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

Book 1: Choice

Please read the brief author's note at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!

The Fellowship had been sailing the entire day. The sun was beginning to go down, and Ara had been speeding them along with the current for a while. They had been discussing amongst themselves, but conversation had begun to run out. Legolas noticed that the young bender had begun to stare absently into the water. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, especially after all she had been through. Both he and Aragorn were worried about her, no matter how she insisted they shouldn't.

Ara's head then perked up, and she cracked a slight smile. The elf prince knew that look: she had an idea. The hobbits looked just about bored to death. But she could fix that. The water began to shift besides the hobbits. Merry's eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the side. What was going on? As he watched, the water beside the boat began to change shape. It began to form a shape, humanoid one. It was the shape of a siren, a figure with a tail in place of legs. It jumped out of the main body of water and dived back in. Stunned, Merry nudged Pippin. The Fellowship watched as the liquid siren swam and performed tricks for them.

"Wow." Sam breathed as he watched the figure. Ara chuckled.

"I haven't seen one of them in years." Most of the men gave her a disbelieving looks.

"You've seen sirens?" Boromir asked, unable to tell if she was just pulling their legs or not. But the bender nodded, dead serious.

"Yes. The seas are their homes, although they are not often seen. I saw them once in a while back home. I could take you all there someday, if you wish." she smiled. The Hobbits chattered excitedly, watching the figures move fluidly along the current. Aragorn caught Ara's eye, amusement clear upon his face. The girl winked a glowing eye, a grin on her face. It reminded him how truly young the bender was. She hadn't acted her age since her brother passed. More was always expected of her.

One thing was certain: no matter what Ara went through, she'd always have the same, good heart.

The sun began to lower in the sky, and the Fellowship spotted movement upon the opposite bank. Uruk-hai, no mistaking it. They kept a careful eye on their pursuers. Ara hurried the boats along with her powers, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. The boats soon passed through a towering canyon. Aragorn called for them to stop for the night. Despite the promise of rest, all of them remained uneasy.

They came to rest on the opposite bank from which they had seen the Uruk-hai. They began to set up camp and settle in. As the sun begin to disappear from view, Boromir spotted something moving in the water further away from them. Ara scowled, recognizing what it was.

"Gollum. He has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose him on the river. But hes too clever a waterman." Aragorn confirmed. Boromir shook his head unhappily. It had not taken their enemies long to catch up with them.

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous."

Ara bit her lip quietly and moved to sit down near the hobbits. She wanted to stay close to them tonight, as she was worried.

"Grandmother would have been so much better at this." She didn't realize she had said it aloud until the hobbits spoke up.

"Your grandmother... She was a bander-folk as well right?" Sam asked. Legolas cracked a smile.

"Yes. And one of the best of them at that." This was significant, as he had met plenty of benders in his life so far.

"Uncle Bilbo used to include her in his stories. The one with the dragon." Frodo said. He looked up at Ara curiously. He had only ever heard snippets about the famed Reyna Stormbringer, First Lionheart of Ibilissa.