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Chapter 3: The Shadow of the Past

disclaimer: If I owned Buffy or LOTR would I still have trouble car payments?


Giles the Grey rode to the city of Minas Tirith, and the most complete library in Middle Earth. If there was anywhere he could get info on the Ring, it was there. As he reached the bourders of the city, he saw the dark clouds over Mordor begin to rumble with thunder and in the distance he saw an irruption from Mount Doom.

"Oh, as usual, dear." said Giles as he rode into the city. He searched the archives of the recorded history of Middle Earth for anything that refered to the Ring. For days he poured over books and scrolls until he finally stumbled onto the account of Riley, the last King of Gondor.

"The year 3434, of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Riley, High King of Gondor, and the finding of the Ring of Power. It has come to me, the One Ring, it shall be an heirloom of my kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I will risk not hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings on the band begin to fade. The writing which at first was clear as red flame, has all but disappeared, a secret now that only fire can tell." Giles had his answer, he returned to his horse and began riding back to the Shire.

***The Bronze Dragon Inn in the Shire***

"...to heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
But there'll still be many miles to go!
Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
And the stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or river swells
Is a mug of beer inside this Wells!" sang Andrew, who had had way to much beer. It was a normal Tuesday night in the Shire; Buffy, Spike, Dawn and Andrew were having a drink in the Bronze Dragon, not a care in the world. But talk in the pub was drastically different than normal for the Shire, all around there was talk of big trouble coming.

"There's lots of strange travelers passing through."

"The mountains are teamin' with goblins."

"War's coming."

This change in mood was very unsettling for the Summerses, Spike, and Andrew, so they just finished their drinks and headed home.

"What do you think Mom's doin'?" Dawn asked Buffy.

"Well, she always talked about how great staying with the Elves was, so she's probably having the time of her life." Buffy said after thinking for a moment. "I still miss her though."

"Me too." replied Dawn "Hey, maybe when Giles comes back we can show us where that is so we can go visit her."

"Yeah. that'd be good." Buffy said.

"Talkin' 'bout Joyce?" asked Spike, Buffy and Dawn knodded. "She was a decent lady. Miss comin' over, havin' a cuppa and talkin' with her."

"Yeah, and I bet you really miss grilling her for info on Buffy." said Dawn smirking, as Spike gared at her and Buffy looked wide eyed. "Oh yeah, she told him your favorite color, your favorite shop, your favorite food, where you hid your diary..."

"WHAT?! My diary?!" Buffy practically yelled.

"No, that was just me having fun, but the rest is true." Dawn said still grinning.

Spike went home as Buffy and Dawn got to their house on Revello Drive, as they walked inside Buffy got the strange feeling that she was being watched. After Dawn went to bed, there was a knock at the door. Buffy went to the door and opened it to reveal a very disheveled Giles.

"Is it secret?! Is it safe?!" Giles asked urgently. Buffy knodded and went to the trunk where she put the envolope with the Ring in. Giles jumped as he heard a sound outside. Buffy finally pulled out the envolope, which giles snatched out of her hand and threw into the fire place.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, pretty shocked that Giles had showed up in the middle of the night and threw her mother's old ring into the fire. They watched as the paper burned and disintigrated, revealing the Ring, unharmed. Giles reached with the metal tongs and pulled the Ring from the ashes of the envolope.

"Hold out your hand Buffy, it's quite cool." She hesitated but held out her hand as Giles dropped it into her palm. It shocked her that it really was cool. "What can you see? Can you see anything on the Ring?" Giles asked. Buffy turned the Ring between her fingers, it looked like a plain old ring.

"Nothing. There's nothing there." Buffy said, much to Giles' relief. But then something happened. "Wait, there are markings on it. It looks like some form of Elvish, I can't read it."

"There are few who can." said Giles, his heart sank as his worst fear was confirmed. "The language is that of Mordor, which I won't speak here."

"Mordor?!" Buffy was shocked. She had always heard of Mordor, but she always thought it was just a made up place. She heard about how the sun never shown there, about vast Orc infested deserts full of fire and ash, a dark place ruled over by an evil so great that Hell itself feared him. And now the closest thing to a father she ever had was telling her that she was holding a ring from that place.

"In the common tongue, it says 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.' This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fire of Mount Doom. Taken by Riley from the hand of Sauron himself."

"My mom found it in Gollum's cave." Buffy said with growing fear.

"For all these years the Ring lay quiet in your mother's keeping; prolonging her life, delaying old age. But not any more, Buffy. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken and heard its master's call."

"But the stories I heard say he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed when he lost the Ring." Buffy said. Suddenly they both heard a low hiss from the Ring, causing Buffy to quickly put it on the table.

"No Buffy, the spirit of Sauron indured. His existence is boud to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His Orcs have multiplied. His fortress, Barad dur, is rebuilt in Mordor. All Sauron needs is this Ring and he will cover all the lands in darkness. He is searching for it. All his thought is bent on reclaiming it. And the Ring yearns to return to his hand. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. Buffy, he must never find it. Ever."

"OK, we'll put it away. We'll keep it hidden. We'll put it in a box, bury it and never speak of it again. I mean it's not like anyone knows it's here, right?" Buffy asked, disturbed by Giles' silence. "Right Giles?"

"There was someone else who knew that your mother had the Ring, the creature Gollum." Giles said gravely " I looked everywhere for him, but Sauron found him first. He had Gollum tortured for God only knows how long. Eventually, through the screams and innane babble, they discerned 2 words; 'Shire' and 'Summers'."

"Shire and Summers?! But that means they'll come here." Buffy realized horrified, all her friends were now in jeopardy cause of that Ring. "Take it Giles. You're the smartest wizard in the world, you'll know what to do with it."

"No Buffy, I can't." Giles said fearful of the idea.

"You have to Giles." Buffy said holding out the Ring.

"You can't ask me to take that Ring." Giles said struggling not to lunge at the Ring.

"I'm giving it to you!" Buffy said

"DON'T TEMPT ME BUFFY!" Giles yelled flat out refusing to take it. Buffy looked really freaked out, if Giles was scared this was REALLY bad. "I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe. I would use it from a desire to do good, but it would use me to return to Sauron and unleash a power to terrible to imagine."

"But it can't stay in the Shire, if he knows it's here he'll send some goons to find it. It can't stay here."

"No, it can't." Giles stated sadly. Buffy realized that the Ring was left to her, this was her responsibility.

"What should I do, Giles?" Buffy asked, resigned to her situation.

"You must leave, as soon as possible." Giles replied.

"Where do I go?" Buffy asked as she packed a bag.

"Get out of the Shire and go to the village of Bree. There's an inn there called the Hyperion, I'll be waiting there for you."

"The Ring will be safe in Bree?"

"I don't know, Buffy. I don't have any answers right now. I'm going to see the head of my order, he's wise and powerful. He'll know what to do. You'll have to use a different name, 'Summers' won't be safe outside the Shire. Only travel during the day and stay off the road."

"I can cut across country easy." Buffy said as she grabed her pack and put the Ring in her pocket. Giles smiled fondly.

"Buffy, hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn everything about them in a month, and yet after a century they can still surprise you." As Giles finished talking, they both heard a rustling in the bushes outside. "Get down!" Giles whispered. Giles raised his staff and crept towards th window. He swung his staff into a bush and heard a voice yelp. He reached into the bushes and dragged the offender through the window, becoming enraged when he saw that it was Spike. "Damn you Spike!"

"Sorry Rupes, didn't want to interupt." Spike said annoyed at the wizard's hand on his neck.

"Stalk much?" Buffy asked, annoyed and releaved that it was Spike.

"Sorry pet. I heard you two talking and couldn't help meself."

"What have you heard?" Giles asked tersely.

"I heard some stuff about a ring, a Dark Lord, the end of the world and Buffy eaving the Shire. Which brings up the point, why are you leaving?"

"I have to Spike, the Ring can't stay here." Buffy explained.

"So you're going to go out into the big bad world by yourself, to a place you've never been to before with a ring that the ultimate evil is willing to kill for?"

"There's noone else who can do this."

"Wrong, I'm coming to." Spike said wrenching Giles' hand away from him. "If you think I'm going to let you go through this alone you're daft."

"I can't ask you to go with me, Spike." Buffy said, not wanting to put her friends in danger.

"That's why I din't ask, I'm going with you. You know I love you, and I'm not letting you go alone. So sorry luv, you're stuck with me." Spike said smirking. Buffy was feeling more comfortable that someone was coming with her.

"What about Dawn?" Buffy asked, knowing her sister would be pissed.

"We'll leave her a note. Besides, she and Andrew will find stuff to do."

"Very well, if you two are going you had better go now." Giles said. Buffy grabbed her pack and Spike packed some extra food and tools. Giles walked them to the edge of the Shire just as the sun rose. "Be careful, both of you. The Dark Lord has many spies in his service, including birds and animals. Is it safe Buffy?" Giles asked, Buffy patted her pocket to say yes. "Never put it on. The Ring's power will send out a mystical shock wave that will draw the agents of Mordor to you. Always remember; the Ring is trying to get back to Sauron, it *wants* to be found." Then he looked to Spike. "Keep her safe Spike."

"Till the end of the world, even if that happens to be tonight." Spike replied. Giles mounted his horse and rode away, leaving th two hobbits alone in the woods. "Well, guess we better be off then."

"Thanks for coming Spike." Buffy said gratefully.

"Hey, can't let you have all the fun and adventure without me, now can I?" Spike smirked as they walked on





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