Fighting the Odds: The Lionheart Returns (A Lord of the Rings Fanfiction)

Book 1: Whispering Winds

As the Fellowship made their way to through the Path of Caradhras, they were silent. None of them were enjoying the snow or the cold, Ara least of all. She trudged through the snow, though she didn't sink as deep as the others because of her size and build. Legolas simply walked on top of the snow, a skill that everyone else was envious of.

"You know, Ibilissa never got this cold." Ara thought aloud, to no one in particular. This sparked the Hobbits' interest.

"What's it like?" Frodo asked. Ara glanced back at him and smiled. The snow was not too deep yet, but it would soon prove to be too deep for the hobbits. They did their best to trudge through the snow with their short legs and were obviously hoping for a story to pass the time.

"It is beautiful, Frodo. We live on the coast of Et Mare ad Oceanum, or the Great Sea, in the common tongue. It was like summer all the time there. The capital, Hopefalls, rivals the beauty of even Rivendell. It has clear, blue waterfalls and marble walls. I didn't grow up there, though. I lived in a small fishing village near our military headquarters, Marina." Ara explained. The rest of the Fellowship, save Gandalf, Aragorn and Legolas looked at her in confusion.

"But I thought Aaron took you with him in his travels." Pippin blurted out. Ara gave Aragorn a look.

"You told them?" she asked, somewhat pointedly. He nodded. Ara recovered her composure, somewhat embarassed.

"He did, but that was when I was six. We lived with my uncle and his family in Argentumportus, until Aaron was old enough to join the army. Apparently you know the rest." she told them.

"What does Argentumportus mean?" Sam asked, fascinated.

"It means 'Silver Seaport' in my language." Ara expalined. She did miss her home, but there were also some not-so-pleasant memories associated with it as well.

"Why do they call it that?" Merry asked curiously. Ara smiled, somewhat sadly.

"During a strong storm, the sea would look like pure silver. Hence the name."

The others noticed their friend's troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" Boromir asked. Ara made a quick effort to wipe her face clear of emotion, but it was too late. She had to tell them now.

"Just, the last time that I was there was when I was six. Aaron was old enough to go off on his own, as a recruit in the army, and I convinced him to take me with him. Aaron had a disagreement with my uncle, who wanted me to stay in the village with him. My brother took me with him regardless. They never got to make up. After Aaron... passed, I patched things up with them. But there is still some tention between Uncle and I." she said. The young Bender's life was the definition of complicated. The Fellowship just looked at her, at a loss for words. What could you possibly say to that? So the conversation died off and they kept walking. The snow soon became too deep for the hobbits, so Ara took the lead.

Her eyes glowed turquoise and the snow was pushed out of the way by her powers. This provided a path for the Fellowship to walk in, and they were moving faster than they previously had. Legolas stayed up in front with Ara. He was impressed that she was so effortlessly expending so much energy to do this. Her skill had definitely increased since the time she was 16. She had her hood pulled up in an attempt to keep the cold out. The others were grateful for Ara's assistance, but it opened them up to a new problem: the ice. Frodo, who was at the back of the Fellowship, slipped on a patch of ice. He fell with a startled cry. He rolled down the slope and Aragorn shouted his name. He caught the hobbit before he could fall any further. Everyone stopped as Frodo urgently felt his shirtline. The Ring was gone. He looked around frantically. The hobbit finally spotted it and went to get it, but Boromir beat him to it. He held the Ring by its chain, staring mesmerized by it. Ara moved to the back of the group, her eyes had ceased to glow and she watched uneasily as Boromir reached out a gloved hand to touch the Ring.