LOTR fanfic- Lady of the Rings

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Thanks. My only issue is that I never have enough time for it.

[Lunaestrella]

Thats ok. If you don't have time for it, don't worry. After all, I'm the only person reading it

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

S'all right. I'll write anyway. As long as someone is reading it, even if it's just my brother or something, I'm happy. I would have one of my friends read it, because we critique eachother's writing a lot, but she hasn't read LOTR and wouldn't get it.

[Lunaestrella]

None of my friends write... they're just like: Oh! Your writing is so good!" without even reading it or criticising and not even saying what they think I could improve. *Grumble* Annoying hobbitsesss...

[Lunaestrella]

Bump? I'd love to read more!

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

I promise I'll type like three pages worth on friday on my plane ride. Until then, I'll try to squeak out some decent writing on a lackluster muse and tight schedule.

[Lunaestrella]

Yay! *Happy dance*

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

As the hobbits left him alone, Ladhras waited until he was sure they had left before inspecting his injuries. His legs were badly bruised, and there were vicious cuts on his face and limbs. Sighing, he searched the room for his pack with his eyes, catching sight of it beneath the remnants of the other bed in the room. With great effort, he pulled himself to his feet and stood shakily on the dusty floor. Slowly and cautiously, he took a hesitant step forward, then another. As he regained feeling in his legs, he became more confident, and tried to move faster. Unexpectedly, his foot caught a knot in the wood and he tripped forward, falling hard on the ground and hitting his forehead on the bed frame. Wincing, he raised his head to look for the bag, and saw it a few feet away against the wall by the bedpost. He struggled to free his hands from beneath him, and reached for the leather sack as best he could. But his arm was not long enough, and the bag was just out of his reach. Painfully he glanced back at his legs, and tried to get a bit of grip on the floor with them to move forward. His legs protested in agony, but he bit his lip and pushed forward anyway. He reached out again, and this time his fingertips were able to catch hold of the bag's straps. Ladhras exhaled in relief, and dragged himself into a sitting position to open the smooth leather bag. As he deftly untied the laces that held it shut, he noticed that he had received a bad enough blow from the ceiling that his finger was dislocated. He sucked his breath in sharply as he popped it back into place, fighting the urge to roar in pain. Desperately he began untying the straps again, then reached into the bag with his uninjured hand. Inside he felt around until he found what he was looking for. Ladhras withdrew his hand, and clasped it to his chest. Very slowly, he opened it and looked at what he held in his palm. There, lying on his fair skin, was a small round artifact carved of ancient stone and inlaid with silver. In the middle of the smooth, curved surface, a cluster of diamonds was encrusted and the graceful silver lines joined with the jewels in the center. The silver seemed to move and flow like water, as if it was alive. Sighing, Ladhras reached into the bag again, his green eyes alight with pleasure. He knew that what he searched for was not there, because the enemies had taken it. They were looking for the strange stone he held in his hand, but had not been able to find it in the secret pocket in which he kept it, so had taken the settings here it belonged instead. The setting was also silver, but was an elvish crown with a space for the stone. Ladhras slipped the stone into a small pouch, for he knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to keep it hidden and safe in his bag. The pouch he tied onto a string, and hung it around his neck. Glancing up suddenly, he heard the return of the hobbits up the stairs, their low whispers giving them away. He scrambled to his feet, and barely managed to hobble over to the opposite bed and sit back down again before Merry and Pippin marched into the room, each carrying a tray laden with provisions. While Ladhras was recovering his precious stone, they had been ransacking the pantries and abandoned kitchen of the Prancing Pony. Their search had been ludicrously rewarding, as they had discovered ample food for both the two of them and their strange companion. Triumphantly, Pippin plunked his tray down on the blankets beside Ladhras and then jumped up to sit next to him.

"Well, Mr. Ladhras, our lunch menu only offers the heartiest fare in all the Shire. What can I get you to start? Here we have some lovely roast chicken, with some of the best salt and herb seasoning that can be found. And on the side we offer tasty seed cake, prepared by the local baker. And if you're thirsty, my assistant will provide a drink menu momentarily," Pip announced jokingly, gesturing to the food on the bed and pretending to be a waiter. Merry indignantly snorted at the idea of him being anyone's assistant, but continued the jest.

"Yes, yes, here we serve some very good ale, golden and fresh-brewed from this season's crop. I'm sure there's also some fine red wine, laid down when I was a wee lad. What can I get you to start?" Merry asked, his eyes twinkling with laughter as he tried to keep a straight face. Ladhras grinned, revealing a dazzling smile that only improved his bright green eyes and fair complexion.

"Ale is fine. I have not had wine for many months, and ale seems more fitting for our current predicament. It is much more casual. And Pippin, I think I will have some of the chicken and cake, if you two will help me finish it. I cannot eat a whole chicken of that size on my own. Thank you," Ladhras replied, amused by the hobbits' humor even in their situation. Merry scurried back out into the hall, and returned quickly with a barrel of ale on his shoulder, holding it skillfully with one hand and filling a pint from the tap with the other. He handed the cup to Ladhras, then filled pint glasses for himself and Pip. Pippin's face glowed with genuine joy as he sucked down the golden liquid, belching when he finished. As soon as the trio had all downed their beer several minutes later, the hobbits cut the chicken and divided it onto plates, which they set on the bed. Without a moment's hesitation, they all tucked into the good fare, devouring the entire chicken in record time. Merry began to clear the dishes onto the floor, but Ladhras stopped him and began to do it himself.

"You have done enough for me, a stranger. Let me do you a favor now," he asserted kindly, stacking the plates and mugs neatly by their feet. The hobbits did not protest, but instead hopped down off the bed to stretch their legs. Then Ladhras startled them both by standing up straight.

"Your- your legs! You can walk!" Merry exclaimed, stumbling over his words. Pippin didn't add his opinion, but instead grinned happily and hugged Ladhras' legs. He wasn't an amazingly tall person, but Ladhras stood significantly taller than the hobbits. His clothes were very different, too- he wore a long-sleeved tan shirt, a leather vest, and stiff leather arm braces. His pants were sturdy and made of soft leather, with two belts that crossed his waist in an X-shape. He wore neither hat nor helm, but left his hair loose around his face. A long scabbard hung empty at his side, the sword missing. Even his boots were functional and rugged, tall and finely made of dark leather with thick soles. Ladhras nodded and picked up his bag, pulling up his pant legs to inspect his leg injuries again.

"Yes, little masters, I can walk, but I don't expect that I can move much faster than that. We must make ready to leave, and bring only what will be useful. Our journey takes us far from these shores, to elvish country where we can obtain help for the poor unlucky inhabitants of Bree and for all of Middle Earth. And I have unfinished business there." He gazed down at Merry and Pippin, and raised his hand to his neck unconsciously. The hobbits watched his hand, curious as to what he was doing. Snapping back to his senses, Ladhras dropped his hand quickly and picked up his bag.

"Well, let's go," he prodded, raising his eyebrows and gesturing towards the door. "We make for the fair city of Duillond, near the sea and the harbors there. It is small, but we are most likely to get sympathy there where the enemy will not likely reach. We need to find horses, and leave immediately." Merry nodded and looked to Pippin. He ran his fingers through the curly mop of reddish blond hair on his head and walked out the door. The other two followed him, Pip last. The hobbits stopped in the room where they had sorted out the plunder, and took the weapons and packs they had discovered. Merry pulled his cloak on tighter, and shouldered his pack before helping Pippin with his. Soon they were ready, and needed only to raid the pantries again for food to travel with. The three travelers ventured downstairs, and walked into the large storeroom where the food supplies of the Inn of the Prancing Pony were kept. The large room was lined with shelves, and barrels of every sort of nourishment sat on the floor and on the shelves. Quickly they split up and sorted through the glorious abundance, packing anything that would keep a while into the bags. The wonderful warmth and pleasant smell of the room relaxed all three of them, improving their hopes and their moods. When they ran out of room in their packs, and every possible apple, egg, and bottle had been stuffed in, Merry went out to retrieve ponies that they could load with supplies. He had to hunt through the town, because they had been scattered by the attacking enemies. He walked speedily through the cobblestone streets, keeping his eyes peeled for equines but staying quiet. As soon as he had left the relative safety of the inn, his fear had returned.

"Courage, Merry," he whispered to himself, as the sound of echoing hooves came from down the nearby alley. He crept towards it and sighed in relief when he saw the dapple gray pony at the end, its muzzle to the ground in search of grass. Merry walked straight to it, recognizing the pony as belonging to his elder cousin Corimac, who lived near the road out of Bree. He stopped as he realized that that meant he was probably gone as well. Fighting a rising tide of fear and anger, he stroked the pony and led it by its mane back to the small clump of others he had located. Among the ponies was a tall horse, a fine-boned fiery chestnut mare with a white blaze for Ladhras to ride. Although he wasn't very familiar with equines, he was able to herd them with some difficulty back to the Prancing Pony. Soon they were all milling about at the bottom of the stairs to the inn entrance, and Merry swerved between them to fight his way up to the door. Before he could reach it, Pippin and Ladhras came out, carrying the full packs and extra supplies. Ladhras tossed Merry a few blankets, and he began tying them onto the ponies that had been found with harnesses on. Because they all were working together, they were quickly ready to go, and the unnecessary ponies had been released into a field to graze. They trio stepped back to look at their work before they mounted up to leave. Seven ponies stood in a line, with the horse at the head of them all. Two of the ponies were saddled and carried no extra burden, while the other five were connected by ropes to the ones in front of them, and the one in front connected to Pippin's mount. They made a comical picture, looking very confused and with various items tied on to them at odd angles. Done looking, Ladhras nodded and they walked to the convoy, each mounting their animal and preparing to start their very long ride. Ladhras started off with ease, his mare being well-trained and well-behaved. Merry soon got his stubborn pain of a pony moving, the animal grunting in protest and lumbering along after the mare reluctantly. But Pip was not so fortunate, and could not get most of the pony chain to move.

"Oh, get on, you stubborn Brandybuck. Clearly you learned something from your master!" he griped, irritated with the uncooperative gray pony, who was in fact Corimac's. Merry looked back at him and made a face, hearing the tantrum of Pippin. After much kicking in the side, the fat creature snorted and moved on at a snail's pace, with each proceeding pony walking equally slowly behind. Ladhras turned at the top of the hill out of Bree and looked back at the pathetic followers, frowning with impatience. However, once the train had finally made it past him, he turned his horse and trotted back to take the lead, his mood turning pleasant again as the sun shone down. Springtime in the Shire really is very beautiful, even when no one is around. The flowers were especially bright that day, and were popping up in every little divot and crest of the ground. The grass stretched on in all directions, an endless sea of emerald green, matching the hue of Ladhras' eyes. Merry and Pippin focused on keeping their annoying charges moving, but the man gazed around at the beautiful scenery as he rode through the unfamiliar land. Only a few puffy white clouds dotted the sapphire sky, and the sun bathed everything in a golden wash of light.

"The silver of the moon can chase away even the deepest darkness. Let no clouds block the light. The stars do guide and serve the splendor of the heavens," he murmured, thinking of the cryptic words that had been spoken to him by his teacher, a scholar of Duillond, his home. He knew that they referred to the stone, but he felt that they also applied to someone. Who that someone was, he could not tell.

[Lunaestrella]

Yay! New chapter! I love this. It is my precioussssssssss!

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Thanks! I read your new chapter too. I'll write another large chunk later, probably on my plane home on Wednesday because I'm super busy until then doing touristy stuff.