Disclaimer: This document consists of a reconstruction of the story Chosen by Kaos Girl. It has been put together from the quotes in an MST. As far as is known, it is complete up to the point where the author abandoned it. Certain details of paragraphing may be lost in the archiving process.
Chapter One - Finding the Ring
"Fated love, ageless beauty, a forgotten time, an impossible riddle."
She watched the second hand of the clock tick away slowly. Tick tock. Tick tock. It seemed to move in slow motion, mocking her eagerness to leave the place she’d been doomed to labor in for the past two years.
“Nearly eleven,” Phoenix whispered to herself, resting her elbows on the counter. “Kmart can close at any time.”
Phoenix Walsh was normally a patient person. Kind and understanding, she held an intelligence that seemed much older than herself. Why she was working in a retail store during the holidays was another story unto itself.
No one ever believed that Phoenix belonged in Chicago, working retail to pay for her schooling. Some said she hadn’t aged a day since her sixteenth birthday. Not a blemish had ever dared mar her soft skin, and even though it did tan, her skin never burned under the harsh sun’s rays. Her long blonde hair was always shiny and smooth, and her blue-green eyes were bright with wonder, never once hinting at stress or worry. The only imperfection, as it was often called, that Phoenix seemed to possess were the slight points at the ends of her ears. She would often joke, calling herself a fairy in training. She insisted she liked herself just the way she was and would never change her ears for anything.
“Attention Kmart shoppers, the time is now eleven o’clock and your Kmart store is now closed. We will reopen tomorrow at seven for your shopping convenience. And as always, thank you for shopping our Kmart.”
Phoenix practically jumped out of her skin. “Free at last!” she shouted to no one in particular, launching herself into the main aisle and all but running to the front desk. “Am I free to go?” she asked the old woman behind the counter.
“Sure thing, P, now remember you're covering Lily tomorrow. She's going to her uncle's funeral, and we need you.” The old woman smiled, her smile lines adding at least ten years to her age.
“You always need me, Kacey,” Phoenix joked. “I think one day I'll move into Kmart, maybe I’ll live in the furniture section. Or perhaps I’ll sleep in the fitting rooms.”
“Now child,” Kacey scolded, shaking her finger at the young woman, “That’s what you’re going to college for. So then you can get out of here and make some real money, since you have decided so strongly against becoming a model.”
“Ugh, a toothpick with fake boobs? No thanks.” Phoenix wrinkled her nose and waved goodbye to the woman on her way out the door.
Sighing, Phoenix pulled her keys out of her pocket and carefully made her way over to the area of the parking lot that was being repaired.
Her car was parked in the furthest corner from the store, leaving all the better parking spaces to the customers and other employees. The light by her car had burned out long ago and since that area was rarely used after dark, no one had ever thought to repair it.
Phoenix never really minded the dark; she thought it made the forest behind the store look menacing, and a lot more exciting. It was almost as if she were a heroine, making her way through the scene to be victorious as she reached her car. And it was the most excitement she’d had in her dull existence… so far.
Stumbling over the loose gravel, Phoenix fell to her knees, cursing as the stones bit into her flesh. She held her position for a few moments, clenching her eyes shut and willing the sharp pain away, and wondering why she’d parked in this area when it was being repaired.
When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was a glimmer, like a piece of metal was embedded in the loose gravel. Leaning forward, Phoenix ignored the recurring pain in her knees and pried the object out of the ground up concrete.
It was an old ring. It looked like it was made of silver, or some metal designed to impersonate silver. She wondered if it had belonged to one of the men that had laid down the concrete. Maybe a lost wedding band.
Dusting it off, Phoenix studied the ring, climbing slowly to her feet. The amazing part of her discovery was that after all this time, buried in concrete, the ring didn’t hold a scratch on its surface. Tar and grime would not stick to it.
Phoenix smiled. “This ring must have been important to somebody,” she said to herself, slipping it on her right ring finger. She scooped up her pack and hummed softly to herself as she made her way to her car.
A rustle in the forest across from her startled Phoenix, causing her to drop her keys. She froze in her tracks, not even bothering to look down to see where they fell.
For what seemed like an eternity, she stood, still as a statue, waiting for another noise to confirm her fear. When at last none came, she sighed with relief and bent down to scoop up her keys. No sooner were they in her hand when a searing pain started in her fingers, soon passing through the rest of her body. The pain was so intense it caused her to black out.
Chapter Two - Lost
Disclaimer and Author’s Note: There are going to be some song lyrics in here. I don’t own them, but I felt like putting them in here. All songs belong to their respective owners. This takes place right after the Company left Moria. Gandalf is gone and they’re on their way to the Golden Wood and Lothlórien.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked up to see the full moon smiling down upon her, framed by the treetops. She blinked away the fog in her eyes and slowly sat up, clutching her head as a wave of nausea swept over her.
“Whoa,” she said softly, giving her head a moment to stop spinning. “What just happened?”
She looked around slowly, not seeing the parking lot or her beloved car. All she saw was forest, but not much of it because it was pitch black away under the canopy of trees. Either somebody dragged her out here or somehow when she was unconscious, she crawled away from her car and ended up in the forest. But how far into the forest was she?
Phoenix bit her lip. Every breath of wind, every rustle of leaves made her shiver. She took a deep breath and stood up.
“Get a hold of yourself, Phoenix. This forest isn’t that big. You can find the boundaries relatively soon and make it back to your car. Better call Mom and let her know I’ll be late.” She dug her cell phone out of her bag and flipped it open. No signal.
“Great,” she mumbled, throwing her phone back into her bag. Noticing her throat was rather dry, she pulled out a half-empty bottle of Mountain Dew and drank another quarter of it.
“I’m not scared, I’m not scared,” she said softly, clutching her bag and following what seemed to be a path. Being a lover of all kinds of music, she decided to sing to lift her spirits.
“Never made it as a wise man
I couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing
Tired of living like a blind man
I’m sick of sight without a sense of feeling
And this is how you remind me
This is how you remind me of what I really am…
This is how you remind me of what I really am.
*
“It’s not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I’m mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breakin’
I’ve been wrong, I’ve been down
Into the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head scream
‘Are we having fun yet?’”
Phoenix shivered, looking at her watch. “Nearly midnight. I’m so lost.” She walked over to a fallen tree next to the path and sat down, dropping her head into her hands. “So cold and so lost,” she whispered.
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas stopped in his tracks, almost causing Gimli, who was walking behind him, to run into him.
“What are you stopping for, elf?” he growled, putting a hand on the hilt of his ax.
“Did you hear something?” Legolas asked as the Company gathered around him. He strained his keen ears to see if he could hear more. “It sounded like singing. A girl singing.”
“We’re not yet to the Golden Wood,” Aragorn, the appointed leader since the wizard, Gandalf, fell in Moria, said sternly. “No one lives out here, but Rangers do pass through at times. Perhaps that is what you heard?”
Legolas shook his head. “No, I heard a young woman singing.” He glared down at the dwarf behind him. “If there is a woman lost in the woods, Gimli, I think it our duty to help her.”
Gimli snorted and continued walking. “You don’t hear it anymore then, aye? It must have been your imagination. I’m weary and I need to rest, so I say we continue until it is safe to do so.”
Boromir, the only other Man of the Company besides Aragorn, nodded his agreement with the dwarf.
Frodo, the young hobbit and bearer of the One Ring, left his place by the three other hobbits and stood next to Legolas. “Was it something about ‘how you remind me’?” he asked the golden-haired archer.
Legolas's eyes widened and he stared down at Frodo. “You heard it too?”
Frodo nodded. “I heard it. Or thought I did.”
~*~*~*~*~
After another hour of aimless wandering, Phoenix finally gave up, thinking if she waited until dawn it would be easier to see and find her way out. Slumping to the ground, next to the base of a giant oak tree, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her teeth were chattering and her lips had begun to take on a blue tinge.
“I need to warm up, I need to stay positive.” A song popped into her head and she smiled. She started to sing the Alien Ant Farm cover of the Michael Jackson song.
“Annie, are you OK
Will you tell us that you're OK
There's a sign at the window
That he struck you
A crescendo, Annie
He came into your apartment
He left the bloodstains on the carpet
Then you ran into the bedroom
You were struck down
It was your doom”
A rustle off to her right made her blood run cold. For a moment she thought she could see two greenish glowing eyes. To confirm it, she heard a raspy voice. “Yess, we shall have it, o Precious, we shall have it back. Hobbitses are not nice to take precious, no they aren’t, gollum.”
A black shadow hovered on the edge of the small clearing, almost as if it were afraid to step into the moonlight. The green eyes stared at her. Phoenix scrambled out into the clearing, staring at the creature.
“H-hello?” she called to it, clutching her bag as if it would protect her. There was a sharp hiss and the creature curled itself up like a cornered spider. “Fierce Elf, with bright eyes! We hates elves, yess, gollum. Nasty Elf has a Precious. Not our Precious, but we wants that one too, yesss.”
A cloud passed over the moon and Phoenix was bathed in shadow. The creature slowly made his way toward her and she screamed.
Chapter Three- Finding New Secrets
The entire Company froze when an ear-piercing scream echoed through the forest. “I heard that!” Merry said, clinging to Pippin’s arm. “What was it?” The young hobbit looked at his friend. “Do you think we’re being followed?”
Pippin wrenched his arm away, glaring at Merry. “I’d think more if you weren’t being so loud!”
Aragorn shushed them both, dropping his ear to the ground. “I don’t hear any movement,” he said softly.
Legolas slid his bow from his shoulder and took off running. “Stay here. I shall be back soon,” he ordered.
Boromir unsheathed his sword. “Do you think one of us should go with him?”
Aragorn shook his head. “You would only slow him down. He knows what he is doing. We will wait an hour and if he doesn’t return, then we will worry.” He set his pack on the ground. “Stand your guard though, everyone. If there is something following us, we’d best be wary of it.”
Frodo fingered the ring on the chain about his neck. “I can feel something. But I don’t know how to explain it.”
Sam, his self-appointed guardian and best friend, looked at him quizzically. “You took a blow, Frodo, and so did I. We should take this welcome rest and gain our strength. He gently touched the cut on his forehead. “A mug of beer would make this feel so much better.”
Aragorn smiled. “Yes, while Legolas is off, we should look after you two and repair your wounds.” He knelt down beside Frodo. “Take off your tunic so I can see what that Orc-spear did to you.”
Frodo hesitated. “I am all right. All I need is some food and a little rest.”
“No,” Aragorn fought. “We must see what the hammer and anvil have done to you.” He stripped off Frodo’s old jacket and worn tunic, first gasping, then laughing in wonder at the sight of the glimmering mithril corslet Frodo’s uncle and guardian, former Ring-bearer Bilbo Baggins, had given him. Carefully he took it off and held it up.
“Look, my friends!” he called. “Here’s a pretty hobbit-skin to wrap and elven-princeling in! If it were known that hobbits had such hides, all the hunters of Middle-earth would be riding to the Shire.”
The weary travelers welcomed the rest as Aragorn repaired Sam and Frodo. Frodo’s mind would not leave the voice he and Legolas heard. His neck itched where the Ring lay hidden and it suddenly felt very warm and very heavy. ‘This is a riddle indeed,’ he thought to himself.
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas found Phoenix crouching low in the middle of the small clearing next to the big oak. For a moment he saw a shadow scrambling across the forest floor but it was gone before he could fit an arrow to his bow.
The cloud passed and the moonlight shone brightly again. She was on the ground, curled into a ball, clutching a bag to her chest. He took a few cautious steps toward her. “Are you all right?”
She started and sat up, staring at him with impossibly large blue-green eyes. “I… I think so.” Noticing that he didn’t seem to want to do her harm, she slowly climbed to her feet. “There was a creature. I don’t know what it was exactly, but it had glowing green eyes and it kept saying something about a ‘precious’. It called me an elf!”
For the first time, Legolas seemed to notice the beauty of the young woman in front of him. “Do you not know who you are?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in puzzlement.
Phoenix was about to say something, but she stopped, her gaze dropping to the ground. “No. I don’t know who I am, or where I am, or, by what you’re wearing, WHEN I am.”
She sighed, slumping back to the ground, more thinking out loud than explaining herself to him. “I remember I was adopted. Both my parents were shorter than I with brown hair and brown eyes, so I knew I couldn’t be their true daughter. They said that no one wanted such a skinny baby with funny ears. They said I was special because of it. My father died when I was six. He always used to call me his little fairy.”
She seemed lost in thought. After a few moments she spoke up again. “Well, I am lost, that’s for sure, and you saved my life. Thank you.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Do you think you could help me out of the woods. And maybe explain to me where I am so I can try to make sense of this?”
Legolas smiled warmly, sliding his bow back upon his shoulder. “Of course. But I must take you back to the Company. They will be waiting for me. We are on a long and perilous journey, but we can take you to Lothlórien and from there we might figure out what is to be done with you.” He narrowed his eyes. “So your parents… you were adopted by Man?”
“A man and a woman. The nicest parents anybody could ask for,” Phoenix answered. “Why? Would I be adopted by a monkey or a snake instead?”
Legolas smiled and extended his hand toward her. “Come with me. There is much for you to learn, Lady.”
“Call me Phoenix,” she replied, taking his hand and blushing. “And with a teacher like you, this is sure to be an interesting lesson.”
“I am Legolas,” he said simply as they walked. He talked in low whispers, as he brought her back to where the Company was resting. “When we get back to the others, there are things that you might not understand, as you seem to know only of Man’s world. Do you not know of Elves, Dwarfs, or Hobbits?”
Phoenix thought. “You mean like Santa’s Helpers, Snow White’s roomies, and that one book by Tolkien?”
Legolas gaped at her. “I do not understand your answer, but I do understand that you do not know much of this world… or of yourself.”
Chapter Four - The Company
For Phoenix, entering the presence of the Company was like walking into a men's locker room. They all immediately tensed up and some of them tried to be overly gentlemanly. The two other tall people bowed low. Phoenix immediately noticed what looked to her like a midget and four children.
“You’re taking children on a long and perilous journey?” she asked Legolas in disbelief.
“They are not children,” the taller and leaner of the two Men said. “Forgive me, Lady,” he said, bowing again. “I am called Aragorn, this man beside me is Boromir, the Dwarf is Gimli, and those four ‘children’ are Hobbits: Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, Samwise Gamgee, and of course Frodo.”
"Hobbits.” Phoenix's eyes grew wide. “You mean they really exist?” She looked around at the Company. “This can't be possible. There are no such things as hobbits, or dwarves, or even elves.” She leaned close to Legolas and looked at his ears, causing him to take a few steps away, blushing.
“I know that I am no elf.” She looked at him again. “No matter how much your ears look like mine, if indeed you are an elf yourself.”
“This is no dream or fantasy,” Aragorn said in a low voice. “If this were a dream it would be a nightmare. We must continue moving to reach a safe place to rest.” He looked hopelessly at Phoenix, thinking that if her hair were dark instead of light how much she would look like his Arwen. He quickly pushed the thought aside and began walking deeper into the wood.
Phoenix yelped in pain and grabbed her wrist. “Not again!” She clawed desperately at the ring on her finger, trying to get it off. “It hurts!” The silver band on her finger began to glow with a white light. Finally, she managed to get it off and it fell to the ground.
Frodo bent over and picked it up before she could. He studied it for a brief moment before slipping it on his own finger. Legolas started to speak, but she didn’t understand anything that he was saying. Phoenix held her hands up.
“Wait. Say things so that I can understand them, would you?” she asked.
The entire Company stopped and stared blankly at her. All except Frodo, who nodded thoughtfully, “Say something in your language again,” he said to her.
“Say what? What language are they talking in?” she asked, gesturing to Legolas and Aragorn who were talking quite rapidly in the language she didn’t understand. Frodo took the ring off and held it briefly, gesturing for her to say something again. While she was in the middle of her sentence, he quickly slipped the ring back on. Then he smiled.
“This ring,” he said, before taking it off and putting it back on her hand. “Holds power through language.” He smiled up at her and they walked, side by side, with Legolas only a few steps behind, listening intently to every word spoken.
“If only Gandalf were here,” Frodo continued. “He might know the power your ring possesses. Although I don’t understand where it came from. As far as I knew, all the rings of power have been accounted for.” He looked up into her eyes. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden he found himself telling her the whole story of the One Ring. With her this near to him it seemed as if his Ring was nothing more than a trifle to be dealt with.
Only Legolas knew what Frodo was saying, and to him it almost seemed like their journey had suddenly been reduced to a holiday. He wouldn't admit out loud, but he was drawn to Phoenix too.
After a few miles the Company involuntarily slowed to a halt. They all stood, listening. “Not a sound but the wind,” Gimli said.
Frodo looked at Sting, his sword that glowed in the presence of Orcs. The blade was dull. Yet he heard something, or thought he did. He turned sharply around and saw two gleams of light behind him. They quickly slipped aside and vanished. Frodo shook his head and hurried to catch up with the Company.
“Lothlórien!” cried Legolas, running forward. “Lothlórien! We have come to the eaves of the Golden Wood. Alas that it is winter!”
Phoenix squinted, and sure enough the leaves seemed to rustle with the sound and look of fallow gold.
Boromir wasn't happy about entering the Golden Wood, insisting that in Gondor he heard it was a cursed place. Aragorn insisted the place only held bad luck for those with evil in their hearts, and on they went.
“Here is Nimrodel!” Legolas said when they had reached a stream. “Of this stream, the Silvan Elves made many songs long ago, and still we sing them in the North, remembering the rainbow on its falls, and the golden flowers that floated in its foam. I will bathe my feet, for it is said that the water is healing to the weary.” Nimbly he leapt down the bank and stepped into the stream. They watched, amused as he leaned down and seemed to listen to the water.
“Follow me!” he cried. “The water is not deep. Let us wade across! On the further bank we can rest, and the sound of the falling water may bring us sleep and forgetfulness of grief.”
The Company filed their way down the bank and across the water, the hobbits taking extra care that the water was shallow enough for them. Phoenix removed her Mountain Dew bottle and tossed her bag into their makeshift camp and headed back to the water. Legolas followed curiously behind her.
“What is that in your hand, Lady?” he questioned, staring at the bottle.
Phoenix giggled and held the bottle up for him to see. “Warm, flat Mountain Dew. Tastes horrible like this. I thought I might get some water from this stream for me to drink, although I have to admit I’ve never had anything but treated water.”
“How can a mountain's dew be flat?” he asked, kneeling beside where she sat on the bank of the stream.
She smiled and unscrewed the cap. “This isn’t really dew from a mountain, Legolas. It’s a drink that was made up where I come from. They call it Mountain Dew to make it sound like it tastes good.” She held the bottle out to him. “Take a sip, but I promise it tastes a lot better when it's cold and bubbly.”
Legolas eyed the bottle wearily but took a reluctant sip, immediately spitting it out. “That’s awful! How can anyone voluntarily drink something that tastes so bad? Or is that drink made by Orcs?”
“There are no Orcs where I come from,” she replied with a laugh, dumping out the rest of the bottle, and rinsing it clean in the stream. She filled it with the ice-cold water and screwed the cap back on tightly, leaning down and cupping her hands to take a sip for herself. Legolas studied her every move.
“Do all the people where you come from wear such strange clothes?” he asked. “Do not other women wear dresses or gowns?”
“Some do,” she answered, leaning back on her hands. “We usually only wear dresses to parties or special occasions. We only wear gowns to really fancy things like weddings and Prom, if that.”
“In the presence of your king?” he asked.
“Where I come from, we don’t have a king. We have a president. And it changes every few years. We have cars with wheels that don’t need animals to move them. We have buildings taller than trees. We have lights powered by electricity and all the people are different in their own ways.”
Legolas smiled bashfully. “Someday you will have to tell me all about this world of yours.”
Phoenix blushed. “Only if you tell me all about your own.”
Chapter Five- The Road to Lothlórien
After the Company had gathered, Legolas told them tales of Lothlórien that the Elves of Mirkwood still knew. Phoenix listened intently studying the way his face changed with every word he said. Eerily, everyone became quiet at the same time and they heard the music of the waterfall, calming their fears and lightening their hearts.
Frodo almost thought he could hear a voice singing mingled with the sound of the water. Legolas smiled and sang the song of the maiden Nimrodel, for whom the stream was named. Phoenix found herself blushing as he looked at her through most of the song. He faltered after some time, becoming silent.
“I have forgotten much,” he said apologetically in a soft voice. “It is a long sad song.”
After a great length, Aragorn spoke up again. “As I think, it is not wise for us to be so unprotected, lying in the open by the stream. We cannot build a house, but tonight we will do as the Elves of the Golden Wood and seek refuge in the treetops if we can.”
The Company climbed to their weary feet and now turned away from the path. They found a large clump of trees, some of whose branches overhung the stream. Legolas offered to climb up and investigate while Pippin whined about sleeping in a tree.
“Leave it to the birds!” he pressed. “I cannot sleep on a perch!”
Legolas shook his head. “Then quickly dig a deep hole in the ground, if that is your way. Dig fast if you want to hide from Orcs.” And with that he swung effortlessly onto a lower branch of the tree.
A voice shouted suddenly from the treetops above them and Legolas dropped to the ground, shrinking back in surprise and fear. “Stand still!” he whispered to the others, stepping protectively in front of Phoenix who peered over his shoulder with wide eyes. “Do not move or speak!” he commanded.
There was a sound of soft laughter above them and another clear voice spoke in an elven-tongue. Frodo could make out some of it, but it seemed only Legolas and Phoenix fully understood what was said.
“Who are they, and what are they saying?” Merry asked.
“They’re Elves,” Sam said, barely concealing his joy. “Can't you hear their voices?”
“Yes, they are Elves,” Legolas said in a low tone, “and they say that you breathe so loud that they could shoot you in the dark.”
Sam slowly slipped his hand over his mouth and Phoenix giggled.
“It seems they heard my song and knew that I was one of their Northern kindred,” Legolas continued. “And they bid I climb up with Frodo, for it seems they have had some tidings of him and our journey. The rest they ask to wait at the foot of the tree and keep watch until it is decided what is to be done.”
He smiled reassuringly at Phoenix and took hold of the rope ladder that was lowered down, running lightly up, with Frodo climbing slowly behind. Sam, being ever faithful to his master, climbed up after Frodo, still trying not to breathe loudly.
~*~*~*~*~
After Haldir’s welcome, the rest of the Company climbed up into the trees to rest for the night. The four hobbits were to stay with Haldir and his companions while the rest were in the tree next to them.
“They almost thought we traveled with the Lady of Lothlórien,” Legolas said with a smile, helping Phoenix into the tree. “They say that if we see the Lady, she's sure to be jealous that her beauty is rivaled by yours.”
Phoenix blushed. “Well then you can tell them there's no chance of that, but I am grateful for their flattery.
They all laughed at Pippin’s loud whining in the tree next to them. After a while it seemed Frodo had him shushed and they all relaxed. “Do you sing, Lady Phoenix?” Aragorn asked, leaning back against a branch.
Phoenix dropped her face. “Well, not professionally, but sometimes when I get bored I’ll sing a familiar tune. Or when I’m in the shower.” She grinned.
“Sing for us,” Legolas prodded. “Sing a song of your world.”
Phoenix thought for a few minutes. “There are so many, and so many I love. I am hard pressed to pick one that I won't wreck completely with my meager vocal skills.”
She smiled bashfully. “I’ve got one.” And she started to sing a song by the Backstreet Boys, carefully avoiding Legolas's gaze.
“Don’t pretend you’re sorry… I know you’re not
You know you've got the power… To make me weak inside
And, boy, you leave me breathless… But it's okay
Cuz you are my survival… Now hear me say
*
I can't imagine, Life without your love
And even forever, don’t seem like long enough
*
Cuz every time I breathe, I take you in
And my heart beats again
Baby I can't help it, you keep me drowning in your love
And every time I try to rise above
I’m swept away by love
Baby I can't help, you keep me drowning in your love”
Her face turned crimson red as she finished and found everyone staring at her, openmouthed.
“Sing some more!” came Merry’s voice from the other flet. “Sing us a lullaby to help us forget how high we are and go to sleep!”
She lured them all to sleep with Jessica Simpson’s Heart Of Innocence. All except Frodo, who was having a hard time quieting his mind. A little way off he heard the tread of many feet on the ground below.
An Elf poked his head up into the flet and warned Frodo that he had seen Orcs. After that he heard no more sounds for a while. He took out Sting and saw that the sword held no glow, but he still felt like something evil was near. He got up and crawled to the opening, now sure that he could hear something scrabbling up the trunk of the tree. Two pale eyes looked up at him, unblinking before the creature slipped around the tree trunk and vanished.
Haldir appeared a moment later, describing the thing he had seen in the tree. Frodo was sure they had both seen the same thing: Gollum.
~*~*~*~*~
Once daylight came, the Company set out again, led by Haldir and his brother.
“Farewell, sweet Nimrodel!” Legolas cried, turning round and waving goodbye.
The Company used the rope bridge to cross the Celebrant, and Phoenix was amazed to discover that she hardly needed to use the overhand rope at all. Walking the bottom rope was as easy as walking a true bridge. “This place is messing me up,” she whispered to herself, watching Legolas run across the bridge toward her, not using the hand-guides at all. “Show off!” she called to him and he smiled, jumping nimbly down.
Gimli was not at all pleased to have to be the only one blindfolded. Aragorn ordered that if Gimli must be blindfolded, so must all of the Company.
“But I am a kinsman here,” Legolas protested.
Aragorn growled and shook his head. “We are a Company, and as such we shall all fare alike.”
“I am hard-pressed to bind the Lady’s eyes,” Haldir said, hesitating in front of Phoenix. “With such a loveliness of her own, she might appreciate the beauty of this land.”
“Do it anyway,” Phoenix said with a cheeky grin. “For now I’m a member of this Company too, and I’m not going to go for special treatment. Although I have to tell you, I tend to be a little unstable without the use of my eyes.”
Gimli narrowed his eyes, pulling back before he was to be bound. “I shall claim full amends for every fall and stubbed toe,” he growled.
“Don’t be such a grump, Gimli,” Phoenix said playfully, holding out her arms to feel her way. “This is actually kind of fun!”
Her hand found a shoulder and she patted around until she felt the long blonde hair and the bow. “Oh, hi, Legolas! Nice to... um… touch you.” She giggled, clinging to his shoulders. “Don’t let me trip, okay?”
Legolas smiled at her playfulness as his eyes were bound. “With an attitude like that, Lady, how can anyone be angry at this state we are in?”
“I’m not!” Merry said,” But take care that you tall folk do not step on a defenseless hobbit.”
After all their eyes were bound, the Company set off again. Instead of hanging onto the rope, divided among them, Phoenix was surprised to find Legolas taking her hand and leading her carefully on the path. Her spirits were so high, she found herself humming.
“What song is that, Lady?” Legolas asked.
“It’s called Angel On My Shoulder,” she answered. “Since you’re so deluded to think I can sing well, I’ll belt out a verse for you.” She felt her hand get warm, and she wasn't sure if it was the ring, or Legolas's touch.
“My Angel… on my shoulder
You give me shelter
You give me love and affection
And every time I turn around
You’re still right here
Angel…. My Angel
Ooohhohhh, my dear.”
A marching host of Elves had suddenly come up and they brought news to Haldir, some of which he reported. Almost all the Orcs had been destroyed and the few that were left were being pursued. “Also,” he said, ”they bring me a message from the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. You are to walk free, even the dwarf Gimli. It seems that the Lady knows who and what is each member of your Company. New messages have come from Rivendell perhaps.”
He first removed the band from Gimli’s eyes, bowing low. “Your pardon! Look on us now with friendly eyes! Look and be glad, for you are the first dwarf to behold the trees of the Naith of Lórien since Durin’s Day!”
One by one, their blindfolds were taken off and they all gasped in wonder at the beauty of the land. Haldir explained that they were in Cerin Amroth and that they would rest until dusk where they would come to the city of the Galadhrim.
Aragorn stood by himself, watching Phoenix as she lay on the ground, staring up at the stars. He smiled, lost in a fair memory. A bloom of elanor was in his hand and he spoke a few words in an Elvish tongue. Arwen vanimelda, namarië!
Author's Note: So here it is, the truth about Phoenix. I think it's good, but some of you might not like the idea. Please tell me what you think. This story isn't written in stone after all. Thank you so much!
Chapter Six - The Truth
Haldir led the company around a large fosse of mallorn trees taller than they'd ever seen. They walked slowly along a white stone path to the great gates of the city. Haldir knocked, and the gates soundlessly slid open. They passed inside and the gates closed behind them. An Elf-maiden, clad in a flowing shimmery white dress came up beside them and stopped Phoenix.
Legolas paused momentarily to find out where she was being led before catching up to the Company as they went to see Celeborn and Galadriel. She was led to a long set of stairs, at the top of which there was a well-decorated room.
The Elf-maiden bowed slightly. “My Lady bid me to bring you some clean clothes and let you wash up.” She gestured to a large silver pitcher sitting in a silver bowl.
“When I return, I will take you to her, then you will join your Company for the feast.” She bowed again and silently left the room. Phoenix picked up the dress, making a strange face.
“If I'm to stay with the Company, this dress will not be a good idea. Maybe they can just wash my jeans and T-shirt.” She stripped out of her grimy clothes and quickly washed her face and hands with the water in the pitcher, instantly feeling refreshed. She put on the dress and crossed the room to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened and she stared at her reflection. The dress was a blue so light it almost seemed white with silver trim. It reminded her of a faerie gown.
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I do look like an elf,” she said to herself in a barely audible voice.
There was a knock on the door so soft she almost missed it. The same Elf poked her head in the door. “The council of Celeborn is ended. The Lady will see you now, if you’ll come with me.”
Phoenix nodded and followed her down the stairs where she saw the Lady, clad wholly in white, with deep gold hair, much like her own. She seemed to radiate with a light from within and Phoenix was drawn to it.
“Lady Galadriel,” she greeted, bowing. She looked up and found the Lady smiling amusedly at her.
“Come with me, Phoenix. You have much to learn.”
She led Phoenix toward the southern slopes of the hill of an enclosed garden. They went down a long flight of steps into a deep green hollow. At the bottom there was a silver basin on a low pedestal carved like a branching tree and beside the basin was a silver ewer. She filled the basin to the brim with the water and breathed on it.
“I have shown Frodo and Samwise this, the Mirror of Galadriel, and now I bring you, to look in it if you will.”
“What will I see?” Phoenix asked, stepping up beside the pedestal, not taking her eyes off the Lady.
“Many things, perhaps,” Galadriel answered. “I think you might find answers to the questions burning up inside you.”
Phoenix closed her eyes, running through the questions that sped across her mind, and when she opened them again, she looked into the mirror.
The first thing she saw was the Lady herself, and Lord Celeborn, holding an Elven infant in her arms beside the Mirror. She was whispering something in the Elven-tongue to the baby. She then looked at Celeborn and smiled a sad smile. “She will be called Phoenix, because she will come into this world again.” She kissed the infant's forehead and lowered her into the mirror, then, from around her neck, she took a chain with a ring dangling on its end. Celeborn removed the ring from the chain and held it above the mirror.
“She cannot find the Ring until she is old enough to become its protector.” Galadriel waved her hand over the mirror and Phoenix saw men laying down the cement for the Kmart parking lot. Galadriel dropped the Ring into the mirror. Then she saw all her memories in fast forward, her first birthday with her adopted parents, learning to ride a bike, getting the job at Kmart, and finally, finding the ring in the broken concrete.
The Mirror in front of her went dark and Phoenix stared up at Galadriel. A silent tear rolled down the Lady’s cheek and she smiled.
“You are my mother,” Phoenix said in a low voice. “Why did you do this to me? What have you done?” She felt her face grow hot and a mixture of emotions boiled inside her. “No wonder they all said I look like you. I am an elf. I am from Middle-earth.”
Galadriel nodded. “You are my daughter, my youngest child. The day you were born, a ring was created, the most powerful and unknown of all the Rings of Power. It was said this Ring would rule all the others with peace and kindness, unless it were to fall into the hands of the Enemy that had begun to rise. I already bear a Ring, and I could not undertake such a burden as the Ring you now possess. You were meant to protect this Ring, the only Ring that can neutralize the power of Sauron’s One Ring. Your Ring is unknown to all but you, your Company, and myself and Celeborn. I sent both you and your Ring away until you would become old enough to bear it yourself and protect it.”
“Why me?” Phoenix demanded. “And why there? Why did you send me to Chicago in the 20th and 21st centuries? I would not learn how to protect something of this magnitude there.”
“You do not need to learn to protect the Ring. It is in your blood. It is part of you and you are part of it,” Galadriel explained. “I needed to send you were Sauron would never know of you. I could not protect you myself. Nothing in Middle-earth could save you if Sauron knew of your existence, and the existence of the only thing that could stop him, were he to have the One Ring’s power.” Galadriel stopped and just looked at Phoenix. “You are a child of the Firstborn. Give yourself time and Middle-earth will become familiar to you.”
“What if I said I want to go to Chicago instead of being here and fulfilling the destiny you set out for me?” Phoenix challenged. “You left me! I felt like you’d abandoned me! Did you know that no one wanted me when I was found? They all thought I was some sort of mutated creature with a skinny body and pointy ears? Did you know that all through school I was called a fairy because I looked like one! Children used to rub my head for good luck!” She turned and ran up the steps and back out under the impossibly large mallorn trees, almost knocking over Legolas as she was blinded by the tears in her eyes.
“Phoenix!” he yelped in surprise, catching her into his arms. “What is wrong?”
She shook her head, trying to break free of his grasp. “I don’t want to talk about it now, Legolas. Let me go.”
He gripped her arms tighter. “Stop fighting, Phoenix,” he ordered in a soft, soothing voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aragorn and Boromir looking at them. “Come with me, you need rest.” He slipped an arm around her waist and led her out of the suspicious gaze of the Elves.
When they had reached the pavilion among the trees near the fountain at the center of the city, he set her on a soft couch and sat down beside her. “What has you so upset, Lady Phoenix?” he asked, his bright eyes clouding over with concern.
“Upset, confused, happy, and unhappy all at the same time,” Phoenix answered, looking at him. “This is how it feels to grow up human and be an Elf.”
“So you are an Elf,” Legolas said with a reassuring smile. “We had known that since we first laid eyes on you. But that cannot be all that’s the matter.”
She sniffled and hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Now I know who I am, but I’m not sure I like it.” She said softly. “That’s all I can tell you right now. Give me time and maybe I’ll tell you more.”
Legolas nodded. “You are immortal after all, and so am I. We’ve got eternity, so take your time.” He smiled and kissed her forehead lightly. “Fret not, beautiful Lady. Nothing is as bad as it can be made out to be.”
Author’s Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, but a few bad things have happened recently and I can’t seem to focus. I thought I’d better get a new chapter out though, or you all might get bored with me. ^_~ Hello MAJOR plot twist. Makes it interesting, doesn’t it?
Chapter Seven - Hate
The rest of the Company went to join the Lord and Lady at the feast, but Phoenix would not join them. Instead she sat on the base of the fountain, nervously fingering her Ring and allowing all this new information to process. Growing up human in a world where no elves, dwarves, or hobbits dwelled had affected her perspective. She had remembered how the children taunted her mercilessly for her funny ears and for the fact that she was adopted. How she hated them all.
And now she was torn from her familiar world and thrown into the mix in an entirely different place, expected to know things she didn’t know and feel things she wasn’t sure she wanted to feel. Her mother was in fact a Ring-bearer and an Elf to top it off, the wondrous White Lady. How could she expect to live up to such standards?
She switched her thoughts over to her rescuer, the Elf archer. He had been so good to her, listening when she needed to talk and seeming to understand what she felt. How could he understand? Middle-earth was his home and where he’d spent his entire life. Anger welled up inside her and she clenched the Ring tightly in her fist. Frodo, the young Hobbit who bore the One Ring, seemed a much better friend than any of the others. Only he knew what his duty was and only he could truly make it happen.
What if the One Ring got the best of him? Frodo had such a good heart that even the evil of his Ring had not affected him. But here she was with the Ring of good and her heart burned with hate. Could the Ring turn evil were it under Evil’s influence for too long?
Questions raced through her mind like a ticker tape and she decided what she had to do. She had to get away. Phoenix grabbed her bag and dug through it to find the fresh clothes she’d stowed in there back before she was transported to Middle-earth. She slipped on the shirt and jeans and laced up her black combat boots. Slowly, she crept out of the sight of the guards of Lórien and made her way to the river where several small boats were tied up. She freed one and let the current carry her out of the view of the city.
Half a mile away she took out an oar and began paddling, only once looking over her shoulder at the lights of the city. Legolas’s face appeared in her mind and she quickly pushed the thought away.
After a few more miles of rowing, she turned sharply and caught the dull green glow of a pair of eyes, but she was more angry than afraid, she knew the creature following her was the same that had appeared when she first arrived. Her heart burned with hate, hate that Galadriel had done this to her, hate that Legolas pretended to know what she was going through, hate for Frodo and the destiny that was painted out so clearly before him, and hate for herself and how she didn’t seem to belong anywhere.
In a flash, she dropped the oar and had her hand around the arm of the creature, floating on a log behind her. She wrenched him off the log and into the boat, glaring at him. “Either explain yourself or stop following me!” she hissed, wrinkling her nose at the dark deformed creature in front of her.
The creature curled up like a frightened frog and tried to squirm free of her grip. “Take pity on poor Sméagol!” he begged, using his long, slimy fingers to try and peel her hand loose. “We only wanted to see the new Precious! Nasty hobbit took our Precious and we wanted to see yours!” He turned his gaze away from her intent stare. “Nasty Elf with bright eyes! We hates them, gollum.” He glanced quickly at her. “But we thinks you’re different. You hates the same Elves we do. You hates your own kind!” His eyes glittered with evil glee and she almost thought he smiled at her.
“Follow Sméagol,” he said softly. “Sméagol will take you and new Precious away from nasty Elves. You hates them, gollum. We hates them too.”
Phoenix narrowed her eyes at him and released her grip on his arm, wiping her hand across her jeans. “You don’t hate me because I’m an Elf too?” she questioned suspiciously.
Sméagol shook his head. “You are different. You and new Precious are different, gollum. Same bright eyes, which we hates, but Sméagol will help new Precious and master. Come with Sméagol!”
Phoenix looked around, realizing for the first time that she really did not know where she was going or what she was doing, but following someone that knew Middle-earth sounded like a good idea, no matter how evil he was. “Take me to a place where I won’t have to see the White Lady or the Fellowship ever again,” she ordered.
Sméagol hissed gleefully and bowed. “Yes! Follow Sméagol and we will go far away from them, yess.”
Chapter Eight - Finding His Princess
Legolas searched the whole city of Lórien, trying to find Phoenix. He returned to a worried Company and told them that his search returned nothing.
“She has run away,” a deep female voice said behind them. They all turned to see Galadriel standing next to the fountain.
“Why?” Pippin asked. “What reason would she have to run away from us?”
“There are some truths that she could not handle on her own, but she kept her hurt inside and now she has left to find a way to escape them. She is not alone, as you might think.” Galadriel focused her penetrating gaze on Legolas and he stood firm, gazing right back. She smiled. “The creature, Gollum, is with her and he is leading her right toward Isengard.”
“To Isengard?” Boromir cried. “That is where Saruman is! He will kill her and take her Ring for himself! The creature is taking her to her death!”
Legolas’s heart plummeted to the bottom of his chest. While Galadriel was looking into his eyes, an image of Phoenix lying dead next to Saruman flashed into his mind. His heart ached, for he knew it wasn’t real, but it could be if she continued to Isengard.
“She does not know how to fight!” Gimli growled. “What have you done, Witch of the Golden Wood? You have poisoned Phoenix and sent her to her doom!” He went to draw his ax, but Galadriel held up her hand and stayed his action.
“Hold fast, dear Gimli, for I have done nothing of the sort. I have merely told her the truth. It was her decision to leave. She knows her destiny and it is her obligation to fulfill it.” She looked again at Legolas. “But you are right, she does not know how to fight. She is in great peril for her mind is a labyrinth of various thoughts and she cannot see what lay in front of her.”
Legolas looked desperately at Frodo, torn between staying with the bearer of the One Ring or saving Phoenix. Frodo shook his head, making Legolas’s decision for him. “Go to her, Legolas. She needs your protection. You are the swiftest of all of us. You can make it to her in time.”
He smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Frodo. I will find her and return to you as soon as possible.” He kneeled and put his hand on the hobbit’s shoulder. “Be safe, and be swift for your journey is the most dangerous.” He got up and bowed quickly to Galadriel before taking his quiver onto his shoulder and scooping up his bow. He looked at each of the fellowship in turn, and smiled. “I shall return as soon as possible.”
“Farewell, dear Legolas,” Galadriel said, stepping forward and taking his hand, placing a necklace in his open palm. “Give this
to her when you find her.”
Legolas stared at the glittering silver pendant, adorned with sapphires and diamonds. He nodded to the Lady and slipped it into his pocket. “I shall not fail, Lady.” He kissed her hand once again and bowed before darting off in the direction of Isengard.
Frodo clutched the ring on the chain around his neck tightly, glancing in the direction Legolas had gone. “Do you think our fates are combined, Phoenix, you and I?” he whispered to himself.
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas’s mind was spinning. His initial instinct was to go after Phoenix and keep her safe. She seemed so innocent of the perils of the real world that it was almost comical, but he found himself falling for her. But was he in love or was he merely trying to protect the vulnerable young girl. “She is merely a child compared to me,” he scolded himself as he dashed down the path that ran parallel to the river. “There is so much she needs to learn and be aware of to live successfully in Middle-earth. Especially now that this evil has come up.”
He looked up and in the distance he could barely make out with his keen Elf eyes the small boat with Phoenix and Gollum inside. The thought of that creature being in her presence in his stead made his insides burn. His fingers ached to pluck an arrow from his quiver and end the miserable beast’s life. He knew he was beginning to fall in love with Phoenix, but he wouldn’t admit it to himself. He watched the boat pull to the water’s edge and he picked up his speed, eager to be near the Elven Princess again.
Chapter Nine - Captured/Tortured/Taken Over
Phoenix and Gollum carefully wound their way through the dense forest. Gollum would slink from tree to tree, trying to stay out of the fading moonlight and avoiding the impending dawn. A heightening sense of danger overcame the young Elf and she turned in a circle, studying her surroundings. “Where are you taking me?” she demanded, pinning the cowering Gollum under her gaze.
He hissed and tried to scramble under a fallen log. “It knows not where we goes, Precious. We’s only trying to keep it safe, it and new Precious. Yess. Needs to be quiet. Needs to go by Tower, gollum.”
Phoenix narrowed her eyes at him. “When dawn comes, we will rest. I can tell you don’t like the light, so I won’t force you into it, but you have to understand that we need to make haste and get away from this place as quickly as possible.”
Gollum pranced around like a curious puppy. “Sméagol knows the way! Follow Sméagol, gollum. We hide for day and makes haste at night.”
With one swift motion, Phoenix took Gollum into her arms and pinned his mouth shut, listening. Gollum squirmed uneasily and bit her hand. She struck him hard across the cheek and threw him to the ground. “Shut your mouth, you miserable creature and use your ears. We’re being hunted.” She opened her pack and drew out a Kleenex, dabbing at the wound. “There is no time to rest now, we must avoid being found.”
Before she could move another inch, an Orc broke through the brush and knocked her on the head with the flat of his blade. She fell to the ground unconscious and Gollum scrambled away before any of the other three Orcs could capture him.
One of his comrades spoke to him in the gurgling Orc-tongue, congratulating him on leading such an easy victory. The Uruk-hai slung the unconscious Elf Princess over his shoulder and made his way back to Isengard where the evil wizard Saruman was waiting impatiently for his prize.
~*~*~*~*~
Phoenix awoke with a pounding headache. She put a hand gingerly on the bump on her head and carefully sat up, pinching her eyes shut at a wave of dizzying pain that washed over her. She stared at the bleak, colorless surroundings of the room she was in. Books and various magickal items were strewn around the room. On the far wall was a throne large, black, and carved with menacing shapes at its top.
“Welcome to Isengard.” The voice was low and seemed to emanate from the walls themselves.
Phoenix slowly turned and found herself facing a tall, slender old man with long snowy white hair and an equally long beard of the same color. He wore a cloak that seemed to be white, but as he turned she could see various colors shimmering in the fabric. “I am Saruman of Many Colors, formerly Saruman the White,” the old man said. “I am the most powerful wizard in all of Middle-earth, and I welcome you as my guest, Phoenix, daughter of Galadriel.”
“How do you know who I am?” she asked, studying him.
He smiled coolly and took a few steps forward. “Nothing goes on in Middle-earth that I do not see. I know who you are, why you are here, and what you carry.” He made a slight motion with his head and two smaller Orcs appeared out of the shadows, grabbing her arms and ankles and pinning her to the cold marble table on which she lay. Saruman came to her side and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. “I know your thoughts, Elf, I know your desires. Do not deny that you have in your possession a Ring so powerful that it alone can counter the power of the One Ring of Sauron. Don’t think that I do not know that you were in the company of the Halfling Ring-Bearer.”
“Go to Hell,” she spat, trying to wiggle free of the Orcs’ grasp.
“Hell?” Saruman seemed amused. “Hell is for your past, child. You do not know what Hell is like, but if you continue to be difficult, I assure you that you shall. I cannot take your Ring by force, that I know. But I can make you give it to me willingly.”
He took her face in his hands and stared deep into her eyes, looking for the part of her mind that held her will. She spit in his face and he slapped her so hard even the Orcs winced at the crack her skull made as it connected with the marble.
“Make her understand what her only choice is,” he told the Orcs as he left the room, “but do not kill her. I need her and the power she possesses.”
The Orcs nodded and waited until Phoenix woke again before they began their torture.
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas came upon where the struggle took place and found Gollum cowering in the hollowed-out trunk of an old tree. The creature hissed and tried to escape, but Legolas held him fast with an arrow pointed directly between his eyes. “Move not, foul creature, until you have told me what I want to know,” he snarled.
Gollum yelped and stayed, whimpering and begging for his pity.
“Where has Phoenix gone and what happened to her?” Legolas narrowed his eyes, following Gollum’s every move.
“Orcs!” Gollum whined. “Take pity on Sméagol! Bad Orcs took new Precious and Master, gollum! Took to Tower! Took to wizard!” He wrapped his arms protectively around himself and avoided Legolas’s piercing glare. “Tried to warn Elf, yess, o Precious we did! Elf was too angry. Elf hates yous like we hates yous too.” He peered at Legolas through his long fingers. “What else does Elf Warrior ask of Sméagol?”
Legolas slowly lowered his bow. “I ask that you leave here and never let me see your foul face again, for if I do, it will be the death of you.” Gollum slithered away and Legolas shouldered his bow before taking off in the direction of the Tower of Isengard, hoping with every step that he would make it in time to rescue Phoenix.
~*~*~*~*~
Too weary to resist, Phoenix allowed herself to look into Saruman’s eyes. He withdrew his hands from her face and on the edges of her vision she saw her blood on his fingers. She felt its warmth where it pooled under her body. The Orcs had tortured and hurt her just enough not to kill her, knowing that was the only way she would give in.
Saruman held her gaze. “Join me, Princess, and you and I shall be the most powerful beings in all of Middle-earth. You will never again know pain or fear.” He continued to talk to her in his low, hypnotic voice but Phoenix no longer understood what he said. She felt warm. She wanted to be powerful, she wanted to make Galadriel pay for what she had done, she wanted to make them all pay. Deep in her mind, she felt a part of her start to fade, and though she didn’t know it, the power of her Ring faded with it. The last words she could fully remember coming out of her mouth were “I will join you, Saruman.”
Chapter Ten - Wrong
Saruman closed the door to Phoenix’s room, smiling to himself. “Mine at last. With her by my side, I will hold all of Middle-earth under my command.” He turned from the door and found an orc waiting for him.
“Master,” it garbled, running forward. “The Elf-Prince of Mirkwood has been seen coming toward Isengard. What do you want us to do?”
Saruman’s smile broadened. “Do nothing. Do not hinder or harm him. Let him come. When he discovers what’s become of his love, that alone will kill him.”
The orc nodded and backed away. “As you command, Master.”
Saruman looked toward the door of Phoenix’s room once more before leaving.
Inside, she sat on her bed, clad in a dark navy dress. She stared blankly forward, looking at everything but seeing nothing. Saruman had taken her over to his side. Her will power had been destroyed and now he commanded her as he commanded his army of orcs.
Her mind had been corrupted and now all her thoughts were bent toward helping Saruman take over Middle-earth. She remembered nothing of her past, before Middle-earth, save some various song lyrics that ticked through her mind at various times.
She did, however, remember Frodo and the Fellowship, but she cared nothing about them. She had a Ring as powerful as the one Frodo carried, and it was at her command. If only she knew how to command it. She looked at her hand, fingering the small silver band. It seemed so dull and weightless now, as if it were nothing more than a small ring of tin.
“No matter,” she said to herself. “The fool Galadriel told me it’s in my blood. I have the power of this Ring in me. I can use it as I want. In fact, I mustn’t need the Ring at all anymore.” She pulled the Ring off her finger and placed it atop a nearby table. She got up and went to the window, looking out over the land surrounding the Tower. It was grey and lifeless, the Orcs having cut down all the trees. The earth still smoked in some areas.
She smiled. This new home, this new life… it was what she wanted. She belonged here, with Saruman. He was like a father to her. She’d never really known any of her fathers, so now was her chance.
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas crept carefully into the Tower, wondering why no one seemed to notice him or why he didn’t have a thousand orcs on him, ready to pounce. He chalked it all up to blonde good fortune and slowly made his way into the Tower, hiding in the many shadows. His heart seemed to lead the way for him and he did not question it, going up to nearly the top of the tower and stopping at the second door on the left. He could hear someone moving around inside and he opened the door a crack to see who it was.
Phoenix paced the room, her hands clasped behind her back. She seemed so much different to him, and he could barely make out the cuts and bruises given to her the previous day. He pushed the door further open and slipped inside, bolting it behind him. Phoenix turned and stared at him, first in shock, then in recognition.
“Lady Phoenix,” he breathed, stepping toward her to take her into his arms, but she backed away.
“Lady merely for now,” she said with a cruel smile. “Dear Legolas, you seem to not know what is happening. I have found my home. I have found where I belong. Your miserable Fellowship has no hope now. I have joined with Saruman and given him command over the power of my Ring, which I can feel running through my veins.”
Legolas took a step back, clutching his chest like there should be an arrow sticking out of his heart. “Phoenix, what are you saying?” he gasped.
“I’m saying you are nothing to me, Legolas. I know you are in love with me. I know you think I am so pure and so innocent. I am not. I am a powerful Elf-Princess and I will have all of Middle-earth under my heel, with the help of Saruman. She walked over and gently caressed the side of his face.
He looked into her eyes, but saw nothing but dull blankness. No glimmer could be made out, be it good or cruel. He remembered Gandalf saying how powerful Saruman could be at destroying one’s will. His mind reeled when the gentle caress turned into a sharp sting as she slapped him.
“Do not try to read my thoughts, Elf-Prince!” she screamed. “Do not try to pollute my mind! I belong to no one! Least of all you!”
“No, Phoenix,” he pleaded. “This is not you. This is the one place we can be sure you do not belong.” He searched his mind for some way to help her bring back the part of her that seemed to be missing. “Do you remember those songs you sang? There was one I heard when you didn’t think I was listening. I heard you tell Frodo you were singing to me.” He cleared his throat and sang the words back to her.
“I think I’ve already lost you, I think you’re already gone
I think I’m finally scared now, you think I’m weak I think you’re wrong
I think you’re already leaving, feels like your hand is on the door
I thought this place was an empire, now I’m relaxed, I can’t be sure
*
I think you’re so mean, I think we should try
I think I need this in my life
And I think I’m scared, I think too much”
He stopped as she sat on the bed, a shocked expression on her face and a slight glint of recognition in her eyes.
“No,” she said at last. “I was lying. I hate you. I hate you all! Get out! Get out and leave me alone before I have you killed!” She jumped up and opened the door. “GET OUT!!!”
Legolas ran out the door and was out of the Tower before anyone could react. Saruman watched from the very top of the Tower as the young Elf disappeared into the far trees. “It has begun,” he said softly.
Author’s note: Yeah, yeah, yeah… “Mary Sue” (whatever that is)… but I don’t care, dangit! I like Phoenix the way she is, and besides, how can you have her and Legolas get together if she isn’t a little bit too “sweet and innocent”?? But either way, if you’re reading it just for giggles, it should still be entertaining. I hope y’all like this chapter. Don’t worry. I ain’t done yet. ^_^
Chapter Eleven - Strange
Phoenix sat on the edge of her bed for a few moments, thinking about what had just happened, why he would go to all the trouble to try and rescue her when she hated him so much. She looked over and saw her book bag lying on the ground, its contents spilling out. Funny, she didn’t remember it being there before. She didn’t even remember what it had inside.
She slid to her knees on the ground and pulled it toward her by the strap. Inside was a notebook, quite a few pens, some makeup, coins of some sort, and a strange-looking oblong object… a phone? Her Discman had fallen out and she reached over and picked it up, knowing she’d seen all these objects before. Why would she not remember her own belongings?
She fingered the buttons on the Discman, accidentally pressing the play button. Sounds started spilling out the earphones and after the initial shock, she put them on.
“It starts with One thing,
I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know.
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings.
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It’s so unreal
Didn’t look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on to didn’t even know
I wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time
I tried so hard, and got so far
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall, to lose it all
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter”
So familiar. She felt like they were singing directly to her. What was there to know that she was trying so desperately to remember? There was something, something important that she needed to find out. What was it? What was Legolas trying to say?
Her head was spinning. Legolas. She wanted him dead. She wanted them all dead… didn’t she? She didn’t remember having anything in her hands when she came into the Tower. She hardly remembered coming into the Tower at all. The Ring… something about her Ring. She thought harder. Language… she didn’t have the Ring on when Legolas came into the Tower, how did she understand what he was saying?
“You do not need to learn to protect the Ring. It is in your blood. It is part of you and you are part of it.”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide and she flew to the table she had put it on. The Ring was gone! She gasped and clawed at the empty surface. No. NO! Saruman had tricked her; he had polluted her mind and made her hate the people she cared for most. Oh, Frodo! Saruman now had her Ring and he would now use it against the poor hobbit. Legolas… what had she done to him? She loved him so much and she’d refused his help.
She stopped. Did she love him? She closed her eyes and remembered the first time she’d seen him and how her heart skipped a beat, how the whole world faded away when he smiled at her. Yes, she did love him.
She hastily packed her things back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I have to get out,” she whispered.
“Get out? And go where, dearest?” Saruman stood in the doorway, a cruel smile on his face.
“Saruman!” Phoenix hissed. She saw that her Ring was on his hand, but it did not shine or glitter as it had done before.
He held up his hand. “Yes, child, this is your Ring… but there’s something strange about it now. It holds no power. He pulled the Ring off and threw it at her. “I can think of only one explanation for that.” Before she could blink, he was in front of her, her arms in his vice-like grip. He stared deep into her eyes, seeing nothing but love and resilience.
“It is as I thought,” he growled, his breath hot on her face. “All the Ring’s power is in you. You could never have remembered everything alone. Even with the young Elf Prince bringing you those things…” He pointed to her bag. “You still could never have remembered. But you did. Because the Ring’s power has drained into you, daughter of Galadriel.”
Suddenly it all made sense. She was a daughter of the Firstborn, the elegant Lady of the Golden Wood. It was not something she could run away from. Destiny has a way of sneaking up on everyone, especially when they least expect it. It was something she had to do, and now Phoenix welcomed it. She needed the Ring’s help if she ever wanted to destroy Sauron and Saruman. Granted the Ring itself held no power anymore, but she did. She needed to accept that her life was the way it was and stop being so selfish. She needed to find Legolas and apologize.
“You’re not leaving,” Saruman’s voice penetrated her thoughts. “With the power of the Ring of good out of the way, then the One Ring can be used more effectively, when I get it from the hobbit.”
“You’re threatening to kill me?” Phoenix suddenly felt every ounce of who she was, from her previous existence, and since she’d arrived in Middle-earth. She laughed. “You, Saruman the Pitiful, are threatening to kill me. Only because your smooth words and false promises brought you an army of imbeciles, you think you can take me for one too? Who has the power here, Wizard?”
Saruman seemed to deflate, and for the first time Phoenix perceived him as he really was, simply a bent old man trying to find some reason to his life. He looked and felt so old and powerless in front of her. He released his grip on her arms. “Just because you bear the power of the Ring of Good, it doesn’t mean you’re invincible.” Out of the folds in his robe, Saruman produced a knife and moved quickly to stab her, but the knife was knocked out of his hand by an arrow.
Phoenix kicked him in the groin and he doubled over in pain. Phoenix looked over at Legolas. “It seems as if Saruman didn’t retract his order to let me pass freely,” the young Elf said with a smile.
Phoenix picked up Saruman’s staff off the floor and gave the old wizard a brief pitying look before she snapped it in two over her knee. Saruman howled like a wounded animal. Legolas stared at them both in wonder.
“No time for talk now, Lego,” Phoenix said quickly, taking his hand. “We need to find a way safely out of here.” She made a break for the door, with the archer on her heels.
~*~*~*~*~
“How did I not see my bag in your hands, Legolas?” Phoenix asked, perched on a rock a safe distance from the Tower.
“Magic,” he said with a half-smile, taking off his bow and quiver and leaning them against a tree.
As he turned around, Phoenix threw herself into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Legolas. I didn’t mean anything I said.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck.
“Back in the Tower?” he interrupted. “I know. You were under Saruman’s spell.”
“No, I mean the whole thing,” she said softly. “I’ve been so cold to everyone, but I suppose it’s because I was so confused about everything and with all the new information I keep getting… for a while I didn’t know my head from a hole in the ground.”
Legolas ran his fingers through her hair, holding her close and trying his best to comfort her. “You’ve had an incredible burden laid on you in too brief a time for anyone to be comfortable with.” He paused. “The Lady Galadriel sent a gift for you.” He dug his hand into his pocket and produced the necklace. She gasped in amazement at its beauty. It shined like her Ring used to.
Legolas carefully slid it around her neck and clasped it together. Excruciatingly slowly, he slid his arms off her shoulders and down her arms until they were around her slim waist. She turned slowly in his grip until she was facing him.
“I’m still so sorry for all those horrible things I said to you in the Tower, Legolas. I…” Legolas silenced her with a finger to her lips.
“I know you didn’t mean it, Phoenix,” he said solemnly.
“It was the most painful thing, when I remembered,” she continued, shaking her head. “Knowing that I said the most hurtful
things to the person I love the most.” His eyes grew wide and she found herself blushing under his gaze. “I love you so much, Legolas.”
He couldn’t find any words to describe how he felt at that moment. His love… she loved him too. Suddenly it made the whole quest worth completing. He rested his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her eyes, relishing the renewed strength and power he found there. She was definitely worth fighting for. Slowly he lowered his mouth to hers and captured her lips in a kiss.
Phoenix felt herself melt into him. The taste of his lips and the feel of his touch, it was like a dream she didn’t want to wake from.
When the kiss ended, Legolas leaned over and whispered into her ear “I love you too, Lady Phoenix,” sending shivers through her body.
She smiled and looked into his eyes. “Well, let’s find the rest of the Company, shall we?”
Legolas laughed. “As you wish, milady.” He took up his bow and quiver again and she grabbed her bag.
“So…” she said, looking around. “Where to, Lego?”
He shot her a sideways glance. “I haven’t the faintest idea, Fee.”
They both laughed and decided just to walk, letting the road take them wherever they needed to go. But would they find Frodo and Sam, Aragorn and Gimli, or Merry and Pippin first?