Title: "Moira Revealed"

Author: LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley

Category: Book - "Lord of the Rings"

Genre: Drama/Fantasy

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to "The Lord of the Rings". I just adore it to pieces! Characters from the Real World are actual people however. You may NOT use them. Sorry.

NOTE: This is Part III (3) of the Fate Quartet. It already consists of Part I (Flashes of Light, Rulers of Fate) and Part II (A Destined Journey). Reading those stories first will ensure that you understand this one. Please, no flames. I know this would be classified as a Mary-Sue but, like I said back in the day, I wanted to have fun with merging book and movie and seeing just how someone from the real world... might have been able to influence the events of this literary masterpiece. Thank you!

The Lord of the Rings:
The Fate Quartet - Volume III:
Moira Revealed

Chapter 9:
Nil's Inability to Ride a Horse... Causes Problems

I CAN'T RIDE A HORSE!

I know I'm from Texas and I know I should know how to ride a horse but I've only ever even touched a horse once, let alone ridden one!

WE DO NOT ALL RIDE HORSES IN TEXAS!

GAH! This is worse than the boats!

...

See now why can't we just go on foot? It would make my life so much easier... UGH!

-Ashley

"I always wondered something..."

Sighing slightly, the Marshal of the Third Mark turned his head to the side, just barely catching a glimpse of the woman who was riding behind him. Of course Eomer didn't say a word in response, instead simply raising an eyebrow and waiting for the question to come. When the woman remained silent however, Eomer finally spoke up.

"Yes?"

Nileregwen laughed, "I knew you could talk!" she said with a smile, leaning to the side and peeking over the man's shoulder at him.

Eomer rolled his eyes, "Sometimes I wonder if you are one of these 'Hobbits' your companions seek." he grumbled.

"I'm not THAT short!" Ashley replied, feigning annoyance. "Honestly, I fall on you ONE time and you get all moody around me."

"He is always like that." came the voice of Hama as he reigned his mount into step next to that of the younger man.

Eomer sighed, "I mean no offense. These are just strange times."

"Or maybe..." Nil smirked, glancing at Hama almost conspiratorially. "You just don't know how to talk to women."

There was a stillness in Eomer's posture... a very obvious warning that, not only had Nil hit the right reason, but that she was about to face the wrath of a Horse Lord.
So, without another word, Ashley started looking for a means of escape!
Of course she didn't know the first thing about riding a horse... which was why she sat behind Eomer to begin with.

"Hama... little help here please?" Nil panicked, but to her surprise... Eomer was laughing! She blinked in surprise and for quite a while just stared at the back of the man's head. "Wait... you're not going to kill me?"

Before she could say anything else however... Ashley felt herself suddenly lifted into the air! She tried to grab onto Eomer but things moved and spun and flashed before her eyes and then... well... she was sitting between the white mane of a white horse... and an Elf.

"Legolas?!"

"Why are you causing trouble?" the prince asked with one raised eyebrow.

Nil winced at the look, "Why do I have the feeling your ada would look at me like that too?" she whispered before sighing and just falling backwards to lean on his chest. "I'm not making trouble. I was just bugging Eomer... which is easy. And why am I on your horse? Isn't Gimli..."

"He is on Eowyn's horse right now." Legolas replied, wrapping his arms around Nil from behind, his fingers just letting the reigns rest before them.

The woman smiled, closing her eyes and just enjoying the ride. "This is much better... Eomer's hair kept blowing in my face... and at least you have a saddle and bridle right now."

"Only because of Gimli." he said honestly before laughing, "And you apparently... Honestly, how can you know nothing of horses?"

Ashley rolled her eyes, "Uh... cause I've never ridden one until today? Well I guess until after I fell on Eomer but I was unconscious so I really don't remember that ride. You saw my world. Cars, Legolas."

The Elf nodded, "Alright. I suppose I can understand..." his blue gaze flickered over the procession, glad for now not to be stuck out front scouting. "You shall have to ride with Aragorn or Eomer tomorrow. I have scouting duty and..."

"Eomer." Nil spoke almost immediately. "Not that um... not that I do not want to ride with Aragorn but he's got some stuff to talk to Eowyn about. Oh! I have help on cooking tonight and before I forget, DO NOT eat anything unless I give it to you. Might want to tell Gimli that too..." she said with a smirk.

Legolas rose that one eyebrow again. "Nil..."

"Payback for interrupting our breakfast will be glorious..." the woman said, tilting her head back enough to look up at the Elf behind her. "Revenge is sweet... or in this case... salty..."

"I think I've found the bottom!"

Danielle couldn't help but giggle snort to herself as she glanced up at Sam overhead. "I think I've found your bottom." she said to herself, stepping off the rock cliff-face and releasing the Elvish rope in hand.

"Did you say something?" Sam asked as the woman helped him down... to which she promptly shook her head and replied no.

While Frodo and Sam went on and on about salt from the Shire and roast chicken, the woman took a good look at their surroundings.

They were lost, though she really didn't want to let the Hobbits know that.

'If I were Ash, I'd know where we are and how far out we are from Gollum... ugh, why didn't I pay more attention to the Appendices?!' Vid found herself thinking before grabbing a leaf of lembas and munching on a corner.

"Any idea where we are?" spoke up the heavier Hobbit as he hefted his pack from his shoulders.

Dani turned to them and shrugged. "Emyn Muil. Beyond that no clue. We're being followed though."

This didn't sit well with Sam... but Frodo spoke up before his companion could.

"I have thought that for some time now."

"Yeah well he'll catch up to us sooner rather than later. If you start smelling something nasty, we'll know it's soon." she replied, putting her own pack on the ground now and taking a seat. "Until then let's just try to keep going south east... or maybe more east than south east. Mordor's in..." she pointed off in the distance. "That general direction. Somewhere."

Sam sighed, "Nil knew a lot more about directions than you." he grumbled, not enjoying the thought of them being watched.

"Yeah well Nil's brain is like a picture book. Sketch book. Something like that. Anyway she's got mental maps of everything and me, well I don't. She's also got two sources to draw from and I'm just leading by one so of course I won't be able to predict anything completely."

Frodo grabbed some of the lembas and took a bite. "Sam, did you happen to hear from Aragorn where our path would take us?"

The stout Hobbit thought for a minute, "I did but I can't quite remember, Mr. Frodo. I was a bit more worried for you at the time."

"Oh! I remember! Um..." Danielle stopped chewing, the wheels of her mind turning round and round. "No wait that was Gandalf... 'If our luck holds, the gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east, to Mordor.' but that was if we went to Rohan..."

Frodo sighed but then brightened. "Wait... the Gap of Rohan is east of us... which means we should, yes, continue on an eastern path though perhaps slightly more south."

"I do remember Strider and Gimli talking about the Emyn Muil and marshlands." Sam put in.

"Dead Marshes." Vid added with a nod. "Festering stinking marshlands far as the eye can see." she said, reiterating what the Dwarf had spoken. "So we go east and maybe a little south. We'll get to Mordor eventually guys. Don't sweat it."

"Sweat it?" Frodo asked, to which Danielle just laughed and told him; "Nevermind".

The smile on Nil's face was almost infectious and it was taking every ounce of composure that Legolas had NOT to share in the woman's mischievous smirk. From his vantage point across the camp, the archer spied Eowyn and Aragorn talking. He also spied the Ranger attempt to get rid of some very disgusting stew.

"I can not believe you told her that..." Legolas whispered, taking a bite of his own stew that had, thankfully, not been tainted.

Gimli huffed from where he sat on a rock smoking his pipe. "I'm just glad the lass didn't feel the need for revenge on me." the Dwarf spoke up, shaking his head.

"Oh come on, it's hilarious!" Nil replied, the spoon from her own stew pressed against her lips to keep the laughter in. "All I did was tell Eowyn that he likes his stew incredibly salty. No harm. Besides... it's fun watching him try to be all chivalrous."

Legolas agreed and couldn't help the laughter that spilled from his own lips. "You spent too much time with the twins, Nileregwen." he teased before putting an arm around her shoulders and bringing the woman in close. "But I am glad it was Estel and not I who fell prey to your whims."

"No. You fell prey to something else entirely, lad." Gimli joked... to which Ashley immediately turned bright red... and Legolas laughed again.

He, in truth, couldn't agree more.

To Be Continued...

Preview of the Next Chapter:

3 Paths... well technically 2 paths about now because 2 of them are converging into 1 path but... 3 Ultimate Destinies... 3... oh who am I kidding, you know the story!

The Dead Marshes yes... yes that is their name... Well, Danielle and two Hobbits (along with their skulking companion) trek through a land filled with dead men and Elves and Orcs. Meanwhile, Nileregwen has something worse than a swamp to deal with. A very pissed off Elvish prince. Can she calm Legolas down and get him to trust in her, or will Aragorn's fall prove too much for this remaining fellowship to handle?

Find out next time in chapter 10 of...

"Moira Revealed"

Author's Note:

-I realize that at this point in the story, Vidlothiel and Sam and Frodo should be through the Dead Marshes by now... but the Dead Marshes will be in the next chapter for them since I didn't want to turn this into a completely Vid/Hobbits chapter.

-Also the journal entry is actually true. I am from Texas and I can not ride a horse. At all. In fact they scare me cause I'm short and they're big and... yeah... Only way you're getting me up on a horse is one of four ways. Either Orlando Bloom's on it or Lee Pace is on it or Josh Groban is on it or GACKT is on it. Since I've seen Orli and GACKT on a horse... well... I would expect that before His Joshness or Lee... though one would think Lee... maybe has ridden one...?

-And anything Danielle quotes is coming off the top of my head hahaha. I'll look stuff up when it comes to me but when it comes to her I don't.

Muse Moments:

"Why did you think this was a good idea?" Legolas asks with an exasperated sigh as he attempts to drag Nil to bed.
Half asleep she smirks, "Cause I've been sicky sick and bye bye sleep?"
"Ada! Why did you give her Nyquil when she is trying to finish a chapter?!" the Elf says, realizing that Nil is totally gone now.
Thranduil shrugs. "Because she was not feeling well. How was I to know if she stayed awake trying to type she would become..."
"A mad babbling fool?" the archer finishes for him, sighing again. "And here she made you pie!"
"I was trying to help!" the Elvenking replies back... before poking Nil with a back-scratcher. "How was I to know this would happen?"
Legolas groans and throws his hands up. "Fine. She can sleep on the sofa!"
"But I sleep there..." Paris whines.
"Not anymore! Get up!" Legolas kicks him off the sofa, though not physically kicking him, and lays Nil down. "Now stay here."
"But..."
"STAY!"
Nil blinks tiredly. "Okay..." before she half-asleep grabs Thranduil, pulling him down onto the sofa.
Legolas goes stock still...
Paris looks as if he might faint or run or both...
Ned walks in wiping his hands on a towel after having put up the pie. "Is she..."
Getting a brilliant idea, Legolas grabs Ned and drags him over to Nil. "Wait, what are..." but before the Pie Maker can ask any further, the Elf switches Thranduil's arm for Ned's.
"She's not dead is she?" Ned worries.
"No, just asleep and clingy..." the Elvenking replies, straightening his robes. "Now that this is settled... I bid you good night."
Legolas and Thranduil depart, along with Paris, leaving poor Ned to be snuggled by Nil.