Stuck In The Middle

Departing Rivendell

   This was it, Atalanta thought. The infamous departure.

Kate had her kiss with Boromir. Ashley had her little mushy moments with Legolas. And finally, Atalanta had her little show-down with Arwen. When one chapter ends, another starts right? Literally....

The Fellowship had assembled near the edge of Rivendell, where tons of elves and elleths had come to watch them be off. Atalanta was slightly nervous for embarking into a tale, a tale in which she had only read of, but an exciting journey, nonetheless.

''The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him, no oath, nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you.'' Lord Elrond spoke, as the Fellowship's attention turned to the old elf. ''Remember, you have a weapon of great. Three women who know your future, and who will guide you, wisely. Remember to have faith.''

The girls smiled, as Gandalf stumbled along, smoking from his pipe. ''We await the Ringbearer!'' He said, as Atalanta bit back a chuckle; stupid Frodo, he looked so clueless. As cheers rose up from the crowd, the girls stepped out of the border, officially in the wild. Everyone seemed to look at Frodo, and with a sassy eye-roll, Atalanta did the same.

''Gandalf!'' Frodo whisper-yells, eyes wide in panic. ''Left, or right?'' Atalanta bit back a laugh, as Kate piped up from the back.

''Left!'' Kate shouted, striding forward, as Boromir followed her. ''And after traveling for a bit, we should stay on this course for 40 days, traveling west of the Misty Mountains.'' Boromir looked at Kate, love evident in his eyes. He looked at her, proudly, as Kate smiled back at him.

Gandalf looked at Kate, barely surprise. ''If our luck holds the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor.''

''Alright, then.'' Ashley muttered, hoisting a bag upon her shoulder. ''Let's go.''

***

The company sat on rocks, as Boromir sparred with the hobbits. All three girls were busy, not in the same place. Ashley stood with Legolas, scouting the area, while trying to convince Legolas and Gandalf that they did know the fate of the quest. Kate was watching Boromir's movements, admiring how handsome he looked. Atalanta, on the other hand, was sharpening her blade, thinking of battle tactics.

''Atalanta.'' Aragorn greeted, sitting down next to her. He had to admit, Atalanta looked pretty, but he had no interest in her. He did not know what Arwen feared of.

''Aragorn.'' Atalanta greeted, playfully. ''I hope you've gotten over yesterday.'' She said, grinning.

Aragorn chuckled, shaking his head. He rubbed his cheek, almost in a tired way. ''Yes....I am sorry if Arwen offended you, in any way.''

''It's fine''' Atalanta said, laughing. ''It was actually quite funny. Y'know, where we live - Arwen pointed this out, very clearly - this story is very normal. We all have favorites, least favorites, favorite ships, etc. So, it's actually pretty cool to converse with you guys, knowing that you're actually there.'' She explained.

Aragorn raised his eyebrow. ''Where am I?''

''Huh?''

''Where am I, in your favorites?'' He asked, genuinely curious. What did he do in the future?

''Well....'' Atalanta started, a grin rising on her face. ''As Arwen quite clearly said, it's really normal for us girls to like you.

''So, I guess I always kinda had that resentment for you, being one of 'those' boys. You love them, only seeing their outside appearance, never actually knowing them.

''I always liked your personality, though. Out of everyone in the Fellowship - well, not Sam, but nobody could ever beat Sam - you were the most loyal, the most honorable. I always appreciated that.

''I think you can tell by now, but some things, or hardships, will happen. It's inevitable. However, you faced everything - even the prospect of death - very calmly. That's something that I admired about you, above everyone else.

''There's the other thing, though. Everyone else. Everyone in this Fellowship has a different piece, almost like a puzzle. If one of you were to be removed at the beginning of the quest - yes, without us - the whole quest would be different.'' Atalanta finished her ranting, breathing heavily. She watched Aragorn, who was looking at her, thoughtfully.

''That was beautiful.'' He said, suddenly. Atalanta was taken aback.

''Excuse me?''

''How you put that together. I can tell that those thoughts came from....well, a deep place in your mind, one that we all have. That is the part where we store our deep thoughts, the ones that take up much time. I am honored to hear them, Atalanta Rose.''

Atalanta raised her eyebrow, suddenly not feeling this sentimental time. She stood up, sheathing her sword. ''I gotta go.'' She said, before rushing off to Ashley.

A/N Hello, again! Yes, I know, this was supposed to be a much longer chapter, but...well, to me, it feels much longer! Atalanta's thoughts are really intricate, and her thoughts just seem to tumble out, y'know? That part was fun, and it felt reallyyyy long!

Also, go check out , a short story for this fanfic made by a friend!

xoxo, Athena