Meet the Cast

Disclaimer: Nope…we don’t own The Lord of the Rings

Suzanne: Fine! Keep depressing me with the fact that I have no money!! sobs

Laura: Don’t mind her…

Both: SCHOOL = SATAN!!!

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The mortal pair continued to sit silently on the stone bench. There were few sounds that surrounded them, yet they would have gone unnoticed anyway, as both were lost in their own worlds. Aragorn thought greatly of the journey ahead and how he could convince Arwen to leave. It was true, he loved her and would risk his life for her, but he would rather her live without him than die with him.

Suzanne’s thoughts rested on a different subject. The fact that Aragorn’s hand still rested upon hers did not help matters much. She had finally been able to convince herself that the act was of friendship, not admiration. She knew that, in the end, Arwen would not leave and that she would marry the king. This put a heavy damper on her thoughts, as she had been drawn to Aragorn. Though heartache had become a familiar part of life, it still burned harshly within.

As they were so engrossed in their feelings, neither saw the shadows move and the keen eyes focusing on them. A sharp, yet muffled gasp was made as the tall figure slowly backed away. It was careful not to step on the leaves that thickly coated the ground. Few tears fell to the ground when the distance increased between it and the pair, beats of its feet shifting into a run.

“El bain.”

Laura blushed at the words, fixating her gaze on a twig lying on the ground. She dismounted from the back of Loraica, allowing the black mare to wander within the clearing. Legolas did the same with Melkor. He gestured for her to follow him to the gazebo, guiding her to sit on a bench facing the opening of the clearing. Laura looked at him questioningly, but he raised his index finger, gesturing for her to be quiet and wait. The noonday sun gradually moved to hang directly overhead, triggering a burst of color and light. The flowers were reacting with the sun, displaying prisms and releasing a delicious aroma. The woman gasped again, overwhelmed by the calming majesty of it all.

She turned her head to find Legolas staring at her. She smiled at him briefly before returning her attention to the surreal beauty of the scene around her. Laura doubted she would ever again see something as gorgeous. The sun slowly descended, causing the lights to sparkle and then diminish. The woman sat in awe for a second, words not being able to describe what had just taken place.

“What are they?”

“They began as regular flowers, but the elves enchanted them. They continue this ritual at dawn, mid-day, and sunset. I believe it is most beautiful at dusk, however.”

“I can’t imagine anything being more beautiful than this.”

“I can.”

He certainly was NOT talking about flowers. Laura blushed again, the crimson color accentuated in the afternoon sun. She glanced up at him, letting herself get lost within his deep blue eyes. She was no longer in Middle Earth, but rather in the Caribbean, being lulled by the calm waves of the crystal clear water. His descending mouth brought her back to reality, her stomach jumping into her throat. She closed her eyes, moving her face forward slightly.

A shaking in the brush brought both out of their daze, heads snapping up to look for the source of the rustle. Unfortunately, Laura’s head came up a little too fast, nailing Legolas in the nose. She covered her mouth with her hand, an apologetic look on her face.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I swear I didn’t mean to-“

She reached up to touch his nose, but he moved her hand away.

“It will be fine in a moment, but I really don’t suggest touching it now. Unless, of course, you propose to, what was it? Oh, ‘kiss it and make it better’?”

Laura laughed, swatting him playfully on the arm. The two quickly got the idea that they were not alone, however. A figure dressed in royal blue atop a white horse was in the middle of the clearing, tears streaming down the woman’s face. Laura looked closer, surprised at what she saw.

“Brennilen Arwen!” My lady Arwen!

Arwen’s gaze traveled to the two, her telling eyes conveying she knew what had been happening. That, however, would not cause the elf to burst into tears. Laura and Legolas both had a questioning look on their faces, expecting an answer or explanation. Arwen’s face contorted, shouting out in anger.

“Keep her away from him! Keep that wretched creature away from him, or you shall both regret ever coming to this world!”

With that she spurred her horse to rush onward, leaving a surprised elf and woman in her wake.

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Swiftly she walked through the winding halls that she would soon leave behind. It was around one of the multiple corners that she came close to colliding with a feminine figure, clad in dark blue with a face as pale as the moons and tainted with reddened eyes, which only came from crying. The others face twisted in rage as her own portrayed confusion. Finally the words burst forth to accuse her.

"You would take from me that which I value more than my own life?"

"My Lady.."

"Speak not courtly to me, merely answer the question I have presented. How is it you would steal something most precious to me?"

"I know not of what you speak!"

"Oh, but you do. I speak of our Lord Aragorn. The one who I bound myself to and would die for his love, which I thought I had secured. But no! You, who would come from an unknown land, would try to take him from me. I shall not have it!"

"I would not steal your love, for I know how it feels to have ones heart shattered."

"Do you now? Truly you would not want to face one who has had their own torn apart then. Stay away from him! Stay away from the one who holds my heart!"

"You have nothing to fear, I cannot tear apart that which is true even if I so desired."

"Do not desire to do so, you have no idea how much pain it would inflict upon me."

With this, and emotions still blazing with hatred, love, and pain the Lady Arwen turned curtly and left in the opposite direction. Only then did the blond haired girl utter stiff words spoken through parted lips as tears stained her face.

"Oh, but I do know the pain that comes with heartbreak....only too well do I know."

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Though spoken softly the words were picked up by the acute sense of hearing that had been obtained by the elves.
The two women met in their bedroom that night for perhaps their last night in Imiladris. Laura had an unnatural happiness glowing about her while Suzanne seemed extremely downtrodden. Laura continued to glance questioningly at her friend, yet she had no idea what could be the matter. Suzie seemed to have no interest in sharing her problem. Most of the night continued in silence, the two women concluding their packing.

Morning came all too quickly, tearing Laura from her precious slumber. Her “friend” attempted to shake her awake, quickly receiving a vicious kick from her subject. Laura groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head. Suzanne attempted to remove them. They were already running late, and Laura wasn’t even awake yet. Suzanne paused for a moment, thinking about her options. All of a sudden she screamed and jumped on top of Laura, relentlessly tickling her until they both fell from the bed, bringing all sheets and pillows along with them.

Although they should have been accustomed to the girls’ screaming by now, Aragorn and Legolas dashed into the room. They were met by a giggling pile of covers. The laughing suddenly became silent, a faint “one, two three” being heard. Laura and Suzanne lunged at the unsuspecting “warriors,” knocking them to the ground.

“Good morning!” Laura cried in a singsong voice. She immediately remembered that she just woke up, however, and more than likely resembled and orc. She quickly ran to the other side of the room, grabbing an outfit that she had instructed the tailors to sew. Denim and cotton would not hold well against the elements, yet the fabric of the elves was quite durable. Laura and Suzanne had not been too interested in the fashion selections, however, as they had refused to wear dresses while on the trip.

“Rise and shine, porcupine!” Suzanne chimed, realizing she definitely wasn’t thinking clearly, seeing as the sun had barely risen. Watching Laura run to change, she jumped up, tripping on someone’s ankle on the way, and ran to change as well.

Laura soon emerged, clad in black pants that resembled her denim flares. The Elven tailors had gawked at her request for the clothing, wondering why a lady would want such apparel. Laura had been adamant that she could not, and WOULD not live without her flares. A dark green shirt with a moderately low neckline and black shoes completed the outfit, mixing the colors of Middle Earth with the fashion that she would never relinquish.

Suzanne stepped out soon after, wearing the identical form of her friend’s outfit.

Aragorn and Legolas looked questioningly at them. Aragorn finally spoke.

“Shouldn’t you two get dressed for the journey?”

Laura smiled and responded, “We are. What did you expect us to wear? Dresses?” At the last question she laughed, imagining Suzanne and herself trudging through the Dead Marshes wearing one of their beautiful dresses.

Aragorn still looked confused, “Well, I, uh, I didn’t exactly know. But, uh, I simply didn’t expect...that.”

The clothing was rather form fitting in the men’s opinion. Not that they necessarily minded, but if they were to encounter other men, protecting them could be difficult. Women in their time generally wore clothing that did not cling to their skin. Barbaric men lurked about who were unafraid to take advantage of “helpless” women. Neither decided to mention this however, the very prospect that they considered the women’s appearance unnerving.

“Pshaw! You actually expected me to wear a dress for THAT long? No way, Jose!” (A/N: PSHAW IS A REAL WORD!!!)

The men looked absolutely stunned at the words that Suzanne was using. What in Eru’s name did the word “pshaw” mean? And who was Jose? Laura quickly reassured the two, however.

“We did pack a dress, just in case we needed it.”

They looked slightly consoled by this statement, so Suzanne decided not to mention the fact that just because they brought them didn’t mean that they were going to wear them. Aragorn motioned with his hand for the two to follow him.

The two women grabbed their bags and headed for the door, linking arms with each other and chanting “Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!”

Aragorn and Legolas simply looked at each other. This was going to be a long trip.

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When they arrived outside, Boromir was once again complaining about their presence. He thought that if they were able to have horses on the way, he should too! The rest of the fellowship held that three horses were enough to worry about. ( A/N: Indo Cormamin, Ohtar, and BILL THE PONY!!!)

Laura smiled deviously and whispered something to Suzanne. Suzanne immediately went to the stables, coming back with a saddled horse. Laura and Suzanne walked over to Boromir, appearing penitent. Laura spoke.

“We wanted to apologize for how we’ve acted to you. So we brought you this horse. It isn’t fair that we should ride while everyone else walks.”

Suzanne smiled, “I’ll take him over by the other horses.”

While she led the horse to the other three, Laura continued to “apologize” for their many faults.

“And I should never have defended myself against you. You’re always right. And if you ever needed to attack me, I’m sure it was for a good reason...”

She continued to look over to Suzanne as she continued her “heartfelt” monologue. She eventually curtseyed to him and then walked over to Suzanne.

Elrond continued the familiar story, charging the fellowship to follow only as long as they thought best. The somber line approached the gates of Rivendell, Laura and Suzanne mounting their horses. They stayed at the back of the parade with Legolas and Aragorn. Elrond motioned that he wished to speak with the four of them privately before their departure.

As the elf approached the quartet, a loud “thump” was heard. They all turned to see the Steward of Gondor’s son flat on his back with a saddle on his stomach. He was muttering words that Laura and Suzanne did not know, but could guess the gist of. He glared in their direction.

“This is your fault!”

Laura and Suzanne looked at each other before turning their innocent gazes to Boromir. They spoke in unison, emphasizing the word.

“Us?”

Laura grinned.

“Boromir, maybe you should learn some more about horses if you’re gonna be riding one all the way to Mordor.”

Boromir stalked off, following the fellowship and leaving the distraught horse.

The two women erupted in a fit of giggles. Elrond, Legolas, and Aragorn looked at them accusingly. Suzanne shrugged.

“It’s not my fault I don’t know how to operate Middle Earth girths...”

The men simply shook their heads as Elrond began to speak.

“Estel, Legolas, you two will be responsible for protecting them. There must be a reason for their appearance. Galadriel, the Lady of Light, should offer some insight. Travel as far as Lorien, although the women may need to remain there. Our world becomes more treacherous with each passing day. Your friendships should keep them alive.”

The word friendship was emphasized, stressing the point that the extent of their relationship would be as close companions. Not romance interests. He then turned to the women.

“You will be afraid and in danger. But do not give into despair. There is hope. Your destinies will come in time.”

His eyes lingered on Suzanne as he spoke the word despair, knowing her cries at night. His guards had reported their activities and had frequently mentioned the blonde’s depression. A long journey would not mix well with chronic unhappiness. With that he nodded to the four, permitting them exit.

Aragorn and Legolas crossed one hand over their chest and then extended it, in the tradition of the elves. Laura and Suzanne bowed their heads, still atop Indo Cormamin and Ohtar. They began the slow trudge to the gates of Rivendell, stopping briefly outside the city limits.

There was no going back.

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A/N: 2:00 AM caffeine Herd Your Horses = this. Don’t ask, because we probably won’t answer. Suzanne’s still pouting that she doesn’t have a reason to be depressed. And Laura, well, we just won’t go there. R&R, but please no flames. Love ya all!