Chapter Text
Light shone down through the treetops, warming the forest floor. The sun beckoned to all the forest's inhabitants to rise and greet the new day, the creatures all at peace within the protective borders of Lothlorien. For some, they woke to its call.
But for others, they slept on oblivious to the dawning of a new day.
The Fellowship slept peacefully through the rising of the morn, blissfully unaware of the war within the boundary of Lothlorien, resting peacefully for the first time since they had left on their journey.
Stirring slightly with the warmth falling onto his face, Sirius yawned as he awoke slowly from his deep sleep. The steady beating heart of his mate soothed him, trying to draw him back into his previous slumber. With a yawn that would rival a lion’s, he snuggled back into Boromir’s embrace, rubbing his head against the warm chest beneath him. Boromir chuckled sleepily as he felt his Mate rubbing his head against his chest. He hummed deep in his chest, bringing up a hand to caress his Mate’s head. It warmed Boromir’s heart to hear the answering moan as Sirius continued to enjoy his presence.
“It’s time to wake up,” Boromir murmured into Sirius’ hair, kissing the warm tresses.
“Ugh, you can’t make me. I’m too warm,” Sirius groaned, burying his head into his own arm.
Chuckling, Boromir rose slowly from his back, dislodging Sirius from his resting place. Grumbling, the Hybrid rubbed his eyes and groaned as his creaking joints grated in protest. Sirius blinked sleepily as his eyes wandered around his mixed group of companions.
Two ginger-haired Hybrids lay on each side of Legolas, sandwiching the Elven Prince in their twin embrace. Their hold on the Elf seemed almost possessive as it was protective. Gandalf, Gimli and Severus lay circling the Hobbits, who were huddled closely together, guarding the Halflings that rested peacefully for as long as possible. Yet as Sirius looked closer as Severus’ face, the Earth Wielder seemed calmer, with an aura of serenity and happiness softening his war-hardened face.
Chuckling at the picture before him, Sirius looked around. Only to see that Harry was missing.
Leaping up in a panic, he began to shout, “Harry! Harry, where are you?”
The group woke with many cries, most leaping to their weapons, as if anticipating an attack.
“Oi, what’s going on?” Fred grumbled, rubbing his eyes and barely holding back his yawn.
“I can’t find Harry!” Sirius cried.
George groaned, grabbing Legolas back into his embrace and burying his face into the Elf’s chest, “Good lord, Sirius! He’s probably with Aragorn. Don’t get your pants in twist,”
His words did nothing to prevent the Air Wielder’s panic from escalating.
A tree branch parted from the undergrowth, its wide arc revealing the presence of both Harry and Aragorn as they approached the group. The Fellowship breathed a sigh of relief to see their two fellow members returning to them safely.
Well, except for Sirius.
“HARRY! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!” Sirius shouted, his heart still racing from his panic.
Harry flinched at the shout, not expecting that reaction from his godfather.
“Ooh, lookie here Gred, I see a walk of shame,” George cackles as he woke up fully.
Fred smirks evilly as his twin, “Looks like we need to give him the shovel talk, eh Forge?”
Harry blushed from the twin’s implications, turning around, burying his head against Aragorn’s chest to hide his embarrassment.
“I apologise for worrying you Sirius, but Harry was with me the whole time, he was perfectly safe,” Aragorn said trying to placate the upset Godfather while rubbing Harry’s back.
Sirius crossed his arms and grumbled, unable to stay mad at the two for long, “Well, don’t let it happen again.”
Severus sighed as the drama was called to a halt.
“Why did I decide to come with this lot again?” he mumbled to himself.
Gandalf chuckled at the Earth Wielder’s words, but stuffed a pipe in his mouth and did not comment as he began to pack away his things.
An aura of anxiety fell over the group as they silently packed up their small camp of the forest floor. The peace that they had felt during their stay in Lothlorien began to fade away as they began to face the reality that they would be entering the real world once again. The sound of marching could be heard among the forest as a procession of Elves came to their small alcove. Lady Galadriel stood beside her mate, Celeborn, as they strode towards the group.
“It is time.”
They all nodded. It was time for them to move on.
The procession of Elves circled the Fellowship, leading them to river that flowed beside the great Elven city where white boats were awaiting them on the river docks.
Aragorn watched the young Ring-Bearer who stood before Lady Galadriel, thanking her for her help. Galadriel smiled at the young Hobbit before presenting Frodo with a gift, “Light of Earendil, our most beloved star.”
Frodo nodded his head in thanks to Lady Galadriel and bowing his head to the Elven Sorceress. A bright red blush rose up his face as Galadriel softly kissed his head. In his embarrassment, he rushed away from the Elven woman, much to the amusement of Aragorn who watched the Halfling flee from her.
Aragorn nodded his head as the Lady of the Wood, “I thank you for your kindness and hospitality, Lady Galadriel.”
“You need not thank me Elessar, for you and your companions are taking on a darkness others would not face.”
Galadriel turned to glance over the group one more time before they continued on their journey. Her pale blue eyes fell on Harry and her eyes softened greatly.
“All I ask is that you take care of Harry, I may not be there to save him again if that fate were to befall upon him,” Galadriel said calmly, before walking away from the stunned Ranger.
Aragorn quickly turned to look at his lover, emerald green eyes met his own and his heart began to pick up its pace.
‘I would die before I let anything happen to him again ,’ Aragorn thought.
~*~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~*~
“We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats, and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North,” Aragorn announced to the group as he approached from the river bank.
The Fellowship had just unpacked the boats and started a fire when Aragorn made the announcement. The groans and grumbling from the group made Aragorn chuckle as he made his way over to Harry. He knew that pushing them hard but they would soon see the wisdom in his actions.
“Oh yes. Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks? And after that, it gets even better. Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see,” Gimli said sarcastically.
“Well ain’t he just a bundle of sunshine,” George mutters to Fred, who silently snickered watching Pippin’s reaction at Gimli’s words
“That is our road,” Aragorn said, his words final looking down at the dwarf.
“I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf,” Aragorn spoke as he placed his bags next to Harry, who smiled up at him.
Gimli started muttering away at Aragorn’s words, “Recover my . . .” before throwing stones at the two cackling twins.
Legolas watched stiffly from the edge of the forest, his eyes swiftly scanning the dense trees as if sensing something. The forest seemed to echo with a dark presence that would be a danger to the group.
“Legolas?” Fred asked softly, his voice echoing his concern.
Legolas spoke, his voice echoing his anxiousness as he turned towards Aragorn, “We should leave now.”
“No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore,” Aragorn said, “We must wait for the cover of darkness.”
Legolas looked back to the forest, “It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near. I can feel it.”
The two paused to look further into the darkness of the forest, oblivious to the noise from the group behind them.
“No dwarf need recover strength,” Gimli continued to mutter prodding at the fire.
“Oh, do shut up!” Severus barked, his temper flaring at the dwarf’s continued mumbling, magically flicking a stone at the dwarf’s head, the resounding clang and the shocked mutters from the dwarf causing the Halflings to laugh.
Merry glanced around as he stood to get more firewood, his eyes trying to find something or someone around the group, “Where’s Frodo?”
Everyone jumped up at Merry’s words.
Frodo was missing!
“I thought you were watching him!” Fred and George accused, pointing their finger at the other, which would have been funny at any other time.
Aragorn’s eyes wandered among the group, his heart pounding with fear that did not show on his face.
The Gondorian shield that laid innocently among the bags of the group spoke loudly among the chaos of the camp.
“Boromir,” Aragorn stated to the group, his sapphire eyes meeting the emerald eyes of his lover.
Said emerald eyes widened in fear before looking to the forest.
“Frodo!” Harry cried before running into the dense trees, the others following him into the unknown.
~*~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~*~
“Run. Run. Run!”
Aragorn’s words echoed in his head as Frodo ran through the forest undergrowth. His heart pounding in time with his feet. The encounters with both Boromir and Aragorn and now the Orcs, fuelling the adrenalin that ran through him as he ran in fear from the Uruk-Hai and the clashing sound of steel on steel that echoed through the forest.
The fighting was getting too close for his liking. He needed to get away and fast!
“Find the Halfling! Find the Halfling” echoes through the forest as he ran.
Frodo gasped as the shouts of the Uruk-Hai reached his ears, not noticing as his feet struck a root sticking out amongst the fallen leaves. He yelped as he fell, rolling among the dead leaves that were scattered along the slope.
Scrambling back to his feet, Frodo slid to hide behind the roots of a tree, just in time to see Uruk-Hai run past.
Rustling of leaves sounded from a fallen tree beside his hiding spot. Merry and Pippin poked their heads out of their own hiding spot.
“Frodo!” Merry tried to whisper.
Pippin spoke softly as well, trying to conceal their hiding spot a bit longer, “Hide here. Quick! Come on!”
Frodo panicked upon seeing his two friends so close. He needed to leave on his own but upon seeing them, it made his decision all the harder to go through with.
But from looking into his eyes, he could see that Merry knew what was going on.
“What’s he doing?” Pippin asked Merry, confused as to why Frodo would not join them.
Frodo shook his head at the two of them.
Merry said, understanding what he meant, “He’s leaving.”
But Pippin did not want him to go, “No!”
“Pippin!” Merry cried as his friend leapt out of their hiding spot. He followed, trying to stop Pippin.
The shrieks of approaching Uruk-Hai echoed once again through the forest, alerting the Hobbits that they would soon be caught.
The two Hobbits turned to Frodo. Merry swallowed, “Run Frodo! Go on! Run”
“Hey you! Over here! Over here! This way!” the two crazy Hobbits shouted, distracting and drawing the Uruk-Hai away from him.
Frodo sent a prayer to the Green Lady, Yavanna, to look over her two children as they made a mad dash down the hill. Steeling his resolve, he bolted from his spot, going the other direction of the creatures pursuing him, only to hear his friends in the distance
“It’s working,” Pippin cried in surprise.
“I know it’s working! Run!” Merry cried in exasperation.
~*~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~*~
A horn echoed through the forest, alerting the remaining Fellowship who stood fighting amongst the trees.
“The horn of Gondor!” Legolas stated.
“Boromir!” Aragorn cried, running towards the echoing calls from the forest.
~*~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~*~
His horn echoed through the forest over the stampede of Uruk-Hai advancing upon them. Boromir felt truly overwhelmed as he tried to protect Merry and Pippin.
“Run! Run!” Boromir cried.
‘ I will not fail them. Not like I did Frodo and Sirius. I will redeem myself and prove my worth on this quest ,’ Boromir thought as he slashed away at the advancing Uruk-Hai, ‘ I will save my home!’
“Don’t stop you two! Keep moving! I’m right behind you!” He shouted, quickly looking over his shoulder to see if they were still alive.
The two halflings nodded, going to run, only to stare as more of the beasts clambered over the distant hill. Boromir turned to see what had distracted the two Hobbits.
The largest Uruk-Hai he had ever seen in his life came to the top of the hill, notching an arrow in its bow, taking aim at him with cold, dark eyes staring him down. The air seemed to stir and quicken with the family presence of his mate. Boromir turned to see the silver glow of his mate approaching as fast as the wind.
“No! Sirius! Get out of here!” Boromir shouted.
As the gale force wind pushed against him, he felt pain explode in his shoulder.
He screamed.