Lord of the Rings 1. West of High Pass

**A/N**: Some of you reading this I know have gone over my first fanfic A Bittersweet Embrace. (yes that was my first fanfic, I didn't tell you for a reason) I am so very pleased that so many people enjoyed it, I tried my best to put my heart into it and those of you that did not think too much of it, I am sorry. I will not stop A Bittersweet Embrace, I promise to continue, the updating might slow, it might not. But keep checking in for those of you who are Inuyasha lovers. However, if this is your first time reading my stories, then please try and enjoy this one! I have role played endless hours with my friend and have always wanted to write my own LOTR fic. This will all be strictly following the book! I will not go off track to the movie, although Peter Jackson did do a fabulous job. Tolkien has always been an idol, hero, and role model to me and I will do my best to keep to his writings. I always go with the original model of a story, never what came afterwards. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Lord of the Rings; it is ground of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

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"But I don't wanna do my homework Angela…Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!" a young woman begged pathetically through a phone.

"No!" her friend answered back, "do it yourself, it isn't hard and you still have the rest of the day." She really liked Angela and somewhat envied her friend. She thought she was gorgeous with long black hair, large eyes, and a fair complexion. Her voice was sweet and mellow, and when she was sad it was absolutely adorable. She often wished that she could make her voice sugary sweet like that as well, but no avail. Still, she was one of her closest friends.

The first woman stared up at the clock, it read 6:23. True enough, she had time, plenty of time, but what about training? And then she always got so…sidetracked. There was no way she would ever finish her homework in time.

"Please, please, please, please, please!!!"

"No!" with that, there was a click across the line and the woman sighed dejectedly.

_Stupid History._ She wasn't a bad student, quite the opposite. Straight A's and talented, simply lacking all forms of common sense and the ability to stay focused. Her little lapse of memory the last year, asking her friend if Asia was a continent had really caused an uproar. In the middle of college too…There was also the case of going up to the principle and openly asking if diabetic meant that you couldn't drink milk. Good times, good times. She looked around at her tidy little office room. She lived in the suburbs, and had a good family and got whatever she wanted. They even did what they could for her living near nine hundred miles away. The thing was, she didn't ask for much.

Walking into her room, the black-haired woman picked up a sword lying in the corner. She had made it a habit to train everyday for at least an hour if she didn't have Kung Fu that day. Her mom usually got angry at her that she put fighting before school, but it was the way she worked. Funny, parents were supposed to leave their kids alone after they moved out…Throwing on a black shirt and pants, she stepped outside through the garage door, where the acrid stench or lawn mowers greeted her nose.

She made her way to the backyard that was a bit slanted so it was hard to perform jumps on. However, it was better than trying to do Kung Fu on the front lawn; she looked like an idiot when she fell flat on her face from simple mistakes. She unsheathed her sword and swung it around once. It was made out of sheet metal so the tip was sharp, but bended instead of stabbing and the bottom was hard and dull. It was made for training, not killing yourself out of clumsiness. She started into her form, trying to accelerate as best as she could on the uneven ground. Her form was short and she practiced over and over again to try and reach a level of speed and perfection.

The woman loved imitating what she saw other people in her class do, and tried herself quite often unsuccessfully. Throwing herself to the ground, she attempted to jump up again, using only her back. Summoning enormous force, she used the back muscles that she had to spring her body up.

_Ouch._ With a huff, the woman landed hard in a heap on the ground. She had failed miserably again and bruised her back…again. _Not that I could ever do that anyways. I am so smart for trying that on concrete…_Gingerly picking her body up, she moved until she was align with the brick wall and sunk down. _Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

A cool breeze had picked up, and the stifling summer air was somewhat disturbed. A small black cat watched her warily from the back, haven just given birth to three tiny cats not too long ago. It was all good knowledge to her. Her dog had tried to eat it. Propping up her sword next to her, she rested on it, copying the posture of her favorite TV character. She had the ability to sleep sitting up quite well and prided herself in it. It made her feel secure and ready in case anything was to happen. Not that it would, this was a nice little neighborhood with a gated community, nothing ever happened here. Leaning her head back so it rested comfortably on the brick wall, she closed her eyes. Another chill breeze came in, more swiftly than the last one. It felt good and she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to think about the history homework that sat, waiting to be done on her desk inside.

Leaning forward again, she rested her bodyweight on her sword and chewed her bottom lip. It was no good, if homework was left undone, it did not give her peace of mind. _Best to get it done soon._ She rocked back and forth slightly feeling for the brick wall. When she didn't feel it, she collapsed backwards, expecting to feel its hard support.

Green grass met her hands and she caught herself before totally falling backwards. The woman's eyes flew open and she stared around her: Green grass as far as she could see. Purple and yellow wildflowers dappled the ground as if in a splash of brilliant paint. A small brook to her left had tiny jagged rocks outcropping from it. A small songbird chirped its greeting to her. _Wow, either someone really knows how to remodel a backyard in like super-speed, or this is not where I started off._

"Ok…I just um, fazed through a brick wall. This **cannot** be normal." _Sword…sword._ She groped around for her weapon and found that it was still with her. How glad she was that she had kept it propped up against her the whole time. Unsheathing her treasure and searching it for damage, she was reminded that it was only sheet metal by the way it bended and made a "twang" sound when she pushed into it. _It I meet a bear, I am so dead._ She stood up and inspected herself. Nothing was different; in fact everything was the same. She had on the same pink shirt with jeans. She was not one to exaggerate in dressing, even though she envied those girls that looked beautiful when they arrived at school, she couldn't find the matching clothes in her drawer to make herself look in anyway gorgeous. She had fair length black hair and deep brown eyes. Just another schoolgirl trying to make a living in the rat-race.

_Ok, where on earth have I just landed? Stay calm…stay calm. Remember all those anime TV shows you watched? Well they are all brave, so you um, stay brave too!_ She was a believer of other worlds, certain that all those directors and authors had to have something to inspire their creativity. This really didn't look like a whole different planet with Martians saying 'hello earthling, we have come to obliterate you,' but surely; the place she was from didn't have _that_ many trees. _Ok let's go through the possibilities. Maybe Asia…ok no. Azarath? Ok, what am I saying...? No, not Africa, well if I am on earth, then this is one heck of a wildlife preserve!_ She looked around and spotted a tiny blackbird perched on a tree. It was no rainforest environment, so it had to be a wildlife preserve. _Got my hopes up to be in another world all for nothing. Well, might as well keep walking until I reach one of those wildlife specialists or something._ _And then ask then how the heck I went through a time warp._

The tiny brook made a gentle trickling noise as it flowed down the river. She stared transfixed; it was a rare sight of beauty at home. She had once taken yoga back at the YMCA at home, but found it ultimately dull and irritating that some lady was telling her to connect with the damn floor. Maybe this was the kind of environment you needed in order to feel real energy coursing through you. The sun was slowly setting, and she remembered that it had been 6:30 when she left the house. _Walk. Have to keep moving._

The sun set remarkably quickly and disappeared beneath the trees before the sky set into darkness. The result afterwards was breathtaking. So many stars, so many millions of stars. The swirled, twisted, spiraled, and morphed together until it seemed like an endless lake of sparkling lights in the sky. She could always keep walking under good conditions and the night was pleasantly warm. The woman had encountered no one so far during her trek, but it didn't mean it was too late. There was bound to be some jeep of some sort coming through sooner or later to check on the animals…wherever they were.

A faint whisper came from her left. Startled, the woman jumped; then steadied herself. Whispering? Or was it just people talking from a distance. She moved in the direction of the sound. It got much louder and it was indeed a regular talking voice. She strained her ears and was certain that there were more than two men.

"We made good time today," said a blond elf. He had graceful features and a melodious voice. The youngest prince of Mirkwood.

"Indeed," agreed Lord Elrond. The elf had more elderly features, seemingly worn from stress and daily toil.

A third voice chimed in. "we need to arrive at Rivendell by tomorrow."

"And we will," said Legolas.

"We have ridden swiftly, we should not ask of our horses for so much," said Elrond. He was busily soaking down his mare and it snorted lightly in pleasure.

_Oh thank god._ After traveling for a day, she could finally expect a nice jeep to take her to the main office and call her parents to get home. She quickened her pace and with a noisy rustle through the bushes, she pushed her way into the clearing.

"Excuse me could you h-…er… she stopped short when she was met by the sight of three elves, each with long hair cascading gracefully down their backs. _Wow, where have I seen this before?_ Her brain seemed to have gone on autopilot because nothing of any logical sense was coming out. That tends to happen when met with a sight like this.

The blond haired elf gave the woman, or rather girl in his eyes, a strange look and slowly stood up. "What business do you have here," he asked sharply.

The girl did not answer. She seemed deep in thought. _This is such a terrible time for my brain to blink out on me. Ok, um…Elves. C'mon, Elves. Eragon, no. Some sort of anime show…no again. Elves…Elves. Ah, Lord of the Rings! Wait a second…there is no way…_

She started out cautiously. "You-you're um, Legolas," she closed her eyes in concentration, trying to dig the memory out of the back of her mind. "Prince of the Woodland Realm!"

The elf's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "And how would you know this," he asked.

She didn't quite know how to answer this question. Only one thought played through her head. _Waaaaaakkkkeeee uuuuuuppppp!!!! _She didn't.

When his question remained unanswered, he tried a different course of action. "Milady, if you do not mind me asking, who are you?"

The woman now clearly remembered what happened to the fellowship. She could easily mess up the entire process! Everything had to be thought through carefully. A name, a name. No, her real name would not do. So many documents had been recorded of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Saying that this wasn't a dream, and taking absolutely no chances, there was a high possibility that a real name could result in quite a bit of trouble. "Thorn," she replied back suddenly.

Elrond looked at her curiously. "Lady Thorn, then do sit down and explain yourself."

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**A/N**: Well then, there you have it! The first chapter. It is very short, and I assure you future ones will be about twice as long. Please review so I know to continue! Many thanks! 


	2. East of Rivendell

**A/N**: Ok so I got flamed, no big deal for now. I expected just as much. I will be trying to update faster to try and get some nicer people to leave a comment. Once again, don't like OCs then don't read. Thank you to all of you who are reading, I would appreciate a comment even if it is just a one word thing. Anything but flames would be nice. Those of you who have followed me through "A Bittersweet Embrace," you can type absolutely anything you want. Also, when I called Thorn "a young girl," I realized a bit later how confusing that could be. She is not a teenager. It would be the most ridiculous thing for Legolas to fall for a teen and I am not so stupid as to not realize that. She is exactly 20 and that is the only difference she will have from me. I will proceed now, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Lord of the Rings; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **The girl now clearly remembered what happened to the fellowship. She could easily mess up the entire process! Everything had to be thought through carefully. A name, a name. No, her real name would not do. "Thorn," she replied back suddenly.

Elrond looked at her curiously. "Lady Thorn, then do sit down and explain yourself."

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Thorn looked at the man curiously. Since when did traveling around need an explanation? He was acting as if she had done something terribly wrong. Besides that, this was probably all a hallucination. "I, um, got lost," she replied.

"We can very well see that," replied Elrohir.

"My apologies, but I would dearly like to know where I am," she said back. It was quite obvious where she was really. Middle Earth? Yes that was what Tolkien had called it. But some simple reassurance would help.

"You are east of Rivendell, south of Bruinen and west of the High Pass," replied the elf that she had been talking to.

_Of course. This is probably where they are ridding to Rivendell and form the fellowship. _"Rivendell…" She tried to picture the map of the west of Middle Earth that was folded up and in the back of her Lord of the Rings book. The High Pass that was the passage that led through that long chain of mountains right? That meant they were very close to Rivendell. The elves were now all looking at her and she realized that she had left a sentence unfinished. "Um, yea. Rivendell, east of Loudwater right?"

Her question was left unanswered and there was a brief silence.

_Ok, so maybe this place does exist. Maybe not. Tolkien sure does know how to make Orlando Bloom look real. This elf looks almost the same. Now who could the others be?_ "May I know your name," she said, breaking the silence.

There was another slight pause. "Apologies milady, I am Elrond of Rivendell and Elrohir is the one you have been speaking with."

"If you do not mind my asking Lady Thorn, how did you know of the young prince of Mirkwood?" said Elrohir.

"I suppose the memory of him…sticks? Forgive me for not being able to place your name. You have extraordinary resemblance to Elladan and I did not want to appear rude. May I also ask why, Lord Elrond, you would be traveling to Rivendell when that is where you make out as home?"

"Ah yes, I was tracking in the High Pass with Elrohir and it is only natural that we would escort a fellow elf with us," replied Elrond.

Thorn nodded again. That made sense, she supposed elves too had to hunt just like another person.

"The other part of our party rides ahead as a scout," said Legolas. He had remained silent for the first part of the conversation, choosing only to talk now.

Like all girls from her time, she had admired Legolas, especially his skill with a bow and arrow. She took archery classes, but her aim was ghastly and could be up to three feet off at times. Of course in her time, Legolas was really an actor for a make-believe movie and character for a book. Now, if this place wasn't a hallucination, he was real.

"Do tell us, from which direction did you come from milady?" said Elrond. He could almost be certain that the clothes on her back were not a common sort of thing for a young woman to be wearing. It was possible she could have sewn it herself, but the tunic was bizarre and where would such a strange imagination of clothing come from?

Thorn thought back. She tried to remember in which direction she had watched the sun set. It had most definitely disappeared behind the trees to the right of her, and since she had turned to the left to watch it, she must have come downstream of Loudwater. "I believe to the south," she replied.

"You did not travel through Swanfleet on your way here, pray?" asked Elrohir.

Once again, the woman racked her brains. Swanfleet, was the swamp next to the Misty Mountains right? "No, I didn't even see it," she said admittedly.

"Then how did you manage to cross both Mithelthel and Bruinen? It would have been much simpler to take the East-West Road until you reached the Last Bridge, instead of crossing the South Downs and both waterways. You could have taken a rest at the Bree," said Elrond.

Ok, that really hurt her head. Bruinen was the stream that made a "V" tip with Mitheithel, Bree was Northwest of the South Downs. Elrond expected her to have traveled such a great distance on her own? Surely not, Thorn was not known for ultimate endurance at much of anything.

When Legolas saw the blank look on the newcomer's face, he grew tiresome. "Lady Thorn, why not tell us exactly where you started off and how you got yourself on the path to Rivendell with no pack or essentials to see you through? By the looks of it, you do not even have yourself a steed to accompany you on your travels."

She was disappointed that the elf had already begun to get cross with her, but answered nonetheless. "I started off farther downstream to the east of Loudwater," she recalled quickly, "and how I got here, I walked. I had no essentials when I started off and therefore none now. The part about a horse, I am allergic to them," she finished.

The expression of the blonde elf did not change while she spoke. He waited patiently for her to finish and then voiced in again. "So you say you come from farther down south? Do you make your home out to be Rohan then?"

Thorn shook her head, "no, I don't come from Rohan, I already said that I had started out east of Loudwater."

"Milady, I am asking where you had originally started, we are fully aware that you may have started your day downstream from here, but in what place do you make out as home?" asked Legolas.

"My home is not from these parts," she spoke choosing her words carefully. "I did not start in Gondor, neither Eriador. My home is more of a distant past than a clear present."

Elrohir opened his mouth to interject, but Elrond silenced him. "Very well milady, if you do not wish to reveal your people to us, then fear not. However, we all find it queer that you should be in such a condition even though you state that your home is not around here. Such a light tunic and tightly bound bottoms are no traveling clothes.

Up until now, Thorn had thought the elves' tunics to be queer but soon realized how ridiculous she must look. She opened her mouth to say something, but the closed it again when nothing came out. _That just looked so utterly stupid._

Normally, Legolas would have been more suspicious of such a gaudy traveler, but this woman held nothing to aid her and he could tell that her sword inflicted no harm by the way it rattled in its sheath. She was obviously lost, and determined not to reveal anything of her origin.

"If you cannot tell us where you come from," started Elrond, "then do tell us where you are traveling to. We can perhaps aid you in the aspect."

"I was looking for a saf…" she cut short. She had almost said "safari jeep." These elves had no idea what in Valar was a jeep and it would seem like she was making up a whole new world if she tried to explain. Elrond was still eyeing her and she racked her mind to finish the sentence." "A um, saf-aer, uh, yea. Safer route through the um, Rivendall, I mean Rivendull---dell!" she finished lamely.

Humor twinkled in the elder Elf's eyes. "And what might you find so dangerous and worth avoiding in Rivendell, milady?" he asked steadily.

"I, um, trolls?" she said weakly. _Oh Valar…_

There was a burst of laughter from her side and she saw Elrohir laughing quite suddenly. This was unexpected, the elves had seemed so stern for the time-being. But as the musical laughter of Elrohir floated into the night sky, it was obvious that elves could be quite whimsical creatures. "What's so funny," she asked, trying to feign a bit of irritation.

"It is ok, Lady Thorn," said Legolas suddenly. "We all have pasts that we do not wish to speak of, and although I do not see the harm in revealing to us your final destination, you do not have to inform us if it is against your wish."

Thorn nodded gratefully to the elf. "My apologies for disturbing you," she said. "I guess I will take my leave now," she added on a bit shakily. Thorn was not completely convinced that this was all real, but she didn't want to stick around for too long, now that she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and the tiny voice inside her telling her what a fool of a woman she was. "Thank you for your help, you have been most hospitable," she said and turned to leave.

"It would not be wise to go that way," came a voice.

Thorn turned around to see Legolas speaking, not even having gotten up from his position against the small rock.

"Why n…oh." She said. Of course, she was heading towards the Misty Mountains. She turned around again and started at another direction.

"Nor would it be a good to try and brave Loudwater," came the same voice.

Thorn flushed a deeper shade of crimson. How stupid of her. She quickly pushed through the bushes for the third direction, not wanting to be humiliated any farther.

"I thought you did not want to go directly through Rivendell," came another voice, this one belonging to Elrohir.

"Oh, I um, knew that," she said. Thorn more or less ran this time, the direction she was sure she had come from.

"Loudwater, north passage," came Legolas' voice, this time with a hint of amusement in it.

Thorn stopped short, was there no way out of here? When she didn't move for a good minute in her position in the trees, Elrond decided to speak to the ruffled woman.

"If I am not mistaken milady, you do not have a destination do you? Why not stay with us as we are traveling to Rivendell and that seems to be where you wish to go through. You may take your leave from us once we read the destination tomorrow," he said.

Thorn halfway slowly emerged from the trees. It would not be smart to stick around too long. She could be so painfully clumsy sometimes and she did not want to change the outcome of the Fellowship. However, she could take her leave at Rivendell and then start off from there to find a way back home.

"Do not trouble yourself Lady Thorn," said Elrond. Rest for now and we will travel swiftly tomorrow. He did not get up from his place next to the fire. The decision was all up to the woman. He would not force her to do anything. Another long pause. It was hard to tell what could possibly be going through the woman's mind at this point.

"Ok, I'll stay," she said, quite suddenly. And picked herself carefully out of the thistle and thorns. She would worry about her problems tomorrow, but for now, rest would be nice. Maybe this was all a dream, and she could call her mother in Connecticut and tell her the crazy dream that she had. But if it was real, well that would be nice too. Somewhat. Yes, Thorn would worry again tomorrow.

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**A/N:** There you have it! I reviewed fast and thank you to those kind comments I received. I had gotten several comments on my grammar, and I apologize greatly for it. Part of it is the editor that edits out my commas and quotation marks making me put them in again. Please understand that it is most troublesome adding all those little marks in a second time and try to bear with me. Thank you for reading and tell me what you think!

**Reviewer Responses:**

Angela (ano): Yes I hope it gets better too.

**Aaliyah Starnight**I cannot say how much I appreciate my first kind comment! I was so discouraged after the flame, although somewhat humored that the person just kept going and going and going like some crazed robot or something. You have stayed with me through A Bittersweet Embrace and thank you for staying with me now. I hope you enjoy this and feel free to tell me anything that I need to work on!

**points.dont.matter**Thank you for standing up for me Michelle. Most kind of you. I assure you, I will try and get better and better at this OC thing.

**ariti: **Thank you for your kind comment. Lol, I can be a real idiot at times. It is nice to have someone to talk kindly to, even if it is just through reviews and responses. Please don't stop reviewing!

**shieldmaidenofeorlingas**Wow! What a penname! Haha, love it! Thank you for commenting nicely on my story. I don't plan on writing a POV of Legolas anytime soon, at least until I finish up A Bittersweet Embrace that is hopefully going to wrap up in the next six chapters or so. I was just wondering something though. I read through your profile and it said that you detest Mary-sues. I would expect a flame from you, but you so kindly gave me a nice comment. I thank you again. I would however, like to know why you decided to read my fanfiction. Please let me know if I am becoming too Mary-sueish because I really didn't want to make her perfect. I will be looking forward to your reviews as well. Many thanks!

**AnimeLover45: **W-O-W! Wow! I was laughing hysterically at your review! You go Alex! Haha! I really shouldn't promote bitter comments, being myself…but ah! That was hilarious! Thank you so much and I expect to see a review from you every chapter! Haha. Bye for now.

**Friend's Thoughts:**

Ok just as in introduction to this little section of the story. Originally in A Bittersweet Embrace, this was supposed to be funny comments that my friends at school said concerning my story. But as I experienced more and more things throughout the school year, I could not help but put all curious and cute moments on. The name has never changed, but my friends all know it as the famous "Friend's Thoughts" section. So sit back and enjoy the tiny little plays of my life!

(at BPA Nationals last year)

**John: **-walks in with only boxers on-

**Annie:** Oh my lord! John put on some pants!

**John: **Pants are for losers!


	3. Rivendell

**A/N: **I am kind of updating at hyper speed right now (well it is fast for me if any of you have followed me through my previous fanfiction) as I want to get some more reviews coming in. I have been getting many kind comments and I cannot say how much I appreciate that. I also have something else important to say. If you have not noticed yet, I have been giving my chapters queer names. They will be titled as to where Thorn is located. That way you can follow her adventures and not be completely lost in the enormous world of Tolkien. Thank you and happy reading!

**Reading Tip:** I know that some of you don't particularly love OCs, and I have a suggestion to make your reading a bit more bearable. Whenever I read Mary-sues or any kind of OC for that matter, I always put myself in place of the character. That way, you can get more into it and I won't mind at all if you even review from this viewpoint. That is, this will only work if you are a girl. Lol. But if you are bisexual, I have nothing against you people because my dearest friend is also like that, then you can put yourself in the position of Thorn too. Just a little tip, you don't necessarily have to take it. I will proceed now, happy reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Lord of the Rings; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"Do not trouble yourself Lady Thorn," said Elrond. Rest for now and we will travel swiftly tomorrow. He did not get up from his place next to the fire. The decision was all up to the woman. He would not force her to do anything. Another long pause. It was hard to tell what could possibly be going through the woman's mind at this point.

"Ok, I'll stay," she said, quite suddenly. And picked herself carefully out of the thistle and thorns. She would worry about her problems tomorrow, but for now, rest would be nice. Maybe this was all a dream, and she could call her mother in Connecticut and tell her the crazy dream that she had. But if it was real, well that would be nice too. Somewhat. Yes, Thorn would worry again tomorrow.

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A light drizzle had picked up after the queer party had eaten a light meal. It increased steadily until the sky was drumming its wet fingertips against the solid packed earth. The rest of the party had returned by now and there were a good six elves in the clearing. The elves did not seem at all bothered by the rain and their melodious voices sang in harmony with the water that fell so freely from the sky.

Legolas had engaged in conversation with one of the scouts. "What do you fathom is to come in Rivendell," asked the dark haired elf.

"A dark shadow is falling upon these times. Han mathon ne chae," said a grave Legolas.

"The earth sings to me as well. However, I do not know what is to come and it frustrates me," said Thorontur.

"Uuner uma, n'dela no'ta," said Legolas.

"Amin weera yassen lle," said Thorontur. With a heavy clap to his companion's shoulder he turned to leave. "Amin anta est, Tenna' tul're san," he said and with that retreated into the light forest of trees.

"Quel du." Legolas replied and made his way straight through the clearing in the opposite direction.

Thorn sat beneath a tree, huddled up and trying to avoid the rain. It wasn't that she was afraid of getting wet, no not at all. The thing was, it had gotten terribly cold in the past hour or so and she did not want to fall sick at all. Her thin shirt was much too flimsy for such wear and tear, and it left her feeling cold and exposed. _Well, this dream was good while the pleasantries lasted…_

She had caught slight snatches of the conversation that Legolas had had with the scout. Of course, it was all terribly hard to recognize, and she spoke no elvish whatsoever so she only understood a mere two or three words. However, from the tone, the blonde elf had seemed concerned about upcoming events. How in tune with the earth these creatures were, such things looming ahead seemed to be felt clearly; but this did not stop them from singing their hearts out in the rain. Deep voices filled the clearing and floated out to dance with the rain itself. Thorn was jerked out of her thoughts when a blanket was draped around her shoulder. She looked up to see the kind face of Elrond and felt unbound gratefulness for the elf.

"Lady Thorn, you should not sit out so openly in the rain. The body of a human is far frailer than that of an elf. You have not fallen ill yet, pray?" he said.

Thorn shook her head automatically even though she was not so sure of the answer herself. She drew the blanket closer to herself and was thankful for its thick protection. Her black hair was plastered to the side of her face and her bangs, long overdue for a cut, also stuck to her cheeks. It was beyond her how the elves could stay under the rain for such a long time and still sing as joyously as before. They seemed to admit a certain glow from their bodies that only amplified when the tiny droplets bounced off their cloaks and skin. _Eh, glow in the dark elves. _The woman giggled slightly at this thought.

"Milady, what is it that you find ever so amusing," asked Elrond that had been sitting just above her on a low hanging branch the entire time.

Thorn opened her mouth to tell him, but quickly forced herself to shut it again. Glow in the dark elves? That would ultimately be **the** stupidest thing she could ever say! No, no, this thought would never do. "Nothing…" she mumbled incoherently.

The elf smiled kindly at the young woman. "Very well, this rain does not look like it should stop in the near future. Would you like to come a bit closer to the other elves where there is more shelter Lady Thorn?" he asked.

"No thank you," she said, "I think I will be fine here." _Goodness, and I would never sleep anywhere near a male unless I had a relationship with him. Elf or not. _

The elf nodded and quickly bade the woman goodnight.

Thorn pressed in close to the tree for comfort and fingered the buttons on her jeans. How would she be able to find out if this Middle Earth was really real? She could go on for a fortnight and still not believe what was plainly in front of her eyes. The small clusters of trees here and there were spread out all over the vast expanse of land. There were a few bushes along the circle that she was in. Small hawthorn bushes dotted the area and the fronds clung to the trees, dripping with the unrelenting rain. The young woman's hands moved along the lining of her pants and soon came to the pockets where she was met with a hard object. _My cell phone! How on earth could I ever forget about the one thing that I never go around without? _

Thorn took out the device hastily, but failed to comprehend that there were no version wireless servers in Middle Earth. She was met by a long "searching" signal when she flipped open the little machine and then a "no wireless servers in range" signal. _Oh yea, no technology around here…wow, I'm smart. _

"Mani naa tanya?" came the voice of a certain blonde elf. He was bent curiously over the woman's shoulder staring at the strange contraption she held.

"Eh…wha!" she said in a startled voice. Thorn immediately snapped her tiny cell phone shut and stuffed it back into her pocket. _Dang elves, can at least make more noise when sneaking up on someone…_

"What is that?" he repeated, this time in the common tongue.

"It…is…a…family heroine that was…um passed down to me from my, uh, mother," she improvised quickly.

"Milady, I doubt you speak the truth here," he said smoothly.

"I assure you…this, uh, compass," _crap, do they even have compasses here?_ "was passed down to me by…" _elf name, elf name, I need an elf name! _"my mother, Alya," she finished hastily, praying that 'Alya' was indeed an elf name.

There was a twinkle in the blonde archer's eyes and Thorn began to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. "If your mother possesses a name of an elf," he said slowly, chewing out every word, "then she must be that of an elven heritage, making you at least part elf, yes?" he finished, his voice shimmering with unsuppressed mirth.

_Gah!_ The woman sputtered for a bit, trying to come up with a good excuse, but nothing of sense was passing through her brain. "Ok, so Alya was not my mother's name, sue me," she said simply.

"Sue me?" he asked, gentle eyes still shinning with amusement.

"An expression," mumbled Thorn. She had not imagined that the gently portrayed Legolas could be such a lover of smart remarks.

"You still do not wish to tell any of us where you came from or your final intended destination? We could help you cut short a long journey," he said.

Thorn thought for a moment. Perhaps _he_ couldn't help her, but someone must have the ability to. If she got in Middle Earth, then there had to be a way out. But still, her answer was the same, "I'll take my chances."

That would be fine with him. She supposedly had some idea of what to do, with refusing an offer of help for a second time and all.

"What are they singing?" asked Thorn, staring out into the clearing where the elves were sitting.

The archer's gaze followed the woman's and he too listened for a moment as the fast moving music flowed in perfect syncopation with the rain. "They sing of the Earth and rain of the sky. They sing of a weary journey ahead and the high scaling trees of home. They sing of fond memories and the joy of Lady Eleberth. Sometimes, they sing of nothing at all. Song does not have to follow lyrics of any kind; it is music from the heart that we sing of." He paused and sat next to the woman for a little bit.

The archer then got up from his place next to Thorn and walked over to the other elves. Soon there was another voice weaving a sweet melody in the night sky.

Thorn sat and watched Legolas join in the harmony so very easily. She supposed she could have gone too; no one was going to stop her. But she didn't; instead, she enjoyed the music in the clearing. No voice of a man could compare to that of an elf's. Such joy and unbound emotions were not present in her world. The young woman curled up inside her blanket and lay her head down inside so only her nose poked out. The rain showed no sign of letting up and pounded down just as hard as it had earlier; but that was ok, because without the rain, a voice would be missed among the elves. She soon fell into a gentle sleep, with the voices of the elves dancing in her head.

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Tiny crystals of water dripped off leaves and bunches of bracken among the trees. Two songbirds sang a sweet melody in the trees above and a meadowlark sounded its morning call. Beneath all of this early morning commotion, a young woman stirred restlessly.

"umergf…" came the muffled voice of Thorn buried under a thick blanket. After much twisting, turning, tossing, and fumbling, she sat bolt upright in irritation. Now some girls are blessed with kindly hair that will stay absolutely perfect throughout the day and night, regardless of what you do to it. Thorn is not one of those blessed girls. While a lucky few can wake up with beautiful, long glossy hair cascading down their backs, Thorn's looked like it had been run over by a weed-whacker.

_Now I remember why I was so grateful for a real mattress after that camping trip in the ninth grade with my church youth group. _Her long fingers automatically reached back and to her hair and she was all of a sudden very thankful that the rain had not decided to let up early in the night, leaving her hair wet and manageable without a brush. She flinched as she reached a large knot and set to work on making her hair appear decent.

"Lady Thorn," came a voice from behind her, making her jump and hit her head against the trunk of the tree that she had been leaning on.

Elrond gave an amused chuckle, "a breakfast has been prepared, come as soon as you are ready, We will be making haste to Rivendell as there is an important council that must meet."

The woman gingerly rubbed her head and nodded gratefully at the elf. Her stomach felt unpleasantly empty and any sort of food would be most desirable. She watched as Elrond made his way behind the little clearing to where the elves were. Thorn scrambled out of her blanket and brushed herself off. She looked down at the discarded pile at her feet and sighed. Picking up the waterlogged thing, the woman twisted and squeezed it as much as she could, letting a mini waterfall of rainwater flow down to the ground. _Wow, they should make this stuff into sponges and sell them. _

A few minutes later, Thorn arrived at the place where Elrond had gone to. She was surprised to see the scouting party from yesterday gone.

"They went ahead of us a bit earlier this morning," replied Elrohir when she asked.

After eating a light breakfast, the elves moved quickly to pack the hastily built camp together and get all the materials on the horses.

"This is Rincavornon," said Elrond, leading a ginger horse with a frosted mane up to Thorn. It snorted and pawed the ground, warding off the tiny biting insects that inhabited the area. "You will ride with me to Rivendell."

That was alright. The idea of ridding with the elf appealed to her as he seemed ultimately kind. A few more preparations were made and they were soon ready to go.

"Can you ride?" asked Elrohir while he was tightening the girth to one of the horses that carried the burden of the elves' moving camp.

"Yes…" she replied truthfully.

"Can you ride well?" he asked, still not lifting his gaze from his task.

"…No." Thorn said admittedly. She had ridden horses for some times when she was still a young teenager, but her allergies to them had progressed so much that it was simply too miserable of a task to continue, no matter how great her love for horses.

"You do not have to worry," he said, "Elrond is a good rider, you will be safe."

She nodded. Thorn did not doubt the skill of the elf even a bit, she was just a bit concerned that her allergies would come back and haunt her. She had felt none of its effects last night, but it still didn't mean that it could not come back.

"Lle desiel?" asked Elrond.

There was a nod from Elrohir, and Legolas replied "Tulien," before leading his horse over to the others.

"Let us be on our way then," said Elrohir.

Elrond skillfully swung himself onto Rincavornon and held out a hand to Thorn. She would have been able to get on herself, if there had been a saddle, or if the horse was not so very tall. The woman took his hand and with a little effort on both parts, clambered onto Rincavornon.

The whole of the day passed uneventfully to say the least. They had started right away into a fast canter and Thorn had felt the powerful muscles of the beast ripple beneath her and it lunged forward with a smooth and fluid motion. She had clung onto Elrond for dear life for the first part of the ride, but soon gained confidence and did not need to hang on so tightly. The long stretch of meadow grass rolled on and on before them as far as eye could see. The entire ride had consisted of that same grass all the way through, but Thorn could never sleep on a horse, especially not one that was in a canter. She kept awake for the remainder of the trip and they had made a great deal of progress by the peak of sun-high.

Being spared the details, the little group had traveled swiftly and Thorn, she had never been on such a ride in her life. As the afternoon sun moved steadily to the west, they drew closer to Rivendell. And indeed, they did reach it in good time just as Elrond had predicted. The young woman had stared in awe at the place, never before in her life had she ever imagined such beauty and unspoiled nature. It was like a painting of a famous artist that just seemed to draw you in. As they got closer and closer, the painting too got closer; only it wasn't a painting, this was real, and as soon as Thorn set foot on the glorious grounds of Rivendell, there was no turning back out of that painting.

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**A/N:** Ok, I am so glad Thorn is finally in Rivendell. This chapter took a great deal of time to write and I added more description in as many of you have said. My writing style is quite descriptive, but I had just started my first OC story and found it a little hard to concentrate on that aspect. I promise more elaboration from now on. Thank you so much for all the reviews, they always make me so happy after reading. The next chapter may take a few more days because I need to re-read the part on Rivendell before writing. The delay should not be long, just a few days. Thank you again for all of your kind support.

**Elvish Translations:**

This is the section where you can find out what the heck the characters are saying when they speak in elvish. I do not like to put the translation right after the sentence as I think it looks terribly unprofessional. I **assure** you, I did not, in any which way or form, make a single word up! I have gone through a lot of trouble matching up words, past tense, present tense, grammar, and part of speech up together from different phrases to create an eligible sentence. Everything here is pure elvish and rights of J.R.R Tolkien. If there are any mistakes, then please let me know as I can easily still miss things. I have gotten all of this off a website that looked quite reliable, and I can only pray that it is.

**Han mathon ne chae**: I feel it in the earth. -Legolas-

**Uuner uma, n'dela no'ta: **No one does, don't worry about it. -Legolas-

**Amin weera yassen lle: **I agree with you. -Thorontur-

**Amin anta est, Tenna' tul're san: **I need to rest, until tomorrow then. -Thorontur-

**Quel du: **Good night. -Legolas-

**Mani naa Tanya: **What is that? -Legolas-

**Lle desiel: **Are you ready? -Elrond-

**Tulien: **Coming. -Legolas-

**Reviewer Responses:**

**blehblahbleh: **Thank you, I do hope you stay through with this fic.

**AnimeLover45: **No Alex, I really do not have any sense of direction. Why do you think my dance teacher always got so irritated with me? Haha, can't tell right from left.

**points.dont.matter: **Yea, I really am not too big a fan of profanity either, but Alex is Alex.

**daiquiri**It's ok, I am just glad that you like it. I added in more description just for you:) And thanks for the part about the geography, although you must understand that my geography is so poor you might gag if you really saw. Haha, my being able to figure all that out was just staring at a LOtR map for two hours. Hope so see more of you soon!

**Aaliyah Starnight**Once again, I am flattered. I too think that Orlando Bloom is attractive, although I must say I only like him in LOtR and Pirtaes. I am just glad I am not like my friends who have made up seven cheers about Orlando Bloom and sing it out in the lunch room so it echoes along the halls. Haha, I could send them to you some time. Thank you again for reviewing; it is really a shame that Lom is too afraid to leave a penname…

**ariti**: Haha, the idea just came up to me while I was writing. I really and trying to catch all of those annoying little comma marks, thank you and keep reviewing!

Andie (ano): I am really glad that this is so humorous to you. I had a great time writing the chapters too, keep checking in.

**leggylover03: **I do hope that you are enjoying this story. Please, I mean no offense at all when I put a reviewer's response section up, the thing is every fanfiction that I have read has this little part and it is rather addicting. If you really think it is a huge problem, please let me know and I will try to work out a compromise. Thank you for the warning.

Lom (ano): Ok, let's start at the review you left for me first. I admit you were right about the Mary-sue. I suppose I have been wrong all this time and I will take that into account. However, on the definition of Mary-sue has been changed off quite a bit and now seems to mean many things. I do not care that my character is a self insert, I simply do not want to make them seem like the "oh so perfect" little girl. The part about the commas and quotation marks, do you have any idea how hard it is to catch every little mark that gets deleted out from the editor? I think I do quite well due to the circumstances. Now on to the college part. Yes colleges have history, it is under "social studies" which includes geography, history, and other subjects. Do I really need to give you a course? Please, get a brain. If you are referring to the fact that my character is complaining about homework, then that is an extremely poor argument for the fact that Thorn has been held back. College students complain as much as a high school student. I have two friends from Yield University and one from Brown University Ivy League and yes, they complain about the onslaught of homework when I meet up with them for my Dad's college reunion. I would like to go back to the first review you left just for a second now. You said that I should have had Thorn call Legolas Glorfindel instead of by his real name? Give me a break, Legolas looks nothing like Glorfinel. Would you like a set of eyes along with that brain? You also assume that I do not know who helped Frodo when he was poisoned by the Black Riders. Of course I know, that would be about **the** easiest part to remember, it is not so special if you know the name of the steed that took Frodo to Rivendell. Now I would like to go on to the part about the flame you left for Alex.

If you hate my story, then don't involve Alex. "I see why you defend her. Both of your fics (yours and hers, I mean) are the same - they suck?" Well tell that to all the reviewers that read both of our stories. I find it hard to believe that 107 reviews for my first fanfiction were all "wrong." You also said that wanted to rumble with Alex? Psh, why do I get the feeling that you can't do squat with fighting? Alex may not be the type that likes to picks fights with every random person on the internet, but do not doubt that I am very well versed in the sword, you have no idea what I do to reach a level of perfection. Don't even make a fighting comment on my reviews unless you think you are better than me with traditional weapons or bare fists. When you said that you would not leave a penname to us "losers," one thought kept going through my mind and that was "what a coward." I am sure that if you look on my review boards, you will see that quite a few people feel the same way. Of course, you don't leave your penname so no one will be able to flame you, yes? That is how a lot of flamers work. They leave a comment and then feel perfectly content because they can hide and not have to worry about angry people at their story. Will all those mean people will shout at you? Oh you poor dear, however will you survive? May I also add that I really do not appreciate your little comment about Alex and I going to a community college and taking writing courses. If you we are low-grade idiots, think again. Every one of my family's friends has gone to none other than the best schools and don't think that I will break that chain. Now if you hate my writings so much, then why not read something else and leave me in peace? You are the only flamer so far and there have been a great deal of nasty comments left for you. I do not wish to type another page of a response to cover all of this and I am growing sick of your presence. Find another fanfiction to read. Happy reading elsewhere.

Demented Butterfly (ano): Hello butterfly, might want to consider getting a screen name? Don't worry, I know who you are. ;)Thank you for reviewing I really do hope this gets better and better. Keep checking in for me.

**Rae-anime-Neko: **A very sophisticated and well written review as always Rachel! Well said. Don't kill your computer, yet…it could still be of use. Haha. I hope this is getting better and tell me exactly what you think. (not that you don't do that already…)

**Silmarwen Telrunya**Well there you go! Is that fast enough? Haha. I am glad that you have developed such a quick liking to my story and I hope it gets better and better. Please keep reviewing!

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(BPA Nationals last year and girl's room)

**Michael:** -over phone- John, where the heck are you and what are you doing?

**John:** Um let's see. Both Annie and Lauren are in the shower, Deborah and Jaime are in sexy hot pajamas…what do you _think_ I'm doing!


	4. Rivendell II

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay there, my school has been throwing out projects in "hyper mode." You would think the end of the year was coming and they haven't covered enough curriculums or something. Sorry to those of you who are still waiting for an update there, I really need to get this fic going a bit before diving into A Bittersweet Embrace again which takes my twice as long to write. O have changed my penname…again. I am so sorry; I just realized that **Angel Thorn **had my character's name in it. (Wow smart me) I promise that, unless for some untold reason, I will keep it the same now! You have my word. Well Thorn will stay in Rivendell for a few days, and I will be following the book in this part. I don't know I may even end up completely following the book everywhere. We will have to see. I will now cease my endless chatter, Read on!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Lord of the Rings; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **Being spared the details, the little group had traveled swiftly and Thorn, she had never been on such a ride in her life. As the afternoon sun moved steadily to the west, they drew closer to Rivendell. And indeed, they did reach it in good time just as Elrond had predicted. The young woman had stared in awe at the place, never before in her life had she ever imagined such beauty and unspoiled nature. It was like a painting of a famous artist that just seemed to draw you in. As they got closer and closer, the painting too got closer; only it wasn't a painting, this was real, and as soon as Thorn set foot on the glorious grounds of Rivendell, there was no turning back out of that painting.

* * *

An explosive sneeze rocketed through the stables, followed by two slightly less noisy ones. Thorn let out a miserable groan and gently rubbed her tingling nose. 

"You were not jesting when you said you couldn't be around horses for too long, were you milady?" asked a certain blonde elf. Elrond had excused himself once Rincavornon had been placed comfortably in a stall and rubbed down. He had said that he would send down a friend to help the woman to a temporary room, but she had not yet arrived, leaving Thorn with Legolas and Elrohir, who was currently gently working through his steed's mane with an elegant comb.

"Yea…do you have allergy medicine? I mean…I know you don't have Tylenol or anything, but maybe some sort of poultice?" she asked in a somewhat nasal voice. _Darn! Can you even use poultice for allergies? _

The elf gave the young woman an amused look as he was carefully soaking his horse with water. "You are not suffering from something serious enough for me to give you any medicine that would take the sensations away any faster if you left them alone," he said.

"Figures…" she mumbled inaudibly. _I wonder how long it will take for one of these elves to figure out that I am not from Middle Earth. _There was a slight pause in her train of thought. _I wonder how long it will take for me to figure out if it would necessarily be a bad thing if they found out…_

"Milady, it puzzles me that you wear such strange garments for travel. I do not believe that any living being in Middle Earth would make such clothes; do you mind me asking where you obtained your travel-wear," asked Legolas, still not taking his eyes off his horse.

_Urk…bull's eye. _It was actually a perfectly innocent question. However, Thorn had not yet finished determining if it would be all turn out to be a horrible disaster if she did indeed reveal her secret. "I made them," she lied quickly.

The blonde elf turned towards the woman curiously. "A strange thing to base your sewing on," he commented.

"I suppose," Thorn answered with a shrug. She was thankful that the elf had not brought up anything else but her clothes. It was simple to lie about that aspect, but not too simple to lie about her origins when she could hardly remember where everything was in Middle Earth.

"Where are you planning to go from here, Lady Thorn," asked Legolas.

That was a tough question. Where indeed… _If I were to continue in the direction that they believe me to be going, then I would end up in Eriador where I could go to the Bree and maybe stay at the Prancing Pony. It would be easy enough to find, all I have to do is follow the East-West Road and somehow find the provisions to last me out, and then obtain enough money to cover the cost of a room. Then again, if I can't stay in Bree I could take the Greenway and follow that down to Tharbad and take North-South Road to Rohan. That of course, would be far longer than going to the Bree, but could serve as a backup. The whole of Rhovanion is all forest and it would be most hazardous to try and reach Gondor since the whole string of mountains is placed right between Rohan and Gondor. The best I can hope for is to find another time portal. Maybe retrace my steps back to the east of Loudwater…?_

"Maybe Trollshaws," put in Legolas, who had been waiting patiently for quite some time as the young woman pondered over how she could best reply.

She mentally thanked Legolas; she had not thought that he would make it so easy on her that he would answer her own question. "Yes, Trollshaws," she said confidently, "My family is awaiting my return." She was hopeful that this would end all questions about asking where she was from.

"Trollshaws is quite an interesting destination," came a voice from two stalls over. Elrohir had been listening absentmindedly at the conversation from the two, but at the mention of Trollshaws, his attention was quickly jerked back.

"Why…?" Thorn asked slowly. She could not exactly remember what Trollshaws held, but that sinking feeling was slowly coming back.

Legolas had now picked up a pick and was carefully examining his horse's front-right hoof. "Do tell us about your town," the blonde elf continued, ignoring both Elrohir and Thorn's earlier statements.

"I…my town? Well it's small, just like Trollshaws," she improvised quickly, "we have an inn and small shops just like any other town," she said. Thorn vaguely remembered Trollshaws on her Middle Earth map; it had indeed been a tiny little forest. Or was her map simply wrongly proportioned and actually showed Trollshaws as a small forest when it was fairly large?

The elf put down his steed's hoof and started on the left one over. "In what fighting methods are you and your family trained in, Milady?" he asked patiently. He could feel the pricking glare of Elrohir two stalls down on the back of his neck, greatly disapproving of the elf's methods, but he ignored him.

"I, fighting methods? Well…no different from what any other person would learn, really. We learn basic techniques in case of a raid, and um, the townspeople can also learn more if they wish." She gravely hoped that this was how town functioned, as she had no idea.

"Milady, correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't your people need to learn a unique fighting style in order to ward off all of those trolls?" he asked ever so casually.

"I…we….trolls? But Trollsh--troll…Trollshaws...oh for the love of God!" she said somewhat loudly. _Eek, no wonder why that place sounded so familiar! Trollshaws is the forest that Bilbo himself journeyed through and had a lot of troubled with two of the giant brutes. Urk, and they don't have a town there. _Thorn shot the blonde elf an angry glare and said defiantly, "yes, Trollshaws is my home, and I hold the place near my heart oh so dearly."

There was an exasperated sigh from the stall that held Elrohir. The elves of Mirkwood could be so childish at times.

Legolas merely smiled. It was rare to come across a traveler with such poor sense of geography and this case was fairly amusing. He remained silent, slowly moving to his steed's back hooves, his hair falling neatly around his shoulders.

The woman irritably blew her bags out of her eyes, and with a little huff, leaned back into the picketed fence.

"Lady Thorn," a sweet voice sounded from behind her.

"Eh?" Thorn quickly turned around to the source of the melodic voice. Her eyes met up with that of a beautiful elf, her hair as soft as silk and rippling like velvet. Fair skin and a glowing perplection stood out, like all others in the fair lady's race.

"Oh! Um, hi," she managed to choke out quickly. Staring was rude. "Elrohir said that…he would have a friend, er, come help me to…my room," she said painfully slowly.

The elf smiled sweetly, her face showing no signs of age or weariness. "I am that friend of whom Elrohir speaks of," she said. "Gwaedhiel of Rivendell."

_Gwaedhiel…her name was never in the Lord of the Rings book or movie. That's weird, I thought everything would go exactly as Tolkien had foretold. Well since I am here, maybe not exactly the same, but I will be leaving soon so this can all get back to normal. _

"Come, allow me to let you delve even deeper in the Rivendell, for, although the horse stables do provide entertainment, they are not the greatest of attractions here in Rivendell," she said with a humorous glint in her eyes.

Thorn nodded gratefully and followed close behind the elf, not exactly sure if there was supposed to be a status rank of some sort; like unspoken rules. "Thank you for coming for me," she said. "I hope I did not disturb anything you may have been doing."

"Not at all," Gwaedhiel said, "We elves do not rush in our doings, for the world provides time to spare."

Of course, elves could live on forever with almost no sign of aging. They tired not from old age and death would not loom its ugly face in front of them unless in war. "Lady Gwaedhiel?" Thorn started.

"Yes?" she inquired.

"May I please know the day," she asked somewhat quietly.

"Of course," she said. "It is the 19th of October."

The elf did not ask as to why Thorn wanted to know the date. She simple answered and continued on in silence. Thorn was grateful for a moment to walk and think. Beautiful trees the color of green, red, and gold splashed color onto the magnificent land that seemed so much like painting. The flowing stream below of Bruien led on to a crashing waterfall some ways away and a building of the most elegant color and refinement sprouted up from the ground. The path wound on, through archways with delicate vines furnishing the sides and over another bridge that arced gracefully over flowing water. There was a sharp curve in the route as Gwaedhiel veered into a building. They followed a winding stairway up to a hallway that was bathed in sunlight. Large windows graced the walls and allowed the light to come in.

"Lady Thorn, we do not currently have any guests in this part of the building. You may choose any room that meets your fancy," the elf said, stopping in front of a sequence of five rooms.

Thorn looked up, surprised. She could choose her room? How odd, wouldn't the rooms be occupied by now, especially with the Council of Elrond drawing so close? She glanced back over at Gwaedhiel and received a nod. So with this, Thorn proceeded forward to the room on her right. Large drape-like scrolls served as a door and proved to be very lightweight. With only a brief moment's hesitation, Thorn pushed open the drapes and was followed by the she elf.

The inside of the room was well furnished held the spicy tang of a plant remotely similar to spruce wood. The entire room looked as if it had been carved out of wood and then softened by years of weathering. A small bed was in the left corner, fit for one. The white sheets folded up neatly to meet with a soft blue colored pillow. The floor felt soft and fuzzy to the foot although no carpet graced its bare roots. A piece of furniture that looked somewhat like a dresser stood on the opposite side of the room, with its open-mouth gaping wide open. A small mirror was positioned next to it and a plant with its leaves leaning over next to that. In the middle of the room held a low table that accompanied not a chair, but a mat. All in all, the room was perfectly simple and well refined.

"This is one of the smaller rooms Lady Thorn," said Gwaedhiel. "You can always look at the others before choosing one to stay in."

Thorn shook her head quickly. "It's ok, I like this room. Small enough I won't get lost in," she said.

The elf laughed sweetly and nodded. "Then I will be leaving you. The bathing room is just past the five housing rooms and you will find robes inside. You may venture outside anytime you wish, simply take the stairwell down. If you happen to get lost in Rivendell, do not fret for any one of us would be most happy to show you your way back."

"Thank you," said Thorn with a nod to show that she understood, "very much."

"You are most welcome Lady Thorn," she said. "I trust you will not need anything for some time, but do not worry for I will not allow you to starve. I will come back up around sundown in order to show you to the dinning hall. Rest well." With that, Gwaedhiel left the little room, disappearing gracefully through the drapes.

Thorn silently let out the breath that she had been holding. She had been strangely uptight around Gwaedhiel, even though, like Elrond, she showed her ultimate kindness. She supposed it was all quite queer to be happening, but in some strange, unexplainable way, it was. Thorn slowly made her way to a large window just above her bed, and with some difficulty, threw it open. Silent beauty met Thorn's wandering eyes and she observed the ground with mild interest. Where in middle earth would she go after she left Rivendell? It was like a safe haven here, and the outside world simply spelled doom for an unsuspecting traveler like her. She had kept her sword with her the entire trip, but it was very difficult to fight with as it was meant only for training.

Slowly moving back from the window, the woman plopped down on the mat that was in front of the table. She took out her cell phone and placed it on top of the table along with her sword. These two things were no longer of any use to her, but she would keep them with her as they represented what had been just a few days ago. She would take care of both items like they were treasures, and if she ever got back to her time, she would never take technology for granted again. Sitting back until she was comfortable, Thorn closed her eyes and contemplated the situation.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully to say the least. Thorn, growing bored, had ventured outside a bit as Gwaedhiel had said she could do, but did not go far. She did not encounter anyone she recognized from the movie or might have recognized from the book. In fact, she did not encounter anyone at all. The whole of Rivendell offered peaceful tranquility and a clear mind that tempted her to stay outside longer. Only after drinking in her fill of her surroundings did the woman go back up into the building and climb the winding stairway again. She had then entered the bathing room that was indeed right past the five rooms. The inside was basically a large bath room with hot spring water either pumped or carried up. It carried a nice herbal smell that filled Thorn's head with happy memories. 

The woman would have very well liked to soak inside for a longer while, but feared that sundown was coming close and Gwaedhiel would return to find no one back in her room. She hastily pulled on a long robe that proved a bit too big for her. The water made her hair somewhat curly and made her look quite different from when it was dry. When the robe was tied in the way that Thorn thought it was supposed to be done, she hurried out of the bathing room and back into her little room.

It all sat as she had left it, with her sword and cell phone sitting on the table and the mat slightly ruffled. The window was still open so Thorn let it be. Her mother had been right about hot springs, they really did make your skin feel softer. She remembered the only other time that she had ever bathed in the hot springs and that was when her mother had taken her to Japan when she was eleven. There was a soft knock at the wall that was next to the drapes, followed by a sweet voice.

"Lady Thorn, are you ready as of yet?" asked Gwaedhiel.

Thorn gave a tiny start but quickly calmed herself. It was only Gwaedhiel coming to bade her in for dinner. She made her way over the doorway and pushed back the drapes to be met with the kind face of the she elf. "Thank you for coming for me," Thorn said. "I am ready to go."

The elf nodded and turned around. "You will find the dinning hall that we are going to tonight most easy to locate. Try your best to remember your way so you can go there on your wish."

Thorn nodded and hurried after Gwaedhiel who had already made her way to the winding stairway.

Gwaedhiel had been correct; the dinning hall was very easy to find. Once they had gone outside, the she elf had brought Thorn around the large establishment and around the side. There, once inside, a series of two stairways followed and then a short hallway. The dinning hall was behind two large doors that stood magnificently in the side of the aisle.

"Let us go inside," said Gwaedhiel.

The woman nodded and followed the elf quietly inside the room. The inside was not as big as one would have imagined and Thorn quickly realized that this was probably not the dinning hall that had been used during the banquet to Frodo's recovery. This room was also simple and had two doors connecting it to another part of the building, one of the doors made out of a low hanging drape. There was a long table that stretched for a considerable size in the middle of the room and chairs that circled around. Atop the chairs held several elves, all talking and joking merrily. Legolas and Elrohir were among them, but Lord Elrond was not. Neither was the Evenstar of the elves present.

Gwaedhiel took her seat among the elves and motioned for Thorn to sit where she pleased. The woman pulled up the chair next to the kind elf and sat down. Thorn recognized some of the elves from the scout with Legolas and others remained unknown to her. A voice sounded near to her and Thorn turned her head quickly.

"Milady, I am happy to see that you are doing well enough to join us. You seemed in such a strange daze earlier that we were not sure if you would want to come down," said Elrohir.

The woman smiled and replied, "I am feeling quite alright now, thank you again for accompanying me here to Rivendell."

"It is of no trouble," he said. "Do tell, when are you planning to continue your travels?"

Thorn paused for a moment. When indeed? She could not stick around for too long or risk becoming a burden. "I am not sure, perhaps in a few days when I get provisions together," she answered.

Elrohir nodded as another elf came over and set a plate of food down on the table. Its sweet aroma met the woman's nose, but she dared not make a move towards the plate, knowing full well that unspoken rules were best to try and be followed. Thorn noticed another elf sitting across the table from Elrohir and he resembled a striking similarity. _Maybe that is Elladan. _It was not certain if Elrohir and Elladan were twins, as Tolkien had never specified that. However, it was safe to assume so as the two were often described as "so much alike that they, the sons of Elrond, that few could tell them apart." In the trilogy books, the two were almost never mentioned without one another except when speaking. They had also been born in the same year, while most elves wait ten years before giving birth again. Thirdly, the birth of twins was not uncommon in the family line, with the occurrence with Elured and Elurin and another pair of Elrond and Elros.

"Lady Thorn, are you going to eat?" asked a voice for the second time.

Thorn looked up, startled. Gwaedhiel had been waiting for the woman to pick up some food, but when she did not, the she elf had asked the woman.

The woman looked a little flustered and mumbled an apology. Seeing that the other elves had all reached in freely to take their share of the food, Thorn followed suit.

The dinner passed all too quickly in the young woman's opinion. The jesting and singing put everyone in a bright mood and the food only added on. She had answered questions from a few elves, but not much had been inquired. After the food had been finished, the elves had all dispersed and Thorn had bade the kindly Gwaedhiel a goodnight, assuring her that she remembered her way back to her room.

On her way back, Thorn wondered about the same thing she had during her walk in the afternoon, her bath, and part of the merry dinner. In fact, every time she thought about leaving, there was a nagging thought that kept tugging irritably at her mind. She couldn't place it, but felt that if she didn't find out what it was soon, she might blow. Upon arriving at her room, the thought became stronger, but it slipped away each time the woman tried to grasp and make shape of it.

Thorn entered her room and found her jeans and T-shirt clean and hung up by the window. She walked over and took the clothes off the bar and draped them on the mouth of the dresser. Earlier today, Thorn had discovered a map of the whole of Middle Earth tucked away behind the mirror, in the position that was meant for the owner of the room to easily dislodge. She had looked at it for some time and tried to come up with a sensible direction to take. No perfect idea came to mind and she was starting to grow distressed. With a little huff, the woman flopped down on the bed. She had had a heavy dinner and that would soon serve to tire her. A long sleep was in order, but a simple nagging thought continued to pull at her. No matter, it would most likely go away in the morning. After all, she just fell into Middle Earth, who wouldn't have nagging thoughts?

Pulling the sheets up the woman tucked herself into the warm sheets. The window was left open and let in a comfortable breeze. Sleep was easy to come by after a heavy meal and it claimed Thorn quickly. She slept soundly for the night, far into the early hours of the morning. However, if any of us have every experienced such a thing in their sleep, realization can come even when you are unconscious. Little things like nagging thoughts can be figured out in the night and this was just the case. Thorn sat bolt upright in the middle of the peaceful slumber. It was still dark outside, not even the sun had started to show its face.

"Oh! How could I have forgotten! I can't leave, what will become of Boromir?"

* * *

**A/N:** Goodness that was long. Sorry not much happened here, it was just a smooth chapter with no ups or downs really, which was part of the reason why it was so very hard to write. I was going through enormous writer's block already, but I tried to make it good. It is harder to update now as my life has just been kicked into hyper mode. Almost more than I can handle, but not entirely unpleasant. Well I do hope that you enjoyed that chapter and please review! 

**Reviewer Responses:**

I have an announcement to make. After a while of thought, I don't think I will continue this section of the story. Some people are getting irritated with me and I don't want to risk my story coming off the site. I will reply to all of you, I promise, but only through e-mail. Please leave a penname if you want a response as I will have no way of replying to anonymous reviewers. I will post the responses this time as I did not give warning last time, but this section will not be here the next time. Thank you for all of your support and please review!

**Obsessed4life: **Haha, I have noticed it too. I am sorry I have not updated all that fast, but I promise to kick into "hyper mode" again. . Please continue to review, and I will be eagerly awaiting your comments!

Mrs Huggins (ano): Wow, another long one. Here I go. Thank you so much for pointing out that my elvish was all wrong. I really did not know and I pray that you will not persecute me for it. I had asked a few of my friends about the site before putting it up and they all agreed that it looked very professional, but I guess it is wrong. I will make a better effort from now on. I will stop with the reviewer reply section shortly and I hope you will not get angry at that. I really do not think Glorfindel looks like Legolas and if you think about it, someone would be more likely to name an elf by the name of "Legolas" if they had seen him before, movie appearance or not. Even if that elf were Glorfindel, if he did not look like that, there would be no reason to call a Legolas-looking-character Glorfindel. I also got the name Alya off a site and I suppose that was wrong as well. Once again my apologies.

I did not meant to leave out homosexual people, I have just always thought of them the same as bisexual, never really looking into that. Of course they would never be excluded either. Now then, about my friends. I did tell one of them about this, but then she told my other friends, and before I knew it there were some nasty comments left on the board. I cannot say I oppose this or I would be lying, and Lom had really gotten me irritated. I do wish that she could have left a comment in your manner. You have pointed out a lot of mistakes that I will try to fix and have in no way turned nasty. It would be so nice if all people who want to leave criticisms could review in the manner that you have. Thank you again and I hope that this chapter was better.

**ariti: **Haha, elves don't glow in the dark, but they do give off a luminous glow from what I have read. Hehe, thank you for reviewing!

**inuyasha1818: **Well I am honored; please tell me what you think.

**AnimeLover45: **Hi Alex. Wow Rachel and Vanessa sure can get fired up. Hope you liked this chapter!

**Silmarwen Telrunya**Thank you! The elvish wasn't correct and I am quite distressed over that, I thought the website was a good one but I guess not. I will just have to keep looking.

**points.dont.matter: **Aw, you don't like this as much as A Bittersweet Embrace? Well I will make you like both! And you know I love to make your head spin! Keep reviewing for every chapter!

**Aaliyah Starnight**I can give her you e-mail if you want. Her name is Ali and she is a cheerleader. Thank you for reviewing and I am so glad that you love this story!

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(during show choir singing "Silent Night." Teacher going around students telling them where to put a breath mark so the song sounds like no one breaths at all)

**Kelsey: **But Mrs. Taylor! I can't hold my breath for that long!

**Mrs. Taylor: **Yes you can! Just take a deeper breath.

**Kelsey: **It's twenty-seven counts! Miss Taylor I'll die.

**Miss Taylor: **-sighs- Fine, we'll give you a place to breath. If you really need it that much.

**Michelle:** -mimicks- Gosh, fine! Jeeze, we'll give you a place to breathe! I mean, psh, if you really need it! Gosh, what a baby.

**Deborah: **-cracks up-


	5. Rivendell III

**A/N:** Alrighty then! I am so sorry that took so long to put up. Right now seems to be the "let's see how much homework we can pile students with before they suffocate" time. I'm just kidding. Actually, it is the end of the first nine weeks, and being in gifted…hehe. Grammar test, terminology, smash all forms of sentence patterns together, writing exam, more FCAT writing since the darn school chooses gifted to test their dumb writing comp program that will spit out nothing but fives, and a Binder test over definition, synonym, sentence, and part of speech for every SAT word so far. Whoo… Well I guess I shouldn't really be complaining since you people out there probably just want me to get on with the story. This time I will be mostly outlining the friendship that Thorn has developed with Merry and Pippin. Keep in mind that this is a Legomance so they are only friends. We stil have a few more days in Rivendell before setting off. Perhaps this chapter and then I am guessing two more. Bear with me and I promise for this to be good! Read on, and I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the speeches during the Council of Elrond; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **Pulling the sheets up the woman tucked herself into the warm sheets. The window was left open and let in a comfortable breeze. Sleep was easy to come by after a heavy meal and it claimed Thorn quickly. She slept soundly for the night, far into the early hours of the morning. However, if any of us have every experienced such a thing in their sleep, realization can come even when you are unconscious. Little things like nagging thoughts can be figured out in the night and this was just the case. Thorn sat bolt upright in the middle of the peaceful slumber. It was still dark outside, not even the sun had started to show its face.

"Oh! How could I have forgotten! I can't leave, what will become of Boromir?"

* * *

The days passed on uneventfully, all similar to the first. Thorn did not see the handsome elf prince again except at meals, nor the kindly Lord Elrond. At first, the woman had debated with herself on what she should do. She could simply go on pretending that she didn't know anything about Boromir's death, after all, who would blame her; Thorn was under no obligation whatsoever to rescue the man. However, she was a strong idealist and knew that she would not be able to live with herself if she did let this pass. The idea that she might fail in saving the man never really occurred to her; when it came to a human life, there was no failing. 

In the end, she still had not reached a definite conclusion, although it was clear that her brain was vouching for her to tag along with the Fellowship. But goodness knows, she could end up doing more bad than good. The Fellowship had succeeded perfectly well without her help and she could very well unbalance the precariously placed plot that was already teetering on edge and threatened to spill over with one false move. It was evident that she had been brought here on accident. Gandalf's very words were proof of it.

Just like the book had depicted, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pipin, and Strider had all arrived on the twentieth. Frodo had been in a coma-like stage where no amount of persuasion could wake the man. His hobbit friends had been terribly anxious, but Thorn encouraged them all not to worry, giving a reason that Frodo looked strong and that he could no possibly let life pass through his very grasp so easily. Still they waited on with minds unease, especially the kindly Sam. Thorn had not been too troubled about the whole affair; she knew plenty well that Frodo was due to awake on the twenty-fourth of October, a mere four nights and three days away from their arrival. However, before Frodo had awakened himself, Thorn had taken the time to locate Gandalf - with help from Gwaedhiel – and ask him her pondering question.

She had introduced herself to the old wizard as a traveler that had lost her way in the many routes around Middle Earth. Gandalf had shown no suspicion towards the woman and seemed to want to help her quite openly. They had talked for some time, Thorn getting accustomed to the man; all the while trying to find out how she could ask if her coming to this world had any special purpose. Alas, she asked the question that had been clinging to her mind for far too long.

**Flashback…**

"Gandalf, might I ask something that pertains to my arrival here in Rivendell?" she started out casually.

"Yes, yes, of course, Lady Thorn, go right ahead."

There was a slight pause as Thorn gathered her thoughts carefully. "I…do you think, that I, speaking hypothetically, I mean no, not hypothetically, well almost like I was going to, but then again, like I did, but hypothetically…"

"I assure you Lady Thorn, I am no stranger to sorcery and if you do not make haste with your speech, you will soon see the full extent of my powers," said Gandalf, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Right…sorry," she mumbled. "Do you think I came here for a reason?" she spit out at last.

Gandalf gave her a quizzical look. "Why of course, most everyone who comes to Rivendell has their own purpose," he said.

"Oh, no, no!" she said quickly shaking her head. "I mean, like, do you think there was a greater reason that I, um, happened upon Lord Elrond and Prince Legolas' scouting party as I did?"

"Ah," said the wizard with a smile. "Perhaps. Aragorn informed me, after speaking to Legolas, that you seemed quite lost, maybe it was best that you came to Rivendell for a few days."

"That wasn't what I meant," she said again. This was taking longer than she had thought. She had been so sure that the knowledgeable Gandalf would have been able to catch on to her meaning considerably quickly. "Let me put it straightforward for I fear that I was being terribly unclear," she said. "Do you suppose that I was here for a great, earth-shattering reason?"

Once again Gandalf gave her a smile, as if meant for a small child. "No, my child, I am almost certain not," he said. "Things happen here in our world. People run into others without a great meaning. It is true that everything does indeed have a purpose, but I can assure you that your case was not anything earth-shattering," he said with the twinkle still in his eyes.

"Oh, I see. I just wanted to know, thank you."

**End Flashback…**

After her speech with Gandalf, Thorn had encountered many nagging doubts hanging around her head. He had said that she had not been brought to Rivendell for any great and noble cause, which was quite obvious to see. The Fellowship had done perfectly well, minus one, before; they didn't need a twenty-first century woman plundering about with them. Despite all of this, Thorn was still becoming increasingly certain that she would want to go with them.

She knew that she herself would be crushed and greatly angered if she learned that someone who was able and knowing enough to save her had chosen not to. After all, even if she did go along, how much trouble could she possibly cause? Most likely, the worst that could happen was to get herself killed. At least Thorn prayed that that was the most damage she could do. The woman had thought on the subject an awful long time, but was forced to stop her train of thought when a cheerful looking hobbit had come up from behind her.

Thorn had developed quite a friendly relationship with Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. It had improved even more so after Frodo had awakened, and Thorn had been able to talk to Sam even more. It just so happened that the two were itching for a run about Rivendell now that their dearest friend hobbit was up and well.

"Milday, if you would please," started Pippin with a bow of mock-courtesy.

"Join us in a pleasant evening stroll down merry-lane," finished Merry with a bright smile.

"Now Merry, why must it be _merry_-lane? Goodness knows you may discourage Lady Thorn from joining us at all!" exclaimed Pipin in a joking way.

"Well of course it is merry-lane!" exclaimed Merry. "I am, quite the lady's man of course," he said stroking back his hair with a goofy grin.

"Merry you stop that!" bickered Pippin angrily.

The two exchanged a few cleverly thought up comebacks, but at last, neither could think of anything else to say to the other. When silence had fallen over, Thorn let out a soft little cough, reminding them of her presence.

"Oh, yes, how rude of us to have forgotten," exclaimed Merry.

"Milady," said Pippin holding out his hand with a bow.

Thorn giggled at their goofy act and took Merry's hand to humor the hobbit in his own game.

"Shall we?" asked Pippin with a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Yes, let's," said Thorn trying to suppress a laugh. Had this been anyone else in her world or in the to-be Fellowship, she would have felt deathly uncomfortable. However, this was Merry and Pippin and it was no secret that the two enjoyed pulling humorous stunts and had no shame when it came to fun.

The two little hobbits led the woman outside into the beautiful realm of Rivendell. Pippin was still pulling on Thorn's hand and eagerly telling her to hurry. She had done her best, considering she was wearing a dress-robe that she had obtained from the bathing-room; being too nervous to ask Gwaedhiel for anything different even though she was quite sure the elf would bring it to her anyways. It was quite a lovely garment really, with long flowing sleeves and a length that reached her feet. The elves were much taller than she was and it proved to be a bit too big and baggy on her. Her hair had also begun to get ruffled by the wind. It was really quite pretty when brushed, but it got untidy so very easily. Another reason why she admired her friends who had perfect features and never even had to worry about keeping a comb with them.

"Hurry along now, c'mon," came Merry's voice. "We're almost there."

"Almost where?" asked Thorn as she was pulled along by an eager Pippin.

"You'll see," answered Pippin.

The two hobbits pulled the stumbling woman along until they had reached the bridge that went over the ever flowing Bruinen. The view was…to say the least, breathtaking.

"Wow…" breathed Thorn softly as she looked on into the waterfall with the sky painted a beautiful light pink and orange. The crashing waterfall could be heard from a distance off and the white mist seemed to materialize from such a distance. Furthermore, even the House of Elrond had been bathed a soft color of light yellow, making it even more so warm and inviting.

"Pretty isn't it?" asked Pippin, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yes…yea, it is," she agreed absentmindedly. Thorn feverishly remembered the reflections project she had to do once when she was still in middle school. It had been over "my special place." At the time, Thorn had still loved connecting to nature, but unlike her old country-like home in Vermont, the bustling street of Florida provided for no special place that she could retreat to each day.

"You see Pippin? I told you she would like it," piped Merry.

"Well of course. You always have to be right," said Pippin without taking his eyes off from the sunset.

"That may just be so," Merry agreed cheerfully.

The three stood quietly on the bridge for the remainder of the sunset. At last when the Earth had been bathed in darkness and the shimmering light of the stars, Thorn opted that they should return back to her room in case Gwaedhiel were to look for her.

"Yes of course milady," said Merry.

"We are afraid that we do not know the way to your quarters, you must lead," said Pippin with another comical bow.

Thorn smiled and said, "ok then, I think I remember my way back." Pippin had pulled her so very quickly that Thorn was not too sure if she had picked up the exact path back to the room. However, it should not prove to be too hard as the only part of the pathway that she did not know of was when they had veered off to the right. "Right…this way," she mumbled.

The two little hobbits followed the woman across the bridge and along the pathway. She had made two wrongs turns on getting back, but was at last able to make it back to the entrance of her stairway.

"Ok, thank goodness for that," she said, cheerfully pushing open a structure that looked somewhat like a door.

"Nicely done milady," applauded Pippin.

"We're both still alive," added in Merry with a smile.

"Oh hush," the woman said. It would have been a great deal more attractive on her part if she had then disappeared gracefully through the drapes…but no! Thorn simply couldn't go an hour without being clumsy as she stumbled over her own two feet and nearly tumbled into the establishment. She managed to get her footing again before falling smack on her face, but did not fail to notice the burst of laughter coming from Merry and Pippin.

"Milady, I hope you are alright," said Merry with laughter in his voice.

"Uh, yea. I'm fine," she said hastily as she hurried up the stairs, her cheeks flushing a nice shade of cherry red.

The two hobbits both entered Thorn's room after her given consent and then proceeded to make themselves comfortable on her wooden floor and to start up a conversation as they always did.

"I am very glad that Frodo is up and well," said Pippin. "We were all getting worried for Sam as well."

"If you don't mind me saying milady," started Merry. "But you did not seem at all worried about Mr. Frodo. You can put on a very nice mask there," he said.

"Oh…" said Thorn quietly. Of course she had not worried, there had been no need. She knew all of the outcomes for the Fellowship, or in this case to-be Fellowship, and Frodo had been due to wake up soon. "Yea, well to tell you the truth, I was pretty sure Frodo would pull through," she said.

"Oh really? Now what gave you that idea?" asked Merry.

"Well…" said Thorn slowly. "He really seemed to be quite strong in order to hold onto life for such a long time after being attacked by the Black Riders…there was no way he could actually let himself die when he was in good care, but hold on in the rugged wilderness," she said. The argument only half-way made sense, and she hoped it would suffice for the hobbit's curiosity on her behavior.

This seemed to indeed satisfy the two of them and they went onto different subjects, mostly of the Shire and how they missed it so. They told Thorn of how the cool grass pricked at the feet each time they took a step, the homely holes that they lived in, and the trees that had grown wise soaking in the wisdom of the earth. They told her of the celebrations that all hobbits were so fond of and the remarkable birthday-party of Bilbo-Baggins. Thorn really knew most of these things, having read the book several times through, but it was all so different listening to two real hobbits tell the story again.

"So…" said Pippin, beginning the question that Thorn had known was bound to come sooner or later. "Where are you from Lady Thorn?"

Thorn paused...not at all sure on how to answer the question. She had completely run out of options with all of the improvisation that she had been doing since she was fairly certain Merry and Pippin would not take a philosophy filled, unclear answer. "Well…I….came, I came from, that is…" she dragged on.

Just then there was a soft knock on the frame of her room.

_Thank goodness…_ "Yes," said Thorn a bit more loudly than she had intended. She was somewhat surprised when the drapes revealed the young Prince of Mirkwood instead of the expected Gwaedhiel. She sat there, dumbstruck for a moment.

"Milady…please continue with your conversation," he said. "I do not wish in any way to disturb your thoughts," Legolas concluded with a grin.

_...Why that little! _There was no doubt that the elf's sensitive ears had picked up the conversation she had been having with Merry and Pippin. Now he was feverishly waiting to see what she would do about it, or even better; if the two curious hobbits would be able to dig the information on her origins out of her. _Ergh!_ _Wait a second, I already that elf my origins…_ "Yes, I would be most happy to tell you where I am from," she said casting a happy glance at the elf. "Trollshaws is my home."

There was a little gasp of disbelief from the hobbits and a snort of unsuppressed laughter from the elf. Thorn, however, kept the smile plastered on her face.

"Tro-" Pippin began but was cut off my Thorn.

"Yes now Legolas, what did you need?" she asked.

The elf was still smiling but nonetheless stated his business. "Yes, yes of course Lady Thorn of Trollshaws. I have come in to bid you for dinner as Gwaedhiel is currently helping with the preparations." The elf held out a delicate hand, his eyes still shinning with mirth.

Thorn cast the elf an annoyed glance that he had once again outdid her, but stepped up anyways. "Thank you," she mumbled, her defiant attitude quickly dispersing.

"Well then, we'll leave you two to that matter, right Merry?" said Pippin.

"Yes, of course," said Merry. And with that, the hobbits cast themselves out of the little room.

The woman took the elf's hand and followed him down the stairs.

The dinner had proceeded just as usual, only this time she had sat with the Prince Archer along with Elrohir and Elladan. The elves were convivial creatures and very fond of merry-making. There was once again, much singing and jesting around the table. He dinner was most grand, and just like the other four nights, Thorn found it most sufficient. After the meal, she had once again excused herself, assuring the blonde archer that she could find her way back.

Thorn had taken the long way back to the room, thinking quietly to herself. She was so intent on her travels that she had nearly collided headfirst into Sam who had been rounding a corner with concentrated speed.

"Milady!" cried a bewildered Sam. "My apologies."

"Oh, don't worry about it, really, it was my fault," she assured her friend quickly. Sam got ruffled so easily, it couldn't be good for his health.

"No, really milady," began Sam but was all of a sudden, realization hit Thorn with great impact.

"No, no! Never mind that Sam!" she cried out. She was almost sure that her decision was the right one. It was true that you should never decide things with a rushed mind, even more so applying to important subjects, but this could not be helped. "Do tell, you know of the secret Council tomorrow don't you," she asked quickly.

"Milday…I assure you-"

No, please, Sam there isn't too much time," she pressed. "You know of it don't you?"

The hobbit gave a little sigh and nodded. "But Lady Thorn, however did you find out?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question," she replied back.

"I…"

"Never mind. I won't tell if you don't. I just have one request…" she breathed quickly.

"I…of course," obliged Sam.

Thorn nodded quickly and brought her voice down even lower so Sam had to strain his own ears even to hear the frantic woman. "Take me with you to the Council tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N:** Ok! There you go. Out Thorn has finally made her decision. I am sorry to those of you who were waiting for a Legomance scene, but this chapter wasn't really meant for that. I will not start to develop the seriousness of the relationship until around Misty Mountains. Perhaps later. Until then, there will be cute little scenes to hold all of you, and myself up. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Thorn will develop a very close relationship with Merry and Pippin later on. They are just friends. Wanted to make that clear. Well now that I have once again worked through a writer's block for you people, review!

**Reviewer Responses:**

This is just a reminder that this section will no longer be here. If you want a reply, do not review as an ano. Please, I really want so very, very, dearly, tremendously to reach my **fiftith review** with this fifth chapter. I assure you I am not a kind of person that does not update until they get a certain amount of reviews. Even though it is so effective, I do not like that kind of writing. It is just a small plead, wish, implorment I am making upon all of my great readers, please try to hit that fifty mark! Now that I have said that, I will thank you for all pressing that shiny review button. Even if I don't hit my goal, I will still be forever greatful for all of you who have decided to leave a coment! Many thanks.

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(This story is courtesy of **points.dont.matter** She is a huge fan of the improvisation show, Whose Line is it Anyway?)

**Ryan:** -after smashing his head into a lamp- (I am pretty sure it was on accident…)

**Colin:** How many fingers am I holding up? –starts to hold up three fingers, then two and switches back and forth-

**Ryan:** Three?

**Colin:** Eh, close enough.

**Ryan:** -holds up middle finger- How many fingers am I holding up?


	6. Rivendell IV

**A/N:** I am sorry that this story also took a while to put up. My original intention was to have a chapter per week, but this wish has been rendered helpless by the onslaught of activities that barge their way into life. I will try my best to update each week, but the coming month will be extremely busy with testing, projects, performances, and my regular SAT and Chinese classes during the weekends. So once again please try to understand why I am taking so long and hopefully I will find the time to add a little bit each day so I can update on Saturday or Sunday. I won't keep you for any longer now, read on!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the Council of Elrond; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"Never mind. I won't tell if you don't. I just have one request…" she breathed quickly.

"I…of course," obliged Sam.

Thorn nodded quickly and brought her voice down even lower so Sam had to strain his own ears even to hear the frantic woman. "Take me with you to the Council tomorrow."

* * *

Everything Thorn had experienced so far had, really, followed the movie and book for the most part. At least everything had a certain resemblance to the movies; the filming hadn't been perfect, but they had done a fine job to say the least. However, the Council was much different. Instead of being in a sort of outdoor patio like the movie had displayed, it was on more of a porch. What could be the difference? The movie had displayed an open area while the Council was held in an area that had an overhang. When thought about, it really didn't make such a difference, but when seen it was quite a distinct difference.

Sam, true to his promise, had brought Thorn to a little corner where they could sit comfortably and not be seen or heard if they were careful. Thorn was intent on making sure that she was to go with the Fellowship. She had already decided on this, on the moment last night. In the clear morning with a gurgle of the brook and hush of the trees, it all seemed a bright and clever idea she had concluded to.

The elves, dwarves, and people who attended the Council were just as the book had depicted so carefully. At the head of the small circle sat Elrond, a sense of grave air about him. Around him were the other members of the Council. Of the dwarves were Gloin and his son, Gimli. The elves seemed to be the most numerous of the three species. Beside Glorfindel sat several other elves, all counselors of Elrond. Erestor was among them with Galdor from the Grey Havens. Legolas too was present as a messenger from his father, Thranduil, King of Elves of Northern Mirkwood. Strider sat in a corner and the man that Thorn saw as Boromir was seated a little farther apart; with his rich garments and great baldric horn. Only a few moments later, Gandalf brought Frodo to the council where he sat himself amongst the other members of the Council.

First the dwarves told their tales of the happenings in the outside world. Thorn listened curiously to what they had to say, bits and pieces added in that she did not remember from the book. At one time the words, "Moria! Moria!" could be heard from one of the dwarves, but all else seemed like a disquieted mumbled to the woman's ears.

At another point in the conversation the council discussed a messenger that had come to Dain. Sauron was seeking out information on the hobbit who had taken the One Ring. The Dark Lord had promised to return the three other rings of the Great Dwarves and Moria if this small trifle was found again.

Thorn realized that this was only the beginning of a long council; they still had many pages of the book to flip through. That was good. The woman had always loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and was desperate to hear matters on the Council of Elrond first hand. She was in no hurry for the meeting to end; and most definitely in no hurry to see the reaction on Lord Elrond's face when he was to find out that she too, along with Sam, had been listening in on the conversation the whole time. Sam may be able to get off lucky; no he was to get off lucky for sure, but Thorn had no idea what would happen to her. _That's the scary thing about being here…_ Thorn realized slowly. _I may have an outline of what will happen to everyone else in the to-be Fellowship but I have no idea what will happen to me. Oh Thorn, what a fool of a coward you are…_

Elrond soon went on to give a full account of the seemingly lost story on Isildur and the One Ring. It was unbelievably long, taking up a good portion of two hours to tell. Thorn had listened, slightly dozing next to an intent Sam as the gentle trickling of the brook lulled her on. She had listened peacefully for the most part, until Lord Elrond's voice seemed to elevate in volume. It possessed no uncontrolled fury, but there was an edge of anger to it. He was accounting the Last Alliance.

How long Elrond talked Thorn did not know. All she knew was that the story was dragging out; it was complicated and full of woe. She wished not to hear anymore of this Council already, but knew that if she wanted to have even the slightest chance of being a part of the Fellowship she would have to stay and hear this out. She sat back in a more comfortable position and listened now to Boromir's booming voice. He spoke of the Sword that was broken, reciting the poem:

_Seek for the Sword that was broken: __In Imladris it dwells; __There shall be counsels taken __Stronger than Morgul-spells. __There shall be shown a token, __That Doom is near at hand, __For Isildur's Bane shall waken, __And the Halfling forth shall stand. _

Then there was a crash on the table the Thorn perceived Aragorn to be putting down the sword that had been broken. The sound of a clashing of chair could then be heard and Frodo's exclaimed voice crying out that he ring belonged to Aragorn. There was a hushed silence and the meeting went back to its old unperceivable quietness. Thorn could tell that Elrond was now talking, but from the distance that she was at, it was hard to make out the words. Next Bilbo told his tale of how he came to be in possession of the ring which Thorn could guess took another good part of an hour or more. Frodo's tale came next and the sun rose high in the sky before he finished.

Sparing the reader much more of the details that came to play in the Council, a quick surmise of what happened could be told in a mere few sentences. Most of the other elves, dwarves and people gave their account of a story in the outside world and few on the opinion of the ring. It turned out that even Elrond did not know what would really happen if the One Ring was destroyed. He hoped that it would release Sauron's hold on power and the other lesser rings. However one thing was for sure; something had to be done as the ring could not stay here in Rivendell.

Thorn didn't know how long she had been sitting there anymore, only that her leg was asleep and she couldn't feel her feet. The sun had long since risen in the sky and was waiting patiently for the world to come into action. The woman, under the protective shade of the archway concealing her and Sam from the other members of the meeting was content to sit and watch.

It was then something surprised her. It was absolutely silent, save the consistent trickling of the nearby brook. No one made a sound and from what Thorn could recall, after so much time had passed this must finally be it. The noon bell then rang, yes this was definitely it. The meeting was drawing to a close after a long morning. She held her breath and could feel Sam tensing beside her. It seemed like a dreadfully long time to wait, why wasn't Frodo saying anything?

"I will take the Ring," his clear voice finally rang out.

Thorn involuntarily let out the breath that she had been holding and Sam tensed up even more so. She could hear Elrond talking to Frodo although Thorn took no strain in trying to understand what the elf was saying. She already knew too well.

Sam must have heard something that Thorn had not for she heard his breath quicken. But why wasn't he getting up? Why wasn't he going in to interrupt and announce that he was to go with his little master? She wasn't really sure if she was to simply let Sam go up on his own time, but her hand seemed to have a mind of its own. With a sudden shove, she pushed the hobbit forward and whispered at the same time, "What are you waiting for? Don't just sit around like a lump, go and insist that you want to go!"

Sam stumbled forward with a quiet, disgruntled snort and awkwardly got to his feet again. No one had noticed him yet.

"Go!" Thorn hissed at him again.

Without waiting for more, the hobbit raced forward into the Council. "But you won't send him off alone surely, Master," Sam cried out.

The rest was nearly inaudible to Thorn as the little group started talking; she knew that Elrond was agreeing to let Sam go. _Oh no, what am I going to do? I don't know if I should even go up…But I waited here all morning so it is only practical that I finish what I set out to do. _She closed her eyes; she still had a little more time to think as the faint murmur of voices could still be heard from the Council, obviously discussing who was to bring forth the Ring. Thorn knew that if she went up, she would be taking the place of _someone_ that was supposed to go with the Fellowship. Elrond had declared there be Nine Walkers to counter the force of Sauron's nine Black Riders. Thorn would either have to convince Elrond that taking an extra person would be alright or leave Boromir to his scheduled death. There was a silence that floated through the area, a silence just long enough for Thorn to dart up. She knew that the book had not exactly highlighted what had happened right after the meeting. She had to decide, and she had to decide now.

"Wait!" Thorn cried, leaping up from her hiding spot even though her chocked, half undecided voice didn't carry too far. She ran up to the side of the council. "Wait," Thorn repeated.

Elrond did not really look displeased, but it was hard to tell emotion on his face. There was a murmur of disapproval from the Council and Elrond said, "Ah, what have we hear. I could almost expect our friend Sam here, but you Thorn, well that is a surprise. Do state your business and why, as I guess, you have been listening in with Sam here on our meeting."

Another murmur rippled through the crowd of men, dwarves, and elves as it had done for Sam.

"I…" Thorn muttered, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I wanted to ask…ask you…" _Oh this will never do! Pull yourself together! He will never say yes if you stare at the floor and mutter some helpless plea!_

The members of the Council were still waiting; they had each given each other a respectful silence when the other spoke and although Thorn had not been a part of the Council, proper manners were still in order. She could feel the gaze of the weather-worn Strider in the corner and a curious glance from Legolas. Gandalf too was staring at her and Frodo looked just as curious. This was no time to be shy.

"Let me go with Frodo, I want to help bring the Ring across Mordor," she said in a clear voice, this time not betraying so much uneasiness. "With the Fellowship."

The murmurs continued rippling through the little crowd. There was a disapproving snort from one of the elves; it was obvious that Thorn had made no journey with the hobbits, was not representing any of the regions, and therefore not a popular choice to be given such honor as to travel with the Ring Bearer.

"Let her state her reason," Elrond said, putting his hand up for silence. He had obviously traveled with Thorn at least for a little bit and was willing to listen.

_A reason…_There was no way she could state her real reason, she had already decided to make sure that no one knew she had read into their futures. So what could she say in front of all these men, dwarves, elves, and a wizard. She was a good liar, not really something she could pride herself in, but with so many gazes drilling holes right through her skin, she doubted she could pick herself out of this situation like she could for her friends so easily at school. "I…um…I want to lend my sword," she said before she could stop the flow of uneasiness coming out of her mouth along with the words.

She was aware of the hot prickling gaze of the blond archer behind her and the curious gaze of Gloin. Glorfindel look away and Strider continued to sit forward in his seat, pondering it seemed, on some far away aspect. That was when the woman realized that she did not look like she could wield much of any weapon at all. Her arms were not he strongest and her legs were simply average. The only thing she could even begin to pride herself in were her back muscles that still fell far short compared to every being here in the Council except maybe Frodo although she still did not know how hardy the hobbit really was. At this rate, she should probably just list Fordo as a stronger being as well. And strangely, she did not doubt that.

"We all thank you for trying to help Lady Thorn," said Elrond, "But I do not think your service is needed. Estel is skilled with the sword as with Boromir and Legolas. We also have other members of the party helping young Frodo. I ask you to spare yourself the grief of trying to go with the group and stay behind. After all, it is not at all customary for a woman such as you to go off and fight. I am sure you know that," he said with a stern gaze.

Thorn felt thickly uncomfortable again and carefully shifted her weight from one foot to the other, brooding over an answer. "But the women from my home fight just as men do," Thorn argued back hotly. "We too are expected to fight for out villages and make as many sacrifices as men."

"That may be true," said Elrond, "and although I must admit to the fact that I have never heard of this custom among people, it is not formal for you in the House of Elrond to do so."

"Please," said Thorn once more. "I can help." She didn't even want to think about what would happen if Elrond refused. Sam looked like he was ready to say something, but clamped his mouth shut again as Elrond raised his hand once more to speak.

"I do not this it wise," the elf said back. "There will be nine Walkers to counter the force of Sauron's nine Black Riders. To bring too many beings would not be wise. I plan to look for another two elves to accompany the force, it would be most wise." There was a murmur of approval through the small crowd again and a few snorts from the dwarves. A few were impatient to get on out of the Council. The small woman was holding them up.

"One more," Thorn argued. "One more to overcome the forces of Sauron's Black Riders. To get the Ring to Mordor may require a greater feat than simply countering Sauron's force. I…I can help," she finished. Thorn was well aware that it was not going to be two elves to take the last two spots; it would be Merry and Pippin. She would never take their spots away from them, with the reason why she didn't just suggest Elrond take one extra elf instead of two, but she knew that she still had to try to bring the nine Walkers to ten.

Elrond paused for a moment, as if considering Thorn's proposal. But at last said, "No, most definitely not. The slightest risk may result in the demise of the Fellowship. No."

"But," Thorn said. She was starting to despair. How could she fail even the first stage of this journey? Could she not even fight her way out of the starting point? "The smallest change could result in a huge difference," Thorn said. "You're right. I could make a difference," she paused. "I want to fight," Thorn added in dramatically.

The elf eyed the woman standing before him carefully. He knew the kind of sword she carried and it would be absolutely no use in fighting off orcs if it came to it. He could give her another sword, it would be no problem, but judging at the displayed strength in her arms, she did not carry a heavy sword and it could be a problem. "No," he repeated firmly.

"Please," begged Thorn. "Please…just let me…"

"No," said Elrond, cutting her off firmly. "I have made my decision and I mean what I say. You will stay behind here; we can offer you a safe home until you are ready to leave for your own home. Until then, you will not being going with the Fellowship. " With a quick wave of his hand, he signaled the other members of the Council away, meaning that the matter was over.

Thorn let out a despairing sigh which almost formed into a wail. Was this what she really was? Not even able to get herself started off? What on earth would her master say about this…? She leaned dejectedly against the wall, staring at the ivy that had carefully inched its way up the rough incline over many months of growth. _I was here six days…and I failed…_she thought miserably. By now the Council had thinned out and only a few remained around the borders of the area, quietly talking amongst themselves.

"Do not feel too bad," Strider said from behind her. "I know it is not easy to be told off when you wish to fight, but sometimes we need to listen to those who surpass us in wisdom and knowledge. They usually know best," he said with a sympathetic smile.

Thorn nodded slowly and watched as Aragorn made his way to the archway that led into the Council room. She didn't expect him to stay anyways. She pushed herself off of the wall and followed suit towards the narrow archway that led back into the confines of the House of Elrond. That was then a soft hand stopped her and pulled her to the side to let the two remaining elves by. She turned around to see the young Prince of Mirkwood.

"Lady Thorn," he began. "You should be careful what you say to Elrond during a Council."

Thorn suppressed a little sigh. Had he simply stopped her to chastise her?

She must have seemed even more dejected for the elf quickly added in, "Wait. Tell me why you really wanted to be a part of the Fellowship. Did you want recognition? To fight?"

Thorn was offended that the archer would even suggest that she had wanted so badly to go along for fame. Attention could be a good thing at times when you felt lonely but definitely not for something this important. "I…to fight."

"Is that the only reason?" he asked.

"And to protect the Ring," she said. "I know that there will be many ill events to befall the Fellowship and I want to help." It wasn't really a lie. She had told the truth, just left out the names.

"But still," Legolas said. "It was unwise to try and beg Elrond for permission at that time. If you found it so important, then you should have waited for later in order to ask permission to perhaps take up the spot of an elf he would send."

She wondered why Legolas was so curious about her intentions and grew slightly annoyed. "Look, I know that was what I was supposed to do but how would I find Lord Elrond later on? The grounds are expansive and he would be busy. I needed to take my chance when I had it." And added in, "Why are you so inquisitive anyways?"

The archer sighed and in response said, "The night you came to us in the forest, you had a sword with you."

"Yea…" said Thorn eyeing him a little suspiciously.

"I was lying out of its place and hanging halfway out of its sheath. I supposed you may have flung it in your sleep," he continued. "I picked it up to put it back next to your other belongings and although it did feel light, it was a good sword. Comfortable to the hand and swung with ease. It was obvious that you took your training very seriously and that you meant the truth when you offered your sword to Frodo's service."

"Yea…" mumbled Thorn. "I did…but it is no use now. Lord Elrond won't hear another word on it."

"Perhaps you caught him on a stressed mood," Legolas assured her with a smile. "I can see, you are skilled to some degree with the sword, your eyes showed the love for fighting that you have and I am sure Lord Elrond saw it to. He just wanted you to stay safe here in Rivendell. Tomorrow, I will asses you," he informed.

"What?" Thorn asked a bit too suddenly. Asses her? Why? "Why?" she repeated.

"I think everyone deserves a chance," he said warmly. "You need to be given that and I can see you are quite desperate to prove yourself. I am willing only if you are."

Thorn started at the elf for a moment. She was so…grateful. So very grateful. This was wonderful, maybe she had not failed just yet. Maybe all she needed was help from a friend. Fate was kind after all. "Of course," she said, trying to suppress her excitement. "Of course I am willing. I'd be so happy." _So happy…_she thought again with a smile.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok you can't kill me for having Elrond say no. It is just I do not see Elrond, in my mind, agreeing to letting a novice fighter along with the Fellowship on first mention. It just isn't realistic. The book already specifies that there is to be nine Walkers and ten if pushing it. To have Elrond all happy-go-lucky and be like "sure of course you can go" would be stupid and out of character. Of course it is only my opinion. But don't worry, Thorn will go along, this is a tenth-walker series. Please tell me what you thought of that. It was pretty flat and boring I must admit, but I needed to plow through all of the dull stuff before I could get to the journey. Not saying this is really dull, just probably not as fun as the rest. Even still, as a novice writer I would love a review and you opinion. I cannot say how much they mean to me. Last time I hardly got any. Did you all not like it? I am sorry if you didn't…but at least tell me if you like my writing style or something. Please hit the little review button and you will have my undying thanks. Thank you for reading and I will update soon. Promise.

**Friends Thoughts:**

((At Perkins with my Show Choir group))

**Melanie: **Perky-Bear-Pancakes!!!!!!

**Ali: **I think I am naturally hyper!

**Michelle:** I think you are naturally high…

**Brook and Melanie: **Cheers! –touches two packets of sugar together and dumps the whole thing down their throats-

**Sarah: **-makes face- That's your fifth packet…

**Michelle: **And then milk came out of my nose!

**Melanie: **Gimmie your potatoes and bacom!!!

**Brook: **No! Mine!

**Michelle: **-dives under table to reach potatoes first- No! They're mine!

**Sarah:** -Recording all on cell phone- Haha, this is awesome

**Deborah: **-admits all the chaos- Sigh…tis the season to be jolly I guess…


	7. Rivendell V

**A/N:** Alright! I am sorry again that this took so long. I want to mentally shoot myself, this should be updating every week but with so much to do is preventing me from getting this done. I really wanted to make my BPA speech well written so I could try and bring home a first, second, or third place at National Competitions since I only placed fifth at Nationals after going from States, but what the heck, I need to update. Not many people are reviewing and it hurts….Please take the time to leave a little comment. I don't care if you just say "it is nice" I would just appreciate something. It is not to just get more reviews on this story, but I want to see what people think and what I can do to improve it. Last time I caught five spelling errors and I was quite appalled. Please tell me if my grammar or spelling is not doing too well, I hate grammatical errors in my stories. I will gladly welcome any constructive criticism and embrace compliments with open arms. Just please no flames; it does no one any good. Now I think you have heard enough of my endless blabbering, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"I think everyone deserves a chance," he said warmly. "You need to be given that and I can see you are quite desperate to prove yourself. I am willing only if you are."

Thorn started at the elf for a moment. She was so…grateful. So very grateful. This was wonderful, maybe she had not failed just yet. Maybe all she needed was help from a friend. Fate was kind after all. "Of course," she said, trying to suppress her excitement. "Of course I am willing. I'd be so happy." _So happy…_she thought again with a smile.

* * *

Thorn hummed a quiet melody as she carefully rubbed her straight sword. The sun had been in the sky for a little bit now and the birds had just started their joyous ritual of welcoming the world into a new day. She was excited. Legolas had said he would test her today to see first her abilities and then if he could help her. The wood elf had not exactly said in actual words that he would go up to Lord Elrond and implore him to take the young woman, or more like to him, the young girl; but she could almost guess that his intentions were somewhere along the lines of that. With a satisfied glance, she gave her sword one last loving stroke and put in back in the sheath.

Thorn had never really been one to oil her weapons or wipe them after a practice, but she suddenly found the sudden urge to do so just today. When she had gotten back to her room the other night, Lady Gwaedhiel had laid out a sleeping wrap and the next day's clothes. It was a light blue and looked a bit like the bathing robe that she had used the day before, only this time the dress did not hang down so low and the sleeves were more tightly woven.

_Are dresses the only things that female elves ever wear? _She dismissed the case and quickly picked up her sword and the silk cloth that she had tied to the end of the sheath. Really only the men's broad sword was supposed to have the long graceful cloth that made a swishing sound when swung, but she liked it quite a lot opposed to the harder dangling ornaments that the straight sword came with that really enjoyed getting in the way of her swings.

Legolas had said that he would meet her out in the hallway of her housing room a little after daybreak. This might technically be more than just a little after daybreak, but she hoped that he would not mind too much. Normal humans did not usually have a very accurate internal alarm system and she had no alarm clock with her.

Thorn hurried down the stairs, her thinly clothed feet making a light tapping sound. At the bottom, she could see a blond head bobbing slightly as he spoke to another figure hidden but the arch of the stairway.

"Please forgive me for being late," Thorn said quickly as she finally reached the bottom of the stairway. "I did not realize what time it was when I had finally gotten ready." The woman bowed quickly to Aragorn as well when she saw that he had been the one Legolas had been speaking with.

"Quite alright Lady Thorn," assured Legolas, "Estel has only just gotten here as well," he said with a smile and playful butt at his friend.

Aragorn smiled as well. There were two large and heavy looking swords tied to his waist. One had a copper looking handle although Thorn was pretty sure the ranger would not use such an easy-to-rust material. "Very well milady," he said, "Legolas has said that he wished to see the extent of your swordsmanship before making any other decisions. I suggest we make the most of our stay here."

Thorn gripped her own light sword until her small knuckles turned white. She had not thought to be racked with nervousness but the thought that the Ranger would also be watching her with his well skilled eyes made her a little uncomfortable.

If either the Elf or the man had noticed her uneasiness, they did not show it.

"Let us go," started Aragorn, "A while ago, I found an open area near the bridge that passes over Burien. We can go there and fear not of striking anything unfavorable."

Thorn nodded quickly and followed the weather-worn Ranger. Legolas had been talking with the man in a hushed whisper, but immediately straightened up and went after Aragorn.

They followed the usual route to the bridge that overlooked the crashing falls of Burien and made a right. The little pathway led them along a short route that ended and veered to the left twice more and the right again. Along the way, Thorn did her best to mark some spots in her head so she would be able to find the area again if needed. However, the grounds of the House of Elrond quite expansive and she was sure there were other places to practice other than this.

Their short walk led them to a clearing as Aragorn had said, but it was paved over with smooth rock rather than covered with soft grass as Thorn had expected. Each stone had been carefully embedded in the ground and dirt packed just right around it. The clearing was a tidy little circle, just the right size. Small bushes lined the outside and two heavy oaks overlooked the area.

"Wow, this is really nice," said Thorn as she slowly walked around the little clearing, her feel making a soft thudding sound as she moved.

Aragorn smiled and said, "I found this place a while back when looking for another way around the bridge. It has served me well since."

"The ground is well packed," added in Legolas. "It is even and will provide much support underfoot, an ideal place to practice swords. Just a bit over, a few minutes of walking, is an archery range."

"Can you use a bow milady?" asked Aragorn.

"Um…yes…." Thorn replied slowly.

Legolas smiled, knowing this reply. "Can you hit the target?" he asked.

"No," Thorn replied more certainly. "My aim is a little over three feet off," she joked lightly.

"That can be fixed though," the Elf said with a laugh. "But for now, our main concern is your skill with the sword. Let us see what you can do," he said.

Thorn gave him a doubtful look. Just like that? 'Let us see what you can do,' and then expect her to go into some aerodynamic movement that would blow their eyes out. Yea right. "Um…" she started when neither of them made a move or sound, "where should I start?"

"Anywhere is alright milady," answered Aragorn. "Just start with what you know and we will see from there."

She nodded. Ok…what she knew. That was easy right? She could simply run through the first part of her form and see what they thought. No use in doing all of it, this may not even be right for wielding the kind of sword people here in Middle Earth used.

With a deep breath, the woman picked her own sword and quickly unsheathed it. Then she moved it up in the left hand so the handle rested in the palm and it was facing up against her back. This may not really impress either ranger or elf, but it was what she knew. After taking in one more quick breath she began.

Slowly lifting both arms up, she brought her right hand up slightly with the palm facing upwards and the fourth and fifth finger touching the thumb and her pointer and third finger pointing outwards. Bringing the sword over her arm, she swept it up and moved her hand to cover her face. Then in another quick motion, spread both arms out and turned, at the same time, bringing the sword so it made a circular motion above her head and rested in her palm again. Then grabbing the handle with her right hand, she moved the left hand into the earlier finger position and jabbed the sword outwards.

Thorn then immediately brought the weapon to the other side and jabbed a second time at the air. Then sweeping it in an arch above her head, she turned on one foot, and bringing her knee up, placed it behind her so she could place a fluid cut. The sword then was brought to a flat position in front of her and she started to move at a fast running pace. Five steps to make a circle and bringing the sword above her head let it swing once and then jabbed it behind her with the left hand shooting forward.

Once again the weapon was looped in an arch and it made an inside turn before swinging out to jab at the left side. Then bringing it so it was pointing straight to her right, she gave it an outside swing and after crouching down with the sword pointing straight up, stood up once more and sliced. Stepping out behind her with her left foot, she made a small fluid motion first left then right with her wrists holding the sword. And then she made another wide sweeping motion, bringing the blade above her head to the right, and then to the left, and then stepping back and curving the tip so it swung once before shooting out to the right in a rooster-stance.

Bringing her knee down, Thorn took quick running steps forward, bringing the sword to her waist at the same time. Hopping up onto her right leg while swinging the sword so it brushed close to her chest, she shot it out in another stabbing motion. Another quick movement with the wrist that enabled the sword to wind around and cut an enemy's wrist, she switched her stance twice while swinging the blade both outside and inside. At last, Thorn swung her left leg over and arched her blade underneath to make an upward chopping movement leaving her standing up, slightly bowed down and her arms both straight out. _Too short Thorn…you should have shown them the second part of your form as well!_ But it was too late to think this for she had already stopped, and to pause for so long in battle could mean certain death.

The Elf nodded. "That was nicely done milady," he said.

Thorn let out a tired breath. From the tone of his voice, she could tell that it was not all sincere. She knew that there were so many people better than her, even in her classes and she did not expect to earn either the Elf or the Ranger's undying respect. The movements had only taken about a minute to execute and she knew she should have gone on. However, the next parts were harder than the beginning and she was a coward, afraid to fall and humiliate herself on the hard stone floor. Even if she didn't fall, Thorn's endurance hardly lasted her out the length of a whole form with bare fists. She almost couldn't finish her straight sword form without wanting to collapse on the ground.

"It is not as bad as you may think," Legolas said. "It needs a bit work, but you have learned well. Your skills with the sword are mostly confident and your swings sure. Only your arms lack the power a true warrior needs in order to protect their friends and family."

_Ouch…could he be more harsh?_ But Thorn knew the Elf was only speaking the truth. "So you don't think I can go with to the fires of Mordor do you?" she mumbled.

"I didn't say that," said Legolas, a bit surprised. "And besides, it is not my say whether or not you may be permitted to go. That is the decision of Lord Elrond."

"And I don't think any of us really want to jump into the fires of Mordor," Aragorn added with a smile.

Thorn smiled as well in spite of herself.

"Come here," said Aragorn, and Thorn looking up, surprised. The Ranger held out one of swords that had been attached to his waist that morning. It looked heavy and awkward, not what Thorn was used to.

She walked up and carefully took the blade. It _felt_ heavy and awkward, and definitely was not what she was used to.

"I want you to try something with that," the Ranger said and he unsheathed his own sword. "Your fighting technique is beautiful, but it will be hard to use with such a heavy weapon. You swing gracefully and arch the sword nicely above your head, but that is because it is of such lightweight. A sword such as this will not provide such ease in the user's movements."

Thorn unsheathed the sword with some difficulty as it did not seem to want to come out of its hiding place. The grip was good, but still not the soft Wilson Tennis Wrap that she used for her handle. The tip was pointed and hard and the bottom sharp and stiff. This was a real sword that could do a lot of harm if not used right. _Should I even be holding this?_ There wasn't much time to think. Immediately, a blond Elf unsheathed both of his knives and advanced forward. _Holy crap he's going to kill me!_

Legolas had made sure to make noise when taking his knives out in order to startle the young woman out of her trance. Perhaps it was a little unfair that he had two knives and she only one heavy sword, but this was simply a test.

Thorn took an uncertain step backwards, but then stopped herself. She was given a real sword, something that she had asked her master for for so many years and now she was scared. _Hell yea I'm scared! That Elf is armed and he's dangerous!_ She saw that Legolas was making a slow circle, giving her time to think. After all, neither Elf nor Ranger had really given her a signal that they would start attacking her. Suddenly, Legolas paused, and in an instant he was dashing forward. He seemed to think that he had given the woman plenty enough time to think. As quick as her reaction would allow, Thorn swung Aragorn's heavyweight sword in an inward direction, intending to catch one of the Elf's knives and use her arm for the second one. However, she had not taken into account just how _heavy_ the darn thing was. She had managed to swing it down, but only halfway up. She probably could have gotten in back up with just a second more time, but enemies in real life never waited until you could swing your blade up to catch them. If it was too heavy, well then it meant your head.

In a matter of a fraction of a second, Legolas had both knives right above her shoulders at her neck, positioned at her main arteries.

Thorn immediately froze, despite the fact that that the Elf probably would not kill her, having two knives at your throat was not a time you would want to be moving about.

He smiled lightly and lowered the knives. "Your reaction was quick, but you were not strong enough to use the weapon," he informed.

_As if I didn't know that already…_She glanced down at the sword she had borrowed from Aragorn and twisted it around in her hand twice as she would do with a tennis racket. It was hard to move even in this sense. _And all this time I thought that I had actually been okay with the sword. Now I know that I can hardly even pull my own weight in a fight. _

"Do not fret just yet," Legolas assured her. "Let's try something else. I simply had wanted to see how fast you reacted. Now show me a block sequence." The Elf shifted right into an offensive stance and Thorn automatically put herself in defensive.

_Blocking…sure I can do that._ She watched carefully as he advanced and in one fluid motion, swept both blades up in a full arch, meeting them together at the top before bringing them back around in two different directions. This move was meant to make the most of the precious seconds in battle and would be most hard to counter with only one sword, but he was going slow, Thorn could tell. She lets her eyes train on the blade that was swinging downwards and cast a quick glimpse at the other knife.

The lower blade came up and Thorn parried quickly, but left her left side wide open for attack, and Legolas, taking the chance, gave a solid blow to the rib cage with the blunt side of the knife.

The woman jolted backwards as the knife made contact and her hands immediatley flew to her side. _Owww! Butterscotch cheese cracker mushroom topping poop-headed Elf! _She let her brain flow through all of the ridiculous insults that she could think of and at last took a deep breath to calm down.

Aragorn could hardly suppress a laugh at her expression. His friend had not hit the woman hard so no damage to be done, but maybe what was a gentle blow to him and Legolas was really quite a painful punch to a regular human.

The Elf was also struggling to suppress the flow of mirth that threatened to spill from his lips. It wasn't that he was really laughing that she had gotten hurt…but in the process of letting her brain spill over all of the nasty comments, a few of them had managed to escape her lips and be heard by the Elf. He smiled at last and let both his blades swipe against each other to make a sound. "Let's go again, shall we Lady Thorn?" he asked.

Thorn gave him an exasperated look. Did these Elf people have no sense in telling when someone was in pain? The sudden shock had already subsided into a barley noticeable throb and the woman was able to pick up her sword again. "What was that for anyways?" she exclaimed.

Legolas cast her a surprised look. "We are testing now aren't we? It would only be fair for us to make some contact with the blades, if only just to pass a point of victory through. Besides, I did not strike very hard."

Thorn suppressed a sigh and switched right back into a defensive stance.

And so it went on for several hours. Legolas had trained with Thorn for the good part of the morning, and then Aragorn took over to let Thorn practice her offensive, which, by that time she was so tired Aragorn was surprised that these feeble blows had been able to parry the grace of an Elf. The Ranger had worked the woman well into the afternoon, until the sun was high in the sky before pausing for a rest in which Thorn immediately flipped down on the stone pavement and took in a deep breath of relief.

"I'm gonna die," Thorn mumbled in a gasping voice as Aragorn gave her a mild smile. She carefully rolled her throbbing body onto her stomach and soothed herself on the slightly cooler stone.

"You jest!" said Legolas in mock surprise. "So easily do humans tire…"

Aragorn shot his friend a fake glare and turned back to the woman. "Even I have begun to tire under the persisting sun, and Legolas, you cannot say that you do not feel your own body start to give way as well."

"Oh yes I can," he said with a smile.

The ranger rolled his eyes and stood up. "Follow me," he said at last, sheathing both swords.

Thorn looked up curiously, but heaved herself up nonetheless. Strangely, the Elf's mock blows had been less harsh than the ranger's. Perhaps, even though Legolas was stronger by nature, his Elven grace had allowed him to take control of his strength with more practiced ease. Or maybe it was simply because she had fought the Elf first and the Ranger second, making her body more sore than before. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see milady," Aragorn replied over his shoulder.

When Thorn still stared at him curiously, Legolas said, "A spring. A cold spring that is in the cover of an overhang of trees. We have used it often."

_A spring!_ Thorn felt herself jump excitedly. Her dress robe had long since been taken off, soaked with sweat from the constant vigilance of the sun. Now only the white cloth wraps done by Gwaedheil remained, covering her upper chest and hips down to the thighs. Both Ranger and Elf were wearing light clothes, and still, Thorn could see that they were uncomfortable with sweat. The woman's black hair was sticky with precipitation and felt uncomfortable down her back. _I wish I had brought a hair-tie…_

Aragorn pulled forward of the little group off to the side. He slowly started to move aside some of the low growing brush. "If my memory serves me correctly…" he began, "it should be around his area."

"Don't worry;" said Legolas, "I too remember that it is around here so you are correct this time.

Aragorn mumbled an annoyed mock-curse, but continued his mini-search only for a minute before yelling, "It is here."

Thorn felt her spirit lift. A cold spring was just what would feel good on a ridiculously hot day such as this. She hurried forward to where Aragorn was waiting patiently.

"I'll take her," said Aragorn unexpectedly, still waiting patiently at what looked like the top of a small slope.

"Huh?" asked Thorn as she slowed down to bat away a branch that kept on springing back in her face.

Legolas noticeably rolled his eyes. "You'll kill her," he said with a laugh.

"Wha!? Kill me?"

"Elves are not the only strong creatures left," Aragorn shot back in mock-hurt.

"What kill me?"

The Elf snorted loudly and said, "Strider, let us think over our situation."

Aragorn suppressed an annoyed sigh. "Just go," he said.

Legolas grinned at the man and leaped down the incline in a flash of light blond hair.

Thorn hurried forward just in time to see him slide down in a kind of skating action on his heels. Dirt and sand kicked up and she realized that what was thought to be a small hill was actually a very, very steep incline that led to a bowl like area where the spring was. _Is it really worth it…?_

"Ah…_that_ kill me." _Nah…it's not worth it._

Aragorn laughed again. "Milady," he said holding out his hand, "if you would please."

_Eh…_"Um…actually, that is quite alright…I've changed my mind and…"

"Legolas jests," he assured the woman. "You will not die."

"Yea…sure," she said uncertainly. "But how do you get back up?" she asked, pointing at the bowl shaped area.

"There is a climbing ledge a little ways up that will bring us back up."

"Then why don't we just use that to go up?" she asked.

"Because Strider," called Legolas from the bottom of the incline, "can't get over the mass of thorn thickets near the trees to get to that area."

"Ah…" mumbled the woman slowly.

"Do not worry milady," said Aragorn. "Death is not so close to fear just yet." He held out his hand invitingly again.

_Dear Lord…God…Valor…whatever these people pray to…help me._ She stepped up and took the Ranger's hand, still uncertain.

"Ready Lady Thorn?"

"No."

And with that Aragorn quickly lifted the woman up so only her heels touched the ground and slid down the incline just as Legolas had done.

"Urk…" _Gonna die, gonna die, gonna die, gonna die…_

The ride was really quite a short one and Aragorn quickly set the trembling woman down once they had reached the bottom.

"Did it stop?" she asked stupidly.

Legolas let out a burst of sweet laughter and the Ranger assured her that the ride had indeed _stopped. _

_Thorn you idiot…_she silently cursed herself.

"Well…not all was in vain," the Ranger assured her. "At least you have the spring."

_Oh yea, the spring! _"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed excitedly. Standing up again, Thorn looked past the Elf and Ranger to see a wide expanse of clear spring water that shone right through to the bottom of the area. Small fish could be seen darting playfully around the lilies and the low overhang of leafy branches brought a welcoming shade to the song birds.

Legolas had already taken off his outer tunic, leaving the same white wraps covering his chest and a set of short trousers that could serve as swimwear. Thorn had learned somewhere that Elves were not shamed to show their bodies in front of any living creature, male of female. However, Thorn would mind. "Can we just…jump in?" she asked.

"Of course," Aragorn answered, already removing his travel-worn cloak to expose the same white wraps as Thorn and Legolas.

"Ok then," she said happily, seemingly haven forgotten about her earlier plight down the incline. The woman slowly walked along the pool's edge to find a deeper area that she could dive into. It turned out the right side that was shaded by a rocky overhang seemed to dip into a sort of underwater crevice that expanded almost to the center of the spring. Jagged rocks cut at the edges of the crevice, but they would not serve as too much of a problem. Thorn had always loved swimming, although she couldn't really account herself as an aqua-girl. Underwater creatures always scared her out of her wits. Her friend Marissa was a diver that lived for the underwater experience, unlike Thorn.

There was a graceful splash and Thorn turned to see Legolas dive in the water without resurfacing. Of course…Elves could hold their breath for who-knows-how-long.

The woman took a deep breath, and careful to avoid the sharp underwater rock edges, dived in the water with her thick black hair waving out behind her. The water hit her with a cold impact. Not icy cold like the Bluewater Springs she had gone to, but cold. "Dang it's cold!"

Legolas resurfaced just as Aragorn dove in, splashing Thorn with a wave of water.

"Thanks." Still, Thorn floated up leisurely on her back, enjoying the fresh feeling of the cool, non-polluted water on her back. The trees cast peaceful shadows upon the pool, dappling it with a beautiful color. The small fish underneath nipped at her curiously and then swam away as quickly as they came. "This is so lovely," she said.

"It is," Legolas agreed. His wrappings were coming loose from the dives he had made, but still clung on. Little beads of water dripped from the elf's golden-blond hair and shimmered into the pool of water. "The springs of the Mirkwood Woodlands are even more so lively," he said.

"Maybe…it wouldn't be so bad to stay here…" she said absentmindedly.

"What was that Lady Thorn?" asked Aragorn as he came up.

Thorn pulled herself into a standing position in the water to face him and smiled in a care-free way. "It's nothing."

* * *

**A/N:** That was just a quick overview of the training that they are to do in the days to come. Do not worry. I promise that the Fellowship will set out **next chapter**. It will not drag it out any longer, this is it people. I hoped you liked that. I didn't want to write a whole swimming/spring scene because it would seem way too flirty too early on. Please don't shoot me to those who wanted fluff. I don't do unnecessary and out of sequence romance:) Well I haven't been getting many reviews lately, so all I can say is that it would mean a lot to me and I will get the next chapter out by Saturday. Thanks and review!!

**Friends Thoughts:**

(Over the phone with my friend Melanie. Michelle brother always confuses her with me.)

**Melanie: **Hey James, can I talk to Michelle?

**James: **(confuses her for Deborah –me-) -yells across house- Hey Michelle! Your Asian friend is on the phone!

**Richard: **Hey James, you know you love her!

**James: **Yea, Asian people are hot!

**Both Richard and James: **-excessively yelling- we love you Deborah!!!

**Michelle:** I got the phone James, hang up.

**Melanie: **-on other line- Uh…this is Melanie.


	8. West of Misty Mountains

**A/N:** Ok I am trying my best to get this chapter in before too long. I am really quite excited, the journey is about to start. I finally decided that I will be following the book. The movie was a tempting option, being that so many people know it so well and it is a bit shorter and to the point, but the book by J.R.R Tolkien is the original and I realized that it would be wrong to base this fanfiction on anything but the real thing. So there you have it, I will promise to make this a fun story for all to read starting from here and please just stay with me!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the Council of Elrond; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"Maybe…it wouldn't be so bad to stay here…" she said absentmindedly.

"What was that Lady Thorn?" asked Aragorn as he came up.

Thorn pulled herself into a standing position in the water to face him and smiled in a care-free way. "It's nothing."

* * *

As Bilbo Baggins had once said, it was nearly impossible to count the days passed in Rivendell. Days seemed to fade into nights and the weeks and months swarmed together. Thorn was no longer sure if she had been in the place for only a month, or well over a year. All she knew was that it felt wonderfully like home and she would almost wish for nothing else. Of course, memories of her own time were still fresh in her mind and Thorn had no trouble picturing her home and her parent's faces. They must have found out by now, even if they did live in another state. The woman often contacted them and with a month of no notice, she was sure to be missed.

Despite all this, the woman went through with her plan to go with the Fellowship. The blond elf had given her a few archery classes, or rather assessments. She had failed miserably.

**Begin Flashback…**

"But…I can't shoot."

"Of course you can," said the elf. "You just showed me you could hold a bow and pull the string, surprisingly, a 47 draw weight string. Now, this time, just aim."

"No really…" she denied quickly, "I can't."

Legolas gave an exasperated sigh. They had been through this conversation once before. "Just aim."

"But I can't."

"Milady, yes you can aim."

"I can't hit the target."

"Do not fear so much to try something new, simply aim this time and let go of the arrow like you had just shown me."

"I have done this before…" Thorn muttered under her breath. She really had been able to use a bow and arrow, but was never particularly good at it. Her friend was a sharp shoot with a gun off a horse and she had faired better with a bow, although it was difficult to explain why her arrows never seemed to reach the target when she was standing still. Thorn had once reasoned with herself that it was because the target was moving closer, making it easier to aim, but it didn't matter because shooting off of a cantering horse was only a matter of hitting closer to the target. Still not on the target. "Really, you have to believe me, I can't."

"You did not hesitate with the blade but now you are worried about a ranging attack? This is a practice archery field Milady, do give it a try at least," he reasoned. There were two other elves around the archery range, each practicing with the target in quick succession. Three others were wielding blades, going through a mock pattern. They swirled expertly around and could gracefully execute just about anything they wished to. "Ok, fine, I'll try."

"Good."

Thorn closed her eyes and sent up a quick prayer. She had somehow made it a habit already to speak the words 'Oh Valar" instead of "Oh Lord," or "Oh God." It was an odd habit, but it grew on her. Carefully latching an owl-feather arrow for silent flight, she pulled the bow string back so it was level with her lip and bent her arm slightly despite having an arm guard on. _Just aim Thorn…aim._ The woman's arm started to shake and she desperately tried to concentrate on her seemingly moving target. _Please hit the target, if anything, hit the target._ With a little shout, she let go of her arrow and sent it flying at the target. Well not really the _target._ More like the tree that was roughly three meters away from the target. "Dangit!"

Legolas eyed the tree with some concern. It had been a powerful shot with a 47 pound bow. Not the strongest hit of course, but enough to really dig into the bark of the young sapling.

"Uh yea…I'll be leaving now."

**End Flashback…**

Since then, the elf had brought her out to the archery fields many more times, sometimes with Aragorn, and other times with a different guide. She had learned more about aiming and how to trust the instincts more than the eye since a human's line of sight could be deceiving. She had gradually learned about the difference in the winds and the sudden gusts that could change the path of the arrow. She had also learned to listen. A human's senses failed in comparison to an elf's, but if she strained her ears, the wind seemed a bit more noticeable than trying to lick her finger and hold it up. Still, she was pretty much a terrible shot and only half the time would hit the target.

* * *

It had been a total of what felt like six days since Thorn had laid eyes on either Elf or Ranger. She was sitting comfortably in her room, counting the trees that dotted the landscape just in her line of sight. The sheets had recently been changed by a maid and a small bowl of fruits sat on the little table in the middle of the room. Since she had been here, not much had changed in the room, except for the little vase of flowers Gwaedhiel had brought in for her. Strangely, Lord Elrond had not spoken at all of her leaving for her destination since what could have been six fortnights ago, and that was just all too well for Thorn.

_This is a nice way to live really. Although sometimes I wish for some sort of electronic here, it's ok. _The woman rubbed the edge of her frayed jeans. Her small cell phone still sat in the pocket, long since run out of batteries. She had refused to do away with the modern-day clothes and they still sat in the open-mouthed dresser, clean and ready to be worn. Only Thorn had somewhat neglected them, not putting them on since the day she had come here. The pink top sat prettily at the bottom of the wood frame and seemed to welcome a wearer. _Then why not now? I've got time and these clothes hold memories. _

The woman quickly slid off her bed and waked over to the dresser. The jeans were a simply blue with no particular designs on them and the pink shirt had the words "To Spring Break We Drink" on it with a cup of lemonade. She had bought the shirt while still in high school and kept with it all through college. _Well Thorn, there you have it, your spring break. _

The jeans still fit well, if even better than before. The shirt felt good and Thorn was happy to have her old clothes back on. _If only your friends could see you now Thorn…mourning over old memories like this._

There was a rapid knocking at the frame around her door.

"Wha!" The woman jumped anxiously at the noise and quickly put her dress-robe down. She hurried over to the door and went through the heavy drapes. "Um…yea?" Thorn said unceremoniously.

In front of her stood the Ranger with a strange looking package in his hands. It was wrapped carefully with a warm looking pelt and lay neatly in his grasp.

"Did you need something?" she asked, leaning uncomfortably against the door frame.

"This is a gift, to you from Lord Elrond," he said, holding out the package.

"Oh…?" The woman took the wrappings. They weighed down heavily in her hands. "Lord Elrond…would want to give something to me? What is this?"

"There is a light chain-mail skirt and a woolen jacket with a thick furred cloak. You will also find shoes, given by Gwaedhiel. Though thinly woven, they will serve their purpose."

"Thank you…" Thorn said slowly, gazing at the present. But why would Lord Elrond have any reason to give her something of such?

"And also," said the Ranger, "my gift to you." He withdrew a long sword from his belt and held it out. "I know you have trouble wielding heavy objects so this is a lighter material. Not mithril, but it will also serve you well."

The woman reached out a tentative hand and took the sword. It really was lighter than usual. "I…why are you giving me all of this?" asked Thorn, bewildered.

"And also," the Ranger continued, ignoring the question. "A satchel of Lembas from Legolas. It will provide strength on hard days." He took out a tightly tied package that contained what looked like layers of cake.

The woman added this onto her already overwhelming stack of gifts. Why was the Ranger coming to her room so suddenly and piling her with all sorts of strange things? "Aragorn…what are these for!?"

The Ranger looked at her in a surprised way. "Legolas didn't bring the message to you?" he asked.

"No, I haven't seen him for many days. Why are you giving me so much…so much…travel stuff?"

"That empty-headed Elf…" Aragorn murmured quickly. "Well now that I am here, I may as well tell you even though it was Legolas' job, he being the one who spoke to Lord Elrond."

"Wait…is this concerning the Fellowship of the Ring? Am…am I going?" she started excitedly.

Aragorn smiled at the woman in front of him. "Yes, you are going, thanks to the long conversation both Legolas and Gandalf had with my father. He has agreed to let you join and Merry and Pippin will also be coming along."

"What made him change his mind?" she asked quietly.

"That, Milady is a question for that cursed Elf, as I was not there with them at the time," he said with a grin.

Thorn nodded slowly. "Do you know where I can find Legolas?" she asked. "Or Gandalf…I should probably thank them."

Aragorn smiled again and replied, "No Lady Thorn, I am sorry to say that I know not about where they are."

"Oh…That's ok. I'll find them later and say thank you. Thank you for bringing all of this up here," she said, heaving the sagging package up again.

"Quite alright," replied Aragorn. "We probably would have included a bow in that collection if…"

"If I could hit the target," Thorn finished with a smile. "Do not worry; I know well enough my aim is horrible."

"I would not say horrible…" said Aragorn, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"It is."

"You must not belittle yourself Milady."

"Ok…bad enough," she said.

Aragorn laughed and at last nodded at her. "I need to take my leave to prepare for the journey. You should have been told a little over two fortnights ago, but I guess Legolas had somehow let the task slip his mind. Due to his forgetfulness, you have one day to prepare," he concluded.

"What? We're leaving…"

"Tomorrow," Aragorn finished for her. "That is why I have brought all of the travel wear up here, so you can prepare. The rabbit fur will serve as a carrying satchel to keep inside your cloak. Bring only essentials as unnecessary treasures will weigh you down."

"Thank you again," said Thorn, "I'll remember that."

The Ranger smiled at her and clapped his hand on the door frame. "I will take my leave now as I need to find that cursed Elf and remind him that the journey is indeed to take place tomorrow. Those Elves have so much free-time on them sometimes I wonder if they loose track of their priorities. I wish you good luck and make sure you rest early tonight." And with that, he turned and left Thorn to herself with the heaping pile of gifts.

"Ok..." she said to herself once inside with the drapes safely down. "Let's sort through this…" Unwrapping the rabbit skin satchel, she pulled out a light chain-mail skirt that reflected itself nicely in the light with a pale shade of gold. It only came a bit above her knees so Thorn resolved to wear her jeans under it. _After all…I am supposed to be freezing in the High Pass. _

Next was a light woolen long-sleeved top that also seemed to catch off on the light as the skirt had done, only a bit less noticeable. It felt satisfyingly thick and although Thorn, having had many years experience with snow, knew that it would not suffice in a blizzard, it was better than nothing.

The cape was really the thickest off all the articles of clothing. It felt comfortable in her hands and the hood was large and looked as if it would not be pulled off too easily. It was a very light blue, really even a gray if not examined carefully. It seemed like it would fall down just to her knees, but promised to hold protection for the upcoming cold weatheras it was lined with a comfortable looking fur. The shoes unraveled with the cloak when she shook it about some. They were the same grayish-blue color and had thin soles on them.

Amongst the packing, lay another considerably sized package that held the Lembas that Aragorn had mentioned. It looked large enough to contain six or seven pieces and Thorn put it aside, thankful. The rabbit satchel that Aragorn had brought everything in was quite large and Thorn supposed several small furry creatures had paid for this bag. It was a brown color and had every aspect of a bag except for the absence of handles.

Once everything had been looked through, the woman finally turned to the sword that Aragorn had given her. It was long, but not as long as her own. The sheath was plainly done, but the handle promised a strong material that would not break in battle. She quickly grasped both ends of the sword to unsheathe it, but something stopped her. _Don't pull it out yet,_ a small voice told her. _Pull it out and risk getting yourself frightened of the upcoming battles. It is not like your own sword. _She carefully removed her hand from the blade, confused. Would she really be afraid if she looked at the sword? Would it really be so bad as to have a faint glimpse of what the upcoming battles had to offer? She shook her head quickly. _It's your sword now Thorn. Like it or not, this is your new sword and you are going to need to learn to use it. _With a deep breath, she moved towards the weapon again, but something else stopped her. Why would it matter when she saw the sword? It was hers, and she could do what she wished with it. _I will wait until my first battle to lay eyes on it._

With this, Thorn sat her new sword next to her old one on the table along with everything else. "Need to pack…"

She carefully picked up her shoes, top, cloak, and skirt to place them on the bed. Four long ties fell out of the cloak and she picked them up and threw them onto the bed. _I'm sure I'll figure out what those are for later. _"Now…for the other things."

Aragorn had said not to trouble herself with anything but essentials so it was a good thing she did not have much junk in the room. Basically, everything that had once been hers would go with her. She placed the satchel of Lembas, her old pink shirt, and the old cell phone in the rabbit skin bag. The jeans she would wear as with everything else. There had been a container hanging in the bathroom for some time now and Thorn took it out to fill it with water. If it wasn't for traveling, well it was now whether the container liked it or not.

There was a bed roll sitting in her dresser for changing in the room, but she supposed that it would do as a sleeping-bag. Taking it out of the bottom of the dresser, she rolled it up more tightly and, finding nothing else, used two of the four ties that had fallen out of her cloak to tie it up. _What do you know? I did find out what those things were for._

There was really nothing more she could do now. All of the other gifts were to be worn and she could put those on tomorrow morning. The sun had already begun to set by the time the Ranger had come in and was well down under the lands by now. _I'm not tired, but I should sleep. _She looked around the little room. It had felt good to stay here, and already they were leaving. But that was the fun of being here, if one could call it fun. Although she may know the course that everyone was to take and the general idea of her course as well, surprises still came and she was sure to encounter many on the trip.

_So, guess I'm stuck here after all. Well while I'm at it being stuck, may as well sleep and prepare for tomorrow. _And with that, the woman climbed into bed with her long dress-robe and tried her best to forget everything but the comforting idea of rest.

* * *

The next morning could be described as one filled with mixed feelings. One could say that Bill the pony was about the only one who was not near a state of depression, so he being the pony who had carried the little Master's supplies from the Bree, would be the burden-pony once again.

Thorn was quite ready already surprisingly early. She had on her jeans and chain-mail skirt on the outside. The woolen top went on as well with the cap in which it held several loops of cloth and pockets. The water and rabbit-skin hung inside neatly; along with a few wrappings for that "faithful time of month" that Gwaedhiel had given her and showed her how to make. The shoes fit nicely and she found that, with a bit of dismay, they were indeed very thin and snow would indeed be able to soak through. One of the ties she had decided to use as a hair-tie even though Gwaedhiel had dropped off a small comb along with the wraps.

When she had gone to tie her new sword with one of the long strips of leather cloth, she had been hindered again. _This doesn't feel right_ she had thought to herself. So to remedy this, Thorn had tied her old sword to her side too. It may not be too much use, but it would feel like an old friend next to her.

Thorn made her way down the steps, outside of the House to meet up with Boromir, who was saying, "Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills and then let all the foes of Gondor flee!" at the same time blowing his war-horn. Thorn remembered this little quite clearly from the book.

The company looked grim in their momentary silence, each traveling light as secrecy was their objective, not war. Thorn saw that each other elf, dwarf, human, hobbit, and wizard had also been supplied quite well with warm capes and jackets for the upcoming weather.

They all stood together in the great hall, until Gandalf came out to make his final speech. The departing from the House of Elrond was what one could call grim and gloomy. Despite the cheerful call from Bilbo to his Frodo, there were only softly muttered goodbyes and a thick blanket of apprehension to go along with the gray morning. _I don't know if I am being ignorant…but shouldn't this be more…happy? _

They trekked their way up along the winding bridge and took a last sight at the House of Elrond. Past this were the harsh moorlands and folding hills west of the mountains. Thorn knew full well that they were going to try and brave the high pass, only to come back to go through Moria. She could only hope for the best. _Would it make such a difference if I told them not to go up to high pass? It could save time. _She wasn't really sure what to do just yet. It wouldn't really upset the balance to avoid the dangerous and freezing passageway right? She pondered over the subject for a little longer.

That was when she remembered at a time of all times, what Aragorn had just told her this morning. 'Legolas didn't bring the message to you?' was his exact words. _What was he doing anyways forgetting like that? _

She slowed down her pace and waited for the Elf, all thoughts of the high pass leaving her mind. Legolas was currently spotting the back of the group. After only a few short moments, his bobbing head could be seen and she met up with him. "Aragorn told me that you were supposed to take a message to me," she said in a playful-accusing way. "Why didn't you?"

His reaction wasn't really what she had expected. "Apologies Milday," he said without looking at her.

"Thank you for talking to Lord Elrond for me."

"Pleasure."

"But how come you forgot to tell me?" she persisted.

"Aragorn came to tell you didn't he?" he asked at last, stopping, annoyed.

"I…yea, he did."

"Then I do not see the problem here," he said and with that, walked on, leaving Thorn at the back of the group, intimately confused.

* * *

**A/N:** I am sorry if that was a sort of weak chapter. It is just Tolkien has already went through the matter of departure and I didn't want to spend too much time on it. I hope that you all liked this though. I had this chapter ready since Sunday, but today, being Tuesday, is the only day I could upload it. My dad decided to redo the internet connections making them all messed up so I could not access It was quite irritating. Well, I hope to get one more chapter in before the winter break as I will be in Colorado, so expect another one up either on Sunday or Tuesday of the following week. Please review, it means a lot to me!

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(Label I found on the back of my new curling iron)

**Caution: Do not use while sleeping.**

(Another label I found on the back of a Chinese shampoo.)

**Caution: Use repeatedly for severe damage.**


	9. West of Misty Mountains II

**A/N:** Ok then, I really wanted to get one more story in before I leave for Colorado on Saturday so I was making a desperate attempt to write this _during_ mid-terms. Ugh, not a smart thing to do. However, I am hoping that this is still an enjoyable chapter and that the people out there that had recently hated my story, but begun to enjoy it more and more will like this installment as well. I am really trying, (quote somekindasuperstar) not to make Legolas "the love-struck sap he is always morphed into," so as a result, you all have a somewhat annoyed elf that has randomly started to get too much of Thorn's affection. I promise not to have a PMSing elf though…because I am sure most of you would be filling my review section with flames. So now I just need as much advice and suggestions as possible to make Legolas the believable character that he is supposed to be.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the Council of Elrond; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"But how come you forgot?" she persisted.

"Aragorn came to tell you didn't he?" he asked at last, stopping.

"I…yea, he did."

"Then I do not see the problem here," he said and with that, walked on, leaving Thorn at the back of the group, intimately confused.

* * *

_Why is he acting this way? _Thorn still stood at the back of the group, puzzled at the Elf's sudden brush-off. He had been kind enough before when helping her with archery and weaponry, but come to think of it, he had been seemingly missing the last six days at the House of Elrond. Now that the woman thought of it some more, perhaps he was avoiding her? _There is no reason that I know of to make him want to avoid me…_

"Thorn!" came a voice from the top of a small rise that was dotted with the occasional patch of wildflowers among the coarse, think grass of the moorland-like area. It was Aragorn.

Thorn looked up, startled. She had been left far behind from the group in her ponderings and ran to catch up, her cloak brushing out behind her. So far, the journey had been pleasantly warm, although that may simply be due to the fact that the sky seemed infinitely blue so far, with no traces of overcast, leaving the stifling sun to shine down its warming rays. _He didn't use Lady Thorn this time…_

"Milady, try not to fall behind," came Pippin's voice when she had finally reached her spot in the group.

"Oh I wasn't falling behind…" she said with a smile, "just thinking."

"Oh really now then?" the small hobbit said. "Do tell."

"Well…" said Thorn, rocking slightly with each step, her hair pulled back in one of the ties that had been left over. "I was thinking about home."

"Home you say? Could you spare a breath for a story now?"

Oh I don't know about right this moment Master Took," she laughed.

"Oh but it will only take but a second," he said. "Just tell me about something you miss there why don't you?"

"Something I miss…" the woman pondered slowly. "I guess I miss a lot of things, especially my family, although I didn't live with them. My friends too…it would be nice to see them again."

"So was it much different from what you have seen so far Lady Thorn?" he asked.

"Oh yes," she said quickly. "It was different. Very different in fact."

"Then could you not find it in your heart to spare a small tale. We hobbits are very well known for our memories and I promise you now Milady, you will not have to repeat it again," he said with a proud tapping to his chest.

Thorn laughed lightly. "Well…I guess it was just so much more convenient there. You simply only had to turn a knob if you wanted water, you could push a button if you wanted to watch something exciting, and you don't need a fire and faggot if you wanted light. Stuff was just so much easier to do from where I come from," she said lightly.

Pippin looked at the woman in a disbelieving way. "You could turn a knob for water you say? And no fire for light? Oh I suppose you will now tell me that I could have choice of hot or cold when I turned this "knob" of yours too," he said in a mocking tone.

"Actually…" started Thorn, "yes."

"You jest!" Pippin exclaimed. "Come now Milady, it does no good to lie, tell the truth."

"I am telling the truth!" she protested, still laughing.

"Oh really?" he asked. "How do you turn this fireless-light of yours on then? Another knob I propose?"

"Well...some people would call it a switch...," she said at last.

"Lady Thorn!"

Thorn was still laughing. For one who knew nothing about her world, Pippin sure did have good luck when it came to guessing. "I am not lying," she said, looking straight at the little hobbit's eyes.

"You swear Milady?"

"I swear."

"You swear on a hobbit's honor?" he asked again.

Thorn put her hand over her heart, "On a hobbit's honor."

Pippin eyed her again, but seemed somewhat satisfied. "Mighty strange place you got there then…" he said, walking on.

"It's nice," she replied.

"You miss it?"

"Of course I do…" she replied.

"Don't sound too sure of yourself there Lady Thorn," he commented back.

She smiled at him again even though Pippin wasn't looking her way. "I do miss my old home, I really do," she started. "But the thing is, Middle Earth is so full of wonderful things, and Lord Elrond has shown such great hospitality that the painful memories started to shift around until some could be called good memories. That way, it really isn't so bad."

Pippin acknowledged this speech with a slight nod, although something had not really sounded quite right.

"We make camp," called Aragorn from the front of the group. "Valar has been kind so far and we have encountered no trouble. Let us rest."

Thorn gazed up into the sky. It still remained as clear and blue as ever. _Infinitely blue…infinite possibilities…just like the world should be_. Just a bit ahead, the group was settling down as she had stopped walking a few moments ago. It seemed like a sort of short lunch-time break, although she wasn't sure if people here really called such a rest "lunch-time break." Legolas was sitting with Aragorn and Boromir, conversing about something unknown to them all. Gandalf stood just a little ways away talking to Frodo while Sam watched his little Master. The other Brandybuck and Took hobbits had somehow raced forward and were trying to listen in to Frodo and Gandalf's conversation while Gimli stood alone as if keeping guard.

Thorn considered going over to the Ranger, Elf, and Man, but Legolas' earlier behavior made her shy about approaching. To add onto this, they were most probably talking over something she could not hope to understand for time to come. So Thorn walked over to where Sam was idly looking out into the distance and sat down next to him. "What are they talking about?" she asked.

"I do not know the answer to that Milady," he replied.

"I sure would like to know…" she said wistfully. "It's like some top-secret mission or something," she said, in almost a mock-voice with mirth in her eyes.

Sam stifled an unbelieving snort. "Top-secret mission you say?" he said with a laugh. "Only the thing is everyone knows what we are doing."

"Oh I didn't mean that…I just wanted to know what Gandalf was sharing that is so important we all are not permitted the honor of knowing."

"Probably nothing too amazing," Sam informed. "But if you go over to where that Strider is sitting, I bet he can spare a story or two for you. He and that Elf Legolas have been through a mighty lot of adventures, mind you," he said smiling.

"Really?" she asked. "They look like they are talking about something important," she said.

"Nah," Sam assured. "See how Boromir's sitting all the way to the right of the two of them, an' look there, Strider just glancing knowingly at Legolas there; means there's a story to be told."

"Should I go and ask for one?" she said hopefully.

"Not yet," he said. "Save a tale for the rest of us by the campfire tonight now why don't you? Then we can pester them till' they agree."

The woman laughed a bit. "Okay, I'll wait then. Anyways," she said pointing over, "Looks like story-time is over." Aragorn had moved away to start a fire with a faggot and Legolas followed the Ranger. Boromir stood up and seemed to stand idly in place for a moment before going to sit down near Merry and Pippin. "Lunch break," she said smiling. "Should we go help?"

"If you like," replied Sam absentmindedly, glancing idly over at Frodo and Gandalf who were still talking about something seemingly important.

Judging by the 'you can if you like,' Sam did not plan on leaving his spot, so Thorn shrugged and picked her way over to the Elf and Ranger. As she got closer, she could make out the agitated voice of Legolas.

"…But they are foul creatures to have done so. Surely those at least could never have been of our kindred."

"You don't know that Legolas," Aragorn chided lightly. "Milady, what would you need now?" he asked as he looked up to see the young woman waiting patiently for acknowledgement.

"I was just seeing if you needed any help." She stated simply.

Before Aragorn could give his response, Legolas piped in, "That would be most welcome," he said, casting a sideways glance at Aragorn and jamming a hand over the Man's mouth. "Our Ranger is not the most flavorful cook."

Aragorn seemed to quickly dislodge himself from his friend's hold and spat back, "my cooking is not anywhere near bad!"

"I never said it was," said Legolas matter-of-factly. "I only meant to imply that tasting your bland cooking day in and day out while trudging through thick, overgrown forests and sparse moorlands gets tiring."

Thorn accidentally let out a rude snort at the Elf's words. It was amazing how fast these fair being's minds could spin in order to spit witty jokes and insults.

"My cooking is not bland either…" muttered Aragorn darkly, seemingly at a loss of words.

"So…" Thorn cut in. "Can I help?"

"Of course you can," smiled Aragorn. "Although I would like Legolas to know that I don't always have the time to forage for herbal seasonings when we are traveling."

The Elf gave the ranger a playful shove. "You know I only jest mellon-nin," he said easily. "You do a fine job with all of our meals."

Thorn could have sworn that she heard Aragorn mutter something along the lines of, "that's what I thought you said," but it seemed so un-Ranger like that she quickly dismissed the thought. However, what did cross her thoughts was the fact that Legolas was once again acting courteous to her. In fact, he was acting as if they had been familiar acquaintances all along. How strange.

The "lunch-break" passed just as a normal meal-time would in Thorn with a camping group; only minus the Elf , Ranger, Wizard, Hobbits, and Dwarf. They had only finished half-way through the meal when Aragorn and Gandalf both insisted that they start on their way, so the Fellowship simply ate while moving on foot.

By this time, Aragorn was now involved in deep conversation with Gandalf and the hobbits had gathered in a some-what bunch, whispering among themselves with the occasional excited outburst of some long-ago party or grand celebration. It was now well past sun-high and Thorn's feet were killing her despite the earlier rest. She had never walked such a distance in the span of one day. _Shoot…I'm not cut out for this kind of thing._

"Did Thorn tell you anything interesting that you could share Pippin?" asked Merry, while surrounded by the little hobbit group.

"Oh yes! According to her, Lady Thorn's place has things that can make water and light come out of knobs," he said proudly.

"Did you say a knob?" asked Sam doubtfully.

"Yep."

"Oh Pippin's always making rubbish up," said Merry cheerfully.

"I do not..." protested Pippin.

"Leave him alone," pipped Frodo good-naturedley. "Was there anything else that she said?" he asked.

"Yea, you always boasting 'bout your good memory and all, why don't you give us a speech," urged Sam.

"Of course I remember!" said Pippin indignantly. "Here's the Lady's very words, 'I do miss my old home, I really do," he started in a falsetto voice, 'But the thing is, Middle Earth is so full of wonderful things, and-'

However he was quickly cut off by Frodo. "Wait...do you know where her home is?" he asked quickly.

"No," said Pippin, slightly annoyed at the inturuption. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Frodo started up again.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Obviously somewhere in Midde Earth," Pippin snapped back, irritated. He tried once more to complete his speech, demonstrating his amazing memory, but Frodo cut him off, yet again.

"But that's just it," said Frodo. "Did you make a mistake?"

"About what?"

"What she said. How Thorn said 'but the thing is,' or something or another along those lines, 'Middle Earth is so full of wonderful things.'

"No, that's what she said," assured Pippin. "I wouldn't mistake it."

"Wait...did she mean Middle Earth as in this being new to her?" asked Sam as realization hit.

"No..." said Pipipn, shaking his head. "That's impossible."

"Is it?"

* * *

**A/N:** Don't shoot me! I can explain why this took so very long to update. –glares daggers at computer- Have you ever had the little error box pop up when you are trying to upload a chapter and it says something about there being an unknown problem and then tells you to contact the fanfiction support center? Well that happened to me. For a month! Goodness, I had this chapter ready the Tuesday after I had updated last and fanfiction decides it hates me. Well I am so very, very sorry. I plan on writing again soon, although you may have to wait until Saturday with school piling up its homework. But I do promise to update quickly. Please review, it means the world to me!

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(It's allergy season right now and my throat gets this weird symptom where I choke on just about anything I swallow.)

**Me: **-starts to cough uncontrollably after swallowing a piece of fish-

**Dad: **-stares at me all stupid-

**Me: **-waving hand at the teapot across the table where my dad is sitting while still choking-

**Dad: **-still staring at me all stupid-

**Me: **-getting really ticked off now but still choking. Reaches all the way across the table but can't get the teapot-

**Dad: **What's wrong?

**Me: **-_Really_ pissed off now-

**Mom: **She's choking! –hands me the teapot-

My parents are idiots!


	10. West of Misty Mountains III

**A/N:** All right then. I started this chapter in my History class when I was really bored and I think I pretty much know now what I will write. I hope that this update was fast enough for most of you…although I wish I had gotten it in on Saturday. Sorry, out to the movies and mini-golfing with friends. Well here is the chapter, read on!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the Council of Elrond; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous**: "What she said. How Thorn said 'but the thing is,' or something or another along those lines, 'Middle Earth is so full of wonderful things.'

"No, that's what she said," assured Pippin. "I wouldn't mistake it."

"Wait...did she mean Middle Earth as in this being new to her?" asked Sam as realization hit.

"No..." said Pipipn, shaking his head. "That's impossible."

"Is it?"

* * *

"Need…rest…feet…oww!" A low moan penetrated the thick silence that had just begun to settle comfortably around the moving group. 

Frodo tiredly glanced behind him and Legolas gave a little disdainful snort. It wasn't really her fault that she couldn't endure as well as Elves, being human and all, but even half-a-warrior suffered such mild discomforts in silence. Still, as much as Legolas could plow on, even the hobbits were beginning to lag behind and had to be constantly prodded forward by Aragorn. It was time they stopped. "Gandalf," the Elf shouted. "The hobbits and humans are growing weary; it is nigh high time to stop."

The wizard raised a hand, showing that he had heard. He led the Felloship across two empty moorland area before stopping right next to a crest in a hill.

"Thank God…Valar…whatever," Torn mumbled, tumbling down in the sweet smelling heather.

"Strider?" asked Pippin, rolling over on his stomach to look up at the Ragner who was helping Sam unload Bill.

"Yes?" he asked distractedly.

"We can have a fire this time right?" he asked. "I mean, it's not like we are being pursued at the moment…"

Aragorn paused in his work to consider the tempting proposal. Pippin was right, they weren't exactly being chased, but still, Saruman had eyes everywhere. "We'll see," he replied, dragging a disgruntled sigh out of Pippin.

"Cold dinner again?" asked Frodo with a bit of subdued humor.

"Maybe," Merry put in before Pippin could answer.

"Legolas!" Thorn called out as the Elf's small feet trod right before her eyes as she lay on the ground.

"Yes Thorn?" he said quickly, without lookup up from his task.

_Again…he didn't use "Lady Thorn"_ "Shouldn't we…um, catch our dinner tonight, just, um, in case we get in a tight spot later?" she asked. Even if she didn't have a major role in Tolkien's plot-line, she could still help. After all, moorlands contained badger sets, and that usually meant rabbits were plentiful. Food would not be easy to come by in the winding tunnels of Moria or freezing trails of the Misty Mountains.

"Then would you like to come?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just suggesting," she started but stopped as she looked up to see Legolas oiling his hunting bow.

"Suggesting…" Legolas prodded on calmly.

"That…that you, um, that I…I can, er help you hunt," she finished stupidly. _Why am I such an idiot?_

"Of course," replied the Elf, walking over to Bill to get a clean rag out.

"Eh?!" _You weren't supposed to agree! _"I…I can't shoot," she reasoned.

"Yes you can," he said back. They must have been over this topic ten thousand times.

"But my aim…"

"Is fine." He cut off. "And practicing at simple tasks such as this will help."

"I don't have a bow," she said practically, but was almost met smack in the face with a sturdy looking short-bow that was simply carved. "Er…thank…you?"

"A spare," Legolas answered towards the young woman's questioning look. "And now you have a bow."

"But how about…" she was stopped short again as a quiver, complete with arrows and all, came flying towards her.

"Arrows too," he finished lightly.

Thorn was still trying to shake the 'deer-caught-in-the-headlights' look off when he had chided at her lightly. "Are you trying to kill me!?" she asked incredulously. Normal people, or whatever, _Elves _didn't throw such sharp and…pointy objects at each other. Right?

"Let's go," he said, ignoring her comment.

"Wait! But you can't just…I mean you just!"

"Go!" he cut off again, already seemingly half-way across the clearing.

"Oh the nerve! Get back here! I need rest! Sleep! Are you listening!?"

"No!"

"Argh!" With a frustrated huff, Thorn trotted after the elf as he easily cleared a generous heaping of brambles. "Wait! I can't jump as high…get back here!"

"Go around."

"There is no way aro…"

"To your left," he said back, already a little farther off.

"What ar-oh. Never mind!" _Stupid cocky, know-it-all, egotistical, self-absorbed, annoying little stubborn…_

She was stopped in mid-thought as she ran right smack into Legolas. "Ouch…"

"Shh," Legolas said, glancing behind her. "First lesson in catching prey, _quiet!"_

"I know that!" she snapped back irritably.

"Shh!"

"Ok…shh-ing" she said quietly. The woman carefully peered around the Elf's upper torso to see what he was so intent on. Nothing came to eye. "Um…" she all but whispered.

"Yes Thorn?"

"What are we looking at?"

He suppressed a narcotic sigh and looked down at the young woman. "Nothing yet," he snapped back. "Be patient…"

"Why don't you just ask Aragorn to come with you?" she hissed in a hushed tone. The Elf was a bit short-tempered.

"He has also gone out to hunt."

"Then where is he?"

"Hunting!"

"Don't you two usually go together?" she asked quietly, remembering a few Lord of the Rings articles she had read about the two's supposed friendship.

"Yes."

"Then wh-……oh." She quickly snapped her flapping mouth shut as she understood. Legolas must be trying to teach her how to hunt for her own survival if needed. It was obvious that they might not bring back much prey, so Aragorn had gone out on his own to catch what the Fellowship could actually eat. Thorn suddenly felt intent on Legolas' very words and not so much of her own discomfort.

He crouched down low in a patch of thick brambles and motioned for Thorn to do the same. She winced slightly as the sharp thorns and branches pricked at her bare arms and drew the cloak around herself.

"The moorlands are sometimes more difficult to hunt on," he said in a soft tone. "If you wish to catch anything, you must wait and listen. The wind will carry any scents you need to know; in order to catch much of any prey, you must trust in what your ears and the wind tell you. A rabbit in the brush is difficult to spot. Many times even wolves can trot right past them if they are not moving, given that the wind is not in favor."

She listened carefully. The Elf seemed to be talking a bit slowly. She guessed he was 'dumbing-it-down' for her since she couldn't really understand any of his other more complicated and fast moving lessons extraordinarily well. "So…do we wait?" she asked stupidly.

He shook his head. "We will be waiting here until sundown if we do that. We are upwind if we are to continue to travel in this direction. Any prey will scent us before either of us can spot them. We need to get downwind."

"Ok," she said. Thorn had never really been one to understand the whole 'upwind/downwind' thing either. All she knew was that if she licked her finger and held it up, she could tell if the wind was blowing left or right. That was it.

The Elf stood up soundlessly and quickly made his way along the brambles near the clearing. A couple of old sets, probably badger, could be seen in a small dip of the hill. Thorn did her best to follow Legolas quietly, but the dry grass made a noisy crackling sound as she trotted across.

The area they were in seemed to be almost bowl-like. This must be the hill that they had previously stopped at and made camp. Legolas was a little ways ahead, skimming tirelessly across the ground before coming to a stop in the cover of a bramble patch.

"Don't you usually have to track prey?" Thorn asked in a hushed tone. "Why are we just waiting?"

"We are not searching for large creatures," he said. "Hare are plentiful among these lands. It is possible to track them, but not practical for the time being."

"But we're so close to those badger sets over there, the smaller animals wouldn't dare come here right?"

"The scent of badgers is noticeable, but stale. They have long since moved on."

"You can tell?"

The Elf nodded, but kept his eyes looking outwards into the clearing. It was a badger set indeed, but things such as this sometimes contained more than just badgers.

The spiky brambles were poking uncomfortably at Thorn as she shifted about uncomfortably. She was painfully aware that her cloak was making a 'swish' noise as she moved about; but when Thorn glanced at Legolas, he was not looking at her. The Elf's mouth was slightly twisted n concentration; his eyes never leaving the badger set.

_What is he doing? There is no way we will find anything here, except for an angry, snarling badger! _They waited in their spot, beneath the bramble thickets, for really only almost ten minutes. However, Thorn could have sworn that some one had waylaid Mr. Time-Turner since everything had felt so ridiculously sluggish. She had not wanted to put her behind on any sharp branches that may have grown near the ground, even if her thighs were aching, so Thorn remained crouching his her right leg happily fell asleep. Now it seemed as if her left leg had taken up Ambien CR and was slowly blinking out on her as well. She was concentrating on waking her legs up again without moving about; a seemingly impossible task; when the Elf beside her prodded her gently. "Huh?"

Legolas made no noise, but signaled for her to look out towards the old badger set.

Thorn followed his light-blue gaze to look out in the direction he was concentrating on, however, Thorn couldn't' really see anything out of the ordinary. The young woman shot a question glance towards the Sindrian Elf.

He gave her a pointed glance and made a mute motion out at the badger sets again.

Torn tried looking out again, but could see nothing but the patch of brown heather beside the gap in the ground. "I don't see anything…" Thorn whispered as quietly as she could.

"Look out at the heather patch," he said in a voice so hushed that Thorn needed to ask him to repeat himself. "Do you see the white strip that is bobbing up and down?"

Thorn squinted her eyes carefully, trying to see the bit of white Legolas had pointed out. "There are lots of light-colored-strips," she hissed at him.

"The one closest to the set," he whispered back. "It is a pure white, look carefully."

Thorn glanced out once more, this time carefully analyzing the area near the set. There was a strip of white in that area. "Now what?"

"Watch, there are two of them."

Thorn was about to ask 'two of what?' but then she could have sworn the white strip had moved some. The night was fairly still so even the grass did little but rustle ever so slightly. She had long since grown used to the night sky of Middle Earth back in Rivendell. In her old time, the city streetlights and pollution together had blocked out just about all of the stars. Now, both stars and moon shone full and bright, dappling the semi-moorland with enough light to see somewhat clearly.

Legolas had slowly brought his bow up and was fitting an arrow into the strings. He leant down towards Thorn and said, "You are to shoot for the hare with the white tail as soon as I let go of my arrow. I will take the other one. Make sure you take out the first creature before my arrows falls or the other will go down the old set and we will not be able to take it."

She looked at him with visible confusion, but Legolas was already aiming his arrow. If she had had more time, then she would have said something along the lines of 'There are two hares?' or 'Where is the rest of the hare's body?' or even 'How do I fit an arrow onto this kind of bow?' However, there was no time and Thorn quickly realized that Legolas was waiting for her to assume position. With a frantic little scramble, she reached into the quiver and fitted one of the beautifully crafted arrows.

The Elf's blue eyes spared a quick glance at the young woman before narrowing the piercing gaze back towards the heather patch. Thorn was crouched slightly to the right of him, her arm quivering slightly with the effort of managing the draw-weight of the bow. The small brown hare was but three feet away from the white tailed one which currently had its head buried in search of something unknown to him. The Sindrian Elf flexed his powerful shoulders and shot out the arrow with unthinkable speed. Not even a moment later, Thorn let go as well, and her arrow went flying towards the target. Sort of.

When Thorn had been asked first to go hunting with Legolas, she had felt both worried and irritated. Thorn had figured that since her aim was so horrible at the archery range, she would have no luck hunting much of anything. However, using a bow for real, using a bow for such purposes, felt different. Her stomach had twisted in worried knots when fitting the arrow, but crouching there in the cover of the brambles, shooting alongside such a skilled archer made her feel _important._ Perhaps 'important' wasn't really the word though. She had felt like the too was an archer.

Her arrow was loose now and she watched in fascination as Legolas' arrow hit dead center his target; or at least she figured so since there had been no terrified hare flying out of the heather patch. Her own arrow landed just a little right of the white strip. The little brown patch of 'heather' suddenly sat up in shock and froze in place. Only for a moment though. But that moment was long enough for Thorn to fit another arrow and shoot.

The arrow sailed just as the hare dashed off, landing straight in front of it and frightening the poor creature away from the entrance of the old badger set. The hare turned tail to fell a second time, but Thorn shot again for a third time. This shot must have been the closest she had ever gotten to a 'bulls eye' since the arrow flew straight into the hare's haunches.

She was about to give an overjoyed yowl, when the animal got up and tried to run again. It was still alive. "Legolas do something!" she shouted, no longer concerned about the level of her voice. "I…I didn't kill it! It's still alive."

"I know that!" he snapped back, more irritated with the fact that she was shaking him then the fact she had missed the hare's vital organs. He had known that she would miss. He notched one of his own arrows and carefully aimed; this being quite a challenging task even for him, since the hare was now circling around itself, seemingly running in frightened circles. _Almost…there! _With a satisfied glance, the Elf released his arrow, landing it dead on target and killing the hare instantaneously.

Thorn stared in awe with her jaw almost hanging open. He had just been able to get a dead shot while the animal was moving about in a frantic hurdle? And she couldn't even catch it when the hare was moving in a straight line? Wow. "That was amazing," she remarked.

Legolas nodded in acknowledgment and shifted himself from the cover of the brambles. They had made a good catch for this night; not really what he would have done if he had gone by himself, but Aragorn was also hunting so hopefully, the Ranger could bring back a more filling meal. He plodded over to the two hares. They were both fairly sized, a male and female.

Thorn watched in fascination as the Sindrian Elf muttered something, and then took his arrow of out his catch. Thorn quickly snapped back into reality and picked her other three up as well. No point in wasting perfectly capable ammo.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," said Legolas, bending down towards his hare.

Thorn was about to give him a nasty rebuke when she saw the ends of his mouth twitching, with suppressed mirth. "What's so funny?" she asked sharply, but couldn't help a smile.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "We need to make haste now. The sun has long since set and I am about certain Aragorn has beaten us back."

"It was a race?" Thorn asked.

"A friendly competition," he replied. "Us two against a lone Ranger; we were curious to see how it would work out."

"Ouch…" she mumbled. "Sorry for making you loose then."

"We don't know that for sure yet," he said, straightening up with a reassuring smile. "Who knows, maybe he got stuck somewhere and fell down a ditch." There was an amused smile on the Elf's face.

"In which case you will need to save him," she said.

"Exactly, now let's go."

The two walked the distance back to the camp; a seemingly shorter walk than coming. Legolas had taken both of the hares since Thorn wasn't sure she liked having a once-cute, dead creature staring at her while she held it up by its legs. Aragorn had already been sitting by the fire by the time they got back, skinning his catch; a hare and something else that was already cooked and boiled beyond recognition.

"Looks like you lost mellon-nin," said Aragorn good-temperedly when he saw the Sindrian Elf and young woman trudging back from their little expedition.

"Suppose I did," Legolas laughed. "But by how much I must know," he added in, taking a seat by the fire, while Boromir picked up the two hares and began skinning.

"Not too much," answered Merry. The Took and Brandybuck hobbits were currently munching on something that looked surprisingly like wild turnip; although how they had come by it Thorn did not know. They must be laying off on the hare and creature-that-Thorn-could-not-define for tonight.

"Actually, more than that," Sam informed. "She means the time that Aragorn actually got back, not the time that you finally decided to un-engross yourselves from your mushrooms to notice that Aragorn was back."

_Ah so they're mushrooms…_

Merry made a little noise that sounded a bit like an "umphf" before turned back to the wild mushrooms.

"This is a good catch though," said Boromir, pausing in his work, his hands slightly red. "Who took out the one with the white tail?"

"That would be Thorn," Legolas said.

_He didn't say "Lady Thorn" in front of everyone this time. Although I guess it sounds nicer this way._

"That explains it," he said with a little smile.

"Huh?" came Thorn's oh-so-intelligent reply. Like her teacher used to say, "if you ever want to sound smart, just say "huh?"

"Well Legolas' hare only has one clean puncture through it…whilst yours has…let me see here. Ah, two arrow marks in it. One through the haunches none-the-less…" he said, but was still shaking his head in good-humor.

"It's not that bad!" Thorn protested a bit testily.

"No one said it was," soothed Aragorn. "Let's just try to ease the suffering of our poor friends next time," he laughed.

"Leave her be now," came Gandalf's deep rumble before Thorn could snap back at the Ranger as well. "And I do believe that we have a story to account for," he said.

_He doesn't mean the hunt now does he?_

"Legolas, Aragorn, if you would please, while we wait for our grateful meals to be prepared," Gandalf motioned towards the grassy area near the fire.

"Ah mellon-nin, they want an account of our adventures," twinkled Legolas. "Which one shall it be then?"

Aragorn paused for just a moment, deep in thought. "Would you like one that was mostly your fault, or the one that was all your fault?" he joked.

"How about the one in which _you _got us captured by orcs, and quite stupidly might I add," Legolas snapped back.

The Ranger winced at the memory. "I'd rather not…" he mumbled.

"Then 'Captured by Orcs' it is!" exclaimed Legolas excitedly.

The other members of the Fellowship happily moved in around the large fire that was going, with Legolas and Aragorn at the head of the circle, Frodo and Sam seated next to Aragorn, then Thorn and Merry and Pippin, along with Boromir, slightly farther off, but still within earshot, tending a different fire that was boiling the night's meals. Gandalf had placed himself on an outcropping rock and Gimli stood from his position. A story from Aragorn and Legolas usually meant some sort of excitement.

"Well…" Pippin prompted.

Legolas cast him a mischievous glance. "It was a dark and stormy night…" he began comically, before Aragorn cut him off.

"Mellon-nin, the day was as clear as ever, and you know that! To add on…it was no where near dark, or night…this was plain in the morning actually."

Legolas cast his friend a goofy grin before letting out a fake sigh. "Why don't you start then?"

"I…"

"You go, you know it best."

"Very well," Aragorn nodded. "Then let's make this quick. It was a _bright_ and _not-stormy_ _day_" he said, somewhat emphasizing the last part. "I had just…"

* * *

**A/N**: There you go. Sorry no campfire story yet. Haha, you have to wait. Also if I had continued on…this would have been ridiculously long and you wouldn't be seeing this update just yet. I am so dreadfully sorry this took two weeks! Ugh! I have been super busy with school and since most of my friends have their birthday in February (me included) I have also been busy with party stuff. Anyways…I hope you enjoy. Please review, I will update sooner if you review more!

**Poem: **I would also like to add in that I write poetry and have posted my own poem on fanfiction. It is called Wolf and Sheep and can be accesed through my screen name. Please, if you get the time, look it up and leave a review telling me what you think. Thank you all!

**Friend's Thoughts:**

(Watching the school's morning announcements on the television. A large Chilck-Fil-A cow is doing an advertisement)

**Wyatt:** Oh dude…if I was there I would so jump that cow.

**Me:** Seriously?

**Wyatt:** Yea, I'm being serious here.

**Me:** So when we go to Disney Quest this weekend, you'll jump the cow if we can find one?

**Wyatt:** Sure, gimmie five bucks and that cow's going down!

**Me:** You'll get arrested…

**Wyatt:** That cow cussed at me, I swear it! It's a reenactment of the Tigger incident!

Ahhh….Wyatt cracks me up.


	11. West of Misty Mountains IV

**A/N: **I am apologizing again (I seem to be doing that a lot lately) for taking another week to update. Oh I had so many competitions for my BPA group and handling that along with problems my friends are running into right now with their lives wasn't easy. However, despite I having a lot of my own family problems as of Monday, I couldn't just leave this story hanging for too long, so here is what you have been waiting for!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the story; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **Legolas cast his friend a goofy grin before letting out a fake sigh. "Why don't you start then?"

"I…"

"You go, you know it best."

"Very well," Aragorn nodded. "Then let's make this quick. It was a _bright_ and _not-stormy_ **day"** he said, somewhat emphasizing the last part. "I had just…"

* * *

Thorn sat listening intently to the curious tale the Elf and Ranger were weaving. It had started out a bit disarrayed since both were snapping and correcting each other along the story, but both friends could bounce off each other quite good, complementing each other well. Even Merry had paused for a brief minute, listening with his head cocked slightly to the side, mouth hanging open and mushroom positioned in front of his face.

The two had gone through the first part of the story smoothly. As Thorn had best made it out, apparently Aragorn had managed to drug Legolas during a scouting mission to patrol the outer barriers of the Woodland Realm. After Legolas had dumped all of the Ranger's clothes into the river in an attempt to make him clean himself despite the freezing weather, Aragorn had mixed in an incredible amount of Melissa, Valerian, Passionflower, Camomile, Hops, Roobis, and St. John's Root with an immense bit of curry and spices to mask all of the poor Elf's senses. Normally, each of these sedative herbs would not work any Elf; however the Ranger well knew how much he could give his friend and made sure to overdose him four fold. The herbs had not exactly knocked the Elf out like Aragorn had been hoping, so he could have buried his clothes outside, but it did make him incredibly loony.

It was an amazing sight to see such a graceful creature prance about the room in an almost drunken daze, telling Aragorn to "get out of his room." However, as Legolas had stated that the point of this whole story was Aragorn's fault, they were indeed taken in by Orcs near the eastern border of Mirkwood. Just around this time, Boromir called out from his spot at the fire for the group to fetch their share of food, and then go back to the story.

"Aren't you going to get something to eat?" Thorn asked Pippin.

He simply held up a mushroom, with his mouth crammed full of the white plant and received a nod from Thorn.

"Brewed incredibly well," Aragorn nodded to Boromir as he filled his own bowl. Another black pot and kettle sat over an adjacent kettle, steaming a sweet smelling liquid.

"Are you proud of your catch tonight Milday?" asked the Man as she carefully ladled the thick broth.

"Quite," Thorn answered with a smile. "You know, this is my first catch ever made?" she said out loud before she could stop herself.

"Your first catch really?" inclined Boromir curiously. "How were you able to manage the trek all the way towards Loudwater without a bow?" Apparently a certain Elf had been gossiping…

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why am I so stupid? _"Eh, I erph, ech...traded with nmph, someone," she answered with an array of strange sounds.

"Sorry?" he repeated.

"I met a traveler on my way and traded for food." It was a simply lie, but sometimes the simplest lies were the best lies.

Boromir looked as if he could ask another ten questions, just as everyone else did after they finished speaking with her; however he nodded to the frazzled young woman and she back away, receiving a strange glance from Aragorn. _Why is it that every time someone talks to me, they are simply more confused than beforehand? _

She watched Legolas serve himself to the stew; then Aragorn walked over to the second black kettle on the fire. It was producing a very sweet aroma by now that was spewing out around the campsite.

"What is that?" Thorn asked the Ranger as me slowly blew on it.

"An herbal concoction to help us fight any sicknesses that may come on," he replied. "I made it with sythia, lemon balm, and honeysuckle. It should be quite sweet."

Thorn nodded. She knew sythia was to strengthen the immune system, honeysuckle could soothe a sore throat, and lemon balm could help in getting rid of a cold. They must make a nice sickness-prevention tea altogether.

After each one of the members had been poured a cup of the sweet smelling tea, they positioned themselves almost exactly as they had been before to listen to the story both Elf and Ranger had to tell.

"I believe it is your turn to speak now," Aragorn stated dryly towards his friend.

"But you know it better," Legolas argued back.

"Correction, we both know it perfectly fine," the Ranger snapped in mock-irritation. "You simply said you didn't know it to make me recount my mistake."

"…"

"It is your turn now. I want to eat," he said, picking up his bowl and sipping at the hot liquid.

"You have to admit…it was a good cover-up," the Sindrian Elf murmured. "But as you wish, I will continue on. Now all of my dear friends here that are gathered around me," the Elf joked, "although it is entirely Aragorn's fault for the whole incident, I'll have you know that I have forgiven him fairly quickly even though it should have taken normally…a few decades or six," he said with a smile. "Aragorn has meant no real harm and he is terribly sorry," the Elf emphasized by giving the Man an extremely hearty thump on the back.

Aragorn, who had been buried in his meal just as the unexpected thump, or rather whack, had come, let out a choked fit of coughing his friend's hand propelled him right into the soup.

"And because he is so very sorry," continued Legolas nervously, "he has resolved to forever forgive small incident such as these."

"Right…" mumbled the Ranger as soon as his coughing fit had subsided. "Stupid Elf…"

As it was Legolas' turn to continue with the story, he did just that, starting where they had previously left off. Of course, although Aragorn had deemed himself to stay silent and enjoy his meal, he couldn't help but interrupt here and there; where Legolas was constantly making it seem as if every bit of this capture was his fault. Naturally, the two friends were soon telling the story together, rather than individually.

"Wait…" Thorn questioned in the middle. "Did Legolas jerk the party to a stop, or did Aragorn?" she questioned, a bit confused.

The Elf gave a mock-snort of superiority and a knowing look. "I did at that time Milday…Aragorn was having some troubles…" he said, "lame."

"So my right foot was lame!" the Ranger said indignantly. "It wasn't my fault…and you were just as worried."

"So what happened next," Thorn prompted.

"The bloody Orc rounded on Legolas for stopping the party and beat him to the bloody-pulp he is," Aragorn said in humorous surmise while his friend punched him in the shoulder.

"No really…" Boromir said.

"Actually…" admitted Legolas, just the littlest bit embarrassed.

"That really happened," Aragorn finished gleefully. "Only I made it just seem so much less painful."

"Only because we all know being beaten is just so enjoyable," Legolas winced at his friend.

"You know I only jest mellon-nin," Aragorn reassured with a smile.

"Right…" the Sindrian Elf mumbled.

Throughout the rest of the night, much of the same dialogue was exchanged. Although the story was very much interesting…you didn't get more interesting than and Elf and Ranger bickering over a story they had both lived through, Thorn found her mind wandering. It was really quite hard not to.

There were times when she was at Middle Earth that seemed like such routine. She had stayed at the Last Homely House for most probably several months. However, it was times like these that the full severity of her current situation came crashing down on her. She had known from almost the start that this wasn't some video game that she could walk away from if she didn't like. It also wasn't something that would give her three lives to get through. No…this was life, as weird as it may be; and life only offered one life, that's it; no re-dos.

It was hard to be too concerned at the moment, surrounded by who were supposedly to be her friends in this world. The stories and movies made from Middle Earth made each "character" seem almost invincible. She was surrounded by "invincible" beings, so to speak. They would hopefully all survive to the end. Perhaps Thorn was being foolhardy, or absolutely selfish, but sitting there among an Elf, two Men, a Dwarf, four Hobbits, and a Wizard made her head simply _swell_ with pride. She too felt invincible and safe among comrades. They all say there is "safety in numbers," however, was that simply an illusion made from the human mind? It seemed real enough at this time…but there was nothing stopping the enemy from picking them off one by one either. In reality, if you were to say "there is safety in numbers," you may as well be saying, "I feel safer in this probability." That was all there was to it. Probability. Just like math; and that wasn't too comforting.

Thorn sighed quietly from her musings and forced her mind to rocket back to Middle Earth. Maybe there was something to the saying "head in the clouds…"

"…and he just about ran me down with a lecture, but it was all worth it in the end," Aragorn continued.

"By worth it…are you meaning putting the sedatives in my food…or the lesson we might have learned from out experience together?" Legolas asked. But after putting a moment's consideration into his question he added, "nah…it was the sedatives wasn't it?"

"Exactly mellon-nin."

"Right….never trust a Ranger with your food. You don't know when the next time will be for you to wake up in the right mind."

Despite not having heard the whole story exactly, Thorn smiled at the last comment. Those two were lucky; really lucky. Legolas had Aragorn and Aragorn had Legolas. They had no doubtly been through many life-threatening situations together and that was what cemented their bond. Her time seemed so simple now that she looked back at it. She had cemented her friendship with Michelle through chorus, and an essay; whilst Aragorn and Legolas had been attacked by Orcs and who-knows-what. The fact that Legolas hadn't killed Aragorn for the sedative incident was proof enough of just how far they went in their bond. If Michelle had done that to her…then she would have been resting peacefully at the bottom of her boot by now.

"Thorn? Lady Thorn?" Someone was waving a hand in front of her face, speaking her name multiple times.

"Wha, huh?" came her smart reply.

The Ranger smiled softly. He knew that look from anywhere; Legolas often did the same thing when staring out at the trees of his home. His soft-gray eyes glanced at her again. "Do you wish to rest now? I will take the watch post later on and Boromir will be next."

"Oh…um…"

"Or you can stay up a while longer if you wish. All the Hobbits but young Master Sam have fallen asleep or are in the process. We will not be setting out guards yet," Aragorn informed.

"Um yea, I think I will like that," Thorn smiled. Legolas was really lucky. Aragorn was a noble and generous man. If anything, she wished that her own brother or even father could mimic the Ranger's attitude.

She glanced around the small clearing quietly. Gandalf looked as if he were helping douse the fires and clear up with Boromir, but she could see the slight movement of his lips as he spoke to Boromir. Gimli was sitting among a few rocks near the three sleeping hobbits. All that remained around the fire were Aragorn, Legolas, Samwise, and herself.

"Right…Boromir…" Thorn mumbled to herself with her eyes closed; elbows propping her body up on the softly packed ground.

Aragorn was rhythmically puffing on his pipe, his soft gray eyes lost somewhere deep in thought. A soft longing sigh escaped the Ranger's lips along with another fume of sweet smelling smoke.

_Probably Arwen…I wish I could tell him. But that would more than likely shift the entire plot. Oh Lord…is it a sin to watch someone suffer and do nothing about it?_

Legolas too was lost in thought along with Sam whom sat next to him. Thorn had propped herself up next to both Legolas and Aragorn.

"Milady…do you also wonder about your home?" Sam mumbled as Thorn looked up. "I can see worry in your eyes."

She nodden in acknowledgment but said, "I don't know anymore…" Thorn said softly, "I don't know what to think."

"It is only natural for the human's mind to wander back to its origins," Legolas commented. The soft flickering fire cast dancing bits of lights on his face. "It is nothing to be confused about, or not know."

"It's not that I'm confused about…it's just the things is, oh I don't know! I don't know what I'm thinking or saying or doing or supposed to be doing," she said a slight bit exasperated.

"You are thinking that you do not belong here, you are saying you don't know if what you are doing is right, you are doing a terrific job on confusing yourself," Legolas added with some humor, "and you are supposed to be right where you are. In reality, there is only one place you are supposed to be; and that is where you currently are. There are no rewinds in life so you evolve whatever life brings to you."

"Ok…wow."

The Elf smiled lightly, the fire turning his blond hair more of a golden sheen. The shadows cast perfect angles on his well curved cheekbones and his delicate fingers moved in idle circles on the ground. This was the absolute first time Thorn had really put _any_ thought into this…but Legolas was, well…_handsome._ She supposed her unconscious side may have noticed this well beforehand, but it had never really crossed her mind in a full thought. Maybe because everything had seemed so temporary and dream-like. However, even more strangely with this thought, she wasn't feeling any sort of attraction at the moment; even in such a soft light. _I suppose he is just too much of a fantasy character. Maybe I am being skeptical…but that whole love-at-first-sight thing makes me a bit queasy. _

"Thorn?" Aragorn's voice penetrated her head, most likely more than once.

"Um…er….sorry yea?" she acknowledged.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His tone didn't really seem all that sincere though for some reason. If Thorn wasn't mistaken….something was pulling at the edges of his lips…like suppressed mirth or a sort…

"Why?" Thorn questioned, still a bit oblivious.

"Well you were starring at…ahemefogas," he coughed.

"I'm sorry…?" she asked, not really getting too much out of "efogas."

The Elf, since Thorn hadn't noticed yet, was grinning quite widely. "You were starring at me," he said outright bluntly.

"Eh? I was? Ummmmmm…." _Dangit! Do I need to stare at the subject of my thoughts?_

"I know I look good against the firelight…" he said in a joking tone that just threatened to overspill with laughter; but just then he was met square in the face with something that looked like a steel pan.

"Save it!" Thorn snapped irritably.

This was too much for both Hobbit and Ranger. They were soon cackling with laughter and Legolas soon joined them.

"Not funny!" Thorn huffed, blowing a stray bang out of her face. The fire was casting long shadows upon the three figures and the Elf's one face was mixed pleasantly with a happy uplift.

"Guys…" Thorn whined. "Argh…." _Stupid stuck up, egotistical, big-headed, annoying Elf!!_ "Fine! If you are too immature to have a decent conversation…then goodnight!" And with that Thorn pushed herself up to leave the campfire to these raving lunatics. "Idiots…." she huffed.

However, as Thorn let down her hair next to her sleeping bag and the raven locks came down smoothly, she let a small smile play on her lips...she was supposed to be here no matter what. She just had to make it evolve.

* * *

**A/N:** Goodness I am SO sorry for not updating faster! I have so much going on it isn't even funny, but I squeezed this in even though I have finals tomorrow. Yay. Please don't come after me with sharp pointy objects because I beat Legolas up in this chapter. Really! Haven't you ever wondered how Aragorn and Legolas got so close? No? Well wonder now. They must have gone through some life-threatening situation...so I made it as gentle as possible...Right? Also...I am not sure if all of those herbs are enough to knock out an Elf...I certainly doubt it...but that is where my knowledge of herbal treatments stop. I have an herb garden in the back yard...but I mix and match so much it is hard to tell which one essential ingridient is the magic one. I just mixed all sedatives I could find into Legolas' curry. Teehee. Not much time for a note right now, but I will update as soon as possible! Maybe in a week. Please review, it means the world to me!

**Friend's Thoughts**

**Angela: **Hey, how did you slice your finger like that? –points at red and bandaged thumb-

**Deborah: **Er…it's kinda embarrassing.

**Angela: **Right. It can't be worse than your "fork to the eye" incident. What happened?

**Deborah: **Don't go telling Michelle what an idiot I am okay?

**Angela: **Promise, now what happened?

**Deborah: **I sliced my finger open trying to solve a rubix cube last night…SHUT UP!

**Angela: **Wow…


	12. Misty Mountains

**A/N:** Alright then…trying to get another update out there. The gaps in between my chapters are still irritating me. I should be updating at least once a week, but other activities and things going on that no one gives a flip for here are happening. Haha, or course people just want to read the updates so I will do just that. I will add that I pulled my back earlier…ouchie. Continuous thrusting of a spear. Fun. Ok enough of that. Proceed!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings nor any of the exact quoted speeches during the story; it is grounds of J.R.R Tolkien. No profit is being made of this and it is strictly for pleasure reading.

**Previous: **"Guys…" Thorn whined. "Argh…." _Stupid stuck up, egotistical, big-headed, annoying Elf!!_ "Fine! If you are too immature to have a decent conversation…then goodnight!" And with that Thorn pushed herself up to leave the campfire to these raving lunatics. "Idiots…." she huffed.

However, as Thorn let down her hair next to her sleeping bag and the raven locks came down smoothly, she let a small smile play on her lips...she was supposed to be here no matter what. She just had to make it evolve.

* * *

Several days had already passed since the campfire night and the peculiar party was making its way steadily onward. Only a few days ago, while the party was resting comfortably in a near open field save a few projecting boulders had the impassively large flock of black crows come to visit. They had come in a huge swarm almost, blanketing the sky with light wings that spoke darkness even to the daylight itself. Sam and Aragorn had been taking watch that afternoon while the rest of the party rested. Thorn had not awoken to the strange sight although she now regretted it; but heard more from Sam with a gentle prod.

Now the company was moving at a steady pace along a more strewn path than before. A thin wisp of dark cloud seemed to hover in the unwavering sky wherever the party went along with their day's trek. Thorn could now see all too clearly the tall snow-drifted peaks of the Misty Mountains. No doubt the Fellowship had traveled up the treacherous trail in the book…but Thorn had resolved to make right the mistakes that could take precious time and blood from the Fellowship. However, was the trail of the Misty Mountain crucial in a time factor for this plot? Did it matter?

_I said I would fix mistakes just like Boromir's…but is this something I should be meddling with? _The Fellowship had gained nothing of their journey up to the foreboding mountains; but was there something Thorn couldn't see that they had supplied? The woman unconsciously pulled her cloak around her tighter; the air was getting cooler even at the base of the mountain. It was as Gandalf had said; winter followed them close behind.

The sun was high in the sky when the party halted with an air of decisiveness and Gandalf called their attention with the Ranger at his side. As if he were addressing Thorn's very troubles, the Wizard spoke on venturing up the High Pass in order to cross over the near impenetrable mountainside that separated the east and west side of Middle Earth. He voiced his concerns about the Red Gates being watched; realizing this may be so ever since the flock of black birds had come through the party's path.

No one seemed to disagree with either Wizard or Ranger's decision, but Thorn was biting her lip in indecisiveness. What did the Misty Mountains offer the Fellowship that it had to be crossed? It had killed time of course…but was that time that had to be killed. Did they need that passing gap in between in order not to meet up with some unseen force later on even not known to Tolkien himself? What was it that the Misty Mountains served in?

The Sindrian Elf was standing beside the woman so she turned simultaneously to him and asked, "do you think it wise?"

"To travel the High Pass?" he asked eyeing her with a detached interest.

"Mm."

He breathed slowly before replying, "I do not know. You are asking me to predict a future unseen to all of us here."

_So he thinks._

"I cannot make that sort of judgment."

"But you can consider what we may have to bear if we attempt the High Pass," Thorn pointed out. Maybe if she Elf also agreed that this was no way to pass the Misty Mountains…that would further verify her intention of trying to turn the party around.

The Elf thought for a moment, but then said "I do not know. Whatever we may find in High Pass or the Red Gates should we change courses is what we shall have to deal with."

"But what happens if we can't get over the High Pass?" Thorn asked. "Shouldn't we think this over more carefully?"

"Look up at the Ranger there," Legolas pointed at which the woman promptly looked up. "Does he not have a forlorn expression?"

"Yea, I guess."

"Some things I may not entirely trust Aragorn with," explained Legolas, "such as cooking and sewing. But in navigating a safe path or in battle…I trust my friend with my life. He has stayed up many sleepless nights to think this through."

"How can you tell?"

"Aragorn takes the first watch many times. You do not think a man of his experience would simply sit idly and stare into the distance now do you? No…he has stayed up many nights to consider this, and I trust his judgment."

At this Thorn panicked. Legolas was trusting Aragorn almost completely with his life. Would their trust be severed if this didn't work? Which of course it wouldn't…but would something happen to the two that even Tolkien hadn't written on? "But what if he's wrong? What if we have to turn back because of Aragorn?"

Legolas smiled lightly despite the air of depression hanging about. "If we have to turn back then so be it. I have no way of knowing what is to come and neither do you."

"But didn't you just say you trusted him with your life to make the right decision?"

"Aragorn is only Human, and I only Elf. Neither can see the future and we will both make mistakes. If this is the wrong path then we do what we can with the situation. Mistakes can be fatal, but they are not always the case. Mistakes can offer many things Milady…sorrow, anguish, death, injuries are all aspects…but they can also give us knowledge and answers."

Thorn stared at the blond figure in wonder. She knew that Elves surpassed humans in just about everything…but never had she imagined Legolas could grasp something such as this in this small bit of time. Of course…that was what the Misty Mountains offered. Answers. They had turned around to the mines of Moria after braving Misty Mountains. The harsh climate and impassable certainty of the mountainside had left no wavering doubt that the mines were indeed their route to take. Even if they could save time by not traveling up to the High Pass, any doubt at all could be all that the Party was lacking to falter long enough for an Orc to cut them through. _Oh Tolkien…how wise you are._

"Then we have no objections?" Gandalf asked, eyeing Thorn and Legolas in the back of the group.

No one said anything and the silence had an air of decisiveness about. They would take the High Pass to brave the Misty Mountains. Better over than under right? _Right._

Each member of the group had wrapped a faggot to carry up in case a fire was needed; an excellent idea of Boromir. At first the ideas in Thorn's mind had kept her optimistic. The climbing wasn't so bad. The cloak would keep everyone warm and they would just scurry up and then back down again when things didn't go well, right? What a funny thought.

Gradually over time, the terrain had not only grown steeper and rockier to a point that other paths were necessary to locate in order for the hobbits to pass through, but it had also gotten _colder._ A lot colder.

A freezing wind had whipped up and where snow had not been before, it lay now. The winter was no longer behind them, it was upon them. Flecks of ice were carried by the wind and lodged themselves into Thorn's warm cloak; impossible to remove lest she open her cloak to shake it out, only allowing in more snow. The light soled boots she wore were no where near enough protection and the cold chain-mail skirt seemed to seep in every bit of the winter storm and throw its miserable burden upon Thorn.

The woman had long since drawn her hood up for protection, but what little it offered seemed minimal. Snow whipped about her face and her cheeks were completely numbed out. She had thrown her hands into her cloak and stuffed them in her armpits to keep them from going numb as well. Snow was miserable. Snow was stupid. Snow was pointless. At least right now it seemed like it.

The four little hobbits seemed to be in the same fix she was. They were shorter and seemed to be collecting the snow rather than blowing it off. At this rate, they would turn into little walking mounds of ice.

Thorn kept her head down most of the trek, trying to keep the cold off of her face. She glanced up briefly and saw Aragorn yelling something. The wind was so fierce it seemed to steal the Ranger's very words away. She made a motion with her stricken hands for him to speak up, but nothing reached the woman's ears. Aragorn pointed forward again, and motioned a few more times, his mouth still moving. She looked sideways at him, a bit curious but too cold to care what he could be talking about. At least that was what she thought.

The snow had been building and building; and this part of the mountain higher up seemed to be blotted out with gigantic moving white puffs of snow. This forced visibility to a minimum. She probably would have been better off stuck in a gigantic library at three in the morning with no lights and blindfolded in one eye. Still, no use for hopeless dreams right? Right. Stupid storm. Burning in hell had never seemed so appealing.

Just then there was a sudden change in wind direction as they changed from two crossing brutal gusts to on powerful blowing force; putting the party upwind. And that was when the Ranger's voice reached her for the first time as the wind whipped the sound to her ears.

"Go….fercound…..I uncnt get futo youg…..dipth!"

That was perceptible. So completely, totally understandable. But there was no need for translation for the young woman. Sometimes actions really did speak louder than words. Apparently as Thorn soon started making out in that terribly split second of falling, "fercound" was meant to be "around and "dipth" was maybe "ditch."

The snow had blown up much debris around the area and there were ditches and crevices around the mountainside. Part of the bank had apparently fallen in and Thorn had slipped on a patch of nearly invisible snow and ice; propelling her forward in a slide-like fashion. The slope wasn't too terribly steep, but it was iced over as one may imagine in extreme cold. As the young woman picked her sodden self up from the ground, she looked up only to be met with a blanket of ice and snow blowing this was and that above her head. Oh sure, storms were bad. Snow-storms were even worse. A blizzard meant you were about dead deer-meat. But now Thorn understood she wasn't in a storm at all. Neither was she in a snow-storm or blizzard. At least not in any of those things by themselves. She was in a white-out. Stuck in a ditch fifty feet from the others. And not immortal.

* * *

**A/N:** There is the next chapter then! It took me so very long to update. I was being lazy I suppose and my life has sort of been dominating. I really don't know exactly what to do next, but I will try my best to make it a non-gushy-morphed-up-sappy-piece-of-love-crap. Right? Right. Now please believe in me, press the shiny review button so I know you are all with me here. Please? Thank you.

**Friend's Thoughts:**

Tess: So how did the all-nighter go?

Deborah: It was pretty fun I guess. I am just really tired.

Tess: Did you pull it off with all the guys?

Deborah: Huh? Oh yea. Uh-huh.

Tess: Did you sleep with them?

Deborah: What!? You're sick.

Tess: Did you?

Deborah: Fell asleep on top of the covers at five in the morning until Nory threw a glove at me and screamed there was a spider on my face.

Tess: 0.o Oh my Deborah!

Deborah: Don't be stupid. It was for like five minutes.

Tess: -gasp- so you like to do it fast.

Deborah: ….what's wrong with you!

Tess: I understand you wanted to move onto the others quickly.

Deborah: You're sick. And stupid….and….I'm not talking to you anymore.


End file.

Lord of the Rings, Adventure, Romance