Would you trust a matchlock arquebus built and maintained by Orcs? These are the minions of Sauron we're talking about here. I would not trust them with anything more complicated than a frelling spoon.

This would need heaps of background work before you ever set key to doc.

The first point, actually, is your whole premise: why are they taking the One Ring into range of Saruman, when Saruman is known to be searching for it? That needs explaining, and to make a good AU, it should be tied into your previous changes - in this case, why Faramir instead of Boromir came to Imladris.

And I think that's the answer. Saruman, in your scenario, is taking far more of his own actions, rather than waiting for Sauron's command. He has his army - initially Dunlendings, later supplemented by orcs and half-orcs (footnote: in the Bookverse, 'Uruk-Hai' just means 'Orc-folk'; it's a term for big orcs. The crossbreeds Saruman created are technically half-orcs. This doesn't apply in the Movieverse, of course) - out patrolling the west bank of Anduin, as far up and down as he can reach (which, in practice, means midway up Mirkwood, all the way down to Cair Andros). That means Denethor is unwilling to send his Captain off on some mad quest - and that there's no longer any safe route for the Fellowship past Caradhras.

So, the council decides, if stealth alone won't work, stealth and one MASSIVE misdirection ploy might (and Legolas suggests it - 'A diversion!' ;)). Get the biggest guns you can find, and throw them all at Saruman. And, since we're going all-out here: reveal the identity of the Elven Ringbearers. Sauron doesn't know, you see: he suspects Galadriel has one, but he isn't sure. But after this? He will be.

A Palantir would be immensely useful here, if we can get it - since Gandalf knows about Saruman's, we may need an infiltration mission into Orthanc before the main assault. And - the keystone of the plan - at the height of the battle, when defended by the Three and under assault by Nazgul, Frodo has to put on the Ring. Sauron needs to know it's there - otherwise the rest of the plan won't work.

And the rest of the plan is: throw Minas Tirith to the wolves. Aragorn and Faramir, between them, have just enough right to do this. The plan is to keep the Three very much out in the open, so Sauron is sure the One is with them. Then, as you say, sneak the One in round the back while Sauron pours everything out.

A few miscellaneous points:

-There is no 'colour hierarchy' as such. The White Wizard is head of the Order, but that's as far as it goes. I agree about a colour change for Radagast; Blue or Grey would work, or any other colour that scans (it needs to be a monosyllable - Red, Pink(!), even Black would work if you aimed at 'hidden in the shadows' rather than 'eeeeeevil'; remember that Melkor's greatest crime was to turn the darkness the Elves awoke to, into something to be feared). And I think the growth of his character would be fascinating. And then he died and comes back as Paul McGann...

-What would Sauron have up his sleeve? We know he has three of the Seven Rings, and has held two of them for a significant period. Does he have Bearers for them? The Mouth of Sauron is certainly a candidate. And Sauron holds onto the Nine - would the Nazgul be more powerful if they actually held their rings, despite the risk of them rebelling?

There's also a Balrog still hidden in Moria, which no-one knows about. Could Sauron awaken it? He couldn't order it around, it's his equal, a lieutenant of Melkor - but he could make an alliance with it. And Lorien is right in its path - with no Galadriel or Nenya to hold it back...

-Gollum. In the book and movies, Gollum found Frodo and Sam because he followed them since Moria. Assuming the Balrog awoke, he could well have left Moria (running in fear), but I think it's unlikely the Fellowship would just happen to run into him. I'm also not sure he'd be all that useful - they're not using his knowledge of Cirith Ungol, so you'd literally be bringing him along on a whim.

-Glorfindel and Gimli are great choices for guides. Gimli, of course, is a dwarf, and so will do well in the mountains. Glorfindel? He was there when the Last Alliance took Mordor. He knows his way around.

-And the final outcome... it really depends. Does Gondor have time to call for aid from the southern provinces? The timeline is changes, so the Corsairs may not yet have arrived - meaning more soldiers at Minas Tirith, but also far greater damage in the south. And who else is coming? Are the Ents marching to Gondor?

The problem is, while the New Alliance is certainly larger than the equivalent in the books, they're going to be coming in piecemeal. The Rohirrim will move faster than the elves, who will probably outpace the Ents. You could slow them all down - but then, as Merry said, they might just arrive in time to disrupt the orcs' celebration feast.

But then there's Sauron's problems. He hasn't had the same amount of time to muster the Haradrim and the Easterlings. The army of Morgul can certainly attack - but Mordor itself, in the book, was kept in reserve and only used at the Morannon. Would he send out everything, and risk losing it all? Would he use only part of his strength, hoping they might be able to hold? Or would he try and cheat - offer up, maybe, his own surrender in the face of so mighty an army? It worked last time, after all...

-The northern battle will be critical - if nothing else, Sauron will definitely want the Dol Guldur forces to move on Gondor. Radagast needs to fly north as fast as he can, to get everyone moving: Thranduil, Ergaroth, Dale, Erebor, even the Beornings and any dwarves left in the Iron Hills. No time to plan in advance - he'll have to act as messenger while they're already on the move.

-I think you should rename the first book 'The Company of the Ring'. That way you have new titles throughout. ;)

hS

I've already shelved a Dark!Bilbo fic where Frodo and Co. set out to discover the truth of what happened after Bilbo remained at Erebor as Thorin's advisor and the Ring makes him go grimdark crazy. You've got me wanting to write about Easterlings and the three ladies of this Fellowship kicking ass and taking names and braiding the guys' hair on slow days.

Elrond stood staring out of the window, his back to the door. "Ringbearer," the Lord of Imladris said, not turning. "Thank you for coming."

"Lord Elrond," Frodo said from the door, "your counsel is invaluable to me, and you - I mean - you have been a great-"

"I understand, Frodo." Elrond turned, a small smile on his face. "Many years ago, I myself was... overawed, shall we say, by the presence of my elders. When the Last Alliance marched against Sauron, it seemed as if every king in the world rode with us. Isildur of Arnor and Anárion of Gondor were ever at the forefront on the plains, but in the forests of Wilderland Amdír of Lothlórien and Oropher of Greenwood - or later his son, Thranduil - broke the trail. Even the Dwarves joined us, and Durin's folk and Durin's leadership brought us safely through the Misty Mountains. And the grandeur of our army!" Frodo realised that Elrond's mind was far away, walking in the living memory of the elves. "Lindon was emptied - under Círdan, every last vestige of the great realms of old marched to war. And, yes, there was I - I with my small household out of Rivendell, thrust into the service of the High Kings. Gil-Galad and Elendil - names that echo in my thoughts even now."

In Frodo's mind's eye, visions of the armies of old flared in brilliant colour - but painted in broad strokes, like the work of an artist who had never witnessed the muster. "I wish... I wish I could have seen it," he murmured.

Elrond seemed to snap back to the present. "Do you?" he asked sadly. "I wish I had not had to. And more than that... I wish we had completed our task, that this meeting might never have happened." He sighed, and looked out of the window again, towards the west. "But the Powers do not grant wishes, Frodo. In this task, in this Middle-earth, we must find our own path."

Beyond the Elf Lord's shadow, Frodo could see a single star gleaming in the evening sky - Eärendil, the Evening Star. "But not without light to guide us," he said suddenly.

Elrond smiled. "Indeed," he said. "And that is why I have called you here: guidance. You must have companions on your quest, to guide and guard you and Samwise. Gandalf, indeed, has already agreed to lead your company, and for the others..."

The Lord of Imladris looked once again towards the evening star. "Ten lords and kings faced Sauron and could not defeat him," he said. "Perhaps ten walkers, with no armies at their back, can succeed where we failed. And as the Last Alliance brought together all the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, so shall the Fellowship of the Ring consist of representatives of all those whose hopes rest on you. For Men..."

Frodo felt... empty. That was the only way he could describe it; a great, yawning pit had opened up inside him and swallowed something vital but hitherto unseen, and its loss was telling on him. The Ring felt the heaviest it had ever felt, as if it wished to drag him down towards whatever grave awaited Gandalf-

He dared not take that thought any further down the road than it had already gone.

The sun had risen, weak and pale for the season, and a grim pall had descended over what remained of the Fellowship. Gandalf had been slain not three days before, and they had been powerless as children to stop his death. Even the normally irrepressible cheer of Merry and Pippin had been blunted; Gimli looked positively murderous. Moria had been his cousin's house, and now its usurpers had claimed his companion. His axe felt heavy in his hands, and would need orc blood to lighten it once more.

Legolas was far in front, keen elf eyes scanning for movement that might signal the fell denizens of Moria. Never mind that they had probably given up by now, retreating back to their stolen halls rather than face daylight; he would keep watch. He would protect them - wait.

Movement. Shape in the distance. Two shapes, joined. Rider? No. Nazgul? Still no. The horse is odd, diseased, misshapen. No warg, either; the legs are long and the gait is stilted. The rider is too tall for an orc and bears no banner of Lorien, and his face is masked. That is not elven armour, either, nor of the Rohirrim or Gondorians... there is a long lance at his side, and a fine one, but - is that arrowhead stone? Yes - which means -

The arrow had left his quiver before the cry of "Southron!" had left his mouth. Legolas gave a hiss of disappointment shortly afterwards; the horse-thing's jerky gait had lifted its rider higher than he had anticipated, and he had hit the Haradrim's shoulder rather than his neck. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he nocked a second arrow and then paused...

---

The Haradrim grimaced with every jolt his camel made as it lurched across the rocky flatlands. His hands were up, though his right hand was rather higher than the left, on account of his left shoulder having a Mirkwood arrow sticking out of it.

"Please," he called, his Westron mangled by a nearly-impenetrable accent. "I mean no harm! I bring a message for the Grey Wizard!" Wincing a little, he dismounted, unbuckling his thin, bent sword and attaching it to a saddlebag. "Please, master Elf! Do not waste your arrows on a friend!" He raised his hands again, as best he could.

Legolas continued to stare him down as the Fellowship ran to his side. Boromir looked at him, then at the Haradrim, then back. "Why do you not shoot? His kind are as much servants of the Enemy as any orc."

"He says he is a messenger," Legolas said from the corner of his mouth, "and he bears no arms. I will not kill an unarmed Man, Southron or no."

"If one such as him comes before a son of Gondor with no weapons, then he is nothing but a fool!" Boromir began to move, but ran into Aragorn's outstretched arm.

"Peace, Boromir. Let him speak."

The Southron turned. "I must give my message only to the Grey Wizard. Where is he?"

"He lies in Moria," Boromir growled, "slain by a demon not quite so foul as you. Leave your message and begone."

"I... no. That is not possible. Morinhetar said I must-"

"The opinions of whichever petty Black Numenorean princeling sent you on this fool's errand concern me not! Deliver your message and leave this place!" At this, Legolas' eyes widened, and he got down from his rock and moved to whisper in Aragorn's ear, bow still drawn tight.

"Boromir," murmured Aragorn after a frantic conversation in Legolas' native tongue, "Morinehtar is a Wizard's name among the elves, so says Legolas. It would be well if we did not sully his name."

The son of Gondor said nothing for a few moments, then stepped back. He kept his sword out, though, and his eyes remained fixed on the Southron before him. "It would be better had the elf not missed his mark, Aragorn. His kind are never to be trusted! What manner of messenger does not speak his name, tell me that?"

"One who must stay secret, Boromir-haban-Denethor. My name is Amro-dan-Marwan, and my message is this: not all men of Harad serve the Lidless Eye. My brothers and I all were sent to tell the Grey Wizard, Mithrandir, that we exiles have no love for Mordor and its king. We came through the other Wizard's lands, hoping he might help us to find Mithrandir, but his wisdom," Amro spat the word, "led us all to a trap, and of seven, only one remains. Six brothers, prince of Northrons, slain by the orcs of a treacherous Wizard. That is the cost of my message. They died with their task left undone, and now you said it will never be done at all, for he is..." He trailed off and turned away, his shoulders sagging. "Waste. Wasted men. Wasted sons."

Legolas slowly lowered his bow and returned the arrow to his quiver. "How did you plan to find him?"

Amro turned. "After the White Wizard's treachery? In truth, I did not know. I made for Lothlorien in the hope that the Lady of the Wood might help me."

Aragorn had been listening throughout, and his eyes looked kindly on the Southron. "We make for there too, and for the same goal. You may journey with us, if you like. These hills are thick with orcs at nightfall."

Boromir goggled. "Have you gone mad? He will poison us in our sleep! Or can a Ranger fashion shackles from mud and sticks?"

Amro simply nodded. "I thank you, Aragorn of Men, and I would be glad to journey with you. My supplies are all but gone; Arabash has not eaten for three days, and nor have I for twice that. It is my hope that we may part on better terms than we met," he said, with a brief glance at Legolas.

It was at this point that the Hobbits and Gimli finally arrived, the dwarf wheezing from somewhere beneath plate mail and beard hair. "Where is he? Where is he? I'll have him in half before you can-"

"He is the servant of a Wizard, master dwarf," said Legolas. "You may lower your axe. He bore a message and could not deliver it, and his brothers died in the attempt. He is no threat."

"He's a Southron," muttered Boromir darkly, "they are always a threat, to decency if nothing else."

"Is he going to kill us?" Merry asked.

"I am not, master... half-ling?" said Amro. "I swear it upon my life. Were I to wish ill upon your party, I would have died at your companion's first arrow, so the wise men of my people say."

"That's a Camel," said Sam, slightly in awe. "I've seen pictures of them in my old Gaffer's books. They're a lot bigger than they look drawn out, aren't they?"

"They are, young master. They are."

---

PLZ R N R NO FLAMMING LOL IT JUST MEANS I CAN TOAST MARSHMALOWS!!!11!1!

...

and so on.

But it opens a new insight into Orcs. Do they care enough of their kindred's children not to harm them in battles? Are they fair game as well? And what will Sauron do to them?

Also, I'm a bit frustrated for Tolkien not expanding Black Speech. Luckily, we know that each tribe of Orcs have their own tongue, so we could make up one for one tribe. And another for another tribe. And so on...?

I at least would be interested in the continuing adventures of Snaga the orc Walker, dunno if I speak for anyone else but I'm tickled by how much that shakes things up. :P

It seems to me that the reason the Tenth Walker usually doesn't work very well (other than hijacking the whole Fellowship in favor of an OC) is that the "Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders" thing is never addressed in a way that makes any kind of sense. Last night, Neshomeh and I talked about two ways that it could be addressed.

1) "If they send nine against us, we will send ten. If they send eleven, we will send twelve." I will admit that this is not the most elegant solution, but it is one that could work, given more time to deal with Elrond's reasoning and wording. This is the weaker of the two options, and would require the most work to get right.

2) "Arrayed against us are Sauron and his Nine Riders. We will answer with Gandalf/Aragorn and Nine Walkers." Not perfect, but setting Gandalf or Aragorn apart as the leader and answer to Sauron, and the others being answers to the Nine Riders, could be done. I think a case could be made for either of those two, really, but Gandalf is the more likely choice. The way this would fail is if the Tenth Walker was supposed to be the counterpoint to Sauron.

So, that's what I came up with. I think this situation is easier to work with than others, which is probably why it is used so often in badfic. They don't feel they need to work very hard to get their OC in the Fellowship.

-Phobos