Not All Who Wander Are Lost (a Star Wars/Lord of the Rings crossover)

Up! I've almost got that post done... I got home from temple, and now I've got to write a post for my other fic...

--Mr. P

 

Anduin rushed past them. Its swift current pushed reeds and other debris through the rocks and eddies; the east wind blew across the river, spraying refreshing water across Padmé?s face, and she sighed. Finally, they were across. It had taken hours upon end to cross the river; the ?horses? that they were given had kept slipping on the stones that riddled the Old Ford. ?That was fun, wasn?t it?? said Padmé. ?You know, riding on stinking animals with fleas and being bumped up and down for hours on end??

?I do not know what means of transportation they are now using in Gondor, young one, but here, this is the way we do things. Grimbeorn most probably gave us no saddles since I am an elf; elves ride bare-back. He just put two and two together.?

?I thought it was kind of fun,? said Anakin. ?Not too much unlike an Eopie.?

?An iopy?? asked Legolas. He was soaking wet, but was no worse for wear. He had been worse off before than wet on a summer afternoon with the sun blazing overhead.

?Never mind him,? said Qui-Gon, brushing off some mud from his tunic. ?He is young; he makes up names for things.?

?I understand. We, the elves, very much enjoy making up names for everything that we see in the world around us. We have been doing so for millennia, since we arose out of Cuiviénen countless years ago.?

?Did you make up these words?? asked Obi-Wan. He did not look too happy. He pushed the soaking and extremely muddy horse that he had been riding away, and was frantically trying to get all the mud off of him that he had picked up when he had fallen into Anduin multiple times. //Force! Why can?t we just deal with *people*, not insignificant animals? Are there even humans on this world?//

?No; not these. You would not understand my tongue; that is why we use the Westron.?

?So that?s what you call Bas -- ?

?Where are we off to next?? asked Padmé. ?Do we have to cross the mountains??

?As a matter of fact,? Legolas said, picking up his pack and lifting it onto his horse, ?we just have to follow this road westward, and we will arrive at the Ford in time for the Council of Elrond.?

?A road ? what if those Orcs control it?? asked Qui-Gon. ?They control the road through the forest, logically, they should control the road through the mountains. This is the same road.?

?It may be the same road,? said Legolas sharply, ?but it is on the other side of Anduin. It makes a great difference. It will most probably not be controlled. But it is the only option at this point; we have been delayed more than enough. We must take the shortest path, and that is through the mountains. To go through them, not along a road, would be too perilous, and the Mines are controlled by the servants of the Enemy and Durin?s Bane, we believe. I would not wander into the deeps of Moria for anything, nay, even for all the gold of Erebor, of which my people deserve a part.?

?What will be in Imladris?? spoke up Obi-Wan. ?Will there just be elves??

?Mostly elves, I believe,? said Legolas. ?But I cannot be too sure. I have never been to Imladris; neither has any of my family in four hundred years.?

?Four hundred years is a long time,? said Qui-Gon. ?Is Imladris most likely to change much from that time? I suppose it was a far ancestor of yours who went there??

?No; actually, my uncle died only about a month or two ago in a skirmish with Orcs of the Dark Tower.?

?A _month or two ago_?? asked Anakin. ?How old do you guys live, anyway??

?No one yet knows,? said Legolas. ?We must go soon. The sun is already starting to descend, and we must make it to the foothills before night; we must find shelter. These mountains are crawling with Orcs and many other much, much worse things.?

 

It wasn't getting any better, Obi-Wan decided.

He wasn't accustomed to being as on edge as he was in this place. He thought of himself as able to live by his wits, as not needing constant company, as not being overly tied to technology. Why, as a child in the Temple he had even fantasized about finding a world totally un-invaded by technology. He would show them a few simple things, then teach them about the Force, and...

Well, it had been a child's dream. The reality was different. This Legolas not only wasn't waiting to receive wisdom, he treated "mortals" almost contemptuously and certainly didn't think anyone in the group had anything to teach him. To Obi-Wan's chagrin, so far, nothing had occurred to him to change the elf's mind.

Qui-Gon often walked ahead with Legolas, trying to learn inconspicuously about the world. Obi-Wan would have liked to talk to him more, but he understood the reasoning. Aside from the practical chance to learn, it stood to reason that they should keep Legolas from standing back, taking a good look at them, and thinking too deeply about them.

The children had created their own world. The boy Anakin had jumped into their story with abandon, and now was creating so many stories of adventures on their "island" that Padmé had found it necessary to make one up about how their father had given up on making him stick to perfectly true stories. He'd just winked and laughed, apparently unconcerned about putting their cover in danger. Obi-Wan was willing to give him some credit for creativity ? he'd managed to tell the entire story of his race without mentioning any technology, and had created a few features of the island that could roughly account for some oddities ? but it would have been altogether better if he'd simply kept his mouth shut in the first place. Padmé didn't speak as often, but when she did, she had a cutting tongue that tended to draw all of Legolas' attention. He wondered how she had survived in the position of a handmaiden, which required her to be silent and unobtrusive.

Obi-Wan was becoming impatient and temperamental. He wanted to have a long, uninterrupted conversation with Qui-Gon (though he suspected that, with Anakin in their lives now, such things would be a rarity on any world). This all seemed ill-advised. What about the others? The ones back at the ship? Qui-Gon had refused to contact them by communicator, even in secret, and Obi-Wan could find no reason for that.

Legolas came to a stop. They were about midway between the river and the mountains, in the foothills, and the sun was setting, sending the rocky shadows grasping toward them. "We'll stop here," Legolas said. "I see nothing more convenient ahead."

Obi-Wan let his pack roll off his shoulders, and sat down on it. Qui-Gon smiled at him. "You seem tired, son."

"I *am* tired, M? my father."

"I'm not!" Anakin chirped. "Come on, Padmé, let's get firewood." He led the girl away. Obi-Wan couldn?t help glaring at him, though he managed to suppress the urge to snap at him. Where in the heavens was this coming from?

Qui-Gon looked at him analytically, then glanced at Legolas. "Legolas, my friend? would you mind allowing me to speak to my son alone for a moment?"

Legolas bowed solemnly. "Among my people, such conversations are held in high honor. I shall absent myself for one hour." He slipped away into the growing shadows.

Qui-Gon waited until he was sure that they were alone. "You're troubled, padawan."

"Yes. Of course I'm troubled."

"I am sorry, Obi-Wan. I've been remiss, not including you in my thoughts."

"Am I that transparent?"

"To me, perhaps." He sat down on a rock beside Obi-Wan. "What have you been considering, these past several days, padawan?"

"I am uneasy, Master. There is strong power in this world. Some is disciplined, but some? "

"Yes, I've felt it."

"It's put me on edge." Obi-Wan tried to guard the tone of his voice, to sound cool and reserved. To himself, he sounded like he was making excuses. At the same ti

 

Good post! OK... I'll start working on the next post. It'll be up tomorrow.

--Mr. P

 

Oops. Uneditable goof. I said something about a pile of wood seventy meters or so away on the plain, but they're in the foothills, not the plains. So, the pile of wood Obi-Wan sees is now around the bend in the road -- he just sees the edge of it.

 

?I told you it was a bad idea to go towards the mountains!? whispered Rabé. The three handmaidens that had accompanied Amidala from Naboo were walking down a small dirt path that led alongside the river, behind their guide, who was riding a strange four-legged animal.

?Well, there was a definite possibility that there was a civilization in the mountains,? said Sabé. ?Civilizations often arise off rivers coming out of mountains ? the mountains provide protection. And I did see something from far away. Those tunnels...? She kicked a rock into the river, and looked up towards the clouds. A ray of late afternoon sunshine pierced the ceiling of clouds, and it landed in the river. It didn?t look quite as foreboding now as it had looked the previous night.

?Well, we went towards the mountains, only to go back again,? said Eirtaé. ?And we lost two days ? we could be much, _much_ further south now than we were before if we hadn?t taken this stupid little detour of yours.?

?Well, there?s just as much of a chance that the Queen went through the mountains as along the river. I don?t know why we didn?t think to send a group west as well,? shot Sabé.

?Well, it?s too late now,? said Eirtaé. She sighed and adjusted her pack as their guide fell back, and Sabé walked up to his side.

The guide looked down; he was very tall. ?Wherefore were you going, into the mountains, by chance? Not Moria, I assume? It seems most strange that you would be entering the Deeps. Only the bravest would dare enter the mines of Moria in recent days. _Hithaeglir_ he said. The guide caught himself as he realized that these girls did not know the elfish names of the mountains, and corrected himself: ?the Misty Mountains, they have never held anything but terrors and fears for years uncounted.? He looked back at the mountains and shuddered.

?West, sir. We were hoping to find a civilization where we could find refuge from our problems at home.?

?What sort of problems, young miss?? asked the guide.

?An invasion,? said Sabé. ?We were forced to flee to gain help elsewhere. We ended up... here.?

?A believable story,? said the guide, ?but I see that there is more to it than what you say. What is your name, young one??

?It is *I* who should be asking the questions, not you, sir. It is not wise for one to follow a stranger blindly into the wilderness. What is _your_ name, where you come from??

?I am called many things in many different places,? said the man, thinking. ?In my homeland, where I was born, and by my kindred, I am known as Halbarad, and in some places, as a Ranger, and in some, not even known at all. Perhaps, some day, I will be known where I am deserved...?

?I take it that you come from far away?? asked Rabé, walking up.

?No, ?tis not far away. I come from many places ? across the sea, over the mountains, southwards, northwards, and in the east.? He sat up straight, and looked ahead. Down a few more hundred yards were the eaves of Lothlorién, the dreamflower. The trees were in full bloom, golden leaves graced the beautiful woods, and the elanor covered the floors of the forest from end to end.

?What is this place, Lorién?? asked Eirtaé. ?Is it a city, or a country perhaps??

?It is the land of the _Galadhrim_, the tree-dwellers,? said Halbarad. ?Perhaps, one could consider it a city and a country all at once. A kinsman of mine, Aragorn son of Arathorn, has found peace here before. I am seeking him, and was hoping to find him, when I found you. If your story is truthful, the Lord and Lady of the Wood will take up your case, and offer you hospitality for the duration.?

?For the duration of what?? asked Sabé.

?For the duration that they consider just. You will consider it just, as well.?

* * * * * *

?They?re coming ?round the bend, soon, Rúmil,? said Haldir. ?They do not look evil.?

?No, they do not,? said Orophin, looking up from his position across the tree. ?And they have a kinsman of Aragorn with them. But the girls... they have a strange dress, and do not ride on horseback. We will have to escort t

 

All right, it's time for Lorien!

Hopefully a year from today, I'll be sitting in the theaters watching The Fellowship of the Ring. But until then, this story's definitely more than adequate compensation. Words can't describe how much I'm enjoying it, and if it's this good with you two on it, I can't wait to see what Skysong brings to it.

Thanks for such a wonderful story.

 

Well, the substantial Lorien stuff is coming where it came in Fellowship, as far as I know. But it does seem to me that there's a certain Lady of the Galadrim -- her name escapes me just now -- who might wonder about what secret desires might be hidden in these strangers' hearts...

 

Well... you'll be getting at least 2 posts over this weekend, I promise. JG and I have the next 2 posts planned out, but after that... we have a few ideas, but we're not all that sure. Oh, well. You _will_ get one tonight.

Good to see you're still here and enjoying the story, A21!

--Mr. P

 

Qui-Gon saw it coming up before them, the top of the High Pass. Finally, they could see this ?Imladris? that they were heading towards. He had kept his questions to a minimum for the last two weeks as they trekked across the mountains; he had failed in the extent of keeping Anakin?s to a minimum as well. Legolas had been brushing them off for quite a while now, and was becoming quite good at it. As for Qui-Gon, he had been trying to learn about this world without asking questions, without drawing attention to himself. How could he run the cover story that he was a knight from this Gondor if he asked questions about things that it might be absurd for someone to not know?

He sighed, and continued walking, looking back at the rest of his party. Legolas led them, and had had no need to call up to tell Qui-Gon where to go for quite a while now ? the road did not have many forks and the path was quite straightforward.

Qui-Gon focused outwards, to the South. He felt numerous things there ? many dark beings, and only a few could control their darkness. Numbers of them felt much like Legolas himself, only... corrupted. It was the only way he could describe it. But he could clearly feel two very strong force-wielders to the South, and feared them both ? but one especially. Because one of them he knew, and knew that he was after the Queen.

And the Queen was defenseless on the ship without a single Jedi to protect her from the Dark menace that would come for her.

He had expected to get back to the ship before long, but he had been brought far out of his way. Could he have made a mistake to come this way with Legolas? Perhaps it would have been better if he had gone back to the ship instead; Obi-Wan and him could have easily handled any army that attacked them with their lightsabers and the Force. Why had be brought the children with him? It all seemed pointless now.

And if Maul got the Queen, he would get the ship. And if he got the ship, there was no way off this planet, back to the Republic.

They would be stranded.

Qui-Gon stopped, and looked over the top of the pass.

* * * * * *

Anakin ran forward, and caught up with Qui-Gon, who had stopped. He looked over land, and gasped. It was mostly barren and green with plains, but small scattered packets of serene beauty glistened in the summer sunshine. Forests covered small parts of the landscape, and in the distance, the sea glittered like a thousand jewels. But it seemed like the great part of it had been scarred from some sort of war, and might have been beautiful ? if they had arrived a few hundred years previous.

A haven was far in the distance, with a tall white tower and a great city. Other cities were far and few between, as far as Anakin could see. But his attention was drawn to a land near the sea, where the Baranduin rose out of the sea and ran itself up to Lake Evendim, east of Fornost. It seemed to remind him of... someplace. He couldn?t pinpoint it.

Anakin looked up to Qui-Gon, and Qui-Gon looked down at him. There was something in Qui-Gon?s facial expression... some sort of sadness, some sort of despair. Anakin didn?t understand it. As far as Anakin was concerned, this was one great adventure ? a planet, unconquered by technology, and they were probably the first citizens of the Republic (at least, Anakin considered himself a citizen at this point) to set foot on this planet. It was just like when he had played explorers with his friends when he lived on Tatooine, dreaming of the days when he would be free and pilot starships into the unknown regions of the galaxy, discovering things no man ever knew or saw before and enjoying every moment of it.

Somehow, it wasn?t living up to his expectations, but Anakin was still having fun ? he had no doubt that he would learn very much before he left this place. Everyone walked up from behind, slowly but surely, and Anakin smiled at Padmé. She smiled back, and Anakin turned back towards the feast for the eyes that stood before them across the leagues of Eriador.

* * * * * *

Legolas saw young

 

I *can't* be the only one reading this.

Great post Mr P! I like where this story is going, you two... though I think maybe I've said that before.

 

I most certainly hope you are not the only one here, A21. Oh, well. If you're the only one still here, I'll keep on writing this, becaues it's just a lot of fun. Yeah, I was really worried about that last post. There were a couple things that I wasn't sure if they... worked. For example, my description of Eriador. I mean, we know that there's a lot of waste, and I don't see many forests on the map, but my images that I picked up when I read LOTR is that a lot of it is covered by forest... oh, well. Thanks!

--Mr. P

 

Sorry I didn't get the post up. New years eve got in the way, and I had to get to a specific point in my other story over break in order to stay on schedule there. I'll probably write it tonight, since the only homework I have is to type up a lab which isn't even due until a week from tomorrow.

--Mr. P

 

Good first view of Eriador. Looking forward to the next one!

 

Anakin stood closer to the tree and watched the small party walk along the road. It was sloping sharply downward now, and along the sides of it, patches of grass sprung up out of the forests. The group ahead of them consisted of a man, an elf, and four children, dressed in strange clothes. They carried packs, and the man carried a long sword. One of the children was on a white horse, and they moved along the road with a stern lookout, seemingly looking for something that they couldn?t find.

?Let them pass,? whispered Legolas, further back in the shrubbery. ?And come back here! Don?t get too close to the road!?

?Who were they?? asked Qui-Gon.

?There was an elf,? said Legolas. ?They will lead us to Imladris, I am sure. All we have to do is follow them.?

* * * * * *

The road went even more steeply downwards as they stepped into a tunnel, created by giant trees, overshadowing the road. Moist red rock created the road, and a dim light filtered in through the trees. The wind seemed to blow back towards where they came from, and a dank smell reached Anakin?s nose. He didn?t like it. They kept moving, making their way along the road. Suddenly, after what seemed like hours, light invaded his senses, and he reeled back from it. Further up the road, the party they had seen before was making its way up towards the river in the distance. Now, there was a great long flat mile, ending with the Ford. On the other side of the Ford, the road took a winding path into the mountains, and the mountains escalated, rock upon rock, into the deep blue sky.

They were almost there.

All of a sudden, Anakin was gripped with fear. He looked around, and couldn?t see anything. But a shadow seemed to be moving along the road, coming towards them. They were far behind, and Anakin heaved a sigh. ?What is that?? asked Anakin.

?What is what?? asked Legolas. ?I do not feel anything. But I fear the worst. Come, let us go. We will need to keep moving.?

The elf in the distance looked back, and cried out.

* * * * * *

A was a rushing noise, like wind flying through the pines that framed the road leading to the Ford. ?Fly!? cried Glorfindel, looking back. ?Fly! The Enemy is upon us!?

A rider came out of the gate in the trees, behind what seemed like another party going to the Council, and reined in the black horse. Another came out behind him, and another. They were cloaked in black robes, hiding their features. Two more came out behind them. The group in the distance ran forward, two of them, the ones in the brown robes, racing forward like the wind. Two children with them, and there was another elf who ran forward as fast as he could.

?Ride forward! Ride? cried Glorfindel to Frodo.

Frodo did not ride altogether at once. He looked back at the small party racing towards them, to the small child that was with them. He thought of the house of Tom Bombadil, and a place by the sea. He felt as if he were in a dream, and a strange reluctance seized him like a vice. He checked the horse to a walk, and looked back. Everything seemed to recede into a mist, everything except for the Black Riders and the young boy, flying towards him.

He knew that they were commanding him to wait; he gripped his sword and drew it. ?Ride on! Ride on!? cried Glorfindel out of the mist, and he heard the elf-tongue, crying out to the horse: _noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth!_

At once, the white horse leapt off towards the Ford. The Black Riders sprang towards him, and he felt their power, telling him to use the Ring. _Help!_ he cried out. _Help me!_

_I don?t know how!_ the young boy exclaimed across the distance. The riders passed him, paying him no notice. _I don?t understand!_

_Help me!_ Frodo felt the weight of his burden; it was dragging him towards the ground. _You understand! You know!_ Fear filled his mind, and when Frodo looked over his shoulder, he could no longer see his friends. The riders were falling back; even their great steeds were not great enough for the horse of Glorfindel. He looked forward, and fell into despair. There was no

 

I believe I do. But that's going to be hard to follow up!

 

OK, I'm finally starting to get a sense of the actual LOTR time period of this story.

Great job Mr. P! Glad to see Frodo finally...

 

Panaka was about ready to throw the communicator in the river. There'd been a brief flicker, then nothing. Nothing for a week.

The river was becoming narrower and colder, and he guessed its source was somewhere in the mountains that now loomed directly ahead of him. Other streams had emptied into it from the mountains on the far side, but now Panaka could see running water to the north as well as to the west, as the mountains curved up and around the horizon.

"Now what?" one of the techs asked. Panaka thought her name was Kimbé, but he wasn't sure.

"I think we turn east here," he said.

"Back into the forest?"

"Not if I can help it. We'll stick to the foot of the mountains. It should be too rocky for the forest to grow far."

Kimbé, if that was her name, nodded dubiously. "Yes, sir."

Panaka marched the group ahead until night fell, just as they reached the fork in the river. They set up the shelters and fell asleep.

One of the techs was supposed to be on sentry duty, but Panaka hadn't bothered to check on him. They hadn't seen a living soul for days. As an excuse, it was a poor one, but it was the truth. There was no sentry, because Captain Panaka, head of Queen Amidala's security detail, had become complacent. When he awoke to a battle cry, his first thought was, _Serves me right._

That was the only thought he bothered putting into words. The shelter shook as some great strength battered it with a metal weapon. Two of the techs were reaching sleepily for their blasters, but Panaka raised his arm at them. Not yet. Not until there was no other choice.

"Welcome!" he called. "Who goes there?"

The clanging stopped, and he heard something shouted in a gutteral language. A more distant thumping -- presumably on the other shelter -- also came to a halt.

Finally, a gravelly voice spoke. "Who travels the Greylin into the north country?"

"I'm called Panaka."

"Are you another messenger from the East?"

"I'm travelling from the West. I'll emerge from the shelter now. I mean you no harm, nor do my companions."

There was a grunt that Panaka chose to take as assent. He raised the door of the shelter, and pulled himself out of it. As soon as he was upright, he turned toward his attacker... and found empty air.

He looked down.

The creature before him was humanoid, solid and stocky, but less than half Panaka's height. There was no mistaking him for a child. A long white beard, forked in the center, spilled over a green tunic, and an extremely sharp-edged battle axe was poised to swing above his shoulder. Small attacker or not, that blade would make short work of Panaka if it came at him fast enough.

Three more of the creatures were in the camp, two guarding the door of the second shelter, the other hovering in between. Panaka addressed the one holding the axe on him. "If we've crossed a border into your territory, I was unaware of it."

"You haven't. Yet."

"Then why have you attacked us?"

"There are enemies about. No one walks the northern routes unless he is known to us, or to the Men of Dale."

"Then perhaps I should become known to you, as I know no one else."

The creature narrowed his eyes. "Your accent isn't of the East, or of the west. And your skin is burned as I've heard of those in the south."

Panaka wasn't aware of any burns on his face, but his visitor seemed disinclined to explain himself, so he let the odd comment go. "Do you have a name, or am I supposed to guess it?"

"You may call me Jenin. My brothers are Kenin, Dreli, and Peli." The axe lowered a bit, as Jenin seemed to relax. His brothers bowed slightly. Jenin took a tentative step forward, then abruptly sheathed the axe and reached out to touch the shelter with something approaching wonder. Apparently, he'd decided that Panaka wasn't dangerous. "This metal," he whispered. "It astounds me. Light enough for you to carry on a march, yet it resists the finest weapons we wield. How is it forged?"

"It is made commonly in my homeland," Panaka told him. "But I

 

Good post! I *might* be able to write tonight...

--Mr. P

 

Sorry, no post tonight, either. I've got a bit of homework tonight, it appears...

But a post _will_ come on friday!

--Mr. P

 

Up.

 

This is kinda short, but it sets up the next part quite nicely, imho. JG can write it; I'll be very busy with this weekend and I'm working hard to wrap up my other fic. I've also taken the liberty (no, I haven't discussed this with JG) to follow Tolkein's style of six "books" - so this will start the second, since the Ford ended the First in the original LOTR. I think it adds a nice touch.

--Mr. P

********************

Book II

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

* * *

Glorfindel walked alongside Aragorn up the winding dirt path that led to Rivendell, followed closely by the White Horse, who was carrying an unconscious Frodo Baggins, and Merry and Pippin tagged along behind. Behind them were the mysterious party that had appeared during the flight to the Ford of Bruinen, and bringing up the rear was the Elf who Glorfindel believed might be from the elf-kingdom in Mirkwood. He was a wood-elf, to be sure, but his strange companions seemed to have nothing about them that he could place a particular region of Middle-Earth. He moved closer to Aragorn, and said, ?Who are the strange mortals who accompany us??

?I believe that the elf was born in the lands of Mirkwood, but I know not a thing about our other companions. Perhaps the wood-elf knows. I will call him forward.? Aragorn slowed down, and soon everyone was passing him. The sun had already set behind the mountains, and the shadows were becoming darker by the moment. Aragorn hoped that they would get to Rivendell before too long. There was very little chance that the black riders would come back now, even during the night ? the powers of Rivendell were over this land, and for now, the Enemy?s servants could not enter it without great struggle. In minutes, he was near the wood-elf. He stepped over next to him, and said, ?Where are you from, wood-elf??

?I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, king of the Elves of Greenwood the Great,? replied Legolas. ?I do not believe I am acquainted with you, either. Are you heading for Imladris??

?Yes, for the Council.? Legolas nodded in acknowledgement. Aragorn continued, ?I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I meant to ask you, who are the strange men and children who accompany you??

?One of them, the older man, a Qui-Gon Jinn, claims to be a knight of Gondor, and the younger one, Obi-Wan Kenobi, his squire. The two children say that they are from away south, siblings, who Jinn had found in his travels. I believe that they are Anakin and Padmé Skywalker. I highly doubt the validity of their stories.?

?The names are not of any kind that I know of,? said Aragorn, ?and I am well-versed in the lore of Gondor. Very rarely have I seen names like these. I have spent some time in Gondor over the years, and the names of this particular knight and squire never came up at all. Perhaps the Knight Qui-Gon Jinn changed his name, and forgot his old one. I do not know. What makes you doubt their claims??

?The young boy told me a story of a race ? it was very interesting, in fact. But there were holes in it, all over. Also, they did not know what Orcs were. Quite strange, especially if they are from off south, where the Orcs are much more rampant. It makes no logic. And their skin was not burned, as I have heard that the men of the south are. If you notice, the girl?s skin is quite pale, as a matter of fact.?

Glorfindel now fell back, letting the horse lead the way. He knew where to go, and the guards would let them through. The stars were now starting to come out, and the pale light of the full moon filtered through the trees. Crickets chirped in cheerful tones and beats as he plodded along towards the house of Elrond, Rivendell. When he was with Aragorn and the other elf, he enter

 

up!

--Mr. P

 

I'll post tomorrow. I didn't like the one I was working on tonight, so I'll do something different.

 

Okay, we didn't discuss this, so if it's not okay with Mr. P, this is a meaningless post. I just figured that he set it up nicely for a discussion with Elrond about the SW technology, and I thought it would be good to have Elrond get a firsthand view of some of the things they're capable of -- in a benevolent setting -- before that talk. Also, I kept trying to write around the fact that there's desperately injured person in the party, but Qui-Gon's party stubbornly kept insisting that they would actually care about this fact, so I gave in and let them care.

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MANY MEETINGS
(may as well stick with that Tolkienian theme...)

Qui-Gon had at first taken the small beings for human children. They were close to Anakin's size, and had clear, cleanshaven faces. One seemed to be as high-spirited as any child Qui-Gon had ever known. But it only took a moment to understand that they *weren't* humans at all. Close relatives, perhaps, but not the same. Despite their size, three of the four were clearly adults, with that unnameable change in their eyes that said they had seen something of the world they walked in. The fourth, the rambunctious and energetic one who had introduced himself as "Peregrin Took, called Pippin, or sometimes even Pip," seemed to be an adolescent of his kind. Qui-Gon had spent enough time around teenaged padawans to recognize adolescence in any species, no matter what years it counted for that wonderful and dreadful time.

But it wasn't the adolescent Pippin who seemed to be of the greatest concern. The one upon the horse -- clinging to its white mane like a small burr -- was obviously extremely ill. Qui-Gon had offered to help, but the "elf-lord" (as Legolas had called the new elf) had told him that it was "beyond mortal help." Instead, he walked with the others for the long distance to the house in the woods, looking over his shoulder at the supine form whose name, he was gathering from repetition of worried questions, was Frodo. There had to be some way to help.

After what seemed to be an endless walk, the steps into Rivendell were remarkably sudden. One moment, he was walking a forest path, then he was swept into a grand and cheerful house, with power that radiated out from it like sun on a summer afternoon.

"Master," Obi-Wan whispered, "do you feel it? It's as if they've gathered the Force here, cultivated it like a crop."

"Yes. I feel it, though I hadn't thought of it in those terms. You're exactly right." He turned to his padawan. "Obi-Wan, I want to see if I can help with the sick one, Frodo. Will you keep an eye on the children? For heaven's sake, don't let Anakin start talking yet."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Not a simple request, Master. But I'll do my utmost."

Qui-Gon returned the smile. He needed to spend a bit more time with Obi-Wan. Things had been hectic since the call to Naboo, and he missed his padawan's company. "I have faith in you," he said, trying to sound sober. "Now, I must follow, for I think they won't deliberately bring me there."

Obi-Wan nodded, and Qui-Gon followed the party that had broken off from the main group as soon as they'd come in the door. The elf-lord had pulled Frodo from the horse, and was carrying him, while another of the small creatures ran along beside. The man who had been with them also came along. They hurried up the hallway without caring a whit what became of anyone else.

Qui-Gon followed them to a large bedroom that smelled of some fragrant tree. The travellers had been joined by another elf (Qui-Gon was beginning to note the differences among the species) and an old man with a long, white beard. Both the new elf and the old man were hovering over Frodo. The younger man held Frodo's companion back. Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "I am Qui-Gon Jinn. Perhaps I may be of assistance," he said.

The elf-lord snapped at him. "I told you, this is beyond the help of a mortal."

"Glorfindel," the new elf said, "we should not assume." He stood. "I am Elrond, master of this house. The wizard besid