throne. Mardil Voronwë became the first ruling steward, and heirs were sired all the way down to Denethor, his father. His mother, Finduilas, Lady of Dol Amroth, had passed away young due to illness, and he held very little memories of her, but the few he held he held with fondness. Severus asked to learn more about Dol Amroth, as he only knew the place by name from a dot on a map, and by their banner of a silver swan. As Boromir broke into the story of Dol Amroth's history, Severus couldn't help but look at the two men before him who were laying out their family's history. An impressive history, documented, and laced with marriages, battles and wars. Their story entwined like tree roots, and one that could change the thousand year ruling of the stewards over Gondor for good. And yet, they sat beside each other, and spoke of respect and dignity towards one another. They spoke as friends.

...o0o…

In Rivendell, Severus found himself inside the Hall of Lore that Lord Elrond had build. The shards of Narsil were here, as well as a crown and a sceptre resting on a plinth. The crown shone white, and its wings on either side were wrought of pearl and silver. Seven stones of adamant were set in it, and in its centre was a single jewel in which the light caught in it went up like a flame. He looked at the Ring around his own finger, and found the similarities between the jewels striking. The Crown of Gondor was worn by the Kings of Gondor, and the silver sceptre of Annúminas, brought here by Elendil when he crossed the sea, were held by the Kings of Arnor.

'Renewed shall be the blade that was broken. The Crownless again shall be King!' Severus heard Bilbo reciting the poem he had written about Aragorn from behind. 'The poem I had written for my dear friend Strider,' said Bilbo as he came to stand beside Severus, 'now appears to hold a prophetic nature. There's talk among the Elves, that the blade shall be reforged anew, and the name of Narsil, the-Sword-that-was-Broken, shall become part of history.'

'It is a story of the ages,' Severus answered quietly. 'It is a hope-bringing, yet violent history, and its tale shall be told by campfires and on stages beyond the borders of Middle-earth.' His mind turned to Lily, who was caught up in her own story, and if fortune permitted, would live to tell her own tale.

'Then let us hope, my good lad,' said Bilbo as he patted Severus on the elbow, 'that this story shall end well for all.'

...o0o…

Feasts, for any reason the Elves could find, or sometimes for no particular reason at all, were held and hosted in abundance. The air grew chill as the sun had nearly set behind the mountains, and basked Rivendell into a golden glow. Caskets full of wine were being drained to the last drop. Severus had grown accustomed to the taste, and had started growing quite fond of it. The wine on his tongue and the sun on his face put him in deep state of bliss as he sat down, and any worries he carried were taken away by the soft lingering breeze.

'What d'you reckon Legolas' is doin' up there?' said Pippin, who was looking particularly jolly as he leaned up against Severus' shoulder.

'Haven't got a clue,' said Severus dryly. 'But he's been up there, staring off into the distance for quite some time now.'

'One way to find out,' said Severus as he drained the rest of his wine. 'Follow me.'

With Pippin following him at the heel, Severus climbed his way up to where Legolas was standing. Legolas stood unwavering in his spot; his eyes fixated on a point in the far distance. 'You seem watchful,' said Severus. 'Is there anything you see that we should know?'

'He's been in my line of vision for some time now,' said Legolas. 'An old man with a long white beard, dressed in light-blue robes is heading this way. I've only heard of him through tale and song, and yet a part of his tale appears to be missing, for he never travels alone. Alatar Morinehtar, the Darkness-slayer. The wizard of the dawn who walks with the twilight, is making his way to Rivendell on foot.'

'Are we positive it's truly him?' said Pippin. 'Even I have heard of the blue wizards. The ones that disappeared in the East long ago. Could it perhaps be Saruman in disguise?'

Legolas shook his head. 'These lands are protected in ways that not even I know how. This is Alatar. And for him to rise from legend can either be a beautiful blessing, or a terrible curse.'

A/N Fun fact about the doe Patronus!

A Patronus Charm is cast based on a *powerful* memory. A powerful memory, of course, does not have to equal a happy one, as is evident when Harry casts his first Patronus thinking about his parents while not knowing if the memory is even real.

For Severus, it is a similar case. He's the only known former Death Eater who can actually cast a Patronus, meaning he, too, holds a powerful memory to help him cast it. I personally believe that this particular powerful memory is also the first one Harry sees after Severus gives him his memories as he lay dying. It was of meeting Lily on the playground that day. It wasn't a particularly nice memory, as she rejected him telling her she's a witch and ran off. But it was also the day that marked the moment that he knew he was not alone in Cokeworth. There was someone out there like him, and it gave him hope in a way he had not known hope before.

Stags and does (particularly white harts in historical documents, which is another nod towards the Patronuses) were holy creatures that guided people on their quest in search of the holy grail (Hufflepuff's cup), such as the story of Lancelot and his sword Excalibur. Severus's doe directly correlates to that in the chapter where he uses his Patronus doe to guide Harry to Gryffindor's sword in the lake. In the story of Lancelot, it was the Lady of the Lake who gave him Excalibur, which he could then use to continue his quest. The same thing applies to Harry in a different setting.

Now, here's a more fun fact. In British English, there's an important distinction between stags and does. To make it understandable, I made an overview of the six different types of deer known in the UK and their terminology.

Species Male Female Young

Red: Stag Hind Calf

Sika: Stag Hind Calf

Roe: Buck Doe Kid

Muntjac: Buck Doe Fawn

Fallow: Buck Doe Fawn

Chinese water deer: Buck Doe Fawn

Notice anything funny? Stags and does don't mate because they are not the same type of deer. They are similar, but they aren't compatible. That also leaves the question on whether Severus and Lily had the same doe. Were they the same ones in a "same soul" type of situation, or did Lily have a Fallow and Severus a Roe for all we know? In the movie Severus's doe seemed like a roe deer. Harry's stag was modelled after a red stag.

Of course, stag, doe and fawn are the most commonly used terms, and most people probably aren't aware of the correct terminology. I wouldn't be surprised if Rowling wasn't aware of it either (but then again, she was also an English major). However, I do think that Rowling wants us to believe that James' stag and Lily's doe are connected somehow, but there are many Patronus cases in canon where Patronuses don't have to correspond to each other in case of relationships (just think of Ginny's horse, Ron's Jack Russel and Hermione's otter [and Rowling just really like otters. It had nothing to do with Ron.]) More simply put, Rowling didn't entirely think it through when she did the whole stag/doe thing and we've been left guessing how it works since 1999.

But personally, of course, I'd like to believe that Severus and Lily have a doe because the Patronus stems from the same powerful memory. Their meeting on the playground that day equally changed their lives for good.

A/N In the chapter: Many Meetings in the Fellowship of the Ring, Strider says the following to Bilbo: "Strider looked down at Bilbo gravely. 'I know,' he said. 'But often I must put mirth aside. Elladan and Elrohir have returned out of the Wild unlooked-for, and they had tidings that I wished to hear at once.'

It is never made clear what these tidings were specifically, or where exactly it is that the twin brothers have gone and for how long. It's why I took some creative liberty on what these tidings were, and I assumed it was the sighting of the first Orcs from Isengard.
"Elladan and Elrohir never forgot or forgave their mother's torment, and frequently rode with Aragorn and the Rangers of the North, striking back at the Orcs and other servants of Sauron whenever possible."-

A/N In the movies, Aragorn receives Andúril, as Narsil was renamed, from Elrond in the third movie. In the books, there are barely a few lines stating that the Elven smiths reforged the sword when the Fellowship was still in Rivendell, and Aragorn has carried it with him ever since.